In an interview with Radio 4’s Front Row, the Sweeney Todd star said his children had watched more of his own films than he had.

"I prefer to walk away with the experience as opposed to walking away with the product," he explained.

Depp is in London to promote new film Public Enemies, in which he plays the gangster John Dillinger.

Character

Depp said: "I’ve not seen the film, so I don’t know what it looks like."

He added: "I like to portray a character, inhabit a character and build character, but I don’t want to watch the end result necessarily, because it becomes about money then and I’d rather not think about that.

"My children have seen more films of mine than I have. They’ve seen all of them within reason - many more than I have.

He added: "I have no plans to see them - any of them."

Depp also said he does not even check his on-screen appearance during the shooting of a film.

"I wouldn’t dare watch a playback or rushes or anything like that," he said.

Source: BBC News

Greatest hits album Number Ones rocketed from 121 to the top spot after a surge in sales since the superstar’s death on Thursday.

The same album earned Jackson his last number one when first released in 2003.

Four of his other hit albums also made a reappearance in the top 20, the Official Charts Company said.

Thriller, still the biggest-selling album of all time, raced from 179 to number seven, King of Pop reached 14, Off The Wall got to 17 and The Essential Michael Jackson came in at number 20.

A total of 11 Michael Jackson or Jackson Five albums featured in the top 200.

In the singles chart, 43 out of the top 200 singles feature the singer, with Jackson hits accounting for all but one of the new entries in the top 40.

Overall, Michael Jackson accounted for over 300,000 record sales across singles and albums in just two days this week.

World domination

Music retailers said that although demand for Jackson’s singles had been high since his death, his extensive back catalogue meant that no one song stood out in sales and he was narrowly denied a posthumous entry in the top 10.

Man in the Mirror re-entered the charts at number 11, nearly 20 years after its original release, while Billie Jean got to 25, Smooth Criminal to 28, Beat It reached 30 and Earth Song reached 38.

Jackson’s return to the charts overshadowed electro-pop newcomer La Roux’s new entry at number one in the singles chart with Bulletproof.

Kasabian also suffered and was knocked off the number one spot in the albums chart with West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum.

Gennaro Castaldo, of music retailer HMV, told the BBC the estimated demand for Jackson albums was now 80 times greater than the day before he died.

"Once we had the announcement of his death people came into our stores and we had large crowds.

"Fortunately we had a lot of stock because we had been preparing for the O2 concerts, but sadly we didn’t expect to sell them for this reason."

‘Larger in death’

Jackson’s albums have dominated sales at music retailers and download sites across the world since his death. Earlier on Sunday his songs topped Apple’s iTunes download charts in every country except Japan.
MICHAEL JACKSON 1958-2009
# Full name: Michael Joseph Jackson
# Born: August 29, 1958, Gary, Indiana, US
# Also known as: The King of Pop, Wacko Jacko
# Biggest hits: I Want You Back, Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Bad, Black or White, Earth Song
# Sold: 750 million albums
# Earned: $700 million (estimated)

The star died after suffering a cardiac arrest at his Los Angeles home on Thursday.

Police investigating the death said they had carried out an "extensive interview" with his doctor, Conrad Murray, who was with the singer at the time.

A spokeswoman for Dr Murray insisted he was not a suspect in the case and the Los Angeles Police Department said they did not intend to speak to him again.

Jackson’s family are said to be seeking a second autopsy because they still have questions about his death.

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office said there was no evidence of foul play after an autopsy on Friday, but gave no cause of death.

It said the results of toxicology tests could take weeks to come back.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Michael Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, said he doubted that stress over the star’s upcoming residency at London’s O2 Arena was a factor in his death.

He added he thought his son was going to be larger in death than he was in life, but wished he was around to see the public outpouring of affection since he died.

Source: BBC News

It will be the first Glastonbury for the band, who recently celebrated their 40th anniversary and who are expected to play hits like Rockin’ All Over The World, Whatever You Want, Caroline and In the Army Now.

But with a dislike of mud and smelly toilets, singer and guitarist Francis Rossi says he’s not relishing the prospect.

Have you ever been to Glastonbury?

No, I’d never go to a festival. Someone asked if we would be staying to watch the other bands. What for? Do you go to the bloke next door and watch him work?
“ You’ve got dodgy, stinky toilets, I don’t like those much, and I don’t like muddy fields ”

Why do you dislike festivals?

I’ve been to them - I’ve been this side [performing] and it’s bad enough this side, let alone that side [as a festival-goer].

There’s too many people. You’ve got dodgy, stinky toilets, I don’t like those much, and I don’t like muddy fields. And if the weather’s particularly suspect I don’t like being outside.

Someone asked if this is the weirdest thing I’ve ever done. No, I’ve played at the bottom of a quarry, we’ve played in castles, I’ve played in a sandstorm, I’ve played in a tornado.

Aren’t you interested in exploring Glastonbury’s delights?

We have some place else to be - we’ll get on the bus and eat and go to wherever we’re going to next.
“ I never have expectations for a gig - don’t tell me it’s important, I’ll mess up ”

Are there any festivals you have liked?

One of the best is the Skanderborg Festival [in Denmark]. It’s in this forest and they don’t disturb the trees, you work in between the trees and there’s all these stages up. It goes on 24 hours a day for three or four days.

I remember walking onto that gig and as we were coming up, this guy came up covered in blood. He said, ‘I killed my friend’. Yeah, all right, we’ve got to get on. Security took him away and we went on. I kept thinking, somewhere out there there’s a dead friend.

What’s the current status of your ponytail?

What ponytail? I had it taken off about two or three months ago and I’m still rubbing the back of my head because I’m still fascinated with having no hair. I’ve had long hair since I was 16.

I feel quite rebellious because I’ve got short hair. There’s millions of people with short hair but to me it feels different. It feels great.

What’s happened to it?

We were playing the other night and this woman said, ‘I’ve got the ponytail’. I thought, where have you got the ponytail? Luckily, she said, ‘It’s at home’.

When I saw it cut off, it was far from a ponytail. No pony could have that. It looked like a sprig come off its bum. So I was very glad to lose it.

How did it feel to turn 60 recently?

It’s a big number isn’t it? That whole age thing has really hit me. We all get the Victor Meldrew thing - you start seeing things that are ridiculous. They keep moving the decimal point.

Did turning 60 make you think about retiring?

No, not whilst Uncle Mick and Uncle Keith are doing it. They set the precedent and we just follow. We’re still that generation that’s trying to prove that my parents’ generation wrong.

Everybody at the time was laughing at the Stones and the Beatles, saying it’s not going last, they don’t have an education, it’s never going to go anywhere. And it did. And it is valid. And it’s still a great job.

Do you think Glastonbury will be the catalyst for a Quo chart comeback?

What’s this comeback? I’d smack your legs. We had a hit album in November, and the year before we had a small hit. Admittedly they’re not in the charts for months at a time.

But we still need that affirmation that we’re successful, even if we get in the top 10 or top 15 for a week or two.

Will you be belting out the classics at Glastonbury?

We’ll do the same set we did the night before. Our set has got one track from the last album, two tracks from the album before that, but it’s only an hour.

There will be all the favourites, and some new ones. I never have expectations for a gig. Don’t tell me it’s important - I’ll mess up.

Source: BBC News

The 69-year-old was taken to the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison at Corcoran on Monday, a spokeswoman said.

The unit is designed for those who may need extra protection - including high-profile inmates.

Spector is serving 19 years to life for killing actress Lana Clarkson in 2003.

He does not have a cellmate and, as a medium security inmate, can make some requests for items he wants in his cell.

His wife, Rachelle, said a list was already being compiled.

"He wants a TV and an iPod or something like that for listening to music - and he would like to be able to receive e-mail," she said.

Prison spokesman Stephen Smith said Spector may even be able to lead jam sessions with his fellow inmates.

"The facility he is on now, there are a bunch of inmates that have instruments and they all play together on the exercise yard," Smith told the Los Angeles Times.

The prison has housed other entertainment figures in the past.

Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr served time there in 1999 for violating his probation in a drug conviction and ended up counselling other inmates before he was released.

Spector was convicted of second-degree murder in April, two years after the jury in his initial trial failed to reach a unanimous verdict.

Source: BBC News

Brown, 19, was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to do six months of community service.

Brown had faced charges of assaulting Rihanna, 21, during a row in February.

The last-minute plea deal came before a hearing at a Los Angeles court at which Rihanna was due to give evidence. She said the sentence was "fair".

Brown had been facing a potential jail sentence of four years.

His sentence involves five years of supervised probation and six months of community labour, such as picking up litter or removing graffiti.

He will also have to attend courses on domestic violence.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg told him: "I think it’s commendable that you took responsibility for your conduct, sir."

Speaking outside the court, Brown’s lawyer Mark Geragos said: "He embraces this as a chance to get the message out that domestic violence will not be tolerated. He wants to get his life back on track."

After Brown left the courtroom, Rihanna entered and was addressed by Judge Schnegg who explained to the Barbados-born singer that she had issued a stay-away order.

The singer had not been seeking such an order, but the judge imposed one anyway.

The order requires that Brown and Rihanna stay at least 50 yards (45m) from each other, except at entertainment industry events when the distance is reduced to 10 yards (9m).

The judge also told Rihanna it is not a one-way order - and that she, too, should not get any closer to Brown than the order allows.

Rihanna’s lawyer, Donald Etra, said the singer believed it was a "fair and just resolution" to the case.

Brown will be formally sentenced on 5 August.

Brown, whose hits include With You and No Air, was questioned by police on 8 February over a complaint of assault.

Police said he had been in an argument with an unidentified woman in a parked car in the Hancock Park area of Los Angeles, which escalated after they left the vehicle.

Both Brown and Rihanna pulled out of that night’s Grammy awards, where they had been due to perform.

He has since said he was "sorry and saddened" by the incident and was seeking counselling.

After reports of the assault emerged, a photograph was posted on a US gossip website which purported to show Rihanna with welts, scratches, bruises and swelling on her face.

After it appeared, the Los Angeles Police Department launched an internal investigation and asked for the public’s help in finding the person who leaked it.

Source: BBC News

The film, starring Sandra Bullock as a hard-nosed executive who coerces her assistant into a fake marriage to avoid deportation, took $34.1m (£20.7m).

It puts last week’s number one, bachelor party film The Hangover, in second place with $26.9m (£16.3m).

Prehistoric comedy Year One opened at number four with $20.2m (£12.3m).

Animated comedy Up, a former number one about about a grumpy old man and a scout who travel to South America in a flying house, was at number three with $21.3m (£12.9m).

The top five was rounded out by subway hijacking thriller The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, which took $11.3m (£6.9m).

US AND CANADA BOX OFFICE
# 1. The Proposal - $34.1m
# 2. The Hangover - $26.9m
# 3. Up - $21.3m
# 4. Year One - $20.2m
# 5. The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 - $11.3m Source: Hollywood.com (formerly Media by Numbers)

Box office receipts were slightly up at the weekend compared with the same period a year ago but that follows three weekends in a row of declining ticket sales.

Industry experts expect this to change with the forthcoming release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen on Wednesday. The sequel starring Shia BeLeouf opened in the UK and Japan this weekend.

Woody Allen’s latest comedy, Whatever, Works, performed strongly given its limited release. It took $280,720 (£171,059) in just nine cinemas over the weekend, making an average of $31,191 (£19,005) per cinema.

The Proposal made an average of $11,163 (£6,802) per cinema. It opened in over 3000 outlets.

Source: BBC News

The modern glass and concrete building, at the foot of the ancient Acropolis, houses sculptures from the golden age of Athenian democracy.

The £110m ($182m; 130m euros) structure also offers panoramic views of the stone citadel where they came from.

Culture minister Antonis Samaras said he hoped it would be the "catalyst" for the return of the Parthenon sculptures from the British Museum.

Some of the sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles, originally decorated the Parthenon temple and have been in London since they were sold to the museum in 1817.

“ After several adventures, obstructions and criticism, the new Acropolis Museum is ready ”
Antonis Samaras

The museum has long argued that Greece has no proper place to put them - an argument the Greek government hopes the Acropolis Museum addresses.

Mr Samaras said: "After several adventures, obstructions and criticism, the new Acropolis Museum is ready: a symbol of modern Greece that pays homage to its ancestors, the duty of a nation to its cultural heritage."

The building, set out over three levels, holds about 350 artefacts and sculptures that were previously held in a small museum on top of the Acropolis.

Antique ceramics and sculptures are displayed on the first floor while the Caryatids - columns sculpted as females holding up the roof of a porch on the southern side of the Erechtheum temple - dominate the top of a glass ramp leading up the second floor.

‘Act of barbarism’

Sculptures from the Temple of Athena and the Propylaea entrance to the Acropolis will be displayed on the second floor, while the third features a reconstruction of the Parthenon Marbles.
“ The structure is Greece’s answer to the British argument that there is nowhere in their country to house the Elgin marbles ”
Razia Iqbal, BBC arts correspondent

The reconstruction is based on several elements that remain in Athens as well as copies of the marbles still housed in the British Museum. The London institution holds 75 metres of the original 160 metres of the frieze that ran round the inner core of the building.

The copies of those held in the British Museum are differentiated by their white colour - because they are plaster casts, contrasting with the weathered marble of the originals.

Museum director Prof Dimitris Pandermalis said the opening of the museum provides an opportunity to correct "an act of barbarism" in the sculptures’ removal.

"Tragic fate has forced them apart but their creators meant them to be together," he said.

Bernard Tschumi, the building’s US-based architect, said: "It is a beautiful space that shows the frieze itself as a narrative - even with the plaster copies of what is in the British Museum - in the context of the Parthenon itself."

Source: BBC News

The 19-year-old’s lawyer requested the delay last week to gain access to police records. An appeals court had already rejected a similar request.

The singer is due in court on 22 June for the hearing.

Brown has pleaded not guilty to assaulting and threatening his singer girlfriend Rihanna in February.

The preliminary hearing will determine whether there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial.

Barbados-born singer Rihanna, 21, has been requested to appear as a witness. It is thought she is likely to testify in the case.

Brown faces up to four years in prison if convicted of the charges.

The singer is best known in the UK for the top 10 hits Run It, Forever and his duet with Jordin Sparks, No Air.

Source: BBC News

Mrs Palin complained after he joked on his show that a baseball player had "knocked up" one of her daughters.

Critics thought the joke was targeted at her 14-year-old daughter, Willow, but Letterman has now said it was about her sister Bristol, 18.

"I’m sorry about it and I’ll try to do better in the future," he said.

Letterman made the joke last week after the governor took her family to watch a New York Yankees game.

Mrs Palin’s husband, Todd, issued a statement describing the joke as "despicable" while the governor charged Letterman with "sexually perverted comments".

‘My fault’

Letterman told viewers on Monday night: "I told a joke that was beyond flawed, and my intent is completely meaningless compared to the perception.

"I would like to apologise especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke.

"But I never thought it was [about] anybody other than the older daughter, and before the show I checked to make sure, in fact, that she is of legal age, 18.

"It’s not your fault that it was misunderstood, it’s my fault that it was misunderstood," he added.

A group of Palin supporters, calling themselves Fire David Letterman, is planning a protest outside the show’s studio at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York’s Times Square on Tuesday.

Mrs Palin has accepted Letterman’s apology, saying she hopes it will help change attitudes about men who joke about the sexual exploitation of young girls.

Source: BBC News