Movies

Anita Ekberg has died in Rome after a series of illnesses, aged 83.
The Swedish actress, model and sex symbol is best known for bathing in the Trevi fountain - one of Rome's most popular landmarks - in 'La Dolce Vita', Federico Fellini's film about a restless reporter who drifts through life in the Italian capital city.
Ekberg, who was born in Malmo, Sweden, in 1931, had been in a wheelchair for several years after she was knocked down by one of her pet Great Danes, which led to a broken hip.
Ekberg was named Miss Sweden at the age of 20, after which she traveled to the US to compete in the Miss Universe contest.
Although she failed to win the high-profile event, Ekberg - who spoke very little English at the time - was signed to a contract by Universal Pictures.
She was cast in the role of Henry Fonda's unfaithful wife in King Vidor's 'War and Peace' in 1956.
While in Rome she met director Federico Fellini, who cast her as Sylvia Rank in 'La Dolce Vita'.
She was the sixth of eight children and once said that her father, a strict Protestant, was "the apple of my eye", though she ultimately fell out with all but one of her siblings.
Ekberg was married twice - to Anthony Steel from 1956 until their divorce in 1959 and to Rik Van Nutter from 1963 until they divorced in 1975.

Melissa McCarthy is in early talks to star in the 'Ghostbusters' reboot.
The 44-year-old actress has previously been rumoured to be involved in the project, but is now in talks with the film's director, Paul Feig - who she worked with on 'Bridesmaids', 'The Heat' and 'Spy' - to play the lead character in the franchise's female-led movie.
Despite early discussions taking place, it is believed there could be difficulties with scheduling, as the star is currently working on CBS comedy 'Mike & Molly' and has already committed to feature in Universal comedy 'Michelle Darnell' - directed by her husband, Ben Falcone - which is set to begin shooting in March, meaning production wouldn't start until at least mid-June.
The movie - which has been penned by Dan Aykroyd and Katie Dippold - is expected to have a comic twist, while 52-year-old director Paul recently revealed he is aiming for the film to be scarier than its predecessors.
He said: "I want ours to be scarier than the original, to be quite honest. Katie Dippold and I are so focused on wanting to do scary comedy. We don't want to hold back."
While Emma Stone, Rebel Wilson, Jennifer Lawrence and Kristen Wiig are all rumoured to be attached to the project, further casting details have not yet been revealed and it is not believed any cast members have officially been signed up.

'Boyhood', 'The Affair' and 'Transparent' were the big winners at the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles last night (11.01.15).
The coming-of-age drama film, 'Boyhood', beat off competition from 'The Theory of Everything' and 'Foxcatcher' to be named Best Motion Picture (Drama), with Richard Linklater scooping the prize for Best Director and Patricia Arquette for Best Supporting Actress thanks to their involvement in the movie.
Eddie Redmayne, 33, won the Best Actor (Drama) award for his moving portrayal of Professor Stephen Hawking in 'The Theory of Everything' - which also won in the Best Original Score category - which he described as "a huge privilege."
He said: "Stephen, Jane, Jonathan and the Hawking family allowed us into their lives and entrusted us with their story, and getting to spend time with Stephen Hawking, who despite all of the obstacles put in his way has lived passionately and fully and with great humour, was one of the great, great honours of my life.
"Hannah, my wife, of about, a couple of weeks ago, we had to cut our honeymoon short to come to Los Angeles so I promised the sunshine, I thank you."
Elsewhere in the ceremony - which was presented by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler - 'Birdman' received two nods, with the writers being praised with the Best Screenplay award, and Michael Keaton, 63, winning Best Actor (Musical or Comedy).
In the television categories, drama 'The Affair' scooped the prize for Best TV Series (Drama) from fellow nominees 'House of Cards' and 'Game of Thrones', while Ruth Wilson picked up the Best Actress in a TV Series (Drama) award for her role in the show.
Comedy series 'Transparent' also received two wins, one for Best TV Series (Musical or Comedy), and a second award for Jeffrey Tambor who was praised with the Best Actor in a TV Series (Musical or Comedy) title.
One of the most unpredictable outcomes of the night came in the Best Actress in a TV Series (Musical or Comedy) in which 30-year-old star Gina Rodriguez picked up the prize for 'Jane the Virgin', beating off competition from Taylor Schilling and Lena Dunham.
In her emotional acceptance speech, in which she held back her tears, she said: "This award is so much more than myself. It represents a culture that wants to see themselves as heroes. My father used to tell me to say every morning: 'Today is going to be a great day. I can and I will.' Well, Dad. Today is a great day. I can and I did."

The full winners list from the Golden Globe Awards 2015:

Film:

Best Motion Picture (Drama)
'Boyhood'
Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)
'The Grand Budapest Hotel'
Best Actor (Drama)
Eddie Redmayne - 'The Theory of Everything'
Best Actor (Musical or Comedy)
Michael Keaton - 'Birdman'
Best Actress (Drama)
Julianne Moore - 'Still Alice'
Best Actress (Musical or Comedy)
Amy Adams - 'Big Eyes'
Best Director
Richard Linklater - 'Boyhood'
Best Supporting Actor
JK Simmons - 'Whiplash'
Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette - 'Boyhood'
Best Foreign Language Film
'Leviathan'
Best Screenplay
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo - 'Birdman'
Best Original Score
Jóhann Jóhannsson - 'The Theory of Everything'
Best Original Song
'Glory' - 'Selma'
Best Animated Feature Film
How to Train Your Dragon 2

Television:

Best TV Series (Drama)
'The Affair'
Best Actress in a TV Series (Drama)
Ruth Wilson - 'The Affair'
Best Actor in a TV Series (Drama)
Kevin Spacey - 'House of Cards'
Best TV Series (Musical or Comedy)
'Transparent'
Best Actress in a TV Series (Musical or Comedy)
Gina Rodriguez - 'Jane the Virgin'
Best Actor in a TV Series (Musical or Comedy)
Jeffrey Tambor - 'Transparent'
Best TV Movie or Mini-Series
'Fargo'
Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie
Maggie Gyllenhaal - 'The Honorable Woman'
Best Actor in a Mini-Series or TV Movie
Billy Bob Thornton - 'Fargo'
Best Supporting Actress in Series (Mini-Series or TV Movie)
Joanne Froggatt - 'Downton Abbey'
Best Supporting Actor in a Series (Mini-Series or TV Movie)
Matt Bomer - 'The Normal Heart'

The Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award
George Clooney

George Clooney praised his wife in his Golden Globes acceptance speech.
The 53-year-old Hollywood star was honoured with the Cecil B. DeMille Award - bestowed for an outstanding contribution to entertainment - at the glitzy ceremony in Los Angeles last night (11.01.15) and spoke of his love for his wife, Amal Clooney, who he married last year, as he collected the award.
He said: "I've had a pretty good year myself...
"Listen: It's a humbling thing when you find someone to love--even better when you've been waiting your whole life. And when your whole life is 53 years, Amal, whatever alchemy it is that brought us together, I couldn't be more proud to be your husband."
Earlier in the evening, hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey had poked fun at the star for the award, suggesting it pales into insignificance compared to Amal's work as a human rights lawyer.
Tina said: "George Clooney married Amal Alamuddin this year.
"Amal is a human rights lawyer who worked on the Enron case, was an advisor to Kofi Annan regarding Syria, and was selected for a three-person UN commission investigating rules of war violations in the Gaza strip... So, of course, her husband is getting a lifetime achievement award."
However, after praising his wife, the 'Gravity' actor turned to the topic of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris - having already sported 'Je Suis Charlie' signage on the red carpet - saying he hopes to one day see peace.
Ending his acceptance speech, he said: "Today was an extraordinary day. Millions of people marched not just in Paris but all over the world. They were Christians and Jews and Muslims, they were leaders of countries all over the world. And they didn't march in protest, they marched in support of the idea we will not walk in fear. So, Je Suis Charlie. Thank you."

Meryl Streep swam "a mile a day" to prepare for 'Into The Woods'.
The 65-year-old actress knew she needed to work on her "lung capacity" to be able to sing for her role as the Witch in the new musical movie and found regular exercise was just the thing she needed to improve her vocals.
Asked what she had done to prepare, she said: "Well, I knew going in that I'd have to really work on my lung capacity and my ability to experiment with the sounds that I normally use when I'm yelling at people or singing and so I swam a mile a day in the summer time just before we went and it just gave me a lot of breath, that was good.!
Meryl - who has four children, Henry, 35, Marnie, 31, Grace, 28, and Louisa, 22, with husband Don Gummer - admitted she was terrified her youngest daughter "hated" the film when she first watched it but was relieved to find her fears were unfounded.
She said: "My daughter's [Louisa] 22 and doesn't really like musicals and I showed her the film and she watched it very seriously and I thought, 'Oh, she hates it. She hates it'. But at the end she said, 'I love everything in this movie'.
"She said, 'It reminded me of when we lived in New York and I was in fifth grade and 9/11 happened' ... Children know bad stuff happens."
And the veteran star rejected the idea the dark tale isn't a typical Disney movie.
She said: "It's a Disney message because the film that marked my life as a seven year old was 'Bambi' and the mother dies in the first five minutes and yet life goes on."

Channing Tatum lost 15lbs in one day.
The 'Foxcatcher' actor underwent a gruelling regime to portray wrestler Mark Schultz in the movie and admits he and co-star Mark Ruffalo resorted to extreme lengths to get into the shape they needed to be in.
He said: "I dropped 15lbs in a day. You have a ton of water in your skin and stomach and Ruff and I figured out how much weight we could lose in the gym.
"I was not feeling very well after that."
The 34-year-old hunk admires his character from the film because wrestling takes much more discipline than acting.
He explained: "To win Olympic gold, you train from childhood. There's no just jumping in, saying, 'I'm really gifted.' It's a day-in, day-out obsession."
Channing never formally studied acting so views his work on movie sets as his training.
The former stripper told heat magazine: "I had on the job training. Each film has been a school term. It's an expensive education."
Though the 'Magic Mike' actor is enjoying a strong career, he still regrets roles he lost out on.
He said "I've not cried about losing a part but I really, really wanted 'John Carter'. It's one of those that got away."

Emily Blunt is "embarrassed" not to have seen the 'Into The Woods' stage show.
The 31-year-old British actress plays the Baker's Wife in the new movie adaptation of the hit musical but didn't have as much to reference as her American co-stars like Meryl Streep and Anna Kendrick, but thinks that's understandable because of her upbringing.
She said: "I'm embarrassed to say I had not seen the show, I had heard of it ... I don't think it's done as much in the UK, in every American school or college it seems to be performed a lot."
Emily admits she was even shocked to learn her husband John Krasinski - with who she has 10-month-old daughter Hazel - was more familiar with the production than she was.
She said: "I was surprised that my husband, who does not like musicals, knew of 'Into the Woods' and even sang to me on my way to the audition, the man who never watches musicals."
The brunette beauty had to sing in the production and found the experience "nerve-wracking" but was happy to overcome her fears as she wanted to work with her 'Devil Wears Prada' co-star Meryl again, under the directorship of Rob Marshall.
She explained: "That was a really nerve-wracking experience. I've always found it very nerve-wracking to sing in front of people but in this case it was really hard to say no because I wanted to work with Meryl again, I loved Rob and the part."

Eddie Redmayne has "often" considered quitting acting.
The 'Theory of Everything' actor may be tipped for an Oscar for his role in the biopic but he always fears being "found out" but finds his work addictive.
Asked if he has considered quitting acting, he said: "Very often, yeah. You always think you're going to be found out.
"Because you're doing this thing you did as a kid and you enjoy it so much, sometimes you think, maybe I should just leave now. It's a bit of a drug, it's very addictive."
The 33-year-old actor feels very "lucky" with the roles he has had so far in his career and is looking forward to his next movies.
He told OK! magazine: "I love telling stories and I think that's basically what actors are - we're storytellers. I have been lucky to tell extraordinary stories.
"The next story I'm going to tell is a really beautiful and complicated one. It's a film called 'The Danish Girl'. It's a love story but also about one of the first Transgender women in Copenhagen in the 1920s.
"I'm just beginning to prepare for it and have met so many amazing people from the trans community. It's an extraordinary story."

Amy Adams is enjoying taking Lois Lane on a "fun new journey".
The 40-year-old actress is reprising her role as the Daily Planet reporter in 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' - the sequel to Superman film 'Man of Steel'.
It is the first time Amy has reprised a character for a sequel and she admits it's been a thrill to revisit Lois, something she can't say of all her characters.
The 'Big Eyes' star told The Guardian newspaper: "I've just had my first experience of bringing a character back, playing Lois Lane again, and it was fun to take her on a new journey. There are occasions where I'm grateful to let the character go."
One alter ego she was please to walk away from home was fraudster Sydney Prosser from 'American Hustle' because playing the damaged temptress took an emotional toll on her.
Amy - who earned a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her performance opposite Christian Bale - said: "That's how I felt about Sydney. People love her. The reaction was that she was strong and sexy, but I saw it differently. There was something so damaged about her that didn't sit well with me playing her. It was fun making the film and Christian is one of my all-time favourite people to work with. And Sydney is a great character. But it didn't feel good to play her. I felt her pain in a way that was difficult to deal with."
Amy stars in 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' with Henry Cavill, who is returning as DC Comics hero Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman and Jesse Eisenberg as super-villain Lex Luthor.