Kenneth Branagh casts doubt on Shakespeare

September 21st, 2009 Roof rot hits church over Shakespeare's graveLONDON — Something is rotten in the city of Stratford-upon-Avon. It's the beam that supports the roof over the grave of William Shakespeare, and the church were he lies is urgently seeking 50,000 pounds ($80,000) for repairs.

September 14th, 2009 'Shakespeare in Love' set to be reborn as theaterLONDON — A British theater company plans to rebuild an Elizabethan playhouse using the set from the hit film "Shakespeare in Love." The oak-timbered set of the Rose Theatre was donated to the British Shakespeare Company by Judi Dench, who won an Academy Award for playing Queen Elizabeth I in the 1998 romantic comedy. The original Rose Theatre was built in 1587 on the south bank of the River Thames — then just outside London's city limits.

August 10th, 2009 LONDON - The discovery of a sarcophagus in an English parish church may have brought experts a step closer to solving the centuries-old literary debate over who really wrote the plays of William Shakespeare. The 17th monument was built by Fulke Greville, a writer and contemporary of Shakespeare who some believe is the true author of several of the Bard's works.

July 4th, 2009 LONDON - Legendary playwright William Shakespeare-known for his plays like 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Hamlet', etc.-has officially been named Britain's greatest national treasure in a new poll. The poll was sponsored by ice-cream makers Mivvi.

May 30th, 2009 LONDON - Shakespeare's hometown Stratford-upon-Avon is witnessing serious response after a sex shop received a thumbs up to have its opening near the Bard's birthplace. The upcoming launch of Romeo and Juliet's Adult Boutique, looking to sell saucy toys and porn DVDs just yards from where thousands flock every year to visit the playwright's home, has incurred the wrath of community leaders.

April 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Mischa Barton is so determined to land a role in a Shakespearean play that she has taken a course on the playwright to boost her chances of landing a part. The beauty wants to concentrate on her stage career, and therefore, has decided to take a break from pursuing movie roles.

April 24th, 2009 MUMBAI - Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah launched a DVD consisting of works of Shakespeare on the occasion of 445th birth anniversary of William Shakespeare. Noted film critic Bhawana Somaaya also accompanied Shah during the DVD release function here last evening.

March 28th, 2009 LONDON - The restoration work on William Shakespeare's portrait, 100 years after his death, actually removed a superimposition that could have revealed an insight into the changing appearance of one of the world's greatest playwright. When art conservators joined hands to restore two rare portraits of Shakespeare, they thought they were removing paint daubed on the canvases more than 100 years after the Bard's death to reveal "authentic" portraits beneath.

March 25th, 2009 LONDON - Uncertainty overshadows the remaining three games of the one-day international series between West Indies and England with the Carribean players threatening to go on strike over non- payment of their dues from last year's New Zealand tour. Windies Cricket Board (WICB) officials Julian Hunte and Donald Peters have sought an immediate meeting with West Indies Cricket Players' Union chief Dinanath Ramnarine on the issue.

March 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Natasha Richardson, who died due to a head injury caused by a skiing accident, did not fancy the sport, her fashion designer pal Kenneth Cole has revealed. Natasha, who was declared brain dead after the skiing accident in Montreal, died due to a blunt fall, reports Contactmusic.

March 22nd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - At the four-day series of lectures and dialogue on evolution of Urdu drama and theatre titled 'Early Urdu Theatre: Traditions and Transformations', Russian scholar Dr Anna Suvorova spoke on 'Shakespearean Influence on Urdu Drama and Theatre'. The event, which had been organised by the National College of Arts, Rawalpindi, took place at the National Art Gallery, and it entered its third day on March 20.

March 21st, 2009 LONDON - A rare portrait of William Shakespeare, believed to be the only surviving portrait, could actually be a painting of 17th century courtier Sir Thomas Overbury, claims an expert. The Jacobean painting from the family collection of art restorer Alec Cobbe was believed to be of the Shakespeare because it closely resembled the engraving in Shakespeare's First Folio.

March 18th, 2009 LONDON - An academic claims to have unearthed six previously unrecognized works of legendary playwright William Shakespeare. Dr. John Casson, an independent researcher and psychotherapist, has found Shakespeare's first published poem the Phaeton sonnet, his first comedy Mucedorus, and his first tragedies Locrine and Arden of Faversham.

March 10th, 2009 LONDON - The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust here has unveiled what they call the only portrait of William Shakespeare painted during his lifetime, showing a rosy-cheeked poet, with a frilly white lace collar, a full head of hair and a reddish brown beard. The portrait of Shakespeare is thought to be the 'only' portrait painted during his lifetime, reports CNN.

January 12th, 2009 LONDON - Better known for burning books rather than collecting them, Adolf Hitler owned an estimated 16,000 volumes and was a voracious reader who loved Shakespeare, says a new book. 'It was by any measure an impressive collection: first editions of the works of philosophers, historians, poets, playwrights and novelists,' historian Timothy W.