The Box

Dome denunciation

SPRING is here and showbiz is in the air! Several independent television producers, who insist on remaining anonymous, have been denouncing Alan Yentob in private. They accuse the BBC's Director of Television of a conflict of interest because of a major documentary about the Dome being filmed by Robert Thirkell for the corporation.

You see, in addition to his BBC responsibilities, Yentob is a part-time adviser to the New Millennium Experience Company's creative review board, consulting on "the broadcasting potential" of the project. But his bashful critics cry: "How can you make an objective documentary about something you are involved in as a participant?"

Clearly they wish they could produce the full soup-to-nuts, fly-on-the- wall documentary themselves. But Keith Samuel, head of PR at the BBC, told Pandora: "It's nonsense. There's no conflict of interest. He is not the gatekeeper for documentation access - and Channel 4 and ITV as well as the BBC are all making documentaries about the project." This was confirmed, sort of, by Jez Sagar of the NMEC, who noted that the BBC has already started filming. He told Pandora: "Potentially there could be at least three different films. We're in discussion with Channel 4 and ITV as well." Lots of potential, yes.

Gilliam gambles on drugs

TERRY Gilliam's film version of Hunter S Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas had a sneak preview in North Hollywood last week.

Starring Johnny Depp, it includes very little violence, no sex but copious amounts of drug-taking and a vast whirlwind of surreal on-screen hallucinations. According to the Drudge Report's spy, Gilliam's bizarre images were so potent that a number of viewers had to get up and flee the theatre. The film is due for a late May release.

Gunning for Tarantino

ALTHOUGH London is a three-hour Concorde flight away, you can hear the groans and screeches coming from the New York critics who caught the opening of Quentin Tarantino's Broadway acting debut two nights ago when he appeared on stage in the revival Wait Until Dark.

"Playing a sadistic, murderous thug ... Mr Tarantino manages to be menacing to nothing except possibly the script," reported the New York Times. The Daily News headlined its review: "Turn out the Lights on 'Wait Until Dark'." Pandora is offering a bottle of champagne to the first reader who correctly guesses the number of fucks in Tarantino's reply to his critics.