■ United States
Influential psychiatrist dies
Jean Baker Miller, a psychiatrist who disputed traditional notions of social roles and developed a theory that serves as a foundation for treating women's depression and other disorders through the building of fruitful relationships, died on July 29 at her home in Brookline, Massachusetts. She was 78. The cause was respiratory failure, her family said. Miller developed her premise under what she called relational-cultural theory and explained it in an influential book, Toward a New Psychology of Women (1976). The theory holds that isolation is one of the most damaging human experiences and is best treated by reconnecting with other people.
■ United States
Comedian sues over remake
Comedian Jerry Lewis filed a US$2.3 million lawsuit against two entertainment firms, claiming he is owed money over a proposed remake of his 1961 movie The Errand Boy. The lawsuit said Lewis and JAS Productions Inc entered into an agreement with Hollywood Pictures in 1996 that gave the film company an option to remake The Errand Boy. Lewis was to act in the film and serve as a consultant and executive producer if the option was exercised, the lawsuit said. Between 1999 and 2001, Hollywood assigned its rights to Spyglass Entertainment Group, which never made the movie but prepared a screenplay and hired script writers, according to the lawsuit.
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