Entertainment Live: Ellie Goulding 'taking a break'

EPACopyright: EPA

We all like a nice break, don't we? Five minutes away from your desk maybe, with a cup of tea and a biscuit. Lovely.

Well, somebody else who clearly likes a break is Ellie Goulding. She's taking one. From music.

She tweeted at lunchtime to confirm she's having some time off from recording and touring.

Her clarification comes in light of newspaper reports that she was quitting music completely after splitting up with long-term partner Dougie Poynter.  

To be fair, Ellie has released three hugely successful albums in that time - her debut, Lights; 2012's Halcyon; and last year's Delirium. (That's three more albums than we've released in that time.)

Hopefully she'll be back soon enough with album number four. Maybe she'll even call it "Four", like One Direction and Beyonce did.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The funeral of Douglas Slocombe, one of the great cinematographers, was held in Mortlake in west London earlier.

"Dougie" died last month at the age of 103 after a career in which he shot everything from classic Ealing comedies to three Indiana Jones movies for Steven Spielberg.

In a warm tribute, broadcaster Matthew Sweet said that Slocombe had contacted him a year ago to say he was finally ready to talk him through his huge filmography, with a view to writing the book people had asked about for so long. According to Sweet, they only got as far as John Huston's 1962 film Freud.

Vanessa Redgrave read from Shakespeare's Cymbeline and the service closed with one of Slocombe's favourite recordings: Maurice Chevalier singing Paris sera toujours Paris.

As chance would have it, Raiders of the Lost Ark - the first Indiana Jones film that Slocombe shot for Spielberg - can currently be seen at the Royal Albert Hall in London with the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra playing John Williams' fantastically hummable score live.

Here's news about a couple of film festivals that will be offering something a little different to cinemagoers in London this month.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

• Cinema Made in Italy launches its sixth edition later at the Cine Lumiere with Anna, a romantic drama for which Valeria Golino (pictured) was awarded the best actress prize at last year's Venice Film Festival. The event, which runs from Thursday to Monday, showcases nine titles in all that organisers promise "reflect the best of Italian [film] production".  

GettyCopyright: Getty

• BFI Flare, the name by which the London LGBT Film Festival is now known, kicks off its latest edition on Wednesday 16 March with The Pass, a new British drama about a closeted Premier League footballer (played by Russell Tovey, pictured). The event, which celebrates its 30th birthday this year, runs for 12 days in total at BFI Southbank and other venues.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The shortlist for this year's YA [Young Adult] Book Prize has been announced.

The prize, now in its second year, celebrates fiction written for teens and young adults, in any genre.

The 10 books in contention for this year’s prize are as follows:

• Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne
• One by Sarah Crossan 
• Unbecoming by Jenny Downham
• The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
• The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo by Catherine Johnson
• The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
• Asking for It by Louise O’Neill
• The Sin Eater’s Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
• Concentr8 by William Sutcliffe
• The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson 

The winning book will be chosen by a panel of judges, with input from a select group of teen readers. The prize will be announced at the Hay book festival on 2 June.

Children's novel The Lie Tree saw Frances Hardinge (pictured above) win the Costa Book of the Year prize in January, something The Bookseller was quick to jump on.

"Creating the prize allows The Bookseller to shine a light on the very best YA writing out of the UK and Ireland," said the magazine's chief executive Nigel Roby, who founded the prize in 2014.

"YA books have to contend with so many other forms of entertainment. In the light of that, the success of the genre has been remarkable. Hopefully, the prize will continue to build on that success and allow these great books to reach new readers."

Take a look at this year's shortlisted books (well, their covers anyway) in this Guardian gallery.

Curzon Artificial EyeCopyright: Curzon Artificial Eye

Puppets used to be child's play. These days, though, you're more likely to find one turning the air blue or simulating intercourse.

In London's West End, black comedy Hand to God sees an American teen come under the malign influence of a Satanic sock puppet. Belfast, meanwhile, is playing host to Avenue Q, the raunchy puppet musical that's currently in the middle of a five-month UK tour. (Next week it'll be at the New Wimbledon Theatre.)

It's a good time, then, for Charlie Kaufman to unveil Anomalisa, his first venture into stop-motion animation. Featuring the voices of David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh, it's a mordant, pensive affair very much intended for adults.

Entertainment reporter Emma Jones caught up with Kaufman recently to discuss the making of the film, part of whose diversions (ahem) include an extended puppet sex scene.

Read the feature.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Swedish police believe the driver in the car crash that killed four members of indie band Viola Beach and their manager may have "acted deliberately".

Band members Kris Leonard, River Reeves, Jack Dakin and Tomas Lowe died outside Stockholm on 13 February, along with manager Craig Tarry.

The car crashed through a barrier on a bridge and fell 80 feet (24 metres).

Police said the driver's actions appear deliberate, but they can't be sure if he meant to crash the car.

Investigators in Stockholm said the driver went past red lights and barriers - without signs of heavy braking - before plunging off a lifting road bridge into a canal.

Police confirmed the driver, who has not been identified, had no traces of alcohol or drugs and said it would have been very difficult to pass two lines of parked cars if he was asleep.  

UPDATE: Police have since clarified that they do not believe the Viola Beach crash driver "intended to kill himself or the band".

APCopyright: AP

This year's School Reporters were also out in force at the London premiere of Kung Fu Panda 3 on Sunday.

Check out some pictures they took at the event, which was attended by Jack Black, Kate Hudson and, of course, Po the panda.

Students from around the UK have been visiting the EastEnders set and grilling members of its cast as part of the BBC's School Report News Day.

Find out how Harry Reid (Albert Square's Ben Mitchell), Lorna Fitzgerald (Abi Branning) and Jamie Borthwick (Jay Brown) handled themselves under pressure.

Earlier we told you about a Shakespeare gala that Prince Charles hosted last night to mark the 10th anniversary of his Children and the Arts charity.

Now we can bring you more news of the Prince's arts-related endeavours, connected this time to his role as president of the Royal College of Music in London.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Here's the Prince with the minimalist US composer Steve Reich, who was made Doctor of Music at the RCM's music awards earlier.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The same accolade was given to the distinguished British conductor Sir Roger Norrington (above) and also to Vladimir Jurowski (below), the Russian conductor who spent 12 years as Glyndebourne's music director.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

BBC/Getty ImagesCopyright: BBC/Getty Images

British director Danny Boyle, whose films include Steve Jobs, Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire, is to make a 10-part series for US TV about oil dynasty heir John Paul Getty III.

The first episode - which Boyle will directed - is set in 1973, when the young Getty was kidnapped by the Mafia.  

Variety describes the FX series, Trust, as "equal parts family history, dynastic saga and satirical examination of the corrosive power of money".

The drama reunites Boyle with Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog's Oscar-winning screenwriter.

John Paul Getty III died in 2011 at the age of 54.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The BBC is to revisit a string of much-loved sitcoms as part of a season marking 60 years since the first broadcast of Hancock's Half Hour.

The season will include the airing of three "lost episodes" of three iconic BBC sitcoms: Hancock's Half Hour, Steptoe and Son and Till Death Us Do Part (pictured).

All three recordings of the original episodes were wiped, with only their scripts remaining.

Each episode will be recreated with a new cast and filmed before a live studio audience. (Yes, just like Cheers.)  

The recreation of A Woman’s Place is in the Home, a 1967 episode of Till Death Us Do Part, is already raising eyebrows, with some speculating how the racist and misogynistic Alf Garnett will be received by audiences in 2016. 

BBCCopyright: BBC

The BBC has also confirmed the return of prison sitcom Porridge. Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, who created the series in the 1970s, will write a one-off episode that sees the grandson of Ronnie Barker's jailbird Norman Stanley Fletcher (pictured) - known, like him, as "Fletch" - imprisoned for a series of cyber crimes.

There will also be the long-rumoured prequel to Keeping Up Appearances, written by the show's creator Roy Clarke and featuring a younger, 1950s version of Hyacinth 'Bouquet' Bucket.

It was previously announced that the BBC are filming a follow-up to Are You Being Served?, set in 1988 and with a new cast including Hollyoaks actress Jorgie Porter (about whom we wrote earlier).

The BBC is also promising a raft of brand new sitcoms.

"The landmark sitcom season will celebrate our very British sense of humour by reimagining hits of the past and giving a platform for new talent," said Charlotte Moore, controller of BBC Channels and iPlayer.  

AFPCopyright: AFP

Yesterday, he was paying tribute to Beatles producer Sir George Martin. 

Today it's back to business for Sir Paul McCartney, who has just announced a smattering of new tour dates in the US, Canada and Germany.

Unveiling the shows, which include dates in Seattle, Vancouver, Munich and Berlin, Sir Paul promised "no shortage of surprises".

Find out more.

PACopyright: PA

As Soapland waves farewell to one regular, another returns.

In a dramatic comeback to Emmerdale, Charity Dingle will become the new landlady of The Woolpack - arriving in a stolen Ferrari.

"The bar is a bit like a stage for Charity where she can show off and deliver her explosive one-liners to the locals," said actress Emma Atkins, who has starred in the soap, on and off, since 2000.

"Her behaviour will no doubt fluctuate, from good to bad to ugly."

Charity was written out of Emmerdale early last year, having been imprisoned for perverting the course of justice.

This was so Atkins could take time off to be with her baby son, who was born last March.

Watch Charity's return on tonight's edition, which airs on ITV at 19:00 GMT.

Hollyoaks regular Theresa McQueen is leaving the soap on Thursday.

But actress Jorgie Porter is staying tight-lipped about how she will leave the Channel 4 show, saying fans will have to wait to "see whether it really is the end of Theresa".

"I have loved playing Theresa McQueen and am so sad to leave Hollyoaks," she teased. "But I have hugely enjoyed my exit plot."

The actress, who recently took part in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, added: "Being on the show has led to me working with fantastic actors and directors and making friends for life. I laughed every single day on set."

Porter has already signed up to play Snow White in panto at the Liverpool Empire later this year.

PACopyright: PA

Not content with earning their first number one album in the US, The 1975 have also secured the unusual record of the longest-ever album title to reach the top spot in the US.

I Like It When You Sleep, For You are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It - which is also top of the UK album chart - comes in at a whopping 71 characters.

That's 12 characters more than the previous winner - LL Cool J's G.O.A.T. Featuring James T Smith: The Greatest of All Time - which claimed pole position in 2000.

Still, it's a long way off beating the album Fiona Apple released in 1999. Generally referred to as When the Pawn..., its official title is actually an eight-line poem that runs to a whopping 356 characters.

Read more on this story.

The latest trailer for the new series of Game of Thrones has racked up 30 million views in less than 24 hours, according to Entertainment Weekly.

The first preview of season six of the fantasy series garnered 8 million views on YouTube and another 22 million on the show's official Facebook page. 

HBO, who won't be sending out review copies in order to protect key storylines, claims this is an all-time high for a trailer launch.

Here's the trailer for the new season, which kicks off in the US on 24 April. Be warned: this trailer contains brief nudity and violent imagery.

Speaking of The Force Awakens, it's been announced that Daisy Ridley's Rey character is to be added this summer to the Star Wars exhibit at Madame Tussauds.

Loveable spherical droid BB-8 will also be joining the Star Wars characters on show at the London tourist attraction.

Here's a snap of BB-8 being measured up by sculptors Dan Woodley and Alex Garnett in preparation for the robot's first appearance on 25 March.

Madame TussaudsCopyright: Madame Tussauds

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

One of the young British stars of Star Wars: The Force Awakens has responded to an Instagram user who criticised how thin her character looked in the sci-fi blockbuster.

"I will not apologise for how I look, what I say and how I live my life," wrote Daisy Ridley after the user in question gave a picture of her Rey character a speech bubble suggesting she was "setting unrealistic expectations" for young girls.

"I am striving to be the best version of myself, even if I stumble along the way," continued the 23-year-old, who was plucked from obscurity to play the female lead in JJ Abrams' film.

"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," she concluded. "Kindness isn't going to cure the world of all its awfulness but it's a good place to begin."

Read more on this story.

BBCCopyright: BBC

"Elena Ferrante was born in Naples. This is all we know about her."

This is possibly the shortest author biography we've ever seen. But it is indeed all we know about the mysterious Italian writer responsible for the 'Neopolitan' series of books.

Whoever she (or he?) is, they will likely be celebrating in their mystery location this morning. That's because The Story of the Lost Child, the fourth and final instalment of the series, has been longlisted for the £50,000 Man Booker International Prize. 

She, or he (this could become tiresome), is among 13 authors on the longlist, which also includes two former winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature and an author whose book was banned in China.

Read more on this story.