Tigger sketch fetches $50K at auction

Tigger sketch fetches $50K at auction

LONDON — Tiggers might not like honey but collectors apparently do.

A sketch by Winnie the Pooh illustrator E.H. Shepard entitled “Tiggers Don’t Like Honey” fetched 31,200 pounds ($49,770) at auction Tuesday, well above the pre-sale estimate of 15,000 to 20,000 pounds ($24,000 to $32,000).

The drawing of Pooh dipping his paw into a honey pot while Tigger and Piglet look on is an enlarged version of an illustration that appeared in A.A. Milne’s children’s classic “The House at Pooh Corner.” Bonham’s auction house said Shepard’s sketch likely predates the publication of “The House at Pooh Corner” in 1928.

Bonham’s said it was bought by a private German collector who bid by telephone.

The sale also included items from the collection of Peter Rabbit creator Beatrix Potter, including a letter in which the author expressed her dislike of the merchandising of her character.

Networks interested in picking up ‘King of Hill’

The “King” is dead. Long live the “King”?

Fox may be letting go of “King of the Hill” after next season, but the show could live on after that. ABC is interested in picking up the long-running animated series, the showbiz trade papers report.

A handful of cable channels, including Fox sibling FX and Comedy Central, might also be interested, although the cost of acquiring a show for its 14th season could be a little steep for them.

ABC is launching “The Goode Family,” an animated show from “King of the Hill” co-creator Mike Judge, later this season. “King of the Hill” could end up pairing with the new show to form an animated hour — but that would take a while.

Because of the long production cycle for animated shows, the final episodes of “King of the Hill” on Fox won’t air until the spring. Even if ABC were to pick up the show, it probably wouldn’t make it on the air until at least fall 2009.

Kirsten Dunst in N. Dakota for vote documentary

BISMARCK, N.D. — In making a documentary about how the nation votes, actress Kirsten Dunst and filmmaker Jacob Soboroff were drawn to North Dakota, the only state without voter registration.

“It’s different than any other state in the United States, and what we’re looking at is best and worst (voting) practices,” Soboroff said Monday. “I don’t know if it’s a best practice or ... a worst practice, and that’s why we’re here.”

Dunst, who has starred in three “Spider-Man” movies, and Soboroff are directing and producing a documentary, not yet titled, that explores why American voter participation lags behind turnout in most other countries.

“What we’re looking to do is give a nonpartisan look around the United States, and around the world, at how people are affected by voting systems, and what that means to the voters,” Soboroff said.

North Dakota doesn’t require people to register to vote. Voters must bring a photo ID issued by the state, military or an American Indian tribe, a recent utility bill that lists the voter’s residential address, or sign a sworn statement attesting that they are eligible to vote in their precinct.

Simon Cowell dumped by girlfriend, report says

Simon Cowell has been judged and found wanting.

The “American Idol” judge has been dumped by his longtime girlfriend Terri Seymour, reports UsMagazine.com.

“They broke up about a month ago. It was Terri’s idea, not Simon’s,” says Cowell’s rep, Max Clifford. “Simon is doing alright, but they were together a long time and so you can understand that it’s going to be a strange time.

“It was something that was coming, so it wasn’t a shock or a surprise,” Clifford adds.

The couple has been dating since 2002 and remain friends.

Seymour is a British TV presenter who also acted as a correspondent for “Extra.”

When Cowell isn’t sitting in judgment on “Idol,” he’s working on “Britain’s Got Talent” and “The X-Factor.”

Today’s birthdays

Singer Art Garfunkel is 67. Actor-playwright Sam Shepard is 65. Singer Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits is 61. Actor Robert Patrick (“The X-Files”) is 50. Singer Bryan Adams is 49. Actress Tatum O’Neal is 45. Actress Judy Reyes (“Scrubs”) is 41. Guitarist-keyboardist Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead is 37. Singer-guitarist Ryan Adams is 34. Guitarist Kevin Jonas of The Jonas Brothers is 21.