Jedward's Eurovision quest continues
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Irish Eurovision hopefuls Jedward are through to the finals of the Eurovision Song Contest which will take place in Azerbaijan on Saturday.
The Dublin twins were the last act to claim one of the 10 places for the contest on Tuesday night with a performance of their entry Waterline.
The 20-year-olds were dressed in silver armour-like costumes, wore their hair flat and jumped into a fountain in the middle of the stage.
It's the second time the twins are representing Ireland in the competition and they will be up against favourites the Russian Grannies - Buranovskiye Babushki - who also qualified for the final on Tuesday night.
Afterwards, an excited Edward Grimes told RTÉ that he and his brother John could not wait for the final on Saturday.
"We're just going to keep our cool," he said. "We're going to go out there and do an amazing performance and who knows what's going to happen. But no matter what happens, we're going to have the biggest homecoming ever in Dublin Airport."
He added: "Tonight [Tuesday] we are going to get ourselves together. We're going to pack half our clothes so we don't have to waste our time packing clothes at the end of the week... And then we're going to tweet all our fans on Planet Jedward – we nearly have 600,000 followers."
The second semi-final will take place on Thursday.
Jedward are set to be the 23rd act to perform in the final out of 26.
Homeland season two ‘remarkable’
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Homeland executive Howard Gordon has hinted at events in season two and considers it ‘remarkable’.
The hit psychological drama - which stars Claire Danes and Damian Lewis - will return to US cable channel Showtime in September and is expected to follow soon afterwards on RTÉ Two.
"Season two is going to start about five or six months after season one ended," Gordon told The Hollywood Reporter.
"Carrie (Danes) will not be in the intelligence service, and the world will be at a boiling point. There will be some new antagonists, definitely."
Homeland recently began shooting, with filming taking place in Israel. "It was remarkable," said Gordon. "We doubled it as Beirut.”
Gordon also gave a broad sweep of where season two is going in terms of plotlines, as it moves from season one’s focus on Damian Lewis’ Brody as a possible terrorist.
"We're really looking at where the world is, what's happening in the Middle East right now, and that's going to be a major departure point from the first season."
EastEnders set for new baby drama
Wednesday 23 May 2012
It is reported that the writers on EastEnders have come up with a new baby drama for the BBC soap.
Warning: spoiler alert!
Inside Soap magazine claims that Janine Malloy (Charlie Brooks) will give birth three months early and her baby girl will face a fight for her life.
The magazine says that Janine will go into labour during her wedding to Michael Moon (Steve John Shepherd).
A source said: "This is every mother's worst nightmare. Janine's terrified...
"She fears all the stress surrounding her wedding has brought on labour...
"It'll be touch and go whether the baby can make it.
"The big mystery is whether Janine and Michael tie the knot before Janine goes into labour.
"Janine has Ricky and Diane [Sid Owen and Sophie Lawrence] - her brother and sister - by her side. They're both back in Walford for the wedding.
"So at least she has some family around her."
Lopez announces first Irish concert
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Jennifer Lopez has announced her first ever Irish gig at the O2 in October.
J.Lo is coming to a block near you later this year. The international superstar – she’s an actress, singer, producer and entrepreneur don’t you know – has confirmed that her first ever show in Ireland at The O2 in Dublin on Friday 19th of October as part of her Dance Again world tour.
Lopez has sold over 55 million records worldwide since her debut in 1999 and starred in multiple box offices number ones, including Monster-In-Law and The Wedding Planner. In 2001, The Wedding Planner was the top-grossing film in the US, while her album, J.Lo, was number one on the Billboard Top 200 Chart. This meant Lopez was the first woman to have a No. 1 movie and album in the US in same week.
Lopez recently announced that she will virtually invite fans backstage during the upcoming tour via her recently-launched interactive website. Fans will have the opportunity to access special concert ticket giveaways, interviews, messages and photos from behind the scenes.
Tickets for her O2 performance go on sale Monday 28 May at 9.00am from all usual outlets.
Byrne joins TV series Vikings
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Gabriel Byrne has been cast as Earl Haraldson in Vikings, the first scripted series from the History channel, which will be shot in Ireland.
The Hollywood Reporter says that Byrne's character, a former warrior, becomes an enemy of the show's hero, Ragnar Lothrok.
The Irish/Canadian co-production will be filmed at the newly-built Ashford Studios in Co Wicklow and throughout Northern Europe.
It will premiere on the History channel in 2013.
