Free Republic

Lorenzo Semple Jr., the creator of the campily classic Batman TV series who went on to craft such big-screen paranoid thrillers as The Parallax View and Three Days of the Condor -- though he would be replaced on both films -- has died. He turned 91 on Thursday... Semple’s résumé also includes the Steve McQueen-Dustin Hoffman escape tale Papillon (1973); Paul Newman’s Harper sequel The Drowning Pool (1975); Dino De Laurentiis’ King Kong (1976) starring Jessica Lange; and the rogue James Bond movie Never Say Never Again (1983)...

According to Adriana Santini, Kershner - who also directed Sir Sean Connery in 1983 Bond film Never Say Never Again - died at home after a long illness. Born in Philadelphia in 1923, Kershner trained as a musician before making documentaries and then features. His other credits include Robocop 2 and Eyes of Laura Mars with Faye Dunaway. Known as "Kersh", the director previously worked with Connery on 1996 romantic drama A Fine Madness.

Wrangling over the fate of the debt-ridden studio had thrown its plans to make new movies, including the next 007 film, into disarray. The 23rd Bond movie had been due for release in 2012, the 50th anniversary of Ian Fleming's spy character's first outing in Dr No.

An 80-year-old man acknowledged Wednesday that he dealt drugs at his house in return for sex with prostitutes. Felix Cocco of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty to charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia. Police said Cocco had been dealing drugs for nearly a year when he was arrested in November. Officers seized crack cocaine, a digital scale and packaging materials, police said. Authorities said they caught Cocco dealing again in February. When an Allegheny County judge asked Cocco why he chose a new profession so late in life, Cocco replied, "I...