Ronnie O'Sullivan wants to be remembered as a showman more than as a prolific winner of trophies. The 33-year-old began his World Championship campaign with a 10-5 victory over Stuart Bingham at the weekend.

Oh, to be a muse, one might not unreasonably, well, muse, for want of a better word. But wait. As Donatella Versace once famously said when described as such in relation to her late brother, Gianni: "That is not very amusing." She knew, after all, that she was rather more than that, as time went on to tell.

Ronnie O'Sullivan today fired a brilliant 147 maximum break to book his place in the quarter-finals of the 888.com World Championship in Sheffield.

Six returning title-holders have perished in their opening match here but despite fears to the contrary, John Higgins convincingly avoided becoming the seventh with an eye-catching performance on day one of the World Championship.

'People were saying I used to date Winona Ryder, which I didn't'

Wall Street trader turned outlaw philosopher, Taleb never bores in this exploration of extreme, improbable events - and how they shape lives. He argues that "black swan" shocks with "low predictability and large impact" – from Harry Potter to September 11 – will grow more frequent and decisive. As fragile, interconnected systems run the world, we all now live in "Extremistan". Many readers will thrill to his freewheeling heretic's tour through ideas of probability, prediction and randomness. Some will bridle at his motormouth assurance and reckless attacks on enemies. In any case, he promises as wild a ride as any mad day on the markets. Strap yourself in, and enjoy it.

"Idiot," Johnny Depp likes to joke, is the German translation of his surname. The universally swooned-over film actor, who this week picked up his first Golden Globe for his all-singing portrayal of Sweeney Todd, has, over a 24-year career, gained a reputation for playing the outsiders, rejects and oddballs – the idiots. Big-bucks, twinkly-eyed romantic leads – for which his unimprovable looks might seem to make him an obvious contender – have never held any allure.

A macabre 1,700-year-old mass grave of people and horses, discovered in Normandy, poses perplexing new questions about the Roman conquest of France. Was there a small part of ancient Gaul which refused, Asterix-like, to surrender for 300 years?

"I'm not an environmentalist, I'm not a teacher, I'm not a politician," Juan Kunchiky begins. "I'm just a person that is so concerned about what is happening to the rainforest and - obviously - the people who live in the rainforests in Ecuador."

The Great Britain coach, Brian Noble, is confident of having both Brian Carney and Stuart Fielden fit for their opening Tri-Nations match in Christchurch on Saturday.

Shares in the airport operator BAA surged back above the price being offered by Ferrovial yesterday after the Spanish construction giant made it clear that it intends to press ahead with its offer despite the threat of a monopolies investigation into the UK airport market.

All Tim Burton's films reveal his deep fascination with classic screen horror. So why has Sleepy Hollow, his first straight chiller, taken so long? He spoke to Vicki Reed in New York