For (although she was knocked out at the semi-final stage) Sharapova's picture was featured in the nationals a staggering 225 times during the tournament.All of which means that lucky reader Courtney Clarke wins my competition to guess how many times Sharapova would pop up in print.Ms Clarke gets a bottle of Dom Perignon 1996, together with a £180 donation to the charity of her choice from the bookmaker Bethilo. They gamely offered me a spread bet on this important matter.* The two Sirs - Bob Geldof, and Paul McCartney - were joined by several dozen of the world's most famous musicians for a rendition of "Hey Jude" at the end of Saturday's Live8 concert in Hyde Park.Pictures of the sing-along also show a mystery guest on stage. But you could be forgiven for thinking she was bereaved, not Richard's private and dignified partner Kathryn Apanowicz."Vorderman - Whiteley's loyal colleague for 23 years - won't dignify Jonsson's unprovoked attack with a response. But a friend tells me: "You haven't heard the last of this."* And so farewell, Maria Sharapova, who - now Wimbledon fortnight is over - will disappear from British newspapers for another long year.Goodness knows how Fleet Street will do without her, either. Untroubled by the saccharine conventions of celebrity columns, Jonsson, below right, used her page in Sunday's News of the World to discuss the death of Vorderman's Countdown co-star Richard Whiteley."His premature death was sad and shocking. But I can't be the only one sick of the sight of Carol Vorderman moping tearfully about in a slinky black dress, crucifix and glam make-up," she wrote "I realise her grief must run deep.
His new flame, Angelina Jolie, owns a pad in Buckinghamshire.* There are the makings of a nasty catfight between Ulrika Jonsson and another well-appointed TV hostess, Carol Vorderman, right. "We're in discussions with the BBC and with Brad's production company Plan B about a documentary."Pitt, by the by, is a regular visitor to the UK these days. Instead, the Hollywood mega-star is liable to end up talking about a leisure centre near Brighton.Pitt, recently took a year out from acting to work for Frank Gehry, the Canadian architect best known for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.Now he's hoping to make a documentary charting the progress of Gehry's latest project, a £250m development on the King Alfred site in Hove.The developers, Karis, say filming will commence this autumn when Gehry unveils his design to the local council."Brad's been involved in the project for nearly two years," says their spokesman. We'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if Gordon cuts it.* The next time Brad Pitt hits the screen, he might not be saving the world or getting a girl.
It immediately creates £30m-a-year of pre-tax savings but there should be lots more to go for Buy.. Anything Tony can do, Gordon can do better. Last week, the Prime Minister gave his first post-election TV interview, to the "yoof" channel MTV This week, it's the Chancellor's turn to court the masses. In what will, amazingly, mark his first studio audience show since 1997, Brown has agreed to headline ITV's G8 special tomorrow night. The broadcaster says that, in an "exclusive and rare format," he'll chat to Jonathan Dimbleby, Kofi Annan, Sir Elton John, and 200 members of the public.The move is seen as hugely significant, because (until now) Brown has only ever done formal, one-on-one interviews. What makes the deal so attractive is that it brings together two companies involved in the dull-sounding closed life fund business.The two have been busy taking over life funds that insurers no longer wish to operate and which have been closed to new business. The closed life funds are still receiving premiums from policyholders and an efficient, well-run organisation can make good money looking after them.The merger, to be put to Britannic shareholders this month, will create the leading closed fund consolidator.