Cultural Affairs - Oliver Dowden has been appointed culture secretary in the first major reshuffle since December’s general election. Dowden was an aide to David Cameron before becoming an MP in 2015 and joins the cabinet in place of Nicky Morgan, who stayed on as culture secretary after the election despite stepping down as an MP. Her continued position was temporary. Prior to the EU referendum in 2016, Dowden campaigned for the UK to remain within the EU.
Dowden will now lead the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, becoming the fifth person in little over two years to hold the secretary of state role in DCMS. Responding to the appointment, shadow culture secretary Tracy Brabin congratulated Dowden and said she hoped he would be a “force for change” on issues such as bridging the arts funding gap in the north. A statement from the union BECTU said Dowden must be a champion for the creative industries, with its members needing a government that is on their side.
Live Aid Reprise - Adam Lambert joined Queen to reprise the band's legendary 1985 Live Aid set for 75,000 people at a huge benefit concert in Sydney. The 22-minute set was part of a 10-hour fundraising event organised to raise A$10m (£5.15m; $6.71m) for communities devastated by bushfires. Joining Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor on stage, Lambert filled in for the late Freddie Mercury as the band performed hits such as Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga, We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions.
Olivier Awards - Producer T

Stage Awards Winners - Sheffield Theatres, ATG Productions and an initiative to diversify theatre boards are among the winners of The Stage Awards 2020.
Winning two categories, Sheffield Theatres was presented with the regional theatre of the year award and the first ever achievement in technical theatre award for its production of Life of Pi.
ATG Productions won producer of the year, praised for its Pinter at the Pinter season and the Ian McKellen On Stage tour, while the innovation award went to Artistic Directors of the Future for its campaign to diversify the theatre industry’s boardrooms.
London theatre of the year was awarded to Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, which underwent a £1m refurbishment to make the venue more accessible while producing 14 shows across 2019, and London’s Bunker Theatre won fringe theatre of the year in recognition of its support for artists from under-represented backgrounds.
Other winners included Leeds Playhouse in the theatre building of the year category, following the venue’s £15.8m redevelopment, and producer Selladoor Worldwide for the international award in recognition of the company’s global expansion.
Madame X Back in Business - Madonna has resumed her Madame X tour in London after cancelling dates in the capital and Portugal due to injury. The 61-year-old pop superstar returned to the stage at the London Palladium wearing knee supports during the two-and-a-half hour gig and told fans "happy to have made it".
The show included throwbacks to Vogue

USA - The 2019 recipients of the annual Above & Beyond Awards were announced by the ESTA Technical Standards Programme (TSP) at the 2020 NAMM Show.
The awards celebrate volunteers, who have made a significant contribution or effort that advances the TSP, and are held in high esteem because the nominations are made by peers in the Programme.
The 2019 winners are . . .
Joseph Jeremy (Stage Machinery Working Group) as co-chair of the Stage Machinery Working Group, Joseph was cited for having been the principal author of the controls section of ANSI E1.42 - Entertainment Technology - Design, Installation, and Use of Orchestra Pit Lifts as well as significant contributions to a new standard currently in development - BSR E1.64 - Stage Machinery Motion Control
Chris Schmidt (Event Safety Working Group) was lauded for having kept the Event Safety Rigging Task Group on track through many challenging tasks. Event Safety Rigging is a complicated subject that needs to distill down numerous technical requirements to the widest variety of Event Safety standard readers. The subject is elusive to many event promoters and planners and it has been the daunting task of the group to find the precise wording in order to assure the reader's comprehension of this most important subject.
Peter Willis (Control Protocols Working Group) has been an active member of the CPWG for almost 20 years and has contributed significantly to many of its control standards. Peter has also provided exceptional leadership in gathering various manufactu

Council Strategy - Arts Council England has unveiled the strategy that will guide its work over the next decade, aiming to address what it says are “momentous” sector-wide challenges that include inequality of opportunity and a widespread lack of diversity. There is particular emphasis on communities and young people in the document, published this week, which lists the Arts Council’s priorities for its work and the organisations it will fund between now and 2030.
Entitled Let’s Create, its contents are broadly similar to the draft document published by the Arts Council last year. It is based around a vision that by 2030, England will be a country “transformed by its culture” and “in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish”.
No Show - Madonna pulled out of the first London show of her Madame X tour, sparking calls for the singer to cancel the entire run. The 61-year-old was due to perform the first of 15 shows on Monday at the London Palladium but said she "must always listen to my body and put my health first". In an Instagram post, she wrote: "I am deeply sorry that I have to cancel my concert scheduled for Monday in London. Under doctors guidance I have been told to rest for a few days.” Last week, the singer cancelled a show in Lisbon, Portugal. The next show is due to go ahead at the London Palladium on 29 January.
Kobe Tribute - The 2020 Grammys ceremony opened with a tribute to basketball player Kobe Bryant, who died on Sunday. "Tonight is for you Kobe," declared Liz

Family Tradition - Emily Eavis has been named a Godlike Genius by the NME, in recognition of her "outstanding contribution" to the Glastonbury festival. She will receive the title at next month's NME Awards, 24 years after her father Michael won the same prize. "I remember being at the NME Awards when I was 16 and being so proud to see my dad named Godlike Genius," said Eavis in a statement. "It's a huge honour to be given the same award all these years later."
The award comes as Glastonbury gears up to celebrate its 50th anniversary this summer. Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift have already been named as headliners, while Diana Ross will play the Sunday afternoon legend slot, but the rest of the line-up is still under wraps.
Foundation Grants - The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation has awarded 16 grants totalling more than £225,000 to organisations including Bristol Old Vic, Southwark Playhouse and Chichester Festival Theatre.
Bristol Old Vic was awarded £20,000 to support its ensemble of young performers from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, while Southwark Playhouse and Chichester Festival Theatre also received funding towards their programmes for young people. Other projects to receive grants included an assistant director programme at the Gate Theatre in London, Graeae Theatre Company’s Ensemble training programme for young D/deaf and disabled people and the National Student Drama Festival.
The charity Arts Insight’s ‘Production Week’, which offers performing arts experiences in secondary schools, was awarded

Brit Awards - Lewis Capaldi and Dave lead the Brit Awards shortlists for 2020, with four nominations each. Stormzy, Mabel, Michael Kiwanuka, Charli XCX, Harry Styles and Coldplay are also among the acts to receive a nod for this year's awards, which will be the 40th major Brits show.
Both Scottish singer-songwriter Capaldi and London rapper Dave are up for new artist of the year, and despite their relative infancy in the industry are also up for the big awards of best male solo artist, best album and song of the year, thanks to chart-topping debuts in the past 12 months.
The past 12 months have been very successful for both artists, with Dave's album Psychodrama winning the Mercury Prize, Capaldi topping the singles chart for seven weeks with Someone You Loved, and both playing bit sets at Glastonbury.
Male solo artists dominate this year's Awards, with the line-up for best album mirroring that for best male artist, with Capaldi and Dave up against Harry Styles, Michael Kiwanuka and Stormzy in both categories.
Charli XCX, FKA Twigs, Freya Ridings, Mabel and Mahalia are all nominated for best female artist, while Bastille, Bring Me The Horizon, Coldplay D Block Europe and Foals are up for best group.
Festival Report - Glastonbury Festival bosses must ensure toilets are cleaned more often and plan for hot weather better, licensees say. There is also concern that camping areas might be overcrowded, says Mendip District Council, which oversees the licensing of the world-famous event.
The issues are raised in a repo

Fire Damage - North London music venue Koko has been damaged by fire. The London fire brigade said it was called to the scene in Camden, in north London, shortly before 9pm on Monday night (6 January). About a third of the roof of the venue, which in previous incarnations was known as The Music Machine and Camden Palace, was alight as firefighters tried to save the rest of the building. The former theatre is covered in scaffolding as part of a renovation. The venue was due to reopen in spring 2020 after a “major state-of-the-art” refurbishment, after the purchase of two adjacent buildings.
Royalty Cheque - Bohemian Rhapsody's success at the box office in 2018 was replicated in the living room last year. The Freddie Mercury biopic was the biggest home video of 2019, selling 1.7m copies in the UK. Two-thirds of those copies were on DVD or Blu-Ray, with the rest coming from downloads.
Overall, UK consumer spending on video grew by 9.5%, making it the fastest-growing entertainment sector, fuelled by the popularity of streaming. Data compiled by the ERA (Entertainment Retailers Association) shows that physical video sales - which include DVDs, Blu-rays and 4K UHD - decreased from £616.9m in 2018 to £477.2m last year, a drop of 22.6%. “There is no doubt retailers of physical product had a tough time in 2019,” said the Entertainment Retailers Association's CEO Kim Bayley.
United Queendom - Kensington Palace will host an immersive theatrical experience for the first time next month. The building will showcase Les Enfants Terri

Big Issues - Industry bodies have highlighted the biggest issues for the arts following the general election result – with Equity stating it is “extremely concerned” about the impact of Brexit.
Following the Conservative win in last week’s general election, organisations, also including the Creative Industries Federation, UK Theatre, Incorporated Society of Musicians and the Back for the Future Campaign, have outlined their priorities for the creative industries.
Equity general secretary Christine Payne said: “As the largest union in the creative sector, representing more than 48,000 professionals, we strongly encourage the government to take up the offer we make today of expert guidance on matters that are crucial for the future health of the UK’s creative industries.
“Equity remains extremely concerned about the impact Brexit will have on our members, in particular the need for the government to prioritise continuing freedom of movement, which is also essential for employers and engagers in the entertainment industries.
“To date, we have not been satisfied that our voice has been heard and we would urgently invite ministers to meet with us to address the key issues of mobility, tax and social security arrangements, safeguards for employment rights, copyright, settled status and funding for the arts.”
Ed’s Decade - Ed Sheeran has been named the UK's artist of the decade by the Official Charts Company. Sheeran achieved the milestone after a combined run of 12 number one singles and albums between 2010 and 2019

Festive Spirit - Theatre Royal Stratford East will make its pantomime available for streaming to local hospitals and care homes. Its production of Dick Whittington will be captured live at the venue and made available for streaming to hospitals, hospices and care homes in east London and Essex. The initiative expands on a 2017 scheme in which Rapunzel was made available to three organisations in and around the area.
TRSE head of learning and participation Flo Paul said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer this streaming service to people in our local community who are not able to make it to Theatre Royal Stratford East to see our much-loved annual panto. This year we are expanding the offer to adults in care homes, as well as children in hospices and hospitals. At Stratford East, we believe it’s vital to offer a range of opportunities for people of all ages in Newham and the surrounding boroughs to engage with our theatre.”
Dick Whittington is directed by John Haidar and stars Sèverine Howell-Meri, Harry Jardine, Vedi Roy, Bree Smith, Lizzie Winkler, Francesca Zoutewelle and Tom Giles. It runs until January 11, 2020.
Chart Watch - Robbie Williams has become the joint most successful solo act in UK album chart history after scoring his 13th number one, level with Elvis Presley. Robbie's The Christmas Present moved to the top spot after entering at number two behind Coldplay last week. The Beatles hold the overall record with 15 UK number one albums.
Beyond The Fringe - A Morecambe arts venue i

Call to Arms - Industry leaders including National Theatre bosses Rufus Norris and Lisa Burger and Bristol Old Vic’s artistic director Tom Morris are calling on the sector to band together to fight for increased arts investment from a new government. They have issued the call to arms in an attempt to undo the effects of austerity-era cuts.
Their demands for increased arts funding from central government come alongside warnings that the regional theatre sector could “fall over” if support does not increase, and that the crisis facing organisations nationwide is “sharper and more acute” than has so far been publicly acknowledged.
As the UK prepares to head to the polls and with both Labour and the Conservatives promising a boost to public spending, theatre bosses have claimed now is the moment for a major policy shift around arts funding.
Morris said: “It is fantastic that militant austerity is now under review, and it is fantastic that there is more investment being talked about in health, social care, education and policing. But let’s not at the same time miss the opportunity of assessing what the impact of investment could be in the creative sector, the only sector of the economy that has grown year on year over the past 10 years.”
Theatre Collapse - Claims totalling more than £378,000 have been made against the collapsed Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre. The pop-up venue ran in York and Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire this summer under the company Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre Ltd. However, the company began liquidation pro

Record Breaker - At the American Music Awards, Taylor Swift was presented with the Artist of the Decade award by singer-songwriter Carole King who commended Swift for the strength of her lyrics, and the relatability of her music, predicting: "The best is yet to come." In turn, Swift acknowledged the impact King's music had had on her parents and her family, saying it was every musician's goal "to create something that will last".
The career-spanning honour wasn't Swift's only award at the ceremony - she picked up another five competitive awards, including artist of the year. That brings her total tally of AMA trophies to 29 - breaking a record held by Michael Jackson, who received 24 American Music Awards.
Secondary Ticketing - Andrew Lloyd Webber is joining forces with ticket resellers Twickets in a bid to beat touts. The theatrical grandee, whose LW playhouses include The London Palladium and the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, hopes the move will bring consumer-friendly ticket resale to the West End.
The new system means unwanted tickets bought at the box office can be resold for no more than the original price. Twickets will also add a fee of 10% to 13% of the face value. Rebecca Kane Burton, CEO at LW Theatres said: "We continue to strive to not only offer our customers an incredible experience, but also help them when things don't go to plan. Providing a safe, secure and easy way to resell tickets is best practice and yet another step LW Theatres is taking to innovate and improve theatre-going."
Twickets launched in 2015 as a more ethi

Get Back - One of the live industry’s worst-kept secrets has been confirmed: Sir Paul McCartney will headline Glastonbury in 2020. The former Beatle will top the bill on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday 27 June, a week after his 78th birthday. He last played the Somerset event in 2004, and organisers have long been keen to get him back for an encore. Next year will be Glastonbury's golden jubilee and co-organiser Emily Eavis says: “There really was no one that we wanted more for the 50th anniversary.”
Together Again - Mötley Crüe are to reform for a stadium tour of the US - less than five years after they played what they said would be their final ever show. Def Leppard and Poison will join them, but dates and venues are yet to be announced. Before their supposed farewell tour in 2014-2015, the band had signed what they said was a "cessation of touring agreement" at a press conference. But on Monday, they posted a video of that contract being blown up. The band said in a statement: "The contract is off the table because a whole new generation of Crüeheads are relentlessly demanding for the band to come back together."
Street Music - A screening of 42nd Street The Musical took £1.1m in its first week. Distributor More2Screen has confirmed the film achieved the best ever first week box office sales for an event cinema screening. It was screened at more than 600 venues.
CEO and founder of More2Screen Christine Costello said: “This tremendous box office result demonstrates the huge enthusiasm for watching West End musicals