Sunday 15 March 2015

Marina And The Diamonds, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler and Marcus Miller: Album reviews





MARINA Lambrini Diamandis, born in Wales of Welsh and Greek parents, is a pop enigma: a singer-songwriter whose background and mixture of indie and dance influences have resulted in a sound which comprises few of the usual R’n’B/pop clichĂ©s.


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Swan Lake by St Petersburg Ballet Theatre Ballet review





IRINA KOLESNIKOVA in Swan Lake sweeps you away into a world of passion, dangerous deception and ultimate forgiveness.


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Theatre round-up: Game, Antigone and Kill Me Now: Reviews





EMPEROR Nero would have relished the spectacle of Mike Bartlett’s Game.


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Weill and Brecht's Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny: Opera review





WEILL and Brecht’s agit-prop satire on corruption and greed, banned by the Nazis in 1933, still carries a powerful charge. John Fulljames’s staging of Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny adds slogans to emphasise Brecht’s jaundiced view of humankind.


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Kew On A Plate's Raymond Blanc:'I would love to encourage people to grow food organically'





OUR favourite Frenchman talks about his new BBC Two series, Kew On A Plate


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The tragedy and legacy of Suite Francaise author Irene Nemirovsky





UKRANIAN author Irene Nemirovsky died in Auschwitz in 1942. Her daughter kept her unpublished works for 50 years without reading them but, when released, they became a sensation and now a film. Henry Fitzherbert tells the story of her posthumous success.


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A weighty, atmospheric thriller Run All Night starring Liam Neeson: Review and trailer





LIKE TAKEN, run all Night requires Liam Neeson to race around a city, shooting and throat-punching bad guys in order to save his offspring’s life.


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A touching British drama: X + Y Review and trailer





WHAT is the formula for happiness? X + Y is a touching British drama about searching for the missing piece of the puzzle in life loosely inspired by a true story.


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An absorbing and handsomely mounted Second world war drama: Suite Francaise Review





HOW would you cope if your country was under foreign occupation? That is the question you are made to contemplate watching Suite Francaise, an absorbing and handsomely mounted Second world war drama that explores the impact of the German invasion on a small town outside Paris, the fictional Bussy.


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Poldark heartthrob Aidan Turner hints at second series of BBC's hit period drama





POLDARK star Aidan Turner has hinted that the show may return for a second season.


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EXCLUSIVE: Raymond Blanc won't return to France until 'lazy law' is lifted





FRENCH chef Raymond Blanc is refusing to return to his homeland because he says the 35-hour week has ruined the country.


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Saturday 14 March 2015

Beth Hart: Sober and far wiser

New Zealand is a special place for Los Angeles-based blues singer Beth Hart.She's been here a handful of times on promotional trips, once supported British singer-songwriter David Gray and lived in Auckland for a six-week stint...


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Top Gear row: Jeremy Clarkson called punched producer and called him lazy Irish, say witnesses

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Greg Dixon: Crime story stuck midstream

How about this for a conundrum. There is a TV show I really want to watch, but I'm not going to. I've seen the first episode and it was pretty good, it was free to me - no Sky sub or Lightbox fee involved though I did have to sit...


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After 'Blurred Lines' verdict, Dupri understands both sides

NEW YORK (AP) " Some in the music industry say they have mixed feelings about the "Blurred Lines" copyright verdict that found the hit single copied elements of a song by Marvin Gaye.Grammy-winning producer Jermaine Dupri says he...


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Keeping quiet: Ryan Reynolds fears daughter will 'make him pay' if he reveals her name





RUMOURS have been rife surrounding the name of Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively's baby girl, with both Violet and James having been reported.


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Former 3 Doors Down musician set for DUI trial on Monday

D'IBERVILLE, Mississippi (AP) " Former 3 Doors Down bassist Todd Harrell is set to go on trial in Mississippi on Monday on a charge of second-offense driving under the influence of a substance other than alcohol.The 43-year-old...


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X Factor judge Willy Moon stands by his C-word tirade

His TV bosses say he's sorry - but X Factor NZ judge Willy Moon is unrepentant about swearing at an Auckland mum in a crowded bakery last week.Moon's actions sparked an apology from TV3 yesterday but the pop star was unapologetic...


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Nobody croons like an Eagle

About 35,000 Eagles fans swooped on Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium last night for a three-hour trip down a musical memory lane.This was the History of the Eagles tour, charting more than 40 years of classic songs. The band's story...


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Kate Moss and Gwyneth Paltrow stun in embellished gowns at amfAR gala in Hong Kong





AFTER leaving little to the imagination in a sheer, lace creation on Thursday, Kate Moss sported a slightly more modest look today in Hong Kong.


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