HIt & Run: Follicular follies

Could it be that the autumn of 2008 is remembered not for the collapse of the capitalist system but for a scientific breakthrough that offers to bring hope to millions, if not billions of long-suffering men?

News this weekend that scientists could be a step closer to curing male baldness has perhaps unsurprisingly ruffled the diminishing feathers of follically challenged chaps across the globe. It turns out that small differences in DNA on a single chromosome can result in a more than seven-fold increase in the risk of male pattern baldness. It's hoped that this discovery will one day be right up there with developments that led to the creation of penicillin, aspirin and, dare one say it, Viagra.

Even the most scientifically illiterate among us know that nine out of 10 so-called cures for baldness are nothing more than snake oil. But the sober folk of King's College London have assured us that we could now be looking forward to an early warning system for detecting emerging chrome domes. Eventually, "exciting" new therapies could emerge that might banish the sight of the gleaming pate.

Although hair can grow on any part of the body except the palms and soles of the feet, this is of little consolation to the 75 per cent of men and one in 10 women who experience hair loss and with it, potentially, depression, anxiety and even social phobia. According to the American Hair Loss Association, Americans spend some $3.5bn (£2bn) each year trying to coax their dormant pelts back into life.

And hair is an emotive issue for men. The male lion has its mane, the peacock its extravagant, multicoloured plumage. But while the human male can only dream of such pyrotechnics, there remains facial hair, that secondary sexual characteristic, and its highest elevation, the moustache. The look is in favour among Hollywood's A-list celebrities. George Clooney has been spotted sporting a greying 'tache for his latest role, while once-baby faced Jude Law has quit shaving his top lip to recreate Dr Watson in Guy Ritchie's new Sherlock Holmes. Law's co-star Robert Downey Jnr meanwhile, has been brandishing a Tom-Selleck-sized hairy bogey in public since the UK premiere of Tropic Thunder – enough to make the late great smooth-faced Basil Rathbone suspect the malign influence of Moriarty. Yet none of the above have made it to the final of the Robert Goulet Memorial Mustached American of the Year award, to be contested at the delightfully named 'Stache Bash 2008 being held in St Louis later this month.

Organiser Daniel T Callahan said the 16 finalists had been whittled down from hundreds of celebrities and average citizens – among them Libertarian presidential candidate and David Starkey lookalike Bob Barr. "We are excited to see which distinguished Mustached American the public will choose," he said. The world will be watching.

Jonathan Brown

Double trouble is brewing in La-la-land

Hit & Run offers congratulations to Lisa Marie Presley, who gave birth to twin girls on Sunday. As soon as the girls popped out, we hear, Angelina Jolie was on the diva-hotline offering advice. In case you missed it, the actress gave birth to her own double helping, Knox and Vivienne, in July.

Twins have become quite the thing in La-la-land. If two is company and three's a trend, then the multiple births of Lisa Marie, Angelina, J-Lo, Julia Roberts and Desperate Housewives' Marcia Cross surely makes a zeitgeist. At present, the only celebrity twins of any note are Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen (right), child actors turned canny businesswomen who have cleverly exploited their USP as two of a kind.

But how will Hollywood's baby twins fare 18 years from now? The offspring of the rich and famous are duty-bound to mess up in one way or another. When there's just the one Hollywood tearaway, they can only be up to either "good" or "bad" at any moment.

With twins, they could both be out playing merry hell, and the paps wouldn't know which way to swing their telephoto lenses.

Either way, a ghoulish Midwich Cuckoos atmosphere is destined to fall upon LA by 2026, as these pampered pairs emerge from the shelters of their gated mansions. Imagine that: a Hollywood where scenesters all have matching long, blonde tousled hair, bodies, and wardrobes.

Oh, hang on...

Sophie Morris

Can cricket really tame wild pupils?

Cricket is to be promoted in state schools in the hope that pupils' behaviour will be improved. The sport may seem more strawberries-and-cream than gladiatorial contest. But when else can you throw a hard missile at an opponent with the intent of causing physical damage? For years, the West Indies was a terrifying place to play. Desmond Haynes, former West Indies batsman, once came up to me in a Test, grabbed my right arm and studied it. He then shouted to fast bowler Curtly Ambrose: "Curtly, it looks breakable to me." None of the West Indian players was laughing.

Angus Fraser

Everybody back on the bus

Looking for a bargain break? Well, stock up on travel sickness pills – this year is seeing the return of the coach holiday. Shearings Holidays, whose deals include a nine-day trip to the Costa Brava for £239, saw an 18 per cent jump in bookings this summer. Yet if the idea of spending days on a coach still seems unpalatable, it's hassle-free, according to Dan Fox of Skiweekends.com, where sales are up 160 per cent: "There's no messing around with airports, delays, baggage charges, or fuel charges."

Plus, you can moon out the back.

Harry Byford