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Jim Parker, a four-time BAFTA-winning composer whose credits included the original House of Cards and Midsomer Murders, has died aged 88 after a long illness.

Parker’s daughter Claire Parker issued a statement earlier today confirming the news and paying tribute.

“He wore his talent lightly and had a quiet passion and great sense of humour,” she said. “His ambition was, first and foremost, for audiences to enjoy his music. He was both well-respected and well-liked within the music and television industry, writing so many memorable theme tunes, and always giving 100% commitment.”

Born in Hartlepool in 1934, Parker started his career in a Britsh army band. He subsequently composed the music for Banana Blush, an album he made in 1974 with the poet John Betjeman, before turning to TV.

Parker composed the likes of the original UK version of House of Cards and Midsomer Murders. He won four Baftas, one for the second...

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Dale McRaven, the Emmy-nominated comedy writer and producer who created Mork & Mindy with Garry Marshall and then the long-running Perfect Strangers on his own, has died. He was 83.

McRaven died Sept. 5 of complications from lung cancer at his home in Porter Ranch, California, his son, David McRaven, told The Hollywood Reporter.

McRaven also served as a writer on the fifth and final season of CBS’ The Dick Van Dyke Show and as a writer-producer on ABC’s The Partridge Family during that musical comedy’s 1970-74 run. Plus, he and Marshall created the 1979-80 ABC sitcom Angie, starring Donna Pescow and Robert Hays.

Perfect Strangers, from Miller-Boyett Productions and Lorimar Television, debuted in March 1986 and starred Mark Linn-Baker and Bronson Pinchot as mismatched cousins — one an American, the other from the fictional island of Mypos — who live together in a Chicago apartment.

The cop who cited a "Django Unchained" actress for having sex in public has been called out for leaking audio of the incident, and it's gonna cost him some dough. The L.A. Ethics Commission ruled Tuesday former Lapd Sergeant Jim Parker broke city rules by releasing the audio to TMZ following the 2014 incident with Daniele Watts, who Parker busted for having sex with her Bf in their car in broad daylight. The Commission said...

An Lapd cop, falsely accused of racism and brutality, is being attacked by an L.A. City agency for exposing the truth and defending himself ... and now the City wants a big chunk of his retirement. It's a slap in the face to anyone who believes Blue Lives Matter. The L.A. Ethics Commission is gunning for recently retired Lapd Sgt. Jim Parker, trying to force him to pay a $10,000 fine for leaking audio to...

The "Django Unchained" actress who was handcuffed after allegedly having sex with her boyfriend in a car has copped a plea ... and part of the deal is apologizing to the officer she accused of racism. Daniele Watts pled no contest to disturbing the peace and in return the lewd conduct charge was dismissed. Watts and her boyfriend were in a car outside the CBS Studios in the San Fernando Valley last September when people in...

Former X Factor singer Lucie Jones will appear in this week's Midsomer Murders.

The Welsh model stars in the ITV drama on Wednesday (February 11) as Melody Carver, whose late uncle's song appears to be inspiring a spate of killings.

Folk singer Seth Lakeman will also appear in the episode 'The Ballad of Midsomer County', for which he has provided a brand new song of the same name.

Jones said: "I have acted on stage but I've never been given the opportunity to do TV acting before so I didn't expect to get anything from the audition. I was very nervous so when I got the job it was amazing.

"On the first day of filming I was absolutely terrified but the director Renny Rye was my rock. He was so patient with me, offering quiet advice when needed and giving me a boost when things were tough

"He talked me...

Actress Daniele Watts caused quite a stir last month when she spoke out about her detention by Los Angeles police, accusing them of racial profiling. Now Watts, who was originally arrested on suspicion of prostitution, has been charged with committing a lewd act, leading to allegations that the police are looking for payback.

With Watts' husband also facing charges, the couple could be looking at up to six months in prison and a fine of $1,000 - despite the fact that police sergeant Jim Parker reportedly told the Los Angeles Times that the incident would have been ignored if Watts had cooperated. The actress objected to being asked to show ID, arguing that she was doing nothing wrong by kissing her husband in a public place. The American Civil Liberties Union (Aclu) has backed her on this but the Lapd is maintaining its position. Watts has filed a formal complaint.

The.

Six weeks after responding to what he thought would be a routine lewd conduct call, Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Jim Parker is now in a world of trouble. “I've been placed in what's called the ‘penalty box.’ I can't wear a uniform, I can't be on patrol and I can have no civilian contact,” Parker told TheWrap Tuesday evening in a wide-ranging interview. The 25-year Lapd veteran is currently under investigation by the department's internal affairs division as a result of the Sept. 11 arrest of “Django Unchained” actress Daniele Watts. See photos: Spike Lee's Ferguson Protest: Banner for...

The police officer at the center of the brief detention of actress Daniele Watts is calling foul play over the Lapd's internal affairs investigation of the incident.  Lapd Sgt. Jim Parker says that he and the two junior officers are being deprived of due process by being investigated without formal charges.   "It's very frustrating to learn Watts never filed a complaint but the department started its own complaint and no allegations have been framed yet,'" Parker tells The Hollywood Reporter. "This is what our department has become under current leadership! It's disgusting." See more  Stars Behaving Badly: From Justin Bieber

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Django Unchained actress Danièle Watts made headlines this weekend after her Facebook post about being detained by the Lapd for "kissing while black" went viral. Now the police are striking back, with the help of their unofficial publicity arm (in this case), TMZ. On Tuesday, TMZ released the police department's audio recording of the incident, which it says exonerates Lapd Sergeant Jim Parker. In the clip, Parker tells Watts he's received a complaint about Watts and partner Brian Lucas having sex in a car with the door open. Watts says they were only kissing, and refuses to hand over her I.D. The situation escalates from there, ending with those pictures of a handcuffed Watts breaking down in tears. This is where things get tricky. In the audio, Watts clearly believes she's not required to hand over her license, but since the state doesn't have a Stop and Identify law,...

An incident involving actress Daniele Watts and the Lapd is quickly becoming a case of he said, she said. Watts posted on Facebook on Sept. 11 that "2 different police officers accosted me and forced me into handcuffs. I knew that I had done nothing wrong." She says she was arrested for merely "showing affection, fully clothed, in a public place" with her partner, celebrity chef Brian James Lucas. According to the Lapd, officers responded to a radio call generated by a concerned citizen, who complained that a male and a female were involved in indecent exposure inside a silver Mercedes with the vehicle door open.

An incident involving actress Daniele Watts and the Lapd is quickly becoming a case of he said, she said. Watts posted on Facebook on Sept. 11 that "2 different police officers accosted me and forced me into handcuffs. I knew that I had done nothing wrong." She says she was arrested for merely "showing affection, fully clothed, in a public place" with her partner, celebrity chef Brian James Lucas. According to the Lapd, officers responded to a radio call generated by a concerned citizen, who complained that a male and a female were involved in indecent exposure inside a silver Mercedes with the vehicle door open.

The Los Angeles police officer involved in a confrontation with Django Unchained actress Daniele Watts is emphatically defending himself against any charges of wrongdoing. "She is lying," Lapd Sgt. Jim Parker tells The Hollywood Reporter, contending the actress is making "malicious and false statements." Watts, who is African-American, says the police accused her of prostitution because she was being publicly affectionate with her white boyfriend, Brian James Lucas. “Today I was handcuffed and detained by 2 police officers from the Studio City Police Department after refusing to agree that I had done something wrong by showing affection, fully

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The "Django Unchained" actress who claimed she was harassed and hurt by cops after making out with her boyfriend was actually having sex in her car according to witnesses ... then went on a rant with cops accusing them of racism and not knowing who she was ... according to police audio obtained by TMZ.Daniele Watts had just left CBS studios in the San Fernando Valley around 2 Pm Thursday. She says she was making out with her Bf,...

Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe winning writer Aaron Sorkin has been away from the small screen for nearly 5 years and his absence has somewhat been felt. He truly cemented his talent as a terrific TV writer after spending 4 years as show runner/chief writer on The West Wing, which won numerous awards and critical acclaim.

After that he came a cropper with the underrated Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (which only lasted one season) and then he turned his eyes towards film, finding massive success with The Social Network, which did a lot to re-establish him as an important voice in the world of visual media. Now, after winning every writing award possible for the aforementioned film, he’s back in the world of TV with The Newsroom.

The Newsroom is, like all Sorkin products, a behind the scenes glance at the machinations of a popular industry. In the...

He was one of Britain's foremost trumpeters with many popular credits

James Watson, who has died following a heart attack aged 59, was one of Britain's leading trumpet players – for a number of years the soloist of choice for major orchestral engagements. As artistic director and head of brass at the Royal Academy of Music, he was active also as a conductor and administrator, preparing students for the challenges of the profession with engaging enthusiasm and directness.

Supported by the Leicestershire musical family into which he was born, Watson became known from an early age for his prowess on the cornet. Not only did he become principal cornet of the Desford Colliery Band at the age of 11, but he also won both the junior and senior champion soloist of Great Britain titles in 1966, aged just 14. In fact he won the national championships of Great Britain on six occasions, as well as...