Millionaire? takes final bow in US

The final US edition of quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire? is being broadcast on Thursday after it was dropped because of falling ratings.

The show became an instant hit in the US when it began in 2000, with 35 million people tuning in for a celebrity special edition.

But executive producer Michael Davies said the quiz could not maintain the level of interest it first attracted.

The show may return for occasional one-off specials, he added.

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Ab Fab stars win gay honour

Absolutely Fabulous stars Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley have travelled to New York to be honoured at the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Awards.

Whoopi Goldberg will present the pair with their awards on Thursday as part of New York State's official Absolutely Fabulous Week.

As part of the event Saunders and Lumley will judge an Ab Fab look-a-like contest.

"It is a true honour to be recipients of the 2002 Pride Award. While Edina and Patsy are certainly not role model material, we are pleased that Absolutely Fabulous has such loyal following in the US," said Saunders.

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Dame Judi honours author

Dame Judi Dench and Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent honoured the life and work of Dame Iris Murdoch at an event to raise money for a project in her name.

The actors, who starred in the film Iris, were taking part in a literary evening of readings from biographies and fiction about the novelist.

They were joining the director of Iris, Sir Richard Eyre, and actor and director Ian McDiarmid at the Apollo Theatre in London.

The event is part of an appeal to raise £2.75m for a professorship and bursaries at Oxford University, where Dame Iris studied and taught for many years.

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Chris and Billie sell up

Former radio DJ Chris Evans has put his Los Angeles mansion up for sale just three months after he bought it, it has emerged.

The former Virgin Radio presenter, 36, and his wife Billie Piper paid about £5m for the five-bedroom Hollywood Hills home in March.

Now they are selling the luxury home through Beverly Hills real estate firm Hilton & Hyland for £6 million.

The mansion, built in 1979 by a local architect named Robert Offenhauser, has had about four owners in total including the singer Lionel Ritchie.

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Spider-Man spins web tighter

The movie Spider-Man has kept its hold at the top of the UK box office for a second week.

Over the weekend of 21-23 June it took £4.2m, roughly five times as much as its nearest rival, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones.

Spider-Man has taken £16.5m in the UK overall since its release.

New films The Musketeer and the critically well-received Kissing Jessica Stein reached position seven and nine respectively.

Jessica Stein did particularly well considering it was only showing in 32 screens nationwide.

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Queen musical takes £4m

We Will Rock You, Queen's stage musical, took more then £4m in ticket sales in its first five weeks despite a savaging by critics.

It was London's top-selling show during that period, according to Ticketmaster, and its run has been extended until January 2003.

It will also transfer to the United States and other countries in 2003.

Despite a string of negative press reviews, producers say the cast have received standing ovations every night.