National Entertainment

TORONTO — Paula Spurr is used to being herded together with co-workers on the job. As a background performer in film and TV, the Burnaby, B.C.

“Then She Vanished,” by T. Jefferson Parker (Putnam) With each new book in T.

LOS ANGELES — Simon Cowell underwent surgery to repair a broken back, the result of an electric bicycle accident, and was recovering at a hospital, a spokesperson said Sunday.

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Aug. 16-22 Aug. 16: Actor Gary Clarke (“Hondo,” ?The Virginian”) is 87. Actor Julie Newmar is 87. Actor-singer Ketty Lester (“Little House on the Prairie”) is 86. Actor Anita Gillette is 84.

ROME — Franca Valeri, an elegant, ironic and versatile actor who pioneered female comic roles in Italy's post-war years and helped the nation laugh at its foibles, has died at 100.

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s classic “ The Secret Garden ” has been adapted into several films, television series and even a Broadway musical.

Montreal has been having its quietest summer in recent memory, as COVID-19 put an end to a world-renowned festival circuit celebrating everything from jazz to circus arts.

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The canine-cop TV series "Hudson & Rex" has been hit by COVID-19, forcing it to shut down production for at least a day.

NEW ORLEANS — Comedian Andy Dick has filed a lawsuit in New Orleans against the man who punched him last year outside a French Quarter nightclub.

Regal movie theatres have been closed for almost five months in the U.S. due to the coronavirus pandemic, but they are gearing up to open on Aug. 21. And this time it might just stick.