Judi Dench Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

BFI London Film Festival Adds Trio Of Titles 

Sam Mendes was writing the screenplay for what would become Empire of Light and he’d hit a wall.

Dame Judi Dench was given two pairs of "powerful" glasses on 'The Repair Shop' to enable her to see her late husband's watch. The 87-year-old actress - who was married to actor Michael Williams from 1971 until his death in 2001 - took a timepiece once belonging to her late husband onto the BBC One craft show, but she was unable to see the team's work until horologist Steve Fletcher loaned her his spectacles. Steve said: "She was looking at the watch and couldn’t see the engraving we’d put on the back.

Toronto International Film Festival.Unless, of course, you holler, “Allelujah! It’s time to go home!”That’s because the dinky drama, about a struggling hospital for the elderly in England, gets steadily more depressing as it plods along. There’s nothing wrong with some silver screen sorrow, but not when it amounts to indecisive mush. Sure, it is a pleasure to see the boffo acting talent together — Jennifer Saunders, Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi and more — but they deserve so much better than hospital Jell-O. The creaky film began as a play at London’s Bridge Theatre by writer Alan Bennett, who also penned “The History Boys,” and much like the 2006 screen version of that show, “Allelujah,” directed by Richard Eyre, doesn’t comfortably make the leap to cinema.

TORONTO – Sometimes films with the best intentions just doesn’t come together. A great cast, a notable filmmaker, and fine source material don’t always coalesce.

Brent Lang Executive Editor “Allelujah,” Richard Eyre’s latest film, unfolds in a Yorkshire geriatric hospital, following a group of patients as they make peace with or rage against the indignities of old age. It’s a story that resonates with Eyre, a legendary stage and screen director. “I’m about to be 80,” he says. “So old age isn’t my consuming passion, but it’s a subject that has been forced on me and that has become difficult to ignore. I’m acutely aware of having outlived both my parents and many of my friends.” Perhaps unwittingly, “Allelujah,” which premieres this weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival, also serves as a showcase for a generation of English actors such as Judi Dench, David Bradley, and Derek Jacobi, who have all entered their ninth decades.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic If you’re a fan of “The Trip” and its sequels, those semi-improvised road comedies in which Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon play slightly exaggerated versions of their real-life selves, you’ll know that they’re about more than just two men driving through the European countryside, eating fabulous food, trying to top each other with their Al Pacino impersonations. Coogan, in particular, comes off as a fellow who, for all his larkish narcissism, is so steeped in history that it’s literally alive for him. And that’s the feeling that courses through “The Lost King,” the new movie written by Coogan and Jeff Pope and directed by Stephen Frears. They’re the team that gave us “Philomena” (2013), the sharp-tongued heart-tugger that cast Judi Dench as a real-life Irishwoman tracking down the son she’d been forced to give up for adoption 50 years before. That movie was fine (a tad too sentimental in my book), but “The Lost King” is a growth ring, a richer, stronger, and more moving piece of work, a historical detective story that carries the kick of a true-life “Da Vinci Code.”

James Bond franchise's 60 years, they actually killed off 007. Nevertheless, at the end of the credits, the immortal words "James Bond will return" came up, but this is confusing for some fans. If Bond is dead, how can there be a new Bond? Consider for a moment how Daniel Craig's 007 only just earned his licence to kill at the start of Casino Royale.

Radio star Lauren Laverne has been a firm favourite in the music world since the early 2000s – and is hailed as one of the UK’s most successful DJs on the airwaves. But arguably her most impressive achievement to date arrived when she landed her dream job as the presenter of much-loved radio show Desert Island Discs in 2018 - on which she carried out her favourite interview to date, supermodel Kate Moss. “They asked me and I quite literally jumped at the chance!” Lauren, 44, tells us.

Margarethe von Trotta To Receive Lifetime Achievement Honor At The European Film Awards German filmmaker Margarethe von Trotta will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 35th European Film Awards. von Trotta will receive the honor at a ceremony in Reykjavik, Iceland, on December 10 where she will be an honorary guest. Born in Berlin and raised in Düsseldorf, von Trotta started her career as an actress, in theatre and appeared in films by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Volker Schlöndorff before moving behind the camera in 1978 with The Second Awakening of Christa Klages, her solo debut as a director. In 1981, her film Marianne and Juliane about the “German Sisters” Christiane and Gudrun Ensslin won the Golden Lion in Venice as well as two German Film Awards and an Italian David di Donatello. Previous winners of the European Film Academy’s lifetime achievement award include Agnès Varda and Judi Dench.

READ MORE: Diabetes: The yellow drink that 'significantly' improves blood sugar levels within hoursWatts joined the band in 1963, a year after its first inception. For months after The Rolling Stones started, the band were reportedly desperate to bring Watts in but at first he was reluctant to - on the basis that he needed "regular gigs". But after not long, the legend started attending band rehearsals, marking the start of his epic decades-long journey with the band.

Dench was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, AMD for short, which is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK according to the Macular Society. Affecting the middle part of an individual's vision, although it does not cause total blindness, it can make everyday activities, such as reading and recognising faces, difficult. Speaking about her own battle with the condition, Dench has admitted that she has had to give up her favourite past times such as reading a book or doing a crossword puzzle, but has cleverly been able to find ways to adapt to the condition as well.

David Tennant and his wife Georgia are very much the proud parents after their daughter Olive's latest achievement. The 11-year-old, who made her big-screen debut in Belfast, has won the award for Best Newcomer in the 2022 National Film Awards.MORE: David Tennant's wife Georgia sparks reaction with emotional family photoTaking to Instagram on Monday, Georgia shared a series of pictures of her aspiring actress daughter in their garden celebrating the news - including a snap with the doting mum.

Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, who have overseen the James Bond franchise for the past three decades, have been honored with BFI Fellowships, the highest bestowed by the film institute.

infamous mom Anne Boleyn met a bloody and bitter end. On the show, she lives with Henry’s widow, Catherine Parr (Jessica Raine). Things become complicated when Catherine’s husband, Thomas Seymour (Tom Cullen) takes an interest in Elizabeth. “The most surprising thing for me was how dangerous that world was. It wasn’t glossy at all.

James D’Arcy is set to star alongside Noomi Rapace and Jonathan Banks in Constellation, an eight-episode conspiracy-based psychological thriller drama series at Apple TV+. Additionally, Oscar-nominated Oliver Hirschbiegel (Downfall) and Joseph Cedar (Footnote) are set as directors on the series, joining previously announced director/EP Michelle MacLaren.

Gogglebox fans were left gobsmacked as they spotted a huge Hollywood star appear during the ad break. They were concerned after noticing Dame Judi Dench's new commercial.

EXCLUSIVE: Hayley Mills ,still fondly remembered for Disney classics Pollyanna and The Parent Trap, is checking into The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ,to take it on the road in the UK and then to London’s West End.

Cameron Mackintosh ,the London theatre owner and impresario, nixed the idea of having a host introduce artists performing at Tuesday’s one-night only Old Friends tribute show ,honoring the legacy of musical theatre genius ,Stephen Sondheim who died ,aged 91 last November.

LONDON -- Judi Dench was given a standing ovation for “Send in The Clowns.” Bernadette Peters bent over with her back to the audience and with her head between her legs blasted her trumpet to “You Gotta Get A Gimmick.”Petula Clark, 89, belted out “I’m Still Here.” And Imelda Staunton set off a huge ovation with “Everything’s Coming Up Roses.”What the four had in common was devotion to Stephen Sondheim, the groundbreaking Broadway composer/lyricist who died in November at age 91. Dozens of stars of musical theater gathered Tuesday night for a celebration titled “Old Friends” to raise money for the Stephen Sondheim Foundation, which will benefit young composers.“He always considered London his second home,” producer Cameron Mackintosh, who organized the event, told the sellout crowd of about 1,100 at a theater renamed the Sondheim from the Queen’s in 2019.

British Comedy Legend Billy Connolly To Be Given BAFTA Fellowship

All eyes were on Judi Dench .

prince’s “freedom of the city.'' The honor was awarded to Andrew in 1987 after Queen Elizabeth II made him the Duke of York.Andrew is the first person to be stripped of the status, a purely ceremonial honor that dates back to medieval times when “freemen'' enjoyed special privileges. Honorees include the actress Judi Dench and Princess Anne, Andrew’s sister.Andrew was stripped of his honorary military roles in January amid the furor surrounding a lawsuit alleging he had sex with a 17-year-old girl and fears that the scandal would taint the House of Windsor.

The 2022 Oscar Winners and Nominees

Hillary Rodham Clinton to tackle Sondheim? Well, in a way. The former First Lady will voice an off-stage role for an upcoming Arkansas Repertory Theatre production of the musical Into The Woods.

Judi Dench shared a sweet family moment with her grandson. However, hearts were stolen by Jamie Lee Curtis' very special guest, an adorable puppy!Everyone at the ceremony and watching from home gushed over the sweet little animal. And, the reason Jamie appeared with the puppy was to mark a very tender moment.

Regina Hall is giving Judi Dench some advice about how she can take home another Oscar!

An uplifting message. Hosts Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes poked fun at Kim Kardashian‘s controversial advice for working women during the Oscars on Sunday, March 27.

Judi Dench is at the Oscars with her grandson Sam Williams, who fans think is a celebrity lookalike!

Spencer, Olivia Coleman as a troubled woman in The Lost Daughter, Penélope Cruz as a single mother with a devastating secret in Parallel Mothers, Nicole Kidman as Lucille Ball in Being the Ricardos, or Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Well, choose they did. Below you'll find all of the Oscars 2022 winners.

Jude Hill is calling out the culprit behind most of the pranks behind the scenes of the Oscar nominated film, “Belfast”.

94th Academy Awards are here, and it's time to celebrate the best of the past year in film!The 2022 Oscars kicked off Sunday, honoring the theme «Movie Lovers Unite» as the ceremony returned to the Dolby Theatre, in the heart of Hollywood, after last year's pandemic-modified awards show. The night is already historic, as Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes are the first all-female trio to host the ceremony, and there are sure to be plenty of star-studded moments and big wins to come. leads the pack this year, with 12 total nominations including Best Picture, Best Director for Jane Campion and acting nods for Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

acting and directing nominees, even if they don't win an Oscar, they'll still walk away as winners of a goodie bag valued at more than €127,000. Stars including Will Smith, Andrew Garfield, Nicole Kidman and Judi Dench will be lavished with gifts such as holidays at luxury resorts, the services of a 'self love' guru, personal trainer sessions, plastic surgery treatments and fancy cosmetics. But the 20th Annual “Everyone Wins” Nominee Gift Bags are causing a stooshie -- that's the Scots word for uproar -- for one particular gift.

We’re just about 24 hours away from the 2022 Oscars and it’s time to make our final predictions for the awards!

The touching AppleTV+ drama has snuck up from behind over the last two weeks, winning both the hugely important SAG Best Ensemble Award and the Producers Guild’s top prize. Suddenly, it’s the one to beat.The first part of director Denis Villenueve’s adaptation of the sci-fi novel was, by far, the most impressive cinematic experience of the year. “Belfast”  “Don’t Look Up”  “Drive My Car” “King Richard” “Licorice Pizza” “Nightmare Alley” “The Power of the Dog” “West Side Story” Awards season has been a coronation for Campion ever since her esoteric Western bombarded the festival circuit.  Anderson’s movie is moving, funny and visually gripping.Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car”Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story”Smith gives one of his best performances in years, as the fascinating and complex father of Serena and Venus Williams. Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos”Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog”Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick … Boom!”Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”Chastain was the underdog until she won the SAG Award.

Halle Berry is looking back at a historic moment in her career.