Diary
Diary: Craig Oliver's special spin on the Sound of Music
As the two halves of my torn betting slip lay forlornly in the wastepaper basket, I wasn't the only one scratching my head and wondering who Craig Oliver is.
Inside Diary
Diary: What's the score, Barry?
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Among the late John Barry's Swinging London chums was Michael Caine, who enjoyed a brief, rent-free sojourn at the composer's home at the height of the 1960s.
Diary: Choccies fit for a Queen (Mother)
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
As I set to work on the screenplay for my notional joint biopic of squeaker George (né Gideon) Osborne and stammerer Ed Balls (working title: A Cock and Balls), I'm minded to avoid the accusations of inaccuracy that have been levelled at its inspiration, multi-Oscar nominee The King's Speech.
Diary: Knives out for Sebastian
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Sebastian Faulks is due to present his thoughts on the British novel in his BBC2 series Faulks on Fiction beginning this weekend. In the meantime, British novelists have been passing judgement on Faulks.
Diary: What if Yates of the Yard had investigated Brutus?
Monday, 31 January 2011
With top level detective work, as with Grand Slam tennis, confidence is king, and even the most resilient of officers is vulnerable to the corrosive acid of self doubt after public humiliation. So an alkaline antidote is required for John Yates, who was promoted to Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Met as reward for acting out the part of someone seriously investigating the News of the World... dramatic history's most convincing portrayal of a serving policeman since Kenneth Williams in Carry On Constable.
Diary: Ken backs out of Press gang
Friday, 28 January 2011
Ken Livingstone, Labour's candidate for London Mayor, is parting ways with Press TV, the English-language news channel funded by the Iranian government.
Diary: Natasha won't talk about sexism
Thursday, 27 January 2011
To Quaglino's, for the Costa Book of the Year awards, where compere and noted feminist Andrew Neil topically declared the 21st Century 'The Female Century'.
Diary: Beware the Trojan panda, Nick
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
The Chinese state can be devilishly ingenious. Consider, if you will, giant pandas: the world's most effective sleeper agents.
Diary: Costner makes connections
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Kevin Costner must have hoped he had left scandal behind after being accused of performing a sexual act in front of a masseuse – no, not that kind of masseuse – at a Scottish hotel in 2004. (Costner and his second wife Christine Baumgartner were on their honeymoon at the time).
Diary: Brown was naive – but that's not a crime
Monday, 24 January 2011
With the phone-bugging story moving at such head-spinning speed that a whiplash pandemic seems imminent, this is the moment to stand back and reflect on the anguished disbelief of Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. The Independent on Sunday reveals that both have asked police to find out whether they were victims of the News of the World snooping, and this is evidently the truth (Gordon has kept schtum while Mr Tony confirmed it, in his traditional way, with a categorical denial).
Diary: Natalie's way with words
Friday, 21 January 2011
The plot of ballet-based thriller Black Swan, which opens in the UK today, sees Natalie Portman's crazed prima ballerina come to believe that her sexy frenemy, as played by Mila Kunis, is plotting to steal her career.
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