Pandora

Bear hug

PANDORA salutes Boris Yeltsin, the Russian President. On Wednesday, Boris sent Tony Blair a very warm message congratulating our Prime Minister on his 45th birthday. According to the Russian press, Boris wished Blair "health, happiness and success". His letter began "Dear Tony" and ended with "Hugs".

Hot favourite

The controversy about the Carlton drug documentary The Connection will have enormous repercussions within the TV industry. The timing of the Guardian's scoop couldn't have been better from the point of view of Granada. Pandora will watch with interest as ITV later this month awards a current affairs franchise for 40 one-hour documentaries, worth pounds 10m a year. The two front-runners were thought to be Granada and, yes, Carlton. Until the Guardian's allegations, Granada was seen as less likely to emerge the winner. Their flagship series World in Action has recently been accused of "flabbiness", and its ratings have slipped. Now all that has changed and Pandora's money is firmly on Granada to win. Unfortunately, these commercial ramifications have not been mentioned by the Guardian. Of course there is no commercial relationship between the Guardian and Granada, but the two outfits share a cordial friendship, particularly since the Aitken libel case turned into a joint triumph for them both.

Make mine water

The landlord of the Bernard Arms, the pub adjacent to the gates of Chequers, is furious at Black Dog of the Mail on Sunday. Last week the column carried a "quote" attributed to him about telling Tony Blair that his business was being ruined by "bootleggers selling cheap drink and tobacco from France".

The pub's landlord, Reza Karimi-Nik, told Pandora, "I don't know where they got these words from. I never said any such thing to Tony Blair. And I never spoke to anyone from the Mail about such a thing." He has sent a letter via his solicitor demanding an apology. Tony Blair is a frequent visitor to the pub. And what is his favourite tipple? "He usually sticks to mineral water."

Rug sales pitch

Most journalists are allergic to press releases, but there are occasional ones that beg to be reproduced. One such comes faxed via PR outfit Aurelia and seems to be an invitation to the Ritz for a "Krug Through the Looking Glass" party. Three-hundred magnums of expensive fizz are promised. Pandora's interest was whetted until reading: "Krug lovers include footballers (and their girlfriends), royalty, supermodels and Hollywood celebrities, so all eyes will be looking to see who treads the Krug carpet this year." Not these eyes, and definitely not that carpet.

Oldman's bash

Some weeks back, Pandora saluted actor and director Gary Oldman for finally convincing his mother to give up her south London flat and her job in a caff to join him for the good life in the Hollywood Hills. However, if recent reports about Oldman's 40th birthday party are correct, Pandora is not so sure. Along with his friends Matthew Modine and Steven Baldwin, Oldman and his mum were entertained by a stripper, vintage porn films and a floating bonfire in the middle of the pool.