Celebrities like Zac Efron, Mark Wahlberg, Matt Damon are jetting into Australia setting up temporary homes.

More recently, Julia Roberts touched down. She’s due to film a movie there with George Clooney later this year, one rather aptly titled Ticket to Paradise.

Because amid the pandemic, it does appear that half of Hollywood has fled to Australia, viewing it as a Covid-free idyll.

Life is good in a country that’s largely eliminated the virus – people are freely enjoying beaches, bars, and nightclubs.

Most of the famous arrivals are here to work. Australia’s government has lured over productions like the next Thor film with tax breaks.

That’s led to a bonanza of celebrity sightings, particularly in Sydney:

There’s Idris Elba showing up on a concert stage; Natalie Portman buying groceries in Bondi; Chris Pratt partying in a hotel; and Efron lunching at a Korean barbecue restaurant in Chinatown.

The visitor book also includes Awkwafina, Ed Sheeran, Jane Seymour, Melissa McCarthy, Michelle Ye, Paul Mescal, Rita Ora, Ron Howard, Taika Waititi, Tessa Thompson, Tilda Swinton, Tom Hanks and Lord Alan Sugar.

There’s also the Australian stars who’ve come home: Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Kylie and Danni Minogue, Rose Byrne, Isla Fisher and her British husband Sacha Baron Cohen.

“They’re calling it Aussiewood,” according to one local entertainment reporter

But not everyone is pleased. One year on since Australia shut its borders, there are still at least 40,000 Australians stranded overseas.

Many say they’ve effectively been blocked from returning home. One group has lodged a human rights complaint with the United Nations.

“No other country has impeded the return of their citizens in this way,” Sabrina Tiasha, who arrived home from the UK last month, says.

Kenyan writer and academic, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, has been nominated for the 2021 International Booker Prize.

A historic feat, the celebrated author has become the first writer to be nominated for the International Booker Prize for authoring and translating the same book, “The Perfect Nine: The Epic of Gikuyu and Mumbi’’ He is also the first nominee for a work originally written in an indigenous African language.

The Booker Prize aims to encourage more publishing and reading of quality works of imagination from all over the world and to give greater recognition to the role of translators. Both novels and short-story collections are eligible.

The contribution of both author and translator is given equal recognition, with the £50,000 prize split evenly between them. Each shortlisted author and translator also receives £1,000, bringing the total value of the prize to £62,000. This year the judges considered 125 books.

The longlist was selected by a judging panel consisting of cultural historian and novelist, Lucy Hughes-Hallett (chair); journalist and writer, Aida Edemariam; Man Booker-shortlisted novelist, Neel Mukherjee; Professor of the History of Slavery, Olivette Otele; and poet, translator, and biographer, George Szirtes.

The final shortlist for the prize will be announced on 22 April 2021, and the winner announced on 2 June 2021 in a virtual celebration from Coventry, City of Culture 2021.

Popular Comedian, Oluwatoyin Bayegun, aka Woli Arole has announced his plans to ditch bachelorhood for marriage.

Arole made this known in an Instagram post recently, where he hinted that he would be tying the nuptial knots in April 2021.

Arole also revealed his partner’s name as Yemi.

Since he broke the news to his 2 million followers on Instagram the film director, actor and stand-up comedian has received several congratulatory messages from his colleagues, fans, and well-wishers.

Nollywood actress Rita Dominic has thrown open an acting challenge for upcoming thespians.

The acting challenge tagged ‘Rita Dominic acting challenge,’ was announced by the filmmaker and Dominic’s partner, Mildred Okwo.

According to a post by the La Femme Anjola protagonist, a grand prize of N1 million naira and a role in Audrey Silva’s next production is up for grabs for the winner of the challenge.

Dominic, in a separate post, explained the winners of the challenge will be announced on Monday, April 5, 2021.

Piers Morgan can’t be replaced by a single person on Good Morning Britain, one of ITV’s top bosses has claimed.

The broadcaster’s director of television, Kevin Lygo, indicated the breakfast show will continue with its current presenting line-up, following Piers’ high-profile departure last month.

The presenter left GMB on March 9, following controversial comments he made about Meghan Markle live on air after her US TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The TV boss has lifted the lid on how ITV plans to plug the gaping hole Piers has left and kept viewers hooked for the future.

They have begun rotating fan favourite presenters including Ben Shephard, Susanna Reid, Charlotte Hawkins, and Kate Garraway in a bid to keep fans at home happy.

In his words:

Piers is a special thing. You can’t replace somebody like him. There is nobody like Piers, for good or bad. We have a roster of presenters, including Ben Shephard, Susanna Reid, Charlotte Hawkins, and Kate Garraway. They’re all stepping up and doing a few more days than they would have done… We’ll mix and match until we feel what the right thing is to do. There isn’t a single person who can replace him.

There was no bad blood between the pair as Kevin admitted himself he hates falling out with people.

The ITV boss stated he was surprised the presenter had stayed for so long at Good Morning Britain and jested they had a “good run”.

Piers quit in a controversial storm of headlines and amid snowballing Ofcom complaints about his rant about Meghan.

The Duchess of Sussex herself lodged a complaint about the comment Piers didn’t believe a word she said in her Oprah chat.

Piers gave his side of the story, confessing he even had a troubled night of sleep before making the decision to leave.

The presenter admitted he refused to apologise for his controversial comments about Meghan.