Darth Vader actor battles prostate cancer

David Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the original "Star Wars" films, has revealed he is suffering from prostate cancer but is still feeling "fantastic." Prowse, who wore the black suit and helmet to play the Dark Lord of the Sith, told a British radio station he had been undergoing radiotherapy at a hospital in south London and was helping its fundraising appeal.

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The Story of a Modern-Day Exorcist

When he first heard about a Vatican-sponsored course on exorcism for priests, journalist Matt Baglio was intrigued by the idea of this ancient ritual taking place in the modern world. In his new book The Rite, Baglio follows American priest Father Gary — sent to Rome to train as an exorcist — and his apprenticeship with Father Carmine. Baglio talked to TIME about belief, skeptical priests, and the particulars of the exorcism ritual

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Prince and Target: Match Made in Discount Heaven?

When you think of Prince, do you expect to get more and pay less? Probably not, but that hasn’t prevented Target, the 1,677 store discount chain, from striking a deal with his royal funkiness to be the exclusive retail outlet for Prince’s new three-disc set

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‘Slumdog Millionaire’ has six Oscars

"Slumdog Millionaire," the little film about a poverty-raised teaboy who goes on a game show as a way to find his lost love, leads all films at the Oscars with six Oscars at the 81st annual Academy Awards. “Millionaire” has won Oscars for adapted screenplay (Simon Beaufoy), score (A.R. Rahman), song (“Jai Ho,” co-written by Rahman), cinematography (Anthony Dod Mantle), sound mixing and film editing

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Australia mourns victims of deadly wildfires

Church bells rang throughout Australia on Sunday in remembrance of the victims of last month’s devastating fires that killed 209 people. In a nationally televised memorial, a somber Prime Minister Kevin Rudd praised the resilience of Australians and offered a message of hope. “As a people, we weep for the lost,” he said.

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New York Post apologizes for, yet still defends, chimp cartoon

A day after publishing a cartoon that drew fire from critics who said it evoked historically racist images, the New York Post apologized in a statement on its Web site — even as it defended its action and blasted some detractors. Many of those critical of the cartoon said it appeared to compare President Barack Obama to a chimpanzee in a commentary on his recently approved economic stimulus package. “Wednesday’s Page Six cartoon — caricaturing Monday’s police shooting of a chimpanzee in Connecticut — has created considerable controversy,” the paper said about the drawing, which shows two police officers standing over the body of a chimpanzee they just shot

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