Scene and Heard: This week's entertainment news

Des O'Driscoll shares the latest news from the entertainment world.

MUSIC NEWS: Though it’s been quite a while since The Beat bothered the charts, the tributes paid to vocalist Ranking Roger following his death on Tuesday underlined what an important band they were in the early 1980s.

Roger Charlery, who died from lung cancer at the age of 56, brought a reggae toasting style to a group at the forefront of the ska/2Tone movement that emerged in post-punk Britain.

Sharing vocal duties with Dave Wakeling, Roger sung on hits such as ‘Too Nice to Talk To’ and ‘Stand Down Margaret’, and formed a major part of the group’s live shows in an era when they made several trips to Ireland.

Meanwhile, we already reported that David Gilmour of Pink Floyd was putting many of his guitars up for sale and the Guardian reports that his legendary Black Strat is now on display at Christie’s in London before it will be auctioned in New York in June.

It comes with an estimate of $100,000–$150,000, with his more affordable axes beginning at $300 for a a George Washburn acoustic-electric guitar.

GIG WISE: Some extra tickets went on sale this morning for the Spice Girls at Croke Park in May.

In Cork, Maverick Sabre is at Cyprus Avenue tonight, while hip-hop fans have the option of seeing GZA from the Wu-Tang Clan at the same venue next Friday.

Cork Sound Fair continues with its boundary-pushing line-up across the weekend, while there’s more conventional fare at Ballymaloe Grainstore on Friday, April 12, courtesy of Hudson Taylor.

CORK MIDSUMMER: Leeside’s main arts festival has announced two more impressive events for its June 14-23 run.

The Cork Proms will take place at the city’s Opera House over three nights. It takes its cue from the famed BBC concerts, with themed nights: classical favourites; American musicals; and pop tunes.

On the theatre front, Corcadorca will again team up with playwright Enda Walsh for a new play, The Small Things, to be performed at the Old Waterworks on the Lee Road. Stars include, Pauline McLynn.

FILM TIPS: Dumbo has been getting very mixed reviews from grown-up critics, but we’re not sure they’re ones who really count. Either way, Tim Burton’s live-action take on the tale of the flying elephant is in cinemas from today.

Another option is The Man Who Wanted To Fly, a documentary on eighty-something bachelor farmer Bobby Coote, who finally fulfills his dream of taking to the air.

Horror fans in Cork can catch the theatrical cut of Alien at the Triskel tonight, part of a 40th-anniversary of Ridley Scott’s classic from 1979.

From Sunday, the same venue has documentary Unquiet Graves, which looks at the killings of over 120 civilians in Armagh and Tyrone from 1972 to 1978, involving members of the police and British army.

Cork Cine Club at St John’s also has a documentary next Thursday.

Willem Dafoe narrates Mountain, exploring why the raised areas are so attractive to climbers and others.

ON THE TELLY: The biggie this weekend is the launch of season five of Line of Duty to BBC One on Sunday.

Jed Mercurio may have drawn bigger audiences with his Bodyguard drama last year, but the tale of the AC-12 police corruption unit, led by Supt Ted Hastings (Irish actor Adrian Dunbar), also has a huge constituency of hardcore fans to stay with its long story arcs and convoluted plots.

Also, the first episode of the final series of Game of Thrones is due on April 14/15, but you’ll probably have a tough job avoiding spoilers until then, not least with the European premiere being held in Belfast a few days before the broadcast.