Eurovision 2014 - The first of the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals takes place tonight (Tuesday) to decide who goes through to Saturday night's grand final in Copenhagen.
Contest organisers have named all the national jury members for this year's competition. The UK's five-strong panel will be headed up by TV vocal coach and former Fame Academy judge Carrie Grant. It also features soprano Laura Wright, music producer Steve Allen, DJ Candice McKenzie and writer/composer Gus Gowland. It is the first time jury members have been revealed ahead of the contest in a bid to create more transparency. Sony Ireland's general manager Patrick Hughes will chair Ireland's jury, which also sees Charlie McGettigan - who won the competition in 1994 with Paul Harrington - on the panel.
Development Plans - Proposals to redevelop the Brighton Hippodrome into a £20m cinema complex have been formally criticised by the Theatres Trust, with the body claiming that options to restore the venue as a performance space have not been fully explored. The national advisory body has submitted a 10-point objection to Brighton and Hove City Council, highlighting that a report which explores the future use of the disused venue does not include a "serious undertaking" to identify funding for its restoration.
The report, commissioned by Alaska Development Consultants and written by John Ashworth Associates, investigates three options - a traditional theatre, a casino and a cinema. It estimates that a theatre with 1,500 seats at the site would require £21m to develop. The trust claims this is an unsubstantiated and high cost and that an increased seating capacity could be achieved, which would make the theatre more financially viable.
Lost & Found - A song written by German composer Mendelssohn has had its first public hearing since it went missing 140 years ago. Mendelssohn wrote the privately commissioned piece, titled The Heart of Man is Like a Mine, in 1842. It was never published but the original manuscript has now emerged in a private collection in the US. It will be sold at Christie's later this month, where it is expected to fetch £15,000 - £25,000.
BBC Arts Funding - Professional arts organisations looking to host a fellowship are invited to apply for grants of £10,000 from the BBC's Performing Arts Fund. Previously, the PAF - funded through money raised by public voting on shows such as The Voice - has supported a different discipline each year, covering either dance, music or theatre. This year, the fellowship scheme is being widened to include all performing arts organisations.
(Jim Evans)
