Sharon Stone in hospital; Archie to die soon; New 'Game of Thrones'

Hollywood actress and producer Sharon Stone spent a night in a Sao Paulo hospital for treatment by an infectious diseases specialist, Brazilian media said Tuesday.

The "Basic Instinct" star, 56, who reportedly had a near-fatal stroke in 2001, went into the prestigious Sirio Libanes hospital Sunday and was released the next day, news website G1 and newspaper O Globo reported.

G1 cited anonymous employee reports. The hospital's press office declined comment.

Stone was in Brazil's sprawling financial and industrial hub for an event by amfAR, the AIDS charity.

AFP

Archie Andrews is not immortal in the world of comics

Archie Comics says the famous comic book character will heroically sacrifice himself while saving the life of a friend in a July installment of "Life with Archie." The comic book series tells the story of grown-up renditions of Archie and his Riverdale gang.

Archie's final moments will be detailed in "Life with Archie" No. 36, while issue No. 37 will jump forward a year and focus on his friends Jughead, Betty, Veronica and Reggie honoring the legacy of their red-headed pal, who first appeared in comics in 1941.

Archie Comics publisher and co-CEO Jon Goldwater says they've been building up to this moment since launching "Life with Archie" five years ago.

AP

Two new seasons of "Games of Thrones"

Hit HBO television show "Games of Thrones" was renewed for two more seasons Tuesday, two days after its latest series opened with a bang that crashed the broadcaster's online app.

Sunday's fourth season debut drew 6.6 million viewers, the most for the pay-channel since the finale of HBO cult hit "The Sopranos" was watched by 11.9 million people in 2007, the broadcaster said.

"'Game of Thrones' is a phenomenon like no other," said HBO Programming boss Michael Lombardo, announcing that HBO had renewed it for a fifth and sixth season.

Its creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss "along with their talented collaborators, continue to surpass themselves, and we look forward to more of their dazzling storytelling," he said.

HBO Go, an online app that allows viewers to watch shows any time, crashed Sunday as tens of thousands tried to log on to watch the show, which provides a jaw-dropping mix of sex, violence and vengeance.

Since its debut in 2011, the HBO drama based on George R.R. Martin's best-selling novels about a struggle for power between feuding clans in seven mythical kingdoms has won a devoted global fan base -- President Barack Obama reportedly among them -- to establish itself as the star of the US cable channel's stable.

The series has wowed critics with its densely-layered plot, lavish production values and a readiness to kill off, invariably in gruesome fashion, protagonists who had hitherto seemed integral to the show.

Four words -- "No one is safe" -- have become the unofficial catchphrase for devotees of the series. Guessing which character may soon meet his or her maker is all part of the fun.

An infamously bloody episode in Season 3, involving a massacre at a wedding party, was one of the most talked about and tweeted television events of 2013.

YouTube videos capturing the shock of unsuspecting viewers watching as the on-screen slaughter unfolded rapidly went viral.

All the signs are that fans of the show will not be disappointed by the 10-episode Season 4, which debuted in the US on Sunday before being screened in different markets worldwide over the following days and weeks.

AFP

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