Richard Tandy, ELO’s Longtime Keyboardist and the Voice of ‘Mr. Blue Sky,’ Dies at 76

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Straying from the hotheaded “Taxi Driver” style that has dominated much of his career, Paul Schrader pays ruminative and respectful tribute to his late friend, novelist Russell Banks, who gave the writer-director the raw material for one of his best films, “Affliction” — and now, for one of his best films in years. Adapted from Banks’ “Foregone” (and given the title the author told Schrader he wanted for the book), “Oh, Canada” presents a dying artist’s final testimony as a multifaceted film-within-a-film, honoring Banks while also revealing so many of Schrader’s own thoughts on mortality.

EXCLUSIVE: Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired Northern American rights for Joachim A. Lang’s historical drama Goebbels and The Führer (aka Führer and Seducer) for a fall 2024 theatrical and digital release.  

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Harry Shearer has voiced dozens of characters on Fox’s “The Simpsons,” from Mr. Burns to Ned Flanders and Principal Skinner, but he was replaced as the voice of Springfield physician Dr. Hibbert when producers of the show vowed in 2020 to no longer have white actors voice characters of color.

Turner’s “The Golden Bachelor” was cut short.Vassos, 61, left Turner’s season early in the third week to care for her daughter who had recently given birth. Vassos is a mother of four, grandmother of two and a school administrator. Her late husband John, whom she was married to for 32 years, died in January 2021 from pancreatic cancer.

The next bank holiday takes place on May 27 which means some people will receive their scheduled State Pension or benefit payment early. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has already published updated payment date details for Tax Credits and Child Benefit, while the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Social Security Scotland are expected to announce similar changes soon.

Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd has opened up about how Shane MacGowan and The Pogues have influenced his work.Gadd’s recent Netflix series claims to tell the “true story” of his real-life stalking experience and reached the top of the streaming charts after going viral online.In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gadd opened up about his inspirations and in particular, the music of The Pogues and the late Shane MacGowan.The Irish musician and iconic frontman died “peacefully” in hospital from pneumonia on November 30. He was 65 years old.

Eurovision Song Contest 2024.This year’s competition, which was ultimately won by Switzerland’s Nemo, was surrounded by controversy for allowing Israel to compete amid the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.A statement shared by the EBU to both The Mirror and The Irish Times read: “We regret that some delegations at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö didn’t respect the spirit of the rules and the competition both onsite and during their broadcasts. We spoke to a number of delegations during the event regarding various issues that were brought to our attention.It continued: “The EBU’s governing bodies will, together with the heads of delegations, review the events surrounding the ESC in Malmö to move forward in a positive way and to ensure the values of the event are respected by everyone.A post shared by European Broadcasting Union (@ebu_hq)“Individual cases will be discussed by the event’s governing body, the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group made up of representatives from participating broadcasters, at its next meeting.”The statement’s release comes after the slew of controversies that took over this year’s edition of the song contest.

Husband and wife David and Victoria Beckham both took to their Instagram stories to share beautiful photos of the Northern Lights on Friday 10 May.The couple posted photos of the stunning natural light display, with one image featuring David with his arms outstretched, looking up at the purple and pink streaked sky, and another featuring the stunning night sky with the caption: “This is incredible!” The Northern Lights – also known as aurora borealis – are more commonly spotted in areas such as Alaska, Canada, Iceland and Scandinavia, but on Friday they were clearly visible throughout the UK, with many people taking to social media to post their photos of pink, green and pink lights in the sky. In case you missed the natural phenomenon, it is expected the lights will also be visible tonight (Saturday 11 May), with the Met Office saying there is a good chance of sightings in Scotland and the north of England, Ireland and Wales, especially if the skies are clear.

The Office and Harry Potter – has been cast as a villain in Marvel‘s The Fantastic Four.The 54-year-old Leeds-born actor will star alongside the likes of The Last of Us’ Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (aka Mr Fantastic), The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (aka The Thing), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (aka The Invisible Woman) and Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) as Johnny Storm (aka The Human Torch).Ozark’s Julia Garner will play the Silver Surfer, while John Malkovich has also joined the film in an undisclosed role.Matt Shakman, who helmed the Marvel series WandaVision for Disney+ and Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters for Apple TV+, is set to direct the upcoming Fantastic Four film.Ineson first rose to fame for his role as Chris Finch in the UK sitcom The Office. He also landed a role in Harry Potter films, portraying the dark wizard Amycus Carrow and in Game Of Thrones as the warrior Dagmer Cleftjaw.Happy Valentine’s Day from Marvel’s First Family! Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn are The Fantastic Four.Marvel Studios' #TheFantasticFour, in theaters July 25, 2025.

Coronation Street star James Laurenson, renowned for his long-standing career in TV and film, has sadly passed away at the age of 84.

Coronation Street and The Crown actor James Laurenson has sadly passed away at the age of 84 after a remarkable 50-year career in TV and film. Laurenson made his film debut back in 1969 with a minor role in Ken Russell's Women In Love, and also starred in The Crown in 2016. In the popular Netflix series about the Royal Family, he appeared as Doctor Weir – a Scottish physician and homeopath who served as the royal physician.The talented actor also made history by performing the first gay kiss on television alongside Ian McKellen.This groundbreaking moment occurred in a 1970 TV adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's Edward II, three years after homosexuality was decriminalised.

Travis have shared a new single featuring Coldplay‘s Chris Martin and The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers.The song ‘Raze The Bar’, which is the second track to be lifted from the band’s forthcoming album ‘L.A. Times’, tells the story of the closure of New York’s much loved Black & White Bar. You can listen to it below.The Greenwich Village haunt attracted lots of famous bands and scores of local creatives over the years, from The Strokes to graffiti artist Richard Hambleton but it was shut down during the pandemic.Healy told NME: “Everyone went there, because it was near Irving Plaza and all the bands would always go there.

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EXCLUSIVE: The Voice is headed to the metaverse. The international format is getting an immersive gaming experience that will accompany the TV singing competition format.

The Traitors and Married at First Sight stars have been spotted in a popular Glasgow eatery.

Tilda Swinton and Sandro Kopp are enjoying a day out together.

A once-buzzing Scottish nightclub that hosted the likes of Kylie Minogue and other music legends is now nothing more than an empty shell.

Peter Oosterhuis, a CBS golf analyst and two-time winner of the European Tour money title, died Thursday. He was 75 and no cause was given by the PGA Tour, which announced his passing.

Richard Tandy, who played keyboards for Electric Light Orchestra on all of its records since 1972 including the Top 10 hits “Evil Woman,” “Telephone Line” and “Don’t Bring Me Down,” died Wednesday. He was 76.

Anitta didn’t think much about her death. Despite growing up in the notorious favelas of Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian multi-hyphenate just knew that her life would be as glamorous as she always imagined: she would sing, dance and act her way to global stardom.