Heather Menzies-Urich, The Sound of Music's Louisa von Trapp, dies

Heather Menzies-Urich, The Sound of Music's Louisa von Trapp, dies from Brain Cancer aged 68

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-42479649

Heather Menzies-Urich, who played Louisa Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, has died aged 68.

Her death was announced by the estate of the musical's creators, Rodgers & Hammerstein, on Monday.

She was diagnosed with brain cancer four weeks ago and died on Christmas Eve, news site TMZ quoted her son Ryan as saying.

"She was an actress, a ballerina and loved living her life to the fullest," he told TMZ.

Born Heather Menzies in Toronto, she was 15 when the musical film was released in 1965. It went on to win 10 Oscars, including best picture.

She played the mischievous third Von Trapp child Louisa, but her later television and film appearances did not hit the same heights.

At 23, she posed nude for Playboy magazine under the headline The Tender Trapp, a decision she said horrified her Presbyterian parents, who were originally from Scotland.

She married film producer Robert Urich in 1975, but he died in 2002.

Among those to pay tribute were Kym Karath, who played Gretl in the film.

Read more from Variety bit.ly/2BA0Ifa 

From L to R: Heather Menzies-Urich (Louisa von Trapp), Debbie Turner (Marta) and Kym Karath (Gretl) at the 50th anniversary of the film in 2015

Buckingham Palace Releases Official Engagement Photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Buckingham Palace Releases Official Engagement Photos of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Joe McFadden & Katya Jones with Strictly Come Dancing 2017

Joe McFadden & Katya Jones with Strictly Come Dancing 2017

Courtesy https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/dec/17/strictly-winners-2017-joe-mcfadden-katya-jones

Strictly crowns Joe McFadden and Katya Jones in a sea of schmaltz

It was a sparkling sugar-rush of nerves for the BBC Strictly Come Dancing final, a culmination of the winning formula of fake tan, sequins and a little controversy

As the Strictly Come Dancing final unfolded, amid all the glitz, camaraderie and spangles, a mutinous thought formed in the showbiz ether – had this series missed the Ed-factor?

Well, perhaps a bit. Few could forget the former shadow Labour chancellor Ed Ball’s appearance in the last series, including his now infamous Bafta-nominated Gangnam Style routine, where he danced as though demonstrating the tragic effects of lifelong undiagnosed rickets.

However, as the 2017 final got going, it soon became clear that even mentioning Balls was just “So 2016!” The night belonged to the finalists, singer Alexandra Burke and her partner, Gorka Marquez; former magician’s assistant and widow of Paul Daniels, Debbie McGee and Giovanni Pernice; former Holby City actor, Joe McFadden and Katya Jones; and Hollyoaks actor, Gemma Atkinson and Aljaz Skorjanec.

They all faced the de-fanged near-powerless judges (only viewers’ votes count in the final) Craig Revel Horwood, Darcy Bussell, Bruno Tonioi, and new head judge for 2017, Shirley Ballas, who were all lined up on their panel like the cast of a failed Grimm’s fairy tale. Then there were the presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman – it continues to be remarkable how, since the departure of the late Sir Bruce Forsyth, these mere women have managed to host this primetime show, and in such an expert entertaining way. It could only speak of witchcraft.

All the contestants showed what they could do with their three final dances of the series, proving from the off that, with grace, style, athleticism, Strictly has become the equivalent of the showbiz Olympics. Sure, Strictly’s television dominance this year had been helped by The X Factor committing what amounted to weekly ratings hari-kari over on ITV. (I’m not saying that The X Factor’s viewing figures are low, but a strong rumour went around that, one week, a suburban man putting the bins out too early got more people watching). However, Strictly also proved yet again that it understood its own winning formula – drown the contestants in a vat of fake tan and what a cynic might term even faker bonhomie, and let the controversy and sequins fly.

This year, the major controversy came in the reactivation of what is sadly becoming the annual Strictly race row – in that, despite two past non-white winners, including last year’s Ore Oduba, non-white contestants generally tend to vanish with disquieting swiftness, and seemingly due to the viewers’ votes. This year, Chizzy Akudolu had gone out first, while Aston Merrygold, and Davood Ghademi, had gone out shockingly early, and Burke ended up in the bottom two dance couples, despite coming at the top of the leaderboard after the judges had given their marks.

At which point, one could raise a facetious eyebrow and muse, gosh, what could it all mean? However, is it fair to also factor in how predominantly white most weekend primetime television is? In short, could the race be less of a Strictly-problem than it is a general British light-entertainment issue?

Highlights included Joe and Katya performing their tin soldier– themed Charleston as though determined to out-do last week’s Tango in which Katya had lifted Joe’s entire body in a human wheelbarrow move usually seen at school sports days during particularly eventful dads’ races. There was also Gemma and Aljaz moving through their show-dance as though living inside their own sparkly romantic snow globe, and Alexander and Gorka performing a jive as though the floor had been electrified and then flooded with Prosecco. And Debbie performing moves in her Argentine Tango that reminded a younger and lesser woman such as myself that, one, I’ll never to be able to do the splits, and two, if I tried, I would saddle the already beleaguered NHS with a gynaecological emergency.

Ultimately, it was McFadden, the favourite, who triumphed, though all the finalists and the other contestants (even the ones who had gone out deservedly early, after dancing like a communal “walk of shame”) were quick to say that they all felt like winners. At this point, the Strictly final descended into what could only be described as a sugar-rush of schmaltz combined with a brawl on the entertainment deck of a cruise ship. So, basically Strictly business as usual, and why not? It’s what the people want.

Royal wedding date: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to marry on 19th May, say Kensington Palace

Royal wedding date: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to marry on 19th May, say Kensington Palace

Courtesy of

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/meghan-markle-prince-harry-royal-wedding-date-windsor-castle-st-georges-chapel-kensington-palace-a8112251.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42369780

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding will be held on Saturday 19 May 2018, Kensington Palace has announced.

The couple confirmed their engagement last month and said the ceremony would take place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

The Royal Family will pay for the wedding, including the service, music, flowers and reception.

Kensington Palace has confirmed the couple will be spending Christmas together at Sandringham with the Queen.

The wedding will be on the same day as the FA Cup final, which Prince William normally attends in his role as FA president.

The prince and Ms Markle, 36, carried out their first official engagement in Nottingham on 1 December.

Ms Markle, a Protestant, will be baptised into the Church of England and confirmed before the wedding. 

SAG Awards nominations 2018: Read the full list

SAG Awards nominations 2018: Read the full list

Courtesy : http://ew.com/awards/2017/12/13/sag-award-nominations-2018/

Go to the official site for al the nominees https://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/24th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards

On Wednesday, the SAG Awards announced their nominees for this year’s best performances in film and television, kicking the Oscar race into high gear.

Olivia Munn and Niecy Nash announced the nominations from the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood on Wednesday morning. In the film categories, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri led with a total of four nominations, including Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, and Woody Harrelson, as well as a nomination for best ensemble. Award season favorites like Lady Bird, Get Out, and The Shape of Water also picked up multiple nominations.

The SAG Awards also recognized rom-com favorite The Big Sick, which was surprisingly shut out of Monday’s Golden Globe nominations. Holly Hunter scored a best supporting actress nod, while the film was also nominated for best ensemble.

Historically, the SAG Awards are the awards show that best predict the eventual Oscar nominees — especially because SAG voters most closely overlap with Academy voters. There will always be some upsets, but as a general rule, SAG’s picks for actor, actress, supporting actor, and supporting actress are a good indication of who will eventually get nominated for an Academy Award. The award for best ensemble — SAG’s version of best picture — can also help a film gain Oscar buzz: Last year, four of SAG’s five best ensemble nominees all went on to score an Oscar nom for best picture.

See the full list of nominees below.

The eventual winners will be revealed at the SAG Awards ceremony on Sunday, Jan. 21, on TNT and TBS.

54th Annual SAG Life Achievement Award: Morgan Freeman

Theatrical Motion Pictures

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
James Franco, The Disaster Artist
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq. 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Judi Dench, Victoria & Abdul
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird 

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Steve Carell, Battle of the Sexes
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Mary J. Blige, Mudbound
Hong Chau, Downsizing
Holly Hunter, The Big Sick
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird 

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
The Big Sick — Adeel Akhtar, Holly Hunter, Zoe Kazan, Anupam Kher, Kumail Nanjiani, Ray Romano, Zenobia Shroff

Get Out — Caleb Landry Jones, Daniel Kaluuya, Catherine Keener, Stephen Root, Lakeith Stanfield, Bradley Whitford, Allison Williams

Lady Bird — Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Lucas Hedges, Tracy Letts, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Laurie Metcalf, Jordan Rodrigues, Saoirse Ronan, Odeya Rush, Marielle Scott, Lois Smith

Mudbound — Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Rob Morgan, Carey Mulligan

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri — Abbie Cornish, Peter Dinklage, Woody Harrelson, John Hawkes, Lucas Hedges, Željko Ivanek, Caleb Landry Jones, Frances McDormand, Clarke Peters, Sam Rockwell, Samara Weaving

Television Programs

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: The Lying Detective
Jeff Daniels, Godless
Robert De Niro, Wizard of Lies
Geoffrey Rush, Genius
Alexander Skarsgard, Big Little Lies 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Laura Dern, Big Little Lies
Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies
Jessica Lange, Feud
Susan Sarandon, Feud
Reese Witherspoon, Big Little Lies 

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
David Harbour, Stranger Things
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Millie Bobby Brown, Stranger Things
Claire Foy, The Crown
Laura Linney, Ozark
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale
Robin Wright, House of Cards 

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Sean Hayes, Will & Grace
William H. Macy, Shameless
Marc Maron, GLOW 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is The New Black
Alison Brie, GLOW
Jane Fonda, Grace and Frankie
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
The Crown — Claire Foy, Victoria Hamilton, Vanessa Kirby, Anton Lesser, Matt Smith

Game of Thrones — Alfie Allen, Jacob Anderson Pilou Asbæk, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, John Bradley, Jim Broadbent, Gwendoline Christie, Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Liam Cunningham, Peter Dinklage, Richard Dormer, Nathalie Emmanuel, James Faulkner, Jerome Flynn, Aidan Gillen, Iain Glen, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Conleth Hill, Kristofer Hivju, Tom Hopper, Anton Lesser, Rory McCann, Staz Nair, Richard Rycroft, Sophie Turner, Rupert Vansittart, Maisie Williams

The Handmaid’s Tale — Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Ann Dowd, O-T Fagbenle, Joseph Fiennes, Tattiawna Jones, Max Minghella, Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Samira Wiley

Stranger Things — Sean Astin, Millie Bobby Brown, Cara Buono, Joe Chrest, Catherine Curtin, Natalie Dyer, David Harbour, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Dacre Montgomery, Paul Reiser, Winona Ryder, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Finn Wolfhard

This Is Us — Eris Baker, Alexandra Breckenridge, Sterling K. Brown, Lonnie Chavis, Justin Hartley, Faithe Herman, Ron Cephas Jones, Chrissy Metz, Mandy Moore, Chris Sullivan, Milo Ventimiglia, Susan Kelechi Watson, Hannah Zeile 

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
Black-ish — Anthony Anderson, Miles Brown, Deon Cole, Laurence Fishburne, Jenifer Lewis, Peter Mackenzie, Marsai Martin, Jeff Meacham, Tracee Ellis Ross, Marcus Scribner, Yara Shahidi

Curb Your Enthusiasm — Ted Danson, Larry David, Susie Essman, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, JB Smoove

GLOW — Britt Baron, Alison Brie, Kimmy Gatewood, Betty Gilpin, Rebekka Johnson, Chris Lowell, Sunita Mani, Marc Maron, Kate Nash, Sydelle Noel, Marianna Palka, Gayle Rankin, Bashir Salahuddin, Rich Sommer, Kia Stevens, Jackie Tohn, Ellen Wong, Britney Young

Orange Is The New Black — Uzo Aduba, Emily Althaus, Danielle Brooks,  Rosal Colón, Jackie Cruz, Francesca Curran, Daniella De Jesús, Lea DeLaria, Nick Dillenburg, Asia Kate Dillon, Beth Dover, Kimiko Glenn, Annie Golden, Laura Gómez, Diane Guerrero, Evan Arthur Hall, Michael J. Harney, Brad William Henke, Mike Houston, Vicky Jeudy, Kelly Karbacz, Julie Lake, Selenis Leyva, Natasha Lyonne, Taryn Manning, Adrienne C. Moore, Miriam Morales, Kate Mulgrew, Emma Myles, John Palladino, Matt Peters, Jessica Pimentel, Dascha Polanco, Laura Prepon, Jolene Purdy, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Nick Sandow, Abigail Savage, Taylor Schilling, Constance Shulman, Dale Soules, Yael Stone, Emily Tarver, Michael Torpey, Lin Tucci

Veep — Dan Bakkedahl, Anna Chlumsky, Gary Cole, Margaret Colin, Kevin Dunn, Clea Duvall, Nelson Franklin, Tony Hale, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sam Richardson, Paul Scheer, Reid Scott, Timothy Simons, Sarah Sutherland, Matt Walsh 

Stunt Ensembles

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
Baby Driver
Dunkirk
Logan
War for the Planet of the Apes
Wonder Woman 

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
Game of Thrones
GLOW
Homeland
Stranger Things
The Walking Dead 

Life Achievement Award