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TV actress Bonnie Franklin dead at 69

LOS ANGELES, March 1 (UPI) -- U.S. actress Bonnie Franklin has died of complications from pancreatic cancer, her family said Friday. She was 69.

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Franklin is best known for her portrayal of Ann Romano, the single mother of two teen daughters, on the TV sitcom "One Day at a Time," which ran from 1975-84.

The actress announced last September that she had battling pancreatic cancer. Yahoo! confirmed her death Friday but didn't say exactly when and where it happened.

Franklin appeared on her former TV daughter Valerie Bertinelli's new sitcom, "Hot in Cleveland," in 2011, and was a guest star on the soap opera "The Young and the Restless" earlier this year, Yahoo! said.


'Hobbit' to pass $1 billion at box office

LOS ANGELES, March 1 (UPI) -- "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is expected to pass the $1 billion milestone at the worldwide box office this weekend, The Hollywood Reporter said.

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The first of three planned prequels to the "Lord of the Rings" blockbuster trilogy opened in U.S. theaters in December and it has become a global hit.

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is to storm theaters Dec. 13, 2013.

The Hollywood Reporter said the final flick in the series, "The Hobbit: There and Back Again," is to open Dec. 17, 2014 -- five months later than originally announced.

The new date means "There and Back Again" won't be competing with the science-fiction adventure "X-Men: Days of Future Past," which is set to open in July 2014.


CW cancels '90210' after five seasons

LOS ANGELES, March 1 (UPI) -- The CW says it has canceled its California-set teen drama "90210" after five seasons.

"The CW has had five great seasons with America's favorite zip code, '90210,'" CW network president Mark Pedowitz said in a statement Thursday. "I'd like to thank the talented cast, producers, and crew for all their hard work and dedication to the series. We are very proud of the West Beverly High alumni."

UsMagazine.com said low ratings are to blame for the cancellation.

Michael Jackson's son Prince Michael Jackson is to make his acting debut in the May 13 series finale.

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The show, a continuation of the popular 1990s young adult soap "Beverly Hills, 90210," co-stars AnnaLynne McCord, Shenae Grimes, Matt Lanter, Jessica Stroup and Jessica Lowndes.


Slater and Lopez get engaged

NEW YORK, March 1 (UPI) -- Hollywood actor Christian Slater said on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" he is engaged to Brittany Lopez, his girlfriend of three years.

The "Heathers," "True Romance," "Untamed Heart" and "Bed of Roses" star said he first met his fiancee in 2009 at Little Palm Island Resort near Miami.

"This girl came walking along with another lady, a slightly older lady," Slater told Fallon earlier this week.

"I was sitting in my usual spot, eating my oatmeal... and this spot was famous for people proposing to each other. It was very, very nice. So she's there, and the next thing I know, she gets down on one knee and proposes to this older lady," he said. "I thought I had just witnessed a nice lesbian engagement, so I was coming over to say congratulations. But it turns out it was her aunt, and she was just trying to help her aunt capture the beauty and the romance of the moment. She was making a joke, and I witnessed it, and it intrigued me, and the next thing I knew, we were hanging out in the Everglades."

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The actor did not say when or where he and Lopez plan to exchange vows.

Slater was previously married to Ryan Haddon, the mother of his children -- Jaden, 13, and Eliana, 11, UsMagazine.com said.

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