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Get ready for an adventurous family adventure film starring the guy from Shazam and Chuck, Zachary Levi. Based on a 1955 children’s picture book of the same name by Crockett Johnson, Harold, and the Purple Crayon is directed by Carlos Saldanha from a screenplay co-written by David Guion and Michael Handelman and it follows the story of a grown-up Harold, who can make anything come true by drawing it with his crayon in his book. When he draws himself into real life he goes on numerous comedic adventures but his power soon falls into the wrong hands. If you loved the comedic hijinks, fantastical adventures, and imagination in Harold and the Purple Crayon here are some similar movies you could watch next.

Christopher Robin (Disney+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Walt Disney Studios

Christopher Robin is a live-action and animated hybrid fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Marc Forster from a...

Maleah Joi Moon has become the 101st performer to win a Tony Award for their first outing on a Broadway stage for her performance in the musical “Hell’s Kitchen.”

She won Best Actress in a Musical at the 77th Tony Awards for portraying Ali, a 17-year-old girl searching for her place in the world while living in the titular New York City neighborhood and also being restrained by her overbearing mother. She is the 10th person to win the category for her Broadway debut. She joins:

Elizabeth Seal, “Irma La Douce” (1961)

Anna Maria Alberghetti, “Carnival” (1962)

Liza Minnelli, “Flora the Red Menace” (1965)

Leslie Uggams, “Hallelujah, Baby” (1968)

Alexis Smith, “Follies” (1972)

Natalia Makarova, “On Your Toes” (1983)

Lea Salonga, “Miss Saigon” (1991)

Catherine Zeta-Jones, “A Little Night Music” (2010)

Cynthia Erivo, “The Color Purple” (2016)

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Other performers who pulled off this accomplishment in recent years include...

Théoden, King of Rohan, is dead. British film and television actor, Bernard Hill, best known for portraying the ruler of Rohan in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, passed away on Sunday, May 5, 2024 at the age of 79. No details have been provided, but it has been confirmed that he was in the company of his fiancée Alison and his son Gabriel. No official cause of death has been provided.

Bernard Hill had several memorable roles both on film and television, but younger audiences will probably best remember him for his role in The Lord of the Rings, but also for portraying Captain Edward J. Smith in James Cameron’s Titanic, which also earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

Bernard Hill was born in Manchester in 1944. He attended the Xaverian College, and then Manchester Polytechnic School of Drama at the same time as Richard Griffiths, another...

“Arise, arise, riders of Rohan! Spears shall be shaken! Shields shall be splintered! A sword-day…a red day…ere the sun rises!”

So begins The Battle of Pelennor Fields, a centerpiece in Peter Jackson’s Best Picture-winning adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”. It’s a visually triumphant scene, with thousands of fighters on horseback and the horns of Howard Shore’s score lifting the sequence off the screen, but it’s Bernard Hill and his character King Theóden’s rousing speech to his troops that pulls the audience in and makes us a part of the action. That was Bernard Hill’s gift. He made things real. He offered a level of authenticity and commitment that transcends the screen and made movie-going a holy experience. Sadly, it was confirmed by his agent, Lou Coulson, that Hill died early this morning...

BAFTA-nominated Irish actor Robert Sheehan (The Umbrella Academy) has signed on to lead a stage adaptation of Bruce Robinson’s 1987 cult tragi-comedy Withnail and I at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre alongside actors Adonis Siddique and Malcolm Sinclair.

Directed by the double Olivier Award-winning Sean Foley, Artistic Director of Birmingham Rep, and designed by Alice Power, the show will premiere at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, with performances from 3 May until 25 May 2024.

The adaption was written by Robinson. The original film was based on an unpublished novel by Robinson and was produced by Handmade Films, with Richard E Grant, Paul McGann, and Richard Griffiths leading. On stage, Sheehan will star as Withnail while Siddique is Marwood, and Malcolm Sinclair is Uncle Monty.

Sheehan made his acting debut in Aisling Walsh’s acclaimed feature Song For A Raggy Boy. Since then, his screen credits include Season of the Witch, Cherrybomb, Killing Bono, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones,...

Ryan Gosling is one of the biggest contenders for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar this year for his role as Ken in Greta Gerwig‘s smash hit “Barbie.” The Warner Bros. movie follows Margot Robbie‘s titular Barbie as she leaves Barbie Land for the real world in search of answers after suffering an existential crisis. Gosling’s performance as Ken has brought him plenty of plaudits, leading to a strong case for Best Supporting Actor in this year’s Oscars race.

However, this isn’t the first Oscars race Gosling has been in as he’s received two Academy Award nominations before. Let’s take a look back at them.

Gosling was first nominated in 2007 when he received a Best Actor notice for “Half Nelson,” which follows Gosling as a junior high school teacher with a drug habit. Gosling’s teacher forms a friendship with one of his students...

Theater’s biggest stars converged on Monday morning for Variety‘s annual Business of Broadway Breakfast, fortifying themselves with coffee and frittatas on a rare day off, to celebrate a new season of plays, musicals and revivals.

The event, which was presented by City National Bank, included discussions with Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez. They are taking their acclaimed Off-Broadway production of “Merrily We Roll Along” to the Main Stem and hoping to redeem the Stephen Sondheim musical, which flopped when it debuted in 1981. There was also a discussion with Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells, who have reunited for the zany “Gutenberg! The Musical!,” more than a decade after “The Book of Mormon” made them household names. And a panel of prominent producers such as Greg Nobile, Kristin Caskey, Patrick Catullo, Leslie Odom Jr. and Fiona Rudin, discussed the challenges of mounting a show in a business with little margin for error.

Film-maker who directed the 1984 classic A Private Function, starring Michael Palin and Maggie Smith

In a small Yorkshire town in 1947, a pig is being illicitly reared to provide meat for a forthcoming banquet of local dignitaries celebrating the marriage of Princess Elizabeth. That is, until a timid chiropodist (Michael Palin) pig-naps the animal, urged on by his grasping wife (Maggie Smith), who sees it as a possible ticket out of their glumly austere lives and up the social ladder.

So begins A Private Function (1984), originally titled Pork Royale, Alan Bennett’s first script for cinema. With finely rendered performances from Palin, Smith – who is hilariously sour as what Time Out called “a Lady Macbeth of the aspidistras” – and a host of British talent, the film’s tone teeters on the brink of unwholesomeness without ever quite tipping over.

Malcolm Mowbray, the British director of “A Private Function,” died June 23, producer Deniz Erel confirmed to Variety. He was 74.

Mowbray was known for directing “The Revengers’ Comedies,” “Meeting Spencer,” “Out Cold” as well as the 1984 feature “A Private Function.”

Maggie Smith, Michael Palin, Richard Griffiths, Denholm Elliott, John Normington and Tony Haygarth starred in “A Private Function,” which Mowbray co-wrote. The dark comedy followed the citizens of a small English town in 1947 who were awaiting the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. The citizens had to ration their food, but the royal celebration was the one exception. They gathered to prepare and raise a pig for the celebratory meal — but a couple, Smith’s Joyce and Palin’s Gilbert, decide to steal the pig in an act of rebellion. The film garnered six BAFTA wins, including original screenplay and best film.

In 1989, Mowbray directed the black comedy “Out Cold,...

Jodie Comer has become the 100th performer to win a Tony Award for their Broadway debut for her performance in the play, “Prima Facie.”

She won Best Actress in a Play for portraying Tess, a lawyer who concentrates in providing legal defense for men who are accused of sexual assault but soon has the unthinkable happen to her. She is the 11th person to win the category for her first outing on a Broadway stage. She joins:

SEE2023 Tony Awards: Every winner (and nominee) in all 26 competitive categories

Martita Hunt, “The Madwoman of Chaillot” (1949)

Beryl Reid, “The Killing of Sister George” (1967)

Phyllis Frelich, “Children of a Lesser God” (1980)

Jane Lapotaire, “Piaf” (1981)

Joan Allen, “Burn This” (1988)

Pauline Collins, “Shirley Valentine” (1989)

Janet McTeer, “A Doll’s House” (1997)

Marie Mullen, “The Beauty Queen of Leeane” (1998)

Jennifer Ehle, “The Real Thing” (2000)

Deanna Dunagan, “August: Osage County” (2008)

Below are the Broadway debuts in the seven other...

Exclusive: Will Kemp (The Christmas Waltz, Spinning Out) has signed a multi-picture overall deal, including exclusivity on holiday movies, with Hallmark Media.

As part of the agreement, Kemp will also develop and produce new projects for Hallmark. He will next star in the original movie Jolly Good Christmas, premiering Saturday, October 29 (8 p.m. Et/Pt), on Hallmark Channel as part of the network’s annual “Countdown to Christmas” programming event.

“Will Kemp brings great versatility to each and every role and we’re excited to expand our partnership with him to develop new programming,” said Lisa Hamilton Daly, Executive Vice President, Programming, Hallmark Media. “We can’t wait for viewers to see will in ‘Jolly Good Christmas,’ where he gets to showcase his ability to play both comedic and heartfelt moments.”

“I’m beyond thrilled to be collaborating with the Hallmark team. I’ve so enjoyed working on heartfelt romantic...

One of the only photographs capturing Buster Keaton smiling is an early Vaudeville promotional still he took with his family when he was six. In the photos you'll see of Keaton in his cinematic heyday -- the late 1910s to the early 1920s -- his expression is flat, unsmiling, serious, and emotionless. He appears melancholy, defeated, stoic, mildly bemused, less-than-surprised, or completely nonplussed. His famed deadpan body language is the trademark of his comedy.

And yet, when one looks into the films Keaton wrote and directed, they will find a trove of impressive stunts, elaborate camera work, and scenes of utter danger. In 1926's "The General," Keaton was firing cannonballs. Keaton was also responsible for one of the most famous stunts in cinema history: For his 1928 film "Steamboat Bill, Jr.," Keaton stands up, facing away from a two-story house in a long shot. The house's entire front frame then fell forward in one giant plank,...

Myles Frost became the latest addition to the list of people who have taken home a Tony Award for their Broadway debut. His win makes him the 98th member of this particular winners’ club.

Frost, who won Best Actor in a Musical for playing Michael Jackson in “Mj,” is the 13th person to win that category for their first time stepping into a character on a Broadway stage. He joins:

Ezio Pinza, “South Pacific” (1950)

Robert Alda, “Guys and Dolls” (1951)

Robert Lindsay, “Me and My Girl” (1987)

Brent Carver, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (1993)

Alan Cumming, “Cabaret” (1998)

Hugh Jackman, “The Boy From Oz” (2004)

John Lloyd Young, “Jersey Boys” (2006)

Paulo Szot, “South Pacific” (2008)

David Álvarez, Trent Kowalik and Kiril Kulish (joint nomination), “Billy Elliot” (2009)

Douglas Hodge, “La Cage aux Folles” (2010)

See 2022 Tony Awards: Every winner (and nominee) in all 26 categories

Below are the Broadway debuts in the seven other acting categories that have...

Noah Baumbach has never seen “Withnail and I.” Kenneth Lonergan has always wanted to see “Yi Yi.” Sandra Bernhard hasn’t had the chance to catch “Lola.” As part of New York City’s Quad Cinema’s newly announced “First Encounters” screening series, they (and more creative types) are going to finally remedy that — and they’d like you to join them.

The newly revamped four-screen theater — set to reopen in less than in a month — has announced the first lineup of their newest series, which sees notable New Yorkers (helped by programmers Christopher Wells and Gavin Smith) picking a film they’ve never seen (but have always wanted to) to show on the big screen, complete with a post-showing Q&A with the rest of audience.

Check out the first official lineup for First Encounters below, with descriptions and other information provided by Quad Cinema.

Read More: New York...

Conservative activist James O’Keefe this morning released what he says is nearly 120 hours of audio from inside CNN’s Atlanta headquarters, secretly recorded in 2009. O’Keefe, speaking from a suite at the Washington D.C.-set Conservative Political Action Conference gathering, identified the source of the audio as Miss X. Among the recordings, dumped Wikileaks-style, Richard Griffiths, now CNN's Vice President, is heard saying the role of journalists is to "aid the…...

Robin Bell Feb 2, 2017

Blackpool, Lee Evans, Jerry Lewis and Oliver Platt converge in Funny Bones. Here's why it's a film worth seeking out.

"Why do all the best things in life belong to the past?"

It seems a strange thing to be obsessed about, it wasn't a franchise, and didn't come with much buzz, but when Peter Chelsom's Funny Bones was released in 1995 I instantly latched on to it. It didn't even receive a general release in the cinemas around my area. It was released during that period when you had to check the local newspaper adverts to discover the cinema times. Disappointingly it didn't appear, not until a few weeks later when it had just one showing, on a Thursday night. I'd been talking about the film for ages to my brother, who was now at university, and once I found that it was screening I practically begged...

'Play Misty for Me': Rabid fan Jessica Walter makes life difficult for disc jockey Clint Eastwood. Clint Eastwood, 'Harry Potter' and 'The Decline of Western Civilization': Packard Campus movies Movies set in the world of music and/or radio are among the April 2016 highlights at the Library of Congress' Packard Campus Theater in Culpeper, Virginia. Packard Campus Recorded Sound Curator Matt Barton selected the documentaries and narrative features in this particular program, which, according to the Theater's press release, includes “several rarely projected films in original release prints from the Library's holdings.” Radio/music titles include: Clint Eastwood's 1971 feature film directorial debut, the thriller Play Misty for Me, starring Jessica Walter as a woman obsessed with both a late night disc jockey (Eastwood) and the song “Misty,” jazzily played by Errol Garner at the piano. Also in the cast: Donna Mills, frequent Eastwood director Don Siegel (Dirty Harry,...

Based on the middle book in J.K. Rowling's series, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was a pivotal film in many ways. Released 10 years ago this week (on November 18, 2005), "Goblet" marked the first time Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) saw one of his friends die, the first time Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) appeared in the flesh, and the first time we saw the young heroes of Hogwarts as hormonal teenagers.

As often as you've watched "Goblet of Fire," there's a lot you still may not know about it -- from the surprising controversy over the all-star band at the Yule Ball, to the Easter eggs that less-than-sharp-eyed Muggle viewers may have missed. So dip into the Pensieve and learn the secrets of "Goblet of Fire."1. Screenwriter Steve Kloves and the producers initially considered making Rowling's 734-page book into two films. Since they decided instead to condense it into a single 2.5 hour movie,...

The year that gave us Gremlins, Ghostbusters and The Temple Of Doom also gave us these 20 underappreciated movies...

It's been said that 1984 was a vintage year for movies, and looking back, it's easy to see why. The likes of Ghostbusters and Gremlins served up comedy, action and the macabre in equal measure. James Cameron's The Terminator cemented Arnold Schwarzenegger's star status and gave us one of the greatest sci-fi action movies of the decade.

This was also the year where the Coen brothers made their screen debut with the stunning thriller Blood Simple, and when the Zucker brothers followed up Airplane! with the equally hilarious Top Secret! And we still haven't even mentioned Beverly Hills Cop, This Is Spinal Tap, The Karate Kid, Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom and the unexpectedly successful romantic comedy, Splash. Then there was Milos Forman's sumptuous period drama Amadeus, which...

In the decades since its premiere, The French Lieutenant’s Woman is now most commonly discussed for its placement in the extensive awards resume of its star Meryl Streep, since it was her follow-up to her Best Supporting Actress win for 1979’s Kramer vs. Kramer and would serve as netting her first nomination in a leading category (it’s also interesting to note Streep won the Golden Globe but ultimately, perhaps ironically, lost to Katharine Hepburn, the iconic performer who previously held the most nominations record). But at the time of its release, the final product was the result of a decade long ordeal, seeing many auteurs, actors, and screenwriters attempting to adapt the notoriously ‘unfilmable’ 1969 novel by John Fowles, an experiment in form termed “post-modern historical fiction.” Directed by Karel Reisz, the Czech-born British auteur a British New Wave progenitor of the realist strain of filmmaking, it remains one of his most prolific works.

'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl': Johnny Depp as Capt. Jack Sparrow. 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' review: Mostly an enjoyable romp (Oscar Movie Series) Pirate movies were a Hollywood staple for about three decades, from the mid-'20s (The Sea Hawk, The Black Pirate) to the mid-to-late '50s (Moonfleet, The Buccaneer), when the genre, by then mostly relegated to B films, began to die down. Sporadic resurrections in the '80s and '90s turned out to be critical and commercial bombs (Pirates, Cutthroat Island), something that didn't bode well for the Walt Disney Company's $140 million-budgeted film "adaptation" of one of their theme-park rides. But Neptune's mood has apparently improved with the arrival of the new century. He smiled – grinned would be a more appropriate word – on the Gore Verbinski-directed Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,...

'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' poster. With Daniel Radcliffe. Rupert Grint. Emma Watson. 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' quiz question: Does state-of-the-art CGI equal movie magic? (Oscar Movie Series) Alfonso Cuarón seems like an odd choice for director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third installment in the Harry Potter movie series. That is, if one thinks only of Cuarón's pre-Harry Potter sleeper hit, the François Truffaut-esque Y tu mamá también, while ignoring two of his earlier efforts, the critically acclaimed A Little Princess and the moderately respected Great Expectations. This time around, working with a reported $130 million budget (approx. $163 million in 2015), state-of-the-art special effects, and the Harry Potter franchise, Cuarón surely could do no wrong. At the box office, that is. For although Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is stylistically superior to Chris Columbus' previous work in the series,...

Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter at the Academy Awards Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter on the Oscars' Red Carpet Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter sported matching hairdos upon their arrival at the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony held on Feb. 27 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Tim Burton's global blockbuster Alice in Wonderland, in which Helena Bonham Carter is one of the featured players (as the Red Queen), won Oscars for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction. Bonham Carter was a Best Supporting Actress nominee for Tom Hooper's The King's Speech (as another queen, Elizabeth). Helena Bonham Carter: Career boosted by Oscar nomination Helena Bonham Carter's film career began in earnest in James Ivory's 1986 Best Picture Oscar nominee A Room with a View, in which she romanced Julian Sands. She kept on working without creating too much of a stir – e.g., Lady Jane,...

Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson on the Oscars' Red Carpet Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson at the Academy Awards Eli Wallach and wife Anne Jackson are seen above arriving at the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony, held on Sunday, Feb. 27, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. The 95-year-old Wallach had received an Honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards in November 2010. See also: "Doris Day Inexplicably Snubbed by Academy," "Maureen O'Hara Honorary Oscar," "Honorary Oscars: Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo Among Rare Women Recipients," and "Hayao Miyazaki Getting Honorary Oscar." Delayed film debut The Actors Studio-trained Eli Wallach was to have made his film debut in Fred Zinnemann's Academy Award-winning 1953 blockbuster From Here to Eternity. Ultimately, however, Frank Sinatra – then a has-been following a string of box office duds – was cast for a pittance, getting beaten to a pulp by a pre-stardom Ernest Borgnine. For his bloodied efforts, Sinatra went on...

Early word is that Sean Penn's The Gunman is shooting blanks. But surely it can't be worse than.  Shanghai Surprise (1986) Director: Jim Goddard Stars: Sean Penn, Madonna, Richard Griffiths   In 1930s China, a missionary nurse and a glow-in-the-dark tie salesman get involved in a quest to find a mythical stockpile of opium.   Sometimes movies are so bad that you can't even fathom how they were created, but I know exactly how Shanghai Surprise...

Actors now have their answer to “Showrunners,” the recently released documentary about TV writers and producers that included interviews with Steven S. DeKnight and J.J. Abrams. Instead of the writer’s room, “Showing Up” provides an “unprecedented” look at the audition. Married co-directors Riad Galayini and James Morrison, both actors themselves, compiled the narrative “from more than 50 interviews with notable artists including: Kristin Chenoweth, Richard Griffiths, Zoe Kazan, Nathan Lane, Chris Messina, Sam Rockwell, Bill Irwin and Eli Wallach.” It screens Nov. 21-23 at Arena Cinema in Hollywood. Click here for tickets. SAG Foundation Conversations: “The Mindy Project”Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.SAG Foundation5757 Wilshire Blvd., Mezzanine Level, Los AngelesDetails here. The Last Bookstore Review (Comedy/Storytelling show)Nov. 21 at 8:30 p.m.The Last Bookstore453 S. Spring St., Downtown Los AngelesDetails here. Farewell to the Cat & FiddleNov. 22 at 7 p.m.Cat & Fiddle6530 Sunset Blvd., Los AngelesClick here to RSVP...

Actors now have their answer to “Showrunners,” the recently released documentary about TV writers and producers that included interviews with Steven S. DeKnight and J.J. Abrams. Instead of the writer’s room, “Showing Up” provides an “unprecedented” look at the audition. Married co-directors Riad Galayini and James Morrison, both actors themselves, compiled the narrative “from more than 50 interviews with notable artists including: Kristin Chenoweth, Richard Griffiths, Zoe Kazan, Nathan Lane, Chris Messina, Sam Rockwell, Bill Irwin and Eli Wallach.” It screens Nov. 21-23 at Arena Cinema in Hollywood. Click here for tickets. SAG Foundation Conversations: “The Mindy Project”Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.SAG Foundation5757 Wilshire Blvd., Mezzanine Level, Los AngelesDetails here. The Last Bookstore Review (Comedy/Storytelling show)Nov. 21 at 8:30 p.m.The Last Bookstore453 S. Spring St., Downtown Los AngelesDetails here. Farewell to the Cat & FiddleNov. 22 at 7 p.m.Cat & Fiddle6530 Sunset Blvd., Los AngelesClick here to RSVP...

Stars: Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Brown, Michael Elphick | Written and Directed by Bruce Robinson

I have a list of films inside my head that are ones that I haven’t seen yet, and each time I watch one of them I can tick them off. Some of these sit there for years but deserve to be seen, and some I consider as a crime against my geekhood that I’ve not seen them yet. One these is Withnail and I but the good news is that now that Arrow Video have released their limited edition of the film I’ve finally managed to see it, and it has become one of my favourite films.

Seen as a cult favourite popular with students, it tells the tale of Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and Marwood (the “and I” of the title, portrayed by Paul McGann). Two unemployed actors...

Brother to Brother: O’Connor’s Rudimentary Look at Familial Ravages in WWII

His first film since that ill-advised 2001 remake of Sweet November, which sought to rekindle interest in possible on-screen chemistry between Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves, Irish director Pat O’Connor revisits darker, historical themes with Private Peaceful, a WWII tale as told through the eyes of two brothers from Devon. It’s perhaps the most serious subject O’Connor has tackled since some of his more celebrated 80s titles, like the Ira romance thriller Cal (1984) which nabbed Helen Mirren one of her two Best Actress wins at Cannes. And yet, while it’s great to find O’Connor avoiding the type of soapy schmaltz he careened into during his last several features, his dip into the over explored WWII era never manages to register as emotionally, thematically, or narratively resonant.

Private Tommo (George MacKay) sits in a British army cell,...

Adam Sandler plays Skeeter Bronson, a hotel handyman who finds that the bedtime stories he tells to his niece and nephew magically come true. The upshot is that Skeeter finds himself in the Old West, ancient Greece, outer space…and even working his way into the affections of Keri Russell. A stellar cast also includes Russell Brand as his dysfunctional buddy, Guy Pearce as Skeeter’s snooty rival and Richard Griffiths as a germaphobic hotel boss.

I am intensely envious of anyone seeing this glorious re-released classic for the first time

The death of Richard Griffiths last year has superimposed a delicate new layer of sadness on this brilliant fin de siècle comedy, a subtle new chill. (I’m tempted to say it’s the ice in the cider of my enjoyment.) Bruce Robinson’s glorious 1987 British classic is now re-released in cinemas. Richard E Grant and Paul McGann are the eponymous Withnail and I, the two resting actors living in bohemian squalor in north London’s Camden Town in the late 60s. They conceive the catastrophic plan of getting away for the weekend at a country cottage owned by Withnail’s garrulous Uncle Monty, wonderfully played by Griffiths – a witty, florid, predatory queen of the old school. Every line is a quotable joy, and Ralph Brown’s lugubrious dealer Danny has also ascended to legendary status.

James Cordon, British actor and comedian, has officially been tapped to replace Craig Ferguson as the host of CBS’s The Late, Late Show.

James Cordon Hosting 'The Late, Late Show'

Cordon’s hiring was announced by CBS on Monday, reported the New York Daily News.

"James Corden is a rare entertainment force who combines irresistible charm, warmth and originality with a diverse range of creative instincts and performance talent," CBS Entertainment Chairman Nina Tassler said in a statement. "He is already a big star in the UK and he's wowed American audiences on Broadway. We're very excited to introduce his considerable and unique talents to our network television audience on a daily basis."

In reaction to the hiring news, Cordon released a statement of his own, which read, “I can't describe how thrilled and honored I am to be taking over from the brilliant Craig Ferguson. To be asked...

James Corden, a British stage and screen actor, will reportedly be taking over Craig Ferguson’s post at The Late Late Show.

James Corden Taking Over 'Late Late Show'?

It has not yet been confirmed that Corden, 35, will assume hosting duties on The Late Late Show, but a purported insider shared the information with TheWrap. Neither Corden nor CBS have commented on the rumor.

Corden is perhaps best known to U.S. audiences for his turn in The History Boys with Richard Griffiths and Dominic Cooper. He’s soon to be a more recognizable face stateside with a part in Begin Again starring Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo, as well as the role of The Baker in the highly-anticipated feature film adaptation of Into the Woods, which hits theaters Christmas Day. He also starred as Paul Potts in One Chance.

On the small screen, Corden co-created, co-wrote and starred in BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey,...

Arts Alliance strikes deal with Syco, Modest! and Sony Music Entertainment.

Arts Alliance announce a deal with Syco, Modest! and Sony Music Entertainment to bring the One Direction ‘Where We Are’ tour to cinemas worldwide on Oct 11 and 12.

Event cinema distributor Arts Alliance plans more than 10,000 screenings on 3000+ screens across 50+ territories making this the biggest global event cinema release.

The band, currently in the midst of the 69-date tour, announced the news via video and a trailer for the concert film was also released today.

The concert film, offered in HD and 5.1 surround sound, was recorded at Milan’s San Siro stadium and will also feature a new 15-minute inteview edited with exclusive behind the scenes footage.

Fulwell 73 produces and the producers are reunited from the band’s previous concert film, This Is Us, Ben Winston and executive producers Simon Cowell, Sonny Takhar, Richard Griffiths, Harry Magee and Will Bloomfield.

Yogita Puri, director...

Mark Kennedy, Associated Press

Jake Coyle, Associated Press

New York (AP) - Elaine Stritch, the brash theater performer whose gravelly, gin-laced voice and impeccable comic timing made her a Broadway legend, has died. She was 89.

Joseph Rosenthal, Stritch's longtime attorney, said the actress died Thursday of natural causes at her home in Birmingham, Michigan.

Although Stritch appeared in movies and on television, garnering three Emmys and finding new fans as Alec Baldwin's unforgiving mother on "30 Rock," she was best known for her stage work, particularly in her candid one-woman memoir, "Elaine Stritch: At Liberty," and in the Stephen Sondheim musical "Company."

A tart-tongued monument to New York show business endurance, Stritch worked well into her late 80s, most recently as Madame Armfeldt in a revival of Sondheim's musical "A Little Night Music." She replaced Angela Lansbury in 2010 to critical acclaim.

In 2013, Stritch - whose signature "no pants" style...

Feature Alex Westthorp 16 Apr 2014 - 07:00

Alex's trek through the film roles of actors who've played the Doctor reaches Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy...

Read the previous part in this series, Doctor Who: the film careers of Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker, here.

In March 1981, as he made his Doctor Who debut, Peter Davison was already one the best known faces on British television. Not only was he the star of both a BBC and an ITV sitcom - Sink Or Swim and Holding The Fort - but as the young and slightly reckless Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great And Small, about the often humorous cases of Yorkshire vet James Herriot and his colleagues, he had cemented his stardom. The part led, indirectly, to his casting as the venerable Time Lord.

The recently installed Doctor Who producer, John Nathan-Turner, had been the Production Unit Manager on...

Feature Alex Westthorp 28 Mar 2014 - 07:00

In a new series, Alex talks us through the film roles of the actors who've played the Doctor. First up, William Hartnell and Jon Pertwee...

We know them best as the twelve very different incarnations of the Doctor. But all the actors who've been the star of Doctor Who, being such good all-rounders in the first place, have also had film careers. Admittedly, some CVs are more impressive than others, but this retrospective attempts to pick out some of the many worthwhile films which have starred, featured or seen a fleeting cameo by the actors who would become (or had been) the Doctor.

William Hartnell was, above all else, a film star. He is by far the most prolific film actor of the main twelve to play the Time Lord. With over 70 films to his name, summarising Hartnell's film career is difficult at best.

Few actors have managed to transcend the roles that made them famous the way Daniel Radcliffe has. Even before he hung up his Harry Potter robes, Radcliffe began undertaking a handful of challenging roles that were, whether intentional or not, significant departures from the boy wizard. Particularly when it comes to his work on stage, Radcliffe’s moves have been brave and bold, baring it all in Equus and charming audiences with surprising musical chops in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

His third time on Broadway is now at hand — he’ll star in Martin McDonagh’s...

James Gandolfini, Paul Walker and Philip Seymour Hoffman were among the late stars who were honoured at last night's Oscars 2014 ceremony (March 2).

The Academy paid tribute to Hollywood actors, writers, directors, producers, crew members and others associated with cinema who have passed away over the last 12 months.

Oscars 2014: Gravity takes 7 awards as 12 Years a Slave named Best Picture

Oscars 2014: Pink sings 'Over the Rainbow' for The Wizard of Oz tribute

Ghostbusters star Harold Ramis, Shirley Temple Black, Peter O'Toole, Richard Griffiths and film critic Roger Ebert were also recognised.

Among those not mentioned in the on-air tribute were Glee actor Cory Monteith, Stepford Wives director Bryan Forbes, actress Jean Stapleton and author Tom Clancy, whose numerous bestselling novels inspired a number of blockbuster movies.

Bette Midler performed her Beaches classic 'Wind Beneath My Wings' following the tribute.

Gravity was the big winner at the 2014 Oscars, while 12 Years a Slave,...

Actor who played Withnail and I's Uncle Monty remembered at Oscar ceremony after death last year

• Xan Brooks liveblogs the ceremony

• Full list of winners as they're announced

The Oscars paid tribute to Richard Griffiths, the veteran British actor who died last year - devoting part of its traditional In Memoriam section to the star of The History Boys and Withnail and I.

Griffiths' film career began slowly, with small parts in British films such as It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet and Chariots of Fire. After a string of roles of gradually increasing size he was cast as Uncle Monty in Bruce Robinson's Withnail and I, a character that earned up permanent cult status. He subsequently began to gain roles in Hollywood films, such as Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow and The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear. As well as playing Harry Potter's uncle Vernon...

Samuel Anderson was recently announced as the newest addition to the Doctor Who family.

Set to play teacher Danny Pink, Anderson will have a recurring role in the upcoming eighth series of the show, which will also mark Peter Capaldi's debut as the new Doctor.

To celebrate Doctor Who's new arrival, we at Digital Spy thought that we would bring you all there is to know about the Whovian man of the moment.

Samuel Anderson was born in 1984 and is best known for his role as police officer Ross Kirk in Emmerdale.

Anderson played the copper from 2007 to 2009, and despite his relatively brief time on the soap his character managed to cause quite a stir with storylines including affairs with Donna Dingle, drink-driving and being charged and imprisoned for a murder that he did not commit.

During his time on Emmerdale farm, Anderson also made a handful of...

The red carpet has been rolled, the stars are sleeping off their hangovers. Here are our top takeaways from last night's Baftas

• Winners in full

• The ceremony as it happened

Stephen Fry has got gummy

Maybe it's that Amy Poehler and Tina Fey have ruined us for everyone else. Maybe it was because the broadcast didn't start until after the watershed, so we'd expected more bite. But Stephen Fry calling Emma Thompson "a ghastly piece of stinking offal" and describing Captain Phillips as "Saving Mr Hanks" didn't quite seem to cut it like it might have in 2002. There was the odd glimmer of the old wit: slagging off Jeff Pope's grammar, telling us he was so moved by Oprah in The Butler he nearly gave his the afternoon off. But Fry's own suggestion that Steve Coogan should take on the mantle seemed the sanest thing he said all night.

James Gandolfini, Richard Griffiths and Roger Lloyd Pack were omitted from the BAFTAs in memoriam segment last night (February 16).

The montage paid tribute to the stars and film industry professionals who passed away over the last 12 months, including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Walker, Peter O'Toole and Shirley Temple.

Gandolfini, who has been posthumously nominated for awards at the SAGs and Independent Spirit Awards this year for Enough Said, was the most high-profile absentee.

The actor, best known for his role in HBO drama The Sopranos, appeared in more than 30 feature films including True Romance, In the Loop and Zero Dark Thirty.

Griffiths played Vernon Dursley in five Harry Potter instalments and also appeared in Withnail & I and The History Boys.

Only Fools and Horses actor Lloyd Pack was also a Potter veteran, starring as Barty Crouch in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. His other film credits include Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy...

From Cory to Paul to Nelson Mandela, we lost many great, talented people in the year 2013. They may be gone, but they will not be forgotten.

The world lost a fair share of legends in 2013, in the entertainment industry and outside of it. But with every star, like Nelson Mandela and Paul Walker, the amazing outpouring of support and love that followed their deaths proved how much they meant to the world. As we turn the page on 2013, let’s remember the stars we lost this year.

2013 In Memoriam

Nelson Mandela

The South African president and anti-apartheid revolutionary leader — a ubiquitous sign of hope and freedom — passed away from a lung infection on Dec. 5.

Paul Walker

The Fast & Furious lead man tragically died in a fiery car accident on Nov. 30. at the age of 40.

Paul Walker Video Shows Actor Burned To Death

Cory Monteith

Glee fans were crushed when the actor,...

The world is completely heartbroken. ‘Fast & Furious’ star Paul Walker sadly died, at the age of 40, on Nov. 30, after a car in which he was riding exploded into flames after crashing. Celebs have taken to Twitter to remember the young star.

Paul Walker died in a tragic accident in Santa Clarita, California, his rep confirmed to HollywoodLife.com. The driver of the car in which he was riding, reportedly lost control of the Porsche, causing the car to crash and burst into flames, TMZ reported.

Paul Walker’s Death — Celebs React

“Sadly I must confirm that Paul did pass away this afternoon,” Paul’s rep told HollywoodLife.com. The accident also took place when he was taking his friends for test drives in the Porsche Gt. He was in Santa Clarita to support the Philippines storm relief efforts at a car show.

His family and friends have released a heartbreaking statement here.

Domhnall Gleeson, Hollywood's newest leading man would like to stress two things: His new movie is super weird, and he's really hungry. Gleeson, 30, leads Richard Curtis' ("Love Actually") quirky new time travel movie, "About Time." Not quirky in that the protagonists wear glasses and have bangs (well, Gleeson's co-star Rachel McAdams has bangs, but she calls it "fringe," so she gets a pass), but that the movie is anything but a typical rom-com.

"It's a bizarre film," Gleeson told NextMovie during a September conversation in New York City. "There's time travel, there's craziness and all the rest, but it's romantic comedy and there's big bits and big comedy and all the rest of it."

Best known for playing Bill Weasley in later installments of the "Harry Potter" series, Gleeson steps up to the plate as Tim in the unconventional new movie, which opens wide on November 8. The year he...

Ben Daniels (House of Cards, The Paradise) was briefly the bookies' favourite to become the new star of Doctor Who and has now revealed to Digital Spy that he was indeed in the running before the role went to a certain Peter Capaldi...

> Ben Daniels on Doctor Who: 'I was approached to be the 12th Doctor'

Of course, Daniels isn't the first actor to come close but fall just short of Doctor Who stardom - here's five more stars who we very nearly saw at the Tardis controls...

Hugh Grant

When Russell T Davies was looking for a big name to help relaunch Doctor Who in 2005, he first turned to Grant, the king of '90s Brit rom-coms. While "highly flattered", Grant turned down the role of the ninth Doctor - eventually taken by Christopher Eccleston - for fear that the revived sci-fi drama would turn out to be a flop.

Ben Daniels (House of Cards, The Paradise) was briefly the bookies' favourite to become the new star of Doctor Who and has now revealed to Digital Spy that he was indeed in the running before the role went to a certain Peter Capaldi...

> Ben Daniels on Doctor Who: 'I was approached to be the 12th Doctor'

Of course, Daniels isn't the first actor to come close but fall just short of Doctor Who stardom - here's five more stars who we very nearly saw at the Tardis controls...

Hugh Grant

When Russell T Davies was looking for a big name to help relaunch Doctor Who in 2005, he first turned to Grant, the king of '90s Brit rom-coms. While "highly flattered", Grant turned down the role of the ninth Doctor - eventually taken by Christopher Eccleston - for fear that the revived sci-fi drama would turn out to be a flop.

Adam Sandler plays Skeeter Bronson, a hotel handyman who finds that the bedtime stories he tells to his niece and nephew magically come true. The upshot is that Skeeter finds himself in the Old West, ancient Greece, outer space…and even working his way into the affections of Keri Russell. A stellar cast also includes Russell Brand as his dysfunctional buddy, Guy Pearce as Skeeter’s snooty rival and Richard Griffiths as a germaphobic hotel boss.

The ‘Harry Potter’ author will pen a series of new movies set in Harry’s universe, beginning with ‘Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.’

Harry Potter lives on! (Sort of.) Warner Bros. Pictures announced Sept. 12 that it will be teaming up with author J.K. Rowling for a series of Harry Potter-inspired movies, based on a textbook referenced in the first Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The first installment, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, won’t star Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) — but it will feature at least one character familiar to loyal readers of J.K.’s original novels.

Newt Scamander, the author of Fantastic Beasts, has plans to appear in the film, which J.K. says will take place 70 years before the events of Sorcerer’s Stone. That being the case, J.K. insists that the Fantastic Beasts series is not technically a prequel to the Harry Potter movies,...