Actor Fess Parker dead at 85
LOS ANGELES, March 19 (UPI) -- Fess Parker, a U.S. actor famous for his roles in adventure movies and TV shows, has died of natural causes, The Hollywood Reporter said Thursday. He was 85.
Among Parker's best known film credits are "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier," "Old Yeller," "The Great Locomotive Chase," "Westward Ho the Wagons!" and "The Light in the Forest." In addition, he starred in TV's "Davy Crockett," "Daniel Boone," "Annie Oakley" and "The Fess Parker Show," and was declared a Disney legend in 1991.
The actor also enjoyed a second career as owner of the Doubletree resort in Santa Barbara, Calif., as well as the Wine Country Inn & Spa in Los Olivos, Calif., the entertainment industry trade newspaper said.
Parker is survived by his wife, Marcella Rinehart, and two children, Fess and Ashley.
Death certificate issued for Corey Haim
LOS ANGELES, March 19 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office Thursday issued a death certificate for Corey Haim and listed the cause of the actor's death as deferred.
Haim starred in a string of hit movies as a child and teen in the 1980s, but his career was eclipsed by an addiction to drugs that lasted most of his life. He died March 10 at the age of 38 after complaining of flu-like symptoms and was buried this week in his native Toronto.
The actor's mother, Judy, has said the coroner's office told her Corey suffered from pulmonary congestion and an enlarged heart.
E! News said that although the death certificate was issued for the former child star Thursday, the official cause of his death will not be determined until after toxicology test results are analyzed.
'Hobbit' flicks to start filming in July
LONDON, March 19 (UPI) -- British actor Ian McKellen says on his Web site the two "Hobbit" films are to start shooting simultaneously in New Zealand in July.
McKellen played the wizard Gandalf in Peter Jackson's blockbuster big-screen adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy of novels. McKellen is to reprise his role of Gandalf in the "Hobbit" films, which are set in the same world as the "Lord of the Rings" movies, but at an earlier point in time.
"Filming will take over a year," McKellen said on the Web site about the "Hobbit" flicks. "Casting in Los Angeles, New York City and London has started. The script too proceeds. The first draft is crammed with old and new friends, again on a quest in Middle Earth.
"The director Guillermo del Toro is now living in Wellington, close to the Jacksons' and the studio in Miramar."
Jackson is to write and produce the films.
Model was paid $30K for James story
LOS ANGELES, March 19 (UPI) -- Michelle McGee was paid $30,000 to tell about her alleged affair with married U.S. television personality Jesse James, sources close to the tattoo model said.
James is the chief executive officer of West Coast Choppers and the 5-year husband of freshly minted best actress Oscar winner Sandra Bullock.
Although James has not confirmed he had a sexual relationship with McGee, he issued a public apology Thursday to Bullock and his children for causing them pain and embarrassment.
Sources close to McGee told Technorati the mother of two young children was paid close to $30,000 for details about the alleged 11-month-long relationship she had with James. The story ran as an exclusive this week in In Touch magazine.
The insiders told the Web site McGee knew James was married and had been hoping her association with him would make her a "mainstream celebrity."
Bullock has not commented to the media about the allegations, but People.com said she moved out of the home she shares with James Monday.
