In brief: Tropic Thunder in London

Ben Stiller's Hollywood parody Tropic Thunder, which sparked protests at its recent opening in the US where it was criticised for making fun of the mentally disabled and showing actor Robert Downey Jr blacked up, received its UK premiere last night. But there were no protests in Leicester Square, only fans. Stiller (pictured with co-star Jack Black), who wrote and directed the film as well as starring in it, said: "When people see it they get it that the joke is on the actors".......... Actress Joanna Lumley has visited the High Court to back a legal challenge by former Gurkhas for the right to live in Britain. Speaking through a megaphone, Lumley, who was born in Kashmir and whose father served in the 6th Gurkha Rifles, addressed the crowd outside the court with the traditional Gurkha cry "Ayo Ghurkali!" - "Here come the Gurkhas!".......... Singer Carla Bruni, wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has appeared on the BBC TV show Later... with Jools Holland alongside rock bands Metallica and Kings of Leon. The former model said her husband was tolerant of her music: "I play it at home and I disturb him with it in the middle of the night".......... Jo Wood, wife of Rolling Stone Ronnnie Wood, has "given up" on their marriage after the musician was spotted out on the town with Damien Hirst on Monday night. Wood, 61, had promised to go into rehab and kick his alcoholism following an affair with 20-year old Ekaterina Ivanova.......... Actors Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are to star in a new screen adaptation of Saturday Night Fever. The 1970s classic will be an all-Brit affair - taking place not on the streets of Brooklyn but Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire.......... Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is set to appear on the American satirical news programme the Daily Show on Thursday. Blair follows in the footsteps of Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Pervez Musharraf, all of whom have made an appearance with host John Stewart, recently voted "the most trusted man in the media" by the New York Times.......... ·