Prank sparks Portman popstar interest

An April Fools' gag by a record label boss has sparked interest in a possible pop career for Natalie Portman.

Independent label I Surrender's Rob Hitt created a false story earlier this week, claiming that his company had signed a record deal with Portman.

He described Portman's music in a joke email as sounding like "Patty Smyth but folksier".

After creating a false MySpace account for the Hollywood star, the label received a huge amount of interest from fans clamouring to hear Portman's music.

Hitt claimed he is now contemplating genuinely asking the star whether she would consider making a record.

He told the New York Daily News: "We got so much positive feedback, let's see what she's got."