UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- There was a hush around a jam-packed ballroom filled with TV critics yesterday when it was announced that actor Patrick Swayze had checked himself into the hospital because of pneumonia.

The 56-year-old Swayze, who is battling pancreatic cancer, was due to appear at the Television Critics Association tour to promote his new TV show The Beast, which debuts Thursday on A&E.

"Patrick has asked that I tell you he has checked himself into the hospital this morning for observation after coming down with pneumonia," said Robert DiBitetto, the president and general manager of A&E.

"Chemotherapy can take a toll on your immune system and illnesses are an unavoidable part of it. Patrick did want me to tell you he is very sorry he is not able to attend. But he plans to get back to promoting The Beast as soon as he's back on his feet.

"Patrick also asked me to tell you he is unbelievably proud of this great show. He thanks everybody for the outpouring of support he has been receiving."

The creators of The Beast went out of their way to present Swayze's absence as, well, nothing to be alarmed about in the short term. They said they've gone through the occasional morning like yesterday while shooting The Beast, but they're taking their cues from Swayze's positive attitude.

"The sickest thing about him on set is probably his jokes," co-star Travis Fimmel said. "He walks around in his huge trailer, bigger than mine.

"Working with him has been an absolute inspiration for me. He's an amazing guy. You can't help but respect him."

All things considered, though, Swayze's absence yesterday certainly put a damper on the proceedings.

All eyes had been peeled, watching for Swayze to enter the room. How would he look? Strong? Frail? Better than expected? Worse than expected? Were we even sure what we were expecting?

Perhaps it's human nature that we become more fascinated with celebrities when they're in turmoil. Of course, turmoil can range from the ridiculous to the serious, but in the case of Swayze certainly we're talking about the latter.

Swayze, who is best known for his movie roles in Dirty Dancing and Ghost and who was named People magazine's "sexiest man alive" in 1991, was interviewed by Barbara Walters for a special that aired earlier this week.

Swayze expressed optimism about his condition while speaking to Walters, but he also said he's "going through hell" and added that he isn't going to "chase being alive."

When Walters asked Swayze about his life expectancy, he said, "Two years seems likely, if you're going to believe statistics."

In a cruel twist of timing last year, Swayze learned of his diagnosis four hours after The Beast had been picked up for a full 13-episode season. Despite Swayze's condition, A&E stuck to its commitment, in large part because Swayze was so keen on continuing.

Swayze subsequently missed only one day of work during the first season of The Beast, which was shot in Chicago and completed last November.

The Beast centres on unorthodox but effective FBI veteran Charles Barker (Swayze) who takes on a rookie partner named Ellis Dove (Fimmel). The show is rife with cop-drama cliches, actually -- friction between the partners, an internal investigation into Barker's practices, etc. -- but for the most part Swayze's performance rises above the material.

The makers of The Beast were asked -- delicately -- if the show comes to a "conclusion" at the end of the first season, or if there's an opening for subsequent seasons. And if there's an opening for subsequent seasons, could the show continue if Swayze couldn't be part of it?

Their answers: Yes, there is an opening for future seasons; at this point Swayze has given them no indication, either by his words or his actions, that he couldn't be part of more episodes; the show is not really designed to carry on without Swayze; and frankly, they don't even want to think about it.

All anyone can hope is that Patrick Swayze, the star of The Beast, finds a way to conquer the real beast.

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