Ephraim Hardcastle
PRINCE William’s lastminute decision not to say a few words to the Press about new daughter Charlotte was made after he saw that BBC correspondent Nicholas Witchell was present. ‘He seems to have inherited a dislike of Witchell from his father,’ says my source, adding: ‘The Press team in attendance had asked the BBC to position a shared microphone for that purpose. But William changed his mind, causing Kate a touch of confusion. As they were preparing to exit for the second time, an aide reminded William there was a microphone, but he took no notice.’ This seems unfair to Witchell, who is merely doing his job. Just to recap, in 2005 in the Swiss ski resort of Klosters, he asked Charles how William and Harry felt about his forthcoming marriage to Camilla. Charles was heard to mutter under his breath, picked up by microphone: ‘These bloody people… I can’t bear that man. I mean, he’s so awful, he really is…’
PLUGGING his forthcoming oneman stage shows in the UK, Hollywood star Al Pacino – who will talk about his career, answer questions and show clips from his movies – says he’s at home in Britain, adding: ‘I’ve been to Yorkshire. I’ve lived in Devon and all over the place. I’ve lived everywhere – I’m 104 years old.’ The priapic rascal is actually 75. Yet he shares his Manhattan f our- poster with Argentinian firecracker Lucila Sola, 36, both pictured.
ED Miliband’s ‘tombstone’ list of promises alerted an educated listener to Nick Ferrari’s show on LBC Radio. She said it reminded her of writer George Orwell’s attack on Stalinist socialism in Animal Farm, in which the ‘Seven Commandments of Animalism’ are reduced to one: ‘All Animals Are Equal But Some Are More Equal Than Others.’ Labour’s Prince Ed is more equal than his elder brother!
RE the steamy, banned 1969 hit Je t’aime… moi non plus, which she yodelled with her grizzled 40-year-old lover, the late Serge Gainsbourg, the-then 22-year-old Jane Birkin censored the song before playing it to her parents. Particularly the ‘heavy breathing’. Ms Birkin, now 68, recalls in a BBC4 documentary, Je t’aime: The Story Of French Song with Petula Clark: ‘So Ma said, “What a beautiful tune.” Then my brother put the whole thing on – with the heavy breathing!’
CROSS-DRESSING comic Eddie Izzard’s appearance in Glasgow alongside ‘dead man walking’ Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy didn’t go well. Was it wise to involve Eddie? He’s a heroic champion of lost causes like the euro, electoral reform and the premiership of Gordon Brown.
SCROFULOUS comic Russell Brand, having advised fans not to vote, now says they should back Labour. He recently called the party’s Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, a ‘****’. Did Brand have to promise he would endorse Labour in order to have Miliband visit his east London loft and be ‘interviewed’?