Blue plaques for film stars' seats

Blue plaques for film stars' seats

Blue plaques are being placed on seats at a London cinema which have accommodated some of the world's most famous film stars.

They commemorate actors who have appeared at premières or awards ceremonies at the Odeon, Leicester Square.

The first to be recognised are Bafta winners Sir Michael Caine, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Catherine Zeta Jones and Jim Broadbent.

Stars must have won either and Oscar or Bafta to qualify.

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New Potter sells for £5,000

A signed copy of the latest Harry Potter adventure has raised £5,000 for charity.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was auctioned online to raise money for Sense, the national deafblind charity.

The sale of the fifth instalment of the student wizard's adventures, due out on 21 June, started at £1 but by day three, that had soared to £2,800.

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Sheen steps up peace campaign

West Wing actor Martin Sheen has led an anti-war vigil wearing a duct-tape gag bearing the word "peace".

Sheen, who plays the US president in the Channel 4 TV drama, also wrote a statement which was read out by a fellow protester.

It stated: "By some demented form of logic, the men, women and children of Iraq are relegated to 'collateral damage' as the dogs of war slouch toward Baghdad."

Sheen has been one of the most active celebrities protesting against war in Iraq.

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Watchdogs rule against Norton joke

The Broadcasting Standards Commission has upheld a complaint about a tasteless joke made by comic Graham Norton following the death of Bee Gee Maurice Gibb.

Ten people had contacted the commission after Norton said on his Channel 4 programme: "I bet Maurice Gibb's heart monitor was singing the tune of Stayin' Alive."

Channel 4 had said the remark was meant to be affectionate - but the commission said it was "ill-judged".

Earlier this month Norton was also censured by the Independent Television Commission for the joke, made the day after Gibb's death in January.

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One small step for BBC

The BBC is to follow up its Walking with Cavemen series with Walking with Spacemen.

Walking With Spacemen promises to take viewers "where no man has ever been before" by exploring different planets in our solar system.

Using digital special effects and the latest scientific findings, it will recreate the experiences of astronauts venturing into space.

Walking With Cavemen, which begins tonight at 8pm, has been sold to more than 15 countries.

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Liberty X back anti-phone theft drive

Pop stars Liberty X have launched a campaign to help tackle mobile phone theft among young people.

The Immobilise Phone Crime campaign, targeting 11- to 17-year-olds, aims to get across the message that phone theft is a serious crime and should not be tolerated.

A phone line - 08701 123 123 - has been set up to make it easier to report all lost and stolen handsets from any network.

Any mobile phone can now be blocked, even if the SIM card has been changed, so that it no longer works on UK networks.

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Clooney and Soderbergh's crime project

Film production partners George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh are to work together on the crime thriller Tishomingo Blues.

Adapted from an Elmore Leonard book, it is named after a Tishomingo hotel guest in Mississippi in the US who witnesses a Mafia murder.

The film's screenplay is by Nurse Betty writer John Richards, and will mark the directing debut of actor Don Cheadle.

Clooney and Cheadle appeared in 1998's Out of Sight - also based on an Elmore Leonard novel - which was directed by Soderbergh.