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Debbie Harry in 1979. Photograph: Maureen Donaldson/Getty ImagesAs they reissue their 1981 festive EP Yuletide Throwdown, we rate the best of the New York band who strutted through punk, disco and pop with absolute cool by Alexis Petridis20. The Tide Is High (1980)When it came to picking cover versions, you couldn’t fault Chris Stein and Debbie Harry’s taste, hence this slickly appealing take on the Paragons’ John Holt-penned 1967 single. Extra points for the video, which involves Darth Vader, a flooded apartment and a dancer unaccountably dressed as Pan – it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. [Read More]

Donald TrumpE Jean Carroll lawyer warns Trump plans to turn damages trial into ‘circus’Letter accuses ex-president of intending to ‘sow chaos’ next week, while Trump ordered to pay New York Times nearly $400,000 Donald Trump’s legal woes continued to mount as a lawyer in an upcoming defamation case asked a judge to ensure the former president does not disrupt imminent legal proceedings – and, in a separate issue, he was ordered to pay nearly $400,000 in legal fees to the New York Times. [Read More]

TelevisionGiven that she’s box-office gold, it’s easy to forget how spellbinding Nicole Kidman is in edgier roles. The actor and her costars in intense new drama Expats talk motherhood, grief – and causing an online furore The mood and pace of Expats is unusual, in a world of streaming where shows have to be instantly compulsive. “A very different piece of television, this,” says Nicole Kidman. “It’s a slow burn. I feel it’s more aligned to, say, Kieślowski with Dekalog, or Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage. [Read More]

The ObserverBiography booksKaren Carpenter's velvet voice charmed millions in the 70s… but behind the wholesome image she was in turmoil. Desperate to look slim on stage – and above all desperate to please the domineering mother who preferred her brother – she became the first celebrity victim of anorexia. In a revealing new biography, extracted below, Randy Schmidt tells the full story…The Carpenters were one of the biggest-selling American musical acts of all time. [Read More]

ArtInterviewLady Gaga's vomit artist: 'I have experienced migraines'Leo BenedictusShock, laughter, outrage … Millie Brown's vomit art has provoked an outpouring of reaction. She tells Leo Benedictus why puking on Lady Gaga does not glamorise bulimiaMillie Brown was 17 years old, alone on a Berlin stage, about to try something she had never done before. Beside her were seven bottles of milk, each one dyed with a different blend of food colouring. She composed herself and drank the first one, red. [Read More]

Jimmy Chilimigras on WLOX-TV of Bay St Louis, Mississippi. Photograph: WLOX-TVJimmy Chilimigras on WLOX-TV of Bay St Louis, Mississippi. Photograph: WLOX-TVMississippi This article is more than 10 months oldMississippi: 15-year-old with master’s degree prepares to attend law schoolThis article is more than 10 months oldJames ‘Jimmy’ Chilimigras took entrance exam last year and scored 174, the highest tally in his home state, Alabama and Louisiana A 15-year-old Mississippi boy is reportedly preparing to start law school later this year and has the chance to become one of the youngest people ever to obtain a juris doctorate. [Read More]

World Cup 2022The Cameroon head coach is a cult figure in his homeland and is in confident mood as his side face Switzerland The cult of the manager has hit new heights in Cameroon where Rigobert Song’s face stares down from countless roadside billboards and no current national player comes remotely close to rivalling the coach’s fame. Song certainly exuded a distinctive aura as, fashionably late, he swept into a media theatre in Doha on Wednesday evening. [Read More]