Pay the Writer
Last year I wrote a piece about the cultural myth of what writers earn, which it transpires, apart from superstars and international bestsellers, is not very much. Ever since the piece appeared, I've...
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Don't Reject the Movie Remake, Sometimes It's Worth it
By Lucy Mazdon, University of Southampton Even the briefest glance at recent cinema listings and television schedules suggests that the remake is everywhere. Currently showing in the UK is The Secret...
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The Last Of the Troubadours
Steam shoots from the Gaggia towards the slow click of the ceiling fan. It's a Tuesday morning and the delivery vans have arrived, Frith Street suddenly filled with the crash and shout of drivers....
View ArticleDoes Harry Potter Need a Rewrite? JK Rowling Seems to Think So...
The recent quote from JK Rowling on the fact that she regrets Ron and Hermione ending up together and getting married at the end of her Harry Potter books have caused an internet frenzy of comments,...
View ArticleThink 'Blurred Lines' Was Bad? You Should See This New Enrique Iglesias Video
Enrique Iglesias has a message for the world: "Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines video was so 2013." The Mediterranean hunk just released a new single called I'm A Freak. The clip is a short film about that...
View Article#Grief
I type the following into Twitter: So sorry to hear about Philip Seymour Hoffman. One of my favourite actors. RIP. It's awful news, a life extinguished by addiction. And it's important that my Twitter...
View ArticleRastaman Vibration
Born on this day, 6 February 1945, Bob Marley, singer, songwriter and guitarist who had the 1981 UK No.8 single with No Woman No Cry, plus over ten other UK Top 40 singles and the 1976 US No.8 and UK...
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Duel Night on 'Dancing on Ice'
Duel night on Dancing on Ice at the weekend was by far the hardest week so far on the ITV1 show. It's week five on the show and thing's are getting pretty competitive now. I'm sure it was all hugely...
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The Audacious Challenge of '50 Kisses'
One afternoon 2 years ago, I wrote 2 pages of script. Next week I'll be walking up a red carpet, in a pretty sensational (borrowed) dress to the World Premiere of a film those 2 pages have become part...
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The Original Diva Dishes All - One Night With Joan Collins
JOAN COLLINS. Pic courtesy Kevin Wilson PR. When you think of the original diva, one lady came before Mariah, Cher, Céline, Dionne, Whitney, Janet, Madonna, Diana and the rest. Her name is Joan...
View ArticleThe Big Benefits Row: Where Were the Disabled People?
On Monday night, Peter Stringfellow pointed to Mik, MJ and me on live TV and said: I'm looking at people over there who obviously deserve everything they can get. Apparently what we didn't deserve was...
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In 'Flowers From a Distance', Professor Peng Feng Delves Into the...
It is true of life that opportunities wait for us around every corner. The unexpected is what keeps our eyes open and our hearts full of vigor, what enables us to bear through difficulties and grow...
View ArticleRace, Class and Black Flight - How the Middle Class Runs UK Media
A concerned awareness of the proportional lack of ethnic minority representation in UK media is not something new, but the surprise is that in these supposedly meritocratic times, it seems to be...
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Sounds From the Hungarian Underground: The Carbonfools Take on the UK
Hungary is a powerhouse of untapped talent, yet it continues to make it into international news headlines for the wrong reasons. Even though the country is currently under the shadow of its political...
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DVD Review: Le Weekend, a Witty And Intelligent Triumph
The Jim Broadbent-Lindsay Duncan dream team with Hanif Kureishi's script and Roger Michell's spot on direction give a beautifully observed mini triumph. LE WEEKEND Director: Roger Michell Cast: Jim...
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Big Benefits Row - A Story From Behind the Row
Last night I took part in the Big Benefits Row on Channel 5, if only as an audience member. I was asked to come along at the last minute, at about 2pm on the day of transmission. The plan was to meet...
View ArticleWe Really Do Need to Talk About Education
I began my journey through education as a pupil on free school meals in an underfunded state school in a deprived borough of London. I came from a working-class background, neither of my parents went...
View ArticleSo You Want to Be a Brain Surgeon?
Brain surgery, it's not exactly rocket science... but it is one of those jobs that people can't quite believe you do, and I am usually asked if I am joking. So how did I end up becoming a neurosurgeon?...
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THIEF - Drawing on the Past to Move Forward
Fin and I first met at a house party four years ago. He'd just been to see The XX at Maida Vale studios earlier that day, so was feeling musically inspired to start something new. Although we didn't...
View ArticleDiversity Isn't a Dirty Word
Earlier this week, on a school night at around 11pm, I was seriously close to waking up my eight-year-old son, getting him out of bed and plonking him in front of the telly. No BBC2 weren't screening...
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