"Harry Potter" ecstasy pills are being sold in Australia. The tablets are marked with symbols connected to the boy wizard, evidently without the consent of the copyright owners.

The linking of an illegal drug with a fictional character is not new - there have been Superman LSD tabs and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Es before. The president of Australia's Federation of Parents' and Citizens' Associations said, "Harry Potter has tapped into the imagination of so many kids. Having a drug with the same name is a cynical exercise that could lead to very young children believing they can have the powers of Harry Potter."

No news yet as to whether taking a Harry Potter E would make sitting through the film any less arduous.

Dennis Hopper, Deborah Unger and Donnie Wahlberg have all signed up for indie picture Leopold Bloom. The trio join Joseph Fiennes, Elisabeth Shue and Sam Shepard for the film, which was written by brother and sister team Massy and Amir Tadjedin and will be directed by newcomer Mehdi Norowzian. The film starts shooting early this year and tells the story of a young mother (Shue) who alienates her son, while an ex-con (Fiennes) has to find a way to help both himself and the boy. Hopper will play the owner of the diner where Fiennes's character works.

The rapper Eve is set to become the latest in a long line of rap stars to cross over into movies. She will co-star with Vin Diesel and Samuel L Jackson in the thriller XXX. The singer plays a friend and business partner of Diesel's character - an extreme sports athlete recruited by the government to go undercover in a criminal gang. Director Rob Cohen, who previously worked with Diesel on last year's surprise summer blockbuster The Fast and the Furious, said that Eve was also likely to perform the movie's title song.