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IRISH ACTOR GABRIEL BYRNE TO STAR IN
NEW AMERICAN TV DRAMA

By Andrea Clarke

IRISH actor Gabriel Byrne is set to star in a new drama for American cable network HBO.
The half hour show, In Treatment, sees the Dublin actor play a therapist who is calm, smooth and insightful with his patients but is an angry, self-doubting mess when he goes to his own shrink.
According to sources, HBO has given a five-episode order to the the drama, based on an Israeli series, and the episodes will be treated as one long pilot presentation.
The pay-cable channel broadcast groundbreaking and award-winning shows including Sex and the City, The Sopranos and Six Feet Under.
Law & Order’s Dianne Wiest has been cast as Byrne’s therapist and mentor, while Sex and the City’s Blair Underwood and Alias’ Melissa George will star as his patients.
The Usual Suspects star’s new film, Emotional Arithmetic, with Susan Sarandon and Max von Sydow will close the Toronto Film Festival in September.
The film, shot in Quebec, portrays three children bonding in a detention camp on the outskirts of Paris during World War II. They separate after surviving the ordeal and later reunite as adults at a dinner party in Canada.

JASON'S LIFE IN USA

By Ryan Kennedy

IRISH actor Jason O’Mara is to star in the US version of the BBC’s Life on Mars.
He will play Sam Tyler, a modern day cop who, after being hit by a car and blacks out, wakes up in 1973.
The science fiction series scored big in the ratings for the BBC when John Simm played the lead, and has been picked up by American producer David E Kelly, famous for bringing us Ally McBeal and Boston Legal.
Of O’Mara’s casting, Kelly said: “This is a complicated character with many colours. After an exhaustive search, we’re thrilled to have cast Jason O’Mara. He is a tremendous talent.”
The Dublin-born actor is no stranger to stateside success, having roles in acclaimed series CSI: Miami, Criminal Minds and nineteen Emmy award-winning war drama Band of Brothers.
O’Mara is also to star in the next instalment of the Resident Evil movie franchise opposite Milla Jovovich.
Life on Mars is due to start production next month.

BELFAST SPORTS LEGEND GEORGE BEST IMMORTALISED
AT LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL EXHIBITION

EXCLUSIVE By Tina Calder

BELFAST born footballing legend George Best has been honoured at a exhibition in Los Angeles for his contribution to European football and American soccer.
The former Manchester United striker, who died in November 2005, has been immortalised in a sculpture by LA artist Chris Beas.
Running until August 30 the show titled Milieu displays the bronze figurine of Best with the inscription: “No That Really Is Jesus, He Only Looks Like George Best”.
One of the exhibition organisers revealed George was one of few sporting stars to be singled out for two month display because of his impact on not just the world of football but the world of celebrity.
She added: “Chris, the artist is a huge Geoge Best fan and we thought this was an appropriate tribute to make just as another European soccer hero comes to America.
“As David Beckham begins a career in American soccer we wanted to show it’s importance not only in the US but also throughout the world”.
The exhibition at the Lizabeth Oliveria Gallery also features several sculptures with a scrum of toy-sized figurines both tackling each other and ducking it out for a conspicuously absent ball.
Called Pitch Invasion, the installation also features a work with a video by the British rock group Stone Roses.

Harry Potter comes to an end....NO SPOILERS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Review By Andrea Clarke

AFTER queuing for almost two hours on Friday night to get my copy of the final instalment of the Harry Potter series, I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen to the teenage wizard.
Would he live? Would Voldemort finally be defeated? And who would die in the final battle of good versus evil?
Speculation and rumours were rife in the week leading up to the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and I managed to avoid any internet postings with spoilers and leaks.
For me the process of reading a Harry Potter book is more important than entertaining someone’s vile attempt for internet fame.
With a hot chocolate in one hand and book mark in the other I finally settled down to reading the book at 1.30am and it had me from the first sentence.
The Deathly Hallows is a much darker book than the others but this was to be expected after the extraordinary events in the final pages of the Half Blood Prince.
Harry is left reeling after the murder of Dumbledore at the hand of Snape, and yet he knows he must fulfil his promise to his headmaster and mentor to destroy the final Horcruxes and defeat Voldemort.
It’s no easy task.
Along with best friends Hermione and Ron, Harry goes in search of the Horcruxes while attempting to evade Death Eaters and the Dark Lord himself.
The stakes are high and tensions flair between the three friends as the embark on their isolated journey away from their families and friends.
This is really Harry’s development from a boy into manhood and he has a brave and unwavering sense of duty, loyalty and a knowledge that he must face his destiny no matter what. And as in other books in the series not everything is as it seems.
No character is safe in the seventh book, and many of my favourites perished (thankfully I had a box of tissues on hand). At one point in the book I thought the tears wouldn’t stop.
When I reached the final chapter and read the last page I felt surprising at peace, it was the most fitting ending and I couldn’t be happier with how JK Rowling chose to end Harry’s story.

Donegal actor to play Elmo

By Andrea Clarke

A DONEGAL actor is tipped to be cast as Elmo in an Irish-language production of Sesame Street.
Gweedore actor Vincent MacAodh is the favourite to be offered the role by US television executives who are currently vetting hundreds of Irish actors to star in the new programme.
MacAodh already plays the lead in TG4's Elmo Anseo.
Already dubbed Sraid Sesame, the production will see childhood characters such as Big Bird and the Cookie Monster converse in gaelic for the first time.
A spokesperson, Pádraic Ó Neachtain, for the Telegael, the production company behind Sraid Sesame, said they expect huge interest from Donegal people for the auditions.
He said: "We'll be expecting a strong a number of candidates that would be cast from Donegal owing to the fact that there is such a strong tradition of dubbing and voiceover work in the county at the moment.
"The audition tapes have only started coming in now and we've had a few from Donegal already. We think Elmo is already cast and he's a Gweedore guy so we'll be expecting considerable interest from Donegal because of the fact that it is a gaeltacht region”.
Telegael are looking for budding Big Birds or Cookie Monsters, put a recording on disk or mp3 and send it to sesame@telegael.com

www.telegael.com

www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/elmosworld

Harry Potter mania heads for Belfast

By Andrea Clarke

AT 12.01am the final instalment of the Harry Potter series goes on sale and Belfast bookshops gearing up for what is sure to be a magical night.
Harry Potter fans will descend on local booksellers tonight to be the first to purchase the seventh book by JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
The eagerly anticipated final novel has been plagued with controversy this week as some copies have been sent out early by mistake and reviews have appeared in newspapers.
The book is being released simultaneously in 93 countries, with a print run go 12 million in America alone.
Harry Potter-style parties ware taking place across the globe tonight - in New York there is a street parties with witches and wizards, in Bangkok an outdoor screen will show all the HP movies through the night and in Hong Kong bookstore staff are touring the city dressed as wizards.
And Belfast is getting in on the magic.
Tonight at Waterstones, Fountain Street, from 10pm to 1am staff, dressed as wizards, are hosting a magical party to celebrate the launch of the final book. There will be musicians, magic, balloons, sweets and spot prizes to be won. A magician will also be performing tricks on shoppers.
Eason in Donegall Place in the city centre are going potty for Harry. The store will open at midnight and fans queuing will be entertained by magical beings including a fire juggler.
Also the first 250 people in the queue will receive a goodie bag, with the first 100 fans getting an extra special surprise in their gift bags. The first person in the queue will receive an special postcard from the publishers signed by JK Rowling herself.
WH Smith is also hosting a bewitching evening for Harry fans.
Staff at the Donegall Place store, opening from 11pm to 1am, will become witches and wizards for the evening and the entertainment will be provided by Belfast Community Circus School. Owls from TACT Wildlife Sanctuary will also be swooping in for the spellbinding party.