Culture (Page 8)

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel’s conviction for the murder of an associate has been quashed, after a London court ruled Thursday (14 March) that the conviction was unsafe due to attempts to bribe the trial jury a decade ago. In April 2014, Kartel was sentenced to life in prison for the murder. The 48-year-old musician, real name Adidja Palmer, remains a popular artist in Jamaica and is well known internationally for his 2009 Major Lazer collaboration “Pon De Floor” which was heavily sampled on Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)”. Kartel was first imprisonedContinue Reading

Speculation has been rife about this year’s Glastonbury Festival headliners, but the big reveal has left some music fans “unimpressed” and “underwhelmed”. The rumour mill had featured “music legends Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Billy Joel and untouchable global superstar Taylor Swift”, said Neil McCormick in The Telegraph. But “the actual Glastonbury headline bill looks a bit less vintage jukebox and more like the excitable soundtrack to a children’s birthday party”, he said. Appearing on the Pyramid Stage this year will be Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA, with Shania Twain playing the “legendary Sunday slot”, said MailOnline. As the “only genuinely global British star” of recent times, Dua Lipa is a “smart pick”, said McCormick. Her “super-drilled hit-packed show” is sure toContinue Reading

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh and Fern Britton tore into Meghan Markle in the latest episode of Celebrity Big Brother. Since the series started on ITV earlier this month, all three of the housemates have not held back when sharing their candid views on stars ranging from James Corden and Phillip Schofield to Simon Cowell and Jedward, which prompted a retaliation from the former X Factor contestants. The latest person to be criticised was Meghan Markle, with Walsh wondering aloud: “Does anybody like that girl?” When the trio praised Kate Middleton for “stepping into”Continue Reading

From “raucous crowds” and “widespread television coverage” to a “semi-final ending in a full blown punch-up”, this story “needs to be seen to be believed”. That was how Kathryn Batte described the 1971 Women’s World Cup football tournament in Mexico in the Daily Mail. And Kevin Maher in The Times called it an “incendiary account” that must be added to “the list of great football documentaries”. “Copa 71” details the tournament through archive footage and contemporary interviews with the players. “It’s a joy to listen to their memories”, said Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian, including how they were “badly treated afterwards by the mediocre menfolk”. Subscribe to The Week Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plusContinue Reading

Houston, Texas (Image credit: Courtesy image) The library in this 2006 Tudor Revival has richly carved dark wood book coves, a cornice, a fireplace and diamond-paned leaded windows. The four-bedroom house features period-appropriate pocket doors, coffered ceilings, and inlaid-wood floors; a grand staircase and window seats; a primary suite with fireplace, balcony, and spa bath; and a chef’s kitchen, wine room, and butler’s pantry.  (Image credit: Courtesy image) The lot is landscaped with a patio, lawn, shrubs, and mature trees; Hermann Park and the Houston Zoo are a 10-minute drive. $3,695,000. Gordana Vickers, Compass, (713) 703-6299. Pipersville, Pennsylvania (Image credit: Courtesy image) The library at Wolf Hall, a five-bedroom converted 1875 stone barn, features walls of bookcases, two seating areas,Continue Reading

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free The Batman Part II has been delayed by a full year by studio Warner Bros, and will now be released on 2 October 2026. The sequel to Matt Reeves’s acclaimed DC superhero noir The Batman will see Robert Pattinson reprise his role as the titular superhero, along with fellow returning cast members Zoë Kravitz (Catwoman), Paul Dano as (The Riddler) and Andy Serkis (Alfred). The film is also expected to see an expanded role for Saltburn star Barry Keoghan, who was set up as a mysterious Arkham Asylum inmate who befriends The Riddler at theContinue Reading

In the 1960s, a revolutionary literary movement burst on to the global publishing scene in what would become known as the Latin American boom.  The international success of authors like Colombia’s Gabriel García Márquez, Argentina’s Julio Cortázar and Peru’s Mario Vargas Llosa brought Latin American fiction to the literary forefront in the 20th century. Now, we are witnessing a second boom, according to judges of the International Booker Prize. South American authors account for “almost a quarter” of the longlist for this year’s prize, said The Bookseller.  Argentinian poet and novelist Selva Almada, Venezuelan writer Rodrigo Blanco Calderón, Brazilian short story writer Itamar Vieira Junior and Peruvian “chronicler” Gabriela Wiener have all been longlisted for the prize, which recognises theContinue Reading

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Johnny Depp was quick to celebrate Robert Downey Jr’s triumph at the Oscars on social media last night – but ended up having to remove an image which turned out to have been photoshopped. The Rum Diary star, 60, used his official Instagram page to congratulate his longtime friend for winning the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in Oppenheimer. However, his initial post showed a photoshopped image of the pair. In the actual photograph, which was taken at a Young Artists Unite event in Los Angeles in November 1988, Downey Jr was picturedContinue Reading

What happened? “Oppenheimer” was the big winner at Sunday’s Academy Awards, picking up seven Oscars, including best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan), best actor (Cillian Murphy) and best supporting actor (Robert Downey Jr.). Emma Stone won best actress for “Poor Things.”  Who said what? “Probably I will be the first director on this stage to say I wish I never made this film,” Ukrainian filmmaker Mstyslav Chernov said in his acceptance speech for “20 Days in Mariupol,” the best documentary feature. Cillian Murphy, who portrayed atomic bomb creator Robert Oppenheimer, said “for better or worse we’re still living in Oppenheimer’s world, so I’d like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere.” The 2024 Oscars had some “truly deserving and heartwarmingContinue Reading

Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free The 2024 Oscars was a glittering night that saw Oppenheimer and Poor Things win big while Killers of the Flower Moon went home empty-handed. You can find a list of all the winners here. The Academy Awards, which aired in the UK on ITV, were once again hosted by late-night titan Jimmy Kimmel. In his opening monologue, the host took aim at Sony’s Madame Web, disgraced French actor Gerard Depardieu and Oppenheimer nominee Robert Downey Jr. Among the performers was Ryan Gosling who stunned the audience with his typically vibrant rendition of “I’m Just Ken”Continue Reading