How can I add media objects or links to XML file linked to ActionScript?

I've managed to get a Flash spinning-carousel system working with images referenced in an external XML file. This is using the third of the carousel tutorials at the "Go to and learn" Flash tutorials site.

All well and good, but now I need to get these same images (which are coming up fine to work as links (e.g when click on, bring up popup windows). I've tried adding href= inside the image reference and even wrapping it in <a href..> but nothing seems to work.

Then as another version I need to actually replace them with media objects (e.g FLV files).

However it seems that the XML file doesn't work at all if I replace the image reference with a whole bundle of <object> code.

Any ideas on how I can proceed with this?

For reference, the ActionScript is:

import mx.utils.Delegate;

var numOfItems:Number;
var radiusX:Number = 300;
var radiusY:Number = 30;
var centerX:Number = Stage.width / 2;
var centerY:Number = Stage.height / 2;
var speed:Number = 0.03;
var perspective:Number = 250;
var home:MovieClip = this;

var tooltip:MovieClip = this.attachMovie("tooltip","tooltip",10000);
tooltip._alpha = 0;

var xml:XML = new XML();
xml.ignoreWhite = true;

xml.onLoad = function()
{
var nodes = this.firstChild.childNodes;
numOfItems = nodes.length;
for(var i=0;i<numOfItems;i++)
{
var t = home.attachMovie("item","item"+i,i+1);
t.angle = i * ((Math.PI*2)/numOfItems);
t.onEnterFrame = mover;
t.toolText = nodes[i].attributes.tooltip;
t.icon.inner.loadMovie(nodes[i].attributes.image);
t.r.inner.loadMovie(nodes[i].attributes.image);
t.icon.onRollOver = over;
t.icon.onRollOut = out;
t.icon.onRelease = released;
}
}

function over()
{
home.tooltip.tipText.text = this._parent.toolText;
home.tooltip._x = this._parent._x;
home.tooltip._y = this._parent._y - this._parent._height/2;
home.tooltip.onEnterFrame = Delegate.create(this,moveTip);
home.tooltip._alpha = 100;
}

function out()
{
delete home.tooltip.onEnterFrame;
home.tooltip._alpha = 0;
}

function released()
{
trace(this._parent.toolText);
}

function moveTip()
{
home.tooltip._x = this._parent._x;
home.tooltip._y = this._parent._y - this._parent._height/2;
}

xml.load("icons.xml");

function mover()
{
this._x = Math.cos(this.angle) * radiusX + centerX;
this._y = Math.sin(this.angle) * radiusY + centerY;
var s = (this._y - perspective) /(centerY+radiusY-perspective);
this._xscale = this._yscale = s*100;
this.angle += this._parent.speed;
this.swapDepths(Math.round(this._xscale) + 100);
}

this.onMouseMove = function()
{
speed = (this._xmouse-centerX)/4500;
}


The XML file is just this:

<icons>

<icon image="icon1.png" tooltip="Customer 1" />

<icon image="icon2.png" tooltip="Customer 2" />

<icon image="icon3.png" tooltip="Customer 3" />

<icon image="icon4.png" tooltip="Customer 4" />


</icons>