'When I look in the mirror, I see someone who's caught up with his age'

Colin Firth has been filming on the set of a gay porn movie. Once you've forgiven/sued me for that misleading opening sentence, let me explain: a series of photos acquired by the website QueerClick (best viewed – if at all – at home, using a computer for which you have administrator rights and can swiftly clear your browser history) appear to prove that the shabby office inhabited by Geoffrey Rush's character, Lionel, in The King's Speech, has also been the setting for a number of graphic mano-a-mano celluloid encounters. The owner of the location used in Firth's film, Edward Davenport, has already admitted to hosting sex parties there, while the walls and windows of the room in the aforementioned snaps are identical (though I don't recall that billiard table being there during The King's Speech). Remarkably, given the ripe-for-pornification male friendship at its core, there appears to be no "porn version" of The Kings Speech (à la Shaving Ryan's Privates) in circulation just yet. But might this online leakage – as it were – be yet another elaborate attempt to sabotage the film's substantial Oscar chances? The people behind The Social Network have both motive and expertise...

All of the major record labels threw Brits parties after the awards ceremony on Tuesday night but the hottest ticket was Universal's do, held in the ballroom of London's Mandarin Oriental hotel. A glum-looking Lady Gaga arrived, still wearing her massive bouffant wig, but she was clearly not in the mood to celebrate her triple win. Earlier in the evening she had turned her dressing room into a shrine for her late friend, the fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who committed suicide last week. She then dedicated her performance to him. Inside the party, she chatted briefly to Courtney Love, who was at the next table and was joined by fellow winners Florence Welch and Lily Allen, who took turns DJing. Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh arrived to a media scrum – but their bandmate Cheryl Cole was absent, keeping a low profile after allegations about her husband Ashley Cole.

Stephen Gately's grief-stricken Boyzone bandmates said they were "truly overwhelmed" as they arrived in Majorca to bring the body of their best friend home.

While the Labour Party's promise of "special VIP" attendances at this week's conference might have been something of an exaggeration, organisers still managed to impress by convincing Lesley Garrett and Jo Brand to provide the entertainment for Tuesday's gala dinner in Brighton. There was one big name, though, who was conspicuous by his absence.