The real-life dame and on-screen dowager countess, who has died aged 89, earned fame in her 70s and 80s for blockbuster roles. But her early work at the National Theatre marked her out as a talent for the agesDame Maggie Smith’s trophy cabinet reflected her extraordinary achievements across theatre, film and television – and in the biggest arenas of British and US culture, from the BBC to Hollywood, the West End to Broadway. A measure of her versatility and durability is that, in the 1960s, she played nine major roles in the formative years of the National Theatre, but also, from the start of the 2000s, appeared in five series of Downton Abbey, the ITV Sunday night series that became one of the biggest popular hits of the new millennium.Her role in that show was Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, who lived in such a bubble of exclusive comfort that, in trademark one-liners, she would drawl in mystification, for example: “What is a ‘weekend’?” That acerbic superiority was a signature throughout Smith’s career, including the part that brought her first Academy award in 1970, against a shortlist also featuring Liza Minnelli and Jane Fonda, for the title role in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, adapted from Muriel Spark’s novel about a maverick, arrogant schoolteacher in Edinburgh. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-09-27 13:37:47 UTC ]
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Ellen Page is reportedly talking to 20th Century Fox to headline a big-screen adaptation of Greg Rucka's Queen & Country. Could she be the next big comic-book-inspired action star? Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2013-09-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mel Elliott, who lives in the U.K., self-published Colour Me Good: Ryan Gosling on a lark. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-09-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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John Smith & Son is to open two new campus bookshops in time for the new academic season next... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The BBC is to produce a feature-length adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's book Esio... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hollywood’s complicated relationship with ingenuity is the subject of our new ebook anthology. Fast Company has long been fascinated by Hollywood’s relationship with ingenuity; the industry relies on original thinking to create entertainment that captivates and shapes society yet it also... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-08-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Bookseller has begun its search for its third annual Rising Stars, a listing of the industry... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-08-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomberg LP has made another big raid on old media again, poaching Justin Smith from the Atlantic Media Co. to be global media CEO. Smith is the Atlantic Media president who is credited with reversing 154-year-old Atlantic magazine’s losses by advancing an aggressive, digital-first strategy. He... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2013-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The film version of Cheryl Strayed's memoir "Wild" is picking up steam: Reese Witherspoon has signed on to portray the author.The film version of Cheryl Strayed's memoir "Wild" is picking up steam: Reese Witherspoon has signed on to portray the author. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Led by the news that Hugh Howey agent Kristin Nelson has signed self-publisher Barbara Freethy, who has sold 3 million books, the Ether looks at agent mystique. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bluewater President Darren Davis states that a 'Female Force’ comic book featuring Deen will be published this October despite recent controversy over alleged racial slurs made by Deen. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-07-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lynn Liedman wakes up every morning looking for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. She’s been a loyal subscriber for years, but it wasn’t until this summer that she really got hooked. She’s not reading for news. Inst ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebury Press has signed the autobiography of football manager Harry Redknapp in a two-book deal... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Novelist Zadie Smith will help promote reading groups and libraries with a reading at Swiss... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury has chosen colourful woodcut designs for a repackage of the Harry Potter adult... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Celebrities including actor Rupert Everett [pictured] will read to children in London’s... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In the last year, plenty of media and content companies have started publishing ebooks for the first time. In a panel at the Publishers Launch conference at Book Expo America on Wednesday, several of them discussed what they’ve learned from ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-06-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Former People by Douglas Smith, published by Macmillan, has won the inaugural £5,000... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lea Michele has appeared in several Broadway productions and stars on the Fox musical series 'Glee.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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More than half of the pupils taking part in the National Literacy Trust's Premier League... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl has returned to the summit of the Official UK Top 50 after a week... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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