The Philippine Online Chronicles

77-year-old actress Judi Dench has been diagnosed with macular degeneration, an eye condition that can cause blindness.

"The most distressing thing is in a restaurant in the evening I can't see the person I'm having dinner with," she said. "I know there might be something going on but sometimes I can't see it and that infuriates me as I think I'm really missing out on something."

However the Oscar award winner, who will be playing M in this year's James Bond film Skyfall, stressed that she would not be retiring.

"As long as there is a possibility of working I'm not going to retire because if I retire nothing will work any more and it's hard enough as it is," she told the UK's Daily Mirror.

She added that while she can no longer read scripts due to her condition, she manages with help from friends.

"I can't read scripts anymore because of the trouble with my eyes," Dench said. "Somebody comes in and reads them to me, like telling me a story. It's usually my daughter or my agent or a friend and actually I like that, because I sit there and imagine the story in my mind."

“Even superman has to sleep”

Nick Cannon, popularly known for his stints on shows like Wild 'N Out and America's Got Talent, was recently hospitalized for blood clots in his lungs and an enlarged right ventricle in his heart. The 31-year-old TV personality was hospitalized for liver problems earlier this year.

“It was quite serious. I was trying to downplay it a lot, even in my own mind,” Cannon said about his latest hospitalization.

Cannon added that he would be quitting the morning radio show 'Rollin on New York's 92.3 NOW, which he had been hosting over the last two years, due to his health.

"Under doctor's orders, I have been asked to put my health first and cut back on some of my professional commitments in order to allow my body to get the rest that it needs to keep up with the demands of my multi-tasking schedule,” he said. "Even Superman has to sleep."

Cannon said that he still plans to host his syndicated radio show Cannon's Countdown and to continue contributing to 92.3 NOW.

Colbert back on air

Stephen Colbert, host of the satirical news show the Colbert Report, will be back on air on Monday after taking a couple of days off to tend to his 91-year-old mother, Lorna Colbert.

The Colbert Report abruptly cancelled its Wednesday and Thursday shows last week due to “unforseen circumstances.”

Although Comedy Central, which airs the show, declined to comment on the cancellations, the New York Daily News said that Colbert had taken off due to a "family emergency."

“My family and I would like to thank everyone who has offered their thoughts and prayers. We are grateful and touched by your concern," Colbert said over Twitter on Friday.