IDLES, Rina Sawayama and Hot Chip join call for UK government to stop 260 per cent visa increase for touring artists

Lollapalooza’s star-studded lineup for 2023 is here.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Roland Emmerich’s large-scale gladiator series “Those About to Die,” starring Anthony Hopkins as Emperor Vespasian, has started shooting at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. Several new cast members have been announced, including “Game of Thrones” alumn Iwan Rheon. Rheon, who in “Thrones” played the villainous Ramsay Bolton – and can currently be seen in Emmerich-produced film “The Magic Flute” – will replace Lorenzo Richelmy who has exited the Peacock show due to scheduling conflicts. Also joining the “Those About to Die” cast are Liraz Charhi (“Tehran”) who will play Berenice, Queen of the conquered Judeans; and Rupert Penry-Jones (“The Batman”) as retired general Marsus who aspires to succeed Vespasian on the imperial throne (they are pictured above).

Game of Thrones star Iwan Rheon is one of nine joining the cast of Peacock’s epic gladiator drama Those About to Die, as principal photography on the Roland Emmerich show kicked off at Rome’s historic Cinecittà Studios.

The BBC licence fee is set to increase by £13 next year, prompting angry Tory MPs to call on the Government to cancel the rise. The fee is due to go up in line with inflation in April 2024 after a two-year freeze.

EXCLUSIVE: Cranked Up Films has acquired North American rights to the comedy The Country Club starring John Higgins of SNL trio Please Don’t Destroy, with Archstone Entertainment taking foreign rights. The film marking the directorial debut of Fiona Robert, who also stars, is set for release in June. 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were not invited to Sir Elton John’s annual Oscars bash, a royal expert has said. The snub proves the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are “nobodies in Hollywood”, author Tom Bower added. Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, failed to appear at any Academy Awards 2023 events over the weekend.

New Order have backed the #LetTheMusicMove campaign against proposed changes to US visa rules that would impact touring artists.Last month saw the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announce that it was planning to raise touring visa fees for foreign acts by more than 250 per cent.The DHS said in its proposal that applications for a P visa, which is for acts arriving in the states to perform temporarily, would increase from the current rate of $460 (£375.23) to $1,615 (£1,317). Meanwhile, the longer-term O work visa would jump from $460 (£375.23) to $1,655 (£1,349).Numerous musicians have since spoken out against the plans, saying that it would be “a huge hardship to pay such high visa fees”.

Keanu Reeves is gearing up for the release of “John Wick: Chapter 4”.

Rina Sawayama performed at Elton John‘s Oscars viewing party in Los Angeles, California last weekend – watch the footage below.John has held the annual invite-only event for the last 30 years in support of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which he launched in 1992. Funds are raised through high-price tickets and a celebrity auction.Footage has since emerged of Sawayama performing the ‘Hold The Girl’ tracks ‘This Hell’ and ‘Catch Me In The Air’ at the 2023 party.

Jenna Ortega is so expertly cast as Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s hit series that it’s impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. However, that was almost the case.

dropped on Netflix, the series rocketed its way to the top, becoming the No. 1 show in 83 countries and the second most-watched English-language show in Netflix history. But as far as Jenna Ortega is concerned, she never envisioned that kind of success, let alone being a part of it.The 20-year-old actress tells  that when the opportunity first came up to star in the series, she wasn't too excited about the role.

The BBC has revealed who will represent the UK on the international stage at this year's Eurovision Song Contest in May.

Mae Muller will represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 with I Write A Song.

Eurovision Song Contest 2023 entry is set to be revealed tomorrow (March 9).The BBC have said an announcement will be made on Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 breakfast show at 8.30am GMT.Among the favourites to represent the UK include Lymington singer-songwriter Birdy with odds of of 6/4, Rina Sawayama, Jessie Ware and Ellie Goulding.Following the same selection process as last year, the BBC has been working with a management company to pick the act.The UK is one of the last competing countries to reveal its song for 2023.

With the UK's 2023 Eurovision Song Contest entry expected to be announced imminently (Sam Ryder's SPACE MAN was unveiled as 2022's bid on March 10), rumours are rife as to who might be representing the country in Liverpool.

In an exclusive chat with OfficialCharts.com, Freya Ridings has put an end to speculation that she is one of the artists in contention to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. 

Eurovision Song Contest has been revealed.The annual competition will take place at Liverpool Arena in May, with the city hosting the event in place of last year’s winner, Ukraine.Lymington singer-songwriter Birdy is William Hill’s favourite to represent the UK, with odds of 6/4.“It will need to take a special effort to beat Sam Ryder’s haul of 466 points last year, but our punters are beginning to feel confident in Birdy’s chances of spreading her wings in Liverpool,” William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps said.“The 26-year-old is 6/4 with us to lead out the United Kingdom when this year’s Eurovision Song Contest takes place in May, making her the outright favourite to perform in front of the home crowd.”Elsewhere, Rina Sawayama is the second favourite to take on Eurovision at 5/2, while Freya Ridings and Cat Burns follow on 6/1. Jessie Ware has odds of 8/1 and Ellie Goulding is a current outside bet at 16/1.Earlier today (March 3), Birdy shared her new single ‘Raincatchers’, which is the first track to be taken from her upcoming fifth album, ‘Portraits’.

Wednesday would mean she couldn’t appear in the latest season of You.The actor was believed to be returning to You for season four, however, her lead role in fellow Netflix show Wednesday meant she was effectively barred from getting on set. Filming the show during the pandemic meant that it wasn’t easy for Ortega to leave Romania, where the Addams family spin-off was being shot.“I was devastated,” she said of the situation in a red-carpet chat with Entertainment Tonight.

With Sam Ryder's Eurovision 2022 song SPACE MAN having been announced in early March last year, the rumour mill's in overdrive with whisperings of who might be the UK's 2023 entry.

Jenna Ortega wished she had been able to return to play Ellie Alvarez in the latest season of Netflix’s ‘You.’ The 20-year-old actress revealed to Entertainment Tonight that she really wanted to return to the show, but was in the middle of filming ‘Wednesday’ in Romania and was not able to travel back and forth.“I was devastated,” Jenna said during a recent interview, while attending the SAG Awards on Sunday. She also said that she was looking forward to being back on set as she had a good time playing Ellie last time.“Easily one of my favorite sets that I’ve ever, ever been on.