Patrick Macnee, the British-born actor best known as dapper secret agent John Steed in the long-running 1960s TV series The Avengers and its 1970s sequel The New Avengers, has died. He was 93. Macnee died on Thursday of natural causes with his family at his bedside in Rancho Mirage, Los Angeles, his son, Rupert, said. Clever spy drama The Avengers began in 1961 in Britain and ran for eight seasons. Macnee's bowler-hat wearing, umbrella-wielding character appeared in all but two episodes, accompanied by several beautiful, female sidekicks. The most popular was Game of Thrones star Diana Rigg, who played Emma Peel from 1965 to 1968. She was preceded by Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale, and followed by Linda Thorson as Tara King. "We were in our own mad, crazy world," Macnee said in 2003. "We were the TV Beatles. We even filmed in the same studio." In the 1970s, the show was revived for two seasons as The New Avengers, with Macnee joined by Joanna Lumley as Purdey and Gareth Hunt as Mike Gambit. Daniel Patrick Macnee was born on February 6, 1922, in London. He attended Eton but claimed to have been thrown out for gambling. Macnee, who was married three times, became an American citizen in 1959 and moved to Palm Springs in 1967. He owned 2.5 per cent of the profits of The Avengers, which proved lucrative as the series continued to play worldwide into the 21st century. – AP
Injury forces Fallon to cancel show
Tonight show host Jimmy Fallon was forced to cancel an edition of late-night TV's most popular programme after suffering a hand injury that required minor surgery. The star tweeted on Friday that he had tripped and when he put out his hand to stop his fall, his ring caught on the side of a table and "almost ripped my finger off." "I'm doing well and thanks for good wishes everyone," he added. The show was already scheduled to be on hiatus for the next two weeks. – AP
Untold Potter story coming to the stage
Harry Potter is going to have a new adventure – on the stage. Author J K Rowling has announced that a new play called Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, with an all-new story, will open at London's Palace Theatre next summer. She tweeted that it explores "an untold part of Harry's story" and is not a prequel. It will be co-written by Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. Thorne is a stage and screen writer whose work includes vampire story Let the Right One In. The director is Tiffany, who helmed the critically lauded war play Black Watch and the Tony Award-winning musical Once. The play will feature music by British songwriter Imogen Heap. Rowling has vowed there will be no new Harry Potter novels, but has kept fans happy with a few spin-offs, including the magical encyclopaedia Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which is being made into a film starring Eddie Redmayne. – AP
New daughter for ER star Noah Wyle
Former ER star Noah Wyle and his actress wife Sara Wells are celebrating the arrival of a baby daughter. Frances Harper Wyle was born on Monday. Mother and daughter are well, and Wyle was said to be "over the moon". Wyle, 44, and Wells, 35, married last summer at his Santa Barbara, California, ranch. He has a 12-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. Wyle currently stars in the alien-invasion sci-fi drama Falling Skies, which begins its fifth and final season on Sunday in the United States. Wells has appeared in Nip/Tuck and Californication. – AP
HBO posts new shows on Facebook
HBO has posted the first episodes of its two newest comedies on Facebook, turning the social-networking site into a new platform for TV streaming. Ballers and The Brink will be available "for a limited time" for free, the broadcaster said. The episodes are also on the HBO NOW and HBO GO streaming services. Ballers stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a retired American footballer reinventing himself in Florida. The Brink – starring Jack Black and Tim Robbins – is billed as an "epic dark comedy" with a plot that hinges on a geopolitical crisis in Pakistan. – AFP
US First Lady to launch Special Olympics
Michelle Obama will help to launch the Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles next month. The US first lady will take part in the opening ceremonies July 25 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, site of the 1932 and 1984 Summer Olympics. “Her vision of wellness, fitness and inclusion of all in sport is at the heart of Special Olympics,” said the event’s chairman, Tim Shriver. With about 7,000 athletes competing in 26 sports, the nine-day Special Olympics is expected to be the largest sports event Los Angeles has hosted since the 1984 Summer Olympics. As many as 500,000 spectators are expected to attend the events, all of which are free except for the opening ceremony, which will feature performances by singers Stevie Wonder and Avril Lavigne. –AP
In wake of Oscar criticism, film Academy diversifies
After widespread criticism of the Academy's overwhelmingly white slate of Oscar nominees this year, the organisation has announced a roster of potential new members with a younger and more diverse profile. Kevin Hart, Common, Emma Stone, Dev Patel and Whiplash writer-director Damien Chazelle are among the 322 invitees. "It's really gratifying to see the big increases in genre, people of colour, age and national origin," academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said. Others invitees include British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, David Oyelowo, Sergio Mendes, Elizabeth Banks, John Legend, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Hardy and Dope director Rick Famuyiwa. Membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is by invitation only. Oscar nominees are automatically considered – others must be sponsored by two members. "We've stressed very much that our members in each branch, it's their duty to really pay attention to a diverse talent pool, to those coming up, to those that may have been overlooked for membership," Boone Isaacs said. "I think that effort has paid off well this year." The nearly 6,000-member international group has long been criticised for its largely white, male membership. All 20 of the acting nominees at this year's Academy Awards were white, which increased the scrutiny of the lack of diversity in the ranks of the organisation. "It's got folks thinking in a way that maybe they just hadn't thought before," Boone Isaacs said. – AP
Selfie-sticks banned by Disney
Disney on Friday became the latest major tourism operator to ban selfie sticks as part of a growing backlash against the extendable photo-taking devices. The ban covers Disney theme parks in the United States, Paris and Hong Kong. “We strive to provide a great experience for the entire family and, unfortunately, selfie sticks have become a growing safety concern for both our guests and cast,” said spokeswoman Kim Prunty. The ban will take effect on Tuesday at Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California, and on Wednesday at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. Selfie sticks have been banned at a growing number of sites around the world, from museums to concert halls and sports arenas. – AFP