Italian singer Mina, whose discs top the charts, yet she hasn't sung in public, not even in television, since 1978, has been the voice of Barilla since the '60s. Her unmistakable voice tells us why we should buy Barilla's pasta while one of her songs plays in the background.Mina's only contact with the public is her agony aunt column on the last page of the Italian Vanity … [Read more...] about Mina – legendary singer and voice of Barilla – says, “I’m gay”
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Cruelty at the Bolshoi: acid attacks and smear campaigns. Tsiskaridze responds.
Sergei Filin had been receiving intimidating phone calls for a while, and had had his tyres punctured and his email hacked, but the acid attack that has shocked the dance world is beyond all reasoning. While police are not ruling out a personal vendetta, it is almost certainly an attack by someone who wants him removed from his position as head of the prestigious Bolshoi … [Read more...] about Cruelty at the Bolshoi: acid attacks and smear campaigns. Tsiskaridze responds.
Milan’s Teatro Franco Parenti celebrates its birthday with an orgy of Hamlets
One of the most respected Milanese theatres was born from an artistic collaboration between three pillars of Italian theatre: the director Franco Parenti, writer Giovanni Testori and up-and-coming young director Andrée Ruth Shammah. Together they formed the Salone Pier Lombardo which, since Parenti's death in 1989, has been run by Shammah, and renamed Teatro Franco Parenti. … [Read more...] about Milan’s Teatro Franco Parenti celebrates its birthday with an orgy of Hamlets
No Wedding Bells for Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie – they’re just friends
Sesame Workshop, which produces “Sesame Street,” put an end to any wedding plans for Bert and Ernie with this brief statement posted on its Facebook page:"Bert and Ernie are best friends. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves. Even though they are identified as male characters and possess … [Read more...] about No Wedding Bells for Sesame Street’s Bert and Ernie – they’re just friends
Alan Hollinghurst’s new novel, The Stranger’s Child: “an extraordinary achievement”
Lovers of Hollinghurst's writing have been waiting a long time for the end of June 2011 and the publication of his new novel. In fact, the wait has been seven years, but now we know that it was worth it. As we sit with the book in our hands, the critics start penning their reactions. Here are some extracts from the first: Marvellously acute in its attention to … [Read more...] about Alan Hollinghurst’s new novel, The Stranger’s Child: “an extraordinary achievement”