BB FANS

It's easy to play gay says Fry Sun

Golden Globe ceremony cancelled after stars vow to 'boycott' event in support of writers strike Mail

BBC star Mark Speight is 'cleared' over fiancée's death Mail

The Bill's Jeff Stewart in hospital after on-set incident

Timesonline

TV Drama Star In On-Set 'Suicide Attempt' Sky

Gary Barlow writes UK version of High School Musical!


Ooh, we think we’ve found our favourite televisual event of 2008, and they haven’t even started making it yet – Gary Barlow is writing the songs for a sort of UK version of High School Musical. Britannia High will air on ITV later this year as an eight-part drama series – although, before that, we’ll get to watch the real-life casting process too. And Gary’s not the only big name lending his talents to the show – Strictly Come Dancing’s Arlene Phillips will be choreographing the whole thing. Oh, and the motto for the show is, “Life is not a rehearsal.” Hell yeah. We feel some jazz hands coming on…
Heatworld

SEXY ALESHA SCREEN QUEEN
dailystar

Robbie snubbed by Brits
Williams snubbed by awards for second year in a row




Pop stars are set to sweep the boards at this year's Brits, with one notable exception - poor old Robbie Williams.

We can reveal that, once again, the Robster has been Rudely snubbed by the prestigious music awards.

Although his dire Rudebox album somehow made the final eligibility list for Best Male and Best Album, it will be dropped from the final shortlist when it is announced on Monday.

And it looks like the only way Robbie will get an invite to the starstudded ceremony - held at London's Earls Court on February 20 - is if he asks his old mates Take That if he can tag along with them.


The Brits are rapidly becoming Robbie's nemesis.

Last year's ceremony - at which he lost out to Muse in the Best Live Act category - coincided with him going to rehab.

Since then he has sunk deeper into obscurity, while his former bandmates are on a high.

Take That's comeback album, Beautiful World, has been a sensational success and they are favourites to win British Group at this year's Brits.

Although indie acts have dominated the awards in the past - with Arctic Monkeys and The Killers being last year's big winners - TV insiders hint that Take That aren't the only pop act set to bag a coveted statue.

Kylie Minogue is tipped to top the list of nominations for International Female with her new album X. Winning the gong would top an amazing comeback for Kylie, following her inspirational battle with breast cancer.

Mika's circus shows are also expected to be a big hit with the voting academy.

We predict that the flamboyant Lebanese-born singer, who burst on to the music scene with his candycoated pop album Life In Cartoon Motion, will be up for Best Male - along with Mark Ronson and Shayne Ward.

And expect to see past X-Factor winner Leona Lewis in the final nominations for Best Female and Best Single.

A tv insider says: "This year there's been a resurgence in pop acts. The return of the Spice Girls and Take That has whetted everyone's appetite for fun.

"The charts have been full of serious indie bands. Babyshambles and Arctic Monkeys might get a look in, but it's time that pop had a comeback."

The full list of nominees will be revealed by Kelly Osbourne on Monday night, live on ITV2 from 9pm. Can't wait until then? Here's our top tips on who will be on that hot list. Look away now, Robbie...

OUR TIPS FOR THE BRITS

British Male: Mika, mark Ronson, Shayne Ward

British Female: Leona Lewis, Kate Nash, Bat for Lashes

British Group: Take That, Babyshambles, Arctic Monkeys

British single: TO BE VOTED LIVE ON SHOW but we reckon Leona Lewis will swing it

Breakthrough: Hoosiers, Klaxons, Mika

International Male: Kylie, Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne

International Group: CSS, Westlife, Eagles Mirror

Check out Russell Brand’s new Hollywood movie! heatworld

Gary Barlow's TV show


Gary Barlow and Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips are joining up for a big ITV1 series.

Take That star Barlow will write songs for Britannia High, a musical drama set in a fictional performing arts school. Phillips, 63, will choreograph the numbers.

First up are two documentaries which will watch Phillips and theatre producer David Ian select the cast and Barlow write his songs.

This will be followed by eight hour-long instalments of Britannia High. The climax will be a live "end-of-term party".


One source described the series as "High Street Musical meets Fame".

Itv Director of Entertainment Paul Jackson said: "This is an exciting format not like anything else on British television. We're sure audiences will love it."

He added: "ITV1 has lined up some of the biggest names in music and entertainment to make Britannia High.
Mirror

Kenneth Branagh cop role



Kenneth Branagh is to star as Sweden's answer to Inspector Morse in a £6million BBC series.

The three 90-minute dramas will be based on the best-selling Insp Wallander crime novels by Henning Mankell.

Branagh, 47, said: "Wallander is a wonderfully complex and compelling character.

"I am excited to be playing this fascinatingly flawed but deeply human detective." Mirror

Fern and Phil are Mr & Mrs II Sun

Hanks to 'give Oscar to Depp'

Tom Hanks is arguably America's most popular actor. He won two Oscars in succession for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. Charlie Wilson's War, his latest film, is based on a best-selling book about Wilson, a Texan politician who persuaded the CIA to launch its largest ever covert operation to help the Afghan Mujahideen fighting Soviet invaders in the 1980s.

To say that Charlie Wilson is larger than life is something of a euphemism. Is he really eccentric in real life?
He is even larger – energetic actors look like lazy adolescents in comparison. He’s about 75 and just had a heart transplant. He was probably set to live a long time but would have been almost infirm because he had a badly diseased heart. This way he’s going to be around for a lot longer. He is brilliant in a lot of ways. There are parts of Texas where he is as beloved as Ringo Starr is in Liverpool.

What’s he like?
He’s 6’4” and he’s got a lantern jaw. He’s better looking than I am. He’s got an incredible physical presence, odd taste in clothes and he a huge amount of experience with the ladies. Even the women in my company’s office were saying, 'He’s got something, he’s a charming guy'. And he has no hypocrisy in his life whereas an actor makes his living by way of hypocrisy. Charlie was around a lot when we were making this movie and I’d always say, 'What do you think?'. He took us to task quite a bit, constantly over things that were in the script. He was OK with what I was doing but I kept saying to him, 'Jeez Charlie, I wish I was taller'.

There’s talk of you getting a sixth Oscar nomination for this.
Sure, you bet. Bring it on. Oscar season begins earlier and earlier every year. Who’s going to win? I’m going to give it to Johnny Depp right now. I haven’t seen Sweeney Todd but I’ve seen the poster and it’s fantastic.

What was it like working with your co-star Julia Roberts?
She’s magnificent. She has priorities that go far beyond making movies and yet she knows exactly where she is – in the zeitgeist of the business. She’s a consummate actress who’s completely prepared and has no maintenance whatsoever. It was like acting with a really good friend. Julia really sank her chops into this thing. We were rehearsing one day and she and her team were looking for something for her to do in a scene. She took a safety pin and started separating her eyelashes which was something she did all the time. I thought: ‘Great, I’m going to knock myself out here and all anybody’s going to talk about is you and that f***ing safety pin.’

Are you worried that performance-capture films such as Beowulf are going to put human actors out of work?
I saw Beowulf in 3D and it was pretty magnificent in many ways. It will be interesting to see how it grows. In theory, it allows anybody to play any role. Look at Ray Winstone. He doesn’t look like the guy in the calendar in the bar, he looks like the guy serving beers behind the bar. The actual physical appearance of an actor may be replaced by computers but not the voice, the interpretation or the role. They’re always going to need actors somehow, even if it’s just for introducing the movie to journalists like you.

I’d give the Oscar to Johnny Depp. I haven’t seen Sweeney Todd but I’ve seen the poster and it looks fantastic

You said earlier you wished you were taller for this film. What else do you wish you were in life?
Well, jeez. More well read. Bilingual. More favouring of vegetables.

So you get told to eat your broccoli at home?
No, because I’ve announced: ‘I ain’t eating broccoli.’ I’ll eat it raw and raw carrots. I love when I go to a restaurant and they say: ‘Well, of course, we have our plate of steamed vegetables.’ I always want to say: ‘You can take that and throw it away, I’m not going to order it.’ I like some good spinach, green beans, the classic French version of asparagus with a nice vinaigrette. I just don’t want to start getting into squash or cauliflower or stuff like that.

Your 20-year wedding anniversary to Rita Wilson is coming up. What’s your secret?
Never getting divorced. Picking the right person and saying: ‘You’re the one for me!’ That’s pretty much what happened. It’s as simple as that. I have a great friend who also happens to be the woman I like to sleep with every chance I get. It seems to work out.

Is she ever going to act again?
She just did Old Dogs with Robin Williams and John Travolta and she’s doing a lot of writing. She writes for Harper’s Bazaar and O, The Oprah Magazine. I married this Renaissance woman. I’m like: ‘Can you knit me some socks to bring some domesticity to our marriage?’ She refuses to, but I accept that’s one of the secrets to having a good marriage.
[url=[/url]

Hanks to 'give Oscar to Depp'

Tom Hanks is arguably America's most popular actor. He won two Oscars in succession for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. Charlie Wilson's War, his latest film, is based on a best-selling book about Wilson, a Texan politician who persuaded the CIA to launch its largest ever covert operation to help the Afghan Mujahideen fighting Soviet invaders in the 1980s.

To say that Charlie Wilson is larger than life is something of a euphemism. Is he really eccentric in real life?
He is even larger – energetic actors look like lazy adolescents in comparison. He’s about 75 and just had a heart transplant. He was probably set to live a long time but would have been almost infirm because he had a badly diseased heart. This way he’s going to be around for a lot longer. He is brilliant in a lot of ways. There are parts of Texas where he is as beloved as Ringo Starr is in Liverpool.

What’s he like?
He’s 6’4” and he’s got a lantern jaw. He’s better looking than I am. He’s got an incredible physical presence, odd taste in clothes and he a huge amount of experience with the ladies. Even the women in my company’s office were saying, 'He’s got something, he’s a charming guy'. And he has no hypocrisy in his life whereas an actor makes his living by way of hypocrisy. Charlie was around a lot when we were making this movie and I’d always say, 'What do you think?'. He took us to task quite a bit, constantly over things that were in the script. He was OK with what I was doing but I kept saying to him, 'Jeez Charlie, I wish I was taller'.

There’s talk of you getting a sixth Oscar nomination for this.
Sure, you bet. Bring it on. Oscar season begins earlier and earlier every year. Who’s going to win? I’m going to give it to Johnny Depp right now. I haven’t seen Sweeney Todd but I’ve seen the poster and it’s fantastic.

What was it like working with your co-star Julia Roberts?
She’s magnificent. She has priorities that go far beyond making movies and yet she knows exactly where she is – in the zeitgeist of the business. She’s a consummate actress who’s completely prepared and has no maintenance whatsoever. It was like acting with a really good friend. Julia really sank her chops into this thing. We were rehearsing one day and she and her team were looking for something for her to do in a scene. She took a safety pin and started separating her eyelashes which was something she did all the time. I thought: ‘Great, I’m going to knock myself out here and all anybody’s going to talk about is you and that f***ing safety pin.’

Are you worried that performance-capture films such as Beowulf are going to put human actors out of work?
I saw Beowulf in 3D and it was pretty magnificent in many ways. It will be interesting to see how it grows. In theory, it allows anybody to play any role. Look at Ray Winstone. He doesn’t look like the guy in the calendar in the bar, he looks like the guy serving beers behind the bar. The actual physical appearance of an actor may be replaced by computers but not the voice, the interpretation or the role. They’re always going to need actors somehow, even if it’s just for introducing the movie to journalists like you.

I’d give the Oscar to Johnny Depp. I haven’t seen Sweeney Todd but I’ve seen the poster and it looks fantastic

You said earlier you wished you were taller for this film. What else do you wish you were in life?
Well, jeez. More well read. Bilingual. More favouring of vegetables.

So you get told to eat your broccoli at home?
No, because I’ve announced: ‘I ain’t eating broccoli.’ I’ll eat it raw and raw carrots. I love when I go to a restaurant and they say: ‘Well, of course, we have our plate of steamed vegetables.’ I always want to say: ‘You can take that and throw it away, I’m not going to order it.’ I like some good spinach, green beans, the classic French version of asparagus with a nice vinaigrette. I just don’t want to start getting into squash or cauliflower or stuff like that.

Your 20-year wedding anniversary to Rita Wilson is coming up. What’s your secret?
Never getting divorced. Picking the right person and saying: ‘You’re the one for me!’ That’s pretty much what happened. It’s as simple as that. I have a great friend who also happens to be the woman I like to sleep with every chance I get. It seems to work out.

Is she ever going to act again?
She just did Old Dogs with Robin Williams and John Travolta and she’s doing a lot of writing. She writes for Harper’s Bazaar and O, The Oprah Magazine. I married this Renaissance woman. I’m like: ‘Can you knit me some socks to bring some domesticity to our marriage?’ She refuses to, but I accept that’s one of the secrets to having a good marriage.
[url=http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/interviews/article.html?in_article_id=83456&in_page_id=11]Metro

BBC pulls Hustle plug
14/01/2008

Marc Warren Marc Warren

This is no con - it seems Hustle is no more. The super-slick BBC1 drama about a bunch of grifters has bitten the dust.

After four series most of the cast - which includes Robert Vaughn and Jaime Murray - knew its days were numbered.

Marc Warren, who plays Danny Blue, tells me: "A lot of the cast have gone off and done other things, including myself.

"I'd certainly be surprised if I were involved with more episodes of Hustle."

Marc has since taken over the lead role in Messiah from Ken Stott and is also shooting a comedy drama for BBC1 called Mutual Friends.

Farewell naughty tricksters, we'll miss ya.



Fire starter

Last time DJ Chris Moyles was on TV with Gordon Ramsay he set the kitchen on fire, but that hasn't stopped him being first choice to join the chef's Cookalong Live this Friday.

The idea is to show how easy it is to prepare a delicious three-course dinner in an hour - and viewers are invited to make the dishes along with Gord at home.

But make sure you have fresh steak and scallops (hand-dived, natch) in your fridge.



Ashes cast enjoy some Nookie


Guess who is going to guest star in Life On Mars spin-off Ashes To Ashes? Only Nookie Bear and his owner Roger De Courcey!

Actor Dean Andrews, who plays meaty DS Ray Carling, says that he and the rest of the cast were ever-so-slightly starstruck by the puppet. "We were like big kids, having our photos taken with the bear and Roger. He must have thought we were mad, although I think he secretly enjoyed his time with the weird people off the telly."

Fresh from his guest role in the Doctor Who Christmas special, Geoffrey Palmer will also pop up in an episode. Bring on the 80s!



The memory cheats


Dear oh dear, Simon Cowell must be getting old - his memory is going a bit. The X Factor and American Idol judge does so many auditions now, he can't tell one from another.

Asked about the Dallas try-outs for Idol, he admitted: "I can't remember anyone particularly, but that applies to every city. I can't remember who came from which city after I've done the auditions.

"I watch the shows on tape then it all comes flooding back. But I can't, at this point, differentiate, for instance, Dallas or Philadelphia. It's all a bit of a blur to me still." D'oh
Mirror