Arrested Development film 'next step'

29 July 2013 Last updated at 14:45 GMT By Frances Cronin Entertainment reporter, BBC News All 15 episodes of series four of Arrested Development were released at the same time in May When US sitcom Arrested Development returned this year after a seven year gap, some fans were upset with the change in format - creator Mitch Hurwitz tells the BBC why it was necessary and how a movie is "definitely the next step" for the show.

When the Emmy nominations were announced earlier this month, Arrested Development's creator Mitch Hurwitz didn't think the series was going to get any because it had been made "so outside the system".

The much-loved cult show - about the dysfunctional Bluth family - had returned after a seven year gap through Netflix, the internet streaming service.

"We originally decided to go to Netflix just for creative reasons," Hurwitz explains, "and we didn't think they were going to be eligible (for the Emmys). It was very exciting."

Arrested Development gained a dedicated fan-base during its original three series on Fox between 2003-2006.

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I think in many ways it will follow the same curve of the original episodes. The density of those episodes were what kept people away and now the audience is hankering for that kind of intensity and we're telling a slightly different kind of story.”

End Quote Mitch Hurwitz Arrested Development Creator The show's return had been highly anticipated, but not all fans were happy with the change in style, where each episode focused on one character rather than the entire Bluth family.

Hurwitz admits it was the availability of the cast - which includes Jason Bateman, Michael Cera and Portia De Rossi - that caused the change in format.

"Necessity is the mother of invention and it really was because I couldn't get all the actors at the same time," he says.

So Hurwitz turned away from mainstream TV networks to a pay TV service because he "really needed a partner that was willing to take risks".

He says he had "very modest ambition" when he started out on the new series. He envisaged "little webisodes" - an anthology series looking at one character at a time - to refresh people's memories before building up to a bigger story.

But as the shows developed, he saw it as "an opportunity to tell a new kind of story."

"To have these individual episodes cross into each other and intersect and make one larger episode. An eight-hour Arrested Development novella," he explains.

History repeating itself

But Hurwitz can understand why some fans may have struggled.

"When I look at what we've done, it seems miles from where we started," he says. "But to an audience that assumed they were getting the old show, I think it was surprising that it was such a different form."

But he is confident fans will "find a way to appreciate this for what it is" and sees it as a case of history repeating itself as the original series took time to find its audience.

"I think in many ways it will follow the same curve of the original episodes. The density of those episodes were what kept people away and now the audience is hankering for that kind of intensity and we're telling a slightly different kind of story."

Mitch Hurwitz says its hard to get the whole cast together to film as they all have 'big careers'

He continues: "If you watch it again you'll suddenly realise everything had a purpose - everything had a deeper joke going on. I think there is value to the new kind of storytelling - I wouldn't have done it if I didn't."

As for the future of Arrested Development, a movie says Hurwitz "is definitely the next step" as this series "was designed with a movie in mind".

He says they already have planned "a very funny way to wrap up a lot of the elements in the story" and the only issue would be getting the whole cast together.

Hurwitz is keen to work with Netflix again on the movie, which he wants to get a cinema release as well.

"Ideally we'd do both - whether it's a cinema release first and then it goes to Netflix or some kind of simulcast".

A similar experiment was carried out in the UK recently by filmmaker Ben Wheatley, whose low-budget film A Field in England was released across all formats in a single day.

"I think it might be fun for people to have a group experience with the show," says Hurwitz. "Particularly as the fans have now figured out some of the style and figured out that there's a bit of a Rocky Horror Picture Show in this thing and that there are fun things to know ahead of time and to re-watch."

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£47m investment in UK heritage sites

30 July 2013 Last updated at 00:12 GMT Winchester Cathedral has been awarded £10.5m for urgent conservation works and funding new exhibitions The Heritage Lottery Fund has announced it is investing £47m in six heritage tourism projects in England and Wales.

The money will go to existing and potential tourist attractions.

They include Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire and the Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery, Powys.

The Heritage Lottery Fund said the grants "will enhance and promote a better understanding of our heritage while contributing to the £26bn UK heritage tourism economy".

Carole Souter, Chief Executive of HLF said more than a quarter of all UK holiday activities undertaken by UK residents now involve heritage sites.

"These projects all offer the public the chance to explore and enjoy our rich and complex history," she said.

First iron-frame

Continue reading the main story Knole House, Kent - £7.75mWindermere Steamboat Museum, Cumbria - £9.4mWinchester Cathedral, Hampshire - £10.5mFlax Mill Maltings, Shropshire - £12.8mChester Farm, Northamptonshire - £4mBrecknock Museum and Art Gallery, Powys - £2.5mFlax Mill Maltings in Shropshire has received the biggest share with £12.8m being allocated to develop a complex of 18th and 19th Century industrial buildings in Shrewsbury.

The complex includes the world's first iron-framed building, the forerunner to the modern skyscraper. The money will be used to restore the buildings for commercial, community and visitor uses.

Windermere Steamboat Museum in Cumbria has been awarded £9.4m for a new museum on the edge of lake Windermere. The museum will showcase 200 years of boatbuilding in the Lake District and will provide training and apprenticeship opportunities.

The Chester Farm in Northamptonshire, where a complex of grade II and II* buildings are currently at risk, has secured £4m in funding.

The site provides evidence of human activity over 10,000 years.

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Sound of Music auction makes $1.3m

29 July 2013 Last updated at 09:06 GMT The musical film won five Oscars in 1966 Costumes from classic film, The Sound of Music, have sold for $1.3m (£845,000) at a Hollywood memorabilia auction in California.

The outfits included the main costume worn by lead character Maria, played by Dame Julie Andrews.

It was described by auction house Profiles in History as "a heavy brown homespun Austrian-style dress with a wheat-coloured homespun blouse."

Floral lederhosen worn by the Von Trapp children also went under the hammer.

The story of a singing Austrian family trying to escape the Nazis prior to World War II won five Oscars in 1966.

Dame Julie told Oprah Winfrey in a 2010 interview that the cast had no idea the film would be so successful when it was first released.

"It made my career. It was that big of a movie," she said.

Other auctioned items included a painting of Tara from Gone With The Wind, used in the film's opening sequence. It fetched $270,000 (£175,000).

A diving helmet from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea sold for $75,000 (£45,500).

And a costume worn by James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano in his final scene of the final episode of The Sopranos, sold for $22,000 (£14,200).

It was placed in the auction before Gandolfini died of a heart attack last month at the age of 51.

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Stolen Stradivarius violin recovered

30 July 2013 Last updated at 11:17 GMT The violin was stolen from Min-Jin Kym more than two years ago

A violinist says she has "an incredible feeling of elation" after her stolen 300-year-old violin was recovered.

The £1.2m Stradivarius violin was taken from Min-Jin Kym more than two years ago when she was in a sandwich shop near Euston Station in north London.

British Transport Police said the instrument had been recovered from a property in the Midlands last week.

It was intact with some very minor damage, police said.

'Part of identity'

Ms Kym, 35, an internationally-renowned violinist said: "I still can't believe it."

She said: "Every moment of the day - even when I was sleeping - the loss of the instrument, the feeling of responsibility, was there.

Continue reading the main story Antonio Stradivari - maker of the world-famous violins - was born in 1644 and died in Cremona, Italy, in 1737He made over 1,000 violins, violas and violoncellos, and was commissioned by royalty throughout EuropeGolden period considered to be from 1700-1725It is believed that around 650 of the instruments have survivedHis most famous violins include the 1715 Lipinski and the 1716 Messiah"This had been the instrument I had been playing on since I was a teenager so it was a huge part of my identity for many years.

"Obviously it was devastating."

She added that she now felt "an incredible feeling of elation".

"I'm still feeling the butterflies in my stomach," she said.

The 2010 theft featured in a BBC Crimewatch appeal and a man and two teenagers were convicted in 2011.

But the violin, along with a £62,000 Peccatte bow and a bow made by the School of Bazin, valued at over £5,000, were not recovered.

Police had thought a violin recovered in Bulgaria in March could have been the missing instrument, but an expert said it was a replica.

Det Ch Insp Simon Taylor, who led the hunt, said he was "absolutely delighted".

He said: "I always maintained that its [the violin's] rarity and distinctiveness would make any attempt to sell it extremely difficult, if not futile, because established arts and antiques dealers would easily recognise it as stolen property."

The violin has been returned to Lark Insurance Broking Group which paid out after the theft but discussions are under way for it to be returned to Ms Kym soon, said a police spokesman.

He said he could not be specific about where the violin was found because how it came to be moved from London to the Midlands was the subject of a separate police investigation.

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Stoppard wins annual Pinter prize

31 July 2013 Last updated at 00:20 GMT Sir Tom Stoppard was knighted in 1997 Playwright Sir Tom Stoppard has been named as the recipient of this year's Pen Pinter prize.

The award was established in 2009 by writers' charity Pen - which promotes freedom of expression - in memory of the British writer Harold Pinter.

Sir Tom, 76, will be presented with the prize at the British Library on 7 October and will deliver an address.

Alongside plays like Arcadia, he is known for co-writing the Oscar-winning screenplay for Shakespeare in Love.

His other stage work includes The Real Thing and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

This year's panel of judges - which selects an "unflinching, unswerving" writer for the honour - included Christopher Bland, 2012 winner and former Children's Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Antonia Fraser, David Lan and the president of English Pen, and chair of judges, Gillian Slovo.

South African-born novelist Slovo said the judges "agreed unanimously that Tom's lifetime's work meets the challenging criteria set by Harold Pinter when he described those characteristics he most admired in a writer... those of courage and truthfulness, a determination to tell things as they are.''

Sir Tom paid tribute to Pinter - who died in 2008 aged 78 - calling him "one of the reasons I wanted to write plays".

He added: "I had the sense not to attempt a 'Pinter play', but in other respects, as the years went by, he became and remained a model for the kind of fearless integrity which Pen exists to defend among writers."

Sir Tom will share his prize with an international writer of courage, selected by him and Pen's Writers at Risk committee.

Last year Carol Ann Duffy shared the prize with exiled Syrian author Samar Yazbek, whose book A Woman in the Crossfire was based on diaries she kept during the early stages of the Syrian conflict.

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Tech firms to make Blu-ray successor

29 July 2013 Last updated at 19:09 GMT Falling Blu-ray film prices have been unable to prevent a fall in demand for disc-based movies Sony and Panasonic have announced plans for a successor to Blu-ray discs.

The firms say they want to develop an optical disc capable of holding at least 300 gigabytes of data by the end of 2015.

By contrast, normal dual-layer Blu-rays can only hold up to 50GB.

Sony has previously said that 4K ultra-high-definition movies - which offer four times the resolution of 1080p video - were likely to take up more than 100GB of space.

It recently launched a device that allows 4K films to be streamed over the internet, but that will be impractical for people with slow internet access or accounts with data-use limits.

4k camcorders

The tech firms do not directly refer to 4K movie sales in their press release, but rather talk of the wider "archive market".

"Optical discs have excellent properties to protect them against the environment, such as dust resistance and water resistance, and can also withstand changes in temperature and humidity when stored," they say.

"They also allow inter-generational compatibility between different formats, ensuring that data can continue to be read even as formats evolve. This makes them a robust medium for long-term storage of content."

GoPro already makes a consumer-targeted camera capable of recording in the 4K video format

Although the firms indicate the primary target market for the new technology will be businesses wishing to copy and preserve their data, there is also likely to be demand from the consumer market for higher capacity discs, even if sales of existing formats are waning.

The rise of streaming services such as Amazon's Lovefilm, Tesco's Blinkbox and Netflix coupled with the problem of internet piracy have eaten into disc-based television box set and movie sales.

There were 179 million disc-based videos sold in the UK last year, according to recently published figures from the British Film Institute (BFI). That marked a 14% drop on 2011.

They still accounted for more than £1.5bn of sales - more than six times the £243m generated by video-on-demand services over the same period. But VoD sales were 50% up on the year.

"For the foreseeable future, even with more advances in streaming, there will be a niche for discs," Russ Crupnick, a media analyst at consultants NPD told the BBC.

"But how large that is going to be is hard to say because it is going to be more about the collector and less about every day usage."

The demand for extra storage is also likely to be fuelled by the public's ability to generate its own ultra-high-definition footage.

JVC, Sony and Panasonic have all shown off prototype camcorders which they say will be targeted at the "prosumer" market, while GoPro already offers a budget option, albeit one that only records the format at 15 frames per second.

Panasonic already makes a 100GB Blu-ray disc, but it needs a special player

"The cheapest way to store lots of this material long term is going to be on an optical disc rather than a solid state drive in your laptop or tablet, or on SD cards," said Paul O'Donovan, digital video expert at the tech advisory firm Gartner.

"And they are more convenient if you want to send the video you shot to somebody.

"Imagine trying to send a 300 gigabyte file over the internet - it would take ages."

Special triple-layer 100GB BDXL Blu-ray discs already exist, offering an interim solution, and quad-level 128GB versions have also been promised. However, neither can be read by a normal player.

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The blue crew return for Smurfs 2

29 July 2013 Last updated at 07:39 GMT By Emma Jones Entertainment reporter, BBC News Smurf stars Jayma Mays, Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria hang out with the Smurfs These beloved blue creatures are one of Belgium's biggest exports - but when it came to planning a sequel to The Smurfs, producers decided to set the new film an hour away from Brussels - in the French capital, Paris.

Like Tintin, Les Schtroumpfs, to give them their original name, have been part of Belgian cultural consciousness since the comic artist Peyo created them in 1958.

Over the past half century, they have become a global brand with books, a song that topped the charts in 16 countries, a Hanna Barbera cartoon that ran for a decade and now, the beginnings of a Hollywood franchise.

The first movie, starring Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria as "real life" characters alongside the animated Smurfs, was set in New York. So why, in the Europe-set follow-up, have they decamped so tantalisingly close to home - but in a completely different country?

"We feel that by going somewhere that speaks French, we are going back to the language roots of The Smurfs at least," explains producer Jordan Kerner.

"But by setting it in Paris, we are getting global landmarks that we can't really get elsewhere. The Eiffel Tower, the Opera House - these are all amazing places for the Smurfs to run amok. And the Parisians have been so incredibly kind to us that we achieved a film first - no other crew has had such good access to the city's landmarks in their history."

Much is riding on the success of the sequel after the first movie, released in 2011, was, as the Smurfs themselves would say, a smurfing success. It made more than half a billion dollars at the box office alone, excluding DVD sales.

"I was incredibly surprised that it took so well," confesses Neil Patrick Harris.

"I knew that it had ebbed and flowed in popularity since the TV series in the 1980s and, of course, a whole generation of children had never heard of them.

"But then it didn't fall out of the top spot after three weekends in cinemas, and that happens once in a blue moon. Pardon the pun."

France was one of the many countries that celebrated Global Smurfs Day on June 22, but the decision to set the film in Paris has been controversial

"I think wherever you live, you think the Smurfs belong to you," adds Jordan Kerner.

"So if you're in the USA, you think the Smurfs are American. They may be true blue Belgians in their hearts, but everyone thinks they have a share in them. And they're very, very endearing to small children everywhere."

The plot centres on the story of Smurfette, and how she came to be the only girl in Smurf village. Singer Katy Perry voices the female Smurf, providing her first lead role in a film. However, Perry was, according to Kerner, chosen "completely anonymously from a range of voices we were asked to listen to".

"They work very hard to make sure we don't know who they are - trust me, we wouldn't know Meryl Streep if she turned up in the mix - so we do pick with more than popularity in mind, and Katy has this visceral, male, raspy quality in her voice.

"We don't want Smurfette to sound too sugary sweet as she has that kind of personality anyway."

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You'd be surprised just how much trial and error there is during a scene with me and five Smurfs”

End Quote Neil Patrick Harris Perry insists she is not interested in furthering her acting career "as there's too many singers out there who think they can act, and too many actors who think they can sing - it doesn't always work that way" .

Surprisingly, it is not Perry who provides the soundtrack for the movie.

Instead fellow pop star Britney Spears has recorded the title track, Ooh La La. If it all sounds light years away from the innocence of Father Abraham's 1978 hit Smurf Song, Kerner insists the family of the creator, Peyo, who died in 1992, approves of any changes.

"We talk to his wife and family at least two or three times a week during shooting," he says. "We are very keen to keep its roots and honour the original traditions of the Smurfs. But they appreciate that we have to move with the times in other ways, to make it relevant to our audience."

However, when it comes to filming the Smurfs, Neil Patrick Harris adds, it's still done using the traditional methods of storyboarding, followed by markers on set to denote where a Smurf would be standing in a scene. The animation is added in later.

Katy Perry's character Smurfette takes centre stage in Smurfs 2

"It took a long time to feel comfortable with this," he admits.

"I used to embarrass myself wildly to begin with, looking in the wrong place. It helps that the markers now have little LED lights on them all around, representing which Smurf is standing where. They light up according to which one is talking, so you know where to look. You'd be surprised just how much trial and error there is during a scene with me and five Smurfs."

Hank Azaria, who plays Gargamel, the wizard who wants to destroy the Smurfs, confesses to embarrassment of a different kind: the costume and make-up required to transform into what he describes as "a preposterously evil wizard".

"I mean, he's so bad, he's ludicrous. I was really nervous about the reaction to how I would look playing him. On the first day of shooting, in New York, I had to walk three blocks from make-up to the set in full costume.

"No-one in Manhattan batted an eyelid - apart from one dude, who just looked at me and said in passing 'Whassup, Gargamel?'

"The most feedback I have got from anyone is my four-year-old son, who asks me if I am going to be Gargamel today, he seems to think it's my job. I guess that's why you do it - for the children, and then if you can throw in a few laughs for the parents who've been taken along to watch it with them, that's a bonus."

Neil Patrick Harris agrees the secret to the Smurfs' popularity with children is their innate goodness, which he describes as "timeless".

"This movie will teach kids about a family - one that is chosen rather than one that is given to you at birth. When I think of all the broken families around me right now, and speaking as a man who has children with another man, it's a great note to affirm to a child.

"But no doubt about it, we have to use the word 'smurf' a lot. By the end of shooting, we can be smurfing sick of it."

However, he will almost certainly be repeating it in a third film, which is already being written, with an expected release date of 2015.

Producers have confirmed that the historic Belgian city of Bruges is being considered as a location - meaning the Smurfs may, at some point, finally make it home.

The Smurfs 2 is released in the UK on 31 July.

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The Heat director 'comedy is comedy'

30 July 2013 Last updated at 02:18 GMT By Kev Geoghegan Entertainment reporter, BBC News The Heat follows in the tradition of films like Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop Director Paul Feig, the director behind the hit comedy Bridesmaids returns with a new female-centred film The Heat, starring Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as mismatched cops.

Bridesmaids, written by its star Kristen Wiig and co-starring women, proved to be one of the surprise hits of 2011 with both sexes, garnering rave reviews and making more than $288m at the box office.

Yet research carried out this year by an American university showed that speaking roles for women in films are at their lowest levels for five years.

Feig directed the smash hit Bridesmaids

Feig, given the sobriquet "Hollywood's accidental feminist" by The Guardian , says his ultimate aim is to level the playing field for men and women, particularly when it comes to the male-dominated field of comedy.

"That's definitely my goal," he explains. "There are so many funny women out there, so many funny women that I want to work with.

"I would just like to break down the wall where it's not even looked at as a male comedy or a female comedy - a comedy is a comedy.

"The biggest thing the studios are afraid of is the reaction of men, going to a theatre and seeing a trailer or a poster and seeing women and thinking, "Oh, it's a chick flick'."

Where Bridesmaids centred on the misfortunes of a group of women in the run-up to a wedding, The Heat focuses on a mismatched FBI agent and Boston detective as they try to bring down a powerful drug boss.

The film is in the mould of cop buddy-movies of the 80s like the Lethal Weapon and 48 Hours films.

"I'm always looking for great projects for women and coming out of Bridesmaids I really wanted to follow the train that we had started with that but we didn't want to go with the same genre," says Feig.

"This just seemed like the perfect escalation of that to get us out of any lady romance mode and just have two funny women show their wares".

He admits to being a fan of the comedy-action genre, adding it was "a genre that is uninhabited by women for the most part".

Prior to his success with Bridesmaids, Feig began his career as an actor and writer. He created the short-lived cult series Freaks and Geeks, whose young cast included James Franco, Seth Rogan and Jason Segel.

The series also introduced the world to the talents of director Judd Apatow - who went on to work with those actors in films including Knocked Up and Pineapple Express.

Apatow's comedies are known for their free-flowing naturalistic dialogue, much of it seemingly improvised. It is a ethos similarly shared by Feig.

"My theory is that you just get everything. Anything the actor wants to try, or ideas you have, or the writers, I'll do it because you never know," he explains.

"Most bad comedy comes from a director, especially if it's a writer-director, who says 'don't deviate from the script'."

'Gender balance'

With half of 2013 gone, the top box office films of the year so far are dominated by family films and animated sequels like Monsters University and Despicable Me 2 or action-filled big budget fare like Iron Man 3, World War Z and Man of Steel.

And according to one US university, of the last year's biggest movies, just 28% of speaking characters were female.

US television seems to have been quicker than cinema to embrace female writers like Wiig and Tina Fey, who both cut their teeth on programmes like Saturday Night Live, and more recently Lena Dunham, the writer and actress behind Girls.

The report - by the University of Southern California Annenberg School - said female directors were outnumbered five to one in 2012 by their male counterparts and only 24 women have directed top-grossing films in the last five years

However, Feig says films like The Heat and the forthcoming The To Do List, written and directed by Maggie Carey and starring Parks and Recreations' Aubrey Plaza, are slowly chipping away at the male-centric Hollywood establishment.

"We're definitely breaking down walls," he says. "The Heat's doing extremely well over here and Bridesmaid did too but that's not the end game.

"There need to be more women directors." he continues. "I work with so many women writers but there need to be more projects that are female heavy.

"It doesn't mean men can't be involved - I think the best things come out of having a real balance because it keeps both genders from going too far in their portrayals of the opposite gender."

McCarthy is unrecognisable in the UK and US film poster (pictured)

Feig's sentiments are admirable but alongside some decent reviews and box-office takings, The Heat has picked up some negative press along the way, not for its content but rather the way it has been marketed.

The film's promotional poster show McCarthy heavily airbrushed to the point where she is barely recognisable.

She is arguably one of the most popular comedy actresses currently working in Hollywood, with another film Identity Thief in the top 10 box office movies of 2013 so far.

But in an interview for The Heat, co-star Sandra Bullock side-stepped the issue, making light of the poster suggesting she would like to have an enhanced bosom through airbrushing.

But doesn't the poster send out completely wrong messages to people about body image? Feig is on uncomfortable ground as he admits he has little to do with the marketing of a film, adding: "That's the sad thing - you really don't have any say."

"She's a beautiful woman," he continues. "People know and love her and that alone should be the only litmus test of any sort of print advertising."

The Heat opens in the UK on 31 July.

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The insiders' guide to the Edinburgh Fringe

30 July 2013 Last updated at 07:35 GMT With 2,871 shows by 24,107 performers in 273 venues, the Edinburgh Fringe boasts of being the world's biggest arts festival.

As artists and audiences begin to take over the Scottish capital, Edinburgh regulars talk about the highs and lows of the Fringe.

Jenny Eclair made her Fringe debut in the early 1980s before becoming the first female winner of the Perrier Award in 1995.

Jenny Eclair: "We've got too much talent and not enough punters"

What was your first act at the Fringe?

I was a punk poet. I performed in a nightclub next to the station. It was a combination of paying punters who actually wanted to see some punk poetry and drunk businessmen who stumbled off the train and just wanted a drink.

It was quite a difficult audience. I just had to shout. In those days I was often blind and deaf with terror and just used to scream and shout everything I did.

Have things changed for female comedians since you won the Perrier?

I think they've changed enormously. There are a lot more female comics, and a lot more comics all round. We have kind of created this huge monster of comedy, which is fabulous because so many people are allowed to do what they want to do. There's space for any kind of comedy.

What we're all fighting for is bums on seats. I think we've got too much talent and not enough punters.

Who is your audience now?

I am the soft easy ticket for any middle-aged people that are knocking around thinking, I just want to see one thing before dinner. Or the parents that are coming up to see their teenagers do experimental dance pieces and just want to see something they understand. I will take the mums and dads who are wandering around looking a bit dazed.

Jenny Eclair: Eclairious is at the Gilded Balloon Teviot from 2-17 August.

Greg Proops: "I couldn't believe how fun and wild it was"

US comedian Greg Proops was well-known from the improvisation TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway? when he first performed at Edinburgh.

When did you first come to Edinburgh?

The first time I went was 1989. My first show was in 1993. I couldn't believe how fun and wild it was. It was druggy and drinky and we stayed up all night and I couldn't understand anyone. I was drunk and people were speaking with a heavy burr and I just nodded a lot. I thought it was fantastic.

I did a midnight show and I think I sold out every night. I got up every day at 4pm and would get home at 4am because the show ended at 1am. I was 20 years younger so I had the stamina. When I came back to the States, I was a different comedian. My perspective had changed entirely. I was more confident, bolder.

How much has Edinburgh changed?

Oh golly. Now they have cold beer and artisan hamburger stands.

There's way more corporate sponsorship. They were already writing about the death of the Fringe the first year I did it. There's always been room for people to sneak in and have a hit show. There's always been room for surprises. It's just a little bit more structured. It's a little more civilised. Perhaps a little bit more bourgeois.

I think there's just as much excitement. I've been to many festivals and I think Edinburgh is the one where I still find myself at the end of the night with a bunch of comics talking and having fun.

Greg Proops is performing stand-up and recording his podcast at the Gilded Balloon Teviot from 31 July to 15 August.

Nicholas Parsons: "People seem to be more relaxed and more friendly"

At the age of 23, Nicholas Parsons attended the first Edinburgh Festival in 1947. Now 89, he is performing Nicholas Parsons' Happy Hour for a 13th year.

What was the first festival like?

It was the first arts festival since the war and they had one or two visiting companies from abroad and one or two British companies. And they had one or two small organisations that had come up and were doing little shows on the fringe of the festival.

Then more and more people started finding venues and putting on little shows. Slowly over the years what started as a very peripheral thing to the Edinburgh Festival has now overtaken it and is like the tail that wags the dog.

What do you enjoy most?

There's a frisson in the air. People seem to be more relaxed and more friendly. You walk about and people say hello. Bars and restaurants are open late and everybody's meeting and talking and discussing which shows to go and see. It's a joyous time.

Why do performers come to Edinburgh?

It is the one place where youngsters can chance their arm and they have a shop window. Maybe if they've got talent it will take off and lead to bigger and better things. I don't think people come to the Edinburgh festival to make money. They come to be seen.

Nicholas Parsons' Happy Hour is at the Pleasance Courtyard from 1-18 August.

Playwright and provocateur Mark Ravenhill first experienced Edinburgh as a drama student in 1985. Now a Fringe regular, he is delivering the event's inaugural opening lecture.

Mark Ravenhill: "It's almost as if the Fringe has developed its own fringe"

How were your student plays received?

In the mornings we would do a kids' show, based on the Grimm Fairytales called Fe Fi Fo Fum, and in the afternoons we would do a show based on the life of the Earl of Rochester.

They were appallingly attended. We were out on the streets from about 8:30am handing out leaflets and singing songs from the show. We'd always persuade a group of people. Not often in double figures.

Why do you keep going back?

Within the fringe you've got everything from students to very accomplished, very exciting companies from all over the world. You're all in the same brochure and so you all feel some sort of connection with each other. It costs a bit - you need to raise some money - but anybody can be part of the same festival.

What would you change about the Fringe?

It's an ecosystem that's developed over so many decades that I wouldn't want to change it. It does gradually evolve. Things like the Free Fringe are really good to keep opening up different possibilities of what the Fringe could be. It's almost as if the Fringe has developed its own fringes. All that's really healthy.

Mark Ravenhill's Welcome Lecture is on 2 August. Auden, Britten, Mitchell and Ravenhill: Tell Me the Truth About Love is at the Underbelly, Bristo Square, from 31 July to 26 August.

Kate Copstick first took part in Edinburgh as a performer in 1984. She has been The Scotsman's influential comedy critic for the past 15 years.

Kate Copstick: "Don't go to the Fringe if you want everything to be brilliant"

How many shows do you see per day?

I average five or six, certainly for the first two-and-a-half weeks, and then it might start to tail off slightly.

What do you look for?

I regard it as something of a mission to see as many shows on the Free Fringe and in small venues as I possibly can. Let's face it, none of the big names need me.

I have a self-made rule - I will not go and see any performer who is in a venue of more than 300 seats. That's not a fringe venue. I love going to little rooms in the backs of pubs and tiny venues which have never been venues before and find people that nobody knows about.

Are there enough gems to make it worthwhile?

Yes. Some stuff is a bit rubbish. But it's free and it's trying out, and that's what the Fringe is for. Don't go to the Fringe if you want everything to be brilliant because it's supposed to be a bit rough around the edges.

What are you looking forward to this year?

I saw a guy called Rob Auton last year. His show was called The Yellow Show. That's what the show was about - the colour yellow. It was very strange. It wasn't a laugh a minute. It probably wasn't even a laugh every two minutes.

But it was wonderful - funny and sweet and weird and I am still thinking about it now. If that's not great, what is? He's coming back with a show called The Sky Show, all about the sky, and I can't wait to go.

Sean Hughes made his Edinburgh debut in 1988 before winning the Perrier Award two years later.

Sean Hughes: "The day after I won the award was probably the worst show"

Do you look forward to Edinburgh?

I do. Being a performer's quite an isolated thing so it's nice to be in a city where you're continually going to bump into people who you know. There is still that camaraderie.

Did you ever play to empty rooms?

Edinburgh's always been very good to me. Even the year I won the Perrier, I was playing to about 70 people a night. The second I won the award, the rest of the run sold out. But all of a sudden, people weren't going for the absolute joy of seeing a show.

The day after I won the award, when by all accounts I should have been on top of the world and it should have been the best show ever, that was probably the worst show in the whole run because people were just staring at me going, 'what, this is the best?'

What is your advice to someone starting out?

You will get blokes who start a website, pretend they're reviewers and then slag off your show. Now there are thousands of people reviewing shows. For anyone starting off, if you believe your show's any good, don't take much heed of what strangers say because it's all relative. Also, drink in moderation.

Sean Hughes - Penguins is at the Gilded Balloon Teviot from 31 July to 25 August.

Director Hannah Eidinow has won five Fringe First awards in the past nine years, and will be hoping for a sixth this year with her new play Sex Lives of Others.

Hannah Eidinow: "There are no walls at the Fringe"

What stories work best on the Fringe?

You've got to have a good narrative and something that's engaging and makes people think. It can be about our current political situation or the nation we're living in or the habits that we embrace or new moves that are happening in our culture.

Part of the thing about the Fringe is that you have very close contact. There isn't a huge distinction between performer and audience. It's probably the only theatrical environment I can think of where you're not embarrassed to go up to someone and talk to them about their play.

There's a free flow of exchange that doesn't really happen anywhere else. It certainly doesn't happen in the West End. There are no walls at the Fringe.

Which show are you most looking forward to watching?

William Gaminara's play The Three Lions, which is a comedy and it touches on the political. It is about the night before the 2018 World Cup bid with David Cameron, David Beckham and Prince William. It should be a strong piece of work, and very funny.

Sex Lives of Others is at the Pleasance Courtyard from 31 July to 26 August.

Philip Pope (right): "Compared to these days, it seemed to be much smaller"

Actor and musician Philip Pope made his Edinburgh debut in the late 1970s alongside Angus Deayton, Richard Curtis and Tim McInnerny as part of the Oxford Revue. This year he is performing with comedian Rory McGrath.

What was the Fringe like when you first performed?

It was before the professionals moved in, if you know what I mean, which I think happened with the boom in stand-up comedy. Then people started using the Edinburgh Fringe as a way of garnering publicity before going on tours, so you'd get big professional outfits putting on loads of stand-ups.

In 1978 and '79, it was before the Comic Strip and so-called alternative comedy, so it was much more old-style. If you wanted to see a funny show then you'd go and see the Cambridge Footlights or the Oxford Revue. As far as I remember there weren't that many others. Compared to these days, it seemed to be a much smaller affair.

Rory McGrath and Philip Pope in Bridge Over Troubled Lager is at the Assembly George Square from 31 July to 26 August.

Interviews by BBC News arts and entertainment reporter Ian Youngs.

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The Wolverine tops US box office

29 July 2013 Last updated at 10:08 GMT The Wolverine is the sixth film in the X-Men franchise Hugh Jackman's latest incarnation as The Wolverine has topped the US box office with $55m (£35m) in ticket sales, according to studio estimates.

The film earned another $86m (£55m) overseas, which means it has made more than the $120m it cost to make in its opening weekend.

It is the sixth film in the X-Men franchise -which has now made $1.9bn ( £1.2bn) worldwide.

The Wolverine is set in Japan and features an international cast.

Chris Aronson, Fox's head of domestic distribution said "it played equally well from Maine to Maui".

Low-budget horror movie The Conjuring slipped into second place, taking another $22.1m (£14.3m).

Despicable Me 2 was in third place with $16m (£10.3m) - it has now made more than $600m (£389.5m) since its release four weeks ago.

Animated film Turbo and Adam Sandler's Grown Ups 2 made up the rest of top five.

Grown Ups 2 took $11.5 (£7.4m) for its third weekend. It has now made $100m (£64.9m).

Woody Allen's latest film Blue Jasmine had a strong opening, despite only being shown in six cinemas. The film, which stars Cate Blanchett, made $612,767 (£397,832.65) from the six cinemas.

Paul Dergarabedian of box office tracker Hollywood.com said it was "one of the biggest opening per-theatre averages ever for a non-animated film".

He also noted that ticket sales over the weekend were up almost 30% from the same time last year.

Just making it into the top ten is Sundance festival winner Fruitvale Station. The film, which is generating Oscar buzz, made $4.65m (£3m).

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US singer-songwriter JJ Cale dies

27 July 2013 Last updated at 15:10 GMT After Midnight, the song that brought fame for JJ Cale

US singer-songwriter JJ Cale has died of a heart attack at the age of 74.

An announcement on his personal website said he had passed away at a hospital in La Jolla, California, on Friday.

Born in Oklahoma, Cale helped create the Tulsa Sound, which combined blues, rockabilly, and country. He became famous in 1970, when Eric Clapton covered his song After Midnight.

In 1977 Clapton also popularised Cale's Cocaine. The two worked together on an album which won a Grammy award in 2008.

Born in 1938, John Weldon Cale adopted the name JJ Cale to avoid being confused with John Cale of the Velvet Underground.

Building up on the success of After Midnight, he recorded Naturally - the first of his 14 studio albums.

He pioneered the use of drum machines, and was famous for his personal laid-back singing style.

However Cale always described himself as a songwriter rather than a singer, and his songs tended to enjoy greater success when performed by others - notably Tom Petty, Santana and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

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VIDEO: Johnny Depp: I may give up acting

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VIDEO: Knightmare returns as stage show

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VIDEO: Meet the mentalist magician

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Sound of Music auction makes $1.3m

29 July 2013 Last updated at 09:06 GMT The musical film won five Oscars in 1966 Costumes from classic film, The Sound of Music, have sold for $1.3m (£845,000) at a Hollywood memorabilia auction in California.

The outfits included the main costume worn by lead character Maria, played by Dame Julie Andrews.

It was described by auction house Profiles in History as "a heavy brown homespun Austrian-style dress with a wheat-coloured homespun blouse."

Floral lederhosen worn by the Von Trapp children also went under the hammer.

The story of a singing Austrian family trying to escape the Nazis prior to World War II won five Oscars in 1966.

Dame Julie told Oprah Winfrey in a 2010 interview that the cast had no idea the film would be so successful when it was first released.

"It made my career. It was that big of a movie," she said.

Other auctioned items included a painting of Tara from Gone With The Wind, used in the film's opening sequence. It fetched $270,000 (£175,000).

A diving helmet from 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea sold for $75,000 (£45,500).

And a costume worn by James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano in his final scene of the final episode of The Sopranos, sold for $22,000 (£14,200).

It was placed in the auction before Gandolfini died of a heart attack last month at the age of 51.

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Stolen Stradivarius violin recovered

30 July 2013 Last updated at 11:17 GMT The violin was stolen from Min-Jin Kym more than two years ago

A violinist says she has "an incredible feeling of elation" after her stolen 300-year-old violin was recovered.

The £1.2m Stradivarius violin was taken from Min-Jin Kym more than two years ago when she was in a sandwich shop near Euston Station in north London.

British Transport Police said the instrument had been recovered from a property in the Midlands last week.

It was intact with some very minor damage, police said.

'Part of identity'

Ms Kym, 35, an internationally-renowned violinist said: "I still can't believe it."

She said: "Every moment of the day - even when I was sleeping - the loss of the instrument, the feeling of responsibility, was there.

Continue reading the main story Antonio Stradivari - maker of the world-famous violins - was born in 1644 and died in Cremona, Italy, in 1737He made over 1,000 violins, violas and violoncellos, and was commissioned by royalty throughout EuropeGolden period considered to be from 1700-1725It is believed that around 650 of the instruments have survivedHis most famous violins include the 1715 Lipinski and the 1716 Messiah"This had been the instrument I had been playing on since I was a teenager so it was a huge part of my identity for many years.

"Obviously it was devastating."

She added that she now felt "an incredible feeling of elation".

"I'm still feeling the butterflies in my stomach," she said.

The 2010 theft featured in a BBC Crimewatch appeal and a man and two teenagers were convicted in 2011.

But the violin, along with a £62,000 Peccatte bow and a bow made by the School of Bazin, valued at over £5,000, were not recovered.

Police had thought a violin recovered in Bulgaria in March could have been the missing instrument, but an expert said it was a replica.

Det Ch Insp Simon Taylor, who led the hunt, said he was "absolutely delighted".

He said: "I always maintained that its [the violin's] rarity and distinctiveness would make any attempt to sell it extremely difficult, if not futile, because established arts and antiques dealers would easily recognise it as stolen property."

The violin has been returned to Lark Insurance Broking Group which paid out after the theft but discussions are under way for it to be returned to Ms Kym soon, said a police spokesman.

He said he could not be specific about where the violin was found because how it came to be moved from London to the Midlands was the subject of a separate police investigation.

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Stoppard wins annual Pinter prize

31 July 2013 Last updated at 00:20 GMT Sir Tom Stoppard was knighted in 1997 Playwright Sir Tom Stoppard has been named as the recipient of this year's Pen Pinter prize.

The award was established in 2009 by writers' charity Pen - which promotes freedom of expression - in memory of the British writer Harold Pinter.

Sir Tom, 76, will be presented with the prize at the British Library on 7 October and will deliver an address.

Alongside plays like Arcadia, he is known for co-writing the Oscar-winning screenplay for Shakespeare in Love.

His other stage work includes The Real Thing and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

This year's panel of judges - which selects an "unflinching, unswerving" writer for the honour - included Christopher Bland, 2012 winner and former Children's Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Antonia Fraser, David Lan and the president of English Pen, and chair of judges, Gillian Slovo.

South African-born novelist Slovo said the judges "agreed unanimously that Tom's lifetime's work meets the challenging criteria set by Harold Pinter when he described those characteristics he most admired in a writer... those of courage and truthfulness, a determination to tell things as they are.''

Sir Tom paid tribute to Pinter - who died in 2008 aged 78 - calling him "one of the reasons I wanted to write plays".

He added: "I had the sense not to attempt a 'Pinter play', but in other respects, as the years went by, he became and remained a model for the kind of fearless integrity which Pen exists to defend among writers."

Sir Tom will share his prize with an international writer of courage, selected by him and Pen's Writers at Risk committee.

Last year Carol Ann Duffy shared the prize with exiled Syrian author Samar Yazbek, whose book A Woman in the Crossfire was based on diaries she kept during the early stages of the Syrian conflict.

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VIDEO: Miley Cyrus: I don't read reviews

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VIDEO: MKS: Original Sugababes reunite

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VIDEO: Smurfs stars hit the Blue carpet

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VIDEO: What does it take to be a Fringe hit?

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Williams to score new Star Wars film

29 July 2013 Last updated at 08:59 GMT John Williams has scored all six previous Star Wars films created by George Lucas Composer John Williams is to return to score Star Wars: Episode VII, it has been announced.

The Oscar-winner, who has composed all six films in the sci-fi saga, said he was "happy to be continuing to be part of the whole fun" of the franchise.

Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed the news at a Star Wars fan event in Germany.

In an interview with StarWars.com, Williams hinted he would likely use some of the music from previous films.

"I haven't seen the script, so the story is still unknown to me, but I can't image there will not be some references to the existing stories that would make appropriate use of some of the earlier themes," he said.

The composer has won five Oscars over his 60-year career for his famous film scores including Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and the first Star Wars film.

He has also been nominated for more than 40 other Academy Awards for his work on movies including Superman, the Indiana Jones films, Saving Private Ryan and most recently, Lincoln.

In April, Episode VII director JJ Abrams indicated he wanted Williams to score his film, but said it was "early days".

In his latest interview, Williams praised the director saying he was "perfectly chosen to continue George Lucas's great odyssey".

Star Wars: Episode VII is scheduled to be released in 2015.

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Williams to star in new US sitcom

30 July 2013 Last updated at 11:07 GMT Gellar plays Williams' daughter in the Chicago-set sitcom Robin Williams is returning to TV screens for the first time since starring in the 1970s show Mork & Mindy with a new comedy, The Crazy Ones.

Williams, 62, who rose to fame as the alien Mork in the hit series, will play an eccentric advertising agency boss in the sitcom.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Sarah Michelle Gellar will play his daughter.

The show, from Ally McBeal creator David E Kelley, is due to air in the US in September.

Williams said he hopes audiences will be drawn to his character, Simon Roberts, and will enjoy watching how he relates to his daughter.

"You have to establish a character that people buy into," he said.

"I think people will buy into not just my character but the relationship with everybody else. He has good ideas and bad ones."

Williams, who was known for his improvisation skills in Mork & Mindy, will be given the freedom to ad lib and be spontaneous in The Crazy Ones.

"He says my words perfectly. Then he uses his," said Kelley.

"He manages inside the box, then we give him a few takes where he gets to take out of it."

The show is one of a number of new shows added to the autumn TV line-up in the US.

A new four-hour mini-series on NBC will see Diane Lane in the role of former first lady and US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

NBC said the show, simply named Hillary, will track Clinton's life and career from 1998 to the present.

The series will air ahead of the 2016 US presidential election.

Clinton has not said whether she will make another run for the Democratic nomination for president.

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X Factor's Jahmene tops album chart

28 July 2013 Last updated at 18:11 GMT Jahmene Douglas is a youth ambassador for charity Women's Aid X Factor runner-up Jahmene Douglas has topped the UK album chart with his debut solo album Love Never Fails.

The former supermarket worker, who came second to James Arthur in the 2012 series, has released an album largely made up of cover songs.

In the singles chart, One Direction failed to get their fourth number one single, as Best Song Ever was kept off the top by Avicii's Wake Me Up.

Also X Factor alumni, the quintet have built up a huge global fan base.

Despite being the only new release this week, One Direction could not match the appeal of Avicii's Wake Me Up, which is the fastest selling single of 2013, and spending its second week at number one.

The rest of the top five singles chart is made up of previous chart-toppers include Robin Thicke with Blurred Lines and Icona Pop's I Love It.

There was only a handful of new entries in the album top 40, with former Disney Actress Selena Gomez achieving the second highest new entry with Stars Dance at number 14, followed by the Rolling Stones live album from Hyde Park at 16.

Now That's What I Call Music 85 has become the fastest selling album of the year, selling 317,000 in its opening week, easily beating the previous record of Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, which sold 165,000 in May.

But Now..... does not qualify for the main album chart because it is a compilation, instead having to settle for topping the Compilation Album Chart.

Jahmene Douglas wowed the X Factor judges when he auditioned for the show in 2012 singing the Etta James song At Last. The song does not feature on his album but other covers include Halo, Titanium and Fix You. He also recorded The Greatest Love with Nicole Scherzinger, who acted as his mentor in the series.

Douglas, who used to work for Asda in Swindon, has become a youth ambassador for domestic violence charity Women's Aid and has spoken openly about the abuse his mother faced at the hands of his father, who was later jailed.

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£47m investment in UK heritage sites

30 July 2013 Last updated at 00:12 GMT Winchester Cathedral has been awarded £10.5m for urgent conservation works and funding new exhibitions The Heritage Lottery Fund has announced it is investing £47m in six heritage tourism projects in England and Wales.

The money will go to existing and potential tourist attractions.

They include Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire and the Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery, Powys.

The Heritage Lottery Fund said the grants "will enhance and promote a better understanding of our heritage while contributing to the £26bn UK heritage tourism economy".

Carole Souter, Chief Executive of HLF said more than a quarter of all UK holiday activities undertaken by UK residents now involve heritage sites.

"These projects all offer the public the chance to explore and enjoy our rich and complex history," she said.

First iron-frame

Continue reading the main story Knole House, Kent - £7.75mWindermere Steamboat Museum, Cumbria - £9.4mWinchester Cathedral, Hampshire - £10.5mFlax Mill Maltings, Shropshire - £12.8mChester Farm, Northamptonshire - £4mBrecknock Museum and Art Gallery, Powys - £2.5mFlax Mill Maltings in Shropshire has received the biggest share with £12.8m being allocated to develop a complex of 18th and 19th Century industrial buildings in Shrewsbury.

The complex includes the world's first iron-framed building, the forerunner to the modern skyscraper. The money will be used to restore the buildings for commercial, community and visitor uses.

Windermere Steamboat Museum in Cumbria has been awarded £9.4m for a new museum on the edge of lake Windermere. The museum will showcase 200 years of boatbuilding in the Lake District and will provide training and apprenticeship opportunities.

The Chester Farm in Northamptonshire, where a complex of grade II and II* buildings are currently at risk, has secured £4m in funding.

The site provides evidence of human activity over 10,000 years.

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Arrested Development film 'next step'

29 July 2013 Last updated at 14:45 GMT By Frances Cronin Entertainment reporter, BBC News All 15 episodes of series four of Arrested Development were released at the same time in May When US sitcom Arrested Development returned this year after a seven year gap, some fans were upset with the change in format - creator Mitch Hurwitz tells the BBC why it was necessary and how a movie is "definitely the next step" for the show.

When the Emmy nominations were announced earlier this month, Arrested Development's creator Mitch Hurwitz didn't think the series was going to get any because it had been made "so outside the system".

The much-loved cult show - about the dysfunctional Bluth family - had returned after a seven year gap through Netflix, the internet streaming service.

"We originally decided to go to Netflix just for creative reasons," Hurwitz explains, "and we didn't think they were going to be eligible (for the Emmys). It was very exciting."

Arrested Development gained a dedicated fan-base during its original three series on Fox between 2003-2006.

Continue reading the main story

I think in many ways it will follow the same curve of the original episodes. The density of those episodes were what kept people away and now the audience is hankering for that kind of intensity and we're telling a slightly different kind of story.”

End Quote Mitch Hurwitz Arrested Development Creator The show's return had been highly anticipated, but not all fans were happy with the change in style, where each episode focused on one character rather than the entire Bluth family.

Hurwitz admits it was the availability of the cast - which includes Jason Bateman, Michael Cera and Portia De Rossi - that caused the change in format.

"Necessity is the mother of invention and it really was because I couldn't get all the actors at the same time," he says.

So Hurwitz turned away from mainstream TV networks to a pay TV service because he "really needed a partner that was willing to take risks".

He says he had "very modest ambition" when he started out on the new series. He envisaged "little webisodes" - an anthology series looking at one character at a time - to refresh people's memories before building up to a bigger story.

But as the shows developed, he saw it as "an opportunity to tell a new kind of story."

"To have these individual episodes cross into each other and intersect and make one larger episode. An eight-hour Arrested Development novella," he explains.

History repeating itself

But Hurwitz can understand why some fans may have struggled.

"When I look at what we've done, it seems miles from where we started," he says. "But to an audience that assumed they were getting the old show, I think it was surprising that it was such a different form."

But he is confident fans will "find a way to appreciate this for what it is" and sees it as a case of history repeating itself as the original series took time to find its audience.

"I think in many ways it will follow the same curve of the original episodes. The density of those episodes were what kept people away and now the audience is hankering for that kind of intensity and we're telling a slightly different kind of story."

Mitch Hurwitz says its hard to get the whole cast together to film as they all have 'big careers'

He continues: "If you watch it again you'll suddenly realise everything had a purpose - everything had a deeper joke going on. I think there is value to the new kind of storytelling - I wouldn't have done it if I didn't."

As for the future of Arrested Development, a movie says Hurwitz "is definitely the next step" as this series "was designed with a movie in mind".

He says they already have planned "a very funny way to wrap up a lot of the elements in the story" and the only issue would be getting the whole cast together.

Hurwitz is keen to work with Netflix again on the movie, which he wants to get a cinema release as well.

"Ideally we'd do both - whether it's a cinema release first and then it goes to Netflix or some kind of simulcast".

A similar experiment was carried out in the UK recently by filmmaker Ben Wheatley, whose low-budget film A Field in England was released across all formats in a single day.

"I think it might be fun for people to have a group experience with the show," says Hurwitz. "Particularly as the fans have now figured out some of the style and figured out that there's a bit of a Rocky Horror Picture Show in this thing and that there are fun things to know ahead of time and to re-watch."

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AUDIO: Nelly on meeting US kidnap victim

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BBC welfare show breached guidelines

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Benjamin star Eileen Brennan dies

31 July 2013 Last updated at 07:37 GMT Brennan was born Verla Eileen Regina Brennan in September 1932 Eileen Brennan, the actress best known for her Oscar-nominated role as Goldie Hawn's tormentor in 1980 army comedy Private Benjamin, has died aged 80.

Her managers said she died on Sunday at her home in Burbank, Los Angeles after suffering from bladder cancer.

Brennan, who also appeared in The Last Picture Show and Clue, was known for her husky voice and spiky demeanour.

"Our world has lost a rare human," said Hawn in a statement in which she paid tribute to her "old friend".

"Eileen was a brilliant comedian, a powerful dramatic actress and had the voice of an angel."

Brennan earned a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role as US Army Captain Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin.

She reprised the role in an adapted TV series from 1981 to 1983, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe in the process.

Born Verla Eileen Regina Brennan in September 1932, Brennan began her career on the New York stage before heading to Hollywood in the late 1960s.

After appearing alongside Hawn in the first series of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, she was singled out for praise and a Bafta nomination, for her role as careworn waitress Genevieve in The Last Picture Show.

Brennan continued her association with its director, Peter Bogdanovich, by appearing in his films Daisy Miller and At Long Last Love.

She remains best known for playing Doreen Lewis in Private Benjamin

She was also seen in comic roles in Murder By Death and The Cheap Detective, appearing in both alongside the late Peter Falk.

Brennan was seriously injured in 1982 when she was hit by a car after a dinner with Goldie Hawn in Los Angeles.

The actress became dependent on painkillers as a result and later entered the Betty Ford clinic to cure her addiction.

She returned to the screen in 1985's Clue, a murder spoof inspired by the board game known in the UK as Cluedo.

In later life she gave supporting turns in such films as Jeepers Creepers, Miss Congeniality 2 and TV's Will and Grace.

"I love meanies... because they have no sense of humour," Brennan told the Associated Press in 1988.

"If we can't laugh at ourselves and the human condition, we're going to be mean."

The actress is survived by her ex-husband, David John Lampson, and their two sons, Patrick and Sam.

In a statement, her family remembered her as "funny and caring and truly one of a kind".

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Bolshoi faces 'difficult challenge'

29 July 2013 Last updated at 11:47 GMT The famed Bolshoi has been mired in controversy of late The new head of the Bolshoi Ballet has admitted he faces "difficult challenges", following a series of scandals including an acid attack on the company's artistic director.

Vladimir Urin told the BBC such events "are now in the past".

He was put in place earlier this month after the Russian culture ministry said the Bolshoi needed "renewal".

The Bolshoi is about to embark on a three-week run at London's Royal Opera House.

The occasion marks the 50th anniversary of the company's first visit to Covent Garden.

In recent months the Bolshoi has been mired by allegations of vicious infighting and feuds - as well as the attack on artistic director Sergei Filin, in which a masked man threw acid in his face.

Veteran dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze, who was in open conflict with the theatre since the attack, was forced out in June.

Leading soloist Svetlana Lunkina told a Russian newspaper she had moved to Canada amid claims of threats to her husband.

"Every theatre sometimes goes through difficult times - it's a normal process of the human life," Mr Urin told BBC arts correspondent Rebecca Jones.

"As human beings, some people might have glorious moments and some tragic events. I'm sure that all these events which happened in the life of the Bolshoi and which amazed all the world - all these things are now in the past."

Mr Urin said, having only been in his post for 10 days, he had not had the opportunity to look into the history of the Bolshoi's recent problems.

"I just need more time to understand the basics of what happened," he said.

'Untruthful things'

However, while he accepted the Bolshoi's reputation had been tarnished by the controversies, Mr Urin said he believed it was unjust.

"Very often a lot of untruthful things were coming out. It doesn't mean some events did not take place, they did take place - but very often it was a lot of rumours around these events and it was a wrong evaluation of what was going on." he said.

"What is vitally important now for the people of the theatre is what they will see on stage. I'm sure that if the creative life of the company is organised in a good way, it will produce new creative interesting works and then everything shall be fine."

Mr Urin's predecessor Anatoly Iksanov was removed from his position with a year still left on his contract.

He had been accused of mismanaging the Bolshoi's $1bn (£860m) renovation - which ran years over schedule and over budget.

Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky said: "A difficult situation had developed around the theatre and the troupe - everything pointed to the need for renewal."

Dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze said he was forced out of the Bolshoi

"As always in the ballet world we do need some new blood - not only dancers but also choreographers and directors as well," agreed Mr Urin.

"We would never say goodbye to the trouble makers if they are brilliant dancers. I'm sure we should be able to find a mutual language to co exist."

Mr Urin's comments came on the same day Mr Filin told the Daily Telegraph he had just undergone his 22nd operation following the attack in January.

"Some of the optimism that we had earlier has not been justified. My right eye sees nothing at all and my left is working at about 10%," he said.

"I can make out light and dark; I can't make out faces. But I want to concentrate on the fact that my doctors are amazing and there is a plan for treatment. There is hope that my left eye especially can improve."

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Bridget Jones author at festival

30 July 2013 Last updated at 15:08 GMT Renee Zellweger starred in the first two Bridget Jones film adaptations Author Helen Fielding is to appear at the Cheltenham Literature Festival to talk about her awaited third Bridget Jones book, it has been announced.

The book, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, is due for release in October, the same month as the famous festival.

Musician Ray Davies, ex-home secretary Alan Johnson and designer Cath Kidston are also on the guest list.

Every year the festival attracts some of the biggest names from the world of culture, politics and sport.

Now in its 64th year, the 10-day literary festival will be led by guest directors A S Byatt, a Man Booker Prize winner, as well as the former home secretary Mr Johnson and the critic Agnès C Poirier.

Other names appearing will include Jennifer Saunders, Jack Whitehall, Ian Rankin, Mary Berry, Jeremy Paxman, Kate Adie, John Bishop and Brian May.

World snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan will also take to the stage to talk about the troubled times he has faced and his continued love of the sport.

The central theme of this year's event is memory and its shaping of us individually and as a society.

It will run, with events spread across Cheltenham town centre, from 4-12 October.

More than 126,000 tickets - a record number - were sold for last year's festival which featured JK Rowling, Salman Rushdie and Sir Roger Moore.

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Greengrass film to open NY festival

30 July 2013 Last updated at 09:11 GMT Tom Hanks plays Captain Phillips in Greengrass' hijacking thriller Paul Greengrass' latest film, Captain Phillips, starring Tom Hanks, is to have its premiere at the opening night of the New York Film Festival (NYFF).

The film is a biopic of Captain Richard Phillips who was taken hostage by Somali Pirates during the Maersk Alabama hijacking in 2009.

It marks Greengrass' return to the New York festival following the screening of Bloody Sunday in 2002.

The 51st NYFF takes place between 27 September and 13 October.

A Somali man was sentenced to more than 33 years in prison for the pirate attack on the Maersk Alabama merchant ship.

Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse was the only survivor of the crew of pirates who attacked the ship off Somalia's coast.

He was captured by the US Navy, whose sharpshooters killed three other pirates trying to escape on a lifeboat with Captain Phillips.

"Captain Phillips is a riveting experience," said the festival's director of programming, Kent Jones.

"At this point in his working life, Paul Greengrass has become a master of immersive reality-based narratives set along geopolitical fault lines.

"I'm excited that this tough, tense, real-life thriller, capped by the remarkable performances of Tom Hanks and four brilliant first-time Somali actors, is opening the 51st edition of the festival," he said.

Captain Phillips is based on the book A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy Seals and Dangerous Days at Sea by Captain Richard Phillips and Stephan Talty, with the screenplay by Billy Ray.

Starring alongside Hanks are Somali newcomers Barkhad Abdi, Faysal Ahmed, Barkhad Abdirahman and Mahat M Ali.

The film is due to be released in cinemas on 11 October.

Bloody Sunday won the coveted Golden Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival in 2002.

The film, about the shooting of 13 civilians in Londonderry in 1972, shared the prize with Japanese animated feature Spirited Away.

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Honor Blackman heads to Casualty

30 July 2013 Last updated at 00:07 GMT Honor Blackman plays Agatha Kirkpatrick in the first episode in series 28 of Casualty Bond actress Honor Blackman is to appear in the BBC medical drama Casualty, playing a feisty pensioner.

Her character ends up in hospital after being hit by a bicycle and reveals to the Casualty staff that she has a past which includes driving ambulances in African warzones.

Blackman made her name in The Avengers and played Pussy Galore in the Bond film Goldfinger.

She appears in the first episode of the new series, starting on 3 August.

Casualty executive producer Oliver Kent explained she "plays a fantastically witty and charming character on a mission.

"We've had a long history of famous guest appearances but never a Bond girl."

The new series also sees the arrival of two new characters - a trainee doctor called Lily Chao, played by Crystal Yu and a nurse called Rita Freeman, played by Chloe Howman.

Aside from acting duties, Blackman is set to tour a one woman show - on her life and rise to stardom - around the UK in September.

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Jackson/Mercury songs 'for release'

30 July 2013 Last updated at 09:27 GMT May said in 2011 he was given permission by the Jackson estate to release his recordings with Queen Three songs recorded by Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury in 1983 are due to be released, according to Queen guitarist Brian May.

May is working on the "unreleased material" with fellow bandmate Roger Taylor and producer William Orbit.

He described the experience as "exciting, challenging, emotionally taxing. But cool".

The duets were recorded at Jackson's home studio in California, according to Hollywood Reporter.

Huge global success

May wrote on his blog: "As for unreleased material with Freddie singing… strangely enough I was working on some tapes this evening - with William Orbit. There are a few items in progress. We will have something for folks to hear in a couple of months' time, hopefully.

May also said in 2011 that he was given permission by the Jackson estate to release the pop star's recordings with Queen and Mercury.

Both stars were larger than life, hugely successful global pop singers with millions of fans and massive record sales. Jackson died in 2009 following an overdose of a powerful anaesthetic and Mercury died from an Aids-related condition in 1991.

Earlier this month, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen pulled out of a Freddie Mercury biopic over "creative differences", according to reports.

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Killing star to be Sherlock villain

29 July 2013 Last updated at 15:50 GMT Mikkelsen began his career as a touring juggler Danish actor Lars Mikkelsen is set to play a villain in the third series of BBC One's Sherlock.

Mikkelsen, who played mayoral candidate Troels Hartmann in cult Danish drama The Killing, will star as Charles Augustus Magnussen.

In Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, the title character is a blackmailer who extorts money from wealthy nobles.

The Sherlock series stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the famous detective.

Sherlock producer Sue Vertue announced the news of Mikkelsen's role on Twitter on Monday.

The Killing was broadcast by BBC Four in the UK.

Mikkelsen, 49, also starred in the hit show Borgen - his brother Mads starred opposite Daniel Craig in Casino Royale and is currently on TV screens in Hannibal.

Sherlock won three Bafta awards in 2011, including best supporting actor for Martin Freeman, who plays Holmes's sidekick Doctor Watson.

It went one better in 2012, picking up four awards including best writer for Steven Moffat and best supporting actor for Andrew Scott, who played Holmes's nemesis Moriarty.

The first two Sherlock series were equally popular with audiences, with an 7.9 million viewers for the final episode of series two last year.

A transmission date for the third series has yet to be announced.

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Meeting Mr Controversial

31 July 2013 Last updated at 08:21 GMT By Kev Geoghegan Entertainment reporter, BBC News Drive, Ryan Gosling's first film with Refn, was critically acclaimed Controversial Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn talks about his latest film Only God Forgives, a crime thriller set in Bangkok that has, like much of his work, divided opinion.

"His jetlag is kicking in," explains a cheerful PR man. "But he's been on good form so you should get some good stuff from him."

Just what a journalist wants to hear 15 minutes before an interview with Nicolas Winding Refn, the enfant terrible of European arthouse cinema whose latest film, Only God Forgives, sees him team up for the second time with Hollywood golden boy Ryan Gosling.

The film, a neon-splashed, hyper-violent noir set in Bangkok, sees Gosling's gangster Julian tasked by his drug kingpin mother to exact bloody revenge on the men who killed his older brother.

Refn introduced a screening of the film the night before our interview by suggesting that where Drive, his previous film with Gosling, had been "high-grade cocaine, then this film is the opposite, like really bad acid".

Fast forward 12 hours. "Hi," says the visibly weary director. "Do you mind if I walk about a bit?"

"Not at all," I answer. "Can you expand on the drugs simile you used to explain the film last night?"

"Why? Was it not true?"

Hmm, this could get difficult.

"It was a way," says Refn, "to describe..." (eight second pause) "...a film that had a certain anticipation."

This could be a long 20 minutes. Refn is now sprawled on one of the hotel's comfortable-looking couches, his dark sunglasses shielding what I suspect are half-closed eyes.

"And does that anticipation help or hinder you as a storyteller?" I inquire.

Another long pause. "People can be pleasantly surprised or they can be disappointed, but that love and hate is what art is all about," he eventually says.

Another pause, this time I hope for dramatic effect. "There's a great satisfaction of being able to cause that stir emotionally within you," he finally adds.

'Good and bad art'

Art, it transpires, is a subject Refn is happy to talk about - at length.

His answers are largely prompted by an enquiry on the mixed reaction Only God Forgives received when it was screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

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"We live in a society where we define our art as good or bad, and in a way art needs to be beyond that - whether it's good or bad it's almost irrelevant.

"If everybody agrees, then how deep has it gone?

"I shoot my films in chronological order because it's a constant reminder to me that it's a living organism that continues to grow.

"I do believe that art is an act of violence. Ceation can be a violent experience."

"We live in a society where we define our art as good or bad, and in a way art needs to be beyond that," says Refn. "Whether it's good or bad it's almost irrelevant.

"It's like saying, 'I had good or bad Chinese food last night.' It's easy to understand that, but how can you define art that way?"

The level of violence in Only God Forgives has earned it an R rating in the US and an 18 certificate in the UK.

For Refn, it is an artistic thumb of the nose to Hollywood suits at a time when film-makers are commonly asked to cut violence from films to reach a bigger audience.

"I make my films very cheap," he sighs. "And that's really how you retain your control, with your budget.

"The cheaper you make the films, the less of a challenge it is and the less people want to involve themselves.

"If you're making a hundred million dollar movie, you have to make half a billion dollars for your investors to be happy.

"A film like Drive" - another crime thriller in which Gosling played a stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver - "only needs to make two million dollars, and everyone has made back their money."

'Fantasy reality'

Stylistically, Only God Forgives owes much to the work of Martin Scorsese, Sir Ridley Scott and in particular John Carpenter, most famous for directing films like Halloween and Escape from New York.

"Those are the films I grew up with," says Refn. "Especially Escape from New York - that kind of futuristic world that's in the near future, an almost alternative reality, a fantasy reality.

Kristin Scott Thomas plays Gosling's fearsome mother in the film

"I think Escape from New York was the first VHS video I ever owned," continues the director, now in a full-blown tribute to Carpenter's dystopian vision of the Big Apple as a high-security prison.

"God, I loved that movie. It's perfect cinema, a perfect soundtrack. That pulse-y beat."

Audiences familiar with Drive will know that Gosling is not an actor whom Refn overburdens with dialogue.

Compared with the taciturn Julian in Only God Forgives, though, Gosling's unnamed driver in that 2011 film was positively brimming with enthusiastic chatter.

"Being able to convey all these emotions without having to talk is a fantastic gift," Refn says of his tight-lipped star.

From British actress Kristin Scott Thomas, meanwhile, Refn has drawn one of this year's most startling performances by casting her as Julian's platinum blonde, foul-mouthed mother Crystal.

"It came very natural to her, let me put it like that," smiles Refn. "She had no problem turning on the bitch switch.

"Ryan was very helpful with that because I'm not well-versed in American foul language. So I asked for his help."

'Like the Sex Pistols'

The film's brutal violence has divided audiences thus far and saw it met with booing and applause in equal measures when it screened at Cannes.

"What was great about Cannes, it became like the Sex Pistols," says Refn. "People were either outraged beyond belief or they praised it beyond the second coming.

"That's when you know you have penetrated the deepest souls of humanity."

When I point out that first screening at Cannes was similar to the Pistols' Free Trade Hall gig in 1976, in that everyone has since claimed that they were there to witness it, he chuckles.

"Yes, they can all refer to that reaction that it 'split' critics or had 'diverse' reactions."

Violence runs like a red seam through many of the director's films, which include the Denmark-set Pusher series and a biopic of Britain's most notorious prison inmate, Charles Bronson.

The brutal stylised violence in Only God Forgives has divided opinion

Yet Refn insists that Only God Forgives, even with its limb-chopping, eye-gouging and head-bashing, is not particularly violent.

"I used to enjoy violent movies when I was younger and didn't have any children," he says.

"Since having children I became very aware of the effect, but I don't consider my films to be very violent - not compared to what you see on television."

So is creating violent images something of a catharsis for a former horror junkie whose kids have curtailed his viewing habits?

"Unfortunately, I don't have any problems with coming up with violent images," he explains. "It comes very natural to me.

"I used to seek out any extreme cinema that I could get my hands on. It used to be something that I took great pride in."

Refn is currently working on an adaptation of the erotic comic book Barbarella, adapted by director Roger Vadim for a 1968 film starring his then-wife Jane Fonda.

Looking ahead, does he envisage his relationship with Gosling extending to a third film?

"If we're going to do another one then it will have to be a comedy," he says. "With a lot of talking. A completely new arena for us."

Only God Forgives is out in the UK on 2 August.

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Nile Rodgers given cancer all-clear

By Jimmy Blake
Newsbeat reporter Daft Punk collaborator and Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers has been given the all-clear after battling prostate cancer.

The musician, who worked with Daft Punk on their number one single Get Lucky, was diagnosed in 2010.

The 60-year-old broke the news via his Twitter account on Monday evening.

He tweeted: "Instead of showing gross internal video I'll show my doctor's fly examination room. I'M ALL CLEAR AGAIN."

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I was facing life and death issues and then to get something so rewarding as a number one record is pretty amazing

Nile Rogers on Get Lucky success

In an interview with The Official Charts Company in May, Nile explained that the success of Get Lucky helped him overcome the disease.

"I was facing life and death issues and then to get something so rewarding as a number one record is pretty amazing," he said.

"I think this particular experience rates very high, because two years ago I was stricken with cancer just right out of the clear blue sky.

"And from that moment I decided I was going to work as much as I could, play as many concerts, do as many records, because that's what I live for."

Nile Rodgers performed at Glastonbury Festival last month with Chic, the band he worked with throughout the 1970s.

In the interview he also revealed that he had been working with David Guetta and Avicii.

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