Sir Elton urged to ditch Eminem duet

A leading US gay rights activist has published a protest letter she sent to Elton John about the duet he is to sing with the shock rapper Eminem next week.

Gay and Lesbian Alliance director Joan Garry also sent Sir Elton a "collection of hate emails" she received from Eminem fans and asked him to think "how literally" they take the rapper's "violent" words.

Garry - whose Alliance gave the openly gay singer an award last year - asked Sir Elton as a "beacon of courage" not to perform with Eminem at the Grammys.

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Babies for Gunnell and Young

BBC Olympic pundit and athlete Sally Gunnell has given birth to her second child - a Valentine's night boy called Luca Red - who weighed in at 6lb 15oz.

And ITN newsreader Kirsty Young has also given birth - by early caesarean - to a 7lb 10oz baby girl called Freya.

Young, who joined the ITV newsroom from Channel 5 News in January 2000, will return to work and co-present the ITV evening news with Dermot Murnaghan.

Gunnell was the only female athlete to hold Commonwealth, European, World and Olympic titles simultaneously.

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Tammy musical to open in US

A musical about the life of country music legend Tammy Wynette opens in the US at the end of the year.

The musical will run from 13 September to 28 October at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

During her career, Wynette sold more than 30 million records. She died in 1998 at the age of 55.

The five-times-married singer's most famous hits include Stand By Your Man and Divorce.

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Memoir deal for Murray

Murray Walker has been signed up to write his memoirs when he retires as the voice of Formula One in the autumn.

Walker, who has been commentating on motor racing since 1949, has been signed by HarperCollins.

The book is set to go on sale in late 2002 and will be written without the help of a ghost writer.

"I am really looking forward to getting to work on the book," Walker said.

Walker, who now works for ITV after years with the BBC, has already written several books, including Bedside Wheels.

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Suitable Boy author gets CBE

Author Vikram Seth, best known for his award-winning novel A Suitable Boy, has been made a CBE.

Culture Secretary Chris Smith presented the honour to Seth for his services to literature.

Seth, who studied at Oxford, received the honorary award at a reception at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in London.

A Suitable Boy took the WH Smith Prize in 1993, holds the distinction of being the longest English novel to be published in one volume and has sold more than a million copies.

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Kylie signs for Pepsi ad

Kylie Minogue has become the latest pop star to star in a Pepsi advert, following in the wake of the Spice Girls, Michael Jackson and Madonna.

The 32-year-old singer will appear in a new 45-second ad to be shown initially in her native Australian.

There were no plans to show the ad beyond Australia, though a Pepsi spokesman said it might be shown in other countries if successful.

Minogue's deal follows Britney Spears' agreement last week to front a global ad campaign for the soft drinks giant.

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