While Roman Polanski awaits his fate in Switzerland, the drum roll is sounding in Berlin.

His new movie The Ghost Writer is playing to rave reviews, with critics hailing the offering as his best in years.

The movie, about a politician wanted in the US for extradition to another country, has a resonant theme in the director’s own life. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian writes: “This is his most purely enjoyable picture for years. A Hitchcockian nightmare with a persistent, stomach-turning sense of disquiet, brought off with confidence and dash.”

The Ghost Writer’s stars Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor have been spruiking the film at the highly prestigious international film festival.

Switzerland, the BBC reports, is this week saying it will reserve a decision on whether to extradite the fugitive director back to the US until after a Los Angeles appeals court has ruled on the matter. So far, an LA judge ordered Polanski back in the US to face the 32-year-old charges of sex with a minor but Polanski’s lawyers upped the ante with an appeal.

“As long as the question is still open, our decision depends on that,” the Swiss justice ministry’s deputy director, Rudolf Wyss, said.

Polanski’s The Ghost Writer, meanwhile, is being feted as firmly in the running for a Berlin film jury prize.

Jude Law’s ex-wife Sadie Frost has split with her boyfriend Andy Jones, who she deemed too unpolished to hang out with her A-lister crowd, according to the UK Sun.

A source said: “Sadie is upset but Andy was too green to hang around the Primrose Hill set. Every time he met Kate Moss or Jude he got starstruck and tried to impress them. Knowing [Jude] is rekindling his romance with Sienna is not helping.”

Law, meanwhile, was spotted holidaying in the Caribbean with his ex-fiancée Sienna Miller and his kids by Frost.

Frost, who traditionally accompanied the group on family breaks, was reported miffed to have been left out of the getaway. Law was said to have invited her but held back on paying for what would be a costly trip.

Winona Ryder has opened up about her relationship with Johnny Depp – saying “things changed” when she met the Pirates of the Caribbean heartthrob.

The Beetlejuice star said she was stunned by the media attention heaped on the young couple.

She said: “Things changed for me when I met Johnny.

“This weird thing happens when you’re written about in magazines, where you start to think, ‘This is who I am. This is how I have to be.’ I felt restricted and pressured into being the way people perceived me. It was hard for me to find my footing.”

Winona, 38, said: “The Johnny thing made me really afraid of the press because, even though it was about him, I was beside him the entire time.”

The pair met in 1989 and got engaged in July 1990 but split three years later.

Winona also tells how she was left hurt by suggestions that she got jealous of Angelina Jolie’s Oscar win for Girl, Interrupted.

Ryder, who also starred in the 1999 film with Jolie, said: “I was hurt that people thought that. Everyone assumed I was really jealous because I thought this would be my vehicle.

“We said from the very beginning that the actress who played Lisa [Jolie's part] would probably win an Oscar, because it was the big, great, showy part.

“I fought very hard for her [Jolie] to have that part.”

Kate Gosselin is reportedly taking steps to renew her nursing licence after her new TV show was put on hold.

Since TLC dropped her estranged husband and business partner Jon from their reality show Jon & Kate Plus 8, he has taken steps to halt filming of their children, who are the stars of the family’s reality story.

But Gosselin appears to be keeping her options open and has renewed her nursing licence, according to reports.

She paid a $45 fee for the licence and will have to complete 30 hours of continuing education in compliance with her state’s regulations. The trained midwife could earn a potential $70,000 a year in the state of Pennsylvania – much less than her former TV salary.

The pair are currently locked in a bitter and very public battle over finances.

Last week, Gosselin took Jon to court, to recoup $180,000 from him in funds that she claims he withdrew from their joint marital account without her permission.

Ex-basketball star Dennis Rodman allegedly stuck his hand up a woman’s skirt at a trendy Miami Beach nightclub.

It is claimed the notorious ladies’ man leant over and whispered something into the woman’s ear before reaching under her clothes and touching her inappropriately.

Police say the alleged victim – identified in an incident report as Jessica Cox – was left in tears and immediately told security guards.

It happened during a glittering fashion show after-party at the swanky LIV nightclub, at the Fontainebleau Hotel, in the early hours of Thursday.

Earlier that evening, the heavily tattooed 6ft 8ins NBA bad boy had sported bizarre silver and pink face paint and hit the catwalk during the charity fashion show.

He’d wowed crowds in an elaborate pink suit featuring a huge chiffon neck bow and furry cuffs.

Rodman, 48, is a well-known fixture on Miami’s party circuit and is often spotted puffing away on huge cigars while surrounded by a bevvy of beauties.

Through his rep, he has denied the allegation, claiming the woman is merely “trying to get money out of him”.

He has not been arrested but police have confirmed the investigation is ongoing.

SOURCE: Splash News

Jo Wood has said she has forgiven her estranged husband Ronnie for walking out on her.

Ronnie, 62, left wife Jo, 54, last year after 23 years of marriage and 31 years together. He left Jo for Russian model Ekaterina Ivanova, 21, whom he lives with in London.

Jo, who is currently competing on British show Strictly Come Dancing, admitted that she has finally let it go and that their kids are slowly coming around.

She said: “He’s slowly making friends with the kids again but it’s difficult and these things take time. I think maybe he was a bit nervous at first but he shouldn’t be.

“I’ve forgiven him and I’m not bitter about anything he’s done. Life’s too short to be like that.”

Jo used to pick out Ronnie’s clothes and she couldn’t help but discuss his wardrobe choices since they split.

She said: “I think: ‘By God, Ronnie, I’d have you looking better than that!’”

In honor of Fashion Rocks, an online charity auction is being set up to benefit Stand up to Cancer, a new initiative founded to raise dollars for cancer research. The auction is currently ongoing up until September 15, 2008. Some of the items include a Gibson guitar autographed by Fashion Rocks performers and presenters, a leather jacket worn and autographed by Keith Urban, tennis rackets signed by James Blake, Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova, and an opportunity to have your music reviewed by Mark Ronson. Concert packages, fashion show tickets, hotel stays, Fashion Rocks VIP gift bags and autographed merchandise from other artists are also up for grabs.

Looks like Tom’s career is not the only one going down.
Producers for Broadway’s All My Sons were hoping that having a big name celebrity in the show will help boost tickets sales, much like what Mario Lopez in A Chorus Line and Clay Aiken in Spamalot did.
According to news reports, ticket sales for Katie’s Broadway debut was far from what the producers expected. Producers are blaming the low ticket sales on Katie’s Dawson Creek days.
A unnamed source claims that “It’s not that Katie’s bad in the part. She’s good enough. The producers are just getting the feeling people still want to view Katie as sweet little Joey Potter.”
Like we would believe that; that show’s ancient history!
Jackie Green, a publicist “That information is totally false. There is a healthy advance for the show, and there is no chance of the run being shortened.”
Whatever. Don’t cover up for her.

Mel B “definitely” wants children with husband Stephen Belafonte.

The former Spice Girl – who has a nine-year-old daughter Phoenix with ex-husband Jimmy Gulzar and a 15-month-old daughter Angel with actor Eddie Murphy – is keen to expand her family even further with movie producer Stephen.

She said: “Yeah, we definitely want children. Not just yet – I think in a few years, definitely.”

Mel also revealed she thinks the secret to a happy marriage is being good friends with your spouse. She added: “I think marriage agrees with me – I’m happy all the time! We’re the best of friends, which I think is one of the most important things in a successful marriage.”

However, Mel said Stephen’s surprise present for their one-year wedding anniversary backfired when she injured herself.

She said: “You know what, my husband organized a helicopter and this beautiful restaurant, but I actually got a trapped nerve in my hip, so I ended up staying and relaxing at the hotel! But we celebrated the next day with the helicopter and the lovely restaurant.”