On the global Taff Trail

By Tom Bourton BBC News Online

Scanning the news and the web in search of Welsh stars making headlines across the world.

Proving the mad, mad world of movie gossip is a turbulent place, the rumour mill over whether Anthony Hopkins will wear his Hannibal fangs once again is still moving on apace.

With Silence of the Lambs prequel Red Dragon due out on 4 October, Hopkins was being linked to return as Hannibal in a fourth movie alongside Julianne Moore.

Matthew Rhys attended the Urdd Eisteddfod

But Anthony was reported to have said during on a TV interview - while talking about his new movie Bad Company (due out in the UK on 19 July) with fellow star Chris Rock - that he would not be returning and that Red Dragon would be the last of the Hannibal trilogy.

Elsewhere, Welsh actor Matthew Rhys's latest film Deathwatch, also starring Jamie 'Billy Elliot' Bell, is due to be released in the UK at Halloween, although a world premiere slot at the Toronto Film Festival in September is a possibility.

Matthew plays 'Doc' Fairweather in the war movie, but he isn't getting carried away by the lure of the silver screen.

He returned to Cardiff to act as president of the day at the Urdd Eisteddfod - see the link on the right to see him fulfilling his duties.

Next up, Rhys will be treading the boards at London's National Theatre in August in The Associate, in which he will play a painter and decorator who finds out some shocking secrets about one of his customers.

If you fancy a night in though, the DVD of the Oscar-winning movie A Beautiful Mind is due out on 25 June, complete with a bonus section featuring footage of Charlotte Church recording the soundtrack.

Merthyr magic

With the summer holidays almost upon us, the style followers among you might be interested to know that the shops of Merthyr are right up there with Milan and New York for one world-famous designer.

South Walian Julien Macdonald may be wowing the world from the helm of Paris fashion house Givenchy, but he told the Wales on Sunday that his mum Joan still buys his trademark black shirts for him from Merthyr Tydfil.

Julien Macdonald still shops in Merthyr

But he quickly admitted that he does choose most of his own togs, listing Roberto Cavalli, Gucci and Versace as his favourites.

Speaking of fashion, Heat magazine praises Catherine Zeta Jones, in its Starstyle section, for her stunning choice of dresses when she steps out and about.

Gushing that she knows the "power of a va-va-voom frock", and "designers who make dresses for girls with curves", it seems that CZJ can't put a foot wrong!

The magazine is less flattering about crooners Tom Jones and ex-Stepper Ian 'H' Watkins, who both feature in Heat's chart of orangeness when it comes to over-the-top tans.

For his part, H gets away lightly near the start of the chart in the 'fairly orange' section, behind stars such as Jordan and Pamela Anderson and Geri Halliwell.

Tom, meanwhile, is nearly off the scale in the 'very orange' bracket - and is held off the top spot only by Tracy Shaw and Dale Winton.

Tom Jones was picked out for his tan

Fellow rockers the Stereophonics have revealed they will be playing a special secret gig at the Bristol Academy on Friday 28 June - but it has already sold out.

The event will be filmed for inclusion on a possible live album, which may be released later this year.

But the three-piece are denying rumours that they will then be making a short hop across the west country to headline Glastonbury on the following night.

They will however be playing at a charity concert ahead of the Silverstone Grand Prix on 6 July, and then in Ireland's giant Slane 2002 in August.

In the much nearer future, the Lostprophets took to the stage at the One Big Sunday event in Swansea over the weekend.

On their website, they predicted the gig "should be laugh" - let's hope it was.