Mirren is rooting for 12 Years a Slave at Oscars

Helen Mirren has revealed that she hopes 12 Years a Slave will be recognised at today's Oscars while acknowledging it has some tough competition.

The actress admitted that she found it very difficult to vote at this year's Academy Awards and told E!, "I really want 12 Years a Slave to be recognised. I really hope that happens but they're all such great movies this year. It's a very tough competition."

The 68-year-old star also took a moment to praise young Hollywood actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Lupita Nyong'o saying, "Lupita Nyong'o, she just looks amazing now. I also think Jennifer Lawrence is spectacular as well. The two of them together is just a dream really to see and they are just so sweet as well. They seem to be just so relaxed and they seem to have it all in proportion."

Both Nyong'o and Lawrence are nominated in the Best Supporting Actress categories for their work in 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle respectively.

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Bruce Dern was first choice for Nebraska

Nebraska director Alexander Payne has said that he first envisioned Bruce Dern playing the lead role when he read the script ten years ago.

Dern, who is nominated in the Best Actor category at tonight's Oscars, was the first person to jump to Payne's mind. The filmmaker explained to Parade, "He's the first guy who jumped to mind when I first read the script ten years ago.

"I thought, 'Oh, this could be a good part for Bruce Dern'. Then years went by because I didn't want to do another road picture, and then the time came to make it, and I still met probably 50 guys his age just for due diligence, but I circled back around to Mr Dern."

Dern's co-star June Squibb is nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar and Payne commented on how the two stars are loving the attention, "It's really lovely to see their reactions to the attention they are getting. Younger actors will say, 'Oh pshaw pshaw. It's just nice to be nominated. Oh, who, me?' When they're just desperate for it underneath.

"Meanwhile, Bruce and June are lapping it up and openly loving it by saying, 'We deserve this attention. We wanted it. This is so sweet'. They're so openly happy and grateful. Their reaction is very honest."

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12 Years a Slave wins at Independent Spirit Awards

12 Years a Slave was the big winner at the Film Independent Spirit Awards taking home five gongs for Best Director and Best Feature.

The Steve McQueen helmed film also won awards for Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong'o and Best Cinematography.

Dallas Buyers Club was another big winner at yesterday's awards with Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto taking home the trophies for Best Lead Male and Best Supporting Male respectively.

Cate Blanchett won the award for Best Lead Female for her work in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine.

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Father Ted writer will never revive the series

Father Ted co-writer Graham Linehan has said that he never plans to re-visit the hit comedy show.

Speaking to the Radio Times Linehan revealed that he often gets sent in suggestions for new episode plots but he is happy to leave the show at its original run of 25 episodes.

Linehan explained, "I would never bring Dougal back. Someone suggested to me a way of doing it but I am totally a different person now. We have said everything we have to about the imaginary world of priests."

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Dornan changed his walk for Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan has admitted to changing his walk for the role after a dance instructor told him he looked 'awkward'.

The 31-year-old Northen Irish actor told Graham Norton, "So basically, I've always had a complex with the way I walk. I've not always been told I've got a bad walk, but someone's always commented on my walk. It's always been a bit like, 'Alright, that's how you walk?'"

The Fall star said that the revelation about his walk came while rehearsing his dance moves with Fifty Shades co-star Dakota Johnson, "It was like a foxtrot, it was very classic. I was really struggling with it, and the dance teacher said, 'You know what you need to do. Just think about it as walking', and I was like 'Ok'. And I'm 31-years-old, literally the first thing you learn in life is to walk. And I was like, 'That's funny, I'm not great at walking'."

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French New Wave director Alain Resnais dies

Pioneering French film director Alain Resnais has died at the age of 91.

His producer Jean-Louis Livi confirmed that Renais passed away in Paris yesterday (March 1),

The influential director, who was hugely influential to the New Wave movement, had been involved in the film industry for more than 60 years.

Renais - who was awarded a lifetime achievement prize at Cannes Film Festival in 2009 - directed movies including 1961's Last Year at Marienbad and Nazi concentration camp documentary Night and Fog.

Resnais's first feature film Hiroshima mon amour (1959) is regarded as a classic of modern cinema, heralded the emerging French New Wave and earned an Oscar nomination for screenwriter Marguerite Duras.

Life of Riley, the director's final film, was shot in 2013 and last month won a prize for innovation at the Berlin Film Festival.
 

Renais is survived by his wife Sabine Azema.

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Watch! Trailer for new Muppets' movie

Disney has released a new trailer for Muppets Most Wanted - where Kermit and the gang sing their Sequel Song.

The catchy tune has the cast of characters singing their hearts out about how sequels never measure up to the original film.

"We're doing a sequel," Kermit and Fozzie Bear sing. "That's what we do in Hollywood. And everybody knows that the sequel's never quite as good."

The clip also shows various A-listers involved in the film, such as Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey and rapper Diddy.

Muppets Most Wanted is due for release on March 28.

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Pharrell credits Daft Punk for re-launching career

Pharrell Williams has credited Daft Punk for re-launching his solo career after their hit collaboration Get Lucky was so successful.

The former N.E.R.D star and producer has recently said he was unhappy with his 2006 debut solo record In My Mind and thought his solo career was over until the One More Time hit-makers approached him to do Get Lucky.

Pharrell told Wenn, "It was a dreadful experience [his first album]... I thought my days as an artist were over. I was happy guesting or producing work and that suited me fine. But then Daft Punk and last year happened and it just blew me away and now I'm in an appreciative place and it means more.

"Working with Daft Punk has been a huge part of the journey to where I am today... I was appreciative when I did it and I'm still appreciative of the chance I was given."

Pharrell has been nominated for an Oscar for his track Happy which featured on the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack. The annual Academy Awards take place tomorrow, March 2.

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Kasey Smith's our Eurovision rep

Can-linn, featuring Kasey Smith, has been announced as the winning act to represent Ireland at the 59th Eurovision Song Contest in Copenhagen, Denmark this May.

They battled it out against four other finalists in last night's Late Late Show - Eurosong 2014, topping the vote which was a combination of 50% public tele-vote and 50% regional jury vote.

The winning song, Heartbeat, was written by a team of Irish and Swedish songwriters including mentor Hazel Kaneswaran, an Irish singer/songwriter who sang with Dove in 1996.

The other co-writers are Jonas Gladnikoff, who wrote two previously successful Irish Eurovision entries; Rasmus Palmgren, writer of the current Swedish Idol winning song; and Patrizia Helander, Swedish Idol 2007 finalist and experimental artist.

23-year-old Smith, from Donaghmede in Dublin, was previously a member of the BT Music Award-nominated girl band Wonderland in 2010 under the tutelage of Louis Walsh and Kian Egan.

Can-linn is a collaborative music act featuring traditional Irish instruments.

After the result Kasey Smith said: 'I'm so delighted! When I first heard the song I knew it was too good to pass down. I heard it and I got butterflies in my stomach.

"This song came into my life at just the right time. I want to thank my fantastic mentor Hazel and it wouldn't have been possible to do this without my family and friends. Bring on Copenhagen!"

Her mentor Hazel Kaneswaran said: 'I'm really delighted for Kasey. I believe it's her time. Our song is a great pop song.

"I had a vision in my head of what it would look like on stage from the very beginning. We need to put on a show when we go to Eurovision. My nerves are gone but it's been a fantastic night!'

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Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul in spin-off talks

Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul has confirmed that he is in "serious talks" to join the show's spin-off series Better Call Saul.

The actor first expressed interest in joining Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks in the Breaking Bad prequel back in January.

Paul has now revealed to The AP that he is talking with creator Vince Gilligan about reprising his role as Jesse Pinkman.

"Anything Vince is involved with, I'm there," the actor disclosed.

He went on to say: "I owe him my entire career. And the idea of jumping into the skin of Jesse Pinkman again in his lighter days - because it's all a prequel - it would be fun."

Bryan Cranston has also said that he is willing to reprise his iconic role as teacher-turned-drug baron Walter White, although there is no word yet on if a deal is likely.

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