UPI NewsTrack Entertainment News

Sean Connery denies ex-wife's claims

LONDON, July 25 (UPI) -- Scottish film actor Sean Connery is denying his ex-wife's claims that he has cut their son Jason out of his will.

Australian actress Diane Cilento said Connery was tired of Jason, his only child, "sponging" off of him and capitalizing on his name. Cilento also has said the former movie James Bond has no intention of sharing his estimated $170 million fortune with his son.

"I haven't seen the woman in 37 years and she knows nothing about me or my life now," Connery told The Daily Mail. "Diane can't move on from the break-up of our marriage and I have already had to contend with her accusations about me being violent towards her.

Now the lies seem to be getting even more vicious and, what is worse, she is dragging our son into it."

Connery, who was married to Cilento from 1962 to 1973, said he has a good relationship with his 45-year-old son.

"I never told him I wasn't going to leave him a penny in my will or that I said he only had the career he has as an actor and director because of his name," Connery told the newspaper. "He happens to have talent of his own. I saw him in Scotland only last year and we speak constantly on the phone."

Bale calls family legal matter 'private'

BARCELONA , Spain, July 25 (UPI) -- While speaking to reporters in Barcelona, Spain, about his new movie "The Dark Knight," film star Christian Bale declined to discuss his recent arrest.

"It's a deeply personal matter," People.com quoted Bale as saying at at a news conference Thursday in Barcelona. "I would ask you to respect my privacy in the matter."

Bale was arrested Tuesday in London after his mother and sister filed an assault complaint in connection with an incident that allegedly took place Sunday night at the Dorchester Hotel.

Bale, who has denied the allegations, was ordered to appear at a London police station in September pending further inquiries.

The BBC said the Welsh-born actor spent about 30 minutes Wednesday night signing autographs for fans at the Barcelona premiere of his latest movie, which is a blockbuster in the United States.

Although he declined to comment on his recent family and legal troubles at that event, Bale smiled and appeared relaxed before the film was shown, the BBC said.

New 'Robocop' film in the works

LOS ANGELES, July 25 (UPI) -- Hollywood's Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures says it has signed Darren Aronofsky to direct and David Self to write a new installment for its "Robocop" franchise.

Aronofsky directed "The Fountain" and Self penned "Road to Perdition."

Their new "Robocop" flick is expected to be released in 2010.

The announcement was made Thursday by Mary Parent, chairman of MGM's Worldwide Motion Picture Group.

"Darren is undeniably one of the most talented, original and visceral filmmakers, and David is one of the greatest writers in Hollywood," Parent said. "All of us at MGM couldn't be more excited."

Phoenix Pictures' Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Brad Fischer and David Thwaites will produce the film, while Cale Boyter, executive vice president of production at MGM, will oversee the project.

"After making the first 'Robocop' at Orion more than 20 years ago, I'm thrilled to be helping to return this character to the screen with our partners at MGM and through the eyes of Darren Aronofsky and David Self," Medavoy said.

The original "Robocop," which premiered in 1987and starred actor Peter Weller, was about a main character who was "part man, part machine and all cop." It was followed by two sequels.

'Bachelor' stars Grant, Lamas break up

LOS ANGELES, July 25 (UPI) -- Matt Grant and Shayne Lamas, the couple who met on the most recent edition of the U.S. reality romance series, "The Bachelor," say they have broken up.

Grant, a British financier, chose Lamas, an actress from California, from among the 25 female contestants who competed to win his heart on the series. He proposed to Lamas in the show's last episode, which aired in May, and Lamas accepted.

"We tried hard to make it work but we realized that we were both heading in different directions," the former lovebirds said in a statement to People magazine Thursday. "We truly care about each other and will remain close friends."

Neither Grant nor Lamas offered details about the split, People.com said.