Veteran actor Glenn Ford - who I have to admit I thought died several years ago - was found dead at his home yesterday afternoon. He was 90.

Ford had a long movie career, starring in everything from The Blackboard Jungle and Experiment In Terror to Superman and The Courtship of Eddie's Father, which also starred Ron Howard and was the basis for the later TV series starring Bill Bixby. Ford starred in a few TV series over the years, including Cade's County and The Family Holvak, along with the mini-series Once An Eagle and the TV movies The Gift and The Sacketts.

His final acting role was the 1991 TV movie Final Verdict, though he made a few appearances in documentaries and specials in the 90s.

Steven Spielberg is once again bringing original programming to the Sci Fi Channel. This time, it's a 12-hour miniseries called Nine Lives. The drama features nine characters who are mourning loved ones, and discover they can reunite with the dead through near-death experiences. Sounds pretty freaky, eh? Sci Fi's deal with Spielberg follows the wildly successful collaboration that spawned the series, Taken, in 2003. Les Bohem, the guy who wrote the Taken series, will also write Nine Lives.

Also picked up by SciFi:

• Who wants to be a Superhero?, a reality series that follows Stan Lee as he puts contestants through challenges to help them find their super strength;
• Medium at Large, a reality series that features psychic Char Margolis;
• The Gift, reality series that follows people in boot camp for intuitives;
• The Bridge, a comedy-drama about a group of cynical souls trapped in purgatory and the good deeds they must do to get out.