On the Box - TV Review

John Byrne catches the Eurovision while over in Rome, compares Blue Bloods to Arrow, and concludes his great Gatsby week with a documentary about the author F Scott Fitzgerald.

Reviewed: The Eurovision Song Contest (Saturday, BBC One); Sincerely, F Scott Fitzgerald : A Culture Show Special (Saturday, BBC Two); Blue Bloods (Friday, RTÉ Two); Arrow (Monday, Sky One)

Over the years I’ve watched The Eurovision Song Contest (well, the voting part, anyway) in some quare oul’ places, but this year beat them all hands down. Saturday night in Rome’s Trastevere. After some bacalla and Rigatoni in a local restaurant ...

Emma Eliza Regan's Cannes blog

The sun finally began to shine, the shades came out, and the Irish talent was in full force on Monday, with particular excitement building for Last Days on Mars, the debut feature film from Irish director Ruairi Robinson which was screened as part of the Quinzaine des Realisateurs (The Directors' Fortnight).

At nine o clock, an hour before the scheduled screening time, I wandered over to the Theatre Croisette, right by the renowned VIP Rooms, and by then the queue was around the corner, with a huge international array of faces lining up to get in.

The atmosphere was lively ...

Emma Eliza Regan's Cannes Diary

When I arrived at the Cannes Film Festival at the weekend, it poured down with heavy showers. The girls at the Irish Film Pavilion greeted me with ''you bring your wellies?'' - indeed wet hair and big umbrellas being the main fashion statement when I picked up my Official Accreditation badge the Palais des Festivals.

Whatever about the jewels and gold, the most important possession for any Cannes attendee is the accreditation around their necks.
Over on the Croisette, The Irish Pavilion is a white tent with a big Irish flag. Managed by the Irish Film Board, it forms the central ...