Ian West/Pa Wire
With certain directors, the mere mention of their name alone is enough to spark fireworks among film fans. Bring up Michael Bay, and accusations of raped childhoods, arch narcissism and shameless cash-grabbing will come flying from one side, whilst applause for delirious visceral excess and unapologetic political incorrectness comes from the other. Talk about Christopher Nolan, and one camp will hail his technical and intellectual excellence, whilst another will bemoan the almost willful joylessness of his work.
Falling almost directly in the middle of these two modern blockbuster stalwarts is Zack Snyder, On paper he would appear to share more common ground with Nolan, given they have collaborated on the director’s two most recent films; and yet, in his emphasis on visual flair, physics-defying action, and sometimes dubious politics, he might well be regarded a kindred spirit of Bay.
At this moment, Snyder is a...
With certain directors, the mere mention of their name alone is enough to spark fireworks among film fans. Bring up Michael Bay, and accusations of raped childhoods, arch narcissism and shameless cash-grabbing will come flying from one side, whilst applause for delirious visceral excess and unapologetic political incorrectness comes from the other. Talk about Christopher Nolan, and one camp will hail his technical and intellectual excellence, whilst another will bemoan the almost willful joylessness of his work.
Falling almost directly in the middle of these two modern blockbuster stalwarts is Zack Snyder, On paper he would appear to share more common ground with Nolan, given they have collaborated on the director’s two most recent films; and yet, in his emphasis on visual flair, physics-defying action, and sometimes dubious politics, he might well be regarded a kindred spirit of Bay.
At this moment, Snyder is a...
- 3/26/2016
- by Ben Bussey
- Obsessed with Film
Ian West/Joel Ryan/Pa Archive/WhatCulture
They were the biggest band in the world, one of the few bands that seemed almost untouchable from criticism and shifts in popular music. They survived the peak of the alternative music movement with barely the blink of an eye – Nirvana came and went while Guns N’ Roses was still at the top. Yet the same year that alternative rock lost an icon, Guns N’ Roses put out their final recording with guitarist Slash, and would then go on to release just one song between 1994 and 2008.
How does a band that big just implode?
It’s something almost unparalleled in music. Yes, The Beatles broke up, and that’s the reason for the qualifier in the previous sentence. Still, the fact that a band so dominant could just fall apart, then struggle with line-up changes for years, flirting with regaining success each time...
They were the biggest band in the world, one of the few bands that seemed almost untouchable from criticism and shifts in popular music. They survived the peak of the alternative music movement with barely the blink of an eye – Nirvana came and went while Guns N’ Roses was still at the top. Yet the same year that alternative rock lost an icon, Guns N’ Roses put out their final recording with guitarist Slash, and would then go on to release just one song between 1994 and 2008.
How does a band that big just implode?
It’s something almost unparalleled in music. Yes, The Beatles broke up, and that’s the reason for the qualifier in the previous sentence. Still, the fact that a band so dominant could just fall apart, then struggle with line-up changes for years, flirting with regaining success each time...
- 3/7/2016
- by Jay Anderson
- Obsessed with Film
Ian West/Pa Archive
Alice Cooper fans run the gamut between teenage goths in ripped fishnets and pension-age old rockers with slightly grown-out mullets and a little too much denim. After all, he’s been making music for close to fifty years, and a star for most of that time.
Never exactly a critical darling, his legions of rabid obsessives still comb old record shops for sixties bootlegs and cram arenas worldwide to hear the hits (and more; much, much more) delivered faultlessly just one more time. And yet, with all that, he still feels like ours: that’s why we all call him ‘Alice’, like he’s the guy we see in the pub every Friday night.
He’s the shock rock icon who’s kept the tabloids in lurid copy for the last five decades: a sneering, androgynous serial killer on stage in the seventies, smeared with blood and eyeliner,...
Alice Cooper fans run the gamut between teenage goths in ripped fishnets and pension-age old rockers with slightly grown-out mullets and a little too much denim. After all, he’s been making music for close to fifty years, and a star for most of that time.
Never exactly a critical darling, his legions of rabid obsessives still comb old record shops for sixties bootlegs and cram arenas worldwide to hear the hits (and more; much, much more) delivered faultlessly just one more time. And yet, with all that, he still feels like ours: that’s why we all call him ‘Alice’, like he’s the guy we see in the pub every Friday night.
He’s the shock rock icon who’s kept the tabloids in lurid copy for the last five decades: a sneering, androgynous serial killer on stage in the seventies, smeared with blood and eyeliner,...
- 3/6/2016
- by Ben Cooke
- Obsessed with Film
Ian West/Joel Ryan/Pa Archive/
Album titles are tricky business. A good album title will simultaneously sum up the overall theme or statement of an album while not being too heavy handed, yet also being intriguing enough to prompt shoppers to pick it up or internet browsers to click and check it out.
The best album titles have quite a lot going on in them, and will usually accompany relevant album art (even when that relevancy isn’t always apparent). This is generally why musicians debut albums are self-titled: they’re attempting to establish an identity, and their band name itself is the statement.
After that, however, things tend to get a bit more inventive. Over the years there have been a ton of great, iconic album titles…but there have been a hell of a lot of weird ones, too. In fact, some extremely famous bands have managed...
Album titles are tricky business. A good album title will simultaneously sum up the overall theme or statement of an album while not being too heavy handed, yet also being intriguing enough to prompt shoppers to pick it up or internet browsers to click and check it out.
The best album titles have quite a lot going on in them, and will usually accompany relevant album art (even when that relevancy isn’t always apparent). This is generally why musicians debut albums are self-titled: they’re attempting to establish an identity, and their band name itself is the statement.
After that, however, things tend to get a bit more inventive. Over the years there have been a ton of great, iconic album titles…but there have been a hell of a lot of weird ones, too. In fact, some extremely famous bands have managed...
- 2/12/2016
- by Brian Wilson
- Obsessed with Film
Ian West/Joel Ryan/Pa Archive/WhatCulture
After years of feuding, it looks as if the “old” Guns N’ Roses is back. Sort of. Even though they never really left… kind of. Look, they have a reunion coming up… partially, anyway.
Confused yet?
Pretty much every music fan not living under a particularly remote rock or the dark side of the moon for the past few decades knows the story of Guns N’ Roses. The huge debut, the excesses, the controversies, the membership changes and the eventual, complete implosion of the classic-era line-up. Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin, Gilby Clarke (Stradlin’s original replacement), Slash, Duff McKagan – by the early 90s, they were dropping like flies. Come the late 90s, only singer Axl Rose and keyboardist Dizzy Reed remained, alongside a new group of musicians including The Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson.
While the most recent formation been the bands most stable in decades,...
After years of feuding, it looks as if the “old” Guns N’ Roses is back. Sort of. Even though they never really left… kind of. Look, they have a reunion coming up… partially, anyway.
Confused yet?
Pretty much every music fan not living under a particularly remote rock or the dark side of the moon for the past few decades knows the story of Guns N’ Roses. The huge debut, the excesses, the controversies, the membership changes and the eventual, complete implosion of the classic-era line-up. Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin, Gilby Clarke (Stradlin’s original replacement), Slash, Duff McKagan – by the early 90s, they were dropping like flies. Come the late 90s, only singer Axl Rose and keyboardist Dizzy Reed remained, alongside a new group of musicians including The Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson.
While the most recent formation been the bands most stable in decades,...
- 2/4/2016
- by Jay Anderson
- Obsessed with Film
Ian West/Pa Archive
In just a few days, we’ll know the 12 albums under consideration for the 2015 Mercury Prize. The bookies’ early frontrunners for the shortlist include Everything Everything, Jamie Xx and Florence and the Machine, but whoever makes the cut, it’s sure to divide music fans.
In past years we’ve had shock winners (including 2014’s victors, Young Fathers); in others we’ve seen the safest, blandest album on the list somehow coming out on top. On more than one occasion though, truly awful records have triumphed over great ones; and some shortlists have had four or five stone cold classics slogging it out with each other.
But will 2015 be another year where a future classic album walks away empty handed on the night? Because it’s happened many times before…...
In just a few days, we’ll know the 12 albums under consideration for the 2015 Mercury Prize. The bookies’ early frontrunners for the shortlist include Everything Everything, Jamie Xx and Florence and the Machine, but whoever makes the cut, it’s sure to divide music fans.
In past years we’ve had shock winners (including 2014’s victors, Young Fathers); in others we’ve seen the safest, blandest album on the list somehow coming out on top. On more than one occasion though, truly awful records have triumphed over great ones; and some shortlists have had four or five stone cold classics slogging it out with each other.
But will 2015 be another year where a future classic album walks away empty handed on the night? Because it’s happened many times before…...
- 10/13/2015
- by Thomas Bagnall
- Obsessed with Film
Ian West/Pa Wire
Game Of Thrones star Natalie Dormer has publicly spoken out about apparently being the inspiration for Kermit the Frog’s new younger and skinnier pig girlfriend and is surprisingly really cool about it.
Not so long ago, fans of the show noticed that Natalie looks a lot like the new muppet, Denise and took to the web to comment:
Is it just me or does Kermit's new girlfriend on @TheMuppetsABC look exactly like Natalie Dormer? pic.twitter.com/LxZPWAiVKs
— Jesse Angelo (@jessemangelo) September 1, 2015
“When I saw Kermit’s new girlfriend, I was like ‘Maybe I’m a bit responsible for that.'” She said at the New York Comic Con this weekend.
“I phoned David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss], it’s the only time I’ve ever asked them to put in a line, ‘Please, can you put in a line about a piggy nose? Because I was bullied at school.
Game Of Thrones star Natalie Dormer has publicly spoken out about apparently being the inspiration for Kermit the Frog’s new younger and skinnier pig girlfriend and is surprisingly really cool about it.
Not so long ago, fans of the show noticed that Natalie looks a lot like the new muppet, Denise and took to the web to comment:
Is it just me or does Kermit's new girlfriend on @TheMuppetsABC look exactly like Natalie Dormer? pic.twitter.com/LxZPWAiVKs
— Jesse Angelo (@jessemangelo) September 1, 2015
“When I saw Kermit’s new girlfriend, I was like ‘Maybe I’m a bit responsible for that.'” She said at the New York Comic Con this weekend.
“I phoned David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss], it’s the only time I’ve ever asked them to put in a line, ‘Please, can you put in a line about a piggy nose? Because I was bullied at school.
- 10/12/2015
- by M.L Gabriel
- Obsessed with Film
Ian West/Pa Archive
He’s world famous for being Khal Drogo and Conan the Barbarian. Older fans may recognise him for his dreadlocked role of Ronon Dex in Stargate Atlantis. If you’re female, you’ll most certainly remember the time he played a hunky lifeguard in Baywatch Hawaii.
On-screen, everyone knows Jason Momoa as a badass movie/TV star or the epitome of male physical perfection, and soon he’ll be mingling with Hollywood heavyweights when his version of Aquaman goes head to head with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Off-screen, Momoa has cultivated a reputation for being the coolest guy in the room. From crashing Comic-Con panels for everyone’s amusement, talking to fans in Dothraki, and being more than willing to have a beer with anyone anytime, Momoa seems like a guy who loves life and lives it to the fullest.
Whilst his nice-guy reputation is rightfully earned,...
He’s world famous for being Khal Drogo and Conan the Barbarian. Older fans may recognise him for his dreadlocked role of Ronon Dex in Stargate Atlantis. If you’re female, you’ll most certainly remember the time he played a hunky lifeguard in Baywatch Hawaii.
On-screen, everyone knows Jason Momoa as a badass movie/TV star or the epitome of male physical perfection, and soon he’ll be mingling with Hollywood heavyweights when his version of Aquaman goes head to head with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Off-screen, Momoa has cultivated a reputation for being the coolest guy in the room. From crashing Comic-Con panels for everyone’s amusement, talking to fans in Dothraki, and being more than willing to have a beer with anyone anytime, Momoa seems like a guy who loves life and lives it to the fullest.
Whilst his nice-guy reputation is rightfully earned,...
- 9/11/2015
- by Alexander Pan
- Obsessed with Film
Ian West/Pa Wire
With the release of Spectre little more than two months away, Eon Picture, Sony and MGM have dropped a new Vlog, to help better acquaint you with the film’s female contingent.
Check it out below.
The Vlog gives both Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci a chance to gush about the franchise and their collaborators, without giving too much away concerning their roles in Spectre’s sure-to-be-twisty framework.
A good Bond girl is a key part of any good Bond outing, as some of Daniel Craig’s past credits will attest. Eva Green was an absolute scene-stealer in Casino Royale, whilst the disappointing Quantum of Solace can chalk-up Olga Kurylenko’s flat turn as one of its critical flaws.
Seydoux and Bellucci certainly emanate the ethereal, distrusting beauty that Bond girls are famed for, but whether they can match the complexity of an Eva Green is another matter.
With the release of Spectre little more than two months away, Eon Picture, Sony and MGM have dropped a new Vlog, to help better acquaint you with the film’s female contingent.
Check it out below.
The Vlog gives both Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci a chance to gush about the franchise and their collaborators, without giving too much away concerning their roles in Spectre’s sure-to-be-twisty framework.
A good Bond girl is a key part of any good Bond outing, as some of Daniel Craig’s past credits will attest. Eva Green was an absolute scene-stealer in Casino Royale, whilst the disappointing Quantum of Solace can chalk-up Olga Kurylenko’s flat turn as one of its critical flaws.
Seydoux and Bellucci certainly emanate the ethereal, distrusting beauty that Bond girls are famed for, but whether they can match the complexity of an Eva Green is another matter.
- 8/13/2015
- by Daniel Kelly
- Obsessed with Film
Ian West/Pa Archive
The Magnificent Seven remake is assembling its pieces, and now looks to have added a villain in the form of Jason Momoa.
The Hollywood Reporter is claiming that the former Game Of Thrones star is in talks to appear in Training Day director Antoine Fuqua’s update of the 1960 film, which itself was a remake of the 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai.
Nic Pizzolatto (True Detective) and John Lee Hancock (Snow White And The Huntsman) have contributed to the screenplay, while already on board to star are Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Wagner Moura and Haley Bennett. Byung-hun Lee, set to be seen this summer in Terminator Genisys, is also reported to be joining.
While Momoa is set to play a bad-guy in the movie, it appears the project is still on the look out for its big bad, a gold baron that targets a small town.
The Magnificent Seven remake is assembling its pieces, and now looks to have added a villain in the form of Jason Momoa.
The Hollywood Reporter is claiming that the former Game Of Thrones star is in talks to appear in Training Day director Antoine Fuqua’s update of the 1960 film, which itself was a remake of the 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai.
Nic Pizzolatto (True Detective) and John Lee Hancock (Snow White And The Huntsman) have contributed to the screenplay, while already on board to star are Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Wagner Moura and Haley Bennett. Byung-hun Lee, set to be seen this summer in Terminator Genisys, is also reported to be joining.
While Momoa is set to play a bad-guy in the movie, it appears the project is still on the look out for its big bad, a gold baron that targets a small town.
- 5/6/2015
- by James Hunt
- Obsessed with Film
Ian West/Pa Wire
Game Of Thrones has returned to a greater fanfare than ever before for its fifth season. The show kicked the drama up a notch last season, with characters’ storylines from across the entire fictional world becoming slowly intertwined and the future looking increasingly dark.
We left Season 4 with a climactic finale; Tyrion yet again stole the show by killing his own father, the great political puppeteer Tywin Lannister, on the toilet, before setting sail for lands unknown; Jon Snow survived the Wildling masses with a little help from Stannis Baratheon; Arya went solo to Braavos after leaving the Hound to die following his duel with Brienne; and Petyr Baelish continues to wreak silent havoc across the lands, now accompanied with Sansa Stark, who finally started to play the game.
There’s a lot of ticking time bombs waiting to rain down wildfire on the show; there...
Game Of Thrones has returned to a greater fanfare than ever before for its fifth season. The show kicked the drama up a notch last season, with characters’ storylines from across the entire fictional world becoming slowly intertwined and the future looking increasingly dark.
We left Season 4 with a climactic finale; Tyrion yet again stole the show by killing his own father, the great political puppeteer Tywin Lannister, on the toilet, before setting sail for lands unknown; Jon Snow survived the Wildling masses with a little help from Stannis Baratheon; Arya went solo to Braavos after leaving the Hound to die following his duel with Brienne; and Petyr Baelish continues to wreak silent havoc across the lands, now accompanied with Sansa Stark, who finally started to play the game.
There’s a lot of ticking time bombs waiting to rain down wildfire on the show; there...
- 4/15/2015
- by Michael Potts
- Obsessed with Film
Ian West/Pa Archive
Jenna Coleman became a household name when she was cast in the coveted role of the new Doctor Who companion but, to all intents and purposes, she was technically already one.
A household name, that is, as the actress first rose to public prominence 10 years ago for her critically lauded portrayal of wannabe journalist Jasmine Thomas in the long running ITV soap Emmerdale. Landing a recurring part in one of Britain’s most watched soaps is brilliant exposure for any young actor and it wasn’t long (Ok, so it was four years…) until Jenna secured another gritty mainstream role when she made the seamless transition from soap star to school girl – becoming self confessed ‘hard girl’ Lindsey James – in BBCs then popular Waterloo Road.
Both of these characters ended up in jail but it doesn’t look like Jenna’s current televisual alter ego, Miss Clara Oswald,...
Jenna Coleman became a household name when she was cast in the coveted role of the new Doctor Who companion but, to all intents and purposes, she was technically already one.
A household name, that is, as the actress first rose to public prominence 10 years ago for her critically lauded portrayal of wannabe journalist Jasmine Thomas in the long running ITV soap Emmerdale. Landing a recurring part in one of Britain’s most watched soaps is brilliant exposure for any young actor and it wasn’t long (Ok, so it was four years…) until Jenna secured another gritty mainstream role when she made the seamless transition from soap star to school girl – becoming self confessed ‘hard girl’ Lindsey James – in BBCs then popular Waterloo Road.
Both of these characters ended up in jail but it doesn’t look like Jenna’s current televisual alter ego, Miss Clara Oswald,...
- 4/8/2015
- by Dan Butler
- Obsessed with Film
Just when you thought you were safe from the disgusting premise of "The Human Centipede" comes word that the third -- and final -- installment in the gross-out horror franchise has a release date and synopsis ready for you to digest.
Entertainment Weekly reports that "Human Centipede Part 3 (Final Sequence)" is set to debut in theaters and on VOD on May 22. Writer-director Tom Six is back for the last round, as are stars Dieter Laser (from the first flick) and Laurence R. Harvey (from "The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)"). Actor Eric Roberts will make his franchise debut in "Final Sequence."
Six told EW that this last "Centipede" film is "100 percent politically incorrect," and based on the official synopsis, that boast seems 100 percent right. Here's the lowdown, per EW:
Bully prison warden Bill Boss (Dieter Laser), leading a big state prison in the Us of A, has a lot of problems...
Entertainment Weekly reports that "Human Centipede Part 3 (Final Sequence)" is set to debut in theaters and on VOD on May 22. Writer-director Tom Six is back for the last round, as are stars Dieter Laser (from the first flick) and Laurence R. Harvey (from "The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence)"). Actor Eric Roberts will make his franchise debut in "Final Sequence."
Six told EW that this last "Centipede" film is "100 percent politically incorrect," and based on the official synopsis, that boast seems 100 percent right. Here's the lowdown, per EW:
Bully prison warden Bill Boss (Dieter Laser), leading a big state prison in the Us of A, has a lot of problems...
- 4/7/2015
- by Katie Roberts
- Moviefone
Ian West/Pa Archive
After a stellar first instalment, the quality of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies would quickly decline. However, with a haul of over $3.7 billion worldwide in total, Disney aren’t going to let this franchise go the way of a sinking ship any time soon!
The fifth movie is still very much moving ahead then, with Johnny Depp set to reprise the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, and Geoffrey Rush returning as Captain Barbossa. Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner is also rumoured to make a comeback.
New additions include Maleficent star Brenton Thwaites as a British soldier who finds himself working alongside Sparrow, but specific details are sparse, and all we really know for sure is that his character in the movie is named Henry!
There have also been reports of Javier Bardem (Skyfall) being in talks to play Pirates of the Caribbean’s lead villain,...
After a stellar first instalment, the quality of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies would quickly decline. However, with a haul of over $3.7 billion worldwide in total, Disney aren’t going to let this franchise go the way of a sinking ship any time soon!
The fifth movie is still very much moving ahead then, with Johnny Depp set to reprise the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, and Geoffrey Rush returning as Captain Barbossa. Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner is also rumoured to make a comeback.
New additions include Maleficent star Brenton Thwaites as a British soldier who finds himself working alongside Sparrow, but specific details are sparse, and all we really know for sure is that his character in the movie is named Henry!
There have also been reports of Javier Bardem (Skyfall) being in talks to play Pirates of the Caribbean’s lead villain,...
- 1/26/2015
- by Josh Wilding
- Obsessed with Film
The X Factor kicked off '80s Week tonight (October 19) - setting social media abuzz with commentary about the acts, the judges, Dermot and all those retro tunes!
Digital Spy rounds up the best reactions to '80s Week below:
1. A worldwide trend of "#CherylKermit" began after Simon Cowell compared Cheryl Fernandez-Versini to a Muppet because of her fetching green outfit:
Simon is hilarious tonight, Kermit Lmao #xfactor
— ♡ (@TeamxAshleighBB) October 18, 2014
What the hell is Cheryl Cole wearing? Looks like a xmas tree man #xfactor
— Daniel Pérez (@perezd92) October 18, 2014
My girl looking gorgeous in green tonight #TeamCheryl @CherylOfficial pic.twitter.com/HePE5vDEMi
— ❤ Love you Steph ❤ (@queenminogue) October 18, 2014
Don't you just love it when Cheryl and Simon get sassy? #SaucerOfMilkPlease
— The X Factor (@TheXFactor) October 18, 2014
Cheryl looking great tonight in green #Xfactor2014 pic.twitter.com/us1LidHVPl
— markgrant (@bigglesgr) October 18, 2014
Simon criticising Cheryl's fashion sense. #XFactorLiveShows pic.twitter.com/M...
Digital Spy rounds up the best reactions to '80s Week below:
1. A worldwide trend of "#CherylKermit" began after Simon Cowell compared Cheryl Fernandez-Versini to a Muppet because of her fetching green outfit:
Simon is hilarious tonight, Kermit Lmao #xfactor
— ♡ (@TeamxAshleighBB) October 18, 2014
What the hell is Cheryl Cole wearing? Looks like a xmas tree man #xfactor
— Daniel Pérez (@perezd92) October 18, 2014
My girl looking gorgeous in green tonight #TeamCheryl @CherylOfficial pic.twitter.com/HePE5vDEMi
— ❤ Love you Steph ❤ (@queenminogue) October 18, 2014
Don't you just love it when Cheryl and Simon get sassy? #SaucerOfMilkPlease
— The X Factor (@TheXFactor) October 18, 2014
Cheryl looking great tonight in green #Xfactor2014 pic.twitter.com/us1LidHVPl
— markgrant (@bigglesgr) October 18, 2014
Simon criticising Cheryl's fashion sense. #XFactorLiveShows pic.twitter.com/M...
- 10/18/2014
- Digital Spy
Made in Television, the local TV group led by Top Up TV co-founder Ian West, has won the local television licence for Leeds.
Ofcom has handed a 12-year licence to Made in Leeds, and the station will launch on Freeview in late 2013 and serve around 840,000 homes in the Leeds area on digital terrestrial television.
In a post on the @madeinleeds Twitter page, the station wrote: "Leeds! We Made it!"
Made in Leeds will go live in November 2013, airing on Freeview channel 8, but also on Virgin Media, giving the network a potential audience reach of over 1.1 million people across Leeds and the wider region, including Wakefield, Dewsbury, Halifax and Huddersfield.
The station will broadcast "an eclectic array of new shows", including local news and current affairs, along with programmes on arts and culture, entertainment, music, sport, property and cookery.
Jobs will be created at Made in Leeds, including for journalists, producers,...
Ofcom has handed a 12-year licence to Made in Leeds, and the station will launch on Freeview in late 2013 and serve around 840,000 homes in the Leeds area on digital terrestrial television.
In a post on the @madeinleeds Twitter page, the station wrote: "Leeds! We Made it!"
Made in Leeds will go live in November 2013, airing on Freeview channel 8, but also on Virgin Media, giving the network a potential audience reach of over 1.1 million people across Leeds and the wider region, including Wakefield, Dewsbury, Halifax and Huddersfield.
The station will broadcast "an eclectic array of new shows", including local news and current affairs, along with programmes on arts and culture, entertainment, music, sport, property and cookery.
Jobs will be created at Made in Leeds, including for journalists, producers,...
- 2/15/2013
- Digital Spy
Colin Farrell will star in supernatural thriller Solace.
Directed by Afonso Poyart, the film will star Anthony Hopkins as a clairvoyant doctor tasked with tracking down a serial killer.
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Wire
© Rex Features
Deadline reports that Farrell will take on the role of the killer.
Solace is based on an original screenplay by Sean Bailey and Ted Griffin, with subsequent rewrites by James Vanderbilt (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen).
Farrell will next be seen alongside Noomi Rapace in crime thriller Dead Man Down, and also appears in Mary Poppins-themed biopic Saving Mr Banks.
> Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace in 'Dead Man Down' trailer - video
> Colin Farrell: 'My kids didn't want a drug addict dad'
Watch Colin Farrell discussing his most recent film Seven Psychopaths with Digital Spy below:...
Directed by Afonso Poyart, the film will star Anthony Hopkins as a clairvoyant doctor tasked with tracking down a serial killer.
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Wire
© Rex Features
Deadline reports that Farrell will take on the role of the killer.
Solace is based on an original screenplay by Sean Bailey and Ted Griffin, with subsequent rewrites by James Vanderbilt (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen).
Farrell will next be seen alongside Noomi Rapace in crime thriller Dead Man Down, and also appears in Mary Poppins-themed biopic Saving Mr Banks.
> Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace in 'Dead Man Down' trailer - video
> Colin Farrell: 'My kids didn't want a drug addict dad'
Watch Colin Farrell discussing his most recent film Seven Psychopaths with Digital Spy below:...
- 2/5/2013
- Digital Spy
Rodrigo Santoro has been cast in Jane Got a Gun.
The 300 actor will join Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender in the Western, reports Deadline.
© Ian West/Pa Wire/Press Association Images
© Dawbell
The Lynne Ramsey-directed film centres around Jane Hammond (Portman), who seeks the help of a former lover (Fassbender) when her husband becomes the target of a dangerous gang.
Santoro will play the role of a character named Fitchum in the movie.
The actor is also in line to reprise his role as Persian king Xerxes in 300: Rise of an Empire.
He was most recently seen in Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Last Stand.
The 300 actor will join Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender in the Western, reports Deadline.
© Ian West/Pa Wire/Press Association Images
© Dawbell
The Lynne Ramsey-directed film centres around Jane Hammond (Portman), who seeks the help of a former lover (Fassbender) when her husband becomes the target of a dangerous gang.
Santoro will play the role of a character named Fitchum in the movie.
The actor is also in line to reprise his role as Persian king Xerxes in 300: Rise of an Empire.
He was most recently seen in Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Last Stand.
- 2/5/2013
- Digital Spy
Skyfall has won the top prize at this year's London Evening Standard British Film Awards.
The Daniel Craig James Bond movie, which became the highest-grossing film ever at the UK box office following its release in October, was named 'Film of the Year'.
© MGM
Toby Jones picked up 'Best Actor' for his role in Berberian Sound Studio, while Andrea Riseborough scooped 'Best Actress' for her work on Shadow Dancer.
Sacha Baron Cohen, whose recent films have included Les Misérables and The Dictator, was the recipient of this year's 'Editor's Award' "for making every film an event".
Ben Wheatley's Sightseers collected the 'Peter Sellers Award for Comedy', Malcolm Campbell was awarded 'Best Screenplay' for What Richard Did and My Brother the Devil writer-director Sally El Hosaini was recognised as the 'Most Promising Newcomer'.
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Wire
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Wire
[Toby Jones and Andrea Riseborough attend the awards]
Anna Karenina's Jacqueline Durran...
The Daniel Craig James Bond movie, which became the highest-grossing film ever at the UK box office following its release in October, was named 'Film of the Year'.
© MGM
Toby Jones picked up 'Best Actor' for his role in Berberian Sound Studio, while Andrea Riseborough scooped 'Best Actress' for her work on Shadow Dancer.
Sacha Baron Cohen, whose recent films have included Les Misérables and The Dictator, was the recipient of this year's 'Editor's Award' "for making every film an event".
Ben Wheatley's Sightseers collected the 'Peter Sellers Award for Comedy', Malcolm Campbell was awarded 'Best Screenplay' for What Richard Did and My Brother the Devil writer-director Sally El Hosaini was recognised as the 'Most Promising Newcomer'.
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Wire
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Wire
[Toby Jones and Andrea Riseborough attend the awards]
Anna Karenina's Jacqueline Durran...
- 2/5/2013
- Digital Spy
Tim Burton has said he is very proud that Frankenweenie has been nominated for a 'Best Animated Feature' Oscar.
The filmmaker explained to Vulture that recognition from the Academy makes up for Frankenweenie's mediocre box office success.
© Pa Images / Yui Mok/Pa Wire
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Wire
"It's really nice [to get an Academy Award nod], especially for a film like that," Burton explained. "Everybody works really hard for something like this, especially the people who work in a dark room for a couple of years."
He went on to say: "The thing about stop-motion is that it's such a slow, painful process - one frame at a time. The positive side is that it helps keep the medium alive.
"It's not high on to-do lists for studio execs to make stop-motion, let alone black-and-white stop-motion. There's still a bit of a stigma, so any sort of positive response is meaningful."
Burton went...
The filmmaker explained to Vulture that recognition from the Academy makes up for Frankenweenie's mediocre box office success.
© Pa Images / Yui Mok/Pa Wire
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Wire
"It's really nice [to get an Academy Award nod], especially for a film like that," Burton explained. "Everybody works really hard for something like this, especially the people who work in a dark room for a couple of years."
He went on to say: "The thing about stop-motion is that it's such a slow, painful process - one frame at a time. The positive side is that it helps keep the medium alive.
"It's not high on to-do lists for studio execs to make stop-motion, let alone black-and-white stop-motion. There's still a bit of a stigma, so any sort of positive response is meaningful."
Burton went...
- 2/1/2013
- Digital Spy
Actor John Hurt has spoken of his pride at becoming the first Chancellor of the Norwich University of the Arts (Nua).
The star of 1984, The Elephant Man, Alien and I, Claudius took up the appointment yesterday at a ceremony at Norwich City Hall.
BBC Norfolk quotes him as saying that he hopes to make the Nua "second to none and the envy of the most illustrious institutions, not just in this country but worldwide".
© Ian West/Pa Archive/Press Association Images
The university was established in 1854 as Norwich School of Design by the artists and followers of the Norwich School of Painters.
In 1994, it was officially incorporated as a Higher Education Institution, and renamed as Norwich School of Art and Design.
Hurt become associated with the Nua last year and accepted an ambassadorial position with the institution.
Graham Creelman OBE, chair of the Nua governing board, said that his appointment...
The star of 1984, The Elephant Man, Alien and I, Claudius took up the appointment yesterday at a ceremony at Norwich City Hall.
BBC Norfolk quotes him as saying that he hopes to make the Nua "second to none and the envy of the most illustrious institutions, not just in this country but worldwide".
© Ian West/Pa Archive/Press Association Images
The university was established in 1854 as Norwich School of Design by the artists and followers of the Norwich School of Painters.
In 1994, it was officially incorporated as a Higher Education Institution, and renamed as Norwich School of Art and Design.
Hurt become associated with the Nua last year and accepted an ambassadorial position with the institution.
Graham Creelman OBE, chair of the Nua governing board, said that his appointment...
- 2/1/2013
- Digital Spy
Keri Russell has publicly campaigned for a role in Jj Abrams's Star Wars Episode 7.
The Americans star Russell worked with producer-director Abrams on the hit series Felicity, which launched her career in 1998.
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Archive
© WENN
Reports earlier in the week suggested that Star Wars Episode 7 could have a female protagonist, and now Russell has said that she would love a role in the project.
"I'm waiting for my call," she joked to TV Line.
Russell went on to say that she would be willing to portray "anyone [Jj Abrams] lets [her] play".
"I would do anything for Jj. I would do crafts services if he asked," she declared.
© Joi Ito
[George Lucas and Jj Abrams]
Original Star Wars actors Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher have previously said that they are willing to appear in the sequel, while Harrison Ford is also reportedly keen to once again play Han Solo.
Star Wars Episode 7 helmer...
The Americans star Russell worked with producer-director Abrams on the hit series Felicity, which launched her career in 1998.
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Archive
© WENN
Reports earlier in the week suggested that Star Wars Episode 7 could have a female protagonist, and now Russell has said that she would love a role in the project.
"I'm waiting for my call," she joked to TV Line.
Russell went on to say that she would be willing to portray "anyone [Jj Abrams] lets [her] play".
"I would do anything for Jj. I would do crafts services if he asked," she declared.
© Joi Ito
[George Lucas and Jj Abrams]
Original Star Wars actors Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher have previously said that they are willing to appear in the sequel, while Harrison Ford is also reportedly keen to once again play Han Solo.
Star Wars Episode 7 helmer...
- 1/31/2013
- Digital Spy
Jj Abrams has revealed that new Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy was crucial in convincing him to direct Star Wars Episode 7.
The Star Trek Into Darkness filmmaker held a secret meeting with Kennedy and Episode 7 writers Michael Arndt and Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back) on December 19, shortly after distancing himself from the blockbuster.
© Digital Spy
© Pa Images / Ian West / Pa Wire
Kennedy told The Hollywood Reporter that Abrams "was flipping out when he found out that Michael and Larry were on the movie already".
Abrams added of his meetings with Kennedy: "I learned firsthand how incredible and persuasive she is. The thing about any pre-existing franchise - I'd sort of done that. But when I met with Kathy, it was suddenly very tantalising."
Video - Ewan McGregor discusses potential 'Star Wars' return:
Kennedy recalled that after their first three-hour meeting, Abrams was "on the ceiling" about the prospect of...
The Star Trek Into Darkness filmmaker held a secret meeting with Kennedy and Episode 7 writers Michael Arndt and Lawrence Kasdan (Empire Strikes Back) on December 19, shortly after distancing himself from the blockbuster.
© Digital Spy
© Pa Images / Ian West / Pa Wire
Kennedy told The Hollywood Reporter that Abrams "was flipping out when he found out that Michael and Larry were on the movie already".
Abrams added of his meetings with Kennedy: "I learned firsthand how incredible and persuasive she is. The thing about any pre-existing franchise - I'd sort of done that. But when I met with Kathy, it was suddenly very tantalising."
Video - Ewan McGregor discusses potential 'Star Wars' return:
Kennedy recalled that after their first three-hour meeting, Abrams was "on the ceiling" about the prospect of...
- 1/31/2013
- Digital Spy
Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell and Samantha Morton have been cast in Miss Julie.
The three actors will star in director Liv Ullmann's adaptation of the 19th century play, reports Variety.
© Rex Features / Startraks Photo
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Wire
Published in 1888, August Strindberg's tale centres around the titular daughter of a Swedish count who explores the social world of her father's servants.
Chastain will play Miss Julie, with Farrell taking on the role of a servant named Jean who piques her interest. Morton will play the house's cook, Christine.
Oliver Dungey and Teun Hilte are attached to produce.
Chastain is currently starring in Zero Dark Thirty and Mama. Morton most recently appeared in Cosmopolis and John Carter.
Farrell most recently featured in Seven Psychopaths, and is due to appear in 2013's Dead Man Down, A Winter's Tale and Saving Mr Banks.
Watch Jessica Chastain speaking to Digital...
The three actors will star in director Liv Ullmann's adaptation of the 19th century play, reports Variety.
© Rex Features / Startraks Photo
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Wire
Published in 1888, August Strindberg's tale centres around the titular daughter of a Swedish count who explores the social world of her father's servants.
Chastain will play Miss Julie, with Farrell taking on the role of a servant named Jean who piques her interest. Morton will play the house's cook, Christine.
Oliver Dungey and Teun Hilte are attached to produce.
Chastain is currently starring in Zero Dark Thirty and Mama. Morton most recently appeared in Cosmopolis and John Carter.
Farrell most recently featured in Seven Psychopaths, and is due to appear in 2013's Dead Man Down, A Winter's Tale and Saving Mr Banks.
Watch Jessica Chastain speaking to Digital...
- 1/31/2013
- Digital Spy
Duncan Jones has been tapped to direct an upcoming movie based on the World of Warcraft game.
Warcraft, produced by Legendary Films in collaboration with Blizzard and Atlas Entertainment, will be based on the online roleplaying game which features elements of both fantasy and sci-fi.
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Archive
© Blizzard Entertainment
Jones wrote on Twitter: "So the gauntlet was thrown down ages ago: Can you make a proper Movie of a video game? I've always said its possible. Got to Do it now! ;)"
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film, penned by Blood Diamond screenwriter Charles Leavitt, will begin production in the fall of this year.
Jones - the son of musician David Bowie and his first wife Angela Bowie - has stepped into the project after director Sam Raimi dropped out.
The 41-year-old director is best known for his highly acclaimed science fiction drama Moon, and the 2011 thriller Source Code.
Warcraft, produced by Legendary Films in collaboration with Blizzard and Atlas Entertainment, will be based on the online roleplaying game which features elements of both fantasy and sci-fi.
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Archive
© Blizzard Entertainment
Jones wrote on Twitter: "So the gauntlet was thrown down ages ago: Can you make a proper Movie of a video game? I've always said its possible. Got to Do it now! ;)"
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film, penned by Blood Diamond screenwriter Charles Leavitt, will begin production in the fall of this year.
Jones - the son of musician David Bowie and his first wife Angela Bowie - has stepped into the project after director Sam Raimi dropped out.
The 41-year-old director is best known for his highly acclaimed science fiction drama Moon, and the 2011 thriller Source Code.
- 1/31/2013
- Digital Spy
Tim Burton has said that he is not sure if a Beetlejuice sequel will ever be produced.
Dark Shadows writer Seth Grahame-Smith reportedly started working on a potential Beetlejuice 2 in 2012, but Burton has said that Michael Keaton would have to be involved before he signs on.
[Michael Keaton in 'Beetlejuice']
In an interview with Vulture, Burton said that the project is still very much up in the air.
"Those were fun characters, but I'd have to see what the script was like and if it was worth doing - I can't just make it because it's one of the worst ten movies of the year," Burton joked.
"The first two films I did, Pee-wee's Big Adventure and Beetlejuice, made the ten-worst-movies-of-the-year lists. Then, years later, people said they were my best movies. What? So if those were my best, I'm in real trouble."
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Wire
[Helena Bonham-Carter with Tim Burton]
Burton went on to...
Dark Shadows writer Seth Grahame-Smith reportedly started working on a potential Beetlejuice 2 in 2012, but Burton has said that Michael Keaton would have to be involved before he signs on.
[Michael Keaton in 'Beetlejuice']
In an interview with Vulture, Burton said that the project is still very much up in the air.
"Those were fun characters, but I'd have to see what the script was like and if it was worth doing - I can't just make it because it's one of the worst ten movies of the year," Burton joked.
"The first two films I did, Pee-wee's Big Adventure and Beetlejuice, made the ten-worst-movies-of-the-year lists. Then, years later, people said they were my best movies. What? So if those were my best, I'm in real trouble."
© Pa Images / Ian West/Pa Wire
[Helena Bonham-Carter with Tim Burton]
Burton went on to...
- 1/30/2013
- Digital Spy
British actress Lisa Faulkner arrives for the Red's Hot Women Awards in association with euphoria Calvin Klein, at the Renaissance Hotel in London, Britain, 23 November 2011. The media prize presented by Red magazine recognizes achievements of women working in fashion, creative, food and charity sectors, among others. Epa/Ian West / Pa Wire UK And Ireland Out, No Commercial Sales British actress Romola Garai arrives for the Red's Hot Women Awards in association with euphoria Calvin Klein, at the Renaissance Hotel in London, Britain, 23 November 2011. The media prize presented by Red magazine recognizes achievements of women working in fashion, creative, food and charity sectors, among others. Epa/Ian West / Pa Wire UK And Ireland Out, No Commercial Sales...
- 11/23/2011
- by M&C
- Monsters and Critics
LONDON -- Matthew Seaman, who has been running Freeview for the past year, has quit the digital terrestrial television platform to join Top Up TV, Freeview consortium member the BBC said Wednesday. Top Up TV, a new company being set up by former British Sky Broadcasting executives David Chance and Ian West, will offer Freeview viewers the option of upgrading to a pay TV service. Since Freeview's launch in October 2002 as a free TV entity, it has attracted an estimated 3 million viewers, the majority of whom have purchased an inexpensive digital set-top box that allows them to watch about 30 free channels of TV supplied by the BBC, MTV, Flextech and others.
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