Q: I’m so heartbroken about James Brown’s death. But I read somewhere that they are going to make a movie about him. Is that true? — A.S.A: Yes, Brown’s death on Christmas Day certainly saddened his many fans. But there is indeed a bio film in the works. It’s in the early stages, and Brown (pictured), was contributing to it before his death. It’s now on the boards, with Spike Lee set to direct but no actor yet in place; it has a tentative start date of late this year.

Q: Is it true that Megan Mullally’s show is going off the air? Why? I liked it. — L.PA:<$> Unfortunately, not enough viewers did. The talk show suffered from very low ratings — it was last among talk shows, in fact. So NBC Universal had no choice but to pull the plug. Episodes should air until the end of this month.

Q: I just saw the news about the school Oprah opened in Africa. Why didn’t she do it in the US? — K.

A:<$> Oprah Winfrey opened a leadership academy in South Africa, approximately 40 miles from Johannesburg, to address what she felt was a huge education gap for girls in that country. She has responded to criticism about not building it in the US by saying that there is a system for public education in this country (and she has already contributed millions to individual students) and that she sensed that many US students are more interested in acquiring iPods and sneakers than in actually learning, while students in South Africa are sincerely interested in going to school. She has been criticised for the lavishness of the new school’s buildings and facilities, but waves that off as well, saying that the girls should be surrounded by beauty because beauty inspires. And since it’s her $40 million, who can disagree?

Q: Is it true that Jessica Simpson is dating Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo? — M.N.

A: No; apparently, Simpson’s manager-father Joe was more involved in that rumour than she was, reportedly floating it in exchange for tickets to Cowboys games. Romo is actually involved with another blond ser, America Idol<$> winner Carrie Underwood, and — at least for the moment — Simpson is linked with musician John Mayer.

Q: I’ve been reading about tnext Indiana Jones movie for so long. Is it ever going to happen? — .

A: <$>Apparently, yes. The long, long development process has been due to script problems and the busy schedules of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford. But word is that the script has now been finalised, and the film is set to go into production later this year.

Q: I’m a big fan of actress Claire Danes. What is she doing now? — D.C.

A: The actress co-stars with Richard Gere in the upcoming cr drama The Flock, with Glenn Close an Meryl Streep in the drama Evening, and with Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer in the fantasyventure Stardust<$>.

Q: Whatever happened to Angela Lansbury? I always admired her. Is she still acting? — B.H.

A: Yes; the esteemed actress, who last appeared the film Nanny McPhee<$>, is planning to come back to Broadway. She opens in the play DeucI> in May.

Q: Is it true that The Police are getting back together? They were one of my favourite bands. — K.R.

A: Nothing has been officially announced yet, but there is word from Britain that the trio will reunite — if not permanently, for a few concerts in the UK and the US. It’s the 30th anniversary of their hit single Roxanne, and apparently Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland wanted to do something special to cemorate it.

Q: I read somewhere that singer George Michael was arrested. Is it a sex charge again? — J.V.

A: Actually, Michael seems to be living up to the slogan “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll” — this time it’s drugs. He was arrested in London a few months ago for possession of marijuana and being deemed unfit to drive after he was found slumped over the wheel of his car.

Q: I thought Mick Jagger wasry funny on The Knights of Prosperity. Is he going to be back? 212; G.T.

A:<$> No; Jagger was reportedly annoyed that the show promoted his participation in it. More than he wanted — its original title was Let’s Rob Mick Jagger, which he rejected so he scaled down his participation. He only appeared in the series debut, but other celebrities are scheduled to appear as burglary targets in upcoming weeks.