JUST about to head off on a flying visit to New York.
I had a gun pulled on me the first time I went there – but still fell in love with the city.

JOHN Thaw was one of TV’s biggest stars and a huge acting talent.
From The Sweeney to Inspector Morse via Goodnight Mister Tom and dozens of other roles, he gave pleasure to millions.
So it’s good to see that ITV are planning a celebration to mark the 20th anniversary of the arrival of Oxford detective Morse on screen.
Manchester-born and raised John, who died from cancer in 2002, would probably have been amused – and a little taken aback – by the thought of such a tribute.
It will include a special weekend of programmes on ITV3, including Morse Live At The Albert Hall, a spectacular evening of music at the London venue.
Hosted by Michael Parkinson, the concert will feature several opera stars, such as Lesley Garrett – taking a night off from her role in The Sound of Music.

THERE’S a lot to like about young Shameless actor Gerard Kearns.
I spoke to him about a new role at Channel 4’s spring programmes launch in London yesterday.
Known to millions as Chatsworth estate resident Ian Gallagher, Gerard plays an 18-year-old British soldier serving in Iraq in new drama Mark of Cain.
Filmed in Manchester and Tunisia, the Red Production Company film examines issues of friendship and the moral choices that people are forced to make in difficult situations.
There’s an interview with Gerard in today’s MEN – you can read the online version here.

SOMEONE has a sense of humour at the BBC.
A “lucky” 13 castaways are now making their home on an island off New Zealand for the return of what is billed as “the original TV reality show”.
Castaway is back on BBC1 at 9pm this Friday, seven years after the first series based on the Scottish island of Taransay.
The 13 chosen ones include just married Manchester model and lapdancer Erica Hurst, from Bolton, who you can read about in today’s MEN story here.
She’ll be hoping to avoid the fate of Salford builder Ray Bowyer, who was ordered off Taransay in 2000 after rows with the rest of the community.
Many journalists still have fond memories of the farcical tabloid chase which followed his departure from the island.
The new series has a different format to the original. For a start, it will last three months compared to a year, with weekly shows on BBC1 and added coverage on BBC3.

ARE Jane Austen novels just for girls?
That’s what Spooks actor Rupert Penry-Jones thought before he starred in a new ITV1 adaptation of Persuasion.
You might have read the interview with him here in yesterday’s MEN.
Well, below are just a few of his thoughts which I couldn’t squeeze into the feature.
“I have found with Austen that it’s lots of women going on about wanting to find a husband – as a man, it wasn’t something that interested me,” confessed Rupert.
But Jane Austen knew that a chap – just like a lady – can change his mind.
“When I saw the modern love story of the two characters in Persuasion – everybody’s been in a situation where there’s somebody that they love, who they don’t think loves them. I had it at drama school.

IT’S all hail to the ale as TV bosses order a second round of the magnificent Al Murray’s Happy Hour.
But some viewers have been mystified by one aspect of the Saturday night series starring everyone’s favourite pub landlord.
While Al has been a great success, ITV1 has called time on the commercial breaks during the show.
Two of the three breaks have consisted entirely of internal ads for other ITV programmes.
Last Saturday, for example, the first 90-second commercial break advertised forthcoming ITV1 drama Mobile and ITV4 American import Smith.
The second 60-second break was devoted to a trailer for tonight’s return of Manchester-filmed Cold Blood.
It was only during the third, four minute long, break that normal service was resumed, with ads for the likes of McDonalds, Peugeot, Tesco, BT and Norwich Union.

GOOD news for fans of one of the best shows on TV – after a magnificent series finale this week.
A fifth series of Shameless begins filming at the end of April, with double the number of episodes.
A total of 16 one-hour long stories will be produced on a new purpose built set in Wythenshawe.
The award-winning Channel 4 drama has previously been filmed on location in West Gorton and in a Salford studio.
But the decision to recreate the Chatworth estate – including The Jockey – on the new dedicated site means more episodes can be filmed.
The feature-length episode last Tuesday, written by Shameless creator Paul Abbott, saw the Gallagher family and the rest of the estate back on top form.

THERE’S a familiar ring about the name when Robson Green takes on a new identity inspired by his Geordie roots.
You’ll remember he played Colin Armstrong in 2004 festive film Christmas Lights, which then turned into the hit Manchester-based series Northern Lights.
Well, as I revealed in the MEN last July, the new series has been re-named City Lights, with filming switched to London.
As viewers will see, brothers-in-law Colin and Howard (Mark Benton) are forced to move to the capital after being placed in a witness protection scheme.
That also means a change of identity for both men, as well as Colin’s wife Jackie, played by Rochdale-born Nicola Stephenson, and Howie’s wife Pauline, portrayed by former Cutting It actress Sian Reeves.

IS Sir David Jason about to freeze out A Touch of Frost?
It looked that way yesterday when he spoke at the launch of his latest ITV1 project.
But will Det Insp Jack Frost return at some stage for one final case?
There’s a news story in today’s MEN and a TV feature in tomorrow’s editions. Click here for the online version of the feature.
In essence, Sir David, 67, told us that Frost may be for the axe because of his new role in Diamond Geezer: The Series.
Your may remember the original ITV1 film screened in March 2005 as a pilot for a possible series.

THERE are some revealing moments in a new TV profile of Victoria Wood.
The Bury-raised writer, performer and self-confessed perfectionist says she always thinks she could do things a bit better.
“I don’t rely on any flash of genius to see me through any of these things that I do,” she tells ITV1’s The South Bank Show.
“I think lots of people could do what I do, if they spend that much time doing them.”
I first saw Victoria on stage in 1982 when she starred in Funny Turns at the Duchess Theatre in London.
That revue also featured her, then, husband Geoffrey Durham as comedy magician The Great Soprendo.