Hollywood star Susan Sarandon has used the premiere of her new film to criticize British Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George W. Bush. The 56-year-old actress was attending the premiere of The Banger Sisters, in London's Leicester Square, along with co-star Goldie Hawn. Oscar-winner Sarandon said, "I'm tired of being labeled anti-American because I ask questions." She added that there were questions which needed asking about the prospect of war with Iraq. And the star of hit film Thelma And Louise said she could not understand Blair's relationship with President Bush. She added, "What's happened to Blair? I don't understand his reasoning or his logic. I don't understand his evolution. I can see him being seduced by (former President) Bill Clinton but don't understand what him and Bush speak about."

Memento filmmaker Christopher Nolan has been confirmed as the next person to tackle the ailing Batman franchise. The British director, whose most recent film Insomnia starred Al Pacino, has signed a deal with studio giant Warner Bros, who currently have three new Batman projects in development. Nolan says, "I grew up with Batman, I've been fascinated by him and I'm excited to contribute to the lore surrounding the character. Batman is the most credible and realistic of the superheroes, and has the most complex human psychology. His superhero qualities come from within. He's not a magical character. I had a fantastic experience with the studio on Insomnia and I'm keen to repeat that experience." The Batman franchise started strongly in the late 1980s, with Michael Keaton starring as the caped crusader in the first film and Batman Returns, but the two following movies - Batman Forever with Val Kilmer and Batman And Robin with George Clooney - flopped. The other two Batman projects are Batman: Year One, a darker tale to be directed by Requiem For A Dream's Darren Aranofsky and Catwoman, which follows the story of Michelle Pfeiffer's Batman Returns character. Kiss The Girls star Ashley Judd is reported to be taking over the role.

West Wing star Rob Lowe is set to continue his career on the small screen after setting up a deal to star in a new drama. The hunky actor, who left the immensely successful White House drama after disputes over pay, is hoping to also produce the show currently entitled Lyon's Den. The series will follow the life of an idealistic young attorney (played by Lowe) as he struggles to forge his own career by distancing himself from his powerful father, who is a state senator. If the pilot is picked up Lowe will remain in the NBC stable, despite his furious exit for its premiere show and will earn significantly more than he did on the Martin Sheen fronted drama.

The rekindled romance between Hollywood superstars George Clooney and Renee Zellweger seems to be heating up after he presented her with a beautiful bracelet. The gift, a $30,000 diamond bracelet, was presented to the Chicago star at Christmas after the pair began dating again. And Zellweger wore it to the prestigious Golden Globe Awards where she collected her Best Actress gong. A friend says, "Renee was stunned. It's not the type of gift you'd give to a casual girlfriend. It definitely said something about how deep George's feelings have become for Renee." The glitzy couple first dated last year shortly after she broke off her engagement to funnyman Jim Carrey. The friend continues, "It was a rebound romance, and neither George nor Renee was ready at the time to be involved in anything more serious. But then they bumped into each other before Christmas and realized they still had feelings for each other. George has recently been saying that he feels ready to commit."

Hollywood star Nick Nolte was the only one not surprised after his shock arrest last year - because he knew he was heading for meltdown. The U-Turn actor was picked up by police after taking the date rape drug GHB and then driving, but he insists it was the tail end of a lifetime of substance abuse. Nolte says, "I've had a problem with substances all my life. Every so often it rises up and bites me. I was at a low point and I got slack. You get lazy. You start doing a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Pretty soon you're doing it every day. The truth is when I was arrested I was thankful the jig was up. That's all."

Friends beauty Courteney Cox's fixation with home decorating has inspired her latest work - she's set to create and produce an interior design show for cable TV. Mix It Up, which premieres on WE: Women's Entertainment this autumn, profiles couples and roommates whose styles are at odds. Cox, married to her Scream co-star David Arquette, says, "When David and I moved in together, our tastes were so different. If I could throw David's stuff out, I would, but I have to respect his collection of junk and make it work." And brunette Cox, who will not appear on the show, says her own design tastes are nothing like those of her Friends character Monica. She explains, "I'm a lot more modern than she is."

Movie veteran Kirk Douglas was so inspired by his son's fairytale wedding to Catherine Zeta-Jones - he's planning to step down the aisle again himself. The 86-year-old celebrates the 50th anniversary of his wedding to wife Anne next year - and he confesses he's planning to mark the occasion by asking her to renew their vows. He says, "When we have been married for 50, which will be next year, I will propose to her again. If she says 'yes, ' I'm going to have a wedding almost as big as Michael and Catherine's. It will be a masterpiece."

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas will miss the first week of their court battle against Hello! magazine after a judge turned down their request to delay it. The Hollywood superstars had requested a further delay because they both have prior commitments to fulfill. Chicago star Zeta-Jones, 33, and Falling Down actor Douglas, 58, are suing Hello! over allegedly unauthorized wedding pictures which appeared in the magazine, scuppering the "exclusive" $1.5 million deal they had with rival OK! They are suing Hello! for $3 million for stress, loss of income and damage to their professional careers because of the poor quality of the photos. The preliminary hearing was told Douglas would be in Sierra Leone carrying out work on behalf of the United Nations while Zeta-Jones would be in Berlin for the premiere of Chicago at the start of the trial. Michael Tugendhat, acting for the couple, said, "Mr. Douglas wishes to be with his wife in London when she gives evidence, not simply because she is his wife and is seven months pregnant. It is of great importance to them that they go through this together." The start of the trial has already been delayed twice, causing judge Sir Andrew Morritt to throw out the request for a further postponement and it will begin on February 3.

Billy Joel's ex-wife Christie Brinkley jumped to the singer's aid after he was involved in a car crash on Saturday - and took care of his insurance headaches. The rocker reportedly broke his nose and was left with scratches on his face when his Mercedes smashed into a tree on Dead Man's Bend in Long Island, and Brinkley didn't hesitate to help him out. She was spotted at the impound, where Joel's smashed-up car was taken to after the crash, taking photographs of the wreckage. Meanwhile, Sag Harbor police, who helped drag Joel out of his car have admitted they didn't breathalyze the singer at the scene because there was nothing to suggest he had been drinking. Joel, who checked into a booze rehab last summer, was later given the all- clear in hospital in Long Island. Police chief Thomas Fabiano says, "He was very lucky. The tree made contact with the passenger side. He could have been killed." Joel was released from hospital on Sunday and is recuperating at home.

Actress Anjelica Huston and director Martin Scorsese will receive the annual Hasty Pudding awards from the drama society at America's prestigious Harvard University. The Hasty Pudding Awards, which were announced on Monday, are given to performers who've made a "lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment." The recipients of last year's awards were Bruce Willis and Sarah Jessica Parker.