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1 May 2012
Last updated at 08:25 GMT

Duran Duran will represent musical talent from England at the concert

Duran Duran are to play a concert in London’s Hyde Park to mark the start of the Olympic Games.

The gig will feature headline acts from all four nations of the UK, with Duran Duran representing England and Snow Patrol appearing for Northern Ireland.

Stereophonics will represent Wales and Paolo Nutini will play for Scotland.

The concert on 27 July will coincide with the Olympics opening ceremony, which will be broadcast on big screens in the park between performances.

“Performing to so many people on the most exciting day in sport for Great Britain will be one of the highlights of the last decade for us,” said Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon.

“We have been invited to represent England for this Team GB show, and we couldn’t be more proud. Seeing the torch being lit on the big screens before hitting the stage in this iconic location will be a great experience… We simply can’t wait.”

Snow Patrol’s Jonny Quinn said: “Living in London and everything, with all the excitement, it’s certainly an honour to be part of it. I think it will be very special.”

Tickets for the opening ceremony celebration concert show go on sale on 4 May at 09:00BST.

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London 2012 – One extraordinary year

• The BBC’s home of 2012: Latest Olympic news, sport, culture, torch relay, video and audio

At the same time, Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets, east London will broadcast the opening ceremony free to the public on two giant screens.

During the games, highlights of the Olympics will also be shown at both parks.

Another concert marking the end of the Olympics will be held in Hyde Park on 12 August, headlined by Blur.

The “Best of British” lineup also features New Order and The Specials.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17896786#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

30 April 2012
Last updated at 12:00 GMT

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The BBC will be covering the Olympic torch relay online throughout the event from 18 May to 27 July

The BBC has launched its Olympics marketing campaign with the release of a minute-long trail highlighting the torch relay.

The trail will run on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Three, and will then move into a 40 second promotion for a One Show special on 18 May, the day the torch arrives in the UK from Greece.

It is the first time audiences have heard the specially commissioned Elbow track “First Steps”, featuring the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, a school choir from Elbow’s old school and the London Community Gospel Choir.

The version used on the torch campaign is a taster for the full track, which will be launched for the Games time marketing campaign and BBC Olympic title sequences.

One of BA’s special-liveried 2012 aircraft

The Olympic flame will be lit at the Temple of Hera in Olympia on 10 May and will travel round other parts of Greece before being presented to the London organisers in the Panathenaic Stadium, Athens, on 17 May in an hour-long evening ceremony.

The following day, it will be flown in a gold-painted British Airways Airbus 319 – flight number BA2012 – to RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall.

It will travel in a ceremonial lantern, secured in a cradle, fixed to a seat.

On the morning of 19 May, it will be flown by helicopter to Land’s End, from where it will be carried round the UK by 8,000 people over 8,000 miles for 70 days, ending at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford for the Games opening ceremony on 27 July.

The creative idea behind the torch relay campaign was devised by an agency, RKCR/YR, and the BBC, and is based on the design of the torch.

The trail opens on the “DNA” of the flame then pulls out to reveal the torch, created in graphical dots which make up forms and characters.

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London 2012 – One extraordinary year

• The BBC’s home of 2012: Latest Olympic news, sport, culture, torch relay, video and audio

Celebrations are revealed across the UK, underlining the BBC’s objective of uniting the nation around a major event.

Elements from the animation will be used in the title sequences for the BBC torch specials, the One Show and Blue Peter as well as on the BBC’s online pages.

The broader theme of the BBC’s London 2012 campaign is “You’re All Invited”, which is aimed at capturing the BBC’s duty to the public and as a personal invitation to the nation to share the experience with the BBC.

A spokeswoman said: “It’s an idea that also unifies all the BBC channels, platforms and services which will deliver the Games, demonstrating the BBC’s unique role and underpins all our marketing activity.”

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17894190#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

30 April 2012
Last updated at 15:25 GMT

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Prime Minister David Cameron: Jeremy Hunt acted “fairly and impartially”

David Cameron has told MPs he has seen “no evidence” that Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt acted improperly in handling News Corp’s proposed takeover of the broadcaster BSkyB.

Labour wants the prime minister to order an inquiry into whether Mr Hunt broke the ministerial code.

But, in response to an “urgent question”, he said this was “not necessary or right”.

Speaker John Bercow granted the question following Labour’s request.

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Analysis

Robin Brant
Political Correspondent, BBC News

David Cameron clearly didn’t want to be there, forced to come to Parliament by a Speaker who probably didn’t want to be seen to play any part in protecting Jeremy Hunt.

The prime minister was combative, at times angry, as he insisted Mr Hunt had acted fairly and impartially in the BSkyB takeover.

For Ed Miliband this is an issue of leadership. The Labour leader said the rules had clearly been broken, yet the prime minister was standing by and doing nothing.

Mr Cameron said Mr Miliband was “weak and wrong” and said it was right that Mr Hunt should give evidence to the Leveson Inquiry rather than face a separate probe into the ministerial code.

The culture secretary will be grateful for the fulsome support the PM gave him.

But he is not in the clear yet – the prime minister repeated that if Leveson uncovered new evidence of any wrongdoing he would act.

The opposition says Mr Cameron’s independent adviser on ministerial interests – Sir Alex Allan – should investigate whether Mr Hunt’s contacts with Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp were too close during consideration of the company’s attempt to take over BSkyB.

The bid was dropped last year amid anger about phone hacking at the News of the World newspaper, owned by News Corp’s UK arm, meaning no decision had to be taken by the government.

In the Commons Mr Cameron argued that he wanted to hear Mr Hunt’s evidence to the Leveson Inquiry on press standards before deciding whether to hold an inquiry into his conduct.

‘Back channel’

During raucous scenes, he told MPs: “He acted fairly and impartially and in line with the advice of his permanent secretary.

“I have seen no evidence to suggest that, in handling this issue, the Secretary of State acted at any stage in a way that was contrary to the ministerial code.”

Mr Cameron said he had consulted Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood and decided it was right to allow Lord Justice Leveson to conduct his inquiry and not to set up a “parallel process” to establish the facts.

He added: “What we have is a judge-led inquiry, witnesses required to give evidence on oath, full access to papers and records, cross-examination by barristers, all live on television.

“There is nothing this tough or this rigorous the Civil Service or the independent adviser could provide.”

The prime minister accused Labour of “playing one-sided party politics” with the issue and of having “self-serving double standards”.

Labour’s urgent question, tabled by leader Ed Miliband, asked whether the prime minister “will refer the conduct of the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport in respect of his dealings with News Corporation to the Independent Adviser on ministerial interests”.

In the Commons, Mr Miliband said: “The culture secretary is in clear breach of the ministerial code… it matters because we need a government that stands up for families, not the rich and famous.”

He added: “The prime minister is defending the indefensible and he knows it.”

‘Protect’

Mr Hunt’s former special adviser Adam Smith, who quit last week, “had to go to protect the culture secretary”, Mr Miliband said.

But he added: “The culture secretary has to stay to protect the prime minister.”

Responsibility for ruling on the BSkyB takeover bid in a “quasi-judicial” manner was given to Mr Hunt in 2010.

Last week the Leveson Inquiry published emails between his adviser and News Corporation’s head of public affairs, Frederic Michel, about the company’s efforts to take over the 61% of the broadcaster it did not already own.

Mr Hunt has denied Labour claims that the emails show the firm had a “back channel” of influence to his office, but Mr Smith quit last week, saying the extent of contact went too far and had not been authorised by Mr Hunt.

Labour says the culture secretary should go too.

It has also accused him of misleading Parliament about whether he had published all exchanges between his department and News Corporation, part of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.

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Labour leader Ed Miliband: Hunt “in clear breach of ministerial code”

Mr Hunt has promised to disclose private texts and emails between him and Mr Smith to the Leveson Inquiry, to which he will give evidence next month.

A source close to the culture secretary told the BBC it was wrong for his conduct to be questioned again in the Commons a few days after he issued a statement on his role in the BSkyB takeover bid.

They added: “The Speaker is rotten with bias. He should not be Speaker.”

The Speaker’s office declined to comment on the remarks.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17889838#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

30 April 2012
Last updated at 17:16

The Pirate Bay is hosted in Sweden, where it has an active supporter base

File-sharing site The Pirate Bay must be blocked by UK internet service providers, the High Court has ruled.

The Swedish website hosts links to download mostly pirated free music and video.

Sky, Everything Everywhere, TalkTalk, O2 and Virgin Media must all prevent their users from accessing the site.

“Sites like The Pirate Bay destroy jobs in the UK and undermine investment in new British artists,” the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said.

A sixth ISP, BT, requested “a few more weeks” to consider their position on blocking the site.

BPI’s chief executive Geoff Taylor said: “The High Court has confirmed that The Pirate Bay infringes copyright on a massive scale.

“Its operators line their pockets by commercially exploiting music and other creative works without paying a penny to the people who created them.

“This is wrong – musicians, sound engineers and video editors deserve to be paid for their work just like everyone else.”

‘Compelling alternatives’

In November 2011, the BPI asked the group of ISPs to voluntarily block access to the site.

The request followed a court order to block Newzbin 2, a site also offering links to download pirated material.

The ISPs said they would not block the site unless a court order was made, as is now the case.

Virgin Media told the BBC it will now comply with the request, but warned such measures are, in the long term, only part of the solution.

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“Start Quote

It will fuel calls for further, wider and even more drastic calls for internet censorship”

End Quote
Jim Killock
Open Rights Group

“As a responsible ISP, Virgin Media complies with court orders addressed to the company but strongly believes that changing consumer behaviour to tackle copyright infringement also needs compelling legal alternatives, such as our agreement with Spotify, to give consumers access to great content at the right price.”

The Pirate Bay was launched in 2003 by a group of friends from Sweden and rapidly became one of the most famous file-sharing sites on the web.

It allows users to search for and access copyrighted content including movies, games and TV shows.

No ‘extra pennies’

In April 2009, the Swedish courts found the four founders of the site guilty of helping people circumvent copyright controls.

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Peter Sunde of The Pirate Bay reacts to the 2009 conviction – Contains strong language

The ruling was upheld after an appeal in 2010, but the site continues to function.

The Pirate Party UK, a spin-off from the political movement started in Sweden that backs copyright reform, said this latest move will “not put any extra pennies into the pockets of artists”.

“Unfortunately, the move to order blocking on The Pirate Bay comes as no surprise,” party leader Loz Kaye told the BBC.

“The truth is that we are on a slippery slope towards internet censorship here in the United Kingdom.”

‘Pointless and dangerous’

Critics of site-blocking argue that such measures are ineffective as they can be circumvented using proxy servers and other techniques.

However, one analyst told the BBC that it was still worthwhile to take court action as it underlines the illegal nature of sites such as The Pirate Bay.

“I know it’s fashionable to say ‘oh, it just won’t work’, but we should keep trying,” said Mark Little, principal analyst at Ovum.

“We should keep blocking them – they are stealing music illegally.

“The biggest culprits of this, really, are the younger demographic who just haven’t been convinced that doing this is somehow morally uncomfortable.

“The principle that downloading music illegally is a bad thing to do has not been reinforced by schools or parents.”

But Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group, called the move “pointless and dangerous”.

“It will fuel calls for further, wider and even more drastic calls for internet censorship of many kinds, from pornography to extremism,” he said.

“Internet censorship is growing in scope and becoming easier. Yet it never has the effect desired. It simply turns criminals into heroes.”

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17894176#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

30 April 2012
Last updated at 14:08 GMT

Dame Thora Hird played Edie Pegden in the BBC’s Last of the Summer Wine

English Heritage has defended its decision not to grant actress Dame Thora Hird a commemorative blue plaque.

The proposal was rejected because the organisation felt it was “too soon” to properly assess how she would be viewed “in 10, 50 or even 100 years time”.

The decision was criticised by figures including actress Maureen Lipman, according to the Mail on Sunday.

Dame Thora was born in Morecambe and died at her London nursing home in March 2003 at the age of 91.

In 2006 a blue plaque was unveiled at the London home by another organisation, the Heritage Foundation, which specifically honours figures from the world of entertainment.

Minutes from English Heritage’s Blue Plaques Panel meetings are normally not made public until some months have elapsed.

At the 19 October meeting, Dame Thora’s plaque proposal was rejected as it was “too soon to make an accurate assessment of her lasting contribution to her field”.

English Heritage only considers putting blue plaques on buildings where eminent individuals have lived once they have been dead for 20 years or once the centenary of their birth has passed.

“The panel was very aware of just how much love and admiration there is for one of the best-known British actresses of recent times,” its spokesperson said.

“As Dame Thora had been proposed under the centenary rule, it was felt that it was too soon after her death to know how she will be regarded by future generations.”

The much-loved actress was known to millions for such sitcoms as Meet the Wife, In Loving Memory and Last of the Summer Wine.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17895094#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

30 April 2012
Last updated at 14:34 GMT

Rowland was one of three new judges to join The X Factor for its 2011 series

Former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland will not return as an X Factor judge when the show resumes later this year, her spokesperson has confirmed.

“Kelly has not been able to agree a deal that fits into her autumn/winter schedule so sadly cannot accept a place on the 2012 panel,” they said.

The US singer said being a mentor on the ITV1 show had been “an incredible experience” and a “great opportunity”.

Take That star Gary Barlow recently confirmed that he would return.

It is not yet known whether Tulisa Contostavlos and Louis Walsh will join him on the panel.

Rowland’s representatives cited “global commitments”, “scheduling issues” and the show’s “increasing demands” among the reasons for her departure.

Some tabloid newspapers had speculated that the 31-year-old’s remuneration had also proved a sticking point.

An X Factor spokesperson said the line-up would be announced “in due course”.

“Kelly’s immense experience in the music industry shone through in both her judging and mentoring on The X Factor,” the spokesperson continued.

“We would like to thank her for being a part of the country’s number one show and wish her well for the future.”

The first X Factor auditions in front of the judges are scheduled to take place in Glasgow on 11 June.

Simon Cowell was absent from the judging panel for the first time last year as he concentrated on launching a US version of the show.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17895095#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

By Jim Taylor
Newsbeat reporter

EastEnders has won the top prize at the British Soap Awards after being named best British soap.

The BBC One show claimed seven awards in total, the same number as ITV1 rival Coronation Street.

Emmerdale took three prizes including most spectacular scene of the year.

Alison King, Coronation Street’s Carla Connor, took the best actress award for playing a factory owner raped by her fiance. “It’s been hard but it’s been a great year,” she said.

“It’s been really emotional, I got a lot of letters from people who could relate to the story.”

In pictures: Stars turn out for British soap awards

Katherine Kelly, who played Becky McDonald in Coronation Street, took the award for best exit.

Her departure for Barbados was also named best single episode.

For the second year in a row, best actor went to Emmerdale’s Danny Miller, who plays Aaron Livesy.

Alfie ‘much sexier’

EastEnders and Coronation Street shared the awards for sexiest stars, with EastEnders’ Scott Maslen (Jack Branning) and Corrie’s Michelle Keegan (Tina McIntyre) taking home the trophies for the fourth year running.

Scott said someone else deserved the prize: “There are many sexy men out there and they deserve recognition.

“Shane Richie (EastEnders’ Alfie Moon) is much sexier than me.”

Pam St Clement, who played Pat Butcher in EastEnders for 25 years, earned a standing ovation when she was given the lifetime achievement award.

The awards will be shown on ITV1 on Wednesday 2 May at 8pm.

Full list of winners:

• Sexiest male – EastEnders: Scott Maslen (Jack Branning)
• Sexiest female – Coronation Street: Michelle Keegan (Tina McIntyre)
• Villain of the year – Coronation Street: Andrew Lancel (Frank Foster)
• Best actor – Emmerdale: Danny Miller (Aaron Livesy)
• Best actress – Coronation Street: Alison King (Carla Connor)
• Best comedy performance – Coronation Street: Stephanie Cole (Sylvia Goodwin)
• Best young performance – EastEnders: Lorna Fitzgerald (Abi Branning)
• Spectacular scene of the year – Emmerdale: John Moira’s car accident
• Best on-screen partnership – EastEnders: Jake Wood and Jo Joyner (Max Branning and Tanya Jessop)
• Best newcomer – Coronation Street: Natalie Gumede (Kirsty Soames)
• Best exit – Coronation Street: Katherine Kelly (Becky McDonald)
• Best dramatic performance – EastEnders: Jo Joyner (Tanya Jessop)
• Best storyline – Emmerdale: Jackson’s choice
• Best single episode – Coronation Street: Becky’s Final Farewell
• Lifetime achievement award – EastEnders: Pam St Clement
• Special achievement award – EastEnders: Simon Ashdown, series consultant writer
• Best British soap – EastEnders

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/17886011#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

30 April 2012
Last updated at 08:54 GMT

Think Like a Man was based on a dating advice book by best-selling author Steve Harvey

Dating comedy Think Like a Man remains the top film at the North American box office after taking $18m (£11m) between Friday and Sunday.

Chris Brown stars in the film, based on Steve Harvey’s dating advice book.

But Think Like a Man is likely to be swept aside by The Avengers when it opens in the US on Friday.

The super-hero blockbuster has already been released in 39 countries and has made $178m (£110m) in international ticket sales so far.

Second place in this weekend’s US and Canadian chart was taken by Aardman animation The Pirates! Band of Misfits which, according to studio estimates, plundered $11.4m (£7m) in its opening weekend.

Released in the UK as The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, the nautical comedy sees Hugh Grant provide the voice for an inept buccaneer.

Zac Efron’s romantic drama The Lucky One fell one place to three, having made £11.3m in its second weekend on release.

With The Hunger Games at four, it was left to romantic comedy The Five-Year Engagement to round out this week’s top five.

According to Paul Dergarabedian of box office tracker Hollywood.com, “going to the movies… clearly was not the number one priority this weekend”.

“There’s so much anticipation for The Avengers that the newcomers kind of got lost in the shuffle.”

Those newcomers included Jason Statham action thriller Safe and John Cusack’s The Raven, a horror mystery inspired by the work of Edgar Allan Poe.

Safe was ranked sixth in the chart with $7.7m (£4.7m), while The Raven claimed seventh place with $7.3m (£4.4m).

The Avengers was released in the UK under the name Marvel Avengers Assemble.

It features an ensemble of Marvel comic book characters including Captain America, the Incredible Hulk and Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17891772#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

30 April 2012
Last updated at 09:28 GMT

Sir Tom Jones (left) and Simon Cowell are judges on The Voice and Britain’s Got Talent respectively

Britain’s Got Talent edged ahead of rival talent show The Voice in the ratings battle on Saturday as the BBC show began the first of its live shows.

ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) recently moved to a later slot after The Voice consistently beat the programme in a head-to-head clash.

But on Saturday, BGT drew an average of 9.4 million viewers to The Voice’s 9.3 million, overnight ratings showed.

Viewers watching on ITV1+1 took BGT’s average up to 9.9 million.

At its peak, 10.7 million tuned in for BGT on ITV1, while 10.3 million watched its BBC One rival.

The Saturday night scheduling has been a source of tension since it emerged in March that both channels were launching talent shows on the same night.

BGT judge Simon Cowell accused the BBC of “silly rivalry” and told BBC Radio 1: “If they decide they want to compete against us then bring it on.”

However, earlier this month, the media mogul grudgingly congratulated BBC One controller Danny Cohen and The Voice via Twitter on the show’s ratings success.

Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am is coaching two of The Voice’s current favourites

More recently, The Voice judge Will.i.am has insisted the shows “need each other”.

“The rivalry is important,” he said. “They need each other… because the music industry needs these shows.”

The Black Eyed Peas star is a judge on The Voice alongside Sir Tom Jones, Jessie J and The Script’s Danny O’Donaghue.

Saturday’s show saw all five of Will.i.am’s contestants perform alongside Sir Tom’s contestants to keep their place in the contest.

However after a public vote, Sam Buttery and Sophie Griffin were eliminated from the competition.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17887106#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

30 April 2012
Last updated at 08:26 GMT

The White Stripes released their first album in 1999

Former White Stripes frontman Jack White has gone straight to number one on the UK album chart with his solo debut, Blunderbuss.

It knocked Adele’s best-selling album 21 into second place, according to the Official Charts Company.

Lana Del Rey’s Born to Die jumped up one position to three, while Rufus Wainwright had a new entry at five with Out of the Game.

Carly Rae Jepsen’s Call Me Maybe topped the singles chart for a fourth week.

The Canadian pop singer shot to the top of the UK chart earlier this month after becoming an internet sensation.

The former Canadian Idol contestant sold 100,000 singles in a week after a viral video showing Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez dancing to the track received 31 million YouTube views.

Continue reading the main story

• See the UK Top 40 singles chart
• See the UK Top 40 albums chart
• BBC Radio 1′s Official Chart Show

Calvin Harris had the highest new entry on the singles chart with Let’s Go at number two.

Fun and Janelle Monae’s We Are Young remained at number three, while Can’t Stay by Conor Maynard dropped two places to four.

Jessie J remained at five with Laserlight, featuring David Guetta.

On the album chart, other new entries included Feeder’s Generation Freakshow at number 13, The Chieftains’ Voice of Ages at 25 and Santigold at 33 with Master of My Make-Believe.

White’s album is his first solo effort following the demise of the White Stripes last year.

He told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme that the band had finished on a high note.

“We never put out a song that we didn’t like or weren’t proud of,” he said. “We never had any regrets like that. It’s a special thing to have.”

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17892166#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa