Tom Hardy joins the cast of hit period crime drama Peaky Blinders

MAIL ON LINE
By JASON CHESTER
February 14, 2014



Tom Hardy will make a return to TV later this year after joining the cast of period drama Peaky Blinders.

The British movie star will appear in the second series of the hit BBC Two gangster drama, joining his The Dark Knight Rises co-star Cillian Murphy.

The official Twitter account for Peaky Blinders'announced the news on Friday, writing: 'FAN EXCLUSIVE: TOM HARDY WILL JOIN THE CAST OF #PEAKYBLINDERS! As a thanks for your support, YOU are the 1st to know (sic)'

Peaky Blinders follows the Shelby crime family - led by the cunning and masterful Tommy (Cillian) - and is set in Birmingham just after World War I.

The drama also stars top acting talent such as Helen McCrory and Sam Neill as Chief Inspector Chester Campbell, a detective who arrives in Birmingham from Belfast to rid the city of corruption and gangs


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2559591/Tom-Hardy-joins-cast-BBC-Peaky-Blinders.html#ixzz2tQLwcYnT 
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Downton Abbey Season 5 Cast Revealed: Meet the New Characters and Find Out Who's Returning

E!
by CHRIS HARNICK
February 14, 2014



Downton Abbey is welcoming new faces, and maybe new drama for its upcoming season five.

Richard E. Grant is joining the cast as Simon Bricker, a guest of the Granthams who visits Downton Abbey. Grant's other TV credits include Girls and Doctor Who. Anna Chancellor (Four Weddings and a Funeral) will guest star as Lady Anstruther and Rade Sherbedgia (24, Eyes Wide Shut) will play a Russian refugee.

Returning guest cast members include Dame Harriet Walter as Lady Shackleton and Peter Egan and Lord Flintshire.

Downton Abbey season five is slated to premiere in the UK in the fall with a winter 2015 start in the US. Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Jim Carter, Penelope Wilton, Phyllis Logan, Samantha Bond, Laura Carmichael, Lily James, Allen Leech, Brendan Coyle, Joanne Froggatt, Lesley Nicol, Sophie McShera, Rob James-Collier, Ed Speleers, Kevin Doyle, Raquel Cassidy, David Robb, Tom Cullen, Julian Ovenden, Daisy Lewis, Douglas Reith, Jeremy Swift and Andrew Scarborough will all return for the fifth season.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.eonline.com/news/511088/downton-abbey-season-5-cast-revealed-meet-the-new-characters-and-find-out-who-s-returning

Benedict Cumberbatch: BAFTA New York In Conversation Event

JUST JARED
February 14, 2014



Benedict Cumberbatch suits up as he attends BAFTA New York Presents: In Conversation With Benedict Cumberbatch held at The Standard Highline on Thursday (February 13) in New York City.

The 37-year-old actor took part in the lengthy Q&A session where admitted he was unsure about his role in Sherlock, and talks about how his first experience with social media.

 

FYI: Benedict is wearing a Hugo Boss suit.

10+ pictures inside of Benedict Cumberbatch at his BAFTA New York In Conversation session…

READ MORE HERE: http://www.justjared.com/2014/02/14/benedict-cumberbatch-bafta-new-yorks-in-conversation/

Charming Brits oust Hollywood Hunks topping 2014 sexiest actors poll (Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom HIddleston, Michael Fassbender)

DAILY ECHO
11:42am Friday 14th February 2014

With the BAFTAs taking place in London's Royal Opera House this weekend, the british film industry is set to take over from the palm trees of Hollywood this award season, but it's not just the incredible films the UK has turned out in 2013 that has got the world's attention - it's the British male actors that have ladies everywhere in a spin according to the UK's leading dating website for extramarital affairs, IllicitEncounters.com.

A poll asking female members who makes their heart's beat faster on screen, and the top objects of desire were: Benedict Cumberbatch 38% in first place, followed by Tom Hiddleston 27%, and Michael Fassbender 19% third. This is a total turnaround from the 2013 poll which put Wolverine star Hugh Jackman 48% first, the ultra smooth Bradley Cooper 29% second, and the handsome Denzel Washington third with 16%.

British talent really did takeover in 2013, dominating our screens at home and cinema. Benedict Cumberbatch has won the heart of the nation with his fantastic take on Sherlock, giving new life to one of the Uk's best loved detectives, he also earned a National Television Award for 'Best Detective' early this year, and played a plantation owner in Steve McQueen's brilliant Academy Award and BAFTA nominated '12 Years a slave'.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/leisure/showbiz/11011675.Charming_Brits_oust_Hollywood_Hunks_topping_2014_sexiest_actors_poll/

Lupita Nyong'o Gushes Over 'Close-Knit' Relationship With Michael Fassbender On 12 Years A Slave Set

ENTERTAINMENT WISE
By Alicia Adejobi On February 12, 2014



It's undeniable that Lupita Nyong'o shared a unique on-screen chemistry with Michael Fassbender in the Oscar-nominated 12 Years A Slave so it comes as no surprise that the pair also had a close bond away from the set with the actress revealing that they spent a lot of time together when they weren't filming scenes.

The 30-year-old has so far won several awards and nominations for her emotional turn as Patsey in the slavery-period drama starring alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, however, it's Lupita's brutal relationship with slave owner Edwin Epps played by Fassbender that really tugs on the heart strings.

Speaking about their relationship in real life, Lupita told Glamour magazine: “Michael and I had a ritual that we never even really spoke about: We would make nice right before a scene, and then we’d make nice after a scene.

“Just looking into each other’s eyes, an embrace, squeeze of the hands - that would button the scene. And at the end of the day when [director] Steve [McQueen] said cut, we would go out and enjoy the freedom that these people we were playing have granted us. It was a very close-knit cast and crew.”

Read more at http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/140718/Lupita-Nyongo-Gushes-Over-Close-Knit-Relationship-With-Michael-Fassbender-On-12-Years-A-Slave-Set#PMgBAHcCRGUwgMgb.99

Tom Hiddleston Top Gear, among other things (video) - great impersonations too, and dancing, of course

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvN0Kfp_pu4

Gerard Butler, Benedict Cumberbatch look stylish as they attend Hugo Boss Woman show at New York Fashion Week

MAIL ON LINE
By JAMES LEYFIELD
PUBLISHED: 05:04 EST, 13 February 2014 | UPDATED: 12:18 EST, 13 February 2014




He's used to looking fairly smart in his role as Sherlock Holmes.

But Benedict Cumberbatch went one better as he looked stylish in a three piece suit at the Hugo Boss Woman show at New York Fashion Week on Wednesday.

The actor - who portrays the titular role in drama series Sherlock – dressed to impress for the event and while it was a female fashion show, he was in good company with a number of other male stars in attendance.

The 37-year-old star was pictured with fellow actors Gerard Butler, who looked dashing in a similar suit, and Scott Eastwood.

Scott – the son of Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood - also sported a suit for the occasion but decided against a white shirt, opting instead for an all-black combination.



The trio looked in great spirits as they posed for a photograph with Boss Women fashion designer Jason Wu, who wore a suit for the occasion.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2558328/Benedict-Cumberbatch-stylish-black-suit-Hugo-Boss-Woman-New-York-Fashion-Week.html#ixzz2tFU1Uzd9 
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Matthew Macfayden hints at Ripper Street return

BBC NEWS
7 January 2014 Last updated at 16:15 GMT



Matthew Macfayden has hinted that axed Victorian crime drama Ripper Street could make a return.

The actor, who played Inspector Edmund Reid in the show, said that a "touching" fan response may have inspired talks to bring it back "by other means."

He told BBC Radio 5 live's Richard Bacon: "There are efforts being made to breathe life back into it... there was over 20,000 signatures to the petition. There's been a big ground swell of support."

SIGN THE PETITION HERE: http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/reverse-the-bbc-s-decision-to-cancel-ripper-street


READ MORE HERE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25641851

Why Benedict Is Wrong to Censor His Cumberbitches

HUFFPOST UK
Victoria Sadler
12/2/14



His fans just can't get enough of him. Only this week, after generating near hysteria with his appearance at the Elementary Con in Birmingham, over 22,000 devoted fans clamoured for only 200 available tickets to see Benedict Cumberbatch record the last episode of the popular BBC Radio 4 comedy Cabin Pressure.

And if that attention wasn't enough, a couple of days ago the actor was also reportedly chased down the streets of London by adoring (and a little misguided, it has to be said) fans after seeing a performance of the terrific Coriolanus at the Donmar Warehouse.

Still, the internet's favourite actor has been terribly gracious towards his fans, despite the fact that some of their behaviour must be unsettling at best and deeply worrying at worst (god help the poor woman who becomes his girlfriend). But one area that he has picked his devotees up on is their chosen name.

The Cumberbitches. That's what the most devoted fans called themselves. I actually liked it. I thought it was great word play, sharp, instantly recognisable and just a little bit in your face. And as soon as the term was coined, it went viral as quickly as 'credit crunch.'

It's a term that dwarfs all the other attempts (usually led by the stars themselves) to give fanbases catchy names, like Kylie's Lovers and Rihanna's Navy. Cumberbitches is right up there with Gaga's Monsters. The term is so good that the person behind it really should think about going into PR.

Only the actor himself was reluctant to be too supportive of the name. "It's not even politeness," he told Caitlin Moran in an interview for the Times. "I won't allow you to be my bitches. I think it sets feminism back so many notches. You are... Cumberpeople."

http://emmagrant01.tumblr.com/post/20211252317/cumberbitches-assemble

But Cumberpeople, and other alternatives generated by fans in the face of this censure such as Cumberfans, Cumberbabes, Cumbercollective... No, they're just not anywhere near as brilliant as Cumberbitches.

But more than this, why should the Cumberbitches redefine themselves because the object of their affection says so? And more importantly, why is it anti-feminist to call yourself a bitch?

Of course I'm in the realms of a circular argument here as if Mr Cumberbatch's remarkably fanatical following want to be his bitch then no doubt their willingness to do anything he says would extend to renaming themselves at his pleasure. But let's put that small technicality aside for one moment!


READ MORE HERE: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/victoria-sadler/benedict-cumberbatch-cumberbitches_b_4769642.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

Much Ado About Nothing (David Tennant + Catherine Tate) trailer: watchalong/tweetalong on Valentine’s Day

FLIKFILOSOPHER
Wed Feb 12 2014, 11:22am




Have you seen the wonderful production of Much Ado About Nothing that was in the West End in the summer of 2011? You don’t need to have been in London, and you don’t need to have snagged a ticket to

do so: a filmed version is available to rent or buy at Digital Theatre, the wonderful on-demand service for stage productions. It’s very reasonably priced, and the service is not region-locked, so you can watch from anywhere on the planet.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.flickfilosopher.com/2014/02/much-ado-nothing-david-tennant-catherine-tate-trailer-watchalongtweetalong-valentines-day.html

Benedict Cumberbatch fans break ticket record over final episode of Cabin Pressure

RADIO TIMES
Ben Dowell
4:22 PM, 11 February 2014



Benedict Cumberbatch fans have broken yet another record – for the most ever ticket requests for a Radio 4 comedy.

According to the BBC there have been 22,854 applications for the recording of his final performance in the comedy Cabin Pressure – the highest number of requests for a single recording of a radio comedy in BBC history. Other single episodes of popular Radio 4 shows can have up to 17,000 requests but this latest figure is unprecedented.

The deadline for applications was 10am today and the BBC says that due to the unprecedented demand it will be operating a random draw to choose which fans will get to see the show. Some press tickets have been allocated and RadioTimes.com will be among the lucky few in the audience at London’s RADA studios, which is understood to have a capacity of just 200 people.

 The one-off, 45-minute episode be recorded this evening and will mark the end of the popular sitcom which is set in a small airline business and stars Stephanie Cole, Roger Allam and writer John Finnemore alongside Cumberbatch.

Charting the flipside of international air travel, Cole plays forbidding divorcée Carolyn Knapp-Shappey who bosses around her pilots – Allam’s smooth-talking Douglas and Cumberbatch’s Martin, a struggling semi-competent pilot. Finnemore plays her idiotic son Arthur.

Four series of the comedy and one Christmas special have so far aired between 2008 and 2013, and this one-off will be the last.

Explaining the decision to end with a single episode rather than a series, Finnemore wrote on his blog late last year: "When I was planning series three, I decided that (BBC and cast permitting), I would write two more series, and build towards a cliff-hanger, followed by a special.

"I knew by then how important it is when writing an episode to have the ending in mind, and I thought the same would probably be true of a series."

READ MORE HERE:http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-02-11/benedict-cumberbatch-fans-break-ticket-record-over-final-episode-of-cabin-pressure

Is Downton Abbey’s Mr. Bates Going To Straight Up Murder Someone?

CINEMA BLEND
BY JESSICA RAWDEN   2014-02-10 09:13:29




Downton Abbey has typically been more on the mark when it has had a unifying thread to bring people together, as happened when WWI was on the horizon and later actually occurred. Now in Season 4, the show lacks a large unifying thread and Julian Fellowes and co. have had to stretch a little further to come up with storylines to keep viewers enticed. The one recent storyline that has been effective emotionally involves Anna, her husband Mr. Bates and a slew of other people living in Downton. It’s pretty late in the game, but during Episode 7, we were finally given a reason to keep turning in, and that reason might involve Mr. Bates straight up murdering someone.

Warning: Very In-Depth Spoilers Related To Episode 7 Follow 

If you aren’t caught up on the facts, earlier this season Bates’ wife, Anna, was taking a break belowstairs when a visiting valet named Mr. Green accosted her. After a despicable conversation, her took her into a side room and raped her, later returning to his duties upstairs. Throughout the season, Anna and Bates have had their trials as he slowly determined what had happened to his wife. They had mostly reconciled when Lord Gillingham returned to the estate, Mr. Green in tow. While Bates doesn’t know it was Green who took advantage of Anna, thanks to a wild story about a robber, he clearly suspects it was Green, and the episode ended with a look of hatred from Bates directed at the valet.

Those involved with the secret, including Anna, Mrs. Hughes and Mary, all really wanted to put the past behind them. When Lord Gillingham showed up with Mr. Green, it was a stark reminder that things were not even close to alright and that Anna was still in an emotional state. Unfortunately, Mr. Green is doing nothing to keep up appearances. During the course of the episode, he told Mrs. Hughes that Anna was drunk and wanted to be with him. He then proceeded to tell the staff that he had come downstairs around the time of Anna’s rape during his last visit. It’s almost as if he is intentionally toying with Bates, feeling as if he is invincible, but I’m not certain why he might possibly believe that.

Bates has a pretty heavy history. He formerly spent an extended amount of time in jail for the perceived murder of his wife. He has seen hardship in war and hardship on the homefront, and because of his experiences, he is not a man to avoid conflict. Beyond this, he is willing to go out of his way to protect those he loves and cares for, and Anna is his top priority. Bates is mostly a gentle man, but he has the capacity to be very scary, and I have no idea how Mr. Green doesn’t see this. It makes me think he has gotten away with many similar situations in the past.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Downton-Abbey-Mr-Bates-Going-Straight-Up-Murder-Someone-62184.html

Sherlock’s season 3 draws in huge American following

THE HOUSTONIAN
By Alexa Grigsby
Contributing Reporter
Published: Monday, February 10, 2014
Updated: Monday, February 10, 2014 22:02


Note: This article contains spoilers.



Fans finally got the season finale they needed.

Despite the BBC drama “Sherlock” taking a two-year hiatus, the show has managed to attract a large legion of American viewers in its absence.

Three is the magic number when it comes to Sherlock. The season three finale aired on Feb. 2 on PBS Masterpiece, drawing another three-episode season to a close. The episode “His Last Vow”was brimming with plot twists, hilarity, and close encounters with death and blackmail plentiful.

In “His Last Vow,” Sherlock Holmes and John Watson faced off against the “Napoleon of blackmail” Charles Augustus Magnussen, depicted by Lars Mikkelsen.

The two-year break between seasons drew in a larger audience. It has been attributed to the growing fame of the show’s stars, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Cumberbatch recently appeared as the villain Khan in “Star Trek: Into Darkness.” Freeman has appeared in both installations of the film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” as Bilbo Baggins.

The season’s summation can be spelled out in the final twenty minutes of the season finale. As Sherlock and Watson face off yet another, seemingly tactically flawless villain, the series completely catches the audience off guard with the revelation of how tactically comprehensive this villain is. The vault that the heroic duo has spent season three focused on is nothing more than the innermost memories of a madman.

A villain truly fit to battle Mr. Holmes and match him at wits does so by working just like the titular character, by memorizing everything. At that revelation, the question of, “How do you destroy a vault that is only metaphorical?” comes to fruition, as Holmes puts Magnussen out of the world’s misery and ends the season with a literal bang.



Despite such an irreversible finale that sees Sherlock being banished from the United Kingdom instead of being brought up on murder charges, the series yet again takes the audience by surprise when Moriarty himself broadcasts a message to the whole of London: He’s back and by demand so is Sherlock.

Due to Sherlock’s growing fame, Massive Events has decided to launch SHERLOCKED, an official 3-day Sherlock convention that will be taking place in the US and the UK in 2014. No official dates or locations have been announced as of yet, but people who are interested can sign up for e-mail updates at Massive Event’s official page.

People all across America tuned into PBS Masterpiece Jan. 19 to catch the premiere of BBC’s Sherlock, drawing in an average of 4 million viewers for the opening of the show’s third season. This marks a viewer increase of about 800,000 compared to the second season’s US premiere.

According to the Seattle Times, Season 4of the hit show has been confirmed by “Sherlock” producer Sue Vertue, but as of yet no date has been set for its premiere.

“We’re still checking our diaries. It’s like a Venn diagram [scheduling],” she said.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.houstonianonline.com/a-e/sherlock-s-season-3-draws-in-huge-american-following-1.2855326#.Uvo-zfldVls

'Downton Abbey' moving on without Dan Stevens, says co-star

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Feb. 10, 2014 at 12:40 PM



"It's been interesting," Bonneville told the New York Post about life on the program since Stevens left.

"The show has taken on a different flavor. New characters have come in his wake," Bonneville said. "I had drinks with him a couple weeks ago. But miss him on the show? I think that's a bit too maudlin."

Bonneville can now be seen on the big screen in "The Monuments Men," as well as Season 4 of "Downton Abbey." Stevens recently starred in the film "The Fifth Estate.



Read more: http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2014/02/10/Downton-Abbey-moving-on-without-Dan-Stevens-says-co-star/UPI-45041392054023/#ixzz2t1asdC61

Brendan Gleeson dedicates film role to Ireland’s ‘good’ priests

IRISH TIMES
Derek Scally
February 10, 2014



Actor Brendan Gleeson has dedicated his new movie role to Ireland’s good priests, the ones he said have been overlooked or even tarred by recent clerical abuse scandals.

Mr Gleeson, promoting ‘Calvary’ at the Berlin Film Festival, said he was motivated by the memory of a “particularly good Christian Brother in primary school ... Brother Pat Grogan, a beautiful man”.

‘Calvary’, already hailed by Sundance critics as Beckett-meets-Bresson, enthused Berlin audiences yesterday with one critic calling it a “wonderful, disturbing, sad movie”. It opens this year’s Jameson Dublin Film Festival.

“I think there have been a few false accusations of paedophilia, life-wrecking allegations, against good men amongst all the proper exposure of bad men,” said Mr Gleeson in Berlin yesterday. “Imagine being a good person who has given their life to doing good things, finding themselves wearing a uniform that has been besmirched. It must be horrible for anyone who commits to good to be reviled for doing so.”

‘Calvary’ tells the story of a middle-aged Irish man who becomes a priest in a hostile environment, a role Gleeson said was “the most pressurised” he’d ever experienced,

READ MORE HERE: http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/gleeson-dedicates-film-role-to-ireland-s-good-priests-1.1686323

Downton Abbey Review: Scandals are Brewing (spoilers)

TV FANATIC
by Carissa Pavlica at February 9, 2014 10:00 pm.  Updated at February 10, 2014 7:08 am



Without qualms, I can easily say Downton Abbey Season 4 Episode 6 was down the best hour of the season.

It's taken far too long to get here, but the stories are all across the board right now. We have happiness, and darkness, good decisions and bad - and, with so many different tales being told, the hour flew by.

There were four big stories that I think warrant attention and that's what I'm going to focus on.

I daresay I finally found the Lady Mary I'd want to be friends with. Far more than she was even with Matthew, the Mary we saw with Mr. Blake was carefree and just shy of being self-sufficient. It turns out that she can do more than put herself to bed when Anna is away, she can make herself breakfast so she won't starve to death after she saves her pigs from dying of dehydration!

I've never been so proud of Mary as I was during those scenes. There wasn't a hint of shock or mild agitation at slopping through mud to take care of her livestock, only the reality that she had made a commitment to her farm and her animals and she needed to see it through.

That she didn't let on to anyone how much she really enjoyed her adventure with Blake was proof of just how much fun she had in his presence. The mud fight followed by eggs and wine was the best I'd ever seen Mary look and she was in the highest spirits. She had accomplished something she never imagined. She's a fully realized woman now. A woman who doesn't need someone like engaged Lord Gillingham pining after her like a puppy.

Edith took her trip to London to terminate her pregnancy, but not before she confided in her Aunt Rosamund. Rosamund came through with incredible resolve, concerned not for social standing and what others may think, but genuinely worried that Edith would make a decision she could live with. Edith's heart was breaking, again.

I am killing the wanted child of the man I am in love with and you're asking if I've thought about it?
Edith


- See more at: http://www.tvfanatic.com/2014/02/downton-abbey-review-scandals-are-brewing-inside-downtown/#sthash.Gfvyuz6Y.dpuf