Robin Sachs, the British actor who portrayed the evil Ethan Raynes in Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV series, has died in Los Angeles. He was 61. Details surrounding his sudden passing are scarce, his representative said that Sachs was in good health and that no cause of death has been identified. "It is with great sadness that we have to announce the sudden and unexpected passing of Robin Sachs," the message reads. "Please join us in raising a glass to Robin -- goodbye, dear friend. Thank you for all the laughter and the cookies. We will miss you so very much." Sachs was born in London, England on February 5, 1951 and went on to act in a number of television, movie and video game titles over the course of his 40-year career. Sachs' other roles include General Roth'h'ar Sarris, the big green villain in 1999's "Galaxy Quest," along with several on the "Babylon 5" television series. He also voiced Zaeed Massani in video games "Mass Effect 2" and "Mass Effect 3."


Mindy McCready committed to mental health facility
Country singer Mindy McCready has had a tumultuous life in the past 10 years or so and it does not appear to be easing up. McCready's two sons were removed from her care by family services and a judge ordered that the singer by committed to a treatment facility to evaluate her mental health and her alcohol abuse. A source  says "Family members sought to have Mindy committed to a mental-health facility and there was an emergency hearing today. They just got out of court a little while ago and the judge committed her for up to 21 days."This comes on the heels of McCready's boyfriend (and father of her younger son) David Wilson dying on Jan. 13 from what police say was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The investigation remains open pending autopsy results.  "Mindy needs to get help and we all care and love her and we want her to get the right help so she can move on." McCready has previously been treated for drug addiction and also has a suicide attempt in her past.


Hacker accesses email account of George H.W. Bush

Authorities are investigating how a hacker accessed the email accounts of former President George H.W. Bush and a half dozen of his relatives and close friends. A spokesman for the former president confirmed the hacker obtained a list of photos, family addresses, phone numbers, and various email addresses, including those belonging to both former presidents. According to authorities, the illegally intercepted email includes messages sent from 2009 through last year. 

 Justin Timberlake has unveiled the cover art and full track listing of his upcoming album, “The 20/20 Experience.” The album cover shows the black-tie wearing crooner behind an ophthalmology machine. Justin’s initials – “J” and “T” are in gold on either side of the cover. The full track listing for the LP is: “Pusher Love Girl” “Suit & Tie” “Don’t Hold The Wall” “Strawberry Bubblegum” “Tunnel Vision” “Spaceship Coupe” “That Girl” “Let The Groove Get In” “Mirrors” “Blue Ocean Floor” Tom Munro photographed the shots included in the CD packaging. Justin will perform on the Grammys this Sunday on CBS. “The 20/20 Experience” will be released on March 19, via RCA Records.

Cover up! No breasts, no buttocks, CBS says in wardrobe advisory email to Grammys contacts

Now that CBS has made it through Super Bowl XLVII without another boobgate, the network has turned its attention to the wardrobe matters of its next big broadcast: Sunday’s Grammy Awards. CBS Standards and Practices sent an email to the Grammys staff late Tuesday night with a detailed “wardrobe advisory” for Sunday’s event. The email, which did indeed go out to Grammys contacts.  Date: February 5, 2013, 10:39:56 PM EST
 Subject: 55th GRAMMYS: Standard And Practice Wardrobe Advisory -kindly confirm receipt of s&p standards-***GRAMMYS 2013*** CBS Program Practices advises that all talent appearing on camera please adhere to Network policy concerning wardrobe. Please be sure that buttocks and female breasts are adequately covered. Thong type costumes are problematic. Please avoid exposing bare fleshy under curves of the buttocks and buttock crack. Bare sides or under curvature of the breasts is also problematic. Please avoid sheer see-through clothing that could  possibly expose female breast nipples. Please be sure the genital region is adequately covered so that there is no visible “puffy” bare skin exposure. Please avoid commercial identification of actual brand name products on T-shirts. Foreign language on wardrobe will need to be cleared. OBSCENITY OR PARTIALLY SEEN OBSCENITY ON WARDROBE IS UNACCEPTABLE FOR BROADCAST. This as well, pertains to audience members that appear on camera. Finally, The Network requests that any organized cause visibly spelled out on talent’s wardrobe be avoided. This would include lapel pins or any other form of accessory.

Kylie Minogue signs new deal with Jay-Z's record label

Pop star Kylie Minogue has stepped into a new era of her music career after signing on with Jay-Z's record label.  The singer parted ways from her longtime manager, Terry Blamey, last month after a partnership of more than 25 years, sparking rumors she was winding down her time as a recording artist. Minogue has now been confirmed as a surprise addition to the roster at Roc Nation, the urban music-focused label owned by Jay-Z. The Aussie singer will join the likes of Rihanna, Timbaland and M.I.A. on the company's books. "We would like to welcome Aussie singer, recording artist, songwriter, actress and designer Kylie Minogue to the Roc Nation family!" said the label, via a statement. "In a career now spanning 25 years, Kylie has released 11 studio albums, two live CDs, eight live concert DVDs, a greatest hits double album, and multiple video packages. She has released over 50 hit singles worldwide, including the Grammy-winning 'Come Into My World,' and has sold more than 68 million albums worldwide. Needless to say, we're excited to have Kylie join the Roc fam."

Antonio Banderas hires wife for new movie

Antonio Banderas has hired his actress wife Melanie Griffith to star in a new movie he has written and plans to direct. The actor hopes to make his third film, "Akil," with Griffith, who starred in his directorial debut "Crazy in Alabama" in 1999. "Akil" follows the fortunes of an African boy who sails to Spain in a boat and finds shelter in the home of an American woman, played by Griffith. Banderas also plans to produce the project.

 

Why Willow Smith dropped out of 'Annie' remake

Will Smith's daughter, Willow, has dropped out of the big-screen "Annie" reboot, and on Saturday at Philly's Temple University, he explained why. He told the audience of "Real Talk With Sister Souljah and Will Smith" that his high-profile daughter really wants to act her age. "Willow was supposed to be doing 'Annie,'" he said. "We got Jay-Z to do the movie, got the studio to come in, and Willow had such a difficult time on tour with 'Whip My Hair' and she said, 'You know, Daddy, I don't think so,' and I said, 'Baby, hold up!' I said, 'No, no, no, listen, you'll be in New York with all of your friends and Beyoncé will be there. You will be singing and dancing,' and she looked at me and said, 'Daddy, I have a better idea: How about I just be 12?'"  The Smith clan has been in creative career overdrive, with 2010 alone packed with the release of "Whip My Hair," "The Karate Kid," "Hawthorne" and the Nobel Concert when Barack Obama won his Nobel Peace Prize. This summer, Will's sci-fi movie with son Jaden, "After Earth," hits theaters. "Don't be clapping yet; that wears you out," continued Will. "The thing that had become very clear to me is the danger of a material world and focusing so hard on coming up with money or a house or a job. You focus so hard on those things, and sometimes you can lose focus on why you are doing it in the first place. The only reason to do any of that is to have love." He continued, "I'm really learning through Willow the necessity that we have to snap ourselves back and refocus on the emotional needs of the people that we love. Someone's emotional needs can be very, very different from your dreams and what you think they should be doing and where they are supposed to be."

'Star Wars' spin-offs: A young Han Solo movie, and a Boba Fett film
Star Wars fans, admit it: you like scoundrels. And you’re about to get more of them in your life. Yesterday, The Walt Disney Co. unveiled plans to make a number of spin-off movies set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away — in addition to the post-Return of the Jedi trilogy that had already been announced.  Details on two of the spin-off projects: A young Han Solo saga, focusing on the wisecracking smuggler’s origin story, and a bounty hunter adventure with Boba Fett at the center of a rogue’s gallery of galactic scum. The Han Solo story would take place in the time period between Revenge of the Sith and the first Star Wars (now known as A New Hope), so although it’s possible Harrison Ford could appear as a framing device, the movie would require a new actor for the lead — one presumably much younger than even the 35-year-old Ford when he appeared in the 1977 original. The Boba Fett film would take place either between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, or between Empire and Jedi, where the bounty hunter was last seen plunging unceremoniously into a sarlacc pit. Exactly who would play him isn’t much of a complication – in the original trilogy, he never took off his helmet. And in the prequels, we learned he was the son of the original stormtrooper clone, played by Temuera Morrison, who’s still the right age for the part if his services were required. In addition to bringing back two fan-favorite characters as the leads of their own films, the Han Solo and Boba Fett projects would also allow Darth Vader, in full-on black death-metal gear, to return as a villain, since placing the spin-offs within the original trilogy would mean he is still alive and hissing. That timeline would also open the door for a return from visit with everyone’s favorite degenerate slug-like gangster, Jabba the Hutt. Walt Disney Co. chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced the existence of spin-off plans as part of the company’s quarterly earnings report. He said the screenwriters working of the stand-alone films are Simon Kinberg (Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Sherlock Holmes) and Lawrence Kasdan (screenwriter of The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the filmmaker behind The Big Chill.) The pair are also involved in the drafting of the new trilogy, with Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3) penning the first of the series, which J. J. Abrams has agreed to direct. That film is scheduled to hit theaters in 2015.


TV NEWS
BBC Three announced Thursday that Being Human‘s upcoming fifth season will be its last. Syfy’s US version, meanwhile, is currently in its third season.


ABC News says Robin Roberts will be back on the job at the “Good Morning America” anchor desk on Feb. 20. Her return will be five months to the day since her bone marrow transplant to treat a rare blood disorder. Roberts has gotten the all-clear from her doctors, according to the announcement made Thursday on “GMA.” She reached the critical 100-day benchmark in December. In January, she began a series of dry runs at the “GMA” studio to re-acclimate herself to the work routine. Her last day on “GMA” was Aug. 30 before she started her medical leave.


Mariah Carey has recorded a song for Disney’s “Oz The Great and Powerful.” The song – “Almost Home” – will drop as a single on Island Def Jam on February 19.



John Corbett is about to become part of the “NCIS” family. The former “Sex and The City” star has joined the cast of the brand new spinoff of “NCIS: Los Angeles.”  John will play an ex-NCIS agent, who is now spending his days as an analyst. He’ll be part of a group known as the “Red Team,” a collective which solves cases around the country. The latest spinoff for the network will drop its pilot episode later in the current “NCIS: LA” season. John has starred in a host of television shows in recent years, including a guest arc on NBC’s “Parenthood.” He also played Toni Collette’s supportive husband on Showtime’s “United States of Tara.”


Bravo has renewed Top Chef for an eleventh season, the location of which has not yet been announced.

The Good Wife just very quietly dodged a big bullet. CBS has successfully concluded contract negotiations with Josh Charles, whose unique four-year deal was set to expire in May. The Emmy-nominated actor agreed to extend his pact by a year, thereby ensuring that Will Gardner will be around at least through Season 5. (Although The Good Wife has yet to be renewed by CBS, a fifth season is a foregone conclusion,

NBC is in no hurry to burn through Chicago Fire‘s freshman season. For the second time in as many weeks, the network has added an additional episode to the hit drama’s debut run. This latest increase brings Fire‘s first season total to 24. Chicago Fire airs Wednesdays at 10/9c.


On Feb. 23, the occasion of Schindler’s List‘s 20th anniversary, USA Network will air the acclaimed film without commercial interruption. The showing will begin with a personal introduction by director Steven Spielberg.