`Catwoman` Halle draws no purrs from Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow has not very flattering things to say about Halle Berry's performance in Catwoman, hinting that she could have played the role of the feline superwoman in a better and more convincing way.
Paltrow revealed that she was very keen to play Patience Phillips, but is now relieved that she agreed to star in upcoming action movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow instead.

The Shakespeare in Love star went on to say that she reached this conclusion after watching Halle's 'uninspiring performance' in Catwoman.

"I did this film because it was something completely different. Although, there is something incredibly appealing about Catwoman, being that woman and playing that part," Ananova quoted Paltrow as saying.

"At the time I really wanted the role. But if I was going to take something on, I wanted it to be something that nobody had ever seen or done. And if it was going to fail, it was going to fail, but I wanted to take that risk and not be in a standard Hollywood adventure. After seeing Catwoman, I thought the character and movie were unoriginal," added the blonde beauty.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law attended the UK premiere of their new film, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, on Monday night.

The red-carpet event in Leicester Square was Paltrow's first London premiere since the birth of her baby daughter, Apple, in May this year.

In the film she plays a reporter who joins forces with a heroic pilot, played by Law, to save the world.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow has already topped the US box office.


I wanted Jude in the film and he has a great chemistry with Gwyneth

Sadie Frost, co-producer

The £38m film also stars Angelina Jolie - who was not at the premiere - as feisty eye-patch wearing fighter pilot Franky Cook, and Irish actor Sir Michael Gambon.

Set in 1930s New York, the sci-fi thriller was made without sets or location and filmed entirely against a blue screen.

Computer graphics were used in post-production to add the background and other images.

Paltrow, who celebrates her 32nd birthday on Tuesday, said: "It's a difficult technique but it was actually fun. You've just got to use your imagination."

Evil villain

Law added: "At first it was tricky and it was difficult to keep a straight face then we got used to it."

Film legend Laurence Olivier also appears in the film - 15 years after his death.

He is resurrected as villain Dr Totenkopf through the use of old film footage and computer wizardry.

Law's ex-wife Sadie Frost - who was also at the Leicester Square premiere - co-produced the film.

Film adventure

Frost said: "I haven't seen Gwyneth since she had her baby so it will be great to catch up.

"I wanted Jude in the film and he has a great chemistry with Gwyneth. I'm glad that we got him."

Paltrow plays an intrepid reporter who joins forces with her ex-boyfriend (Law) to save the world from a mad scientist.

As reporter Polly Perkins and pilot Joe "Sky Captain" Sullivan, the pair fight giant robots in the fantasy adventure.

'T4' Producers Hope Schwarzenegger 'Will Be Back'

He has his hands full as governor of Kah-lee-forn-ee-ah, but producers of the next "Terminator" movie are talking to Arnold Schwarzenegger in hopes that he'll be back for at least a small role, a spokesman for backers of the film said on Friday.

Fourteen months after "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" had its premiere, development of "T4" is in full swing with the same producers aiming to start shooting next year, said Dennis Higgins, a spokesman for financing partner Intermedia.

Talks also are under way with "Terminator 3" director Jonathan Mostow to return for the next sequel, and he is overseeing the draft of a script by writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris, who shared screenplay credits on the last film, Higgins said.

The "Terminator" series ranks as one of the most successful film franchises ever. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," grossed more than $500 million worldwide after its 1991 release, while "T3" generated $430 million at the global box office.

One question producers have is whether Schwarzenegger can tear himself away from the demands of state government long enough to return as the virtually indestructible, lead-slinging cyborg from the future.

The Austrian-born actor-turned-politician clinched a record $30 million salary to reprise his signature film role in "T3."

"We're certainly talking to Arnold and his people," Higgins said. "He obviously has a day job that he has to take into consideration. But we're talking to him."

A source close to the production acknowledged that it was unlikely that Schwarzenegger would be available to star, but said producers hoped that he could play a "minor role."

Schwarzenegger's personal financial advisor Paul Wachter said, "It is not even on our radar screen ... Arnold is signing bills." He did not rule a possible cameo appearance but added, "Is it is realistic that while he is in office, he takes a starring role? Hardly."

Schwarzenegger, who assumed office as governor in November, has said he would put his Hollywood career on hold while in office and focus on the business of the state.

Britney's dad got a shock on her wedding day!

Pop diva Britney Spears' father Jamie got the biggest shock of his life on September 18 when his daughter turned an engagement party into a surprise wedding ceremony.

Jamie had turned up at the private home in Studio City, Los Angeles, for Britney's engagement party, but didn't read the surprise invitation that he received upon his arrival properly, and was thoroughly confused when people started congratulating Kevin Federline.

"My dad said, 'Why is everyone congratulating Kevin?' I said, 'Daddy, did you read the invitation?' He said yup. I said, 'You might want to read it again," rate the music quoted Britney's brother Bryan, as saying.

Britney Spears Is Not A Girl, Not Yet A Married Woman

Did she or didn't she? In a war of celebrity gossip mags of a magnitude that hasn't been seen for some time, Us Weekly and People magazine are running conflicting stories speculating on the validity of Britney Spears' weekend wedding.

According to Us, the seemingly spur-of-the-moment wedding was a hoax, designed to throw celebrity photographers off the trail of the real wedding so that Spears and her man, Kevin Federline, could successfully sell exclusive wedding photos to People. People, on the other hand, are saying that the small weekend ceremony was the real deal.

Either way, it does appear that Spears and Federline are not yet legally married. Spears admitted to People that the couple has not yet filed their marriage license, but that they plan to next week. She told the magazine that while she may not yet be able to change her driver's license to Britney Federline, "in a spiritual sense, we're married… I believe you also marry in your heart and that means much more than a piece of paper." Federline also spoke to People, mimicking his "wife" perfectly: "This was such a spiritual connection for us… No piece of paper can capture what I feel."

Hmm, sounds suspiciously like Brandy's fake marriage to producer Robert Smith, which she called "a spiritual union and a true commitment to each other" despite the fact that the two were also not legally hitched.

While no one knows for sure if the Spears-Federlines are just too lazy to file their paperwork or if they're still planning a huge fairytale ceremony, the most important factor has been taken care of. Both People and Us Weekly confirm that the prenuptial agreement has indeed been signed.

Drugs charges follow Macaulay Culkin arrest

Actor Macaulay Culkin has been charged with illegal possession of marijuana and a controlled substance after his arrest last week.

Culkin was charged on Monday in Oklahoma with one misdemeanour count of possession of marijuana and one misdemeanour count of possession of the anti-anxiety drug Xanax without a prescription.

A trial date has yet to be set but Oklahoma law enforcement officials said it was unlikely the 24-year-old would face prison if convicted.

Culkin was arrested on Friday after police stopped a speeding car in which he was a passenger.

Officers said they found him in possession of 17.3 grams of marijuana and prescription drugs he apparently obtained without a prescription.

Britney Not Legally Married Yet?

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline are still not legally married despite a weekend ceremony that was such a surprise not even the parents and bridesmaids knew they were going to a wedding.

Jess Cagle, People magazine senior editor and contributor to The Early Show,
"A lot was complicated because they moved up the date and next week, they’re going to file all of the paper work," he said.

So they’re not legally married now? "Not yet, although they have sort of followed everything by the book and that is the next bump in the story that you’re going to see: The wedding was a fake. It’s really not."

Spears was able to keep the wedding a surprise, Cagle said, because "she kept her mouth shut." In fact, it was such a surprise that Federline’s children, including his daughter who was supposed to be a flower girl, were at Disneyland and couldn’t be there for the wedding.

"The mother, the sister, the father. They showed up at the house. It was not an engagement party that they had been invited to, but a wedding," Cagle said. People magazine will have exclusive photos of the wedding in its Friday issue.

Cagle described it as a classic affair with the bride wearing a tasteful, white $26,000 designer gown.

"All of the groomsmen and the bridesmaids had had their clothes fitted the week before so those clothes were secretly brought to the house," Cagle said. "They said, 'Surprise, we’re getting married, here are your clothes. Get in them.'"

The sweatsuits that had been described and pictured in the media were worn at the party that followed the wedding, Cagle said. “Everyone had beautiful clothes during the ceremony. After the ceremony, Britney had put on something else and then before they all went out partying later after the reception, they all put on juicy sweats."

Also untrue are reports of a cash bar at the reception. "I think after they all went out to a club, maybe some people paid for their drinks,"
Cagle said. "However, they did get a drink free at the house after the reception."

Spears reportedly was reluctant to require Federline to sign a prenuptial agreement as her advisers had recommended. "She has agreed on a pre-nup with Kevin and they have signed their marriage license," Cagle said.

Spears, who has spent some time with Federline’s two children, already has said she wants to to become a mother fairly soon. Cagle says she also is considering changing her name to Britney Federline.

A host on children's show Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow has been criticised for wearing a T-shirt bearing a sexual innuendo.

Dominic Wood wore a top bearing the phrase "Morning Wood" while presenting the BBC One morning show in March.

The presenter said he wore the shirt because his name was Wood and the show was broadcast in the morning.

But media regulator Ofcom said it was clear the phrase had a sexual meaning that breached programme regulations.

The matter was resolved after the BBC agreed to vet the presenters' clothing before each show, which is aimed at eight to 12-year-olds.

"Producers always do take care but on this one occasion, it slipped through the net," a BBC spokesman said.

Britney Spears ties the knot in secret ceremony

In her second surprise wedding this year, Britney Spears, 22, married Kevin Federline, 26, Saturday evening, a spokeswoman for the singer's record label confirmed Sunday.

This time, the pop princess donned a tiara instead of a trucker hat for a small, secret ceremony in a private home in Studio City, Calif.

On Jan. 3, Spears got hitched to childhood chum Jason Alexander at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. That marriage, characterized by Spears' camp as "a joke (taken) too far," was annulled 55 hours later.

Among about 20 stunned family members at Saturday's nuptials: Spears' own mother, Lynne. According to Access Hollywood, which spent Saturday afternoon with Spears' mother and little sis Jamie Lynn, the family was preparing for an engagement party. Jamie Lynn died her hair back to her natural brown hue and neither were expecting the bride- and groom-to-be to exchange vows.

The five-minute wedding was held at 7:30 p.m. at the home of the tailor that created the bridal party's tuxedos, according to Star magazine's Web site. Star reports Spears wore a strapless white dress by designer Monique L'Huillier, with long veil and tiara, and she carried a bouquet of pink and white roses. Five bridesmaids and the maid of honor wore burgundy dresses and carried red roses. The groom and his groomsmen wore black tuxes. Entertainment Tonight reports they were on hand outside the home when the party broke up in the wee morning hours.

Invitations for an Oct. 16 wedding near Santa Barbara had already been mailed, according to Star, but that event is now being billed as a post-wedding party for the newlyweds' friends and family.

Spears gave no hints of wedding jitters in the days before Saturday's ceremony. She was in New York most of the week to launch her perfume, Curious, and catch a performance of the Broadway show, Wicked! The bride-to-be flew to Boston Friday to check out the Onyx Hotel, according to a Friday post on britneyspears.com by the singer's mother.

The only family event Lynne was anticipating in her Friday posting was a wrap party for Jamie Lynn's Nickelodeon show, Zoey 101.

No word on whether the couple are heading on a surprise honeymoon, too. Spears and Federline, a backup dancer on one of her earlier concert tours, met at a Hollywood club in April and fell fast for each other. In June, they announced their engagement with intentions of marrying this fall. Most reports pointed to a November wedding.

Madonna's Pilgrimage Plea for World Peace

Pop diva Madonna today called for world peace at a conference on Jewish mysticism – a highlight of her five-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Israel hopes the star – the biggest pop celebrity to visit in years – will revive tourism battered by four years of Mideast violence, and government officials were on hand at a Tel Aviv hotel to share the spotlight, the glory and the photographs.

Madonna, wearing a low-cut dress with a black and white leopard pattern, said she was hesitant to come to Israel ”after seeing so many news reports about terror attacks” and reading State Department travel warnings.

“I realise now that it is no more dangerous to be here than it is to be in New York,” she told the gathering.

At the gala event, an Israeli children’s choir and a Palestinian sang to the gathering of more than 1,000 people. Israeli Tourism Minister Gideon Ezra presented Madonna with a small gift and praised her for coming to Israel.

Ezra told Israel TV that he looked forward to sitting next to her at dinner and hoped “she will say nice things about us”.

Tourism officials hope the singer’s well-publicised visit to Israel will calm fears that have kept many potential tourists away from the Holy Land, despite its religious and other attractions.

Speaking without notes, Madonna said the people she met during her five-day Holy Land trip “have one thing in common – we want to create peace in the world.

“We want to put an end to chaos and suffering,” she said, “but most of all we want to put an end to hatred with no reason.”

The singer said she was not representing a religion. Rather, she said: “I’m here as a student of Kabbalah. A Kabbalist sees the world as a unified whole. A Kabbalist asks why.”

While many Israelis welcomed the singer and her entourage, others were uncomfortable with the mission.

Over the years, observant Jews have considered Kabbalah a powerful, even potentially dangerous undertaking to be tackled only by the most qualified and learned men. Now, many Orthodox Jews reject the adoption of Kabbalah by non-Jewish pop figures as a desecration of the holy.

Earlier today, Madonna went to the Kiryat Shaul cemetery outside Tel Aviv to visit the grave of a famous Jewish mysticist.

Guarded by police, Madonna and husband, Guy Ritchie, walked past rows of tombstones to the grave of the Kabbalist sage Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag.

Polish born Ashlag is the renowned author of the Sulam, the ladder, a commentary on the core Kabbalistic text, the Zohar. He died in 1954.

Madonna, wearing jeans, a black and grey checked sweater with a matching cap and a large diamond encrusted letter E on a chain to symbolise her adopted name Esther, spent more than an hour inside the stone mausoleum, placing candles on the tomb, praying and chanting.

Led by a rabbi, Madonna and her small entourage recited blessings over food and wine, drank from small plastic cups and circled the raised stone grave. Toward the end of the ceremony, Madonna wiped tears from her eyes.

Adherents of Jewish mysticism believe that praying at the graves of sages can help achieve one’s wishes. Millions make pilgrimages every year to the more than 100 of these burial sites across the Holy Land, praying for health, children or to find a mate.

Pop star Madonna has visited Judaism's sacred Western Wall in the dead of night, to avoid being mobbed by waiting photographers.

But the singer, who is on a spiritual quest to the Holy Land, only glimpsed the wall from her car and did not go down to the site during Sunday's visit.

Earlier, she made a midnight pilgrimage to a Jerusalem cemetery and held a ceremony at the grave of a Jewish sage.

The Kabbalah devotee began her five-day visit to Israel on Wednesday.


Celebrity following

The singer and her family have joined 2,000 fellow Kabbalists from the Los Angeles-based Kabbalah Centre to celebrate the start of the Jewish New Year.

Kabbalah is a type of Jewish mysticism that has a growing celebrity following.

But Madonna, who recently adopted the Hebrew name Esther and wears a trademark Kabbalah red string on her wrist, has insisted she is serious about her belief in the Jewish mysticism.

She visited the grave of the Kabbalist sage Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag with her husband, film-maker Guy Ritchie, at the Kiryat Shaul cemetery, just after midnight on Sunday.

Polish-born Ashlag, who died in 1954, is the renowned author of the Sulam - the ladder - a commentary on the core Kabbalistic text, the Zohar.

Madonna spent more than an hour inside the stone mausoleum, placing candles on the tomb, praying and chanting.

The entourage, led by a rabbi, recited blessings over food and wine and drank from small plastic cups

After the visit, they moved on to the Western Wall - a part of Judaism's holiest site where the biblical temples once stood - but Madonna stayed in the car.

Religious values

At the site she received a mixed welcome from young worshippers, with some chanting: "She has no right to be here."

Some have opposed Madonna's visit and involvement in Kabbalah, charging that the raunchy, materialistic values the singer has promoted in the past are contrary to religious values.

But others welcomed her visit and said she had deprived herself of a spiritual experience by remaining in her vehicle.

Hadass Chen, who came to see the singer, said: "Why did she not come out of the car, we were waiting for her.

"You don't feel the vibe if you don't touch the wall."

The world's largest collection of Jimi Hendrix rock memorabilia, believed to be worth more than £8m, goes on display in London on Friday.

Hundreds of unseen pictures, film footage and original recordings will be exhibited at the revived Marquee Club in central London over the weekend.

The venue is one of the first places Hendrix played in the UK.

The items are part of a collection amassed by fan Bob Terry, which is due to be sold off in 2005.

Mr Terry collected memorabilia for almost 40 years after seeing Hendrix play live in 1967.

The exhibition at the Marquee Club is just one-fifth of the £15m collection, which Mr Terry sold for personal reasons in 2003 to an anonymous American buyer.

The exhibition has footage of the star playing at Woodstock, the Isle of Wight and Monterey, where Hendrix memorably held up a burning guitar sealing his reputation as a rock 'n' roll legend.

HENDRIX ON SHOW
2-300 hours of footage
More than 1,000 photos
1,200 slides
3 guitars
47 reels of personal tapes

Following his Monterey performance, Hendrix fame grew selling millions of albums in the US where he played to packed venues.

Hendrix died in London in 1970, just four years after he arrived in the city and set the music world alight with his revolutionary style of guitar playing.

"The collection covers every aspect of Jimi's life," Ted Owen, co-founder of auction house Cooper Owen told BBC News Online last month.

"He was like a hurricane when he hit London - and influenced the likes of Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, John Mayall and Steve Winwood."

"The exhibition will show how Hendrix came to dominate the scene."

Nicole Kidman is Australia's richest young woman.

Nicole Kidman is Australia's richest young woman, BRW magazine says in its list of the country's top earners under age 40. The actress, 37, has an estimated worth of $108 million, the magazine said. She came in fourth over all but was the highest-ranked woman on the list. No. 1 was the mobile phone magnate John Ilhan, 39, with $210 million.

Jerusalem - Two bodyguards protecting Madonna on a spiritual retreat in Israel have been arrested after putting two photographers in hospital.

The bodyguards hit the photographers as they tried to snap the 45-year-old American superstar at her Mediterranean seafront hotel in Tel Aviv, the radio said.

The self-proclaimed Material Girl, a keen aficionado of the ancient Jewish mystical tradition known as Kabbalah, arrived in Israel on Wednesday for a three-day retreat, which began with a traditional blessing ceremony to welcome in the Jewish New Year.

Madonna turned to Kabbalah in 1997 after coming into contact with the Los Angeles-based Kabbalah Centre which, according to its website, offers a path to spiritual enlightenment through an eclectic mix of Orthodox Jewish tradition, visualisation and positive thinking.

Two months ago, she took the Hebrew name Esther and is now reportedly observing the Jewish sabbath, although she has not converted to Judaism.

Two men have been arrested in connection with the alleged theft of sensitive information relating to the Beckhams' security arrangements.

The details were stored on a computer, which was allegedly stolen from a company which used to protect the England footballer's family.

The computer files are said to contain details of David and Victoria Beckham's DNA and fingerprints.

Maps and photographs of their home in Hertfordshire may also be in them.

Personal mobile numbers for the celebrity couple and immediate family are also listed, according to an article in Saturday's Sun newspaper.

It claims the computer was taken from a Leeds-based firm, which used to provide security for the couple and their two young sons.

The computer was recovered and handed over to South Yorkshire Police.

A force spokesman has confirmed that two men have been arrested in connection with allegations of theft and blackmail.

They have been released on bail, pending further inquiries.

The Beckhams recently announced they are expecting their third baby in March.

David Beckham has faced criticism over his form in recent months, with a disappointing Euro 2004 and some questionable performances for England.

He was on the losing side as Real Madrid were trounced 3-0 by Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday.

But he did score one of his trademark free kicks to secure a 1-0 win over Numancia last weekend.

Actor Will Smith met Nelson Mandela on Thursday after agreeing to become an ambassador for his Aids campaign.

The star met Mr Mandela in South Africa after the country's 86-year-old former president offered him the role to help educate young people around the world.

Smith said he would "humbly, gratefully and aggressively" answer the call.

Beyonce Knowles and Missy Elliot have also donated proceeds from their concerts to the campaign, named 46664 after Mr Mandela's old prison number.

Smith, who is promoting his latest film I, Robot in South Africa, said he first talked about the issue with Mr Mandela during a previous visit to the country four years ago.


Mr Will Smith, you have demonstrated here that you are a leader

Nelson Mandela
"I was saying to Mr Mandela 'I am an actor, I make rap music that's what I do, what can I do?'

"He said 'you have to understand the power that you have and the hope that is created by what you do.'"

Smith said the last time he met Mr Mandela, he became "so fired up" he was ready to quit his job.

Mr Mandela said in a statement he was convinced the Men in Black star would help spread awareness of HIV/Aids to those most at risk.

"His ability to inspire us will encourage the world's young people to stay HIV negative in order to achieve more," he said.

'Concrete actions'

But Mr Mandela also urged world leaders to make "personal commitments and concrete actions" in the fight against HIV/Aids.

He said: "They will be faced with tough decisions and they must come up with bold and innovative responses.

"This is what leaders are for and the Aids epidemic will test their leadership skills to the limits.

"Mr Will Smith, you have demonstrated here that you are a leader, and we are honoured to have you associated with 46664."

Other celebrity supporters of the 46664 campaign include Bono, Peter Gabriel and Sir Bob Geldof.

Former child star Macaulay Culkin has been arrested in the US on drug possession charges.

The 24-year-old actor was jailed on charges of possessing marijuana and a dangerous controlled substance without a prescription, police said.

He and another man were arrested after the car they were travelling in was pulled over in Oklahoma City on Friday.

Culkin, best known for his role in the film Home Alone, was later released after paying a $4,000 (£2,230) bond.


Speeding

A report from Oklahoma County Sheriff's office said authorities confiscated about 17 grams of marijuana from a vehicle in which Culkin was a passenger.

Officers also found 16 milligrams of prescription medications used to control anxiety and seizures, it said.

Their vehicle had been stopped by officers for driving at 70 mph in a 60 mph speed zone and for making an improper lane change.

Captain Jeffrey Becker of the Oklahoma City Police Department said in a statement that police officers, who were given permission to search the car, found marijuana and $3,000 (£1,675) cash in a bag that Culkin said belonged to him.

State charges

Culkin was also allegedly carrying pills, later identified as Xanex and Clonzebam, in his pocket, and admitted that he did not have a prescription for them, the statement added.

"Culkin was transported to the Oklahoma County Jail and booked on the state charges of possession of a controlled dangerous substance without a prescription, possession of marijuana, and a municipal charge of possession of marijuana," it said.

Both men were later released. Culkin's publicist, Michelle Bega, declined to comment.

Culkin was one of the highest paid child actors of all time when he starred in two Home Alone films in 1990 and 1992.

The alleged stalker of actress Catherine Zeta Jones stunned a courtroom yesterday by hinting that she had an affair with Michael Douglas.

Student Dawnette Knight told a judge that the Welsh film star's husband also gave her money.

The 32-year-old, who was recently deemed fit to stand trial despite taking a drug overdose in custody, has previously admitted being infatuated with Douglas.

But yesterday she told a pre-trial hearing in Los Angeles that he gave her £1,400, which police found in her purse, and suggested a romance between her and the Fatal Attraction star.

Zeta Jones's lawyer, Jay Lavely, dismissed the claim, saying: 'It doesn't deserve comment.'

During the raid last year, Knight told detectives she had so much cash on her 'because I was going to pay my bills'.

When Debra Archuleta, prosecuting, asked her where she got the money from, she replied 'Michael Douglas' - and began laughing out loud to herself in court.

Knight claimed police asked about her alleged affair with the 59-year-old actor.

'I said I'm not here to ruin anybody's marriage and he's married,' she added.

Zeta Jones, 34, says she received a string of death threats over 18 months.

Knight faces 25 counts of stalking her and making threats against her family. She denies the claims. If convicted she could be jailed for up to 19 years.

Jessica Simpson As Daisy Duke A Match Made In Heaven

The hottest news for adolescent male teens and middle-aged men is that Jessica Simpson, singer and ditzy reality star, will make her acting debut as Daisy Duke in the feature film adaptation of 'The Dukes of Hazzard' alongside Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville.

Now I will admit that I watched the television series, as much to watch Catherine Bach in her Daisy Duke shorts as to see the General Lee jump over creeks and hit the dirt ramps. The show, detailing the exploits of Bo and Luke Duke against the evil Boss Hogg, was one of those mind-numbing necessities of growing up in the early eighties - a chance at escapism involving hot cars and hot, wholesome women.

So what better person to take over the role than the reigning queen of hotness and wholesomeness - Jessica Simpson. With her singing career taking off with her marriage to Nick Lachey and their suprise reality hit Newlyweds, Simpson has become the epitome of ditzy blonde and sensuous celebrity.

Now she must show us that she can act. Or does she?

Sir Paul McCartney has sacked his publicist of 15 years, Geoff Baker.

The former Beatle said he made the move because the "professional standards" of Mr Baker, a longtime friend as well as PR man, had fallen in recent months.

Sir Paul also denied what he said were "particularly sad" claims that his wife Heather wanted Mr Baker out.

Mr Baker, a former newspaper reporter, had dealt with Sir Paul's music and Beatles developments over the years. He declined to comment.

His behaviour has not reached the professional standards I had come to expect

Sir Paul McCartney
In a statement, Sir Paul said: "I find it very sad that after years of friendship, my publicist Geoff Baker and I are parting.

"Over the past few months, his behaviour has not reached the professional standards I had come to expect from Geoff and it is with regret that I am forced to end our relationship.

He added: "It is particularly sad that he has chosen to attempt to implicate my wife Heather in this business and I can say now that she has had absolutely nothing to do with this.

"In fact, she has always been a great supporter of his.

Assault allegations

"This is purely between Geoff and myself and I am sad to see it end in this way."

In September last year, Sir Paul "jokingly" sacked Mr Baker after an incident during a visit to David Blaine's box on London's South Bank.

Mr Baker, admitted he had "stupidly" tipped off a photographer about the visit. Sir Paul had sacked him on the spot but later reinstated him.

Police investigated allegations of assault following an alleged fracas with a photographer at the scene, but no proceedings were brought due to a lack of evidence.

R&B singer Usher leads the field for the American Music Awards, picking up four nominations.

Following closely behind are OutKast and Kanye West, who have been nominated in three categories each.

Usher's nominations include best male artist and favourite pop/rock and soul/R&B album for his worldwide best-seller Confessions.

The awards will be handed out at a ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on 14 November.

The show will once again be presented by talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.

The American Music Awards (AMA) are seen as the biggest rival to the Grammys.

Last year, organisers shifted the ceremony from January to November to avoid clashing with the Grammys.

Ten recording artists have picked up two AMA nominations each, including Jessica Simpson, Prince and Sheryl Crow.

OutKast have been nominated for their highly acclaimed double album Speakerboxx/The Love Below, which has sold more than 5.3 million copies.

Public vote

The album, which showcases the individual talents of members Andre 3000 and Big Boi, collected the best album award at the Grammys.

Kanye West, a top producer as well as a recording artist, has been nominated for favourite new artist and favourite rap/hip-hop performer.

The nominees were picked by CD sales and airplay, and the winners will be chosen by a poll of 20,000 people.

Others in contention for awards are rapper Jay-Z, jazz singer Norah Jones, R&B artist Alicia Keys and country stars Martina McBride and Kenny Chesney.

Competing in the eclectic favourite male pop/rock category are Usher, Lenny Kravitz, Michael McDonald and opera crossover star Josh Groban.

But there is no room on the nomination list for last year's big winners 50 Cent and Jennifer Lopez.

Coldplay singer Chris Martin joined US band REM on stage at the climax of Oxfam's Make Trade Fair benefit show in Hammersmith, London, on Tuesday.

The British star joined REM's Michael Stipe on vocals for Man on the Moon during their "surprise" headline set.

The event also featured Jamelia, The Thrills, actress-turned-singer Minnie Driver and comedian Ricky Gervais.

Coldplay have been big supporters of Make Trade Fair, which calls for reform of world trade laws to reduce poverty.

"I was introduced to the idea of fair trade because I'm a massive Coldplay fan, so I'd like to thank Chris Martin," Stipe told the crowd.

Speaking at a press conference before the event, Driver said fair trade was "not the sexiest of campaigns".

But the Oscar-nominated actress - whose debut album is released in October - said musicians had "a great platform to educate and encourage kids to take an interest in what's going on globally".

"I don't think kids know poverty is the most preventable cause of death in the world, and trades will go a long way to alleviate it," she said.

"It's brilliant to actually do something, not just talk about it. To get off your arse and do something is great."

Her sentiments were echoed by Jamelia, whose set included a cover version of the Blondie song Heart of Glass with Razorlight singer Johnny Borrell.

"It's a worthy cause to be supporting, and if there are a few people who find out among themselves about this, then that would be a good thing," said the 22-year-old R&B star.

The Make Trade Fair Live event followed on from Oxfam's Fair Play concert in 2002, which saw Chris Martin, Noel Gallagher and Ms Dynamite perform on stage.

This year's concert was compered by TV presenter Dermot O'Leary.

Singer Madonna arrived in Israel on Wednesday for a spiritual pilgrimage to mark the Jewish New Year.

The singer and her family will join 2,000 other students of Kabbalah, a type of Jewish mysticism taught regardless of religion.

The profile of Kabbalah has been growing in the past year, largely due to Madonna's involvement.

The trip could be controversial, as her itinerary includes a tomb in Bethlehem, on Israeli-occupied Palestinian land.

Thousands of police have been drafted in for the group, with details closely guarded because of security fears.

Jewish graves

The singer is expected to visit graves of Jewish sages in northern Israel, as well as the Western Wall in Jerusalem and Rachel's Tomb, the traditional burial place of the biblical matriarch, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.

"These are energy vortexes," explained Rabbi Shaul Youdkevitch, head of the Kabbalah Center in Israel.

Having stars in the country is a wonderful way to show the world the wonders of our nation

Rami Levi
Israel Tourism Ministry
"It is known among Kabbalists, among people that study Kabbalah, that you can go there and recharge yourself with positive energy."

Pro-Palestinian activists are planning to protest if Madonna does visit the shrine in Bethlehem.

During her trip, she will also give a speech at an event bringing together Israeli and Palestinian children, supported by Kabbalist scholar Michael Berg.

Mr Berg said: "We need to honour these heroic and courageous children.

"A gathering of this magnitude can have the power to diminish the volatile gap between Israeli and Arab communities to help the people recognise that love is stronger than hate and peace is the focus for the future."

Red bracelet

More usually known for her raunchy outfits, Madonna's interest in Kabbalah became public when she was spotted wearing its traditional red string bracelet.

Since then, a string of high-profile celebrities including Britney Spears and Courtney Love have been seen sporting the bracelet.

The number of centres dedicated to the faith is continually growing, particularly in the US, where there are centres in many major cities. There are also centres in London and Paris.

On Sunday, Israeli Tourism Minister Gideon Ezra is expected to give Madonna an ancient oil lamp and a coin from the Byzantine period.

"There's no question having stars in the country is a wonderful way to show the world the wonders of our nation," said Rami Levi of Israel's Tourism Ministry.

Jennifer Aniston is set to be the first Friend to appear on Matt LeBlanc's spin-off show Joey.

The Hollywood actress has been spotted in full make-up heading for the Warner Bros lot where the comedy is filmed.

A source says: "Matt wanted at least one of the old gang to appear in his first season on Joey and he and the producers decided it should be Jen.

"She couldn't wait to get back on the old Friends stage. She did her thing and spent the rest of the day hanging out with Matt."

Sir Elton John is auctioning off part of his extensive photographic collection including work from some of the most well-respected photographers.

Sir Elton began collecting photographs in 1991 and it is now considered one of the leading private collections.

He decided to sell off some of them in order to diversify his collection.

Among the items on sale at Christie's in New York on 14 October are works by Edward Steichen, Robert Mapplethorpe and Ansel Adams.

Among the 4,000 photographs in Sir Elton's collection are 20th Century modernist works and contemporary images.

"A periodic assessment of any collection is a productive and necessary exercise," said Josh Holderman, Christie's international director of the Photographic Department.

"The sale of certain acquisitions from time to time often proves a very useful endeavour, ensuring the collection's continued integrity."

Flamoboyant wardrobe

Highlights include Ansel Adam's Tetons and Snake River, which has an estimated high of $45,000 (£25,0285), a print by sculptor Constantine Brancusi, expected to reach $15,000 (£8,345).

Works by Robert Mapplethorpe, Irving Penn and John Dugdale are also included in the sale.

There are also two prints of Sir Elton John taken early on in his career by British fashion photographer Norman Parkinson.

Sir Elton is no stranger to clearing out his possession, regularly selling-off clothes from his flamboyant wardrobe for charity.

He also sold all the fixtures and fittings from his London home in order to redecorate.

Ramblers may not be welcome on parts of pop star Madonna's £9 million estate, but a group of Quakers say they are.

A Quaker burial ground, visited by local members for centuries, lies amid the 1,132-acre Ashcombe Estate, on the Wiltshire/Dorset border.

Madonna partly won a challenge to rules allowing ramblers on to her estate, but the Quakers say she has not tried to block them.

Quaker Audrey Acton said: "We have had no obstruction from Madonna."

The 60-strong Shaftesbury Preparative Meeting scatters ashes of the dead, during funerals, at the historic site.

Safe place

It also stages a pilgrimage and worship gathering there every 10 years.

The next one is scheduled for 2010.

In 2000, there were around 200 Quakers, many of whom had come from other meetings in the area.

Madonna is said to be "OK with that", according to a member of the group.

The burial site on the land, which belongs to Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie, was established in 1663 when the then-owner of the estate, William Fry, became a Quaker.

At the time, Quakers were being persecuted and had no other safe place to lay their dead to rest.

Ms Acton, a member of the Quaker group in Shaftesbury, said: "We are not interested in Madonna's estate as such, we are only interested in the burial ground."

In June, the Ritchies won their bid to prevent ramblers from walking across most of their estate.

They claimed at a public inquiry in May that their human rights would be infringed.

The Planning Inspectorate ruling means walkers are not able to go within sight of the couple's home, sitting in the estate's grounds.

A spokesman for the pop star said he was unable to comment on any land issues.

One of the best known black personalities on British TV said yesterday that 'gangsta' street culture was a 'deadly virus'.

One of the best known black personalities on British TV said yesterday that 'gangsta' street culture was a 'deadly virus' that was destroying a generation of African-Caribbean boys.
BBC sports presenter and former Tottenham Hotspur striker Garth Crooks said there was a direct link between films and rap music glorifying violence and the drift of black boys away from education and into crime and violence.

'There is an epidemic out there, and it is killing some of our children. Do you think there could be a correlation between this and the growing dissipation of our cultural values?' he said.

Crooks's passionate plea to the black community to tackle the issue of gangsta street culture was delivered to 2,000 delegates attending the third London Schools and the Black Child conference to discuss the increasing crisis of black children's underperformance in the education system. Addressing himself directly to young black men, Crooks said: 'As for the youngsters in our community who think they are gangsters; grow up. You are pathetic. You are not gangsters or clever. You are kids and it's time to impose zero tolerance.'

He continued: 'Street culture will become a deadly virus ripping indiscriminately through our next gen eration, robbing millions of their potential.'

Crooks said his strict Jamaican parents had instilled in him a respect for decent family values. 'In my day it was only the rude white boys who did not go to school. We were too afraid.'

His words were echoed by outspoken Labour MP Diane Abbott and Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality. Abbott, who has organised the conference for the past three years, told The Observer : 'It is important to understand just how seriously we are taking this problem. Two thousand people turned out for this event on a Saturday morning.

We are talking about a lost generation.'

Phillips told the gathering of parents, teachers and educationalists: 'Our girls and especially boys face exclusion, denigration; they face failure, they face destruction.

'For every boy from our community at a university campus today, there are two in jail. That is the measure of the crisis we face.'

Phillips also argued that the Commission for Racial Equality should survive as a separate anti-racist body. He said government plans to merge it with bodies responsible for gender and disability rights were misguided.

Phillips and Crooks both defended Abbott's decision to take her son out of the state system and send him to the exclusive City of London boys' school.

Phillips invoked the words of black civil rights leader Malcolm X by saying black parents had to fight for the survival of their children 'by any means necessary'.

An opinion poll conducted by Mori for the Greater London Authority found that 55 per cent of Londoners believe the teaching profession should reflect the city's ethnic diversity, while 29 per cent disagreed.

Last year the proportion of black teachers in London was 2.9 per cent. The latest figures for school pupils show that 19.5 per cent are black. The proportion of all non-white pupils in London was 43.5 per cent, while ethnic minority teachers made up 7.4 per cent.

A report commissioned by the London Development Agency to tie in with the conference reported that 70 per cent of African-Caribbean pupils left school with fewer than five high-grade GCSEs.

The report concluded that low teacher expectations played a major part in the underachievement of black children and that black pupils found they were encouraged by black teachers.

NEVE: MY FILM'S TOO HOT FOR DAD.SEXY Neve Campbell failed to attend a screening of her new film because she was too embarrassed to sit next to her dad

When Will I Be Loved, in which she plays a woman offered cash for sex, was screened at the Toronto Film Festival last Thursday.

Her dad Gerry is now a drama teacher in Canada but still has relatives in Glasgow. The 30-year-old actress says she fed her brother alcohol before he watched a screening of the film with her.

She added: 'I had to decide whether I was going to invite my father.

'My dad can come but I won't be there, 'cause I can't sit next to him and watch love scenes.'

Telephone bills show that a woman accused of stalking Catherine Zeta-Jones called a hotel where the actress was staying.

Sheriff's Detective Rodney Wagner told Los Angeles Superior Court Dawnette Knight's bills showed she had called.

Ms Knight's fingerprints were also found on letters with death threats sent to Ms Zeta-Jones, Wagner said.

She has denied stalking and 24 counts of making criminal threats against the Oscar-winning actress.


Prison sentence

A judge is decide on Monday after the preliminary hearing whether enough evidence exists to send Ms Knight to trial.

The court has already found that she is mentally competent to stand trial after a pre-trial hearing was adjourned two months ago when she took an overdose of barbiturates.

Ms Knight has protested her innocent. She has also apologised to Ms Zeta-Jones and her husband, actor Michael Douglas, for upsetting them.

Unemployed Ms Knight, who is in custody, was arrested on 3 June at her home. If convicted, she could face up to 19 years in prison.

It is alleged she made the threats against Ms Zeta Jones over an 18-month period because she was obsessed with Mr Douglas.

Fans of Shakespeare are getting the chance to thumb through some of the earliest copies of the Bard's plays.

The British Library is putting online 93 high-resolution digitised copies of 21 of Shakespeare's plays.

The texts date from Shakespeare's lifetime and are pamphlet editions of plays prepared to be sold after performances had finished.

The printed works show how the text evolved and cast doubt on the idea of definitive versions of his plays.

Textual history

"The quartos were cheaply produced and would have been available for as little as sixpence," said Moira Goff, head of British Collections 1501-1800 at the British Library.

ONLINE QUARTO TEXTS
Hamlet
Henry IV Part 1
Henry IV Part 2
Henry V
Henry VI Parts 2&3
Henry VI Part 3
King Lear
Love's Labour's Lost
The Merchant of Venice
The Merry Wives of Windsor
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
Othello
Pericles
Richard II
Richard III
Romeo and Juliet
The Taming of the Shrew
Titus Andronicus
Troilus and Cressida
The Two Noble Kinsman

As such the editions were prepared during Shakespeare's life and they are likely to be more authentic versions of the plays than the First Folio editions that were published seven years after the Bard's death in 1616.

The texts of the plays are thought to be the closest versions to the way that the plays were actually written and performed.

"Given that Shakespeare left no manuscripts behind, the quartos are as close as we are able to get to what he actually wrote," said Ms Goff.

"They take us behind the First Folio and different quarto versions of the plays provide clues to Shakespeare's own revisions of his works."

Copy control

The quarto editions are thought to be Shakespeare's working drafts, copies for rehearsals or records of versions remembered by actors.

Quartos were not produced in large numbers because they were not very popular or profitable.

Many of the quartos featured in the online collection are from collections amassed by King George III and 18th century actor David Garrick.

The different versions of plays show that some of the most famous lines in the Shakespearean canon changed from one performance to another.

For instance Hamlet's famous line: "To be, or not to be, that is the question" appears in a quarto from 1605. However in an earlier edition produced in 1603 it is written as: "To be, or not to be, I there's the point".

The 21 plays featured on the website include many of Shakespeare's best known works including King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, Love's Labours Lost, Romeo and Juliet and Othello.

Accompanying the online collection is background material, essays by Shakespearean scholars, commentaries, images and sound clips.

Tools on the site allow scholars to compare different versions of the same play to track textual changes.

The Pet Shop Boys will unveil their new soundtrack to the 1925 film Battleship Potemkin at a "unique" free concert in London's Trafalgar Square

The pop duo will perform the soundtrack with the Dresden Sinfoniker orchestra to accompany a screening of the film.

Singer Neil Tennant said: "We liked the idea that we were going to take something made in the 1920s and put contemporary electronic music to it."

He told BBC One's Breakfast that the 73-minute work includes two new songs.


Battleship Potemkin has influenced many artists and film-makers
The show is part of a season of events taking place in the square organised by Mayor Ken Livingstone and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA).

"The ICA approached us because they knew we had a background of using film with our music - our first tour, for example, was directed by Derek Jarman," said Tennant.

Sergei Eisenstein's classic tells of a sailors' revolt in 1904, and has been a major influence on film-makers and artists.

Tennant said he was a fan of Soviet and Russian films after studying history at college.

"The director, Eisenstein, said that he wanted there to be a new soundtrack to the film every 10 years to keep it fresh," Tennant said.

He also said he and musical partner Chris Lowe were keen to discover "whether we could write an hour and a quarter of continuous music".

Tennant said the new Pet Shop Boys' soundtrack "changes the way you see the movie", emphasising its "modernist quality".

"It's really exciting in London that you have got an event you can turn up and see the premiere of a new work," he said. "It's really a completely unique event."

Artists influenced by Battleship Potemkin include Francis Bacon, who said he was haunted by the screaming mouth in the film and was inspired to use it in his own work.

Robert De Niro has rebutted claims he should not be granted Italian citizenship because his portrayal of Mafia men damages the country.

The part-Italian actor defended the parts, saying: "The characters I play are real. So they have as much right to be portrayed as any other characters."

His citizenship ceremony was postponed after objections from US-based group the Order of Sons of Italy.

But despite their outcry, the event is now due to go ahead in Rome in October.

The protesters had ignored scores of other parts he had played in his career, the 61-year-old star said.

I'm very proud and honoured to be asked to be a citizen

Robert De Niro
Besides roles such as Mafia boss Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, De Niro has played Italian-Americans in Goodfellas, Once Upon A Time In America and Mean Streets.

His other acclaimed movies include Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter and Meet the Parents.

De Niro was born in New York after his great-grandparents emigrated to the US from Ferrazzano, in Italy's central Molise region, at the end of the 19th Century.

He has damaged their image by constantly playing criminal roles that tarnish their reputation

Joseph Sciame
The Sons of Italy
Speaking at the Venice Film Festival, he said: "I'm part Italian, part Dutch, part French, part German and part Irish, but I probably identify more with my Italian side than any other parts.

"Italy is such a great and wonderful country, I'm very proud and honoured to be asked to be a citizen."

The Sons of Italy group's president Joseph Sciame wrote to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to complain about De Niro receiving the award.

He wrote: "He has done nothing to promote the image of Italians. He has damaged their image by constantly playing criminal roles that tarnish their reputation."

Resident Evil: Apocalypse: Supermodel warriors and a creature in a kilt

So there are these two supermodels, decked out in survivalist-dominatrix gear.

And one model cheekbones to the other as she checks her pistol: "We're running out of ammo."

The first one, the veteran of these Resident Evil movies, glowers and puckers up. She's the star. She's the narrator. She's the one who said, "We thought we had survived the horror. But we were wrong!" in the opening. She locks and loads, because the star never runs out of ammo.

The things a girl has to do to escape the rigors of the catwalk.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse isn't the end of moviegoing as we know it. Not good or even competent, not bad enough to be funny, the scariest thing about it may be this piece of info about the audience -- the trailer was downloaded 8.5 million times last fall.

There's no stopping Evil. But it's worth a try.

Milla Jovovich returns as Alice, the security specialist trapped in a bio-weapons experiment gone horribly wrong in Resident Evil. She's been kept on ice by her mutlinational employer. She's revived because the residents of "The Hive" have escaped and devoured Raccoon City.

What kind of nitwit screenwriter names his fictional movie town "Raccoon City"? The guy who went on to direct Alien vs. Predator, Paul W.S. Anderson, that's who.

The dead aren't staying dead. (Yes, George A. Romero, Night of the Living Dead, came up with the "original" story.)

A few live folks are trapped in town. There's the hottie cop (Sienna Guillory of Love, Actually), the company mercenary (Oded Fehr of The Mummy), a "colorful" black pimp (Mike Epps) and a TV anchor who blubbers idiotic lines like "There's still no explanation for this unexplained wave of violence."

Then there's Alice. Bad Alice. Cold-eyed, trigger-happy Alice. Jovovich, the L'Oreal model turned action heroine, hurls herself into this. You've got to respect her work ethic.

The gang has a mission -- rescue the daughter of the scientist who devised this epidemic. They face flesh-eating zombies that nobody ever calls zombies and gargoyle-like super-monsters and one mother of a creature dressed in a leather kilt.

Yeah, a kilt.

Thomas Kreschmann is the actor who escaped East Germany by hiking over the mountains into the West only to be typecast as generic German villains by Hollywood. He plays the heartless head of the Umbrella Corp. Fehr wears a lot of armor and shoots a lot of guns and tries not to look bored.

Guillory, a younger version of The Matrix's Carrie-Anne Moss, is pretty cool in her tube top, commando boots and miniskirt. She matches Jovovich round for round, cheekbone for cheekbone.

But they're all just clocking in and doing the devil's work here. That would be Alexander Witt, a longtime second-unit director who brings no wit other than his surname to the enterprise. He's all about the gallons of gore and the gunfire and the editing that makes the models look like real bar brawlers.

Zeta-Jones Stalker Ruled Competent

Dawnette Knight, the woman accused of stalking actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, was declared mentally competent Wednesday to continue criminal proceedings.

Things came to a halt in July when Knight overdosed on barbiturates while in jail. The court ordered the 33-year-old to be checked out by a psychiatrist, who concluded that Knight understood the charges against her and could assist in her own defense.

The defendant faces 24 counts of stalking Zeta-Jones via threatening phone calls and letters over an 18 month period. Her lawyer, Richard Herman, said Wednesday that his client’s pill popping was the result of an emotional day in court the day before, during which Zeta-Jones testified and read out portions of Knight’s letters.

"She basically needed a break so that she could compose herself,” Herman told reporters. “At the time when we called the break, she was having difficulty coping with the pressures of the hearing.

The preliminary hearing is expected to resume Thursday.

Kidman, Bacall take Birth to Normandy

Film diva Nicole Kidman, 24 hours after dazzling the Venice film festival even if her new movie did not, was set for another star turn at yet another celebration of cinema on Thursday, this time in the French seaside resort of Deauville.

Kidman's latest oeuvre, Jonathan Glazer's "Birth", is in competition at Deauville's annual festival of American cinema. Accompanying Kidman will be screen legend Lauren Bacall, who plays her mother in the film.

In "Birth", Kidman's character, Anna, decides to remarry ten years after the death of her beloved husband. But her world is turned upside down when a ten-year-old boy claiming to be her dead husband's reincarnation walks into her life.

The film got mixed reviews - in the form of boos and applause - when presented in Venice, but Kidman seems to have held audiences enthralled.

Also showing at the northern resort on Thursday was Joshua Marston's "Maria Full of Grace," a much-praised portrayal of a young woman who elects to transport illegal drugs to New York in order to escape an impoverished, dead-end existence in Colombia.

Closing out the day's screenings was "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," the much-anticipated second feature film by Michel Gondry starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.

TV Sex Affects Teens

Children who watched a lot of TV with sexual content were about twice as likely to start having intercourse during the subsequent year as those with little exposure to televised sex, researchers found.

High exposure to TV sex among those age 12 to 17 also was linked with a lower but still substantially increased risk of starting non-intercourse behavior, including passionate kissing and oral sex, the researchers found. Even shows that only refer to sex but don't depict it had the effect, they found.

"Exposure to TV that included only talk about sex was associated with the same risks as exposure to TV that depicted sexual behavior," said Rand Corp. behavioral scientist Rebecca Collins and colleagues.

From innuendoes to depictions of intercourse, sex is pervasive on TV, present in about two-thirds of all shows other than news and sports, and teens watch an average of three hours of television daily, previous research has shown.

TV thus "may create the illusion that sex is more central to daily life than it truly is and may promote sexual initiation as a result," the researchers said.

"When they're watching it for three hours a day, it really does become their social world. Those characters are people they identify with and pay attention to," said Collins, the lead researcher.

TV sex rarely deals with negative aspects most teens aren't prepared to deal with, including unwanted pregnancy, AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, she said.

That "sends kids the message that everybody's having sex and nobody's thinking about responsibility and nothing bad ever happens," Collins said. "You don't see the fade to black, the couple has sex, and the next morning says, 'You gave me an STD.'"

The study appears in September's Pediatrics, released Tuesday.

The results are based on nationwide telephone surveys of 1,792 adolescents queried in 2001 and again in 2002. Parental consent for participation was obtained before the interviews.

The researchers devised a list of 23 popular shows that on average featured abundant sexual content. Programs the researchers considered high in sexual content included "That '70s Show," "Friends" and "Sex and the City" - all popular with teens.

Participants then were asked how often they watched those 23 shows. They also were asked whether they engaged in various sexual activities; results were compared from the two surveys.

The number of teens who reported having had intercourse climbed from about 18 percent to 36 percent. The number who'd had sexual experiences other than intercourse climbed from 62 percent to 75 percent, Collins said.

Factors that increased the likelihood of having intercourse included being older, having older friends and getting poor grades. But even considering those factors, television still remained a strong influence, the researchers said.

Many youngsters start having sex during their teen years, and previous data show that 46 percent of high school students say they've had intercourse. But many say they wish they'd waited longer to have sex, and television might be among factors influencing them to become sexually active too soon, the researchers said.

Liliana Escobar-Chaves, a researcher at the University of Texas School of Public Health, said the findings illustrate the importance of parents viewing and discussing TV with their kids, and of encouraging TV writers to depict sex responsibly.

The latter effort is a focus of The Media Project, a Los Angeles-based advocacy program that works with TV networks to include accurate and responsible sex images in programming.

"We want kids to look at television with an educated eye," said Melissa Havard, the group's director.

One example is an HIV/AIDS effort the group has collaborated on with media giant Viacom, whose properties include CBS and MTV. In the past year and a half, Viacom has produced 22 shows with positive HIV messages, including a "Star Trek" episode in which Vulcans had to deal with the stigma of having an AIDS-like disease, said Viacom spokesman Carl Folta.

But while acknowledging that television "certainly can make an impact," Folta was skeptical of the study results.

"I don't think television makes anybody do anything," Folta said. It's just one of many factors that influence young people's lives, he said.

The Venice Film Festival has been hit by a number of gaffes including Al Pacino ending up with no seat at his own movie premiere.

A computer glitch has been blamed for producing 200 too many tickets for the screening of The Merchant of Venice.

Pacino eventually got a place a few rows from the front, but the delay pushed back the premiere of Finding Neverland to 2am.

Organisers say the festival has fallen victim to its own success.

The Venice Film Festival has grown enormously this year, attracting more of Hollywood's big players who have chosen to premiere their films there.

"We have put a Ferrari engine in a small, old Fiat 500 car," said Davide Croff, president of the Venice Biennale, which oversees the festival.

Organisers admit there have been bigger crowds than anticipated, while many studios have demanded their films be shown in the first five days of the 11-day event.

'Never going back'

There has also been a problem with outdated infrastructure.

Pacino's problems with finding a seat meant the screening of The Merchant of Venice was 70 minutes late, pushing back the already tight schedule.

"In my entire life as a producer I've never seen anything like this at a festival, and for this reason I'm never coming back to Venice,", Merchant co-producer Michael Lionello Cowan told La Nuova newspaper.

But Merchant of Venice producer, Barry Navidi, said the situation resolved itself without too much problem.


Quentin Tarantino has selected rare Italian movies to showcase
"Even though there were a number of difficulties and a chaotic situation for the premiere, Al Pacino was delighted and happy that so many people wanted to see this movie," Navidi told news agency Cinecitta News.

The larger-than-life boss of Miramax, Harvey Weinstein, was less than thrilled that the premiere of his movie Finding Neverland was pushed back to early morning.

"Welcome to the breakfast screening of Neverland," Weinstein joked to the audience.

"This morning (festival director Marco) Muller will be serving the croissants and I'll be teaching him the meaning of 'timing'.

'Movie geek dream'

"Then I'll drown him in the lagoon, with his feet encased in cement."

Meanwhile, Quentin Tarantino has flown into Venice to present a retrospective of eclectic Italian films, along with Gremlins director Joe Dante.

The unusual selection, under the banner Italian Kings of the Bs, includes Cannibal Holocaust, Orgasm and The Big Gundown.

"To actually see them all in Italian, restored and in their original form, it's a movie geek dream," said Tarantino.

Michael Moore plans to enter Fahrenheit 9/11 as best picture, rather than best documentary, at the Academy Awards.

The film, which slams President George W Bush's war on terror, has become the highest grossing documentary.

But Moore said he hoped to have the film aired on television before November's presidential election to reach "as many Americans as possible".

According to Academy rules, this would invalidate its entry in the documentary category, but not for best film.


Moore said, for him, the "real Oscar" would be President Bush's defeat and added he "had not given up trying" to get the film broadcast on television before the election.

I told my crew who worked on the film, let's let someone else have that Oscar

Michael Moore

He said: "Although I have no assurance from our home video distributor that they would allow a one-time television broadcast - and the chances are they probably won't - I have decided it is more important to take that risk and hope against hope that I can persuade someone to put it on TV, even if it's the night before the election.

"Therefore, I have decided not to submit Fahrenheit 9/11 for consideration for the Best Documentary Oscar.

"If there is even the remotest of chances that I can get this film seen by a few million more Americans before election day, then that is more important to me than winning another documentary Oscar."

Moore won the best documentary Oscar in 2003 with anti-gun culture film Bowling for Columbine.

'Propaganda'

The deadline to submit Fahrenheit 9/11 for the documentary category was last Wednesday.

Moore added: "I told my crew who worked on the film, let's let someone else have that Oscar."

He also said he wanted to be "supportive of my team-mates in non-fiction film", including documentaries such as Super Size Me and Control Room.

"It's not that I want to be disrespectful and say I don't ever want to win a [documentary] Oscar again," Moore said.

"This just seems like the right thing to do... I don't want to take away from the other nominees and the attention that they richly deserve."

Fahrenheit 9/11, which also attacks President Bush's policy on Iraq, has been cheered by Democrats but has enraged supporters of the president, with some calling it "propaganda".

Moore, who was an unofficial speaker at the Democratic convention in Boston in July, was booed last week by delegates at the Republican convention in New York.

Author JK Rowling has given fans a brief preview of the next instalment of the Harry Potter book series.

Visitors to her website had to play a darts game and crack a code to read two lines of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

The first revealed line read: "He looked rather like an old lion."

Rowling is still writing the sixth instalment, which will prelude the final Harry Potter novel in which he will face enemy Lord Voldemort.

Mystery prince

The second line read: "There were streaks of grey in his mane of tawny hair and his bushy eyebrows; he had keen yellowish eyes behind a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles and a certain rangy, loping grace even though he walked with a slight limp."

The website did not explain who was being described or from which section of the novel the extract was taken.

The book's title refers to a "half blood" - a character in the fantasy series who has a non-wizard for a parent.

Rowling has not revealed the identity of the "prince" in the title or the book's publication date.

Actors Al Pacino, Kate Winslet and Johnny Depp have attended the Venice Film Festival amid complaints that Hollywood films dominate the event.

The stars promoted their latest movies at the ongoing 11-day festival.

Anti-capitalist protesters have set up a Global Beach camp nearby to denounce the prevalence of Hollywood stars and the cost of screenings.

Actor Tim Robbins and author Naomi Klein will join the protest on Monday, the Independent on Sunday reported.

'More Shakespeare'

Al Pacino launched his big screen version of The Merchant of Venice at the festival.

The 64-year-old stars as Shylock in director Michael Radford's $30m (£17m) production, and Pacino called for more Shakespeare plays to be made into films.

"In the theatre you are watching it as it happens and listening to the words," he said.

"But in a movie you have the opportunity to cut away, to go in for close-ups, to bring in a different dynamic to a scene."

Kate Winslet attended a premiere of Peter Pan film Finding Neverland with co-star Johnny Depp on Saturday.

Depp - who plays author JM Barrie in the movie - was asked if, like Peter Pan, he would like to stay young forever.

"Nowadays, it's all a question of surgery, isn't it?" the 41-year-old actor said.

"No, of course the notion is beautiful - the idea of staying a boy or a child forever. But I think you can. I've known plenty of people in their later years who were like little kids, had the energy of little children, the curiosity and fascination.

"But I think it's great fun growing old. I think it's great."

Cannes rival

Tim Robbins' film of his satirical play Embedded is being screened at the festival, along with The Take by anti-globalisation campaigner Naomi Klein.

The 61st annual festival opened on Wednesday as dozens of protesters picketed the premiere of Tom Hanks' movie The Terminal.

They parked a car made to resemble a pirate ship outside the cinema where the film was being screened.

Protesters object to the change in direction taken by the world's oldest film festival, which this year is attracting a Hollywood A-list crowd to rival that of France's Cannes Film Festival.

The event sees 21 films competing for the Golden Lion grand prize, which was won last year by Russian film The Return.

This year's entrants include a mix of art house movies and blockbusters such as Vanity Fair and Nicole Kidman's Birth.

Actor Peter Fonda will receive the first Gary Cooper Spirit of Montana Award, to honour his contribution to film and his ties to Montana.

Fonda starred in 1969 film Easy Rider and is a resident of the US state.

Fonda said he was honoured to receive an award named after 1950s star Gary Cooper, whom he knew through his actor father, Henry Fonda.

"He was a great Westerner - his bearing, everything about him," Fonda said of Cooper.

Oscar nomination

"When I found out he was from Montana, I thought, 'Well, that's why'."

Fonda, 65, was nominated for an Oscar for his leading role in 1997 movie Ulee's Gold.

The brother of actress Jane Fonda, Peter Fonda's daughter Bridget has starred in films such as Jackie Brown and Scandal.

He will receive the award from actor and fellow Montana resident Jeff Bridges during the Hatch Audiovisual Arts Festival, taking place in Bozeman, Montana, from 9-12 September.

A judge has refused to reduce Michael Jackson's $3m (£1.67m) bail on child molestation charges.

In a written ruling, Judge Rodney Melville cited the pop singer's vast wealth as the reason for not reducing his bail.

He also mentioned a previous alleged plan by Mr Jackson to take his accuser's family to Brazil "against their will".

Mr Jackson, 45, has pleaded not guilty to 10 child abuse charges.


'Financial incentive'

In the ruling, which was made public on Wednesday, Judge Melville, of Santa Barbara County Superior Court, also said Mr Jackson had the ability to hire private jets and had frequently travelled outside the US.

He added a secret grand jury transcript "provides detailed evidence" that Mr Jackson tried to arrange for the family of the boy he is accused of molesting to travel to Brazil, and family statements indicated "this was being done against their will".

According to the ruling, Mr Jackson planned to join them in Brazil.

"Assuming this evidence to be true, it demonstrates both the seriousness of the crime and the manner in which defendant handles situations perceived to be difficult," the ruling said.

Judge Melville wrote that "no amount less than $3m would provide a financial incentive to return and appear for hearings and trial".

Criminal record

Mr Jackson is due to stand trial in January 2005.

He has pleaded not guilty to committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.

Mr Jackson's lawyers had cited his charitable contributions, lack of criminal record and ties to Santa Barbara County in seeking the bail reduction.

Judge Melville acknowledged Mr Jackson lack of prior record, but said this was "partially offset" by previous allegations of child molestation, a reference to a 1993 criminal investigation that never led to charges.

Lawyers on both sides are under court orders not to speak to the media about details of the case before the start of the trial.