Negative Blogs

Joseph Wiseman, an actor who played the sinister scientist and title character of Dr. No in the first James Bond feature film, has died. He was 91.

Wiseman, who had been in declining health, died Monday at his home in Manhattan, his daughter, Martha Graham Wiseman, told The New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

A screen and stage actor, Wiseman’s film credits include “Detective Story” (1951) and “The Unforgiven” (1960). He also had guest roles on television shows “Law & Order,” “The Streets of San Francisco,” “The Twilight Zone” and “The Untouchables,” according to The New York Times.

He is likely best known, however, for his villainous role in “Dr. No,” the first in a long string of James Bond movies. The 1962 film introduced Sean Connery as James Bond and also starred Ursula Andress.

Wiseman was born in Montreal on May 15, 1918. He moved to the United States with his family when he was a boy.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Wiseman started acting when he was a teenager, getting his start in summer stock.

In 1938, he was given a small part in his first Broadway play, Robert E. Sherwood’s “Abe Lincoln in Illinois.”

Wiseman’s other Broadway credits include “Joan of Lorraine” (1946), “Antony and Cleopatra” (1947), “Detective Story” (1949); and most recently in the stage adaptation of Abby Mann’s film “Judgment at Nuremberg” (2001). Hard money training

After a string of real celebrity deaths last week, the Internet and online social networks killed a few more stars.

Despite what you may have read, Jeff Goldblum, Natalie Portman, George Clooney, Britney Spears, Harrison Ford and Rick Astley are alive.

Fake news of their deaths flew across the Internet — particularly on online social networks like Twitter and Facebook — after Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon were reported dead.

The situation is calling attention to the changing state of the news media: As information online moves faster and comes from more sources, it’s more difficult to verify what’s true and what may be shockingly false.

Some have downplayed the situation, saying the rumors are not harmful. Others find the situation offensive in light of the actual deaths last week.

Internet-savvy readers can tell the difference between fake news and real information that has been verified by a trusted blogger or mainstream news reporter, said Gabriel Snyder, managing editor at Gawker, a celebrity news and gossip blog not associated with the rumors.

Pop star Britney Spears was among those falsely claimed to be dead recently.

John Travolta, still in mourning over the death of his teenage son earlier this year, issued a rare public statement urging fans to see his latest movie, “The Taking of Pelham 123,” which he filmed last year.

“I promise, you won’t be disappointed,” said Travolta, who plays a deranged ex-inmate who takes hostages on a New York subway.

Travolta did not join co-star Denzel Washington in the promotional tour for the movie — which hits theaters Friday — because he said his family needed “additional time to reconcile our loss.”

His son Jett, 16, was found unconscious on January 2 while on vacation with his family in the Bahamas. The teen was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, local police said.

Washington, who plays a subway train dispatcher forced to face down Travolta’s character, said he talked to the actor about three weeks ago.