The ol' quote goes: "Nobody puts Baby in the corner." These days, however, it might be more appropriate to say that nothing can keep Patrick Swayze down. The actor's initial cancer reports sounded so very grim, but there Swayze is, looking pretty darned healthy and kicking the big C right in the keister.

He's currently filming the A&E series The Beast in Chicago, and now insiders have told the Metro that he may go back to the role that made him uber famous. The insider said: "It's great news that Patrick is so well and there are lots of offers for him. Everyone wants him to star in a Dirty Dancing sequel. It's just a matter of him making his mind up."

We should take this with a grain of salt, but for once, I'm not totally against the news. If done right, and with a lot of the actors from the original, it could be great to watch them dance again. But then I get to thinking about WHEN it would have to take place. It's been 21 years since the original, which was set in the '60s. So that means it'd have to be a flick taking place in the '80s...

Would you want to see Johnny Castle don a Flock of Seagulls 'do and dirty dance again?

Good news, Patrick Swayze fans -- he's one step closer to kicking cancer to the curb. Variety reports that the dirty dancer's pilot show about an unorthodox FBI agent, The Beast, has been picked up by A&E and that it will still star Swayze. Everything was up in the air when it was announced that he was fighting pancreatic cancer, but now insiders have told Variety that the actor's doctors have given him the thumbs up to continue working, just a few weeks after he announced that he was responding well to treatment.

Shooting the series should keep him pretty busy, but I wonder what this means for the rumor that Swayze would return to the world of Point Break for a sequel, should his health allow it. Will we be getting more Bodhi? I wasn't too keen on the idea in May, but it would be better than some other films that could try to grab him, like, say, that wretched Donnie Darko sequel that's in the works.

It's been a few months since we heard the sad and shocking news, in March, that Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Since then, rumors have run rampant, both about his health, and about possible movie choices. Finally, we've got some legit news on the actor and his struggle with cancer.

He sent a statement over to People, which says: "Thought I'd give you guys a little update. Lisa and I have been back and forth from New Mexico enjoying the arrival of spring and new baby calves. This past weekend, we spent a fun time with friends in Reno for Lisa's birthday, where I took her jewelry shopping at Kenny G & Company and (we) were able to find her something really special and much deserved! In the meantime, I am continuing treatment at Stanford and the great news is I continue to respond well."

He's also looking pretty darned good too. The pic attached to this post is via the BBC, and shows Swayze at a basketball game last week. Best, and continued wishes to you, Mr. Dirty Dancer.

Warning: Video above contains foul language

It came as a shock in March to find out that Patrick Swayze was battling pancreatic cancer. Since then, there have been a lot of conflicting rumors and reports about his health, but now one is movie-related. Cinema Blend came across a news piece on Asian News International that Swayze would like to return to the sequel of Point Break, "if his health allows."

This comes on the heels of news that a sequel was on the way, so this could definitely be an example of wishful thinking. And hey, rumors that suggest the possibility of health, rather than death, are okay in my book. That being said, I don't think Point Break 2 is the next film I'd like to see Swayze in. If he's able to beat the cancer and get back to work, I'd love to see him cast in something that brings back the glory days of Swayze. We don't need questionable sequels; we need full-on and awesome Swayze.

Any ideas? What could bring Swayze back to form? Or, is a sequel of the gem above what the moviegoing world needs?

As Kim let us know last night, Patrick Swayze has pancreatic cancer. It's not a particularly easy sort of C to get over, but reports are saying that he's responding well to treatment. I hope so, as the world needs the Swayze. There have been some stinkers in his career, but there are also great gems. Like, oh, Dirty Dancing.

This is, in no way, a memorial, but rather appreciation of what makes Swayze so cool, and one of the reasons why I hope he's around for a long, long time to come. So, let's jump back in time to his special finale dance with Jennifer Grey. I'm usually not one for grandiose displays of affection, but this one I dig. It's one of the few "awh" romantic moments on screen that I think is natural -- both for the character and the situation. It's not breaking out into song randomly, but with a specific, thematic purpose. And really, it's nice to see an on-screen group dance where they all do their own thing, instead of magically falling into the same ultra-tricky dance moves.

Patrick Swayze, you rock.

Update: Swayze's reps hadn't commented more to Reuters at the time Moviefone ran their piece, but a reader kindly pointed us to this story on People that indicates a more optimistic outlook for Swayze. -- ed.

Well, this news is depressing as hell. Patrick Swayze, 55, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer., and has only a short time to live. According to a piece over on Moviefone, a rep for Swayze told the New York Post that the actor was diagnosed over a month ago. Swayze is perhaps best known for his leading role in Dirty Dancing, when his character, Johnny Castle, an older dance instructor, swept young and perky Jennifer Grey off her feet. My own favorite Swayze movies, though, are Red Dawn ("Wolverines!") and Ghost. The latter never fails to reduce me to a blubbering heap of tears, no matter how sternly I tell myself I won't cry this time.

I have no idea if Swayze reads Cinematical, but we would like to extend our condolences and sadness at this news, and wish him and his family well. I know we have lots of Swayze fans out there, so feel free to use this space to extend your own thoughts and well-wishes to Swayze. What's your favorite Swayze movie moment?

For a sizable amount of the male population, this is probably the best news they will hear all day. Us Weekly reports that Jessica Biel has agreed to appear nude in the upcoming drama, Powder Blue. Biel will star as a single mother stripping to raise money to save her terminally ill son. Joining Biel are; Forest Whitaker, Ray Liotta (as Biel's father), and Patrick Swayze as the owner of the club where Biel works. Directed by Timothy Linh Bui, the story centers on four strangers whose lives intersect in strange ways on Christmas Eve. According to sources for Us Weekly, Biel will retain final say over what makes it into the movie, but, she has reportedly "signed a contract that explicitly details the bare minimum fans will see - including shots of her breasts and butt."

In the past, Biel had been unwilling to bare it all on screen -- much to the disappointment of many I'm sure. The actress had even commented that she had felt she had been overlooked for roles because of it. To be honest, I don't see what all the fuss is about; especially if you remember Biel's controversial Gear magazine shoot back in 2000 -- it's not like the actress has shied away from showing a little skin. Although, Biel was quoted in that same Us Weekly piece as saying that her time as a Gear cover girl left her feeling "humiliated." Biel even recently told Australia's Sunday Herald, "I wouldn't feel comfortable with the extent of the nudity in Monster's Ball, I would be terrified of a role like that right now." So there really must have been something special about Bui's film to change her mind. Blue is currently shooting in Los Angeles and set for release in 2008.

Our EIC, Erik Davis, came up with "The Swayze," and I have to say -- I like it! "The Swayze" just sounds so much better, and so much more epic than just Patrick Swayze. It sounds infamous, and even a little dance-like, which is entirely apt since the guy is a great dancer. Granted, it can also take on the tone of a cheesy number, like "Do the Bartman," but I am trying not to think of it that way. Anyway, The Swayze has just signed on to that flick called Powder Blue, which we have previously posted about here and here.

As you may remember, Blue is about four diverse characters who come together one Christmas Eve, and they are -- a mortician, an ex-con, a suicidal ex-priest and a stripper. While I'm really wishing the female role could be anything but a stripper, because that's so cliche, the lineup is: Forest Whitaker as the ex-priest, Ray Liotta as the ex-con and Jessica Biel as the stripper (and Liotta's daughter).

Now we've got Swayze as the strip club owner, Eddie Redmayne (Babington in the upcoming The Golden Age) as the mortician and newcomer Alejandro Romero as a transsexual prostitute who is close to Whitaker's character. Topping off the powerful male punch, Kris Kristofferson has also signed on as "the head of a corporate crime organization who tries to convince his former employee (Liotta) not to seek vengeance on his former co-workers." The Hollywood Reporter says that the four people meet "through chance, tragedy and divine intervention," so maybe we'll get a little godly action in there as well. Either way, we're sure to get lots and lots of on-screen dysfunctional testosterone.

I've never been able to completely wrap my head around how I feel about Patrick Swayze. While I've enjoyed some of his movies, he hasn't garnered extra attention from me. Sure, I used to watch Dirty Dan cing just for the side-shot of his posterior, and oooh over Orry Main, but when the film stopped rolling, I wouldn't wax philosophic about him or his acting. Perhaps this is because he seems to merge a little romantic swooning with well-moving hips and a little too much Disney cheer. Not even time in the Roadhouse or as a motivational pedophile could roughen his presence; it takes more than beard growth to be bad.

Now he's performing in Guys and Dolls, and is all sorts of smitten with London . When an actor starts planning to relocate to the UK, what's more logical than getting grand, 007 daydreams? According to Starpulse, Swayze wants a role in the next James Bond movie. Watch out, Dan iel Craig, Swayze's out to get ya!

While he seems to realize that he wouldn't work as Bond, Swayze wants to put his "terribly good English accent" to villainous use. While I'm sure he could hold his own with a tacky re-make, being a gritty villain seems a bit off-base. Craig has an action background and was still met with apprehension and criticism. Could Swayze be a devious bad guy? As Craig seems to slowly be warming the hearts of Bond naysayers, the door is open for further Bond casting surprises. What casting choice would you make that would seem all wrong, but be so very right?

Director (and former Mrs. Jim Cameron) Kathryn Bigelow has had a rather uneven career in her twenty-odd years in Hollywood, but always managed to keep working and bring some pretty interesting projects to the screen. Now, according to Production Weekly, she is setting her sites on the Iraq war with her newly announced film, The Hurt Locker.

The film, which Bigelow co-wrote with war reporter-turned-screenwriter Mark Boal, tells the story of an elite bomb disposal unit and its exploits during the gulf war. This is not completely new territory for Bigelow, having directed other testosterone-heavy projects like Point Break, with Patrick Swayze and a pre-Neo Keanu Reeves, K-19: The Widowmaker, with Harrison Ford and Peter Sarsgaard and the near-perfect Near Dark with Bill Paxton and Lance Henricksen. These past films should give her a pretty good handle on what it takes to tackle this latest story.

The Hurt Locker has already begun pre-production with shooting scheduled to start in March. No word yet on a release date or cast but, as always, I'm going to make some suggestions: Let's get Bigelow vets Patrick Swayze, Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton together to fill key roles in this project. I think they would make part of a pretty kick-ass bomb disposal team.

Think about it: Henriksen as the grizzled veteran who's seen it all, Swayze as the guy on the edge with only a few days left before he can go home to his family and Paxton as the guy who's wound just a little-too-tight for bomb disposal. Throw in a few young up-and-comers like Emile Hirsch and/or Chad Michael Murry and you might have something there. Sadly, from the description of the movie, it doesn't sound like there's a role for Jenette Goldstein in there anywhere, but I can hope. What do you think of my casting ideas?

(Welcome to a new weekly feature at Cinematical, Guilty Pleasures, where our staff of writers will offer short pieces on the movies that they feel just that little bit ashamed about loving.)

I once, at a panel, heard San Francisco Chronicle writer Neva Chonin say one of the smartest things I've ever heard about pop culture: She was talking about music, and how the most amazing thing about it was that it could give you a different perception of time -- that when you heard a song you loved, it took you back to all the times you'd experienced it, and gave you a chance to experience time in a non-linear fashion. So it is with movies, and for me, Red Dawn. Red Dawn came out in 1984. I was 15; Reagan-era Cold War anxieties had me twitchy (or, rather, twitchier), and my membership in The Royal Canadian Air Cadets -- teen-age Boy Scouts with planes and the occasional trip to the rifle range -- gave me a social context of like-minded youth. There was a Cold War, but what if it went hot? What would that be like?

And then Red Dawn came out. Forget that to anyone with a shred of logic in their capacities, the film was laughable -- The Soviets would send crack paratroopers to capture the heartland? What resource were they hoping to seize, flatness? -- when you're 15, your critical faculties are, at best, minimally developed. Red Dawn had a bunch of every-kids -- Charlie Sheen, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell and more -- dealing with the arrival of the Red Menace. The film had action; it had suspense; it had gritty (or, at least, gritty by the standards of a 15-year-old) questions of wartime justice and tactics. It had hissable villains, too -- swarthy, stoic Cubans (led by Ron 'Superfly' O'Neal, which I wouldn't fully appreciate for years) and pallid, vampire-like Russkie bastards. It was, in short, perfect.

Times have changed; politics have changed; most cruelly of all, Charlie Sheen has changed. And yet, when I stumble across Red Dawn on cable -- where it will live forever -- I'm drawn in magnetically, fighting and struggling alongside the Wolverines and Powers Boothe, hooked by a premise so iron-strong and idiotic that it shoves me over every plot hole, every logic fault and every snag in John Milus' dialogue. Watching Red Dawn in the here-and-now, my 'adult' mind may recoil, but my heart -- and that skinny, dorky 15-year old, terrified of Nuclear War -- is enraptured by the power of cheap drama and cheap heroics that, God help me, still work on some level. 

You can add the 1987 film Dirty Dancing to the ever-increasing list of movies that have become lavish stage productions. (For me, nothing beats Reanimator: The Play. It wasn't lavish but it sure was gory.) The stage musical story about Baby and Johnny and their magical dances of looove played to record crowds in Australia last year and now is being staged for London's West End. The production includes special effects to re-create the memorable scene on the lake, among others. (I don't remember the memorable scene on the lake, but I saw the movie once on cable in a hotel room and wasn't impressed.)

Dates haven't been announced and the show seems not have have been cast yet ...but tickets go on sale next week. The stage musical was written by Eleanor Bergstein, who also wrote the screenplay for the Eighties movie. She says "The play has everything from the film, and more." True, but there's no Patrick Swayze, and will young women swoon over the stage-musical Johnny quite as passionately? And do you think anyone will transform Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights into a musical?

Patrick Swayze is going around telling hip hop magazines that he wants to be a rapper.

(Should I just let that one sink in?)

Yup, it's true. Swayze, you'll remember, was the biggest star in the world in 1987, when the surprise smash success of Dirty Dancing turned She's Like the Wind, a little slice of Swayze from the film's soundtrack, into a huge hit. 19 years later, he's apparently trying to relive that glory by recording a rap single. He told allhiphop.com [via Page Six, who are leading this morning with the headline, "Is Patrick Swayze Crazy?") that he's got a song in the theoretical works that will prove "rap rhythms [are] an emotional undercurrent for ballads."  But don't hold your breath, Swayze fanatics – the sometime star says he doesn't yet have a "timeline" for the no-doubt revolutionary single's release.