Friday, 27 June 2008
Thursday, 19 June 2008
Brick Lane
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Liz Tuccillo's first novel is about dating and the single woman
"How to Be Single" (Atria Books)
By Liz Tuccillo
As women line up to see "Sex and the City" on the big screen, one of the HBO series' writers is debuting her novel about - what else? - dating and the single woman.
Aside from her career in television, Liz Tuccillo is best known for co-writing the bestseller "He's Just Not That Into You" with Greg Behrendt. That tough-love dating manual urged women to stop sitting by the phone and forget about the men who aren't pursuing them. "He might be lying in the hospital with amnesia, but more likely, he's just not that into you," is one sample bit of truth-telling.
Unfortunately, the women in Tuccillo's new novel do not seem to have read that book. Let's start from the beginning: our story is narrated by Julie Jensen, a 38-year-old New Yorker who is fed up with endless nights on the town in search of Mr. Right.
After a disastrous girls' night out that ends with a bar fight and a trip to the emergency room, Julie embarks on a trip to find out if women in other countries know the secret to being happily single.
So Julie learns about one-night-stands in Rio de Janeiro, gigolos in Bali, a man-drought in Sydney and open marriages in Paris. At the same time, she deals with her own relationship troubles as she becomes increasingly involved with a married man.
Meanwhile, Julie's four single friends are having their own problems with love back in New York. Georgia, a newly separated mother of two, dives back into the dating pool only to find that it's filled with sharks. Alice decides to settle down, but then begins to wonder if she is merely just settling. Ruby, tortured by her biological clock, wonders if she can handle single motherhood. Finally, Serena has an unlikely affair with a swami that makes her rethink her spirituality and her priorities.
With all those characters and their various crises, the book starts to feel a little crowded - like all six seasons of "Sex and the City" mashed up with "Eat, Pray, Love." As a result, Julie's New York friends don't quite develop into the fully fleshed-out characters they could be. Surprisingly, Serena, the most eccentric character of the four, becomes the most relatable as she struggles with the death of her employer.
Tuccillo writes in the ultra-casual tone of an e-mail to a friend, but doesn't flinch from the bleaker moments her characters experience. In fact, "How to Be Single" at times feels a little too bleak. As the women fret about their prospects, readers may be tempted to offer them some of the tough advice doled out in "He's Just Not That Into You."
"Back home, the statistics are telling us that it's very hard to find a good man, and that it's only going to get harder," Julie says to a Parisian companion. "It feels a little bit like a crisis."
That may be so, but a book about dating might benefit from a bit more fun and a little less crisis-management.
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Friday, 6 June 2008
The Daily Mail Responds to My Chemical Romance Emo Protest
The Daily Mail has responded to yesterday's protests by My Chemical Romance fans against the paper's coverage of emo.
Following the suicide of Hannah Bond, a fan of the band -- whose hits include
Welcome to the Black Parade and Famous Last Words -- and comments from the coroner at her inquest about the genre's influence in her death, the British newspaper have published several articles about emo including one which claimed that "no child is safe from the sinister cult of emo".
However, the paper yesterday issued a statement insisting their coverage has been restrained, balanced and is in the public interest.
The statement says, "The Daily Mail�s coverage of the 'Emo' movement has been balanced, restrained and above all, in the public interest. Genuine concerns were raised at the inquest earlier this month on 13 year old emo follower Hannah Bond who had been self-harming and then tragically killed herself.
"In common with other newspapers we ran an accurate news story recording the Coroner's remarks and the parents' comments. We also published two other articles, one of which explained the background to the Hannah tragedy in calm and un-sensational language.
"The other was a first person opinion piece by a well-known writer, written from the perspective of a mother concerned for her children. We have also run two prominent page lead letters from an emo music fan and from a fan of My Chemical Romance defending their point of view.
"Our music critic admires the music of the band and publicized the band�s UK tour last year. Since this protest was announced a great deal of misinformation has appeared on the internet, much of which confuses what the Daily Mail has actually published with the comments of website readers and 'blogs' over which we have no control and which have stirred up emotions."
They added, "We note it has been pointed out by others that all this provides wonderful publicity for Warners and their impending release of My Chemical Romance's latest album.
"The Daily Mail is a broad church and is always ready to listen to the views of readers. We do, however, suggest those who want to protest or comment read everything we have published and act on fact not rumor."
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Wednesday, 4 June 2008
Gail's long-lost father turns up in Corrie
According to the show's official website, the proposed storyline will see new character Ted Page, played by Michael Byrne, contacting hairdresser Audrey Roberts in mid-April.
He will then make an appearance in 'Coronation Street' a week later, in the hope of meeting his daughter Gail.
According to The Sun, a show source said: "Audrey wanted to settle down with someone so she could claim back son Stephen who she had when she was 16."
"But the man she fancied wasn't interested so Audrey went for his best friend, Ted."
"When she discovered she was pregnant by Ted, she fled as she knew he would propose - and she couldn't spend the rest of her life with him."
The paper also claims that Ted is set to reveal that he is gay.
Byrne's previous credits include the films 'The Gangs of New York', 'Tomorrow Never Dies' and 'Braveheart' and the television shows 'The Professionals', 'Yes, Prime Minister', 'Sharpe', 'Waking the Dead' and 'Honest'.
Madonna - The Things They Say 8394
"I'm not thinking about my birthday? Why's everyone rushing me over the finish line? I'm thinking about what I'm going to eat for dinner tonight. That's my future plan." MADONNA refuses to be drawn into talking about her upcoming 50th birthday plans in August (08).
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Harry Potter Star Stabbed To Death
The 18-year-old - who had just finished filming his supporting role as Ravenclaw student called Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - was murdered outside the Metro Bar in Sidcup, London.
Knox was reportedly trying to protect his younger brother from the knife-man in a fight outside the bar, which also left three other people with serious injuries.
In a statement released yesterday, his parents said, “Rob was kind and thoughtful and would always help out others; he would always spend his last penny on other people instead of himself.
“The life and soul of the party, he was very outgoing, loved sports and would always strike up a conversation with people. He was respectful to others and adored by his family and friends.”
A 21-year-old has been arrested by police over the incident, which is said to have been caused by accusations of a stolen mobile phone.
Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson resume work on new Bond theme
Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson are set to resume work on the new Bond theme tune after the pair buried the hatchet.
The music making pair, who earlier this month came to blows while trying to record their 007 tune, kissed and made up at the Ivor Novello Awards Thursday. And contrary to some reports, Amy, 24, has already penned the lyrics.
She says,: “I’ve written the song. If they like it they like it, if they don’t they don’t.”
Mark added, “If I talk about it Daniel Craig will whack me in the eyes.
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Baby on the way for Gwen Stefani
The website People.com quoted Rossdale's father Douglas as saying: "the whole family are delighted."
He continued: "We are very much looking forward to another grandchild."
Thirty-eight-year-old Stefani and 40-year-old Rossdale have a son, Kingston, who was born in 2006.
Romeo and Akon Release New Music for Free on AmieStreet.com
Release
NEW YORK, May 27 -- Chart-topping entertainers Romeo and
Akon just released their highly anticipated new single "Get Low Wit It" as
a free download on AmieStreet.com. The brand new track is now available
exclusively at AmieStreet.com/romeo a full three weeks before its worldwide
debut on June 17, 2008.
Like previous releases by Radiohead, Prince and Nine Inch Nails, Romeo
and Akon are going directly to fans, bypassing traditional distribution
methods. Fans coming for the new track will also be able to download free
songs from tens of thousands of other artists already available on
AmieStreet.com.
From superstars like Romeo and Akon to unsigned and DIY artists, all
types of musicians sell their music on AmieStreet.com. It is the first
store where all songs start free and then rise in price based on
popularity, up to 98 cents, empowering fans to determine the value of
music.
"Get Low Wit It (featuring Akon)" will be free to download until June
17, 2008. It is the first single from Romeo's forthcoming album, High
School Romance, which will also be available on AmieStreet.com starting
September 2, 2008, and includes songs featuring T-Pain and others.
"This one's for the fans," said Romeo Miller. "They've always been
there for us and dropping this hot track for free is the least we can do to
say thanks for all the support."
In addition to releasing his new music on AmieStreet.com, Romeo is set
to start college at USC as a student-athlete; the young star will be
playing basketball for the Trojans. He is also hard at work on a reality TV
show Romeo's World: Welcome to the Good Life and his animated children's
series Gee Gee the Giraffe. For the latest on Romeo, go to
officialromeo.com.
About AmieStreet.com
AmieStreet.com's community music store is a place to discover, download
and share music of every genre, from all over the world. It is the first
store where people collectively determine the value of every song. On
AmieStreet.com, all songs start free and increase in price up to 98 cents,
based on their popularity among members. From the biggest and most
recognizable musicians to the most obscure and never-before heard-of
artists, Amie Street surfaces the best new music as chosen by the
community. Founded in 2006, by three then Brown University seniors,
AmieStreet.com is now headquartered in New York City.
Contact:
Zane Groshelle
zane@amiestreet.com
(718)482-8307
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Jaws star Roy Scheider dies, aged 75
The two-time Oscar nominee died of complications from multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood cells, at the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.
Hospital spokesperson Leslie Taylor said the actor had been treated there for the disease at different times over the past two years.
New Jersey-born Scheider earned his first Oscar nomination (Best Supporting Actor) in 1971 for 'The French Connection'.
Eight years later he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in 'All That Jazz'.
Among his other credits were 'Klute', 'Marathon Man', 'Still of the Night' and the TV adventure series 'SeaQuest DSV'.