By Stephen Saito

Robert Altman 1925-2006
Robert Altman, the director of such influential and important films as M*A*S*H, Nashville, The Player and Gosford Park, died in a Los Angeles hospital on Monday night. The cause of death has yet to be announced.

Altman left behind a body of work that was the very definition of a maverick director, a fact that he alluded to when he won a lifetime achievement Academy Award at this past year's Oscars (though he never won an Oscar for one of his films). He said, "No other filmmaker has gotten a better shake than I have. I'm very fortunate in my career. I've never had to direct a film I didn't choose or develop. My love for filmmaking has given me an entree to the world and to the human condition." His last film, A Prairie Home Companion, came out this summer. Premiere critic Glenn Kenny looks back at Altman's work.

Hathaway Gets Smart With Spy Role
Anne Hathaway will co-star with Steve Carell in the Warner Bros.' adaptation of the 1960s Mel Brooks-Buck Henry created sitcom Get Smart for director Peter Segal. She will slip into the role of Agent 99, originally played by Barbara Feldon on the TV show. More at Variety.

No Spielberg on iPods, but Indy 4 Lives
Steven Spielberg's films won't be coming to an iPod near you anytime soon. The director spoke at a meeting of the International Emmys board of directors on Monday, telling the audience that he doesn't "think movie theaters will ever go away" and that he considers watching movies on iPods a fad. He also talked about upcoming projects including the long gestating Indiana Jones 4, about which he said, "There's still life in the series." More at Reuters.

Fox Bullish on Borat Suits
Producers of the hit comedy Borat and 20th Century Fox, the studio behind the film, have filed an injunction in West Los Angeles to counter civil suits filed by some of the film's participants who feel the film portrayed them in a negative light. More at Variety.