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Theatre Review: Other Desert Cities, The Old Vic
Photo ©Martha Plimpton (Brooke Wyeth) in Other Desert Cities at The Old Vic Photo by Johan Persson Other Desert Cities is a superb, viciously funny but dark family drama that is the perfect start to...
View ArticlePoetry on the Internet and the Saturation of Information
Anyone who engages in a creative practice will tell you of the trials and tribulations of times when ideas and inspiration so desperately needed eludes you. The dreaded 'writer's block' is an...
View ArticleI Don't Know if I'd Be Here if Not for Music
I have very few "happy" family memories. The ones I do revolve around music and road trips with us all singing along to the likes of James Taylor. So when my dad passed away in 2012, I decided to make...
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James Rhodes' One Man Classical Music Revolution Gathers Pace
Photo: James Rhodes © Kate Baker It's not often that I get excited about a classical music concert. Too often they're staid and aloof. But it's all so different when James Rhodes is playing and this...
View ArticleHow Culture Has Put Abu Dhabi Back on the Map With Britons
Creativity is humanity's greatest renewable resource. Unlike any other resource, it grows the more it is used, an exponential value cycle that drives a nation's long-term development. When someone asks...
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Brian Clemens: The Professional Behind Bodie and Doyle
Brian Clemens is one of the most influential British writer/producer/directors in history having created The Avengers, The New Avengers and a string of international hit series and films. With the...
View ArticleIntruding On Celebrity Grief - Do We Need to See It?
Just 10-days ago came the sad news that the beautiful L'Wren Scott had passed away. I, like many other people, was shocked and read the 'breaking news' stories as they appeared online, wondering what...
View ArticleThe Golden Age of TV Shines on as Winners of the BPG Awards Are Announced
It was Broadchurch wot won it. One programme has a habit of dominating the Broadcasting Press Guild awards in recent years. Last year it was Tom Stoppard's BBC2 adaptation, Parade's End; the year...
View ArticleA Big Thank You to the Anti-Gay Critics of Disney's Frozen
Since winning the Best Animated Feature Film award at this year's Oscars, the popularity of Disney's Frozen has continued to increase beyond all expectation. The film is still being shown in cinemas...
View ArticleWhat Is Our Problem With the Gwyneth/Chris Split?
This week, word broke that Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow had decided to part ways. It was like an oil slick near a crematorium. We knew instantly only seconds would separate us from what can only be...
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The Back of Beyond - Hus Gallery
For The Back of Beyond, The Hus's exhibition's director Jessica Warren has brought together three artists, Sam Irons, Neil Raitt and Adam Bainbridge. They work in different media but share an interest...
View ArticleCaptain America: The Winter Soldier - The Review
Given the advanced reviews for Captain America: the Winter Soldier, I expected it was going to be one of the best Marvel films so far. Maybe because I had just sat through Martin Scorsese's three-hour...
View ArticleWhy Mums Are Going Bust to Keep Our Tots Up With the Kardashians
Mums, let's face it. We've been comparing our tots since they left the womb. We just can't help ourselves. Whether it be what milestones they have reached, or what trainers they are rocking, we are...
View ArticleThe Last Degenerate Artist
This is the true story of an old, old artist, sitting in a wheelchair, listening as his legacy is defined by other people at his own party. His name is Hans Feibusch and he's a small, ancient figure,...
View ArticleRoots
At what point do you make a decision as big as saying, 'Yes' to independence? When did I first think it was such a good idea? When did one old idea die and a new one come to the foreground of my...
View ArticleEarth Hour: It's a Pretty Cool Planet We Live On, But It's Just That - One...
It's a pretty cool planet we live on. But it's just that - a planet. One planet. As far as I know we haven't got another one stored away anywhere! So we all need to do our bit to look after it. It's...
View ArticleThe Voice 2014 Semi Final
As we reach the semi-final, the pressure is really on tonight. Who will make it and who will fall just short. The remaining eight are now ready to fight it out for a prized place in next weeks grand...
View ArticleHarry Potter and the Young Author's Dilemma
It's gone midnight on a dark northern night and the Travelodge is freezing. I slip reluctantly out of bed to pull a jumper on and notice I've got a new email. I've got to be up at six, but habit gets...
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Rhino Hunt by Nick Higgins - Book Review
At first when I decided to turn my blog into a book review column I contacted a ton of publishers requesting that they send me their most recent titles. I was inundated but ultimately left unsatisfied....
View ArticleAn Interview with Ruby Day
A few weeks ago I found myself at The Cricketers about to watch Ben Marwood's triumphant return to Kingston. I'd arrived early and being socially awkward planted myself firmly in the corner, a drink in...
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