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De Niro raging mad over art ‘theft’
Robert de Niro is looking to settle a score after a bankrupt New York gallery owner allegedly stole 12 of his late father's paintings. Lawyers for the actor claim the paintings are among 50 works of art that Lawrence Salander delivered to an Italian gallery in June in an effort... [continued]
Oxford Union to vote on Irving invite
The president of the Oxford Union, Luke Tryl, bowed to pressure last night and said that his controversial invitations to the Holocaust-denying historian, David Irving, and the leader of the BNP, Nick Griffin, to speak next Monday, would be put to members of the Union in a vote. Tryl told... [continued]
Billie Piper up for porn prize for ITV call-girl role
Actress Billie Piper has accidentally found herself nominated for a porn industry award. Her ITV series The Secret Diary of a Call Girl, based on the novel by the anonymous 'Belle du Jour', in which Piper plays a high-class prostitute, is up for the 'best soft core production' prize at... [continued]
Merrill puts money on new CEO Thain
Stanley O'Neal, the first high-profile Wall Street operator to lose his job over the recent credit squeeze, did pretty well out of Merrill Lynch where he was CEO. On top of his $46.4m salary, he received a severance package of about $160m when he parted company with the investment bank... [continued]
Damien Hirst brings home the Bacon
Damien Hirst may have been knocked off his perch as the world's most expensive living artist by American Jeff Koons, but he remains one of the most generous buyers
of other artists' work. It turns out that the small Francis Bacon self-portrait which sold for £14.3m last week at Sotheby's... [continued]
Bacon breaks new records at Sotheby's 
A good day for the BBC as Brits sweep International Emmys
Stephen Fry's The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive won the best documentary award at the International Emmys in New York last night as the BBC finally found something to cheer about at the end of its annus horribilis - from Michael Grade's departure in January to the row over... [continued]
Zeta-Jones pulls out of film over ‘small part’
Catherine Zeta-Jones has pulled out of the movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Nine - allegedly because director Rob Marshall wouldn't give in to her demand to beef up her role. Marshall directed Zeta-Jones in her 2003 Oscar-winning turn as Velma Kelly in the film version of Chicago. So... [continued]
In Brief: Beyonce’s golden awards
American Idol contestants dominated this year's American Music Awards, with 2005 winner Carrie Underwood winning three awards including favourite female country artist and another contestant, Chris Daughtry, beating Justin Timberlake to win favourite pop-rock album. Beyonce (pictured) received the international artist award... The West End transfer of Sir Ian McKellen's... [continued]
