In brief: Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy portrait sells for £12,000

A portrait of actor Colin Firth as Mr Darcy (left, with Firth and Jennifer Ehle, right), which was commissioned as a prop for the BBC's 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, has fetched £12,000 at Bonhams in London, double its estimated price. The painting was accompanied by a signed letter from Firth, in which the 48-year-old star claimed Mr Darcy "has weathered better than most of us"..........  David Bowie has returned to the studio after a six-year hiatus to record a new album. The 62-year old pop star has travelled to Berlin, the city where he recorded previous albums Heroes, Low, and Lodger, to find inspiration for new tracks............. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to resume his career as a Hollywood actor as soon as he leaves his present job as Governor of California. Although his term of office does not expire until January 31, 2011, he has reportedly been in talks about making a sequel to his 1993 blockbuster True Lies, in which he starred opposite Jamie Lee Curtis.............. ·