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Galloway plea for hostage releaseEx-Labour MP George Galloway has appealed for the release of aid worker Margaret Hassan, kidnapped in Iraq.Mrs Hassan, 59, who led Care International operations in Iraq, was abducted in Baghdad on 19 October. Mr Galloway was expelled from the Labour party because of his staunch opposition to the war on Iraq. He denied an earlier report that he planned to make a direct appeal to the kidnappers via the Al-Jazeera Arabic television channel.Speaking in London on Saturday at the first annual delegate conference of his newly-founded party, the Respect Coalition, he said: "I have deliberately not involved myself before in any of these situations. "But this woman has been a prominent opponent of both the war and the preceding years of sanctions. "I am prepared to do anything I can to help save her life." A spokesman later said Mr Galloway had friends in common with Ms Hassan, who he described as a prominent anti-war activist, and that he was "willing to do anything - go to Iraq or be an intermediary or anything that's necessary". Since her abduction, several videos of Mrs Hassan have been broadcast by Al-Jazeera. The latest footage showed Mrs Hassan asking for British troops to be pulled out of Iraq. She also urged Care International, the aid agency she works for, to close its office in Baghdad, and appealed for Iraqi women prisoners to be freed. Care has since closed down all its operations in Iraq. | Mrs Hassan, 59, who led Care International operations in Iraq, was abducted in Baghdad on 19 October.A spokesman later said Mr Galloway had friends in common with Ms Hassan, who he described as a prominent anti-war activist, and that he was "willing to do anything - go to Iraq or be an intermediary or anything that's necessary".Care has since closed down all its operations in Iraq.Ex-Labour MP George Galloway has appealed for the release of aid worker Margaret Hassan, kidnapped in Iraq.Mr Galloway was expelled from the Labour party because of his staunch opposition to the war on Iraq. |
Talks aim to avert pension strikeTalks aimed at averting a series of national strikes over pensions reforms will take place this weekend.Five public sector unions will hold private talks with Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at Labour's spring conference in Gateshead. They want the government to withdraw regulations - due to be introduced in weeks - which would raise the pension age for council workers from 60 to 65. Up to 1.4m workers could take part in a strike already earmarked for 23 March. However, all sides are anxious to avoid a major confrontation in the run up to the general election, said BBC labour affairs correspondent Stephen Cape. In four days, Britain's biggest union Unison will start balloting 800,000 local government workers on strikes. Other public sector unions have pledged to follow. It is just weeks before new regulations are introduced to raise the pension age of local government workers.The five unions meeting Mr Prescott want the government to withdraw these regulations. This would allow months of tough negotiations to follow, said our correspondent. But a spokesman for Mr Prescott warned that the changes to the local government pension scheme would have to go ahead in April. Privately ministers believe this will be the "less painful" option, our correspondent added. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will co-ordinate any industrial action with up to six other public sector unions. PCS leader Mark Serwotka warned last week that there could be further walkouts unless there was a government rethink. "For a government that lectures everyone on choice - choice on public service, choice on this and choice on that - isn't it ironic that they're saying to public sector workers there is no choice," he said. "If you want the pension you were promised when you started you must work for an extra five years - that is working until people drop. "In the 20th century, it's completely unacceptable."Unison's 800,000 workers, the Transport and General Workers' Union's 70,000 and Amicus' 20,000 are among those being balloted about a 23 March walkout. Mr Prescott held a private meeting with senior union figures last week. It is understood no deal was offered in that meeting but there was room for further negotiations. | The five unions meeting Mr Prescott want the government to withdraw these regulations.They want the government to withdraw regulations - due to be introduced in weeks - which would raise the pension age for council workers from 60 to 65.It is just weeks before new regulations are introduced to raise the pension age of local government workers.But a spokesman for Mr Prescott warned that the changes to the local government pension scheme would have to go ahead in April.Other public sector unions have pledged to follow.Mr Prescott held a private meeting with senior union figures last week.Five public sector unions will hold private talks with Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at Labour's spring conference in Gateshead.The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will co-ordinate any industrial action with up to six other public sector unions. |
Schools to take part in mock pollRecord numbers of schools across the UK are to take part in a mock general election backed by the government.Some 600 schools have already signed up for the Y Vote Mock Elections 2005 run by the Hansard Society and aimed at boosting interest in politics. Pupils in the schools taking part will learn the skills of speech writers, canvassers and political candidates. Schools Minister Stephen Twigg said engaging young people's interest was "essential" to the future of democracy.He added: said "Young people who are engaged and motivated by the political process are essential to the future health of our democracy. "The mock elections initiative provides an opportunity for pupils to develop their own understanding of how the democratic process works and why it matters. "By experiencing the election process first hand - from running a campaign to the declaration of the final result - we hope that young people will develop the enthusiasm to take part in the future." The Hansard Society, the Electoral Commission and the Department for Education and Skills are running the programme. Pupils will stand as party candidates, speech writers and canvassers. Michael Raftery, project manager at the Hansard Society, said: "The Y Vote Mock Elections for schools mirror the excitement and buzz of a real election, raising awareness of citizenship, and the benefits of active democracy." The mock votes will take place around 5 May, widely expected to be the date of the general election. Information packs, including ballot papers and manifesto guides, with elections happening in early May were sent out to the 3,000 schools invited to take part. | Record numbers of schools across the UK are to take part in a mock general election backed by the government.Michael Raftery, project manager at the Hansard Society, said: "The Y Vote Mock Elections for schools mirror the excitement and buzz of a real election, raising awareness of citizenship, and the benefits of active democracy.""By experiencing the election process first hand - from running a campaign to the declaration of the final result - we hope that young people will develop the enthusiasm to take part in the future."The mock votes will take place around 5 May, widely expected to be the date of the general election.Some 600 schools have already signed up for the Y Vote Mock Elections 2005 run by the Hansard Society and aimed at boosting interest in politics. |
No to Royal succession shake-upA Labour peer has withdrawn proposals to give female members of the Royal Family the same rights as males.The legislation would have ended the right of male heirs with older sisters to succeed to the Crown. It would also have torn up ancient legislation banning heirs to the throne marrying Roman Catholics. But the government refused to back Lord Dubs' Succession to the Crown Bill, saying it was too complex and raised too many constitutional issues.The Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, agreed the 1701 Act of Settlement, which governs the succession, was discriminatory but added that "for all practical purposes its effects are limited".The changes proposed by Lord Dubs were a "complex and controversial undertaking raising major constitutional issues", he said. Lord Falconer said there were 22 members of the Royal Family in the line of succession after the Prince of Wales - all of who were eligible to succeed and had been unaffected by the act. "It is not a simple matter that can be tinkered with lightly. While we wish to remove all forms of discrimination... this isn't the proper form," he added.He did not rule out change in the future but said if Lord Dubs' private member's bill was passed by peers, he would urge MPs to oppose it in the Commons. Lord Dubs agreed to withdraw his bill after its second reading in the House of Lords, but urged the government to think again at a later stage. "We cannot forever say we don't want to change things because it is too difficult," he told peers. During the debate, the Labour peer and former minister said: "The monarchy should symbolise the values of this country. "What we don't want is a situation where the values of the country have moved on and the monarchy is centuries behind the times. "We are surely all opposed to discrimination on the grounds of gender and we are surely also opposed to discrimination against Catholics." But opponents of the bill, including Tory Lord Campbell of Alloway and the Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, said it would separate the state from both the Church of England and the Christian faith. Such a "secular" state would be markedly "less tolerant", Rt Rev Scott-Joynt argued. | He did not rule out change in the future but said if Lord Dubs' private member's bill was passed by peers, he would urge MPs to oppose it in the Commons.But the government refused to back Lord Dubs' Succession to the Crown Bill, saying it was too complex and raised too many constitutional issues.The changes proposed by Lord Dubs were a "complex and controversial undertaking raising major constitutional issues", he said.But opponents of the bill, including Tory Lord Campbell of Alloway and the Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, said it would separate the state from both the Church of England and the Christian faith.Lord Falconer said there were 22 members of the Royal Family in the line of succession after the Prince of Wales - all of who were eligible to succeed and had been unaffected by the act.The Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, agreed the 1701 Act of Settlement, which governs the succession, was discriminatory but added that "for all practical purposes its effects are limited".Lord Dubs agreed to withdraw his bill after its second reading in the House of Lords, but urged the government to think again at a later stage. |
Talks aim to avert pension strikeTalks aimed at averting a series of national strikes over pensions reforms will take place this weekend.Five public sector unions will hold private talks with Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at Labour's spring conference in Gateshead. They want the government to withdraw regulations - due to be introduced in weeks - which would raise the pension age for council workers from 60 to 65. Up to 1.4m workers could take part in a strike already earmarked for 23 March. However, all sides are anxious to avoid a major confrontation in the run up to the general election, said BBC labour affairs correspondent Stephen Cape. In four days, Britain's biggest union Unison will start balloting 800,000 local government workers on strikes. Other public sector unions have pledged to follow. It is just weeks before new regulations are introduced to raise the pension age of local government workers.The five unions meeting Mr Prescott want the government to withdraw these regulations. This would allow months of tough negotiations to follow, said our correspondent. But a spokesman for Mr Prescott warned that the changes to the local government pension scheme would have to go ahead in April. Privately ministers believe this will be the "less painful" option, our correspondent added. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will co-ordinate any industrial action with up to six other public sector unions. PCS leader Mark Serwotka warned last week that there could be further walkouts unless there was a government rethink. "For a government that lectures everyone on choice - choice on public service, choice on this and choice on that - isn't it ironic that they're saying to public sector workers there is no choice," he said. "If you want the pension you were promised when you started you must work for an extra five years - that is working until people drop. "In the 20th century, it's completely unacceptable."Unison's 800,000 workers, the Transport and General Workers' Union's 70,000 and Amicus' 20,000 are among those being balloted about a 23 March walkout. Mr Prescott held a private meeting with senior union figures last week. It is understood no deal was offered in that meeting but there was room for further negotiations. | The five unions meeting Mr Prescott want the government to withdraw these regulations.They want the government to withdraw regulations - due to be introduced in weeks - which would raise the pension age for council workers from 60 to 65.It is just weeks before new regulations are introduced to raise the pension age of local government workers.But a spokesman for Mr Prescott warned that the changes to the local government pension scheme would have to go ahead in April.Other public sector unions have pledged to follow.Mr Prescott held a private meeting with senior union figures last week.Five public sector unions will hold private talks with Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at Labour's spring conference in Gateshead.The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will co-ordinate any industrial action with up to six other public sector unions. |
Minister defends hunting ban lawThe law banning hunting with dogs in England and Wales is enforceable and "very clear", Alun Michael has said.The rural affairs minister said it would become obvious if people flouted the law, which came into force on Friday, and pretended they were not. Some 270 hunts met legally on Saturday killing a total of 91 foxes - only four were accidentally killed by hounds. But anti-hunt campaigners said there had been widespread intimidation of activists monitoring hunts. Countryside Alliance chairman John Jackson said that Saturday had been a "massive demonstration by the rural community of support for hunting". People had turned out "to show en masse that the Hunting Act was a bad law", he said adding that foxes and other animals had been killed "legally" as far as he was aware.Although hunting with dogs is now a criminal offence, exercising hounds, chasing a scent trail and flushing out foxes to be shot are still legal. Addressing claims that the new law was unenforceable, Mr Michael told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "There has been a lot of spin about this by those that support hunting. "The reality is that the law is very clear. You can't chase wild mammals with a pack of dogs, whether the wild mammal is a fox or a deer. "If people do so and pretend they're not it's going to become very clear. You can't hunt accidentally." Mr Michael also denied the hunting ban had led to a breakdown of trust between the government and rural communities. He said most people living in the countryside were more concerned with issues like the economy, the health service and their children's future than hunting.But the League Against Cruel Sports claimed the new act had been broken even though the numbers of foxes killed had fallen. Thousands of hunt supporters turned out at 270 hunts across England and Wales on the first day of the ban, with anti-hunt groups sending out 100 monitors to check the law was not being broken. There were only four arrests - over alleged hunting of hares in Wiltshire - although it was not clear whether they were made under the Hunting Act.They have been released on bail but police say they may face prosecution under new poaching laws. But Penny Little, who monitored the Bicester Hunt in Oxfordshire, said she had witnessed "gratuitous, spiteful killing of foxes". If people tried to "run circles around this law" the only outcome would be that it was tightened up, she said. Mike Hobday, from the League Against Cruel Sports, said video evidence of the law being broken would be passed onto police. He said intimidation seemed to have been widespread and called on hunts to do more to stop their supporters intimidating anti-hunt activists videoing hunts. But Mr Jackson, who had been at the Bicester Hunt in Oxfordshire, denied there was any intimidation. | People had turned out "to show en masse that the Hunting Act was a bad law", he said adding that foxes and other animals had been killed "legally" as far as he was aware.The law banning hunting with dogs in England and Wales is enforceable and "very clear", Alun Michael has said.If people tried to "run circles around this law" the only outcome would be that it was tightened up, she said.Thousands of hunt supporters turned out at 270 hunts across England and Wales on the first day of the ban, with anti-hunt groups sending out 100 monitors to check the law was not being broken.There were only four arrests - over alleged hunting of hares in Wiltshire - although it was not clear whether they were made under the Hunting Act.But Mr Jackson, who had been at the Bicester Hunt in Oxfordshire, denied there was any intimidation.Addressing claims that the new law was unenforceable, Mr Michael told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "There has been a lot of spin about this by those that support hunting.The rural affairs minister said it would become obvious if people flouted the law, which came into force on Friday, and pretended they were not.He said intimidation seemed to have been widespread and called on hunts to do more to stop their supporters intimidating anti-hunt activists videoing hunts.Mike Hobday, from the League Against Cruel Sports, said video evidence of the law being broken would be passed onto police. |
Brown outlines third term visionGordon Brown has outlined what he thinks should be the key themes of New Labour's next general election bid.He said ensuring every child in Britain had the best start in life could be a legacy to match the NHS's creation. The chancellor has previously planned the party's election strategy but this time the role will be filled by Alan Milburn - a key ally of Tony Blair. The premier insisted Mr Brown will have a key role in Labour's campaign, and praised his handling of the economy.Writing in the Guardian newspaper, Mr Brown outlined his view of the direction New Labour should be taking. "As our manifesto and our programme for the coming decade should make clear, Labour's ambition is not simply tackling idleness but delivering full employment; not just attacking ignorance, disease and squalor but promoting lifelong education, good health and sustainable communities." BBC political editor Andrew Marr said that Mr Brown's article was "a warning shot" to Mr Blair not to try and cut him out of the manifesto writing process. "It was, as always, coded and careful... but entirely deliberate," was Mr Marr's assessment. The prime minister was asked about Mr Brown's article and about his election role when he appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Mr Blair said a decision had yet to be taken over how the election would be run but the chancellor's role would be "central". Mr Blair argued that under New Labour the country had changed for the better and that was "in part" because of Mr Brown's management of the economy. And he pledged childcare would be a "centrepiece" of Labour's manifesto. He also predicted the next general election will be a "tough, tough fight" for New Labour. But the prime minister insisted he did not know what date the poll would take place despite speculation about 5 May. Mr Blair said he was taking "nothing for granted" ahead of the vote - warning that the Tory strategy was to win power via the back door by hinting they were aiming to cut Labour's majority instead of hoping for an outright win. | BBC political editor Andrew Marr said that Mr Brown's article was "a warning shot" to Mr Blair not to try and cut him out of the manifesto writing process.Mr Blair argued that under New Labour the country had changed for the better and that was "in part" because of Mr Brown's management of the economy.Mr Blair said a decision had yet to be taken over how the election would be run but the chancellor's role would be "central".The prime minister was asked about Mr Brown's article and about his election role when he appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.The premier insisted Mr Brown will have a key role in Labour's campaign, and praised his handling of the economy.Mr Blair said he was taking "nothing for granted" ahead of the vote - warning that the Tory strategy was to win power via the back door by hinting they were aiming to cut Labour's majority instead of hoping for an outright win. |
MP's shock at long lost daughterLabour MP Stephen Pound has told of his shock and his joy on learning he fathered a daughter when he was "out of control" during the "wild" 1960s.Lucy, 36, tracked down Mr Pound after her birth mother told her he was known as "Precious" at school. Despite being told he was a "nutter who died at sea" she found a reference to Mr Pound on Friends Reunited. Lucy's mother kept her pregnancy secret and had her adopted at four weeks. Mr Pound found out about it last year. That happened when Lucy wrote to his Parliamentary office saying she believed he was her father.Mr Pound, who is now married with two other teenage children, said: "I was a nutter and I was a sailor but I wasn't dead." He said his first reaction was to wonder if he was victim of a "set-up" but he then realised all the dates fitted. "It was a pretty horrible thing with a pretty happy ending. I felt guilt in the marrow of my bones," said the Ealing North MP. "I don't blame Lucy's mother. I was pretty much out of control. I was 18 when she was conceived. It was a different time - it was pretty wild."Mr Pound says he rang Lucy as soon as he got her letter, they met up and have been in contact ever since. Describing that first meeting at London's King Cross station, he said: "The earth went from under my feet ... We were walking across the Euston Road and I took her arm to take her across and there was an immediate connection. "We were finishing each other sentences." Lucy, who was adopted by a family from Essex, wants to remain anonymous for the sake of her adoptive father and her children. Mr Pound said his wife Maggie had been fully supportive and their two children Emily, 16, and Pelham, 14 were pleased to have an older sister. | Mr Pound, who is now married with two other teenage children, said: "I was a nutter and I was a sailor but I wasn't dead."I was 18 when she was conceived.It was a different time - it was pretty wild."Lucy, 36, tracked down Mr Pound after her birth mother told her he was known as "Precious" at school.He said his first reaction was to wonder if he was victim of a "set-up" but he then realised all the dates fitted.I was pretty much out of control.Despite being told he was a "nutter who died at sea" she found a reference to Mr Pound on Friends Reunited.Labour MP Stephen Pound has told of his shock and his joy on learning he fathered a daughter when he was "out of control" during the "wild" 1960s. |
Ministers deny care sums 'wrong'Ministers have insisted they are committed to free personal care for the elderly despite research suggesting the cost of the policy was under-estimated.A report by the Fraser of Allander Institute says the decision to push ahead with the flagship policy was based on flawed research. Deputy Health Minister Rhona Brankin has pledged to study the research. SNP Holyrood leader Nicola Sturgeon said the public needed reassurance that the care programme was secure.The rise in costs stems from a series of mistakes in the research used by the "care development group" of Scottish Executive experts who prepared the original costings, according to findings published in the Quarterly Economic Commentary of Strathclyde University's Fraser of Allander Institute. "Dubious" assumptions about improving health expectancy could drive the cost of the policy up by another £130m by 2022, the report warned.It was carried out by husband and wife economist team Jim and Margaret Cuthbert. But Ms Brankin told BBC Radio Scotland: "We don't think we got our sums wrong. "Obviously we will examine the findings of this new report, along with figures from our own research that we have already commissioned. "We will look in great detail at any contribution to this, because we need to be sure we can provide free personal care and nursing care for our older people into the future. "And we are absolutely committed to doing that."But the Scottish National Party called on ministers to reassure people that enough funding is in place to support the free personal care policy. Ms Sturgeon said that while she had no reason to doubt the executive's support for the policy, there were questions which needed to be answered and, if necessary, sums redone. She said: "Serious concerns have been raised and there are questions which need to be answered by the Scottish Executive. "We need to know that the money is there, not just for this year or next year, but into the future so that older people, and those who are looking forward to older age, can rest assured that their personal care needs will be met." | Ministers have insisted they are committed to free personal care for the elderly despite research suggesting the cost of the policy was under-estimated.But the Scottish National Party called on ministers to reassure people that enough funding is in place to support the free personal care policy."We will look in great detail at any contribution to this, because we need to be sure we can provide free personal care and nursing care for our older people into the future.A report by the Fraser of Allander Institute says the decision to push ahead with the flagship policy was based on flawed research.Ms Sturgeon said that while she had no reason to doubt the executive's support for the policy, there were questions which needed to be answered and, if necessary, sums redone.The rise in costs stems from a series of mistakes in the research used by the "care development group" of Scottish Executive experts who prepared the original costings, according to findings published in the Quarterly Economic Commentary of Strathclyde University's Fraser of Allander Institute. |
Regiments' group in poll moveA regiments' campaign group is to target nine marginal Labour seats at the General Election.Save the Scottish Regiments will also field a candidate against Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram in East Kilbride. The group, which is unhappy at defence merger plans, is endorsing opposition candidates in nine seats. The marginals are Aberdeen South, Dumfriesshire, Dundee East and West, South West Edinburgh, Ochil, Stirling, East Renfrewshire and Western Isles. The campaigners unveiled a huge poster featuring Black Watch soldiers fighting the war in Iraq before they announced their election plans.Former Scots Guardsman Allan Hendry will challenge Mr Ingram. The group said it is well organised, with 350 volunteers, and will be announcing at least one other candidate later. It added that it can only be stopped from inflicting serious damage on Labour if the government reverses its plan to merge the six Scottish regiments.Scotland's only Conservative MP Peter Duncan said the Save the Scottish Regiments had done a "superb job" in fighting against defence cuts. He added: "Their actions have reflected the pride that most people in this country have in our troops, and have shown a steely determination to make Labour pay for their betrayal. "I have been honoured to speak at their rallies throughout Scotland." Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond said it had received a "big boost" from the campaign's decision to endorse SNP candidates in four marginal seats."Labour's arrogance has been their undoing. In trying to get rid of Scotland's historic regiments, Labour MPs will end up being scrapped themselves," he said. However, Labour MP George Foulkes said the campaigners would not make any difference to the outcome of the election and would not win the argument. "A serving soldier knows that what Labour is proposing is right," he said. As well as their election move, Save the Scottish Regiments will join other campaigners at a rally in London in the spring. Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced last year that Scotland's regiments would be combined into a single unit. The move was part of overall Army reforms. | As well as their election move, Save the Scottish Regiments will join other campaigners at a rally in London in the spring.Scotland's only Conservative MP Peter Duncan said the Save the Scottish Regiments had done a "superb job" in fighting against defence cuts.Save the Scottish Regiments will also field a candidate against Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram in East Kilbride.A regiments' campaign group is to target nine marginal Labour seats at the General Election.In trying to get rid of Scotland's historic regiments, Labour MPs will end up being scrapped themselves," he said.However, Labour MP George Foulkes said the campaigners would not make any difference to the outcome of the election and would not win the argument.It added that it can only be stopped from inflicting serious damage on Labour if the government reverses its plan to merge the six Scottish regiments."A serving soldier knows that what Labour is proposing is right," he said. |
Anglers 'could face prosecution'Anglers and fishermen could find themselves prosecuted under plans to crack down on animal cruelty, a committee of MPs has warned.Sloppy wording of the draft animal welfare bill could leave anglers facing court even though it was not intended, the environment select committee said. The MPs said they were "concerned" the government had not consulted directly on its plans to improve animal welfare. They raised complex and emotive issues which needed to be resolved, MPs said.They called for a "cast-iron guarantee" that the government consults on any plans to regulate animal industries like pet fairs and game bird rearing. The draft bill seeks to modernise and improve animal welfare legislation, and intends to protect "kept animals" and "companion" animals by setting up a "duty of care". In addition to maintaining existing cruelty offences, it creates an offence of neglect by keepers who fail to protect the animals for whom they are responsible. The bill would allow animal welfare officers to intervene to prevent harm to an animal as well as outlawing "mutilation" of animals - unless it can be demonstrated to be in the animal's best interest.The environment select committee made 101 recommendations after hearing evidence from 51 organisations and individuals. One was a call to amend the bill so that prosecutions against those engaged in fishing were not inadvertently encouraged - even if they were to later fail. "We accept that neither commercial fishing nor recreational angling should fall within the remit of the of the draft bill and we therefore support the government's intention to exempt fishing as an activity."But the committee said an amendment was needed to ensure cases were not brought. "However, in exempting fishing, the government should be careful to ensure that those persons who catch fish are not given 'carte blanche' to inflict unnecessary suffering in the course of pursuing this activity," the committee added. The committee also said some legal protections for animals were downgraded by the bill, such as the law on abandonment of animals which "would be significantly weakened". MPs urged the government to redraft clauses relating to the prosecution of cruelty offences. This was because as it stood the draft bill would allow certain acts that should be prosecuted - such as unnecessary suffering caused to an animal through neglect, or unnecessary mental suffering - to go unpunished.Committee chairman Michael Jack said: "Any change in the law as it affects animals always arouses powerful emotions and great public interest. "This draft bill is no exception. My committee welcomes the development of an approach to animal welfare which doesn't just wait for a problem to occur but enables action to be taken to protect animals before irreversible suffering takes place." But Mr Jack said the bill "very much had the feel of a 'work in progress', and urged the government to guarantee that "an obligation to consult will be enshrined in law" before it extended legislative plans to areas such as pet fairs, circuses and game bird farms. "The government must work hard to take the rough edges of its initial proposals before the bill is introduced to Parliament," he added. | The committee also said some legal protections for animals were downgraded by the bill, such as the law on abandonment of animals which "would be significantly weakened".Sloppy wording of the draft animal welfare bill could leave anglers facing court even though it was not intended, the environment select committee said.The MPs said they were "concerned" the government had not consulted directly on its plans to improve animal welfare.The draft bill seeks to modernise and improve animal welfare legislation, and intends to protect "kept animals" and "companion" animals by setting up a "duty of care".The bill would allow animal welfare officers to intervene to prevent harm to an animal as well as outlawing "mutilation" of animals - unless it can be demonstrated to be in the animal's best interest.My committee welcomes the development of an approach to animal welfare which doesn't just wait for a problem to occur but enables action to be taken to protect animals before irreversible suffering takes place."Anglers and fishermen could find themselves prosecuted under plans to crack down on animal cruelty, a committee of MPs has warned.This was because as it stood the draft bill would allow certain acts that should be prosecuted - such as unnecessary suffering caused to an animal through neglect, or unnecessary mental suffering - to go unpunished.Committee chairman Michael Jack said: "Any change in the law as it affects animals always arouses powerful emotions and great public interest. |
Budget to set scene for electionGordon Brown will seek to put the economy at the centre of Labour's bid for a third term in power when he delivers his ninth Budget at 1230 GMT. He is expected to stress the importance of continued economic stability, with low unemployment and interest rates. The chancellor is expected to freeze petrol duty and raise the stamp duty threshold from £60,000. But the Conservatives and Lib Dems insist voters face higher taxes and more means-testing under Labour.Treasury officials have said there will not be a pre-election giveaway, but Mr Brown is thought to have about £2bn to spare.- Increase in the stamp duty threshold from £60,000 - A freeze on petrol duty - An extension of tax credit scheme for poorer families - Possible help for pensioners The stamp duty threshold rise is intended to help first time buyers - a likely theme of all three of the main parties' general election manifestos. Ten years ago, buyers had a much greater chance of avoiding stamp duty, with close to half a million properties, in England and Wales alone, selling for less than £60,000. Since then, average UK property prices have more than doubled while the starting threshold for stamp duty has not increased. Tax credits As a result, the number of properties incurring stamp duty has rocketed as has the government's tax take. The Liberal Democrats unveiled their own proposals to raise the stamp duty threshold to £150,000 in February.The Tories are also thought likely to propose increased thresholds, with shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin branding stamp duty a "classic Labour stealth tax". The Tories say whatever the chancellor gives away will be clawed back in higher taxes if Labour is returned to power. Shadow Treasury chief secretary George Osborne said: "Everyone who looks at the British economy at the moment says there has been a sharp deterioration in the public finances, that there is a black hole," he said. "If Labour is elected there will be a very substantial tax increase in the Budget after the election, of the order of around £10bn."But Mr Brown's former advisor Ed Balls, now a parliamentary hopeful, said an examination of Tory plans for the economy showed there would be a £35bn difference in investment by the end of the next parliament between the two main parties. He added: "I don't accept there is any need for any changes to the plans we have set out to meet our spending commitments."For the Lib Dems David Laws said: "The chancellor will no doubt tell us today how wonderfully the economy is doing," he said. "But a lot of that is built on an increase in personal and consumer debt over the last few years - that makes the economy quite vulnerable potentially if interest rates ever do have to go up in a significant way." SNP leader Alex Salmond said his party would introduce a £2,000 grant for first time buyers, reduce corporation tax and introduce a citizens pension free from means testing. Plaid Cymru's economics spokesman Adam Price said he wanted help to get people on the housing ladder and an increase in the minimum wage to £5.60 an hour. | - Increase in the stamp duty threshold from £60,000 - A freeze on petrol duty - An extension of tax credit scheme for poorer families - Possible help for pensioners The stamp duty threshold rise is intended to help first time buyers - a likely theme of all three of the main parties' general election manifestos.The chancellor is expected to freeze petrol duty and raise the stamp duty threshold from £60,000.The Tories are also thought likely to propose increased thresholds, with shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin branding stamp duty a "classic Labour stealth tax".Tax credits As a result, the number of properties incurring stamp duty has rocketed as has the government's tax take.Since then, average UK property prices have more than doubled while the starting threshold for stamp duty has not increased.For the Lib Dems David Laws said: "The chancellor will no doubt tell us today how wonderfully the economy is doing," he said.The Liberal Democrats unveiled their own proposals to raise the stamp duty threshold to £150,000 in February."If Labour is elected there will be a very substantial tax increase in the Budget after the election, of the order of around £10bn." |
Plaid MP's cottage arson claimA Plaid Cymru MP believes UK security services were involved in some arson attacks blamed on Welsh extremists.It is 25 years since the start of 12 years of fire-bombings, attributed to a shadowy group known as Meibion Glyndwr. Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llwyd has suggested the security services could have been involved, with the intention of discrediting the nationalist vote. Ex-Welsh Office Minister Lord Roberts of Conwy denied security services were involved. In March this year, North Wales Police reopened the case, saying materials kept during their investigations would be examined to find whether it would yield DNA evidence.Meibion Glyndwr - which means "sons of Glyndwr" - began burning property in December 1979 in protest at homes in rural Wales being sold as holiday cottages to people from England. The group was linked to most of the 220 or so fire-bombing incidents stretching from the Llyn Peninsula to Pembrokeshire. The campaign continued until the early 1990s. Police were accused in some quarters of targeting anyone who was a nationalist. Although one man, Sion Aubrey Roberts, was convicted in 1993 of sending letter bombs in the post, the arson cases remain unsolved.As a solicitor, Elfyn Llwyd represented Welsh singer Bryn Fôn when he was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the arson campaign. Fôn was released without charge . But now, as MP for Merionnydd Nant Conwy and Plaid Cymru's Parliamentary Leader, Mr Llwyd has argued that some of the terror attacks may have had the involvement of the security services and not Meibion Glyndwr. He believes that elements of the British security services may have carried out renegade actions in order to discredit Plaid Cymru and the nationalist vote ahead of elections. The claim is made in an interview for BBC Wales' Maniffesto programme to be shown on S4C on Sunday.Mr Llwyd said that the sophistication of many of the devices used in the attacks compared to the crude nature of many others, suggests a degree of professionalism which could only have come from individuals who knew exactly what they were doing. He said: "What I'm saying is that the role that they took wasn't the appropriate one, i.e. like anagent provocateurand perhaps interfering and creating a situation where it looked like it was the nationalists that were responsible." The programme also heard from Lord Roberts of Conwy, who was a Welsh Office minister at the time. He denied that the security services played any improper role. Mr Llwyd's theory has also been questioned by Plaid Cymru's former President, Dafydd Wigley. He accepted that the fires damaged Plaid Cymru's public image but believed that the security services had their hands full at the time with the IRA and animal rights activists. - Maniffesto can be seen on S4C on Sunday, 12 December, at 1200 GMT. | But now, as MP for Merionnydd Nant Conwy and Plaid Cymru's Parliamentary Leader, Mr Llwyd has argued that some of the terror attacks may have had the involvement of the security services and not Meibion Glyndwr.Plaid Cymru's Elfyn Llwyd has suggested the security services could have been involved, with the intention of discrediting the nationalist vote.Ex-Welsh Office Minister Lord Roberts of Conwy denied security services were involved.A Plaid Cymru MP believes UK security services were involved in some arson attacks blamed on Welsh extremists.He believes that elements of the British security services may have carried out renegade actions in order to discredit Plaid Cymru and the nationalist vote ahead of elections.He denied that the security services played any improper role.The programme also heard from Lord Roberts of Conwy, who was a Welsh Office minister at the time.He accepted that the fires damaged Plaid Cymru's public image but believed that the security services had their hands full at the time with the IRA and animal rights activists.Police were accused in some quarters of targeting anyone who was a nationalist. |
Commons hunt protest chargesEight protesters who stormed the House of Commons chamber during a debate on the Hunting Bill have been charged with disorderly conduct.The men were arrested in September after bursting into the chamber causing a hunting ban debate to be halted. Those charged included Otis Ferry, the 22-year-old son of rock star Bryan Ferry and Luke Tomlinson, 27, a close friend of princes William and Harry. They were charged under Section 5 of the Public Order Act, police said.Five of the eight men held an impromptu news conference outside Charing Cross Police Station on Monday evening, after the charges were formerly put to them. The men's solicitor Matthew Knight, said that at no time had it occurred to the men that they were committing a criminal offence."There is no offence of trespassing in the House of Commons - it is not a criminal offence," he said. "If Parliament wanted to make entering the House of Commons chamber on foot a criminal offence it should have done so, but it can't do so retrospectively. "We are not prosecuted for that. We are prosecuted for a Public Order Act offence. We are not guilty of it." They will appear at Bow Street Magistrates' Court on 21 December, a police spokesman said. Otis Ferry, a former Eton pupil and joint leader of the South Shropshire Hunt, said: "I have no regrets. "We have done nothing wrong beyond the obvious which was to stand up for our rights and not act like a sheep like the rest of the country." One of the men, David Redvers, 34, from Hartpury, Gloucestershire, said he and the other seven protesters would plead not guilty to the charges.The other protesters are John Holliday, 37, a huntsman from Ledbury, Herefordshire, Robert Thame, 34, who plays polo with Princes Charles in Team Highgrove, auctioneer Andrew Elliot, 42, from Bromesberrow, near Ledbury, point-to-point jockey Richard Wakeham, 34, from York, and former royal chef Nick Wood, 41. The 15 September protest came on the same day as a huge pro-hunting demonstration in Parliament Square. Four of the men ran out from behind the speaker's chair while another wrestled past a doorkeeper from a different entrance. The five tried to confront MPs before they were bundled out of the chamber and later led away handcuffed by police. Three others had been intercepted by security staff as they tried to join the five in the chamber.Speaker Michael Martin later said the men had used a forged letter to gain access to the House of Commons and had been helped to get close to the chamber by a parliamentary pass holder. In November, the use of the Parliament Act meant a total ban on hunting with dogs in England and Wales. However, many pro-hunt activists remained defiant after the law was passed, saying they would ignore the ban and continue to hunt. Last week, the Countryside Alliance said more than 250 hunts would meet legally the day after the ban on hunting with dogs comes into force. The alliance said the 19 February meets would show the new law was "impossibly difficult to determine" and open to different interpretations. | They were charged under Section 5 of the Public Order Act, police said."There is no offence of trespassing in the House of Commons - it is not a criminal offence," he said.One of the men, David Redvers, 34, from Hartpury, Gloucestershire, said he and the other seven protesters would plead not guilty to the charges.We are prosecuted for a Public Order Act offence.Last week, the Countryside Alliance said more than 250 hunts would meet legally the day after the ban on hunting with dogs comes into force.Speaker Michael Martin later said the men had used a forged letter to gain access to the House of Commons and had been helped to get close to the chamber by a parliamentary pass holder.The men's solicitor Matthew Knight, said that at no time had it occurred to the men that they were committing a criminal offence."If Parliament wanted to make entering the House of Commons chamber on foot a criminal offence it should have done so, but it can't do so retrospectively.Eight protesters who stormed the House of Commons chamber during a debate on the Hunting Bill have been charged with disorderly conduct.The men were arrested in September after bursting into the chamber causing a hunting ban debate to be halted. |
Protect whistleblowers, TUC saysThe government should change the law to give more protection to employees who raise health and safety concerns about their workplaces, the TUC has said.It said data from employment tribunals suggested 1,500 "safety whistleblowers" had lost their jobs since 1999. Some firms found it cheaper to sack a worker than to improve buildings or change working conditions, it said. The Health and Safety Executive said it was trying to get workers more involved in helping to make workplaces safer. The TUC figures were drawn from unfair dismissal cases at tribunals were health and safety were the main issue.Safety representatives were often ignored when raising concerns because there was no legal duty to respond, claimed the union organisation. General secretary Brendan Barber said: "It shouldn't be a firing offence to object to unsafe work. "Workers should not be placed in the situation where they are forced to choose between risking their job or risking their personal health and safety." Mr Barber, who said the "problem is far worse than official statistics show", called for a legal system that "protects safety whistleblowers". He added that workers who are not in a union, as well as casual and migrant workers, "stand little chance of redress."Rory O' Neill, editor of union-backed Hazards magazine, which conducted the research, said: "Giving union safety reps more rights in more workplaces is the ultimate win-win. "Death and injuries at work increased last year, for the second time since the turn of the century. "It would be a fatal mistake not to take full advantage of the union safety effect." The TUC has called on the government to appoint "roving" safety reps and to increase spending on health and safety work inspections. The Health and Safety Executive had said that it had launched an initiative to make factories and offices safer, with more worker involvement. | The Health and Safety Executive said it was trying to get workers more involved in helping to make workplaces safer.The TUC has called on the government to appoint "roving" safety reps and to increase spending on health and safety work inspections.The Health and Safety Executive had said that it had launched an initiative to make factories and offices safer, with more worker involvement.The government should change the law to give more protection to employees who raise health and safety concerns about their workplaces, the TUC has said.It said data from employment tribunals suggested 1,500 "safety whistleblowers" had lost their jobs since 1999.Mr Barber, who said the "problem is far worse than official statistics show", called for a legal system that "protects safety whistleblowers". |
Labour's core support takes stockTony Blair has told Labour supporters he's "back" and still hungry for the job of prime minister - but does that sum up the mood at the party's spring conference in Gateshead?"The electorate are keener on the government than some Labour Party members," is the dry assessment of Graham Lane, leader of the Labour group on Newham Council. The problem, according to Mr Lane, is not continuing divisions over Iraq, foundation hospitals or tuition fees, or even voter apathy, but Mr Blair himself. "I have a new slogan. Vote Blair, Get Brown. That's what I am telling people on the doorstep. Don't worry, he will be gone soon." His friend, Saxon Spence, leader of Devon county Labour group, lays the blame for any lack of campaigning zeal on one issue above all others. "You cannot underestimate the impact of the war in Iraq. We lost people from our local party who had some key roles."But the two friends were fired up by Gordon Brown's speech on Saturday, with its appeal to core Labour values on social justice, health and education."There was real passion. I think we have all felt a little jaded, but it reminded us why we joined the party in the first place," said Mrs Spence. "If he hadn't have walked off the stage, they would still be clapping," added Mr Lane. But for every Brownite at the spring conference there was an equally ardent fan of Mr Blair. Stephen Douglas, 26, from Wales, said after the PM's speech on Sunday: "I think it was a bit of a turning point, given the roasting he has had on some issues. The guy still has it."Tony Martin, of Burnley, said: "He is the first leader who has won us two terms. This bloke has delivered for us." Malcolm Shipley, of Shipley, said it was "as if he is coming round to the right approach again". Katrina Bull, a prospective parliamentary candidate said Mr Blair had shown he could rouse the party's grassroots: "I think if every voter was able to spend time in a room with Tony, the way we have today, we will have no problem with turnout." She had just emerged from a Q&A session, in which Mr Blair - tieless and supremely at ease - answered questions posed via the party's website.A party of councillors from Nottingham agreed that there was nothing wrong with Mr Blair's leadership - and they were adamant that the campaigning strength of the party in their city was as strong as ever. Iraq, they insisted, would not be a factor for most voters. "The biggest problem we have got at the moment is that we keep getting all these polls saying we are going to run away with the election. "It might sound great, but it does create this sense of complacency among our own voters and I think that is the greater problem than Iraq," said Nottingham City Councillor Brian Parbutt. And even Mr Blair's most vocal critics seemed to agree on one thing - he is a master of the sort of glossy, high-profile campaigning that has become Labour's hallmark, epitomised by Friday's whistle-stop tour of marginal seats. A group of shop stewards from the Swan Hunter shipyard, who said they were facing redundancy, could barely suppress their anger at Mr Blair's failure to, as they saw it, shake off his Tory leanings and stand up for manufacturing in the North East.They were also scathing about the alleged benefits of showpiece projects such as conference venue Sage Centre, heralded by John Prescott and others this weekend as a symbol of Labour's success in urban regeneration."It is no good having the Sage or Baltic if you haven't got the money for the entrance fee," said Terry Telford. But when asked about Mr Blair's bravura performance on Friday, the men agreed he was "brilliant". And they would all be out on the doorstep pushing the Labour message come election time. "If you are not fired up about the election, then what's the point? There is no complacency as far as I can see in the Labour Party. We are fired up. We are up for this election," said Richie Porterhouse. Mr Telford agreed, but added it was becoming increasingly difficult to think of an answer when people asked "What has Labour done for the North East?" "I have had doors slammed in my face," he said.Every activist I spoke to said they were proud of what they believed Labour had achieved in their local communities - the new hospitals and schools, the better life chances for young people. The problem they faced, they said, was converting this local feelgood factor into votes. But they could at least rely on one "secret weapon", as one activist put it - Tory leader Michael Howard. | Mr Telford agreed, but added it was becoming increasingly difficult to think of an answer when people asked "What has Labour done for the North East?"Katrina Bull, a prospective parliamentary candidate said Mr Blair had shown he could rouse the party's grassroots: "I think if every voter was able to spend time in a room with Tony, the way we have today, we will have no problem with turnout."A party of councillors from Nottingham agreed that there was nothing wrong with Mr Blair's leadership - and they were adamant that the campaigning strength of the party in their city was as strong as ever.The problem they faced, they said, was converting this local feelgood factor into votes.Every activist I spoke to said they were proud of what they believed Labour had achieved in their local communities - the new hospitals and schools, the better life chances for young people.Stephen Douglas, 26, from Wales, said after the PM's speech on Sunday: "I think it was a bit of a turning point, given the roasting he has had on some issues.But for every Brownite at the spring conference there was an equally ardent fan of Mr Blair.The problem, according to Mr Lane, is not continuing divisions over Iraq, foundation hospitals or tuition fees, or even voter apathy, but Mr Blair himself.Tony Martin, of Burnley, said: "He is the first leader who has won us two terms.We are up for this election," said Richie Porterhouse.Tony Blair has told Labour supporters he's "back" and still hungry for the job of prime minister - but does that sum up the mood at the party's spring conference in Gateshead?But when asked about Mr Blair's bravura performance on Friday, the men agreed he was "brilliant"."It might sound great, but it does create this sense of complacency among our own voters and I think that is the greater problem than Iraq," said Nottingham City Councillor Brian Parbutt.And they would all be out on the doorstep pushing the Labour message come election time."The electorate are keener on the government than some Labour Party members," is the dry assessment of Graham Lane, leader of the Labour group on Newham Council.I think we have all felt a little jaded, but it reminded us why we joined the party in the first place," said Mrs Spence.Malcolm Shipley, of Shipley, said it was "as if he is coming round to the right approach again". |
Tories leave door open for ArcherThe Conservative Party would deal "sympathetically" with any application by disgraced peer Lord Archer to rejoin its ranks, its co-chairman has said.Dr Liam Fox told BBC One's Breakfast with Frost programme there was no place for "vindictiveness" in politics. Lord Archer spent two years in prison after being convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice. The former Tory deputy chairman's five-year suspension from the party has just elapsed.A jury ruled that Lord Archer lied during a libel trial against the Daily Star at the High Court in London in 1987.He won damages after the newspaper printed allegations about involvement with a prostitute. Dr Fox was asked if he would say yes or no if Lord Archer applied to rejoin. "I'm sure that in line with people having served their sentence and having done some reparations for what they did wrong, we would look at that sympathetically. "I don't believe in vindictiveness, I don't think that has any place in politics, unlike the prime minister and Alastair Campbell."Tory peer Lord Tebbit said he agreed with Dr Fox's view, and said the case should be looked at on its merits. "After all, he is far from being the worst perjurer in the world," he added. Meanwhile, senior Conservative MP Sir Teddy Taylor warned that moves bring Lord Archer back into the fold could be controversial. He said: "I suppose, on a Sunday in particular, we should always make provision for forgiving sinners. But there is no doubt it would be controversial." Lord Archer, who was not available for comment, remains a popular figure among constituency Tory parties and is a successful fundraiser. He has not been seen in the House of Lords since his release from prison in July 2003, although there is nothing in the rules to prevent him from attending. | The Conservative Party would deal "sympathetically" with any application by disgraced peer Lord Archer to rejoin its ranks, its co-chairman has said.Dr Fox was asked if he would say yes or no if Lord Archer applied to rejoin.Lord Archer, who was not available for comment, remains a popular figure among constituency Tory parties and is a successful fundraiser.Tory peer Lord Tebbit said he agreed with Dr Fox's view, and said the case should be looked at on its merits.Lord Archer spent two years in prison after being convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice.Meanwhile, senior Conservative MP Sir Teddy Taylor warned that moves bring Lord Archer back into the fold could be controversial.A jury ruled that Lord Archer lied during a libel trial against the Daily Star at the High Court in London in 1987. |
Eurovision 'greats' to do battleStars of the Eurovision Song Contest from the show's 50-year history are to compete against each other to celebrate the contest's anniversary.Viewers will choose 14 past songs to be performed by the original artists or others in the spirit of the originals. Past Eurovision performers include Abba, Celine Dion, Bucks Fizz, Nana Mouskouri, Lulu and Julio Iglesias. Fans will then vote as usual to pick the all-time best Eurovision song during the show in Denmark in October. The first contest was organised by the European Broadcasting Union, or EBU, in 1956, and has become an annual event pitting pop giants against musical minnows - with often surprising results.While some regard it as an essential celebration of continental talent, others see it as an equally unmissable parade of the reasons some countries do not normally produce international stars. The 50th annual contest will be held in Kiev, Ukraine, in May, after Ukrainian singer Ruslana won last year. The 50th anniversary special will be held in Denmark later this year because the Danish Broadcasting Corporation came up with the idea for the all-time contest. A plan to hold it in London was scrapped because of problems finding a suitable venue. Ireland has been the most successful country in the show's history with seven victories, followed by the UK, France and Luxembourg with five each. | Stars of the Eurovision Song Contest from the show's 50-year history are to compete against each other to celebrate the contest's anniversary.The 50th anniversary special will be held in Denmark later this year because the Danish Broadcasting Corporation came up with the idea for the all-time contest.The 50th annual contest will be held in Kiev, Ukraine, in May, after Ukrainian singer Ruslana won last year.Fans will then vote as usual to pick the all-time best Eurovision song during the show in Denmark in October. |
Hundreds vie for best film OscarA total of 267 films are eligible for the best film Oscar but only five will be chosen to go forward as nominees.The Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences has sent out the first ballot papers with the full list of films vying for recognition. Among those expected to receive nominations are The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby and Sideways. Academy members will now vote for their favourites before the final nominees are announced on 25 January.To be eligible for nomination a film must have been shown in a commercial theatre for seven consecutive days before the deadline of 31 December. Director Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio went on general release on Christmas Day in the US, ensuring it just made the deadline. Studios have already begun lobbying voters, taking out full page adverts in trade publications such as Variety urging them to remember particular films when it comes to choosing what to back. Other movies tipped for possible success include Closer, starring Jude Law and Julia Roberts, Finding Neverland, with Johnny Depp as author JM Barry and Kinsey starring Liam Neeson as the famed sex scientist Alfred Kinsey. Meanwhile, design engineer Takuo Miyagishima will be awarded an Oscar at the Scientific and Technical Awards Dinner on 12 February 2005. Miyagishima is the 18th recipient of the Sawyer Award, which is "presented to an individual in the motion picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry." The main Oscar ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on 27 February. | A total of 267 films are eligible for the best film Oscar but only five will be chosen to go forward as nominees.To be eligible for nomination a film must have been shown in a commercial theatre for seven consecutive days before the deadline of 31 December.The Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences has sent out the first ballot papers with the full list of films vying for recognition.Director Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio went on general release on Christmas Day in the US, ensuring it just made the deadline.Meanwhile, design engineer Takuo Miyagishima will be awarded an Oscar at the Scientific and Technical Awards Dinner on 12 February 2005. |
Animation charms Japan box officeOscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki's latest film has set a new Japanese box office record, with 1.5bn yen ($14.3m) in two days, according to reports.Howl's Moving Castle is the follow-up to Miyazaki's Spirited Away, which won best animation at last year's Oscars. It is based on the children's book by English writer Diana Wynne Jones. It has registered the highest opening weekend takings of any Japanese film in the country, according to trade publication Screen Daily.The film is about an 18-year-old girl who is trapped in an old woman's body after being put under a spell by a witch. Its two-day takings represented 1.1 million cinema admissions, Screen Daily said. The film's distributor Toho expects 40 million people to see it in total - almost one third of the country's population - it added. The film won the Golden Osella for outstanding technical contribution at this year's Venice Film Festival. | It has registered the highest opening weekend takings of any Japanese film in the country, according to trade publication Screen Daily.The film won the Golden Osella for outstanding technical contribution at this year's Venice Film Festival.Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki's latest film has set a new Japanese box office record, with 1.5bn yen ($14.3m) in two days, according to reports.Its two-day takings represented 1.1 million cinema admissions, Screen Daily said. |
Angels 'favourite funeral song'Angels by Robbie Williams is the song Britons would most like played at their funeral, a survey has suggested.While the melancholy hit topped the UK poll, Europeans favoured Queen's more upbeat anthem The Show Must Go On as their first choice. Frank Sinatra's My Way was second in the UK vote with Monty Python's Always Look on the Bright Side of Life in third place. More than 45,000 people were surveyed by digital TV station Music Choice.The European chart, which included Denmark, France and Germany, put Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven in second and AC/DC's Highway to Hell in third. Queen's Who Wants to Live Forever was highly favoured by both UK and European voters.Both lists featured only one traditional or classic song each, with Britons requesting the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards' Amazing Grace and their continental counterparts opting for Mozart's Requiem. "Wanting to share your most treasured musical gem with those you're leaving behind is the perfect way to sign off and leave a lasting impression," Music Choice music and marketing manager Simon George said. | Queen's Who Wants to Live Forever was highly favoured by both UK and European voters.While the melancholy hit topped the UK poll, Europeans favoured Queen's more upbeat anthem The Show Must Go On as their first choice.Frank Sinatra's My Way was second in the UK vote with Monty Python's Always Look on the Bright Side of Life in third place.Angels by Robbie Williams is the song Britons would most like played at their funeral, a survey has suggested. |
Duran Duran show set for US TVChart stars Duran Duran are to appear in a VH1 special in the US including interviews and concert footage.The show airs on Tuesday and will feature a studio performance, behind the scenes footage and fan interviews. "They seemed like a perfect fit with our audience," said Rick Krim, VH1's vice president of music and talent. The band recently released a new album, Astronaut, the first from the original line-up since 1983. They will also tour Japan and the US next year."When we started playing together, we didn't try and make a really sort of mature album. We just really wanted to make a great Duran Duran album," said keyboard player Nick Rhodes. "It's pretty much in line with a lot of stuff out there." Duran Duran are currently promoting the album's second single, What Happens Tomorrow.Simon Le Bon said earlier this year that the group were not trying to update their sound too much. "We wouldn't want to lose them [older fans] by trying too hard by trying to connect with a new audience," the singer said. Le Bon also said the five members were getting on very well. "We're like any people who get very close. Sometimes you argue with each other. But the fact is we inspire each other musically. "Nobody else does it for me," he said. "It's just very special." | We just really wanted to make a great Duran Duran album," said keyboard player Nick Rhodes.Chart stars Duran Duran are to appear in a VH1 special in the US including interviews and concert footage.Simon Le Bon said earlier this year that the group were not trying to update their sound too much.Le Bon also said the five members were getting on very well."We wouldn't want to lose them [older fans] by trying too hard by trying to connect with a new audience," the singer said."They seemed like a perfect fit with our audience," said Rick Krim, VH1's vice president of music and talent."Nobody else does it for me," he said. |
Aviator and Vera take Bafta gloryHollywood blockbuster The Aviator and low-budget British movie Vera Drake have shared the main honours at the 2005 Bafta film awards. The Aviator was declared best film, and its star Cate Blanchett won best supporting actress. But Vera Drake scored best director for Mike Leigh while Imelda Staunton took the hotly contested best actress award. Jamie Foxx won best actor for Ray, while British actor Clive Owen took best supporting actor for Closer. The two actors have repeated their success at the Golden Globes in January. But big British hope Kate Winslet walked away empty-handed on Saturday despite two nominations for best actress. Celebrating his win, the Oscar-nominated Owen told reporters: "The whole award season is new to me because I haven't won anything before. All of that is a bit overwhelming." Blanchett, who won a Bafta in 1999 for her leading role in Elizabeth, said: "Winning a Bafta means an enormous amount to me." She thanked the woman she played, Katharine Hepburn, for paving the way for women to work in film. "Thank you very much, I'm sure you're pleased, although you're not able to see this," she said.The Aviator took four awards in all, also collecting best make-up and hair and production design, while Vera Drake also scooped best costume design. Staunton, who is up for an Oscar for her role in Vera Drake, arrived wearing a green silk and chiffon beaded evening dress. "Thank you very much. I'm so thrilled and so grateful and I'm delighted that the success of Vera Drake has boosted sales of hair nets and pinnies, which is very good," she said on accepting her award. Her director Leigh, who beat Martin Scorsese to the best director award, told the audience: "We always say it was a surprise and sometimes I've said it and not meant it. On this occasion, given the other names, it's a real surprise and an extraordinary honour. "It's an immense privilege to have been allowed the freedom to make as uncompromising a film as I think Vera Drake is and an epic with such a small budget." Best actor Foxx could not make the ceremony, but actress Helen Mirren read out his acceptance speech. "I'm honoured and proud to receive this Bafta. I'd like to thank the late Ray Charles himself." He apologised for not being in London, joking: "Unfortunately I'm stuck driving a car in LA at gunpoint and I can't get away." DiCaprio, who lost out on the best actor Bafta to Foxx, will face him again at the Academy Awards in two weeks' time."It's the first time I've come to the Baftas because it's the first time I've been nominated," he told reporters on the red carpet. "I've appreciated British cinema for a long time and to be recognised like this is a special honour." Other winners included The Motorcycle Diaries which took best foreign film and best music, while Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind won best original screenplay and best editing. Best British film was My Summer of Love, the story of two young women and their developing relationship, while Foxx's movie Ray, a bio-pic of late singer Ray Charles, also took best sound. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban won the Orange Film Of The Year, voted for by the public.The Orange British Academy Film Awards are being shown on BBC One from 2010 GMT. | But Vera Drake scored best director for Mike Leigh while Imelda Staunton took the hotly contested best actress award.Best British film was My Summer of Love, the story of two young women and their developing relationship, while Foxx's movie Ray, a bio-pic of late singer Ray Charles, also took best sound.The Aviator was declared best film, and its star Cate Blanchett won best supporting actress.Jamie Foxx won best actor for Ray, while British actor Clive Owen took best supporting actor for Closer.DiCaprio, who lost out on the best actor Bafta to Foxx, will face him again at the Academy Awards in two weeks' time.Other winners included The Motorcycle Diaries which took best foreign film and best music, while Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind won best original screenplay and best editing.Hollywood blockbuster The Aviator and low-budget British movie Vera Drake have shared the main honours at the 2005 Bafta film awards.The Aviator took four awards in all, also collecting best make-up and hair and production design, while Vera Drake also scooped best costume design.Her director Leigh, who beat Martin Scorsese to the best director award, told the audience: "We always say it was a surprise and sometimes I've said it and not meant it.But big British hope Kate Winslet walked away empty-handed on Saturday despite two nominations for best actress.I'm so thrilled and so grateful and I'm delighted that the success of Vera Drake has boosted sales of hair nets and pinnies, which is very good," she said on accepting her award.Best actor Foxx could not make the ceremony, but actress Helen Mirren read out his acceptance speech. |
Grammys honour soul star CharlesThe memory of soul legend Ray Charles dominated the music world's leading music ceremony on Sunday as he was given eight posthumous Grammy Awards.Charles, who died in 2004, got honours including record and album of the year, while Alicia Keys and actor Jamie Foxx performed a musical tribute to him. R&B star Keys won four awards herself at the Grammy ceremony in Los Angeles. U2, Usher, Norah Jones and Kanye West got three each. West led the race going into the ceremony with 10 nominations.Charles' last album, Genius Loves Company, a collection of duets that has sold more than two million copies, was named album of the year and best pop vocal album. His song Here We Go Again with Norah Jones won record of the year and best pop vocal collaboration, while Heaven Help Us All with Gladys Knight picked up best gospel performance. Jones said: "I'm glad he's getting recognised, because of who he is and how much I love him." Actor Jamie Foxx - who is nominated for an Oscar for playing Charles in the hit movie Ray - dedicated a rendition of Georgia on My Mind to "old friends". Keys, looking to replicate her Grammys success of 2002, when she won five, picked up best R&B song for You Don't Know My Name and best R&B album for The Diary of Alicia Keys. She also shared the award for best R&B vocal performance by a duo or group with Usher for My Boo.Usher's other victories were for best contemporary R&B album for Confessions and best rap/sung collaboration for Yeah!, featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris. Kanye West dominated the rap categories, winning best rap song for Jesus Walks and best rap album for The College Dropout. But in one of the night's biggest shocks, he lost out in the battle to be named best new artist to pop rock act Maroon 5. Vertigo by rock giants U2 won three trophies - best rock song, best short video and best rock vocal performance by a duo or group. One of the other main awards, song of the year, went to US singer-songwriter John Mayer for Daughters. Mayer also won best male pop vocal performance. Britney Spears picked up her first ever Grammy for her song Toxic, which was named best dance recording.Rod Stewart also won the first Grammy of his career, getting the best traditional pop album award for Stardust... The Great American Songbook: Volume III. In 2003, Stewart said he was "astounded" he had never won a Grammy - but "they tend not to give it to the British unless you're Sting". There were few other high-profile British victors this year. Annie Lennox, metal group Motorhead and dance act Basement Jaxx all took home trophies. But Elvis Costello, who had four nominations, and Joss Stone and Franz Ferdinand, who were both up for three awards, got nothing.Beach Boys veteran Brian Wilson was another first-time winner - for best rock instrumental performance. "It represents triumph and achievement in music that I feel that I deserved, and I'm really glad I won," he said. A live recording of composer John Adams' 11 September tribute, On the Transmigration of Souls, performed by the New York Philharmonic, won three classical prizes. And former US President Bill Clinton picked up the second Grammy of his career, winning the spoken word award for the audio version of his autobiography My Life. | His song Here We Go Again with Norah Jones won record of the year and best pop vocal collaboration, while Heaven Help Us All with Gladys Knight picked up best gospel performance.Vertigo by rock giants U2 won three trophies - best rock song, best short video and best rock vocal performance by a duo or group.Rod Stewart also won the first Grammy of his career, getting the best traditional pop album award for Stardust...Keys, looking to replicate her Grammys success of 2002, when she won five, picked up best R&B song for You Don't Know My Name and best R&B album for The Diary of Alicia Keys.She also shared the award for best R&B vocal performance by a duo or group with Usher for My Boo.Mayer also won best male pop vocal performance.Britney Spears picked up her first ever Grammy for her song Toxic, which was named best dance recording.Charles' last album, Genius Loves Company, a collection of duets that has sold more than two million copies, was named album of the year and best pop vocal album.Kanye West dominated the rap categories, winning best rap song for Jesus Walks and best rap album for The College Dropout.Usher's other victories were for best contemporary R&B album for Confessions and best rap/sung collaboration for Yeah!, featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris.Charles, who died in 2004, got honours including record and album of the year, while Alicia Keys and actor Jamie Foxx performed a musical tribute to him.But in one of the night's biggest shocks, he lost out in the battle to be named best new artist to pop rock act Maroon 5. |
Oscars race enters final furlongThe race for the Oscars entered its final stages as the deadline for voters to choose their winners passed.The 5,808 Academy voters had until Tuesday afternoon to return their ballots - any late submissions will not be included in the count. The next five days will be spent counting the voting forms and preparing the winners' envelopes. Best actor nominee Leonardo DiCaprio is to present a statuette for the first time at the LA ceremony on Sunday.The 30-year-old actor, who is nominated for playing Howard Hughes in The Aviator, will join other hopefuls such as co-star Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman and Kate Winslet as Oscar presenters. The only people who will know the Oscar winners before they are revealed at the ceremony will be the auditors who are in charge of looking after the ballot count.After collating the results, they are responsible for sealing the results in the famous golden envelopes which will be revealed by a host of celebrity presenters at the ceremony. Former Academy Award winners Gwyneth Paltrow, Dustin Hoffman and Halle Berry will also present prizes. The event at the Kodak Theatre will be attended by 3,300 people, including some of the best-known names in film, and organisers say they expect it will be watched on television by one billion people around the world. One current concern is the torrential rain which has lashed Los Angeles for the past week, flooding suburbs and causing mudslides. It is hoped the forecast for Sunday, for cool weather but no rain, will prove accurate. "The last time it rained on Oscars night was in the mid-to-late 1980s," said Oscars communications director John Pavlik. "We have had rain up until the day before the show many times, but for some reason the Oscar gods always shine on Sunday and we hope they will do so again this year," he added. | The only people who will know the Oscar winners before they are revealed at the ceremony will be the auditors who are in charge of looking after the ballot count."We have had rain up until the day before the show many times, but for some reason the Oscar gods always shine on Sunday and we hope they will do so again this year," he added.Best actor nominee Leonardo DiCaprio is to present a statuette for the first time at the LA ceremony on Sunday.The race for the Oscars entered its final stages as the deadline for voters to choose their winners passed.It is hoped the forecast for Sunday, for cool weather but no rain, will prove accurate.The 5,808 Academy voters had until Tuesday afternoon to return their ballots - any late submissions will not be included in the count. |
Rapper 50 Cent scores chart firstRapper 50 Cent has become the first solo artist to have three singles in the US top five in the same week.His track Candy Shop remained at the top of the charts, while Disco Inferno crept up from six to five. 50 Cent also appears on rap protege The Game's song How We do, number four in the US but now outside the UK top ten. The pair had a recent dispute which saw The Game thrown out of 50 Cent's rap collective G-Unit, accusing him of disloyalty in an ongoing feud.50 Cent, who burst onto the music scene in 2003, has had less success in the UK charts, with three singles making the top ten. His debut album, Get Rich And Die Tryin', narrowly missed out on becoming a UK chart topper.But in the US, he headed the 2003 end of year charts for the album and R&B and hip hop artists. Newcomer The Game's debut reached the top of the charts five weeks ago, while 50 Cent's second collection The Masscre was released in the US at the end of last week. Last May, R&B star Usher scored a chart first, with three concurrent singles in the US Top 10, a feat which was previously matched only by The Bee Gees and The Beatles. The hit songs were taken from the 24-year-old's Confessions album, which topped the American chart for eight weeks. | Rapper 50 Cent has become the first solo artist to have three singles in the US top five in the same week.Newcomer The Game's debut reached the top of the charts five weeks ago, while 50 Cent's second collection The Masscre was released in the US at the end of last week.Last May, R&B star Usher scored a chart first, with three concurrent singles in the US Top 10, a feat which was previously matched only by The Bee Gees and The Beatles.50 Cent also appears on rap protege The Game's song How We do, number four in the US but now outside the UK top ten. |
Springer criticises Opera musicalTalk show host Jerry Springer, whose programme inspired the controversial opera shown by the BBC, has said he would not have written it himself.The BBC received 47,000 complaints before the musical was broadcast, and protesters demonstrated outside BBC buildings across the UK. Springer helped launch the West End show and attended the opening night. "I wouldn't have written it. I don't believe in making fun of other religions," he said.The TV host said he understood how people could have thought the musical had gone too far. "You know, on our TV show if people use inappropriate language we bleep it out, if there's nudity we cover it up, so that viewers at home don't get to see any of this," he said.Asked whether he thought the BBC should have screened the controversial musical he said: "I don't know if they should have had it on television but, good Lord, if you don't like what's on television, that's why God gave us remote controls. "My show is about dysfunctional people and I defy anyone to watch the show and suggest to me the people on it aren't to some degree dysfunctional.""If I did a show about the war in Iraq, it wouldn't make me a warmonger, I would just be doing my job to report on the war. "In the case of my show, it's my job to report on the dysfunctions that take place in society." The British-born presenter is in London to speak at a fundraising dinner for the United Jewish Israel Appeal. The dinner, on Tuesday, is expected to be attended by more than 800 guests. | Talk show host Jerry Springer, whose programme inspired the controversial opera shown by the BBC, has said he would not have written it himself."You know, on our TV show if people use inappropriate language we bleep it out, if there's nudity we cover it up, so that viewers at home don't get to see any of this," he said."If I did a show about the war in Iraq, it wouldn't make me a warmonger, I would just be doing my job to report on the war."My show is about dysfunctional people and I defy anyone to watch the show and suggest to me the people on it aren't to some degree dysfunctional."The TV host said he understood how people could have thought the musical had gone too far.Asked whether he thought the BBC should have screened the controversial musical he said: "I don't know if they should have had it on television but, good Lord, if you don't like what's on television, that's why God gave us remote controls. |
US 'to raise TV indecency fines'US politicians are proposing a tough new law aimed at cracking down on indecency and bad language on US TV.Fines of up to $500,000 (£266,582) could be imposed each time broadcasters transmit nudity or profanities. The proposal, unveiled in the House of Representatives, also seeks to revoke a broadcaster's licence after three violations have been committed. The exposure of Janet Jackson's breast at last year's Superbowl landed CBS with a $550,000 (£293,264) fine. Entertainers could also be liable for fines under the proposed legisation from both US politcians and officials from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). A Republican senator from Kansas, Sam Brownbeck, is set to call for a maximum $3 million (£1.6 million) fine for repeated violations.The current maximum fine stands at $32,500 (£17,320) - 20 of the stations in the CBS network were each penalised these lesser amounts for the Jackson incident. Republican politician Fred Upton, who chairs the committee responsible for broadcasting, said current fines are "more of a cost of doing business rather than a deterrent". Last year's Janet Jackson 'wardrobe malfunction' encouraged the FCC to impose tougher rules, but the US Congress adjourned last year without agreeing on a new level of fines. New figures have to be decided before new legislation can be put before President Bush. Certain broadcasters, like Fox, claim the material they carry does not violate indecency laws and is protected under the right to free speech. | Last year's Janet Jackson 'wardrobe malfunction' encouraged the FCC to impose tougher rules, but the US Congress adjourned last year without agreeing on a new level of fines.Entertainers could also be liable for fines under the proposed legisation from both US politcians and officials from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).US politicians are proposing a tough new law aimed at cracking down on indecency and bad language on US TV.The exposure of Janet Jackson's breast at last year's Superbowl landed CBS with a $550,000 (£293,264) fine.The current maximum fine stands at $32,500 (£17,320) - 20 of the stations in the CBS network were each penalised these lesser amounts for the Jackson incident. |
Godzilla gets Hollywood fame starMovie monster Godzilla has received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, honouring both his 50th birthday and the launch of his 28th film.An actor dressed as the giant creature breathed smoke over photographers on Monday as Godzilla received the 2,271st star on Hollywood Boulevard. "Godzilla should thank you for this historical and monumental star," said Final Wars producer Shogo Tomiyama. "But unfortunately, he cannot speak English," he added. Hollywood's honorary mayor, Johnny Grant, said: "I do hereby proclaim this Godzilla Day in Hollywood."He's loose, he's wild, and I'm getting the hell out of here," he added. The premiere of Godzilla: Final Wars at Grauman's Chinese Theatre followed the ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard. The monster was joined by co-stars including Japanese pop star and actor Masahiro Matsuoka. Director Ryuhei Kitamura said it may not be Godzilla's final outing, as it has been billed. "That's what the producers say. But the producer's a liar," he said. "[Godzilla's] been working for the last 50 years. So, I think Godzilla just deserves a vacation." And producer Shogo Tomiyama added: "So long as Godzilla can fascinate people, I believe he will be resurrected by new generations of filmmakers in the future." Godzilla first appeared in 1954 as a prehistoric lizard woken by atomic bomb tests. | "Godzilla should thank you for this historical and monumental star," said Final Wars producer Shogo Tomiyama.And producer Shogo Tomiyama added: "So long as Godzilla can fascinate people, I believe he will be resurrected by new generations of filmmakers in the future."Hollywood's honorary mayor, Johnny Grant, said: "I do hereby proclaim this Godzilla Day in Hollywood.An actor dressed as the giant creature breathed smoke over photographers on Monday as Godzilla received the 2,271st star on Hollywood Boulevard.The premiere of Godzilla: Final Wars at Grauman's Chinese Theatre followed the ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard.Movie monster Godzilla has received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, honouring both his 50th birthday and the launch of his 28th film. |
Church urges Nelly show boycottChurch ministers are trying to prevent rapper Nelly performing in Arkansas, saying they do not want his "vile and filthy lyrics" in their town.More than 20 Jonesboro ministers urged music fans to boycott Nelly's 12 March concert at Arkansas State University in a bid to have it cancelled. "Jonesboro is a wonderful city because of what does not come here," said the Reverend Adrian Rodgers. But a venue spokesman said more than 5,500 tickets had been sold so far.Mr Rodgers, of the Fullness of Joy Church, said he was concerned about the rapper's lyrics that include references to drugs, sex and violence, and songs that the minister said were demeaning to women. Ministers were worried that bringing such acts to Jonesboro would lead to problems. "Tear the tickets up," Mr Rodgers said. "Do not go and do not allow your children to go."Tim Dean, director of the Arkansas State University venue, said ticket sales had been brisk. "It would appear that with ticket sales over 5,000, many others have expressed their right to find Nelly's music entertaining and worth spending their time and money on," he said. Nelly has sold more than 30 million singles and albums worldwide, and in September 2004 simultaneously occupied the number one and two positions in the US albums chart. He has had 12 UK hit singles, including Hot in Herre, Dilemma and recent number one Over and Over. | "Tear the tickets up," Mr Rodgers said.Tim Dean, director of the Arkansas State University venue, said ticket sales had been brisk.But a venue spokesman said more than 5,500 tickets had been sold so far.Mr Rodgers, of the Fullness of Joy Church, said he was concerned about the rapper's lyrics that include references to drugs, sex and violence, and songs that the minister said were demeaning to women."Jonesboro is a wonderful city because of what does not come here," said the Reverend Adrian Rodgers. |
Goodrem wins top female MTV prizePop singer Delta Goodrem has scooped one of the top individual prizes at the first Australian MTV Music Awards.The 21-year-old singer won the award for best female artist, with Australian Idol runner-up Shannon Noll taking the title of best male at the ceremony. Goodrem, known in both Britain and Australia for her role as Nina Tucker in TV soap Neighbours, also performed a duet with boyfriend Brian McFadden. Other winners included Green Day, voted best group, and the Black Eyed Peas. Goodrem, Green Day and the Black Eyed Peas took home two awards each. As well as best female, Goodrem also took home the Pepsi Viewers Choice Award, whilst Green Day bagged the prize for best rock video for American Idiot. The Black Eyed Peas won awards for best R 'n' B video and sexiest video, both for Hey Mama. Local singer and songwriter Missy Higgins took the title of breakthrough artist of the year, with Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian taking the honours for best pop video. The VH1 First Music Award went to Cher honouring her achievements within the music industry. The ceremony was held at the Luna Park fairground in Sydney Harbour and was hosted by the Osbourne family. Artists including Carmen Electra, Missy Higgins, Kelly Osbourne, Green Day, Ja Rule and Natalie Imbruglia gave live performances at the event. | As well as best female, Goodrem also took home the Pepsi Viewers Choice Award, whilst Green Day bagged the prize for best rock video for American Idiot.Goodrem, Green Day and the Black Eyed Peas took home two awards each.Other winners included Green Day, voted best group, and the Black Eyed Peas.The 21-year-old singer won the award for best female artist, with Australian Idol runner-up Shannon Noll taking the title of best male at the ceremony.The Black Eyed Peas won awards for best R 'n' B video and sexiest video, both for Hey Mama. |
Top gig award for Scissor SistersNew York band Scissor Sisters have won a gig of the year award for their performance at this year's V Festival.The award was voted for by listeners of Virgin Radio, which compiled a top 10 which was mostly dominated by newcomers on the music scene this year. The quirky disco-rock band beat The Red Hot Chili Peppers who came second for their Hyde Park performance in June. Virgin Radio DJ Pete Mitchell said: "This year has seen an amazing array of talent come into the mainstream." He added: "The Scissor Sisters are one of the most original, eccentric bands to come through and it's no surprise the British public are lapping up their performances." Newcomers Keane came in third place for their August gig at the V Festival, followed by Maroon 5 and Snow Patrol.Music veterans The Who and David Bowie, both earned places on the list, at number eight and 10 respectively. At number seven was Oxfam's Make Fair Trade gig at London's Hammersmith Apollo in October, which featured performances by REM, Razorlight and Coldplay's Chris Martin. Glasgow's Franz Ferdinand earned a place at number nine for their home-town performance in April. The annual survey was voted for by nearly 4,000 listeners. | New York band Scissor Sisters have won a gig of the year award for their performance at this year's V Festival.The award was voted for by listeners of Virgin Radio, which compiled a top 10 which was mostly dominated by newcomers on the music scene this year.Glasgow's Franz Ferdinand earned a place at number nine for their home-town performance in April.At number seven was Oxfam's Make Fair Trade gig at London's Hammersmith Apollo in October, which featured performances by REM, Razorlight and Coldplay's Chris Martin. |
US charity anthem is re-releasedWe Are The World, the American charity anthem inspired by the success of Band Aid, has been re-issued to raise money for Aids research and tsunami victims.More than 40 stars sang as group USA For Africa, including Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen. It topped the charts in the US and UK, raising millions of dollars for African famine relief. The re-release also marks the 20th anniversary of the original recording. It has been re-issued as part of a two-disc DVD set, which will also feature footage from the recording session of the track in January 1985. The single was originally released in the US on 7 March 1985 and sold 800,000 copies in its first week. It went on to win Grammys for song of the year and record of the year. | It has been re-issued as part of a two-disc DVD set, which will also feature footage from the recording session of the track in January 1985.It topped the charts in the US and UK, raising millions of dollars for African famine relief.The single was originally released in the US on 7 March 1985 and sold 800,000 copies in its first week. |
Film row over Pirates 'cannibals'Plans to portray Dominica's Carib Indians as cannibals in the sequel to hit film Pirates of the Caribbean have been criticised by the group's chief.Carib Chief Charles Williams said talks with Disney's producers revealed there was "a strong element of cannibalism in the script which cannot be removed". The Caribbean island's government said Disney planned to film in Dominica. The Caribs have long denied their ancestors practised cannibalism. Disney was unavailable for comment. "Our ancestors stood up against early European conquerors and because they stood up...we were labelled savages and cannibals up to today," said Mr Williams."This cannot be perpetuated in movies." Shooting on the sequel is expected to begin in April, with hundreds of Dominicans applying to be extras in the movie.About 3,000 Caribs live on the island of Dominica, which has a population of 70,000. Many Caribs were killed by disease and war during colonisation up to the 1600s. Mr Williams said he had received support from indigenous groups around the world in his efforts to have cannibalism references removed from the film. But he admitted there were some members of the Carib council who did not support the campaign. He said some did not "understand our history, they are weak and are not committed to the cause of the Carib people". The first Pirates of the Caribbean film took $305m (£162m) at the box office in the US alone. The cast and crew are to work on two sequels back-to-back, with the first to be released in 2006. | Carib Chief Charles Williams said talks with Disney's producers revealed there was "a strong element of cannibalism in the script which cannot be removed".The Caribbean island's government said Disney planned to film in Dominica.Plans to portray Dominica's Carib Indians as cannibals in the sequel to hit film Pirates of the Caribbean have been criticised by the group's chief.Mr Williams said he had received support from indigenous groups around the world in his efforts to have cannibalism references removed from the film.The first Pirates of the Caribbean film took $305m (£162m) at the box office in the US alone.He said some did not "understand our history, they are weak and are not committed to the cause of the Carib people". |
Stars pay tribute to actor DavisHollywood stars including Spike Lee, Burt Reynolds and Oscar nominee Alan Alda have paid tribute to actor Ossie Davis at a funeral in New York.Veteran star Ossie Davis, a well-known civil rights activist, died in Miami at the age of 87 on 4 February 2005. Friends and family, including actress Ruby Dee his wife of 56 years, gathered at the Riverside Church on Saturday. Also present at the service was former US president Bill Clinton and singer Harry Belafonte, who gave the eulogy. "He would have been a very good president of the United States," said Mr Clinton. "Like most of you here, he gave more to me than I gave to him."The 87-year-old was found dead last weekend in his hotel room in Florida, where he was making a film. Police said that he appeared to have died of natural causes. Davis made his acting debut in 1950 in No Way Out starring Sidney Poiter. He frequently collaborated with director Spike Lee, starring in seven Lee films including Jungle Fever, Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X. Attallah Shabazz, the daughter of activist Malcolm X, recalled the famous eulogy delivered by Davis at her father's funeral. "Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its finest hopes," she said, quoting the man she knew as Uncle Ossie. "Ditto." "Ossie was my hero, and he still is," said Aviator star Alan Alda, a family friend for over forty years. "Ossie was a thing of beauty.""I want so badly someday to have his dignity - a little of it anyway," added Burt Reynolds, Davis's co-star in the 90s TV comedy Evening Shade. Before the midday funeral, scores of Harlem residents formed a queue outside the church to pay their respects to Davis. "It is hard to fathom that we will no longer be able to call on his wisdom, his humour, his loyalty and his moral strength to guide us in the choices that are yet to be made and the battles that are yet to be fought," said Belafonte, himself an ardent civil rights activist who had been friends with Davis for over 60 years. "But how fortunate we were to have him as long as we did." | "Ossie was my hero, and he still is," said Aviator star Alan Alda, a family friend for over forty years.Hollywood stars including Spike Lee, Burt Reynolds and Oscar nominee Alan Alda have paid tribute to actor Ossie Davis at a funeral in New York.Veteran star Ossie Davis, a well-known civil rights activist, died in Miami at the age of 87 on 4 February 2005."Ossie was a thing of beauty.""It is hard to fathom that we will no longer be able to call on his wisdom, his humour, his loyalty and his moral strength to guide us in the choices that are yet to be made and the battles that are yet to be fought," said Belafonte, himself an ardent civil rights activist who had been friends with Davis for over 60 years.Also present at the service was former US president Bill Clinton and singer Harry Belafonte, who gave the eulogy.He frequently collaborated with director Spike Lee, starring in seven Lee films including Jungle Fever, Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X. Attallah Shabazz, the daughter of activist Malcolm X, recalled the famous eulogy delivered by Davis at her father's funeral."Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its finest hopes," she said, quoting the man she knew as Uncle Ossie. |
Tautou 'to star in Da Vinci film'French actress Audrey Tautou, star of hit film Amelie, will play the female lead in the film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, it has been reported.The movie version of Dan Brown's best-selling novel is being directed by Ron Howard and also stars Tom Hanks. Tautou will play Hanks' code-cracking partner, according to various newspapers. She is currently starring in A Very Long Engagement, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Jeunet was also responsible for directing Tautou in Amelie in 2001, which launched the actress into the mainstream.She also starred as the lead role in critically-acclaimed film Dirty Pretty Things in 2002. Oscar-winning director Ron Howard chose Tautou for the part, preferring a French actress to a big name Hollywood star. UK actress Kate Beckinsale had been widely tipped as a possibility for the role alongside Vanessa Paradis and Juliette Binoche. The thriller upon which the movie is based has sold more than 17 million copies and is centred on a global conspiracy surrounding the Holy Grail mythology. The Louvre Museum, scene of the gruesome murder at the beginning of the novel, recently gave permission for filming to take place there, showbusiness newspaper Variety reported. The $100m movie will be produced by Columbia/Sony Pictures and is due for release on May 19, 2006 in the United States and France. | French actress Audrey Tautou, star of hit film Amelie, will play the female lead in the film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, it has been reported.The movie version of Dan Brown's best-selling novel is being directed by Ron Howard and also stars Tom Hanks.Jeunet was also responsible for directing Tautou in Amelie in 2001, which launched the actress into the mainstream.Oscar-winning director Ron Howard chose Tautou for the part, preferring a French actress to a big name Hollywood star.She also starred as the lead role in critically-acclaimed film Dirty Pretty Things in 2002. |
Lee to create new film superheroComic book veteran Stan Lee is to team up with producer Robert Evans to create a movie featuring a new superhero.Foreverman will focus on a character who has to face problems in everyday life as well as using his special powers to save the world. Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the film, have revealed few details about the project but say it has the potential to spawn a series of films. Lee is best known for his work on Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk.He is collaborating on the script with screenwriter Peter Briggs, who penned the recent comic book adaptation Hellboy. "We believe it to be truly a whole new franchise," said Gill Champion, president and chief executive of Lee's POW! Entertainment. "In this world where people are looking for something different, Stan's idea was to create a concept not seen before to become an evergreen franchise for Paramount." Many of Lee's other creations, including X-Men and Daredevil, have been turned into films in the past five years. However, the Spider-Man series has been the biggest box office hit, with the 2002 original and its 2004 sequel taking almost $1.6bn (£857m) worldwide. A third Spider-Man film is scheduled for release in 2007. Another Marvel Comics adaptation, The Fantastic Four, will be released in cinemas this summer. | A third Spider-Man film is scheduled for release in 2007.Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the film, have revealed few details about the project but say it has the potential to spawn a series of films.Comic book veteran Stan Lee is to team up with producer Robert Evans to create a movie featuring a new superhero.However, the Spider-Man series has been the biggest box office hit, with the 2002 original and its 2004 sequel taking almost $1.6bn (£857m) worldwide.Lee is best known for his work on Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk. |
Rapper Jay-Z becomes label bossRap star Jay-Z is to become a record company executive after being put in charge of one of hip-hop's most influential labels, Def Jam.Jay-Z, who said he would make no more music after 2003's The Black Album, will become the company's president and chief executive from January. Def Jam's parent company, Universal, made the appointment after buying Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella label. Def Jam's artists include LL Cool J, DMX, Ludacris, Ja Rule and Ashanti. Jay-Z will continue to run Roc-A-Fella, which he founded with Damon Dash in 1995 and has Kanye West and Beanie Sigel on its roster. Universal said on Wednesday it had bought the 50% of Roc-A-Fella it did not already own.Antonio "LA" Reid, chairman of The Island Def Jam Music Group, said: "I can think of no-one more relevant and credible in the hip-hop community to build upon Def Jam's fantastic legacy." He hoped Jay-Z would "move the company into its next groundbreaking era", he added. Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, said: "I have inherited two of the most important brands in hip-hop, Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella."I feel this is a giant step for me and the entire artist community." One of the most successful and respected rap stars of the last eight years, Jay-Z's hits have included Hard Knock Life, Dirt Off Your Shoulder and 03 Bonnie and Clyde with his girlfriend Beyonce Knowles. He said he would retire after The Black Album, but has just released an album and been on an ill-fated tour with R Kelly. Def Jam was founded in 1984 by Russell Simmons and producer Rick Rubin and signed artists including Run-DMC, The Beastie Boys and Public Enemy. | Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, said: "I have inherited two of the most important brands in hip-hop, Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella.Rap star Jay-Z is to become a record company executive after being put in charge of one of hip-hop's most influential labels, Def Jam.Antonio "LA" Reid, chairman of The Island Def Jam Music Group, said: "I can think of no-one more relevant and credible in the hip-hop community to build upon Def Jam's fantastic legacy."Def Jam's parent company, Universal, made the appointment after buying Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella label.Jay-Z, who said he would make no more music after 2003's The Black Album, will become the company's president and chief executive from January.Universal said on Wednesday it had bought the 50% of Roc-A-Fella it did not already own. |
Queen recruit singer for new tourThe remaining members of rock band Queen are to go on tour next year with former Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers taking Freddie Mercury's place.Guitarist Brian May has said he expects to be on the road with Rodgers and drummer Roger Taylor from April. May said: "Suddenly the Queen Phoenix is rising again from the ashes and will take precedence over... our lives." Queen have played with many different singers since Mercury's death in 1991 but have reportedly not toured. May performed with Rodgers at a concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar in London in September."We were both so amazed at the chemistry that was going on in [Free hit] All Right Now, that suddenly it seems blindingly obvious that there was 'something happening here,'" May wrote on his website. They teamed up again for a concert to mark their induction into the UK Music Hall of Fame, and were joined by Taylor. "The show went so incredibly well from our point of view, and we got so many rave reactions from out there, we decided almost then and there that we would look at a tour together," May wrote.Queen went to number one in 2000 with a version of We Will Rock You sung by boy band 5ive and they have also played with Robbie Williams, Will Young and Bob Geldof. Queen bassist John Deacon has currently retired from the stage. Rodgers was singer with early 1970s rockers Free, who had a global hit with All Right Now, before forming Bad Company, a successful "supergroup" with members of King Crimson and Mott the Hoople. He has also been in The Firm with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and The Law with The Small Faces and The Who drummer Kenny Jones. | The remaining members of rock band Queen are to go on tour next year with former Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers taking Freddie Mercury's place.Guitarist Brian May has said he expects to be on the road with Rodgers and drummer Roger Taylor from April.May said: "Suddenly the Queen Phoenix is rising again from the ashes and will take precedence over... our lives."Rodgers was singer with early 1970s rockers Free, who had a global hit with All Right Now, before forming Bad Company, a successful "supergroup" with members of King Crimson and Mott the Hoople.Queen have played with many different singers since Mercury's death in 1991 but have reportedly not toured. |
Spider-Man creator wins profitsSpider-Man creator Stan Lee is to get a multi-million dollar windfall after winning a court battle with comic book company Marvel.A judge has upheld Lee's demand for 10% of Marvel's profits from the hugely successful Spider-Man films. Spider-Man and its sequel made $1.6bn (£857m) at box offices worldwide. Of the cut now due to Lee, 82, who created Spider-Man in 1962, his lawyer said: "It could be tens of millions of dollars, that's no exaggeration." US District Court Judge Robert W Sweet ruled Lee should get a tenth of profits generated since November 1998 by Marvel TV and movie productions involving the company's characters. Lee took legal action in 2002, saying Marvel shut him out of "jackpot" profits from the first blockbuster film.He said the company - where he worked for more than 60 years - had gone back on agreement to give him the 10%. As well as Spider-Man, Lee co-created the Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Daredevil and Fantastic Four characters. He said: "I am gratified by the judge's decision although, since I am deeply fond of Marvel and the people there, I sincerely regret that the situation had to come to this." The ruling also means he is entitled to a slice of profits from DVD sales and certain merchandise. Marvel said it would appeal and did not expect the decision to impact on financial forecasts for 2004 and beyond. The New York court did not rule on Lee's claims to a share of profits from some Spider-Man and Hulk movie merchandise, which will be decided at a future trial, Marvel said. | The New York court did not rule on Lee's claims to a share of profits from some Spider-Man and Hulk movie merchandise, which will be decided at a future trial, Marvel said.Spider-Man creator Stan Lee is to get a multi-million dollar windfall after winning a court battle with comic book company Marvel.US District Court Judge Robert W Sweet ruled Lee should get a tenth of profits generated since November 1998 by Marvel TV and movie productions involving the company's characters.Of the cut now due to Lee, 82, who created Spider-Man in 1962, his lawyer said: "It could be tens of millions of dollars, that's no exaggeration."Lee took legal action in 2002, saying Marvel shut him out of "jackpot" profits from the first blockbuster film. |
Johnny Depp: The acting outlawJohnny Depp, whose latest role was Peter Pan creator JM Barrie in Finding Neverland, is celebrated as one of Hollywood's most maverick talents. Depp has become an unlikely major star, given his preference for taking dark and idiosyncratic roles instead of surefire box office hits. He has had a long-running working relationship with the equally unconventional director Tim Burton. Depp was born in Kentucky in 1963 and at first wanted to be a rock star, playing in a number of bands and supporting acts such as Iggy Pop and The B-52s in Florida. On a visit to Los Angeles, his former wife introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage.In 1984 he started his film career playing a doomed teenager in horror film Nightmare On Elm Street. Two years later he played a soldier in Oliver Stone's Vietnam epic Platoon. But it was TV that first made Depp a star. He played undercover cop Tommy Hanson in the US series 21 Jump Street for three years from 1987.In 1990 he began his partnership with Burton in the dark fairy tale Edward Scissorhands, about a young man with blades for hands. He won plaudits in 1993 for the downbeat film What's Eating Gilbert Grape, where he played a sensitive youth looking after an overweight mother and a retarded younger brother, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Another role under Burton, Ed Wood, starred Depp as the crazed cult film-maker Wood, in 1994. He played a much more serious, sensitive role in his next major film, Donnie Brasco, where he portrayed an undercover cop infiltrating a mafia ring. In 1997 he directed his only film to date - The Brave, the story of an Indian man offered money to appear in a snuff film.Two years later he played Hunter S Thompson in Terry Gilliam's ambitious but poorly-received big screen adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. He worked again with Tim Burton in the 1999 horror film Sleepy Hollow, and appeared opposite Dame Judi Dench and Juliette Binoche in Chocolat. His performance in Pirates of the Caribbean, which earned him Golden Globe and Bafta nominations, had many critics thinking he based it upon the mannerisms of his friend, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. His latest role in Finding Neverland explored JM Barrie's relationship with Sylvia (Kate Winslet) and her children. Depp's charismatic performance drew an audience of adults and children alike into Barrie's vivid imagination, and he was called the "fifth child of the group" by the film's director Marc Forster.He has two children of his own with French singer Vanessa Paradis, having previously been in a long-term relationship with British model Kate Moss. The theme of children's literature in Depp's career - and his long association with Tim Burton - are set to continue in his next role, playing Willy Wonka in a remake of Roald Dahl's classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. British TV comedy fans might also remember Depp's guest role in the final episode of BBC sketch programme The Fast Show, cited as his favourite show. It was another surprise move in Depp's varied and intriguing career. | He played a much more serious, sensitive role in his next major film, Donnie Brasco, where he portrayed an undercover cop infiltrating a mafia ring.But it was TV that first made Depp a star.Johnny Depp, whose latest role was Peter Pan creator JM Barrie in Finding Neverland, is celebrated as one of Hollywood's most maverick talents.In 1984 he started his film career playing a doomed teenager in horror film Nightmare On Elm Street.The theme of children's literature in Depp's career - and his long association with Tim Burton - are set to continue in his next role, playing Willy Wonka in a remake of Roald Dahl's classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.Another role under Burton, Ed Wood, starred Depp as the crazed cult film-maker Wood, in 1994.Depp has become an unlikely major star, given his preference for taking dark and idiosyncratic roles instead of surefire box office hits.Two years later he played a soldier in Oliver Stone's Vietnam epic Platoon.His latest role in Finding Neverland explored JM Barrie's relationship with Sylvia (Kate Winslet) and her children.He has had a long-running working relationship with the equally unconventional director Tim Burton. |
Uganda bans Vagina MonologuesUganda's authorities have banned the play The Vagina Monologues, due to open in the capital, Kampala this weekend.The Ugandan Media Council said the performance would not be put on as it promoted and glorified acts such as lesbianism and homosexuality. It said the production could go ahead if the organisers "expunge all the offending parts". But the organisers of the play say it raises awareness of sexual abuse against women. "The play promotes illegal, unnatural sexual acts, homosexuality and prostitution, it should be and is hereby banned," the council's ruling said.The show, which has been a controversial sell-out around the world, explores female sexuality and strength through individual women telling their stories through monologues. Some parliamentarians and church leaders are also siding with the Media Council, Uganda's New Vision newspaper reports. "The play is obscene and pornographic although it was under the guise of women's liberation," MP Kefa Ssempgani told parliament.But the work's author, US playwright Eve Ensler, says it is all about women's empowerment. "There is obviously some fear of the vagina and saying the word vagina," Ms Ensler told the BBC. "It's not a slang word or dirty word it's a biological, anatomical word." She said the play is being produced and performed by Ugandan women and it is not being forced on them. The four Ugandan NGOs organising the play intended to raise money to campaign to stop violence against women and to raise funds for the war-torn north of the country. "I'm extremely outraged at the hypocrisy," the play's organiser in Uganda, Sarah Mukasa, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme. "I'm amazed that this country Uganda gives the impression that it is progressive and supports women's rights and the notions of free speech; yet when women want to share their stories the government uses the apparatus of state to shut us up." | She said the play is being produced and performed by Ugandan women and it is not being forced on them.But the organisers of the play say it raises awareness of sexual abuse against women."The play promotes illegal, unnatural sexual acts, homosexuality and prostitution, it should be and is hereby banned," the council's ruling said.Uganda's authorities have banned the play The Vagina Monologues, due to open in the capital, Kampala this weekend.The four Ugandan NGOs organising the play intended to raise money to campaign to stop violence against women and to raise funds for the war-torn north of the country."There is obviously some fear of the vagina and saying the word vagina," Ms Ensler told the BBC. |
Carry On star Patsy Rowlands diesActress Patsy Rowlands, known to millions for her roles in the Carry On films, has died at the age of 71.Rowlands starred in nine of the popular Carry On films, alongside fellow regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor. She also carved out a successful television career, appearing for many years in ITV's well-loved comedy Bless This House. Rowlands died in Hove on Saturday morning, her agent said.Born in January 1934, Rowlands won a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Speech and Drama scholarship when she was just 15.After spending several years at the Players Theatre in London, she made her film debut in 1963 in Tom Jones, directed by Tony Richardson. She made her first Carry On film in 1969 where she appeared in Carry On Again Doctor. Rowlands played the hard-done-by wife or the put-upon employee as a regular Carry On star. She also appeared in Carry On at your Convenience, Carry On Matron and Carry On Loving, as well as others.In recent years she appeared in BBC mini-series The Cazalets and played Mrs Potts in the London stage version of Beauty and the Beast. Agent Simon Beresford said: "She was just an absolutely favourite client She never complained about anything, particularly when she was ill, she was an old trouper. "She was of the old school - she had skills from musical theatre and high drama, that is why she worked with the great and the good of directors. "She didn't mind always being recognised for the Carry On films because she thoroughly enjoyed making them. She was a really lovely person and she will be much missed." Her last appearance on stage was as Mrs Pearce in the award-winning production of My Fair Lady at the National Theatre. Previously married, she leaves one son, Alan. Her funeral will be a private, family occasion, with a memorial service at a later date. | She made her first Carry On film in 1969 where she appeared in Carry On Again Doctor.She also appeared in Carry On at your Convenience, Carry On Matron and Carry On Loving, as well as others.Rowlands played the hard-done-by wife or the put-upon employee as a regular Carry On star.Actress Patsy Rowlands, known to millions for her roles in the Carry On films, has died at the age of 71.Agent Simon Beresford said: "She was just an absolutely favourite client She never complained about anything, particularly when she was ill, she was an old trouper.Born in January 1934, Rowlands won a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Speech and Drama scholarship when she was just 15.Rowlands starred in nine of the popular Carry On films, alongside fellow regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor. |
Fockers fuel festive film chartComedy Meet The Fockers topped the festive box office in North America, setting a new record for Christmas Day.The sequel took $44.7m (£23.2m) between 24 and 26 December, according to studio estimates. It took $19.1m (£9.9m) on Christmas Day alone, the highest takings on that day in box office history. Meet The Fockers is the sequel to Ben Stiller comedy Meet The Parents, also starring Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand. Despite the success of Meet The Fockers, takings were down 26.5% on 2003's figures - which was blamed on Christmas falling over a weekend this year."When Christmas falls on a weekend, it's bad for business," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, which compiles box office statistics. The weekend's top 12 films took an estimated $121.9m (£63.3m), compared with $165.8m (£86.1m) last year, when the third Lord of the Rings film dominated the box office. Meet The Fockers knocked last week's top film, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, down to third place, with $12.5m (£6.5m). Comedy Fat Albert - co-written by Bill Cosby - entered the chart in second place after opening on Christmas Day, taking $12.7m (£6.6m). The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, took $9.4m after expanding from 40 to 1,796 cinemas on Christmas Day. | It took $19.1m (£9.9m) on Christmas Day alone, the highest takings on that day in box office history.Comedy Meet The Fockers topped the festive box office in North America, setting a new record for Christmas Day.Despite the success of Meet The Fockers, takings were down 26.5% on 2003's figures - which was blamed on Christmas falling over a weekend this year.The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, took $9.4m after expanding from 40 to 1,796 cinemas on Christmas Day. |
Casino Royale is next Bond movieCasino Royale, author Ian Fleming's first James Bond book, is to be the next Bond film, with Goldeneye director Martin Campbell behind the camera.It will be the 21st James Bond film to hit the big screen, and speculation has been rife over who will play the lead. Casino Royale was turned into a spoof spy movie by John Huston in 1967, with David Niven in the lead role. Pierce Brosnan led the past four Bond films but said producers axed him after offering him the chance to return. Among the favourites to take over the coveted role are Scottish actor Dougray Scott, Oscar nominee Clive Owen and Australian star Hugh Jackman. Producers say no decision has yet been made on who will become the seventh actor, including Niven, to play Bond on film. Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino had talked of wanting to take on the Casino Royale project, and said he had spoken to Brosnan about it.Shooting on Casino Royale is expected to begin once Campbell has finished work on The Legend of Zorro, a sequel to The Mask of Zorro, starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Antonio Banderas. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson expect the film to be released in 2006.The script will once again be developed by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade who have both worked on two previous Bond movies. Fleming's book saw the introduction of Bond pitted against a Russian spy in a game of baccarat. Simultaneously, a woman arrives on the scene to take his eye off the game. The novel is one of Fleming's most violent and sadistic stories, with 007 suffering a savage beating from his nemesis Le Chiffre. In addition to the 1967 film, it was also adapted for television in 1954 with actor Barry Nelson as an Americanised "Jimmy" Bond. MGM Vice Chairman Chris McGurk said: "Martin (Campbell) is an incredibly exciting film-maker. Goldeneye was a wonderful movie and helped reinvigorate the Bond franchise. We're thrilled to have him back to direct the newest Bond." New Zealand-born Campbell moved to the UK in 1966 and directed TV series such as The Professionals, Minder and Bergerac. His film credits include Edge of Darkness, Vertical Limit and Beyond Borders, which starred Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen. | Casino Royale, author Ian Fleming's first James Bond book, is to be the next Bond film, with Goldeneye director Martin Campbell behind the camera.Producers say no decision has yet been made on who will become the seventh actor, including Niven, to play Bond on film.It will be the 21st James Bond film to hit the big screen, and speculation has been rife over who will play the lead.In addition to the 1967 film, it was also adapted for television in 1954 with actor Barry Nelson as an Americanised "Jimmy" Bond.Pierce Brosnan led the past four Bond films but said producers axed him after offering him the chance to return.Fleming's book saw the introduction of Bond pitted against a Russian spy in a game of baccarat.Goldeneye was a wonderful movie and helped reinvigorate the Bond franchise.We're thrilled to have him back to direct the newest Bond." |
Ocean's Twelve raids box officeOcean's Twelve, the crime caper sequel starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, has gone straight to number one in the US box office chart.It took $40.8m (£21m) in weekend ticket sales, according to studio estimates. The sequel follows the master criminals as they try to pull off three major heists across Europe. It knocked last week's number one, National Treasure, into third place. Wesley Snipes' Blade: Trinity was in second, taking $16.1m (£8.4m). Rounding out the top five was animated fable The Polar Express, starring Tom Hanks, and festive comedy Christmas with the Kranks.Ocean's Twelve box office triumph marks the fourth-biggest opening for a December release in the US, after the three films in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The sequel narrowly beat its 2001 predecessor, Ocean's Eleven which took $38.1m (£19.8m) on its opening weekend and $184m (£95.8m) in total. A remake of the 1960s film, starring Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, Ocean's Eleven was directed by Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh. Soderbergh returns to direct the hit sequel which reunites Clooney, Pitt and Roberts with Matt Damon, Andy Garcia and Elliott Gould. Catherine Zeta-Jones joins the all-star cast. "It's just a fun, good holiday movie," said Dan Fellman, president of distribution at Warner Bros. However, US critics were less complimentary about the $110m (£57.2m) project, with the Los Angeles Times labelling it a "dispiriting vanity project". A milder review in the New York Times dubbed the sequel "unabashedly trivial". | Ocean's Twelve, the crime caper sequel starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, has gone straight to number one in the US box office chart.The sequel narrowly beat its 2001 predecessor, Ocean's Eleven which took $38.1m (£19.8m) on its opening weekend and $184m (£95.8m) in total.A remake of the 1960s film, starring Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, Ocean's Eleven was directed by Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh.Ocean's Twelve box office triumph marks the fourth-biggest opening for a December release in the US, after the three films in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.Soderbergh returns to direct the hit sequel which reunites Clooney, Pitt and Roberts with Matt Damon, Andy Garcia and Elliott Gould.A milder review in the New York Times dubbed the sequel "unabashedly trivial". |
Hanks greeted at wintry premiereHollywood star Tom Hanks was in London's Leicester Square for the UK premiere of Polar Express.The West End landmark was turned into a festive landscape complete with snow and carol singers to celebrate the arrival of the animated film. "This is Leicester Square like you've never seen it before," said Hanks, who plays five roles in the movie. Polar Express is based on a children's book which tells the story of a young boy's journey to meet Santa Claus. The 48-year-old actor crossed a three-metre high bridge built in the square, which he said was "almost impossible to get across". Hundreds of fans greeted the star, all wearing Santa hats, and mince pies were on offer. Hanks said that the new film has an "elegant message". "Christmas is a special time of the year and you get out of it what you put into it," added the two-time Academy Award winner."I believe in the spirit of Christmas and I think that's embodied in Santa Claus," he said. Polar Express uses technology similar to that used in Lord of the Rings to bring Gollum to life. The "performance capture" technique enables Hanks to play a number of roles, including the eight-year-old boy who is at the centre of the story, and Father Christmas. It is directed by Robert Zemeckis, who has previously worked with Hanks on Forrest Gump and Castaway. | Hollywood star Tom Hanks was in London's Leicester Square for the UK premiere of Polar Express.Hanks said that the new film has an "elegant message"."This is Leicester Square like you've never seen it before," said Hanks, who plays five roles in the movie."I believe in the spirit of Christmas and I think that's embodied in Santa Claus," he said.Polar Express is based on a children's book which tells the story of a young boy's journey to meet Santa Claus. |
Mutant book wins Guardian prizeA book about the evolution of mutants and the science of abnormality has won the Guardian First Book Award 2004.Armand Marie Leroi, a lecturer at London's Imperial College, scooped the £10,000 prize for Mutants: On the form, varieties and errors of the human body. "It is profoundly cultured and beautifully written in the very best tradition of popular science writing today," said judge Claire Armistead. The award recognises and rewards new writing across fiction and non-fiction. A panel of literary experts, including novelists Hari Kunzru and Ali Smith, director Sir Richard Eyre and comedian Alexei Sayle chose the winner from a five-strong shortlist.The shortlist included Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, a novel about the magic arts at the turn of the 19th Century and The Places In Between, Rory Stewart's account of his trek, on foot, across Afghanistan. "What we found so impressive about Armand Marie Leroi's book was the scope of its reference, its elegance and its inquisitiveness," said Ms Armistead, chair of the judges and the Guardian literary editor. "While the subject matter of Mutants unsettled some involved in the judging process, the overwhelming majority found it fascinating," she added. Her words were echoed by Iris director Sir Richard Eyre who called Marie Leroi's work "extraordinarily thought provoking". The award, for first time authors, is open to books from genres including fiction, poetry, biography, memoir, history, politics, science and current affairs. Previous winners include White Teeth by Zadie Smith, in 2000, which went on to become a bestseller. | "What we found so impressive about Armand Marie Leroi's book was the scope of its reference, its elegance and its inquisitiveness," said Ms Armistead, chair of the judges and the Guardian literary editor.A book about the evolution of mutants and the science of abnormality has won the Guardian First Book Award 2004.The award, for first time authors, is open to books from genres including fiction, poetry, biography, memoir, history, politics, science and current affairs.A panel of literary experts, including novelists Hari Kunzru and Ali Smith, director Sir Richard Eyre and comedian Alexei Sayle chose the winner from a five-strong shortlist.Her words were echoed by Iris director Sir Richard Eyre who called Marie Leroi's work "extraordinarily thought provoking". |
The comic book genius of Stan LeeStan Lee, the man responsible for a string of comic superheroes that have become household names, has won a court battle for a slice of the profits from the hit Spider-Man movies.Many marvel at the man who gave his characters extraordinary powers and everyday headaches - a formula which revolutionised comics. Born in 1922 to poor working-class Jewish immigrants from Romania, Stan Lieberman, got a job in Timely Publications, a company owned by a relative. He was assigned to the comics division and - thanks to a fertile imagination - rose to editor by the age of 18. For more than 20 years, he was "the ultimate hack" - knocking out crime stories, horrors, westerns, anything to sate the appetite of his juvenile readership. Words of more than two syllables were discouraged. Characters were either all good or bad, with no shades of grey. So embarrassed was Lieberman by much of what he was writing that he refused to put his real name on the byline. He assumed the "dumb name", Stan Lee, now legally adopted.By the time he was 40, Lee had decided he was too old for the comic game. His British-born wife, Joan, suggested he had nothing to lose and, for his swansong, should write the kind of characters he really wanted to create. After a rival comic had come up with a superteam consisting of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, Timely needed to respond.Lee's answer, in 1961, was the Fantastic Four - a team of astronauts who gained super powers after being bombarded with cosmic rays. They were to change Lee's life, and the comics industry, forever. Lee gave each character individual, everyday teenage problems such as dandruff, ingrown toenails and acne. They would frequently fall out with their parents and each other. The fan letters poured in. Without immediately knowing it, Stan Lee had ushered in the golden age of comics, and his imagination was rekindled. His Marvel universe spawned the new title of Marvel Comics. Soon after, nerdy Peter Parker was transformed - after a bite from an irradiated spider - into someone who could crawl up the sides of New York's skyscrapers. Spider-Man was born. He was to become an icon of modern popular culture. Spidey, as he is affectionately known, had quite extraordinary powers - yet he had problems at work, at home and with his girlfriends. At last, the teenager was no longer just the sidekick, but the main hero. And the hero was no longer just brawn, he had brains too."Just because he's a hero and has super powers doesn't mean he doesn't have problems," Stan Lee told the BBC. The Incredible Hulk, The Mighty Thor, Iron Man and the rest all grappled with problems like drug abuse, bigotry and social inequality. Radically, Lee gave the artists responsible for the comic designs credits for their work. Jack Kirby, Frank Miller, John Romitaand and others achieved cult status in their own right. Other superheroes broke new ground in other ways. Daredevil was blind, Black Panther was black and Silver Surfer pondered the state of humanity. Lee's influence remains. Some years ago the Marvel hero, Northstar, came out of the closet. In its heyday, Marvel was selling 50 million copies a year. Until he retired from editing in 1971, Stan Lee wrote all the copy for Marvel's covers.In 1999, his Stan Lee Media venture, aimed at marrying comic-strips with the internet, went spectacularly wrong. Lee went bankrupt and his business partner landed in prison for fraud. In 2001 though, he started a new company entitled POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment, which is currently developing films and television programmes. His latest project is a superhero based on a real person - Jay J Armes, who has metal claws after losing both hands aged 12 and fights crime with a tiger. But his 40-year-old creations are still as enduring as ever - with X-Men, The Hulk and Daredevil have all been turned into Hollywood action movies in the last five years. But Spider-Man has been the biggest box office hit, with the 2002 original and its 2004 sequel taking almost $1.6bn (£857m) in ticket sales around the world - before DVD and merchandise sales are counted. It seems Stan Lee is as indestructible as his heroes. | By the time he was 40, Lee had decided he was too old for the comic game.Without immediately knowing it, Stan Lee had ushered in the golden age of comics, and his imagination was rekindled.Spider-Man was born.Stan Lee, the man responsible for a string of comic superheroes that have become household names, has won a court battle for a slice of the profits from the hit Spider-Man movies.So embarrassed was Lieberman by much of what he was writing that he refused to put his real name on the byline.And the hero was no longer just brawn, he had brains too.In its heyday, Marvel was selling 50 million copies a year.At last, the teenager was no longer just the sidekick, but the main hero."Just because he's a hero and has super powers doesn't mean he doesn't have problems," Stan Lee told the BBC.Daredevil was blind, Black Panther was black and Silver Surfer pondered the state of humanity.It seems Stan Lee is as indestructible as his heroes.He was assigned to the comics division and - thanks to a fertile imagination - rose to editor by the age of 18.Radically, Lee gave the artists responsible for the comic designs credits for their work.He assumed the "dumb name", Stan Lee, now legally adopted.Lee's answer, in 1961, was the Fantastic Four - a team of astronauts who gained super powers after being bombarded with cosmic rays.Until he retired from editing in 1971, Stan Lee wrote all the copy for Marvel's covers.He was to become an icon of modern popular culture.Lee gave each character individual, everyday teenage problems such as dandruff, ingrown toenails and acne. |
Lit Idol begins search for authorThe second Pop Idol-style search for literary talent has begun with the help of the brother of Simon Cowell.Writer Tony Cowell is among the judges who will hear aspiring writers read their work aloud. The winner gets a deal with literary agency Curtis Brown. "I'm not going to be the Mr Nasty of books," said Cowell, 54, in reference to his brother's caustic remarks on TV shows Pop Idol and The X-Factor. The 2004 winner, Paul Cavanagh, went on to sign a deal with Harper Collins.This year, the competition is specifically looking for a crime writer. Writers must submit up to 10,000 words from the opening chapters of their novels and a synopsis. Professional readers will choose a shortlist of five following the competition closing date on 14 January.The final five will then have to read their work in front of judging panel. A public vote will also take place, which will account for 25% of the final decision. The winner will be announced at the London Book Fair on 14 March next year and could be screened on TV. "It's very, very hard to find an agent and extremely difficult, without an agent, to get a publisher to look at your work," said Cowell. "People do fall by the wayside and the more avenues we can provide for aspiring authors, the better," he added. Paul Cavanagh, a former university professor and health care consultant from Ontario in Canada, was one of 1,466 aspiring novelists to enter the first contest. He lifted the inaugural Lit Idol prize after reading aloud an excerpt of his work Northwest Passage. Three film studios are said to be interested in buying film rights for the book, even though it is not finished yet. | Writer Tony Cowell is among the judges who will hear aspiring writers read their work aloud.The final five will then have to read their work in front of judging panel."It's very, very hard to find an agent and extremely difficult, without an agent, to get a publisher to look at your work," said Cowell.The winner gets a deal with literary agency Curtis Brown.The 2004 winner, Paul Cavanagh, went on to sign a deal with Harper Collins."I'm not going to be the Mr Nasty of books," said Cowell, 54, in reference to his brother's caustic remarks on TV shows Pop Idol and The X-Factor.The winner will be announced at the London Book Fair on 14 March next year and could be screened on TV. |
Controversial film tops festivalA controversial film starring Hollywood actor Kevin Bacon as a convicted paedophile won top honours at the London Film Festival on Thursday.The Woodsman won the Satyajit Ray Award, named after the Indian director. The low-budget film, directed by Nicole Kassell, is about a convicted child molester trying to rebuild his life after 12 years in jail. Judges said the film tackled the contentious subject with "great insight and sensitivity". Previous films to take the prize include the Oscar-winning Boys Don't Cry, which was about the true life story of murdered transsexual Brandon Teena.British writer-director Amma Asante won the UK Film Talent Award this year for her debut feature A Way Of Life. Set in South Wales, the film is about a teenage single mother who becomes embroiled in a tense stand-off with a Turkish neighbour. Also on Thursday night, the Fipresci International Critics Awards went to Aaltra, a Belgian film about the handicapped; and the Sutherland Trophy, which was won by Jonathan Caouette for his film Tarnation. The festival closed with a screening of the film I Heart Huckabees, starring Jude Law and Dustin Hoffman and directed by Three Kings film-maker David O Russell. The festival this year also included the first European screening of the new Pixar animation The Incredibles, and the British film Bullet Boy, starring So Solid Crew rapper Asher D. | A controversial film starring Hollywood actor Kevin Bacon as a convicted paedophile won top honours at the London Film Festival on Thursday.British writer-director Amma Asante won the UK Film Talent Award this year for her debut feature A Way Of Life.Also on Thursday night, the Fipresci International Critics Awards went to Aaltra, a Belgian film about the handicapped; and the Sutherland Trophy, which was won by Jonathan Caouette for his film Tarnation.The low-budget film, directed by Nicole Kassell, is about a convicted child molester trying to rebuild his life after 12 years in jail. |
US TV cuts nudity from BBC filmA US TV network is editing BBC Films' Dirty War to avoid showing the front of a nude woman being scrubbed down after a fictional chemical attack.It is not worth showing "non-essential" nude scenes when indecency complaints are "aggressively pursued" by US TV watchdogs, said PBS' Jacoba Atlas. Dirty War - screened uncut on BBC One last September - depicts a dirty bomb attack on the City of London. It is also being screened uncut on US cable channel HBO on 24 January. PBS said it will use extra footage for its broadcast, showing the woman "from a more discreet angle" instead.The US Federal Communications Commission fined CBS $550,000 (£306,814) last autumn for singer Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction", during which her breast was exposed during a dance routine with Justin Timberlake. Many US networks and broadcasters are now more nervous about airing nudity, violence or bad language. Ms Atlas said PBS could put itself financially at risk if it showed the uncut version of Dirty War, and it could also deter many of its 170 individual stations from airing "an important film". "You want to pick your battles," she said. She added that PBS, which is a private, non-profit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 349 public television stations, is bolder about screening non-fiction or historical programming. PBS is seen in virtually all US homes with TV, and describes itself as a "trusted community resource" serving nearly 100 million people each week. | It is not worth showing "non-essential" nude scenes when indecency complaints are "aggressively pursued" by US TV watchdogs, said PBS' Jacoba Atlas.A US TV network is editing BBC Films' Dirty War to avoid showing the front of a nude woman being scrubbed down after a fictional chemical attack.Ms Atlas said PBS could put itself financially at risk if it showed the uncut version of Dirty War, and it could also deter many of its 170 individual stations from airing "an important film".PBS said it will use extra footage for its broadcast, showing the woman "from a more discreet angle" instead.It is also being screened uncut on US cable channel HBO on 24 January. |
India to deport Bollywood actressIndia has ordered the deportation of Iranian-born model and actress Negar Khan to Norway after saying she was working illegally on her visa.Khan has had raunchy roles in music videos and Bollywood films over the past two years. The distressed actress told media she was being driven straight to the airport after a routine appointment at the Bombay immigration office. Immigration officials said she had been warned about her visa last year.Khan told an Indian news channel on her mobile phone: "They are not even letting me go home to get my bags. I have no clothes or money on me. "They did not give me any notice. I don't know why they are taking me away like this. There is nothing wrong with my visa. It says I work here... They are not allowing me to even call a lawyer." Bipin Bihari, deputy police chief in Bombay, said Khan was being sent back to Norway, from which she holds a passport, on the first available flight. "She was on a visitor's visa but she has engaged in several commercial ventures," he said. "We issued notices last year, in view of which she had gone back to Norway, but she has returned again this year to work." One of Khan's biggest successes was the steamy Hindi song Chadti Jawani (Rising Youth). Khan was involved in controversy when topless photos alleged to be of her appeared in a Norwegian magazine. | India has ordered the deportation of Iranian-born model and actress Negar Khan to Norway after saying she was working illegally on her visa."She was on a visitor's visa but she has engaged in several commercial ventures," he said."We issued notices last year, in view of which she had gone back to Norway, but she has returned again this year to work."Bipin Bihari, deputy police chief in Bombay, said Khan was being sent back to Norway, from which she holds a passport, on the first available flight.Immigration officials said she had been warned about her visa last year.Khan was involved in controversy when topless photos alleged to be of her appeared in a Norwegian magazine.The distressed actress told media she was being driven straight to the airport after a routine appointment at the Bombay immigration office. |
Pop band Busted to 'take a break'Chart-topping pop band Busted have confirmed that they plan to "take a break", following rumours that they were on the verge of splitting.A statement from the band's record company Universal said frontman Charlie Simpson planned to spend some time working with his other band, Fightstar. However they said that Busted would "reconvene in due course". The band have had eight top three hits, including four number ones, since they first hit the charts in 2002. Their singles include What I Go To School For, Year 3000, Crashed The Wedding, You Said No, and Who's David?The band, which also includes members Matt Jay and James Bourne, made the top ten with their self-titled debut album, as well as the follow-up, A Present For Everyone, in 2003. They won best pop act and best breakthrough act at the 2004 Brit Awards and were nominated for best British group. Most recently they topped the charts with the theme from the live-action film version of Thunderbirds, which was voted Record Of The Year on the ITV1 show. The band have capitalised on a craze for artists playing catchy pop music with rock overtones. The trio are seen as an alternative to more manufactured artists who are not considered credible musicians because they do not write their own songs or play their own instruments. However, recent rumours have suggested that Simpson has been wanting to quit the band to focus on Fightstar. He now plans to take Fightstar on tour. | Chart-topping pop band Busted have confirmed that they plan to "take a break", following rumours that they were on the verge of splitting.A statement from the band's record company Universal said frontman Charlie Simpson planned to spend some time working with his other band, Fightstar.However, recent rumours have suggested that Simpson has been wanting to quit the band to focus on Fightstar.The band have capitalised on a craze for artists playing catchy pop music with rock overtones.The band have had eight top three hits, including four number ones, since they first hit the charts in 2002. |
Veteran comic Cyril Fletcher diesVeteran comedian and broadcaster Cyril Fletcher has died aged 91 at his home in Guernsey.Fletcher will be remembered for his "odd odes" and amusing misprints on TV show That's Life in the 1970s and 80s, as well as a long variety career. He was also a regular on Does the Team Think?, a comic version of radio information show The Brains Trust. That's Life host Esther Rantzen said he was "so lovely" and a "delight" to work with. "The thing about Cyril was that he was, to use a slightly old-fashioned phrase, an English gentleman," she said. "He was courteous, and understated, and he adored gardens, particularly creating them for his beautiful wife."He was funny and witty to work with. He was a real friend and I shall miss him." One of the last comedians of old-time variety era, Fletcher made his first TV appearance in 1937. A year after BBC Television began, he was seen reciting humorous poems, appearing in a revue, Tele-Ho, and playing the Emperor of Morocco in the first televised pantomime, Dick Whittington. He went on to become a regular voice on radio, have a string of TV shows in the 1950s and appear in several films, including 1947's Nicholas Nickleby. He married actress Betty Astell in 1941 and in the 1950s and 60s, they produced pantos and summer shows, discovering new stars including Harry Secombe. In the mid-1990s, Fletcher said he had made a "fabulous living" since the age of 22 and had never had a day out of work.He was most recently seen presenting a gardening programme for Channel TV. Fletcher was described as a "consummate professional" by his friend and fellow broadcaster Michael Pointon. "It really was a pleasure to work with him - he had met everyone and done everything," Mr Pointon said. "He was a whimsical, droll fellow, but also a very artistic man. As a friend, he was very kind, and generous." Fletcher's daughter Jill said her father would be sorely missed. "He was greatly loved by the public," she said. | "He was greatly loved by the public," she said."He was funny and witty to work with.That's Life host Esther Rantzen said he was "so lovely" and a "delight" to work with.Fletcher was described as a "consummate professional" by his friend and fellow broadcaster Michael Pointon.As a friend, he was very kind, and generous.""It really was a pleasure to work with him - he had met everyone and done everything," Mr Pointon said.He was a real friend and I shall miss him.""The thing about Cyril was that he was, to use a slightly old-fashioned phrase, an English gentleman," she said. |
Fry set for role in Hitchhiker'sActor Stephen Fry is joining the cast of the forthcoming film adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.Fry will provide the voice of The Guide, an electronic book which accompanies the story's hero Arthur Dent on his travels around the galaxy. Martin Freeman, John Malkovich, Bill Nighy and Alan Rickman are co-starring in the film, due for release in May. The late Douglas Adams' original 1977 scripts have also been turned into a series of successful books."Being asked to do the voice of The Guide is like having your birthday on Christmas Day, discovering a winning lottery ticket in your stocking and having chocolate poured all over you," said Fry, a self-confessed fan of the book. The film's executive producer Robbie Stamp said that Adams, who died in 2001, would have been "delighted" with the choice of Fry for the role."His humour and intelligence are perfect for the voice of The Guide," added Mr Stamp. Adams wrote the screenplay based on his book before his premature death, while a new radio series was aired 26 years after the first broadcast and included many of the original cast members. Hollywood star Malkovich will play religious cult leader Humma Kavula, which was especially created by Adams for the new film. Freeman, who starred in hit BBC comedy The Office, will play the role of Arthur Dent, who begins his intergalactic voyage following the destruction of the Earth. | Fry will provide the voice of The Guide, an electronic book which accompanies the story's hero Arthur Dent on his travels around the galaxy.Actor Stephen Fry is joining the cast of the forthcoming film adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy."Being asked to do the voice of The Guide is like having your birthday on Christmas Day, discovering a winning lottery ticket in your stocking and having chocolate poured all over you," said Fry, a self-confessed fan of the book.The film's executive producer Robbie Stamp said that Adams, who died in 2001, would have been "delighted" with the choice of Fry for the role. |
Indie film nominations announcedMike Leigh's award-winning abortion drama Vera Drake has scooped seven nominations at this year's British Independent Film Awards.But the Venice winner faces stiff competition from Shane Meadows' critically acclaimed Dead Man's Shoes, which received eight nominations. Also in the running for a clutch of awards are My Summer of Love and the stalker drama Enduring Love. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 30 November. The winners of the awards will be chosen by a jury chaired by Cold Mountain director Anthony Minghella and including actresses Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham-Carter.The awards, which recognise independent film-making in Britain, were established seven years ago. "This year's nominees reflect the growing strength and diversity of British independent filmmaking," said BIFA founder and director Elliot Grove. Commenting on the diversity of the nominated films, he added: "Our selection committee had a harder time than ever narrowing down the field."Joining Vera Drake and Dead Man's Shoes in the running for best film are My Summer of Love, climbing documentary Touching the Void and zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead. Geoffrey Rush wins a best actor nomination for his role as Peter Sellers in the recent biopic The Life & Death of Peter Sellers.The Australian star faces competition from Daniel Craig (Enduring Love), Phil Davis (Vera Drake), Ian Hart (Blind Fight) and Dead Man's Shoes' star Paddy Considine. Considine is also nominated for a best supporting actor award for My Summer of Love. A rare US nominee, Scarlett Johansson, is among this year's best actress contenders for her role in Girl with a Pearl Earring.Fellow nominees include Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake), Natalie Press (My Summer of Love), Anne Reid (The Mother) and Eva Birthistle (Ae Fond Kiss... ). Shane Meadows and Kevin McDonald, both former winners of the Douglas Hickox Award (for Best Directorial Debut) won best director nominations. Seasoned film-makers Roger Michell, Mike Leigh and Pavel Pavlikowsky challenge them to the award. Harry Potter author JK Rowling will receive a special award for her contribution to the industry. | Considine is also nominated for a best supporting actor award for My Summer of Love.Joining Vera Drake and Dead Man's Shoes in the running for best film are My Summer of Love, climbing documentary Touching the Void and zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead.Shane Meadows and Kevin McDonald, both former winners of the Douglas Hickox Award (for Best Directorial Debut) won best director nominations.Also in the running for a clutch of awards are My Summer of Love and the stalker drama Enduring Love.Mike Leigh's award-winning abortion drama Vera Drake has scooped seven nominations at this year's British Independent Film Awards.The Australian star faces competition from Daniel Craig (Enduring Love), Phil Davis (Vera Drake), Ian Hart (Blind Fight) and Dead Man's Shoes' star Paddy Considine.But the Venice winner faces stiff competition from Shane Meadows' critically acclaimed Dead Man's Shoes, which received eight nominations. |
Shark Tale DVD is US best-sellerOscar-nominated animation Shark Tale has raked in $80m (£42.4m) in the first week of its US DVD release becoming the year's best-selling home video so far.The tally for its DVD and video sales soared past the film's opening week US box office takings of $56m (£29.7m). Shark Tale is now the sixth-highest earning DVD for first week sales. The all-time first-week record is held by 1995's Lion King followed by Shrek 2, Finding Nemo, the original Shrek, and Monster's Inc.Shark Tale, whose voice cast includes Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renee Zellweger and Martin Scorsese, sold more than 6 million DVDs and videos across the United States and Canada. It becomes the highest first-week earner for February, outshining My Big Fat Greek Wedding which sold four million units in 2003. Films which are expected to earn strong home video returns are usually timed for release in the busiest retail season which falls before Christmas. The best-selling home video of last year was the Dreamworks hit Shrek 2, which took an estimated $458 m (£242.7m) in North America alone. | Oscar-nominated animation Shark Tale has raked in $80m (£42.4m) in the first week of its US DVD release becoming the year's best-selling home video so far.Shark Tale is now the sixth-highest earning DVD for first week sales.The tally for its DVD and video sales soared past the film's opening week US box office takings of $56m (£29.7m). |
Rap feud in 50 Cent's G-Unit crewUS rap star 50 Cent has said he has thrown protege The Game out of his G-Unit gang in a feud that has apparently involved two shootings.In a radio interview on Monday, 50 Cent said the newcomer was disloyal in conflicts with other rappers. A man was shot in the thigh outside New York's Hot 97 studios while 50 Cent was on air. More shots were fired outside his management offices two hours later. 50 Cent appeared on The Game's debut album, which was number one in the US. 50 Cent, whose second album is about to be released after his debut made him one of hip-hop's biggest stars, has been involved in recent rivalries with fellow artists including Fat Joe, Nas and Jadakiss.He has claimed credit for the success of The Game, who has become the hottest new star on the rap scene. Both were drug dealers and were shot before turning to music.In an interview with Hot 97 on Saturday, The Game described some of 50 Cent's rivals as "my friends" and said he would not turn on them. "Nas is one of my friends, and Jada's really a homie," he said. "50's beef is 50's beef and I really don't know where all this stems from." When 50 Cent appeared on the same station two days later, he said The Game was no longer a member of G-Unit. "Every record he's selling is based on me being on his record with him," he said. When the shooting took place outside the studio, the interview was ended and the rapper was escorted out of the building by security personnel.An unidentified 24-year-old Los Angeles man is stable with a gunshot wound to the upper thigh. Police say The Game's associates may have heard the interview and gone to the studio, where they confronted 50 Cent's entourage. Officers are also investigating a later shooting in which eight bullets were fired into the door of 50 Cent's management company, Violator. No arrests have been made in relation to either incident. 50 Cent's second album, The Massacre, is released on Thursday, five weeks after The Game's debut, Documentary, went to number one.Elliott Wilson, editor-in-chief of hip-hop magazine XXL, said the feud would boost publicity for 50 Cent's release. "It helps him obviously in terms of exposure. You can't ask for better promotion," he said. But he added: "I think he's making more and more enemies. "You definitely feel like is he doing too much of a Tupac spiral, like me against the world. You bring more people wanting to see you fail." Tupac Shakur was shot dead in 1996. | A man was shot in the thigh outside New York's Hot 97 studios while 50 Cent was on air.When 50 Cent appeared on the same station two days later, he said The Game was no longer a member of G-Unit.50 Cent appeared on The Game's debut album, which was number one in the US.In a radio interview on Monday, 50 Cent said the newcomer was disloyal in conflicts with other rappers.US rap star 50 Cent has said he has thrown protege The Game out of his G-Unit gang in a feud that has apparently involved two shootings.In an interview with Hot 97 on Saturday, The Game described some of 50 Cent's rivals as "my friends" and said he would not turn on them.Tupac Shakur was shot dead in 1996."Nas is one of my friends, and Jada's really a homie," he said.When the shooting took place outside the studio, the interview was ended and the rapper was escorted out of the building by security personnel.50 Cent, whose second album is about to be released after his debut made him one of hip-hop's biggest stars, has been involved in recent rivalries with fellow artists including Fat Joe, Nas and Jadakiss.50 Cent's second album, The Massacre, is released on Thursday, five weeks after The Game's debut, Documentary, went to number one. |
Women in film 'are earning less'Women in the UK film industry earn less than their male counterparts despite being better qualified, according to a study released on Wednesday.Only 16% of women earn more than £50,000, compared with 30% of men. Women make up a third of the workforce. The research was carried out jointly by the UK Film Council and industry training body Skillset. It also found that women in the industry were less likely than men to be married or have dependant children.The study, which claims to be the most in-depth so far conducted, found 60% of women in the film industry hold degrees, compared with 39% of men. Whilst 17% of men in the industry had no qualifications, this was true for only five per cent of women. In the lower salary bracket, 35% of women earn less than £20,000 a year, compared to only 18% of men. The research found very few women worked in the camera, sound, electrical and construction departments, but they made up a majority of those working in make-up and hairdressing.UK Film Council chief executive John Woodward said: "Whilst the UK has benefited hugely from its highly-qualified film production workforce there are still many barriers facing people who want to get in and stay in the industry." "Developing the film production workforce must be underpinned with a commitment to diversity as well as training." The workforce is largely focused around London, with 78% in the industry based in the capital and the south east of England. The industry depends heavily on word of mouth, with 81% being recruited in that way. In total, only five percent of the workforce is made up of ethnic minorities, although in London the figure rises to 24%. The necessity of completing unpaid work experience to get into the workforce has also shot up, from 5% before the 1980s, to 45% after 2000. | The study, which claims to be the most in-depth so far conducted, found 60% of women in the film industry hold degrees, compared with 39% of men.It also found that women in the industry were less likely than men to be married or have dependant children.Only 16% of women earn more than £50,000, compared with 30% of men.Women in the UK film industry earn less than their male counterparts despite being better qualified, according to a study released on Wednesday.UK Film Council chief executive John Woodward said: "Whilst the UK has benefited hugely from its highly-qualified film production workforce there are still many barriers facing people who want to get in and stay in the industry."Whilst 17% of men in the industry had no qualifications, this was true for only five per cent of women. |
Show over for MTV's The OsbournesRock star Ozzy Osbourne has said his family will not make any more episodes of reality TV show The Osbournes."At the end of it I didn't like having cameras around the house all the time," the Black Sabbath singer told reporters at the MTV Europe Awards in Rome. His wife Sharon, who also appears in the popular MTV show based on the Osbournes' family life, agreed. "Now everybody's doing reality shows. He's done it, he's been there, he's got to do something else," she said.Ozzy Osbourne said he had had enough of the work involved in making the series. "When you watch a 25-minute episode, I've been filming all day," he said. Sharon Osbourne is currently appearing as a judge and mentor in ITV1 talent show The X-Factor alongside Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh.Earlier this year she topped a poll of the most important people in rock, for her part in guiding the career of husband Ozzy and her family. She was the driving force behind The Osbournes, which ran for three series, earning the family a reported $85m (£46m). The renewed popularity for Ozzy has seen sales of his merchandise hit the $50m (£27.2m) mark, a record for a heavy metal artist. Sales of T-shirts, accessories and action figures have rocketed since The Osbournes hit screens. At its peak, The Osbournes had a regular audience of eight million, with America's TV Guide magazine describing the series as "a cross between The Simpsons and This Is Spinal Tap". Osbourne himself was at a loss to explain its popularity: "I suppose Americans get a kick out of watching a crazy Brit family like us make complete fools of ourselves every week." | Rock star Ozzy Osbourne has said his family will not make any more episodes of reality TV show The Osbournes.Ozzy Osbourne said he had had enough of the work involved in making the series.His wife Sharon, who also appears in the popular MTV show based on the Osbournes' family life, agreed.She was the driving force behind The Osbournes, which ran for three series, earning the family a reported $85m (£46m).Osbourne himself was at a loss to explain its popularity: "I suppose Americans get a kick out of watching a crazy Brit family like us make complete fools of ourselves every week."Earlier this year she topped a poll of the most important people in rock, for her part in guiding the career of husband Ozzy and her family. |
Bollywood draws global starsBritish actress Antonia Bernath is making her debut in Kisna - the Warrior Poet, marking a growing trend for non-Indian stars to appear in Bollywood films.Directed by Bollywood veteran Subhash Ghai, the film is set in the British Raj and Bernath plays an army general's daughter who falls in love with a rural boy, Kisna. "I liked the fluid nature of film-making. We improvised quite a lot," says Bernath. "At times it felt very chaotic but Mr Ghai was quite clear about what he wanted." Picked from more than 200 girls in an audition in London, Bernath cut short her education at Bristol's Old Vic Theatre School to take up the opportunity. It is not often that somebody gets to play the lead role straight out of a drama school. She spent three weeks learning Hindi and taking dance lessons. "Initially, I was a bit sceptical about how people would respond to me," Bernath says. "But I found the Hindi film industry very warm and encouraging. I even had a few offers before the work on Kisna was completed."Films are one of India's biggest exports and those like Lagaan and Monsoon Wedding have broken the traditional boundaries of colour and culture. Spurred by this, Bollywood producers are trying to go global in all aspects of film-making, be it technical or artistic.From young heart-throbs like Nick Moran of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels to model Sophie Dahl, many non-Indian stars want to make the most of this opportunity. "Bollywood has truly gone global," says Taran Adarsh, editor of Indian film journal Trade Guide. "Directors are now attempting to woo non-Asian audience to increase their share in the overseas film market." Kisna has been shot simultaneously in Hindi and English, with the English print shortened by an hour to accommodate the Western audience. The film even has a song composed in English by AR Rahman, the director of the popular West End musical, Bombay Dreams. "Identification is a popular cinematic device. Use of European or American actors can be viewed as a step in that direction," says Adarsh.The cast of Kisna also includes British actors Michael Maloney, Caroline Langrishe and Polly Adams.Another actress, Annabelle Wallace, plays the lead role in a bilingual romantic comedy Dil Jo Bhi Kahey (Whatever the Heart Says), which also stars Indian screen legend Amitabh Bachchan. Actor and Producer Aamir Khan's forthcoming venture The Rising is set against the backdrop of the Indian mutiny of 1857, with British actor Toby Stephens in a key role. But it isn't only the Western actors looking eastwards. Bollywood sweetheart Aishwarya Rai, recently seen in Bride and Prejudice alongside New Zealand actor Martin Henderson, is building her international career. And, many other Bollywood stars have their eyes set on Hollywood. "Hollywood or Bollywood, it's the box office that determines whether something is a passing phase or a trend," says Adarsh.Kisna - the Warrior Poet opens in the UK on 21 January. | British actress Antonia Bernath is making her debut in Kisna - the Warrior Poet, marking a growing trend for non-Indian stars to appear in Bollywood films.Directed by Bollywood veteran Subhash Ghai, the film is set in the British Raj and Bernath plays an army general's daughter who falls in love with a rural boy, Kisna."Bollywood has truly gone global," says Taran Adarsh, editor of Indian film journal Trade Guide.And, many other Bollywood stars have their eyes set on Hollywood.Actor and Producer Aamir Khan's forthcoming venture The Rising is set against the backdrop of the Indian mutiny of 1857, with British actor Toby Stephens in a key role.Kisna has been shot simultaneously in Hindi and English, with the English print shortened by an hour to accommodate the Western audience."Hollywood or Bollywood, it's the box office that determines whether something is a passing phase or a trend," says Adarsh.The cast of Kisna also includes British actors Michael Maloney, Caroline Langrishe and Polly Adams.We improvised quite a lot," says Bernath.I even had a few offers before the work on Kisna was completed."The film even has a song composed in English by AR Rahman, the director of the popular West End musical, Bombay Dreams.Use of European or American actors can be viewed as a step in that direction," says Adarsh. |
Briton wins short film OscarThree of the five nominees in the live-action short film category at this year's Oscars were British. For Andrea Arnold, who won the category, Ashvin Kumar and Gary McKendry the past month has thrust them from relative obscurity into the limelight.Arnold's gritty drama Wasp is about a single mother living on the breadline, while Kumar's Little Terrorist follows a young Pakistani Muslim boy, who gets stuck on the wrong side of the heavily armed Indian border. McKendry's entry, Everything In This Country Must, forces British soldiers and Catholics to challenge their relationship during the troubles in Northern Ireland. Last week, the trio attended an official screening of all the nominated short films at the Academy's headquarters in Beverly Hills. "I felt so privileged to have a thousand people watching my film on the biggest screen I've ever seen," says Arnold.Set in her native Dartford, Wasp tells the story of a young mum, who, unable to find a babysitter, leaves her four young daughters outside a pub while she's on a date. The image that sparked the film was that of a wasp crawling into a baby's mouth. "The other nominees said they made their films for this reason or that - they had something to say. But I just start with an image I can't shake off, work outwards from that and see what comes out," she explains.Since she presented children's TV shows Number 73 and Motormouth in the 1980s, Arnold has kept a low profile and is having trouble adapting to this sudden onslaught of attention. "I'm not interested in the publicity. It's not my personality. I'm overwhelmed by all the fuss," she said."It's all a bit like a beauty contest - all the films are great and so different. "But even though my film has won 30 awards worldwide (including one at Sundance last month), I'd still be proud of it - even if it hadn't won any." Asked what the nomination means to her, Arnold says she feels "flattered and honoured". "We've all been overwhelmed by the response and can't get it in perspective yet. I'm still reeling."And she won't commit to an opinion of Hollywood yet. "I'm just in the middle of it, living moment to moment, day to day." But despite her reservations about the Academy Awards and the media frenzy that surrounds it, she accepts that it has opened doors for her. "People will definitely listen to what I want to do now, and the phone didn't stop ringing for a week after I got nominated." As for the future, Arnold firmly believes that you often get a stronger vision of the world with short films. "You're left more to your own devices, without people interfering as much." That said, she is currently working on a feature film with Dogville and Dancer In The Dark director Lars Von Trier. | "The other nominees said they made their films for this reason or that - they had something to say."I felt so privileged to have a thousand people watching my film on the biggest screen I've ever seen," says Arnold.I'm overwhelmed by all the fuss," she said.Three of the five nominees in the live-action short film category at this year's Oscars were British.The image that sparked the film was that of a wasp crawling into a baby's mouth.Last week, the trio attended an official screening of all the nominated short films at the Academy's headquarters in Beverly Hills."But even though my film has won 30 awards worldwide (including one at Sundance last month), I'd still be proud of it - even if it hadn't won any."I'm still reeling.""We've all been overwhelmed by the response and can't get it in perspective yet.That said, she is currently working on a feature film with Dogville and Dancer In The Dark director Lars Von Trier."It's all a bit like a beauty contest - all the films are great and so different. |
Spears seeks aborted tour paymentSinger Britney Spears is suing eight insurance companies that have refused to reimburse her for cancelling her 2004 world tour.The pop star cancelled her Onyx Hotel tour last June after suffering a knee injury during a video shoot. She is now seeking to be reimbursed for the tour's £5m ($9.3m) costs in a claim filed at New York State Supreme Court. Seven London-based companies and an eighth Paris firm have been given up to 30 days to respond to the complaint.The 22-year-old star initially missed a number of shows on the 82-date tour after injuring her knee during a show in Illinois last March. But she was rushed to hospital and needed surgery after a later incident while filming a video for her song Outrageous, leading her to cancel the rest of the tour, including dates in China. "She obviously took a wrong step and blew out her knee," a Jive spokeswoman said at the time. "It was an old dance injury." The legal submission described Spears as "one of the most recognised performers in her industry". The Onyx Hotel tour was cited as "a highly crafted production which included the well-known music and dancing of Spears, supported by elaborate costumes, complex choreography as well as cutting-edge video production, lighting and other effects". In September Spears married Kevin Federline, who had been a dancer on the aborted tour. | The pop star cancelled her Onyx Hotel tour last June after suffering a knee injury during a video shoot.The Onyx Hotel tour was cited as "a highly crafted production which included the well-known music and dancing of Spears, supported by elaborate costumes, complex choreography as well as cutting-edge video production, lighting and other effects".Singer Britney Spears is suing eight insurance companies that have refused to reimburse her for cancelling her 2004 world tour.In September Spears married Kevin Federline, who had been a dancer on the aborted tour.The 22-year-old star initially missed a number of shows on the 82-date tour after injuring her knee during a show in Illinois last March. |
Oasis star fined for German brawlOasis singer Liam Gallagher has been fined 50,000 euros (£35,000) after a fight in a German hotel two years ago.Gallagher was arrested along with drummer Alan White and three other members of the band's entourage after the brawl in Munich in December 2002. The band said they were victims of an "unprovoked attack" in a nightclub. But police said Gallagher kicked an officer in the chest and had large amounts of alcohol and drugs - possibly cocaine - in his blood. Gallagher lost two front teeth in the fight, which led to the band abandoning their German tour. His brother and bandmate Noel was in bed at the time."The process has stopped by paying 50,000 euros," said Anton Winkler, spokesman for the Munich prosecutor. At the time, police said a "physical altercation" broke out among the musicians at about 0200 local time. That led to one of the group being "jostled" and falling onto the table of five Italian guests - causing the fight, they said. The fight continued outside, where "one of the officers was kicked in the chest with full force by Liam Gallagher... and suffered minor injuries", they said. | The fight continued outside, where "one of the officers was kicked in the chest with full force by Liam Gallagher... and suffered minor injuries", they said.But police said Gallagher kicked an officer in the chest and had large amounts of alcohol and drugs - possibly cocaine - in his blood.Gallagher lost two front teeth in the fight, which led to the band abandoning their German tour.Oasis singer Liam Gallagher has been fined 50,000 euros (£35,000) after a fight in a German hotel two years ago. |
T in the Park sells out in daysTickets for Scotland's biggest music festival have sold out in record time, five months before the event is held.The 12th annual T in the Park festival, which takes place at Balado near Kinross in July, sold out just four days after the line-up was announced. Green Day, the Foo Fighters and Keane are among the acts that had already been lined up to appear at the event. However, the organisers have revealed Scots favourites Travis as well as soulman James Brown will also appear.Last year tickets sold out 10 weeks before the festival but organisers confirmed that all 130,000 for the two-day event had been sold. Geoff Ellis, CEO of festival organisers Big Day Out Ltd, said this year's event promises to be the best yet. "After last year's sell-out, we did think this year's event would sell slightly earlier, however this is way beyond our expectations," Mr Ellis said."We are extremely proud that fans are so excited about T in the Park that they have made absolutely sure that their place at Balado is booked for 2005, and we will deliver one of the greatest events yet for them in July." More than 120 acts will play on eight stages over the weekend of 9 and 10 July. Brit Award winners Keane and The Streets are among the main attractions, while The Killers and dance act The Prodigy are also on the bill. Both Green Day and The Foo Fighters last played at the festival in 2002, the same year Oasis and Basement Jaxx were among the headline acts. | Green Day, the Foo Fighters and Keane are among the acts that had already been lined up to appear at the event.Geoff Ellis, CEO of festival organisers Big Day Out Ltd, said this year's event promises to be the best yet.Last year tickets sold out 10 weeks before the festival but organisers confirmed that all 130,000 for the two-day event had been sold.Both Green Day and The Foo Fighters last played at the festival in 2002, the same year Oasis and Basement Jaxx were among the headline acts.The 12th annual T in the Park festival, which takes place at Balado near Kinross in July, sold out just four days after the line-up was announced. |
Poppins musical gets flying startThe stage adaptation of children's film Mary Poppins has had its opening night in London's West End.Sir Cameron Mackintosh's lavish production, which has cost £9m to bring to the stage, was given a 10-minute standing ovation. Lead actress Laura Michelle Kelly soared over the heads of the audience holding the nanny's trademark umbrella. Technical hitches had prevented Mary Poppins' flight into the auditorium during preview performances. A number of celebrities turned out for the musical's premiere, including actress Barbara Windsor, comic Graham Norton and Sir Richard Attenborough.The show's director Richard Eyre issued a warning earlier in the week that the show was unsuitable for children under seven, while under-threes are barred. Mary Poppins was originally created by author Pamela Travers, who is said to have cried when she saw Disney's 1964 film starring Julie Andrews. Travers had intended the story to be a lot darker than the perennial family favourite. Theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh has said he hopes the musical is a blend of the sweet-natured film and the original book. | Mary Poppins was originally created by author Pamela Travers, who is said to have cried when she saw Disney's 1964 film starring Julie Andrews.The stage adaptation of children's film Mary Poppins has had its opening night in London's West End.Sir Cameron Mackintosh's lavish production, which has cost £9m to bring to the stage, was given a 10-minute standing ovation.Theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh has said he hopes the musical is a blend of the sweet-natured film and the original book. |
Sir Paul rocks Super Bowl crowdsSir Paul McCartney wowed fans with a live mini-concert at American football's Super Bowl - and avoided any Janet Jackson-style controversies.The 62-year-old sang Hey Jude and other Beatles songs in a 12-minute set at half-time during the game in Florida. Last year, Jackson exposed a breast during a dance routine, causing outrage among millions of TV viewers and landing the CBS TV network a fine. Sir Paul, however, did nothing more racy than remove his jacket as he sang. Organisers were widely considered to be playing it safe this year by booking 62-year-old Sir Paul for his second Super Bowl show.Three years ago, he was invited to perform at the first Super Bowl after the September 11 attacks and performed his specially-written song Freedom. This time, he started off the show, at the Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, with the Beatles numbers Drive My Car and Get Back. He then performed a mellow version of Live And Let Die, the James Bond theme he recorded with the band Wings. Finally, he closed the show with a rousing version of Hey Jude. The former Beatle resisted any temptation to refer to Janet Jackson's headline-grabbing performance last year, instead keeping banter between songs to a minimum in order to squeeze as much music as he could into his slot. The singer removed his black jacket halfway through the show - but any fans hoping for a second "Nipple-gate" were to be disappointed as he kept his red sweatshirt on underneath.Earlier, the Black Eyed Peas and Alicia Keys had provided the night's other high-profile entertainment by performing in a pre-game show. Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie was dressed in a tight orange top and purple hotpants, but nothing in her performance was likely to upset TV watchdogs. After the controversy last year - which saw CBS fined a record $550,000 (£292,000) by federal regulators - Super Bowl organisers had turned to producer Don Mischer to oversee this year's half-time show. His previous production credits included Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. The Super Bowl is watched by an audience of 144.4 million in the US, with many of the people watching are said to tune in specifically to see the entertainment put on around the event. Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Diana Ross, Gloria Estefan and Phil Collins are among the stars who have previously graced the Super Bowl stage. | Organisers were widely considered to be playing it safe this year by booking 62-year-old Sir Paul for his second Super Bowl show.After the controversy last year - which saw CBS fined a record $550,000 (£292,000) by federal regulators - Super Bowl organisers had turned to producer Don Mischer to oversee this year's half-time show.Three years ago, he was invited to perform at the first Super Bowl after the September 11 attacks and performed his specially-written song Freedom.Sir Paul McCartney wowed fans with a live mini-concert at American football's Super Bowl - and avoided any Janet Jackson-style controversies.Finally, he closed the show with a rousing version of Hey Jude.The 62-year-old sang Hey Jude and other Beatles songs in a 12-minute set at half-time during the game in Florida.The singer removed his black jacket halfway through the show - but any fans hoping for a second "Nipple-gate" were to be disappointed as he kept his red sweatshirt on underneath. |
Children vote Shrek 2 best filmYoung UK film fans voted animated Hollywood hit Shrek 2 best film at the children's Bafta awards on Sunday.More than 6,000 children voted in the only category chosen by fans. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, runner-up in the poll, was the choice of the Bafta experts who named it best feature film. BBC One Saturday morning show Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow won two awards - best entertainment and best presenters for Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood.Former Playschool presenter Floella Benjamin was awarded the Special Award for outstanding creative contribution to children's film and television. She first appeared on Playschool 25 years ago and was made an OBE in 2001 for services to broadcasting. South American-themed cartoon Joko! Jakamoko! Toto! won the honour for pre-school animation and its writer Tony Collingwood for original writer. Debbie Isitt won the award for best adapted writer for her work with Jacqueline Wilson's The Illustrated Mum, which won the award for best schools drama.Schools' Factual (primary) - Thinking Skills: Think About It - Hiding PlacesSchools' Factual (secondary) - In Search of the Tartan TurbanPre-School Live Action - BalamoryAnimation - Brush HeadDrama - FeatherboyFactual - Serious Desert Interactive Bafta - King Arthur International category - 8 Simple Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter | Young UK film fans voted animated Hollywood hit Shrek 2 best film at the children's Bafta awards on Sunday.Debbie Isitt won the award for best adapted writer for her work with Jacqueline Wilson's The Illustrated Mum, which won the award for best schools drama.Former Playschool presenter Floella Benjamin was awarded the Special Award for outstanding creative contribution to children's film and television.Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, runner-up in the poll, was the choice of the Bafta experts who named it best feature film.BBC One Saturday morning show Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow won two awards - best entertainment and best presenters for Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood. |
Sundance to honour foreign filmsInternational films will be given the same prominence as US films at next year's Sundance Film Festival, with movies dominated by the theme of war.The independent film festival will feature two new international cinema competitions, during its 20-30 January season in Utah. Forty-two films will debut at Sundance, including The Liberace of Baghdad by British director Sean McAllister. The prestigious festival was founded by actor Robert Redford in 1981."We have always had an international component, but from next year they will enter a jury competition," festival director Geoffrey Gilmore said. "We wanted to give world cinema more emphasis and have now put it on par with the American dramatic and documentary competitions." Twelve films competing in the new world cinema documentary category focus on countries and people under siege.The Liberace of Baghdad features an Iraqi pianist hiding in a hotel as he waits for a visa, while Finnish film The Three Rooms of Melancholia looks at the war in Chechnya. Shake Hands With The Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire tells of a UN mission to Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, while French-Israeli production Wall looks at Israel's controversial security wall separating it from the Palestinian territories. The 16 films competing in the new world cinema dramatic category include works from Germany, South Korea, Angola, China, Denmark and Australia.Several Hollywood stars feature in the festival's American independent drama category, including Keanu Reeves and Benjamin Bratt. Vince Vaughn stars in quirky movie Thumbsucker while 21 Grams actress Naomi Watts plays a budding Hollywood actress in Ellie Parker. The top Grand Jury prize at this year's festival went to low budget sci-fi thriller Primer, written and directed by Shane Carruth. Morgan Spurlock earned the directing award for Super Size Me, which became an international box office hit. | The independent film festival will feature two new international cinema competitions, during its 20-30 January season in Utah.International films will be given the same prominence as US films at next year's Sundance Film Festival, with movies dominated by the theme of war.Twelve films competing in the new world cinema documentary category focus on countries and people under siege.The 16 films competing in the new world cinema dramatic category include works from Germany, South Korea, Angola, China, Denmark and Australia.The Liberace of Baghdad features an Iraqi pianist hiding in a hotel as he waits for a visa, while Finnish film The Three Rooms of Melancholia looks at the war in Chechnya.Forty-two films will debut at Sundance, including The Liberace of Baghdad by British director Sean McAllister. |
CSI shows give 'unrealistic view'People have unrealistic expectations of forensic science thanks to the success of the CSI TV shows, real experts say.Evidence submitted to forensic labs has shot up as a result of the programmes, at a time when many have large backlogs, science investigators claim. Lawyers also fear the effect because jurors have a distorted view of how forensic evidence is used. The issue was discussed at a major science conference in Washington DC. Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) and its spin-offs, CSI: Miami and CSI: New York, have proven exceptionally popular with audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.Each episode, a team of forensic investigators goes about solving a crime through the ingenious appliance of science - and the extensive resources at their disposal. "The CSI effect is basically the perception of the near-infallibility of forensic science in response to the TV show," said Max Houck, who runs a forensic science graduate course at West Virginia University, US. "This TV show comes on and everyone starts watching it - including the cops and prosecutors - and submissions to forensic laboratories go through the roof," he told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The American forensics expert said there were roughly 200,000-300,000 backlogged DNA samples in US labs. Yet these constituted just 10% of the total test backlog, said Dr Houck. Forensic pathologist Dr Patricia McFeeley said she had started to see the show's influence in dealing with the families of victims. "What I find is that families now are more dissatisfied with the investigation than was previously the case," she explained. "For example, on television, the toxicology results are available almost instantaneously. But when people find out that it can take several months, they can find that very difficult."Dr McFeeley added that the accuracy with which forensic investigators can determine time of death was far lower than most people's perceptions. The show's influence can follow forensic investigators all the way into the courtroom, making lawyers jittery. "Prosecutors fear the CSI effect with juries because, for example, they wonder: 'why wasn't everything tested?' Well, in fact, not everything needs to be tested," Dr Houck explained. "Defence attorneys also worry about the CSI effect because they think that jurors come in and have this view of science as a juggernaut; this objective method that's always accurate." However, he admitted the show had had positive as well as negative effects on the field. "My university course started with four graduates in 1999; we're now the largest major on campus - with 400 students," he said. Dr Houck added that there was an urgent need for better funding of forensic science at the university level: "There's more money spent in this country on holistic medicine than there is on forensic science research." | "The CSI effect is basically the perception of the near-infallibility of forensic science in response to the TV show," said Max Houck, who runs a forensic science graduate course at West Virginia University, US.Dr Houck added that there was an urgent need for better funding of forensic science at the university level: "There's more money spent in this country on holistic medicine than there is on forensic science research."People have unrealistic expectations of forensic science thanks to the success of the CSI TV shows, real experts say.Forensic pathologist Dr Patricia McFeeley said she had started to see the show's influence in dealing with the families of victims.Evidence submitted to forensic labs has shot up as a result of the programmes, at a time when many have large backlogs, science investigators claim.Dr McFeeley added that the accuracy with which forensic investigators can determine time of death was far lower than most people's perceptions.Each episode, a team of forensic investigators goes about solving a crime through the ingenious appliance of science - and the extensive resources at their disposal.Lawyers also fear the effect because jurors have a distorted view of how forensic evidence is used."Defence attorneys also worry about the CSI effect because they think that jurors come in and have this view of science as a juggernaut; this objective method that's always accurate." |
Willis sues over movie 'injury'Actor Bruce Willis is suing Revolution Studios over an injury he said he suffered while making Tears of the Sun.Willis is seeking medical expenses after he said he was hit in the head by a firework during the filming of the 2002 movie, produced by the firm. The lawsuit said the star has endured mental and physical injuries as a result of the alleged incident. "We are not able to comment on pending litigation," Revolution Studios spokesman Sean Dudas said.In Tears of the Sun Willis plays a US military commander who disobeys orders to try and help save a doctor and patients trapped in the Nigerian jungle. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film was poorly received by critics and did not perform strongly at the box office. According to the lawsuit, the injury was suffered during the firing of explosions as part of a special effect. The explosions, known as squibs, were intended to "simulate the appearance of bullets striking the ground". The lawsuit said Willis has endured "extreme mental, physical and emotional pain and suffering." There were no specific details on the injuries. While Willis does not seek specific monetary damages, the lawsuit noted that the star "was required to and did employ physicians and other medical personnel". It stated he will incur additional future medical expenses. The lawsuit said Revolution Studios and special effects foreman Joe Pancake "had a duty to Willis to ensure that the squibs were inspected, set up, placed and detonated in a safe manner, and to employ technicians who were trained and competent in their use". | Actor Bruce Willis is suing Revolution Studios over an injury he said he suffered while making Tears of the Sun.The lawsuit said Willis has endured "extreme mental, physical and emotional pain and suffering."The lawsuit said the star has endured mental and physical injuries as a result of the alleged incident.While Willis does not seek specific monetary damages, the lawsuit noted that the star "was required to and did employ physicians and other medical personnel".The lawsuit said Revolution Studios and special effects foreman Joe Pancake "had a duty to Willis to ensure that the squibs were inspected, set up, placed and detonated in a safe manner, and to employ technicians who were trained and competent in their use".Willis is seeking medical expenses after he said he was hit in the head by a firework during the filming of the 2002 movie, produced by the firm. |
Mumbai bombs movie postponedThe release of a film about the Mumbai (Bombay) blasts in 1993 has been postponed following protests by those on trial for the bombings.Investigating the blasts which killed more than 250 people and wounded 1,000, the film Black Friday had been due to open across India on Friday. But 36 people accused in connection with the blasts said it should not be screened until the trial is over. Mumbai High Court postponed the film's launch until 3 February.Black Friday is based upon the novel of the same name written by journalist S Hussain Zaidi, which looks at the 15 explosions which rocked Mumbai on 12 March 1993. Director Anurag Kashyap said the film's release should not be delayed as the book has already been on sale for two years. "If you have not gone against the book, then how can you go against the movie?" Mr Kashyap's lawyer Mihir Desai said. This is the second time that those accused in connection with the blasts have sought legal intervention regarding the film.They previously asked that a line from the movie's poster, which claimed the film portrayed "the true story of the Bombay bomb blasts", be removed. Their lawyer, Majeed Memon, said: "We had argued that how can a film say it is telling the true story when the court itself is struggling to find the truth? "So we said they should remove the line from their promotional posters and they did give us an assurance that they would do so." The Mumbai bombings case is one of India's longest-running trials. A special court was set up to hear the case and regular hearings have taken place there for the last nine years, with more than six hundred witnesses questioned. | The release of a film about the Mumbai (Bombay) blasts in 1993 has been postponed following protests by those on trial for the bombings.But 36 people accused in connection with the blasts said it should not be screened until the trial is over.Their lawyer, Majeed Memon, said: "We had argued that how can a film say it is telling the true story when the court itself is struggling to find the truth?Director Anurag Kashyap said the film's release should not be delayed as the book has already been on sale for two years.Investigating the blasts which killed more than 250 people and wounded 1,000, the film Black Friday had been due to open across India on Friday.This is the second time that those accused in connection with the blasts have sought legal intervention regarding the film. |
Jackson film 'absolute disaster'A PR expert has told the Michael Jackson child abuse trial that the TV documentary at the heart of the case was an "absolute disaster".Ann Kite told the court in the Californian town of Santa Maria she was hired to "crisis manage" the fallout after the programme had aired in 2003. Jurors saw the film, in which the pop star held hands with the alleged victim, on Tuesday. Mr Jackson denies 10 charges of child abuse and false imprisonment. If convicted, he could face up to 21 years in prison.Ms Kite suggested Jackson's associates had been intent on launching a smear campaign against the accuser's family after the airing of Martin Bashir's film Living with Michael Jackson. She told the court that in the aftermath of the broadcast, a Jackson lawyer had told her the boy's mother would be made to look like a "crack whore". Jackson's defence questioned Ms Kite's credibility, pointing that she worked for the singer's team for less than a week before being fired, and had never met or spoken to the star.Ms Kite said she received a phone call on 13 February 2003 from a Jackson associate, Marc Schaffel, who said the boy and his family had left the Neverland ranch where they had been staying.Ms Kite told the court she had later asked Jackson's lawyer, David LeGrand, what had happened. "I said, `Don't make me believe that these people were hunted down like dogs and brought back to the ranch'," she said. Ms Kite began to work for Mr Jackson in February 2003, after the controversial film was televised in the US and Europe. The documentary sparked a media storm and the subsequent investigation into Mr Jackson's relationship with the boy. In the film, the singer said he did not see anything wrong with sharing a bed with a child.Questioned by the prosecution, Ms Kite said her plan had been to move media coverage of the star away from a focus on his human frailties to concentrate more on his musical genius. Ms Kite said that an additional problem was the release of documents relating to a previous allegation of child abuse against Mr Jackson. The Smoking Gun website publication was "beyond disaster", Ms Kite said. Correspondents say the reference is important because it was unclear whether the prosecution would be able to bring up the previous case in front of the jury.The judge is studying whether the prosecution's first witness, reporter Martin Bashir, is in contempt of court. The defence protested after Mr Bashir, who interviewed Jackson for the TV documentary, refused to answer nearly all their questions, citing a California "shield" law intended to allow journalists to protect their sources. In the prosecution's opening statement on Monday, Tom Sneddon told the court that Mr Jackson had shown the boy porn and plied him with wine, in order to molest him. He said the singer had visited sexually explicit websites and showed the boy - who was 13 at the time - and his younger brother pornography at his ranch. | Ms Kite said that an additional problem was the release of documents relating to a previous allegation of child abuse against Mr Jackson.Ms Kite began to work for Mr Jackson in February 2003, after the controversial film was televised in the US and Europe.Ms Kite said she received a phone call on 13 February 2003 from a Jackson associate, Marc Schaffel, who said the boy and his family had left the Neverland ranch where they had been staying.The Smoking Gun website publication was "beyond disaster", Ms Kite said.Ms Kite told the court she had later asked Jackson's lawyer, David LeGrand, what had happened.Ms Kite suggested Jackson's associates had been intent on launching a smear campaign against the accuser's family after the airing of Martin Bashir's film Living with Michael Jackson.A PR expert has told the Michael Jackson child abuse trial that the TV documentary at the heart of the case was an "absolute disaster".Questioned by the prosecution, Ms Kite said her plan had been to move media coverage of the star away from a focus on his human frailties to concentrate more on his musical genius.In the prosecution's opening statement on Monday, Tom Sneddon told the court that Mr Jackson had shown the boy porn and plied him with wine, in order to molest him. |
Dame Julie pops in to see PoppinsMary Poppins star Dame Julie Andrews watched the hit stage version of her classic film at a charity performance in London's West End.It was the first time Dame Julie, who shot to fame as the nanny in the 1964 Disney movie, had seen the musical, staged at the Prince Edward Theatre. She watched Laura Michelle Kelly, 23, reprise the role on stage. The show has been one of the West End's hottest tickets since opening in December, winning two Olivier Awards. Kelly was named best musical actress at last month's ceremony and the musical also won best choreography.But Kelly said she was "very nervous" about meeting Dame Julie because she was "my absolute hero". The gala performance saw Dame Julie, 69, return to the theatre where she had her first starring role in a performance of Humpty Dumpty in 1948. The Mary Poppins musical has been masterminded by theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh and directed by Richard Eyre with choreography by Matthew Bourne. Sir Cameron said he hoped the production, which cost £9m to bring to the stage, was a blend of the sweet-natured film and the original book by PL Travers. Proceeds from Thursday's show will go to charities including Absolute Return for Kids (Ark), international relief agency Operation USA and drama school Lamda. | But Kelly said she was "very nervous" about meeting Dame Julie because she was "my absolute hero".Mary Poppins star Dame Julie Andrews watched the hit stage version of her classic film at a charity performance in London's West End.It was the first time Dame Julie, who shot to fame as the nanny in the 1964 Disney movie, had seen the musical, staged at the Prince Edward Theatre.The gala performance saw Dame Julie, 69, return to the theatre where she had her first starring role in a performance of Humpty Dumpty in 1948. |
Slater to star in Broadway playActor Christian Slater is stepping into the role of Tom in the Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie.Slater, 35, is replacing actor Dallas Roberts in the Tennessee Williams drama, which opens next month. No reason was given for Roberts' departure. The role will be played by understudy Joey Collins until Slater joins the show. Slater won rave reviews for his recent performance in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in London's West End.He has also starred in a number of films, including Heathers, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and more recently Churchill: The Hollywood Years. Preview performances of The Glass Menagerie will begin at New York's Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Thursday. Philip Rinaldi, a spokesman for the show, said the play's 15 March opening date remains unchanged. The revival, directed by David Leveaux, will also star Jessica Lange as the domineering mother, Amanda Wingfield. | Actor Christian Slater is stepping into the role of Tom in the Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie.The role will be played by understudy Joey Collins until Slater joins the show.Slater, 35, is replacing actor Dallas Roberts in the Tennessee Williams drama, which opens next month.Slater won rave reviews for his recent performance in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in London's West End. |
Britney attacks 'false tabloids'Pop star Britney Spears has attacked "false" and "desperate" US tabloid magazines, questioning their honesty after they reported she was pregnant.In a letter on her website, the singer named celebrity tabloids Us Weekly, In Touch and Star as the worst offenders. "Until you face what is going on in your life, I guess you'll remain a false tabloid," the 23-year-old wrote. Stories about the state of her marriage to Kevin Federline and rumours about a pregnancy have recently appeared. But the chart-topping singer's letter did not shed any further light on those stories. In February, Spears clashed with Us Weekly for publishing pictures of her honeymoon in Fiji without permission. The couple, who married in Los Angeles last September, claimed staff took photographs of them which were later sold.They said they allowed the pictures to be taken after they were assured they would only be used for a private scrapbook, which they later received as a souvenir. Us magazine was unrepentant about their decision to publish, saying: "Britney should start her own magazine if she'd like to dictate her own coverage." "Coming from a celebrity who sold pictures of both her wedding and her stepdaughter, it's unlikely the issue here is privacy," they added. Spears claimed that other magazines were approached with the pictures but chose to contact her instead. | Pop star Britney Spears has attacked "false" and "desperate" US tabloid magazines, questioning their honesty after they reported she was pregnant.Spears claimed that other magazines were approached with the pictures but chose to contact her instead.In a letter on her website, the singer named celebrity tabloids Us Weekly, In Touch and Star as the worst offenders.In February, Spears clashed with Us Weekly for publishing pictures of her honeymoon in Fiji without permission.Us magazine was unrepentant about their decision to publish, saying: "Britney should start her own magazine if she'd like to dictate her own coverage." |
Ethnic producers 'face barriers'Minority ethnic led (Mel) production companies face barriers in succeeding in the film and television industries, research has suggested.The study, commissioned by Pact and the UK Film Council, included interviews with industry experts and individuals. They indicated that career progression and a lack of role models are among the main problems within such companies. The research indicated that about 10% of independent production companies in the UK are minority ethnic led.A minority ethnic led company is defined as one in which the majority of decision-making power rests with an individual or individuals from a minority ethnic group. The report also explored the problems faced by such companies when attempting to compete within the film and TV industries. It said they are often smaller than other companies and lack the resources, so are often squeezed out of the market by bigger firms. The research recommended that minority ethnic led companies could benefit from such positive actions as career training and business advice, plus improved communication within the film and TV sectors. "The UK has a rich and diverse culture and it is essential that it is reflected on film and television," said Arts minister Estelle Morris of the findings. "I welcome this report which I hope will lead to more doors being opened and all businesses in our film and television industries being given the same opportunities." | Minority ethnic led (Mel) production companies face barriers in succeeding in the film and television industries, research has suggested.The research indicated that about 10% of independent production companies in the UK are minority ethnic led.The research recommended that minority ethnic led companies could benefit from such positive actions as career training and business advice, plus improved communication within the film and TV sectors.The report also explored the problems faced by such companies when attempting to compete within the film and TV industries. |
UK debut for Kevin Spacey movieHollywood stars Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth attended the British premiere of new film, Beyond the Sea, in London's Leicester Square on Thursday.Spacey, 45, wrote, directed and starred in the film, inspired by the life of 1950s croooner Bobby Darin. "This is my tribute to someone I think was a remarkable talent," said Spacey, who, as Darin, sings all 18 songs on the film soundtrack. Bosworth, 21, plays Darin's wife - real life Hollywood actress Sandra Dee. "I knew absolutely nothing about Bobby Darin before this film, but now I'm a huge fan," said Bosworth, who attended the premiere with British boyfriend Orlando Bloom."There is darkness and tragedy in the story, and it was a dream for me to land this part." Actress Sandra Dee continues to live in Los Angeles as a virtual recluse, but has given her approval to the biopic."She called me last week and said she loved it," said Spacey, who was joined at the premiere by members of the boy band Westlife. Spacey, a double Oscar-winner, has long been fascinated by the story of singer Bobby Darin. The voice behind Mack the Knife, Dream Lover and Beyond the Sea, fought childhood illness to become one the biggest stars of the 1950s, but died aged 37 from the heart condition that had troubled him all his life. "Bobby Darin was one of the greatest entertainers the world has ever known, and yet, because he died young, he's been kind of forgotten," said Spacey at the premiere. "Making this film was the most fun I've ever had in my entire life." The movie also stars British actors Bob Hoskins and Brenda Blethyn, as Darin's mother. | "Bobby Darin was one of the greatest entertainers the world has ever known, and yet, because he died young, he's been kind of forgotten," said Spacey at the premiere.Spacey, 45, wrote, directed and starred in the film, inspired by the life of 1950s croooner Bobby Darin."This is my tribute to someone I think was a remarkable talent," said Spacey, who, as Darin, sings all 18 songs on the film soundtrack."I knew absolutely nothing about Bobby Darin before this film, but now I'm a huge fan," said Bosworth, who attended the premiere with British boyfriend Orlando Bloom.Hollywood stars Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth attended the British premiere of new film, Beyond the Sea, in London's Leicester Square on Thursday.Spacey, a double Oscar-winner, has long been fascinated by the story of singer Bobby Darin. |
Van Gogh festival film withdrawnMurdered director Theo van Gogh's controversial film Submission has been pulled from the Rotterdam Film Festival because of security fears.It was one of three of his works to be shown as part of a freedom of expression event in tribute to the late film-maker's life. The film is critical of the treatment of women under Islam. Its TV screening is thought to have led to his murder. The 10-day Dutch festival begins on Wednesday. Submission was made with liberal Somali-Dutch politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali and was due to be shown on 30 January. Van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death in November 2004 several months after receiving death threats following Submission's first broadcast on Dutch television. Two of Van Gogh's other films will be shown as planned, including the theatrical world premiere of his last feature 06/05.Festival director Sandra den Hamer said: "The festival reflects what happens around us and within cinema itself." The festival opens with the French film The 10th District Court, Moments of Trials made by Raymond Depardon. The event sees 14 films competing to win three Top Tiger Awards which aim to introduce promising new talent. New sections added to this year's festival include Cinema of the Future and Cinema of the World, with special focus on Russian and south-east Asian productions. There is also an Iraqi-German offering entitled Underexposure, which looks at life in Iraq after Saddam Hussein. | Murdered director Theo van Gogh's controversial film Submission has been pulled from the Rotterdam Film Festival because of security fears.The festival opens with the French film The 10th District Court, Moments of Trials made by Raymond Depardon.Two of Van Gogh's other films will be shown as planned, including the theatrical world premiere of his last feature 06/05.Festival director Sandra den Hamer said: "The festival reflects what happens around us and within cinema itself."It was one of three of his works to be shown as part of a freedom of expression event in tribute to the late film-maker's life.The 10-day Dutch festival begins on Wednesday. |
Charity single for quake reliefSingers including Sir Cliff Richard and Boy George are recording a charity single to help raise funds for victims of the Asian tsunami.They hope the song will raise more than £2m for the relief fund. The song, titled Grief Never Grows Old and described as a melancholy ballad, was written by radio DJ Mike Read. Former Boyzone singer Ronan Keating may also take part if a studio can be found close to where he is holidaying in Switzerland. Other music stars being approached include Robin and Barry Gibb of The Bee Gees, jazz sensation Jamie Cullum, Chris Rea and Olivia Newton-John.Sir Cliff has recorded his vocal part in Barbados, while Boy George has recorded his in New York. Read wrote the song before the Boxing Day tragedy but had thought it was too gloomy to release. Now he plans to have it recorded by a collection of pop stars under the name One World Project. "It's a natural home for it because people kept saying to me, 'it's such a good song', but it's such a sad song," Read said.He said the song was a slow ballad and would work with around 10 singers, rather than a "sing-along" like the Band Aid 20 single raising money for famine relief in Africa. The backing track has already been recorded and organisers hope it can be finished within the next week to get it into record shops as soon as possible. Read went to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which is co-ordinating the British relief effort, with the idea the day after Boxing Day. "I was totally shocked at the enormity and suddenness of the disaster and in tears on seeing the orphaned children wandering aimlessly in search of their parents," he said. Read said all the funds raised by the record would go to the DEC. "I'd only be pleased in terms of what it meant for sales if it got to number one," he added. The charity welcomed the news of the single and said money raised would help its agencies working in the affected region to rebuild survivors' lives and livelihoods. | He said the song was a slow ballad and would work with around 10 singers, rather than a "sing-along" like the Band Aid 20 single raising money for famine relief in Africa.They hope the song will raise more than £2m for the relief fund.Read wrote the song before the Boxing Day tragedy but had thought it was too gloomy to release."It's a natural home for it because people kept saying to me, 'it's such a good song', but it's such a sad song," Read said.Read said all the funds raised by the record would go to the DEC. "I'd only be pleased in terms of what it meant for sales if it got to number one," he added.Sir Cliff has recorded his vocal part in Barbados, while Boy George has recorded his in New York. |
Triple triumph for Little BritainTop TV cult hit Little Britain has triumphed over The Office at the 15th annual British Comedy Awards.The BBC show beat The Office Christmas Special in the best TV comedy category and took the people's choice award. Matt Lucas and David Walliams also jointly won best TV comedy actor over The Office creator Ricky Gervais, who won a special award for writing. It was also a good night for Ant and Dec who clinched two awards, including best comedy entertainment personality. The Geordie duo also secured best comedy entertainment programme for Saturday Night Takeaway, beating I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, which they also host, and the BBC's Have I Got News For You.The ceremony was presented by Jonathan Ross from ITV's London Studios headquarters on the capital's South Bank. Little Britain began life as a radio series on Radio 4, with Walliams and Lucas playing a range of misfit characters from an alternative Britain. It was later commissioned for BBC Three, where it proved a huge success, with the second series also shown on BBC One. After receiving his award for best TV comedy actor with Walliams, Lucas said: "It's a great honour to be nominated alongside Ricky Gervais and Martin Clunes."The show also won the people's choice award, which is the only gong on the night voted for by viewers. Speaking after receiving the award for best comedy, Walliams said: "It was a real shock but I don't think we deserved to beat The Office which is a great show and more than just a comedy. It's a beautiful piece of work." Gervais and The Office co-writer Stephen Merchant received a special award for writing, presented by Noel Gallagher and Tom Stoppard. Gervais said: "The show has won an awful lot of awards in the last couple of years, too much. It's got embarrassing to be honest." Other winners at the awards included Caroline Quentin, who took home best TV comedy actress for Life Begins and Von Trapped.Catherine Tate, from The Catherine Tate Show, was also nominated for the same award, but she did walk away with best comedy newcomer, over James McAvoy from Shameless (Channel 4) and Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding from The Mighty Boosh (BBC Three). Nighty Night was named Britain's best new TV comedy over ITV1 shows Doc Martin and Life Begins. But Doc Martin won best TV comedy drama, over Jonathan Creek (BBC One) and Shameless. Winner in the best international comedy category was The Simpsons, beating Sex and the City and Curb Your Enthusiasm. The prize was accepted by Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, who also received an outstanding contribution award from scientist Stephen Hawking, who has been featured in the series. School of Rock was voted best comedy film beating Shaun of the Dead and Shrek 2.Matt Lucas & David Walliams (Little Britain, BBC Three)Caroline Quentin (Life Begins/ Von Trapped, ITV1)Ant & Dec (Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway/ I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!, ITV1)Catherine Tate (The Catherine Tate Show, BBC Two)Nighty Night (Baby Cow Productions, BBC Three)Little Britain (BBC Three)Doc Martin (Buffalo Productions, ITV1)Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (Granada, ITV1)The Simpsons (Twentieth Century Fox, BBC Two/Sky One/Channel 4)School Of Rock | The BBC show beat The Office Christmas Special in the best TV comedy category and took the people's choice award.Matt Lucas and David Walliams also jointly won best TV comedy actor over The Office creator Ricky Gervais, who won a special award for writing.Speaking after receiving the award for best comedy, Walliams said: "It was a real shock but I don't think we deserved to beat The Office which is a great show and more than just a comedy.Nighty Night was named Britain's best new TV comedy over ITV1 shows Doc Martin and Life Begins.After receiving his award for best TV comedy actor with Walliams, Lucas said: "It's a great honour to be nominated alongside Ricky Gervais and Martin Clunes."Catherine Tate, from The Catherine Tate Show, was also nominated for the same award, but she did walk away with best comedy newcomer, over James McAvoy from Shameless (Channel 4) and Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding from The Mighty Boosh (BBC Three).But Doc Martin won best TV comedy drama, over Jonathan Creek (BBC One) and Shameless.It was also a good night for Ant and Dec who clinched two awards, including best comedy entertainment personality.Other winners at the awards included Caroline Quentin, who took home best TV comedy actress for Life Begins and Von Trapped.The Geordie duo also secured best comedy entertainment programme for Saturday Night Takeaway, beating I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, which they also host, and the BBC's Have I Got News For You. |
Applegate's Charity show closesUS musical Sweet Charity has cancelled its run on Broadway after poor ticket sales for its early shows.Star Christina Applegate had to pull out of pre-Broadway performances earlier this month with a broken foot. Producer Barry Weissler said he was "deeply proud" of the show, but said the decision to close it was "painful but fiscally responsible". Applegate, who starred in TV comedy Married With Children, had been hoping to make her Broadway debut in the show. The 33-year-old injured herself while performing in Chicago, and had been hoping to recover in time for its official New York opening on 21 April. She had received mixed reviews for performances in Minneapolis and Chicago. Previews of the $7.5m (£4m) show were due to begin on 4 April. Sweet Charity tells the story of Charity Hope Valentine, a dancer who always falls in love with the wrong man. It was first performed on Broadway in 1966 with Gwen Verdon in the title role, while Shirley MacLaine starred in the 1969 film version. | Applegate, who starred in TV comedy Married With Children, had been hoping to make her Broadway debut in the show.US musical Sweet Charity has cancelled its run on Broadway after poor ticket sales for its early shows.It was first performed on Broadway in 1966 with Gwen Verdon in the title role, while Shirley MacLaine starred in the 1969 film version.Previews of the $7.5m (£4m) show were due to begin on 4 April. |
Dutch watch Van Gogh's last filmThe last film to be made by the slain Dutch director Theo van Gogh, called 06/05, has been premiered in The Hague.Members of Van Gogh's family and celebrities attended the screening of 06/05, based on the murder of the anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn. Van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death in Amsterdam six weeks ago. A Dutch-Moroccan man suspected of radical Islamist links has been charged. The killing, and Fortuyn's death in 2002, convulsed the Netherlands. Many Dutch people have questioned their country's self-image as a peaceful, tolerant nation in the wake of the murders, which triggered heated debate about immigration.An animal rights activist was sentenced to 18 years in prison last year for killing Fortuyn. Earlier this year, Van Gogh made a film accusing Islam of promoting violence against women. It caused outrage among Muslims and death threats were made against him. The film 06/05 will become available on the internet on Wednesday and go on general release in Dutch cinemas in January. Van Gogh's movie mixes real images of the day of Fortuyn's murder with a fictional plot about Dutch intelligence services conspiring to silence the politician. The story unfolds through the eyes of a freelance photographer who unwittingly takes pictures revealing the involvement of Dutch authorities in Fortuyn's murder. Photographer Jim de Booy then goes on the run from secret service agents who burgle his home and threaten his family. | The last film to be made by the slain Dutch director Theo van Gogh, called 06/05, has been premiered in The Hague.Van Gogh's movie mixes real images of the day of Fortuyn's murder with a fictional plot about Dutch intelligence services conspiring to silence the politician.Earlier this year, Van Gogh made a film accusing Islam of promoting violence against women.Van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death in Amsterdam six weeks ago.Members of Van Gogh's family and celebrities attended the screening of 06/05, based on the murder of the anti-immigration politician Pim Fortuyn.The story unfolds through the eyes of a freelance photographer who unwittingly takes pictures revealing the involvement of Dutch authorities in Fortuyn's murder. |
Prodigy join V Festival line-upEssex act Prodigy are to headline the second stage at this year's V Festival, joining main stage headliners Scissor Sisters and Franz Ferdinand.The event, which is in its 10th year, will be held at two venues - Hylands Park in Essex and Weston Park in Staffordshire on 20 and 21 August. Meanwhile, rock veterans New Order have joined the T in the Park line-up alongside Athlete and Green Day. The Manchester band will play on 9 July at Scotland's biggest festival. It will be their debut performance at the music event which is held over the weekend of 9 and 10 July in Balado near Kinross. Other bands at the sold-out festival include Queens of the Stone Age, The Killers, Keane, The Streets and Foo Fighters.A month later at the V Festival, Prodigy will play at Weston Park on Saturday 20 August and Hylands Park on Sunday 21 August and the Chemical Brothers vice versa. It will be the Chemical Brothers' only UK festival performance of the year. V festival director Bob Angus said: "With the Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers now confirmed to headline the second stage, we are headed for a really stellar line-up. "We pride ourselves on putting on an unbeatable live music experience and V Festival 2005 will not disappoint." Tickets for the V festival go on sale on Friday 11 March. | A month later at the V Festival, Prodigy will play at Weston Park on Saturday 20 August and Hylands Park on Sunday 21 August and the Chemical Brothers vice versa.V festival director Bob Angus said: "With the Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers now confirmed to headline the second stage, we are headed for a really stellar line-up.It will be the Chemical Brothers' only UK festival performance of the year."We pride ourselves on putting on an unbeatable live music experience and V Festival 2005 will not disappoint."Tickets for the V festival go on sale on Friday 11 March. |
Alicia Keys to open US Super BowlR&B star Alicia Keys is to open February's Super Bowl singing a song only previously performed there by Ray Charles and Vicki Carr.Keys, who will sing America the Beautiful, will be accompanied by 150 students from the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. Charles, who died last year, attended the school as a child in 1937. Keys said she was "very excited", describing Charles as "an artist I admire, miss and respect". "I know that this is going to be a very touching and memorable moment," she said.It will be her first performance at the Super Bowl, which will be watched by millions in the US on 6 February. Sir Paul McCartney will provide the half-time entertainment in the slot filled by Janet Jackson last year. Organisers have promised there will be no repeat of her nipple-baring incident that sparked thousands of complaints on US TV's most-watched broadcast. A National Football League spokesman said they were "comfortable" this show would be acceptable to a mass audience. The game and show were watched by 144 million people in the US in 2003.Twenty CBS-owned TV stations were fined $550,000 (£300,000) by the country's TV regulatory agency after more than 542,000 complaints were made about Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction". Sir Paul said: "There's nothing bigger than being asked to perform at the Super Bowl. "We're looking forward to rocking the millions at home and in the stadium." | It will be her first performance at the Super Bowl, which will be watched by millions in the US on 6 February.Sir Paul said: "There's nothing bigger than being asked to perform at the Super Bowl.The game and show were watched by 144 million people in the US in 2003.Keys said she was "very excited", describing Charles as "an artist I admire, miss and respect".R&B star Alicia Keys is to open February's Super Bowl singing a song only previously performed there by Ray Charles and Vicki Carr.Charles, who died last year, attended the school as a child in 1937. |
Paraguay novel wins US book prizeA novel set in 19th century Paraguay has won the $10,000 (£5,390) fiction prize at the US National Book Awards.Lily Tuck's The News From Paraguay is a fictionalised tale about Paraguayan leader Francisco Solano Lopez and his Irish mistress. But the annual awards, which were presented in New York on Wednesday, were not without controversy. Children's author Judy Blume, who was given an honourary medal, used the ceremony to speak out over censorship.Sales of Blume's books have exceeded 75 million, but her work - which features frank narratives about families, religion and sexuality - is closely watched by the censors. Blume said: "The urge to ban is contagious. It spreads like wildfire from community to community. Please speak out. Censors hate publicity." Her medal marks the second year in a row the honourary prize went to someone as notable for popular success as literary greatness. Last year's honorary winner, Stephen King, accused the industry during the 2003 ceremony of snobbery against popular writers. But his argument that the award should help sell books instead of honouring excellence is not shared by everyone.This year's fiction panel overlooked high-profile works such as Philip Roth's The Plot Against America and instead chose five little-known books, all by New York-based women. One fiction judge, Stewart O'Nan, carried around a note written on a napkin that said: "I would hope that our caring more for the quality of a work than its sales figures make us a friend of books, not an enemy." The National Book Awards non-fiction prize was awarded to Kevin Boyle's for Arc of Justice, which focuses on a black family's fight to live in a white Detroit neighbourhood in the 1920s. The award had created a lot of interest this year after the surprise inclusion of the of the 9-11 Commission Report looking into the events of the 11 September terrorist attacks on the US. Pete Hautman won the young people's literature prize for his novel Godless. The winner in the poetry category was Jean Valentine for Door in the Mountain: New and Collected Poems, 1965-2003. | A novel set in 19th century Paraguay has won the $10,000 (£5,390) fiction prize at the US National Book Awards.Children's author Judy Blume, who was given an honourary medal, used the ceremony to speak out over censorship.The National Book Awards non-fiction prize was awarded to Kevin Boyle's for Arc of Justice, which focuses on a black family's fight to live in a white Detroit neighbourhood in the 1920s.This year's fiction panel overlooked high-profile works such as Philip Roth's The Plot Against America and instead chose five little-known books, all by New York-based women.Her medal marks the second year in a row the honourary prize went to someone as notable for popular success as literary greatness.Sales of Blume's books have exceeded 75 million, but her work - which features frank narratives about families, religion and sexuality - is closely watched by the censors.The winner in the poetry category was Jean Valentine for Door in the Mountain: New and Collected Poems, 1965-2003.But his argument that the award should help sell books instead of honouring excellence is not shared by everyone. |
Singer's film to show at festivalA documentary which takes a candid look at the life of chart-topping singer George Michael will be shown at this year's Berlin Film Festival.A Different Story will screen in the Panorama section of the festival, which runs from 10-20 February. It features the singer talking about both his career and his personal life, from his days in Wham! through to more recent events. Michael will attend the festival to introduce the screening on 16 February. Director Southan Morris and executive producer Andy Stephens will also attend the festival.The 93 minute film will see Michael discussing his early days in Wham! along with his later career, including his legal battles with record label Sony and his stance against the Iraq war and American politics. It will also touch upon his turbulent personal life, including his arrest in a Beverly Hills park toilet in 1998 for "lewd behaviour", and the death of his boyfriend Anselmo Feleppa from Aids. The film, which includes previously unseen footage of the singer also features contributions from Michael's former Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley, as well as ex-Wham! backing singers Pepsi and Shirlie. Other contributors include Sting, Mariah Carey, Elton John, Noel Gallagher, Geri Halliwell and Simon Cowell. This year's festival will open with Man To Man, a historical epic starring Joseph Fiennes and Kristin Scott-Thomas. It will be one of 21 films competing for the festival's top prize, the Golden Bear. Other films in competition will include The Life Aquatic, a quirky comedy starring Bill Murray, and the biopic Kinsey, which features Liam Neeson. The full programme will be announced on 1 February. | A documentary which takes a candid look at the life of chart-topping singer George Michael will be shown at this year's Berlin Film Festival.It features the singer talking about both his career and his personal life, from his days in Wham!Michael will attend the festival to introduce the screening on 16 February.The film, which includes previously unseen footage of the singer also features contributions from Michael's former Wham!The 93 minute film will see Michael discussing his early days in Wham!Other films in competition will include The Life Aquatic, a quirky comedy starring Bill Murray, and the biopic Kinsey, which features Liam Neeson.A Different Story will screen in the Panorama section of the festival, which runs from 10-20 February. |
Director Nair's Vanity projectIndian film director Mira Nair has said she was thrilled to be given the chance to make William Makepeace Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair - as the book has been a favourite through her life.The book is one of the classics of English literature - the story of scheming 19th Century social climber Becky Sharp, played in the film by Reese Witherspoon. Nair said that she jumped at the chance to work on the film, which she has - controversially - made in a Bollywood style, including two song-and-dance routines in the film's second half. "It was serendipity really - I was offered Vanity Fair by the studio Focus Features, who had distributed Monsoon Wedding," Nair told BBC World Service's Masterpiece programme. "They offered me their next-best thing, not realising that Vanity Fair had actually been one of my favourite novels since I was 16 years old in an Irish Catholic boarding school in India."Since her 1988 debut feature Salaam Bombay! - nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar and winner of Best First Feature at Cannes - Nair has become one of India's most famous and respected directors. She is not restricted to Bollywood, however - she followed Salaam Bombay! with Mississippi Masala, starring Denzel Washington, and The Perez Family, her first Hollywood film.Her career peaked with Monsoon Wedding in 2001, which won the Golden Lion award at Venice. Nair's Indian-style adaptation of Vanity Fair, however, has been attacked by critics in the US - where it only reached number eight at the box office in its opening week - who described the Bollywood elements as "jarring." The film has a new ending, with Becky Sharp running off for a new life in India. But Nair said that her film had picked up on the way Thackeray - who was born in India but moved to England as a young man - had seen the world. "First, when I was 16, it was Becky Sharp, who is a completely memorable character, because I recognised myself in her - I recognised all the ladies who did not want to be ladies, who wanted to buck the system that they were in," she said. "But it was the sort of novel I somehow kept at the side of my bed for many years, and I would dip into every now and then and suddenly get completely mesmerised again. "As I got older and read it, I think it was Thackeray's clarity - his clear-sightedness about his own society, the fact that he was born in India but came to England as a young man - that gave him the eyes of an outsider, and yet he was an insider. "That perspective was something I really loved."Nair also defended her decision to cast an American actress - Reese Witherspoon - as Becky Sharp, despite the fact that all the rest of the cast are British or Irish. "I cast intuitively - in my films I cast as many non-actors as I cast actors," she said. "For me, it is intuition - I have to fall in love with an actor. It is a visceral response."Thackeray describes Becky Sharp as a minx. Also she's described as someone who's tiny, red-headed and thin. Reese had that completely minx-like irresistibility about her." Having won the role because she seemed physically perfectly suited to the part, however, Witherspoon then became pregnant. But Nair said that, though this had created the need for some filming tricks, it had in fact also helped the film. "It was a self-fulfilling prophesy - when I first met her husband [actor Ryan Philippe], I said 'knock her up, won't you, I need some flesh on the girl'," she joked. "I'm not a fan of the underfed Los Angeles actor at all. This was, for me, about Becky Sharp being, eventually, a full-blown woman through the course of the film. "I love the luminosity that pregnancy brings, I love the fleshiness, I love the ample bosom - it gave me much more to play with." Nair explained how camera tricks had been used to disguise Witherspoon's "bump" in various scenes - including hiring a number of young boys in costumes to stand in front of her. "She runs, she gets off coal carts, she jumps off horses - she does everything," Nair said. "But there's also a certain carriage with horses that is going to wipe the screen at a certain moment, because of the bump." | Indian film director Mira Nair has said she was thrilled to be given the chance to make William Makepeace Thackeray's novel Vanity Fair - as the book has been a favourite through her life.But Nair said that her film had picked up on the way Thackeray - who was born in India but moved to England as a young man - had seen the world."First, when I was 16, it was Becky Sharp, who is a completely memorable character, because I recognised myself in her - I recognised all the ladies who did not want to be ladies, who wanted to buck the system that they were in," she said."It was serendipity really - I was offered Vanity Fair by the studio Focus Features, who had distributed Monsoon Wedding," Nair told BBC World Service's Masterpiece programme.Nair also defended her decision to cast an American actress - Reese Witherspoon - as Becky Sharp, despite the fact that all the rest of the cast are British or Irish.But Nair said that, though this had created the need for some filming tricks, it had in fact also helped the film.The film has a new ending, with Becky Sharp running off for a new life in India.Nair said that she jumped at the chance to work on the film, which she has - controversially - made in a Bollywood style, including two song-and-dance routines in the film's second half."As I got older and read it, I think it was Thackeray's clarity - his clear-sightedness about his own society, the fact that he was born in India but came to England as a young man - that gave him the eyes of an outsider, and yet he was an insider."It was a self-fulfilling prophesy - when I first met her husband [actor Ryan Philippe], I said 'knock her up, won't you, I need some flesh on the girl'," she joked.This was, for me, about Becky Sharp being, eventually, a full-blown woman through the course of the film.The book is one of the classics of English literature - the story of scheming 19th Century social climber Becky Sharp, played in the film by Reese Witherspoon."They offered me their next-best thing, not realising that Vanity Fair had actually been one of my favourite novels since I was 16 years old in an Irish Catholic boarding school in India.""I cast intuitively - in my films I cast as many non-actors as I cast actors," she said. |
No UK premiere for Rings musicalThe producers behind the Lord of the Rings musical have abandoned plans to premiere the show in London because no suitable theatre was available.The £11.5m show will make its debut in Toronto in March 2006, after it was found that all three West End theatres with sufficient capacity were booked. The musical is not expected in London before December 2006. Producer Kevin Wallace said it would be "worth waiting for". "It will be like nothing they have ever seen before." "I know there will be a lot of disappointed British Tolkien fans who hoped to see the show in London, but we couldn't get a London theatre in time," added the British producer. The world premiere of the stage musical, co-produced by Canadian theatrical impresarios David and Ed Mirvish, will take place at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre next year."Toronto really wanted this premiere. The Tolkien books and films are hugely popular in Canada," said Mr Wallace, shortly after signing the deal in Canada. "We hope the anticipation and excitement over here will create an even bigger buzz by the time we open in London." Auditions begin in Canada on Thursday, but up to five British actors may join the cast, under a deal struck with Canadian Actors' Equity. The music for the show is being written by Bollywood composer AR Rahman, who was behind Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End musical Bollywood Dreams, and in conjuction with the Finnish group Varttina."There will be no singing and dancing Hobbits. The music will be in a very traditional mould and draw on ethnic traditions," assured Mr Wallace. The musical's British director is Matthew Warchus, best known for staging the worldwide stage hit Art. "The production will be a hybrid of text, physical theatre, music and spectacle never previously seen on this scale," he said. "Only in the theatre are we actually plunged into the events as they happen. The environment surrounds us and we are in Middle Earth." New Zealander Peter Jackson took 10 years to bring JRR Tolkien's fantasy trilogy to the big screen, winning Academy Awards for best film and best director for the final film The Return of the King in 2004. | The producers behind the Lord of the Rings musical have abandoned plans to premiere the show in London because no suitable theatre was available."I know there will be a lot of disappointed British Tolkien fans who hoped to see the show in London, but we couldn't get a London theatre in time," added the British producer."The production will be a hybrid of text, physical theatre, music and spectacle never previously seen on this scale," he said.The world premiere of the stage musical, co-produced by Canadian theatrical impresarios David and Ed Mirvish, will take place at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre next year.The £11.5m show will make its debut in Toronto in March 2006, after it was found that all three West End theatres with sufficient capacity were booked.The Tolkien books and films are hugely popular in Canada," said Mr Wallace, shortly after signing the deal in Canada.The musical is not expected in London before December 2006.The music for the show is being written by Bollywood composer AR Rahman, who was behind Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End musical Bollywood Dreams, and in conjuction with the Finnish group Varttina. |
British stars denied major OscarsBritish hopes of winning major Oscars were dashed as UK stars failed to win acting and directing prizes.Despite three nominations, Mike Leigh's Vera Drake failed to take the director or screenplay awards and there was no prize for star Imelda Staunton. Kate Winslet also lost to best actress Hilary Swank, while Clive Owen and Sophie Okonedo failed to win best supporting actor awards. The UK's Andrea Arnold won the short film award for her gritty drama Wasp.Arnold, who presented children's television shows Number 73 and Motormouth in the 1980s, said it was "totally overwhelming" to win. Wasp tells the story of a single mother living on the breadline, beating films by fellow UK nominees Gary McKendry and Ashvin Kumar."Everyone worked extremely hard - they know who they are," Arnold said as she accepted the prize. "The beers are on me when we get home." Earlier British costume designer Sandy Powell won the Oscar for The Aviator, beating Finding Neverland's UK designer Alexandra Byrne in the process. "I'm very thrilled for the film and all the people who worked with me," said Ms Powell. "Hopefully I'll be staying up to celebrate - I've been sick for three days and want to make it through the night." The British visual effects team behind Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were less fortunate, however, losing the Oscar in that category to Spider-Man 2. Before Sunday's ceremony Owen was bookmakers' favourite for his role in romantic drama Closer that had already clinched him a Golden Globe award. It was the first time actress Okonedo had been shortlisted, chosen for her performance in Hotel Rwanda about the 1994 Rwandan genocide. It was also a debut nomination for Staunton, 49, who played abortionist Vera Drake in Mike Leigh's film.Leigh had previously received three Oscar nominations for Secrets and Lies and Topsy Turvy. Winslet said she was "ecstatic" about the fourth Oscar nomination of her career, this time for her lead role in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Among other British talent nominated for Oscars, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Charles Hart were nominated for best original song for Learn To Be Lonely, from The Phantom of the Opera movie. That award was won by Al Otro Lado Del Rio from The Motorcycle Diaries. Cinematographer John Mathieson, who was nominated for Gladiator in 2001, was also up for The Phantom of the Opera but lost to The Aviator. Finding Neverland garnered another nomination for British talent, with Gemma Jackson shortlisted for the art direction prize. She lost in that category to The Aviator. A spokesman for the UK Film Council said: "It is disappointing not to have more British winners." He added: "It was extraordinary to have 24 British nominees in the initial list of nominees." | Cinematographer John Mathieson, who was nominated for Gladiator in 2001, was also up for The Phantom of the Opera but lost to The Aviator.It was also a debut nomination for Staunton, 49, who played abortionist Vera Drake in Mike Leigh's film.Despite three nominations, Mike Leigh's Vera Drake failed to take the director or screenplay awards and there was no prize for star Imelda Staunton.A spokesman for the UK Film Council said: "It is disappointing not to have more British winners."Winslet said she was "ecstatic" about the fourth Oscar nomination of her career, this time for her lead role in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.He added: "It was extraordinary to have 24 British nominees in the initial list of nominees."Arnold, who presented children's television shows Number 73 and Motormouth in the 1980s, said it was "totally overwhelming" to win.Earlier British costume designer Sandy Powell won the Oscar for The Aviator, beating Finding Neverland's UK designer Alexandra Byrne in the process.British hopes of winning major Oscars were dashed as UK stars failed to win acting and directing prizes.Finding Neverland garnered another nomination for British talent, with Gemma Jackson shortlisted for the art direction prize. |
Smith loses US box office crownNew comedy Diary of a Mad Black Woman has ended Will Smith's reign at the top of the North American box office.Based on a play by Tyler Perry, who also stars as a gun-toting grandmother, the film took $22.7m (£11.8m) in its first three days of release. After topping the chart for two consecutive weeks, Smith's romantic comedy Hitch dropped to second place with takings of $21m (£10.9m). Keanu Reeves' supernatural thriller Constantine dropped a place to three. Based on the Hellblazer comics, the film took $11.8m (£6.1m) on its second week of release. Two new entries came next in the chart, with Wes Craven's horror movie Cursed, about a werewolf loose in Los Angeles, in fourth position with $9.5m (£4.9m).Action comedy Man of the House, starring Tommy Lee Jones as a Texas ranger assigned to protect a cheerleader squad, came in at fifth with $9m (£4.6m). Clint Eastwood's boxing drama Million Dollar Baby - recipient of four Academy Awards, including best picture - continued to perform well in sixth place with takings of $7.2m (£3.74m). Martin Scorsese's Hollywood biopic The Aviator - which won five Oscars, all in minor categories - held on in ninth place. The low-budget feature Diary of a Mad Black Woman stars Kimberly Elise as a woman thrown out on the streets by her philandering husband. With the help of her grandmother Madea (one of three roles played by Perry), she plots revenge. Perry, 34, is one of America's best-known black playwrights but is a newcomer to film. Once made homeless after investing his own money in unsuccessful productions of his work, he now lives in the mansion in which Diary of a Mad Black Woman was filmed. | After topping the chart for two consecutive weeks, Smith's romantic comedy Hitch dropped to second place with takings of $21m (£10.9m).New comedy Diary of a Mad Black Woman has ended Will Smith's reign at the top of the North American box office.Based on a play by Tyler Perry, who also stars as a gun-toting grandmother, the film took $22.7m (£11.8m) in its first three days of release.Perry, 34, is one of America's best-known black playwrights but is a newcomer to film.The low-budget feature Diary of a Mad Black Woman stars Kimberly Elise as a woman thrown out on the streets by her philandering husband.Keanu Reeves' supernatural thriller Constantine dropped a place to three. |
Rapper films music video in jailA US rapper awaiting trial for murder has filmed part of a music video in jail, angering a sheriff who says he was tricked into letting TV crews in.C-Murder, a former member of rap group Tru, was filmed in his orange prison suit for the video for his Y'all Heard of Me single in a New Orleans jail. He is awaiting a second trial after an original conviction was thrown out. "I'm not pleased," Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee said. "He will not make another video in my jail." Footage for the video was filmed by two crews who had permission to interview C-Murder - one from Court TV and one from a local cable show.But Mr Lee said he did not know the rapper had filmed the video and made an album behind bars, and said he was fooled into letting the cameras in. The rapper's lawyer Ron Rakosky said: "The bottom line is, we didn't do anything wrong." Mr Rakosky said it was better than C-Murder, real name Corey Miller, "just sitting there, wasting away". "Here's a guy in jail, making constructive use of his time instead of withering away," he said. "He's lost more than three years of his life, locked up for a crime he did not commit."But local group Victims and Citizens Against Crime said he should not be working behind bars. "He is a suspect in a murder case. I don't think he should be allowed these privileges, especially earning money, until his name is totally cleared," the group's president Beverly Siemssen said. In 2003, C-Murder was found guilty of killing a 16-year-old in a nightclub, but that decision was thrown out last April. He is now facing a second trial on a charge of second-degree murder. With two brothers in the group Tru, he had two US top 10 albums in the late 1990s before going solo, when he scored another three top 10 albums. | But Mr Lee said he did not know the rapper had filmed the video and made an album behind bars, and said he was fooled into letting the cameras in.A US rapper awaiting trial for murder has filmed part of a music video in jail, angering a sheriff who says he was tricked into letting TV crews in.Mr Rakosky said it was better than C-Murder, real name Corey Miller, "just sitting there, wasting away".C-Murder, a former member of rap group Tru, was filmed in his orange prison suit for the video for his Y'all Heard of Me single in a New Orleans jail.Footage for the video was filmed by two crews who had permission to interview C-Murder - one from Court TV and one from a local cable show.But local group Victims and Citizens Against Crime said he should not be working behind bars.He is awaiting a second trial after an original conviction was thrown out. |
Wife Swap makers sue US 'copycat'The British producers of US Wife Swap are taking legal action against a show they claim is "a blatant and wholescale copycat" of their programme.RDF Media, which makes the show for US network ABC, has filed a damages claim for $18 million (£9.25 million) against Fox's Trading Spouses. ABC bought the rights to the British show, which was first aired in 2003 and became a hit on Channel 4. The US network is not part of the claim, but has supported RDF's action. "We respect our producing partners' right to protect their intellectual property in whatever manner they deem most appropriate," said ABC in a statement. A spokesman for Fox said it had not seen the details of the legal action and could not comment.Their show was first screened in June, and was criticised in the press for its similarities to Wife Swap. ABC originally planned to call their programme Trading Moms, but changed it to avoid confusion with the Fox version. Earlier this year, the NBC network claimed that Fox's boxing show The Next Great Champ had been hurriedly produced to ensure its programme was the first to be screened. NBC alleged that boxing regulations had been violated, but failed in their attempt to have the show pulled. The Fox show proved a ratings flop, while NBC's The Contender is due to begin in February. | The British producers of US Wife Swap are taking legal action against a show they claim is "a blatant and wholescale copycat" of their programme.ABC bought the rights to the British show, which was first aired in 2003 and became a hit on Channel 4.Earlier this year, the NBC network claimed that Fox's boxing show The Next Great Champ had been hurriedly produced to ensure its programme was the first to be screened.RDF Media, which makes the show for US network ABC, has filed a damages claim for $18 million (£9.25 million) against Fox's Trading Spouses.Their show was first screened in June, and was criticised in the press for its similarities to Wife Swap. |
The Sound of Music is coming homeThe original stage production of The Sound of Music is to be performed for the first time in the Austrian capital, 40 years after the film was released.The first full-scale theatrical production of the musical will make its debut in Vienna on Saturday. Julie Andrews starred in the 1965 film version of the Rogers and Hammerstein classic set in the Alpine country. But despite being one of the most successful musicals of all time, it is barely known inside Austria.The film was never shown in any cinema in Austria and was not broadcast on television until the early 1990s. The musical is based on the true story of the von Trapp family who formed a singing troupe and escaped from Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938.Sensitivities about Nazism during wartime Austria and issues towards the von Trapp family themselves could explain Austria's reluctance to embrace the musical. Another source of irritation for Austrians is the song Edelweiss, which is considered an traditional folk song by many filmgoers. The song was actually an invention by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Many also consider the film to portray a kitsch image of Austria, including yodelling, goat-herds and lederhosen. The production is being staged at a Viennese opera house, the Volksoper, beginning on Saturday. Maria, the novice nun who falls in love with Baron von Trapp, will be played by Austro-Australian actress and singer Sandra Pires. | The film was never shown in any cinema in Austria and was not broadcast on television until the early 1990s.The musical is based on the true story of the von Trapp family who formed a singing troupe and escaped from Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938.Sensitivities about Nazism during wartime Austria and issues towards the von Trapp family themselves could explain Austria's reluctance to embrace the musical.The original stage production of The Sound of Music is to be performed for the first time in the Austrian capital, 40 years after the film was released.The song was actually an invention by Rodgers and Hammerstein. |
£1.8m indecency fine for ViacomMedia giant Viacom has paid out $3.5m (£1.8m) to end investigations into indecency in its US radio and TV shows.The settlement to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ends a long-running saga dating back to 2001. The FCC was looking into 50 shows, including those by "shock jock" Howard Stern and two New York DJs. Stern recently announced he was leaving Viacom while the two DJs were sacked after their show featured a couple purporting to have sex in a church. After the church incident two years ago Viacom agreed to install audio delay equipment at its radio stations that broadcast live programming.It also agreed to train its broadcasters and employees about indecency laws. The agreement cancels investigations into about 50 radio and television shows, said Richard Diamond, FCC deputy secretary of communications. The shows were broadcast by Viacom-owned stations across the United States. Viacom has five days to pay the $3.5m fine, according to the agreement. The payment is not related to the FCC's $550,000 (£293,000) fine levied against Viacom after the exposure of singer Janet Jackson's breast during the CBS Super Bowl halftime show in January. Viacom is contesting that fine. It is not the first time that Viacom has paid out over indecency charges. Infinity Broadcasting, which is owned by Viacom, paid cumulative fines totalling $1.7m (£907,000) in 1995 to settle FCC violations by Stern. | Media giant Viacom has paid out $3.5m (£1.8m) to end investigations into indecency in its US radio and TV shows.Viacom is contesting that fine.Infinity Broadcasting, which is owned by Viacom, paid cumulative fines totalling $1.7m (£907,000) in 1995 to settle FCC violations by Stern.It is not the first time that Viacom has paid out over indecency charges.Viacom has five days to pay the $3.5m fine, according to the agreement.Stern recently announced he was leaving Viacom while the two DJs were sacked after their show featured a couple purporting to have sex in a church. |
Aaliyah claim dismissed by courtLate R&B star Aaliyah's record company has failed in an attempt to sue the video producer who booked the ill-fated flight on which she died in 2001.A New York appeals court has told Blackground Records that only the singer's parents had the right to launch a claim for wrongful death. The 22-year-old singer's family came to an undisclosed settlement over a negligence claim in 2003. Aaliyah had completed a music video when the plane crashed in the Bahamas. She and eight others were killed on the plane, which crashed as if left for Florida. Blackground Records' lawyer Frank Penski said he had yet to examine the decision and did not know whether they would pursue the case.An investigation into the crash revealed the twin-engined Cessna was overloaded by 700 pounds (320kg). A post-mortem carried out on the remains of the pilot showed there was cocaine and alcohol in his body. Aaliyah was a rising star in music and film before she was killed. She was honoured with a string of posthumous awards and her single More Than A Woman went to number one in the UK. | Aaliyah was a rising star in music and film before she was killed.A New York appeals court has told Blackground Records that only the singer's parents had the right to launch a claim for wrongful death.Aaliyah had completed a music video when the plane crashed in the Bahamas.An investigation into the crash revealed the twin-engined Cessna was overloaded by 700 pounds (320kg). |
De Niro film leads US box officeFilm star Robert De Niro has returned to the top of the North American box office with his film Hide and Seek.The thriller shot straight to the number one spot after taking $22m (£11.7m) at the box office. De Niro recently spent three weeks at the top with comedy Meet The Fockers, which was at number five this week. Oscar hopefuls The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby and Sideways all cashed in on their multiple nominations with stronger ticket sales.In Hide and Seek, De Niro plays a widower whose daughter has a creepy imaginary friend. Despite lukewarm reviews from critics, the film took more than the expected $18m (£9.5m). "The element of a real actor in a psychological thriller certainly elevated it," said Bruce Snyder, president of domestic distribution at 20th Century Fox. Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby led the Oscar hopefuls with $11.8m (£6.3m), coming in at number three during its first weekend of wide release. The Aviator, a film biography of Howard Hughes that leads the Oscar field with 11 nominations, was at number six for the weekend with $7.5m (£4m). Oscar best-picture nominee Sideways entered the top ten for the first time in its 15th week of release. It came in seventh $6.3 (£3.35m). Last week's top film, Ice Cube's road-trip comedy Are We There Yet?, slipped to second place with $17m (£9m), while Coach Carter fell two places to number four, taking $8m (£4.25m) in its third week. Rounding out the top ten were In Good Company - starring Dennis Quaid and Scarlett Johansson - Racing Stripes and Assault on Precinct 13. | Film star Robert De Niro has returned to the top of the North American box office with his film Hide and Seek.De Niro recently spent three weeks at the top with comedy Meet The Fockers, which was at number five this week.Oscar best-picture nominee Sideways entered the top ten for the first time in its 15th week of release.Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby led the Oscar hopefuls with $11.8m (£6.3m), coming in at number three during its first weekend of wide release.The Aviator, a film biography of Howard Hughes that leads the Oscar field with 11 nominations, was at number six for the weekend with $7.5m (£4m).Last week's top film, Ice Cube's road-trip comedy Are We There Yet?, slipped to second place with $17m (£9m), while Coach Carter fell two places to number four, taking $8m (£4.25m) in its third week. |
Hendrix guitar fetches £100,000A much-loved guitar belonging to Jimi Hendrix has been sold for £100,000 at an auction in London.The 1965 Fender Stratocaster was one of a number of guitars included in the sale dedicated to the rock legend. The vast archive of instruments, signed records and posters were collected by a dedicated fan who had become friendly with the star. The auction was billed as the biggest collection of Hendrix memorabilia to go under the hammer. The majority of the items were collected by fan Bob Terry who began collecting at the age of 17. He later sold it on to another collector.Hendrix, widely considered one of the best guitarists of his era, died of a drug overdose in 1970 at the age of 27. The 1965 Fender Stratocaster was used by the musician on tour and in his studio. A poem written by Hendrix two weeks after his infamous appearance at the Monterey Festival where he set light to his guitar went for £10,000. The Jimi Hendrix Experience's first single Hey Joe, signed by all the band, was sold for £2,000. The sale, hosted by auctioneers Cooper Owen, was held at the Hard Rock Cafe in London. | The Jimi Hendrix Experience's first single Hey Joe, signed by all the band, was sold for £2,000.A much-loved guitar belonging to Jimi Hendrix has been sold for £100,000 at an auction in London.The 1965 Fender Stratocaster was one of a number of guitars included in the sale dedicated to the rock legend.The auction was billed as the biggest collection of Hendrix memorabilia to go under the hammer.The 1965 Fender Stratocaster was used by the musician on tour and in his studio. |
Singer Christina Aguilera to wedPop star Christina Aguilera is to marry music executive Jordan Bratman, the singer's agent has confirmed.Bratman, 26, proposed to Grammy-winning singer Aguilera, 23, on holiday at an undisclosed location. The pair have been together for more than two years. "No wedding plans have been set yet," said Aguilera's agent Meghan Prophet. Aguilera burst onto the pop scene in 1999, winning a best new artist Grammy in 2000. Her hits include What a Girl Wants, Dirrty and Beautiful. Bratman presented his fiancee with a diamond ring designed by jeweller Stephen Webster on Friday, said Ms Prophet. New York-born Aguilera reached number one in the UK with her debut hit Genie in a Bottle in October 1999. Her early success was cemented by two further Grammys in subsequent years. In 2002, Aguilera won best pop collaboration for the hit track Lady Marmalade with Lil' Kim, Maya and Pink, and last year she picked up the award for best female pop vocal performance for Beautiful. Her most recent single, Car Wash, featuring Missy Elliott, reached number four in the UK charts last November. | In 2002, Aguilera won best pop collaboration for the hit track Lady Marmalade with Lil' Kim, Maya and Pink, and last year she picked up the award for best female pop vocal performance for Beautiful.New York-born Aguilera reached number one in the UK with her debut hit Genie in a Bottle in October 1999.Pop star Christina Aguilera is to marry music executive Jordan Bratman, the singer's agent has confirmed.Aguilera burst onto the pop scene in 1999, winning a best new artist Grammy in 2000.Bratman, 26, proposed to Grammy-winning singer Aguilera, 23, on holiday at an undisclosed location. |
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