Quick Takes: Entertainment news

Certain Age’ canceled

“Men of a Certain Age” won’t make it past 50.

TNT said Friday it was pulling the plug on the critically acclaimed but low-rated drama starring Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula as three childhood friends caught up in various stages of midlife crises.

The show, for which a day earlier Braugher was nominated for an Emmy, was never able to appeal to a big audience, despite the presence of Romano, who previously starred on the CBS hit “Everybody Loves Raymond” and was a co-creator of “Men of a Certain Age.”

“This was an extremely difficult decision for us,” a TNT spokeswoman said. “While the show has featured great storytelling and impeccable performances, the audience simply hasn’t built to the point where we can continue the series.”

—Joe Flint

The heat gets to Loretta Lynn

Country star Loretta Lynn says she is recovering from heat exhaustion that forced her to cancel two weekend shows — and that she’ll need to stay out of her garden in the stifling heat.

The 76-year-old said in a statement Friday that “there ain’t a tomato worth it.” The Country Music Hall of Famer canceled shows in eastern Ohio and Connecticut after being hospitalized for heat exhaustion and dehydration. She’s home resting.

Lynn lives on a ranch about 60 miles west of Nashville. Temperatures across the Southeast have soared in recent days, with the heat index in some places topping 100.

Lynn plans to perform at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry on July 23, and resume touring Aug. 1.

—associated press

Not guilty plea in Picasso case

A New Jersey man accused of stealing a valuable Picasso from a San Francisco art gallery pleaded not guilty Friday to grand theft and burglary charges.

Mark Lugo entered his plea in Superior Court in connection with the July 5 theft of a 1965 drawing worth more than $200,000 from the Weinstein Gallery in downtown San Francisco.

Lugo also faces charges in connection with the theft of artwork and wine in New York and New Jersey.

In San Francisco, Lugo’s request to have his bail reduced from $5 million to $2 million was denied. Judge Samuel Feng said the 30-year-old suspect is charged with a “brazen” crime and poses a threat to public safety.

Lugo’s attorney, Douglas Horngrad, had argued that bail was set too high because of attention from “overhyped media.”

—associated press

Marilyn Monroe draws crowds

It’s safe to say nobody is having his or her picture taken as much in Chicago right now as Marilyn Monroe.

The scene on Friday in a plaza along Michigan Avenue resembled that of a movie premier, with dozens of people clicking pictures as fast as they could at a 26-foot-tall sculpture of the Blonde Bombshell that was unveiled first thing in the morning.

Monroe is taking the famous pose from the 1955 movie “The Seven Year Itch,” with her skirt billowing as she enjoys the breeze of a subway grate.

But that didn’t mean people weren’t surprised that when they walked around the side and the back of the sculpture, they could see clear as day Monroe’s lacy underwear.

The sculpture, by Seward Johnson, is set to remain on the plaza until next spring.

—associated press

‘Rescue Me’ artifacts donated

Denis Leary has donated props, costumes and other objects from his TV series “Rescue Me” to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History because of the show’s connection to New York City firefighters after Sept. 11.

Leary’s firefighter costume, helmet and tools are the first items included in the museum’s entertainment collection relating to

9/11 as the 10th anniversary approaches. The FX firehouse drama is about firefighters dealing with the grief of losing friends and relatives at ground zero.

—associated press

Jennifer Lopez is divorcing

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony’s marriage has hit a sour note: The superstar couple announced Friday that they are breaking up.

The two married in 2004 and have 3-year-old twins, Max and Emme.

In a statement, the pair called the decision to end their marriage “very difficult.”

They said they have come to an “amicable decision” on all matters and asked for privacy.

It’s Lopez’s third marriage, Anthony’s second.

Lopez, the 41-year-old singer and actress, was a judge on “American Idol” last season, and Anthony, 42, has been acting in the TNT hospital drama “HawthoRNe.” The couple announced plans in April for a Latin American talent show.

—associated press