Dustin Hoffman has roped in veteran actors Michael Gambon and Maggie Smith to star in his directorial debut.

The Rain Man actor will step behind the camera to direct Quartet, a comedy set in a home for retired opera singers, which will also include Billy Connolly, Pauline Collins and Tom Courtenay in the cast.

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein jokes he "decided to give an up-and-coming first-timer a chance" by hiring Hoffman after snapping up the film rights.

Weinstein adds, "We're excited to be working with Dustin on his directorial debut."

Hoffman will also serve as executive producer,...

This week’s episode of “House” made it seem like the regular writing staff took some time off. The story was barely existent and the obligatory medical mystery for this episode was in no way thrilling or mysterious. There aren’t many more episodes of “House” left and hopefully none of them are like this.

“Love Is Blind” (even the episode’s title is lazy) opens with a man buying an engagement ring at a jewelry store. Will (Michael B. Jordan) is blind, but appears to be quite capable at getting around by himself with only the aid of his walking stick. As he is waiting to cross the street, su...

Peter Jackson has completed the star-studded cast of "The Hobbit" after signing up Billy Connolly to play a dwarf warrior.

The actor will tackle the role of Dain Ironfoot and joins Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom in the director's "Lord of the Rings" prequel.

Jackson tells The Hollywood Reporter, "We could not think of a more fitting actor to play Dain Ironfoot, the staunchest and toughest of Dwarves, than Billy Connelly, the Big Yin himself. With Billy stepping into this role, the cast of The Hobbit is now complete. We can't wait to see him on the Battlefield!"

"The Hobbit: ...

Scottish comedian/actor Billy Connolly was left in agony after breaking a rib in a motorcycle accident.

The legendary funnyman rode a two-seater trike across America for a four-part British TV series, but filming had to be stopped for a week after the vehicle fell on him during an accident in Arizona.

He tells the Daily Record, "It was my fault. I was buying key rings and badges for grandchildren and was weighed down... I had a thing for cruise control on the throttle, and it jammed on and I slipped the clutch and the trike came over on top of me and broke my rib."

Connolly is also no...

Disney/Pixar’s collaborations are known to be heartwarming and cheerful, films that are cherished by the entire family. Only one film is released by the partnership each year, and what 2012 has in store is going to be quite a departure from their typical repertoire.

Set to release July 22, 2012, “Brave” is centered around a Scottish princess, Merida, who brings trouble to her kingdom and sets out on a journey accompanied by the kingdom's three lords to restore peace.

What sets this film apart from previous ones is the seemingly darker quality that is present. Unlike the lighter moods ...

Gerry Rafferty, the man behind hits like "Stuck In The Middle With You" and "Baker Street," has died at age 63.

The Scottish musician passed away from liver failure on Tuesday after a long battle with alcoholism.

Rafferty fell ill in November and was hooked up to a life-support machine after he was admitted to the hospital.

His family members were told he had little chance of survival, but his health improved slightly over Christmas, and Rafferty died at his home with his daughter, Martha, by his bedside.

The singer began his career as a busker, before forming folk group the Humblebums ...

As a Bostonian I'm quite excited about the release of the Boston based sequel "Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day." As a huge fan of the original, I've waited years to see a sequel come to fruition.

For nearly 10 years, director Troy Duffy struggled to make the follow up to his 1999 cult hit "Boondock Saints." A Hollywood outsider, Duffy suffered from bad press characterizing him as incredibly difficult to work with. This created a major roadblock for him as he sought funding to make a second movie about the MacManus brothers, but eventually he was able to raise the money to make it h...

One of the reasons studios love to make movies from popular young adult (YA) books is that their built-in fanbases are almost guaranteed to flood the theaters in order to see their favorite characters come to life - and drag their parents along for the ride. The downside is that Hell hath no fury like a fangirl scorned, and walking the line between staying true to the beloved source material and making a decent movie isn't always easy. Like many others, Inkheart, opening January 23, starring Brendan Fraser, is based on a widely acclaimed novel.

Here we take a look at some of the ot...

The truth is finally out there on DVD and Blu-ray! Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment presents The X-Files: I Want To Believe, a gripping feature film based on the global phenomenon that descends onto DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) on December 2nd.

Marking the Studio's first foray into BD-Live, The X-Files: I Want To Believe BD release takes full advantage of the high-def format's "web-enhanced" functionality with exclusive features, games, additional content and connectivity to other BD-Live users and X-Files fans nationwide. "The X-Files Dossier" allows BD-Live connected users to c...

Scottish comedian Billy Connolly has been lined up to play a wizard in the final installment of the Harry Potter movies, according to reports. The 64-year-old star has allegedly been earmarked for the role of Zenophilous Lovegood, the father of Potter's pal Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows.

The elder Lovegood is described as a "simple and brave" wizard, with "shoulder length white hair the texture of candy floss." A source tells British newspaper the Daily Mirror, "Billy is the perfect actor for the role."

-Check out Billy Connolly's Filmography

(This ne...

Sharon Osbourne has opened up about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her music mogul father in a harrowing British TV interview. The rock matriarch-turned-reality TV star spoke candidly during Monday night's TV special "Shrink Rap," hosted by actor/comedian Billy Connolly's wife Pamela, a clinical psychologist.

Osbourne told the one-time comedienne violence was a big part of her life growing up the daughter of music manager Don Arden, who oversaw the careers of acts like the Small Faces, Electric Light Orchestra and Black Sabbath.

She said, "I was surrounded by violent peo...

Scottish comedian Billy Connolly's first day on the set of new zombie movie Fido was "a baptism of fire" - he was forced to remove his trademark long hair.

The funnyman, who plays an 'undead' slave in the film, admits having his hair cut off and dyed orange was tough - especially as he had to spend the duration of the shoot with the brightly-colored locks.

He says, "The most traumatic thing for me was having my hair whipped off on the first day. It was a baptism of fire and then that weird orange hair color was added. I had to walk around the town with hair like that for the ent...

"Of course, I have to cast Owen in anything he wants to do. He has the box-office clout. He's mister clout." Actor Luke Wilson on cashing in on his big brother's movie prowess.

"With zombie sex, I have no idea; it must be a bit like tantric sex." Scottish comedian Billy Connolly on sex amongst the undead in new movie Fido.

"(A tabloid) said it was small. I was like, no, it's tiny, I mean, you have no idea, it's really tiny. You can only respond to something like that with humor." Pop singer Enrique Iglesias laughs off reports he admitted lacking in the 'manhood' department after j...

Welcome to Willard, a small town lost in the idyllic world of the 50's, where the sun shines every day, everybody knows their neighbor, and rotting zombies deliver the mail.

Years ago, the earth passed through a cloud of space dust, causing the dead to rise with a craving for human flesh. A war began, pitting the living against the dead. In the ensuing revolution, a corporation was born: ZomCon, who defeated the legions of undead, and domesticated the zombies, making them our industrial workers, our domestic servants - a productive part of society. ZomCon would like the people of Wil...

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty is set to open a chain of curry restaurants throughout Britain. The flagship store will open in central London, where the 31-year-old star is rumoured to be buying a house. The star's agent says, "Work is moving very swiftly and final details are being drawn up."

Star Wars Ewok actor Ron Phillips has died in a British hospital. He was 95. The actor, who was hospitalized after a series of falls, played an alien in 1983 Star Wars movie Return Of The Jedi. The short actor stood at a mere four feet six inches after a damaged pituitary gland from his childho...

Rock matriarch Sharon Osbourne is a chronic claustrophobe after being repeatedly locked in a dark coal cupboard during her childhood. The wife of Ozzy Osbourne was unable to turn on a light inside the cupboard and now refuses to travel on underground trains.

Speaking while being analysed by Billy Connolly's psychiatrist wife Dr. Pamela Stephenson on last night's U.K. TV show Shrink Rap, she said, "I hate confined spaces, I panic. I could never go on the underground. They make me panic, packed trains or anything like that.

"There was a cupboard which we kept the coal in. It was in ...

Ashton Kutcher has scored a rare prize at the top of the box office - he features in the top two films. The actor voices a one-antlered mule deer in family cartoon comedy Open Season, which has debuted in first place ahead of his portrayal of a cocky coastguard in Kevin Costner's new action film The Guardian.

The animated film, which also features the voices of Debra Messing, Martin Lawrence and Billy Connolly, enjoyed a first weekend take of $23 million, while The Guardian debuted with $17.7 million.

Last week's box office top film, Jackass: Number Two, dropped to number three,...

Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties Summary:

The laziest cat in America swaps places with the richest feline in England in director Tim Hill's lasagna-laden sequel to the 2004 theatrical hit Garfield.

Cast and Crew:

Bill Murray (Garfield)

Breckin Meyer (Jon Arbuckle)

Jennifer Love Hewitt (Liz Wilson)

Billy Connolly (Lord Dargis)

Ian Abercrombie (Smithee)

More Info...

Annie Lennox has been hailed as an inspiration to music students after being named as the Royal Scottish Academy Of Music And Drama's (RSAMD's) latest honorary doctorate recipient. The singer, who will be joined by actor Billy Connolly and Celtic music mogul Ian Green, will receive the award at the academy's summer graduation ceremony in Glasgow on July 4.

RSAMD principal John Wallace praises Lennox for the impressive example she sets to those hoping to forge a career in music. He says, "The academy is living through exciting times and the presence of Annie Lennox, Billy Connolly and ...