Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett and former prime minister Baroness Theresa May are among the six public figures who will guest edit BBC Radio 4's Today programme over the Christmas period. Broadcaster Melvyn Bragg, historian and podcaster Tom Holland, inventor Sir James Dyson and Microsoft's head of artificial intelligence (AI) Mustafa Suleyman will also guest edit shows between 24 December and 31 December. For the past 22 years, the news programme has handed over the editorial reins to guest editors during the festive period. Owenna Griffiths, editor of Today, said: In a rapidly changing world, this year's guest editors will help bring illumination and understanding. She added: Every Christmas on Today, a new set of guest editors take up residence and bring with them a wonderful range of new stories, fresh ideas and, hopefully, a sprinkling of joy.

LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 03: Cate Blanchett attends the World Premiere of "The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim" at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on December 3, 2024 in London, England. 'DEEPLY CONCERNED': Cate Blanchett is one of the many actors expressing fears about artificial intelligence. In a recent interview with the BBC, the Oscar winner said the technology "deeply concerned" her. ALTMAN OPENS UP: OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman opened up about Elon Musk's feud with him and his view of how regulations related to artificial intelligence development should be framed. CHATBOT SAFETY: This is a heartbreaking story out of Florida.

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A killer robot called M3GAN, Channing Tatum's disobedient dog, Colin Farrell's donkey and a bear addicted to cocaine were among the most colourful characters to emerge on the big screen as audiences returned to cinemas.

Oscar-winning director Pedro Almodóvar says that he is withdrawing from his first English-language feature, "A Manual for Cleaning Women" produced by and starring Cate Blanchett. Almodóvar, 72, told entertainment news website Deadline Hollywood that he was unable to handle the commitment. "It has been a very painful decision for me," Almodóvar told Deadline Hollywood. "I have dreamt of working with Cate for such a long time. Dirty Films has been so generous with me this whole time and I was blinded by excitement, but unfortunately, I no longer feel able to fully realize this film."

"How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" breathed some fire into a slumping box office with a franchise-best $55.5 million debut over Oscar weekend. Writer-director Dean DeBlois' third and supposedly final installment in the "How to Train Your Dragon" series notched the best opening of the year in U.S. and Canadian theaters. Going into the weekend, overall ticket sales for 2019 were down 18 percent, according to Comscore, throwing cold water on the record box office of 2018. But as Hollywood was set to gather for the Academy Awards on Sunday, "The Hidden World" lent the industry some good news -- albeit not a hint at all of the magnitude of what that was in theaters last Oscar weekend when "Black Panther" was the top film. Made for $129 million, "The Hidden World" rode good reviews (91 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and warm audience reaction (an A CinemaScore) to exceed the $43.7 million opening of the 2010 original (which ultimately made $494.9 million worldwide) and the $49 million opening of the 2014 sequel (which amassed $621.5 million).