Zuckerberg Transforms Bunker into Star Wars Ewok Forest

billionaire is constructing a bunker under his compound in , complete with a forest of (fake) giant sequoia trees.

Zuckerberg's neighbours in the heart of Silicon Valley have been up in arms for years over the ceaseless digging and building work – and have been wondering what he is doing, and when it will end.

I can reveal that the construction is essentially complete and the bunker is in the process of being 'furnished'. It seems that Zuckerberg, a noted fan of the films, is basing his Armageddon-proof space on the Ewok tree village in the 1983 film The Return Of The Jedi.

Creatives are even now toiling over exact replicas of the trees which will grace the 'vast' underground space.

If there are sequoias in it, it must be huge. The trees, which are native to California, are among the largest on earth, with mature specimens having trunks 5-8 metres in diameter and growing to 85 metres tall.

Zuckerberg lives in his Palo Alto compound, created after he bought up 11 neighbouring houses, with wife Priscilla Chan and their three children. Alongside their main house there is a pickleball court, an entertainment hub, a swimming pool – and a 7ft silver statue of Chan. He's said to have spent $110million on the real estate alone.

The couple set up a homeschool for their children and the children of some friends (with 14 pupils and four teachers) but agreed to close it down last year after it emerged that they did not have the correct permission.

Around ten years ago the Zuckerbergs sought to demolish four houses near to their main home, to create more privacy. Permission was denied, but last year neighbours told the New York Times the couple had gone ahead and created a private compound anyway.

They also revealed that Zuckerberg was building a series of connected basements which they called his 'bat cave'. Reports based on planning permits suggest it is 7,000 sqft in size, although some believe it could be more than that.

The Facebook founder is one of the wealthiest people in the world, with a net worth put at $187billion. That figure fell sharply last week after two court reverses in which the company was found to have caused harm to teens. An appeal is expected.

The billionaire has a number of other properties, including a 14,000-acre estate in Koolau, Hawaii, whose only dwelling appears to be (another) bunker. That one has its own energy supply and is said to produce all its own food.

Zuckerberg, 41, was a student at Harvard when he conceived the idea of Facebook. He is the chairman, CEO and controlling shareholder of the social network and its parent company, Meta Platforms.

His love of the Star Wars films is well-known and in 2015 he shared a picture of his infant daughter Max dressed as a Jedi. It was captioned: 'The force is strong with this one.'

J Lo to bring a touch of Vegas to London

She's not performed in the UK in more than a decade, but I hear that J Lo is planning to come to London following the sell-out success of her 12 gigs at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

The singer and actress, 56, has just completed her triumphant run in Vegas, where every seat was filled and the reviews were raves. The show reflects her journey from the 'Jenny From The Block' days to today's 'happy era', in which she has sworn off marriage for ever. Her divorce from husband number four, Ben Affleck, came through in January 2025.

J Lo is said to be feeling energised by the success of the Vegas run, and it can be revealed that plans are being made to take the show on the road internationally, including a stop here.

Her last UK shows were in Hyde Park in 2013 at the British Summer Time festival, and before that she had a run at the 02 in 2012.

Lashings of gore, a lesbian obsession... is Cannes ready for Gillian's 'Demi' moment? 

Is the glorious Gillian Anderson heading for a 'Demi Moore' moment at Cannes this year?

Demi was the talk of the Croisette – and the recipient of an Oscar nomination – for her starring role in the out-there body-horror film The Substance in 2024.

This year, it looks as if the underground sensation will be the provocatively titled Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma.

The film, produced by MUBI (who also distributed The Substance), is about a director who becomes fixated on a series of slasher movies called 'Camp Miasma' – and in particular, the 'final girl' in the first picture: An enigmatic actress played by Anderson.

The young director will be portrayed by Hannah Einbinder, of Hacks.

The two women become obsessed with each other and 'descend into a frenzy of psychosexual mania'. A trailer features bonkers amounts of blood and some clammy lesbian business involving a pink letterbox.

The film is the work of director Jane Schoenbrun, an interesting young woman with a number of arresting views. Firstly, she is estranged from her family because she says that they are 'Zionists' who grew up in a 'tribalist ideology'.

Secondly, she is polyamorous and has three partners – one of whom she has been with since high school.

And thirdly, the director – whose social media handle is 'sapphicspielbrg' – is a trans woman who complains she is having to 'constantly commodify' her orientation.

You can see why people are already whispering the words 'Emilia Perez': The name of the other Cannes sensation of 2024, whose awards run was derailed by some offensive old social media posts by its star, Karla Sofia Gascon.

The Official Selection for the festival will be unveiled on April 9. It's looking very indie-heavy this year, with no big Hollywood films in contention.

Mommie dearest and I...

Richard E Grant recalls a doomed attempt to reconcile with his late mother, Leonne. The two became estranged after she left his father for his dad's best friend when he was ten. But after the actor underwent psychoanalysis, 32 years later, they resumed some contact.

Shortly after Grant's wife Joan died in 2021, he travelled to Swaziland to stay with his mother.

'She was so without compassion, having been widowed herself a year before that, that I left after seven days instead of staying for two weeks,' Grant said. 'I sent her an email saying, "It was my fault entirely the visit was such a disaster, because I was in such grief and wasn't good company".

'She wrote back, "Richard, agreed, your visit was a total disaster. I regret to say we have nothing in common other than classical music and books".'

Tom Cruise's British period really does appear to be over. The actor, who has lived in the UK on and off for more than a decade, was in the front row of a Scientology event in Clearwater, Florida, to honour the birthday of founder L Ron Hubbard in March.

His son Connor, also a Scientologist, lives in Clearwater – which is the HQ of the religion. Daughter Bella has been living near East Grinstead (the UK HQ of Scientology) and also working there.

Meanwhile, it looks likely his return to 'prestige' acting – Digger – will premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September. He'll be in town at the same time as Brad Pitt, expected on the Lido for The Adventures Of Cliff Booth.

Brenda falls for a fake... and it's her own posh shop! 

Hats off to the design team on Channel 4's epic drama A Woman Of Substance, who managed to create such a believable department store for the eight-part series that the show's star Brenda Blethyn tried to buy some dresses from it.

Blethyn, who plays tycoon Emma Harte, said: 'I was walking through Liverpool city centre on a Sunday afternoon – my day off from filming – when I came upon this luxurious shop with some stunning outfits in the window.

'If I'd looked up I would have seen it said "Harte's" above the window; and that it was actually a fabrication. But I was all set to get my credit card and do some serious spending!

'I was enthusing to one of the design team I met on the way back to the hotel, before they gently pointed out my mistake.'

Are Gen Z going to ride to the rescue of the movie business? 

Older audiences haven't returned post-Covid, preferring to watch films in the comfort of home on their massive TVs.

But research into the most successful modern films reveals that younger people actually like going to the cinema – to harvest fodder for their social media accounts, including review site Letterboxd. This is the reason why pictures like Zootopia 2 and the live-action Lilo & Stitch have become such huge hits.

Young folks – who don't bother much with boozing – also find cinema an affordable, collective night out. James Connor of the UK Cinema Association says they 'don't want to miss out on the moment'.

Social media executive Hannah Stokes adds that young people also want to see films first, so they can lead the conversation.