THE MAGAZINE

Mariah Carey
Diva forever
Just one year after declaring that she had "never done a diva-ish things" in her life, Mariah Carey and her husband were seen arriving at London's Heathrow airport with no less than 23 suitcases. The pop star then insisted that a 100,000 pounds private jet fly her to Monte Carlo for a 15 minute appearance at the World Music Awards show, and that she stay in a 10,000 pounds per night penthouse suite at the exclusive Hotel de Paris.

THE MAGAZINE

Smith for president

Will Smith has staked his claim to play Barack Obama if a film about the president is ever made. He says that he is perfect for the role because he and Obama are both tall and, most importantly, have big ears. "That's the key," Smith says. "America loves ears, you know? Mickey Mouse started it; Goffy and Dumbo followed behind. And America just loves the ears." Smith also said that he would wait until Obama "writes the end of the story" before playing the role.

THE MAGAZINE

MARLY AND ME

Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston and a neurotic dog fail to get some laughs in the canine comedy.

Marly and Me is a film about a dog. It is, as they say, based on a true story: Marley really existed and his owner, John Grogan (played by Owen Wilson), wrote a book about him. Marley, he claimed, was "the worst dog in the world". This is difficult to belive on the basis of the evidence in Marley and Me, in which the dog is disobedient, destroys furniture and is scared of thunder... all of which seems like perfectly normal behaviour for a dog. Certainly, it is not so bizarre that it justifies making a film about the creature - especially a film that lasts two and a half hours, which is about half and hour longer than Casablanca. Take my advice and watch Casablanca- it has the Second World War, a beautiful love story, and some of the greatest dialogue ever. True, it does not have a cannine in a major role, but you will still have 30 minutes left in which to go to the park and watch some dogs.