"Six seconds was all it took between horrible accident and hysterical laughing.” That was how Penn Gillette described his reaction to longtime showbusiness partner,Teller, having his feet nibbled by a Piranha.
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E-break Time
Wolseley see profits surge
2011-12-07 00:00:01.0
Wolseley, the world's biggest building supplies company, posted a 16 per cent rise in first-quarter trading profit and warned it will remain vigilant on costs due to uncertainty over the outlook.
MPs call for revamp of extradition laws with US
2011-12-06 00:00:01.0
MPs last night demanded an overhaul of extradition laws after the battle between Britain and the United States over the alleged computer hacker Gary McKinnon intensified.
Pakistan: Travel ban for ex-envoy
2011-12-02 00:00:01.0
Pakistan's Supreme Court has barred the former envoy to Washington from leaving the country while he is investigated over claims that he sought US help in May to prevent a coup.
The Songs My Son Loved, Radio 2, Monday-Friday
The War Brides Return, Radio 4, Friday
2011-11-13 00:00:01.0
Remembrance through song – and laughter through tears
Frank DiLeo: Music industry executive and manager of Michael Jackson at the peak of his career
2011-08-26 00:00:01.0
The fall from grace, constant allegations and sharp artistic decline that affected Michael Jackson's last two decades until his death in 2009 often overshadow how talented and groundbreaking he was before the self-aggrandising and his ascent to the throne of The King Of Pop. On Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad, the three multimillion-selling albums that defined him as a solo artist, he was superbly seconded by Quincy Jones, the producer extraordinaire. The other person who helped turn Jackson into a superstar was Frank DiLeo, his manager during five glory years between 1984 and 1989, and the closest the singer came to a father figure to banish the memory of his real-life father, Joe Jackson.
Leaders of the pack: Jerry Leiber and the jukebox generation
2011-08-24 00:00:01.0
Jerry Leiber, who died this week, was one of the last of a breed of writers whose songs of romance and teenage longing helped define a generation. Nick Hasted pays his respects
Jerry Leiber: Lyricist whose partnership with Mike Stoller produced some of the greatest popular songs of all time
2011-08-24 00:00:01.0
In 1956 the transatlantic passenger liner Andrea Doria was travelling to New York when it was struck on the side by another ship, doing immense damage and rendering many lifeboats unusable. Forty-six lives were lost and the songwriter Mike Stoller and his wife were amongst those who found themselves adrift in the Atlantic. They were rescued the following day and when they arrived in New York, Stoller's friend and songwriting partner, Jerry Leiber, was waiting on the quayside. The Stollers were exhausted but relieved to have survived, and Leiber burst out his greeting: "Great news, Mike, Elvis Presley's recorded 'Hound Dog'!"
Elvis lyricist Jerry Leiber dies aged 78
2011-08-23 12:36:40.0
Rock 'n' roll songwriter Jerry Leiber, who wrote lyrics for such hits as Hound Dog and Jailhouse Rock, has died at the age of 78.
Winehouse's back catalogue takes over the top 40
2011-07-30 00:00:01.0
Amy Winehouse looks set to join the ranks of the musical greats who have achieved posthumous chart success as fans rushed to buy her music following her death last weekend.
William Campbell: Actor who made his name playing devious and calculating characters
2011-07-26 00:00:01.0
William Campbell's was a familiar face to moviegoers of the 1950s. Despite his handsome looks, he often played devious or calculating characters, and he starred in Cell 2455, Death Row, based on the memoir of Caryl Chessman, in which he played a man condemned to death and later executed for kidnapping and rape.
James Corrigan's Open Diary: Killarney braces itself for a ring of steel around Rory
2011-07-18 00:00:01.0
Next Stop for Rory McIlroy is the Irish Open in Killarney in 10 days' time, but if the 22-year-old is hoping for less hype than he encountered in Sandwich then he will be severely disappointed. The European Tour is planning extra security in Co Kerry to cope with the expected crowds.
Being Modern: Jukebox musicals
2011-07-03 00:00:01.0
It's not easy to write comedy, but if you want a really good laugh, have a quick read of the plot synopsis of the West End smash We Will Rock You on Wikipedia. Here's a snippet to get you in the mood: "Galileo insists that he only hears those words in his head. Brit tests Galileo, singing the first few lines of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Galileo responds correctly with the subsequent lines, and Brit realises that he is the Dreamer of the prophecy." Is this, you would be entitled to ask, real life or just fantasy?
Album: Various Artists, Rave On Buddy Holly (Concord)
2011-06-24 00:00:01.0
If Elvis was rock'n'roll's id, then Buddy Holly was its ego, his more cerebral tinkerings with pop's structures opening up avenues that enabled the medium to flourish in myriad different ways.
Bob Marcucci: Pop impresario who launched the careers of Frankie Avalon and Fabian
2011-06-18 00:00:01.0
The musical impresario Bob Marcucci discovered and launched the careers of both Frankie Avalon and Fabian.
