Entertainment news making headlines this week

MUSIC NEWS: It’s 50 years since Queen were formed and the British band are to be honoured with a series of 13 stamps from the Royal Mail. Pictures of band members and album covers will adorn the stamps which to on sale on July 8.

Meanwhile, Michael Stipe popped up on the Tonight Show in the US earlier this week performing a song with Big Red Machine, the side-project of the likes of The National’s Aaron Dessner, and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Cork gig-goers may remember an early Red Machine gig at St Luke’s in 2018.

PERFORMING ONLINE: Other Voices was recently awarded €400,000 of state funding for the Courage 2 programme which began this week. James Vincent McMorrow, Maija Sofia and Lankum streamed live from various venues in shows that will be broadcast on RTÉ2 in the coming weeks, while the Crawford Gallery in Cork will also host a performance in July.

US singer Casey Black is next in the Coughlan’s Live series, via the Cork venue’s Facebook page on Sunday at 9pm.

SMALL SCREEN: Cork International Film Festival continues its offering of home cinema next Tuesday with Bulgarian film Sister at 7pm, followed by a Q&A with the director.

For fans of decent creepy horror, The Ground Beneath My Feet is available to download, while Disney+ is rolling out two biggies next week: Frozen 2 (Tuesday) and Hamiliton (Friday).

CLASSICAL & OPERA: West Cork Chamber Music Festival fell to the virus, but from today, the event is screening 12 specially-recorded performances involving many of the musicians who were due in Bantry.

Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova is among the performers, while Cork musician Caitriona O’Mahony was recorded on the Triskel stage telling the story of women composers who flourished in 17th century Italy and France.

Irish National Opera has also announced a mini-series of eight performances via the organisation’s website every Tuesday and Thursday in coming weeks. Claudia Boyle features in a a cast that will present scenes from the Seraglio by Mozart.

TV PICKS: While several TV productions have resumed on this side of the Atlantic, it looks like Covid-19 has ensured we won’t be getting a fourth season of The Handmaid’s Tale this year.

Filming of season four in Canada has been delayed, so the earliest we’ll see it is 2021. A rather cheerier show, 30 Rock, is returning later this month for a one-off special on NBC in America, so watch out for a broadcast by a UK or Irish network.

RTÉ’s Comic Relief offering dominates the schedules tonight, while music fans can catch some classic Glastonbury performances on the BBC over the weekend. Beyoncé, Adele, R.E.M and David Bowie all feature.

Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads will show another two monologues on Monday, including one from Killing Eve star Jodie Comer.

ALL AND SUNDRY: Some of the students MA in Arts Management and Creative Producing at UCC are putting their studies to good use by organising the Half Moon Festival from today (Friday) until Sunday.

The absence of live events means a migration to online for the comedy, poetry, podcasts, etc. Cultural venues such as galleries and museums can open from Monday, so it’s been a busy week for those involved.

Safety of staff and other visitors is obviously the big priority, so you can expect various measures to ensure social distancing. For instance, the Crawford in Cork has a one-way system in place, and is encouraging the wearing of face coverings.

Toilets at venues will also be operating at reduced capacities, so expect to queue.