Charlie Sheen gets all the media attention these days but I’ve always found Emilio Estevez to be the more interesting of the two brothers with the more fascinating and esoteric career. From founding the Brat Pack to coaching The Mighty Ducks …
Archives for August 2011
The World’s Wife
22 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
A female perspective on some of history’s most enduring stories
Ever since I was an eager young English student trying to emulate older friends I’ve tried to convince myself that I love poetry. I bought vast collections which still sit unread on my bookshelves and nodded sagely whenever people spoke about poetry.
Top Ten: Crime Writers
19 August 2011 by 9 Comments
Every so often I worry that I’m not a “serious” enough reader. I don’t scour the new literary releases looking for the critics’ choice as my next purchase. I don’t obsessively plough my way through the shortlists of the highbrow book prizes. That’s not to say that I don’t read any literary fiction at all, but offered the choice of a Booker Prize winner or a good crime thriller I’d pick the latter any day of the week.
There is a wealth of enjoyable crime fiction available and hundreds of new and established crime novelists but I tend to find myself returning to the same authors over and over again. Here, in alphabetical order, are my top ten crime writers.
Room
18 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
The harrowing story of a child born into horror
Like lots of people there’s part of me that believes that I could write a best-selling novel. I read the papers or watch the news and get inspiration for stories but I never actually seem to get anywhere with writing them. That wasn’t the case for novelist Emma Donoghue ….
Shammi Kapoor Dies
17 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
Bollywood superstar Shammi Kapoor has died at a Mumbai hospital at the age of 79. Kapoor, part of an Indian acting dynasty, starred in over 100 films and was called the “Elvis Presley of India” due to his popularity and enthusiastic dance routines.
Reg Hollis: Best Actor In The World?
17 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
Jeff Stewart, former star of The Bill, has won the Best Actor award at the Manhattan Film Festival for his performance in the Soviet-era drama Under Jakob’s Ladder. Stewart, who played the annoying PC Reg Hollis, famously went through a very tough time after being axed from The Bill so it’s great to see him have such a successful comeback.
Hi-No Silver!
17 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
Disney have called “wooooahhhh boy” on their planned production of The Lone Ranger. Due to be directed by Gore Verbinski and star Johnny Depp it seems that the $250 million price tag is too high for them, which is completely understandable. It’s not as if the Pirates of the Caribbean team of Verbinski and Depp have a history of making obscene amounts of money for the studio is it?
Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Images Released
17 August 2011 by 2 Comments
One of the films I’m most looking forward to seeing this year is David Fincher’s adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s novel The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo starring Daniel Craig. Images and potted biographies of the main characters have now been released and I particularly like the look of Robin Wright as Erika Berger and Embeth Davidtz as Annika Blomkvist.
Mr Men celebrate 40 magnificent years
17 August 2011 by 1 Comment
The Mr Men series by Roger Hargreaves celebrated its 40th birthday this month. Mr Tickle, the first character, was inspired by a question from Hargreaves’ son Adam who asked what a tickle looked like. I loved the Mr Men books as a child, although never quite such a big fan of the Little Misses. It pleases me immensely to find out that Roger Hargreaves has become the third best selling British author and more than 75 million Mr Men and Little Miss books have been sold in the UK alone.
Birmingham for Tariq Jahan
17 August 2011 by Leave a Comment
The UK seems to be returning to some sort of normality after last week’s riots, although for some families it will take much longer than a few days to recover. Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy has written a poem dedicated to Tariq Jahan, whose son Haroon was one of three brave young men killed while trying to protect their local community.