Swayze rep denies death report
Patrick Swayze has hit out at false reports he has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.
The actor moved swiftly on Tuesday to deny a Florida radio station's claim he had died.
His representative told People.com, "Patrick Swayze did not pass away this morning contrary to severely reckless reports stemming from a radio station in Jacksonville, Florida. Patrick Swayze is alive, well and is enjoying his life and he continues to respond to treatment."
It's not the first false report the 56-year-old actor has been forced to dispute since he was diagnosed with cancer last year.
Back in March he asked publications to "think twice about printing inaccuracies and painting an unpleasant picture when I have so much to be thankful for at this time."
Jessica Biel: 'I just want an opportunity'
Don't hate her because she's pretty. C'mon, Hollywood.
That's what Jessica Biel, 27, says is holding her back -- she isn't getting roles because she's too good-looking. "Yeah, it really is a problem. I have to be blunt," Biel says in the June issue of Allure magazine. Her latest film, Powder Blue, (in which she plays a stripper) is going straight to DVD.
"I'm in there with everybody else, fighting for the good parts. Yes, The Illusionist has made a difference -- but a huge, massive difference, so I can pick and choose what I want? No."
Biel would like to have a career like Scarlett Johansson or Natalie Portman."I just want an opportunity. If you don't like the audition, don't hire me!" she says. "But if you don't want to even see me -- that's hurtful. And why? You know nothing about me!"
'Survivor' champ battling Hodgkin's disease
NEW YORK - "Survivor" champ Ethan Zohn has cancer.
Zohn, who outlasted the competition to win "Survivor: Africa" in 2002, is undergoing chemotherapy for a rare form of Hodgkin's disease.
A spokeswoman for the CBS series, Lori DelliColli, confirmed Zohn's condition after the news was first reported by People magazine.
The former pro soccer player, known for his curly mop of hair, was diagnosed with stage-two Hodgkin's disease in late April.
Doctors discovered a swollen lymph node beneath his collar bone and a mass on the left side of his chest.
Then, last week, he began chemo treatments after being diagnosed with a less common type of the cancer that forms in the body's lymph system.
Radiohead, R.E.M. Hit the Studio to Work On New Albums
A pair of the biggest bands in rock, Radiohead and R.E.M., hit the studio recently to begin work on their next albums. While both groups are in the beginning stages of writing and recording, they offered up some early details in a series of interviews.
Radiohead have reconvened with longtime producer Nigel Godrich to start work on the follow-up of 2007’s In Rainbows. “It was very noisy and chaotic and really fun,” bassist Colin Greenwood told BBC’s 6 Music of the band’s recording session. “It’s at the stage where we’ve got the big Lego box out and we’ve tipped it out on the floor and we’re just looking at all the bits and thinking ‘What’s next?’ I’m very impressed and grateful for Nigel our producer and his ability to make it all sound vaguely plausible.”
Greenwood had some more vague details for NME.com, adding, “It’s really cool and everything is sounding great. It’s early days and it is a bit like having a scrapbook at the moment because everything is up in the air, but it’s good to be back in the studio.” Considering the recent report that the band was encouraged by their management to “split up” during the tumultuous recording of In Rainbows, we’re glad to hear that things thus far are going smoothly. While the band provided no specifics, one of the tracks that may get the studio treatment is “Super Collider,” which Radiohead premiered during concerts on their In Rainbows tour.
As for R.E.M., guitarist Peter Buck spoke to Pitchfork about the early stages of recording their follow-up to last year’s Accelerate. Buck and bassist Mike Mills recently entered a Portland, Oregon studio to record skeletal tracks that they written wrote touring behind their recent album in the hopes of making some music that would “excite Michael [Stipe] about getting inspired.” Unlike the stripped-down Accelerate, Buck says, “This record, I want it to be broader; I think Michael [Stipe] is into that. So there are some really pretty acoustic things, some really total noisy rock, and some kind of poppy stuff. It runs the gamut.” While Jackknife Lee will likely serve as producer again, Tucker Martine, who produced the Decemberists’ Hazards of Love helped Buck and Mills lay down the demos.
New CD Releases, May 19th: Eminem, Tori Amos, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, Kenny Chesney, Iron & Wine and more
Eminem "Relapse"
It's finally time to get real--as in the "Real Slim Shady." The controversial multi-platinum rap star returns to the game with the release of his long-awaited fifth studio album, which follows 2004's quadruple-platinum "Encore.”
"Relapse" is the first of two albums that Eminem expects to deliver in 2009. He announced back in March that he plans to issue a follow-up, dubbed "Relapse 2," by year's end.
In other Marshall Mathers matters, the rapper has been tapped to perform at the 18th annual MTV Movie Awards, which will air live May 31 at 9 p.m. ET.
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Tori Amos "Abnormally Attracted to Sin" (Universal Republic)
The acclaimed singer/songwriter/pianist is back with a follow-up to 2007's "American Doll Posse." "Abnormally Attracted to Sin," Amos' 10th studio album, marks her debut on the Universal Republic label.
The album's first two singles are the tunes "Welcome to England" and "Fire to Your Plain," videos of which are streaming at the Amos' website. "Abnormally Attracted to Sin" will be available in both standard and deluxe versions. The latter will include a digital booklet, one bonus track and a DVD of corresponding episodic films for each track, which "bring to life the narrative arc of the album," according to a press release.
Amos will support "Abnormally Attracted to Sin" with a US theater trek this summer. The "Sinful Attraction" tour kicks off July 10 in Seattle and will continue through mid-August.
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Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood "Live from Madison Square Garden" (Reprise)
The two legendary rockers--who in 1969 combined forces in the super-group Blind Faith--reunited early last year for a three-night stand in New York City. This two-CD set is a document of that sold-out run.
"Live from Madison Square Garden," which is also being released on DVD, features such classic-rock staples as "Forever Man," "After Midnight," "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "Can't Find My Way Home."
Clapton and Winwood have also announced plans to tour together. The trek gets underway June 10 in East Rutherford, NJ, and runs through the end of the month.
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Kenny Chesney "Greatest Hits II" (RCA)
The cowboy crooner is set to deliver his second best-of compilation. "Greatest Hits II" includes such big singles as "Living in Fast Forward," "Beer in Mexico," "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" and "Never Wanted Nothing More." It also features one new song, "Out Last Night," which was released as a single in March.
Fans can hear many of these "Greatest Hits" performed live if they turn out to see Chesney's "Sun City Carnival" tour. The trek is currently underway and is scheduled to run through late summer.
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Iron & Wine "Around the Well" (Sub Pop)
Indie-rock singer/songwriter Iron & Wine, the stage name of Sam Beam, will please his faithful following by releasing a double-disc set of rarities and B-sides. His touring plans this summer include headlining the inaugural No Depression Festival on July 11 in Washington.
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More new releases:
The Beach Boys, "Summer Love Songs" (Capitol)
Carbon Leaf, "Nothing Rhymes with Woman" (Vanguard)
Dane Cook, "ISolated Incident" (Comedy Central)
Richard Elliot, "Rock Steady" (Artistry)
Mat Kearney, "City of Black & White" (Sony)
Steve Martin, "The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo" (Rounder)
Method Man, "Blackout 2" (Def Jam)
O.S.I., "Blood" (Inside Out)
The Oak Ridge Boys, "The Boys are Back" (Spring Hill)
Lionel Richie, "Just Go" (Island)
Kate Voegele, "A Fine Mess" (Interscope)
Zee Avi, "Zee Avi" (Brushfire)
Soundtracks and scores:
"Terminator Salvation" (Warner Bros.)
"True Blood" (Elektra)
'Scrubs' will look different next season
One way or another, the ninth season of "Scrubs" will be different from the show you've experienced for the past eight years -- possibly very different.
The long-running show will be back on the air in late fall, and ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson says that Zach Braff and "a number of" the other regulars will appear in at least some of the episodes. But it will also go in one of two new directions -- one of which would be a radical change from what the series has been until this point.
"There are two scenarios [creator Bill Lawrence] is playing with in terms of the next generation is," McPherson told reporters at a Tuesday morning press conference announcing ABC's 2009-10 schedule. "One is kind of a complete rethinking, and one is just kind of the next generation -- like what 'ER' did, but on the comedy side, repopulating the cast."
Lawrence is set to pitch both ideas to McPherson in the next few weeks, and the network will decide whether to continue on at Sacred Heart (the next-gen option) or move it to an entirely different location (the complete revamp option).
Braff has signed on for six episodes of the new season, with the potential to appear in a couple more. McPherson says Braff's episodes won't necessarily be the first six of the season, but the bulk of them will probably air in the first half of the year (ABC ordered 18 episodes of "Scrubs" for 2009-10). McPherson didn't offer specifics on the other cast members, but Neil Flynn's time as the Janitor will almost certainly be limited, as he's starring in ABC's new show "The Middle."
"Scrubs" and fellow returnee "Better Off Ted" will air at 9 p.m. ET Tuesdays following the end of "Dancing with the Stars'" fall cycle, with a late November premiere date likely. "Ted" has been picked up for 13 episodes.