THE SOPRANOS IS "THE EQUIVALENT OF SHAKESPEARE".

TV hit The Sopranos is a cultural phenomenon "equivalent to the Beatles and Shakespeare", according to a group of academics travelling to New York this month to analyse the show.

Professors from 60 countries will descend on Manhattan's Fordham University this month to dissect the show in a conference entitled The Sopranos: A Wake.

They will examine the show's role in popular culture and the messages it delivers regarding issues such as gender; parenthood; ethnicity; race and racism.

And Paul Levinson, from Fordham University, insists The Sopranos' place in history should not be underestimated.

He says, "The Sopranos is the equivalent of the Beatles, or Shakespeare, of a great piece of fiction which redound through the ages."

SUPERBAD'S JONAH HILL TO BRING 21 JUMP STREET TO THE BIG SCREEN

The U.S. TV show that made Johnny Depp famous is making its way to the big screen, under the watchful eye of comedy star Jonah Hill, according to
reports.

Depp found fame playing baby-faced police officer Tom Hanson in 1980s undercover cop series 21 Jump Street when he was just 24. The role helped him
land parts in movies Cry Baby and Edward Scissorhands, which catapulted him to Hollywood fame.

Superbad star Hill will serve as the new film's executive producer and script writer, and will be joined by the original series' co-creator Stephen J. Cannell, according to EW.COM.

Depp's camp has yet to confirm if he will consider a cameo appearance in the film.

JOLIE IS HAVING TWO BABIES AT ONCE. AKA "TWINS".

Angelina Jolie has finally confirmed she's pregnant with twins after Kung Fu Panda co-star Jack Black accidentally gave away her big secret at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

During an interview with U.S. TV show Today to promote their new film, Black joked about Jolie's baby bump.

Pointing at the actress' bulging belly, Black quipped, "You're gonna have as many (kids) as (U.S. TV family) the Brady Bunch when you have these."

And when interviewer Natalie Morales pressed Jolie for a comeback, Jolie said, "Yeah, yeah, we've confirmed that already. Well, Jack's just confirmed it actually."

The babies will be Jolie's fifth and sixth children, and her second and third biological kids with partner Brad Pitt.

The couple has three adopted children, Maddox, Pax and and Zahara, and their first natural child, Shiloh, will turn two this month.

POSH NOT PREGGERS

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham has denied rumours she is pregnant - insisting she wants to concentrate on her three young sons before considering another baby.

The singer was alleged to be planning her fourth child with soccer superstar husband David, after completing her hectic comeback tour with the Spice Girls earlier this year.

She sparked speculation at her birthday celebrations in April when she was noticeably staying away from alcohol.

But Beckham claims conceiving again isn't an option for her just now, because she already has her hands full with her growing brood.

She says, "Look, I'm not pregnant! We would love another baby but right now, the three boys are still really young. Cruz is only three and David and I would like to enjoy them for a while."

The Beckhams have three children: Brooklyn, nine, Romeo, five, and Cruz, three.

McCARTNEY FURIOUS OVER GREEN CAR DELIVERY

Sir Paul McCartney was reportedly enraged after his new eco-friendly car was delivered by jet.

The former Beatle was expecting his new $168,000 (£84,000) Lexus limousine to be delivered to his native Britain by ship, but was reportedly reeling in anger after the green car was jetted over from Japan.

Transporting the car by air meant the delivery created a carbon-footprint nearly 100 times larger than if it was shipped to the U.K. - and McCartney was fuming about the manufacturer's actions.

A source tells Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, "It defies sense. Paul was offered a Lexus as a gift and ordered the hybrid limo because it helps to reduce emissions.

"But he was horrified after learning it was delivered by plane. Paul has always campaigned for green issues and he can't understand why anyone would send an enormous car from Japan to Britain on a plane."

A spokesperson for Swissport, which handled the transportation of the car, says, "We couldn't believe the hypocrisy of flying an environmentally friendly car in from Japan. Everyone was shocked."

The car is a gift to the musician from car manufacturer Lexus - who sponsored McCartney's 2005 tour - for his long-standing support for environmentally-sound transport.

JOHN CLEESE SAYS DIVORCE IS "WORTH EVERY PENNY".

Monty Python star John Cleese is confident his divorce proceedings against his third wife will be "worth every penny".

The actor appeared in a California court on Tuesday, where a judge ordered him to pay his estranged spouse Alyce Faye Eichelberger Cleese $150,000 (£75,000) a month in temporary maintenance.

Speaking outside the court, a wheelchair-bound Cleese - following surgery on his knee the previous day - said, "It's going to be very, very expensive - but it will be worth every penny."

Eichelberger is reported to be asking for two houses, half of Cleese's earnings since 1992, plus maintenance of $1.8 million (£900,000) per year - while claiming she has no money of her own.

Jacqueline Misho, Eichelberger's lawyer, told the court her client has "nothing, zero, because Mr Cleese has not seen fit to pay any support up to this point."

Cleese has however questioned his estranged wife's reasoning, saying, "When Ms Misho said my wife has absolutely no money, it puzzled me how she could be staying at the Carlyle Hotel in a room that costs $1,185 (£590) a night."

The comedian confirmed he has accepted an offer to sell his Santa Barbara ranch for $16.5 million (£8.25 million).

Cleese's first wife was actress Connie Booth. He married TV director Barbara Trentham in 1981, before divorcing in 1990. Eichelberger and Cleese were wed in 1992.

LEO LINKED TO NEW JAMES BOND BIOPIC

Leonardo DiCaprio is searching for the real James Bond - after signing on to produce a biopic of the superspy's creator, Ian Fleming.

The actor's Appian Way production company will delve into the fabled British writer's life in Fleming.

DiCaprio's production partner Andrew Lazar says, "The idea that this guy's life informed the James Bond character is pretty fascinating."

The film, based on Damian Stevenson's screenplay, will begin on the eve of Fleming's 1952 wedding in Jamaica - just before his first novel, Casino Royale, was published.

Flashbacks will show Fleming's pre-Bond life as a correspondent for news agency Reuters and as a naval intelligence expert during World War Two.

It is not known if DiCaprio will play any role in the film.

Source: WENN.