Film blogCharlie ChaplinCharlie Chaplin and the Tramp: the birth of a heroIt is 100 years since Charlie Chaplin's Tramp character was first seen and at Bristol's Slapstick festival the corks poppedA centenary is more than excuse enough for a party, even if the birthday boy is a work of fiction – a beggar, even, with ill-fitting shoes, a violent streak and bow legs. This is the year of the Tramp. Twenty-fourteen marks 100 years since Charlie Chaplin first appeared on a movie screen as an eccentric fellow with a toothbrush moustache and a derby hat, walking with splayed feet and carrying a cane.
He has changed his name twice, and fought a lifelong battle with nerves. But pianist Stephen Kovacevich is now happy with his music - and himself. He talks to Jessica Duchen "They agreed to drop the Bishop." It sounds mystifying, but Stephen Kovacevich is actually talking about his name. It was as Stephen Bishop that Kovacevich first shot to fame as a pianist. Later, for a while, he tagged Kovacevich on after the Bishop.
Jared LetoJared Leto considered wearing drag to the OscarsLeto, who won the best supporting actor award for his portrayal of a transgender woman in Dallas Buyers Club, says the experience changed his views on the Academy Awards, and on female groomingJared Leto has revealed heconsidered attending the Oscars in drag to pick up his best supporting actor prize for portraying a transgender woman suffering from AIDS in Dallas Buyers Club.
Literary criticismObituaryMarilyn Butler obituaryLeading literary critic and Romantic period scholar with a special interest in Jane AustenMarilyn Butler, who has died aged 77, was one of the leading scholars of Romanticism of her generation. She perhaps did more than any other academic of recent decades to return Romantic literature to the boisterous history out of which it grew. Her books and editions established her reputation among fellow scholars, but were also read with pleasure by students.
World newsRapper ODB collapses and dies in recording studioOne of the most flamboyant characters in hip-hop, the rap artist ODB, collapsed and died in a recording studio on Saturday at the age of 35.
ODB, born Russell Jones, had complained of chest pains before collapsing outside his Manhattan studio and was dead by the time paramedics arrived. The cause of death was not immediately clear. Mr Jones had recently finished a prison sentence for drug possession and escaping a rehabilitation clinic but no drug paraphernalia was found at the scene.
Ron Jeremy found not competent to stand trial for multiple rape charges | Rape and sexual assa
2024-05-18
Ron Jeremy appears for his arraignment in 2020 on rape and sexual assault charges in Los Angeles. Photograph: David McNew/APRon Jeremy appears for his arraignment in 2020 on rape and sexual assault charges in Los Angeles. Photograph: David McNew/APRape and sexual assault This article is more than 1 year oldRon Jeremy found ‘not competent’ to stand trial for multiple rape chargesThis article is more than 1 year oldLos Angeles judge rules porn star is in “incurable neurocognitive decline”, sparing him trial on rape and sexual assault charges
Members of the Hitler Youth stand guard over the coffins of five English schoolboys, who died on a hike in the Black Forest in 1936. Photograph: Christian Jungeblodt/The GuardianIn 1936, a school group from south London went on a hike in the Black Forest. Despite the heroic rescue attempts of German villagers, five boys died. Eighty years on, locals are still asking how it happened
by Kate ConnollyThe lilac was in full bloom when a group of boys from the Strand school in Brixton and Kenneth Keast, their 27-year-old master, left Freiburg for the opening hike of their 10-day Easter trekking tour in the southern Black Forest.
Buying BlackUS sportsA look at the fortified glass ceiling that casts a shadow over one of the most exclusive clubs in the world
As billionaire flexes go, owning a major sports franchise is hard to beat. You get to prance around in the owner’s suite and host dignitaries and celebrities who gush over your prized possession, all the while watching your investment sprout revenue like a magical beanstalk. Team owners cash in on television rights (ka-ching!
50 things to do when youre 50
2024-05-17
Health & wellbeingFor his 50th birthday, one woman set her husband 50 mini-challenges – not sky-diving or running a marathon, but everyday adventures designed to get more out of life. The experiment isn’t over yet, but the results are already astonishing
My husband’s 50th birthday was approaching and I was searching for an appropriately “big” and memorable present. He wasn’t a material kind of guy, I knew that, and I although I could think of lots of experiences he’d enjoy – a trip to see The Book of Mormon, a meal at the Fat Duck – they felt too short-lived.