(video) Prince Charles plays Hamlet alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen

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 Harry Wallop, video courtesy bbc two / shakespeare live
23 APRIL 2016 • 10:12PM



The Prince of Wales - briefly - became the Prince of Denmark on Saturday.

Prince Charles appeared on stage at Stratford as part of a stellar cast in Shakespeare Live, a light-hearted tribute to Britain's most famous writer, 400 years to the day after he died.



Prince Charles uttered Shakespeare's most famous line "to be or not to be", managing to achieve not just every actor's dream, but trump Dame Judi Dench.

His short contribution came as part of a complex and witty homage to Shakespeare and his soliloquy from Hamlet known the world over.

Prince Charles appeared alongside Tim Minchin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Harriet Walter, David Tennant, Rory Kinnear, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, and the RSC’s current Hamlet, Paapa Essiedu.

It was a fitting finale to a day of celebrations in Stratford that mixed solemnity, pomp, quite a bit of low farce - and royalty. William Shakespeare probably would have approved.

Thousands gathered in Stratford-Upon-Avon on Saturday to celebrate the death of Britain’s most famous writer – and his birthday too.
 

READ MORE HERE:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/23/prince-charles-plays-hamlet-in-brilliant-bbc-sketch/

Hugh Bonneville films new Paddington Bear movie...alongside a mechanical cuddly toy head!

MAIL ON LINE
By SIMON CABLE
PUBLISHED: 14:01 EST, 7 October 2013 | UPDATED: 15:28 EST, 7 October 2013



It's been almost four decades since he first appeared on screen.

But Paddington Bear appears to have had a very modern makeover indeed.

 A mechanical head has been created to shoot scenes for the upcoming film of the classic children’s books. While the character will mostly be computer generated, the puppet was used in a number of scenes filmed in London’s Paddington station over the weekend.

Colin Firth is providing the voice for the character, which was originally created by author Michael Bond in 1958. He is appearing alongside Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville, who is playing the part of Mr Brown, and Hollywood star Nicole Kidman, who is playing an evil taxidermist. Julie Walters has been cast as Mrs Bird, the Brown’s housekeeper.



 Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2449154/Hugh-Bonneville-films-new-Paddington-Bear-movie--alongside-mechanical-cuddly-toy-head.html#ixzz2h56R4YXj Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Colin Firth to play Paddington Bear, Hugh Bonneville will play Mr. Brown

MAIL ON LINE
By BAZ BAMIGBOYE

Colin Firth will play Paddington Bear in a movie from the man behind the Harry Potter films.

And Nicole Kidman has signed on to play the villain in the film.

Firth, who won an Oscar for The King’s Speech, will give voice to the bear from darkest Peru.

‘Paddington will be computer generated, and I will speak his lines with, I suspect, a slight Peruvian flavour,’ the actor  told me.

‘Every other character in the film will be real, live, human beings,’ he said.

‘But the idea is that Paddington will have something of me in his DNA because I’m going to do some sessions wearing one of those helmets with cameras to capture my face muscles, and all that data will somehow be incorporated into Paddington.

Because Paddington is digitally created I’m spared having to over-indulge in marmalade sandwiches,’ Firth joked, referring to Paddington’s habit of keeping a stash of sarnies under his hat for emergencies.

The bear was created by Michael Bond and first appeared in the book A Bear Called Paddington in 1958.

He was sent to England by his Aunt Lucy, when she went to live in a home for retired bears in Lima, and was discovered by Mr Henry Brown and his wife Mary at Paddington Station. He was wearing a note round his neck stating: ‘Please look after this bear, thank you.’

Paddington was taken in by the Browns and their two children and lived in a Victorian semi at 32 Windsor Gardens off the Portobello Road.

Heyman confirmed to me that Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey’s Earl of Grantham, and Sally Hawkins, soon to be seen in Woody Allen’s superb movie Blue Jasmine, will play the Browns.

Julie Walters has been cast as Mrs Bird, their housekeeper, and Jim Broadbent may also take a role.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2419423/Colin-Firth-play-Paddington-bear-movie-man-Harry-Potter-films.html#ixzz2eipAP7jq 

Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook 

Sir Patrick Stewart - Patrick Stewart's Joy Over Mousetrap Performance 19 November 2012 (CONTACT MUSIC)

Sir Patrick Stewart only watched The Mousetrap on stage one day before he took part in a star-studded gala performance to mark the 60th anniversary of Agatha Christie's celebrated play on Sunday (18Nov12).

Hugh Bonneville and Julie Walters were also among the cast for the special show at St. Martin's Theatre in London in honour of the 25,000th performance of the play, which premiered on 6 October 1952.

However, Sir Patrick admits he had never seen the world's longest-running stage production before agreeing to take part in the celebration, which benefited the Mousetrap Theatre Projects, a charity dedicated to bringing the magic of theatre into the lives of young people.

He revealed, "I came to see it last night for the first time, and I thought 'How has this passed me by?'"

READ MORE: http://www.contactmusic.com/news/patrick-stewart-s-joy-over-mousetrap-performance_3380392

Hugh Bonneville, Miranda Hart, Julie Walters and Patrick Stewart Star in THE MOUSETRAP Charity Performance, Nov 18 (BROADWAY WORLD)

According to the Daily Mail, Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville, Call The Midwife's Miranda Hart, and stage and film stars Julie Walters and Patrick Stewart will take part in a fundraising performance of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap this Sunday, November 18, at the St. Martin's Theatre.

Read the original report here.

The headlining actors will be joined by Tamsin Greig, Nicholas Farrell, Iain Glen and Harry Lloyd. The Mousetrap will be directed by Phyllida Lloyd to raise funds for the theatre education charity Mousetrap Theatre.

Mathew Prichard, Agatha Christie's grandson, owns the rights to The Mousetrap. He and producer Stephen Waley-Cohen are set to reveal a memorial to Christie at St. Martin's cross.

Hugh Bonneville spent seven seasons with The National Theatre, appearing in School For Wives, Yerma, Entertaining Strangers, Juno and the Paycock, The School for Scandal and The Devil's Disciple. He then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company and his credits there include Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Alchemist, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, The Virtuso, Amphibians and Hamlet (alongside Kenneth Branagh). Bonneville has also worked on projects for the Donmar Warehouse, The Old Vic and more. Current star of the television drama Downton Abbey, Bonneville has also appeared in The Cazalets, Take a Girl Like You, Armadillo, Daniel Deronda, The Commander, The Gathering Storm, Love Again, Doctor Who and more. His film credits include Notting Hill, Mansfield Park, Shanghai, Iris, French Film and many more.

Read more: http://westend.broadwayworld.com/article/Hugh-Bonneville-Miranda-Hart-Julie-Walters-and-Patrick-Stewart-Star-in-THE-MOUSETRAP-Charity-Performance-Nov-18-20121115#ixzz2COrX6uYr

Colin Firth, Paul McCartney: Stars join campaign to save film studio (LONDON EVENING STANDARD)

Steven Spielberg, Sir Paul McCartney and Colin Firth are among the celebrities supporting a campaign to stop Twickenham Film Studios closing.

The studios were used in blockbusters War Horse and The Iron Lady and were also used for the Beatles’ films Help! and A Hard Day’s Night. But the studios, which occupy a two-and-a-half acre site, have failed to make money for the past three years. So far resident Maria Walker has collected 3,769 signatures for her Save Twickenham Studios petition.

 Sir Paul, pictured, said: “I have many fond memories of working at Twickenham Studios. It’s a fine example of a British film studio and it would be a great loss if it were to have nothing more to do with the British film industry.”

 Educating Rita actress Julie Walters has written to Business Secretary Vince Cable, who is the MP for Twickenham, appealing for him to step in.


READ MORE:  http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/london/stars-join-campaign-to-save-film-studio-7592180.html

Pixar's Brave Has Girl Power

Disney Pixar takes us back in time with their latest animated film Brave. The movie centers on a stubborn princess who defies convention to follow her dreams. But what starts off as a simple declaration of independence ends with dire consequences.

Disney has released a new trailer for their highly anticipated feature from Pixar, titled Brave. It's an animated tale set in the ancient Highlands of Scotland. The film stars Boardwalk Empire's Kelly Macdonald, Oscar-winner Emma Thompson and Grey's Anatomy hunk, Kevin McKidd.

Brave centers on Merida, a courageous young woman who defies tradition and plays by her own rules. As the daughter of King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Thompson) she's expected to get married and follow in her mother's footsteps. Unfortunately, Merida has other plans that don't mesh with her family's.

When Merida decides to tempt fate and pave her own path, chaos is unleashed on her kingdom. Her problems are then compounded when she asks an old witch for help. Merida sets out on a journey to undo the damage and break a beastly curse that could haunt her forever.

Could Brave be the next girl power movie to hit theaters? Like its Disney-made predecessor Tangled (loosely based on Rapunzel), it has qualities of a fairy tale with hints of comedy and action. The protagonist isn't a damsel in distress and doesn't immediately fall in love with a handsome prince, which is a welcomed change.

Pixar has a lot riding on Brave's success. Their last film to hit theaters was Cars 2, which was considered their first critical failure. The film earned a mere 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, putting an end to their acclaimed winning-streak. Brave is the studio's shot at redemption.

With the exception of Emma Thompson and Julie Walters, the primary cast of Brave consists of Scotland natives. The film is directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, who previously worked on Ratatouille, The Incredibles and The Lion King.


Brave opens in theaters everywhere June 22

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