Just as the Laurence Olivier theatre awards were being handed out in one part of the Grosvenor Hotel on Sunday night, so too were the Empire film awards in another nook of the London hotel. Stars such as Matt Damon, James McAvoy and Ewan McGregor assembled for the film bash, with the winners as voted for by readers of the movie magazine. Brit film Atonement performed well winning Best British Film, while its stars Keira Knightley and James McAvoy were voted Best Actress and Best Actor respectively.

Matt Damon might have been beaten in his acting category, but his action film The Bourne Ultimatum picked up the Best Film gong. There were genre awards for Comedy (Hot Fuzz), Horror (28 Weeks Later), Thriller (American Gangster) and Sci-fi/Fantasy (Stardust), with Harry Potter director David Yates winning for the fifth instalment of the popular franchise. The Outstanding Contribution award was presented to Ewan McGregor for his impressive body of work over the past few years, but for all the winners and the inside scoop on all the backstage party gossip, head on over to the Empire website.

Hairspray was the toast of the town at last night’s prestigious Laurence Oliver Awards, picking up four prizes including Best New Musical. The show’s stars Michael Ball, Leanne Jones and Tracie Bennett all won individual awards for their performances in the 1950s set musical, while Kristen Scott Thomas (The Seagull) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Othello) picked up the awards for Best Actress and Best Actor respectively.

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber was honoured for his long list of West End credentials with the Special Achievement Award, while Rupert Goold won the Best Director gong for his Macbeth at the Gielgud. The Best New Play was A Disappearing Number and Rafta Rafta was considered the Best New Comedy. This, the 32nd annual Laurence Olivier Awards ceremony was hosted by Richard E Grant at Grosvenor House and cemented the success of Hairspray after it picked up eight Tony awards in the US. For more information on the ceremony and the night’s winners and losers, click here.

She’s been away from our TV screens for six years, but tonight Delia Smith returns with her new cookery show simply titled Delia (BBC2, 8.30pm.) Famed for teaching the nation the basics of cookery, Delia Smith takes our education to the next level by teaching us how to cheat by knocking up dishes using pre-prepared ingredients. This does sound a little similar to fellow BBC2 chef Nigella Lawson’s last TV outing, Nigella Express, but where Nigella is all vivid sauciness, Delia is straight-forward and practical.

The show is also set to feature glimpses of Delia’s life away from her stove, so for new insights into cooking, the life of a revered TV chef and some dishes that will make our mouths water – tune into Delia tonight. For more information on Delia and her new programme, visit her official site.

Tomorrow is International Women’s Day and for those of us proud to be of the female variety, it’s an important time to reflect on what it means to be a woman in today’s world. The day has been marked since 1908, with this year’s slogan “campaigning for change… for 100 years” perfectly depicting the long journey that we have been on.

IWD has grown and developed with the support of governments, universities, organisations and media groups and for those of you interested in getting involved, there are numerous events marking the occasion across the UK. So for your local celebration of womanhood, head on over to the official site for further details. And if you do make it to one, please do contact us here at The New Pink – we’d love to hear your stories.

Tickets for the V Festival went on sale at 10am this morning and so for those of you that like to boogie in mud, queue for hours to use a Portaloo and enjoy food from burger vans, there’ll be no other place to be seen come 16th/ 17th August. Acts confirmed include festival favourites Muse, along with other rockers The Kaiser Chiefs, The Stereophonics and The Verve. There is also less conventional pop fare being served as well such as Girls Aloud and The Sugababes. Amy Winehouse is scheduled to appear, but as with any public appearance for the Wino – it’s a lottery as to whether she’ll show.

As always, the musical event takes place in both Hylands Park in Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire and to nab your tickets for the event head on over to the official V Festival 2008 site for more details.

Easter seems to be creeping on us rather speedily this year, and so to get us in the mood here’s a look at some of the Easter treats on offer at the rather delicious Hotel Chocolat. It seems that the swanky high-street chain has been feeling adventurous with this year’s selection including unconventional fare such as cocoa pod eggs and egg sandwiches (they really have to be seen to be believed).

For those chocolate lovers less keen on experimenting, the store also offers eggs that are both extra think and extra big – depending on your choccie needs. So when it comes to shopping for that chocoholic in your life (or just yourself if the mood and pennies allow), why not visit your nearest Hotel Chocolat or lust after the pics on their website? Warning: Might cause uncontrollable drooling.

For those of us who dream of meeting our very own Mr. Darcy, would love to swish about in empire-line gowns and bonnets and “take a turn” around a room, the literature of Jane Austen remains forever close to our hearts. And so news of a new Austen-related BBC drama get us very excited and in need of a little lie down. This new programme is Miss Austen Regrets, a one-off feature-length drama that examines the final years of the writer’s life and asks why such a staunch romantic never took her happy stroll down the aisle.

The Sixth Sense’s Olivia Williams stars as our heroine and is joined by period drama regular Hugh Bonneville and comedy star Adrian Edmondson. Penned by Gwyneth Hughes (Five Days) and produced by Anne Pivcevic who brought us this year’s Sense and Sensibility, Miss Austen Regrets is due to be screened later in the year. For more information, visit the BBC website.

Wednesday night must be the new destination for American imports, as we reported that ITV1’s Dexter also debuted mid-week. This time, the show is The Kill Point and starts tonight on digital channel Bravo at 10pm. Bravo sells itself as “a televisual broadcaster for the modern gentleman” and the title might suggest an icky violent streak, but there are signs that this could be fun for male and females alike.

The basic premise is that of a bank heist, with the action following both those committing the crime and those desperate to stop them. But as the plot is faithful to both perspectives, so too is the way both are presently sympathetically and compassionately. The robbers are Iraq veterans, adding a social message, while the two leads are ex-New Kid on the Block pop puppet and Band of Brothers actor Donnie Wahlberg and Moulin Rouge! star John Leguizamo. To see if The Kill Point might make your TV viewing tonight, check out the Bravo site.

British films can often be cutesy rom-coms or traditional costume dramas, but not so The Bank Job. Starring Jason Statham (The Transporter, Snatch) and Saffron Burrows (Deep Blue Sea) the film is the real-life tale of an epic bank heist in London in the 1970’s. Interestingly UK audiences are obviously keen to sample this unconventional British offering, with the film having secured the box office top spot this past weekend.

At number two is the Will Ferrell comedy Semi-Pro with sci-fi actioner Jumper slipping to third. Uma Thurman’s romantic comedy The Accidental Husband debuted at number four, while Oscar fave Juno hangs on at five. This Friday sees the release of horror flick Diary of the Dead, US hit Vantage Point and The Other Boleyn Girl (for trailer click here.) For other box office news, see IMDb.

Drew Barrymore appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show yesterday and used her public appearance to discuss her charity work. The rom-com queen is donating $1 million to the World Food Programme (WFP), with her contribution planned to help feed school children in Kenya. This generous gift launches the WFP’s ‘Fill the Cup’ campaign which looks to feed the 59 million hungry children around the world.

Drew is an ambassador for the good cause and after her trips to Kenya knows how much good can be achieved: “I have seen with my own eyes what a difference a simple cup of nutritious porridge can make in a child’s life,” Barrymore told Oprah. “It helps them learn, stay healthy and sets them on track for a bright future. I urge everyone, everywhere, to help WFP ‘Fill the Cup’ for hungry children, and make hunger history.”

To help fill the cup, or for more information on the WFP, visit the official site here.

Since their remarkable comeback in 2005, man-band (they’re not really boys anymore, are they?) Take That have gone from strength to strength. Last month they picked up two BRIT awards and now their record label Polydor has confirmed that their Beautiful World Live DVD has become the fastest selling music DVD ever. The DVD sold more than 64,000 copies in one week, with Celine Dion’s Live in Las Vegas at the number two spot with only 1,600 copies shifted. That’s one serious gap.

Just to further compound the amazing achievement, Polydor have said that this is the first time a music DVD has outsold the country’s number one album, Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black. I’m sure that Mother’s Day impacted positively on the DVD’s sales, but it is another feather in the cap for Gary, Mark, Howard and Jason. To pick up your copy of the DVD of the moment, head on over to Amazon.co.uk

Mike Myers seems to have vanished off our silver screens of late, preferring to appear as an animated green ogre, but the comedy brain that brought us Wayne’s World and Austin Powers has taken a break from hanging out with Puss and Donkey and is due to set sides to splitting with his new comic effort, The Love Guru. The film stars Myers as Pitka, the love guru complete with silly outfits, facial hair and accent.

Jessica Alba and Verne Troyer (Austin Powers’ Mini Me) pop up in supporting roles and just check out Justin Timberlake in his teeny-weeny shorts – a sure-fire way to attract female audiences, even if he does have a dodgy moustache! The Love Guru is out later in the year, but if you just can’t wait until then enjoy the trailer below or visit the film’s IMDb link.

Her personal life might grab headlines for all the wrong reasons, but troubled pop star Amy Winehouse’s album Back to Black is this week’s UK number one seller. Boosted by her performance of Love is a Losing Game and Valerie at the BRIT awards, the disc has beaten the new release of Goldfrapp’s Seventh Tree. Mika, who took home Best Breakthrough Act at the industry knees-up, is also enjoying a new wave of popularity with his album Life in Cartoon motion back up to number three.

There were a number of Mother’s Day inspired appearances on the chart, with mum’s favourite Donny Osmond in at eight and Andrea Bocelli and ex-G4 singer Jonathan Ansell just outside the top ten. In the singles chart, Duffy is number one with Mercy, while H2O featuring Platinum and rockers Nickelback make up the top three. For more on the nation’s top tunes, visit the Radio 1 website.