Kirkcudbright art map is a huge success

Colin Jost and Michel Ché returned to Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” and took on the Oscars hiring a crisis team to try to avoid slap-gate this year.

Katie Reul editor “Saturday Night Live” cast member Colin Jost, co-anchor of Weekend Update, levied a jab at the Academy for this week’s decision to hire a “crisis team” for the upcoming 2023 Oscars. Devised to ensure first-line responders are available at the awards show in the case of an emergency, the newly-implemented team comes on the heels of last year’s tumultuous ceremony. The 2022 Oscars saw actor Will Smith slap presenter Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife. The violent outburst resulted in Smith being banned from events hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for the next decade. “Guys, it’s not going to happen again,” Jost joked, seeming to address the telecast’s producers. “I’m sure you wish it would, for ratings. If anything the promo should be, ‘Who’s going to get slapped this year?’ Can Ana de Armas beat the ‘Tar’ out of Cate Blanchett? Which banshee will knock the shoes off Marcel the Shell? And who has what it takes to ‘Whale’ on Brendan Fraser?”

Hugh Jackman revealed that playing the mutant Logan/Wolverine in the "X-Men" movies and Marvel Cinematic Universe took a toll on his singing voice. The 54-year-old actor, who recently finished his year-long run starring in the Broadway musical "The Music Man," admitted that some of the acting that was required of his iconic role damaged his voice.

Nicholas Philibert, whose film On the Adamant won the Golden Bear at the 73rd Berlinale on Saturday, has made a lifetime commitment to observational documentary, moving between interviews and long, patient takes of his subjects pursuing what it is that they do. The best known of these is Etre et Avoir (2002), which followed a year in the life of a tiny rural school where the single teacher – kindly but exacting, in the French manner – taught several grades at once. Thanks to the magnetism of this committed teacher – and of his delightful enfants, of course – Etre et Avoir became an unlikely but enduring arthouse hit.

Walter Mirisch, former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Oscar-winning producer for In the Heat of the Night was 101.

J. Kim Murphy Walter Mirisch, a former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and an Oscar-winning producer for “In the Heat of the Night,” died Friday in Los Angeles of natural causes. He was 101. Mirisch’s death was confirmed by a statement released by the Academy on Saturday afternoon. “The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is deeply saddened to hear of Walter’s passing,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in the statement. “Walter was a true visionary, both as a producer and as an industry leader. He had a powerful impact on the film community and the Academy, serving as our President and as an Academy governor for many years. His passion for filmmaking and the Academy never wavered, and he remained a dear friend and advisor. We send our love and support to his family during this difficult time.”

Jessica Kiang The quote that opens Chinese director Liu Jian’s shaggy but amiable new animated feature is instructive. “To live, to err, to fall, to triumph, to recreate life out of life” is a passage from James Joyce’s “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” and indeed, Liu was himself at art college as a young man in the early ’90s, when and where “Art College 1994” is, unsurprisingly, set. The quasi-memoir feel to the movie does have its charm — it’s always a kick to see animation techniques applied not to extravagant flights of fancy but to slices of real, ordinary life — but it’s also its chief flaw. In re-creating life out of life, Liu is quite successful; whether he makes it into drama is another question. Like its characters, “Art College 1994” gives the impression of having just too much time on its hands.

Guy Lodge Film Critic Veteran French docmaker Nicolas Philibert was the surprise winner of the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, taking the prize for his film “On the Adamant,” a poignant observational study of a Paris mental health care facility. He received the award from jury president Kristen Stewart, after the star offered an extended and plainly heartfelt ode to the film’s humanity and simplicity: “People have gone in circles for thousands of years trying to pin down what can be deemed art, who’s allowed to do it and what determines its value,” she said, citing the boundary-pushing nature of the festival, and namechecking such opposing philosophers on the matter as Aristotle, Barthes, Sontag and Beavis & Butthead, before concluding, “For all of us, you just know it when you see it.”

An internationally acclaimed film is to be screened at Ayr Town Hall.

Hugh Jackman admitted that he’s done some things in “Wolverine” that would make his voice teacher in drama school feel dismayed. Horrified, actually.

Hugh Jackman admitted that he's done some things in  that would make his voice teacher in drama school feel dismayed. Horrified, actually. In an interview with BBC's, the 54-year-old actor revealed that he damaged his voice screaming and yelling while playing the iconic Marvel character in nine films across more than two decades.

Simu Liu is hitting the red carpet with his girlfriend!

Guy Lodge Film Critic The official awards ceremony of this year’s Berlin Film Festival is under way, with Kristen Stewart’s jury set to announce their winners from the Competition selections. This post will be updated as they’re announced.Previously announced: AUDIENCE AWARDS Panorama Audience Award: “Sira,” Apolline TraoréSecond Prize: “The Burdened,” Amr GamalThird Prize: “Midwives,” Léa Fehner Panorama Documentary Audience Award: “Kokomo City,” D. SmithSecond Prize: “The Eternal Memory,” Maite AlberdiThird Prize: “The Cemetery of Cinema,” Thierno Souleymane Diallo

Hugh Jackman has revealed that the growling and yelling he did while playing Wolverine has permanently damaged his voice.Jackman played the superhero for nearly two decades at the start of the 21st century, making him a one-time Guinness World Record holder for longest career as a live-action Marvel character.Speaking to the BBC’s Front Row, Jackman detailed how the demands of the role had permanently affected his voice.“My falsetto is not as strong as it used to be and that I directly put down to some of the growling and yelling,” he said. “My voice teacher in drama school would’ve been horrified by some of the things I did [in Wolverine].”Jackman added: “We learned the technique [in school] of how to shout and how to yell without ruining your voice.

Extensive new bike storage facilities have been confirmed for cyclists using Manchester Piccadilly railway station in the city centre, the M.E.N. can reveal. Rail bosses said a total of 162 new storage spaces would be created at the station across four separate locations.

BBC Radio 4’s “Front Row.” “My falsetto is not as strong as it used to be and that I directly put down to some of the growling and yelling.”“My voice teacher in drama school would’ve been horrified by some of the things I did [in “Wolverine”],” he added.Jackman’s character is known for roaring when he’s letting out his iron claws.“We learned a technique [in school] of how to shout and how to yell without ruining your voice,” he explained. “However, during Wolverine, I did some screaming and yelling and things that I think did damage to my voice.”“I’m working on it.

The Coliseum is the last surviving professional, producing theatre in Oldham. It’s been in the town for over 100 years, survived two World Wars and a global pandemic, but at the end of March it will be forced to lower the curtain for the final time after losing its entire Arts Council England (ACE) funding.

Hugh Jackman is opening up about just how much of an impact that Wolverine has had on him in his life.

Wolverine needs some Listerine.

EXCLUSIVE: The management/production company Cavalry Media appears to be circling the drain. We’re hearing that the company co-founded by Keegan Rosenberger and the recently exited Dana Brunetti is in financial chaos. How desperate is it? The firm’s 14 person staffers have not been paid in months, and they have been without benefits for that long.

EXCLUSIVE: Hulu is developing Girlshow, from Sally Bradford McKenna (Son Of Zorn) and Ro Donnelly and Dakota Johnson’s TeaTime Pictures, with Search Party alumna Meredith Hagner attached to star. Boat Rocker, which has a stake in TeaTime, produces through its first-look deal with the production company.

Zack Sharf Hugh Jackman has spent over two decades, six movies and two uncredited cameos playing Wolverine in the “X-Men” film franchise, and all that superhero growling and yelling has taken a toll on the actor’s voice. Jackman revealed on the BBC’s “Front Row” show that playing Wolverine has resulted in permanent damage to his vocal cords. “I’ve done some damage to my voice with Wolverine. My falsetto is not as strong as it used to be and that I directly put down to some of the growling and yelling,” Jackman said. “My vocal teacher in drama school would’ve been horrified with some of the things I did [as Wolverine].” Jackman continued, “We learned a technique [in school] of how to shout and how to yell without ruining your voice. However, during Wolverine, I did some screaming and yelling and things that I think did damage to my voice. I’m working on it. I work with a singing teacher and I try not to hurt myself. I put a lot of effort into both physical movement and my vocal preparation for every role.”

Guy Lodge Film Critic Trends in documentary-making have shifted radically since Nicolas Philibert’s “Être et Avoir” was a surprise arthouse hit two decades ago: That sweetly observational little film, following the ins and outs of a village elementary school over the course of a year, seems a quaintly modest proposition beside today’s more slickly immersive and narrativized nonfiction breakouts. If times have changed, however, Philibert has not. “On the Adamant,” his first feature in 10 years, finds him once more examining the human workings of a care-based institution from a reserved but compassionate distance, avoiding commentary and editorialization in favor of real-life character portraiture. It turns out to be the right approach for the institution under scrutiny: The Adamant, a day-care center in central Paris for adults with a variety of mental disorders, offering its visitors a range of therapy, education and cultural activity. The human subjects here are both expressive and highly vulnerable, open to the low-key, non-invasive presence of Philibert’s camera, and the film is content to be an undulating patchwork of their everyday moods and moments, rather than anything more strenuously conceptual. Suited to specialist distributors and streaming platforms, “On the Adamant” might not achieve the crossover success Philibert has found in the past, but it’s a warm reminder of his perceptive gifts: A premiere slot in Berlin’s main competition, alongside much sleeker, more formally ambitious fiction fare, effectively welcomes him back to the auteur leagues.

Nadia Ferreira and Marc Anthony make their first red carpet appearance after the pregnancy announcement at the 35th edition of Univision’s Premio Lo Nuestro (PLN). The newlyweds confirmed earlier this month that they are expecting their first child together.

Plant vehicles and ground workers were digging deep this week as construction work commenced on the new £80 million Perth High School.

Standing room only crowds gathered last night at WGA membership meetings on both coasts to discuss the upcoming contract negotiations, which are set to begin on March 20.

A mural in memory of the late Nicola Bulley has been unveiled in the town she grew up in.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Martin Scorsese is executive producing Argentine filmmaker Celina Murga’s latest drama, “The Freshly Cut Grass,” which has begun production.  Produced by “Argentina, 1985” producers Infinity Hill, the film stars Oscar nominee Marina de Tavira (“Roma”) who plays opposite Argentina’s Joaquin Furriel (“The Boss, Anatomy of a Crime”) in what is described as “an exploration of love, desire, relationships and how society applies double standards for men and women.” “I came to know Celina [Murga] through Rolex’s arts mentorship program, in which I’d agreed to participate for the 2008-2009 year,” said Scorsese. “I chose Celina among the candidates that were sent my way because I was greatly impressed by her two features ‘Ana and the Others’ and ‘A Week Alone,’” he added.

Salma Hayek turned Gucci‘s fashion show during Milan Fashion Week into a family affair.

Wow, that’s cute. Paris Hilton’s baby’s name is gorgeous. The “Stars Are Blind” singer revealed in her new memoir the reasoning behind her new baby’s name and we can’t get enough of it!

EXCLUSIVE: Trinity Media Financing is consolidating its presence in the market, segueing to a new moniker, Trinity Media Films, with a look to fully finance English-language movies with budgets ranging from $2M-$60M.

Paramount+ has announced FBI True, a 10-episode original docuseries from FBI co-creator Craig Turk, focused on the real-life situations faced by FBI agents that have inspired the CBS series.

From lip gloss nails to rosé-inspired polishes, neutral nude manicures are everywhere this spring. If you love a bold nail look, however, fear not, as bright colours and OTT nail art is also still hugely popular – just take a look at the fancy fingertips on the Grammys red carpet early this month, or this year’s Love Island contestants’ scene-stealing manis.

Now that Milan Fashion Week has kicked off, all eyes are on the front row. In fact, some familiar faces have been spotted in the midst of the celebs and influencers, including a few from Albert Square. The third day of Milan Fashion Week began with the Tod's show, where Eastenders alumni Tilly Keeper could be seen sitting on the front row.The actress is known for her role as Louse Mitchell on the BBC soap from 2016 until her exit in 2020 and more recently as Lady Phoebe an aristocratic socialite who becomes caught up in Joe Goldberg's (Penn Badgley) twisted schemes in season 4 of Netflix show You.

Marc Anthony cradled his wife Nadia Ferreira’s baby bump as they attended their first red carpet event on Thursday since announcing their pregnancy news.

Families from Ukraine who fled to safety in Perth and Kinross have come together with local communities this week to mark the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of their country.