Geller's new claim to fame: 'I designed the pyramid'

* Uri Geller has made some pretty spurious claims in the past, but his latest declaration looks certain to test even the most fertile imagination.

The Israeli born psychic - famous for being able to bend spoons through the supposed power of his mind - is now saying that it was he who was the real brains behind the Louvre pyramid which was built in Paris in 1989.

In an interview with the Architects' Journal, Oxfordshire-based Geller claims that the pyramid's creator, the esteemed Chinese architect IM Pei ambushed what was his idea.

"I lived next to IM Pei and we still talk about pyramid power now," he says. "After he designed the Louvre, I rang him up and said you stole my idea."

It's not the first time that Geller has suffered from delusions of grandeur.

He once claimed to have played a major part in world peace by manipulating the mind of a representative of the defence minister of the former Soviet Union into signing the Nuclear Arms Reduction Treaty in Geneva back in 1991.

But this new boast not only sounds pretty dubious to say the least, it shows a fair amount of cheek towards one of the world's most respected architects.

Unfortunately when Pandora tried calling Pei's organisation in New York last night, no one was available to comment on the matter.

* Christian Slater has spent so much time in London these past two years, a bit of British modesty must be starting to rub off.

The Hollywood star is currently having another crack at the West End in the Garrick Theatre's production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in which he first appeared in 2004.

This time round, some of the scenes have made him come over all bashful.

"I love performing here, but it would be most appreciated if, when I am standing on the stage in a towel, the ladies in the audience would holler a bit more," he told me at the play's after party which was held at Brown's on Shaftesbury Avenue.

"I've got to say, I'm rather self-conscious standing there. There's a lot of people and a lot of bright lights."

He did at least have the stomach to remove the baseball cap which has mysteriously accompanied his every appearance over the past weeks.

* It's been a long time coming but the Gordon Brown charm offensive is officially on.

The Chancellor kept newspaper picture desks busy all day on Tuesday when he accompanied Bill Clinton to a conference organised by the John Smith Foundation.

Then, later that day, he had members choking on their teacakes when he made a surprise appearance in the Commons tea rooms.

"It was quite a shock," says one. "In all the time I've been an MP, I've never seen Gordon Brown in there. You might sometimes see Jack Straw milling about but when you see a cabinet minister around there, it's normally because they're looking to drum up support.

"He was with a group of backbench MPs, whom he whisked off to the dining room for supper.

"He's clearly been given instructions that if he wants to be leader, he's got to learn to start shmoozing."

Those tectonic plates are on the move again.

* An e-mail pops into Pandora's inbox.

It's an invitation from Pacha nightclub in Victoria (a venue which provides "an experience that is both sophisticated and hedonistic") asking me to join them for their upcoming Easter Day bash which will run through the night from 10pm to 6am.

The idea is to help "celebrate the start of the summer jetset season in true hedonistic style".

To top it all off, they're expecting performances from Dirty Lil' Funker and some people calling themselves The Hoxton Whores.

Is nothing sacred these days?

* Earlier this week, Bill Clinton rallied dishevelled Labour troops by telling them: "Lighten up, you're doing really well."

The message needs to get down the lower end of the party ranks. A letter that reaches me from one disenchanted voter shows some of its members have all but given up.

"When I got home in North Kensington last Friday, a man arrived at my door claiming to be from the Labour Party and asked which way I would be voting at the local elections," it reads. "I told him I would be voting for the Lib Dems as a direct result of the disgust that I feel for Labour right now.

"The chap replied: 'Yes I can understand that', and then began bowing and apologising profusely before going on his way."

Come on boys, cheer up!

pandora@independent.co.uk