Noticias

Evergreen Podcasts (Evergreen) and Rhapsody Voices announce an exclusive sales and distribution partnership with the HerMoney podcast, hosted by Jean Chatzky, one of the most trusted voices in personal finance. This collaboration marks a significant expansion of Evergreen’s business podcasts channel, bringing in a women-focused financial media brand that extends far beyond podcasting. As founder and CEO of HerMoney Media, Inc.(Hmm), Chatzky has built a platform dedicated to empowering women with the financial knowledge they need to thrive.

Do you think men and women are on equal footing when it comes to money? Think again. The award-winning podcast, HerMoney dives into the financial realities women face - and provides them with tools to take control of their money. As the longtime financial editor of NBC’s “Today” Show, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, coach on PBS’s Opportunity Knocks, and AARP The Magazine columnist,...

On Friday August 23 2024, Discovery broadcasts Bering Sea Gold!

Opportunity Knocks Season 18 Episode 2 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “Bering Sea Gold,” titled “Opportunity Knocks,” promises to bring viewers an exciting mix of challenges and unexpected turns. The episode will showcase Shawn as he seizes a surprising deal that could change the course of his mining operation. This opportunity may provide him with the edge he needs in the competitive world of gold mining in the Bering Sea.

Meanwhile, Zeke faces his own set of challenges. The Tomcod claim has proven to be more difficult to access than anticipated, forcing him to rethink his strategy. With the unpredictable nature of the sea, Zeke must adapt quickly to ensure he can still find success. His ability to pivot could be crucial in this high-stakes environment.

Chris McCully also encounters a setback when a mistake by his crew leads him to reassess his operation.

The excitement continues in Season 18 of “Bering Sea Gold” with the upcoming episode titled “Opportunity Knocks.” This episode promises to deliver plenty of drama and challenges as the gold miners face new obstacles in their quest for treasure.

Shawn is ready to seize a surprising opportunity that comes his way. This unexpected deal could change the game for him, and viewers will see how he plans to make the most of it. Meanwhile, Zeke finds himself in a tough spot. The Tomcod claim is proving to be more difficult to access than he anticipated, forcing him to rethink his approach.

Chris McCully also faces a setback when a mistake by his crew leads to complications in his operation. This misstep pushes him to reevaluate his strategy, adding more tension to the already high-stakes environment. On the other hand, Kris Kelly is dealing with troublesome ground that complicates his mining efforts.

Sam Morril is pumped about his new special, You’ve Changed, which debuts on Prime Video today. There’s only one problem: Scaling the top of the comedy mountain with a streaming special just means the wry Morril has to prepare more tour material “again and again, til I die.”

Morril, one of the only comics alive to warm up an audience for Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, recently talked to Cracked about his childhood comedy heroes, the importance of trust in stand-up and the art of telling an edgy joke.

“As a really young kid, probably like in kindergarten, I realized I could do armpit farts. Oh my God, I was crushing. No one else could do them. And I was doing slow ones and fast ones. It was definitely an intro to comedy.”

“Remember that song, “I Saw the Sign,” by Ace of Base? There was another version I did,...

“Let’s face it, I had a bad script,” director Michael Bay said on the commentary track of his debut feature film, Bad Boys. Bay isn’t wrong. Bad Boys relies on buddy comedy tropes already established in 1974’s Freebie and the Bean and 1982’s 48 Hrs., complete with nonsense plot points. “But I had real comic talent in my two stars.” Bay of course means Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. Drawn from the popular sitcoms Martin and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Lawrence and Smith saved the movie from the clunky script with their easy chemistry and comic timing.

At one point, however, Bad Boys had two very different stars in mind with a comic chemistry unlike that of Lawrence and Smith.

Live From Miami, It’s Saturday Night!

In the 1980s, there were no greater kingmakers than Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson. Not only did the super producers turn...

Tom O’Connor, the British comedian and host of game shows like “Crosswits,” “Password” and “Name That Tune,” has died. He was 81.

O’Connor’s family told the BBC that the comedian, who had Parkinson’s disease for over a decade, died in a hospital in Buckinghamshire on Sunday.

O’Connor began his career in show business on the talent show “Opportunity Knocks,” which he won three times. His television breakthrough was on the show “The Comedians,” where he performed stand-up sets. But O’Connor was best known as the host of several classic game shows, including “Crosswits,” “Password,” “Name That Tune,” “The Zodiac Game” and “Gambit.”

Born on Oct. 31, 1939 in Bootle, Merseyside in England, O’Connor originally became a math and music teacher at a school in Bootle, performing at night in the working men’s clubs of the time. After appearing on “Opportunity Knocks” and “The Comedians,” O’Connor...

Tom O’Connor, a comedian and television show host for decades in the UK, died Sunday in a hospital in Buckinghamshire at age 81 of complications related to Parkinson’s disease.

His son, Steve Finan O’Connor, said he was a “unique comedian who was light years ahead of political correctness.” He added, “Tom was famously known for a brand of humour that was 100% clean and always totally family friendly.”

Born in Bootle, Merseyside, O’Connor started out as a teacher. His early show business days was as a singer, before introducing comedy into his act. That won him attention from TV scouts, and he soon was hosting shows like Pick Pockets and The Zodiac Game.

He also won attention for the show Opportunity Knocks, which he won three times.

O’Connor became a staple of British television, starring in The Comedians and hosting shows like Name That Tune, Crosswits, I’ve Got a Secret,...

British comedian Eddie Large, best known for being part of double act Little and Large, has died at the age of 78 after contracting coronavirus in hospital.

The star, who had been in hospital with heart failure, found fame alongside Syd Little in the 1970s and 80s.

They won TV talent show “Opportunity Knocks” and went on to have a long-running comedy sketch show on BBC One in the 1970s and 80s, which was watched by millions of TV viewers in the U.K.

His son, Ryan McGinnis, broke the news in a Facebook post, writing that his father caught Covid-19 while in hospital.

He wrote: “It is with great sadness that Mum and I need to announce that my Dad passed away in the early hours of this morning.

“He had been suffering with heart failure and unfortunately, whilst in hospital, contracted the coronavirus, which his heart was sadly not strong enough to fight.

The British Film Institute and luxury watch-maker Iwc Schaffhausen have revealed the three filmmakers shortlisted for the Iwc Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award in association with the BFI.

The 2019 shortlist comprises Rose Glass, writer-director of her debut feature Saint Maud, Hong Khaou, writer-director of his second feature Monsoon and Peter Mackie Burns, director of his second feature Rialto.

At £50,000, the prize is the most significant bursary of its kind in the UK, expressly designed to support the future careers of promising new talent. The award goes to a UK-based writer, director or writer-director with a first or second feature screening at the London Film Festival.

Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) will join Amanda Nevill, CEO of the BFI, and Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of Iwc Schaffhausen, to both select the winner and present the award during the festival.

The shortlist selection panel comprised Rose Garnett, Director of BBC Films, Ollie Madden, Head of Creative at Film4,...

Denmark, Iceland and Norway registered rises in 2018, but Finland and Sweden saw dips.

Denmark

Denmark has had a strong year for local films, led by Christoffer Boe’s The Purity Of Vengeance (also known as Journal 64), the Nordisk Film release that has already broken records as the highest-ever grossing local film in Danish cinemas and will remain on release until at least January 2019.

The film is the fourth and final feature that Zentropa has produced based on the bestselling Department Q series of novels, about two mismatched detectives solving cold cases; it has earned $10.1m (dkk66.4m) as of December...

Denmark, Iceland and Norway registered rises in 2018, but Finland and Sweden saw dips.

Denmark

Denmark has had a strong year for local films, led by Christoffer Boe’s The Purity Of Vengeance (also known as Journal 64), the Nordisk Film release that has already broken records as the highest-ever grossing local film in Danish cinemas and will remain on release until at least January 2019.

The film is the fourth and final feature that Zentropa has produced based on the bestselling Department Q series of novels, about two mismatched detectives solving cold cases; it has earned $10.1m (dkk66.4m) as of December...

The story is about a couple who struggle with house reservations.

Norway’s 74 Entertainment and Finland’s Don Films have teamed up to launch a new production alliance called Pan Nordic Pictures.

The first project will be a Finnish remake of 74’s Norwegian comedy Opportunity Knocks, in collaboration with Nordisk Film. The story is about a couple who struggle with house renovations.

Pan Nordic Pictures, which also has other investors, will plan to work on “an eclectic slate of feature films and scripted series based on both original content and existing Nordic IP.”

Pan Nordic is spearheaded by Aleksi Hyvärinen...

There's a bit of a Norwegian super-team assembled for upcoming comedy Opportunity Knocks (Norske Byggeklosser) - the new remake of one of the all time classic local pictures. Dead Snow producer Kjetil Omberg, The Bothersome Man producer Jørgen Storm Rosenberg and Fatso / Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder helmer Arild Forhlich are behind this new version with Dag star Atle Antonsen starring (and starring and starring some more) in multiple parts. The plot line will call to mind 1986 Tom Hanks comedy The Money Pit for Us audiences, with its story of a couple inheriting a house badly in need of repair. The set up is a very straight forward one but the team behind the scenes here is anything but. We've been raging fans...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

12 year old Lucy Hutchinson stars as a young Emma Kennedy in a new family comedy set in the 1970s coming to BBC On at the end of September.

Lucy (represented by A&J Management) made her screen debut as young April in the Emmy-award winning Dustbin Baby and has gone on to appear in various TV roles including Eastenders, Little Crackers, The Poison Tree and Dani's Castle. She also played Scout in the Regent's Park Open Air Production of To Kill A Mockingbird.

The Kennedys is a six-part aspirational family comedy loosely based on actress, writer and TV presenter Emma Kennedy's memoirs ‘The Tent, The Bucket and Me.’ Each episode is introduced by Emma Kennedy, played by Lucy, a 10-year-old Star Wars obsessed tom-boy who is happy to tag along with her much-loved parents, Brenda and Tony Kennedy played by Katherine Parkinson and Dan Skinner.

The Kennedy family have...

The Biggest Loser is normally about losing weight, but now the show has lost a host.

"After an incredible run together, Alison Sweeney will not be returning as host of The Biggest Loser next season," the show's producers tell People in a statement.

The Days of Our Lives best-selling author served as host of the NBC reality weight-loss competition for 13 seasons. She joined the show in 2007 after the departure of original host Caroline Rhea.

This announcement comes just over a year after Sweeney revealed she was leaving the soap that made her a household name after 21 years to spend more time with her son Ben,...

Kate and Andy have an unexpected visitor. It's time for another exclusive clip from Nat Geo's "Life Below Zero," a reality series that follows a group of six hardy individuals as they make their homes and livelihoods in remote Alaska. Who can say why? I just work here. In the clip from this week's episode (entitled "Opportunity Knocks"), watch with muted horror as a young bear is menaced by Andy's rifle while adorably investigating the couple's delicious-smelling fish rack. Run, little guy, run! "Life Below Zero" airs Tuesday at 9pm on the National Geographic Channel.

Since WWE purchased WCW and the vast video library that came along with it, there have been numerous releases devoted to WCW related content, from the Goldberg set, to the Best of Nitro stuff, down to the Nwo release, but this is the first time WWE has taken a look at the best matches from the rich history of WCW’s Pay-Per-View’s. So here it is, volume one in the greatest matches from the PPV years of WCW.

WCW had some great PPV shows over the years of their existence. From Starrcade to Halloween Havoc, Superbrawl to Uncensored, Road Wild to Sin. Okay, ignore Sin, pretend I didn’t say that.

Here, in this 3 DVD/2 Bd set, you get over 20 matches ranging from 1987 until 2001 and the quality is, for the most-part, very high. From true wrestling greats, such as Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Sting, Vader, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage,...

Brooklyn Decker isn't always a glamour girl!The blonde beauty took to Instagram on Tuesday to share photos of herself looking like a total nerd. But, these snapshots aren't from her past -- they were taken on the set of her new BMW commercial."So this commercial for BMW came out today... :) details later..." the supermodel wrote along with her geeky pic.In the snap, Decker wears a striped collared shirt under a gray sweater vest. Her skin is covered in pimples, and she's sporting glasses, braces and frizzy hair! The commercial, which is titled "Opportunity Knocks," tells the story of a man who reflects back on dumping a young Decker then regretting it years later when she becomes a super-successful model. "I was drawn to this BMW ad because of the humor. I was determined to play myself as a nerdy teenager – down to the braces and not...

Will’s writing earns him an amazing opportunity. Wait … what? Um … okay.

From what I’ve read online, Chandler took two weeks of vacation, and Tptb needed a way to make Will disappear for a while. Funny, they’ve never had a problem with that before …

Jordan overhears Kate ordering a background check of her. If she takes her glasses off, there could be an incident.

Adrienne tells Sonny how happy she is that he wasn’t hurt during the Engagement Party Massacre. But she kind of feels bad for Marge. Maybe Justin can represent her pro bono. That’s enough for Will to throw down the dishtowel (that’s not a euphemism, he was actually washing dishes) and confront her, saying “Are you serious?”

Ugh. Doctor Dan is trying to make peace with Jj. Can’t he just lay on top of him again?

Will tells Adrienne “Do you...

Amanda Holden has spoken about how she got her job on the Britain's Got Talent judging panel.

The star admitted that she was pulled in as a last-minute replacement after someone else dropped out.

Speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, she said: "Historically, someone dropped out. I was told it was all kinds of people. My favourite one is Cheryl Cole, I like to think it was Cheryl. Thank you Cheryl.

"My manager said, 'This really interesting call's come in – it's Simon Cowell', and I literally went 'Yes'. 'You don't know what it is?' 'Just yes, yes'."

Holden also revealed that her previous marriage to Les Dennis helped her decision to take the job.

She said: "I was pulled in at the last minute to go and be a judge on this show – it was a bit like Opportunity Knocks and, of course, being married to Les all...

New York — So what's new on TV?

The new season of "America's Got Talent" starts Tuesday at 9 p.m. Edt. New judges include former Spice Girl Mel B. and supermodel/personality Heidi Klum, who are joining forces with Howie Mandel and Howard Stern. New York's Radio City Music Hall is the spectacular new venue.

Even so, the roots of this NBC variety competition are steeped in TV antiquity, reaching back to the medium's infancy.

It was on June 20, 1948, that "The Ed Sullivan Show" (then known as "The Toast of the Town") began its 24 seasons of jugglers, opera singers, comedians, animal acts and (of course) Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

It was also 65 years ago that "The Original Amateur Hour" moved to television after a successful run on radio (its final CBS telecast was in 1970).

The variety show was pronounced dead decades ago. And after "The Gong Show" in the 1970s and `80s,...

Two 10 o’clock shows — NBC’s Revolution and CBS’ Hawaii Five-0 — were the only gainers on this oddly quiet second Monday of sweeps.

The Voice opened NBC’s night with 11.9 million total viewers and a 3.9 demo rating, down 6 and 9 percent week-to-week to tie a season low. But Revolution led out of that with 6.3 mil and a 2.0 rating (adjusted down per finals), rising two tenths.

Related | Michael Slezak’s The Voice Live Playoffs Recap: True Colors Shining Through

Hawaii Five-0 meanwhile netted 7.8 mil/1.9, ticking up two tenths.

Related | May Sweeps/Season Finale Scoopapalooza: More Than 100 Spoilers on Your Favorite Series’ Endgames

Elsewhere on CBS,...

The Voice UK coach Danny O'Donoghue has launched a stinging attack on Simon Cowell's talent shows, accusing them of humiliating contestants with their audition process.

The Script frontman claimed that The Voice UK had "manners" and claimed that it was the "best chance" for young musicians wanting to break into the industry.

Watch our interview with Danny O'Donoghue and Jessie about series two of The Voice UK:

"Kids watch TV and they take that to the playground. If you have a TV talent show and some kid goes up and performs and everyone just starts yelling 'Off, off, off, off, off!', you destroy that kid," said O'Donoghue. "You absolutely destroy them."

He continued: "On our show, we believe you should install some manners and the appreciation we have as coaches for great music. We break bad news in a good way.

"We don't give anyone false hope or expectations.

For Pop Idol, he gave us X Factor. For Opportunity Knocks, he gave us Britain's Got Talent. And now following the incredible success of The Great British Bake Off, Simon Cowell has brought us Food Glorious Food.

Featuring ex-MasterChef host and supermarket sauce-flogger Loyd Grossman, a fierce-looking woman from the Wi, a Geordie lady with a beehive the size of a beer barrel, and posho foodie fop Tom Parker Bowles, the show is on the hunt for Britain's best dish to sell on the shelves at Marks & Spencer.

Of course being a Cowell production, this isn't really a food show.

In the same way that The X Factor is more about the pantomime between the judges and the "journey" of the contestants, Food Glorious Food is focused on eccentric characters and ladled-on emotional stories. Actual cooking was at a bare minimum.

An inherent flaw in the format appears to...

London - Former Jam frontman Paul Weller has derided music TV talent shows, such as X Factor and The Voice, as "Saturday-night viewing for the masses." In an interview with Radio Times magazine in the U.K., he also said: "Would I be a judge? Would I hell." Asked about the Jam auditioning for Opportunity Knocks before the band became famous, Weller said: "Thank God we got turned down in the audition. It could all have been so different... But I’d be too embarrassed to be on those shows. You get some of these kids who think they’re

read more...

“Opportunity knocks…” was the intriguing subject line sitting in our Gmail nestled between the latest Groupon offer and reminder from Geico to pay the car insurance. With so many years since we’d made a film, not a whole lot of opportunities were knocking. Swimming with the sharks in Open Water was a leisurely dip compared to surviving the perils in Hollywood. We had had our hearts broken over passion projects and other labors of love, all of which were stalled at their own frustrated spot on the road to celluloid. But we didn’t give up.

Ken Goodwin has died, aged 78. The Manchester-born comedian passed away on Saturday at a nursing home at Rhos-on-Sea, Conwy. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years. Goodwin rose to fame in the 1970s through mainstream shows including Opportunity Knocks and The Comedians. He was known for his stuttering and nervous on-stage demeanour, and for his catchphrase "Settle down now, settle down". (more)...

Veteran British comedian Ken Goodwin has died at the age of 78.

The funnyman passed away at a nursing home in Wales on Saturday following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.

Goodwin rose to fame in the 1970s with TV appearances on Opportunity Knocks before becoming a regular on hit show The Comedians.

Coincidentally, beloved Northern Irish comedian Frank Carson - another star from The Comedians and Opportunity Knocks - passed away on Wednesday.

Frank Carson passed away today (February 22) at the age of 85 from a long term illness. The Northern Irish comedian - famous for his catchphrases "It's a cracker" and "It's the way I tell 'em" - built up a large amount of fans and celebrity admirers over his six-decade career. At the height of his showbusiness career he appeared in various mainstream television shows including Opportunity Knocks, The Comedians (more)...

Beloved Northern Irish comedian Frank Carson has died, aged 85.

The funnyman became a national treasure after winning U.K. talent show Opportunity Knocks in the 1960s. He was a TV regular on hit shows The Comedians, The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club and Tiswas.

In 1987, Pope John Paul II knighted Carson into the order of St Gregory at a private audience in Rome, in recognition of his charity work in Northern Ireland.

Carson died at his home in Blackpool, England on Wednesday. He will be buried in his native Belfast.

Frank Carson was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on November 6, 1926 from a family of Italian descent. He began his working life as a plasterer and electrician before joining the Parachute Regiment. He served in the Middle East for three years during the 1950s, before he tried his hand at stand-up comedy. Carson soon became popular on Irish television and later moved to England. He appeared in the music hall show The Good Old Days and eventually hit the mainstream with his appearances on talent show Opportunity Knocks, which he won three times. Carson went on to reach further fame by appearing alongside fellow comics including Charlie Williams, Bernard Manning, Mike Reid and Jim Bowen in The Comedians in the 1970s. Over the next two decades he would appear in various UK television shows including Who Do You Do? and The (more)...

For a film about a gospel choir and the push and pull of faith within its singers’ lives, Joyful Noise has a funny way of getting its message of love and hope across. I understand it’s 2012 and we must show a progressive slant on the church in order to reach audiences and not turn a majority away before the theatre lights dim, but some of the stuff happening in this film is borderline offensive as it panders to the lowest common denominator in its clumsy quest to inspire. Hot-button topics like Asperger’s and military service are hijacked in service of yelling at God for his lack of compassion while a plethora of heavy-handed, holier-than-thou morality quips are injected into the script. It appears as though the actors are reading quotes from a badly written sermon on cue cards just off screen.

Tagged ‘Dream Louder’, its entire main plotline...

How do you adapt classic film The Ladykillers for the stage? First, blow the whole thing up

The story of The Ladykillers came to screenwriter William Rose in a dream. Four criminals planning a robbery hole up in an old lady's house, deciding to kill her when she discovers their secret. Unable to do the deed, however, some of them end up killing each other, and all of them end up dead. Rose woke his wife, Tania, gabbled the story to her – and immediately fell asleep again. She, thankfully for him and all of us, flew from their bed and typed the whole thing out before it had a chance to go cold. The next morning, she told the story to her husband, and he listened amazed, as if hearing it for the first time.

Fittingly, the classic 1955 film has a dreamlike, flowing quality, but with a robust logic that...

Kurt here with a new Cinema de Gym, the first to focus on a movie I never knew existed before my cardio session. Is everyone familiar with Opportunity Knocks? It's a 1990 comedy noteworthy for being the breakout film for SNL alum Dana Carvey. With his straw-blonde hair styled into what I remember to be an almost-mullet, Carvey plays Eddie Farrell, a California con man whose slovenly style (oversized shirts, khakis with sneakers) is used to convey an enviably carefree outlook (as opposed to Steve Carrells's version of the same style in this week's Crazy, Stupid, Love., which is used to convey unenviable cluelessness). I entered the movie just as it was starting (another first), and got to see the unremarkable opening credits blip onto the screen as Carvey strutted down the street in his lazy dude's attire. There was no telling why he was carrying a potted plant.

Turns out...

BBC bosses are reportedly embroiled in the process of recruiting judges for their newest reality TV venture, however they have seemingly already met with some obstacles.

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson has claimed that he was asked be a panellist on the show – in which four celebrity judges, all noteworthy recording artists, choose teams of contestants through a blind audition process – but turned producers down flat.

He claims that he refused to take part ‘with great delight’ because he hates that genre of entertainment.

Bruce – who until recently fronted Bruce Dickinson’s Friday Rock Show for BBC’s 6 Music – told NME:

“That show sounds so crap and demeaning to everyone involved, I took great delight in turning the BBC down.”

He added:

“The X Factor is appalling enough, it’s no better than Opportunity Knocks.”

Dickinson is currently on tour with rock metal band Iron Maiden, as they continue with their European arena tour.

The Sun today reports that the UK version of hit talent search show The Voice is in trouble even before its launch as several stars have turned down judging roles on the show.

The latest celeb to turn down the role is Iron Maiden front man Bruce Dickinson, who told The Sun, “That show sounds so cr*p and demeaning to everyone involved, I took great delight in turning the BBC down.

“The X Factor is appalling enough, it’s no better than Opportunity Knocks.”

View the original post The Voice UK: Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson turns down judging role on Unreality TV...

"Cannes Man", the 1996 indie comedy feature, directed by Richard Martini is now on DVD from Cinema Libre Studio, starring Seymour Cassel and Francesco Quinn, with cameo appearances by Johnny Depp, Jon Cryer, Benicio del Toro, John Malkovich, Dennis Hopper, Kevin Pollak, Jim Jarmusch and Chris Penn.

"'Frank 'Rhino' Rhinoslavsky' (Quinn) is a part-time cab driver in New York who wants to break into film business. But, he doesn't have anything to offer and just thinks that he can start at the top, as a writer. Opportunity knocks on Frank's door when he goes to the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France to deliver some props to Troma, Inc.

"There he meets 'Sy Lerner' (Cassel), perhaps a bigger loser in the movie business and as each person is interviewed in this mockumentary, he has made a fool out of a lot of industry executives and cost them plenty of money. Lerner...

Top British orchestral trumpeter with the Lso, he played on the Star Wars films

Maurice Murphy, who has died aged 75, was the leading British orchestral trumpet player of his generation. During the 30 years in which he was principal trumpet with the London Symphony Orchestra (Lso), he defined the sound of the brass section with the clarity, precision and diamond-sharp brilliance of his playing. In the concert hall he was an inspiration and could lift the orchestra with his exhilarating, visceral sound.

Millions more thrilled to the ringing top Cs he played on the soundtracks for the Star Wars films. The blazing sonority of the brass section led by Murphy was the aural equivalent of spinning through space. For the composer of the scores, John Williams, Murphy was a "heraldic spirit" whose instrument articulated "the ideal voice of a hero". After the first Star Wars film, Williams wrote the subsequent scores with Murphy's sound in mind.

Nice guy Tim Conrad (Paul Rudd) has determined to escape from life as a cubicle drone and ascend to the lofty heights of the executive floor at Fender Financial. Optimistic, in the face of recent rejection, that girlfriend Julie will soon consent to an ‘upgrade’ to fiancée he believes his success will secure their happily ever after. Opportunity knocks when company head Lance Fender offers him an audition for a future with the company – an invitation to his exclusive Winner’s Dinner. The price of entry: bring your own schmuck!

Tim cannot in good conscience attend. He has given his word to Julie that he will not. Tim always keeps his word, after all he is a nice guy. At least he was, until heartbroken IRS man Barry Speck stumbled in front of his car and unleashed his well-meaning friendship upon Tim’s once happy life. Barry’s hobby is...

Chicago – While a cop film take-off is filed under the fish-in-a-barrel category, writer/director Adam McKay manages to spin some absurd gold threads into the thin blue cloth. In other words, Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are damn funny in this all-in cop farce, with enough familiar co-star support to prop up the whole enchilada.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

The film opens with the most heroic detectives in New York City, P.K. Highsmith (Samuel L. Jackson) and Christopher Danson (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) chasing down another suspect. The chase is their usual over-the-top do or die street race, ending up with a leap into a tour bus, which they end up commandeering. The bust puts them again on the front page, with more honors from grateful Manhattanites.

Back at the station, Highsmith and Danson accept the accolades from their colleagues, including the “other guys,” partners Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) and Allen Gamble...

In the UK, traditionally the most successful television stars have been those that could ‘do it all’. In fact, until not too long ago, to even get on the BBC, you had to be able to dance, sing, act and present – complete with a smile and a well executed catchphrase.

John Barrowman is one of the few current celebrities that could still lay claim to the job description of ‘Entertainer’ in this great British tradition. He has A-list acting credits under his belt with Doctor Who, Torchwood and Desperate Housewives. He has a musical theater pedigree having performed in West End shows as well as joining Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber as a judge on reality shows searching for the next ‘Joseph’ and ‘Maria.’

Most Brits grew up watching him present various light entertainment shows and of course there have also been the top 40 albums, best-selling memoirs and entries in AfterElton.

3D has found its true purpose - backflips, tight torsoes and making London look cool, says Catherine Shoard

What's the real purpose of 3D? Unfettered immersion into brave new worlds? Prising people away from their laptops into the cinema? Lining the pockets of studio bosses? It's easy to be sceptical about all three: the effectiveness of the first, the viability of the second, the ethics of the third. But with StreetDance 3D, stereoscopic technology seems, finally, to have found it's true calling: making London look cool. Our capital so often looks touristy or plain old drab on screen; somehow both possibilities are airbrushed out when it's observed through funny plastic specs. It's as if the wobble and the disorientation acts as a barrier to naff: filtering out gaucheness, amplifying the glamour. Streetdance 3D looks a million dollars – or, rather, as much like Manhattan as possible: cranes and brick warehouse bedrooms...

A gathering of interesting movie moments in the most interesting of places.

The bathroom is a common nexus of interest for all races, creeds, cultures, and types. It’s the one place in the home that exudes great comedy, deep philosophical thought, painful moments of realization and regret, and vulnerable tasks where we are at our most transparent. So, of course cinema has kicked down the door to this bastion of privacy on many occasions to make light of all that which can happen in the suburban Narnia that is the “john.” This is just Volume 1… I plan to do more, this is not a top 5 list or anything so calm down!

- Opportunity Knocks (1990) – Dana Carvey lectures Robert Loggia into submission.

Watch it here.

Our first film scene of choice, where a young Garth Algar speaks of the layered mental exercises that the “crapper” holds for us all. Opportunity Knocks...

Popular British comic Freddie Starr is preparing for surgery after suffering a major heart attack earlier this week (begs05Apr10).

The 67 year old was hospitalised on Tuesday after falling ill while preparing for his U.K. stand-up tour.

Doctors attempted to fit tubes in his arteries to increase the flow of blood, but when the procedure failed, they advised the funnyman he will have to undergo a triple heart bypass operation.

Starr tells Britain's The Sun newspaper, "I'm due a triple heart bypass next week. It was down to stress I think."

His spokesperson adds, "He's certainly not very well and he'll need at least six months to recover."

The comedian has cancelled a string of upcoming gigs in Britain due to his condition.

Starr has been a regular on the stand-up circuit since the 1980s, after shooting to fame on U.K. TV talent contest Opportunity Knocks.

Last week, I journeyed to Santa Monica to visit the offices of Illumination Entertainment. Started by Christopher Meledandri, the producer behind Opportunity Knocks and Cool Runnings, who helped acquire and oversee Blue Sky Studios, the computer animation studio which produced the Ice Age series and Robots. Meledandri produced Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who, The Simpsons Movie and The Fantastic Mr. Fox before jumping ship to form a new company, Illumination Entertainment. You probably haven't heard of them yet, as they have yet to release a film, but they are hard at work developing projects for computer animated, live-action and they even claim to have a stop-motion animated project that is on the verge of being announced. The plan is to do an average of two films a year for Universal, over the next five years. Their first film to hit the big screen will be Despicable Me, which...

Finally we got to catch up with a ridiculously upbeat Jamie Archer to talk about what he’s been up to since leaving X Factor on Sunday night. I’d already read a few interviews by the time we caught up, and Jamie was refreshingly candid in each one.

Often, when you chat to an X Factor contestant they’re media prepped to the point that you get nothing interesting or relevant to report – not so with Mr Archer, who spoke openly about his frustrations with the X Factor format and his gratitude to the show for giving him such a big break.

Here’s the transcript of our chat (and thanks to Jamie for being a great interviewee!)

It’s not often we get to interview an X Factor contestant at the end of the week – tell us about what you’ve been up to.

It’s just been madness.

Those not returning for the 2009-10 TV season include 4Real, According To Jim, America's Toughest Jobs, American Gladiators, Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?, Battlestar Galactica, Boston Legal, Celebrity Circus, Celebrity Exposé, Celebrity Family Feud, Charlie Jade, Chocolate News, Cristina's Court, Crusoe, Cupid, D.L. Hughley Breaks The News, Deal Or No Deal, Dirty Sexy Money, Do Not Disturb, Don't Forget The Lyrics!, Easy Money, Eleventh Hour, Eli Stone, ER, Everybody Hates Chris, Fear Itself, Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, Frank TV, Harper's Island, Hole In The Wall, Homeland Security USA, Howie Do It, In Harm's Way, In The Motherhood, Kath & Kim (Us), King Of The Hill, Kings, Knight Rider (2008), Kyle Xy, Last Comic Standing, Late Night With Conan O'Brien, Life, Life On Mars (Us), Lipstick Jungle, MADtv, Momma's Boys, Most Outrageous Moments, My Own Worst Enemy, Nashville Star, Opportunity Knocks, Osbournes: Reloaded, Prison Break, Privileged, Pushing Daisies, Reaper, Samantha Who?...

The ABC network has announced renewals for a dozen of their current series. It looks like America's Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor, Brothers & Sisters, Dancing With The Stars, Desperate Housewives, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Private Practice, Supernanny, Ugly Betty, and Wife Swap will all be back next season.

None come as a big surprise since ABC is still doing pretty well enough in the ratings. The weakest among the renewed series are Wife Swap and Supernanny but they're relegated to Friday nights. Expectations are lower on that night and the shows are cheaper.

What about the rest of their shows -- According To Jim, Better Off Ted, Boston Legal, Castle, Cupid, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Homeland Security USA, In The Motherhood, Life On Mars, Opportunity Knocks, Pushing Daisies, Samantha Who?, Scrubs, Surviving Suburbia, True Beauty and The Unusuals? Where do they stand?...

This just in from Marc Berman'S Programming Insider: TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest Freshman Series Update: Here is an updated status report of the freshman 2008 entries: ABC Life on Mars: moving to Wednesday at 10 p.m. out of Lost in January Opportunity Knocks: pulled from the schedule and not expected back CBS The Ex List: canceled; Canadian drama Flashpoint will fill the Friday [...]...

Famed for her gaudy outfits, wacky spectacles and hilarious comic turn as Peggy Ollernshaw in Hi-de-Hi!, Su Pollard is more than worthy of her status as the first female Digital Spy Icon. The nutty Nottingham lass first hits TV screens on Opportunity Knocks in 1974, but she lost out to a singing Jack Russell on the talent show. More successful were her enduring roles in David Croft sitcoms You Rang M'Lord? and Oh, Doctor Beeching! Pollard's other accolades include bagging (more)...