PASSAGES: Hopkins Takes Third Wife

By Stephen M. Silverman

Monday March 03, 2003 10:12 AM EST

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WED: "Hannibal" star Anthony Hopkins, 65, married antiques dealer Stella Arroyave, 46, in a private ceremony attended by friends and family in Malibu on Saturday, a rep for the actor tells Reuters. New York's Daily News reports that the guest list included Steven Spielberg, Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Winona Ryder and Hopkins's "Silence of the Lambs" costar Jodie Foster. The wedding couple had been dating for about two years, and this marks Hopkins's third marriage. His previous wives were Petronella Barker (from 1967-72) and Jennifer Lynton (1973-2002).

REMEMBERED: "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood"'s Fred Rogers, 74, was buried Saturday in Latrobe, Penn., at a private ceremony attended by about 60 relatives, friends and co-workers, reports Reuters. Rogers, who produced the PBS children's show from 1968 to 2000, died Thursday at his Pittsburgh home, following a bout with stomach cancer.

DIED: Singer and songwriter Hank Ballard, 76, who wrote the "The Twist," died in his Los Angeles home Sunday after a bout with throat cancer, the Associated Press reports. In 1958, Ballard wrote and recorded "The Twist," but it was only released as a B-side. One year later, Chubby Checker debuted his own version of the song on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand," and a national craze was born.

DELAYED: Mel Gibson's return as a post-apocalyptic road warrior in "Mad Max: Fury Road" has hit a red light, says its studio, 20th Century Fox. Filming of the movie was set to begin in the African nation of Namibia in July but has been pushed to late fall to avoid uncertainties about hostilities in Iraq, the studio said in an announcement. As a result, the film's scheduled release in summer 2004 also could change.

CAST: Tom Cruise, 40, is considering the starring role in the proposed remake of the 1942 romantic movie comedy "I Married a Witch," to be directed by Danny DeVito, reports Variety. Coincidentally, Cruise's ex-wife, Nicole Kidman, 35, is said to be the frontrunner to play Samantha -- a lovely married woman who happens to be a witch -- in the movie version of the '60s sitcom, "Bewitched." Go figure.