Ed Mcmahon

Here's Ed: Ed McMahon will observe his 86th birthday today at an undisclosed L.A. hospital with friends and family on hand, according to spokesman Howard Bragman. McMahon has been hospitalized for several weeks for pneumonia and other ailments.

Barbara Walters, Peter Jennings and Diane Sawyer all made their best pitch but were turned down. Johnny Carson, the man who changed forever the world of late-night talk, wasn't talking. The network news powerhouses had separately attempted to secure interviews with Carson to get him to speak about his life and his place as one of the most influential figures in TV history. But from his 1992 retirement after 30 years on"The Tonight Show"until his death in 2005 at age 79, Carson steadfastly refused to cooperate with almost all interviews, books or films that would have called on him to reflect on his past or his show, which simultaneously reflected and influenced the nation's conversation about itself.

Barbara Walters, Peter Jennings and Diane Sawyer all made their best pitch but were turned down. Johnny Carson, the man who changed forever the world of late-night talk, wasn't talking. The network news powerhouses had separately attempted to secure interviews with Carson to get him to speak about his life and his place as one of the most influential figures in TV history. But from his 1992 retirement after 30 years on"The Tonight Show"until his death in 2005 at age 79, Carson steadfastly refused to cooperate with almost all interviews, books or films that would have called on him to reflect on his past or his show, which simultaneously reflected and influenced the nation's conversation about itself.

Actor Pierce Brosnan has sold his Malibu beach retreat for $2.6 million. Brosnan and his wife, environmental activist and former broadcast journalist Keely Shaye Smith, put the property on the market at $3.9 million in 2010 while building another house nearby. The gated Mediterranean they sold has separate space for use as an office or media room and sits on more than a quarter of an acre with lawn space and a courtyard fountain. The flower boxes and hydrangea-lined pathways are perhaps a nod to Brosnan's Irish roots.

The longtime home of the late comedian, announcer and game show host Ed McMahon is on the market in Beverly Hills at $4.6 million. The sidekick to late-night legend Johnny Carson fought a much-publicized battle in 2008 to avoid foreclosure on the residence. The seller is a family friend of the McMahons who has made improvements to the house, according to listing agent Alex Davis. The Mediterranean estate, with six bedrooms, 5 1/2 bathrooms and 7,013 square feet of living space, sits on a third of an acre with a swimming pool in the Summit, a gated community.

The Beverly Hills Post Office-area home that entertainer Ed McMahon fought to keep from foreclosure in a much-publicized battle in 2008 has sold in an all-cash deal for its most recent asking price of $3.475 million. Six offers came in on the property following its late November listing, and the two-story house in the gated Summit community was in escrow in 10 days, closing after the first of the year. The transaction may finally end the saga of what has been a beleaguered property history.

Ed McMahon, a television pioneer who warmed "The Tonight Show" couch for nearly 30 years as Johnny Carson's jovial sidekick and announcer, died early Tuesday. He was 86. McMahon died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, according to his publicist, Howard Bragman. The cause of death was not announced, but McMahon had been in failing health for some time, with a number of issues that required his hospitalization.

Ed McMahon has called off his plan to marry restaurant hostess Joanna Ford. McMahon, 67, and Ford were to wed on Jan. 12 at his Los Angeles home, his spokesman, Charlie Barrett, said Thursday. No explanation was given for the cancellation. It would have been the third marriage for McMahon and the second for Ford, Barrett said. McMahon is Johnny Carson's sidekick on NBC's "The Tonight Show" and host of the syndicated series "Star Search."

Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson's sidekick on "The Tonight Show" for three decades, has been sued by his former lawyers for $275,167 over payment of a legal bill. McMahon and his wife, Pamela, owe the money for unspecified legal services for McMahon's daughter, according to the lawsuit filed this week in federal court in Manhattan. The suit was brought on behalf of the Sarcone Law Firm in White Plains, N.Y. The lawsuit comes as McMahon, 85, tries to save his six-bedroom, five-bathroom home in Beverly Hills from foreclosure.

Johnny Carson's sidekick Ed McMahon and McMahon's wife, Victoria, have bought the old David O. Selznick estate in Beverly Hills. That, according to Joyce Flaherty of Schreiber Realty, who represented the McMahons in the purchase. Paris Moskopoulos of Paris Realty was listing broker. Selznick, who died in 1965, lived there, Flaherty said, with his wife, Irene, during filming of "Gone With the Wind," which he produced in 1939.

The Beverly Hills Post Office-area home that entertainer Ed McMahon fought to keep from foreclosure in a much-publicized battle in 2008 has sold in an all-cash deal for its most recent asking price of $3.475 million. Six offers came in on the property following its late November listing, and the two-story house in the gated Summit community was in escrow in 10 days, closing after the first of the year. The transaction may finally end the saga of what has been a beleaguered property history.

If you want inspiration and hope, walk down the hallways of Panorama City St. Genevieve High. Look at the newspaper clippings that herald a school making a difference. Read the posters on the walls that promote Character, Commitment and Courage. Listen to the calming philharmonic music blaring from speakers. Marvel at the spotless floors and glistening windows. Glance at the photos of students from all different backgrounds performing in plays, parades and sports competitions. "We do things different," senior offensive tackle Edwin Santamaria said.

Terry Eski had been itching to grow her own food for years, but living in a Chicago condominium, she lacked the space to garden. Until 2009, that is, when Eski, her husband and two children moved north to Prairie Crossing, a master-planned farm community in the suburb of Grayslake, Ill. There, she lives across the street from a 100-acre organic farm, has access to a community garden and spends Saturdays collecting fresh-laid eggs. FOR THE RECORD: Farm communities: In an article in the Nov. 29 Section A on new home developments built around organic farms, the first name of Daron Joffe, who has helped design farm developments, was incorrectly given as Devon.

Head idea: Competing at a different venue Ten-time Olympic medal winner Carl Lewis has crossed a finish line of sorts, selling his Pacific Palisades home for $2.5 million, according to the Multiple Listing Service. On the market since January, the contemporary Mediterranean, built in 1991, is on nearly a third of an acre with ocean and canyon views, a swimming pool and spa, a fish pond, a gazebo and fruit trees. A see-through fireplace connects the master bedroom with an area that can be used as an office or a den. Four bedrooms and 4 1/2 bathrooms lie within 5,307 square feet of living space.

The longtime home of the late comedian, announcer and game show host Ed McMahon is on the market in Beverly Hills at $4.6 million. The sidekick to late-night legend Johnny Carson fought a much-publicized battle in 2008 to avoid foreclosure on the residence. The seller is a family friend of the McMahons who has made improvements to the house, according to listing agent Alex Davis. The Mediterranean estate, with six bedrooms, 5 1/2 bathrooms and 7,013 square feet of living space, sits on a third of an acre with a swimming pool in the Summit, a gated community.

A Beverly Hills house with a decades-long string of celebrity owners has come on the market at $15.9 million. Designed by Roland Coate and built in 1934 for producer David O. Selznick, who won a best picture Oscar for "Gone With the Wind," the traditional house has a two-story entry, a formal living room, a walk-in bar in the family room, library and dining room fireplaces, a billiards room, an office and two maids' quarters. The dining room features original Greek keystone-shaped marble.

Television personality Ed McMahon and his wife, Victoria, have adopted a baby girl, a spokeswoman said. The McMahons named the infant Katherine Mary upon adopting her last week, McMahon's spokesman, Joe Bleeden, said Thursday. The girl, who is 12 days old today, is the couple's first child, he said. McMahon, 62, Johnny Carson's sidekick on NBC's "The Tonight Show," has four children by an earlier marriage, spokeswoman Madeline Kelly said.

Although he did other things in his 86 years, Ed McMahon, who died Tuesday in Los Angeles, will be remembered mostly as the man who sat next to Johnny Carson, except when more important celebrities came between them.

Ed McMahon, a television pioneer who warmed "The Tonight Show" couch for nearly 30 years as Johnny Carson's jovial sidekick and announcer, died early Tuesday. He was 86. McMahon died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, according to his publicist, Howard Bragman. The cause of death was not announced, but McMahon had been in failing health for some time, with a number of issues that required his hospitalization.