De Niro prognosis good

Los Angeles — Actor Robert De Niro has been diagnosed with prostate cancer but is expected to recover fully, a spokesman said Monday.

Doctors for De Niro, 60, a two-time Academy Award winner, caught the cancer at an early stage during a regular health checkup within the past week, De Niro publicist Stan Rosenfield said.

De Niro is in otherwise excellent physical condition and doctors expect a full recovery, Rosenfield said. The publicist said De Niro did not want to disclose if he would be undergoing surgery or some other treatment.

“He’s a private person and doesn’t care to have his treatment out for public consumption,” Rosenfield said.

De Niro, nominated six times for Academy Awards, won the best-actor Oscar for 1980’s “Raging Bull” and the supporting-actor honor for 1974’s “The Godfather, Part II.”

Alda rushed to surgery

La Serena, Chile — Alan Alda was recovering Monday from an emergency appendectomy, a hospital official said.

The spokeswoman at the Regional Hospital in this city 300 miles north of the Chilean capital of Santiago, who identified herself only as Lillian, said the actor underwent surgery Sunday.

She said the “M.A.S.H.” TV star was rushed to the hospital where doctors quickly decided to perform the appendectomy.

Alda was at a large observatory in nearby Tololo Hill working on a television documentary.

The hospital official said that Alda, 67, probably would be released today.

Rodman charged with DUI

Las Vegas — Dennis Rodman was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after he crashed a motorcycle while doing stunts outside a strip club, police said.

The former NBA star, who was treated Sunday for cuts on his legs, was not jailed on the misdemeanor charge. He was issued a summons to appear in court for an arraignment in three to five weeks, police said.

“He borrowed an employee’s motorcycle and was attempting to pop wheelies when he hit a pole,” police spokesman Jose Montoya said Monday.

Some like it Hungarian

Budapest, Hungary — Tony Curtis began preparing Monday for a new leading role — helping promote tourism in Hungary, the country of his forefathers.

The 78-year-old actor said he wanted to put some merriment into ads aimed at attracting tourists, to show how welcoming the country is to visitors.

“The commercials will be loaded with humor, and I’m going to be chasing lots of girls around,” Curtis told journalists before filming begins later this week.

Curtis said he volunteered to do the television ads for free because he wanted to honor his parents. Both his father and mother were Hungarian Jews who emigrated to the United States. His father, Emanuel, came from Hungary and his mother, Helen, from what is now Slovakia.