Movie Critic Joel Siegel Dead at 63

Great Italian filmmaker was behind ‘L’Avventura’ and ‘Blow-Up’

(NEWSER) - Michelangelo Antonioni, one of Italy’s most beloved filmmakers, died yesterday at age 94, after directing 25 films over nearly 50 years. His masterpieces of alienation, known for their nearly wordless, melancholic style, included "Red Desert" and "The Passenger." Immobilized by a stroke that left him mute, he still managed to helm "Beyond the Clouds" in 1994. More»

Hollywood's man in Washington pioneered ratings system

(NEWSER) - Despite being neither movie star nor studio exec, Jack Valenti was one of Hollywood's most influential figures. An era ended Thursday when the longtime president of the film industry's trade association died at his home in Washington. The veteran lobbyist, who also served in the Johnson administration, was 85 and had suffered a stroke in March. More»

(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»

Pioneering Frenchman directed 50+ films

(NEWSER) - Eric Rohmer, a leading light of the French New Wave and a prolific filmmaker for over 4 decades, died today in Paris. He was 89. Overshadowed early in his career by Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, Rohmer made his mark with his "Six Moral Tales," released from 1963 through 1972. They include My Night at Maud's, for which he received an Oscar nomination, and Claire's Knee. More»

Troubled starlet suffered cardiac arrest

(NEWSER) - Brittany Murphy, who made a splash playing the makeover victim in Clueless and later battled substance abuse, died today in Los Angeles. She was 32. The LA Fire Department was called to a home owned by Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, where she was found in cardiac arrest and could not be revived, TMZ reports and multiple sources are confirming. More»