Faux-memoir by Tarzan’s chimp pal Cheeta among contenders for literature’s prestigious Booker

October 7th, 2009 Author HILARY MANTEL's hit novel WOLF HALL has been named the 2009 Man Booker Prize winner. The historic story, which revolves around the court of King Henry VIII’s chief minister Thomas Cromwell, was the clear favourite to land the literary honour.

October 6th, 2009 6 finalists await Booker Prize announcementLONDON — A tale of political intrigue set during the reign of King Henry VIII was the bookies' favorite to take the prestigious Man Booker prize for fiction Tuesday. Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall" was odds-on to win the 50,000-pound ($80,000) prize.

October 6th, 2009 Hilary Mantel wins Booker prize for fictionLONDON — A tale of political intrigue set during the reign of King Henry VIII won the prestigious Man Booker prize for fiction Tuesday. Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall" scooped the 50,000-pound ($80,000) prize.

September 9th, 2009 Previous Man Booker Prize winners DAME A.S. BYATT and J.M.

September 8th, 2009 Byatt, Coetzee on Booker Prize shortlistLONDON — Previous winners A.S. Byatt and J.M.

August 5th, 2009 LONDON - Michael Jackson's one-time associate, Bubbles the chimp, has penned a tell-all diary which chronicles his life with the recently deceased King of Pop. The tome, Bubbles: My Secret Diary, From Swaziland to Neverland, will be released by publisher John Blake, who says the spoof memoir was a "collection of very personal and honest entries from (Bubbles') diary," giving readers the "whole story" of the chimpanzee's life, reports The Telegraph.

July 31st, 2009 LONDON - Spanish actress Penelope Cruz was left shame-faced as she walked down a red carpet in a scarlet suit and blamed losing her luggage on a flight to London for the fashion faux pas. The "Volver" beauty jetted in to the British capital from Madrid to attend a glamorous event at the city's Somerset House with her "Broken Embraces" director, Pedro Almodovar and instead of donning a full-length gown for the glitzy bash, Cruz was forced to pull on a red suit she kept in her hand luggage - after the airline she was travelling with misplaced her bags, reports contactmusic.com.

July 25th, 2009 Mystery celeb to write intro to Jackson memoirNEW YORK — A mystery celebrity will provide an introduction to the reissue of Michael Jackson's memoir. Harmony Books, an imprint of Random House Inc., will publish the new edition of "Moonwalk" in October with an announced first printing of 100,000.

July 23rd, 2009 LONDON - Actress Brenda Joyce, who became famous for her role of 'Jane' in Tarzan movies, died of pneumonia on July 4 at a hospital in Santa Monica. She was 92. A family friend, David Ragan, revealed she suffered from dementia for a decade, the Telegraph reports.

July 8th, 2009 LONDON - Michael Jackson has reportedly left his ex-pet Bubbles the chimp 1.25 million pounds in his will. According to sources, the late King of pop has left a part of his fortune to Bubbles to make sure the 26-year-old animal lives out his final days in luxury.

July 2nd, 2009 LONDON - Late King of Pop Michael Jackson's old friend Bubbles the chimp will not be attending his funeral. The ape will be kept 3,000 miles away when Jackson is laid to rest in California, and it will spend the day listening to "calming flute music" at the animal sanctuary in Wauchula, Florida, where it presently lives.

June 24th, 2009 Cheney memoir planned for 2011NEW YORK — Former Vice President Dick Cheney has a book deal with a conservative imprint at Simon & Schuster. The memoir by Cheney, widely considered the most powerful vice president in history, is expected to be published in Spring 2011, a few months after President George W.

June 16th, 2009 Oh, Rob!!! Dick Van Dyke memoir plannedNEW YORK — Cue the theme music: Dick Van Dyke is writing a memoir. The star of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and such films as "Mary Poppins" and "Bye, Bye Birdie" will tell of his long career in a memoir scheduled to be published in the fall of 2010 by Harmony Books, which announced the release Monday.

May 14th, 2009 Starbucks will feature son's memoir at storesNEW YORK — A son's memoir about his adventure-seeking father is the latest Starbucks book pick. In "Crazy for the Storm," author Norman Ollestad tells of surviving a plane crash as a child, but also reflects on his father's passion for surfing and skiing and competitive sports.

May 13th, 2009 Palin memoir coming in 2010NEW YORK — You knew it was coming: Sarah Palin is ready to tell her side, publishing a memoir with HarperCollins that will come out in Spring 2010. The Alaska governor's book, currently untitled, will cover her personal and political life, from her childhood in Alaska and last year's presidential campaign to her political beliefs and her family life, including the pregnancy of her teenage daughter, Bristol Palin, who gave birth in December to a baby boy, Tripp.