Actress Suzanne Pleshette, who started out in films such as The Birds but became a television star playing Bob Newhart's wife on The Bob Newhart Show, died Saturday night of respiratory failure at her home in Los Angeles; she was 70. Pleshette had been battling lung cancer since 2006, when she underwent chemotherapy and had part of one lung removed. A fresh-faced beauty with a distinctive, husky voice, Pleshette worked mostly onstage in the 50s, with one of her most notable roles as Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker, replacing original star Anne Bancroft. She made her film debut opposite Jerry Lewis in The Geisha Boy and worked steadily in television as she launched her film career. Her most notable screen role was in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, where she played a local schoolteacher who befriends out-of-town socialite Tippi Hedren and helps protect the children of the town during one of the film's terrifying bird attacks. In 1964, she married screen heartthrob Troy Donahue, her co-star in the romantic drama Rome Adventure, though the marriage lasted less than a year, and in 1968 married Texas oilman Tommy Gallagher.

Despite a prolific career in film and television, Pleshette gained her fame playing Emily Hartley, the down-to-earth wife of psychiatrist Bob Hartley (Bob Newhart) on the 70's sitcom The Bob Newhart Show, which ran for six years and earned her two Emmy nominations. Pleshette was so well-known as the small-screen wife of Newhart that she reprised her role in an unexpected cameo in the series finale of Newhart's second major sitcom, Newhart. The episode, where Newhart awakens in the bedroom set of his old show with Pleshette by his side (as they often ended episodes of their old show, trading dry banter) is considered one of the most clever, and surprising, series finales in television history. Pleshette continued working in television through the rest of her career, earning another Emmy nomination for playing Leona Helmsley in Leona Helmsley: The Queen of Mean, and made appearances in sitcoms Good Morning Miami, 8 Simple Rules... and Will & Grace (where she played the mother of Megan Mullally's character, Karen Walker). Pleshette also provided the voices of Yubaba and Zeniba in the English language version of Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning animated film Spirited Away. In 2001, after the death of her second husband, Pleshette married actor Tom Poston, whom she had met 40 years ago and who had co-starred in Newhart; they remained married until his death last year. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

Denzel Washington has topped the list of America's favorite movie stars for the second consecutive year. The American Gangster star beat Tom Hanks to the number one spot in the annual Harris Poll, and Johnny Depp jumped up four positions from last year's survey to steal the number three position. Julia Roberts was the highest ranking female at four, while late film legend John Wayne - the only actor to rank in the poll's top 10 every year since its inception in 1994 - was placed at number six. The top 10 is as follows: 1. Denzel Washington; 2. Tom Hanks; 3. Johnny Depp; 4. Julia Roberts; 5. Will Smith 6. John Wayne; 7. Matt Damon; 7. Sean Connery; 9. Sandra Bullock; 10. Bruce Willis.

Amy Winehouse's husband Blake Fielder-Civil will stand trial on charges of perverting the course of justice in June. Fielder-Civil appeared at a court hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London on Friday morning to confirm his name and formally enter his not guilty plea. The 25-year-old, who is currently being held on remand at London's Pentonville Prison, stands accused to attempting to fix the outcome of his trial for grievous bodily harm. He and three associates are alleged to have assaulted barman James King in June last year, before trying to pay off King with $400,000 and a free holiday in return for withdrawing his statement. All other defendants have also pleaded their innocence. The star turned up 45 minutes late for the hearing and took her place beside her mother-in-law, Georgette Civil. During the hearing, Winehouse blew several kisses to her husband and twice whispered "I love you" to him. She later exclaimed, "I love you handsome, you gorgeous one" as Fielder-Civil was led out of court and back to jail. Winehouse herself had charges against her dropped in relation to the allegations of bribery earlier this month , following her arrest in December. Fielder-Civil remains behind bars and is due back in court on February 29 for another hearing. His June trial is expected to last between five to six weeks.

American TV star Gary Collins has been released from a California jail after completing his 96-hour sentence. The veteran actor checked into Glendale City Jail on Monday to serve time following his driving under the influence conviction in December. Collins, 69, was arrested and charged in October when he crashed his black Ford Explorer into a blue Toyota while driving through Sherman Oaks, California. But his punishment is not entirely over - he will be placed on probation for four years, and must now complete 100 hours of community service. Collins' time behind bars was spent at the same prison where Kiefer Sutherland is being held for his September DUI conviction, according to Tmz.com.

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is recovering after she received treatment for "a little gastrointestinal situation" at a New York hospital on Monday. The Oscar winner is now "doing great" according to her friend, chef Mario Batali. He says, "It's now been straightened out." Video footage of Coldplay singer Chris Martin attacking a paparazzo as he and Paltrow left the hospital hit the internet on Thursday. With an anorak hood covering his face, the mild-mannered singer can be seen chasing a photographer trying to get shots of his wife, before wrestling him to the ground and grabbing his camera, while shouting, "You've gotta have some respect." Martin then handed the camera back to the snapper.

Actress Mia Farrow was forced to call off a campaign in Cambodia to highlight the refugee crisis in Sudan on Sunday, after protestors clashed with local police. The UNICEF goodwill ambassador and her group, Dream for Darfur, have been holding Olympic-style torch-passing ceremonies in countries that have suffered genocides to draw attention to the close links the 2008 Olympic host, China, has to Sudan. They had planned to continue their campaign with a ceremony outside the former Tuol Sleng torture facility, which is now a genocide museum, on Sunday to pressure 2008 Olympic Games hosts China to use its power and bring an end to the violence in Darfur, western Sudan. But the 62-year-old's plans were thwarted by local authorities when the Cambodian government refused to grant the group permission to enter the prison, which is famed for its links to the country's former ruling political party, the oppressive Khmer Rouge. Prior to the event, Farrow said: "It's pretty harsh to be against a ceremony that honors the victims of Darfur and genocide survivors everywhere. Frankly, I'm a little bewildered." And despite Farrow's vow to continue with the ceremony, Dream for Darfur activists were forced to admit defeat after Cambodian police blocked all road access to the museum and threatened rowdy protestors with truncheons and tear gas. At one point, campaigners were reportedly physically pushed when they refused to move away from the former prison. The Hannah And Her Sisters actress and seven other protestors then handed white lotus flowers to a policeman and asked him to place them in front of the building. Farrow said: "This flower honors all those who have perished, and celebrates for all those who have survived."

Britney Spears tried to make peace with her army of paparazzi followers on Saturday when she invited a small group of snappers into her Los Angeles home to party with her. Four photographers were arrested and charged with reckless driving in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening after a high-speed car chase in pursuit of Spears. And the troubled singer felt so bad for the snappers, she decided to make it up to them at the weekend. According to PageSix.com, the pop star picked out photographer Filipe Teixeira from the crowd and asked him to join her in her Mercedes-Benz so that she could personally apologize for Wednesday's events. Spears then invited Teixeira, who was one of the four men arrested by Los Angeles police, to follow her back to her mansion, where they drank champagne and partied with two of the other snappers for four hours, according to various internet reports. And Spears had a special interest in Teixeira - he is alleged to have first introduced the singer to her paparazzo boyfriend, Adnan Ghalib. Ghalib spent the weekend in Santa Barbara after attending a family funeral, and did not join the late-night party.

Veteran singer/actress Bette Midler is planning to retire from show business once her two-and-a-half-year run of shows in Las Vegas is over. The 62-year-old is taking over from Celine Dion at the Colosseum venue next month, where she'll perform The Showgirl Must Go On for 30 months. But Midler admits she is then likely to stop working. Asked by American magazine Parade whether she will retire after the show, she says, "I think so. I must say, my high kick is just as high as it ever was, thanks to tai chi. But everything is a bit slower. The mind - things don't stick the way they used to. I feel like I'm going out with a bang. It's something my husband and I have talked about. I certainly don't want to die in harness. I'm not one of those people."

Ving Rhames' caretaker died from a "pre-existing heart problem" when he was attacked by the actor's dogs in August. Jacob Adams, 40, was pronounced dead in front of Rhames' Brentwood, California home and was first thought to have been mauled to death by the Pulp Fiction star's pets. But the Los Angeles Department Of Coroner has now ruled, following a five-month investigation, that Adams didn't die from wounds inflicted on him by the dogs. Coroner spokesman Ed Winter says, "The dogs didn't kill Mr. Adams. He died because of a pre-existing heart problem. The dog bites found on him were determined to be non-fatal." Rhames was filming in Bulgaria at the time of the incident. His dogs - three mastiffs and one bulldog - were quarantined but have since been returned to the actor.

Sex And The City star Chris Noth and his girlfriend are celebrating the birth of their first child, a baby boy. Tara Wilson gave birth to seven pounds, 10 ounces Orion Christopher Noth in Los Angeles on Friday. A spokesperson tells People.com, "I am happy to confirm that Chris Noth and Tara Wilson are the proud parents of a happy and healthy baby boy. Chris and Tara are thrilled and all are doing well." Noth, 53, met the mother of his newborn while working at his New York bar, The Cutting Room. They are due to star together in new movie Frame Of Mind.

French actress Juliette Binoche has been named the new face of cosmetics giant Lancome's latest anti-aging line. The Oscar winner was previously the face of Lancome's Poeme fragrance in 1995 and has always been favored by company bosses, who insist she "embodies the essence of French femininity." Lancome International President Odile Roujol says, "It is an immense pleasure for us to welcome Juliette Binoche back to Lancome. Her career choices, her natural and moving beauty, her independent spirit and generosity epitomize the values essential to our brand." Binoche will act as model and spokesperson for Lancome's Renergie franchise, a complete skincare line that addresses the signs of aging. The 43-year-old Chocolat star will be featured in an upcoming advertising campaign created by photographer Nick Knight.

Former The Brady Bunch star Allan Melvin has died. He was 84. The veteran actor - who played Sam the butcher in the show - passed away at his home in Los Angeles on Thursday. Melvin was best known for his character roles in many classic TV series, including The Phil Silvers Show and All In The Family. He also voiced the character of Bluto in the Popeye cartoon. Melvin is survived by his wife Amalia, a daughter, and a grandson.

The man allegedly fired by Jerry Lewis over claims he charged a freelance journalist thousands to interview the funnyman is now fighting to land the comedian the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom. Sometime business associate Rick Saphire reveals he and his longtime friend fell out over the summer scandal, but he was never officially sacked by Lewis. And now Saphire, who manages the funnyman's son Gary Lewis, the frontman of hit group The Playboys, is spearheading a campaign to land Lewis one of America's top honors. Saphire, who calls himself Lewis' "representative" says, "I continue to represent Jerry Lewis on a non-exclusive, project by project basis, which has always been the case. Owing to my initiatives in his behalf, Jerry Lewis has been under consideration by the White House." A previous report suggested Lewis axed Saphire after learning he had allegedly demanded $20,000 for an interview with the legendary funnyman. Saphire insists he turned the interview down because it wasn't connected to Lewis' Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon, which he was promoting at the time. The reporter, who claimed to be representing Newsweek magazine, then posted the svengali's email correspondence on his blog. Saphire recalls, "Jerry was embarrassed and we had some words. He was screaming down the phone at me. But he never fired me."