In brief: The Sex Pistols were investigated by Irish police

They may be old and bloated now, but there was a time when the punk rock band the Sex Pistols (pictured) were considered scarily subversive, especially in Ireland. State papers released yesterday under the 30-year rule reveal that the band were the subject of an Irish police investigation in 1978 aimed at protecting the country's morals. The papers include a memo on the force's concerns about the title of the band's provocatively-titled first album, Never Mind the Bollocks. Ireland's censorship board looked into the possibility of prosecuting record stores displaying the album, a move it later dropped after the head of Virgin records, Richard Branson, successfully defended the album's cover in the British courts............Sir Anthony Hopkins, the Oscar-winning Welsh-born actor, sacrificed part of his Christmas holiday to help the homeless at the Midnight Mission shelter near his home in Los Angeles. Hopkins, who celebrates his 71st birthday today, said, referring to his own battles with alcohol: "I could have been on Skid Row. But fortunately for me I found a way out and I've had a great, blessed life"............Scottish socialist politician Tommy Sheridan, who was charged with perjury in 2007, is understood be taking part in Channel 4's Celebrity Big Brother, which begins in January………. Madonna may have paid £50m to Guy Ritchie as part of their divorce settlement, but according to Pollstar, the trade publication that covers the worldwide concert industry, this is a drop in the ocean compared to her 2008 tour earnings. It claims that the 50-year-old singer sold a record-breaking £195m of tickets on her 17 country Sticky & Sweet world tour this year. The only other performer to come close was Celene Dion, the French-Canadian diva most famous for singing the Titanic theme tune My Heart Will Go On, who racked up ticket sales of £164m............Steven Gerrard, the England midfielder and Liverpool football captain, has been charged with assault and affray after an incident in a bar in which a part-time DJ was allegedly glassed. The 28-year-old England star and two other men will appear in court on January 23 over the alleged  incident, which took place in Southport, Merseyside, in the early hours of Monday morning, and is said to have stemmed from an argument over music...........  ·