Institute honour for actor Cruise

Actor Tom Cruise has been honoured by the American Film Institute at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

Cruise, 42, watched a montage of his career highlights featuring some of his best-loved roles in films like Born On The Fourth of July and Top Gun.

"Definitely some of them are extremely different," said Cruise of his roles. "I'm always looking for that. I'm always looking for a challenge."

Cruise is currently filming War of the Worlds with director Steven Spielberg.

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Oscar buzz for Ray Charles movie

A film about the life of Ray Charles, Ray, is attracting talk of an Academy Award for leading man, Jamie Foxx, ahead of its US release on Friday.

Foxx, who starred opposite Tom Cruise in Collateral, is receiving rave reviews for his portrayal of soul legend Charles, who died in June.

The film is directed by Taylor Hackford, who worked with Charles on the screenplay and score.

The Academy Award nominations will be announced on 25 January 2005.

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EastEnders role for ex-Bill star

Actor Billy Murray, who played DS Don Beech in ITV drama The Bill, has landed a role in BBC One soap EastEnders.

Murray, 52, will play Jonny Allen, a criminal boss who will take the show's gangster storylines to a new level.

"I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into the role," Murray said. He played Don Beech for eight years in The Bill and spin-off Beech On The Run.

He first appeared in EastEnders in 1991, playing a criminal who crashed a car into The Arches in Albert Square.

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Manics fail to win chart top spot

The Manic Street Preachers have had to settle for second place in the UK singles chart on Sunday as Eric Prydz clung on to the number one spot.

The Manics' The Love of Richard Nixon was the highest new entry at number two, while Robbie Williams' Radio slipped from three to nine.

Kelis' single Millionaire, featuring Andrew 3000, was the second highest new entry at number three.

A remix of Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence went straight in at seven.

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Swedish prize honours musicians

Singers Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gilberto Gil have been named the 2005 winners of the Polar Music Prize.

Gil, who is Brazilian, and Germany's Fischer-Dieskau, will each receive 1 million kronor (£76,600).

Previous winners of the prestigious award, presented by the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, have included Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen.

Fischer-Dieskau, 79, and Gil, 62, are expected to travel to Sweden to collect the award on 23 May.

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Swayze critical over Iraq actions

Actor Patrick Swayze has criticised the US for not respecting local sensitivities in Iraq.

The Ghost and Dirty Dancing star said: "You don't go into someone else's world and try to force them to operate by your rules.

"You understand their rules and their needs. That's one thing I don't think we've done."

Swayze added that he wanted to go to Iraq and support the troops there, but feared being killed.