Firth laughs off Darcy's demise

Renee Zellweger plays Bridget Jones and Colin Firth plays Mark Darcy in a scene from the film Bridget Jones' Diary: The Edge of Reason. Source: Supplied

BRIDGET Jones creator Helen Fielding says she told Colin Firth to have someone with him before she revealed the news of his character Mark Darcy's demise.

Fans have also been shaken by the revelation, leaked ahead of publication of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, the third book in Helen Fielding's series about the diary-writing singleton. He may be fictional, but the demise of Bridget's handsome lawyer lover - played on the big screen by a smoldering Colin Firth - was headline news.

"I turned on the news and there was the Syrian crisis, and then 'Mark Darcy is dead,'" Fielding said, amazed.

"It's quite extraordinary for a fictional character to be treated as if they're alive. I sort of think, hats off to Colin, because really he inhabited that character."

The reaction is a testament to the hold of Fielding's characters on the popular imagination. In ditsy, indomitable Bridget, she created an archetype. (In Darcy she borrowed one, from the brooding Mr Darcy of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice).

Bridget, created for a series of 1990s newspaper columns, was a 30-something Londoner looking for love and career fulfillment while enduring the condescension of "smug marrieds" and confessing her many insecurities in her diaries: "Alcohol units 7, cigarettes 22, calories 2145. Minutes spent inspecting face for wrinkles 230."

In Mad About the Boy she is still counting calories and booze, though cigarettes have been replaced by nicotine gum. Bridget is now a 51-year-old widow with two young children, convinced she will never find romance again.

Fielding said she had no choice but to kill Darcy so Bridget's story could move on.

"The book I wanted to write was not about domesticity, married life. It was about Bridget struggling with what life throws at you," Fielding said over lunch at the London gastropub where she likes to write in the daytime.

"It was Bridget being single with two children in the age of technology. And rediscovering her sexuality. She was a mother and she lost it amid the nappies and the busy-ness. I think lots of women go through that."

Breaking the news of Darcy's demise to Firth, who starred opposite Renee Zellweger in the film adaptations of Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, was surprisingly tough.

"I was really nervous, and I had to make sure that he had someone with him and they were sitting down. And then I said, 'Colin, I've got something really bad to tell you.'

"And then I suppose I just said 'You're dead,' which is an odd thing to say to anyone. And we were both upset, but at the same time we were laughing."

Bridget Jones's Diary, published in 1996, turned Fielding from a freelance journalist into one of Britain's most successful writers. The novel and its 1999 sequel have sold 15 million copies.

For years, Fielding resisted writing another installment. She was drawn back into Bridget's world by a desire to write about the lives of middle-aged women, who often face stereotyping, just as the single Bridget did in the earlier books.

"There was the idea of 'tragic, barren spinster' because she was unmarried in her 30s," Fielding said. "It was real then. You were Miss bloody Havisham if you didn't have a boyfriend at 35. And I think the same is true of the middle-aged woman now.

"When I was in my 20s, I couldn't imagine that life would continue beyond 40, really," she added. "I couldn't imagine there would still be dating and going out and getting drunk with your friends and worrying about calls or texts that hadn't come, and what to wear."

In Mad About the Boy, Bridget's romantic misadventures are overshadowed by loss and the fear of aging - but a strong comic vein remains.

"I think most of the things I write are a mixture of dark and light," Fielding said.

Life is "not all sailing along marvelously, nor is it 'Oh, we're in a well of despair.' People hit tough times, and then their friends get round them and cheer them up and then they keep buggering on."

As in the previous books, Bridget can lean on old friends Jude, Tom and Talitha, as well as disreputable former paramour Daniel Cleaver.

She navigates the treacherous world of online dating sites and Twitter, and acquires a 29-year-old boyfriend named Roxster.

The book also introduces Mr Wallaker, a teacher at Bridget's son's school with whom she instantly clashes. But wait - is that a spark between them? (Hint: Fielding says her dream casting for a movie adaptation is Daniel Craig).

Bridget has always contained elements of Fielding, who is 55 and, like her character, lives in one of the nicer areas of North London with two young children. She is separated from their father, American comedy writer Kevin Curran.

There are glimpses of Bridget in the writer's quick wit and sense of the absurd - though Fielding exudes a considerably greater sense of control than her hapless heroine.

Mad About the Boy suffered its own Bridget Jones-style mishap when 40 pages from another book, a memoir by actor David Jason, were inserted into the British edition by mistake.

And some of the reviews have been less than glowing: not everyone hails mishap-prone, insecure Bridget as a 21st-century heroine. Guardian newspaper columnist Suzanne Moore wrote a piece headlined "Why I Hate Bridget Jones," condemning the character as "vapid, consumerist and self-obsessed" and the book as anti-feminist.

Fielding has heard that argument before.

She said that if women can't make fun of themselves, "we haven't got very far at being equal, have we?"

"And also, I think that is the way women communicate with each other, often, privately. They talk about their frailties, their mess-ups, their weaknesses, their vulnerabilities, and they are funny about it and they support each other.

"I was surprised with the first book, with the women who told me they identified with it - powerful, successful women, saying 'Oh yes, I have that problem with tights being all tangled up.' And it's not just women, either. (Prime Minister) David Cameron was in the papers not so long ago ... and he said that he'd get in a situation when he's got the kids in the back of the car and he gets a head of state on the phone: 'Will you shut up, I've got the Israeli prime minister on the phone!'

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Gentlemen, we can revive him

The iconic opening sequence from '70s TV series . Source: Supplied

The cover of Dynamite Entertainment's Six Million Dollar Man: Season Six #1, with artwork by Alex Ross. Source: Supplied

INFLATION might have taken its toll, but 36 years on, the Six Million Dollar Man is slo-mo-ing back into the public consciousness.

But rather than our TV screens, bionic man Steve Austin (played back then by Lee Majors) will be gracing the comic book page in a series that picks up where the show left off.

Six Million Dollar Man: Season Six (yes, the original run was five seasons) is an official continuation of the hit '70s series, to be published early next year by Dynamite Entertainment to coincide with the show's 40th anniversary.

And though it's in comic form, you can expect all the gimmicks that made the show so popular.

Comic writer James Kuhoric told The Hollywood Reporter : "We went out of our way to use the 'kung fu slow motion', the sound effects, and all the oddities of the era so the comic book would feel like the original TV series."

A ’70s comic book advertisement for Six Million Dollar Man and Maskatron action figures. Source: Supplied

Adding to the uniqueness of the concept, the Season Six comic book will feature Steve Austin's arch enemy who never actually appeared on TV: Maskatron - the evil robot with interchangeable faces who could impersonate Austin or his boss Oscar Goldman (Richard Anderson) - was an action figure in Kenner's Six Million Dollar Man toy line of the '70s, and appeared to be based on robot doubles created by Dr Chester Dolenz in a couple of episodes.

Speaking of toys, Dynamite will also be taking its first step into toymaking, with Six Million Dollar Man action figures and statues alongside merchandise from its other properties. BifBangPow! and Zica Toys already make retro-style toys, lunchboxes etc.

Dynamite has already been publishing a Bionic Man reimagining by cult hero Kevin Smith, with cover art by the legendary Alex Ross. Ross is doing the covert art for Season Six as well.

Bionic fandom has undergone something of an online revival in recent years. There are numerous blogs and Twitter accounts dedicated to the franchise, and original stars Majors and Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman) recently appeared at Atlanta's Dragon Con. Both The Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman have had complete-series DVD releases in recent years, and there was also a short-lived attempt to reimagine The Bionic Woman in a TV series in 2007. But The Six Million Dollar Man is only the latest in a series of comic book continuations of defunct TV series.

The X-Files: Season 10: Agents Mully and Sculder are back continuing to investigate government conspiracies and the paranormal. Creator Chris Carter returns to the franchise to oversee its continuation in comic form, ensuring this is as authorised as it gets.

Smallville: Season 11: Despite a 10-season run, it seemed Smallville was only getting started when Clark Kent finally donned the red, yellow and blue at the end of the final episode. If you always wondered what Tom Welling got up to in the Superman suit, Smallville: Season 11 has the answer.

Whedonverse: Joss Whedon's cult TV creations also have been continued in comic form, with three more "seasons" for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and continuing adventures for Angel. And his short-lived sci-fi series Firefly has also gotten the comic treatment, the latest series written by Whedon's brother Zack.

Movie sequels and prequels: Numerous big-screen blockbusters have had accompanying comic-book prequels and sequels in the past several years, especially superhero flicks such as this year's Man of Steel and Thor: The Dark World.

Also, IDW Publishing's Star Trek ongoing series reimagines episodes from the original series for the new "Abramsverse" timeline.

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Mary Poppins author 'ruined son's life'

The first depiction of the icon Walt Disney in a film follows the family studio head, played by Tom Hanks, in his struggles to get a big-screen adaptation of Mary Poppins off the ground.

Mary Poppins author Pamela Lyndon Travers. Source: Getty Images

Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers in the movie Saving Mr Banks. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

EMMA Thompson plays the Australian-born creator of Mary Poppins in a new movie. But omitted from the film are details from Travers? personal life that reveal a far darker side to the famously difficult writer.

Saving Mr Banks also stars Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, with the film depicting Disney’s 20-year battle to secure the movie rights for Pamela Lyndon Travers’ story.

But omitted from the film are details from Travers’ personal life that reveal a far darker side to the famously difficult writer.

Particularly disturbing was Travers’ adoption of her son, a twin who was separated from his brother because Travers decided she only wanted one of the boys. This decision was to have terrible repercussions for both their lives.

Actors Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews in a scene from the 1964 film 'Mary Poppins'. Source: Supplied

Travers was born in Queensland to British parents but it wasn’t till she moved to London in her 20s that her career took off.

After failed attempts at acting she devoted herself to writing, publishing Mary Poppins to great acclaim in 1934.

In spite of her literary success true love eluded her and craving a child, but without a partner, she decided to adopt from the Hones, an Irish family of artists and writers.

According to a report in the Mail Online, the Hone patriarch pleaded with Travers to take the family’s twin sons but the writer insisted she could only look after one, selecting the baby based on advice from her astrologer.

Author PL (Pamela Lyndon) Travers (real name Helen Lyndon Goff) who wrote childrens story Mary Poppins (1899-1996). Pic Handout 1966 P/ Source: Supplied

Split from his twin, Camillus was raised in luxury and told by his mother he was the son of a wealthy sugar baron.

However, when he was 17 his twin Anthony appeared at Travers’ home in Chelsea. Although Travers threw the boy out out she was unable to hide the truth from Camillus for long.

According to the boys’ oldest brother, Joseph Hone, Travers’ decision to separate the brothers ruined both their lives.

Unable to cope with the deception both brothers descended in to alcoholism and Travers, who became a millionaire after she sold the rights to Mary Poppins to Disney in 1961, was so concerned that Camillus would fritter away the family fortune she put all her money in trust for him and her grandchildren after she died.

“Pamela Travers saw herself as Mary Poppins and thought she could play Poppins with poor little Camillus,” Joseph Hone told the Mail.

Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins Source: Supplied

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Dolly, Cleo mag to 'lose half their staff'

Sharri Markson, editor of CLEO magazine. Source: NewsComAu

BAUER has announced that staff from its two youth mastheads, Dolly and Cleo magazine, will merge to form one newsroom.

While the magazines will continue as separate titles, the move will see the "expected loss of half their combined staff" with the remaining employees to work on both titles, reports The Australian.

Staff and editors from both magazines were reportedly called to a meeting this morning and told they would need to reapply for their jobs. Dolly editor Tiffany Dunk. Picture: News Corp Australia Source: Supplied

"This includes the current editors Sharri Markson (Cleo) and Tiffany Dunk (Dolly) who will compete to become editor-in-chief," reports The Australian.

The decision was made by Bauer's head office in Germany as a result of "declining circulations and revenue".

In a statement to media, Bauer said: "The company is now discussing with staff a proposal to bring the teams behind Cleo and Dolly together. An editor-in-chief would be responsible for both titles, with other team members either working directly on the brand or where possible across the two brands."

Matthew Stanton, CEO Bauer Media, said: "Cleo and Dolly are quickly evolving to meet the needs of a target audience which is itself rapidly changing. In such a dynamic environment, it makes sense to bring the staff creating these young women's lifestyle titles together. The single publishing unit enables us to tap the synergies and expertise between the mastheads to further enhance the reach and relevance of these two much-loved Australian magazine brands."

The move comes after Bauer closed women's magazine titles Madison and Grazia earlier in the year due to financial pressures and to make way for the launch of Elle magazine in September.

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Tori Spelling 'lied' about weight loss

Tori Spelling says she lied about how she lost her baby weight in her new book. Picture: Splash Source: Supplied

Tori Spelling poses in a bikini for Us Weekly after the birth of her fourth child. Picture: Us Weekly Source: Supplied

IT was hard to believe that she lost all that baby weight simply by swimming and now Tori Spelling has finally come clean about how she really dropped the kilos.

In her new book, Spelling It Like It Is, the actress says her publicist told her not to be truthful about her strict dieting regime after the birth of her fourth child Finn Davey in August 2012.

Spelling told Us Weekly in April that she lost 45 pounds (20kgs) since Finn was born and had shed the kilos "safely" - but the reality was very different.

"For several months, I couldn't really exercise," she said, because of the emergency surgery she underwent when the stitches from her caesarean section burst open.

"There were a couple of reasons. First, there was some risk that my scar would open up again. I was terrified of that.

"Second, I really don't exercise much, period. So I took my weight the old-fashioned way. I like to call it the 'Just Keep Your F***ing Mouth Shut and Eat Air diet'. It's all the rage."

However, when Tori took part in a bikini shoot with Us Weekly magazine, she told them she lost weight through swimming.

"I'll swim until I'm sore or play Marco Polo with the kids instead," she was quoted as saying in the mag. "I also started going on the elliptical and doing modified MMA. Besides my walks, I exercise three times a week for about an hour each time.

"I feel like I took off the weight safely, and I'm totally happy here." Tori Spelling and her four children Liam Aaron McDermott, Finn Davey McDermott, Hattie Margaret McDermott and Stella Doreen McDermott. Picture: Splash Source: Splash News Australia

But the reality was very different, with Spelling revealing in her book: "My publicist had given me clear instructions about what to say about my weight loss.

"Women didn't want to know that I had lost weight through dieting, not exercising... So I said that I swam [even though] I can't do much more than a doggy paddle."

Spelling further explained that she shed the weight through "nibbling rice cakes" and "eating soup and dinners that looked like they belonged in some health magazine.

"With my sedentary lifestyle, it was the only way and it worked," she says. "My clothes were starting to fit again."

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Iron Man's family secrets revealed

A page from Iron Man No. 17, in which  Tony Stark finds himself felled by not one, but two, family secrets that has him questioning his place in the world and why the reality of his origin was kept from him. Picture: AP/Marvel Source: AP

TONY Stark's always been a man of many talents for whom surprise is a rare thing.

But the avenging philanthropic billionaire - better known for the high-tech armor he wears as Iron Man - is about to find himself felled by not one, but two, family secrets that has him questioning his place in the world and why the reality of his origin was kept from him.

The big reveal comes in the pages of Iron Man No. 17, out Wednesday in comic shops, written by Kieron Gillen, illustrated by Carlo Pagulayan and Scott Hanna, lettered by Joe Caramagna and edited by Mark Paniccia.

In it Gillen brings the long-simmering story to its conclusion with Stark finding out that not only is he - again, spoilers - adopted, but that his parents, Howard and Maria, had a son - imbued with alien technology proffered by the rogue android 451 - who has been hidden away from the world, laden with unknown abilities and, perhaps, powers.

Gillen calls it a new challenge for Stark, one that is closer to home and more down to earth than his normal conflicts, which have included villainous masterminds, god-like alien intelligences and mechanical behemoths, among others.

"What could I do to challenge the characters' core conception of their self," Gillen said in an interview of the revelations which find Stark both accepting of them yet still experiencing a swirl of emotion as the facts of his life come out in full view and meeting his brother, Arno, who has been in a hospital his entire life, wanting for nothing, but an enigma regardless.

"When you discover something about yourself, you reprocess. How does it churn in the gut? How do you re-examine your life?" said Gillen. "It's a completely different prism in how you study yourself."

Robert Downey Jr plays Tony Stark/Iron man in the blockbuster Iron Man movies.

The notion of Tony's being adopted changes nothing about him as a Stark, said Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso.

"When Kieron pitched the story, the bottom line question for us was 'Does this open up the doorway to stories that are worth telling?'" he said. "And it does. Who are Tony's parents? Will he want to know them? How will he feel about Howard? How will this affect the dynamic between father and son?"

That, said Alonso, will enrich Tony and, by extension, Iron Man, whose first appearance was 50 years ago in Tales of Suspense No. 39.

"When you introduce a twist this big to an iconic character's life, you have to do due diligence and think through all the angles," he said. "We will definitely have something to say about adoptions and what it means."

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