Quick Takes: Whitney Houston returns to rehab

Whitney Houston is back in rehab. A representative for the superstar singer confirmed Monday that Houston is undergoing treatment.

Kristen Foster said Houston is in an outpatient program for drug and alcohol treatment. She described it as a voluntary measure and part of Houston’s “long-standing” recovery process.

Houston, 47, one of the most successful singers in pop music history, has battled problems with drug addiction for years. But in 2009, as she released a comeback album, she declared herself healthy and clean.

It’s unclear how long Houston will be in rehab or where she’s being treated; Foster had no further comment.

—Associated Press

More Ken Burns on PBS slate

Banjos. Speakeasies. Ken Burns. Steve Martin. An epic exploration of space and time. They’re all coming to PBS’ fall season, the network announced Monday.

Among the highlights of the new schedule is “Prohibition,” a documentary series about the time when the U.S. tried to go dry, helmed by Burns and Lynn Novick and featuring music by Wynton Marsalis.

Martin will host “Give Me the Banjo,” a celebration of the bluegrass era with commentary from Pete Seeger, Earl Scruggs and Béla Fleck, among others.

Physicist and author Brian Greene returns to “Nova” in November with “The Fabric of the Cosmos,” a four-part miniseries that PBS said will explain how scientists are “piecing together the most complete picture yet of space, time and the universe.”

—Melissa Maerz

Justice Stevens’ memoir due

Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is writing a memoir.

The 91-year-old Stevens has a deal with Little, Brown and Co. for “Five Chiefs,” about the five chief justices he knew during his long career.

Little, Brown announced Monday that the book, written by Stevens alone, is nearly done. It will come out the first Monday in October, when the Supreme Court traditionally begins a new term.

—Associated Press

Bristol Palin gets reality series

Bristol Palin just can’t get enough of reality TV: She’s set to appear in a new Bio Channel show ... with fellow Season 11 “Dancing With the Stars” contestant Kyle Massey.

Palin, 20, is moving to Los Angeles, along with her 2-year-old son Tripp, where they’ll live with Massey, 19, and his brother Chris, 21 — both of whom she became close with during her stint on “DWTS.”

Bio has ordered 10 half-hour episodes that will follow the famous young mom as she works at a small charity, not yet identified. The as-yet-untitled series will premiere later this year.

—Yvonne Villarreal

Sissy Spacek turns director

Over a 40-year acting career, Sissy Spacek has been nominated for an Oscar six times, played roles as diverse as Carrie and Loretta Lynn, and worked with directors as diverse as Terrence Malick, Costa-Gavras and Brian De Palma. But she’s never taken a turn behind the camera.

That looks likely to change very shortly. The actress is preparing to direct her first film, says Jack Fisk, Spacek’s husband and Malick’s longtime production designer.

Spacek will helm “Buttermilk Sky,” a 1930s drama based on a collection of supernaturally inflected short stories called “Goodbye to the Buttermilk Sky” by Julia Oliver.

—Steven Zeitchik