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Ending speculation and ignoring objections from his family members, actor Sanjay Dutt announces that he would contest the next parliamentary elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket. Bollywood film star Sanjay Dutt will be the Samajwadi Party candidate ...

Front Page: Suspended program covered 800 productions -- With a SAG strike becoming less likely, the Screen Actors Guild has announced it's pulled the plug on offering waivers to indie film producers that would allow production to continue if there's a work stoppage.

Good news for the star of 'The Beast.'Patrick Swayze is out of the hospital after a week-long stay."I am happy to announce that Patrick Swayze is home after a brief hospitalization for pneumonia," the star's rep tells People.comSwayze checked into the hospital for pneumonia last Friday.

NBC throws new entertainment president Angela Bromstad to the press wolves.

TMZ is reporting that SPEED-THE-PLOW producer Jeffrey Richards is not taking Piven's 'fishy' pleas regarding his departure from the show sitting down. Richards announced in a statement that, 'The producers of SPEED THE PLOW have officially filed a grievance with Actors' Equity re: Jeremy Piven's departure. A date for the arbitration is to be determined.'Jeremy Piven defended his sudden and shocking exit from SPEED-THE-PLOW in an exclusive interview on 'Good Morning America' yesterday morning.Piven told GMA host Diane Sawyer was 'brought to my knees' by his condition and said that on doctor's orders he 'couldn't do it.''You talk about 'the show must go on,' this is in my DNA. To have the rap be on me that I walked out on this thing. ... This was the greatest moment of my life,' he revealed to Sawyer. To watch the entire video visit the official ABC GMA site by going here.

International News: Nommed pics poised for o'seas payoff -- Honors from the Golden Globes, BAFTA and Hollywood guilds don't hurt, but it's Oscar that translates to foreign box office. After Academy Award noms are announced Jan. 22, international distribs will map out game plans for this year's crop.

TV News: New host keeps a.m. titan on top -- When Johnny Carson exited NBC's 'Tonight,' pundits predicted a major shakeup in the latenight wars. But it didn't happen. When Katie Couric left the Peacock's 'Today,' the morning chatshows didn't have the portended upheaval.  

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, announces the next five sessions of its ongoing Making Connections series, a professional development and networking program nurturing the next generation of performing and creative artists. Making Connections is geared toward early-career artists, including singers, composers, librettists, designers, directors and others who work in or would like to work in the field of opera.During the course of the full 2008-2009 Making Connections season, which runs from September through May, OPERA America will present a total of 18 different sessions. Each begins with an hour-long panel discussion followed by an informal reception where attendees have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the panelists, providing a unique networking opportunity.'One of the most exciting aspects of Making Connections is this direct exchange between the participants,' stated Marc A. Scorca, president & CEO of OPERA America. 'In the increasingly compe

Rumpole of the Bailey creator John Mortimer, 85, died this morning following a prolonged illness. His family said in a statement that they were by his side when he passed away.Mortimer, who lived in what was formerly his father's house in the Chilterns, had been in a London hospital until a few days before Christmas before coming home, after which his condition deteriorated, said Tony Lacey, Mortimer's editor at Penguin.The novelist, playwright and former barrister, who was born in London in 1923, was known and loved for the comic lawyer Rumpole, whose dedication to cheap wine and motto 'never plead guilty', has been his most enduring creation. 'He would announce to me on the phone that he thought he ought to 'do a Rumpole' on asbos or weapons of mass destruction, or some similar topic about which he felt particularly strongly. Rumpole and John became increasingly fused,' said Lacey. Mortimer originally wrote the series for television, later spinning it off into a series of books and r

Due to very strong ticket sales, Classic Stage Company's new production of Anton Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA, starring Tony Award winner Denis O'Hare as Vanya, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Yelena and Peter Sarsgaard as Astrov, has extended its limited engagement through Sunday, March 8, it was announced today by CSC Artistic director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen. Directed by Austin Pendleton, UNCLE VANYA will begin previews on this Saturday, January 17 at Classic Stage Company at 136 East 13th Street, with an official opening set for Thursday, February 12.The cast of UNCLE VANYA also features Mamie Gummer (Sonya), Louis Zorich (Waffles), George Morfogen (Srebryakov), Delphi Harrington (Maria) and Cyrilla Baer (Marina). UNCLE VANYA will feature scenic design by Tony Award winner Santo Loquasto, who received wide acclaim last season at CSC for his design of The Seagull and who has designed numerous Chekhovian productions in his esteemed career including the famed Lincoln Cent