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Sunday, July 29, 2012

Doctor Who: Actress Mary Tamm dies at 62; David Bradley reveals he will play space pirate in seventh series

Mary Tamm Tom Baker Doctor Who.jpgTRIBUTES have been paid to Doctor Who actress Mary Tamm, who died in a London hospital today at the age of 62 after an 18-month battle with cancer.

She played Romana (pictured above and below), a Time Lady who was companion to Tom Baker's fourth Doctor from 1978 to 1979. Tamm opted not to return for another series and the role was recast with Lalla Ward.

The daughter of Estonian refugees, Bradford-born Tamm trained at RADA. Her first professional job was at the new Birmingham Repertory theatre where she spent nine months working alongside Derek Jacobi, Joan Sims and Ronnie Barker.

She also appeared on the big screen in The Odessa File and The Likely Lads and after leaving Doctor Who was in numerous other TV shows including EastEnders, Brookside and Wire in the Blood.

Doctor Who returns to our living rooms for a seventh series in August, with guest stars including Stratford-upon-Avon actor David Bradley, who played Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch in the Harry Potter films.

Bradley, who recently received an honorary degree from Warwick University, will play a character called Solomon, whom he describes as an "old rocker."

He told the unversity's podcast: "He is a space pirate. We've modelled [him] on a well-known nightclub owner with long hair. He has lots of scars and wears black leather.

"He runs a ship the size of Canada, and has two giant robots that are a bit rusty."

Diana Rigg (TV's The Avengers, On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and her daughter Rachael Stirling (Snow White and the Huntsman) are also to appear in the series.

Other guest stars include Ben Browder (Farscape), David Warner (Titanic, Tron, The Omen), Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones, Clash of the Titans), Jessica Raine (The Woman in Black, Robin Hood) and Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible II, The Day of the Triffids, Desperate Housewives).

Mary Tamm as Romana in Doctor Who.jpg


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[Source: Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files]

Read the script page for a scene cut from Dark Knight Rises

Read the script page for a scene cut from Dark Knight Rises
Read the script page for a scene cut from Dark Knight Rises
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[Source: Blastr Atom Feed]

Zombies: A Living History is a march through time from Gilgamesh and Prometheus to The Walking Dead (DVD Review)

Zombies A Living History DVD cover.jpgMOST people believe zombies are a relatively recent phenomenon that grew out of comic books, movies and TV.

Our current fascination is obvious with The Walking Dead on the small screen, movies such as the upcoming World War Z and even Britain's annual Brighton Zombie Walk which will take place for a sixth time in October 2012.

This History Channel special explores the real story of these flesh-eating horrors, beginning at the dawn of civilisation and continuing right through to today.

While the starting point for our modern view is George A. Romero's 1968 movie The Night of the Living Dead, the first written reference can be found in the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh, mankind's oldest work of literature.

We are then taken through the myths of various cultures across the ages and it's no surprise that Europe's Black Plague became one of the most prolific periods for zombie tales, because mankind was surrounded by sickness and death.

Of course, just one zombie would not be much of a problem at all but they always seem to come in packs, reflecting the way in which real-life communities have been overwhelmed by disease and armies of pillaging invaders.

Completing the construction of the creature familiar from modern fiction is the Western revulsion for cannibalism; and our concerns about mankind creating viruses and monstrosities by tampering with nature - as seen in the Greek myth of Prometheus, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and modern-day biological warfare.

The DVD then moves on from history, legend and fiction to the idea of the zombie apocalypse, treating it as though it might actually happen. Some of the same ground is covered as in that that famous Centers for Disease Control blog advising us on how to prepare for such an event.

The various presenters discussed their weapons of choice and there was also a short section on guns and ammo which, in the light of the Colorado cinema shooting, may prove a sensitive topic for some viewers.

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[Source: Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files]

Warner Bros. tones down the guns in BEWARE THE BATMAN cartoon

Understandably hyper-sensitive in the wake of the Aurora shootings at a DARK KNIGHT RISES screening, Warner Bros. is editing the upcoming Beware the Batman cartoon to remove realistic gun imagery:
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[Source: The Beat]

Christopher Nolan's sadness and pride at end of Batman saga with The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan on set of The Dark Knight Rises new pic new size.jpgCHRISTOPHER NOLAN says he believes it is the right time to bring the curtain down on his acclaimed Batman series.

The London-born filmmaker, who stepped behind the cameras once again for The Dark Knight Rises, said: "I've been working on Batman for almost ten years. It has been incredible and it has definitely been a journey.

"Now it's over and I leave it with a certain amount of sadness."

Speaking in a premiere interview, Nolan adds: "We were all very excited to bring this tale full circle. That was our chief inspiration for returning to Gotham.

"It has been an extremely gratifying experience. We are very proud of this ending, and we hope the audience shares our excitement."

And the filmmaker is only too aware that Warner Bros will be keen for more Batman movies in future, which will require another director to deliver their own version of the caped crusader.

He told Empire: "When I first met with Paul Levitz of DC Comics prior to Batman Begins, he explained to me clearly that Batman, of all superheroes, has thrived on reinterpretation and almost is strengthened by it.

"I'm talking about over the years in the comic books but also in the movies.

"So whenever someone does whatever the next iteration of the character is, they simply need to be true to whatever it is they want to see, to what they believe in, not worry too much about what everyone else is telling them it should be."


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[Source: Coventry Telegraph - The Geek Files]

Life of Pi - Trailer

Director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) creates a groundbreaking movie event about a young man who survives a tragic disaster at sea and is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While marooned on a lifeboat, he forms an amazing and unexpected connection with the ship's only other survivor -- a fearsome Bengal tiger.
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[Source: Latest Movie Trailers]

Today's photo: Mexico City

Each day, CNN producers select a user-submitted photo to be our Travel Photo of the Day. Click through the gallery above to see stunning shots from around the world, and be sure to come back every day for a new image. Have a gorgeous travel photo of your own to share? Submit it for the gallery at CNN iReport!

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[Source: CNN.com - Travel]