Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today

‘Home of the Year’ begins a new series on RTÉ One on Thursday, with new judge Deirdre Whelan joining Hugh Wallace, and Declan O’ Donnell.

MUSIC NEWS: Girl Band have cancelled their remaining gigs this year, with appearances in Cork and Dublin among those pulled by the group. 

The Taken series has proven pretty popular with three movies so far - naturally that means its spin off time.

Foxcatcher *****

PICNIC PARTICULARS: The programmers at Electric Picnic have been doing their stuff for quite a few years, so hopefully the mellow tones of Portishead won’t jar with the exuberance of the Saturday mainstage crowd at 10.30pm.

Lucy ****

Scarlett Johansson is blessed with superhuman strength in Lucy, Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan fall in love in the romantic comedy What If…, Mother Nature unleashes her fury in Into the Storm and Eric Bana comes face to face with dark forces in Deliver Us From Evil.

He’s the 2005 elephant polo world champion; he was Ireland’s first ever competitor in the Sumo world championships in Japan; he holds the world-record for the three-legged marathon in Cork, and founded the whacky Paddy Games.

This week, a terminally ill teenager (Shailene Woodley) experiences the pangs of love for the first time in The Fault In Our Stars, Clint Eastwood directs the film version of the hit stage musical Jersey Boys and Kevin Costner slays to survive in the action thriller 3 Days to Kill.

'Taken 3' has "nothing" to do with Liam Neeson and his family.

Much of this year’s Cork French Film Festival is about “using music to meander through French classics”, according to Paul Callanan, who has programmed the 25th anniversary event.

Parkland ★★★★★

Liam Neeson is making a deal for 'Taken 3'.

Scarlet Johansson is set to star in action movie 'Lucy'.

Vincent Cassel in La Haine, the film that made his name and which is as provocative today as it was in 1995.

This year’s Cork French Film Festival is set to ooze more style and atmosphere than usual.

What Richard Did ★★★★

Kevin Costner has been approached to star in two new movies.

Liam Neeson has called the plot of the sequel to Taken "highly impossible yet equally possible".

Michelle Pfeiffer is in talks to star alongside Robert De Niro in 'Malavita'.

Declan Burke casts a critical eye over this week’s new releases

One man can make a difference – he can make predictable, half-baked hokum like 'Lockout' almost watchable.

Luc Besson has produced Stephen St Leger and James Mather’s debut feature, hard-man flick Lockout, starring Guy Pearce, says Pádraic Killeen

Truth may be stranger than fiction but it’s seldom more entertaining, especially when projected onto a big screen at 24 frames per second.

Officials in Burma said the military-backed government has deported Hollywood actress Michelle Yeoh, who stars as pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in an upcoming film.

“HOW do you explain this frivolous spending during a recession?” demands one of the characters of our eponymous hero early in Arthur (12A), in a bid to deflect audience resentment at the sight of Russell Brand playing a playboy billionaire who wastes thousands of dollars at every hand’s turn.

Arthur And The Great Adventure

She makes Indiana Jones look like a lazy wimp, so hats off to the wonderful Adele and her extraordinary adventures … of which there are a lot, and while we’re mentioning hats there are a lot of them too, all gloriously flambouyant.

Luc Besson felt “responsible” for Natalie Portman’s career.

A HARVARD degree in psychology was invaluable for Natalie Portman when she took on role of a tortured ballet dancer in the critically acclaimed Black Swan.

Zoe Saldana is being lined up for an assassin role in 'Columbiana'.

Filming of a John Travolta movie partly set in one of Paris’s toughest estates was suspended after 10 cars set to be used in the film were torched, the production company said today.

A live action/animated film for the kiddies that rips along with one delight after another.

Luc Besson, best known for the stylish Leon and Nikita, marks his return after a seven year absence with Angel-A (Optimum, €24.99).

Liam Neeson has signed up to play a former soldier facing a race against time to save his kidnapped daughter from slavery in Luc Besson’s drama Taken.

Actor and kung fu expert Jet Li says he’s given up the martial arts genre for more sensitive fare, Shanghai newspapers reported today.

Gossips in the US say John Lennon's son Sean is reported to be dating actress Milla Jovovich.

Madonna is making yet another return to the movie business - but this time only her voice will be featured.

Singer-actress Courtney Love is to try her hand at Shakespearean drama after she finishes her next album, America’s Sweetheart.

Singer Courtney Love’s outrageous behaviour is legendary in rock circles.

Morgan Freeman and Jet Li look set to co-star in a new film.

Actress Milla Jovovich was the lady in red at the premiere of her latest film, Resident Evil.