Vegas showmen Burt Wonderstone (Steve Carell, shiny teeth, stonking toupée) and Anton Marvelton (Steve Buscemi, wonky teeth, wondrous manner) have been pulling the same act for decades – only to split up when challenged by maverick street-magician Steve Gray (Jim Carrey in manic mode).

This is an abominable time of year for the radio listener. Early August is when the big-name presenters pack up and sod off to the Seychelles, leaving their shows in the hands of the unqualified and confused. It's a time when the interns run riot, and when producers press the big button marked "pre-recorded tat" and disappear off for a nap.

Arriving for a London summer season, the Bolshoi Ballet is overshadowed by appalling backstage dramas. The great Moscow company has been plagued by factions for years; in January, artistic director Sergei Filin was the victim of an acid attack, and is now fighting for his sight. One of the dancers, Pavel Dmitrichenko, has been charged with ordering the assault. In these grim circumstances, you might expect the dancers to look demoralised, or to come out fighting. In fact, they do neither. A law unto itself, the Bolshoi sails on.

TV pick of the week: Burton and Taylor

James Anderson’s 10 wickets in the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge showed he is England’s “magician”, according to the former pace bowler Bob Willis. His spellbinding deliveries could oust Willis from the No 2 spot in the list of England’s top Test wicket-takers at Lord’s over the next five days.

“One man. One Bus. Three hundred and sixty miles of simulated post-apocalyptic desert and the endless struggle between man and nature personified.” The tagline for computer game Desert Bus makes it sound pretty exciting. It isn’t.

The Anfield boss understands the striker's desire to be playing Champions League football

Don’t play with your food! Isn’t that what every child is told when they attempt to mould mashed potato into pea-sized balls, or find the colour result of squashing a strawberry into pistachio icecream? For most budding food lovers that is the beginning and end of experiment. For Ferran Adria, playing with food became a stellar career.

Is there anything wrong with directors sticking to what they know?

Louis Leterrier, 115mins. Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Mélanie Laurent (12A)

Sam Raimi DVD/Blu-ray (130mins)

Theories abound as to just how the magician managed to levitate his way through London traffic

Three of the meeting's seven Group One races will be over inside 80 minutes today – and in an aggregate time quicker than will be set by its final winner on Saturday afternoon, trundling two and three-quarter miles in the Queen Alexandra Stakes. That race is too cherished an heirloom for anyone to suggest that Royal Ascot ends with a whimper, but it unmistakably opens with a bang.

But the new Superman is still trailing behind fellow box office superhero Iron Man 3 which holds the record for the biggest-opening this year