Bret Michaels

Yes, he's had numerous stints on reality TV and millions of records sold -- but singer Bret Michaels may be best known as the star of a real-life medical drama. In April 2010, he had an emergency appendectomy. Less than two weeks later, he had a brain hemorrhage. A month after that, he had a stroke, caused by a hole in his heart. He had surgery to repair the heart defect in January. Michaels also has Type 1 diabetes, which was diagnosed when he was 6 years old. He spoke about how he deals with that disease in a recent interview with Diabetes Health magazine.

Singer Bret Michaels rocked a Phoenix hospital Thursday with a donation that will benefit its patients and their families. The Poison frontman announced plans to design a hospitality and music room at the St. Joseph's Barrow Neurological Institute where he was treated in April 2010 for a brain hemorrhage. Michaels said the room will include music listening stations, guitars and TVs. He hopes it can help others with their emotional and mental recovery. —Associated Press Steven Tyler: I was sober Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler said Thursday that he was sober when he fell in the shower in his Paraguay hotel room this week.

Wonder if people can have nine lives? Talk about "Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It. " He's the bandana-clad rocker living life on the edge. After several visits to the hospital this year ? first it was appendicitis, then a brain hemorrhage, then a "warning stroke" ? the former Poison frontman is back in front of the camera with a new VH1 series. Only this time ladies won't be vying for his affection, so put the provocative leopard dresses away. Instead, viewers will get a glimpse of his home life.

Yes, he's had numerous stints on reality TV and millions of records sold -- but singer Bret Michaels may be best known as the star of a real-life medical drama. In April 2010, he had an emergency appendectomy. Less than two weeks later, he had a brain hemorrhage. A month after that, he had a stroke, caused by a hole in his heart. He had surgery to repair the heart defect in January. Michaels also has Type 1 diabetes, which was diagnosed when he was 6 years old. He spoke about how he deals with that disease in a recent interview with Diabetes Health magazine.

Longtime Poison frontman Bret Michaels steps back into the limelight this week with a new iTunes single out featuring Miley Cyrus, of all people, on a power ballad called "Nothing to Lose." His new album, "Custom Built," is due in late spring, and he's also in the cast of "The Celebrity Apprentice" season premiering March 14 on NBC. "And March 15 is my birthday, so everything is kind of hitting at the same time," said Michaels, who'll be 47. "It's a good feeling to still be this busy this far into my career."

The worse poison is ignorance, and Dennis Hunt showed his when he asked Bret Michaels if glam-band Poison's wearing of make-up leads some to think they are gay (Faces, April 26). This is no different than asking Bono Hewson if U2's growing wealth leads some to believe they are Jewish, or asking Los Lobos if their Mexican heritage causes the mistaken impression that they are lazy drunks. Michaels compounded the slander by defending his band as "real men" who dislike the association with "being women."

SERIES Chuck: As Casey's (Adam Baldwin) former team returns to look for him, Chuck (Zachary Levi) has to decide what he is willing to sacrifice to find his mother. Joshua Gomez, Yvonne Strahovski, Sarah Lancaster and Ryan McPartlin also star in the new episode (8 p.m. NBC). House: A new mother (Jennifer Grey) faces a difficult decision that could have repercussions for her own health as well as her newborn baby's after House (Hugh Laurie) and his team make some disturbing discoveries in this new episode (8 p.m. Fox)

As lead singer of the alt-rock band Incubus, Brandon Boyd is at ease in a stadium full of screaming fans or painting alone in his kitchen. In between recording albums and touring, the Calabasas native has published two art books full of his sketches, paintings, poems, musings and other work. Last fall, his first solo exhibition, "Ectoplasm," was at Mr. Musichead Gallery in L.A.

There are those who view Poison as all flash and no substance, but perhaps the secret behind the hard-rock group's success--it has had two multimillion-selling albums--is that its flash is its substance. The Los Angeles quartet filled its Friday Long Beach Arena show--the last of its tour--with garishly colored lights, more fireworks than the Fourth of July, and loads of upbeat, party-down attitude. The Spandex-clad young girls, who composed a good three-fourths of the near-full house, couldn't have asked for anything more.

CBS can breathe a sigh of relief. Charlie Sheen confirmed Monday that he has agreed to a new contract on the hit comedy "Two and a Half Men." The deal will keep him on the show for two more seasons and will make him one of the highest-paid TV stars in the medium's history. The controversial actor was already making close to $1 million an episode under his old deal. Sheen had made noise about walking away from the show, which remains CBS' highest-rated sitcom and is the 9 p.m. anchor of its successful Monday lineup.

SERIES Chuck: As Casey's (Adam Baldwin) former team returns to look for him, Chuck (Zachary Levi) has to decide what he is willing to sacrifice to find his mother. Joshua Gomez, Yvonne Strahovski, Sarah Lancaster and Ryan McPartlin also star in the new episode (8 p.m. NBC). House: A new mother (Jennifer Grey) faces a difficult decision that could have repercussions for her own health as well as her newborn baby's after House (Hugh Laurie) and his team make some disturbing discoveries in this new episode (8 p.m. Fox)

Wonder if people can have nine lives? Talk about "Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It. " He's the bandana-clad rocker living life on the edge. After several visits to the hospital this year ? first it was appendicitis, then a brain hemorrhage, then a "warning stroke" ? the former Poison frontman is back in front of the camera with a new VH1 series. Only this time ladies won't be vying for his affection, so put the provocative leopard dresses away. Instead, viewers will get a glimpse of his home life.

Not enough reality TV in your life? Talk about "The Real L Word." Showtime's new series, a reality spinoff of the network's defunct scripted series "The L Word," revolves around six Los Angeles-based lesbians and their everyday melodrama. Think any one of the "Real Housewives" editions meets "The L Word." (Sunday) If you like '60s fashion , talk about "A Single Man." The film, out on DVD, stars Colin Firth as George Falconer, a gay British university professor living in Southern California in 1962 who is struggling to cope with the death of his partner.

MT. EMMY: To scale the heights of the Emmys, wrap yourself in raves and pack lots of buzz. This week's altitude readings are by Greg Braxton, Maria Elena Fernandez, Martin Miller, Michael Ordoña and Yvonne Villarreal. PEAKING AGING GRACEFULLY: By grouping "Survivor" into heroes and villains, the show proved in its 20th season that aging is not a bad thing. Only its first season topped it in surprises and memorable moments. Could this be the year "The Amazing Race" gets beat?

A roundup of Friday morning's arts and entertainment headlines: Bret Michaels is hospitalized again with a "warning stroke" and a hole in his heart. (Los Angeles Times) Lindsay Lohan makes bail, avoids jail time. (Los Angeles Times) First "Avatar," then Playboy, now the Philadelphia Inquirer goes 3-D. (Huffington Post) Pee-wee Herman is headed to Broadway. (Los Angeles Times) Theater owners are raising ticket prices for 3-D Imax. (Los Angeles Times)

CBS can breathe a sigh of relief. Charlie Sheen confirmed Monday that he has agreed to a new contract on the hit comedy "Two and a Half Men." The deal will keep him on the show for two more seasons and will make him one of the highest-paid TV stars in the medium's history. The controversial actor was already making close to $1 million an episode under his old deal. Sheen had made noise about walking away from the show, which remains CBS' highest-rated sitcom and is the 9 p.m. anchor of its successful Monday lineup.

I am writing in response to Mike Boehm's review of the Poison/Slaughter and BulletBoys concert ("It's Only Raunch 'n' Roll," Calendar, May 21). I realize that it is not very difficult to insult three bands that you obviously don't care for, but I attended that "simple, energetic, dumb-fun hard-rock fare" and loved every second of it. Come to think of it, so did everyone around me. If Poison's lead singer, Bret Michaels, has such a scratchy voice,...

Longtime Poison frontman Bret Michaels steps back into the limelight this week with a new iTunes single out featuring Miley Cyrus, of all people, on a power ballad called "Nothing to Lose." His new album, "Custom Built," is due in late spring, and he's also in the cast of "The Celebrity Apprentice" season premiering March 14 on NBC. "And March 15 is my birthday, so everything is kind of hitting at the same time," said Michaels, who'll be 47. "It's a good feeling to still be this busy this far into my career."