Of sci-fi geeks, rainbow rebellion, a gay barman, incompetent councils and "You can fill my hole again"

Now that's what I call a weapon!

It's another snippets post today. dear reader:

• The dark side of the Force news: Darth Vader’s lightsaber has been sold for £2.7million at auction - making it the most expensive Star Wars prop in history. Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man suit, Indiana Jones' bullwhip and holster, and the Platform 9¾ sign from Harry Potter all surpassed their expected sale price. There's some rich geeks out there...
• 90s student bedsit music news: After seven years of inactivity, Radiohead has announced a reunion tour. I wonder how all that teenage angst will go down, now they're all in their 50s?
• Plucky gays news: A rainbow road crossing ("crosswalk") in Orlando that formed part of the memorial for victims of the Pulse gay nightclub massacre in 2016 has become a pivot for rebelliousness. Florida's governor - and grade-A cunt - Ron DeSantis ordered it to be overpainted, and protestors keep using chalk to colour it in again, despite the fact he sent in the state troopers to make arrests. I hope his blood pressure goes into overdrive!
• Guess who's pulling your pint today? news: Film star Rupert Everett has lent his support to a campaign to save his local village pub, doing shifts behind the bar. I can't wait to hear him say "Hotpot, Ken?"
• Bureaucratic incompetence news: A non-smoker who lives in London has been fighting a £433 penalty and conviction for "dropping a cigarette butt" - 200 miles away in Manchester! You really couldn't make it up...

• Oldest bitch in town news: Farewell Baddie Winkle, nonagenarian model, influencer and internet personality, whose unforgettable slogan was "Stealing your man since 1928"...
• And finally... Among another mismatched list of fellow celebrants that includes the peerless Sylvester, Idris Elba, Tim Henman, Jo Anne Worley, Macy Gray, Spitting Image creator Roger Law, Greg Rusedski, Mathew Horne, Pippa Middleton, Emily Maitlis, CeCe Peniston and - erm - Buster Bloodvessel of Bad Manners, troubled tabloid fodder and founder member of Atomic Kitten, Kerry Katona is 45 years old today. Although she'd left the group by the time this became the girls first #1 hit - and was edited out of later versions of the video in favour of her replacement - here is the original:

Atomic Kitten - Whole Again

I love that song - unsurprisingly, since it was written by Andy McCluskey of OMD - and have happy memories of seeing the girls (minus Kerry) perform it live at the post-Pride festival [when such a thing still existed] at Finsbury Park way back in 2001. We, of course, changed the lyrics to "You can fill my hole again". As you do.

And the weather? Windy, but lovely and warm. The garden's been watered, and all's right with the world. Apart from the "demon children" next door, of course.