The AP is reporting this morning that actor/comedian Bernie Mac has passed away in a Chicago area hospital from complications due to pneumonia. He's also suffered from an inflammatory lung disease known as sarcoidosis, though that had gone into remission back in 2005. Mac, who won a Peabody Award for his very popular sitcom The Bernie Mac Show, was also well known for his stand-up comedy -- and as part of The Original Kings of Comedy -- as well as his various big-screen appearances in films from the Ocean's series to Bad Santa to Mr. 3000 to his upcoming roles in Soul Men opposite Samuel L. Jackson, and Old Dogs opposite Robin Williams and John Travolta.

Dude was a funny, funny man. He will be missed. What's your favorite Bernie Mac performance/joke/moment? Feel free to share your thoughts on the man in the comments section below ...

If you thought leading a revolution was easy, try filming one. In The Huffington Post, Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere discusses Steven Soderbergh's two-part Che Guevara biopic, comprised of The Argentine and Guerilla. Despite earlier rumors to the contrary, it appears that both movies will definitely screen next month at the Cannes Film Festival, where Soderbergh was warmly welcomed last year for the premiere of Ocean's Thirteen. The reception of his latest project could be even more positive, but its distribution prospects are another story: As Wells explains, Soderbergh's project guarantees to offend some people for its apparent exclusion of Che's stint as the overlord at La Cabana fortress, where he ordered the execution of over 600 political prisoners. Add to that the heavy amount of Spanish dialog and the director's insistence that the two movies should be enjoyed as a four hour-plus package, and you've got enough red flags to send even the bravest U.S. distributors packing.

Wells, who read both scripts, analogizes the project to Lawrence of Arabia. "Hey, how about presenting the two films as a single, gargantuan Lawrence of Arabia-styled deal with an intermission, running between four or four and a half hours?" he suggests, perhaps somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

Jon Stewart had it right during the Oscars this year when he ironically geeked out over Lawrence of Arabia on an iPod. If most audiences can't appreciate that movie on the big screen now, why would they turn up for something like this?

If you happen to be a fan of gritty, and occasionally funny, heist movies which mostly emphasize slick production values, exotic locations and style over substance, then the Ocean's Eleven franchise is just the ticket you've been looking for. Yes, I admit to being a fan of the franchise as well and am dutifully awaiting the third, and presumably final, installment, Ocean's Thirteen -- which hits theaters on June 8th. Until its release, we've had several tidbits of news and artwork from which to draw conclusions about the film's plot, casting and overall quality.

A while back, we got a poster for the film, some pictures and a little casting news -- such as the addition of Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin to the cast and Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones not appearing in the film. Now, there are a couple more photos from the film which may allow us to speculate further as to the character of the upcoming film. Unfortunately, as is often the case in these situations, the new pictures don't really serve to reveal too much about the film but they do, however, tell us one or two things that help whet the appetite for the film's eventual release.

One is a pic of some of Ocean's "gang", including franchise regulars Don Cheadle, Scott Caan and Casey Affleck undoubtedly engaged in serious discussions regarding their next move. Of course, they look calm and cool as they go about taking care of business. The second new pic is of franchise stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt sitting and most-likely watching intently as their astronomically outrageous yet imminently successful plan unfolds. That's about all I can glean from this second pic. That and no matter what, George Clooney and Brad Pitt will always be way better looking than I am.

Steven Soderbergh is one of the busiest directors in the game. He's also one of the hardest to pin down, mixing the big-budget Hollywood films with independents better than almost anybody. This summer he'll bring us Ocean's Thirteen, which the prescence of Al Pacino has moved to my "must-see" list. ("I think we're going out strong," says Soderbergh about the end of the Oceans series. Fingers crossed!) He's also preparing to start shooting back-to-back movies about Che Guevara, with Benicio del Toro starring as the famed revolutionary. And he's talking about the second film in the controversial series he started with Bubble.

You might remember Soderbergh caused quite a stir with theater owners early last year when he unveiled his ultra low-budget Bubble as a simultaneous cinema, DVD and pay TV release. Soderbergh cites Bubble as one of his best filmmaking experiences, and he disagrees with those who consider it a commercial failure. "It's hard to judge how it went because we were never able to expand beyond the Landmark Theatre chain, which is only 50 screens," he says. "We weren't able to open as wide as we wanted because other theatre chains weren't interested in playing the film. The good news is we sold a lot of DVDs." He claims they broke even on the project. "Considering what an odd movie it is, is great. And we've got five more to go. To my mind, it's all just one giant film being made in six segments."

The next segment will also be a day-and-date release across all formats, and will be about "super high-end call girls" in New York, who make upwards of $2000 an hour. (I'm in the wrong business!) Soderbergh is using non-actors for this new project as well. As for alienating theater owners, Soderbergh says "Lord of the Rings went out day-and-date in the US all over the street. It's happening now; it's just underground." There's more with Soderbergh, including lots of interesting talk about digital projection and what it means for the future of cinema here.