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Theatre writer ALLEN ZWERDLING, a founder of entertainment newspaper Back Stage, has died at the age of 86.
Zwerdling died on 12 January (09) at his home in Rosendale, New York of natural causes.
Founding the publication in 1960 with partner Ira Eaker, the weekly fast became a casting bible for performers.
The venture followed several years of Zwerdling’s work as an actor with the Players Guild of Manhattan in the late 1930s.
He later served in World War II with the Army Air Force, where he directed plays and worked as an editor for a military newspaper after being assigned to special forces.
A founding producer of the American Players Theater in Zurich, Switzerland, and director of the Kansas City Resident Theater, he began working for rival publication Show Business, in 1948, where he met Eaker.
Back Stage currently boasts a circulation of 32,000 copies weekly, and has sparked new ventures including Los Angeles-based newspaper Back Stage West and Backstage.com - now owned by Billboard Publications.
Zwerdling is survived by two daughters, Sherry Zwerdling and Jan Heyes, a son, Gary Zwerdling, and a grandson.

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DOCTOR WHO star DAVID TENNANT has received a best Shakespearean performance honour for his turn as Hamlet at the prestigious Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards.
The actor was forced to axe his West End run in the Bard’s classic in December (08) after suffering a slipped disc and subsequently undergoing surgery to correct the condition.
He managed to recover in time to return to the stage at London’s Novello Theatre to perform for one week of shows.
And the live performances were recognised at the prestigious ceremony - celebrating the critics’ picks of the best of British drama - at London’s Prince of Wales Theatre on Tuesday (27Jan09).
The prize was shared with Sir Derek Jacobi, honoured for his portrayal of Malvolio in a production of the Twelfth Night.
Tennant acknowledged Jacobi in accepting the prize, saying: "When I was at drama school, I waited at the stage door of Glasgow Theatre Royal to get Derek Jacobi’s autograph, after his breathtaking Richard II.
"I was utterly inspired by that night, so to be sharing a prize for Shakespeare with such an amazing actor means more than I can say." Meanwhile, actor Kenneth Branagh also was recognised for his theatre work at the ceremony in London’s Prince of Wales Theatre on Tuesday (27Jan09).
The Valkyrie star took home the award for best male performance for his role in classic Anton Chekhov play Ivanov.

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Science fiction film producer CHARLES H. SCHNEER has died, aged 88.
Schneer passed away on Wednesday (21Jan09) in Boca Raton, Florida after being ill for many years, his daughter Stacey Lee confirmed.
He began his movie career making training films while serving with the Army Signal Corps in World War II.
But it was after the war, during his tenure at Universal and Columbia Pictures in Hollywood, where he met Oscar-winning special-effects guru Ray Harryhausen - who worked with him to create a series of cult classic films.
Beginning their career together in the mid-1950s, the pair’s credits include Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, It Came from Beneath the Sea, Jason and the Argonauts, and finally Clash of the Titans, in 1981 - starring Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom, Maggie Smith and Ursula Andress.
Schneer later founded his own company, Morningside Productions.
In addition to his daughter, he is survived by his wife, the former Shirley Sussman, another daughter Lesley Lesley Silver, a sister, Babette Schneer Katz, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. A third daughter, Bettine Greifer, died in 2001.

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Comic book legend STAN LEE is facing a $750 million (£528 million) suit from the shareholders of a company bearing his name, over film and book profits.
Lee - the man behind Spider-Man, Hulk and the X-Men - and Marvel are being sued by the shareholders of Stan Lee Media Inc. (SLMI) - which was declared bankrupt in 2001.
In a lawsuit filed at Manhattan’s U.S. District Court, the shareholders claim Lee signed away all his interest in the Marvel brand and its characters over to them.
SLMI was placed in reorganisation and bankruptcy by Lee in 2001, but re-emerged in 2006. Lee went on to sue the organisation on the grounds of cypersquatting and copyright infringement.
Marvel states the latest suit, filed on Monday (26Jan09), is filled with "ridiculous claims".
Lee’s legal representative, Mark Williams, adds, "We look forward to a positive resolution for Stan Lee and his family."

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Singer CHARLOTTE CHURCH has laughed off reports she is set to wed her rugby star boyfriend GAVIN HENSON this summer (09).
The former classical star gave birth to the couple’s second child, a son named Dexter, on 11 January (09). The pair already has a 15-month-old daughter, Ruby.
Earlier this month (Jan09), a British tabloid claimed the pair would walk down the aisle later this year (09) in a bid to solidify their family unit.
But Church is adamant summer wedding bells aren’t ringing - because the pair will be too busy organising their two-week-old tot’s baptism.
She tells Britain’s OK! magazine, "Are we (getting married)? Again? No, the main thing this summer will be Dexter’s christening.
"I think the marriage rumours were just started by a bored journalist - it’s absolute rubbish. I’m sure I will be 50 by the time we get married. We’ve been a bit busy child-bearing." But Henson is certain the big day will happen eventually - and hopes the couple’s two children will be part of the ceremony.
He adds, "We will get married one day, I just don’t know when. Maybe when these two are walking, then they can walk down the aisle."

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U.S. rapper ROCKO has been sentenced to 48 hours in jail after pleading no contest to allegations he assaulted a woman in 2007.
The star - real name Rodney Hill Jr. - entered a no contest plea to battery charges resulting from the altercation, in which he reportedly struck the woman.
The unnamed victim was left with injuries and contusions to her eyes and face, reports AllHipHop.com.
Hill, the fiance of R&B singer Monica, will also have to serve an unspecified amount of community service while under one year’s probation.

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Former LIZZY BORDEN guitarist COREY DAUM has been killed in a car crash in Nashville, Tennessee.
The 39-year-old cult rocker, also known as Corey James, died on Saturday (24Jan09) morning after the car he was a passenger in ploughed across three lanes on the Interstate 40 motorway and smashed into a concrete wall.
The driver, Charles Wolford from Kentucky, confessed to driving under the influence at the scene of the crime and has been charged with vehicular homicide.
Another passenger, 27-year-old Ravin Wells, was also injured in the incident and is currently in a stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Wolford only suffered minor injuries, according to police.
Daum’s ex-bandmate and group frontman Lizzy Borden has paid tribute to the late musician, saying: "He was the nicest guy you could ever meet and the best friend you could want. You were privileged if you had the chance to know him. He was a great talent, an extraordinary guitarist and an amazing singer and performer." Daum is the second former Lizzy Borden star to lose his life in a car crash - he became a member of the group after guitarist Alex Nelson died in a head-on collision in 2004.

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Embattled rapper DMX "had no intention" of committing identity fraud after checking into an Arizona hospital under a false name last year (08) - he simply wanted to avoid attracting more attention than necessary.
The Party Up (Up In Here) star, real name Earl Simmons, went to Scottsdale Mayo Clinic last April to receive treatment for pneumonia.
However, he was later charged with theft and taking the identity of another after using the alias Troy Jones and leaving before settling the $7,500 (£5,300) medical bill.
But his close pal and former road manager Mark ‘Po’ Dean, who accompanied DMX to the hospital and gave nurses the fake name, insists the crimes weren’t committed on purpose.
He tells XXL magazine, "I wanted him to just get the service immediately… Usually when you say an artist like DMX, everybody is so star-struck they not concentrating on what’s going on." And Dean claims they left the clinic when other patients started recognising the rapper - and only after he had given his cell phone number to the receptionist to sort out the bill.
He adds, "(The police) ran up in his (DMX’s) crib saying that they was looking for papers from the hospital because he used a false name… It wasn’t really that." The hip-hop star is currently in jail awaiting sentencing after entering a guilty plea to four charges of animal cruelty, drug possession and theft in three separate cases.

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The second jury in the ongoing PHIL SPECTOR murder retrial is set to visit his Los Angeles home where actress LANA CLARKSON was killed - to investigate an outdoor fountain there.
Spector is being retried on charges of murdering 40-year-old Clarkson by shooting her in the mouth at his Alhambra, California mansion in February 2003.
On the first jury’s visit, Spector attempted to increase the burbling fountain’s volume in a bid to suggest his chauffeur could not have overheard an alleged murder confession, the prosecution has alleged.
Spector’s employee was said to have heard the star say: "I think I killed somebody." The prosecution team gave Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler e-mail exchanges between Spector and his first defence team in which it was advised the courtyard’s "fountain be on full bore".
Fidler has allowed the fountain to be turned on for jurors if the stream is found to have an on/off switch and no way of manipulating its volume.
The tour of Spector’s house is expected to take place next week (begs01Feb09), completing the final phases of the retrial.
The original trial ended in 2007 with a deadlocked jury. Spector is charged with second-degree murder in Clarkson’s death.

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BACKSTREET BOYS star A.J. MCLEAN has sparked fears he’s losing his longrunning battle with sobriety after he was filmed stumbling out of a Hollywood club on Monday night (26Jan09) looking inebriated.
The recovering alcoholic, who underwent spells in rehab for drink and drug use in 2001 and 2002, was captured on camera by website TMZ.com as he was helped to his car by two female companions after a night out at the Key Club.
But before they reached the vehicle, McLean can be seen on video struggling to keep his balance as his pals clutch onto his arms to support him.
Witnesses tell the website McLean and his party were reportedly drinking shots and beers througout the night, before his friends called him a cab and sent him home.
In 2008, McLean claimed he had been sober for six years.
The singer’s representative could not be reached for comment as WENN went to press.

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GARY OLDMAN accepted HEATH LEDGER’s Best Supporting Actor honour at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday (25Jan09) after his late co-star’s parents asked him to represent their son.
Oldman admitted he was "quite emotional" when he took the stage at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles to claim Ledger’s award for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight, and went on to give a short but heartfelt speech about his dead friend, who died from an accidental drug overdose a year ago (22Jan08).
The British actor admits he was honoured when Ledger’s family asked him to accept Ledger’s SAG award.
He says, "We went for a wonderful meal with the family in New York, we got on very well. They called and said, â��Would I pick it up for (Heath) if he won?â��â�� And Oldman is stunned by his late pal’s performance in the Batman sequel: "As devilishly hard as it looked, I think it was like breathing for Heath… I was getting to know him and there was a friendship that was developing. Heaven knows what he was going to go on to do."

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Late actor HEATH LEDGER has joined ELVIS PRESLEY and JOHN LENNON on a list of celebrities who earned more after their death than when they were alive.
The Brokeback Mountain star died aged 28 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs last year (Jan08), shortly after he completed filming on Batman movie The Dark Knight, which smashed box office records when it was released in the summer (08).
Ledger earned an estimated $30.1 million (£21.8 million) from his estate last year (08) - and experts predict he could pull in a further $5 million (£3.6 million) this year (09) if he scoops the Best Supporting Actor gong at next month’s (Feb09) Academy Awards.
The money in Ledger’s estate, as well as any posthumous earnings, will go to his daughter with actress Michelle Williams, three-year-old Matilda.
Blue Suede Shoes hitmaker Presley is still at the top of the highest earners’ list, more than 31 years after his death in 1977, followed by Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz.
Ledger comes third in the rundown, followed by Albert Einstein and Beverly Hills 90210 creator Aaron Spelling in fourth and fifth places respectively.
Cartoonist Dr Seuss, former Beatles star John Lennon, artist Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe, and actor Steve McQueen rounded out the top ten of stars who have earned more following their deaths.

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ALEC BALDWIN won more than a Screen Actors Guild award on Sunday (25Jan09) - MERYL STREEP has agreed to appear on his TV hit 30 ROCK.
Streep was delighted after winning a Best Actress nod for her role in Doubt and her good mood continued when Baldwin approached her about guest-starring on the U.S. comedy show, which won three gongs at the prizegiving.
And Baldwin, who scooped Best Actor in a Comedy Series for the show, didn’t have to do much to convince Streep to agree.
A source tells the New York Daily News, "Meryl was delighted with the idea of appearing on the show. She said yes immediately.�

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JENNIFER LOPEZ has blasted reports she is eyeing a move into theatre with a role in Broadway musical In The Heights.
New York gossip column PageSix has linked Lopez with a part in the show after she was seen in the audience twice last week - and enjoyed dinner with producer Meryl Poster on Friday (23Jan09).
But her representative has denied the actress is in talks to star in the musical, adding: "She loves the play but is not Broadway bound."

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The wife of R&B star USHER has turned down the chance to star in a hit reality TV show.
Tameka Foster, who married the singer in 2007, has confirmed she was asked to appear in the second season of America’s headline-grabbing series Real Housewives Of Atlanta.
The show follows the everyday lives of a group of affluent Georgia women.
But Raymond, who recently gave birth to the couple’s second child, insists she will not be taking part.
She tells Essence.com, "Although they (producers) approached me, and I was flattered by the offer, I will not be joining the Real Housewives cast."

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HARRY POTTER star DANIEL RADCLIFFE has hit out at the British monarchy, insisting the royal family epitomises what is "wrong" with the U.K.
The London-born star doesn’t understand his native country’s admiration for the reigning Queen Elizabeth II and her heirs because he doesn’t believe the upper classes should be celebrated.
And though he recognises he is above working class, he is adamant the royals should not be put on a pedestal.
He tells the Daily Beast website, "I am not a royalist. Not at all… I just donâ��t see the use of the monarchy - though Iâ��m (a) fierce patriot. Iâ��m proud proud proud of being English, but I think the monarchy symbolises a lot of what was wrong with the country. Not that theyâ��re doing anything wrong - but that symbol of class division is not something I particularly like - and I am a very upper-middle-class kid." And Radcliffe has weighed in on the Queen’s grandson Prince Harry’s recent race row, in which he was caught on camera referring to a Pakistani Army colleague as a "P*ki".
He adds: "I have nothing against the royals as people. Iâ��ve never met them. But in terms of that particular comment about Pakistanis, Prince Harry said a very stupid thing. He was probably very young at the time. I hope he has learned since not to say such a thing or at least learned not to be filmed saying it. The big deal to me was his wearing a Nazi uniform at that costume party." The young royal caused outrage last month in 2005 when he was photographed at a friend’s fancy dress party wearing a Nazi soldier uniform.

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DREW BARRYMORE became so immersed in the character of ‘LITTLE’ EDIE BEALE while she was preparing for TV miniseries GREY GARDENS, she lived as a recluse for six months.
The former socialite wildchild turned her back on friends, newspapers and technology in an effort to get into the mindset of former U.S. First Lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis’ odd cousin, who lived with her mother in a sprawling, rundown New York mansion.
She tells Eonline.com, "I promised the director I would (live in seclusion). I didn�t use email. I didn�t read a newspaper. I didn�t talk to a friend. I didn�t watch television. I didn�t make a phone call. I didn�t do anything.
"I used an old typewriter. I read her (Beale’s) journals. I listened to her music. Thatâ��s all I did. Nothing modern." Barrymore became so obsessed, she almost missed her producing partner Nancy Juvonen’s wedding: "I have never not talked to Nan in my life, but I didnâ��t speak to her for three months. She invited me to her wedding via a letter… addressed to Edie."

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LINDSAY LOHAN’s representative has hit out at reports the star is battling an eating disorder, after snaps of the actress looking shockingly thin sparked fears for her health.
Photographs of the Mean Girls star on a shopping trip wearing a skin-tight vest which showed off her protruding ribs sent internet gossips into a spin, with many suggesting she is struggling with an eating disorder again.
Lohan admitted in a 2005 interview with U.S. magazine Vanity Fair that she had previously made herself sick in a bid to lose weight.
But the star’s publicist has denied she has returned to her calorie-counting ways, and insists the dramatic weight loss is down to stress.
The representative tells New York gossip column PageSix, "Lindsay is aware that she’s lost some weight due to stress, but we recently did a photo shoot and she ate two full meals."

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