My Publicist Note Book

Actor James Avery, best known at Uncle Phil on the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," has died at the age of 65. MARK MAINZ/GETTY IMAGES James Avery, who played the character of Phil Banks on the hit sitcom ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air,’ died at the age of 65 on Dec. 31. Beloved TV dad James Avery died on New Year’s Eve at age 65 following weeks of complications from open heart surgery, his rep said. Best known for playing Will Smith’s wise and wealthy Uncle Phil on the hit 90s sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” Avery died in a hospital in Glendale, Calif., after undergoing open heart surgery shortly before Thanksgiving, publicist Cynthia Snyder said. Avery’s mom said the actor’s wife Barbara Avery was “practically living” at the hospital prior to his death and called her early Tuesday with what seemed like good news. “It seemed like he was doing better. I heard him say something in the background,” mom Florence Avery, 89, told the Daily News by phone from Atla...

If so, today is your lucky day. Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith quietly put their Calabasas home on the market. The A List couple just unloaded their vacation home in Hawaii for $20 million. There’s no sign of trouble in paradise, but .... If you thought  Will Smith 's  53-foot long trailer  was extravagant, wait until you see his palatial estate.  The actor and wife Jada Pinkett Smith opened up their 25,000 square foot mansion in Calabasas, Calif., for a cover spread in the September issue of  Architectural Digest .  Complete with a lake, swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, the sprawling estate looks more like a full-service resort than a private residence.   Will told  Architectural Digest  the idea behind the house's circuitous floor plan was "to create an infinite cycle that represented what Jada and I hoped for our love."  The adobe-style estate was designed by architect Stephen Samuelson and handcrafted by hundreds...