Elvis musical heads to West End

Elvis Presley is to get the Mamma Mia! treatment with a stage musical based on his hit film Jailhouse Rock.

The show is set to open in London's West End before the end of the year and on New York's Broadway next year.

It will be based on Presley's 1957 movie and feature songs from the era.

It is being brought to the stage by writer Alan Janes and director Rob Bettinson, whose first collaboration, Buddy, has been running for 14 years around the world.

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Hillbillies actor Ebsen in hospital

Veteran US actor Buddy Ebsen, who played Jed Clampett in 1960s TV series The Beverly Hillbillies, has been admitted to a hospital for an undisclosed illness.

Ebsen, 95, former lead actor in CBS detective drama Barnaby Jones, was described as being in "good" condition at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, California.

The actor, who lives in nearby Palos Verdes Estates, began his television career and nine-year stint as Clampett in 1962.

He has written two books, including an autobiography, The Other Side of Oz, and Kelly's Quest.

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Williams attacks child sex trade

Robbie Williams has launched a short film to highlight the horrors of child trafficking in Britain.

The pop star described three-minute film More Precious Than Gold as "short, but definitely not sweet", as it shows young children being sold for sex work.

It is part of a Unicef campaign to introduce laws to protect and care for victims of trafficking.

The film will be screened during Robbie Williams concerts this summer and on his website.

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Crowe tries hand at sports commentary

Oscar-winner Russell Crowe has landed a job as a rugby league TV commentator for Australia's Channel 9 network.

An avid fan of the sport, Crowe stepped into the shoes of regular presenter Ken Sutcliffe, who is hosting Wimbledon tennis coverage for the channel.

Crowe will fronted the first 30 minutes of the game between New South Wales and Queensland at 1100 BST on Wednesday.

It was be Crowe's debut hosting a TV programme, though as a young actor the star briefly appeared in Neighbours.

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Court date for Lee name challenge

US film director Spike Lee's legal battle to prevent US media giant Viacom from renaming a cable channel Spike TV will go to trial in New York on 18 August.

State Supreme Court Judge Walter Tolub said he would hear the case without a jury and told Lee to raise his $500,000 (£300,000) surety bond by $2m (£1.1m) to cover possible damages for Viacom.

Viacom said it has lost more than $16m (£9.5m) in revenue since being barred from renaming its TNN cable network as it had planned to on 16 June.

Lee, 46, who directed the critically-acclaimed Do the Right Thing, won a preliminary injunction on 12 June which blocked the network's name change, after saying he would be mistakenly associated with it.

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Brooks takes children's' writing prize

Author Kevin Brooks has won the annual Branford Boase award for the most promising new children's writer.

He won the prize for Martyn Pig, his first children's novel, while his editor, Barry Cunningham of Chicken House, won the editor's award for spotting his talent.

Mr Cunningham won the editor's prize in 2000, when he his work with author Katherine Roberts on Song Quest.

The prize is named after writer Henrietta Branford and editor Wendy Boase, who both died from cancer in 1999.

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Request to drop Streisand website case

A multi-millionaire being sued by singer Barbra Streisand for putting an image of her Malibu estate on his website has asked a judge to dismiss the case.

Kenneth Adelman's lawyers argued in court papers that his rights to free expression, as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, allowed him to post the pictures.

He was sued by the singer for $10m (£5.9m) in May after she said he violated her rights to privacy and the state's anti-paparazzi law, and a hearing on the case is scheduled for 14 July in Los Angeles.

Mr Adelman's site says his site looks at erosion along the California coastline. It also offers a poster-size copy of the photograph which can be bought for $50 (£29) to $120 (£71) along with images of the homes of Cher and Hollywood mogul David Geffen.

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Ross in bid to disregard breath tests

Diana Ross has appeared in court in a bid to have the results of several positive breath tests disregarded.

The 58-year-old singer has denied three charges related to driving under the influence of alcohol, after being stopped by police in Arizona.

She protested about one of the officers to Tucson municipal court. "I felt a threatening tone from him," she said. "You know, like a command, a demand."

Ross allegedly fell over during the 30 December incident.