News

Beloved actor Maggie Smith has died at the age of 89, it has been confirmed. The news was announced by her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin in a statement. “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” it reads. “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

Smith’s career spanned several decades, across both stage and screen – she began her theatre career in the early 1950s, while her screen career began in earnest with 1958’s Nowhere To Go. Her cinematic breakout role came in the 1965 adaptation of Othello, in which she played Desdemona – and was nominated for an Oscar. The film also starred Michael Gambon...

Patrick Swayze's role in Donnie Darko showcased his willingness to take risks and pivot from his normal sexy image. The character of Jim Cunningham in the film is a chilling portrayal of hidden depravity and manipulative behavior. Swayze's nuanced performance in the movie reveals his talent for playing complex and morally ambiguous characters.

Actors often find themselves in slumps or career stagnation when they are presented with a choice. They can continue to take similar parts or try and switch up the narrative and do something different. For Patrick Swayze, the sex symbol of the '80s, this was the case in 2001. That year, he starred in the cult classic Donnie Darko. In the film, he did not portray his normal sexy self. Rather, he banked on his good-guy image to subvert expectations. In doing so, he made a clear statement that he was willing to take certain...

Bifa nominee Harry Gilby leads the cast.

Rupert Everett and Tamsin Greig head the cast of independent UK adventure comedy Land Of Legend, on which filming is underway now for five weeks in South Wales and Gloucestershire.

Land Of Legend is directed by UK filmmaker Niall Johnson, whose previous credits include 2005 comedy Keeping Mum starring Maggie Smith. Cory Brusseau and Robert Weston have written the Land Of Legend script, adapted from Esfandiar Ghodrati’s upcoming novel.

The film follows the adventures of a misfit teenager as he travels through a magical portal to the Hidden Kingdom, where he discovers his...

The film is the second by French director Emilie Brisavoine and explores motherhood.

Brussels-based sales company Best Friend Forever has acquired iternational sales for Emilie Brisavoine’s French documentary feature Keeping Mum (Maman Déchire ) ahead of the film’s premiere in the Proxima Competition at the Karlovy Vary International FIlm Festival (June 30-July 8).

The film is Brisavoine’s second feature following 2015 Cannes Acid title Oh La La Pauline!! Brisavoine is also an actress who starred in Justine Triet’s debut feature Age Of Panic. The film is produced by Nicolas Anthomé of Paris-based Bathysphere Productions.

It about the director’s punk mother,...

The Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, Eastern and Central Europe’s leading cinema event, has unveiled its lineup, which includes new works by Pascal Plante, Stephan Komandarev, Tinatin Kajrishvili and Babak Jalali in the Crystal Globes Competition. They will vie against films by up-and-comers Ernst De Geer, Itsaso Arana and Cyril Aris. The section has nine world and two international premieres. Oscar-nominated actor Patricia Clarkson is one of the jury members.

The Proxima Competition, which made its debut at last year’s Kviff, presents what the festival defines as “bold works,” directed by young filmmakers and renowned auteurs alike. The section comprises of 10 world and two international premieres. The festival says “playfulness, courage and freshness can be found” in the new films by Swiss auteur Thomas Imbach, Poland’s Olga Chajdas, Cyprus-born Kyros Papavassiliou, French filmmaker Émilie Brisavoine and Romanian documentarist Alexandru Solomon, among others.

Eight films will play in the Special Screenings section,...

Fantasy tends to be a genre of dead mothers and wicked stepmothers. Perhaps this shouldn’t be a surprise since modern stories often draw on generations of fairy tales and retellings with absent moms. Yet when the mothers are part of the story, they frequently function solely in their parental role, without an indication of their own personhood beyond that. So for Mother’s Day, I wanted to create a list of some of science fiction and fantasy’s (Sff) amazing moms. We may not get to see the lives of these moms on screen or on the page, but we’ve got the clues to know that they are their own people—and that makes them realer mothers.

Laurel Lightfoot

I’ve already written about what I loved about Pixar’s Onward as a gamer, but my first response to the film really came as a mother. Laurel Lightfoot,...

Author: Competitions

To celebrate the DVD & Digital HD release of Mum’S List on Monday 20th March, we are offering 3 lucky winners a chance to win a copy of the DVD!

One of the most memorable, beautiful and heart-warming stories of recent years; Mum’s List tells the real life story of Singe and Kate, a couple from North Somerset, whose lives were turned upside down when Kate was diagnosed with an incurable breast cancer. Over her last few months, she created her list: writing down her thoughts and memories to help the man she loved create the best life possible for him and their two sons, after she was gone.

Written and directed by Niall Johnson (White Noise; Keeping Mum), Mum’s List stars Rafe Spall, Emilia Fox and Elaine Cassidy. Published by Penguin Books in 2012 in the United Kingdom, the book Mum’s List entered the UK Amazon...

Tamsin Egerton is pregnant!

The actress’s baby belly was on full display while attending the Vanity Fair Oscars party alongside partner Josh Hartnett on Sunday, where she happily noshed on beignets.

“This is not feeding the baby nourishment,” joked Egerton, 28.

The couple posed for photos during the evening, where the Camelot star wore a long-sleeve black gown with a high neckline.

Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the People Babies newsletter.

Egerton and Hartnett, 38, have been together since 2012 and welcomed a daughter in late 2015.

“She...

Exclusive: As the Afm kicks off, and Fortitude International nears its 2nd birthday, the company has built a slate of elevated genre, thrillers and comedies with the latest addition, Android, a space-set sci-fier that will star Olga Kurylenko. Keeping Mum's Niall Johnson is directing from a script he co-wrote with Matt O'Reilly that taps into the current A.I. zeitgeist. Trademark Films' Ivan Mactaggart is producing with Infinite Studios Singapore's Mike Wiluan and Lindsey…...

Drama directed by Niall Johnson is based on a true story.

British drama Mum’s List has begun shooting with stars Rafe Spall (Prometheus) and Emilia Fox (The Pianist).

The film, written and directed by Niall Johnson (White Noise, Keeping Mum), is based on the best-selling book by St John (Singe) Greene.

It centres on Singe and Kate, a couple from North Somerset, whose lives were turned upside down when Kate was diagnosed with an incurable breast cancer. Over her last few days, she created a list: writing her thoughts and memories down, to help Singe create the best life possible for their two sons, after she was gone.

Produced by Nick Hamson (Premonition, St George’s Day) and Studio Soho Films, Mum’s List co-stars Elaine Cassidy and William and Matthew Stagg.

Executive producers are Gareth Jones, who is coordinating UK and international sales for the film, Chris Wood, Niall Johnson and Sarah...

Han Solo is now part droid. A few weeks after breaking his leg on the set of Star Wars: Episode VII, Harrison Ford has been seen around London in a large leg brace, as he works to regain full fitness for filming. The complicated brace is like a crutch, but it acts as a prosthetic peg leg, keeping the knee bent and the foot elevated. The actor, 71, broke his left leg on June 12, one of the first days of shooting, and was rushed to a hospital in Oxford for surgery."His surgery was successful and he will begin rehab shortly.

Cross-media project market and conference unfolds June 19-20.

Actress, writer and producer Emily Corcoran [pictured] and director Annette K Olesen’s will be among the film professionals crossing over to the web to present transmedia projects at the upcoming edition of Cross Video Days (Cvd) in Paris later this month.

The cross-media market and conference event, unfolding June 19-20 in a former warehouse on the outskirts of Paris, marks its fifth edition this year.

Founder Bruno Smajda is expecting it to be the biggest edition to date.

“It’s taken off in terms of the quality of the projects and the attendance of commissioners, one feeds into another,” he says.

“Today producers and broadcasters have to conceive projects in a transmedia way, taking into account convergence and what’s happening digitally — not least due to the realities of the market and the way in which people consume content,” says Smadja.

“The wave of change is so great everyone...

Exclusive: Duffy film, Niall Johnson rom-com on Parkland Pictures slate.

Parkland Pictures comes to Cannes with new romances Secret Love, set to star British singer-songwriter Duffy (Duffy Jones), and Niall Johnson’s Scrum Like it Hot.

Secret Love, budgeted at $3.2m, aims to shoot in Wales this autumn. It charts the bittersweet love story between a young woman and an older, married man and her subsequent turmoil after he unexpectedly passes.

Grammy and Brit Award-winning singer Duffy, whose 2008 debut album Rockferry sold more than 7 million copies worldwide and featured hit singles Mercy and Warwick Avenue, will also compose original songs for the film and work on the soundtrack.

Duffy made her acting debut on 2010 drama Patagonia. Her music has appeared in films including An Education and Bride Wars.

Director will be Dewi Humphreys (My Family), producer is Chantelle de Carvalho and writer is Emyr Humphreys.

The production is currently casting additional roles.

Rugby rom-com...

Rumor on the street is that high-level S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents have no idea where their boss is.

Since the battle of New York when Nick Fury was reportedly at odds with a mysterious S.H.I.E.L.D. shadow council over the attempted nuclear strike against Manhattan, the power structure of the United States’ premiere spy organization has been fractured to the extreme.

A S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent who didn’t want to be identified (too bad, Agent Sitwell), has no idea where Director Fury is.

Keeping mum about the whole this is Agent Phil Coulson, thought deceased after being stabbed through the heart through alien/trickster-god Loki. Coulson seems to want to keep things insular with his team of agents that fly around in a multi-million dollar battle aircraft Fury commissioned as part of his push for more S.H.I.

Keeping mum on the big B -- baby! In a happy surprise, Laura Linney has given birth to her first child, her rep confirms to Us Weekly. The Big C actress and her husband Marc Schauer welcomed a baby boy named Bennett on Wednesday, Jan. 8, her rep tells Us. Linney, 49, has never addressed the pregnancy, and has never surfaced with a baby bump in public. She last was photographed seven months ago. On June 9, the Emmy winner kept a low-profile in an all black ensemble [...]...

There's been plenty of speculation, but we now know for sure that Adele will, in fact, perform her Oscar-nominated James Bond theme "Skyfall" at this year's 85th Academy Awards on February 23 (via The Hollywood Reporter)

This year's ceremony (also slated to featured a 50th anniversary tribute to the James Bond film series) will be her first live performance since last year's Grammy Awards and the first performance anywhere of "Skyfall," currently tied with Duran Duran's "A View To A Kill" as the most commercially successful Bond tune of all time.

Previously… Adele Admits At Golden Globes She'll Be Keeping Mum On Her Son's Name

"It's an honor to be nominated and terrifyingly wonderful to be singing in front of people who have captured my imagination over and over again," said Adele soon after the Oscar nominations were announced. "It's something I've never experienced and probably only ever will once!

There's been plenty of speculation, but we now know for sure that Adele will, in fact, perform her Oscar-nominated James Bond theme "Skyfall" at this year's 85th Academy Awards on February 23 (via The Hollywood Reporter)

This year's ceremony (also slated to featured a 50th anniversary tribute to the James Bond film series) will be her first live performance since last year's Grammy Awards and the first performance anywhere of "Skyfall," currently tied with Duran Duran's "A View To A Kill" as the most commercially successful Bond tune of all time.

Previously… Adele Admits At Golden Globes She'll Be Keeping Mum On Her Son's Name

"It's an honor to be nominated and terrifyingly wonderful to be singing in front of people who have captured my imagination over and over again," said Adele soon after the Oscar nominations were announced. "It's something I've never experienced and probably only ever will once!

Niall Johnson is a sterling British filmmaker you may not have heard of, but you will certainly be aware of his work. Starting off with television dramas like The Ghost of Greville Lodge, then moving onto small indie pictures like The Big Swap, Johnson made waves in Hollywood when he wrote the script for the Michael Keaton-starring supernatural chiller White Noise, which shattered Box Office records at the time of its release. But the writer-director is perhaps best known for his wonderful black comedy Keeping Mum, now a staple on Film4, which tells the tale of Maggie Smith’s housekeeper, who hides a dark past, helping change a divided family for the better, even if she does so through rather unorthodox means…

Johnson did anything but keep mum in this exclusive interview where he very candidly discusses his career so far, his very busy upcoming slate, and his thoughts on the film industry today.

Still early in its casting process, Steven Spielberg's Robopocalypse now has a lead actress in the shape of Anne Hathaway. Recently linked with the blockbuster - now firmly in pre-production even as Spielberg attends to his Lincoln publicity duties - Hathaway has officially confirmed her involvement in the movie."If Robopocalypse happens I will be in it," she tells Empire, "Normal0falsefalsefalseEN-gbx-nonex-none/* Style Definitions */table.MsoNormalTableand I believe it’s quite real, though you never want to hang your hat on anything."Keeping mum on her character ("I'm back in Secretville"), Hathaway elaborated on the allure of the project. "Whenever I’m taking time off, I always joke to my team that I’m on vacation unless Steven Spielberg calls. And I was on vacation and Spielberg called. So I was like, ‘Ok, put my money where my mouth is’."If you're familiar with Daniel H. Wilson's sci-fi novel,...

Chandler Massey's Will is having a tough time since he spotted his mom doing the nasty with Ej again on Days of our Lives. It certainly isn't easy being Sami's son -- and it won't be any easier coming out as Sami's gay son. Keeping mum about the worst kept secret in daytime? Massey admits that wasn't easy either!

Rumor has it Will will come out by the time the ball drops on 2012, but Salem may actually have a bit more time than that to build to the reveals. One thing's for sure: While Massey still can't get too specific about the storyline, he's clearly enjoying the ride.

What can we expect from your big storyline?

It's not just my big story. It affects everybody. You can expect, obviously, Will to come out of the closet. I can say that much. (laughs) It's a story that everybody -- the actors,...

London, Nov 13: Goldie Hawn's ex husband, Bill Hudson has revealed that his former wife was a sex crazed woman, who had a number of affairs during her marriage with him and asserted that "What Goldie wants, Goldie gets" was one of her favourite sayings.

Keeping mum for so many years, Hudson finally decided to reveal the truth behind the manipulative stories being circulated by his estranged wife.

"I have lived with it for long enough," the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.

"I never wanted to get into a public slanging match but I have other children now and they deserve the right to get to know Kate and Oliver and I.

I actually threw up in my mouth a little when I heard this – it appears that babies are on the cards for incontinent Fergie and her husband, Josh Duhamel. The two have been taking breaks from their respective careers to get to know each other a little better (shouldn’t they have done that before they got married?), and Fergie says that the plan is to use this free time to start a family.

I was much happier when the rumor was that these two were on the verge of breaking up. I don’t know what it is about the combination of them together, but it basically feels like a sin against nature. I’m pretty sure any babies these two have will have multiple heads.

This content is copyrighted by Snark Food.

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Related Articles at Snark Food:Fergie And Josh Duhamel Get HitchedJosh Duhamel feels the wrath of...

Actor Josh Duhamel (the dude who married Fugl– I mean, Fergie) got removed from a domestic flight late last week, after he had been asked several times to switch off his Blackberry, but refused to do it. Why do celebrities think that safety rules don’t apply to them? Perhaps the plane’s navigational system will notice the particularly rich quality of the interference and think to itself, ah, that’s celebrity interference – that’s perfectly acceptable. Much to the dismay of fellow passengers, the plane turned around after it had already left the gate, when Douche-amel wouldn’t follow instructions and the flight crew refused to accommodate his better-than-everyone attitude.

This content is copyrighted by Snark Food.

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Related Articles at Snark Food:Fergie And Josh Duhamel Get HitchedHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Movie Split Revealed!FBI Keeping Mum About Miley’s Tennessee HackerLyrics To David Cook’s Debut...

Pajiba readers, welcome! My name is Caspar Salmon, and this little ol' weekly column here exists so that you can hear about what's hot and what's, er, cold, I suppose, on British television right now. Let's just skip right to the shows, shall we?

Getting On

When my beloved grandmother was living in an old people's home a few years ago, in the days when she was sadly no longer quite the sharp-minded person she had once been, we were all sitting around in her room, chatting, when she took something out of her handbag, examined it intently through her thick glasses and then, having decided that it must be some sort of treat, began to eat it. After a short while, I noticed that she was crunching down on it quite hard, with an expression of workmanlike disgust.

Me: Oh Nan, what on earth are you eating?

Nan (pensively): I don't know.

Keeping mum by order of the court, Oksana Gregorieva appears to be holding up well under the strain of Mel Gibson reportedly going so ballistic and insensitive that he got dumped by his agent. The Russian pop singer does tell E! that she's clueless about who passed tapes of Mel's rants to online gossip shovelers: "I have no idea. It's terrible, terrible." And though the combative pair don't appear to be on the same wavelength about much, we're pretty sure Mel would agree with that assessment.

The enduring power of the King Arthur story is reflected in its many retellings on the big and small screen, most recently in the BBC's Merlin which is heading into its third season.

Very few of these 'reimaginings' get it right. Most are marred by poor casting, an imbalance of history and fantasy and, overall, entirely the wrong tone that betrays poor research and a lack of respect for the story.

Well, we'd better brace ourselves and hope the next one is better.

There are already several Arthurian movies in development and Starz and Gk-tv today added to the pile by announcing a 10-episode series called Camelot, which will begin production this month and air early next year.

It's billed as a "fresh approach" to the story, with FlashForward's Joseph Fiennes cast as Merlin; Eva Green (pictured), in her first TV role, as sorceress Morgana; Jamie Campbell Bower as...

Joseph Fiennes to star in Camelot Starz and Gk-tv announced today that Joseph Fiennes, Eva Green, Jamie Campbell Bower and Tamsin Egerton have signed on to the upcoming series Camelot.

Camelot will take a fresh approach to telling the Arthur story, and casting Fiennes as the wizard Merlin and Eva Green, in her first television role, as the powerful sorceress Morgana will help set the tone for the series. The essential roles of Arthur and Guinevere will be played by Jamie Campbell Bower and Tamsin Egerton, respectively.

Fiennes was most recently lead in the ABC series FlashForward but is probably best known for playing the title role in the Best Picture Oscar-winner Shakespeare in Love and as Robert Dudley in the acclaimed Elizabeth. Green is best known for her role as the mysterious Bond girl Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, Sybilla in Ridley Scott's saga Kingdom Of Heaven and as Serafina Pekkala the beautiful,...

After finding success with the gladiator soap Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Starz will next turn to medieval times for the new series Camelot, a fresh take on the classic King Arthur saga. Joseph Fiennes (FlashForward) and Eva Green (Casino Royale) have signed on to headline the series; Fiennes will play the iconic wizard Merlin, while Green will portray the sorceress Morgana.

The pair join Jamie Campbell Bower (New Moon) and Tamsin Egerton (St. Trinian’s), who were cast as Arthur and Guinevere, respectively. Production begins this month with a target premiere of early 2011. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Here’s the official press release:

Main Cast Set For ‘Camelot’

Joseph Fiennes (Merlin), Eva Green (Morgana) Join Newcomers Jamie Campbell Bower (Arthur) and Tamsin Egerton (Guinevere)

Production Begins in June for 10-Episode Epic Series Set to Debut in Early 2011 on Starz in the U.S.

Los Angeles – June...

It has been months and months since we last heard any news about Anthony Hickox’s return to horror, Knife Edge, but finally the film has a DVD release date thanks to E1 Entertainment.

This compelling blend of taut mystery and haunting ghost story from Hickox, the director of Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth and Waxwork, will be coming to home video on April 20th. The cover art can be seen on the right, and the synopsis is as follows:

Emma, a psychically gifted Wall Street trader, and her new husband move with their son to a beautiful estate in the British countryside. However, the mansion holds a terrible secret, turning the family’s house of dreams into a terrifying place of horrors as Emma begins seeing strange and terrifying visions of horrific events from the mansion’s past. Are these visions meant to drive her insane, or are they...

A Canadian upbringing is about more than just playing lots of winter sports and having maple syrup instead of regular syrup on our pancakes. Regular exposure to Canadian television has long been an important part of what makes our childhood different from that of our brethren to the south. Now, Canadian television is decidedly less polished than American television. We grew up watching the genuinely awkward adolescents of Degrassi Street, not the beautiful airbrushed twentysomething "teenagers" of "Beverly Hills 90210." Bizarre, crudely drawn National Film Board short cartoons such as "The Log Driver's Waltz," "The Big Snit," and "The Cat Came Back" were a staple of the 1970s and 1980s, while American kids were tuning in to shows like the "Care Bears." One of our most revered television superheroes was Mr. Canoehead, a dude whose crimefighting "superpower" was to knock out criminals by, well, turning around and whacking them with the...

There may have already been 16 film versions, 10 TV versions, 5 theater versions and 1 radio version (that are notable, anyway) but that hasn’t stopped one UK-based studio from prepping yet another adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure novel, Treasure Island.

Variety is reporting that Ecosse Films is developing another feature film adaptation of Treasure Island, with studio toppers Douglas Rae and Robert Bernstein wanting to update the 19th century tale of pirates and buried treasure for contemporary audiences. This may sound a bit familiar and that’s because we recently reported on a similar thing being done to another classic swashbuckling tale, The Three Musketeers.

It appears the revamping of Sherlock Holmes has spurred studios and producers on to updating just about every classic piece of literature out there for modern audiences…

The aim for this particular Treasure Island telling is to play up the relationship between Long John Silver and narrator Jim Hawkins.

Cinematical spoke with "Smokin'" Joe Carnahan today as he hit the press for next week's Smokin' Aces 2, a prequel to his 2006 shoot 'em up bonanza that he lovingly executive produced. (Check back for our full interview next week.) His next film, this summer's adaptation of the gloriously cheesy '80s series The A-Team, will be his biggest film to date - but after having a number of projects start and stop over the past few years (including a remake of Otto Preminger's Bunny Lake is Missing, an adaptation of James Ellroy's White Jazz, and Killing Pablo, the development of which was infamously parodied on HBO's Entourage), what will Carnahan tackle next?

Keeping mum on whether or not The A-Team could yield sequels if it opens big this June, Carnahan clarified what he'd like to put on his upcoming slate. "There's a film that I wrote that I...

Penélope Cruz and Anne Hathaway may be rivals in two biopics

Two British screenplays are competing for the chance to be the first to tell the compelling life story of the opera star Maria Callas on film.

This summer, as guests attending the Cannes film festival gathered for cocktails on the terrace of the exclusive Martinez hotel to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pier Paolo Pasolini's acclaimed film Medea, with Callas in the non-singing title role, the soprano's close associations with glamour and the cinema were never more evident.

On display at the hotel was a selection of jewellery from Callas's private collection, including her white diamond "La Traviata" necklace, showcased alongside unseen photographs of the singer with stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly. But what the guests at the Martinez did not know was that, just along the Croisette, producers were busy with...

"300" star Gerard Butler has sparked rumor that he may be playing a part in one "Sin City" sequel. When talking to MTV, the actor who stars opposite Katherine Heigl in "The Ugly Truth" shared that he has discussed possibility of working together again with director Frank Miller.

"At one point, he talked to me about one of the 'Sin City' [movies]," the 39-year-old confessed. "And we discussed that." Keeping mum on the potential role, he further unraveled that the part is likely for the third movie, instead for "Sin City 2". He said, "There's a kind of cool character I think in the third one. But it was all very kind of soft talk."

Gerard Butler has teamed up with comic book artist/film director Frank Miller when he joined "300" as King Leonidas. His feature credits include "P.S., I Love You", "RocknRolla" and "Gamer". He will be seen...

When I first heard the news that Patrick Swayze had passed away at age 57, my first two thoughts were as follows: Point Break (1991) and Donnie Darko (2001). Those were my two personal Patrick Swayze cult classics, the ones I own on DVD, the ones I can watch again, anytime. But the next thing I saw was a tribute on morning television, and the main clips came from Swayze's biggest hits, Dirty Dancing (1987) and Ghost (1990), two films I do not own on DVD and do not particularly care to see again. Then I looked him up and saw a cornucopia of other titles, ranging all over the map, including a bunch of stuff I had never heard of. There were two I reviewed as a critic, the awful Green Dragon (2001) and the very cool 11:14 (2003).

There was an early appearance, along with a handful of other rising stars in Francis Ford Coppola...

Sad news tonight: Patrick Swayze has lost his 20-month fight against pancreatic cancer.

The 57-year-old actor, singer and dancer had maintained optimism in the face of his 2008 diagnosis, his dignity exemplifying his strength of character.  He continued working and making public appearances in support of cancer charities even as his health deteriorated.

The star stole hearts worldwide in 1983 with his breakout performance as Darry Curtis in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of The Outsiders and later a dazzling turn in Dirty Dancing. He even won over the boys playing tough guy Dalton in 1989 cult classic Road House.  Characters like Johnny Castle and Point Break's Bodhi assured Swayze a place in contemporary cinematic history. In the past decade, he impressed new generations of cinemagoers with charismatic, self-effacing turns in Donnie Darko and Keeping Mum.  Most recently appearing in a recurring role as Charles Barker on The Beast, Swayze passed away...

After a public battle with pancreatic cancer, actor Patrick Swayze passed away earlier today.

"Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," said Annett Wolf, Swayze's publicist in a short statement released to the press. Swayze was married to his wife Lisa Niemi for 34 years.

Swayze got his start back in 1979 starring in the disco comedy Skatetown U.S.A. A trained dancer, he used his athleticism to further his acting jobs. In 1982 he was one of many rising young stars in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of The Outsiders. Swayze followed it up with a supporting role in the American war action film Uncommon Valor (1983) and a bigger, more memorable part in John Milius' Red Dawn (1984) playing the older brother of Charlie Sheen's character. After starring in the North & South epic mini-series Swayze...

Actor Patrick Swayze, who attained heartthrob status in the movies Dirty Dancing and Ghost, died Monday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer; he was 57. The star revealed in March of 2008 that he was suffering from the deadly form of cancer, but continued working on the A&E series The Beast, and remained optimistic in interviews and on the set during his treatment.

Swayze shot to fame in the early '80s as part of the destined-for-fame ensemble in the 1983 drama The Outsiders, and also appeared in the action drama Red Dawn before taking on one of the lead roles in the popular miniseries North and South. He hit his zenith of fame in the late '80s and early '90s with the smash hit Dirty Dancing (1987), the cult fave Road House (1989), and the Oscar-winner Ghost (1990), opposite Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, where his pottery-making scene with Moore became one of cinema's most iconic romantic scenes.

His films in the '90s included another cult favorite, Point Break, as well as the drama City of Joy, the cross-dressing comedy To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar, and the indie hit Donnie Darko. He reprised his Dirty Dancing role in the quasi-remake Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. In addition to his role in The Beast, Swayze most recently appeared in the drama Powder Blue and British comedy Keeping Mum.

Swayze is survived by his wife Lisa Niemi, whom he married in 1975.

Patrick Swayze, who soared to stardom as a heartthrob dancer in "Dirty Dancing" and ascended to romantic icon status as a deceased lover in "Ghost," died Monday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

"Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," said a statement released Monday evening by his publicist Annett Wolf.

The actor had kept working despite the diagnosis, putting together a memoir with his wife and shooting "The Beast," an A&E drama series for which he had already made the pilot. It drew a respectable 1.3 million viewers when the 13 episodes ran last winter, but A&E said it had reluctantly decided not to renew it for a second season.

Swayze, whose work on "The Beast" was singled out as being particularly compelling, said he opted not to use painkilling drugs while...

Dancing with the Stars' lineup of Season 8 celebs has been released, and fan-fave pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy finds himself happily hooked up with actress/reality star Denise Richards. TVGuide.com sat down with Maksim on the set of Good Morning America, where he met Denise for the first time, to get his thoughts on some of this season's other celebs. TVGuide.com: How does it feel to be back competing on Dancing with the Stars?

Maksim Chmerkovskiy: We're very happy, especially in this economy, that we get a job. It's a little bit of a whirlwind because ...

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Rowan Atkinson has criticised his big screen career, claiming that he has only been in one decent film. The 53-year-old played the title character in two Mr Bean films and has appeared in a number of other movies including Johnny English, Keeping Mum, Love Actually, Scooby-Doo, and Rat Race. Despite their box office success, Atkinson told The Times that he is only completely happy with 1994's Four Weddings And A Funeral. He said: "My problem is that, although the films have undoubtedly been commercially successful and some will be looked on in 20 years' (more)...

Jennifer Aniston stepped out of the Beverly Hills Hotel yesterday with no John Mayer in sight, though that doesn't mean another split. The newly reunited couple is keeping their relationship out of the spotlight this time, thanks to an ultimatum that Jen gave John when they got back together. Supposedly Jen was mortified when John discussed their breakup with the paparazzi and agreed to take him back only if he kept his mouth shut this time. While John is holding up his end of the deal and staying quiet so far, Jen did let her publicist speak up to deny those silly pregnancy rumors. X17 Online...

Dickon Hinchliffe, one of the founding members of alternative pop group Tindersticks, has been writing quite a few film scores lately - credits include the Rowan Atkinson comedy Keeping Mum and last year's crime drama Married Life. He is now doing the music for Last Chance Harvey, a romantic drama starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Written and directed by Joel Hopkins, the film tells the story about an American man who visits London to celebrate his daughter's wedding and falls in love with an English woman. Overture Films produces for release on December 18.