New York Times

"There is a lot of my father in Paddington," creator Michael Bond told the New York Times, external, ahead of the film's opening in the US this Friday.

"He was a very polite man who always wore a hat. Even when we went to the seaside, he would wear his hat into the sea in case he saw someone he knew and had to raise it.

"We live in an age now in which that kind of politeness has largely gone out the window. When I was young I was always taught to move aside for elderly people, and that people would do it for me, but they bloody well don't!"

- Newsbeat

Image source, Record label

US pop group GRL have released a song paying tribute to their bandmate Simone Battle, who committed suicide last year, reports Newsbeat.

The band said they hoped Lighthouse, which was posted to YouTube, external last night, would encourage those battling depression or other mental illness to reach out to loved ones.

Image source, EPA

Last night saw the grand opening of a new concert hall in Paris that has been hailed as "the Pompidou Centre of music".

The Philharmonie opened six months late and three times over budget, after eight years of building in a rapidly gentrifying corner of Paris known as Cite de la Musique.

The multi-level complex - with rooftop access - seats 2,400 people and is designed so the audience is never further than 32 metres (105 feet) from the conductor in the orchestra pit.

But the building's renowned architect, Jean Nouvel, refused to attend the opening night after arguing that it should have been delayed until all elements of the building were complete and the orchestra had had sufficient rehearsal time in the new space.

"The building is being opened according to a timeline that does not respect architectural and technical requirements," Nouvel ranted in French newspaper, Le Monde, external. "The Philharmonie has shot itself in each foot."

Image source, Jan Versweyveld

Missed Mark Strong in the Young Vic's production of A View from the Bridge last year? Now theatre fans will have to chance to watch the West End play in cinemas as part of National Theatre Live.

The Arthur Miller adaptation will be screened across the UK and around the world on 26 March as it is performed live at the Wyndham's Theatre. More details can be found at NT Live, external.

Image source, Reuters

Oscars host Neil Patrick Harris tweeted late last night, external: "The Oscar nominations come out tomorrow morning. Damn, I really need to finish counting all these ballots!"

Genevieve Hassan
Entertainment reporter, BBC News

Who do you think deserves to be Oscar nominated later? Who are you rooting for and what do you think of the films likely to be recognised? Get in touch and let us know what your predictions are - tweet us @BBCNewsEnts, external or email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

- The Hollywood Reporter

Oscar favourite Michael Keaton is reportedly in talks to star in a film about the rise of McDonalds.

Keaton - whose role in Hollywood satire Birdman won him a Golden Globe - is considering the lead role in The Founder, about the rise of the burger empire, reveals the Hollywood Reporter, external.

It tells the true story of how salesman Ray Kroc met brothers Mac and Dick McDonald while they were running a small-time burger outlet in 1950s California. Spotting the restaurant's potential, canny Kroc joined the business in 1955 and developed it as a franchise. He later purchased the chain from the McDonald brothers and oversaw its worldwide growth.

Directed by The Blind Side's John Lee Hancock, the film is already being compared to the 2010 Facebook drama The Social Network. Keaton's casting will certainly add to its attractions.

Image source, PA

A statement from Rendell's publisher said: "Ruth Rendell, the renowned crime writer and author of over 60 best-selling novels, suffered a serious stroke on Wednesday, 7 January.

"She is in hospital under expert care in a critical but stable condition. Her son, Simon Rendell, is with her and thanks everyone for their concern. The family request privacy while the doctors assess the best course of treatment.

"Our thoughts are with Ruth and her family at this difficult time."

Crime writer Ruth Rendell is in a critical but stable condition after suffering a stroke, her publisher said today.

- Natalie Jamieson
Newsbeat entertainment reporter

British author and screenwriter Nick Hornby, whose screenplay for Wild may win him an Oscar nomination later today, has likened the Oscar race to the Grand National.

Image source, Anne Marie Fox

"You might get trampled at any moment but you've just got to run," said Hornby.

"It doesn't matter as much now because the film has done well enough and anything from this point on is just fluff," added the writer, who believes he has a 50/50 chance of a nomination.

"I'll be quite glad when Thursday is over, one way or the other."

Image source, AP

Julianne Moore, who is widely expected to receive an Oscar nomination for best actress, says she will not be preparing an acceptance speech ahead of the awards.

The Still Alice actress, who won a Golden Globe on Sunday, believes "it's bad juju".

"I'm oddly superstitious, too," she told the Huffington Post, external. "You feel if you're too prepared, you're asking for it."

Rock band Elbow are to return to a tiny Manchester club where they worked behind the bar before they were famous.

The show, at the Roadhouse, is part of a series of intimate gigs for charity War Child, external. The series will also feature Duran Duran, Bastille, The Vaccines, You Me At Six and Ride.

Image source, Getty Images

Did you know that police snipers are stationed outside the Oscars every year?

That fact, and more, can be found in our A-Z of the Academy Awards.

Image source, AP

Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt has been named Hasty Pudding Man of the Year.

He shares the Harvard University honour with Golden Globes host Amy Poehler, 2015's Woman of the Year. Both star in the hit TV series Parks and Recreation, though organisers "vehemently deny that the members of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals are obsessed with Parks and Recreation".

Pratt, who also took the lead role in last year's Lego Movie, will attend an honorary ceremony and parade through the streets of Cambridge, Massachusetts, next month.

"We could not be more thrilled to host him and celebrate his talent as only the Pudding can," said Hasty Pudding president Jason Hellerstein.

Apparently, there's such a thing as an "awards analyst" and Scott Feinberg is one of them.

The US journalist has just published his final Oscar predictions on The Hollywood Reporter.

Writing on Twitter, external, he said: "Interstellar will become the most nominated film without a best pic nom since… that's right, The Dark Knight".

The nominations are due at 13:30 GMT. We'll bring you the highlights here.

Image source, Raury

R&B singer Raury has just released a song he wrote about the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in the US last year.

The song was written almost immediately after a grand jury decided not to charge police officer Darren Wilson over the incident - sparking widespread rioting.

The lyrics veer between accusation and conciliation, with one verse saying: "If I spend a day outside, just doing normal things inside my hometown and be the wrong place, wrong time… I could be dying."

But the track is ultimately meant to be uplifting, with the positive and soaring refrain, "I hope one day we'll fly."

Listen to the song on Soundcloud., external

After its release, Raury, who came fourth in the BBC's Sound of 2015 last week, took to Twitter to explain his motivation for writing the song.

Image source, Twitter

Victoria Lindrea
Arts and entertainment reporter, BBC News

Welcome to Thursday's live page! It's a big day in the entertainment world as film and music stars await nominations for the Oscars and the Brits respectively.

We'll be running extensive coverage, picking up Oscar reaction after the announcement at 13:30 GMT. Boyhood and Birdman are expected to be frontrunners with British stars Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones and Benedict Cumberbatch also in the running. So stay tuned.