Patrick Swayze, the 56 year old actor who has made headlines during his battle with pancreatic cancer, has signed a deal to release an autobiography. The new book will be released in spring according to a press release.

"With everything I've been fortunate enough to do in my life, and covering such a wide range of diverse subject matters, I'm told that my story has been inspirational to people," Swayze said. "I will write from my heart about these experiences and aside from the sheer pleasure of doing it, if people happen to garner inspiration from it, or incentive, or find a new way to love, it would be wonderful."

Swayze can currently be seen on the A&E show "The Beast".

Elizabeth Edwards has a new book that will hit stores on May 12th. "Resilience" will touch on the subject of her husband John Edwards affair with Rielle Hunter that made headlines around the country.

This is the second penned by Elizabeth Edwards. The wife of the former Senator wrote "Saving Graces" which touched base on her bout with cancer and the loss of her 16 year old son from a car accident.

Broadway Books director of publicity David Drake stated about the upcoming book:

"She has always been a kind of candid and honest writer, and people can expect that of her in her new book."

Pulitzer Prize winning American author John Updike died Tuesday at the age of 76, said his publicist. Updike had won many literary awards for his writing over the years, and is widely regarded as one of the most prolific writers in modern times.

Updike passed away Tuesday morning following a battle with lung cancer.

Nicholas Latimer, VP of publicity at his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, said, "He was one of our greatest writers, and he will be sorely missed."

Updike was a rarity in the American literary scene. Not only were his books critically acclaimed, but they were also best sellers. Over his career, he wrote over 30 novels and collections of stories. He also won the Pulitzer Prize twice for "Rabbit is Rich" (1981) and its successor, "Rabbit at Rest" (1991). His most recent novel, "The Widows of Eastwick" was published in 2008. A collection of stories called "My Father's Tears and Other Stories" is due out later in 2009.

Updike also penned essays, reviews, short stories, poetry, and even a memoir, and was frequently featured in The New Yorker. He even appeared in a Simpsons episode as an animated version of himself as the ghostwriter of a Krusty the Klown book.

Paramount has had "Ness", the story of Cleveland's infamous Torso serial killer from the 1930's, on its roster since 2006. However, the studio has allowed the rights option on the film's underlying graphic novel, "Torso", to lapse, leaving the film project in a state of limbo.

Oscar-nominated director David Fincher was to head up the project, which had captured the interest of big-name Hollywood celebrities including Casey Affleck and Matt Damon.

The "Torso" graphic novel was written by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Andreyko. It told the story of Elliot Ness' investigation into the real-life 1930's Cleveland Torso Murderer, and was to be adapted by Fincher into a film tentatively titled "Ness."

Last month Paramount's ability to extend the rights option as a part of their original deal expired. At this point the studio would have been required to purchase the rights outright to retain them. The asking price was apparently too high for Paramount, who declined to pay up. The rights have since reverted back to the graphic novel's writers.

Although Paramount still owns the rights to the screenplay, which was adapted by Ehren Kruger, they are now in discussions to potentially strike a new option agreement with the writers.

According to the The Mirror, pop princess Britney Spears is on the verge of signing a $14 publishing deal that will see her produce a no-holds-barred biography and account of her rollercoaster career. Spears, 27, is said to have already been signed up by a literary agent and will begin penning her book after her sold-out world tour.

On source told The Mirror:

"There have been numerous unofficial biographies printed about Britney, but she's never agreed to pen her own tome - until now. And some of the stories she's got are absolute dynamite. She's kept diaries so there's nothing she'll leave out unless she wants to.

If the deal goes ahead she will write between three and five books throughout the next decade - it's one of the most lucrative book deals in showbiz history.

"Britney will talk frankly about growing up and how she went off the rails. It'll be a gripping read."

Unfortunately her father still has indefinite control over her life and estate, so how much of that money she will ever actually get to even touch remains to be seen.

Oprah Winfrey's ex-boyfriend, Randolph Cook, is shopping around a tell-all book that details their time together as a couple. The two dated in 1985, and he claims they did crack cocaine together. This in itself isn't a new revelation; Oprah admitted this in the past, although she never went into the details of the experience and claimed that Cook introduced her to the drug. Cook claims, however, that it was Oprah who introduced him to crack cocaine.

In the book, Cook claims:

“Oprah made a “rock” of cocaine and baking soda in the tube and heated it, a method known as freebasing.

“[Oprah] then put the lit torch on the rock, inhaled and held the smoke in her lungs for a long time. When she finally exhaled, she began to shake violently as she put the pipe down, she had trouble catching her breath and her eyes got big as saucers.”

We smoked at least a couple of times a week. Sometimes we would smoke up until her limo was waiting to take her to the studio to perform her show…”

Oprah admitted to doing crack in 1995 on a show about drug addicted mothers:

Having been upstaged in 2008 by The View's Elizabeth Hasselbeck as the crazy conservative that likes to say stupid things about Democrats, Ann Coulter is striking early and hoping to regain her rightful place in 2009. What better a target than the new incoming first lady, Michelle Obama.

In Coulter's new book, Guilty: Liberal "Victims" and their Assault on America, she attacks Michelle Obama's wardrobe. She notes:

"Her obvious imitation of Jackie O's style - the flipped-under hair, the sleeveless A-line dresses, the short strands of fake pearls - would have been laughable if done by anyone other than a media-designated saint."

Cindy McCain, whose husband John failed to win the presidency this past November, does however get Coulter's seal of approval. I can't say this is all that surprising. Coulter says that Cindy "Dressed well without freakishly imitating famous First Ladies in history."

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