Culture

Comedic actor Bernie Mac has died today at the age of 50. According to his publicist, Danica Smith, Mac had been suffering from pneumonia for about a week, potentially related to the actor's sarcoidosis, although it was initially believed that he would make a full recovery. However on August 2, 2008, a day after Mac was hospitalized, a family member was quoted as saying that Mac was in "very, very critical" condition. Mac, who was born in Chicago on October 5, 1957, started his career in 1977 and won the Miller Lite Comedy Search at the age of

Former United States Senator John Edwards admitted today to ABC News that he had an extramarital affair with novice filmmaker Rielle Hunter while his wife was in remission with cancer. Edwards has denied being the father of Hunter's child, Frances Quinn, and a former aide to his presidential campaign, Andrew Young, has reportedly claimed paternity. Also, in an interview for tonight's edition of Nightline, the former Senator and presidential hopeful told ABC News' Bob Woodruff that while he has not taken a paternity test, he is not the father o

Across Easter weekend Wellington, New Zealand was host to Rock2Wgtn, an international two-day hard rock festival. Large crowds showed up at Westpac Stadium to see the various acts. The world has never seen an event of this kind before, and New Zealand has never had any kind of major rock festival or multi-day music festival. Day one featured three theatrical acts. Finnish band Lordi, known for their monster costumes, opened the night. They were followed by the US shock rocker Alice Cooper, whose themed set included the horror theatrics regular

American Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman is in reported to be in serious condition but good spirits in a Tennessee hospital following a single car accident in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi in the Mississippi Delta. The 71-year-old actor was flown to the hospital by air ambulance with injuries to one arm. Freeman, the Associated Press reports, "has a broken arm, broken elbow and minor shoulder damage, but is in good spirits," according to a statement from Donna Lee, Freeman's publicist. Reports say that Freeman was driving Demaris Meyer

American actor Kelsey Grammer has checked into a hospital in New York after feeling faint. It is the second time the actor has checked into a hospital after he suffered a heart attack in Hawaii two months ago. His current condition is not life-threatening. According to his publicist, Stan Rosenfield, the symptoms may have been caused by a mix up in his medication. "His doctor is changing the medication and they will monitor him overnight," he said. Grammer blamed the heart attack on the pressure from his canceled sitcom Back To You; the atta

Youssef Chahine, the Egyptian film director has died aged 82. He died from a cerebral hemorrhage in the early hours of the morning. Born in 1926, Chahine was credited with launching the career of actor Omar Sharif. He had been active in the Egyptian film industry for over 50 years. He directed over 25 films throughout his career. In 1997 he was given a lifetime achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival. In June 2008 he was hospitalized with a coma following an apparent cerebral haemorrhage. He was later flown to Paris but later return

On July 7 and again on July 23, there were accidental leaks at the Tricastin Nuclear Power Center in France, which is a collection of sites in four different communes: Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux and Pierrelatte in Drôme, and Bollène and Lapalud in Vaucluse. Along with two other minor incidents on July 18, it has prompted the Commission for Independent Research and Information on Radioactivity (Criirad) to order a review of security and safety. Already last week, Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said the ground water near all reactors sho

A wax model of British singer Amy Winehouse was unveiled on Wednesday at Madame Tussauds in London. The model, nearly six feet tall and clad in a yellow dress with a microphone in hand, is said to bear a strong likeness to the singer. Her tattoos have even been reproduced to the last detail, including one of a lightning bolt. While her parents attended the event, Winehouse herself was too busy working to attend. Her father Mitch remarked that "This is the reward for her musical achievements and her talent". The troubled singer, 24, is well kn

Emmy Award winning American actress Estelle Getty has died at the age of 84. Getty had been previously diagnosed with dementia which had been in its advanced stages. She died while at her home in Hollywood, California early Tuesday morning. "She was loved throughout the world in six continents, and if they loved sitcoms in Antarctica she would have been loved on seven continents. She was one of the most talented comedic actresses who ever lived," said her son Carl Gettleman. Getty was probably most famous for her starring role as Sophia Petri

Brazilian comedienne and actress Dercy Gonçalves has died at the age of 101. Gonçalves died of pneumonia on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She was born Dolores Gonçalves Costa on June 23, 1907 in Santa Maria Madalena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In her 80-year long career, Gonçalves has worked in the theater, revues, film, radio and television, becoming famous by her humorous use of vulgar language.

Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney received a hostile reception this week from some Quebec separatists as he prepares for his concert on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City on Sunday. The controversy began when Quebec artist Luc Archambault released an open letter last week criticising the concert as a "British invasion". The letter was also signed by some other separatists including a few Parti Québécois politicians. The concert is located at the site of the 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham on which British and French troops battled. Quebe

A fire at a Rexam Plastics factory in China has claimed the lives of three firefighters. Nine more were injured in the accident in Shanghai's Fengxian District. The first emergency call was received by Shanghai Public Security Bureau's 110 Command Center at 12:20 p.m. and reported the Jinhui Town factory as alight. A total of fifty fire engines and around 300 firefighters were dispatched to the scene of the blaze at the Rexam Plastic Packaging (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. facility. Shortly after 2 p.m. a fifty-metre-long structural girder collapsed on