Billy Ray Cyrus withdraws divorce filing

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Billy Ray Cyrus is trying to save his marriage.

He withdrew his divorce filing last Friday in Williamson County Court in Tennessee. His attorney and the judge signed an order withdrawing the divorce papers. It says he and his wife of 17 years, Tish, are attempting to reconcile.

Cyrus told ABC’s “The View” that for the first time in a long time his entire family is communicating with each other, and that things are really the best they’ve ever been.

He released a joint statement with Tish in October announcing the split. They have three children together, including pop-star Miley Cyrus, and two from Tish’s previous marriage.

Ebert film festival lineup announced

CHAMPAIGN — Roger Ebert’s annual film festival in Champaign-Urbana will open next month with a showing of the 1927 German classic “Metropolis” and feature an appearance by the subject of another of the festival’s films, “A Small Act.”

The longtime Chicago Sun-Times film critic and Urbana native says Swedish Holocaust survivor Hilde Back will attend Ebertfest in connection with the showing of “A Small Act.” The documentary is about her once-anonymous payments that sent a Kenyan student to school. The student eventually became a United Nations lawyer.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette says the 12-film lineup at the April 27-May 1 also includes “Louder than a Bomb.” The documentary tracks four Chicago-area high school kids preparing for a poetry competition.

The festival also plans an appearance by director and writer Richard Linklater.

Will Smith helps Philly school replace computers

PHILADELPHIA — Will Smith is donating replacements for 30 stolen computers to a high school in West Philadelphia, where he was born and raised.

The Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation and the Charlie Mack Cares philanthropic organizations are giving 29 Apple laptops and one desktop to West Philadelphia High School.

Local community activist Charlie Mack is a longtime assistant and friend of Smith, the music, TV and film superstar.

Mack says he plans to deliver the new computers to the school Friday. Smith is working elsewhere and can’t make it.

Two students have been charged with stealing 60 computers from the school last month. Police recovered half of them, but the rest remain unaccounted for.

Batman’s ‘butler’ Michael Gough dies at 94

LONDON — Michael Gough, the British actor best known for playing Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred in a series of Batman movies, died Thursday at age 94, his ex-wife said.

Gough appeared in more than 150 movies and television shows, including British science-fiction show “Doctor Who,” and recently voiced characters in Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” and “Corpse Bride.” But he remains best remembered for his role as Alfred Pennyworth in the Batman franchise, opposite three different Batmans: Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney.

The veteran actor died at home in England, surrounded by family, his ex-wife Anneke Wills said through her agent.

Wills, who herself starred in the “Dr. Who,” said in an obituary posted on its website: “As his body was deteriorating this week, he said that he wanted to hang on for St. Patrick’s Day. And he did, just. In the end … there is only love.”

Gough starred in “Batman Returns,” directed by Burton in 1992, and “Batman Forever” in 1995 and “Batman and Robin” in 1997, both by Joel Schumacher.

MTV’s ‘120 Minutes’ returning with Matt Pinfield

NEW YORK — One of MTV’s iconic programs, the defunct “120 Minutes,” is returning.

The network will announce Thursday that “120 Minutes” is coming back as a monthly show on MTV2 and as a weekly webcast, which has been dubbed “120 Seconds.”

Matt Pinfield, the VJ most identified with the original show, is returning as host.

“People have been wanting for so long for the show to come back,” says Pinfield. “I couldn’t be more over the moon about it.”

The original “120 Minutes” ran from 1986 to 2003, airing on MTV, and in its last years, on MTV2. The new incarnation will similarly include interviews, performances and music videos, along with increased fan interaction.

Amy Doyle, executive vice president of music and talent at MTV, says the network wanted a multi-screen showcase for emerging music and found there’s still an affinity for “120 Minutes.”

“Why create a whole new franchise when we have one that means something still?” Doyle says. “Instead, let’s dust it off and modernize it.”

The brief, online “120 Seconds” will premiere Friday on MTV Hive, a recently launched online music destination. The broadcast “120 Minutes” will premiere later this year, though Doyle says she expects that to be “sooner rather than later.”

Much of the original appeal of “120 Minutes” had to do with its era of music, particularly the then-thriving alternative rock and metal scenes. As a host for four years, Pinfield distinguished himself as an earnest and thoroughly knowledgeable interviewer.

Since “120 Minutes,” Pinfield, 44, has hosted a number of music programs, including VH1’s “VSpot Top 20 Countdown” and HDNet’s “Soundoff With Matt Pinfield.” He currently hosts a show for New York radio station WRXP, which he will continue to do, shifting from mornings to afternoons.

He says “120 Minutes” will highlight “a very broad base of independent and alternative rock.”

“There’s more new bands and good music coming out than ever,” says Pinfield. “There’s so much to be found.”