Hollywood could soon witness a battle of the Napoleons. Al Pacino has been developing a film about the Corsican military genius's affair with Betsy Balcombe, the daughter of his British jailer on St Helena. The project ought to begin production next year. But Pacino has new competition in the shape of the Walk the Line actress Reese Witherspoon, who hopes to make a flick in which she will play Balcombe. Maybe they should join forces.
The Tate director Nicholas Serota and Ralph Rugoff, director of London's Hayward Gallery, have joined the fight to protect Henry-Claude Cousseau, director of the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He has been charged in connection with exhibiting "works of a violent pornographic nature, unacceptable for a young public" and could face a fine and up to three years in prison. Serota and Rugoff have added their names to a petition protesting against the charges, which relate to the show "Presumed Innocent: contemporary art and childhood" at Bordeaux's CAPC museum of contemporary art in 2000, when Cousseau was its director.
Ah, the perils of doing Bond. I hear that Daniel Craig has been given an Aston Martin by the producers as a thank you for his well-received debut as 007. But this has proved something of a headache for the chunky turn, who now has to sell his flat - and buy a house with a garage.
Will it be Stephen Fry the TV producer from now on? He is said to be in talks with two senior drama execs about setting up a production company. The two have vehemently denied any involvement - but it's in their interest to do so. Could be a fruitful career move for the actor, writer, wit, etcetera.
bendowell@ btinternet.com
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