Posh Spice 'back at work'

Posh Spice Victoria Beckham is back at work after her bout of meningitis, a spokeswoman said on Monday.

The Spice Girls singer, who was struck down with viral meningitis four weeks ago, returned to the studio last Friday top resume recording.

"Victoria is slowly getting better, but the doctors have told her it will take time to get completely back to normal," a spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman denied reports that the singer had been forced to pull out of an appearance at London Fashion Week because of the illness.

Beckham was put on the catwalk by one of her favourite designers, Maria Grachvogel, last year, when she modelled a pair of tiny hotpants and a flamenco-style dress.

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Joyce classic to hit big screen

James Joyce's classic novel Ulysses is to be made into a £4.5m movie starring Crying Game actor Stephen Rea.

The 1922 book, which was originally banned for its sexually provocative language, is regarded by many critics as one of the most important novels ever written.

In the film Rea will play anti-hero Leopold Bloom and Angeline Ball, of The Commitments and The General, his wife Molly.

The author's grandson Stephen Joyce, who oversees the writer's estate, is yet to give his blessing to the script.

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Channel 5's final send-off

A new TV series on Channel 5 is set to give celebrities the chance to plan their own funeral.

In It's Your Funeral they can choose the ceremony, outfit, flowers and mourners they would like for their final send-off.

Celebrities lined up to appear include actor Brian Blessed, chef Gordon Ramsay, Birds of a Feather star Lesley Joseph and academic Germaine Greer.

The weekly show, to be hosted by Kaye Adams, will start in January and is billed as a "serious insightful look" at something we all have to contemplate.

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'Flesh-N-Bone' Howse gets 12 years

Rapper Stanley "Flesh-N-Bone" Howse has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for assault with an AK-47 rifle and for being an ex-convict with a gun.

Howse, of the Grammy-winning rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, avoided the maximum 19-year term after the judge heard the rapper had been abused as a child.

"This is one of the worst cases I've read in terms of childhood abuse," the judge said.

The 27-year-old has been convicted seven times since the mid-1990s of crimes ranging from assault to spousal abuse, according to court documents.

The rapper was convicted in June of pointing an AK-47 at a man, despite the victim's testimony that Howse never threatened him with a gun.