Stephen Rea: No matter how much they enforce Brexit, British identity is dwindling | Theatre

 Posted on April 22, 2024  |  18 minutes  |  3695 words  |  Valentine Belue

The ObserverTheatreInterviewStephen Rea: ‘No matter how much they enforce Brexit, British identity is dwindling’Sean O'HaganThe actor reveals deep-rooted passions as he talks about his role in Cyprus Avenue, what he learned from Samuel Beckett, Brexit and the Troubles There is a poem by Tom Paulin called An Ulster Unionist Walks the Streets of London, in which the narrator articulates the shock of not-belonging he feels as he wanders lost through the British capital “like a half-foreigner among the London-Irish”. [Read More]

The country girl's home truths

 Posted on April 22, 2024  |  10 minutes  |  1993 words  |  Aldo Pusey

BooksReviewEdna O'Brien's true-crime novel, In The Forest, forces Ireland to confront its dark side, says Ronan Bennett In the Forest Edna O'Brien 208pp, Weidenfeld, £16.99 A friend tells this story about Edna O'Brien; he was perhaps 10 at the time. His father, a writer of some renown, had a cabin in the woods, a holiday home for his large family. Guests sometimes came and shared the cosy if cramped quarters, including a bathroom at the far end of a kitchen where the writer and his family liked to sit at the table for leisurely meals and animated talk. [Read More]

A high price to pay for the collapse in NHS dentistry | Dentists

 Posted on April 21, 2024  |  2 minutes  |  403 words  |  Chauncey Koziol

DentistsLettersA high price to pay for the collapse in NHS dentistryLes Bright and another reader on the difficulty of getting an NHS dentist as more practitioners go private Re your report (MPs demand dentistry overhaul as patients resort to DIY treatment, 14 July), I recently received a text from my dental surgery, cancelling my appointment at the end of this month and asking me to call them. I did so and learned that my dentist and her colleague were “going private from 1 September” and could not see me as their priorities were children and those undergoing a course of treatment. [Read More]

Argentinian firebrand Javier Milei is right about one thing: British sovereignty of the Falklands mu

 Posted on April 21, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  644 words  |  Kary Bruening

OpinionFalkland Islands This article is more than 1 month oldArgentinian firebrand Javier Milei is right about one thing: British sovereignty of the Falklands must endThis article is more than 1 month oldSimon JenkinsThe Conservatives’ stubborn stance on the islands’ future is merely a refusal to let go of our last spark of military glory The Falkland Islands are the Parthenon marbles of Britain’s diplomacy. They bring out the silliest antics in what passes for its “role on the world stage”. [Read More]

Go with the Flowbee: George Clooney reveals how he cuts his hair | Men's hair

 Posted on April 21, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  523 words  |  Jenniffer Sheldon

Men's hairGo with the Flowbee: George Clooney reveals how he cuts his hairAward-winning actor admits cutting his own hair with device long before salons closed this year due to Covid With salons largely closed until this week, male grooming has been in freefall since the start of the spring lockdown. DIY haircuts have not been successful for all. Yet one Hollywood star has proved that even in a global pandemic, bad hair is not the great equaliser we hoped it would be. [Read More]

Hollywood panda comedy charms China | Culture

 Posted on April 21, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  477 words  |  Jenniffer Sheldon

CultureHollywood panda comedy charms ChinaKung Fu Panda, the Hollywood hit comedy, is prompting roars of laughter and bouts of soul-searching in China, where the filmmaking community is asking why they cannot get as much smileage out of the country's national symbol. Despite nationalist calls for a boycott, critics, directors, classical artists and countless bloggers have given two thumbs up to the story of a chubby panda who dreams of becoming a martial arts superhero. [Read More]

Paul Walker obituary | Paul Walker

 Posted on April 21, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  754 words  |  Jenniffer Sheldon

Paul WalkerObituaryPaul Walker obituaryHandsome American actor best known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the Fast and Furious blockbuster movie franchisePaul Walker, who has died aged 40 in a car accident, combined unthreatening star charisma with preppy good looks and a canny commercial sensibility. Though he had shown promise in his early film roles, he could easily have become just another piece of well-dressed eye candy had it not been for his involvement in the colossally successful Fast and Furious franchise, which has grossed $2. [Read More]

Taylor Swifts 58 dress choice leaves Scottish designer gobsmacked | Fashion

 Posted on April 21, 2024  |  4 minutes  |  694 words  |  Jenniffer Sheldon

Taylor Swift (right) in the green dress with Blake Lively in Brooklyn, New York. Photograph: Robert Kamau/GC ImagesTaylor Swift (right) in the green dress with Blake Lively in Brooklyn, New York. Photograph: Robert Kamau/GC ImagesFashionTaylor Swift’s £58 dress choice leaves Scottish designer ‘gobsmacked’Jade Robertson of Perth-based Little Lies was thrilled to discover the star’s latest foray into affordable fashion Taylor Swift has filled a blank space in her wardrobe with a £58 dress from a Scottish fashion house, leaving its owner “gobsmacked”. [Read More]

The week in classical: The Ring of the Nibelung; Berlin Philharmonic/ Fischer review a human exp

 Posted on April 21, 2024  |  6 minutes  |  1159 words  |  Kary Bruening

The ObserverClassical musicReviewStaatsoper Unter den Linden; Berliner Philharmonie, Berlin Outstanding performances can’t save Dmitri Tcherniakov’s new production of the Ring – originally due to have been conducted by Daniel Barenboim – from closing to a barrage of boos The cheers should have been for Daniel Barenboim. Berlin’s new Ring was to be a celebratory cycle conducted by him to mark his forthcoming 80th birthday, and completed, unusually, in a single week instead of across several seasons. [Read More]

Unflappable. Unwavering. Unbelievable. Burrow is the NFLs new Joe Cool

 Posted on April 21, 2024  |  8 minutes  |  1678 words  |  Jenniffer Sheldon

Cincinnati BengalsWhen the quarterback joined the Cincinnati Bengals the franchise was a punchline. Less than two years later they’re going to the Super Bowl The Cincinnati Bengals are going to the Super Bowl. Repeat: The Cincinnati Bengals are going to the Super Bowl. One more time, so it truly sets in: The Cincinnati Bengals, two years after sinking to the league’s basement, are 60 minutes away from winning it all. [Read More]