Alain Delon, the film star whose Gallic good looks, tough on-screen image and dodgy off-screen dealings have made him an idol in France for nearly 40 years, has become the first person in French legal history to succeed in getting his biography banned before it is written.
A Paris court yesterday slapped a provisional ban on the investigative journalist, Bernard Violet, ordering him to refrain from publishing his planned life of the actor despite the fact that all he has submitted so far is an 18-page synopsis.
"This is a first for France," said Mr Violet's lawyer. "This is censorship before the act. It's ridiculous and completely unacceptable no matter what the pretext."
The smoothest man in sports TV turns disc jockey on BBC Radio 2 this autumn, it was announced yesterday. Des Lynam's Friday evening show will feature music and chat with guests who may or may not be linked to sport.
The Boston Globe braced for a showdown yesterday with its well-known columnist, Mike Barnicle, after asking him to resign for plagiarising part of a column last Sunday from a best-selling book by the comedian, George Carlin.
Barnicle, an influential voice in Boston journalism, told reporters he would not resign, despite a statement from the paper accusing him of "unacceptable" behaviour.
It was the second time in as many months that the newspaper, owned by the New York Times Co., sought the resignation of a columnist. In June Patricia Smith was forced to resign after admitting she had fabricated people and quotes in some of her articles.