Beauty and the Beast might be a tale as old as time, but its songs are true classics as well, and everyone who’s anyone is waiting to hear how they’ll sound in the new, live-action version. It’s an unenviable position for the cast to be in; not least, Emma Watson, who has a tough act to follow. As the original Belle, Paige O’Hara was an established musical star, whereas this is Watson’s first major singing role. A short clip of Watson’s vocals in an earlier TV spot showed she can hold a tune okay, but now we have a better look (or listen) in the form of the film’s opening number, ‘Belle’.
As the villagers greet each other and go about their daily business, Belle seems to drift through them all, stopping briefly for conversation but ultimately focused on returning the copy of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ that she has borrowed. As previous trailers and images have hinted; Beauty and the Beast is a highly stylized, slick, choreographed production, and the music from Alan Menken lends itself beautifully to that. Take a look at the clip, above.
It’s fantastic to see Beauty and the Beast being recreated so faithfully, and yet still in an entirely original way, and this clip perhaps holds the most promise so far for Bill Condon’s version. The animated movie belonged on stage, as evidenced in its success on Broadway and beyond, but Condon is, it seems, attempting to bring a heightened, theatrical version to the screen, where reality and necessity give way to fantasy and frivolity. Given that Beauty and the Beast
is a classic, much-loved movie, it seems wise that he opted to keep it ‘Disneyfied’ rather than try to give it a realistic time frame and setting.
As the release of Beauty and the Beast draws ever closer, the promotion for the movie steps up, and the press tour kicked off in earnest today. Condon assembled in Paris with cast and crew from the movie, including Menken, whose full score will once again form the basis of the movie, along with new music and songs that he has written in collaboration with Tim Rice. Watson was also in attendance, with her Beast, Dan Stevens, and Luke Evans (Gaston) and Josh Gad (LeFou), and all assembled for a photo op (see the image above).
Given that the coming days will be heavy on promotional interviews, and the release of the soundtrack is only a little over two weeks away, it seems reasonable to expect that we might get more clips from the movie soon, showcasing the singing abilities of more cast members. We’ve already had a brief listen to Emma Thompson singing the titular track of Beauty and the Beast, but could we hear Ewan McGregor singing ‘Be Our Guest,’ maybe? We can only hope.
Source: Disney
Unexpected Team-Up: Prince William and Emma Watson Unite for Change
Prince William had plenty to celebrate this weekend, but his latest public appearance quickly turned heads for a very different reason. After marking his 44th birthday and Father's Day with his family, the future king returned to royal duties—and made a surprisingly personal confession about the emotional toll of climate change.
William joined Hollywood stars Emma Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch at a United for Wildlife forum in London, an initiative he launched with the Royal Foundation in 2013. The organization works around the world to combat wildlife trafficking, environmental crime, and the destruction of endangered species.
But it was William's candid admission about his own fears that stole the spotlight.
The Prince of Wales revealed that climate change has caused him "sleepless nights," admitting he has struggled with anxiety about what the future could look like. Yet instead of allowing those fears to overwhelm him, William said seeing real progress through conservation efforts has helped keep his environmental anxiety under control.
He also delivered a powerful message to business leaders, urging them to become the kind of leaders they admired when they were children. With technology and innovation transforming the world at an incredible pace, William challenged CEOs to use their influence to create meaningful change.
The event launched London Climate Action Week, with more royal appearances expected, including the Earthshot Prize assembly.
Emma Watson also delivered a surprising revelation of her own. The Harry Potter star highlighted the fashion industry's enormous environmental impact, pointing out that it produces more emissions than aviation and ranks behind only oil among major polluting industries.
Watson, who is also pursuing a doctorate in philosophy at Oxford, shared a hilarious story about mistakenly believing paparazzi were following her. After spotting photographers with telephoto lenses, she arranged a distraction and escaped through another exit. The twist? They weren't photographing her at all. They were waiting to capture a red kite.
Meanwhile, Benedict Cumberbatch praised William as "a great guy" and urged businesses and individuals to recognize that they can still make a difference, even when global environmental challenges appear overwhelming.
With William, Watson, and Cumberbatch joining forces on the issue, the London forum delivered a clear message: the fight against environmental destruction is becoming impossible for the world's biggest names to ignore.
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