Frank McCourt, the author of the Pullitzer-winning 'Angela's Ashes', has died in a New York hospice aged 79..

The book was a very difficult one for me to read but well worth it. I have yet to watch the film, as, unlike a book where you can put it down and pick it up when you are in the mood, films, especially this one, can't be treated in the same way.




McCourt had been gravely ill with meningitis and was being treated for skin cancer. Malachy McCourt, also a writer, said his brother died Sunday afternoon at a New York hospice.

McCourt was a retired schoolteacher in his 60s when his first book, Angela's Ashes, became a huge best-seller. It won the Pulitzer Prize.

The book detailed McCourt's bleak upbringing in an alcoholic household in Limerick, Ireland. When it was first published, The New York Times review noted that "there was not a trace of bitterness or resentment in it," but McCourt told interviewers that he had to learn to overcome his anger before he could write the book.

He also had to learn to believe that his story was worth telling. During an interview with NPR in 1999, McCourt said that it wasn't until he moved to this country and started reading the work of Sean O'Casey that he understood that he could write about his own life.

"O'Casey was writing about people in the streets and his mother and dying babies and poverty. So that astounded me because I thought you could only write about English matters," he said.

While he was writing Angela's Ashes, McCourt used to hang out at a bar in Greenwich Village called the Lion's Head, and it was there that he became friends with the writer Mary Brested. He asked her to read an early draft of the manuscript.

Brested says she was stunned by the book's restrained tragedy and transcendent humor:

"I stayed up late — I had young children then, and I was a tired mother — and I did not stop reading it until I was done, and my husband was annoyed because I was laughing and making noise in the bed next to him," she remembers. "I mean, I just thought it was the best work on growing up in Ireland that I had read since James Joyce in Portrait of the Artist."

Brested helped McCourt find an agent, and the book was published in 1996, when McCourt was 66 years old.

Angela's Ashes was wildly popular, staying atop the best-seller lists for two years and earning McCourt numerous awards, including the 1997 Pulitzer. Throughout it all, Brested says McCourt handled his newfound fame remarkably well.

"He's handled it better than anyone I've ever known. He didn't turn into a jerk who was famous, he didn't leave his wife, he didn't forget his old friends," she says. "He was supremely happy, but he kept a kind of grounded sort of somber sense of the realities of life."

McCourt's second memoir, 'Tis, took up the story of his life when he moved to the country at the age of 19. His third book, Teacher Man was the story of his years as a teacher in the New York City school system.

With all his success, McCourt didn't give up teaching entirely. For the last 10 years, he taught a workshop in memoir writing at Stony Brook Southampton College. Robert Reeves, the director of the school's master of fine arts program in writing says that McCourt's classes always filled up immediately.

"He was an enormously popular teacher. Reliably, his workshops would be oversubscribed," says Reeves. "When we opened admissions in the first mail there would be 20 applications, all for Frank."

Reeves says McCourt brought the same sense of humor and charm to his teaching that was so evident in his writing. He liked to laugh at himself and he enjoyed life, in spite of — or perhaps because of — the tough pitches life had thrown his way.

"Frank's serenity may have come from the fact he's surrounded by and had lived through so much that would be upsetting to serenity," says Reeves. "There was a willful calm and happiness. I think people can decide to be happy. Maybe that was it."

Especially sad to hear of the death of John Hughes.




Anyone who hit adolescence in the 1980s is likely to reserve some affection, whether full-blooded or grudging, for the writer-producer-director John Hughes, who has died aged 59 of a heart attack. Hughes rarely granted interviews and hadn't directed a movie since 1991. "He's our generation's JD Salinger," noted the fellow filmmaker Kevin Smith last year. "He touched a generation and then the dude checked out."

Despite his elusiveness and recent inactivity, Hughes's reputation remained intact thanks entirely to his mid-1980s run of so-called Brat Pack movies, named for the unofficial stock company of young actors on which they drew. Beginning with Sixteen Candles (1984), and moving on to The Breakfast Club, Weird Science (both 1985), Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off (both 1986) and Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), these films were brashly American: a recurring theme was what to wear on prom night, while young British audiences looked on enviously at the sight of teenagers driving spiffy cars to school. But the perceptive and light-hearted portrayals of teen angst bridged any cultural chasm.

Hughes's widely adored protagonists could range from a misfit in thrift-shop threads (Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink) to a slick Jack-the-Lad outwitting the teacher who would thwart his truancy (Matthew Broderick in Ferris Bueller's Day Off). What united these figures was the spirit of individuality and defiance they retained in the face of a stifling, conformist adult world. No wonder the films were prized by audiences of equivalent age, who felt both understood and flattered by these celebratory snapshots of their generation. "Many filmmakers portray teenagers as immoral and ignorant," Hughes remarked in 1985, "with pursuits that are pretty base ... But I haven't found that to be the case. I listen to kids. I respect them ... Some of them are as bright as any of the adults I've met." The following year, he said: "My generation had to be taken seriously because we were stopping things and burning things. We were able to initiate change, because we had such vast numbers. We were part of the baby boom, and when we moved, everything moved with us. But now, there are fewer teens, and they aren't taken as seriously as we were. You make a teenage movie, and critics say, 'How dare you?' There's just a general lack of respect for young people now."

The newcomers who got their breaks in his work responded enthusiastically to his sympathetic perspective. Ringwald, the star of three films scripted by Hughes, said in 1986: "I think the reason why I like working with John is that he really understands kids because he genuinely likes young people. He doesn't condescend to them. He treats us not like adults or kids, just as a person. He writes about kids in a really intelligent way. And he's a good person."

Ally Sheedy, who starred alongside Ringwald in The Breakfast Club, said: "He's very vulnerable. And I think he likes to write about young people because that's a real part of him. There's something open about him. There's something childlike about him. He likes to play. He likes to laugh." On the rare occasion that Hughes did discuss his working methods, it was with a melancholy tinge. "I so desperately hate to end these movies that the first thing I do when I'm done is write another one. Then I don't feel sad about having to leave and everybody going away. That's why I tend to work with the same people; I really befriend them."

Hughes was born in Lansing, Michigan, to a mother who did voluntary work for charity, and a father with a job in sales. He described himself as an introspective child who felt cast adrift after the family uprooted to Chicago when he was 11. His youthful passion was music – he cited The Beatles' White Album and Bob Dylan's Bringing It All Back Home as records that changed his life – and he enjoyed a spell as a self-professed hippy. He would later characterise his high-school years as unexceptional, ironically so given the major role that school life would play in his writing, although it was there that he met his future wife, Nancy Ludwig, whom he married at the age of 20 shortly before dropping out of the University of Arizona. Hughes took menial jobs whilst writing in his spare time, and claimed to have assigned himself the task of dashing off 100 jokes every day. The best of these he then dispatched to stand-up comics, who paid him $5 per gag, except for Joan Rivers, who stretched to a generous $7.

In 1979, two years after the birth of his first son, John III, Hughes swapped his job as an advertising copywriter for the editorship of the irreverent National Lampoon magazine, which had been publishing his writing for some time. From there, he got his first break as a screenwriter under the auspices of National Lampoon, which was desperately seeking a follow-up to its 1978 hit comedy Animal House. In 1980, his second son, Jamie, was born.

Hughes became renowned as Hollywood's script doctor of choice. But his Midas touch at the typewriter when it came to his own work was slower in materialising. He worked on a Jaws sequel (Jaws: 3, People: 0), and with PJ O'Rourke wrote The History of Ohio from the Beginning of Time to the End of the Universe, neither of which were made. He locked horns with the director of his first produced screenplay, the horror-comedy National Lampoon's Class Reunion, and the film was widely considered a disaster; he also co-wrote the unremarkable swashbuckling adventure Nate and Hayes.

But in 1983, Hughes's winning streak began with two hit comedies, both concerned with the fluctuating role of the modern father: National Lampoon's Vacation and Mr Mom. The following year, he made his directorial debut with Sixteen Candles, from his own screenplay about a girl whose 16th birthday is overlooked by her family. This good-natured comedy, reassuringly chaste in an era of bawdy teen hits such as Porky's and Fast Times at Ridgemont High, featured many of the ingredients that would constitute the Hughes formula, including a quirky love triangle later reprised in Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful. Ringwald, in the lead role, and Anthony Michael Hall, as the nerd who lusts after her, made a lasting impression. Both actors rejoined Hughes for his next film, The Breakfast Club, about five disparate high-school students thrown together in an all-day detention.

The US critic Gene Siskel wondered whether teenagers would flock to "an adolescent My Dinner with Andre", alluding to the film's single location and wordy script, but The Breakfast Club is arguably Hughes's most popular and influential movie. It helped that most viewers could identify with at least one character amongst the movie's mix of stereotypes (characterised in the script as "a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal"). An anti-establishment bent only sealed the film's appeal. For his part, Hughes claimed to have based some of the characters on himself, but later admitted that this was pure mischief: "People ask me, 'Were you the geek?' No, I wasn't. 'So which one were you?' I don't get it. Who was Alfred Hitchcock in his movies? Janet Leigh? Did anyone even ask him? But I get asked, so I make up an answer."

His reign as Hollywood's foremost chronicler of hormone-frazzled high-schoolers lasted a few more years, during which he acquired a reputation for being difficult and demanding: "In a town full of people who are impossible to work for," wrote Premiere magazine in 1992, "he's impossible to work for." In 2005, Peter Bart wrote in Variety that "working with Hughes during his peak years was akin to a tour of duty at Abu Ghraib. He randomly fired aides and a.d.'s [assistant directors] and daily reminded everyone around him that he was the resident genius."

After his final teen script, Some Kind of Wonderful, Hughes seemed intent on proving his versatility as a writer-director outside that genre, first with the rambunctious but ultimately sugary road-movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), then the romantic comedy She's Having a Baby (1988). His scriptwriting became increasingly prolific: The Great Outdoors (1988), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), the slapstick phenomenon of Home Alone (1990) and its 1992 sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Career Opportunities (1991) and Dutch, aka Driving Me Crazy (1992). But quality control had declined sharply, and audiences no longer had any sense of who John Hughes might be.

He was to direct two more features: Uncle Buck (1989) and the queasily sentimental Curly Sue (1991). Those films, which both hinged on cutesy child actors (including, in Uncle Buck, the future Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin), hinted at a future spent cranking out wholesome family entertainment. So it proved. Subsequent screenplays, some credited to Edmond Dantès, a nom de plume borrowed from Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo, included the canine comedy Beethoven (1992); the kiddie-slapstick of Dennis (1993) – about Dennis the Menace, but nothing to do with the Beano – and Baby's Day Out (1994); the schmaltzy remake of Miracle on 34th Street (1994); the live-action 101 Dalmatians (1996); Flubber (1997), which was a rehash of The Absent-Minded Professor; and the unnecessary Home Alone 3 (1997).

Hughes himself seemed not to crave approbation, or to harbour illusions about his work. "I don't think I'm making any great statements," he said in 1998, "and I certainly don't think I'm making art."

He is survived by his wife, Nancy, two sons, John and James, and four grandchildren.


• John Hughes, screenwriter, director, producer, born 18 February 1950; died 6 August 2009

I know we were all expecting it, but it's still a shock when I heard it this morning.

Dirty Dancing film star Patrick Swayze has died aged 57, his publicist says.

Annett Wolf said that the US actor, who had been battling pancreatic cancer for nearly two years, died with family at his side on Monday.

Swayze was diagnosed with advanced stage four pancreatic cancer in January last year.

The actor had been starring in US TV show The Beast since being diagnosed with the disease. He had also planned to write a memoir with his wife.

Jennifer Grey, who co-starred with Swayze in Dirty Dancing, said in a statement: "Patrick was a rare and beautiful combination of raw masculinity and amazing grace. Gorgeous and strong, he was a real cowboy with a tender heart.

"He was fearless and insisted on always doing his own stunts, so it was not surprising to me that the war he waged on his cancer was so courageous and dignified."

Rob Lowe, who played in a number of films with Swayze, said: "Patrick lived a thousand lifetimes in one lifetime. He was an expert dancer, he wrote hit songs, he starred in hit movies, he was an amazing horseman.

"But the thing I will remember him most for was his amazing love affair with his wife Lisa."

Demi Moore has also paid tribute to her co-star in the hit film Ghost, saying: "Patrick you are loved by so many and your light will forever shine in all of our lives."

She added: "I love and will miss you Patrick."

California governor and former Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger called Swayze a "talented and passionate artist who struck a memorable chord with audiences throughout the world."

"He played a wide range of characters both on stage and in movies and his celebrated performances made the hard work of acting look effortless - which I know from experience is not easy," he said.

In January, Swayze admitted he might only have two years to live, but denied he was near death.

In a US TV interview, he admitted he was "scared" and "going through hell".

"Am I dying? Am I giving up? Am I on my death bed? Am I saying goodbye to people? No way," Swayze told TV interviewer Barbara Walters.

"I keep dreaming of a future, a future with a long and healthy life, not lived in the shadow of cancer but in the light," he said.

The film star's biographer, Wendy Leigh, who wrote the book Patrick Swayze One Last Dance, said he had endured physical pain throughout his life.


"As a high school athlete he injured his knee tremendously badly, yet he still carried on playing football," she said.

Stars including Sharon Osbourne, Nick Cannon and David Hasselhoff paid tribute
"As a dancer he had all sorts of injuries and Patrick learnt to live with pain, to fight pain.

"When he got diagnosed with this awful, awful disease he was determined to fight it and actually he lived far longer than most people who are diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, which was what Patrick had."

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most virulent forms of cancer which medical experts say has a 5% five-year survival rate.

The sad passing of the English actor, Edward Woodward.

Veteran actor Edward Woodward has died aged 79, his agent has confirmed.

The Croydon-born star had been suffering from various illnesses, including pneumonia, and died in hospital, said Janet Glass.

Woodward is most famous for his roles in the cult 1973 horror film The Wicker Man, alongside Sir Christopher Lee, and TV series The Equalizer and Callan.

Sir Christopher described Woodward as "a very good friend and a splendid actor".

Ms Glass said he had been ill for several months and passed away surrounded by members of his family.

The actor, who lived in Hawker's Cove near Padstow, died at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

"I knew him a very long time and he was a superb human being," she said.

"That integrity shone through in the roles he played. I can't ever remember, in all the productions he undertook, anyone having a bad word to say about him and he never had anything bad to say about anyone else either."

Ms Glass added: "Universally loved and admired through his unforgettable roles in classic productions, he was equally fine and courageous in real life, never losing his brave spirit and wonderful humour throughout his illness.

"His passing will leave a huge gap in many lives," she said.

He was last seen on screen in BBC One soap EastEnders as Tommy Clifford earlier this year.

Barbara Windsor said she was "deeply saddened" at the news.

"I have such fond memories of our time working together," she added.

Diederick Santer, executive producer of EastEnders, said: "All of us at EastEnders are very sad to learn that Edward has passed away.

"We were thrilled when he joined us for a stint of six episodes earlier this year. He was a delight to work with, and delivered a characteristically touching and layered performance. Our thoughts are with his family."


Woodward won a Golden Globe in 1987 for his role in The Equalizer
Robin Hardy, who directed The Wicker Man, said of Woodward: "He was one of the greatest actors of his generation, without any question, with a broad career on American television as well as British film.

"He was the absolute star of The Wicker Man. He was an extremely nice human being."

"He made about three dozen movies but he was rarely given the chance to star in a movie, " he told BBC News.

"The two films that do stand out are obviously The Wicker Man and Breaker Morant, about three British soldiers in the Boer War. In both he gave excellent performances."

Actor Simon Pegg, who was a big fan of Woodward and cast him in his 2007 film Hot Fuzz, said on Twitter: "So sorry to hear we have lost the great Edward Woodward. Feel lucky to have worked with him."

He later released a statement, saying that Hot Fuzz rehearsals "were often gleefully tossed aside just to hear him (Woodward) recount stories from his life and career.

"Edgar Wright and myself sought him out because we were fans of his work, by the time the cameras stopped rolling, we were devoted fans of the man. My love and sympathy goes out to Michele and his family."

Woodward is survived by his second wife, the actress Michele Dotrice, and four children, three of them from his first marriage.


I first watched and loved him in the TV series, "Callan"

Here's a lovely vid of Edward talking about the series.

Jean Simmons

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The passing of the legendary Jean Simmons, who died of lung cancer aged 80, is especially sad for me, as the great and beautiful actress stayed at the Devoncourt for 2 weeks, every year, as her brother lived in Exmouth.
When I first told J I had met her, he was over the moon, as he thought it was Gene Simmons from the band, Kiss!!


Born in London in 1929, Simmons began her career at the age of 14, when she was plucked from a dance class to make her movie debut in the 1944 British production Give Us the Moon.

She then appeared in several minor British films before her breakthrough role in Great Expectations, followed by Black Narcissus and then Hamlet in 1948, where she earned an Oscar nomination.

The actress also proved her mettle playing Desiree to Marlon Brando's Napoleon, appearing alongside him again in Guys and Dolls in 1955.

She picked up a second Oscar nomination for 1969's The Happy Ending, before moving largely to television roles in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Simmons' first marriage was to fellow British film star Stewart Granger, who she met on the set of Caesar and Cleopatra.

The couple had been befriended by reclusive tycoon Howard Hughes in LA, who arranged their marriage in Tucson, Arizona.

Simmons and Granger had a daughter, Tracy, and starred in several films together.

However the pair divorced in 1960, with Simmons going on to marry Richard Brooks, who had directed her in Elmer Gantry.

Their marriage, which produced a daughter, Kate, ended in divorce in 1977.

So sad to read the passing of Lionel Jeffries, this morning.

10th June 1926-19th February 2010

The well-known actor and film director Lionel Jeffries has died at the age of 83, his family has announced.

Best known for directing The Railway Children and appearing in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, his long career spanned theatre, film and television.

Known for his bald head, baritone voice and bristling moustache, the London-born actor trained at RADA before making his screen debut in 1950.

In later years he played the loveable Grandad in children's TV show Woof!

According to a family friend, Jeffries died in a nursing home in Poole, Dorset.

Actress Jenny Agutter, star of The Railway Children, remembered him as being "an extraordinary character" and "wonderfully funny".

"He was a total dear to work with," she told the BBC. "He very much created a family on set."

His career saw him play an array of larger-than-life characters, notably the odious Marquis of Queensbury in 1960 drama The Trials of Oscar Wilde.

Despite the success of The Railway Children, whose script he wrote, he only made four more films as a director.

These included The Amazing Mr Blunden in 1972, Wombling Free in 1977 and The Water Babies the following year.

Jeffries's features served him well over the years but would often consign him to authority figures and elderly relatives.

He played Dick Van Dyke's father Grandpa Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, despite being the US actor's junior by six months.

Unless you are a lover of daytime tv like "To Buy Or Not To Buy", the name Kristian Digby will mean nothing to you. However, Kristian and the BBC team, including Simon O'Brien, (ex Brookside actor) stayed at the Devoncourt last year, whilst filming an episode. He, as well as the whole team, were a delight, very friendly and clean, What a waste of a life, so young.

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