Harry Potter is big in Japan

Harry Potter: phenomenal success amongst the young and old

Schoolboy wizard Harry Potter has taken Japan by storm - with book shops reporting brisk sales of his second novel.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets went on sale on Thursday, after over 840,000 copies of the first book were sold.

The book's Japanese translator, Yuko Matsuoka, said: "I was really charmed. It was thrills, excitement and fascination."

On Tuesday a state-owned publisher announced plans to publish translations of the first three Harry Potter books in China.

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Williams terrorises in new film

Academy Award-winning actor Robin Williams will star in psychological thriller One Hour Photo, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film centres on a young suburban family who become the object of obsession for an employee of a one-hour photo lab, played by Williams.

Williams, star of Mrs Doubtfire and The Fisher King, won his Oscar for Good Will Hunting.

Music video maker Mark Romanek, who found success directing videos for artists such as Beck and Michael Jackson, is writer and director of the project.

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Erotic ballet twist on opera classic

A bawdy adaptation of Bizet's classic opera Carmen, set in a 1960s American car mechanic's garage, has opened at London's Old Vic theatre.

Directed by Matthew Bourne, whose recent all-male Swan Lake was a global hit, has a twist in his ballet version of the work.

Entitled The Car Man, the story features a male hero seducing both his boss's wife and then a young man.

Bourne's next project is a dance version of Johnny Depp's film Edward Scissorhands.

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Flynn's island will be sold

An island once owned by legendary Hollywood actor Errol Flynn is going to be sold by the Jamaican government.

A company run by Jamaican and foreign investors will pay $2.75m (£1.7m) for the exotic, half-mile long Navy Island, government officials announced on Tuesday.

The sale includes a decaying resort but investors said they will add restaurants, boutiques and villas.

Flynn, best remembered for his swashbuckling roles, died in 1959.

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Danson for A&E

Former Coronation Street actress Jane Danson is to join Martin Shaw and Niamh Cusack on ITV's medical drama A&E.

The 21-year-old, who played Leanne Battersby in the series, will be a nurse practitioner in a new series of the drama to be shown next spring.

"I couldn't have wished for a better challenge coming out of the Street," said Danson.

"I've watched A&E avidly and I can't wait to get stuck in."

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Gandhi star dislikes new film character

Actor Ben Kingsley has spoken about his disdain for Don, the character he plays in his new film Sexy Beast.

Speaking at a press conference for the Toronto International Film Festival, Kingsley described Don as xenophobic, racist and extremely violent.

"I had to find the Don in me. In a sense, it forced me to look at the darker layers in my psyche," he said.

Kingsley won acclaim for his roles in Gandhi and Schindler's List.