Starr deal for Idol rejects

Pop idol rejects Helen Farrar and Rachel Makins are working with Motown legend Edwin Starr after landing a record deal.

The pair have been signed by A&R Records to work on an album with Starr, best known for his track War.

Farrar told viewers she had nipple piercings called Frederick and Roger while Makins had a lucky green frog umbrella during the heats.

The label's David Harris said: "Rachel and Helen are currently recording the CD single which features Edwin and all three of them are quite inseperable."

Meanwhile, fellow contestant Hayley Evetts has joined ITV1 show This Morning.

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Dean Martin's Ferrari for sale

A Ferrari once owned by actor, singer and Rat Pack star Dean Martin has gone up for sale on an online auction site.

The top price so far offered on eBay for the 1966 red coupe stands at £60,000, in the week in which Rat Pack remake Ocean's 11 is released.

The car, also boasting a black leather interior, is said to be in tip-top condition, despite having completed the Basel-Paris rally three times.

The auction ends on 20 February.

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De Niro hosts terror attacks special

Actior Robert De Niro will serve as host of a CBS TV special on the World Trade Center terror attack.

The two-hour programme - scheduled for 10 March - will be called 9/11 and include exclusive footage from inside the complex.

French film-makers Gedeon and Jule Naudet shot most of the footage while filming a documentary on firefighters.

De Niro is co-founder of the TriBeCa Film Center, a few blocks from the remains of the Twin Towers, and he was selected as host because of his close ties with New York.

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Dylan recording enters Hall of Fame

Bob Dylan's early album Highway 61 Revisited has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The album from 1965 was one of 55 recordings to receive Hall of Fame Awards on Thursday.

The others included Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger and Bing Crosby's Swinging On a Star.

The 15 albums and 40 singles bring to 585 the number of titles recognised since 1973 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for their enduring artistic quality and cultural influence.

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Backstreet Boy turns to boat racing

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter has branched out into power boat racing.

The 22-year-old pop star bought a 13 metre offshore racing boat which he intencds to enter in the American Power Boat Association's 2002 circuit.

The boat - capable of up to 130mph - will be piloted by his father Bob, who inspired the singer.

Nick Carter Racing will make its debut in a competition at Daytona Beach, Florida on 28 April.

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Baftas to be screened abroad

The Bafta Awards, the UK's biggest film awards ceremony, are to be shown on TV outside the UK for the first time this year.

The ceremony, to be hosted by Stephen Fry, will be broadcast on US cable TV channel E! Entertainment Television as well as in Australia, India, China, Denmark, Indonesia and Malaysia.

It will be the most widely distributed film ceremony in the world after the Oscars and the Golden Globes according to the company behind the TV coverage, Endemol, while UK viewers will be able to watch it on BBC One.

The Lord Of The Rings and Moulin Rouge are expected to win a clutch of awards when the show takes place on 24 February after getting 12 nominations each.

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Greek farmers share relics reward

A group of Greek farmers are to share a 300,000 euros (£184,000) reward after digging up a group of 2,300-year-old sculptures, according to local media reports.

Six farmers came across the 37 statues and statue fragments by accident on the Aegean island of Kalymnos in March 2001 and handed them to the island's archaeological museum.

The relics were valued at 1.2m euros (£733,000) and included seven headless male statues from the Hellenistic period, the reports said.

Under Greek law, someone who accidentally finds an ancient object and hands it over to authorities is entitled to a reward.

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Friends star 'guests' on Ally McBeal

Friends star Matthew Perry is reportedly to guest star on hit show Ally McBeal.

The actor, who plays Chandler in the comedy series, will play a cocky lawyer who romances and then dumps Calista Flockhart, according to Variety magazine.

Perry would join a long line of guest stars to do turns on Ally McBeal, including Mariah Carey, Jon Bon Jovi and Sir Elton John.

The Friends cast have recently agreed to film a ninth and final series.