The 80-strong cast has been selected, the leads assigned and the costumes fitted, because the bells are calling Dick Whittington and his cat to London.

NEW movie Blind Pass is being launched in the coming weeks and Shannon teenager Lauren Sexton (pictured) sings on it. The film is something of a family affair as her father James is an associate producer and was locations manager in Ireland.

This year’s Shannonside Winter Music weekend was the most successful in the festival’s 14-year history, according to festival chairman Brendan Walsh.

CLARE hasn’t produced many hip hop stars yet, but Godknows Jonas of Shannon is working on it.The 22-year-old is a native of Zimbabwe has been in Clare since 2001.

FlightDIRECTED BY: Robert ZemeckisSTARRING: Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, John GoodmanCERT: 15A

There was a time when a new Oliver Stone film was an occasion. A moment of cultural note, scandal or a mixture of both that sometimes obscured the film itself. While the days of Platoon, Natural Born Killers or JFK are a long time ago, there is still a certain frisson whenever the maverick director releases a new flick.

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THE kids flop out of the blue inflatable dome one-by-one. Their faces are lit up with awe and excitement of what they’ve just witnessed. “That was amazing,” says one. “Is that guy an astronaut?” says another.