The National Theatre of Scotland unveiled its trump card for the 2012 season yesterday, with actor Alan Cumming – currently a star of American TV show The Good Wife – playing a one-man Macbeth.
It is the NTS’s first production of Shakespeare, six years after the theatre was founded. Cumming will star in the multi-media show in Glasgow in June before taking it direct to New York.
“I’ve always wanted to do Macbeth,” the actor said yesterday. “I’ve been obsessed with the play all my life.”
Other projects unveiled yesterday for 2012 included Glasgow Girls, a new production by award-winning director Cora Bissett, described as a “feelgood musical” about the true-life Glasgow teenagers who campaigned for a family of asylum-seekers. Bisset’s last production, Roadkill, was a major Fringe hit.
The first behind-the-scenes still from the new latest flick in the franchise, Death Race: Inferno, has just made its way online courtesy of writer Tony Giglio, and we have it for ya here!
Ewan McGregor Moves to TV for HBO’s “The Corrections”
Ewan McGregor is set to star in HBO’s The Corrections, which is based on the Johnathan Franzen novel of the same name.
McGregor joins the pre-existing cast of Dianne Wiest and Chris Cooper, who will be playing his parents. The plot centers on elderly Midwestern couple and their three adult children and follows their lives from the mid 20th century right up until their last Christmas together near the turn of the millennium. McGregor’s role is Chip, the middle son, a Marxist who works for a Lithuanian crime boss after being fired from his professor job because he had an affair with a student. The roles of the other two children remain to be cast.
It’s not the usual petrolhead fare, but an Isle of Man company is hoping a new documentary about the TT will be as groundbreaking as the bikes it's based on. Charge is directed by Mark Neale and puts the zero emission racing centre stage as it follows electric bike teams.
Narrated by Ewan McGregor, the movie is finally getting a DVD release in Britain thanks to Tromode-based Duke Marketing.
Charge is released on December 19 and you can find out more about it at dukevideo.com
From Rain Dog: Robert Carlyle - A very nice article about Robert and the film Summer in which he starred, in 2008. Comes with two videos with Robert:
Sometimes, as an entertainment journalist with a bit of a readership, you just feel the urge to advocate for a particular project. You want everyone possible to see a gem of a film, read a book, or listen to that CD that’s never had much of a distribution network to speak of, even if that hidden jewel has been out for a few years. Actor Robert Carlyle (currently starring in Once Upon a Time as Rumpelstiltskin) has a long history of making little, low-budget, but incredibly well-made films. (The Full Monty, featuring Carlyle’s breakout performance as Gaz began as one of those little films).
Lamenting a couple of years ago about the state of independent film in the U.K., Carlyle noted the difficulty of finance and distribution for the well-made, low-budget fare that has been always been his passion. Case in point is the understated 2008 British film Summer, a wonderful, gorgeously shot and flawlessly-acted character study, that, as Carlyle has noted, has only been seen by a handful of people. Not even available on DVD in the North America, it is a terrible shame that the movie has been seen by so few.
Director Kenneth Glenaan’s quiet and introspective film is the story of friendship, guilt, the costs of terrible childhood mistakes, and ultimately redemption. The film unfolds through Shaun’s (Carlyle) sad, soulful eyes as we learn why he has become the caregiver of his childhood best friend, the bitter, wheelchair-bound Daz (Steve Evets). Sharing a flat in run down working class area along with Daz’s teenage son Daniel (Michael Socha), they have nothing to live on by Daz’s disability check and Shaun’s earnings as a petrol station clerk.
When we meet them, Daz is dying of liver cirrhosis and acute kidney failure with only weeks to live. Shaun attends to Daz’s many needs, from cleaning house to bathing him; he also looks after Daniel, trying to keep him out of trouble. How Shaun and Daz get to this place in their lives is revealed as Shaun reflects on life and on the terrible mistakes of youth that cost him so much. It is a lifetime of regret, played out through flashbacks of Shaun’s best—and most tragic—Summer as a teen. We catch him gazing through the years—and one Summer in particular—as if through a picture window, longing to go back, but stuck here on the other side. As the movie unfolds often through Shaun’s memories of his youth, you understand the heartbreaking toll one mistake can take on the lives of two men. But it is not only their error.
Shaun (Sean Kelly, playing him as a teenager) is an intelligent, sensitive, but slightly wild kid in love with Katy (Joanna Tulej, as the teenage Katy), the smartest girl in his class. Dyslexic, Shaun is constantly frustrated in school by what he cannot accomplish and a writing hand he cannot properly control with his brain. Classified as “slow,” with a low IQ, Shaun slips through the cracks in a system that has no clue what to do with him—or the means (or desire) to help him. Tormented by his classmates, Shaun’s frustration builds until it boils over into an act that marks the bullied Shaun as the bully. And as time goes on, he turns his frustrated destructiveness on himself. A series of events unfold over one Summer that leads both Shaun and Daz to the place we find them so many years later. Daz is now a bitter, broken man, whose had enough with life; Shaun cannot escape the past, but part of him lives within its best moments: hanging around with his best friend and girlfriend; discovering love, and enjoying friendship. It was, as he acknowledges so many years later to Katy (Rachael Blake), the best Summer of his life.
Carlyle has played many down-on-their luck men throughout his distinguished career, some of whom seek redemption, and others clinging to violence and mayhem. His BAFTA (Scotland)-nominated portrayal of Shaun is beautifully understated and heartbreaking, particularly in his reaction to Daz’s death. The other performances are also brilliant.
Winner of the 2008 BAFTA (Scotland) Best Picture Award, Summer is an incredibly moving film. Although it would seem to be bleak (yes, tissues are not optional), it is an ultimately redemptive portrait. Unfortunately, Summer is not readily available in the U.S.; however, you can find the DVD at Amazon’s U.K. store (but only in a Region 2 version).
It is available for streaming on MovieBerry (as are many other difficult to find films). It is the sort of movie that might pop up on IFC or Sundance, and perhaps, with Carlyle’s U.S. fanbase growing (with the recent Stargate Universe series, and now with Once Upon a Time), who knows? We might eventually see a release of Summer on our shores.
A huge steel mural of Billy Connolly has been unveiled on a wall in Glasgow as part of a £50m regeneration project.
The 20ft (6m) by 16ft (4.8m) mural has been created by artist Andy Scott.
It is near the comedian's birthplace, overlooks the shipyards where he once worked as a welder and can be seen from the Kingston Bridge.
Connolly said he was "humbled" by the artwork. "It is an unexpected honour for which I am extremely grateful," he said.
Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association commissioned the 500kg (79st) mural which formally completes phase 1 of the regeneration project.
"This iconic mural looking out across the shipyards where Billy worked is a fitting tribute to one of the world's most recognised, living Glaswegians”
Councillor Bob Winter Glasgow Lord Provost
Connolly, 68, said: "I consider myself a citizen of the world, but I was born and raised in Glasgow - it is where my first children were born - where I learnt to play the banjo - where I served my apprenticeship as a welder, and where I first performed in public.
"My heart beats to the rhythm of Glasgow - it is in my blood.
"I am happy and humbled that Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association commissioned a mural of me, to be erected in my home city, and thrilled that it was so skillfully created by artist and master craftsman Andy Scott."
Mr Scott said: "We're delighted Mr Connolly likes the mural as it's been a long and challenging commission.
"It's been interesting capturing a living legend but Mr Connolly never interfered and very quickly gave the finished artwork his blessing."
He said he had tried to capture the comedian in his early days to reflect his roots in the city.
Mr Scott's early sketches were hand-drawn in pencil on a giant timber wall in his workshop, which replicated the gable end in Anderston.
Once he was happy with the drawing, it became the template for the steel mural. Read more at BBC
The first two episodes of The Crews: The Dutch Connection and The Old Firm are now available online by clicking on the links below, as is SANDWICH the short film on which it was based.
The Crews follows the exploits of two seasoned underworld figures Tommy Granger (Robert Harrison) and Mick Turner (Jim Sweeney) and the police who are trying to convict them.
The series features cameos from renowned Scottish actors David Hayman, Stephen McCole, and World Snooker Champion John Higgins.
A new episode will be posted each week so stay tuned.
Greys Gabble gives a McKidd-centric commentary on the Blu-ray release of Trainspotting, due out on 29 November
Trainspotting takes place in Scotland and follows Marc Renton (Ewan McGregor) and his gaggle of misfit friends; Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Begbie (Robert Carlyle), Tommy (Kevin McKidd) and Spud (Ewen Bremner). Each one of them is a far cry from what one would consider a respectable human being and nearly all of them, save for Begbie, is addicted to heroin.
Mo 11/28: Aisha Tyler, Justin Moore, Tom Lennon as the voice of Geoff Tu 11/29: Margaret Cho, Michael Connelly, Tom Lennon as the voice of Geoff We 11/30: David Sedaris, Needtobreathe, Jeff Cesario, Tom Lennon as the voice of Geoff Th 12/1: Kristin Chenoweth, Ken Tucker Fr 12/2: Ana Gasteyer
Mo 12/5: Justin Long, Noomi Rapace Tu 12/6: Valerie Bertinelli, Chris Pratt We 12/7: Trace Adkins
New portraits of some of Scotland’s most famous faces are to be unveiled at the refurbished Scottish National Portrait Gallery, when it re-opens next month. Photographs of Scots including actors Sir Sean Connery, David Tennant and Karen Gillan and singer Paolo Nutini are among the images to be displayed in the gallery when it opens to the public on December 1.
The collection, called Hot Scots, a display of 18 works recently acquired for the national collection, will feature well-known Scottish names from TV, film and music including Hollywood stars James McAvoy and Gerard Butler.
Among the other new portraits are images of the writer Armando Iannucci, Michelin star chef Tom Kitchin and artist and playwright John Byrne.
The portraits have been taken by a series of noted photographers including Eva Vermandel and Albert Watson.
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery has been redeveloped in a £17.5 million project.
Hot Scots will be shown in the new Contemporary Gallery on the ground floor. Source: Herald Scotland
Merida’s wild red hair takes over her tiny frame in the new trailer for Brave.
Brave summary: Merida (Kelly Macdonald) is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).
Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Witch for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.
Wales Online has several pictures of David Tennant, taken during the filming of Nativity 2 in mid-Wales last week Source: Wales Online. Also reported by Scottish Sun
DVD Review: Doctor Who: The Complete David Tennant Years Blog Critics have an in-depth review of the DVD box set, released in October Read more here
Two of Scotland's top actors, Billy Connolly and Brian Cox, will star in a Christmas Day radio drama.
The pair will play brothers who join forces in a journey across Scotland to trace a childhood sweetheart.
The drama, The Quest of Donal Q by Scots writer David Ashton, is loosely based on the classic Cervantes tale Don Quixote.
It will be broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland on 25 December and repeated on BBC Radio 4 in the new year.
Connolly will play Donal while Cox will star as Sandy, brothers who were separated as children in an orphanage.
Donal is adopted by a rich couple and brought up in California; Sandy remains in Dundee.
Ten years after falling out in a fierce row, Donal returns to ask his brother for help tracing Jeanette, a fellow orphan they both loved, now said to be in dire straits and in need of a "knight in shining armour".
Head of BBC Radio Scotland Jeff Zycinski said it was "fantastic news" to have two of the biggest stars in Scotland coming together.
"This is a lovely Christmas gift for our BBC Radio Scotland audience to enjoy as one of the highlights of this year's fantastic festive line-up of programmes," he said.
Next year BBC Scotland's drama department will deliver about 65 hours of commissions to Radio 4, Radio 3 and Radio 4 Extra as well as BBC Radio Scotland.
Highlights include a Victorian detective drama, McLevy, starring Brian Cox and Siobhan Redmond.
Also planned are productions of two classic American novels, John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.
Douglas Henshall (South Riding, The Silence) will play award-winning journalist, Sean Langan, who was kidnapped and held hostage by the Taliban in 2008, in BBC Four’s gripping and intense single drama, Hotel Taliban, co-written by Norman Hull and Sean Langan.
Currently in production for transmission in 2012, Hotel Taliban will dramatise the events as told in Sean’s diaries, as well as Sean’s testimony to the film producers in which he described the ordeal he and his interpreter Sami went through during their three-and-a-half months in captivity.
In early 2008, documentary filmmaker Sean Langan was ready for his next assignment – to gain access to the Taliban training camps in the tribal areas of Pakistan, despite being a no-go zone for foreign journalists. After months negotiating access to key Taliban leaders via his fixer, Sami, Sean crossed the border into Pakistan. But things didn’t go to plan. Kidnapped and accused of being a spy, Sean and Sami were held hostage for three-and-a-half months, awaiting their fate – death or release. During his captivity, Sean’s survival instinct found him befriending the family holding him hostage, and from a difficult and dangerous situation, Sean discovered a central common humanity, as well as bizarre moments of cultural misunderstanding.
Richard Klein, Controller, BBC Four, says: "It’s a mad, mad, mad world - that's the sentiment I got when Sean Langan told me of his astonishing three-and-a-half month kidnapping by the Taliban. Not just terrifying, though it truly was, but also absurd, moving and funny: Sean's story is really a story of our times, how a journalist obsessed with getting his story finds himself instead locked in a game of words with captors who have as far removed a view of the Western world as Martians. And yet what Sean discovered was that these people were in many ways just like him. Hotel Taliban tells a gripping, terrifying and thrilling story that has a happy ending, thank goodness.”
Key cast also include: Jimi Mistry (Strike Back, East Is East) as Sami; Ramon Tikaram (EastEnders, This Life) as Mr C; Kate Ashfield (Diary Of Anne Frank, Collision; Line Of Duty) as Anabel Langan; Matthew Marsh (Hidden) as Kane; and Andreas Karras will play Gul Jan.
A Garden Production for BBC Four, Hotel Taliban is co-written by Norman Hull and Sean Langan. The director is Norman Hull. The producer is Flavia Taylor; and the executive producers are Stephen Wright and Jamie Laurenson for the BBC and Magnus Temple for Garden.
Hotel Taliban was commissioned by Richard Klein, Controller, BBC Four and Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning. Source: BBC Also reported by The Stage and ATV Today
With director Steven Sodebergh‘s spy-action flick Haywire opening January 20th, Relativity Media has provided us with two exclusive images from the film. Staring MMA fighter Gina Carano as a burned spy who takes revenge against her handlers, Haywire also stars Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Michael Angarano, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, and Bill Paxton. I caught Haywire last week at the AFI Fest in Hollywood and thought it was great. Especially the action scenes. While Carano’s acting still needs a bit of work, whenever she’s punching or killing, she’s fantastic. Haywire should definitely be on your radar. Read more at Collider You can also check out the latest trailer here.
A soccer mom comedy doesn't exactly scream out "Must See" to us, but in this case, we're keeping our minds open. Granted, the Gerard Butler comedy filmography isn't exactly the most compelling argument in this movie's favor, but with a cast featuring a bevy of beautiful women -- Uma Thurman, Jessica Biel, Judy Greer, Catherine Zeta-Jones -- and a draft of the script penned by "The Kids Are All Right" writer Stuart Blumberg, our interest is piqued.
A few new stills from the movie have landed online, and yeah, they aren't exactly the most revelatory, but it's nice to see Zeta-Jones back in action. Directed by Gabriele Muccino (”Seven Pounds,” “The Pursuit of Happyness”), the film centers around Butler, who plays a troubled father and former pro soccer player who tries to make up for lost time by coaching his son’s team. He ends up in trouble when he gets involved with some of the local soccer moms. Biel will play Butler’s ex-wife who is engaged to be married, while Thurman will play a woman on the prowl for Butler. Zeta-Jones plays a hot newscaster, while Greer takes on the role of a lathered-up housewife.
The movie was first conceived as a story set in the world of baseball, but given those increasingly important foreign dollars these days, the sport was changed to soccer. FilmDistrict will get the film into theaters on March 9, 2012. [via Blackfilm] Source: Indie Wire
GERARD BUTLER AND SIR RIDLEY SCOTT SET TO MAKE FACT-BASED MERCENARY THRILLER With Machine Gun Preacher currently winning over the critics in the cinemas comes the news that Gerard Butler is being tipped to lead a fact-based mercenary thriller for iconic Hollywood director Ridley Scott.
Robert Edwards has been hired to pen the film which will be based on the misadventures of former army officer Simon Mann, and while there isn't a studio attached just yet, with Scott and Butler on board it's only a matter of time before a deal is done.
While Simon Mann might not ring many bells, he was instrumental in gathering a group of mercenaries in an attempt to launch a coup against the president of Equatorial Guinea in 2004. Upon traveling Zimbabwe to pick up weapons for the job, he was arrested and spent five tough years in prison. After his release, he was sent to Guinea and sentenced to a further 34 years, only to be freed via presidential pardon and cited Mark Thatcher as one of his backers.
Sir Ridley Scott is currently putting the finishing touches on Prometheus which stars Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Noomi Rapace, Guy Pearce and Patrick Wilson and hits UK screens on June 1, as for Butler, he will next be seen in Ralph Fiennes directorial offering Coriolanus on January 20. Source: The Fan Carpet. Also reported by The Guardian
Mo 11/21: Robin Williams, Johnny Galecki Tu 11/22: Jason Segel, Eliza Coupe We 11/23: Ty Burrell, Wilford Brimley Th 11/24: Tim Meadows, Lauren Graham (R 9/13/11) Fr 11/25: Dancers from the Moulin Rouge, Danny DeVito, Olivia Munn (R 9/14/11)
Mo 11/28: Aisha Tyler, Justin Moore, Tom Lennon as the voice of Geoff Tu 11/29: Mindy Kaling, Michael Connelly, Tom Lennon as the voice of Geoff We 11/30: David Sedaris, Needtobreathe, Jeff Cesario, Tom Lennon as the voice of Geoff Th 12/1: Kristin Chenoweth, Ken Tucker Fr 12/2: Ana Gasteyer
"Was there any other character created this year that surpassed David Tennant's great heights of douchebaggery as Fright Night's magician, Peter Vincent? There's a reason the Fright Night 2 rumors hinted at an all-Tennant sequel — because he's hilarious. Now here's a glimpse at some additional Vincent material in a special behind-the-scenes feature about his Criss Angel-inspired character."
i09 have a small clip from the special features that will be accompanying Fright Night's Blu-ray & DVD release, on December 13th.
Alan Cumming is returning to his native Scotland to put on a free show in honour of the country's performance history.
The X-Men star, who now lives in New York, will front an event celebrating traditional Scottish pantomimes, music halls and variety shows.
And Cumming is convinced Scotland's rich history of entertaining has helped shape him as an actor.
He says, "Being away from Scotland makes you question what it is that makes you Scottish, and when it comes to acting I realise that my performance style is very different to my colleagues elsewhere in the world.
"Our whole way of breaking through the fourth wall is all derived from our culture that is steeped in variety and music hall and panto.
"My Staging The Nation event is an attempt to demonstrate that and to look back atwhere it might all have come from and to see its impact on theatre in Scotland today".
The show, one of the the National Theatre of Scotland's Staging The Nation events, will take place at The King's Theatre in Glasgow on 26 November
Legendary Scottish comedian Billy Connolly has announced dates for his 2012 'The Man' UK Tour.
Having enjoyed a long-standing career, Billy "The Big Yin" Connolly has toured relentlessly and is regarded as one of the world’s best-loved comedians. His live shows have been entertaining audiences around the world for over thirty years and he has become a familiar sight on many big television talk shows both in the UK and in America.
Despite his colourful language, boisterous, animated style and off-the-cuff routines, Billy Connolly is loved by audiences in the British Isles, Australia, and New Zealand — all locations where he has made successful “world tour” documentaries.
Billy Connolly 'The Man' UK Tour Dates are as follows:
January 2012
15th Jan - Leicester De Montfort Hall 16th-17th Jan - Sheffield City Hall 19th-20th Jan - Newcastle City Hall 21st-22nd Jan - Scarborough Futurist Theatre 24th-25th Jan - Doncaster The Dome 27th-28th Jan - Blackpool Opera House 30th-31st Jan - Liverpool Empire Theatre
February 2012
3rd-4th Feb - Llandudno Venue Cymru 6th-7th Feb - Bradford St. Georges Hall 8th Feb - Huddersfield Town Hall 10th-11th Feb - Nottingham Royal Concert Hall 13th-14th Feb - Ipswich Regent 15th-16th Feb - Southend Cliffs Pavilion 18th-19th Feb - Bristol Colston Hall 22nd-23rd Feb - Plymouth Pavilions 24th-25th Feb - Birmingham Symphony Hall 27th-28th Feb - Manchester 02 Apollo
March 2012
2nd-3rd March - Wolverhampton Civic 4th March - Southampton Mayflower 7th-8th March - Bournemouth BIC 11th-12th March - Cardiff Motorpoint Arena 15th-16th March - Brighton Centre
Billy Connolly Tickets are on sale from 9am on Friday 11th November.
John Barrowman is to present an edition of the BBC's comedy musical quiz show Never Mind The Buzzcocks, to be recorded on 30th November; though the broadcast date is unknown at present, it seems likely to be the tenth episode of the series due the following week on 5th December.
HOollywood star John Hannah is set to play late crimelord Tam "The Licensee" McGraw in a movie about former gangster Paul Ferris.
The Four Weddings and a Funeral actor, 49, was desperate to land the role as Ferris's arch enemy.
And he was hooked on the gripping story which charts convicted gun-runner Ferris's brutal rise to power in Glasgow's murky underworld.
The film's director Ray Burdis, who also made The Krays movie, revealed: "John read the script and asked for a meeting. It was obvious that he was enthralled and wanted in.
"He is a sublime actor of international repute at the peak of his powers. We are all delighted to have him on board."
The movie chronicles the bust-ups between Ferris — played by Sweet Sixteen star Martin Compston — and a string of major gangland figures, as well as his run-ins with the cops.
Patriot Games star Patrick Bergin is set to star as Glasgow godfather Arthur Thompson with veteran actress Rita Tushingham as his wife Rita.
Their son Arthur Jnr will be played by Stephen McCole, from TV's High Times.
And Local Hero's Denis Lawson will play Ferris's bank robber dad Willie, while River City actress Laura McMonagle also appears as Ferris's ex-girlfriend Anne Marie.
We told on Saturday how filming for the movie has had to be moved to London because Strathclyde Police did not want it shot in Ferris's home city of Glasgow.
Last night 46-year-old Ferris, below — who insists he has now turned his back on crime — said: "I didn't pick the cast list, but it is absolutely top class. I have met with Martin Compston, who is highly professional and has done his research.
"I am delighted to hear that John Hannah is going to play McGraw. McGraw was pretty sinister. His driving forces were greed, money and power.
"And Patrick Bergin will be spot on to play old Arthur, who was considered the guy who solved problems.
"He had a quiet way about him but he was also very sinister."
Mo 11/14: Poppy Montgomery, Charlie Higson, Lauren Graham as the voice of Geoff Tu 11/15: Ewan McGregor, Jeff Cesario, Paula Poundstone as the voice of Geoff We 11/16: Michael Ian Black, Alex Kingston, Angela Kinsey as the voice of Geoff Th 11/17: Robin Williams, Black Dub, Jason Schwartzman as the voice of Geoff Fr 11/18: Don Rickles, Beth Behrs, Shadoe Stevens as the voice of Geoff
Mo 11/21: Robin Williams, Johnny Galecki Tu 11/22: Jason Segel, Eliza Coupe We 11/23: Ty Burrell, Wilford Brimley Th 11/24: Tim Meadows, Lauren Graham (R 9/13/11) Fr 11/25: Dancers from the Moulin Rouge, Danny DeVito, Olivia Munn (R 9/14/11)
Duelling Doctor Who Videos Make Us Wish For A Full-Fledged Musical Episode One of the great things about the advent of the internet is that TV and movie fans have gotten to see all sorts of crazy things that we wouldn't have otherwise. It turns out, making a movie or TV show is a lot of work, and the folks involved have a tendency to blow off steam by doing silly, silly things. Thankfully, many of these silly, silly things make it online in one form or another. Over the years fans have sat through countless blooper reels from their favorite shows, not to mention the odd bit of even more entertaining minutia (albeit in horrible quality).
Now two new relics have surfaced, this time from David Tennant's days on Doctor Who. Supposedly both videos were aired at the wrap party for Tennant's last episode of the show, but thanks to the interwebs you don't need a TARDIS to check them out. First up, David and the show's crew express their love for The Proclaimers' song "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)."
What I love almost as much as Tennant's enthusiasm is the varying degrees of commitment and/or nervousness on the faces of the crew. You can tell some of these folks aren't used to being on that side of the camera.
Still, that video just features Tennant and the others lip synching. You have to wonder how well he'd do without a voice track. Ask and ye shall receive: I give you "The Ballad of Russell and Julie" (via GiantFreakinRobot.com) Recounting (roughly) the story of how the 2004 resurrection of Who came about. Tennant lends his pipes to the role of former Who head honcho Russell T Davies, joined by Catherine Tate as exec producer Julie Gardner. Also along for the ride and looking incredibly dapper is John "Captain Jack Harkness" Barrowman as our narrator. Take it away, guys...
WOS Awards Charity Stage One Launches Theatre Auction Stage One, the adopted charity of the 2012 Whatsonstage.com Awards – which opened for nominations this week – has launched an online fund-raising theatre auction called West End Lots, featuring a range of fantastic prizes.
Among the lots on offer is the chance to tread the boards alongside Mackenzie Crook and Mark Rylance in Jerusalem, an opportunity to meet the cast of Wicked, and a range of theatrical memorabilia including programmes signed by the likes of Cameron Mackintosh and David Tennant.
The auction will be held online at auction.stageone.uk.com until 24 February 2012 – five days after the results are announced at the glittering Whatsonstage.com Awards concert at the Prince of Wales Theatre.
Bidding for these once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and highly original items will help Stage One to continue to identify and nurture the next generation of theatrical entrepreneurs through its apprentice schemes, workshops, bursaries and the practical support its gives to new theatre producers.
Terri Paddock, managing and editorial director of Whatsonstage.com, commented: "The experiences and memorabilia pulled together by Stage One are truly thrilling, and we are delighted to be able to promote them and the West End Lots auction via Whatsonstage.com. I know I won't be the only one bidding daily for my own little piece of theatre history."
Theatrical memorabilia on offer so far includes: The TS Eliot poem quoted in Butley, signed by Dominic West together with a signed photo The Armani tie worn by Christian Slater in Swimming with Sharks Two original signed illustrations by Mackenzie Crook, and inspired by Jerusalem The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary programme and My Fair Lady artwork signed by Sir Cameron Mackintosh The poster and playtext of Much Ado About Nothing, signed by David Tennant and Catherine Tate Signed script of Driving Miss Daisy with Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones An original drawing of Leonard Rossiter by Clive Francis The site goes live at 10.00am on Friday 4 November when the silent auction begins. The website auction.stageone.uk.com has details on how to place bids and all the latest updates on new auction lots as they become available.
An unconventional, surreal comedy set in the suburbs of Glasgow, Orphans (1998) is Peter Mullan's first film behind the camera. Best known for his role as a recovering alcoholic in Ken Loach's My Name Is Joe (1998) and currently seen in Paddy Considine's Tyrannosaur (2011), Mullan's acting career has seen him working alongside some of the best British directors of recent times and their teachings have clearly helped him hone his talents to produce Orphans, his profoundly moving directorial debut.
Although Mullan's wicked sense of humour is absent from the film's sombre first act, he retains a playful approach to grief that is surprisingly effective. Beginning with the four titular orphans stood around their mother's coffin, each takes their turn to cut off a small lock of hair and place it alongside the body. When it comes to the eldest, the balding Thomas (Gary Lewis), he struggles to find a big enough chunk and nearly cuts into his own scalp. Moments later, Thomas is found bawling out his mother's favourite song in a bar to a silent crowd before his younger brother gets into a fight with a cackling patron and is kicked out of the pub.
While Thomas mourns silently, attending to every minute detail of his mother's memorial as a way of occupying himself, his siblings drunkenly rampage through the streets of Glasgow and for the most part the film follows each of their individual adventures over the course of a night.
The youngest sibling, the disabled Sheila (Rosemarie Stevenson), finds herself stuck on a hill when her wheelchair runs out of batteries and is adopted by children who take her back to their home. Meanwhile, her brother Michael (Douglas Henshall) finds himself locked in a bar's cellar having angered the manager and tries to escape. The final sibling, John (Stephen McCole), steals an air rifle from a nearby fair and proceeds to burgle homes.
Each incident becomes more and more surreal as the film goes on, but even though the dark comedy aspects of the film are incredibly funny at its finest moments, Orphans' blend of humour with the grief suffered by the family is incredibly moving. Mullan's approach to death is written with a grace and tact that touches beautifully on the the despondency felt at the death of a loved one, and is complimented by his macabre humour, resonant of the emotional chaos that can follow deaths wake. Orphans is best viewed as a comedy, its morose story providing an effective backdrop for its delightfully dark humour. It's a wicked, cruel humour, both hilarious and upsetting, that results in a heartfelt look at grief and self-preservation. A powerful debut from Mullan, Orphans is a remarkably honest film and, despite its surreal nature, is beautifully true to life.
We’ve got another batch of posters and synopses from the American Film Market, including promo posters and synopses for Tarzan 3D and The Impossible, as well as an official synopsis for the feature film adaptation of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
The Impossible comes from The Orphanage director J.A. Bayona and stars Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, and Tom Holland. The film tells the true story of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, as Watts races to find and save her family from the ensuing flood.
Here’s the synopsis for The Impossible:
A terrifying and emotional story based on one family’s experience of the 2004 tsunami, THE IMPOSSBILE is a compelling account of perserverance and survival in the face of unimaginable disaster and chaos.
MARIA (Naomi Watts), HENRY (Ewan McGregor) and their three sons begin their winter vacation in Thailand, looking forward to a few days in tropical paradise. But on the morning of December 26th, as the family relaxes around the pool after their Christmas festivities the night before, a terrifying roar rises up from the center of the earth. As Maria freezes in fear, a huge wall of black water races across the hotel grounds toward her.
Henry grabs the two youngest boys, SIMON and THOMAS, but it’s too late: the wave smashes into him with incredible force and dislodges his grip. Maria is pushed underwater, where she is crushed and battered by debris to the brink of death. She finally surfaces in a raging black sea, which has completely submerged her three-story hotel and the surrounding landscape. Maria gasps for breath while she tries to understand what has just happened, convinced that her family has been obliterated in the blink of an eye. But then, her eldest son, LUCAS (Tom Holland), surfaces a few meters ahead in the wild flood. Face-to-face with something unexpected and incomprehensible, she must fight against all odds for her child’s survival. And her own.
Based on a true story, THE IMPOSSIBLE is the unforgettable account of a family caught, with tens of thousands of strangers, in the mayhem of one of the worse natural catastrophes of our time. But the true-life terror is tempered by the unexpected displays of compassion, courage and simple kindness that Maria and her family encounter during the darkest hours of their lives. Both epic and intimate, devastating and uplifting, THE IMPOSSIBLE is a journey to the core of the human heart.
It appears that there is a new big screen, double team supreme developing as Smallville actress Kristin Kreuk and Lord Of The Rings star Billy Boyd are set to team up yet again. It will be the second time in about a year that these two have starred together in a movie.
Kristin and Billy filmed the movie, Irvine Welsh’s Ecstasy, which will be released on April 17, 2012 in the UK, earlier this year. Now they have both signed up to star in the Armen Evrensel, sci-fi comedy movie Space Milkshake, which will begin filming early next year. Space Milkshake centres around four space workers on a rundown orbital sanitation station, who run into a few problems when they salvage a strange device from a space ship wreckage. Director Armen Evrensel penned the screenplay for the movie, which will also star Amanda Tapping and Robin Dunne. Space Milkshake is expected to be released late 2012 or early 2013.
An Aardman production (the people behind ‘Wallace & Gromit’ and ‘Chicken Run’) for Sony Pictures Animation, at last reveals the incredible, never-before seen answer to every child’s question: ‘So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?’ The answer: Santa’s exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the heart of the film is a story with the ingredients of a Christmas classic – a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero, Arthur, with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns. ‘Arthur Christmas’ features the voices of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Ashley Jensen. The film is set for release November 11th in the UK, and November 23rd in the US.
Arthur is really spirited about his mission…
James McAvoy: Oh yeah, definitely. In the story every single child must receive a present on Christmas night, every single child in the world. What happens is that one night, one child doesn’t receive a present, and basically the international conglomerate organisation that is Christmas…..and the north pole, as run by Steve and Santa, they decide that actually that’s just 0.0000000000001% of a failure, and when you balance the books that’s ok, because the success rate is so high. Christmas has become a bit of a business, and Arthur decides that’s not good enough.
Grandsanta and Arthur’s relationship is a big part of the story.
James McAvoy: Arthur looks up to Grandsanta, he really respects everyone in his family, he kinda wishes that he could be as involved as they are, or in Grandsanta’s case, were. He’s very much the guy who tells the stories, he’s been through it all, done it all, and Arthur likes to hear all the stories – whether or not they’re embellished or made up, it’s irrelevant, he just likes to hear the stories (laughs). Arthur is certainly a willing audience to Grandsanta. But then what happens is that him and Grandsanta go on the road and try to do a lot of the things Grandsanta has been telling him about, you actually find out that the truth and the reality may not match up with the stories.
Arthur is sort of the odd one out in an already odd family.
James McAvoy: Arthur is pretty much Christmas on legs. He lives in the North Pole so it’s hard to be the most Christmassy person in the world because you’ve got a lot of Christmas heads around you, and even though he’s among all those Christmas heads he is the main Christmas dude – in his head, not with anybody else, because everybody forgets about him and writes him off about being an eccentric…..and maybe a bit of an imbecile. But he cares about Christmas probably more than anyone else around him, including Santa, Grandsanta and his big brother Steve.
Aardman’s movies are always soulful and full of adventure….
James McAvoy: Yeah, ‘Arthur Christmas’ has all the humour, the action, the adventure, all the Christmassyness that all these Christmas movies need to have. But what I think ‘Arthur Christmas’ has got beyond that is that really strong spirit at the centre of it, which Aardman gives everything. And even though that this is a 3D….monster (laughs), it still has an Aardman soul. I think that’s really a wholesome and beautiful thing, I think that will make it a bit more special than the usual Christmas fare.
What was it like seeing your character for the first time?
Bill Nighy: When I saw the images for the first time I was thrilled by them, they are so clever, so witty. There’s a perfect balance between real and not real, it was a bit of a shock to see a bandy legged…balding, or rather bald (laughs), octogenarian bloke in short trousers with a beard, it made me think, “Why did they think of me?!” (Laughs) It was great.
John Barrowman, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Jimmy Carr, Fearne Cotton, Danielle Hope, Miranda Hart, The Nolans, Jimmy Osmond, Arlene Phillips, Kristina Rihanoff, Robin Windsor, and the casts of the West End musicals The Lion King and Jersey Boys will perform at the Macmillan Centenary Gala, to be held at the London Palladium on Monday, November 28 at 8pm. Graham Norton will host.
The event celebrates 100 years of Macmillan Cancer Support, which improves the lives of people affected by cancer, providing practical, medical, emotional and financial support.
Mo 11/7: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jeff Cesario Tu 11/8: Jennifer Tilly, Lawrence Block We 11/9: Ellen Barkin, Dave Attell Th 11/10: Molly Shannon, Michael K. Williams Fr 11/11: Drew Carey, Linda Cunningham
Mo 11/14: Poppy Montgomery, Charlie Higson Tu 11/15: Ewan McGregor We 11/16: Michael Ian Black, Alex Kingston
