The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra has announced a virtual benefit hosted by Dame Helen Mirren, starring Lahav Shani and iconic soloists for June 28 at 11am PDT / 2pm EDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CET / 9pm IDT. This landmark moment in the IPO’s history will be available to stream internationally, free of charge, on their website. So far, no further information have been announced. Edit: You can stream the complete gala above and on Youtube: Join Dame Helen Mirren, Maestro Lahav Shani and iconic soloists and conductors for an exceptional Global Gala, featuring Maestro Zubin Mehta, Pinchas Zukerman & Amanda Forsyth, Itzhak Perlman, Khatia Buniatishvili, Yefim Bronfman, Sir András Schiff, Gil Shaham and Adèle Anthony, Maestro Gianandrea Noseda, Chen Reiss, Martin Fröst and Evgeny Kissin The Gala is dedicated in memory of Leon Nacht z”l, and in honour of his loving wife Aneta, friend of the IPO.

The National Theatre today launches its National Theatre at Home Quiz, to be played from home featuring familiar faces from the world of stage and screen as the quizmasters. Each quiz will include rounds of five questions on a wide variety of topics. On the final Monday of each month people will be able join the virtual quiz directly from their homes via the NT’s YouTube channel and Facebook page live at 7pm BST (2pm EST). The first quiz will be 27 April with quizmasters Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Lenny Henry, Lesley Manville, and Sir Ian McKellen asking questions on topics including history, sport, nature, and of course, The National Theatre.

Here comes another Berlin related update, and probably the final one, since all related video interviews from the festival have been added to the video archive (some have been posted last week already, in case you missed ’em). Several German broadcasters have aired reports on Helen receiving the Honorary Golden Bear and talked with her about the award and her career. For a complete overview of all added videos, have a look below. Enjoy watching.

Viola Davis and Dame Helen Mirren teamed up in Beverly Hills on Tuesday to promote launch of L’Oréal Paris’ Age Perfect Cosmetics. The brand ambassadors – who are both a Grammy away from elite EGOT status – did the photo shoot six months after Helen had publicly told Viola she was “really looking forward to us working together.” Make-up artist Jo Strettell applied the Age Perfect mascara on Helen, whose sideswept white bob was coiffed by hairstylist Richard Collins. Mirren doesn’t have a set beauty routine aside from daily moisturizer, but she told CNN on Tuesday that she likes “to experiment’ and ‘spend many hours in the mirror finding the best ways to get into character.” Make-up artist Autumn Moultrie made sure Viola’s complexion glowed and hairstylist Jamika Wilson coiffed her curly side-parted wig for the sun-filled shoot. If that summary wasn’t enough, you can read more about the event over at the Daily Mail 🙂 Pictures have been added to the photo gallery.

On Thursday, Helen Mirren received the Honorary Golden Bear at the 70th Berlin Film Festival for her life achievement in World Cinema. Over 1.000 additional pictures from the festival’s photocall, press conference and ceremony have been added to the photo gallery. During the press conference, Mirren says she has witnessed a huge improvement in the position of female actors over the course of her career. (She says she prefers the term “actress.” “It has a slightly fin de siècle feel about it that I like,” she says. “But thank you for being politically correct; I approve of political correctness as well, so that’s alright.”) “Oh god, there’s more work to be done, further to go, but it is great, it’s absolutely great,” she says, with gusto. “It just pisses me off that I’m not now 23, and that that world is not open to me, because it is a much better world than it was when I was 23. “I have often been asked if I was angry, and I was profoundly angry about it as I ticked off 20 male characters to one or two female characters if you were lucky. Incidentally it hasn’t changed that much. At least now you have female-led movies, and occasionally it is mostly female (casts) – still very rare, but at least they exist. “But I always said when I was asked that question, and I still believe it, don’t worry about women’s profiles in drama, although you should, but worry about women’s profiles in life – in politics, in particular, and in the professions – and fight for that, and to a certain extent I was right because that world changed, and as night follows day drama and culture – us looking at ourselves through drama, through art – has changed, because they are looking at a different world. So change the world and culture will change alongside that.” Pictures and video clips from all events, as well as the 1 1/2 hours long conversation at the Berlinale Talents, have been added additionally. Enjoy all the new updates.

Today, Helen Mirren has attended a photocall and press conference at the Berlin Film Festival before receiving an Honorary Bear this evening. Pictures from both events have been added to the photo gallery with more to follow. Stay tuned and enjoy.

Tomorrow, Helen Mirren will receive an Honorary Bear at the 70th Berlin Film Festival. Today, she already visited a couple of public functions in Germany’s capitol city surrounding the long-running festival. She was greeted by the city’s major at the Town Hall, attended a press junket as well as the Berlinale Talents conversation. Throughout the week, the festival will show “The Queen”, “The Good Liar”, “The Long Good Friday”, “The Last Station” and “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and her Lover” to celebrate Helen Mirren’s legacy. Check back tomorrow for more pictures and videos from the festival.

A star studded line up in the Kiln Cinema will combine a screening and Q&As in support of the Kilburn arts centre. Jim Carter has once again called upon famous friends and colleagues to help him support his local theatre the Kiln. Over the years, the West Hampstead actor has arranged sold out talks and screenings with A list stars – with ticket proceeds going towards the Kilburn arts centre. Next up, Dame Helen Mirren will be in conversation with the Downton Abbey star on February 16 at 5pm. She will discuss her stellar career from stage to screen roles, such as her Academy award winning performance in The Queen. The event takes place in Kiln Cinema at 5pm and tickets at £125 and £95 will support the Kiln’s innovative productions at prices that make theatre available to the local community. Then on February 23, at 4pm Jim Carter hosts a screening of the 2014 film Pride, followed by a Q&A with its writer Stephen Beresford, director Matthew Warchus and eight of its stars. Andrew Scott aka the ‘hot priest’ from Fleabag, Bill Nighy, Dominic West, Paddy Considine, Freddie Fox, Jess Gunning, George MacKay, Liz White and Carter’s partner Imelda Staunton will be on stage to talk about the film which is set in the summer of 1984.

London is among the cities taking part in the World’s Big Sleep Out, aiming to raise £38m. Dame Helen Mirren read bedtime stories to a crowd camped in London’s Trafalgar Square overnight, part of a global effort to raise cash to tackle homelessness. The actress was among the high-profile names supporting the World’s Big Sleep Out event, alongside actor Will Smith in New York’s Times Square. Survival bags were set up as supporters braved the cold as part of the global drive to raise 50 million US dollars (£38 million) for homelessness charities. Among those sleeping out overnight in London was ITV News presenter Julie Etchingham. The World’s Big Sleep Out Campaign was created by Josh Littlejohn, the co-founder of the charity Social Bite which is based in Scotland. Sleep outs were also taking place in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Dublin, as well as across the globe in Brisbane, LA, New York and Chicago – with organisers expecting 50,000 people to take part in total.

L’Oréal Paris celebrated 10 extraordinary women who are championing a breadth of social causes at the 14th annual L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth gala this evening. Inspired by the L’Oréal Paris tagline, “Because You’re Worth It,” L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth honors the intrinsic beauty and worth of women who are positively impacting their communities through philanthropy. With diverse stories born from personal experiences, the 2019 L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth represent a range of causes including bringing musical expression to special needs children, empowering at-risk teenage girls to build literacy and life skills, improving the lives of youth in foster care through educational coaching and technology, and working with communities to reduce food waste. Pictures from the ceremony have been added to the photo gallery.