Has Woody Allen done the unthinkable and grown tired of London? I gather that the celebrated auteur recently fell asleep at the bar of a swanky city hostelry. Awakened by concerned crew members, he spluttered: "Don't worry, don't worry. It's not as bad as it looks." His latest project stars Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor as cockney brothers who turn to crime.
In the past Allen has eulogised London's "cool grey skies" and he wanted the same effect for his current film - but the summer heatwave has played havoc with his schedule. The director was even forced to use sea water because of the hosepipe ban.
The great jazzman and artist George Melly has found a novel way of bequeathing his goods. At the launch of an 80th-birthday exhibition of his own art collection at the Mayor Gallery in London on 17 August, each picture will carry a label saying who he will leave it to.
Yes, the Manhattan Friends will be reuniting. My man in the Hollywood Hills tells me that Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry and co will be back for a one-off episode, centred around a Thanksgiving dinner. The US première of the show is scheduled for Thanksgiving Day 2007.
Much excitement over Julie Walters landing a £1.6m deal for her memoirs (a record for a British showbiz autobiography), which will chronicle her rise to fame, boozing, bringing the world educated Rita and Mrs Overall from Acorn Antiques, and so on. What has not been reported is that under the star actress's publishing deal, with Weidenfeld, she will write her first ever novel. Called Maggie's Tree, it is based on the tale of a lesbian couple.
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