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Live Reporting

Helen Bushby and Kev Geoghegan

All times stated are UK

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  1. Doctor Who's latest monster is lurking...

    Doctor Who image

    ... and here it is - we think... it's quite dark though.

    This is the creature about to meet the Doctor and Clara in series nine. Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman must be quaking in their shoes.

    If they can find it...

    That's your lot for today folks, we hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it. Come back tomorrow for the best from the worlds of arts, entertainment, media and culture.

  2. Battle of the Sexes

    Deadline

    Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King

    Oscar nominees Emma Stone and Steve Carell are set to recreate the 1973 zeitgeist moment when 29-year-old Billie Jean King beat 55-year-old ex-Wimbledon champion Bobby Riggs at a tennis match.

    It scored the highest TV ratings in the US since the moon landing, according to Deadline. At the time, King was the world's number-two ranked female tennis star.

    The match was "framed as a showdown between a fierce women's rights advocate and an unapologetically sexist braggart", the LA Times said.

    The film, scripted by The Full Monty's Simon Beaufoy and produced by Slumdog Millionaire's Danny Boyle, reunites the Crazy Stupid Love co-stars.

    Beaufoy has reportedly been been working for several years on the script, with co-operation from King. Riggs died in 1995.

    Read more here.

  3. Morrison condemns police shootings

    Toni Morrison

    Award-winning author Toni Morrison has condemned the recent shootings of unarmed black men by white US police officers.

    The writer of books such as Beloved and Song of Solomon told BBC Radio 4's Front Row she would like to see what the response would had been had the roles been reversed.

    "I want to see two things - one, a white teenager shot in the back by a cop running away.

    "Or a white man stands in a doorway, tries to pick out his key and is shot 44 times by police."

    "Now, when that happens, we'll know something about race."

    Read more here.

  4. To return or not?

    Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters)

    As the British Museum opens a major new exhibition, Indigenous Australia: Enduring Civilisation, BBC Culture asks whether the Aboriginal Australian art should be repatriated to the culture that produced it?

    Read the story.

  5. Macca in Osaka

    Sir Paul McCartney in Osaka

    Sir Paul McCartney was mobbed by around 500 fans as he arrived at Osaka airport in Japan.

    His Japanese tour was called off last year when he fell ill.

    His tour kicks off tonight before playing five more shows across the country.

    Read more.

  6. Thrones sound problems

    Broadcast

    Game of Thrones

    Sky Atlantic has urged Game of Thrones fans to either watch the latest episode either on demand or catch the repeat, following technical problems during Monday night's broadcast.

    The volume for The House Of Black and White was severely reduced during the first five minutes of transmission, while Sky also experienced problems with its subtitling.

    Let's hope the dragons didn't notice.

    Read more here.

  7. Magna Carta gets stitched up

    Cornelia Parker

    Cornelia Parker has created an embroidered artwork replicating Wikipedia's entire online article on the Magna Carta.

    The charter - considered a cornerstone of the British constitution - is approaching its 800th anniversary.

    Magna Carta (An Embroidery), made by a range of people, from prisoners and lawyers to artists and barons, responds to the charter "in the digital era".

    The 13-metre artwork replicates the Wikipedia article as it appeared on the document's 799th anniversary - it is constantly amended and updated, so the piece is a "snapshot of where the debate is right now", said Parker.

    For those who need to brush up on their history lessons, the Magna Carta was sealed by King John on 15 June 1215, forced by a group of rebellious barons.

    It was the first formal document to limit the power of the King, stating a monarch had to follow the laws of the land and guaranteeing the individuals' rights. It also laid the foundations of trial by jury and of Parliament.

    The artwork will be exhibited for free in the entrance hall of the British Library from 15 May to 24 July.

  8. Retro Batman v. Superman

    YouTube

    It was only a matter of time. There has been retro makeover of the new Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer, featuring Christopher Reeve and Adam West - from the camp 60s Batman TV series.

    Check it out.

  9. 2,000,000,000 and counting

    Ed Sheeran

    Just when you thought Ed Sheeran had broken enough records, he has now become the first British artist to reach two billion streams in Spotify's history.

    Eminem is the only other artist to have previously achieved the feat.

    That he has reached the milestone after the release of just two albums is pretty astounding.

    Mark Mitchell, general manager of Atlantic Records UK called it "a phenomenal achievement".

  10. Fundraiser for Battersea

    The Stage

    Stewart Lee

    Comedians including Stewart Lee, Bridget Christie and Mackenzie Crook have helped raise more than £45,000 towards the restoration of Battersea Arts Centre's Grand Hall.

    The Grade II listed building in south London was seriously damaged in a fire last month.

    Takings from the event on 18 April have brought the fund total to around £770,000, following donations from the government, Battersea Power Station and a crowdfunding campaign.

    The centre is hoping to raise £1 million for the restoration.

    Read more.

  11. "1895 not 1885"

    BBC Newsbeat

    Radio 1 and 1Xtra

    Sherlock

    Mark Gatiss has cleared up the date of the new period-set special episode of Sherlock.

    Gatiss, who plays Sherlock's brother Mycroft, said the private detective travels back to the year 1895, which has special significance to Holmes fans.

    "I can correct something that has been misreported," he told Newsbeat. "The series is set in 1895, not 1885."

  12. The hit man

    Jimmy Napier and Sam Smith at the Grammy Awards

    You may not have heard of James Napier (left), but he was behind two of last year's biggest hits - Clean Bandit's Rather Be and Sam Smith's Stay With Me.

    The songwriter, known as Jimmy Napes, co-wrote those songs and has now been rewarded with three Ivor Novello Award nominations.

    He told the BBC he was "humbled" but also said he had been shocked when veteran musicians Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne recently won a credit on Stay With Me because of the similarity with their 1989 hit I Won't Back Down.

    "We were unfamiliar with the song and when it was brought to our attention we had to hold our hands up because there was a similarity," he said.

    Read more and see the full list of nominations.

  13. Separated at birth?

    Hyalinobatrachium dianae (left) and Kermit the Frog

    The likeness is uncanny.

    A new species of glass frog discovered by Brian Kubicki in the southern Talamanca mountains, bears a striking resemblance to celebrity frog Kermit.

    Spooky isn't it?

    Read more.

  14. Father Ted hits 20

    Mrs Doyle

    As hard as it is to believe, it has been 20 years to the day since Father Ted was first broadcast on TV, introducing the wonderfully weird inhabitants of Craggy Island to the rest of the world.

    We all have a favourite character, Ted, Dougal or Father Jack but to celebrate, Metro has listed the 10 times that Mrs Doyle was the funniest.

    Ahh g'wan and watch them.

  15. Flash! Aah aah...

    The Hollywood Reporter

    Matthew Vaughn

    Director Matthew Vaughn is reportedly in negotiations to direct a new Flash Gordon film, based on the classic 1934 comic strip character.

    Vaughn is no stranger to comic book adaptations, with Kingsman, Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class under his belt.

    The original 1980 Flash Gordon film, which is now something of a cult hit, starred Sam Jones, Max von Sydow and Topol and had that unforgettable soundtrack by Queen.

    This version has been picked up by Twentieth Century Fox, with Star Trek 3's JD Payne and Patrick McKay behind the script.

    Gordon's Aliiiiive!!...

    Read more here.

  16. More Lego films out of the blocks

    Variety

    Lego Movie

    Everything is still awesome if you're keen to see more giant Lego blocks flying across the big screen - there are three more coming your way, according to Warner Bros.

    You may have to wait a bit though.

    An untitled Batman Lego movie will be released in February 2017, while the Lego spinoff Ninjago is out in September 2017. The Lego Movie Sequel hits screens in May 2018.

    Read more here.

  17. Superchuckles

    Chortle

    Brilliantman!

    Sky Arts is lunching a four-part series of physical comedies starring the likes of Vic Reeves, Kim Cattrall and Johnny Vegas.

    The 30-minute shows will be broadcast in the autumn.

    In the dialogue-free Brilliantman!, Kevin Eldon stars as a humble council worker and wannabe superhero, with Vegas playing his sour-tempered landlady.

    Read more.

  18. WWII novel wins Pulitzer

    Anthony Doerr

    All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr has won the $10,000 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

    The best-selling World War 2-set novel alternates between a blind French girl and young Nazi soldier, with radio used as a means of resistance and propaganda.

    The judges praised Doerr's "short, elegant chapters that explore human nature and the contradictory power of technology".

    "Obviously, it's wonderful," said the author, adding that he was in Paris enjoying ice cream with his family when his editor called to deliver the news of his win.

    Read more on the Pulitzers.

  19. Spin-off spins off

    The Hollywood Reporter

    Adrianne Palicki and Nick Blood

    Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which is itself a TV spin-off series from the hugely successful Marvel studios which counts The Avengers in its stable, is to get its own spin-off show.

    Adrianne Palicki, who plays portrays Bobbi Morse - aka Mockingbird and her on-screen former husband Lance Hunter, played by British actor Nick Blood, have apparently been approached about the as-yet untitled series.

    There has been no comment from Marvel on the reports.

    The Hollywood Reporter has more.

  20. Whitfield's wimple

    June Whitfield and Jessie Wallace

    TV star and national treasure June Whitfield is to make a cameo appearance in EastEnders in a nun's habit.

    She plays Sister Ruth, who comforts Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) at the convent where Kat gave birth to her daughter Zoe as a teenager. Kat has decided to face up to her past.

    She is struggling with a request for her to testify against her uncle Harry, who raped her and left her pregnant with Zoe.

    June was clearly delighted with her foray into the East End.

    "I have watched EastEnders for years, and have been so impressed by the standard of acting. It was an absolute delight to work with Jessie Wallace and I am very excited to be part of the show."

    Tune in next week to see June in action.

  21. Sam Smith lands Ivor nod

    Sam Smith

    He already picked up a hatful of awards including Grammys and Brits and now Sam Smith has been nominated for an Ivor Novello songwriting award.

    His Stay with me is up against Clean Bandit's rather Be and George Ezra's Budapest for the most performed work at the prestigious awards.

    Dance classicists Clean Bandit are also up for best contemporary song against Alt-J and FKA Twigs.

    Full nominations.

  22. Rosanne Barr going blind

    The Daily Beast

    Roseanne Barr

    Former sitcom star and film-maker Rosanne Barr has said she is losing her eyesight and will ultimately go blind.

    She revealed she has macular degeneration and glaucoma and, when asked if doctors had told her how long she will have her sight, she said: "No, they can't. My vision is closing in now."

    Barr still has some sight, however, and has made a documentary Roseanne for President!, about her attempt to become the Green Party's presidential nominee in 2012. It is showing at New York's Tribeca Film Festival.

    She also said she smokes cannabis to alleviate pain and said she wants it legalised.

    "It's a good medicine, you know," she says."It's expansive. It opens your mind. Wow, you're in awe. You look up into the stars. It makes you wonder."

    Read more here.

  23. Pyjama game

    Tim Masters

    Entertainment correspondent

    Mark Gatiss

    Mark Gatiss says rehearsals are going well for The Vote, a play set in a polling station on election night, that opens at London's Donmar Warehouse on Friday.

    Gatiss, who plays a polling station manager, stars in a 50-strong cast alongside Dame Judi Dench, Catherine Tate and Timothy West.

    As the real polls close on 7 May, the play will be broadcast live on More4 from the Donmar stage. "It's a one-off," says Gatiss. "There are very strict rules about what you can do on election night so the play itself is very apolitical."

    And he reveals the after-show party will go on through the night as the results come in. "They are allowing us to stay until 10 in the morning if we want - in our pyjamas. Though some of us might be in bed by 2am feeling very sad depending on what the result is!"

  24. Willie's Potty plans

    Associated Press news agency

    Willie Nelson

    Country star Willie Nelson is to launch his own brand of cannabis, the Associated Press reports.

    Willie's Reserve will be grown and sold in the US states of Colorado and Washington, where recreational use of the drug is legal.

    Eighty-one year old Willie has been an advocate for decriminalisation of cannabis and has been arrested for possession several times.

    He says he is "looking forward to working with the best growers in Colorado and Washington to make sure our product is the best on the market".

    Other celebrity cannabis endorsers include rapper Snoop Dogg and singer Melissa Etheridge - who is developing cannabis-infused wine.

  25. Ant-sized billboards

    @vulture

    Vulture

    Twitter screengrab

    The marketing campaign for the new Ant-Man film, starring Paul Rudd, starts small Vulture tweets.

    Twitter screengrab

    The tiny billboards have apparently been popping up across Australia.

  26. Reviving Ada Lovelace

    Sydney Padua works on Ada Lovelace

    To mark the 200th anniversary of her birth, the story of Ada Lovelace has been re-imagined as graphic novel.

    The daughter of the poet Lord Byron, Ada was an enormously gifted mathematician and writer but an early death robbed her of the chance of ever seeing her work put in to practice.

    BBC News met the novel's artist, Sydney Padua.

    Watch.

  27. Crushed by 'falling angel'

    Gloria Hunniford

    Well, this isn't the sort of thing you expect to hear about Gloria Hunniford - she has revealed that her hand was crushed by a falling angel.

    Appearing on ITV's Loose Women with her right hand and wrist swathed in bandages, she said it was "stupidity on my part" to try and move a giant bronze angel statue in her home.

    "My ring finger, the bone is completely crushed and the tendon is broken," she said, explaining she had undergone a two-hour operation and would need about five weeks to heal.

    Hunniford confessed "I love angels", saying: "We have a couple of very tall angels... They are made of bronze and it would take three men to lift one."

    But fate seemed to be smiling on her despite her injury, as she added: "Had the angel gone (fallen) this way, I would have fallen back on my head and it would have crushed me right here (on her chest).

    "So I'm lucky."

  28. And now, the end is near...

    Variety

    Jon Stewart

    Fans of The Daily Show's outgoing presenter Jon Stewart now have a final date for his departure - 6 August.

    He is paving the way for his replacement, Trevor Noah, as producers will want to give Noah time to settle into the show before next year's Presidential election.

    South African comic Noah is a relative unknown in the US and is stepping into big shoes, as Stewart has hosted the influential comedy show for 16 years.

    He has a huge Twitter following of 2.2 million people - and he's told them he will "continue to make this the best damn news show!".

    Read more here.

  29. Bronte birthday plans

    Bronte sisters

    The bicentenary of Jane Eyre author Charlotte Bronte's birth will be celebrated next year with a series of events at the Bronte Parsonage Museum in the family's former home in Haworth, West Yorkshire, it has been announced.

    The plans include an exhibition and a book of short stories, both compiled by The Girl With The Pearl Earring author Tracy Chevalier.

    "I have long loved Charlotte Bronte and am thrilled to be involved in the upcoming celebration of her bicentenary," she said.

    After that, the museum will turn its focus to Charlotte's siblings Emily, Branwell and Anne and father Patrick over the following four years.

    Read more about the plans.

  30. AC/DC drummer in the dock

    Phil Rudd

    Phil Rudd, the drummer with Australian rock band AC/DC, has pleaded guilty on a charge of a threat to kill, at a court in New Zealand.

    He admitted asking for a former employee to be "taken out" because he was angry his solo album had not performed well.

    He also pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis and methamphetamine.

    Read more.

  31. Streep champions women writers

    Meryl Streep

    Meryl Streep is flying the flag for women screenwriters by helping fund the Writers Lab, a new initiative aimed at supporting them in a male-dominated industry.

    Eight women screenwriters aged 40 and over will be given mentorship by the scheme, run by New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT).

    Screenwriters Kirsten Smith (Legally Blonde, Ten Things I Hate About You) and Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Secret Life of Bees, Beyond the Lights) are among the mentors.

    Streep, who was credited with "generous support" of the initiative by NYWIFT, has long advocated women's rights.

    And of course, there was this moment at the Oscars when she reacted to best actress winner Julianne Moore's call for equal pay for women.

  32. Get involved

    Kev Geoghegan

    Arts and entertainment reporter

    Got something to say on today's news? Get in touch and let us know. Tweet @BBCNewsEnts or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

  33. Good morning!

    Helen Bushby

    Entertainment and arts reporter

    Welcome back to the arts and entertainment live page - there's plenty to look forward to today, including the star-studded European premiere of Avengers: Age of Ultron and the Ivor Novello Awards nominations. Stick with us and we'll bring you the latest from the world of arts, showbiz, media and more.