U.S.

By GREG HERNANDEZ Sean Faris admits that when it came time to attend the premiere of his film "Never Back Down" recently, he was a nervous wreck. "Very anxious," he told me last week. "I had not seen the film before the premiere so I did not know fully what to expect.

By Deryn Fisher BRITISH actress Samantha Morton almost died after suffering a devastating stroke, it was revealed last night. The Oscar-nominated star had to learn to walk again after collapsing two years ago but has kept her condition secret until now.

By DANIEL NEMAN If director Edward Zwick wants to make his new film "Blood Diamond" shorter -- and if he doesn't, the audience does -- all he has to do is cut out the repetition. Instead of showing half a dozen massacres, show one. Instead of showing 10 or 12 gun battles, show one or two.

By Claudia Parsons NEW YORK (Reuters) - Russell Crowe's character may have been killed off at the end of the Oscar-winning movie "Gladiator," but that doesn't mean there won't be a sequel, Crowe's co-star, Djimon Hounsou, said on Monday.