Culture (Page 83)

I t’s almost that time. One of the nation’s favourite reality TV shows I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! will soon be back on our screens. Presented by comedy duo Ant and Dec, the show is now on its 22nd series. On Sunday, 10 celebs will enter the I’m a Celebrity jungle, including Boy George and ITV News presenter Charlene White. They’ll take on the bushtucker trials as they get to know each other surrounded by plenty of creepy crawlies. Other celebs confirmed to be entering the jungle include Love Island star Olivia Attwood, former health secretary Matt Hancock, plus England Lioness Jill Scott and ex-rugby player Mike Tindall. Another one of those stars ready to takeContinue Reading

Review at a glance F lorence Pugh’s acting is the miracle we take for granted. So it will be no surprise that the 26 year-old Brit dominates this adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s subversive gothic novel with a sensual, spry and increasingly wrenching performance. That – along with typically atmospheric cinematography from The Power of the Dog’s Ari Wegner, a shiver-inducing score from Matthew Herbert and the bold decisions made by Chilean director Sebastian Lelio – more than makes up for any flaws in the screenplay. The Wonder is bound to be controversial and definitely takes a turn for the torrid in the second half; but have faith in Lelio’s team. Like Room, Lenny Abrahamson’s Oscar-nominated take on Donoghue’s most famousContinue Reading

W elcome back to The Great British Bake-Off, and after a few detours, this week we’re finally back to a baking-centric theme with the dreaded Pastry Week. It also happens to be the quarter-finals, so naturally fear levels are high – but happily, all the bakers still have time for “good lucks” and hugs before starting. “I can’t believe I’m here. I’m now surrounded by all Star Bakers!” Abdul gushes. Very sweet, but if you’re the only one who’s not gotten it yet, Abdul, alarm bells should be ringing slightly. As Matt and Noel introduce the theme, it transpires that this week’s Signature bake will be twelve sweet vol-au-vents. Comprising rough-puff pastry and a sweet filling, they seem rather aContinue Reading

H ollywood celebrities shared their spooky looks online as they pulled out all the stops for the Halloween weekend. Lizzo, the Kardashian-Jenners, Cardi B and Paris Hilton were among those showing off impressive outfits at star-studded parties. The Truth Hurts singer posted a series of pictures of her in costume as Miss Piggy – “the notorious P I G” – who she described as “the epitome of grace (and) style”. “A tribute to my forever icon, MISS PIGGY. The epitome of grace, style, confidence and a warrior for love. @realmisspiggy I love you.” Read More In earlier posts Lizzo also styled herself as a blue-haired Marge Simpson crossover character. Reality stars Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner also did not holdContinue Reading

I t famously takes the Whitbread, Booker and Nobel prize-winning writer Kazuo Ishiguro between three and 10 years to complete a novel but that’s nothing compared to the gestation period of his screenplays. His latest, Living, a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film Ikiru, arrives a full 17 years after his last, for the near-forgotten film The White Countess. Living, about a 1950s civil servant (played by Bill Nighy) reassessing his life in the light of a terminal illness diagnosis and a platonic friendship with a young female colleague (Aimee Lou Wood), has arguably been fermenting in his mind even longer. Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki but his oceanographer father moved the family to Guildford in 1960, when his sonContinue Reading

S imon Cowell has admitted to being “really unhappy” and working too much until his son was born eight years ago. The music mogul and TV personality behind Britain’s Got Talent and The X-Factor said he was “obsessed” with his work prior to the arrival of Eric, his son with fiancee Lauren Silverman. “Before Eric, my life was 99 per cent work — I was obsessed with it,” the 63-year-old told The Sun. I was really unhappy. But now Eric is around, I don’t work through the night anymore “I got to that point where everything was about, ‘If you’re not rating against this then you’re a failure’ and I stopped enjoying what I was doing and I was miserableContinue Reading

F lorence Pugh says as a teenager she “would have put money on being a singer songwriter way before being an actor”, and intends to release a solo music album. The Don’t Worry Darling star said she had written several songs for an upcoming film and that she had “lost confidence” in performing music through lack of practice. Pugh reflected on her musical ambitions, which started as a teenage singer-songwriter posting videos on YouTube under the name Flossie Rose, on an episode of BBC Radio 4’s This Cultural Life. “I would have put money on being a singer songwriter way before being an actor,” she told host John Wilson. “To me being an actor was so far away. I knewContinue Reading

K nown for setting the piano alight, both figuratively and sometimes literally, Jerry Lee Lewis was one of the last remnants of the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll. The world famous US musician – nicknamed The Killer – ran with other historic greats including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Little Richard – though he outlasted them all. Lewis emerged as one of rock music’s early showmen in the 1950s, and was known for his innovative and flamboyant piano-playing style, having been influenced by the styles of preachers and black musicians as a child. Lewis was born on September 29, 1935. From humble beginnings in Ferriday, Louisiana, he found his way to Memphis, Tennessee, where he worked as a sessionContinue Reading

K ylie Minogue said it is always a challenge to “find that next sound” after 30 years of hit albums but she is “ready for new music” in her life. The pop star, 54, said she has been working on her next album for “a few months” which she is focused on “for the rest of the year”. Minogue, whose winemaking business is launching its first zero percent sparkling rose, said it was joyful to be back in the studio making music following the pandemic. “I can’t reveal what the sound is yet, but it is all super exciting,” she told the PA news agency. “It’s always a challenge to find that next sound, find the songs which not onlyContinue Reading