Entertainment Live: Top Gear reaction, Malik goes solo

This could confuse JK Rowling fans.

A 1986 cult film TROLL is to be reprised as an animated film and television series titled TROLL: The Rise of Harry Potter, Jr.

Oscar-winner Patricia Arquette has been signed for the voice of a witch, and child actor Baxter Bartlett is slated to be the voice of young Potter. 

Cast members in the original live-action feature included Neverending Story star Noah Hathaway, as Harry Potter, Jr. and Veep's Julia Louis-Dreyfus. 

Check out the teaser trailer for the forthcoming Netflix film Beasts of No Nation, starring Idris Elba. 

Directed by True Detective's Cary Fukunaga, it tells the tale of a young West African boy forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters and transform into a child soldier after the death of his family. 

 The film will will debut globally on 16 October.

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New West End musical Dusty is being forced to recast five actors from the production who have left amid complaints of unrest on the show.

The show, which has been running at the Charing Cross Theatre in London since 25 May, but has not yet had an official press night, will lose three cast members on 8 August, with a further two leaving on 22 August.

In addition, four of the dancers employed to appear in the show have been removed from the production and will also leave on 22 August.

The multimedia show, celebrating British singer Dusty Springfield, has had a new director brought in since it originally opened. Its press night, originally set for 3 June, will now take place on 7 September, three and a half months after the show opened.

Charing Cross Theatre general manager Steven Levy denied there was anything "controversial" about the show's cast changes, and said actors were leaving partly because the run was "open-ended".

"It's not a wholesale exit. With any open-ended run you will always have people coming and going," he said.

A TV channel has been fined £25,000 after viewers of its Yoga for You show were told basil leaves and black pepper could prevent cancer.

Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom said the show, on Asia TV's Lamhe channel, carried "an appreciable risk of harm to viewers" due to the "unsubstantiated and unqualified medical advice".

Read the full story.

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Beyonce has been offered a role in NBC's forthcoming production of The Wiz - as Glinda the Good Witch - though she may have to fight Orange is the New Black star Uzo Aduba for the role, according to reports in the US media.

The singer would join a cast that already includes fellow Grammy-winners Mary J Blige and Queen Latifah, playing the Wicked Witch of the West and the Wizard respectively.

The musical is an adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

A 1978 adaptation of The Wiz starred Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. NBC's TV adaptation will air on 8 December, before heading to Broadway the following year.

It is not Beyonce's first experience of the musical - check out YouTube footage of the 7-year-old diva singing the song Home, back in Houston aged 7.

Here's wishing she would close her eyes and tap her heels together three times...

Lord Sugar has paid tribute to Apprentice contestant Stuart Baggs, who was found dead this morning at the age of 27.

Former Apprentice contestant Luisa Zissman added her condolences...

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Yoko Ono was joined by Bono, sporting a new blonde look, and The Edge, as a giant tapestry was unveiled depicting Manhattan as a yellow submarine and John Lennon as the pilot displaying the peace sign.

The artwork was commissioned by Art for Amnesty founder Bill Shipsey to thank Ono on behalf of human rights group Amnesty International.

Artist and musician Ono said the tapestry, at the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, was "so special" and that the Beatles band member would have loved it.

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Music executive Jimmy Iovine and the U2 band members covered the cost for New-York based Czech artist Peter Sis to design the commemorative piece.

You complete me. 

SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!! 

There's three. See, its kind of easy coming up with famous Tom Cruise lines of dialogue from his films.

It was a little surprising that he found it a bit more challenging...

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Former Apprentice star Stuart Baggs - once dubbed "Baggs the brand" - has been found dead on the Isle of Man, police have confirmed.

The 27-year-old's body was found by police after they were called to a property on Central Promenade in Douglas at 09:00 BST.

A police spokeswoman said the cause of death was "unknown" but not thought to be suspicious.

The Plymouth-born entrepreneur lived in the Isle of Man for most of his life and ran a telecommunications company.

He was the youngest ever candidate when he appeared on the BBC One show in 2010, at 21 years old.

Read more.

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Carol, Todd Haynes 1950s-set film about a romance between a bored Manhattan housewife and a shop girl, has taken pole position in the race for next year's Oscars.

The film, which was a critical favourite at the Cannes Film Festival, stars two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, opposite The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo's Rooney Mara.

US film studio The Weinstein Company has rescheduled the lesbian drama to open on 20 November - a similar awards season slot to previous Weinstein successes The Imitation Game and The King's Speech.

Both films went on to collect multiple Oscar nominations and wins.

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Ever wondered how those special effects whizzes make those car explosions look so realistic? Or how they create those awful looking injuries on actors?

Well wonder no more and check out this video with the good folks at Artem.

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Fancy getting your mitts on Rocky's trunks?

We thought not. Nevertheless, Sylvester Stallone has announced that he'll put hundreds of props and costumes from his 40-year career up for auction in October

They include John Rambo's Army jacket (below) and Rocky's gloves, robe and shorts.

Some of the proceeds will go to military charities.

Stallone has revived the ageing boxer in the new film Creed, in which he trains the son of his one-time rival.

The 69-year-old also revealed that he is writing another Rambo movie, though finding a new adversary is proving difficult.

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"Rambo has shot just about everybody. There's no one left," he said. "We're down to Eskimos. And penguins."

Kylie Minogue's recording of the hit single The Locomotion is 27 today. The singer marked the occasion with an Instagram image straight from the '80s... 

Of course the song is much older, having been written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King in 1962.

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Cult Box have published their 12 favourite moments with Peter Capaldi as the doctor...

See if you agree.

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Rumours that Clarkson, May and Hammond would take their blokey bonhomie to a streaming service have been circulating for months.

It's a shrewd move. For a start, Amazon doesn't have to bow to pressure from advertisers, particularly those car manufacturers the team regularly skewers.

Secondly, it neatly sidesteps the much-reported clause in the presenters' BBC contracts that prevented them making a show for a UK broadcaster for two years.

More importantly, the team already have a proven track record in streaming video. Top Gear accounted for eight of the top 20 most-streamed programmes on the BBC's iPlayer last year, with one episode watched by 3.81 million people.

But we may never know whether the gang's new show reaches those heights. Amazon, in common with Netflix, does not publish viewing figures.

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Europe's largest Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ has been unveiled in London, after six years of restoration.

Four rooms in the Troxy hall in east London provide a new home for the 1728 pipes - ranging from 16 feet to one inch - that sit behind the striking art deco facade of the organ.

Originally sited in the Trocadero theatre in London's Elephant and Castle, it was purchased by the Cinema Organ Society for preservation in 1960 ahead of the theatre's demolition in 1963.

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Next month will see its first public performance in 40 years, when it is played by internationally renowned organist Richard Hills.

The opening concert - Night of a 100 Pipes - will take place on Saturday 22 August.

According to new research, the average British adult spends nearly 10 years of their life in front of the television... mainly watching Friends re-runs, we're guessing.

Researchers questioned 2,000 people for the survey, commissioned by on demand service uktvplay.co.uk, and found the average person clocks up nine-and-a-half years of TV watching in a lifetime.

Almost a fifth (19%) said they watched TV at work, while more than a third (37%) admitted to eating at least one meal in front of the telly every day.

The good folk of Newcastle upon Tyne are apparently the keenest viewers, with more than half of those quizzed watching at least 26 hours a week.

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Filmmaker Louis Theroux has shared his thoughts on the recent scandal involving the hunting of the Zimbabwean lion Cecil.

Writing in the Independent newspaper, Theroux - who presented a documentary in 2007 about trophy hunting - addressed the issue of the dentist Walter Palmer, who was revealed as the big-game hunter who shot the animal.

Since his identity was revealed, Palmer has been singled out for criticism across the world.

"If nothing else, Palmer has finally learned what it means to be the prey of an incomprehensible force much larger and more powerful than himself," wrote Theroux.

Read more.

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More than five million people visited the ceramic poppy installation, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, at the Tower of London in 2014.

Now the poppies are visiting the north of England, including stays in Liverpool and Northumberland.

The cascade - or weeping window - section will be shown at St George's Hall in Liverpool and Woodhorn Museum, Northumberland.

The installation included 888,246 ceramic poppies, most of which were sold to the public, with the money going to military service charities.

Wave and the Weeping Window, which together have more than 10,000 ceramic poppies, were bought for the nation last year by the charities Backstage Trust and the Clore Duffield Foundation.

Read more.

So, the former Top Gear team are off to Amazon to present a  new motoring show.

With what sounds like a little dig at the BBC, Clarkson said: "I feel like I've climbed out of a bi-plane and into a spaceship." 

The trio had millions of devoted followers across the world.

Clarkson himself was one of the first to tweet...

But what has the online reaction been? Mixed.

and, of course, there are the obligatory jokers....

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Fresh off the back of news that Clarkson and his chums are off to Amazon, it has been announced that Lisa Clark has been signed up as the new producer on Top Gear.

Clark is an old ally of new presenter Chris Evans, having worked with him on The Big Breakfast and Don't Forget Your Toothbrush.

"Lisa is as good as it gets when it comes to making big, important television shows," said Evans.

"She's funny, sassy, super-experienced and has always absolutely loved cars."

Clark said it was an opportunity she "couldn't resist".

Evans fuelled rumours F1 driver Jenson Button was "in talks" to co-present the show when he read out a Daily Mail article on his radio show on Wednesday.

"They say an announcement is imminent," Evans teased.

Neither the BBC or Button's spokesman would comment on the speculation.

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So, its official former Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have signed a deal for a new motoring show with Amazon.

The trio, plus producer Andy Wilman, have signed up for three series - with the first one due to be broadcast next year.

Following Clarkson's earlier comment, Richard Hammond added: "Amazon? Oh yes. I have already been there. I got bitten by a bullet ant."

James May said: "We have become part of the new age of smart TV. Ironic, isn't it?"

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It's being reported that Jeremy Clarkson will be fronting a Top Gear style show on Amazon's Instant Video service.

The New York Journal quotes "people familiar with the matter", saying Clarkson and former hosts Richard Hammond and James May have formed a production company called W. Chump & Sons Limited, along with former exec producer Andy Wilman.

No details of the trio's deal have been released but The Evening Standard has quoted as Amazon insider who said: "We have made a significant investment."

They have also quoted Clarkson as saying: "I feel like I've climbed out of a bi-plane and into a spaceship."

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Organisers of the New York Film Festival have decided to delay the 2015 festival's opening night screening of Robert Zemeckis' The Walk because of a visit to the city by Pope Francis.

The delay will accommodate security demands surrounding the pontiff's visit to the city.

Pope Francis has a full day of activities planned for 25 September - including an afternoon visit to East Harlem and an early evening mass at Madison Square Garden - the same night The Walk was originally scheduled to screen.

The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as high-wire artist Philippe Petit, who famously walked on a tightrope between the Twin Towers in 1974. It will now be screened on 26 September.

The festival will open on 25 September, with free festival programming yet to be announced.

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Our Friends in the North star Gina McKee has backed a scheme to give all children in the north-east of England a taste of the arts - to ensure young talent does not go untapped.

McKee said attending a youth drama group in her home town of Peterlee, County Durham, "changed my life".

"Particularly in today's climate of austerity, it deeply concerns me that this kind of work must continue to be funded," she said.

She has since gone on to star in films like Notting Hill and In the Loop and TV shows like Line of Duty and The Borgias.

Read the full story.

Mia Farrow has taken some flack on Twitter for posting the address of the dentist who killed Cecil the lion. 

Some Twitter users - under the misapprehension that the actress had listed Walter Palmer's home address, rather than his widely disseminated business address - called for her account to be suspended under the site's terms of service. 

A Twitter spokesman said the company does not comment on individual accounts for privacy and security reasons. 

"If information was previously posted or displayed elsewhere on the internet prior to being put on Twitter, it may not be a violation," the company's rules on posting private addresses state.

The original tweet was deleted from Farrow's account amid the outrage.  

But not everyone thought Farrow was in the wrong...

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The city of Amsterdam has honoured Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh by recreating his self-portrait in flowers.

More than 50,000 dahlias were used to make a likeness of the artist, in a display marking 125 years since Van Gogh's death.

Darren BellCopyright: Darren Bell

Gone too soon.

That is the opinion of former X Factor contestant Amelia Lily on the sudden departure of voiceover man Peter Dickson who is leaving the show.

"I never even met him, which I'm really sad about," sighs the 20-year-old, who came third in 2011 behind Little Mix and Marcus Collins. "It's definitely going to be strange hearing a different guy do the voiceovers."

Lily - currently treading the boards in London in rock musical American Idiot - has reserved some praise for new judges, Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw and singer Rita Ora .

"The judging panel appears to be very modern, very current, which I think is good - kids will tune in to watch the show to watch them."

Lily may have left The X Factor behind but is still prone to butterflies every time she takes to the stage of the Arts Theatre in her role as Whatshername, the femme fatale at the heart of the Green Day-inspired musical.

"It's very normal to get nervous before you do anything," she insists. "Nerves are good, and they sometimes make you give a better performance."

Lily can be seen in American Idiot until 27 September.

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Gerry Anderson's iconic Thunderbirds are return to the site where they were originally created, to mark the show's 50th anniversary.

Perhaps not as glamorous a location as Tracy Island, the three new episodes will be produced at Slough Trading Estate in Berkshire.

The children's TV programme was written and filmed on the site between 1964 and 1966.

The new episodes are the result of a successful crowdfunding appeal.

Read more.

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Former One Direction singer Zayn Malik has signed a solo record deal with RCA Records.

Malik - who quit the chart-topping band earlier this year claiming he wanted to be "a normal 22-year-old" - announced that he was joining the Sony Music label on Wednesday.

The singer tweeted that he wanted "to show you who I really am!".

"I guess I never explained why I left, it was for this moment to be given the opportunity to show you who i really am! #realmusic #RCA !!"

Simon Cowell - who signed One Direction to his Syco label following their X Factor success - tweeted his congratulations.

"I believe they are the perfect label for Zayn Malik's solo career and I am sure whatever they release together will be special," he wrote.

But no word yet from his former bandmates...

Read the full story.

As always, we would like to hear your thoughts on today's batch of stories, are you giddy with glee at the thought of Zayn Malik solo material?

You can reach us via entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk via Twitter on @BBCNewsEnts and on Instagram via BBCNewsEnts.

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Chinese artist Ai Wewei has had his entry to the UK restricted because he failed to declare his "criminal conviction".

But Ai, though detained in China for 81 days in 2011, has never been charged or convicted of a crime in China.

The dissident artist was granted a 20-day visa to attend the opening of his exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

A letter from the visa section of the British Embassy in Beijing, which he posted on Instagram, stated Ai's entry to the UK was restricted because "it is a matter of public record that you have previously received a criminal conviction in China, and you have not declared this".

Read more.

Welcome to today's live page, bringing you all the latest news from the arts and entertainment world.

From Zayn Malik's new solo career to Ai Weiwei visa denial, we've got it covered, so stay tuned...