Oscar-winning filmmaker Sven Nykvist, who was legendary director Ingmar Bergman's cinematographer of choice, died Wednesday after a long illness, his son said. He was 83. Nykvist died at a nursing home where he was being treated for aphasia, a form of dementia, said his son, Carl-Gustaf Nykvist. Nykvist won Academy Awards for best cinematography for the Bergman films "Cries and Whispers" in 1973 and "Fanny and Alexander" in 1982. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS

Joseph Hayes, who wrote the novel "The Desperate Hours," which he later turned into a Tony Award-winning play and a movie, died Sept. 11 in St. Augustine, Fla., where he lived. He was 88. Hayes died in a nursing home of complications from Alzheimer's disease, said his son, Daniel Hayes.

Emmys were good, but no match for Capt. Jack Sparrow

If you watched TV on Sunday night, you saw drama, thrills, even _ dare I say? _ greatness. That "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" is a fun movie. It was on ABC. The Emmys on NBC? Let's say it could've been worse.

Actually, from the standpoint of watching TV, it was a good night. Conan O'Brien is a funny guy and made a slick host for a second time. From the standpoint of giving awards, it was, you know, the Emmys.

The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles was the usual mishmash of deserving winners, how-did-that-happen awards and _ an Emmy favorite _ repeating winners.

It's nice to see consistency in the world, in whatever form. I guess.

There were, at least, a couple of right-on awards, starting with "The Office" for best comedy and "24" for best drama.

Fall movies generate Oscar hopefuls

The fall season in the movie business is the most exciting time of the year. In the upcoming months there will be a slew of films coming out with the goal of earning Oscar nods and generating millions at the box office. First off, Hollywood cannot have a great year without a plethora of horror and suspense films at the beginning. The suspense Hollywoodland was recently released, which seems good at first sight with stars such as the Oscar-winning Adrien Brody, Diane Lane and Bob Hoskins, but it also offers us Ben Affleck, whose name is where movie critics go to die. Affleck plays George Reeves, the original Superman who supposedly killed himself rather mysteriously. The death is investigated by Brody, who uncovers a hotbed of sex, violence and scandal.

Almost identical to this is The Black Dahlia with Josh Hartnett, Hilary Swank and Scarlett Johansson.