What on earth is Nicolas Cage playing at? At the height of the biggest world-wide credit crunch in living memory he has just put a third of his houses up for sale. A picture of the New Orleans property valued at $3.7m will now sit in the window of his local estate agents for the foreseeable future.

This joins his properties already up for sale, a little weekend pad in Rhode Island valued at $15.9m and some ramshackle shed in Bel Air, yours for a paltry $30m. Cage also recently sold his massive yacht for $7.7m. Even more remarkable is that he was able to afford such expensive homes in the first place through his hammy, wild-eyed gurning acting style.

So why is Cage liquidating his assets? Does he know something the rest of us don't (though we all knew 'Ghost Rider' was going to be a stinker apart from Cage)? Has he discovered a miraculous but hyper-expensive hair replacement treatment? An injection that imports acting skills? Maybe it's the end of the world?

Or maybe he's thinking of enrolling for a certain Church and getting his deposit for the five day introductory course?

by Ian McShane