BAFTA and BBC Two present "United" screening and Q+A

BAFTA and BBC Two will be hosting a preview screening of "United" in Manchester later this month, followed by Q+A with with Dougray Scott and Jack O'Connell

United, which also stars David Tennant, is based on the true story of Manchester United's legendary 'Busby Babes', the youngest side ever to win the Football League, the 1958 Munich air crash that claimed eight of their number, and the extraordinary spirit of a city that rebuilt the team in the wake of the disaster.

The film draws on first-hand interviews with the survivors and their families to tell the inspirational story of a team and community overcoming terrible tragedy. The Munich Air Crash killed 23 of the 44 passengers onboard, including supporters, journalists and embassy staff.

Source, and more information: BAFTA

Kevin McKidd set for chart success after cover of Snow Patrol hit on US TV show Grey's Anatomy

Kevin McKidd could be heading for No1 in the charts after wowing millions of Grey's Anatomy fans in a special musical edition.

The Trainspotting and Rome actor has become an iTunes sensation in the US after covering the Snow Patrol hit Chasing Cars.

He sings it with co-stars Sara Ramirez and Chandra Wilson in the episode screened last night on US television. Due to be shown in the UK next month, it sees the stars of the hospital drama singing Gleestyle during a traumatic night.

A soundtrack of the episode made the US charts on pre-orders before the broadcast. Now Elgin-born Kevin, 37, is filming a music video for the series' DVD box set.

He said: "The DVD people are shooting two videos. One is my character singing the Gomez song How to Operate. I think we should have dry ice and a wind machine, and a kilt flowing in the breeze."

Kevin has played Dr Owen Hunt in Grey's Anatomy for three years, after making his US breakthrough with Rome, which is being screened on satellite channel TCM later this month.

Source: Daily Record

'Tonight's The Night' renewed

The BBC has ordered new series of Saturday night entertainment shows Secret Fortune and Tonight's The Night.

Both shows will continue to be recorded at BBC Scotland's Pacific Quay studios.

John Barrowman's Tonight's the Night will be back for its third run and is a co-production from BBC Vision Productions and Barrowman Barker Productions. It will run for six studio episodes and two compilation specials.

Executive editor for entertainment Alan Tyler said: "We are delighted to recommission these shows, which will continue to be made in Scotland and Northern Ireland. They are first and foremost great programmes. Their recommissions are fantastic news not only for the viewers who love them, but also for the in-house and independent production companies involved and for the local economy."

Source: Digital Spy

John Barrowman 2011 Glasgow panto return

John Barrowman and The Krankies will join together to entertain the crowds at the SECC again this Christmas, it has been confirmed.

The 2011 panto has been on sale as Sleeping Beauty but this fairytale princess has since been swept away by prince charming after the panto was re-billed to Robinson Crusoe and the Caribbean Pirates to suit the recently appointed leads.

Former Doctor Who star Barrowman and panto legends The Krankies made their debut as a trio on the SECC stage last year in Aladdin, entertaining thousand of panto-lovers over the cold Christmas period.

John will take on the role of Robinson while The Krankies play Captain Crusoe and Jimmy Crusoe, a combination Qdos Entertainment’s managing director Michael Harrison is delighted with.

“We are thrilled that John and The Krankies are returning to the SECC where they had such a fantastic run in Aladdin last Christmas.

“John’s showmanship together with the hilarious antics of Glasgow panto favourites The Krankies, combined with ground-breaking 3D, means that audiences are in for another spectacular SECC pantomime.”

Ben Goedegebuure, Director of Sales at the SECC added: “Aladdin was the first major pantomime to be staged at the SECC and we were delighted with its success.

“The news that John Barrowman and the Krankies will once again be taking to the stage at the Clyde Auditorium is brilliant.”

Tickets already purchased for Sleeping Beauty will now be valid for Robinson Crusoe and the Caribbean Pirates. The panto begins on Saturday 17 December 2011 and runs until Saturday 7 January 2012 at the SECC Clyde Auditorium.
Source: STV

More info at John’s official site

New Teaser Videos Released For ‘Torchwood’

Torchwood: Miracle Day will be premiering on both Starz USA and BBC UK on July 8. John Barrowman and Eve Myles reprise their roles in the series, joining up with new cast members as the Torchwood team find themselves in an adventure spanning the globe from Cardiff to Los Angeles.



Source: Geeks Of Doom

Further info at Gather

James McAvoy to join Joe Wright's "Anna Karenina"?

Joe Wright is already reuniting with one of his Atonement stars for his planned Anna Karenina film, which will star Keira Knightley, and now he may be bringing the other two on board as well. According to an article by Anne Thompson at IndieWire about British production company Working Title, Anna Karenina has been greenlit by Universal, and Wright is eyeing both James McAvoy and Saoirse Ronan for roles in the sprawling film. Jude Law and Aaron Johnson are already on board.

Read more at Cinema Blend

Gerard Butler tipped for new movie roles

Gerard Butler is being lined up to play a secret agent in a big-screen version of The Professionals. The Scots actor is favourite to land a role as Bodie or Doyle, originally portrayed by Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins in the 1970s TV show.

Liam Neeson and Gary Oldman are being touted to play their bad-tempered CI5 boss, George Cowley. RocknRolla star Butler, 41, faces competition from fellow Britons Tom Hardy and Jason Statham.

Film company Lionsgate UK has acquired rights to the series, which ran for five series on ITV. Chief executive Zygi Kamasa said: "We really felt there was an opportunity for a bigger British action film. The ambition is to make a powerful movie with the best of British talent.

"We all grew up with it in the Seventies, so the idea of bringing it back for the big screen is perfect."

Production on the remake, which has yet to find a director, is set to begin this autumn.

Butler has also been linked to the role of evil General Zod in Superman. The role would reunite the Scots actor with Zack Snyder, the director of his swords-and-sandals hit 300.

He is currently filming Playing the Field with Jessica Biel and Uma Thurman.


Source: Scotsman

Ewan Mcgregor Supports Unicef Campaign

Scottish actor Ewan Mcgregor is backing a new Unicef campaign to provide medical equipment to save the lives of expectant mothers in the Third World.

The Trainspotting star, a longtime U.K. ambassador for the organisation, is calling on his fans to purchase the $38.40 (£24) Deliver a Baby gift pack, which includes items to aid the safe deliver of children.

The actor is hoping 1,000 packs will be sold by Sunday (03Apr11) to mark the annual Mother's Day celebrations in Britain.

McGregor says, "This Mothers' Day I'll be showing my mum just how much she means to me by buying her a gift with a difference - one that will give another mother and her newborn child the chance of a future together.

"It is completely and utterly wrong that 1,000 mums lose their lives everyday as a result of pregnancy and childbirth, and I urge you to help us put it right, by supporting Unicef to deliver a life-saving pack to 1,000 mums around the world."

Source: Contact Music

David Tennant welcomes birth of baby girl

Scottish actor David Tennant is said to be celebrating the birth of his first child with fiancée Georgia Moffet.

Georgia, who is already a mum to 8-year-old son Tyler, is said to be doing well as is the latest arrival to the family.

The couple, who were engaged over the Christmas period, met on the set of Doctor Who in 2008 but have kept their relationship very private, only announcing the pregnancy in January of this year.

26-year-old Georgia’s father Peter Davison played the fifth Doctor between 1981 and 1984 meaning the couple’s first child will have both a father and grandfather as an ex-Time Lord.

Source: STV

Billy Boyd’s Lord of the Rings prequel hopes dashed

Scottish actor Billy Boyd admits his dreams of playing a small role in Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit are doubtful despite news that Elijah Wood would feature in the opening sequence of the first movie.

The 42-year-old, who is currently in LA working on three forthcoming films, insists that he will still visit the cast and crew on the set of the new film and have his hobbit feet at the ready just in case.

“I have been talking to Dom and Elijah and we are all going to go back this year. We will all go together, like a reunion trip. We want to go and see the sets,” he told the Daily Record.

“And while we’re there, there must be something for us. They must need a hobbit in the background somewhere. I can even put my big feet on myself!

“I wouldn’t think anything will come of that but I am definitely going to go down there”

Since his career-boosting role as Pippin, Boyd has since starred in films such as Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and The Flying Scotsman, splitting his time between Scotland and LA.

However, it is the friendships bonded on the set of Lord of the Rings with co-star Dominic Monaghan, which has been at the forefront behind his latest challenge as they work on a script for a film they will both feature in.

“We were with the writers yesterday and are getting close to a script we all like. I think once we get to that point it will all go fast.

“We are seriously moving ahead with the film, it is becoming real rather than something in our heads. There are really good people involved.

“It is surreal comedy stuff. We are trying to get something different and really like the way its going.”

Source: STV

Weekly schedule for Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Mo 4/4: D.L. Hughley, Michelle Monaghan
Tu 4/5: Steven Wright, Jerry O'Connell, Sophia Bush
We 4/6: Ellen Page, Marc Maron
Th 4/7: Helen Hunt, Billy Gardell
Fr 4/8: Zooey Deschanel, Evan Michelson

Mo 4/11: Isabella Rossellini
Tu 4/12: Wynonna Judd, Ariel Tweto
We 4/13: Ashley Judd, Ed Conlon, Maz Jobrani
Th 4/14: Kristen Bell, Jason Aldean
Fr 4/15: Robin Wright, Dan Riskin

Natasha wins Best Actor award

Natasha Watson, who starred alongside David Tennant in Single Father, scooped the award for Best Actor at Scottish Variety Awards [reported in the Scottish Sun] on 20th March

Jim Gellatly, Clyde 1 radio DJ, reported on Twitter that he presented the award to Natasha.

Torchwood: Miracle Day - poster, air date, and launch at Cannes

John Barrowman and Bill Pullman will be heading to Cannes to promote the new series of hit sci-fi drama Torchwood at MIPTV 2011. The fourth instalment, titled Torchwood: Miracle Day, is distributed by BBC Worldwide, and will be launched to buyers on Monday 4th April with the two stars attending the event alongside executive producer Julie Gardner.

Barrowman returns to lead the cast in his iconic role as Captain Jack Harkness, and is joined in the new series by film star Pullman, whose credits include Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping and Lost Highway. Julie Gardner, Senior Vice President, Scripted, BBC Worldwide Productions, has worked on all four series of Torchwood, and her other credits include Life on Mars, Doctor Who and Casanova. Her producing partner is Torchwood creator Russell T. Davies, who has scripted Miracle Day with an A-list team of writers including John Shiban (Breaking Bad, The X-Files), Doris Egan (House) and Jane Espenson (Game of Thrones, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer).

Torchwood: Miracle Day is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions for Starz Entertainment, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Worldwide. Featuring locations in the US and around the world, the plot sees a C.I.A operative (played by ER’s Mekhi Phifer) join forces with the team to investigate a global conspiracy that has put an end to human death, causing a population boom and resource crisis. Pullman plays Oswald Danes, a convicted child killer who survives his own execution, and Eve Myles reprises her role as Gwen Cooper.

Read more at BBC Worldwide





Torchwood: Miracle Day Premiere Date and Poster Revealed!

TVLine exclusively revealed this week that Torchwood: Miracle Day will make its stateside debut on Starz on Friday, July 8. BBC have not yet announced a UK air date.

More info at TV Line

James McAvoy shortlisted for "Akira"

Sky Movies are reporting that Andrew Garfield, Robert Pattinson, and James McAvoy are on the shortlist for one of the lead roles, Tetsuo Shima, in the forthcoming live-action Akira movie, based on the Japanese manga of the same name.

The possibility of a live-action version of Akira, which was turned into the cult sensation animated film back in 1988, has existed for almost two decades, but was still to come close to development until recently, with a script written, and a director found in Albert Hughes (The Book of Eli, From Hell).

Read more at Heyuguys