Oh, the dirty world of celebrity gossip! Or should that be drrty world?

I’ll confess to having a cursory look at tonight’s episode of Dirt, out of curiosity more than anything else. I was blogging at the same time, so I wasn’t paying full attention, but the gist of the storyline was as follows:

• Courtney Cox’s character heads up this sleazy celeb magazine, looking for the scoop on various celebrities.
• Tonight’s celebrity scoop was a pregnant celebrity who they discovered wasn’t actually pregnant - the couple were using a surrogate to prevent nasty stretch marks and stuff like that.
• Cox’s character seemed to be masturbating in just about every other scene, for whatever reason. In between suffocating some needy rock star between her thighs. Wonder what was he doing down there anyway
• She ropes in some photographer with severe mental problems who’s hallucinating a relationship with a dead celebrity and showing pictures of her to a bizarre cat shrine. I know somebody else like that….

I have to say, from the parts I saw, Cox’s character was truly horrible. Dirt is the operative word, because watching some of her techniques really made me feel dirty. You’ve got to wonder how much this mirrors the real life gossip columnists. It certainly blows away the image that the Heat magazine staffers try to present!

Anyway peeps, let me know if I missed anything in my short-but-sweet rundown of tonight’s episode!

We recently reported that Jack Ryder (better known as Jamie Mitchell from Eastenders), had landed a role in ITV’s new daytime drama, The Royal Today.

The Sun newspaper has reported today that Jack has quit his new role before his first episode has even aired.

Ryder reportedly made the decision because he felt “too young” in his new role and “out of depth” during rehearsals.

He told The Sun: “It’s been a difficult decision but it is the right one for me and the series.”

George Michael has revealed that he is about to make his acting debut in a US drama named Ellie Stone.

He told VH1: “I’m going to have the most phenomenal year, even though there are people who’d like me to experience a tough time.

“There’s an American tour planned and I’m starring in a big US comedy drama called Ellie Stone with Jonny Lee Miller. The writers want to name each episode after my songs.”

Life On Mars actor, Philip Glenister, has lined up a new job with the BBC.

He will move from Life On Mars to star in the new BBC five part drama, The Cranford Chronicles. Glenister joins an-all-star cast which also includes Dame Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton and Barbara Flynn.

Cranford Chronicles is based on three Gaskell books - Cranford, Mr Harrison’s Confessions and My Lady Ludlow.

According to the BBC, the “witty and poignant story follows the small absurdities and major tragedies in the lives of the people of Cranford during one extraordinary year”.

In celebration of the centenary of Daphne du Maurier’s birth, a new drama starring Geraldine Somerville, Elizabeth McGovern and Janet McTeer brings the secret love life of this renowned writer to BBC Two later this April.

Based on personal letters and biographies, the film charts the story of Daphne’s unrequited passion for the beautiful and glamorous American heiress, Ellen Doubleday, and how the play she wrote about this forbidden desire led her to a life-changing love affair with the irreverent, fun-loving actress Gertrude Lawrence.

Daphne called herself “a boy in a box” and this revealing drama shows how Daphne’s incendiary love life informed the writing of her compelling stories. Read more & comment »

Anne Elliot (Sally Hawkins) is 27 and has rather given up on the idea of ever getting a husband. She lives at Kellynch Hall, a place she loves, with her widower father, the vain and spendthrift Sir Walter Elliot (Anthony Head), and her older unmarried sister Elizabeth (Julia Davis).

Sir Walter’s costly habits have forced him, most reluctantly, to find a tenant to pay for the upkeep of Kellynch, and he intends to move to a house in Bath, where his expenses might be more manageable. When Anne hears the names of the tenants, Admiral and Mrs. Croft (Peter Wright and Marion Bailey), she is quietly alarmed. She confides in a close friend of the family, Lady Russell (Alice Krige). Mrs. Croft is the sister of Captain Frederick Wentworth (Rupert Penry-Jones), whom Anne had once hoped to marry. The relationship was discouraged by Lady Russell, who thought Captain Wentworth too poor and undistinguished for Anne, and so Anne broke it off. She and Wentworth have not seen each other since. Wentworth has now made a fortune through his exploits as a naval officer. Read more & comment »

An exhausted Dr Goodwin (Paul Fox) returns from Africa, with the Biafran orphan, Nkeshi (Reni Oluwadare), in tow. His colleagues at The Royal are relieved to see him back safe but are shocked when they discover that he has smuggled Nkeshi back illegally.

Raising the hospital’s profile, Carnegie (Robert Cavanah) is showing off the new private wing of the hospital and everyone is impressed except Ormerod and Matron (Wendy Craig) who disagree with the privileged getting priority treatment. Carnegie has arranged an opening ceremony for the new wing the following day with the Mayor of Elsinby. Will the ceremony go as planned?

Meanwhile, it’s Dr Weatherill’s (Amy Robbins) first day back at work and her first patient is alcoholic Jimmy Beattie (Tony Maudsley). Despite her best efforts to try and detoxify him, it proves an impossible task. When she later finds Jimmy inebriated at the bar, Weatherill is at a loss about how she can help him when he’s not willing to look after himself for the sake of his family. Read more & comment »