Spielberg joins forces with Coen brothers

The Coen brothers have signed up to write the screenplay for the ongoing Spielberg project

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Steven Spielberg is teaming up with the Coen brothers to make a Cold War thriller starring Tom Hanks.

It will be based on the true story of James Donovan, a US lawyer recruited by the CIA to negotiate the release of a pilot shot down over Russia in 1960.

The Coens, best known for Fargo and No Country For Old Men, will write a new draft of the script, originally by British playwright Matt Charman.

It's the first time the duo have made a film with both Spielberg and Hanks.

However, Hanks starred in their 2004 remake of The Ladykillers; while Spielberg was an executive producer on their Western, True Grit, in 2010.

The four stars have 10 Oscars between them.

Joel and Ethan Coen's most recent film is Inside Llewelyn Davis. However, they are also known to write scripts on projects they are not directing, including the critically-panned Gambit - starring Colin Firth - and the forthcoming Angelina Jolie film, Unbroken.

Spielberg is believed to have several projects in the pipeline, including Roald Dahl adaptation The BFG, which is due to begin shooting in January 2015.

The new thriller will be his fourth film collaboration with Hanks, with whom he previously worked on The Terminal, Saving Private Ryan and Catch Me If You Can.

Charman, who wrote the first version of the screenplay, is best known for The Machine - a play about chess master Gary Kasparov's infamous match against the computer program Deep Blue.

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Miss Saigon attracts new audience for 25th anniversary

Eva Noblezada as Kim and Kwang- Ho Hong as Thuy in Miss Saigon

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Sir Cameron Mackintosh says his 25th anniversary revival of Miss Saigon has attracted advance ticket sales from an "incredibly young" audience.

The musical, set during the Vietnam War, opened in London on Wednesday in front of a celebrity-packed audience.

It has already broken box office records for advance bookings.

"For me in my own lifetime to reinvent one of the greatest musicals ever written is a privilege," said Sir Cameron.

Among the star names at the show were Stephen Fry, Lord Julian Fellowes, Miranda Hart, actor Eddie Redmayne and film director Tom Hooper.

Based on the opera Madame Butterfly, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg's musical tells the tragic story of an orphaned Vietnamese girl, Kim, who falls in love with an American GI named Chris.

Schonberg and Boublil, who also wrote Les Miserables, have written a new song called Maybe for the production.

"This show seems to have a stronger rapport with the audience than it did 25 years ago," said Sir Cameron, after the opening night at the Prince Edward Theatre.

The classic helicopter scene has been updated for the new production

"We've got record breaking advance booking but it's not from the normal theatre audience. It's from mostly younger people, a few hardcore fans, but mostly younger people who've never seen the show. They've heard about it from their parents."

The theatre impresario - whose other productions include Les Miserables, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera - was recently named among the billionaires on the Sunday Times super-rich list.

Miss Saigon broke the record for the largest single day of sales in West End and Broadway history when it went on sale last September, with takings of £4.4m on the first day.

That figure eclipsed the amount taken by The Book of Mormon, which set the previous record in March 2013 when it took £2.1m in one day.

Sir Cameron said the revamped production of Les Miserables in New York was also attracting a new generation of musical fans.

"With this show, and Les Miserables and The Book of Mormon, the audience is incredibly young."

Miss Saigon arrives after a number of other recent high-profile West End casualties.

The X Factor-inspired musical I Can't Sing! closed after just two months. The Full Monty closed after five weeks, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Stephen Ward lasted for four months and the curtain came down on Sir Tim Rice's From Here to Eternity after six months.

Jon Jon Briones, who plays the sleazy Engineer, was in the original 1980s cast

"It's unfortunate when other shows close but that's been happening all my career," said Sir Cameron. "Two or three shows close and it becomes a great news story. When two open, everybody says: 'Everyone wants to see musical'."

'Audience sniffles'

In Miss Saigon, the seedy role of The Engineer is played by Jon Jon Briones, who was in the original 1989 London cast.

"I was part of the ensemble," he recalled. "I was surrounded by talented people and The Engineer was played by Jonathan Pryce. Watching him at rehearsals was a master-class every day."

Eva Noblezada, 18, who plays Kim, has yet to graduate from her school in North Carolina, US.

"It was so powerful tonight," she told the BBC. "I do love to hear the sniffles in the audience because that means we did a good job."

The Telegraph praised her "deeply felt performance and soaring voice".

In his four-star review, Charles Spencer said: "Laurence Connor's production has a cinematic fluency and he keeps the dramatic tension simmering throughout. For all its many merits, however, I find it easier to admire Miss Saigon than to love it."

"It's less operatic than before and has a grittier feel. Yet it remains a huge spectacle, and the music surges and soars," said the Evening Standard's Henry Hitchings.

"I can't say I was deeply moved, unlike the lady in front of me forever dabbing her eyes," admitted The Guardian's Michael Billington. "But I came away feeling this is a successful variation on an old tale and put across with exemplary vigour."

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ESPN UK fined £120,000 by Ofcom over audio description

ESPN's UK channel had rights to some English Premier League matches from 2009-2013

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Sports TV channel ESPN has been fined £120,000 by media regulator Ofcom for failing to provide enough audio description on its programmes.

ESPN provided the service for visually impaired viewers on 2.3% of programmes in 2012 - short of its 5% target.

The channel had also missed its target in 2011. Ofcom said the breach of its rules was "both serious and repeated".

ESPN complained live sport was "not generally suitable for audio description on television".

Audio description provides a commentary on what is happening on screen, describing things like body language, expressions and movements.

ESPN broadcasts a range of sports from around the world and had the rights to some English Premier League and FA Cup football matches between 2009 and 2013.

'Excluded'

The Ofcom ruling said as a result of ESPN's shortfall, "people with visual impairments have been excluded from access to its programmes".

The watchdog said the channel had argued "television sports commentary does give visually impaired people some level of description by its nature".

But Ofcom went on: "Television commentary of live sport presumes the viewer can see the action. It is unlike radio commentary in this respect, and is not provided with the needs of the visually impaired in mind."

ESPN's UK channel was launched by its US parent company in 2009 but the British channel was bought by BT in July 2013.

Sport 'unsuitable'

An ESPN statement said: "It is acknowledged that live sport is not generally suitable for audio description on television and ESPN regrets it was not possible to reach an understanding with Ofcom in this regard."

A spokesman said ESPN and BT would "work together with Ofcom on the matter to ensure that the payment is made".

A statement from BT said: "This sanction relates to a period before BT acquired the ESPN UK TV channel.

"BT takes compliance of audio description very seriously and meets the quotas set by Ofcom. We constantly monitor our obligations to ensure this remains the case.

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Sir Paul McCartney treated in Tokyo hospital for virus

Sir Paul was said to have been "extremely moved" by messages from fans

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Sir Paul McCartney has been treated in hospital in Japan after a virus forced him to call off a string of concerts.

The former Beatle, 71, has postponed five shows in Japan and South Korea.

A statement said: "Since contracting a virus last week that led to the postponement of tour dates, Paul received successful medical treatment at a hospital in Tokyo.

"He will make a complete recovery and has been ordered to take a few days rest."

The statement added: "Paul has been extremely moved by all the messages and well wishes he has received from fans all over the world."

Saturday's show at Tokyo's National Stadium was called off that afternoon

Sir Paul is in the middle of his Out There world tour, which has been on the road for more than a year.

It has already travelled through Japan once as well as visiting North and South America and parts of Europe.

He had been due to play four further concerts in Tokyo and Osaka, including one show at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan Hall, where the Beatles performed on their first Japanese tour in 1966.

He was then due to make his first trip to South Korea to perform at Seoul's Olympic Stadium.

The tour is due to resume with 19 more dates in the US beginning in Lubbock, Texas, on 14 June.

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Whitney Houston film to be directed by Angela Bassett

Whitney Houston will be actress Angela Bassett's first turn behind the camera

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Actress Angela Basset is to make her directorial debut with a biopic about singer Whitney Houston.

The Lifetime US TV channel confirmed the film will chronicle Houston's rise to fame and her turbulent relationship with ex-husband Bobby Brown, from their first meeting to their marriage.

The Oscar-nominated star said "their humanity and bond fascinates us all".

Houston died in February 2012, aged 48, after accidentally drowning in a hotel bathtub in Los Angeles.

The coroner's report into her death ruled the star had drowned due to heart failure and "chronic" cocaine use.

Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston were together through the height of her fame

The six-time Grammy Award winner sold millions of records worldwide including her hit cover of Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You from 1992 film The Bodyguard, in which she also starred.

"I have such regard for both Whitney's and Bobby's amazing talents and accomplishments, and I feel a responsibility in the telling of their story," Bassett said.

Although the film will be the actress' first turn behind the camera, she has played several characters based on real people.

Her performance as Tina Turner in 1993 biopic What's Love Got to Do With It earned her a best actress Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.

She also played Voletta Wallace, the mother of murdered rapper Notorious BIG, in the 2009 film Notorious.

Earlier this year she received several TV award nominations for her role in Lifetime TV mini-series Betty and Coretta, where she and Mary J Blige played the wives of Dr Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, who formed a life-long bond after their husbands' assassinations.

With a working title of Whitney Houston, the biopic is set to air in 2015. The cast has yet to be announced.

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Godzilla director to make Star Wars spin-off

Gareth Edwards has won acclaim for his recent Godzilla film

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British director Gareth Edwards, who made the recent Godzilla movie, is set to direct a Star Wars spin-off film, Walt Disney Co has confirmed.

The unnamed film will be in addition to the forthcoming Star Wars trilogy, the first instalment of which will be directed by JJ Abrams.

Writer Gary Whitta, who penned the script for 2010's The Book of Eli, will write the screenplay for Edwards' film.

The film is due to be released on 16 December 2016.

In a statement, Edwards said: "Ever since I saw Star Wars I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life - join the Rebel Alliance!

"I could not be more excited and honoured to go on this mission."

Whitta echoed his sentiments and said the "opportunity to contribute" was "literally a dream come true".

Box office success

Edwards' recent 3D film Godzilla topped the US box office chart and has taken more than $216m (£128m) worldwide, according to Boxofficemojo.

He also won widespread acclaim for his independent film Monsters, which was released in 2010.

The original Star Wars trilogy - which consists of the original film in 1977, 1980's The Empire Strikes Back and 1983's Return of the Jedi - was always envisaged by creator George Lucas as the central chunk of a nine-movie cycle.

The films followed the fortunes of young hero Luke Skywalker, cocky pilot Han Solo and the feisty Princess Leia as they battled against the Galactic Empire.

A trilogy of Star Wars prequels - 1999's The Phantom Menace, 2002's Attack of the Clones and 2005's Revenge of the Sith - followed.

Disney - which announced it had bought Lucasfilm for $4.05bn (£2.5bn) in 2012 - has previously said Lucas would remain as a creative consultant on the forthcoming trilogy, which begins with Star Wars: Episode VII, due to be released next year.

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Thai army detains ex-PM Yingluck

Protests have broken out on the streets of Bangkok, as Jonah Fisher reports

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Thailand's ex-PM Yingluck Shinawatra and a number of members of her family have been detained, as leaders of the nation's military coup tighten their grip on power.

Ms Yingluck and scores of politicians from the deposed government had been told to report to the military.

She was kept for several hours and then driven to an undisclosed location.

Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha also met key officials, telling them reform must come before any elections.

Gen Prayuth summoned governors, business leaders and civil servants to the Bangkok Army Club on Friday.

Six of Thailand's most senior military officers have now been appointed to run the country, with provincial commanders supervising local government.

Suspended constitution

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says that, unlike in previous coups, there have been no promises of a quick return to civilian rule.

Gen Prayuth told the meeting: "I want all civil servants to help organise the country. We must have economic, social and political reforms before elections. If the situation is peaceful, we are ready to return power to the people."

Ms Yingluck, who had been prime minister until being removed by the judiciary this month, had been ordered to report to the military along with more than 100 other politicians, including acting PM Niwatthamrong Boonsongphaisan.

It was unclear whether Gen Prayuth met either of them.

There were reports Gen Prayuth was to meet Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the royal palace in Hua Hin, south of Bangkok, on Friday to explain the coup, but this has not been confirmed.

On Thursday the military suspended the constitution, banned gatherings and detained politicians, saying order was needed after months of turmoil.

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Balkans floods: Appeal for aid as rescue continues

Guy Delauney reports on the latest rescue efforts in Belgrade

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Serbia and Bosnia have called for international help to rescue people from inundated areas after the worst flooding since modern records began.

Waters are now beginning to recede, but officials say dangers remain.

They say that the threat of landslides is an ever-present problem as are the difficulties caused by unexploded landmines in Bosnia and river surges.

Serbia's main power plant is still at risk of flooding. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes.

Bosnian Refugee Minister Adil Osmanovic described the flooding as "catastrophic".

Overwhelmed

Officials say that three months' worth of rain has fallen on the Balkans in recent days, producing the worst floods since rainfall measurements began 120 years ago.

The town of Orasje in northern Bosnia is caught between the Sava river on one side and another flooding river, the Bosna, on the other

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday that 12 bodies had been found so far in Obrenovac, the town where the coal-fired Nikola Tesla power plant is located

At least 35 people have died - with more casualties expected.

A large international aid operation is underway, with rescue helicopters from the European Union, US and Russia evacuating people from affected areas.

But Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said Serbia now needed further help, particularly deliveries of food, clothing and bottled water.

Aerial footage showed flooding near Serbia's Tesla power plant

The rain caused more than 2,000 landslides in hilly Bosnia, officials say, enveloping roads, homes and whole villages.

Rescuers are urging people to go to the balconies or rooftops of their houses with bright fabric to make themselves visible.

'Flood wave'

The north-eastern part of Bosnia is reported to be especially badly affected, with houses, roads and rail lines submerged.

The flooding has not only left thousands homeless, but has done lasting damage to the infrastructure of the Balkans

Damage to the coal mine near the village of Veliki Crljeni in Serbia is estimated at more than 100m euros ($137m)

Thousands of people still needed to be evacuated from their homes in Bosnia on Sunday, fleeing the rising waters of the Sava River

Hundreds of people have fled the flooded zone in boats and trucks - some of the more infirm have been evacuated by helicopter

Officials say that about a million people - more than a quarter of the country's population - live in the worst-affected areas.

The floods and landslides have raised fears about the estimated one million land mines planted during Bosnia's 1992-95 war.

Nearly 120,000 of the unexploded devices remain in more than 9,400 carefully marked minefields, officials say.

But the weather dislodged warning signs and in many cases loosened the mines themselves.

'Terrifying situation'

The flooding and landslide threat in Serbia is equally serious, made worse by the the constant threat of surging river levels.

Residents spent the weekend piling up sandbags in riverside towns - including Belgrade.

Mihajlo Andric from Osecina, Serbia, told the BBC that he was trapped inside his house for almost two days in a "terrifying situation".

"Roads and territory all around my area have been devastated by the floods," he said.

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic; ''It's been a very emotional week for me''

"We had no power, but luckily we had supplies. There are 15,000 people living in this town and many were badly affected by the flooding."

Serbia's state-run EPS power company said crews were doing all they could to prevent further damage to the Tesla power plant.

Parts of the plant and a nearby mine that provides its fuel were underwater. Damage to the mine alone is estimated at more than 100m euros ($137m).

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic has joined calls for help.

"Support and solidarity for my people in Serbia!'' he wrote on his Twitter account.

Large parts of eastern Croatia are also underwater, with villages still cut off and hundreds forced to escape the flooded zone in boats and trucks.

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Justin Timberlake leads Billboard Award winners

Justin Timberlake was one of several artists who appeared via videolink from their tour

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US singer Justin Timberlake accepted seven Billboard Music Awards by video while he is on tour, leaving it to a Michael Jackson hologram to steal the show at the ceremony in Las Vegas.

It mimicked the late King of Pop's famous dance moves while performing Slave to the Rhythm, a song from Jackson's new posthumous album Xscape.

Timberlake's haul of awards included top artist and Billboard 200 album.

Imagine Dragons won five and Pharrell, Robin Thicke and TI each won four.

The Michael Jackson hologram was the result of several months planning

Imagine Dragons performed at the ceremony in their hometown of Las Vegas

Katy Perry was awarded top female artist, while Jennifer Lopez was handed the Icon Award, giving an emotional speech and performing at both the opening and finale of the show.

Many artists performed remotely as they were on tour including Perry - who was in Scotland - and Miley Cyrus, who sang her cover of The Beatles track Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds from the UK, with Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips.

Accepting the award for top streaming artist Cyrus thanked her "amazing fans" before sticking her tongue out.

Timberlake appeared on screen dancing with his band to accept the evening's big prize of top artist.

"All the other finalists, Miley, Imagine Dragons, Bruno, Katy, I love you guys, it's not a competition, but if it is, I won!" he said.

Miley Cyrus and Wayne Coyne linked up with the ceremony from her UK tour for their Beatles cover

Best new artist Lorde performed her new track Tennis Court

Robin Thicke paid tribute to his estranged wife on stage

The biggest moment of the show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena came when the Michael Jackson hologram took over the stage, accompanied by dancers, beaming lights and blasts of fire - the result of several months planning.

"We tried to do as best we could what we thought Michael would have loved, and those of us who knew Michael really well, we had a good perspective on it," said Epic Records CEO LA Reid.

Reid worked on the new posthumous album, which topped the UK charts on Sunday.

He added: "But the truth is, you can't ever really know because he wasn't there."

Fans voted to give the Milestone Award to Carrie Underwood, who teamed up with fellow country star Miranda Lambert for a performance.

Imagine Dragons were happy to accept their five awards - which included top group and rock artist, in their home town of Las Vegas.

"We wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for people that believed in our band, in our small band that started here in Las Vegas from the very beginning," said frontman Dan Reynolds.

Jennifer Lopez was joined by Pitbull to open the show with We Are One

John Legend performed his current hit All of Me

Katy Perry won top female

Lorde performed her new hit Tennis Court and was a double winner - taking the prizes for best new artist and rock song for Royals.

"This whole thing started for me with a song that was written when I was 15, which I know everyone knows, but what I want to say is I am 17 and a half now and I'm so thankful," she said.

"That wasn't a joke," she added as the crowd laughed. "I'm so thankful that I've had the opportunity to learn and grow as a new artist in the spotlight."

Robin Thicke performed a new song Get Her Back and paid tribute to estranged wife Paula Patton as he collected top R&B song for Blurred Lines.

"Most importantly I'd like to thank my wife for her love and support and for putting up with me all these years," he told the crowd.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians star Kendall Jenner fared less well on stage, fumbling her words while introducing Australian boyband 5 Seconds of Summer.

"And now we welcome ... One ...'' she said, appearing to be about to say One Direction, before explaining "Guys, I'm the worst reader."

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US justice department charges Chinese with hacking

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Attorney General Eric Holder said the alleged breaches were "significant" and demanded "an aggressive response".

US prosecutors say the officers stole trade secrets and internal documents from five companies and a labour union.

China has previously denied hacking the US and said it faces similar attacks.

Potentially more victims

In Washington on Monday, Mr Holder said the hacking charges laid against the Chinese nationals were the first against "known state actors for infiltrating US commercial targets by cyber means".

He identified the alleged victims as Westinghouse Electric, US Steel, Alcoa Inc, Allegheny Technologies, SolarWorld and the US Steelworkers Union.

"The alleged hacking appears to have been conducted for no reason other than to advantage state-owned companies and other interests in China, at the expense of businesses here in the United States," Mr Holder said.

In an indictment in the western district of Pennsylvania, the heart of the US steel industry, the US named Wang Dong, Sun Kailiang, Wen Xinyu, Huang Zhenyu, and Gu Chunhui, all officers in Unit 61398 of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), as the alleged conspirators.

FBI officials said the hacking, in the years 2006-14, caused "significant losses" at the companies and that there were likely many more victims.

And Mr Holder said the US government "categorically denounces" economic espionage as a trade tactic.

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What is Unit 61398?

• A unit of China's People's Liberation Army, to whose Shanghai address US cyber security firm Mandiant says it traced a prolific hacking team
• The team was said to have hacked into 141 computers across 20 industries, stealing hundreds of terabytes of data
• Mandiant says the team would have been staffed by hundreds, possibly thousands of proficient English speakers
• China said Mandiant's report was flawed and lacked proof

"As President Obama has said on numerous occasions, we do not collect intelligence to provide a competitive advantage to US companies, or US commercial sectors," Mr Holder said.

John Carlin, head of the justice department's national security division, said, "For the first time, we are exposing the faces and names behind the keyboards in Shanghai used to steal from American businesses."

"While the men and women of our American businesses spent their business days innovating, creating, and developing strategies to compete in the global marketplace, these members of unit 61398 spent their business days in Shanghai stealing the fruits of our labour," Mr Carlin said.

For example, Mr Carlin said that as SolarWorld was rapidly losing market share to cheaply priced Chinese competitors, the hackers were stealing documents on pricing strategy from them, and while Westinghouse was negotiating a deal with a Chinese state-owned firm to build nuclear power plants, Unit 61398 stole secret designs for plant components.

"In the past, when we brought concerns such as these to Chinese government officials, they responded by publicly challenging us to provide hard evidence of their hacking that could stand up in court," Mr Carlin said. "Well today, we are."

In March, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the Pentagon planned to more than triple its cyber-security capabilities in the next few years to defend against such internet attacks.

US President Barack Obama has called cyber attacks a "real threat" to US security and its economy.

The "faces and names" behind the keyboards in Shangai, according to a US official

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