The Grapevine: Robin Gibb, Gayle King, Regis Philbin and Elijah Wood

Robin Gibb Diagnosed With Cancer

Singer and songwriter Robin Gibb, 61, best known for performing with his late brothers Maurice and Barry in the pop band The Bee Gees, has recently been diagnosed with liver cancer according to a report from The Daily Mail. The diagnosis is believed to have been given several months ago, and since then Gibb has canceled many public appearances, including a meeting in late October with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron.

Gayle King Leaves OWN Network

Oprah Winfrey’s pal Gayle King is leaving her talk show on Oprah’s OWN Network and joining a new morning television show on CBS. King will join longtime PBS talk show host Charlie Rose and anchorwoman Erica Hill in the new program scheduled to debut on Jan. 9, 2012.

Although the format has not yet been fully developed, the 7–8 a.m. program will likely focus on hard news versus the traditional early-morning show slant on lighter celebrity and lifestyle topics, according to The Wall Street Journal.

With a vacancy now left at OWN, Winfrey is said to be making a return back in front of the camera also in January 2012 with a show titled Oprah’s Next Chapter, which will feature on-location interviews with celebrities.

Regis Philbin Retires

Iconic American television personality and talk show host Regis Philbin, 80, signed off from his run of 28 and a half years on ABC’s Live! With Regis & Kelly.

The always-wisecracking Philbin was humbled on his last broadcast last Friday morning, with so many touching tributes and well wishes. Among the many accolades offered, the ABC network honored Philbin with a plaque emblazoned with his name and face, which will be posted outside the ABC studio’s building. The plaque was given by President and Chief Executive Officer of the Walt Disney Company Robert Iger.

Kelly Ripa will continue on to host the show solo, with guest co-hosts filling in.

Elijah Wood Dishes on ‘The Hobbit’

American actor Elijah Wood, best known for his portrayal as Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, told E! News that the two upcoming “Hobbit” films in the works are going to be exciting.

“I don’t even know if they’re meaning to outdo them. They’re gonna be big. The audience is huge. The anticipation for ‘The Hobbit’ has been so massive for so long,” he noted last week during his appearance at the Happy Feet Two premiere.

Woods went on to explain that the somewhat controversial content for the new films, including the appearance of Frodo and a few other characters not part of the book, comes from appendices and external pieces taken from J.R.R. Tolkien’s writings. The two movies, titled The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, are being filmed in succession and are scheduled to be released on Dec. 14, 2012, and Dec. 13, 2013, respectively.

Compiled by Michele Goncalves