Dear Scotland is delighted to welcome a new contributor and the return of monthly Scottish Entertainment / Actor News updates (SEAN). These new SEAN articles will be sourced by devoted David Tennant fan Helygen, and will keep us informed of all the gossip from our favourite Scottish actors in Hollywood and everywhere else.

James McAvoy Discusses a Possible “X-Men: First Class” Sequel

Now that director Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men prequel X-Men: First Class is in theaters, speculation over a sequel can only increase while this weekend’s box office is tallied. Vaughn has already expressed interest in helming a sequel, explaining an idea for a sequel that would include the X-Men in the JFK assassination. All it would take for a sequel is for the movie to be a success.

James McAvoy, who plays Professor X in First Class, told The LA Times that while he hopes a First Class sequel is made “because they found a story they like,” the actor admits that he has ideas about what should happen in a sequel.

Read more at Reelz Channel [contains spoilers for X-Men: First Class]

Perfect Sense screens at Edinburgh International Film Festival

The latest kitchen film to be creating a stir stars Ewan McGregor as a high-end chef in a movie that marries seemingly incongruous genres and topics into one: food, love, horror, science fiction and the Apocalypse.

Or, as Bon Appetit magazine calls it, a “Foodpocalyptic romance drama.”

Perfect Sense centers around the sensuous love affair between Michael (McGregor), a talented chef at a fine dining restaurant, and Susan, an epidemiologist played by Eva Green frantically searching for answers as a worldwide epidemic is poised to break out.

One by one, people around the world fall victim to a strange phenomenon which strips them of their senses – smell, taste – and induces intense, uncontrollable emotional breakdowns.
Read more at The Independent

Perfect Sense screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival this weekend.

To watch the trailer, visit You Tube

Gerard Butler and Robbie Coltrane invited to join film Academy 2011

Each year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences extends invitations to join the organization to artists (and executives) who they feel have distinguished themselves in their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.

“These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the world, and I welcome each of them to our ranks.”

The voting membership has held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003 and this year is inviting 178 new members.

This year, Gerard Butler and Robbie Coltrane are amongst the actors who have been invited to join.

See the full list, and more details, at The Examiner

First look at Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin!

ABC have released the first trailer for “Once Upon A Time”, plus photos of the cast.

Robert Carlyle plays the dual character of Mr. Gold in the real world of Storybrooke, and the infamous Rumplestiltskin in the world of fairy tales — both of whom appear in the trailer.

Once Upon a Time – Trailer

httpv://youtu.be/osnJ-oVxKlM

Alex Lifeson joins Billy Boyd in Ecstacy

Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson will make his first appearance as a movie actor in a Canadian movie of Irving Welsh’s drug drama Ecstacy.

He plays a Scottish doctor with a novel approach to dealing with pain issues – and delivers his lines with an accent that Rock News Desk’s Scots staff are finding difficult to identify.

The movie will be released in September, featuring Canadian TV actress Kristin Kreuk and Scottish star Billy Boyd.

Read more at Rock News Desk

John Hannah in “The Words”

Olivia Wilde and Ben Barnes, alongside J.K. Simmons and John Hannah, have joined the cast of plagiarism drama The Words, Variety reports.

The Words, which already stars Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Zoe Saldana and Dennis Quaid, follows the story of a writer (Cooper) who, at the peak of his career, finds that he must face the consequences of stealing the work of another writer (Irons). Well, it can be tempting, but a good writer should stay away from plagiarism, which I personally define as the wrongful appropriation of another author’s language and the representation of them as one’s own original work, although the notion does remain problematic with nebulous boundaries.* Which should make for an interesting plot.

Not much else is known about the film, which is set to be written and directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, but its impressive cast list indicates that The Words is one to look out for.

There is no confirmation yet as to when shooting will begin, but it is likely to be later this year, with a late 2012 release.

Source: The Film Pilgrim

David Tennant to star in This Is Jinsy for Sky Atlantic

Sky Atlantic HD has announced a host of guest stars that will make appearances across its first original comedy commission, This Is Jinsy. Directed by Matt Lipsey (Psychoville, Little Britain), This Is Jinsy is an eccentric eight-part comedy written by and starring newcomers Chris Bran and Justin Chubb.

David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Simon Callow, Harry Hill and Jennifer Saunders are among those named as guest stars so far.

This Is Jinsy follows Arbiter Maven (Chubb) and Operative Sporall (Bran) as they keep a close eye on the 791 residents of Jinsy from the Great Tower in the parish of Veen. Life on the island is rather Orwellian: each colourful member of the community is monitored by a surveillance system of tessellators, from local folk dribbler Melody Lane to weather monk Tracee Henge.

Read more at PrimeTime

Weekly schedule for Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Mo 6/20: Kenneth Branagh (R 5/10/11)
Tu 6/21: Jeff Goldblum, Sarah Chalke (R 5/9/11)
We 6/22: Paul Reiser, Melissa McCarthy (R 5/13/11)
Th 6/23: Julie Andrews, Little Big Town (R 5/18/11)
Fr 6/24: Morgan Freeman, Carson Kressley (R 6/9/11)

www.cbs.com/late_late_show

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For more from Helygen check out her website here and follow her on twitter @helygen.