Arquette sisters to act together on ‘Medium’

New York – It’s a family affair on NBC’s “Medium.”

Rosanna Arquette will guest star on sister Patricia’s spooky show this spring, making her the third Arquette sibling to make a mark on the drama, NBC and show producer CBS Paramount Network announced Wednesday.

The episode, scheduled to air April 7, features the 48-year-old Rosanna as “a beautiful, calculating ‘cougar’ who enjoys the challenges of bedding younger men” and pops up in the dreams of crime-fighting psychic Allison Dubois “when her sexual escapades turn deadly,” the networks said.

“I have to say I have been calling in a lot of favors and I’m really excited about this particular part they wrote for her because Rosanna is a very strong comedic and dramatic actress and this role requires both elements,” said Patricia Arquette, 39, who portrays Dubois.

The Arquette acting family also includes David Arquette, Richmond Arquette and Alexis Arquette.

David recently directed two episodes of “Medium,” and Richmond guest starred on the show two years ago.

Patrick Swayze cancer prognosis ‘optimistic’

Los Angeles – Patrick Swayze’s doctor is “optimistic” about his prognosis for battling pancreatic cancer, and the “Dirty Dancing” actor’s upcoming cable pilot is still in contention to become a series.

With the writer’s strike over, the A&E pilot “The Beast,” starring Swayze as an unorthodox FBI agent, is being considered to be turned into a series by the cable network. If that happens, the “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost” star hopes to continue to be part of the show, his representative Annett Wolf told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Swayze has been undergoing treatment for the disease, Wolf confirmed in a statement. The National Cancer Institute estimates there will be 37,680 new cases of pancreatic cancer in 2008 with 34,290 deaths in the U.S.; only five percent of patients live more than five years after being diagnosed.

“Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far,” Swayze’s physician Dr. George Fisher said in a statement released by Wolf. “All of the reports stating the timeframe of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic.”

Wolf said Swayze, 55, shot “The Beast” pilot last December and isn’t currently working on any new projects.

Robert Downey Jr. pretends to be black

Los Angeles – In “Tropic Thunder,” one of three summer films featuring Robert Downey Jr., the actor appears on screen as a black man.

Downey Jr. plays overly committed actor Kirk Lazarus, a white man cast to play a black soldier in a satire of the performing profession. The film also stars Jack Black and Ben Stiller, who co-wrote, directed and produced it.

“If it’s done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago,” Downey told Entertainment Weekly magazine. “If you don’t do it right, we’re going to hell.”

Stiller said he was “trying to push it as far as you can within reality,” with the intent of satirizing over-the-top actors, not blacks.

“I had no idea how people would respond to it,” Stiller told the magazine. But at a recent screening, black viewers liked the film, he said.

Downey explained that he kept the character from becoming a caricature because he “dove in with both feet.”

Paramount is set to release “Tropic Thunder” Aug. 15.

Garrison Keillor puts Minn. house on market

St. Paul, Minn. – Humorist Garrison Keillor put his historic St. Paul home up for sale, a few weeks after a dispute with his neighbor over her building plans ended up in court.

The host of public radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion” is asking $1.65 million for the seven-bedroom, five-bath home, according to its listing on Realtor.com.

In January, Keillor and his wife sued next-door neighbor Lori Anderson to stop her from building a two-story garage-and-studio addition to her house. Keillor’s lawsuit said the project would “obstruct the access of light and air” to his property.

The lawsuit was settled through mediation about a week later. The terms were not made public.

Real estate agent Mary Hardy told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis that the dispute isn’t why Keillor is selling the house. She said he wanted a house with an airy, first-floor studio where he can work, and to that end he’s made an offer for a nearby house with 4,000 square feet more space and a larger lot on a bluff.

Lindsay Lohan’s mother gets TV show

Yoo hoo, Lindsay: Look what mom’s up to now. Dina Lohan will star in her own reality show on E! this summer, the network has officially confirmed.

On “Living Lohan,” Dina will share the stage with daughter, Ali, 14.

This “unscripted” show begins shooting in the Lohans’ hometown of Merrick, N.Y., in about two weeks. The show will also be shot in Las Vegas, where Dina, Ali and other members of the Lohan clan (not Lindsay) will relocate to begin production on a possible album for Maloof Productions, one of the show’s backers. No specific airdate has yet been set.