Articles

The Big Picture
(from BBC News)
"Celebrities including The X Factor judges, Madonna, David and Victoria Beckham and Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have been transformed into Lego people to mark the 30th birthday of the toy figures."

David Hare on how the BBC killed the TV play by David Hare
(from Times Online)
It's somewhat ironic to start talking about there being no plays on TV just as the BBC go and air three of them, but Hare has a point nonetheless and it makes for interesting reading.

Doctor Who's secrets revealed, by Russell T. Davies
and
The Next Doctor
(from Times Online)
Surprisingly long excerpts from Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, a new book by Russell T Davies and DWM set reporter Benjamin Cook. Very interesting, especially to Who fans (the Dennis Hopper rumours were based on fact!), but be warned that part two contains some major 2008 Christmas Special spoilers. This is one thing that intrigues me about the book, actually -- it covers the period up to pre-production/production on that special, but is published next week! Surely the Great Big Who Secrecy Machine can't allow too much to be revealed, but if not much is revealed it might feel a bit... empty? At least the book begins by covering the 2007 Special (The One With Kylie), so it's not like we're missing out on any "how a Christmas Special is different" bits. Still, I expect I'll find myself getting this on Christmas morning... then skipping to the 2008 Special bits before it's on that evening!

Lumley Threatens To Quit Britain
(from WENN)
"Actress Joanna Lumley has threatened to... hand back her British passport and become an Indian national if... former Nepalese Gurkha soldiers lose their battle to stay in the country. She says, "There is something wrong here... If this should go wrong for the Gurkhas I'm prepared to hand back my British passport and I'll take up Indian nationality. I was born in India; I had to pay to belong to this country. I was a British subject but not a citizen. If they despise them so much then they can despise me."" Top news story today on WENN; can't spot it on BBC News though. Tsk.

Spielberg, Jackson Can't Get Budget OK For Tintin
(from Studio Briefing)
Oh dear oh dear...

Tennant's Hamlet play sells out
(from BBC News)
Sounds like old news? This is about the London leg of the play, which sold out in under three hours! "Around 270 people queued up outside the Novello Theatre to buy tickets and several people camped overnight. Some 6,000 tickets were bought for the show, which starts in December, but on-the-day tickets will be made available." No doubt to long, overnight queues for every performance.