News

John Nichols, who wrote more than a dozen novels including The Milagro Beanfield War and The Sterile Cuckoo — both of which were turned into films by top directors — died Wednesday in Taos, Nm. He was 83.

Nichols, whose works often told stories of small-town New Mexico and social injustice, also co-wrote the screenplay for Milagro Beanfield War. Focused on a battle between mostly Latino farmers and local politicians and real estate developers, it became a 1988 film produced and directed by Robert Redford. The pic starring Ruben Blades, Richard Bradford and Sonia Braga won an Oscar for Dave Grusin’s jazzy score. Watch a trailer below.

Nichols’ 1965 debut novel The Sterile Cuckoo was adapted four years later into a film by Alan J. Pakula. It starred Liza Minnelli in her Oscar-nominated role as Pookie, a zany but honest woman who falls for a young man (Wendell Burton) just before he leaves for college.

Jenny is a true good samaritan! She left Hollywood and filmmaking to set her attention on a bigger cause — adoption in China. Jenny Bowen, now 66, was 50 years old when she decided to adopt a little girl in 1997. She was working as a filmmaker with her husband, Dick Bowen, but all of that changed when they found their new passion and careers — adoption in China. After winning the prestigious Purpose Prize award in 2011, it's no surprise Jenny is nominated again in 2012. It was a New York Times article that opened their eyes to the horrible conditions for young girls in China. They were being discriminated against based solely on their gender. The Bowen's decided they were going to adopt a beautiful little 2-year-old girl who was sick. After only a year with them, she was happy and restored to health. Now, Jenny is the founder of the Half the Sky foundation.