S singer-songwriter Randy Newman has postponed his European tour because he is suffering from severe back pain
October 31, 2008
US singer-songwriter Randy Newman has postponed his European tour because he is suffering from severe back pain.
The 64-year-old musician said in a statement on his website that he had "severe limitations" caused by narrowed blood vessels in his neck and back.
Newman, whose first performance was due to take place in Berlin on Saturday, said he "deeply regretted" having to postpone the 18-date tour.
The singer won a best song Oscar in 2002 for the film Monsters Inc.
New material
He has been nominated for an Academy Award on 16 other occasions for his work on numerous film soundtracks, and has also picked up four Grammys.
Newmans hits include I Love LA and I Love To See You Smile.
"I like it so much in Europe, and Ive always been treated so well," he added on his website message.
"Ill get there as soon as I can."
The singers tour was to promote his album Harps and Angels, his first collection of new material in nine years.
Rescheduled dates for the 18 concerts will be announced in due course, including a performance at Londons Royal Festival Hall which was scheduled for 19 November.
gun-toting rat painted by urban artist Banksy could mean the price of a derelict pub in Liverpool will soar, estate agents say
October 31, 2008
A gun-toting rat painted by urban artist Banksy could mean the price of a derelict pub in Liverpool will soar, estate agents say.
The Whitehouse pub is on the market for £495,000, but the 20ft-high rat - thought to be Banksys biggest work of art - could see the pub sell for £1m.
Jonathan Owen, commercial sales director at Sutton Kersh, said it was a "unique opportunity" for Banksy fans.
He added that many enquires about the pub had been from art dealers.
Celebrity fans
The sale price includes the freehold of two three-storey Georgian buildings and a cleared site totalling about 7,967 sq ft, but not the value of the Banksy.
Mr Owen said: "The asking price is for a vacant city centre building and land… and does not include any added value that may be attributed to the authenticated Banksy artwork.
"We have received numerous enquiries from artists as a result of the painting. Banksy is internationally recognised and has numerous A-list celebrity followers.
"Now that the artwork on the Whitehouse pub has been authenticated as a genuine Banksy work we anticipate that this may generate offers significantly above the value of the buildings themselves."
ulitzer Prize-winning author Studs Terkel has died at his home in Chicago, aged 96, his son has announced
October 31, 2008
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Studs Terkel has died at his home in Chicago, aged 96, his son has announced.
He was renowned for relating US history through personal stories from a cross-section of society in books such as Working and Division Street: America.
Born Louis Terkel, he won a Pulitzer in 1985 for his chronicling of World War II in his oral history, The Good War.
"My dad led a long, full, eventful, sometimes tempestuous, but very satisfying life," his son said.
For four decades, Studs Terkel entertained listeners on his Chicago-based radio show.
Born in 1912 in New York to Russian Jewish parents, Studs Terkel moved with his parents to Chicago, Illinois, eight years later where he spent most of his life.
His prodigious career spanned acting, writing and broadcasting, but it was for his oral histories that he became best-known.
In his 1970 book Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression, the writer assembled recollections from across the socio-economic spectrum, from prison inmates to the wealthy.
Terkels working methods were perhaps best illustrated by the subtitle of Working, published in 1974: "People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do".
uthor Ian Fleming was partly inspired to create James Bond by the exploits of a 16th century spy called John Bond, it is claimed
October 31, 2008
Author Ian Fleming was partly inspired to create James Bond by the exploits of a 16th century spy called John Bond, it is claimed.
Descendants of John Bond say a newly-unearthed diary reveals he went on missions for Queen Elizabeth I.
Fleming went to Durnford School on the Isle of Purbeck, in Dorset, which was next to the estate of the Bond family whose motto is The World Is Not Enough.
Historian Rodney Legg said John Bond was an inspiration for Fleming.
The author based Bond on characters he knew, Mr Legg added.
"His Bond is as much a reflection of himself and the colourful characters around him. John Bond is part of the inspiration for it all," he said.
Man of action
Will Bond, the current head of the family, whose base is Tyneham in the Isle of Purbeck, says there is "every reason" to believe that Fleming took the motto "non sufficit orbis" - the world is not enough - and gave it to 007.
He claims that John Bond picked up the tag from a Spanish palace while on his travels.
007 creator Ian Fleming went to school close to the Bond estate
Fleming first used the motto in his 1963 book On Her Majestys Secret Service and it became the name of the 1999 Bond film outing.
Mr Bond added that the diary was written retrospectively by Johns son Denis, and painted him as a "man of action".
"He appeared in the wrong place at the wrong time too regularly to be mere coincidence.
"It is highly likely that Ian Fleming would have been aware of the Bond family - it is possible he also knew that there was a colourful past," he added.
John Bonds adventures were at times controversial, according to the diary.
In 1573, he took a woman and child hostage so he could escape the St Bartholomews Day massacre in France.
Daniel Craig is the latest actor to take on the big screen role of James Bond.
Quantum of Solace premiered in London earlier this week.
he BBC must be "firmer on excesses" in the wake of the Radio 2 offensive phone call row, BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons has said
October 31, 2008
The BBC must be "firmer on excesses" in the wake of the Radio 2 offensive phone call row, BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons has said.
The calls made by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross to actor Andrew Sachs "demonstrated the need for stricter controls", he said.
But, he added, the BBC must "be careful we do not retrench to a position where we
e no longer willing to take risks".
Brand has resigned, while Ross has been suspended for three months without pay.
The pair made a series of offensive calls to Sachs, 78, on Brands Radio 2 show which included obscene comments about the Fawlty Towers actors 23-year-old granddaughter, Georgina Baillie.
The incident led Lesley Douglas, controller of Radio 2, to tender her resignation on Thursday.
The BBC is hoping to draw a line under the furore, which, as of last night, had attracted 37,500 complaints.
Courage
The Trust, the BBCs governing body, has asked for a further report into the matter.
It wants more information on how the programme was approved for broadcast and who was involved in the final decision.
Jonathan Ross has been suspended for three months
Sir Michael, however, said he was satisfied with how the matter has been handled by Mark Thompson, the BBCs director general.
Speaking on the BBC Breakfast programme, he said Mr Thompson had acted "with courage" and had the full confidence of the Trust.
"The BBC takes its responsibilities over standards seriously and recognises what happened was completely unacceptable."
Ofcom is conducting its own investigation into the row, which could result in a fine.
Mr Thompson, meanwhile, has said there must be "tight discipline" in the future and that "nothing like this must ever happen again".
Final warning
He called Rosss actions "utterly unacceptable", adding that the presenter should regard his three-month suspension as a "final warning".
He said the suspension - which will reportedly cost the entertainer more than £1 million - was "an exceptional step".
Russell Brand resigned from his Radio 2 show
Mr Thompson met the BBC Trust on Thursday to discuss the crisis.
The Trust has demanded an on-air apology and called for editorial standards in the BBC to be tightened, with particular attention to "high risk" programmes.
In a statement issued after their meeting with Mr Thompson, the Trust said it was "dismayed" that the broadcasts "fell so far short of audience expectations".
It said there had been a "deplorable intrusion" into "the privacy of Mr Sachs and his granddaughter".
They issued an unreserved apology to licence fee payers, as well as to Sachs.
Huge mistake
Ms Douglas said the decision to leave her job was "mine and mine alone" and was made with "enormous regret".
Her departure dismayed many of her colleagues, one of whom - DJ Chris Evans - called her "the best boss in the world".
Lesley Douglas began her career at the BBC in 1986
However, he said employees of the station understood the "severity of whats gone on".
"We don feel like weve been picked on undeservedly," he said after his show on Thursday. "It was a huge mistake and we all wish it hadn happened.
"Andrew Sachs doesn want to be 78 years old and remembered for this. He wants to be remembered for what he did brilliantly."
Speaking on Five Live earlier, Radio 2 DJ Paul Gambaccini said Douglass departure was a "tragedy Greek in its dimensions".
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"She believed Russell Brands hire was a good thing for Radio 2 and she stood by him through thick and thin.
"I knew it would end in tears. When you pick up a time bomb, one day it will explode."
The incident, he said, demonstrated the danger of "airlifting" TV personalities into radio.
"I believed Russell did not have the talent for Radio 2 and Ive been proved right. I felt he was not appropriate for the network."
he first day of testimony in US music producer Phil Spectors murder retrial was cancelled on Thursday after an alternate juror broke his foot
October 31, 2008
The first day of testimony in US music producer Phil Spectors murder retrial was cancelled on Thursday after an alternate juror broke his foot.
The juror fell in the courts parking lot. An alternate juror replaces a regular juror who unexpectedly becomes unable to complete the trial.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Fidler said he was reluctant to lose an alternate juror this early in the case.
Mr Spector denies shooting actress Lana Clarkson at his mansion in 2003.
The first scheduled witness, retired New York City police detective Vincent Tannazzo, was in court on Thursday ready to testify.
He was ordered to return on Monday when proceedings will resume. The court is not in session on Fridays.
Sinister and violent
The retrial opened on Wednesday with an opening statement from Spectors lawyer, Doron Weinberg, casting the shooting of Lana Clarkson as a probable suicide.
Prosecutor Alan Jackson, meanwhile, pledged to show jurors "the real Phil Spector" - a woman-hater who could become "very sinister, very violent and very deadly".
Clarkson was found dead in the foyer of Spectors Californian home with a gunshot through her mouth in February 2003. There were no witnesses to the shooting.
Spectors first trial was declared a mistrial a year ago when jurors failed to reach a decision.
The producer, known for creating the "Wall of Sound" recording technique, faces a minimum of 15 years to life in prison if he is found guilty of second degree murder.
The new trial is expected to last four months.
ir Ian McKellen is to tread the boards next year with X-Men co-star Patrick Stewart in a new staging of Samuel Becketts 1955 play Waiting for Godot
October 31, 2008
Sir Ian McKellen is to tread the boards next year with X-Men co-star Patrick Stewart in a new staging of Samuel Becketts 1955 play Waiting for Godot.
The production, which will be directed by Sean Mathias, will tour the UK before opening in London in April at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
Stewart will play the tramp Vladimir, while Sir Ian will play Estragon.
The actors previously played comic book adversaries Professor X and Magneto in the three films in the X-Men series.
The pair first worked together at the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1977 in Tom Stoppards Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.
Juicy parts
Stewart is currently playing Claudius and the Ghost in the RSCs Stratford-upon-Avon production of Hamlet, which transfers to the West End later this year.
McKellen - also known for his role as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings films - made his last stage appearance in the RSCs acclaimed staging of King Lear.
The play will tour the UK before opening in London
The actor said he "couldn be happier". "There are no more juicy parts amongst modern classics than Didi and Gogo," he wrote on his official website.
Meanwhile, theatre producers have hit back at newspaper claims that West End ticket sales have been adversely affected by the so-called "credit crunch".
"Im not pretending that there aren shows out there having a difficult time, but I think its related to all sorts of things," Michael McCabe, executive producer of the musical Wicked, told the Stage newspaper.
"Shows closing and coming in is a natural evolution," agreed David Schrader of the Disney Theatrical Group.
"No industry is going to be immune, but so far we
e having a healthy autumn," said producer Nica Burns, whose current shows include Rain Man with Hollywood star Josh Hartnett.
couple have admitted supplying drugs including cocaine and ecstasy to singer Amy Winehouse
October 31, 2008
A couple have admitted supplying drugs including cocaine and ecstasy to singer Amy Winehouse.
John Blagrove, 34, and Cara Burton, 22, both from Dalston, east London, were warned they face a jail term as they appeared in Snaresbrook Crown Court.
Blagrove admitted two counts of offering to supply Class A drugs cocaine and ecstasy (MDMA) and one of offering to supply Class B drugs.
Burton admitted two counts of offering to supply Class B drugs.
Winehouse footage
The charges relate to video footage which appeared to show Winehouse smoking a crack pipe.
The singer was arrested and questioned over the images but she was not charged.
The pair denied one charge each of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, which was dropped when their plea was accepted by the prosecution.
The two will return to court on 28 November for pre-sentence reports.
S rock star Bruce Springsteen has put a free musical download on his website as a seasonal treat for fans
October 31, 2008
US rock star Bruce Springsteen has put a free musical download on his website as a seasonal treat for fans.
The new song, entitled A Night With the Jersey Devil, talks about "16 witches casting 16 spells".
Springsteen wrote: "If you grew up in south or central Jersey, you grew up with the Jersey Devil."
The musician recently cancelled an annual Halloween display at his New Jersey home over concerns about the volume of visitors it would attract.
Springsteens website also features a video to accompany the song.
The Jersey Devil is a legendary two-legged creature, often depicted with wings and hooves, which is said to inhabit the Pine Barrens area of New Jersey.
Various sightings of the animal have been reported since the 18th century.
ctor Patrick Swayze has said that undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer was "hell on wheels"
October 31, 2008
Actor Patrick Swayze has said that undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer was "hell on wheels".
The 56-year-old star told the New York Times that he is still going through a "battle zone", despite a return to acting following intensive treatment.
"Im proud of what Im doing," added Swayze, who is playing the lead in US TV police drama The Beast.
The Dirty Dancing star was diagnosed with the disease in March, and has also undergone experimental therapy.
Positive attitude
"I do find myself, at the end of the day, riding home, sort of catching myself with a smile on my face," Swayze told the newspaper.
"Im still fine to work, I haven changed - oh, I have changed, what am I saying? Its a battle zone I go through.
"Chemo, no matter how you cut it, is hell on wheels."
He added: "How do you nurture a positive attitude when all the statistics say you
e a dead man? You go to work."
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most virulent forms of cancer which medicals experts say has a 5% five-year survival rate.
Swayzes treatment programme has allowed him to work 12-hour days filming the series.
The Beast is scheduled to start airing on the Arts and Entertainment (A&E) network in the US early next year.
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