China Bans Actors From Medical Commercials

Won Oscar for Charly , but never made top of Hollywood A-list

(NEWSER) - Cliff Robertson, the Oscar-winner for 1968's Charly who is best-known to today's generation as uncle Ben Parker in the Spider-Man movies, died yesterday at age 88, reports the LA Times . Described by Look magazine in 1963 as "one of the finest young actors in America today," Robertson won many plaudits for his theater and television work, and appeared in more than 50 movies—including Gidget, Three Days of the Condor, and Brainstorm—but never made the leap to the Hollywood A-list. More»

Nearly 8 years from his last hit, Arnold says he's still got it

(NEWSER) - Arnold Schwarzenegger is back, and even at age 63, the longtime action star says he's ready to return to the high-octane heroics and disemboweling that made him famous. "I can step very comfortably into the entertainment world and do an action movie with the same violence that I've always done," he said in the LA Times . "I can have the same amount of heads coming off—and any other body parts—and as far as that goes, I don't blink." The former California governor would not comment on specific rumors, only saying, "The calls are coming in." More»

He gives Hollywood talent agency green light to solicit scripts

(NEWSER) - Arnold Schwarzenegger apparently meant it when he said, "I'll be back:" The ex-Governator is picking up his old day job, acting, reports the AP. "Exciting news," he tweeted. "My friends at CAA have been asking me for seven years when they can take offers seriously. Gave them the green light today." No word yet on whether any remakes of Terminator or Kindergarten Cop are in the works. Click here or here for more. More»

Bystanders beware: crime scenes staged on streets

(NEWSER) - Criminal incidents around Washington may not always be what they seem: The FBI, CIA, Secret Service, and other authorities stage crimes all over town, aiming to put trainees in the heat of the action, the Washington Post reports. Professional actors, students, retired cops, and others play bad-guy targets for new recruits—sometimes to the shock of bystanders not in on the drama. More»

(NEWSER) - Clive Owen may be good-looking, but his success in recent years depends squarely on his ability to inhabit scruffy Everyman characters that connect with audiences, New York reports. His new film, The International, heightens the illusion, as Owen’s everyday character is thrust into the middle of a shadowy financial runaround. The film has more gunplay than you and I usually experience, but the situation is unsettling in its relevance. More»