PASSAGES: 'Matrix' Star Moss Pregnant

By Stephen M. Silverman

Wednesday February 26, 2003 06:03 PM EST

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ANNOUNCED: "Matrix" star Carrie-Anne Moss, 35, and her husband, actor StevenRoy ("Skinwalker), are expecting their first child this fall. The Canadian couple, who now live in L.A., wed in 1999.

AXED: Cable news network MSNBC on Tuesday canceled Phil Donahue's nightly talk show after only six months on the air, citing poor ratings, reports Reuters. A talk-show pioneer, Donahue, 67, reemerged on MSNBC in July 2002 after a six-year hiatus. MSNBC hoped his star power could revitalize the flagging network, which is running a distant third to rival news outlets FOX News and CNN (which, like PEOPLE, is part of AOL Time Warner).

DIED: Italian cinema icon Alberto Sordi, 82, perhaps best remembered for playing the dreamy lead in Federico Fellini's 1952 film "The White Sheik" (which, in turn, inspired Woody Allen's 1985 "The Purple Rose of Cairo"), died of a heart attack Monday night in his Rome house, his publicist said. Sordi's career lasted for more than 50 years, and he was a beloved figure in his country.

SETTLED: A Washington state judge has signed a $20,000 judgment against figure-skater-turned-boxer Tonya Harding, 32, for damage to a rental home she was evicted from a year ago, reports the Associated Press. . Harding had owed $5,145 in back rent and court fees. The $20,000 also covers legal fees and repairs to fix damage "beyond normal wear and tear," the lawyer for the property owner said, citing damage caused by pets.

CLAIMED: Actor Robert Blake, 69, who on Wednesday faces a preliminary hearing that will determine if he must stand trial on murder charges, says he did not kill his wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley. He also believes that God will make sure he is cleared, Blake says in a "20/20" interview to air Wednesday. "I'm not going to be found guilty," he said. "Why? It's real simple. Because God has never, ever deserted me. Can't say I haven't deserted Him from time to time."

CAST: Comic Tom Arnold, 43, still best remembered as being Roseanne's husband (and just as famous for being her ex-husband), has been signed to be the voice of Oven Mitt, a new spokesthing for the flagging Arby's sandwich chain, reports The New York Times. His character -- or rather, its character -- is described as goofy, assertive and a bit of a ham, much like Arnold, says the paper. The $85 million national ad campaign featuring Mitt is due to kick off Sunday.