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Al Onorato, co-founder of the Casting Society of America and a casting director on such series as “Bewitched,” “Police Story,” “Fame” and “The Patridge Family,” has died. He was 88.

Onorato died April 21 in Los Angeles, his nephew Chris Onorato announced.

Onorato founded the Casting Society of America (then known as the American Society of Casting Directors) with Mike Fenton and Joe Reich in 1982. He and Jerold Franks — his Onorato/Franks Independent Casting partner — won the CSA’s Artios Award for best casting for a comedy film for 1989’s “Bagdad Café.” At the 34th annual Artios Awards in 2019, Onorato received a lifetime achievement award from the organization.

“Casting Society mourns the passing of Al Onorato, whose passion and dedication and love for casting was pivotal in co-founding our organization in 1982 Al helped build what CSA is today — a global organization with over 1200 members and a resource for the entertainment industry worldwide,...

As a child my only real experience of Merlin was in Disney’s The Sword and the Stone, as a teenager it was in the Merlin TV mini-series starring Sam Neill, as an adult it looks like it’ll be at my local multiplex if Working Title have their way. The studio are reported to be developing a big screen adventure for the world famous Wizard, having picked up a pitch by author-screenwriter Jay Basu which brings Merlin forward to a modern day, contemporary setting.

Originating from the 12th Century Historia Regum Britanniae which itself is based on the far older Arthurian legend, Merlin is very possibly the oldest literary Wizard known to man and a character synonymous with all things mystical and magical. Originally more prophet than wizarding guardian to King Arthur, Merlin has entered popular culture in a way that only Robin Hood can compare with.

News broke...