Grace of the Gamblers

09 Sunday May 2010

Posted by in Books, Brighton, History, Poetry

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Image by Peter Griffiths

Grace O’Malley (Gráinne Ní Mháille) was born in Mayo circa 1530, daughter of a chieftain. She became Ireland’s most renowned sea-raider, and her battles with Sir Richard Bingham, the Governor of Connacht, are the stuff of legend. In 1593, when English colonisation was at its peak, Grace famously negotiated with Elizabeth I at Greenwich Palace. The life of Ireland’s ‘pirate queen’ has long been celebrated in folklore, literature and song. Most recently the poet Naomi Foyle has composed an ‘epic ballad’, Grace of the Gamblers: a Chantilly Chantey. Continue reading →

Power of Madonna

06 Thursday May 2010

Posted by in Madonna, Music, Television

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‘Power of Madonna’ is the 15th episode in the Fox TV series, Glee, featuring a show choir or ‘glee club’ in a fictional Ohio high school. The choir tends to attract the quirkier, less popular students, encouraged by their Spanish teacher, Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), and their rivals, a cheerleading team led by Will’s arch nemesis, P.E. instructor Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch.)

Media buzz was generated last autumn when Madonna granted the Glee team full rights to her musical catalogue. Continue reading →

Caresse Henry

13 Tuesday Apr 2010

Posted by in Madonna, Music

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Caresse Henry, one of America’s leading entertainment managers, died aged 44 on March 31st, 2010. Her body was found in Irvine, California, where she lived. According to the Orange County Coroner’s office, Ms Henry died of a self-inflicted gunshot. However, ‘despite rumours to the contrary, the cause of death has not been determined and is currently under investigation,’ as Liz Rosenberg, publicist to Caresse Henry’s former client, Madonna, confirmed in a statement to CNN on April 2nd. Continue reading →

From Russia With Love

11 Sunday Apr 2010

Posted by in Books, Brighton, Fiction, Film, Profumo Affair

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Artwork by Michael Gillette

‘City Reads’ is an annual event in Brighton and Hove, beginning on World Book Day in March and concluding during the Brighton Festival in May. Each year one book is chosen, to be read and discussed by the whole community over three months. Since 2005, a variety of texts from Lewis Carroll’s classic fantasy, Alice in Wonderland, to contemporary novels such as The Book Thief by Marcus Zusack have been selected.

This year’s read is From Russia With Love, the fifth of Ian Fleming’s thrillers featuring the dashing secret agent, James Bond. Continue reading →

‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ in Brighton

31 Wednesday Mar 2010

Posted by in Brighton, Film, Marilyn Monroe

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The Duke of York’s Picture House at Preston Circus, Brighton, is the oldest independent cinema in England and celebrates its centenary this month. Like many local residents, I can ring the changes in my own life by recalling my frequent visits to the Duke’s over the last 16 years. (For more on Brighton’s cinematic past, click here.)

When I first moved to Brighton in 1994, I would often attend the matinees as it was a safe and friendly place for a single girl to hang out. Among my favourite films at the time were Hal Hartley’s Amateur and Kieslowski’s Three Colours series. And one afternoon before Christmas, I saw Marilyn Monroe on the big screen for the first time, in her most celebrated film, Some Like It Hot. Continue reading →