Okay, so he did say this while on the set of a new film, and he insists he wasn't "drunk" while talking to reporters, but living French film legend Gerard Depardieu has announced his retirement. I, for one, feel the first intimations of loss. The actor has aged, and yes, expanded around the waistline. He cannot play the smoldering lover of yore (see "Last Metro" if you haven't), but his recent comic turns in such films as "CQ," "The Closet," and "Bon Voyage" are unforgettable.

Francophiles on this side of the Atlantic can still anticipate the release of many new Depardieu films, including the dark, big-budget police thriller  "36 Quai des Orfevres" and Andre Techine's "Les Temps Qui Changent," featuring another French icon, Catherine Deneuve. Hopefully, the prolific actor will take a well deserved vacation, have a nice bottle of red--and then change his mind. [posted by Marcy]