UK Shakespeare Troupe Seeks Canine Thespians

(NEWSER) - When the eyes of the world turn to London for the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics, the land of Shakespeare and the Beatles will present ... the Spice Girls. "They stand for so much in British music history and I can’t think of a better time for them to get back together for another performance," says impresario Simon Fuller. The performance may accompany a farewell tour, he tells the Daily Mirror : "I think if they do it, it’s going to be in 2012." More»

Program developed to spot plagiarism shows Bard wrote Edward III With Kyd

(NEWSER) - The computer program is called “Pl@giarism,” but no one is suggesting the Bard cribbed from others—not yet, at least. Researchers used the software, developed to spot cheating scholars, to take a look at The Reign of King Edward III, an unattributed 1596 play that has recently been added to the canon because of a wealth of Shakespearean turns of phrase. The Times reports the verdict: 40% Shakespeare, 60% Thomas Kyd. More»

(NEWSER) - Actor Patrick Stewart reported seeing a "ghost" in the wings while performing Waiting for Godot in London, reports the Telegraph. The former Star Ship Enterprise captain was apparently not up to snuff during one scene. When co-star Ian McKelllan asked him what happened, Stewart replied: "I just saw a ghost." Stage hands believe the man he spotted, in trench coat and twill trousers, was John Baldwin Buckstone, actor-manager of the Theatre Royal Haymarket in 1853. More»

Sarcophagus may hold manuscripts tying Bard to another writer

(NEWSER) - A 17th-century tomb might hold the key to the enduring mystery of William Shakespeare's identity, the Daily Telegraph reports, and researchers are hoping to take a peek inside. A scan found that the ornate sarcophagus, built at an English church by Shakespeare contemporary and fellow scribe Fulke Greville, contains three "boxlike" shapes that could be documents and manuscripts that shed light on the link between the men. More»

(NEWSER) - Amy Winehouse cried tears of joy in a London airport as she returned to England today after 8 months on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, the Daily Mail reports. “She’s really happy to be back and can't wait to catch up with family and friends,” a spokesman said. Winehouse’s stay on the island was plagued by complaints about her drunken antics. Before leaving, she took a farewell walk on the beach with one of her adopted stray dogs. More»