Steve Mcqueen Page 4

Steve McQueen is to become the youngest director to receive the British Film Institute's highest honour, the BFI Fellowship. The 46-year-old is already the only person to have won both the best picture Oscar and the Turner Prize and says he is “honoured” to receive the accolade from the BFI.

Steve McQueen is to be honoured with the BFI Fellowship

McQueen will accept his fellowship at the the London Film Festival on October 14th, less than a week after his 47th birthday. Directors who have previously been honoured include, David Lean, Ken Loach, Danny Boyle and Tim Burton.

Continue reading: Steve McQueen Becomes Youngest Recipient Of BFI Fellowship

After 12 Years a Slave's Oscars success on Sunday, the movie could well emerge as not only one of the films of the year but of the decade thanks to its all-star team of cast and crew. Steve McQueen's slavery drama was one of the most talked-about films of the pre-Oscars season and capitalised on this attention with a triumphant Best Picture win on Sunday.

Steve McQueen Reportedly Fell Out With Ridley After The Writer Wouldn't Share Writing Credits.

It's practically a sure fact that the film will long be long cherished as a vital visual textbook into one of American history's darkest chapters, but only time will tell whether the film is remembered for a particularly bitter feud at the film production's highest level. The British director is said to have fallen out with screenwriter John Ridley, the writer who adapted Solomon Northup's memoir for screen.

Continue reading: Catfighting And Manipulation: How '12 Years A Slave' Feud Marred The Oscar-Winning Movie

The New York Times has chosen to amend a detail from an article written 161 years ago about the memoir of Solomon Northup, the free African-American man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Steve McQueen received an Academy Award on Sunday for his harrowing adaptation of Northup's tale, which caused articles related to the story to be dug up.

An Article Written About The Original '12 Years A Slave' Memoir Has Been Amended 161 Years Later.

An article written on January 20th 1853 was discovered by author Rebecca Skloot, who discovered the mistake and publicised it via Twitter. The problem was that the 19th century article had Northup's name spelt in two different ways: Northrop and Northrup, neither of which were accurate.

Continue reading: New York Times Amends '12 Years A Slave' Article, 161 Years After It Was Written [Trailer]

Despite the fact that 12 Years a Slave is released on DVD on Tuesday (March 4, 2014), exhibiters are clamoring to book the movie back into theaters following its Best Picture win at the Oscars on Sunday. As of Monday, the Fox-Searchlight distributed movie had secured 1,000 further cinema locations and could earn $3-4 million this weekend - just under a quarter of its entire budget.

Brad Pitt in '12 Years a Slave'

12 Years' Oscar victories also included best supporting actress for Lupita Nyong'o and adapted screenplay for John Ridley. The movie is also being included in schools syllabus' to help students to understand the history of slavery.

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave' DVD Released, But It's Heading Back Into Cinemas

Lupita Nyong'o must be feeling on top of the world right now: she has become the talk of the town all awards season with a conveyor belt of supporting actress trophies headed for her shelf, topped off with Sunday's crowning glory, an Oscar. Despite few at the Academy Awards being able to pronounce the Mexican-Kenyan actress' name*, Lupita has been praised for her surefooted sense of red carpet style, her permanently dazzling smile and that Hollywood gold dust trait, genuine niceness.

Lupita Nyong'o Has Emerged As One Of The Most Exciting New Talents Of The Year.

Unlike many actors who triumph at the Oscars, Lupita hasn't been building to this moment of glory throughout a long career. In fact, she was cast as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave before she'd even graduated from Yale after she was selected as one of the School of Drama's outstanding students. She had a solid base of theatre training from her university and a Kenyan AIDS prevention television series under her belt but that was about it; she was about to get thrown headfirst into Hollywood.

Continue reading: Lupita Nyong'o: Where Is Hollywood's Brightest New Star Headed?

A Best Picture Oscar definitely brings a lot of cache to a film. Now that 12 Years a Slave has won the big one, Fox Searchlight is planning a major expansion in US theaters. The unexpected move comes after the film saw an unexpected spike in profits over Oscar weekend. On its 20th weekend, the film grossed $975,931 from 411 theaters - up 86 percent from the previous weekend and pushing its domestic total to a strong $50.3 million, THR reports.

McQueen's film is seeing additional commercial success after its awards season run.

The new expansion will include more than 1,000 theaters across the US. Typically, a movie would not see an expansion once its out on DVD, since theater owners don’t make significant profits of them. However, in the case of 12 Years a Slave, all concerned parties are willing to make an exception. The expansion is expected to contribute to a sizeable profit for both Fox and the additional 1,000 theaters. 

Continue reading: "12 Years A Slave" To Hit 1,000 More Theaters Thanks To Oscar Buzz

Captain Phillips, Gravity, Iron Man 3, Karama Has No Walls, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Philomena, Prisoners, Room on the Broom, The Act of Killing; The Invisible Woman, The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life, and The Voorman Problem. These films all have a British spine in common, and will be celebrated at tomorrow night’s Oscars ceremony.

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender star in 12 Years a Slave

But the revelry won’t begin on the red carpet; last night saw an all-out anglo-centric bash in dedication to the British influence on this year’s Academy Awards. The Great British Film event was held at the home of the British Consul General Chris O'Connor, who said: "The UK consistently features as the country with the most nominations outside of the US, and this year is no exception, with our world-class nominees in everything from acting and directing to music, animation and visual effects."

Continue reading: Brits In America: UK Oscars Contingent In Patriotic Celebrations Before Tomorrow's Big Night

All eyes are on Hollywood this weekend as the Academy Awards take place this Sunday night. The least predictable Oscars in years, there are multiple possible winners in most of the major categories, as Gravity, 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle vie for Best Picture and Alfonso Cuaron and Steve McQueen contend for Best Director. We relive some of the the biggest upsets in Oscars history here.

Other too-close races include actor (Matthew Mcconaughey vs Chiwetel Ejiofor), supporting actor (Jared Leto vs Barkhad Abdi) and supporting actress (Lupita Nyong'o vs Jennifer Lawrence). The only sure thing is Cate Blanchett for Best Actress. And that Gravity will mop up all the technical awards. Here is more detail on the best supporting actress Oscar battle between jennifer lawrence and lupita nyong'o being too close to call.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Oscars Too Close To Call, Lupita Rules The Red Carpet, Godzilla Crushes San Francisco, And Veronica Mars Is Back

Miley Cyrus Bangerz Tour Controversy: Miley Cyrus has predictably upped the ante on her controversial media storm by making sure all eyes are on her during her currently touring Bangerz show. The concerts have been packed with the usual raunchy and cringe-worthy stunts, including faking a "Monica Lewinski," getting freaky on the bonnet of a car, snogging Katy Perry and doing some pretty unsightly things to a hot dog. Her pre-teen fans are obviously revelling in it but their outraged accompanying parents have called for the tour to be axed. Check out the whole debate.

BRIT Awards Stuffed With Surprises: The biggest awards evening on the UK music industry calendar - the BRIT Awards - was held on Wednesday and saw a typically spectacular showcase of pop talent, rising up to meet the benchmark set by the Grammys. In a hurry? We've picked our ten best moments. He may not have even attended but David Bowie became the most talked-about star of the evening when he won the prize for Best British Male and sent Kate Moss to read his acceptance speech.

Continue reading: A Week In News: Miley, Jimmy Fallon And British Brilliance At The BRITS

Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the current President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the first POC and the third woman ever to hold the office, knows from experience how hard it is to introduce diversity in the film industry. On the eve of an Oscars ceremony that features the third ever black nominee for Best Director, Boone Isaacs talked to Reuters about diversity. Her biggest message – it’s an ongoing effort and there are no easy fixes.

As president of the Academy, Boone Isaacs has a front row seat to a major cultural shift.

"I believe very strongly that the entertainment and motion picture business is going to be more open and aware of different voices," Boone Isaacs told Reuters in an interview at the academy's headquarters.

Continue reading: Academy President Cheryl Boone On Diversity In Cinema: It's About Telling Different Stories

As the British equivalent to the Oscars, last night’s BAFTAs were obviously a glamorous affair. In between bouts of Stephen Fry’s self deprecating humor (“[Oprah’s] performance in The Butler was so moving, I almost gave mine the afternoon off.”) and jabs at all of his colleagues (Fry introduced the flawless Emma Thompson as “In the film world, a goddess. In real life, a ghastly piece of sickly shrieking awful.”) there were also some awards given out.

Stephen Fry always makes for an entertaining awards show.

The big winners of the night were somewhat surprising. Predictions pegged Gravity and 12 Years A Slave – the two award show favorites so far – for the majority of BAFTAs as well. Instead, the Steve McQueen directed 12 Years only took two awards out of 8 nods total. Granted, they were the big ones - best film and leading actor (Chiwetel Ejiofor) – but that was it.

Continue reading: The 2014 BAFTAs Run Like The Oscars' Older, Funnier Sister

The movie award season is nearly at its peak and the latest stop was the coveted British Academy Film Awards which took place this Sunday (Feb 16th) in London, England.

This year has to be one of the most impressive and competitive fields in the film industry as flicks like 'American Hustle,' 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' 'Gravity' and '12 Years a Slave' are all featured in several different categories.

Ejiofor with his Leading Actor BAFTA

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave' And 'Gravity' Take Home Top Prizes At 2014 BAFTA Awards

Such is the importance of Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, the usually strict nudity censorships practices in India have lightened somewhat to allow the film to be shown unhindered, according to The Guardian.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave

The Oscar-nominated has been hailed as a modern classic, and is the favorite to take home the prize of Best Picture. It has attained such a status in part due to its unerring approach to the atrocities of slavery.

Continue reading: Stringent Nudity Censorship In India Doesn't Apply To '12 Years A Slave'

Following his modern classic, 12 Years a Slave, which portrays the true story of Soloman Northrup’s (Chiwetel Ejiofor) kidnapping, subsequent slavery and escape, director Steve McQueen has been made a patron of the world's oldest human rights organisation.

12 Years a Slave - starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender - has been hailed as a modern classic

He joins the Anti-Slavery International, a committee set up in 1839 to lobby against slavery and related abuses, in an ambassadorial role.

Continue reading: Steve McQueen Becomes Ambassador For Anti-Slavery International

Audiences are clearly in the mood for more serious movies at the moment. After lighter releases in December (from Frozen to The Hobbit), the box office shifted strongly to much more challenging fare this week as 12 Years a Slave landed atop the UK chart with £2.5m from just 207 screens. The Oscar favourite looks set to stay in cinemas now until the big night on March 2nd. Read our review of Steve McQueen's slavery drama here.

Chiwetel Ejiofor [L] and Michael Fassbender [R] have both scored Oscar nominations for '12 Years a Slave'

Meanwhile, American Hustle remains in second place. And the audience's good will even propelled The Railway Man into 6th place. It's a prestige film starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, but it hasn't had any awards attention at all. Then this weekend sees the arrival of Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, essentially unopposed for box office cash.

Continue reading: Oscar Favourite '12 Years A Slave' Takes British Box-Office By Storm

When Academy Awards nominations came out on Wednesday morning, most pundits noticed immediately that they were lacking the usual left-field touch. Last year saw French drama Amour pick up a best picture Oscar nod, along with lead actress Emmanuelle Riva. In 2012, Demian Bichir got a best actor nomination for the little-seen A Better Life. But this year's nominees are almost eerily mainstream.

Bruce Dern [L] Has Picked Up A Nomination for 'Best Actor' at the Oscars

That's not to say there weren't a few surprises. Gravity and 12 Years a Slave were expected to get the most nominations (they got 10 each), with American Hustle, Her and Nebraska. But the unexpected inclusion of Philomena and Dallas Buyers Club pushed out awards-season favourites Inside Llewyn Davis and Fruitvale Station. Read our reviews for 12 Years a Slave, Nebraska, and American Hustle.

Continue reading: Oscars Hits And Snubs: 'Gravity' And '12 Years A Slave' Lead The Charge

With nine nominations, 12 Years A Slave is the obvious favorite at the Oscars this year. Among those nine nods are the big ones – Best Director and Best Picture. This could make McQueen the first black director to win the Best Director award, prompting the question: why did it take so long? Overdue or not, McQueen is ecstatic about the nominations and optimistic about 12 Years’ (generally great) chances.

12 Years a Slave's chances are looking great at this point.

“I am exhilarated, ecstatic,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “Getting all those nominations, I’m so very happy.”

Continue reading: Steve McQueen Ecstatic About Oscar Nominations, Credits Cast For '12 Years' Success

The Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, California, set the stage for the latest instalment of the awards season program, playing host to some of the biggest names in showbiz and paying tribute to some of the year's biggest films for the 19th annual Critic's Choice Awards.

Gravity director Alfonso Cuaron and star Sandra Bullock both took home awards

The latest instalment of the awards show schedule to pass us by offered another indicator of what films will continue to find success over the course of the next few months, with Gravity, American Hustle and 12 Years A Slave dominating proceedings.

Continue reading: Santa Monica Tastes Hollywood Glamour As Stars Come Out For Critics Choice Awards [Photos]

The 2014 Golden Globes came and went on Sunday, 12 January night as the stars of Hollywood gathered for the first real awards showcase of the year. The event didn't let down, with hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler delivering the laughs throughout the event and with individual stars using their time in the spotlight to grand effect, resulting in a night to remember.

American Hustle was the night's big winner

The two top-contested awards, Best Motion Picture for Drama and for Musical or Comedy, were awarded to the early favourites and the two titles looking most likely to sweep up over the course of awards season: 12 Years A Slave and America Hustle.

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave,' 'American Hustle' And 'Breaking Bad' Among The Big Winners At The 2014 Golden Globe Awards: Full Winners List

People's Choice Selects Victors: This week saw the annual People's Choice awards handed out and what an evening it was. Hosted by the stellar Two Broke Girls' Beth Behrs and Kat Dennings, the audience were kept laughing whilst a slew of gongs were distributed to the year's finest figures in popular culture. Sandra Bullock emerged as the star of the evening after she won four awards for her roles in Gravity and The Heat, not including the overall film win for the space thriller. Check out all the winners here.

The evening also brought tears, drama and scandal as former Vampire Diaries couple Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder hinted during their acceptance speech that things are still very amicable between them whilst singer/actress Jennifer Hudson welled up with emotion when she was honoured with a 'favorite humanitarian award.' Read up on the glam evening's highlights here.

Continue reading: A Week In News: Sandra Bullock Is The People's Choice, Meryl Streep Slates Walt Disney And SNL Gets Even

British film director Steve McQueen was involved in a heckling incident with film critic Armond White at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards.

Hollywood's award season is well underway and the unpleasant jeering on Monday night (Jan 6th) just shows how ruthless it can be.

As the '12 Years A Slave' director accepted the award for Best Director from Harry Belafonte, whose speech left him in tears, an untimely interruption broke out, The Hollywood Reporter notes.

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave' Director Steve McQueen Receives Apology After New York Film Critic Heckler Incident

Director Steve McQueen has spoken candidly about his latest film, 12 Years A Slave, and how it goes drastically against the grain to what audiences, as well as studio chiefs in Hollywood, are used to seeing: a brutally honest depiction of slavery. In a recent interview with the BBC, McQueen discussed Hollywood's tendancy to sugarcoat America's dark past and considers his film a wake-up call to those who still have their heads buried in the ground.

Chiwetel Ejiofor has won wide-spread plaudits for his depiction of Northup

The new film, which is widely considered the front-runner to take home all the major prizes when awards season gets going, tells the real life story of free man Solomon Northup. Northup, played by the outstanding Chiwetel Ejiofor; another front-runner for awards glory, is a middle class free-born musician living in New York in pre-Civil War America. In 1841 he is kidnapped and sold into slavery into the the Antebellum South , where he spends ten years at the mercy of his slave masters in the backwards land.

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave' Director Steve McQueen Attacks Hollywood's Fear Of Slavery

The members of The Producer's Guild of America have cast their vote and the list of nominee's for their annual Daryl F. Zanuck Awards - their Best Picture category - have been cast. Formerly known as the Golden Laurel Awards, the PGA's are usually pretty accurate at predicting which films will go on to be nominated in the Best Picture category at the Oscars, and their winners rarely differ too.

Chiwetel Ejiofor's powerful performance in Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave has made it a favourite for the top honour

American Hustle, Blue Jasmine, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Nebraska, Saving Mr. Banks, 12 Years a Slave, and The Wolf of Wall Street make up the full list of nominees up for awards this year, so don't be surprised to see these films still being discussed vigorously until the beginning of March.

Continue reading: The Producers Guild Of America Nominate '12 Years A Slave,' 'Her,' 'Blue Jasmine' And More For Daryl F. Zanuck Award

We're into the realms of awards season now and Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave seems set to continue its miraculous habit of picking up awards, like a giant snowball gathering more prizes as it rolls along.

Chiwetel Ejiofor's '12 Years A Slave' Set To Sweep The Board.

Ahead of the 2014 Independent Spirit Awards, widely considered to be a landmark ceremony of the season, the Chiwetel Ejiofor-starring film about 19th century slavery in America has been nominated in seven categories, including best feature, director, screenplay, male lead for Chiwetel Ejiofor, supporting lead for Lupita Nyong'o, supporting male for Michael Fassbender and cinematography.

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave' Leads Independent Spirit Awards Nominations In Seven Categories

Get ready to be underwhelmed: when we say 12 Years A Slave’s box office was solid on opening, we’re talking about a limited release. $960,000 from 19 theaters over the weekend is pretty good going, though.

 Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in 12 Years a Slave as Solomon Northup.

Steve McQueen’s powerful slave drama, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Sarah Paulson, Alfre Woodward, and Brad Pitt – an all-star ensemble indeed – has been a hit with the critics, and its relative success on a limited release suggests the film has the fiscal legs to see it through a competitive season.

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave' Makes Solid Box Office Debut, High Yield Expected For Wider Release

12 Years A Slave is the film version of Solomon Northup's account of his kidnap and subsequent sale into slavery until his rescue twelve years later. The real-life account of the tragic fate of Northup and the appalling conditions he and millions of other slaves were forced to endure has been turned into a feature-length epic by British director Steve McQueen, who leads a largely British cast in the film that is being heralded by critics as a must-see film.

Chiwetel Ejiofor is spellbounding in 12 Years A Slave

Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon, McQueen adapted the memoirs of the main character along with John Ridley to chronicle Solomon's harrowing twelve years, where he went from being a freeman living in New York, to a plantation slave in New Orleans between 1841 and 1853. Ejiofor has been roundly praised for his exceptonal acting talents, as have the rest of the cast, who include Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alfre Woodard and Michael Fassbender, whose role as the heartless slave trader Edwin Epps has also been widely applauded for his unflinching brutality and realism.

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave' Is A Harrowing Trip Back To A Darker Period In History: Review Round-Up

Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave has secured a place as ‘Oscars favorite’ following its triumph at this year’s Toronto Film Festival. The Steve McQueen-directed epic – based on the memoir of Solomon Northrup – remains the odds on choice for Best Picture at 13/4.

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave.

By winning the BlackBerry People's Choice award, 12 Years a Slave follows in the footsteps of previous Oscar winners, The Kings Speech and Slumdog Millionaire. What was once a the faint hum of Oscars buzz is now a powerful thud as McQueen’s latest effort leaves Mandela and Osage County in its wake.

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave' And Every Inch An Oscar Contender Following Toronto Win

The highly anticipated Nelson Mandela biopic, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, will premiere in Canada at the Toronto Film Festival. The film – already collecting Oscar momentum – sees Idris Elba take the leading role, with Naomie Harris in a supporting role as Winnie Mandela.

Elba and Harris star in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

"As soon as we saw it, we knew that it would set the right tone for opening night. It's a movie about what we thought is one of the most important issues of the day - information and who controls it," said Cameron Bailey, the festival's artistic director.

Continue reading: Nelson Mandela Biopic To Debut At Toronto Film Festival

The Fifth Estate, the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring biopic of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, will be the opening film at at this years annual Toronto International Film Festival. The film festival will also feature advanced screenings of fellow Oscar teasers 12 Years A Slave and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, with Daniel Schecter's Life of Crime - which stars John Hawkes, Mos Def and Jennifer Aniston - closing the first night. The festival starts on September 5.

Watch the trailer for The Fifth Estate

The Fifth Estate follows the end of the turbulent relationship between Assange and Daniel Domscheit-Berg at the height of WikiLeaks' infamy and mass exposure. Based on the books Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World's Most Dangerous Website by Domscheit-Berg himself and WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy by Luke Harding and David Leigh, the movie adaptation has been without Assange's consent. The film was directed by the Oscar winning Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Dreamgirls) and adapted for the screen by Josh Singer (The West Wing, Fringe). The film is due to arrive in time for Oscar season in January 2014.

Continue reading: Toronto Film Festival To Open With WikiLeaks Movie 'The Fifth Estate' [Trailer]

Solomon Northup was a regular New York resident who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. He was rescued 12 years later. 172 years on, and Chiwetel Ejiofor is an early Oscar contender for his turn as Northup in Steve McQueen’s 12 Days a Slave, which has a new trailer.

Chiwetel Ejiofor looks excellent as Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave

British actor Ejiofor is joined by an impressive cast, featuring Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Michael K. Williams, Quvenzhane Wallis, Alfre Woodard, Scoot McNairy, Taran Killam and Brad Pitt, while John Ridley adapted the script from Northup’s biography.

Continue reading: Solomon Northup's Story Comes To Life In '12 Years A Slave' [Trailer + Pictures]

Films - or should we say writers and directors - that dare to tackle the issue of slavery come rarely, and when they due, they face an increased level of scrutiny due to the sensitive subject matter. They are necessary though; teaching the world of the horrors it has faced will ensure they never happen again, or so they say.

Chiwetel Ejiofor could be in for the biggest role of his life

Django Unchained came and went, as Quentin Tarantino’s ability to satirize and trivialize some of history’s most controversial times slowly turns into a trilogy of movies. Mixed reviews and a cavalier use of the ‘N’ word meant people saw it as less of a history lesson and more of a taboo comedy, which is exactly what it was.

Continue reading: 12 Years A Slave: The Slavery Movie We've All Been Waiting For

The trailer for Steve McQueen's hugely anticipated historical drama 12 Years A Slave, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as a free man tricked into slavery in the 1840s, has rolled out online.

Also featuring Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender and Paul Giamatti, the movie appears to be a far more hard-hitting than many were expecting with some writers suggesting it tells the real story of the pre-civil war period in the United States of America, as opposed to, say, Quentin Taratino's Django Unchained.

Ejiofor plays a free black New Yorker who is sold into slavery after being lured to Washington DC with the promise of a well-paid job playing fiddle in a circus.

Continue reading: Is '12 Years A Slave' The Movie Django Should Have Been? [Trailer]

Benedict Cumberbatch has only gone and done what millions of Britons have longed to do for years. Nope, it's not star in a Star Trek reboot. It's not play Sherlock Holmes. It is, of course, give Jeremy Clarkson a great big punch to the gut.

Ok, so he didn't quite do that, though the British actor gave the presenter a stage combat demonstration during an interview for Top Gear, which aired on BBC Two last night (July 14, 2013).

When Cumberbatch joked how he couldn't do Clarkson's job - after smashing up his Mini - the presenter responding by admitting he could never be an actor, "I've no idea how to fly a spaceship or punch anyone. Or act."

Continue reading: Benedict Cumberbatch Punches Jeremy Clarkson On 'Top Gear' (Sort Of)

The Turner Prize has traditionally been surrounded by controversy and, in many respects, disdain. For British artists, to win the Turner Prize may be the achievement of a lifetime, but for many of the viewing public the lingering thought is often "...eh?" Nevertheless, the Turner Prize is always the highlight of the arts calender and never fails to be entertaining at the very least.

Turner Prize winners have often gone on to great success, most notably (or notoriously) Damien Hirst, whose "Mother and Child, Divided" won in 1995, having already been nominated in 1992 with "The Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living." Steve McQueen also won the prize in 1999 with a short film about Buster Keaton. His name may ring a bell, but not for art. McQueen has gone on to be an award winning film director, with two award winning movies in his catalogue so far; 2008's "Hunger" and this year's smash "Shame". McQueen will be again be delving into some very difficult territory with the release of "Twelve Years a Slave" in 2013.

This year's Turner nominations Spartacus Chetwynd, Luke Fowler, Paul Noble and Elizabeth Price, and includes film, performance, installations, detailed line drawings and painting across the artists' exhibitions. Although Paul Noble has been pegged as an 'early favourite' by the Independent, Chedwynd is by far the most exciting of the artists. Her performance work is certainly original and her nominated piece exhibits puppet portrayals of Jesus and Barabbas.

Continue reading: Turner Prize Nominees: Will The Notoriety Continue In 2012?