The Week in Light & Sound
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"It brings a sense of togetherness and let's me be with all of my friends every Saturday," 20-year-old Nana-Ama Ewusi-Emmim told BBC Radio. "It's something to look forward to."
Twitter says there have been 100,000 tweets about the fan-organised watch-a-long, which trends higher than shows like Britain's Got Talent - broadcast at the same time on TV. The most recent contest chosen was 1997, which was the last time the UK won with Katrina and The Waves - who also joined in with Eurovision Again online. Around 200m viewers watch Eurovision each year and it's become a huge hit for younger audiences with nearly half of all under 24-year-olds in Europe - who were watching TV - seeing 2019's final.
The Band on Film - Take That have confirmed a film version of their new musical The Band is in the works. Gary Barlow confirmed on ITV's Lorraine that a movie based on their musical will start shooting later this year. The script is being written by Tim Firth and it will be shooting next year. Tim also wrote The Band musical, which opened in September 2017 went on an extensive two year UK tour and ran in London at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
The project is currently in pre-production under the new title, Greatest Days, with the film being about the fans and the power of songs. Gary Barlow and Take That will act as advisers on the project and are currently in talks to write at least one new song for the film. Coky Giedroyc is attached to direct with Drew McOnie signing on as choreographer.
Then Play On - The next in the series of The Shows Must Go On is the Andrew Lloyd Webber Royal Albert Hall Celebration which will be streamed at 7.00pm GMT on Friday 1 May. Performers including Sarah Brightman, Michael Ball, Glenn Close, Antonio Banderas, Elaine Paige and Kiri Te Kanawa pay musical tribute to Andrew Lloyd Webber on the occasion of his 50th birthday in this concert, recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall on 7 April 1998.
It is the next in a new series of Lloyd Webber's works that are being streamed for free online while a lockdown of UK households continues, which has seen theatres closed up and down the country.
No Latitude - The Latitude Festival has become the latest major event to be called off because of the coronavirus outbreak. Organisers said their "hearts go out" to everyone involved after being forced to cancel the three-day Suffolk festival, which was due to take place between 16-19 July, with Haim, Liam Gallagher and the Chemical Brothers headlining. The event will return in July 2021 and ticket refunds are being organised.
Organisers confirmed the cancellation in a statement on the festival's website. "We've been closely monitoring this unprecedented situation and it's become clear that it's just not possible for this year's festival to go ahead," they said. "Our heart goes out to the fans, artists, suppliers, performers, volunteers - our entire Latitude family."
(Jim Evans)
28 April 2020
