newsmakers

March 2, 2013 at 12:00a.m.

newsmakers

‘One Day At Time’ star Franklin dies

NEW YORK

Bonnie Franklin, the pert, redheaded actress whom millions came to identify with for her role as divorced mom Ann Romano on the long-running sitcom “One Day at a Time,” has died.

She died Friday at her home in Los Angeles due to complications from pancreatic cancer, family members said. She was 69. Her family had announced she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September.

Franklin was a veteran stage and television performer before “One Day At a Time” made her a star.

Developed by Norman Lear and co-created by Whitney Blake — herself a former sitcom star and single mother raising future actress Meredith Baxter — the series was groundbreaking for its focus on a young divorced mother seeking independence from a suffocating marriage.

It premiered on CBS in December 1975.

CW cancels ‘90210’ after five seasons

LOS ANGELES

The CW announced it is pulling the plug on “90210” after five seasons.

The show, a reboot/sequel of Fox’s popular teen drama “Beverly Hills, 90210,” will sign off after its remaining seven episodes of this season air.

The series has seen its ratings drop significantly over its run. It debuted in 2008 to 4.6 million viewers, but now hovers around 500,000 — making it the very uncool kid when measured alongside the network’s eternally youthful vampires of “The Vampire Diaries” and the rocking abs of “Green Arrow.”

Its finale is set for May 13.

Judge refuses to delay Lohan case

LOS ANGELES

A judge refused Friday to delay Lindsay Lohan’s trial on reckless driving and other charges and admonished her attorney, saying he needs help on the case.

Superior Court Judge James R. Dabney advised New York lawyer Mark Heller that his pleadings weren’t appropriate under California law. Heller was told to get assistance from another attorney or Lohan would be required to attend hearings to gauge his ability to represent her.

Dabney also said there was no good reason to delay the March 18 trial, noting that he was skeptical that more time would allow Lohan to demonstrate she had changed after years of run-ins with the law.

Good timing for play about pope resigning

NEW YORK

The debut of Tom Attea’s new play is likely to benefit from some holy timing — he’s written a play about a pope resigning.

The off-Broadway company Theater for the New City said Friday it will produce Attea’s “Benedictus,” a play written two years ago about a pope who steps down.

It is slated to run from May 30 to June 16 at the company’s home in lower Manhattan. Mark Mercante will direct the production with incidental music by Arthur Abrams.

According to producers, the play is about the fictional Pope Benedictus, who has visions that command him to follow a new calling. Top cardinals must then decide what to do with him.

Wire reports