Comedian Bernie Mac Dies at 50

(NEWSER) - John Forsythe, a versatile actor who gained lasting fame as Blake Carrington on the pioneering prime-time soap Dynasty and as the voice of the mysterious Charlie on Charlie's Angels, died yesterday in California. He was 92. Best known at the time as the affable star of Bachelor Father, Forsythe played a villainous judge in the 1979 Al Pacino vehicle And Justice for All, demonstrating he had the chops to channel the scheming Blake Carrington. More»

'Saturday Night Live' guest host can't live up to debut but fits in well

(NEWSER) - Jon Hamm's Saturday Night Live debut was an instant classic, which meant hopes were high—perhaps unrealistically so—for last night's second effort. The Mad Men star has no trouble taking off his shirt and "obviously enjoys doing comedy, and so was game for a few silly bits," writes Claire Zulkey of the Onion A.V. Club . The episode didn't hang together well, but in a disappointing season, "it was much stronger than most of the stuff we've seen." More»

These guys get no respect, and they deserve it

(NEWSER) - You rarely see Carrot Top or Gallagher anymore, but showbiz is still full of guys who just aren’t funny. Sarah Bell of Newsweek points out the worthiest tomato targets:

• Larry the Cable Guy: A really, really poor man’s Jeff Foxworthy, minus any actual jokes.
• Carlos Mencia: Makes a living mocking mentally handicapped people and “beaners.” Dave Chappelle, he ain’t.

Activist celebs are annoying, but effective and necessary: Firth

(NEWSER) - Actor Colin Firth doesn’t like it when his fellow actors get on the soapbox for humanitarian causes. He’s also tired of doing it himself, and sick of the endless tedium of fundraisers, speeches, and photo ops. But that’s too bad, because the only way anything is going to change for the better is for those capable of capturing media attention to start talking a lot more—and louder, he writes in the Guardian. More»

(NEWSER) - Gwyneth Paltrow won’t be onscreen again until 2010, but she’s filling her time with a gym, a PBS TV show, a website, and now a cookbook, the New York Daily News reports. The book, My Father’s Daughter, will stress the importance of families sharing the table. “I haven’t starred in a film since my kids were born,” the actress said. “I’ll never get these days back.” More»