Tweeting

I've finally jumped on the Twitter bandwagon. Some would say six months too late, now it's been appropriated as a marketing tool a la MySpace, but it takes celebrity stalking to a whole new level (I discovered @snoopdoog by checking out who Liz Taylor was following) so better late than never!

If you tweet let me know who you are and I'll follow you, too.

Logan and Boris

Marina Hyde is unimpressed by the concept of baby celebrity lookalikes in the Guardian today. All I can say is thank goodness Logan doesn't look like Boris any more!

Domino excitement

Ok, so I've still not reviewed the Oscars outfits (work keeps getting in the way, grr) but I have got a bit of televisual genius to share with you - Domino Day 2008.

In case you missed it on Channel 5 (it's become a staple of the Stoddard family Christmas), the BBC has handily put together a montage of the best bits. I defy you not to get a teensy bit excited.

And if that weren't enough, here's another example of a celeb you never knew could dance - Christopher Walken showing how it's done, for Fatboy Slim's Weapon of Choice video. Genius.

Robert Webb, comedy genius

If I get any spare time this afternoon I'll go to town on the Oscars frocks (since Sky outbid the BBC for live coverage I have to content myself with catching snippets on the web, grr).

For now, keep yourselves entertained with one of the most brilliant TV moments of this decade - Robert Webb keeping Saturday night entertainment alive on Let's Dance, for Comic Relief. The man is an absolute comedy genius, and he can actually dance, too.

Almost as funny as Toby Anstis's turn on All Star Talent Show a few years ago - funnier because it wasn't meant to be.

Jade Goody

I've been resisting writing about this because I don't want to become just another blogger intruding on the private grief of others. But the story doesn't look like it's going away - we're running it in tomorrow's paper - so I can't help myself any longer.

I tend to have a lot of sympathy for celebrities who live their lives through the tabloid press then find it impossible to take a step back when things go wrong. Britney and Amy Winehouse are two obvious examples - if you have an addiction or a disorder that skews your perception of reality, the tabloids should take a responsible step back and give you the space to heal, even if you're courting them and inviting the papparazzi in for tea, because you're not capable of making that decision yourself.

Jade Goody's case is a lot more tragic, in that she has a terminal illness; it's also a lot more blameless, even for those who hate "pointless" celebs, because she hardly brought the cancer on herself did she? I understand completely why she feels the need to keep living her life through the papers - saving money for her boys' future, raising awareness of cervical cancer. For a star whose career was made, and destroyed, by the tabloids, this is one last chance to redeem herself in the eyes of the world. It's extrememly distasteful but death may be the making of her.

But the endless stories and front page photos leave a bad taste in my mouth. For celebrities like Jade and Jordan, running to the papers when anything bad happens is second nature (and putting out your own version of events is an exercise in damage control). It's the papers themselves that should be exercising caution. Let Jade tell her story; print the official photos of her wedding and her deathbed confessions, if she tells you to. But if you don't get the exclusive, if your rival outbids you, don't print intrusive pap shots or doorstep her nearest and dearest. Give her a bit of the privacy that we all deserve in death, tabloid-hungry celebrity or not.

"Revoke Prop 8" call from UAE

Also of note in OK! Middle East was the short paragraph devoted to Ellen DeGeneres and her shortlived marriage to Portia de Rossi. For those of you who aren't so celeb-minded, the pair got hitched last year when California legalised gay marriage. As well as voting for a new president last November, the good people of California also voted on Prop 8, a proposition to overrule the decision, and sadly the result was not good, meaning Ellen's wedding was invalidated.

The campaign to revoke Prop 8 is ongoing - many straight couples in the state (hi Kait and Ben!) are choosing domestic partnership ceremonies over marriage until the ban is overturned.

Anyway, what surprised me about the story was that OK! was supportive of Ellen's gay marriage. Odd from one of the more conservative regions of the world - last time I checked, homosexuality was illegal in the UAE.

child custody and Dubai

Mark was away in Dubai with work last week, and while he couldn't afford anything from the designer stores he did bring me the next best thing - OK! Middle East magazine.

It's much glossier than the UK version, slightly less salacious, and the On the Town section at the back plays more to the arty ex-pat community than the faux-scruffy rock offspring set, but it's main focus is still minor celebrities and their doings.

The cover story was Britney and her ongoing dilemma of juggling motherhood with her relaunch as a global pop star. The angle seemed to be that Britney would be much better off staying at home looking after the kids than reclaiming her pop crown by going on tour.

While this smacks of sexism towards working women (why shouldn't a mother be the main earner and a father the main carer?), it also strikes me as hypocritical considering the case of Marnie Pearce, whose conviction for adultery was upheld in a Dubai court last week.

Ms Pearce's guilt or otherwise is not the main issue (although if the UK brought adultery cases against everyone who found a new partner before their marriage was officially dissolved our jails would be a lot fuller). The court's decision to deport her once she is released means she is unlikely to see her children again unless their father (who brought the charges in the first place) deems it acceptable.

While I don't support the call for the children to be forcibly brought to the UK (the father still has rights, and if the case was reversed I don't believe many would support children being taken from this country), it is shocking that the courts in Dubai have assisted Ms Pearce's ex-husband in his quest to remove her from her children's lives.

A joint custody agreement would surely be best for the children involved, but I'm not holding my breath. Both Ms Pearce and Mr El-Labban are playing out their dispute over Facebook.

Piven

Jeremy Piven is being investigated by producers of Speed-the-Plow, the play he pulled out of because he had mercury poisoning. Seems they're a little dubious about his excuse (come on, if you were going to pull a sicky surely you wouldn't choose something so outlandish?).

David Mamet, the play's author, had the best response: ""My understanding is that Jeremy is leaving showbusiness to pursue a career as a thermometer."

Shhh!

Once in a while I lament my north London existence (close enough to town to feel the buzz of the city, not close enough to be a part of it). I read about film premieres and exhibition openings in the paper, but never get round to booking tickets or organising a babysitter. Since we had Logan even going to the cinema is a luxury!

One event I really regret not booking in advance is Bristol's Slapstick festival, on next weekend and now in it's fifth year. As Mark will attest, there's nothing I find funnier than someone falling over - you can't beat a good pratfall, can you?

Buster Keaton was one of the best, and his 1923 film Our Hospitality will be shown on Saturday, accompanied by Prima Vista Social Club, one of the best silent film orchestras in Europe (apparently).

Also on the bill are The Goodies (minus Bill Oddie, who's probably holed up somewhere watching big cats/badgers) chatting to Phil Jupitus, Eric Sykes chatting to The Goodies, films by Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin and a new project from The Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain (did you know Marilyn Monroe played the ukelele?). There's even an event wholly given over to finding out why falling over is funny.

I have a whole year to organise a weekend babysitter for the next one, any offers?

Golden Globes - it's all about the frocks

Poor Anne Hathaway, losing out to Kate Winslet at the Golden Globes after a computer error had named her best actress the day before. Just to rub it in, Kate won for best supporting actress too, for her part in The Reader. And Kate definitely won in the style stakes - Anne looks like she's disappearing before our eyes with that severe hairstyle and tight bodice.


Best dressed: Drew Barrymore looked amazing, and Vanessa Hudgens looked great in a vintage-style frock that was a world away from her High School Musical gear.

Highly commended: Melissa George stood out in a sea of glitter and oversized dresses, and Rumor Willis proved she scrubs up well (how hard must it be when your Mum is still a red carpet regular?).

Best dressed man: No one else could pull off such a bizarre look, but Mickey Rourke looked fab compared to the bland black suit/tie combos of all the other men.

Worst dressed: Renee Zellweger seems to have forgotten her top half, Heidi Klum should stop dressing like a twelve-year-old and Penelope Cruz had a rare off-day.