Mario Anzuoni / REUTERS file

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger may be one of the world's biggest action stars but the former governor of California says violence in films is entertainment and should not be linked to tragic events like the Connecticut school shooting in which 20 children died. 

The star of films such as "The Terminator," "Predator" and "True Lies" told a press conference before the opening of his new movie, "The Last Stand," on Jan. 18 that "one has to keep (the two) separate."

"(This is) entertainment and the other thing is a tragedy beyond belief. It's really serious and it's the real deal," Schwarzenegger, 65, told reporters.

The actor, who will star in his first leading role in the film since serving as California governor for seven years, said the tragedy in which a gunman killed 20 children and six staff at the Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, is about more than just guns.

"We have to analyze how we deal with mental illness, how we deal with gun laws, how we deal with parenting," he said.

In "The Last Stand," Schwarzenegger plays a retired Los Angeles policeman who becomes a border town sheriff who must stop a violent drug lord from crossing the border.

The film, with its violent scenes, is the type of movie that National Rifle Association chief Wayne LaPierre recently cited as a contributing factor to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

But Schwarzenegger said that gun laws and mental health guidance need reform, not Hollywood.

"How can we do better with gun laws?" asked Schwarzenegger. "If there are any loopholes, if there's a problem, let's analyze it ... Are we really dealing with the mental problems the right way as a society?"

In terms of parenting, the former politician alluded to the Connecticut killer Adam Lanza's mother, Nancy, who was also shot and killed by her own son on that tragic day.

"Does a mother need to collect guns and take her little kids shooting?" he asked.

"Everything has to be analyzed; no stone unturned," he added. "I think that's what we owe to our people."

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Andrew Burton / Reuters file

Piers Morgan.

LOS ANGELES -- More than 48,000 people have signed a petition that they posted on the White House website demanding that British CNN talk show host Piers Morgan be deported over comments he made on air about gun control.

Morgan last week lambasted pro-gun guests on his show, after the Dec. 14 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., where a gunman shot dead 26 people, including 20 children.

"We demand that Mr. Morgan be deported immediately for his effort to undermine the Bill of Rights and for exploiting his position as a national network television host to stage attacks against the rights of American citizens," the petition said.

The petition, started on Dec. 21 by a man identified as Kurt N. from Austin, Texas, accuses Morgan of subverting the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right to bear arms.

U.S. citizens can file a petition on the White House website, whitehouse.gov, if they collect at least 25,000 signatures within 30 days. The White House is then obliged to issue a response.

Morgan, 47, a former newspaper editor in London, shot back at his critics on Twitter. He repeated his past calls for the United States to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and conduct background checks on all gun purchases.

Five days after the Connecticut massacre, Morgan called a guest, Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners for America, an "idiot," "dangerous" and an "unbelievably stupid man" when Pratt argued that more guns were needed to combat crime in the United States.

"I don't care about a petition to deport me. I do care about poor NY firefighters murdered/injured with an assault weapon today. #GunControlNow," Morgan tweeted on Monday, referring to a shooting in Webster, N.Y., that killed three people, including the gunman.

Christa Robinson, a CNN spokeswoman, said the network had no immediate comment on the petition.

Publicist Howard Bragman, vice chairman of Reputation.com, said the controversy will get Morgan attention that may translate into higher ratings and wouldn't harm his reputation.

"A lot of it comes from his being British, he's seen the differences between the U.S. and UK, he's passionate and authentic in taking this issue on, and it's probably only going to help him attract more people to his show," Bragman, told Reuters.

In a powerful new video released a week after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., a host of Hollywood stars have come together to "demand a plan to end gun violence."

The black and white video runs just under a minute and a half and features stars from film and television, music and sports. They each deliver quick snippets as part of a singular message aimed at saying enough with the violence, while urging Americans to take action.

Jamie Foxx starts the video by saying "Columbine" and is followed by fellow stars who name other mass shooting sites before several say, "Newtown."

The video is sponsored by Demand a Plan, a campaign of mayors against illegal guns, which, according to its website, is urging President Obama and Congress to pass "common sense legislation."

The video's A-list talent includes Beyonce, Jon Hamm, Amy Poehler, Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Rock, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, Julianne Moore, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Garner, Conan O'Brien and many more.

"No more lists of names," they say. "It's not too soon. It's too late."

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Singer Paul Simon performed a song at the funeral for Victoria Soto, one of Newtown's heroic teachers who died while trying to protect her students from rifle fire during Friday's massacre.

NBC News.com file

Paul Simon is seen performing "Sound of Silence" during the 10th anniversary commemoration of the attacks on America at Ground Zero in New York on Sept. 11, 2011. He performed the same song at Victoria Soto's funeral.

In a statement issued by Simon's publicist, the personal connection between Simon and the Soto family was explained.

"Today, Paul Simon, at the request of their family friends, the Sotos, performed 'Sound of Silence' at the funeral for their beloved daughter Vicki Soto. The Sotos and Simons met through Vicki’s mother and Paul’s sister-in-law, both nurses."

"Sound of Silence" is the same song that Simon performed to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11.

Soto, a first grade teacher at the school is remembered for being passionate about the children she taught, and for reportedly saving some of their lives by hurrying them into a closet away from the shooter.

“She put those children first. That’s all she ever talked about,” a friend, Andrea Crowell, told The Associated Press. “She wanted to do her best for them, to teach them something new every day.”

Share your thoughts about Simon's song on Facebook.

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During a time when so many are wondering how to talk to their children about the school massacre in Newtown, Conn., some familiar voices of reassurance have surfaced online. Among them is Fred Rogers, even though the children's television icon passed away in 2003.

Jim Judkis

Fred Rogers meets children at a school in Pittsburgh in a photograph taken by Jim Judkis.

"Mister Rogers Neighborhood" went off the air in 2001, but the TV host's calm approach and knack for relating to kids is being called upon now. In a message that's gone viral on Facebook, and originated on PBS' "Helping Children Deal with Tragic Events" web page, Rogers talks about what his mother taught him when it came to scary situations.

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping," Rogers said. "To this day, especially in times of 'disaster,' I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers -- so many caring people in this world."

On the Facebook page 170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting, the words were attached to a photo showing Rogers interacting with a young child. More than 48,000 people "liked" the image and 88,000 had shared it by Monday afternoon.

On the Washington Post website, Maura Judkis wrote about the photograph, which was taken by her father Jim Judkis during a shoot for People magazine. The photographer is sure that if Rogers were alive today, he'd be doing anything he could to help the children of Newtown.

LeVar Burton, who hosted "Reading Rainbow" on PBS from 1983-2005, shared his own thoughts on the Reading Rainbow blog. "I offer prayers for the families and the community devastated by this violence against the innocent. This year has seen several tragic shootings which are terrifying for all of us. When this happens in an elementary school, a place of safety, of learning, of play, our suffering is amplified. It would be best of course if children never have to hear about events like these, however that is not the world we seem to live in!"

"Sesame Street," another childhood mainstay, is not going to air a special episode aimed at addressing the events in Connecticut, but has posted resources online to help parents talk about what their kids might be seeing or hearing.

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Justin Lane / EPA file

Morgan Freeman.

Many people -- including celebrities -- have spoken out on the horrific tragedy that struck Newtown, Conn., on Friday, when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire and killed 26 people, including 20 children, at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

However, Morgan Freeman is not one of those people. The actor has not released a comment on the incident that took place a few days ago, despite numerous stories reporting otherwise. 

The lengthy quote attributed to Freeman is indeed a hoax.

President Obama tears up when addressing Connecticut shooting

"Morgan neither made statements or posted those statements. We are trying to find out who did, but they did not originate from him," the actor's rep told E! News.

So what did the Oscar winner allegedly say?

Celebrity response to Sandy Hook shooting: gun control demands, outrage toward NRA

The remark floating around online that was said to be from Freeman stated the following: "You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here's why. It's because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single victim of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody."

"Dark Knight Rises: shooting: Aftermath of a tragedy

The falsely-attributed quote continued, "CNN's article says that if the body count 'holds up,' this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer's face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer's identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don't sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next. You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem."

-- Reporting by Marcus Mulick

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In tribute to the victims of Friday’s shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., “SNL” struck a reverential chord by opening Saturday night's show with The New York City Children’s Choir singing a moving rendition of “Silent Night.”

Friday’s tragedy was not referenced further in the broadcast, but viewers and critics alike were touched  by the opening’s poignancy.

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Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images

The U.S. premiere of Tom Cruise's new movie "Jack Reacher" was scheduled to be held at the Southside Works Cinema in Pittsburgh.

Updated at 2:14 p.m. PT: In the wake of Friday's tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn., that left 20 young children and six adults dead, Hollywood is changing its plans for several shows and a movie due to their sensitive content.

Paramount Pictures is postponing the Pittsburgh premiere of the new Tom Cruise action film, "Jack Reacher."

"Due to the terrible tragedy in Newtown, Conn., and out of honor and respect for the families of the victims whose lives were senselessly taken, we are postponing (Saturday's) Pittsburgh premiere of 'Jack Reacher,' " the studio said in a statement Friday night. "Our hearts go out to all those who lost loved ones." 

The film -- based on the novels by Lee Child -- opens with what The Hollywood Reporter's review calls a "disturbing" scene showing a sniper killing five people. Cruise plays the title character, a mysterious man who is a former U.S. Army police major. The movie is scheduled to open Dec. 21.

Movie studio 20th Century Fox is canceling the red carpet press event and after party for its Saturday screening of "Parental Guidance," starring Bette Midler, Billy Crystal and Marisa Tomei, according to Deadline.com. The film will still be screened.

The Fox network is also making changes to its popular Sunday Animation Domination block after Friday's massacre. The network confirmed to TODAY.com that original episodes of "Family Guy" and "American Dad" will not air as scheduled. The episodes -- "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" from "Family Guy" and "Minstrel Krampus" from "American Dad" -- will instead be replaced by reruns of the animated comedies.

Fox indicated the programming change was made to avoid airing what might be considered sensitive content after the Newtown shooting.

"The Cleveland Show," "The Simpsons" and "Bob's Burgers" are still scheduled to air original episodes.

On Friday night, Syfy opted not to air its latest new episode of "Haven," which featured scenes of violence in a high school. The network has not indicated when the episode will air. The season finale is scheduled for Dec. 21.

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