Iran denies De Burgh live concert

Authorities in Iran have denied that singer Chris de Burgh is to play a live concert in Tehran, according to an Iranian news agency.

It had been reported in December that the Irish singer would perform with Iranian pop group Arian.

But IRNA reported that the Music Office of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance had not received a request for the show, nor issued a permit.

In Iran, official permission is required to stage a concert.

Arian's manager told Reuters news agency in December that Iranian authorities had approved a plan for De Burgh to play with the pop group.

At the time, he said the concert would be scheduled for either June or July.

If the concert went ahead, De Burgh would be the first Western artist to play a concert in Iran since the country's 1979 revolution.

De Burgh recently recorded a song, The Words I Love You, with Arian and visited Tehran in May.

A spokesperson for the singer-songwriter was not immediately available for comment.

BY-BBC NEWS

Ellen DeGeneres reportedly weds in California

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) -- There was much dancing: Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are married, according to reports.

Ellen DeGeneres announced on her talk show that she would marry her girlfriend Portia de Rossi.

In the biggest celebrity union since California legalized same-sex marriage, DeGeneres, 50, and de Rossi, 35, wed Saturday night in an intimate ceremony at their Beverly Hills home, People and US Magazine reported.

A publicist for DeGeneres confirmed People's report and gave no further comment.

After the California Supreme Court's ruling in May, the talk-show host announced that she and de Rossi would wed after four years together.

The ceremony was attended by 19 guests, including DeGeneres' mom, Betty, and de Rossi's mother, Margaret Rogers, who had flown in from Australia, People.com reported Saturday night.

DeGeneres said after winning her fourth consecutive Daytime Emmy for talk show host in June that a date had not been set, and that she would show "a tiny bit" of the nuptials on her show.

While opponents in California have gathered signatures to put a measure on the November ballot for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, Hollywood was throwing its support behind the newlyweds.

"One of my favorite people of all time is Ms. Ellen DeGeneres," Katherine Heigl, star of "Grey's Anatomy," told Associated Press Television News at a Hollywood charity event on Saturday night. "So I wish all the best, all the happiness, all the joy that comes with that certificate ... just the joy of being able to stand up and say that. In front of everyone you love and care about in front of each other and to walk away legal is huge."

Tila Tequila, whose dating reality show fame is built somewhat on her affinity for both men and women, passed along her good wishes -- with only one small complaint.

"I love Ellen (DeGeneres); I watch her show all the time," Tequila told APTN. "I just want to say congratulations, and I am really sorry you didn't invite me to your wedding."

An ailing brain with imagination undimmed

Last year Terry Pratchett, the bestselling author of the Discworld fantasies, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. How does the writer cope with a disease that whittles away at his brain?

When writer Terry Pratchett was told he had Alzheimer's disease, his first thought was "that's a bit of a bugger". That, and "I hope they hurry up and find a cure quick."

In December 2007, at the age of 59, the Discworld author was diagnosed with a rare early-onset form of the disease called Posterior Cortical Atrophy, or PCA.

It was last summer when he first started to suspect all was not well, and went to see his doctor. Given a brain scan and a Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), a brief 30-point questionnaire commonly used by medics to screen for dementia, he was told that all was well. "I passed the test - it's actually quite hard to fail I think."

But as time wore on, he remained convinced that all was not well.

"We had what I called a Clapham Junction day, when you know the phones were ringing. There were lots of things to do and I was just kind of flat-lining almost. I just couldn't deal with it and I thought 'there's more, there's more'."

He was referred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where the diagnosis was finally made.

BY-BBC NEWS