Sunday, January 08, 2006

Meet the Big Brother celebrities

The BBC News website profiles the runners and riders in this year's Celebrity Big Brother on Channel 4.


FARIA ALAM

Age: 39
Job: Model and former PA
Lives: London (born in Bangladesh)
Famous for: Best known for her affair with England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson and the media scandal linking her to FA chief executive Mark Palios.

Nicknamed 'Ferrari', Faria has had various jobs and a taste for the high-life. She has worked in IT and PR and is fluent in several languages. She said the person she would least like to encounter in the Big Brother house is Eriksson's partner Nancy Dell'Olio.


MICHAEL BARRYMORE

Age: 53
Job: TV personality/comedian
Lives: New Zealand
Famous for: After a turbulent childhood, Michael entered showbusiness working as a Red Coat at Butlins holiday camps for eight years.

After appearances on TV shows like Little and Large and Blankety Blank, Michael was given his own series The Michael Barrymore Show in 1982 and quickly established himself as one of the UKs favourite entertainers. In 1995 , he "came out" as gay, bringing his marriage to an end.

In 2001, he was questioned by police over the death of Stuart Lubbock, who drowned in his swimming pool. Following an investigation, Michael received a caution for possession and use of cannabis. No other charges were filed against him.

He was dropped by ITV following an inquest, which recorded an open verdict, and he found it difficult to find work.


TRACI BINGHAM

Age: 37
Job: Actress and model
Lives: Beverly Hills, California (born in Massachusetts)
Famous for: Harvard-educated Traci is best known for her role in the hugely successful Baywatch series, as lifeguard Jordan Tate. After two years in the show, she made numerous TV and film appearances, most recently in US reality shows.

Traci describes herself as something of an exhibitionist, a flirt, and says that things "could get a little crazy" after a couple of drinks.


PETE BURNS

Age: 46
Job: Singer in '80s band Dead or Alive
Lives: Italy (born in Liverpool)
Famous for: Pete shocked audiences in the 1980s with his flamboyant dress sense including skirts, stockings, high-heels, corsets, exotic hairstyles and make-up. Dead or Alive hit the big time in 1985 with You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) which reached number one in the charts.

A self-confessed diva with rooms full of Vivienne Westwood outfits, Pete counts Jackie Stallone and Madonna among his idols. He has had extensive cosmetic surgery.


GEORGE GALLOWAY

Age: 51
Job: RESPECT (political party to the left of Labour) MP for Bethnal Green and Bow
Lives: East London (born in Dundee)
Famous for: His passionate left-wing stance and campaign to have the UK government overturn economic sanctions against Iraq. His controversial meetings with former Iraqi-leader Saddam Hussein in 1994 and 2002 have raised eyebrows in some quarters.

Teetotal George, whose dream date is actress Julia Roberts, does not like drunkenness, bad manners, bigotry and ignorance, but likes football and snooker.


RULA LENSKA

Age: 57
Job: Actress
Lives: London
Famous for: Born Countess Roza-Marie Leopoldnya Lubienska, Rula grew up in London where she became an actress and a star of Rock Follies in her early twenties. Rula met her second husband, Dennis Waterman, on the set of Minder.

Rula aims to give up smoking whilst she is in the house, and has brought nicotine patches. She describes herself as a gay icon and "a crazy Polish countess who likes a challenge". Rula is also a practicing Buddhist and chants on a daily basis.


MAGGOT

Age: 24
Job: Rapper in band Goldie Lookin' Chain
Lives: London (born in Newport, Wales)
Famous for: Being in comedy rap group Goldie Lookin' Chain as the "crafty character who sells sexy DVDs". The band got into trouble in September by dedicating their song Your Missus is a Nutter to David Beckham at the England v Wales World Cup qualifier.

Maggot - who got his nickname as a teenager when he donned a flesh-coloured puffa jacket that made him look like a giant maggot - said he would like to "get into politics" in the future.

He said he entered the Big Brother house because "there's not much else to do in January".


JODIE MARSH

Age: 27
Job: Glamour model
Lives: Essex
Famous for: Jodie rose to fame in the TV documentary Essex Wives and has since been a fixture in the tabloids and lads mags.

Her public rivalry with fellow glamour model Jordan is well documented and Jodie admits she would hate to meet her in the Big Brother house.

Jodie is also a strong anti-bullying campaigner.



SAMUEL PRESTON

Age: 23
Job: Lead singer/guitarist
Lives: Brighton
Famous for: Preston dropped out of university to form the band The Ordinary Boys with three friends from his native Worthing. They burst onto the music scene nearly two years ago with Maybe Someday, and their debut album went gold in the UK in 2004. The band has recently finished supporting Paul Weller on tour.
Preston has strong views on politics, and hates bullies and small-mindedness.


DENNIS RODMAN

Age: 44
Job: Former professional basketball player
Lives: California, USA (born in New Jersey)
Famous for: Rodman was one of the best defensive professional basketball player of all time, winning five NBA titles. Since retiring he has reinvented himself as a celebrity, and is known for his controversial behaviour and cross-dressing. He has written three auto-biographies and has appeared in a number of films.

He was married to Carmen Electra, but filed for an annulment after just nine days.

And anti-fur campaigner, Rodman is also an outspoken supporter of gay rights, AIDS and breast cancer.


CHANTELLE

Job: Model
Lives: Essex
Famous for: Nothing! Chantelle is not a celebrity at all, but must convince her fellow house mates that she is to avoid being evicted. Chantelle's cover story is that she is a pop star from a girl band named Kandy Floss, whose biggest hit single was called I Want it Right Now.

Capote film gets US critics' vote

Capote, a biopic about US writer Truman Capote, has been voted the best picture of 2005 by a group of leading US film critics. Philip Seymour Hoffman, who plays the lead role, was also named best actor by the National Society of Film Critics.


Capote focuses on the years the author spent researching and writing In Cold Blood, which was inspired by the 1959 murder of a farming family in Kansas.

Meanwhile, Reese Witherspoon won best actress for her role in Walk The Line.
Witherspoon plays the wife of country star Johnny Cash in the movie, which tells the story of the famous singer's life.

Last month both Hoffman and Witherspoon were nominated for Golden Globe awards for their roles in the two films.

And both films were shortlisted for awards by The Producers Guild of America (PGA), while Capote was also shortlisted by the Writers Guild of America (WGA).

Shayne Ward tops chart for third week



X Factor winner Shayne Ward has claimed the number one spot in the singles chart for the third week in a row.

The 21-year-old Mancunian's song That's My Goal first topped the chart on Christmas Day, four days after going on sale following his win on the TV show.


The only new entry in the top 10 was Munich by The Editors.

Meanwhile, US band The Strokes went straight in at number one in the album chart with their latest album First Impressions of Earth.

They were the only new entry in the album chart, dislodging Eminem's compilation Curtain Call - The Hits which fell three places to number four.

James Blunt's album Back To Bedlam clung onto the number two spot while Employment by the Kaiser Chiefs rose four places to number three.

The top three places in the singles chart remained the same as last week, with folk-pop duo Nizlopi's JCB Song at number two and Madonna's track Hung Up at three.

However, a CD featuring songs performed by Brian Kennedy and Peter Corry at footballer George Best's funeral moved up seven places from 11 to four.

Eminem's single When I'm Gone completed the top five.

PAMELA ANDERSON SENDS PASSIONATE PLEA, EXPLICIT VIDEO TO TOPEKA KFC MANAGERS

All four Topeka KFC managers received a special delivery from Pamela Anderson this week. On behalf of PETA, the actor and animal rights advocate sent her new explicit DVD showing what happens to chickens before they end up in batter, along with a letter asking managers to urge David Novak—the CEO of KFC’s parent company, Yum! Brands—to eliminate the worst abuses of chickens, such as live scalding in defeathering tanks and breeding and drugging chickens to grow so quickly that they become crippled under their own weight.

Writes Anderson, "As a KFC manager, you can help make positive changes … by letting Yum! CEO David Novak know that you don’t want to sell—and the people of Topeka don’t want to buy—chickens who have been crippled, abused, and scalded alive."

Anderson points out that KFC ignored the recommendations for animal welfare improvements made by members of its own advisory panel, including five members who have since resigned after being ignored for years. Former KFC advisor Adele Douglass told the Chicago Tribune that KFC "never had any meetings. They never asked any advice, and then they touted to the press that they had this animal-welfare advisory committee. I felt like I was being used."

In addition to Anderson, PETA’s campaign has had high-profile support from rock icons Sir Paul McCartney and Chrissie Hynde, country legend Emmylou Harris, actor Bea Arthur, Nobel Peace Prize winner His Holiness the Dalai Lama, civil rights leaders Alice Walker and The Rev. Al Sharpton, and even former KFC spokesperson and Seinfeld star Jason Alexander.

Vanessa Carlton, Eminem and Norah Jones are among the artists featured on the 2003 Grammy Nominees CD

Vanessa Carlton, Eminem and Norah Jones are among the artists featured on the 2003 Grammy Nominees CD, due out in all good music outlets on the 11th of February.

The ninth edition of the CD series honours many of this year's Grammy-nominated artists and songs in several major categories.

The 19 tracks on the CD represent select nominees from the record of the year, album of the year, best new artist, best female pop vocal performance, best male pop vocal performance, and best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal categories.

The Recording Academy teamed up with Warner Music Group for the release, and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the CD will benefit music-related charities, including the Academy's MusiCares Foundation and the Grammy Foundation.

Pop Punk Pink Marries Carey Hart

Pop punk Pink married her long-term love Carey Hart in a sunset beach ceremony in Costa Rica on Saturday.

The Get the Party Started singer, 26, wed the motocross racer, 30, in front of 100 guests at the Four Seasons resort on the central American country's Papagayo peninsula, People magazine reports.


The singer says, "We just love the beach, so we knew we wanted it to be at the beach."

Hart adds, "We wanted it very fun and non-traditional. We're spiritual, but we're not religious. It was about being with our closest friends and family and having a very fun and loose party."

Pink, real name Alecia Moore, and Hart met the X Games in 2001. After splitting briefly in 2004, Pink proposed to Hart during his race at the Pro 250 event in Mammoth lakes, California last June.

The couple are planning to go snowboarding with their four dogs for their honeymoon.

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Eminem's mum hopes for reconciliation

Eminem's estranged mother is thrilled the rapper is re-marrying his wife Kim because she hopes family life will help end the rift between them.

Debbie Nelson, 50, admits her rap star son is secretly helping her pay medical bills as she fights lymphoma and now she's hoping Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, has mellowed out and will welcome her back into his life.

Nelson says: "I thank Marshall for helping me stay alive… I want to be around to see my granddaughter, Haillie, grow up. That's what keeps me going."

But Nelson admits she hasn't seen the 10-year-old since Eminem severed ties with his mother after a public slanging match in 2000.

She adds: "Now that he's getting his life back on track with Kim, I'm hopeful that someday we'll be able to reconcile and move forward, to get beyond all of the hurt and bitterness.

"That hoped-for reconciliation will have to wait until after Eminem re-weds Kim on January 14 because the rapper hasn't invited his mother to the ceremony.

Queen Latifah gets Hollywood star


Actress Queen Latifah has become the first hip-hop artist to receive a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

It honoured the 35-year-old, who earned a supporting actress Oscar nomination in 2003 for her performance in Chicago.

"One of the reasons for me to be here is to inspire other young women, young African-American women, young wannabe rappers or wannabe actors," she said.

Born Dana Owens, she also hoped to inspire "wannabe entrepreneurs, or full-figured, sexy women".

Grammy winner

Queen Latifah made her musical debut in 1989 with the hip-hop album All Hail the Queen, which contained the UK hit Mama Gave Birth to the Soul Children.

Her third album, Black Reign, earned her a Grammy award in 1994.

After acting in TV sitcoms Living Single and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Latifah starred in films such as Set It Off, Bringing Down the House and Beauty Shop.

But it was her performance as prison matron Mama Morton in movie musical Chicago that earned her acclaim.
Last year she released The Dana Owens Album, a jazz album that earned her a Grammy nomination.

Latifah said she had been given a "sweet spot" on the Walk of Fame, on Hollywood Boulevard in California.

"I don't live far from here, I might sneak over in disguise and just look at it sometimes," she said.

Lohan released from Miami area hospital

Lindsay Lohan was released from a Miami area hospital Thursday, after being treated for an asthma attack, her publicist said.

"She's on her way home," said spokeswoman Leslie Sloane Zelnick.

Lohan's mother and manager, Dina, was quoted Wednesday as saying her daughter was improving after being hospitalized Monday night and that she planned to take her home to New York to recuperate.

The 19-year-old actress-pop singer was in Miami for New Year's Eve.

Lohan, whose screen credits include roles in Herbie: Fully Loaded and Mean Girls, co-stars in Robert Altman's

A Prairie Home Companion, due in theaters in June. She has been filming Bobby, directed by Emilio Estevez, about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.

She's also set to begin shooting Chapter 27, a film about John Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman.

In an interview in the February issue of Vanity Fair magazine, Lohan says she has dabbled in drugs and battled bulimia but adds, "I've gotten that out of my system."

Lohan, who began her career as a child actress, also said she'd like to write a movie about growing up in Hollywood.

It would be, she said, about "how crazy a person can go. But, at the same time, how much they can change."

Superman Returns Snapshots


Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor and Parker Posey as Kitty Koslowski


Brandon Routh as Superman

Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane and Brandon Routh as Clark Kent


Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Rachelle Ann Go Releases New Album

AFTER striking it big with four hit singles from her debut album, Rachelle Ann Go of the Philippines gears for more is now gearing for more successes with her second album. Titled I Care, the album is the result of the tight collabora-tion of an international line-up of producers, songwriters, arrangers and engineers. Each contribution is meant to showcase the vocal artistry of the 19-year-old “Search for a Star” champion who has now come to her own as one of the country’s finest performers.

The first single release is If You Walk Away. Written by Todd Cerney and Skip Adams, the power ballad was produced by Christian de Walden and Carlo Nasi. De Walden, who is one of the top producers in Europe and North and South America, came to the Philippines for the record-ing sessions at Viva Entertain-ment’s Amerasian Studios in Quezon City. Along with him came Luca Vittori, one of Italy’s leading engineers to record and mix several songs for Rachelle Ann’s album.

Aside from If You Walk Away, Christian and Luca also did the balled Baby It’s Time and the dance cuts, Number One, Palm Reader, The Sweetest Vice and Good Love. De Walden also produced Days to Come but the song was mixed at the Studio di Ripetta in Rome by G and David Bacon, two of the hottest DJ’s in Italy’s trendy club scene.

Jaime Foxx Releases New Album

Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx has just released an album, the star-studded 'Unpredictable', in the US.

The title track, which features Ludacris, is already featuring on Billboard's top 40 and R&B/hip-hop charts.

Foxx became a Grammy-nominated singer thanks to his Number One hit from 2004, the Kanye West-Twista collaboration 'Slow Jamz'.

He had an even bigger smash success this year, singing the hook on West's Ray Charles-inspired hit 'Gold Digger.

It wasn't his only success as Charles - he took the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in the biopic 'Ray'.

As well as singing on 'Unpredictable', he played keyboards, did some drum programming and co-wrote several songs.

The album also features cameo appearances from West, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg and Mary J Blige.

Hip-hop star 50 Cent has come under fire in Britain for the controversial posters to his Get Rich Or Die Tryin' film.

Industry watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled the ad, which features the rapper holding a gun and a baby, could be seen as "glamorising" gun crime.

More than 17 people complained to the ASA, slamming the poster as offensive and irresponsible.

In response, Universal Music Group claimed the ad depicted 50 Cent's fight to escape the mean streets of New York.

The ASA says: "We considered, however, that Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson had such cultural credibility, especially among young people, that his association with gang culture and criminal behaviour was likely to be seen as glamorising and condoning the possession and use of guns."

The same advertisement was also banned from billboards in the US last November following complaints from community groups.

The In Da Club hitmaker also faced criticism from the ASA last year for his Reebok television advertisements. The Reebok ad was also seen to be glamorising gun violence and was banned from UK TV networks.

Britney Spears Exposes Breasts


According to late rumors, pop princess Britney Spears accidentally showed her breasts to the people on the streets, while having fun with her baby boy Sean Preston and her family.

Spears, 24, who really got into shape after she gave birth to her first child, Sean Preston Federline, two months ago, was swinging the baby, when her top rode up, revealing her breasts to the onlookers.

According to sources, Britney, who was spending some quality time in Malibu, didn't even notice the accident at first, but other mothers were looking quite shocked.

A source said: "Britney was out for a walk with her baby Preston and some friends when she had a go on the swings.

"She must have been having so much fun she didn't realize the accidental strip show she put up - other mums looked quite shocked."

Meanwhile, according to rumors, Britney is already thinking about a second child, although the past few months have been really tough for Britney and her hubby Kevin.

The pop princess thinks that another baby will make her marriage stronger and better and cool down things between her and Kevin.

Rowling Ready To End Harry Potter Adventure


J.K. Rowling expects to have a busy 2006, "the year when I write the final book in the Harry Potter series."

"I contemplate the task with mingled feelings of excitement and dread, because I can't wait to get started, to tell the final part of the story and, at last, to answer all the questions (Will I ever answer all of the questions? Let's aim for most of the questions); and yet it will all be over at last and I can't quite imagine life without Harry," the British author wrote in a recent posting on her Web site.

The sixth installment of Rowling's fantasy series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," came out last summer. It has sold more than 10 million copies in the United States alone.

Total worldwide sales of the Harry Potter books top 300 million.

On her Web site, Rowling said she had been "fine-tuning the fine-tuned plan of seven during the past few weeks." She noted that "reading through the plan is like contemplating the map of an unknown country in which I will soon find myself."

Rowling expects to start on the final book, not yet titled, this month.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Korea to Develop "Hallyuwood" Showbiz Village

2005 was a good year for Korean entertainment as Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, continued to sweep Asia.

Now, Korea wants to make a better use of what could be just a passing craze by establishing a more solid ground for Korean showbiz industry. On Friday, it held a launch ceremony for the development of a movie-making complex whose name, surprising as it may sound, is Hallyuwood.

Built on 1 million square meters in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, northwest of Seoul, the area will include a theme park, shopping centers, production houses, movie sets, education and business facilities and more.

The spirit is certainly there, as the provincial government will inject about US$2 billion into the project. But the curious will have to wait a while as it is not to be completed until 2008.

The Korean Wave has been going on for a couple years now, but it remains to be seen if it is more than just a fad. The hope of many Koreans that the world will keep up its interest in Korean pop culture is now finding its palpable expression in the complex.

Ocean's 12 is now Ocean's 13

George Clooney could be stepping back into the shoes of gentleman thief Danny Ocean before the year is out.

Producer Jerry Weintraub is currently trying to get a sequel to ensemble heist movies 'Ocean's Eleven' and 'Ocean's Twelve' off the ground, and hopes to have the creatively titled 'Ocean's Thirteen' in production sooner rather than later.

Weintraub has been working on a plot with Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh, while Brian Koppelman ('Rounders', 'Runaway Jury') and David Levein have been brought onboard to write the script.

There's no word yet on a plot, though expect a grand heist to take place in a glamorous setting, and keep your fingers crossed that the story improves on last year's preposterously smug and self-satisfied 'Twelve'.

Chronicles of Narnia Overtakes King Kong

Domestic champion "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe" also ruled the foreign box office during the New Year holiday weekend as its global total roared to $450 million (260 milllion pound).
Now playing in 31 markets, the adaptation of the C.S. Lewis novel sold $41 million worth of tickets over the weekend, taking its overseas haul to $225.5 million.

"King Kong" added $29 million, and "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" conjured up $17 million. Their respective foreign totals stand at $222.5 million and $535 million. Adding North American sales, "King Kong" is at $397 million worldwide and "Harry Potter" at $812 million.

New markets for "Narnia" included South Korea ($5 million), Taiwan ($1.3 million) and Thailand ($1 million). In Australia, where "Narnia" opened on December 26, the family offering earned $4.8 million, taking its total to $11.2 million.

France showed no drop from its opening weekend, collecting $8.4 million for a two-weekend total of $21 million. No. 1 for four weeks in a row in the U.K., "Narnia" picked up $5.1 million for a market total of $57.7 million. Two weekends in Italy brought in $11.1 million; two in Russia, $5.9 million; four in Germany, $19.7 million; four in Spain, $16.4 million, and a full month in Mexico, $18 million.

"King Kong's" $29 million haul poured in from 49 territories. In the U.K., it finished the weekend behind "Narnia" with $4.6 million, for an 18-day total $36.6 million. France, with a $3.9 million weekend, provided a 19-day total of $20 million; and Germany, with $2 million, hit $15.3 million, also in 19 days. Other scores for the same period included Spain, $10.9 million; Australia, $11.1 million; Japan, $10.1 million in 16 days; Korea, $16.7 million in 17 days; Brazil, $4.1 million in 18 days; and Mexico, $12.5 million in 17 days. "Kong" is expected to pass $400 million in world-wide box office revenue after Monday's results are tabulated.

In other holiday action, "Chicken Little" supplied a respectable $7.8 million from 38 markets to lift its total to $91.4 million.

"Cheaper by the Dozen 2" pulled out $5.5 million from eight countries to establish an early $12.3 million total. "The Family Stone" snagged $3 million from 23 territories for a foreign gross of $10.9 million.

Hilton faces slander, harassment lawsuits

Paris Hilton is accused of spewing "vicious lies" about an altercation with a romantic rival at a London nightclub, and harassing a business promoter in two lawsuits set for court this month.

The first suit pits the hotel heiress-actress against diamond heiress-actress Zeta Graff, who is seeking at least $10 million in damages for Hilton's comments in a July New York Post story.

The paper reported that Graff - who once dated Hilton's then-fiancee, Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis - went "berserk" at the nightclub, tried to strangle Hilton and attempted to steal her diamond necklace.

Graff denies the report and claims Hilton said "I'm going to destroy you" after trying to oust her from the club, according to the suit.

Former Hilton publicist Rob Shuter said in a deposition that Hilton asked him to help plant the story and that he gave the paper comments attributed to himself, Hilton and anonymous sources that were dictated by Hilton.
Hilton spokesman Elliot Mintz declined to comment on the case.

A Jan. 17 hearing is scheduled near Los Angeles to consider Hilton's request for more information about the damages claim.

A hearing also is set for the same day on the second lawsuit in which promoter Brian Quintana, 37, alleged that Hilton harassed and badmouthed him in the news media and threatened his life. He is seeking a restraining order.
"I can assure you that when all of the facts are revealed in this matter, they will show that the victim is, in fact, Paris Hilton," Hilton's spokesman said.

Lindsay Lohan Admits Drug Use, Bulimia

Tinseltown teen queen Lindsay Lohan has finally 'fessed up to doing drugs — and becoming so bulimic that she couldn't stand the sight of her own skeletal figure.

In an explosive new magazine interview, the freckled "Freaky Friday" star blames her train-wreck teen years on an emotionally destructive dad, killer stress from the cutthroat Hollywood biz, and her heartbreaking bust-up with hunky first-love actor Wilmer Valderrama.

"I was sick ... I had people sit me down and say, 'You're going to die if you don't take care of yourself,' " the star admits in the latest issue of Vanity Fair, which hits newsstands today.

The party-hearty hipster — who was hospitalized a little over a year ago for what she called extreme stress and exhaustion — was admitted to a Miami hospital again Monday night amid a reported severe asthma attack.
Lohan had been in Miami celebrating New Year's Eve at the posh Prive nightclub before she fell ill.

Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) says replacing her will be painful

Will Hermione be killed in the next Harry Potter book and movie?

Harry Potter star Emma Watson is dreading the possibility of another actress replacing her in the magical movie saga, because she has formed an emotional attachment to her character.

Watson has played Hermione Granger in all four Potter movies to date and will also appear in the next installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

However, the 15-year-old accepts she may soon be too old to star as Granger in the final two Potter films, numbers six and seven in the franchise.

She says, "I know if anyone else were to play Hermione, I would not be able to deal with that. It would kill me. I'm hugely close to her."

And Watson admits she would only sign up to star in the forthcoming Potter sequels if she truly believed she could devote herself to the movies.

She explains, "An 11 month film is huge. You work adult hours. So I think I would never want to do it if I felt that I wasn't going to give it 100 per cent.

"So I'm not really thinking about the future. I just take it one film at a time, because otherwise I get a little bit overwhelmed."

Daniel Radcliffe To Star in Play "Equus" ?

Daniel Radcliffe

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is reportedly in talks to star in a Kenneth Branagh-directed production of the play "Equus" - a play about a boy who has a weird thing going on with hroses. As The Guardian delicately puts it, the "the plot involves the hero reaching the height of sexual ecstasy while riding a horse."