That's Entertainment goes monthly....

Because of my time being taken up with other creative endeavours, I will only be able to update my showbiz blog once every month. The next entry will be sometime in July.
SEE YOU ALL THEN....

Returning this Sunday...

Due to the other creative endeavours that I am involved with, the next edition of 'That's Entertainment will be posted this Sunday. Apologies for this second delay.

SEE YOU THEN....

Back on Wednesday....

Sorry about the delay. The next entry will be posted this coming Wednesday.

See you all then...

Opportunity Knocks Online: The ‘MySpace’ Phenomenom

If a person sets up his own ‘MySpace’ page, they place themselves firmly in the electronic global community, but for those who want their talent to be recognised, the online service is the way that they currently set about achieving this. Referring you back to last week’s entry in this showbiz blog, the actress and singer-songwriter Paloma Faith took advantage of the benefits of having a ‘MySpace’ page, and recently got herself signed to Epic Records. The method of opening doors for hopefuls who possess talent has changed over the years. Today, it is much more an interactive an affair. Even my own web log contributed to this useful trend seven days ago with the profiling of new faces on the showbiz scene, a few of whom had not been profiled in any other celebrity-based blog or magazine. Putting oneself out there on the world wide web can provide a straight line to exposure that will help these types of careers flourish. Established stars have also been reaping the benefits of creating your own ‘MySpace’ page, particularly people like Lily Allen. The latest to try this method of letting the world know you have talent is Lulu Popplewell, the younger sister of Anna Popplewell (‘Girl With The Pearl Earring’, ‘The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe’).
In the last few days, I checked out her page, and was surprised to discover that she had done some audio files of songs she had composed. They may be home-made recordings, but the bare pit atmosphere they generate gives them a certain freshness. I was impressed enough to download them. Budding musicians, actors, actresses and writers now have a suitable platform to start from. Whoever created MySpace has certainly built a new highway for talented performers in the showbiz world to reach stardom.

The little girl at the heart of Moffat's wonderfully baffling story

Seen The Future And It Works - Moffat Takes Charge

Getting down to brass tacks, the news that Steven Moffat is stepping into Russell T. Davies’ shoes is a further assurance that the future of ‘Doctor Who’ is no longer in jeopardy. Under his guidance, I believe that the show will continue on, probably until The Doctor reaches the end of his thirteenth incarnation. Even then, the possibility that it could continue after that could become a reality if Moffat is still in charge by then. If not, I feel that he has the judgement to instil in his eventual successor a passion to keep the show going for as long as it can.
However, the future is an unknown creature; we have yet to see whether his personal vision makes or breaks the longevity of the show. I lean towards the former being the likeliest of scenarios.

In terms of the programme as a whole, Moffat has proved to be the strongest of the current crop of ‘Doctor Who’ writers. In the twenty-seventh season, he delivered the chilling, multi-layered two-part story ‘The Empty Child’, turning a simple question into a frightening one. Such was the popularity of the tale that he wrote two more stories: the tragically romantic scare fest ‘The Girl In The Fireplace’ and ‘Blink’, the Doctor-lite story, which won a Nebula Award and featured what many Whovians consider to be the scariest monsters in the programme’s forty-five year history, the Weeping Angels. Yesterday, he moved the fear factor up a notch or three with the first instalment of his latest two-parter ‘Silence In The Library’. Using great skill, he has woven an intricate, three-pronged storyline that only the second part can make the various threads more coherent, so you get a greater sense of what just is going on. Moffat taking over will provide Whovians with the welcome certainty that he will raise the bar in terms of storytelling and that he’ll employ writers ‘who’ will help him to realise this goal.



Greenlighted – Movies & TV Shows In Production

Movies:
Against The Current – Michelle Trachtenberg, Joseph Fiennes, Justin Kirk.
Farlanders – Jeff Daniels, Melanie Lynskey, Maggie Gyllenhaal.
He’s Just Not That Into You – Ben Affleck, Scarlett Johansson, Ginnifer Goodwin.
A Christmas Carol – Jim Carrey, Christopher Lloyd, Fay Masterson.

TV Shows:
Trinity – no cast announced.
Life Bites – no cast announced.
The Suspicions Of Mr Whicher – no cast announced.
Being Human – Andrea Riseborough, Russell Tovey, Guy Flanagan.
The Last Word Monologues – no cast announced.
Dani’s House – Dani Harmer, Zoe Salmon, Harry Culverhouse.


The Gossip Pot
Usually it is Lindsay Lohan who makes headlines that cause Dina, her mum, to become annoyed and embarrassed. This time, the reverse has happened. An episode of Dina Lohan’s TV reality show has sparked the anger of viewers after it appeared to show her allowing her other daughter, fourteen year-old Ali, to be in the room whilst a sex tape was being played on the video recorder . . . Andrew has his Nancy; twenty-eight year-old cabaret singer from Blackpool is to take this coveted part. However, I did wonder whether Samantha should’ve gotten the role, but the public has spoken …Guesswork is still proving to be the order of the day as Angelina Jolie’s representatives are neither confirming nor denying whether she has given birth to twins. Fear not, if someone spots her with a double buggy, then we’ll know for sure.
MORE NEXT WEEK

Growing On The Tree: 2008's Hot New Showbiz Talents

This is to be the first yearly edition of my pick of the best of the new talents emerging in the world of showbusiness. I can only hope that my forecasts for their futures turn out to be correct.

Actors & Actresses

Ben Whishaw - Although I have yet to see this young man in action on screen, the buzz is that he will be a major leading man quite soon. Helping him to this status is the 2008 film adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's most famous novel "Brideshead Revisited". The other prominent role in his career so far was as the killer with an amazing sense of smell in the British-German co-production "Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer. However, his latest role will be a completely British one, as he is playing Sebastian, who has a torturous relationship with Charles Ryder, one that lies somewhere inbetween friendship and love, at a time when homosexuality was the type of thing that you had to keep buried and never speak of. If the critics are kind to this adaptation of the book, Whishaw could certainly look forward to more career-building parts in the not too distant future.

JJ Feild - You wouldn't have thought that someone born in Colorado, USA could receive critical plaudits for parts such as Frederick Garland in the TV adaptations of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart book series or even as the unassuming romantic hero in the ITV adaptation of Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey", Henry Tilney. Yet, he slipped into both roles with ease. The line of his acting career can be traced back to the end of the Nineties, when he was just a jobbing actor, testing the thespian waters by appearing in an episode of the ultra-cosy Sunday evening drama "Heartbeat". Real exposure came with his portrayal of Simon Doyle in 'Death On The Nile', alongside another up-and-coming star, Emily Blunt. With three movies currently in the works in 2008, it is fair to assume that major stardom can only be a film role away.

Shia LaBouf - If you can put aside that he was in the exceptionally lame US teenage comedy "Even Stevens", Shia manages to make entertainment insiders believe that he has a future in films. Having seen "Transformers", I too believe that, in spite of some people seeing the film as little more than a cinematic advertisement from toys that hail from the Eighties. Starring in the fourth Indiana Jones movie is definitely an advantageous career opportunity, whether the film goes down a storm or like a lead balloon. Let's hope that LaBouf gets more opportunities of that sort.

Holly Grainger - Her body of work, extensive though it is, has mainly been in TV, but the movie version of Kevin Holden's novel about teenage life and football hooliganism looks set to move Holly into cinema, an area of visual entertainment she had previously not entered. One of a long list of former child performers, the Lancashire-born daughter of celebrated character actor Gawn Grainger, has successfully navigated her way through adolescence with a string of roles that show her the good and bad aspects of growing up into a young woman. It is yet to be established whether the first film she has been cast in will be her only film. Still, the optimist within me would love to see Miss Grainger make more movies in the future.

Linzey Cocker - Like Holly, Linzey hails from Lancashire, but the difference is that Miss Cocker has two films in the pipeline, not one. The one that has the highest profile of the two is 'Wild Child', which will see her screen time with Julia Roberts niece, Emma, one of the current crop of new A-List teen movie stars in Hollywood. Television viewers are bound to know her, though, as Jade, the jealous twin sister of Ashley, the geeky girl who became a fashion princess. The leap into film came as something of a surprise. As brilliant as her performance was, I did feel that she was going to do some more TV parts, before auditioning for movie roles, something that very few British actresses of her age group succeed at. Nor did I think for a second she'd be one of the female leads in an American teen comedy, but the corners you do walk round can still hold surprises for you.

Ellen Page - After starting her career as a little-known Canadian actress and passing through walls in the first couple of 'X-Men' movies, Ellen flexed her film acting muscles, when she turned the tables on a pervert in 'Hard Candy', in a way that will make any man wince. This grisly tale led to her securing the lead in 'Juno', a film about teenage pregnancy, which in turn led her to receive an Academy Award nomination the Best Actress category, a welcome, or unwelcome, development for any actress, depending on how much ground they have already gained. Not all lesser known female actors can get something from such an acolade. Fortunately, she has been lucky enough to have three new movie projects come her way, and I feel doubly sure that there will be plenty more where they came from.

Talulah Riley - Thank god for Nylon Magazine! For a while, it was looking like Talulah wasn't going to get mentioned in these articles that spotlight new and talented British actresses. It is strange, therefore, that an American magazine, rather than a UK one, had done just that. The adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel "Five Little Pigs" had provided her with her first professional acting role. Appearing as a teenage Angela Warren in various flashback scenes gave Talulah her first taste of work as an up-and-coming actress. Although things were quiet for her for a few months afterwards, she soon got a steady stream of work, beginning with "Pride & Prejudice" in 2005, and culminating with the deliciously dark-humoured revamping of the "St Trinians" movie franchise. 2008 looks set to be the year that Miss Riley is lifted out of the supporting character category and into the potential leading lady one.

Musicians

Amy MacDonald - She may have been launched as a hot new singer-songwriter in the music scene last year, but, as far as I'm concerned, the Scottish songstress is not quite at the stage where she is definitely a household name. The singles "This Is The Life" and "Poison Prince" are prime examples of just how capable a composer she is, but still there isn't a great deal to suggesr she is as big a star as I'd like her to be. This was signified by the fact I was able to buy a copy of her debut CD with the minimum of expense. Such talent shouldn't be cheapened in this way, and I am crossing my fingers that I'll be able to buy her follow up album for about sixteeen quid.

Paloma Faith - Coming back to "St Trinians" briefly, a Google search for the actress who played Andrea, the head of the Emo clique, revealed that she is also a singer-songwriter, and a darn good one at that. So much so, that I posted a thread on her IMDB message board, saying that I was keen to see a record label sign her up, and I was pleased to discover I wasn't alone in my belief that the big music moguls should take note of her talent, which is marvellously divided between composing tunes and acting. Versatility is always a good attribute to possess, and Miss Faith has plenty of that.

Put Away Your Flags: Is Eurovision doomed?

Since the mid-Fifties, television viewers have scoffed with good humour at the Eurovision Song Contest, the musical competition that was meant to celebrate musical talent(or the lack of it) within the confines of all the European countries and continents. Now, here we are in the twenty-first century, and you'd think that such a formula would still be adhered to, but the whole event has veered completely off course. Last night's result proved that. Fair voting went out the window. The biggest casualty of this was the UK entry. Andy Abrahams' song came joint last, and it now throws up the possibility as to whether there is going to be a British entry next year.

Even Terry Wogan, the long-time voice over host of Eurovision, seems to be wondering whether any future participation is a waste of time. He also dropped significant hints about him not wanting continue with his commentary duties in twelve months time. Perhaps the sheer politicising of Eurovision as a whole makes him feel that the contest has just become a waste of time, in this day and age, as it seems countries like Holland, Norway, Poland, France, Sweden, Ireland and Britain are deliberately being kept in the cold, so far as the Eastern European nations go. All these questions seem to be leading to the one big question; will the contest be scrapped altogether. Speaking for myself, I do hope it is gotten rid of. For the past ten years, it has gone downhill at a very sharp rate, and, given the selective nature of who gets the votes, I feel that I have to now give the entire contest NULL PWAH.....

Greenlighted - Films & TV Shows In Production

Movies:
Cat Tale - Elisha Cuthbert, Jerry O'Connell, Sean Astin
Four Christmases - Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Carol Kane
Nine - Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Daniel Day Lewis
Shutter Island - Leonardo Di Caprio, Emily Mortimer, Ben Kingsley

TV Shows:
Beautiful People - no cast announced
Blake's Seven(new version) - no cast announced
Hotel Babylon: Series Four - Dexter Fletcher, Alexandra Moen, Emma Pierson
Unforgiven - no cast announced

The Gossip Pot....

.....will return next week!

Hot For Summer: Four Blockbuster Movies To Watch For

The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian - 26th June

Three years after the Pevensie brood tumbled their way out of Narnia, they return in 'Prince Caspian', the second of the movie instalment of C.S. Lewis's series of fantasy novels. This time, they are helping the character that makes up the title of the film to reclaim the throne from his evil uncle, King Miraz. Although early reports show it having the same elements as before, both in terms of story and character, one change has been made; that of romantic feelings brewing between Caspian and Susan.
Adamson has obviously cottoned onto the fact that Miss Popplewell is growing into a young womam, and needs something to make what could well be the last time she appears in these series of movies that bit more special. If this is the case, it is a pity, as she is one of the stronger of the cast members; the strongest being Georgie Henley, even though she is still thirteen. I do hope, though, that if 'The Last Battle' is made, Anna's character will return to Narnia to marry Prince Caspian. It would be a wonderfully emotional moment, plus he will be the King of Narnia by then....

Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull - 22nd May

There is no way that I can talk about summer movies without mentioning that after nearly twenty years, Indy is well and truly back. Harrison Ford, in spite of his age, is returning to wear his trusty brown leather jacket and to crack his whip.
Ford's return was an inevitable consequence of there being a new Indiana Jones movie. The character's creator, George Lucas, can't really inject humour into his scripts - dark, dry, wacky or otherwise - so Harrison kind of has to do that for him. The first 'Star Wars' trilogy, as many critics have probably pointed out, sustained longevity because of the delicious sense of humour Ford brought to them, as he did with the three Indy movies prior to this one. This explains why he is back in the role that ensured he would get leading roles from that moment on. Also returning is Karen Allen (Marion Ravenwood), my favourite of all the Indy chicks.
I have an un-written rule, namely that I only favour blockbusters that have an excpetional element to them that makes them satisfy the critics. Aside from the heroes are the villains, and the chief one chronicles an odd bit of casting, Cate Blanchett. However, I feel she is versatile enough not to disappoint Indy fans around the world, the eyes of which will be watching her.

The Incredible Hulk - 13th June

Let me start by saying that I quite liked the previous movie about Dr. Banner and his giant, green-skinned, immensely strong alter-ego, probably one of the minority who did, though I did feel a small sense of bewilderment about Ang Lee helming that project. He is a director that you wouldn't equate with the superhero movie genre. Still, he did the best that job he could, and it was a shame that the majority of cinemagoers didn't see it that way.
The title of the second movie is bound to draw comparisons with the Seventies TV show . That immortal line, "Mr Magee, don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry" will doubtlessly engraved on the minds of those old enough to remember the programme, who are going to see this film. That phrase has elevated itself to become one of the most famous of the past thirty years, but at the same time, it represents a universal truth, as does the character of the Hulk; that there is a giant monster within us all, that only comes out, whenever anger turns into fury. The principle character, Bruce Banner, like Bill Bixby did, or at least tried to, in the TV show, to rid himself of the creature within him, and goes off on a journey to do just that. He could just try anger management, but who'd go to a multiplex, just to see him do that.

Mamma Mia - 11th July

Musicals that simply use songs by a particular artist or group don't turn me on. However, Abba are one of the two exceptions. The reason for this is that the group's songs lend themselves very well to musical theatre. Indeed, Bjorn and Benny teamed up with lyricist Tim Rice, to write 'Chess', which led to the Swedish songwriting team composing a tenth UK chart-topper, 'I Know Him So Well'.
Again, I am faced with a surprising casting choice for a movie musical, Meryl Streep. I think, unless I'm very much mistaken, this is the first time she has done a film of this sort. The plot itself is a solid enough one, but I suspect that people will see it for the Abba songs. And why not!
The group's music is fabulous, plus the show is the most popular of these 'jukebox musicals'. I do hope that it doesn't lead to any others being made; I don't want to see a movie version of 'We Will Rock You', as much as I love Queen. The only other exception to my rule is a musical containing the songs of The Beach Boys - that I'd definitely go and see.

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK

Sorry about not being here on the 27th April, I'll be back on the 18th May with a summer movies preview! See ya' then!

Taking a short break.....

This blog will return on the 27th April 2008. See ya' then!

Retro Revival – the re-birth of cult favourites

Our memories of film and television we enjoyed in years gone by are either crystal clear or decidedly muddled; sometimes both at once. As we get older, the latter eventuality becomes more common. However, the increase of websites which help celebrate all things retro have helped us to remember. Video and now DVD were what first aided our recollections of those old movies and TV programmes. The former type of home entertainment is all but obsolete, but its replacement has provided the ideal home for cinematic and televisual treats from the past. The format closely represents the set-up of a well-designed website. Just one touch of the ‘enter’ button on the DVD player’s remote control and you can access any particular scene, view the bonus material on offer, if there are any, and choose whether you want to hear the commentary track or not.
The other way that classic TV and cinema is being celebrated is by the re-vamping of old favourites. In the twenty-first century, three prime examples of this have emerged: ‘Battlestar Galactica’, ‘Flash Gordon’, and ‘The Bionic Woman’. The re-invention of these old shows challenge critics’ pre-conceptions of the validity of re-launching them, by telling these tales in a brand new way. At the head of the shows is ‘Doctor Who’, which came back to our TV screens in 2005. The familiar elements are still there, but Russell T. Davies, the man responsible for its return, has added new plot threads to it; the most important being that the planet of Gallifrey is no more. The changes have indeed made a huge difference to the show, as it is always high enough in the ratings for its future to be secure. Unfortunately, the same doesn’t appear to be true for ‘The Bionic Woman’. In spite of the best efforts of Michelle Ryan and her co-stars, as well as the creative team behind it, it doesn’t look like a second series will happen.
This, I have to say, is something of a shame. I’ve seen the opening episode, and the style and tone of it shows a good deal of promise, enough to warrant some dismay from myself that a second series hasn’t been approved. Then again, that’s the nature of US television.
Back here in the UK, ‘Doctor Who’ has not been the only example of the revival of home-grown science fiction. ‘The Quatermass Experiment’ was re-done, but as a live broadcast, just like the original, as was ‘A For Andromeda’, although that was pre-recorded effort. Neither of them, however, were as successful as the new set of adventures for the Time Lord.
The only loser in this resurgence of audience interest in sci-fi and fantasy is the adaptation of science fiction novels. The last endeavour to bring a tale in this literary genre to the small screen was ‘The Tripods’, based on the trilogy by John Christopher. Regrettably, only two-thirds of the entire series of novels was made. A decade before, Peter Dickinson’s three books, collectively called ‘The Changes’, were brought to TV, but the trilogy was condensed, and the third novel was largely absent from the adaptation as a whole. In spite of this, ‘The Changes’ is some-thing that I would really love to see re-made, but as a trilogy in the proper sense of the word, either on TV or as three movies. I feel there is an untapped well of material in these old programmes. In this area of drama, the past does fashion the future.

Greenlighted – Movies & TV Shows In Production

Movies

Frankie Machine – Robert De Niro
Mary, Queen Of Scots – Scarlett Johansson
Ye Olde Times – Lindsay Lohan, Cary Elwes
Bob Funk – Rachael Leigh Cook, Lucy Davis, Stephen Root
Spring Breakdown – Amber Tamblyn, Will Arnett, Mae Whitman


TV Shows

My Spy Family – Alice O’Connor, Milo Towney
Skellig – No cast listings at present
Tess Of The D’Urbivilles – Gemma Arterton, Ruth Jones, Hans Matheson

The Gossip Pot

The lights went down early in a play that Ralph Fiennes was starring in. Emergency lighting was fortunately employed so that the performance could carry on….Fourty-four years after
The Rolling Stones were banned from Blackpool, Mick and the boys have been allowed to return to the seaside resort, but it’s not yet clear whether they will or not…After twenty-one years, a British female singer has topped the US chart. Leona Lewis, ‘X-Factor’ winner, has scored her first American number one. The last woman to do that was Kim Wilde with a cover version of
The Supremes hit, ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’……..
MORE NEXT WEEK

Anthony Minghella - A Retrospective (1954 - 2008)

Before Minghella could start work on his newest film project as writer and director, 'The Ninth Life Of Louis Drake', he died, whilst undergoing surgery. In spite of it being documented that he first made a name for himself with 'Truly Madly Deeply', Minghella's career actually hit its stride with 'The English Patient', a film that the quality within it can be felt by any cinemagoer, whether they have or haven't seen it.
Collecting nine Oscars at the 1997 Academy Awards, the cinematic tale of a disfigured man who falls in love placed Minghella firmly on the international movie scene. In spite of his acknowledgement as a top-quality director and screenwriter, he only made three other feature films between 1999 and 2006; 'The Talented Mr Ripley', 'Cold Mountain' and 'Breaking & Entering'. Well on its way to becoming a classic of modern cinema, 'The English Patient' seems to be the high-point of his overall career, which began when he was the script editor of 'Grange Hill'. Acclaimed as he was, he never really fitted the mould of the current crop of Hollywood directors. Some may that's a good thing, others might see it differently. As for me, I viewed him as being a film-maker that made the best use of the Hollywood system, embracing the quality-driven aspects of Tinseltown. His adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel was a Hollywood production, but he steered it away from being part of the 'conveyor-belt' mentality that some movie producers find hard to let go of. His directorial style seemed to get the best performances of the actors in his movies, regardless of whether they were A-List stars or not. He didn't seem to be a director that let celebrity status determine who was right for a particular role, and who wasn't.
Now he has passed away, we can only speculate on whether he had it in him to make another modern movie classic. Had he lived, I feel sure tha his talent would have enabled him to write and direct something that could be every bit as good as his 1996 romantic epic.
I'LL BE BACK THIS SUNDAY....

The retrospective on Minghella's career will be coming on Tuesday, after the Easter weekend.

Breaking News......

I am saddened to announce that Anthony Minghela, the director of 'The English Patient' & 'The Talented Mr Ripley' has died at the age of 54. He had recently completed work on a BBC adaptation of 'The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency'. A more detailed retrospective will be posted here on Sunday.


The article on the return of cult TV and film favourites will be posted here on Sunday 30th March 2008.

Saltzberg Summer - Will Miss Strallen keep the hills alive?

I don't need to tell you about 'The Sound Of Music'. It is one of those things that gets an immediate reaction from the majority of people around the world; nor do I need to tell you that TV was used to find a new Maria. What I do need to say is that Lord Lloyd Webber has used this form of entertainment again to seek a replacement for Connie Fisher, now that her run as Maria Von Trapp has come to an end, who was the original winner of the BBC's 'How Do You Solve A Problem?'. The difference here is that his quest was woven into the format of 'Hollyoaks' as a storyline, involving the character Summer Shaw.

The young lady in question, Summer Strallen does hail from a showbusiness pedigree. Her aunt, as you can probably tell from parts of Miss Strallen's facial structure, is none other than Bonnie Langford. Her older sister, Scarlett, is also a theatrical performer.

This way of seeking people for specific roles in celebrated musicals allows television audiences to participate in the selection process, similar to 'Pop Idol' and 'The X-Factor'. The definite upside of this method is that the losers receive visual exposure that they need to find work in other stage productions, be they musicals or straight forward plays. Connie Fisher was a genuine uknown and had genuine talent, which silenced crtitics who believed that the selection process wasn't a fair one, and led me to believe that she was right person to come out on top, even though I was still convinced the only other contender remaining, at that point, was the right choice for the role. I've yet to hear Summer Strallen sing, so I will defer any sort of opinion until I get the chance to hear her open her mouth to sing the most famous opening line of a song in the history of Broadway and the West End.

Greenlighted - Movies & TV Shows In Production

Movies:
Baby On Board - Heather Graham, Jerry O'Connell, Lara Flynn Boyle
Blue Valentine - Michelle Williams, Ryan Gosling
The Tender Hook - Rose Byrne, Tyler Coppin, Hugo Weaving
Toy Story 3 - Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
Personal Effects - Ashton Kutcher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates
Morgan's Summit - Bruce Willis, Julianne Moore
Brothers - Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mullligan
The Post Grad Survival Guide - Alexis Bledel, Michael Keaton, Kirk Fox


Television:
No drama or comedy production listings this week

The Gossip Pot

New Bond girl Gemma Arterton has signed up for the new BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy's tragic romance 'Tess Of The D'Urbivilles', alongside fellow 'St Trinians' co-star, Jodie Whittaker...The last cinematic instalment of the Harry Potter series is to be divided betwen two movies, so as to accommodate the entire story within the book...The Scissor Sisters are planning to write a musical based on the bestselling novel 'Tales Of The City', which is set in San Francisco.
MORE NEXT WEEK

Sorry about the delay, folks. The next entry will be coming tomorrow.

Well Read Winners - The 2008 Empire Awards

I can think of no other film magazine in this country that has an awards ceremony named after it. There are, in fact, only two homegrown movie publications; Empire and Total Film, but the latter isn't responsible for one of the most prestigious awards gatherings in the movie calendar from the British perspective. Both the critics and the readers of Empire interact in the process of deciding which films, actors, actresses, director and other vital members of the production team are worthy of nomination. This means the loyalty of the magazine's readers is rewarded by the chance to be a part of that task. Now in it's thirteenth year, the awards are a reminder that people's participation can be useful in helping to reach a decision about who deserves to walk away with one. Below are this year's list of nominations.

Best Newcomer:

Shia Le Bouf - Transformers

Saoirse Roman - Atonement

Sam Riley - Control

Gemma Arterton - St Trinians

Thomas Turgoose - This Is England

Best Comedy:

Superbad

Hot Fuzz

Knocked Up

Ratatouille

Run Fat Boy Run

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy:

Sunshine

Stardust

Transformers

Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix

300

Best Horror:

Thirty Days Of Night

Twenty-Eight Days Later

Saw IV

Death Proof

1408

Best Thriller:

Zodiac

American Gangster

Eastern Promises

The Bourne Ultimatum

Disturbia

The Sony Erricson Soundtrack Award:

Control

Atonement

Once

Hairspray

Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix

Best British Film:

Atonement

Hot Fuzz

Sunshine

Control

This Is England

Best Actress:

Keira Knightley - Atonement

Emma Watson - Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix

Katherine Heigl - Knocked Up

Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart

Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Best Actor:

Matt Damon - The Bourne Ultimatum

Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix

James McAvoy - Atonement

Simon Pegg - Hot Fuzz

Gerard Butler - 300

Best Director:

Paul Greengrass - The Bourne Ultimatum

Joe Wright - Atonement

David Yates - Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix

Edgar Wright - Hot Fuzz

David Fincher - Zodiac

Best Film:

The Bourne Ultimatum

Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix

Ratatouille

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford

Zodiac

Grin And Bare It - Sex Sells Starlets

Starting from Marilyn Monroe's Playboy photospread, showing some skin has steadily morphed into a tactic that the majority of photogenic film actresses use for the sake of publicity. Over the past forty years, men's magazines have been only too happy to meet this demand. Global sales of FHM, Maxim and Stuff have risen because they contain some Hollywood starlet baring as much as she dare. It's a win, win situation. They get the exposure (no pun intended) and they encourage males to agree to see a chick flick that she might be in, and their girlfriends are also happy, because they don't need to push their partners to go with them. The latest of these female celebs to disrobe is troubled teen mega-starlet Lindsay Lohan in a photo shoot for New York Magazine, except she is not really a teenager any more. Many prudes will be keen to point out that this is the most outrageous thing she has ever done, but the headlines have fully documented that she is capable of behaviour that is much more scandalous. The most worrying aspect of this current trend in the media's sudden need to get starlets, some of whom have yet to leave their teenage years behind, to become more sexualised. As much as I detest the evangelical, self-righteous ramblings of top moral crusader in the media circus, John Beyer, I do feel he would have a little bit of justification for saying this way of selling rising actresses could get out of hand, if not supervised properly.

Saying anything goes can be both a good and a bad thing. I think that few media types would want to repeat the mistakes made by Channel Four, when they commissioned 'Minipops', which ticked every box on why stranger danger was ever present at the time.

I freely admit that the spectacle of seeing Scarlett Johansson wearing next to nothing turns me on, but there does need to be some sort of limit. It is the responsibility of every publicist to apply the brakes a little.

What's Wrong With This Colour? - BBC's 'White' Season

For many viewers, the announcement of a new season of programmes regarding one specific topic, set of values, or a social issue, means that in amongst the documentaries and short films, you will expect a drama that will be good enough to challenge the viewer's perceptions on the issue around which the series of programmes encircle.

This time, this lies heavily on the shoulders of 'White Girl', a one-off TV play, to deliver on such a promise. Starring Anna Maxwell Martin of 'Bleak House' fame, and newcomer Holly Kenny, who plays the character that sets up the central premise of the story, the drama addresses the positive and negative aspects of the attitudes towards the Islamic community that are thrown up by the actions of the daughter of Ms Martin's character. As for Miss Kenny's character, Leah, undergoes a transition from white working class sensibilities to those that the members of the Islamic community hold dear. This tale seems to be the central focus of what this series of shows is all about - the alleged disappearance of white working class Britain. Leah is the fictional representation of every child who finds themselves embracing a multi-cultural society. I have yet to see it myself, but all the critical indications suggest it is a promising effort on behalf of writer Abi Morgan. There is always the possibility that it might contain controversial elements, but I think that, now and again, we need our programme makers to put the cat amongst the pigeons.

Greenlighted - Movies & TV Shows In Production

Movies

The Vintner's Luck - Vera Farmiga, Keisha Castle-Hughes
Me And Orson Welles - Claire Danes, Ben Chaplin, Imogen Poots
Need - Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts
The Secret Of Moonacre - Ioan Gruffudd, Dakota Blue Richards
Franklyn - Ryan Phillippe, Sam Riley, Bernard Hill

Television

P.A's - no cast details as yet.
May Contain Nuts - Shirley Henderson, Sophie Thompson, Darren Boyd
Poppy Shakespeare - Anna Maxwell Martin, Naomie Harris
Bone Kickers - Julie Grahame, Tamzin Merchant, Hugh Bonneville
Apparitions - Martin Shaw, Mia Fernandez

The Gossip Pot

A dress specifically designed for Kate Winslet has been auctioned off for £20,000 with the proceeds helping to fund Cardboard Citizens, a UK charity for the homeless....Hollywood heart-throb Ryan Phillippe is so concerned about the effect the paparazzi's intrusive behaviour is having on his kids, that he is thinking about leaving Los Angeles....Australian actress and singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem, having failed to make it big in the US, is set to try again, thanks to her recent signing to the Mercury label....Gary Oldman's next role will be as a spiritual expert in David Goyer's untitled crime thriller.....
MORE NEXT WEEK

The Gossip Pot

The British Eurovision entry has been decided upon. In spite of the whoops and cheers given to Michelle Gayle, former dustman Andy Abraham will represent his country....Hilary Clinton has a joker in her pack. Jack Nicholson is apparently pledging his support for her bid to become the Democratic candidate for the Presidential contest....Country and western star Wynonna Judd is to organise a benefit concert to raise money to help the victims of tornadoes in Tennessee....Angela Griffin, former star of 'Coronation Street' and 'Cutting It' has revealed she is in talks for her to return to 'Waterloo Road' during the fourth season, but it has yet to be established whether Jamie Glover (Andrew Treneman) will be joining her.
MORE NEXT WEEK



Apologies for the order of the first weekly blog, I'll have it rectified come the 9th of March.

Greenlighted - Movies & TV Shows In Production

Movies

Quantum Of Solace - Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylesko, Gemma Arterton

The Lovely Bones - Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, Rachel Weisz

Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince - Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Rickman,

Emma Watson, David Thewlis, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith

State Of Play - Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams

Awaydays - Stephen Graham, Holly Grainger, Liam Boyle

Red Mist - Sarah Carter, Andrew Lee Potts, MyAnna Buring

WMD - JoAnne Knowles, Glenn Conroy, Simon Lengan

'K' - Colin Salmon, Phillipa Peak, Zak Davies

Cass - Nathalie Press, Robbie Gee, David Lea

Television

Robin Hood (Third Series) - Jonas Armstrong, Keith Allen

After You've Gone (Third Series) - Nicholas Lyndhurst, Celia Imrie

An Englishman In New York - Cast unknown at present

Hope Springs - Cast unknown at present

Free Agents - Frances Tomelty, Anthony Head

Wallander - Cast unknown at present

Waterloo Road - Neil Morrisey, Lauren Drummond, Jason Done

Doctor Who (Fifth Series) - David Tennant; other cast members

unknown at present

Sense & Over-sensitivity.....

Recent headlines have seen a question mark hung over when one of BBC Three's drama pilots will be shown. The programme in question, 'Dis/Connected' has been temporarily moved to a new air date, which the heads of the digital channel have yet to decide upon. The issue of suicide is something of a minefield, emotionally, but that doesn't mean television drama shouldn't tackle these subjects. The risk of being insensitive is not a good enough reason to re-schedule, or even ban, a drama that deals with an important issue. Most of the TV critics who were allowed to see it have concluded that the subject matter was handled in a responsible way; so why has it been postponed?

Being bold and daring has helped to create some of the greatest television drama in the BBC's seventy-two year history. The need for sensitivity is all well and good, but imagine if 'Cathy Come Home' had not been broadcast because there was an item on the news about a mother who was homeless, and had seen her children taken into care. The result would have been that nobody would've seen it, and a shift in attitudes wouldn't have taken place. Too much sensitivity can be counter-productive, in terms of issue-led dramas, and the BBC should bear that in mind.

The Long Distance Runner Of Hollywood.....

Whether you care or not, ten years have passed since 'Titanic' hit cinemas globally. However, behind that anniversary lies the fact that has been a decade since Melanie Lynskey, the first person to share an on-screen kiss with the star of James Cameron's romantic epic, started her long journey to achieve the same leading lady status as Kate Winslet. Lynskey underwent a two year period going back to the starting line, having made her first splash as the female lead. In a few of the official sites promoting some of the movies she has made since 1998, her career biographies state slightly different versions of the now familiar story to fans of the actress about the lack of acting work post-'Heavenly Creatures', which led to three months of hell in Los Angeles, during which she endured the fruitless labours of trying to get a role in a movie.

To this day, Lynskey has remained cagey about her first visit to America, and will probably continue to do so, as is her right. The information chronicling the years 1994 to 1997 can easily prove to be the basis for a movie biopic in its own right, Trouble is, she is still alive, and given her lifestyle, she will remain that way for many years to come; the bulk of biopics are usually about icons who are dead, or who are not far away from the grave. She fits neither category.

The one she does fit is an actress who runs to win, but the finishing line keeps being moved further and further away. As a metaphor, this might seem pretentious, but I feel it is the right way to describe her career as a whole.

Regarding her comeback, it didn't actually start out as that. Instead, it began with a website designer and aspiring director getting in touch with Lynskey, via internet means. This was at a time when she had got to the point where she knew what was required of her, in order to be more successful in auditions. After two years in the wilderness, she slipped back into the business of acting in front of the camera completely un-noticed, which was helpful, as it didn't heap upon her unfair expectations of what she could achieve. The project, 'Foreign Correspondents' (not to be confused with the Alfred Hitchcock movie) was so low-budget that it did not even register on the outer fringes of Hollywood or the American Independent movie circuit. Financing for the film came through its official website, and for Melanie came the advantage of being in Los Angeles for vital auditions, one of them being for the role of Jacqueline in 'Ever After'. Getting that role was her way of securing a fresh point from where she could start climbing the career ladder again. However, the journey has provided her with other pursuits, besides acting. Spurred on by her close friend, Emily Deschanel (star of 'Bones'), Lynskey has become an active supporter of PETA. She is also a supporter and member of Power Up, an organisation that finances gay & lesbian cinema and television.

The quote that she gave, which seems to affect me is "I don't think I'll ever be a movie star", a verbal acceptance of where she stands in the Hollywood circuit at the present time, but her ten year endeavour to get her big break has allowed major steps forward to present themselves; the most significant of these is her relationship with New York-born actor, Jimmi Simpson whom she married in 2007. It remains to be seen whether she'll get her breakthrough role, but the only comfort her fans can take is that she does enjoy the journey, though she may never becoming a leading lady at the end of it, even if she can sprint that extra mile....

Coppola's New Muse...where now from here?

'Downfall may have been made four years ago, but Alexandra Maria Lara's peformance as Hitler's private secretary still managed to be memorable enough for British and American casting directors sit up and take notice of her. However, the Christmas release of 'Youth Without Youth' seemed to be something of a setback for her. The critics were less than kind to it; some even didn't give it a single star. I haven't seen the film, so I cannot effectively elaborate on whether it is as bad as the movie journalists state that it is: the main question here is where this negativity leaves Alex's career. The answer seems to be that it hasn't really made a great deal of difference to it, at all.

'Control', released a month before Francis Ford Coppola's first film in ten years, has shown itself to be the stronger of the two movie projects she made during 2007. The biopic of the late Joy Division's lead singer, Ian Curtis, was greeted favourably by the critics. Playing the mistress of the late Mr. Curtis created the circumstances that led to her falling for the movie's male lead, Sam Riley. On-set liaisons add that much more interest from the media, but before they could break the story, Alex and Sam were already living together as a couple, as Riley had ventured to Berlin to be with her. Yet, this fact isn't the reason why she has become more well known; her body of work has to be thanked for that.

As for Hollywood, she has allegedly been quoted as saying she can take it or leave it. She has probably been sent a good deal of movie scripts from Tinseltown, and only looked twice at one, possibly two. This could be her path from now on. Like Julie Delpy and Penelope Cruz, she has gotten the international clout not to have to spend too much time having to be at Hollywood's beck and call, but I feel she will do one, maybe two mainstream movies. If that were to happen, I would like to add my voice to calls for Miss Lara to take on the role of Selina Kyle/The Catwoman. Until then, she is happy to test herself as an actress, something that will make anyone opposed to becoming part of the European union think again.

Eighty & Counting......

As far as I am concerned, January and February are the months that get people warmed up for the year ahead. It's the same principle for the showbusiness world, in particular the movie world. The Oscars (or Academy Awards, if you prefer) had two very good reasons to celebrate; being eighty years old and actually going ahead. The same couldn't be said for the Golden Globes - a sobering press conference replaced the usual razzamataz.

To be honest, I thought there'd be more excitement generated by the whole event, but the mood of the attendees was probably still encapsulated in the previous month's writer's strike. Their solidarity to their cause probably contributed to the atmosphere being less hyped than in previous years. There were British wins, but there was still an American slant to them. Daniel Day Lewis won for 'There Will Be Blood' and Tilda Swinton took one home for her performance in 'Michael Clayton'. Any win for UK talent is welcome, as far as I'm concerned, so I'm not put out that a British film with a distinctively British feel to it only won an Academy Award for Best Score.

Mr. Lewis wasn't the only Irish-born winner; there were two more of those....sorry...one; the other winner did not hail from Ireland, but from Europe. The reason for this win was the song 'Falling Slowly'. The composers - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - proved to be the archetypal outsiders triumphing over the songwriting efforts of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. An independent Irish movie about struggling musicians was not what most people expected to win in the category of Best Movie Song. When it did, there was a genuine sense of astonishment. The 81st Academy Awards may be a whole year away, but let's hope they posssess a win that is just as surprising as this one was.

Welcome to That's Entertainment.....

This is a different celebrity blog to the majority of them. Besides reporting celebrity news, I will be spotlighting the performers in the areas of movies, TV, music and theatre who are talented, but who aren't as well known as stars like Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise or Lindsay Lohan. It is time to strike a blow for the underrated and unknown.