The Guardian G2 16.11.2012

Friday 16.11.
12
ENGLAND IS VERY CYNICAL, LIKE WE ARE

How Mumford & Sons survived the sniping and became 2012s biggest band
Lost in Showbiz
12A
The Power of Love

Laura Barton
Johnny Hallyday
If I retire, Ill die
Amour
Peter Bradshaws verdict
Rihanna
By Alexis Petridis
Brad Pitts bathtub
Lost in Showbiz
A platform for Nadines anti-abortion stance or a spotlight on the issues aecting a fragile young woman? No, its the new series of Im a Celebrity
By Alexis Petridis
ithout wishing to second-guess its readership, Lost in Showbiz suspects there may be those among you who choose to look askance at Im a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! It suspects there may be many who nd themselves in improbable and uneasy alliance with Conservative candidate and human rights activist Benedict Rogers, who took to Twitter during the opening show and protested that the presence of Nadine Dorries among its contestants represented a distraction from the plight of those facing ethnic cleansing in Burma or torture in North Korea. Indeed, so keen was Rogers that we forget about Dorries, that he chose to rigorously deny her the oxygen of publicity that might be applied to more serious issues and mentioned her on Twitter only 29 times over the next 48 hours: an example to us all. LiS knows full well that Rogerss is not the only naysaying voice, that there are those who openly doubted Dorriess stated intention to bring issues to light where people go. How wrong can you be? Thus far, its been one heated debate after another around the campre about her proposed amendments to the 2011 health and social care bill: frankly, if LiS has to hear former darts champion Eric Bristow and Brian Conley ruminating on the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and the gestational age of aborted foetuses one more time, its going to scream. The way some people are carrying on, youd think her presence in the show had made absolutely no dierence at all to its content and t that everyone had just sat around nd bitching each other o and arguing ing about how you cook asparagus. It suspects there may be those of e you who look upon the piteous gure of former Coronation Street actor or Helen Flanagan and shake their heads in dismay. At the time of writing, g, Flanagan has distinguished herself self rst by complaining that the ight ght to Australia was too long, by allegedly calling fans at
Helen Flanagan in tears; Hugo Taylor (below)
Taylors next project is a sitcom slated to star James Blunt
Brisbane airport irritating, by failing in three of the infamous bushtucker trials abandoning one after 10 seconds because I had a twig in my hair. Thus she has earned the opprobrium not merely of the viewing public and her fellow contestants, but of presenters Ant and Dec and, according to newspaper reports, the shows production sta as well. Months of preparation, health and safety checks and testing goes into those trials, suggested Laura Whitmore, presenter of the Get Me Out Of Here Now! reaction show, before revealing a startling fact about the shows stang: One lady even has to count every single insect used. And the grumbling malcontents will tell you that participants in the governments workscheme dont get useful practical fare sch experience experien in exchange for their benets! LiS realises that some among you re may have already looked into the past hav of Helen Flanagan, and noted that she is a 22-year-old with a history of depression and eating disorders, who depress treated for the latter in The Priory was trea at the behest of her parents. Last b December, she was forced to quit Decem Coronation Street after 12 years Cor following a spate of panic fo attacks, which she later said a
wiped out my condence completely. Taking this into account, some of you may wonder aloud at the motivation involved in permitting a self-evidently fragile young woman to take part in a programme such as this. A staunch believer in the old adage that absolutely the best thing you can do for someone with a history of eating disorders and self-esteem issues is to try to force them to eat an ostrichs anus on national television, LiS can only boggle at your cynicism. Are you actually suggesting that producers may have exploitatively alighted on a woman with both a history of instability and large breasts a combination they perhaps referred to using the technical term the motherlode in order to hold her up to countrywide ridicule in the name of light entertainment? Besides, even in the highly unlikely event that was their intention, the joke is very much on them now. Look at the press coverage! What better boost can there be for someone who has recently had their condence wiped out completely than the glowing endorsement oered by the Daily Mirror: moronic hopeless imbecilic? Who, however depressed they were, wouldnt feel a little llip when casting their eye over
2 The Guardian 16.11.12
COVER BARRY J HOLMES FOR THE GUARDIAN PHOTOGRAPH ITV/REX FEATURES
On the web Participate in these important debates guardian.co.uk/lostinshowbiz
the banner headline of yesterdays Daily Star Helen most hated jungle celeb ever and indeed the ensuing article: hated wimp detested desperate etc? Raising the level of political debate in the UK and selessly helping a fragile young woman: these are great achievements on the part of Im a Celebrity, but neither is the greatest. That, surely, is bringing Hugo Taylor, formerly of reality series Made in Chelsea, back into the public eye: the better, LiS can only hope, to draw attention to his next mooted project. Taylor is apparently writing a sitcom set in the music biz, and slated to star James Blunt. As one enticing description of its contents puts it, the show involves all the madcap goings-on and decadent behaviour. Anyone who, like LiS, has long believed that the one thing the UK television schedules are lacking is a sitcom about madcap goings-on in the music industry starring James Blunt is advised to take to the phones this very evening: lets crown him King of the Jungle, that his hilarioussounding TV comedy dream may become a reality we can all enjoy.
Brad Pitt: actor, designer, genius; one of his creations (above)
Brad makes a bum job of his bath design

Its a question that has been playing on Lost in Showbizs mind: what has become of Brad Pitts secondary career as a designer? This, you may recall, was launched in grandstanding style some years ago, when reports emerged that the actor would be redesigning the
King Alfred Leisure Centre in Hove with architect Frank Gehry. There were, of course, doubts expressed over whether starring in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button necessarily qualied you to redesign a leisure centre in East Sussex presumably by people blithely unaware that the combination of fame and wealth automatically confers the status of polymath genius on those it favours, and that if Pitt had idly expressed a desire to have a go at cerebrovascular surgery, someone would probably let him. There were complaints that the pairs design was only marginally less hideous than what was already there, and what was already there looked like an enormous public lavatory. Neveren theless, the project appeared to be go. theles And yet, as it strolled past the centre An recently, LiS couldnt help but note its recen continued resemblance to an enormous contin public convenience. Apparently, the publi funding was lost and Hoves Shiverers fund Swim Club must continue to meet in a giant lav for the foreseeable. It thought gian this blow might have signalled the end of Pitts ambitions in this area. That P was until it got wind of Pitt Pollaro, a company specialising in, as far as LiS com can gather, the hugely worthwhile business of turning Pitts doodles into bus the most expensive furniture in the world. Their prices start at north of worl the highest end of the customfurnishings scale, according to Pitts furni collaborator Frank Pollaro, while the colla gur of $45,000 for a chair has gure been mentioned. Of course, no sooner had Pitt given an interview to Architectural Digest, in in which he appeared to have delivered whic every quote while wearing a dressing ever gown and smoking a cigarette in a holder about 3ft long (it started with hol my introduction to Mackintoshs
Glasgow rose, which is drawn with one continuous line, but for me there is something more grand at play, as if you could tell the story of ones life with a single line from birth to death, with all the bloody triumphs and perceived humiliating losses, even boredoms, along the way, he oered) than the carping began. Rich mans dilettantish dabblings etc. Pay $45,000 for a chair, are you mentally ill, you know you can get one in Ikea for 14, yeah? etc. But LiS will hear not one word said against the Pitt Pollaro collection. It particularly likes the Toi et Moi bathtub, manufactured in Statuario Venato marble in a limited edition of three: not merely for the lack of pretension in its name, but because in this case Pitts adoption of the single line that can tell the story of ones life from birth to death seems to have resulted in him designing something that looks like an enormous pair of buttocks. This strikes LiS as either a) very cleverly homing in on that section of the sanitarywarebuying public who have found their enjoyment of a relaxing soak marred by the nagging thought: if only I was bathing in something that cost me about six years wages and looked a bit more like an enormous marble arse; or b) the result of Pollaro stumbling on the wrong page in Pitts book of drawings. In fact, it hopes it was the latter, largely because it likes to imagine the conversation that ensued on the baths delivery. Whats this? Its a Statuario Venato marble bath based on your Mackintosh-inuenced design. What bath? I didnt design a bath. That was just a doodle of a bum. Youre joking! Next youll be telling me this mouldbreaking shower unit Ive had made was just a crudely drawn spurting penis and testicles.
16.11.12 The Guardian 3
Shortcuts
The take A magical Christmas hit in which the secular and the spiritual entwine
By Laura Barton
New band of the week Scruzzer

By Paul Lester
he lights are strung out along Regent Street, golden holly and scarlet berries heralding the ocial commencement of the festive season, and the signal to prepare ourselves for the glittering traditions of the modern Advent: the X Factor No 1, the ice-rink photoshoot, the feathery bludgeoning of the Christmas advertising campaign song. Last year it was Slow Moving Millies doleful rendition of the Smiths Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want, employed by John Lewis for their promotional clip of a young boy anxiously counting down the days. This year, the department store has plumped for another cover Gabrielle Alpins piano-led take on Frankie Goes to Hollywoods 1984 hit The Power of Love. Its pretty enough, of course, but there is something a little bleached, a little bloodless about Alpins version; a Twilight rendering of the song, its focus seeming to fall on atmosphere rather than lyrical content. This is strange, since it has always been this songs lyrics that have drawn me. I remember watching Frankie Goes to Hollywood perform it on Top of the Pops, when Holly Johnson sat, centre stage, wearing a coat that seemed halfway between a boxers dressing gown and a set of pastoral robes the perfect attire for a song that pitched loves power as lying somewhere between the boxing ring and the pulpit. It was an audacious song, with its references to the Hooded Claw from The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, and courting the scandal that already surrounded the band its artwork, featuring The Assumption of the Virgin by Titian. Though it reached the top of the charts in early December that year, it was inevitable, though faintly disappointing, that it was pipped to the Christmas No 1 spot by Band Aid. What stuck with me then, as now, was the peculiar mystery of those lyrics. I had just turned seven when it was rst released, and love then was an unknown quantity. Love is danger/ Love is pleasure, Johnson
sang. Love is pure, the only treasure. I was intrigued. The power of love, Johnson continued, A force from above/ Cleaning my soul. Love was, he insisted, a sky-scraping dove, a re-tongued vampire-slayer, an energy rushin, rushin inside of me. The following year came two more ruminations on the power of love rst, Jennifer Rushs immense powerballad, painting a silk-sheeted bedroom scene of besotted lovers. Sometimes I am frightened but Im ready to learn/ About the power of love, she declared, volubly though made little eort to actually dene that power. Shortly afterwards sprang the Back to the Future-endorsed hit by Huey Lewis and the News, oering further enlightenment. Love was, Lewis explained, a curious thing capable of making one man weep and another man sing. Lewis, Rush and Frankie Goes to oes Hollywood are not the only artists to rtists have attempted to distill the power of love in song Luther Vandross tried s it in 1991, Martha Reeves covered Joe ered Simons song in 1972, and in 1966 the 966 Everly Brothers recorded (You Got) u The Power of Love. Written by Bonnie y Bramlett and Joey Cooper, this last song s speculated on the joy and happiness ppiness to be found in a kiss and the way that love can chase out loneliness. It was only later that I began to an view the power of love as one of those magical points in music usic where the sacred and the secular ular entwine. Where once a gospel choir el might have sung of how God wields an almighty power from on high a igh power that is transformational, at al, times terrifying, but always purifying, redemptive secular artists attribute ttribute these same qualities to romantic love. ntic I always felt like The Power of er Love was the record that would uld save me in this life, Holly Johnson hnson once said. There is a Biblical aspect to its spirituality and passion; the ; fact that love is the only thing that g matters in the end. Something ng to contemplate as we slip into the o Christmas shopping frenzy.
Holly Johnson dressed perfectly for a song that pitched love as lying somewhere between the boxing ring and the pulpit
Hometown: West London. The lineup: Romani Lorenzo (vocals). The background: That staccato voice, caught between a sob and a shriek, that rapid delivery, and the avant-garde approach to grime sonics if you heard Scruzzers forthcoming single Rap Rave on the radio, youd swear Dizzee Rascals fth album had come early. Who wants to hear my brand new sound? asks Scruzzer, and although you could argue with the brand new bit, theres no denying this is arresting enough to demand the inquiry. It starts with synths like a dentists drill squealing over a grinding beat and electronic handclaps as Scruzzer conducts the transition between the sort of experimental hip-hop the Neptunes might have produced for Clipse (the rap) and the brisker section (the rave). We were expecting a watered down crossover bid from the pre-release chat cros about abou Scruzzers diverse inuences, from Amy Winehouse to Andre 3000, and broad taste in music from garage, funky funk and drumnbass to classical and jazz jazz but the great thing about Rap Rave is how focused it is. ho The T mixtape, Fizzy Flow, is good, too, with original grime material, courtesy of producers Preditah, cour Paperboy and FDOT. Pape Equally ne is Insane, another E track on Scrus SoundCloud, on which his ludicrously fast rapping makes l mockery of the concept of ow. a mo Theres nothing uid about these The jagged jagg bursts of language, but theres j something irresistibly idiosyncratic som about abou this artist. The buzz: His energetic ow and vibe have ha made him one of grimes rising stars grmdaily.com. sta The truth: Original pirate material. Most Mos likely to: Go bonkers. Least Leas likely to: Go to Yonkers. What Wha to buy: The Fizzy Flow mixtape is available for download/streaming av now at soundcloud.com/scruzzer. Rap Rave is released by Ministry Of Sound/Stay Fizzy on 28 January. Sou File next to: Dizzee Rascal, Wiley, Tinie Tempah and Chipmunk. Tem Links: Link facebook.com/scruzzer.
Hello! Where are you at the moment? Im not doing anything! I havent made a lm for two years now (1). Im just an old man, but Im OK. Thank you. Do you think you could ever be tempted out of retirement? Yes, I would like to make a lm, certainly. But something thats decent. I dont have to be the leading person, but I need a good part, thats all. A good script. Even a small part, for one weeks work or whatever, that would be very nice. Lawrence of Arabia is being released on Blu-ray (2). Why do you think the lm has endured? Well, its because ... I dont know. Its extraordinary when I made this lm I thought: This is a crazy thing. There are no girls, no very famous actors at that time, only men and no action, not a lot of action. Not a lot of ghts, not a lot of ... It was so good because the director was a brilliant man. Thats the truth. David Lean was a great, great man. Great man. What do you think set him apart from other directors you worked with? Look, he hated actors. Ill tell you that. He was interested in the lm itself. His work was about making the lm. He took actors he didnt like them or love them or anything, he just thought: This one will do for this part. When he took me from Egypt, he didnt know me. He just said: I want an Arab person to play this Laurence of Arabia thing. I want a real Arab who speaks English. All this happened because I had been to an English school in Cairo (3), so he called me and I went to the desert and he loved me. He actually liked me very much. I was one of the only actors he actually liked, in all his life. He hated them. Why did you go to an English school? I heard it was because you were fat. Yes! Yes! I was a fat little boy when I was 10 years old! My mother, who didnt speak any English at all said: I know, the only thing is to put him in an English boarding school. The food will be so horrible that hell lose his weight. Thats how I became an actor. There was also a theatre at the English school I went to. So I lost my weight, I became
30 minutes with... Omar Sharif The veteran actor talks about ageing, the enduring appeal of Lawrence of Arabia and Hull City FC
thin, I learned to become an actor and I learned English very well. All this was because my mother didnt like looking at her fat son. Youve acted in a number of languages. Which is easiest? Well, the only thing that I like to act in is English. The other languages I can speak, but I cant act as well in any other language. I like to speak English in theatre. I made French lms and other lms and a lot of Arabic lms, but what I like is English for myself. Thank you. (4) Youre also a big supporter of Hull sup City FC (5) ... Of what? Yes, yes. I like football very much. Thats what I like. I play it quite well. I played it quite well in my English school. I wa a back, a slave. Its was very stupid to be a b back. In those days we didnt move a lo The back stayed lot. still and just watche the wing-rights. watched They took care of us Thats all we us. could do. Thank you Thank you. Im you. a little bit is there anything else you quickly? want to say quickl Yes, I have a few more h questions ... ques Go on, please. I cant stay here like this. sta I really cant. r Thank you. Th OK then. Two more O questions. q One more, OK? O Do you have any unfullled goals? (6) un What? I dont know. Wh I dont know. d Everything happened Ev to me at that time dierently. I was young rst, and then yo I became middle-aged b and then I became an an old man. Its very complicated. I dont com know. know I cant tell you anything about it. anyth Whatever happens Whate happens. happen I dont know. do I didnt d anything on purpose. I did what I liked and refused what I didnt refuse like. Thats all. I cant you. Thank you (7)
By Stuart Heritage
PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES
Foot notes (1) According to IMDb, his last lm was Jai oubli de te dire in 2010. (2) To mark the lms 50th anniversary (3) Victoria College. Other notable alumni include Hussein I of Jordan and Gilbert de Botton. (4) Here I asked him about Barry White, a Desert Island Disc choice of his in 1978, which he had no recollection of (5) He received an honorary degree from Hull University in light of this in 2010. (6) It was this or something about the Omar Sharif Bridge iPhone app, which isnt very good. (7) Youre welcome. My mum fancies you.
Their album Babel is the fastest-selling in the US this year and theyve even played the White House. So why does their hoedown folk irritate and delight in equal measure? The rise and rise of Mumford & Sons By Tom Lamont
PHOTOGRAPH BARRY J HOLMES FOR THE GUARDIAN
The band at the Hollywood Bowl this month; (right) lead singer Marcus Mumford with his wife, Carey Mulligan
oundcheck for the band, today, takes place at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. It is late afternoon and while the arenas 17,000 outdoor seats are still empty the four members of Mumford & Sons prospering British folk band, in the middle of a long tour of Australia, the US and the UK, their newly released album Babel a smash on all fronts wander to centre stage. First singer and guitarist Marcus Mumford, wearing a black suit, then bassist Ted Dwane, in leather bomber and T-shirt. Next bearded banjo player Winston Marshall, his blue annel shirt hanging loose, and pianist Ben Lovett, wrapped in a woollen coat. Mumford begins to perform, a murmured cover of a country song, and as the others join in the rhythm of the music gets to them. Dwane lowers his body at the waist, knees out. Watching from the stands I wonder if its a eeting thing, an itch or a bit of back ache But Mumford, infected, begins a fancy kickstep. Soon Marshall is doing an elaborate foot-to-foot jig, and then theyre all bounding around. Shoulder dips. Yee-ha faces. Its an impromptu hoedown. Having spent the day in the company of this thoughtful, uncommonly levelheaded band charmed, completely a protective part of me sort of wishes they wouldnt hoedown. Four polite Englishmen in their middle 20s, feigning like rewater drunks in a Eugene ONeill play: its exactly the stu that makes their detractors groan. Since forming in 2007 Mumford & Sons have hard-toured their way to a vast market for throaty folk thats strong on banjo and bass drum. They have released two enormous albums. But, wow, do they take some knocks back home. They look like fucking Amish people, Liam Gallagher said last year. As rock and roll as a blue rinse, was the the Suns more recent take. An October blogpost on the NMEs website, entitled Why Do People Hate Mumford & Sons So Much?, quoted extensively from a Facebook page called I Hate Mumford & Sons. Theyre inauthentic, runs the general complaint. They went to fee-paying London schools and now ools theyre all about heels and d waistcoats and hoedowns. s. What do Mumford & Sons think? Englands just very cynical. Like I am. m. Like we all are, says Marshall. I think were all guilty uilty of it as British citizens, says ays Mumford, if something gets big we go ugh. There is a plausible argugument that this band are the he most successful in the world orld right now Babel shifted d 600,000 copies in its rst t week in the US, making it the t fastest-seller of the year.
The album before that, 2009s Sigh No More, went multiple platinum. And here they are, taking a share of the blame for the stick they get, on national-character grounds. We get accused of inauthenticity because we play the instruments we play, says Marshall, whose furious banjo work probably prompts the most carping. But he points to the example of legendary British guitarist Peter Green. Hes from Bethnal Green and hes this fucking incredible blues guitarist. Nothing fucking authentic about that, right? But actually there is. He loves it. Its what hes good at. Its not like hes saying hes from the Delta. Its not like were saying anything like that. The authenticity thing has never been an issue for me, says Mumford. Not since I came to the realisation that Dylan, whos probably my favourite artist ever, the richest artist for me, didnt give a shit about authenticity. He changed his name. And lied to everyone about who he was. Mumford is outtted today like his hero, the worn dark suit ideally Dylan, so too the black hat deep-positioned on his head. Backstage at the Hollywood Bowl this hat will get a compliment from a bystander and Mumford will explain that its appearance is the result of many weeks campaigning. His wife, the actor Carey Mulligan, took some persuading on it ... Mumford and Mulligan married in April, and she is here at the venue today, merrily itting about the wings, wearing a jumper with a large letter M on it. Mumford is wary about his private life, and prefers not to speak on the record about Mulligan. They knew each other as kids and were briey pen pals before falling out of touch. Then in 2011 the actor Jake Gyllenhaal, a mutual friend, reintroduced them and within a year they were engaged. At their wedding in the spring Mumfords father, a vicar, conducted the service. Given that the frontmans parents are prominent Christians (Jon and Ele Mumford founded the UK wing of the evangelical church planting organisation Vineyard Church), and also that the bands lyrics feature ample spiritual deliberaspiri tion, its no great surprise n that Mumford & Son are Mum sometimes sometim considered a Christian band. Marshall and Dwane tell me they Dw were approached by a fan, not so long ago, who wanted to know if th was how they this dened themselves. n We said were not all Christian, so we cant Chris Christian band, be a C Marshall Marsh says. Were not all religious, a Dwane says. In Dwa fact none of us
ons s rd & S umfo ustin, Texa M A rm in year perfo arch this in M
are, really. We, er, we have a full spectrum of beliefs. Marshall hands me a leaet he has picked up that advertises access to the wisdom of the universe. Given that theres fuck all else to do in LA, he says, he spent the morning wandering the L Ron Hubbard museum in West Hollywood. Im looking for answers, he says, pulling a wild-eyed face that slowly gives to a grin. Their music being so earnest, so bloody grave, Im surprised to nd Mumford & Sons such light company. The Spice Girls ballad 2 Become 1 gets a layered, four-man rendition while Mumford & Sons kill time before a photoshoot. The irreverent Marshall is described by Lovett, accurately, as always looking like hes won a competition to stand next to the band. Mumford tells a story about someone squealing in recognition, not long ago, while he was waiting in line at a cash machine. His hand automatically went for the autograph pen In fact he was being told he looked exactly like Alec Baldwin. (There is a striking resemblance.) Theyre funny with me and generous with their time and, who knows, it might be because way back it was a press interview that accidentally got Mumfords songwriting career underway. He was about 20 at the
The authenticity thing hasnt been an issue for me since I realised Dylan lied to everyone about who he was
time and a dropout from Edinburgh University (not very popular there) when he got session work as a drummer with Laura Marling. She was then a little known singer-songwriter whose career was about to take o, and in a small London studio Mumford recorded the drum track for Marlings breakthrough album, Alas I Cannot Swim. When Marling was called away to do interviews that day, Mumford was left in a studio booth for an hour and a half, where he sat and wrote White Blank Page, later a central track on Sigh No More and a real heartwringer, all about romantic frustration. (Throughout our conversation, Mumford talks of Marling only as an admired fellow musician but anyone who follows these sorts of artists knows that Mumford and Marling became a couple for a time, from some point after Alas I Cannot Swim was nished until about 2010.) Mumford approached Marlings manager, Adam Tudhope, with White Blank Page and a few other tracks he had written, and Tudhope took him on. The band gathered around Mumford from there. Lovett was an old friend from St Pauls school in west London, Marshall he had rst met as a teenager then reencountered in Edinburgh; Dwane they all knew through crossover work with Marling. Under the new name Mumford & Sons (a bit of nu-folk whimsy: no blood relations here), their earliest gigs, remembers Lovett, were awful. But we were energetic, and ambitious, and gave everything we could, and that got us a long way. The band toured a great deal from the start, and have never really reined in that early zeal for booking new dates. By Lovetts count theyve done, to now, 10 separate tours of the US alone. Relentless touring has
THE DETAILS
Mumford & Sons Road To Red Rocks DVD is released on 26 November
been a constant through all sorts of milestones: the release of an early EP on Chess Club Records, signing with Island Records here and Glassnote in America; Sigh No More being nominated for a Mercury Prize, and winning a Brit; then a storming TV appearance at the 2011 Grammys, where they played with Bob Dylan, pushing album sales past 1m in the US; and in March being invited to play the White House . Today at the Hollywood Bowl the news is still very fresh that Babel has repeated the feat: a million copies sold in America, only this time much quicker, about six weeks after release. There are bands out there who would nd this a reasonable excuse to open the champagne. To ll the nearest pool with it, for backips. When I mention the new achievement to Dwane, he hasnt heard about it. But no, thats awesome. Mumfords clueless too. But no, thats great, thats great. Lovett says he wants the band to have the freedom to evolve as they make a third album, a fourth. Also to be able to do smallvenue tours as well as big ones. And even just registering [Babels sales] you would naturally, subconsciously, be striving to continue to go that same way. The next album, the next couple of albums after this, we know that its going to take a musical turn. I ask Dwane what the new material sounds like. Sort of glory-days Elton John, he says. I ask Marshall, who says it sounds a bit like the National, and a bit like the Band, without doing either of them justice. They tell me other things Im not allowed to write, including news of a change in instrument infrastructure that should quieten a few groans. Personally I could handle Mumford & Sons working in something Bill Withers-ish, too, if their performance at the end of soundcheck is anything to go by. The sun has by now gone down, the gig only hours away, and an army of event sta are moving through the 17,000 seats to make nal preparations. Some nod their heads as the band play a cover of Lean On Me, quite beautifully, into the near-empty arena. No hoedown interlude on this one, but after a verse of Withers song Mumford starts messing with the lyrics. He baits the sound crew: Lean on me / while you gure out / which button does what. And then he teases his bandmates, or seems to, about the unlikeliness of their current position, these four Londoners making American-avoured folk and pretty well conquering an industry with it. Lean on me / while we gure out / what were doing here anyway / Its all a big accident / Lean on me
T MY I GO BIG I R ST F AUGH PT L ND KE A OING G

C
hris Tucker is an actor who will for ever be associated with one, salient fact. Specically: that he was, for a brief moment, the highest paid actor in the world. This was for Rush Hour 3, the third instalment in the big-grossing action franchise of the 90s for which he was paid $25m (15.75m). The lm proved him to be, arguably, the greatest physical comedian of his generation and, inarguably, its best remunerated. After watching his hyper-animated, bug-eyed, wisecracking, body-popping turns as LAPD Detective James Carter foil to Jackie Chans self-contained police inspector Lee it is hard to believe this subdued, polite guy in black shirt and suit, speaking softly at a hotel suite conference table, is the same person. He emanates equanimity. Which he will need as journalist after journalist no doubt asks the same question: why so long away? Silver Linings Playbook, an odd, if touching, romantic comedy in which he plays a mentally ill patient and buddy to our bipolar hero (Bradley Cooper), marks Tuckers return to the movies after a ve-year absence. Theres no mystery to it. With money in the bank, and a son to raise, he, as he puts it, just sorta took a step back, choosing to keep doing standup rather than accept roles he found unsatisfactory. Im a perfectionist and its real hard
Chris Tucker, once the worlds highest pa id actor, talks to Tom Sho ne about what drew him acting and why, aft to er a ve-year absence, he agreed to do a new lm
for me to do something when I dont feel its fresh and new. I did this one because I thought it was a great movie dealing with mental illness. It intrigued me because I was learning at the same time, you know, playing this character. Theres a tantalisingly brief dance scene in which he grooves with Jennifer Lawrence, counselling a mied Cooper, her ostensible dance partner, to black it up. It recalls a lot of the crude racial humour in the Rush Hour lms (Carter drops lines such as Ive been lookin for your sweet-and-sour ur chicken ass! and, after accidentally y punching a long-suering Chan during ing a ght with several Chinese men, Yall Yall look alike!), and, less problematically, lly, what a great dancer he is. No training, ng, he says, proudly. Did he teach Cooper er any moves o screen, as well as on? You know what? No. Hes a pretty ty good dancer. I didnt have to, he says, ys, characteristically full of grace. Tuckers role in Silver Linings Playybook isnt outright comic, but I suspect ect he might be an actor who just cant help but be funny. I wasnt playing it for laughs, he says. Which I love I think Im better when its real, anyway, ay, so if any laugh was gonna come, it was as gonna come out of a real situation. And, as with his previous lms, a lot
PHOTOGRAPH ACTION PRESS/REX FEATURES
TUCKERS LUCK
of material was improvised, because mat David [O Russell, who also directed The Fighter] is all about that and hes Fig right there, throwing stu out at you, th so Id s something and hed say: Keep say that, ke that, dont say that. He knows keep how to catch stu in the moment. Tucker was born in Atlanta, Georgia, Tuck the sixth and youngest child of parents sixt who, as he phrases it, put the fear in us. His father ran a janitorial service and his mother stayed at home to look after hi and his siblings. him I was spoiled a little bit, but not all wa the time, it was rough sometimes being tim the youngest, because theyd bully y you a bit I had older brothers. yo They treat you bad. Dont go to T sleep when Momma cooks you s wake up, food be gone You shoulda been up! His career-path epiphany came at 18, while hosting the school talent competition. I got my rst big laugh and I kept going and they were laughing and I said, This is what I wanna do, I found something Im passionate about. That seems to have come with a sense of relief. Because I wasnt, you know, great in school. A year later he moved to LA and began doing standup. Soon a he was a regular on Def Comedy h Jam, the Russell Simmons HBO Ja series that showcased Africanse American comedians and A helped launch the careers of h Dave Chappelle and Martin D Lawrence both of whom were L considered for the Carter role co in Rush Hour before Tucker took the part. too In 1994, Tucker made his I debut with House Party 3, a debu comedy starring TLC and Bernie Mac, in which he played Johnny Booze, whic but it was his role in Friday a year w later th constituted his big break. that He played Smokey, stoner buddy to He play rapper Ice Cube, and remains so loved Ic for that role that people still approach him oering weed. He laughs and mimics their muttered oers: We mimic can go in the back and smoke one they want to say they smoked with Smokey! Im so glad I dont smoke Id be high all the time. smo Tucker has a habit of respondT ing to questions hed rather not t answer with an almost grandansw motherly ohhhh! a benignly mot dismissive noise and an dism understandable response when under u the question is as blunt as just how th ques he managed to wangle such a recordmanage breaking su for Rush Hour 3. sum
With Jackie Chan in Rush Hour 3, in which Tucker proved his comedic credentials
Tucker with Bradley Cooper and Jacki Weaver in Silver Linings Playbook
Ohhh! he coos. And then chuckles. You know what: just ask. They say: Ask and you will receive. I was blessed to do that. You always think, if you keep working hard you will get rewarded. But the thing that really pushed me at the beginning was just people laughing. I think thats where my joy really came from. You can nd footage of Tuckers early Def Comedy Jam performances on YouTube. In one, he ris on the idea of Michael and Tito Jackson as pimps, not knowing that hed eventually meet Jackson, even playing wingman to him in the video for Rock My World. When I met him he was just the nicest guy, the kindest man I ever met. He just befriended me like an older brother. But he was too scared to do his Jackson impression in front of his friend. Scared that hed be like and he adopts that unmistakeable,
querulous voice: Who you doing? He describes Jackson as a kindred spirit, as well as a personal idol, and admits to dropping an MJ reference into each one of the Rush Hour movies (perhaps most memorably, to Chan: Im Michael Jackson, you Tito. Your ass belongs to me). He and Jackson might seem implausible buddies the motormouthed extrovert and the soft-spoken recluse but encountering the oscreen Tucker earnest to the point of childlike it makes sense. Tucker is a regular churchgoer and claims not to drink or smoke. (I believe him.) Tucker is vague about what he might do next. Rush Hour 4? Possibly, he says. But I would love to do more serious movies. As he says of being for ever perceived as either Smokey or Detective Carter: Its a good thing for them to remember you, but you gotta keep moving.
I thought it was a great movie dealing with mental illness. I was intrigued
hen Peter Greenaways new lm screens late at night at the Rome lm festival it sheds nearly a third of its audience in the opening hour. On screen sits a lavish spread of nude bodies and looping calligraphy, while o-screen comes the quiet ap of seatbacks as maybe 30 punters bail out and run for cover. In the meantime Im wondering about the punters that remain. How many are staying for the art and how many for the sex? Or could it be that theres no real dierence between the two? Goltzius and the Pelican Company spins a tale of eroticism and religious hypocrisy; an examination of the symbiotic relationship between art and sex. The hero is Hendrick Goltzius (Ramsey Nasr), a 16th-century Dutch engraver who convinces the wealthy Margrave (F Murray Abraham) to fund a revolutionary new printing press by having his employees enact lusty scenes from the Old Testament. But Goltzius, it transpires, is playing with re. The Margrave is variously seduced and scandalised. The religious establishment is up in arms. On balance, Im glad I didnt join the exodus of escapees at the premiere. Whatever the failings of Greenaway as a storyteller (the over-meticulous compositions; the perceived lack of humanity), Goltzius and the Pelican Company provides food for thought and a feast for the senses. In the end theres something glorious about it. No doubt the lm contains an autobiographical avour too. Holding court in the lobby of his Rome hotel, Greenaway explains that Goltzius eventually made so much money from his printing press that he could aord to give up the day job and spend his last 10 years as a painter. And I suppose thats also my ambition, he says. I dont want to be a lm-maker. I think painting is far more exciting and profound. Its always at the back of my mind lets give up this silly business of lm-making and concentrate on something more satisfying and worthwhile. In the meantime here he is, a director for his sins. Greenaway was born in Wales and raised in Essex. He trained as an artist at Walthamstow and cut his teeth as an editor at the Central Oce of Information. His early features The Draughtsmans Contract, A Zed and Two Noughts saw him hailed as one of the most distinctive, provocative talents of his generation, while 1989s operatic The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover nudged him perilously close to mainstream success. His chosen subjects are sex and death; his inspirations are Rubens, Bruegel, Van Eyck. At the age of
I DONT WANT TO BE A FILM MAKER

70, with his pinstripe suit and sensible hair, he resembles an ageing bank manager toiling not altogether successfully to restrain his puckish inner nature. It strikes me, however, that Greenaways parallels with Goltzius may extend further. The lm shows the ways in which new technology must get into bed with lechery and how its hero is forced to use his art in the service of titillation. In documenting this transaction, Greenaway might be accused of doing the same. His lm is positively bulging with scenes of striptease and threesomes, incest and adultery. Well, yes, says Greenaway. Sex sells and thats an interesting issue. He points out that every emergent visual phenomenon is at least partly seeded eded by erotic taboos. You can see it with oil painting in the Venetian period, d, photography in the 1840s, cinema in ma the 1890s and the internet today. And . all of this is ne and fascinating; a rich source of drama and inquiry. He xes me with a beady stare. e. Are you trying to make me out to o be a pornographer? No, I tell him. m. Not necessarily, although I am interested in where he draws the line. Goltzius, after all, reasoned that the depiction of sex makes his art more sellable. Im wondering if, in the process of staging a movie, Greenaway performs the same calculations. Thats a very naive question, he says waspishly. Youve seen my previous lms: theyve always ys been pretty frank about notions of sexuality. Youve seen it in The Cook, ook,
As his latest heady mix of art and sex shows in Rome, Peter Greenaway tells Xan Brooks hed rather be a painter and plans to kill himself at 80 anyway
Are you trying to make me out to be a pornographer? Peter Greenaway and (left) a scene from Goltzius and the Pelican Company
the Thief. Youve seen it in Drowning By Numbers, The Baby of Macon. So this subject is nothing new. Maybe inch by inch we push things forward a little bit, but I believe this is a credible and honourable use of a contemporary vocabulary. Its a lm about how sex and religion refuse to get into bed with each other. So throw away your Daily Mail hat because I dont believe it ts you anyway. Youre shing for some sensationalism and I dont think thats worthy of you. I suspect he likes his reputation as a polarising gure. For every person who reveres his work, there are many others who regard it as arid, cerebral and insular. Its a big criticism of Greenaway lms that they are far too interested in formalism and not enough interested in notions of emotional content, he says. Greenaway quit England 16 years ago and lives in Amsterdam with his second wife and two children. He seems happy and engaged with a whole raft of projects (lms, paintings, installations). But he will have to get a move on. At 80, he says, he plans to kill himself. I cant believe hes serious; I bet he chickens out. Well, OK, he concedes. I admit death is not just about you, its also about the people who love you. I have a child of 11 and a child of eight and theyre not going to want Daddy to disappear. But I am seriously thinking about it and I could do it in Holland. He argues that the world is too full and it belongs to the young. I cant think of anyone who has done anything remotely useful after the age of 80. One or two late prints by Picasso. One or two late paintings by Titian. Now you might say, Well, Ive got this grandfather whos a beautiful old gentleman and rocks the cradle. But really, is he not just taking up space? OK Grandad, happy 80th birthday. Heres G a da your cake and heres the needle. ca What he longs for, I think, is the Wha perfect formalists death. Perhaps, he says. And wouldnt that be wondersays ful? Wouldnt it be wise to make a good Wo death for yourself? We all know that f were going to die, but we dont know when. Thats not a blessing, thats whe a cu curse. Imagine if we knew. If you knew when you were going to die, kne wouldnt you make your life more wo worthwhile? wo I dont know, I tell him. I hope so, but Im not sure it works that so, way. Well OK, says Greenaway. wa Hope, hope, hope. Hang on to the H hope. He reaches for his water ho and gulps it down like belladonna. an
Watch the video of A Zed and Two Noughts in a double bill with Distant Voices, Still Lives: guardian.co.uk/lm
gaggle of paparazzi is keeping hopeful watch outside Pariss Htel de Crillon. The object of their interest, however, was smuggled in via a back entrance, and is now happily ensconced in a third-oor suite, sparking up the rst of a succession of lterless Gitanes using a lighter with a photo of his own face on it. You arent supposed to smoke in the room, but, as the man from his record company notes, rules about smoking are not something Johnny Hallyday has to pay a great deal of attention to. They recently took a ight together, he says. The 69-year-old singer immediately lit up in the airport and an airline ocial rushed over: not to chastise him but to bring him an ashtray. No one is allowed to smoke in an Air France departure lounge, he smiles. Except Johnny Hallyday. For a British journalist, meeting Hallyday is a disconcerting experience because of the vast gulf between his astonishing success in his homeland where he has sold more than 110m records and Britain, where most people would struggle to name a single Hallyday song. I have been allocated an hour in his company, which seems fair enough given that there is a 51-year career to discuss, but the French press apparently get only long enough to check on his friendship with Nicolas Sarkozy and the state of his health, which in recent years has been a subject of much drama. First, in 2009, he successfully battled colon cancer, then, later the same year, endured a botched operation on a herniated disc that resulted in him being put in a medically induced coma for three weeks. These days, I am looking after myself better, he oers, without irony, from somewhere within a cloud of Gitanes smoke. He remains an endless source of prurient fascination for gossip mags, capable of elbowing Brangelina from their covers. It doesnt seem to matter that he long ago abandoned France as a tax exile, and spends most of his time in Los Angeles, with his fourth wife and two adopted daughters: At least I can go to the supermarket without people jumping on me, he says. The French love him intensely. Put it this way: when news leaked of the medically induced coma, the doctor responsible for the botched operation was attacked in his home by a masked gang. I am getting an hour because Hallyday wants to launch a career in Britain: last month, he played his rst ever UK shows, at the Royal Albert Hall. It goes without saying that this is a fairly unexpected move. For one thing, Hallyday was supposed to have retired three years
HERES JOHNNY!
Until this year, Frances greatest rocknroller had never played in the UK. Johnny Hallyday tells Alexis Petridis why now, at 69, hes trying to broaden his appeal
ago. I nearly died, from surgery that turned bad. Afterwards I stayed six months without doing anything. And then I was wondering I had nothing to do, I was recovering. I couldnt really sing, because they hurt my voice doing the he mimes putting a tube down his throat but when my voice came back, I thought, why did I say that about retiring? It was boring. I was thinking: if I retire now, Ill die for real. I think I have more energy now than I did 20 years ago. And for another, the English-speaking world has thus far remained stubbornly resistant to his music. I dunno, he shrugs. Maybe because of the language. When I do songs for French people, you have to adapt yourself to their taste. Even if I sing rocknroll, its not exactly what I would do if I was going to do an album for the US or UK. Its less variet than for France, less middle-class. Indeed, if he is acknowledged at all in Britain, it is as a kind of Gallic Cli Richard. Theres a grain of truth there, in so far as he represented the rst vaguely authentic indigenous response to rocknroll and they both managed to outrage the authorities. He was introduced to Elvis by his cousins husband, with whose dance act he travelled around Europe as a child. After he graduated from singing at US air force bases, his performances had a tendency to end with audiences rioting. Yeah, because it was new, huh? There were only kids in the audiences. Older people, they said: What is this noisy music? Its at that point that their stories diverge. You could say Hallyday was Frances answer to Cli Richard, if Cli Richard had somehow managed to maintain the air of menace that attended his rst appearances. Certainly, it would be hard to confuse Hallyday with Sir Cli today. At nearly 70, he looks extraordinary, clad from head to toe in black, covered in tattoos and jewellery including a deeply un-Cli-like necklace featuring a crucied Jesus with a Fender Stratocaster hanging around his neck and still likes to talk about rocknroll as a dark, primeval force. For me, rocknroll has to be tough. I dont think were doing happy music. I think were doing hard music for people who want to have energy. At one point, he compares himself to Tennessee Williams, because he writes about losers. Its very close to rocknroll. Its my way of rocknroll. All of this is before you actually get to Hallydays music, which veers between oddly familiar he made his name with French-language versions of Anglophone hits and completely alien. His discography contains a heavily orchestrated double concept
t onstage a Hallyday Hall Albert the Royal nd (main ha last mont he 1970s t picture) in
album based on Hamlet. Artistically, at least, he really came into his own in the late 60s, when he emerged from two years national service, abandoning the French-language versions of the Twist in favour of a tougher, R&B-inuenced sound, which he says today was suggested to him by Sammy Davis Jr. It was usually recorded in London with crack Brit musicians Jimmy Page, Peter Frampton, Ronnie Lane but came with a decidedly French lyrical bent. If some of the songs went in for modish protest Jsus Christ (Est Un Hippie) oered one title, daringly more opted for the kind of heavy emotional torment favoured in French chanson. In France, you have to sing lyrics that mean something. You cannot sing Blue Suede Shoes in French. Lyrically, people like the story, they want poetic.
They were great times. He seems determined to win over r English-speaking audiences he is taking lessons to improve e his accent, plans to tour over here and record an album in English, h, perhaps with some songwriting ng contributions from Bono but t there is no doubt that its a tough ugh call. He says he thinks of himself elf not as a French artist but interernational, yet the audience at his Royal Albert Hall shows were
largely French ex-pats. Still, if it doesnt work, his countrymens devotion can be relied on. Retire now? he frowns, returning to the theme. For what? To do what? To get bored? To die? No! He takes a drag on his Gitanes. My little girls, they look at me with admiration. I want them to still look at me like that. I want them to think: My daddy is still the best.
LAttente, Johnny Hallydays latest album, is out now on Rhino.
allydays shows became increasingly bizarre and elaborate, until, by the early 80s, he was shooting lasers out of a pair of specially designed glasses and performing with vast troupes of dancers decked out as vampires and zombies, proof that when his musical inspiration faltered, his desire to put on a suitably outlandish live gig never did. But even without the special eects, he was a singular performer. Look on YouTube and you can nd a 1968 clip of him doing a song called Je Nai Pas Voulu Croire accompanied by what appears to be the worlds most amboyant tambourine player. He sings it on his knees, bathed in sweat, giving it a lot of tormented facial expressions and hand gestures. It is pretty remarkable stu. A couple of years previously, he had brought Jimi Hendrix to France for the rst time, after meeting him in a London nightclub he had visited with Otis Redding. They toured together for six months and Hendrix suggested he record Hey Joe. The audiences liked him, except the critics. They said: Whats this crazy guy eating his guitar? Thats not music. Hes a savage. You know, very bad things. So he went back to London, and he did his album and it went to No 1 and he came back to France and did a tour. I saw the names of the critics: the same people were saying it was magical. The same people! He shrugs. That was bullshit, you know? He says he has been thinking a lot about Hendrix recently. Finally playing in London brought back a lot of memories of the 60s, when his lack of British and US success seemed no barrier to his membership of the young rock aristocracy: I would be in one room in Olympic Studios, Rod Stewart in another, Mick Jagger in another.
Today on the Music Weekly podcast: Tame Impalas mindbending fuzz and Jack DeJohnette talks about working with Miles Davis and John Coltrane
Delve deep into the world of 17th century politics, religious conflict and diplomatic secrecy in Mission, the new album from best-selling classical artist Cecilia Bartoli. Discover the forgotten masterpieces of composer Agostino Steffani including several solo arias and striking duets, left hidden from the world until now.
PHOTOGRAPHS SIPA PRESS/REX FEATURES; CORBIS
Find Out More www.ceciliabartolionline.com

MISSION: AN INVESTIGATORE STEFFANI MYSTERY GAME
out now!
Available On The App Store

guardian.co.uk /musicweekly
www.deccaclassics.com
t an arts centre in Asker, a small Norwegian town a few kilometres from Oslo, a select crowd has gathered to witness a new opera. Although the audience for contemporary music is generally small, it is rarely as small as this. Some of the attendees are less than six months old. The majority have to be carried in by their parents as they are not yet walking. Korall Koral is an opera aimed at children aged from nought to three years old. It takes place in a comfortingly womb-like canvas shell lled with strange objects suggestive of the sea bed (the title is a play on the words coral and chorale). Amazingly, there is no restlessness: the children sit transxed as a pair of sea creatures enact underwater rituals and perform gentle arias on invented instruments such as jellysh chimes and a sea horse harp. A noisy conch barks out random phrases, rather like the bossy loudspeaker from the Teletubbies. It is surreal, short (20 minutes, plus unlimited playtime afterwards) and curiously how one might imagine a staging of Rusalka combined with an episode of In the Night Garden. The music has been written by Maja Ratkje, an intense 39-year-old with raven hair and startling green eyes, who is one of Norways most well-known composers and performers. As well as writing for babies, she has collaborated with the Renaissance viol consort Fretwork and Scandinavian metal band Enslaved; though she is best known for producing a series of solo albums whose extreme, improvisational vocal style makes Bjrk sound as tame as Julie Andrews. British audiences have the chance to experience Ratkjes threeoctave span at this years Hudderseld Contemporary Music festival, where she has been appointed composer-inresidence. But with more than 300 performances since its debut in the foyer of Oslos futuristic new opera house, it is the baby opera that has become her most surprising international hit. Who wants to make art for this age group? Ratkje says. Almost no one. Perhaps the prestige is too low for professional artists, yet it seems the most obvious thing to do. Theres always a ready supply of new babies. There have been attempts to target tiny music lovers before. Two years ago, Scottish Opera had a notable success with the interactive piece BabyO; while Sydney Opera House has run its Babies Proms for 30 years. But Ratkjes piece, created in collaboration with designer Christina Lindgren and performer Hanne Dieserud, oers a genuine
Children watch a performance of the baby opera by Maja Ratkje (below) Vietnamese. Theres quite a sizeable Vietnamese community in Norway, Ratkje explains. I love the sound of the language though I dont understand it. Yet writing operas for babies is not a complete departure from her usual line of work, so much as a quieter alternative. Her gargantuan site-specic piece Crepuscular Hour, created for one of Oslos largest churches and due to receive its British premiere at Hudderseld, bombards the audience with three choirs and an enormous sound-and-light installation. I wouldnt take babies to that, she advises. Its too loud. But I like noise. Im not afraid of it. In fact, Ratkje can claim to have created one of the loudest compositions on earth. Two years ago, she wrote a piece for the worlds largest pair of horn loudspeakers which blasted a 130-decibel sample of bass trombones and seagulls across a remote Norwegian fjord. It was created as a protest piece for the villagers of Vevring, which is threatened by a mining scheme that will dump 200 cubic metres of contaminated waste into a salmon fjord, she explains. So what did the villagers make of having an immensely loud piece of contemporary music on their doorstep instead? They loved it. We had to play it for longer than originally scheduled. The idea was to create attention: and to that extent it worked so far, the mining has not gone ahead. Ratkje recently caused a stir when she demanded that the sponsorship logo of a Norwegian oil company was removed from all advertising material featuring her work. And she even managed to upset the United Nations when a piece written for the Norwegian Girls Choir was banned. That was so ridiculous, it was funny, she says. The performance was to take place in the general assembly hall of the UN. In one section of the piece I asked the girls to improvise, by shouting out the names of notorious power-abusers and dictators. An ocial heard the girls rehearsing and cancelled the performance. Yet the asco could still have a positive outcome. While at the UN, I met Norways new environment minister who told me hes aware of the giant horn piece and says hes a fan of my work, Ratkje says. So perhaps music really does have the power to save the planet after all.
Korall Koral, a baby opera, is at the Creative Arts Building, Hudderseld on 24 November (hcmf.co.uk/event/show/320) and the Southbank Centre London, 30 Nov-2 Dec.
OPERA FOR (KIDS WITH) DUMMIES
Norwegian composer Maja Ratkje has worked with classical groups and metal bands. But its her opera for babies that has brought her international fame. She talks to Alfred Hickling
introduction to operatic voices with no artistic compromise. The worst thing you can do with very young children is to try too hard to entertain them, says Ratkje. They dont need narrative, but are perfectly capable of concentrating on something g strange and fascinating, such as an opera. There have been children in n the audience as young as two or three weeks old. Parents often tell ell us its the rst time theyve seen n their babies begin to focus on something, or even smile for the e rst time. Ratkje, Lindgren and Dieserud d have already completed a second d work for under-threes: a retelling of g the tale of the Billy Goats Gru, performed in abstract vocal sounds mostly derived from
Reviews
Film Pop Jazz Classical Games Television
Th The Twilight Saga page 19 RIHANNA
The tunes on her new album Apologetic are good but the way she explores her abusive relationship with Chris Brown isnt, see review page 21
The F&M Playlist
Muvelo Pocz & Pacheko Just when you thought you had baile funk, kuduro and new strands of cumbia covered ... it seems Venezuelan tuki is the new thing!
The Only Face The Bryan Ferry Orchestra Ferrys new album sees him cover Roxy songs and those from his own catalogue with a jazz orchestra. About time!
Cannibal Love Candice Gordon Agreeably bonkers slice of horrorthemed garage rock raucousness, apparently produced by a certain Robin Tombs. Wooo! Scary!
Latch Disclosure ft Sam Smith The precocious teen duos future garage gets a soulful bounce from newcomer Sam Smiths loved-up vocals. Sweet.
Long in the Tooth The Pictish Trail Recorded in a caravan on the isle of Eigg, and taken from an upcoming Fence Collective album, its Johnny Lynch in ne psych-folk fettle.
Reviews Film
Amour
Dir: Michael Haneke. With: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuel Riva, Isabelle Huppert. 127min. Cert: 12A
Disturbing and enigmatic JeanLouis Trintignant in Amour teaching music, are important; Isabelle Huppert, the star of that lm, returns here as Eva, the couples grownup daughter. And Amour resembles Hanekes nightmarish The Seventh Continent, particularly its chilling scene where a little girl terries her parents by pretending to have gone blind. That occurred to me while watching the early sequence in Amour, now used in the lms poster campaign: the rst sign of something being wrong. Over breakfast one morning, Anne appears to freeze; Georges desperately splashes water on her neck to wake her, and angrily asks if this is a joke, while of course being all too aware that it isnt. His face is convulsed with fear; hers has already attained that classically blank, leonine state of the dementia patient. When Anne recovers, she has no clue that anything has happened, and Haneke brilliantly contrives a tiny instant in which she suspects he is the one losing his mind. It is a scene shot with exemplary clarity and precision: a ashier way might perhaps have been construct it from her point of view, to show how what she thinks is a microsecond of reverie or inattention in fact divides Georgess sudden inexplicable shift from pleasant chat to panicky shouting. But Hanekes approach is more austere and more eective. Trintignants performance as Georges is disturbing and enigmatic: at no point does he lose his composure and break down. It is as if he needs to conserve all his energy and emotion for the impossible task ahead. With courage, good humour and gentleness, Georges and Anne confront their destiny, and in the shadow of death, their relationship is deeply moving. As the situation advances, Haneke shows how the outside world begins to lose its meaning. A visit from the former pupil whose concert they had attended is well meant but deeply misjudged; even his daughter and son-in-law Geo (Huppert and British performer William Shimell) become irrelevant to their barricaded existence. Georges and Anne are thrown back, almost primevally, on each other. And throughout it all, we, the audience, have superimposed on our collective retina an awful momento mori image from the ashforward sequence that begins the lm. It is a gesture of mystery and menace and shock that only Haneke could create. The icy message may be that love is not a consolation as we face death. Rather the reverse. Love will give your death meaning, but make it no less unbearable.
The title is a challenge: not ironic, not celebratory, and yet somehow not complicated either. Love is boiled down to something elemental, something like survival, or perhaps the exact opposite, though calling it LAmour might have been to risk a pun. This is Michael Hanekes second Palme dOr winner and shows the director as a lm-maker of incomparable seriousness and weight, and this is a passionate, painful, intimate drama to be compared with Bergmans Scenes from a Marriage. The severity in Hanekes movies had in the past an edge of sadism, to both his characters and audiences. It appears to have lessened a little in recent years, and arguably lessens here. His characters are closer to ordinary sympathetic humanity, with ordinary foibles and absurdities. But there is no question of Haneke softening. The deliberate chill, the measure of liquid nitrogen, is still there. The drama is a chamber piece consisting mostly of two characters, Georges and Anne, retired music teachers in their 80s played by JeanLouis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva. They live in Paris in an elegant, booklined apartment. They are very happy; their interest in life is undimmed, and they are still in love. On returning from a concert given by a former pupil, Georges playfully and gallantly tells Anne that she looks very pretty. But soon disaster strikes: Anne suers the rst of two strokes, complicated by what appears to be vascular dementia. While she is still able to speak, Anne makes Georges promise never to put her in a hospital or home; and so, as her condition deteriorates, Georges must care for her in the at, without normal palliative care, until her nal hour. Their apartment is to be their Calvary. Georgess face is etched not merely with the cares of age but with fear: the person whom he loves is beginning to vanish before his eyes. As Annes life ebbs away, so does her identity. Is their love itself being dismantled? Students of Hanekes lms will see the traces of the earlier work. As in his ordeal shocker Funny Games, people are menaced by a malign agency that has somehow insinuated itself into their private space. Tellingly, theres evidence of a break-in attempt at their apartment: the lock has been damaged by a screwdriver. As in The Piano Teacher, music, and the power relations of
Enter the void

A painful chamber drama about the aftermath of a stroke for an octogenarian couple, Michael Hanekes second Palme dOr winner still has his trademark chill
By Peter Bradshaw
Like a Boden ca talogue of the undead Casey LaBow and Mya nna Buring in The Twilight Saga: B eaking Dawn Br Part 2
Aga saga
Bella and Edwards taste in soft furnishings is the stu of pure horror in this limp storycloser, says Peter Bradshaw
really a bad guy and nothings really at stake. Well, theres a satisfaction in seeing the story nally rounded o here, although there are rumours of more in store, and the Twilight myth has, in any case, already been resolved, in giving g birth to the non-abstinence porn of
EL Jamess Fifty Shades of Grey, originally a fan-ction coupling of ori Bella and Edward. Breaking Dawn has Bel moments of wit, but did the Twilight mo saga have to be so bland? Catherine sag Hardwickes rst lm was a brilliant Ha standalone teen romance, but its saga st robes came to hang very, very heavily. ro
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Dir: Bill Condon. With: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner. 123min. Cert: PG
The Twilight Saga signs o with a tentative whimper that turns into a conditional bang, which turns out to be a dierent, provisional kind of whimper. It is certainly a bravura display of contact-lens acting. Red contact lenses. Black contact lenses. Beigey-orange contact lenses. To be fair, the story does acknowledge this tic in one scene by having Bella disguise her vampiric nature with contact lenses. Two sets, ouch. The story is now at the stage where Bella, played by Kristen Stewart, is a proper vampire and a proper mum, and Edward (Robert Pattinson) is a dad. But theres a shock in store. She has been delivered of an uncanny-valley CGI moppet called Renesmee, weirder and scarier-looking than any vampire. There are tensions at rst, but basically Bella and the baby settle down pretty well with the extended Cullen clan, and with lupine quasiuncle-guardian Jacob (Taylor Lautner), who has imprinted his soul on the child. Once again, the vampire family do a lot of their signature standing around, as if posing for a Boden catalogue of the undead. They are still living in that very elegant modernist house but, bizarrely, when the Cullens x Edward and Bella up in a place of their own, their architectural taste goes right down the toilet with a horric little Tudorbethan cottage featuring a wardrobe containing four vulgar designer bags for Bella. Inevitably, the existence of little Renesmee causes a areup with the sinister Volturi vampires led by Aro (Michael Sheen), and the stage is set for a titanic battle. Despite all those erce confrontations and tribal divisions, exhaustively rehearsed and mythologised, nobodys
Reviews Film
Happy, Happy
Dir: Anne Sewitsky. With: Agnes Kittelsen, Henrik Rafaelsen. 85min. Cert: 15
A prizewinner at last years Sundance, this obeam relationship comedy sets out in territory that suggests a Scandinavian variant of TVs Suburgatory, as an ultra-liberal, somewhat superior Danish couple move with their adopted African child to a snowy Norwegian backwater, piquing the interest of perky neighbours whose interests include hunting and homophobia. Nightly board games reveal dierences not just between, but within, the couples; several guarded and complicated rounds of partner-swapping ensue. The lms quirks such as a blues-harmony quartet deployed as on-screen punctuation could easily have been omitted, but theyre typical of how director Anne Sewitsky keeps her mind open, and her performers make us care about these characters, whichever way, and however clumsily, they happen to swing. Like Kaja (Agnes Kittelsen), the wide-eyed Madame Bovary at its heart, Happy, Happy starts out cartoonish and ends up oddly endearing. Mike McCahill
lack of mental health. Her philandering husband Barry (Anthony LaPaglia) hires a motormouth badass called Shaz (Collette) to be their nanny, and she shakes up these non-Von Trapps. Opinion will divide as to whether there is oence to be taken here on the subject of mental health. My opinion is no, but its a close-run thing. Its always a pleasure to see Collette, yet here, as so often, she gives the impression of a ferocious screen intelligence somehow not being used to the full. PB
The Pool
Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet
Dir: Jesse Vile. 86min. Cert: 15
Hit So Hard
Dir: P David Ebersole. 103min. Cert: tbc
Here is a lm that is interesting for what it hints at, and says between the lines. On the face of it, this is a positive and empowering story about recovery from addiction: Patty Schemels, who was the charismatic drummer with Courtney Loves 1990s rock band Hole. But rewind. Schemels troubled life and career in Hole happened in the aftermath of Kurt Cobains shocking suicide in 1994, and also the drugrelated death of Hole guitarist Kristen Pfa in the same year. Evidently, Love, raging with unresolved emotions, had no desire to be a mere footnote to Cobain. Hole carried on. Watching this, you cant help thinking: they were not just in denial, they were denial the band existed to facilitate denial. And Schemel was playing a role in that. In interviews, she now appears calm and happy. Love, on the other hand, is an authentic punk: still callous, imperious and uncompromisingly obnoxious after all this time. She does not appear to have any great insight or perspective on these events. Hit So Hard is a good title for the lm. Love looks like someone determined to carry on doing the hitting. PB
This heartfelt documentary tells the story of metal-rock prodigy Jason Becker, who after recording one album with David Van Halen at the age of 20, was struck down with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; he progressively acquired locked-in syndrome. But Becker deed the doctors lifeexpectancy notice of three to ve years and with formidable dedication, the unagging support of carers and family, and the use of hi-tech music software he went on to forge a new career as a neoclassical rock composer. The traditional praise for courage in these circumstances seems threadbare and even a little condescending. I wondered if there wasnt a more complex story to tell about Beckers adult relationships. But this lm is justiably celebratory and respectful, and it reaches out beyond the rock fanbase. PB
Heartfelt (above) Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet; (below) Toni Collette in Mental
Dir: Chris Smith. With: Venkatesh Chavan, Jhangir Badshah. 94min. Cert: 12A
THIS WEEK PETER BRADSHAW ENJOYED
Chris Smith is the US documentary lmmaker who recorded the adventures of anti-corporate pranksters, The Yes Men. Here is something very dierent, a ction feature he made ve years ago in southern India. The Pool is set in Panjim in Goa, where two boys, Venkatesh (Venkatesh Chavan) and Jhangir (Jhangir Badshah) are living hand-to-mouth. Venkatesh conceives an envious fascination with the fancy swimming pool in beautiful grounds he can see by perching on a high tree branch and then becomes obsessed with the demure girl called Ayesha (Ayesha Mohan) who is always reading by the pool. Smiths lm is natural and unforced, with a winning uency and calm observational style. It might well be inspired by Satyajit Ray, but the inuence is lightly worn. Its a very good lm that took a long while to get its UK release, but better late than never. PB
Mental
Dir: PJ Hogan. With: Rebecca Gibney, Toni Collette. 115min. Cert: 15
Arthur Mathewss Radio 4 comedy The Golden Age, an antidote to Beebbashing
Up There
Dir: Zam Salim. With: Burn Gorman, Warren Brown. 79min. Cert: 15
Mental is a knockabout black comedy ck from Australia that starts o exhilaratingly mad and funny, ny, then progressively loses its s edge. It brings director PJ Hogan back together with Toni Collette for the rst time me since Muriels Wedding in 1994. 994. Rebecca Gibney plays Shirley, a neglected suburban ban wife, unable to think about t anything but The Sound of f Music, the opening of which ch is hilariously recreated in her er garden. Her ve daughters are also neurotically obsessed with their own
British rst-timer Zam Salim has made Za a quirky lm, but ultimately it looks like ult an idea for a short stretched to breaking st point. Burn Gorman plays Martin, an ordinary guy who d dies and then discovers with a glum discove stoicism that dead stoic people are required p to hang around for t a bit in this world. Martin has to prove to some bland bureaucracy that he has adjusted to the b change before being allowed up there. Salims lm is goodgood-looking and procient; but there is not quite enough here to sustain interest. PB sust
Reviews Pop
By Alexis Petridis
Forgive and forget

Hearing Rihanna sing her abusive partners praises makes this a deeply disturbing listen, however good the tunes
Rihanna
Unapologetic
MERCURY
You dont even have to listen to Rihannas seventh album to hear alarm bells ringing. You merely have to look at its track listing. There, sandwiched between a collaboration with singer Mikky Ekko called Stay and the intriguingly titled Love Without Tragedy/ Mother Mary comes track 10: Nobodys Business (feat. Chris Brown). Uh-oh. If nothing else, Nobodys Business is if youll pardon the phrase one in the eye for the kind of person who tells you modern pop music has nothing new to oer: its hard to think of another perky disco-house number featuring a victim of domestic abuse duetting with her abuser about how perfect their relationship is. Could we become loves persona? they coo, prompting the answer: no you probably cant, because three years ago, one of you beat the other one up so savagely he left her with major contusions either side of her face, a bloody nose, a split lip and bite marks on her arms and ngers, an incident she told police was symptomatic of an ongoing and escalating abusive relationship. Youd listen to Nobodys Business with your jaw on the oor if you werent well primed for what to expect. Vast swaths of Unapologetics lyrics appear to be concerned with Rihanna and Browns relationship. You get a lot of stu about how exciting dangerous men are, the appeal of aairs that are wrong but feel right, how no one else can match up to him. I pray that love dont strike twice, oers Love Without Tragedy, again inviting an inevitable response: you want to pray your
Cold and canny Rihanna
THIS WEEK ALEXIS LISTENED TO
The Blue Nile Hats Newly remastered and expanded to two CDs, the Blue Niles 1989 album remains an emotionally charged masterpiece: gloss with depth.
ghastly on-o boyfriend doesnt, either. You could dismiss all this stu as merely wildly misguided and naive were it not for the fact that elsewhere, Unapologetic actually appears to play on the incident in question. Your love hit me to the core, I was ne til you knocked me to the oor, she sings over a loping, drumless reggae rhythm on No Love Allowed. Dial 911 its a critical emergency. Rihanna might argue with some justication that a lot of other people have made money from her relationship with Brown, so why shouldnt she? Furthermore, perhaps, shes only telling the truth about how she feels. But that doesnt make hearing it any more edifying. Still, the whole thing must come as quite the spirit-bucking tonic for any listening domestic abusers. Leaving all that aside to concentrate on the music is a big ask. But its worth noting that, sonically, Unapologetic is a far more interesting album than its predecessor. Rihanna is as responsible as any artist for the homogenisation of the Top 40 into the same weary popdance template. It gets used over and over again because its commercially successful, and its been more commercially successful for Rihanna than anyone, providing the basis for S&M, The Only Girl in the World, We Found Love and Where Have You Been. And yet, its largely absent here, the David Guetta-produced Right Now notwithstanding. That sounds less like a song than a bid to break the world record for cramming current pop cliches into three minutes. Elsewhere,
however, the various producers seem to have been minded to try something dierent, or at least to rearrange voguish sounds into less familiar shapes. Fresh O the Runway piles on distorted synthesisers derived from Joey Beltrams 1990 rave classic Mentasm until it sounds weird and disorientating. What Now attempts to weld a walloping brostep drop to a sensitive acoustic guitar and piano ballad with suitably peculiar results: theres a fantastic moment towards the end where producer Ighile throws in a widdly-woo guitar solo, apparently in the mistaken belief that the track wasnt yet preposterous enough. During its best moments, youre struck by the suspicion that Unapologetics producers might be trying to undercut the lyrical content. Numb apparently returns to the subject of Rihannas personal life Cant tell me nothin I dont care, get closer to me if you dare but the music doesnt sound deant: it lurches and drags along, an oppressive mass of sloweddown voices and grating electronics. So theres stu here thats worth hearing, if you could untangle the music from the artists personal life. But you cant, and furthermore, you get the feeling that the artist doesnt want you to. Perhaps its quite a cold and canny move masquerading as an outpouring of unpalatable emotion, playing on the publics prurient interest in her love life. Perhaps thats too cynical. Either way, for all its musical value, listening to Unapologetic is a pretty depressing experience.
Reviews Pop, rock and folk
Allah-Las
Allah-Las
INNOVATIVE LEISURE
The debut album from LA four-piece Allah-Las has been hailed in some quarters as the years best piece of guitar-pop classicism, a long overdue return to the values of 1965 in an age where tone and texture are valued above melody and songwriting. In truth, the reaction probably says more about the shortage of young guitar-pop classicists than it does about the Allah-Las themselves, because this sounds a lot like a middling Creation Records album from the mid-80s all jangling guitars, reverb-heavy production and vocals that veer from Jagger sneer to listless moping. Vis-A-Vis might even have those who remember Creations middling releases trying to contact Alan McGee to let him know he can stop looking for the next Razorcuts. Its all very respectful the attention to period detail sees them drop in a none-more-65 bossa nova instrumental and all very pleasant. But theres no single killer song, no moment where they add anything to their borrowings to make you sit up and take notice. File under: probably amazing live, though. Michael Hann
Probably amazing live Allah-Las
Belshazzars Feast
Stocking Fillers
UNEARTHED/PIAS
musicianship. This is a Christmasthemed album, but that shouldnt put you o. More than half of the tracks are instrumentals, with Sartins oboe, cor anglais and violin matched against Hutchinsons accordion on elegant, stately tunes such as Coventry Tango or the hypnotic Mr Marsdens Maggot. They make the traditional songs their own, too, with Sartins sturdy vocal work joined by choral backing on the elegant Sussex Carol and The Shepherds Song, an 18th-century Gloucestershire story of shepherds in a pub. Theres also a comedy treatment of Silent Night dedicated to John Cage. Robin Denselow
turned by his fourth album, which is loaded with gloomy soul-searching. Its almost an answer record to his 2011 album, Playing in the Shadows, which partied until it was sick, yielding two No 1 singles in the process. The Evolution of Man is more sombre: minor-key melodies icker bleakly and grinding guitar ris some played by Blurs Graham Coxon replace the electro knees-ups, while Example enumerates his sins: drug abuse, indelity, you name it. Snakeskin is another queasy grunge howl that has the singer sounding eerily like Kurt Cobain and confessing hes never felt comfortable in my skin. On the rapmetal Come Taste the Rainbow, he claims to have Aspergers. All in all, its not much fun, but to depart so dramatically from his previous sound is a brave move. Caroline Sullivan
Clinic
Free Reign
DOMINO
Example
The Evolution of Man
MINISTRY OF SOUND
When Paul Sartin nishes his current tour with Bellowhead, hell be back on the road playing small clubs with Paul Hutchinson. The duo have worked together as Belshazzars Feast for nearly 20 years, and developed a style that mixes their celebrated sense of humour with some very ne
Judging by the readers comments, Example won few friends in a recent Guardian interview. But the consensus that the Fulham singer/rapper is an unpleasant hardnut could be over-
The swirling, Bridget Rileyish op art on the cover of Clinics seventh album depicts a disorienting tunnel of interlocking circles and squares, and theres something of that to its sound, too, as woozy clouds of guitar and analogue synth noise bloom and coil above stark, taut, monochromatic rhythm lines. Its hardly an unprecedented set of sounds, but these long-established Liverpool psych-rockers manage to shake them up into some interesting new(ish) congurations. See-Saw is terric, throwing a weirdly sti, honking sax line in with its hypnotic, garagey ri; theres one song called Boney M, but gladly it sounds more like vintage Kraftwerk; and Cosmic Radiation is an oddly tense, scared-straight kind of jazz. There are lulls elsewhere, but the highlights are a treat. Tom Hughes
STILL HOT
The Weeknd
Trilogy
ISLAND
Led Zeppelin
Celebration Day
ATLANTIC
Somewhere in the region of 20 million people tried to get tickets for Led Zeppelins one-o 2007 reunion gig, which is happily now immortalised on lm, and this accompanying soundtrack. Where Zeps 1975 live set The Song Remains the Same documented a band heading past their imperial period and with musicianship stamped excess all areas, Celebration Day captures a more streamlined band men in their 60s determined to prove they can still cut it. Over 16 songs and two hours, they do just that. With Jason Bonham occupying his late father Johns drum stool, Jimmy Pages guitar solos are shorter (if not exactly short); there are gentle touches in bassist John Paul Joness delicate piano playing and Robert Plants vocals, and even a hint of self-deprecation in the singers quip that they rst heard Since Ive Been Loving You in 1932. The tracklisting consists of what Plant calls the songs that had to be here from the funky Trampled Under Foot to a skyscraper of a Kashmir and if they never play them again, posterity could do worse than remember them this way. Dave Simpson
Kendrick Lamar Good Kid, M.A.A.D City A day-in-the-life hiphop story Tracey Thorn Tinsel and Lights Surprisingly, a Christmas album suits her well Mama Rosin Bye Bye Bayou Swiss trio who specialise in cajun styles, now working with Jon Spencer
The rst phrase you might use to describe this 3CD, 30-track compilation of all the Weeknds recorded material to date is good value. At least you might if all this material hadnt already been released, in three parts and for free, online. Still, to listen to Trilogy is to conrm that with his distorted R&B Abel Tesfaye has developed a powerful and distincitive musical voice. Lascivious but muted, whether by drugs or post-millennial ennui, Tesfayes songs are sensual and saddening at the same time. They come on hot, but leave you cold, and because of that theyre deeply aecting. The three parts House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence oer a rough trajectory of party, after-party and hangover, through which an assertive voice gives way to one that sounds more troubled. Trilogy does remove some of the Weeknds mystique lyrical formulae become apparent, and examples of engaging melody recede as the collection advances. Whatever its limits, however, Trilogy remains a striking piece of work. Paul MacInnes
a little child, assuring him that: I will never belong to anyone. Yet something gets lost in the translation to harmony: whether the sisters gossamer voices are woven together or utter alone, what you hear is a bloodless, polite prettiness. It doesnt help that the musical backing is so insipid: wisps of gentle guitar that too rarely surprise, as with the skewed chords of Wisely & Slow or the icy glint of Tongue Behind My Teeth. Maddy Costa
MYSTERY JETS
Thursday 29 November Royal Festival Hall
kate nash
Saturday 1 December Queen Elizabeth Hall
Little Mix
DNA
SYCO
The Staves
Dead & Born & Grown
ATLANTIC
EVAN DANDO AND JULIANA HATFIELD

Tuesday 4 December Royal Festival Hall
Groups dont win The X Factor. At least they didnt until the likable Little Mix came along in 2011, ambled through the early weeks, then did an En Vogue cover that set them on the path to victory. Their debut album arrives a year after the fact, and establishes their identity nicely, which is to say that theyre being positioned as a sort of updated Girls Aloud with enormous drums and plenty of very now early90s R&B references. The lesson here is that bigger is better. When o-kilter beats collide with impeccable harmonies and pleasingly daft lyrics (literally, in the case of Madhouse, with its Men in white coats, dont take me back there line), it sounds like pop as it should be, and their gamble in borrowing De La Souls Ring Ring Ring refrain for How Ya Doin comes good. The ballads, however, plod along with heavy-handed emotion, and are comparatively Identikit. An exception is Going Nowhere, which somehow pulls o that rare blend of Spanish guitars and rap. Rebecca Nicholson
To steal a phrase from Wisely & Slow, ase the opening track on the Staves debut rack album: tender women, why is it you r whisper when you really need to n yell? Its clear from their lyrics that these three sisters from ee Watford arent wilting t wallowers: their heir songs uninchingly hingly demonstrate the diculty of reconciling love ve with a desire for autonomy. I cant be married, youngest sister er Camilla tells one man on In the e Long Run, while hile on Snow, eldest est sister Emily dismisses another as No wilting wallowers The Staves
A Vintage New Years Eve Party

Monday 31 December Royal Festival Hall
Upcoming highlights: Michael Kiwanuka Phronesis The Magnetic North Aimee Mann Ethan Johns Sam Carter Loudon Wainwright III Transatlantic Sessions Anda Union Saul Williams
Tickets 0844 847 9910 southbankcentre.co.uk
Reviews Jazz and classical
Preservation Hall Jazz Band

50th Anniversary Collection
SONY MUSIC
Preservation Hall is a great American music institution. It started in 1961, when Allan Jae and his wife decided to open a venue for the veteran musicians of New Orleans, and since then, dierent Preservation Hall bands, sometimes including Jae and his son Ben, have kept the music alive. Theres a raw, rousing authenticity to their approach, with an emphasis on brass, banjo and piano in their blend of jazz, blues, folk, popular songs and funeral music all of which can be heard in this impressively packaged 4CD, 58-track set. The best tracks include a stomping piano lament from Sweet Emma Barrett, recorded in the 60s, an upbeat treatment of Ray Daviess Complicated Life, and a series of intriguing collaborations. Pete Seeger joins them for an exuberant We Shall Overcome, and best of all, theres Tom Waits growling and stomping through the Mardi Gras Indian march, Tootie Ma Is a Big Fine Thing. Glorious. Robin Denselow
Raw and rousing Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Bobo Stenson Trio

Indicum
ECM
Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson has been a key gure in European jazz for a long time: as a sure-footed and imaginative accompanist, as one of Jan Garbareks partners in the 1970s, and as an enthusiast for the folkier end of the spectrum. Indicum is as good as 2008s excellent Cantando. It features the pianists regular trio (Anders Jormin on bass and Jon Flt on drums) on a repertoire that includes Danish composer Carl Nielsens hymn Oft I Am Glad, Bill Evans and George Russell pieces, Argentine composer Ariel Ramrezs La Peregrinacin, and the powerful, postboppish Indikon. Evanss Your Story reects both Stensons fascination with the quiet American and his development of that romantic jazz tradition. Jormins high-pitched bowing and Flts delicate cymbal details populate Indicum. The emphatic Indigo leans toward Brad Mehldau, while La Peregrenacin is a classical waltz with an eerily o-centre harmony twist. As with most Stenson albums, Indicum repays repeated listens. John Fordham
Sulzmann, Neon gained space to breathe in 2010 when drummer Tim Giles joined them, and with the input of composer and pianist Kit Downes. Subjekt is more varied in its themes than their previous album, and more provocative in the asymmetrical grooves and badgering accompanying vamps the others throw at Sulzmann. Thelonious Monks Bye Ya is the only cover. It begins with a wayward, rolling overture from Downes over free-improv percussion, and endlessly delays Sulzmanns arrival with the solemnly hooted theme. Harts Maison Musique builds a gripping piano hook out of eerie vibes and Hammond textures for Sulzmann to purr through. Downes Mother Hen turns what sounds like a tape rewinding, shimmery vibes chords and quiet brushwork from Giles into something like the casual eervescence of the 1970s Keith Jarrett American quartet. Sulzmanns characteristic robust wistfulness permeates some very contemporarysounding ballads. Its another advance for this gifted, multi-generational bands reections on jazzs past and present. JF
Ron Miles/Bill Frisell

Quiver
ENJA/YELLOWBIRD
Neon Quartet
Subjekt
EDITION
Originally a chamber trio in which pianist Gwilym Simcock and vibraphonist Jim Hart circled the muscular sax-playing of Stan
Trumpeter Ron Miles and guitarist Bill Frisell have been creatively entwined on the silent-movie soundtrack The Great Flood at the London jazz festival this week, but Quiver a trio with Wayne Shorters Brian Blade on drums is Miless own highly personal venture. All three share a deep aection for early blues, hymns, swing and country music (the sounds of the rural black churches are clearly signicant for Miles) but the methods of Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman hover beyond. The jerky Bruise suggests Coleman and Monk. Queen B is a love song for long brass tones and early rock ballad chords. Blade is superb on the 1920s slow drag There Aint No Sweet Man Thats Worth the Salt of My Tears. Miless warm tone and Frisells bass-mimicking walks make them sound as if they are playing in a bigger band on Duke Ellingtons 1929 Doin the Voom Voom. Its a plain, quiet and unadorned set perhaps too much so for those accustomed to the pedals-powered music Frisell is famous for but its simplicities are its strengths. JF
More online Read Tim Ashleys verdict on a live recording of Telemanns opera Flavius Bertaridus www.guardian.co.uk/classical
Vinci: Artaserse
Jaroussky/Cencic/ Fagioli/Concerto Kln/ Fasolis
VIRGIN CLASSICS
Siete Canciones Populares Espaolas sounds aected rather than natural. Anthony Spiri is her fastidious, comparably genteel pianist.
First performed in Rome in 1730, Leonardo Vincis Artaserse has the reputation of being one of operas greatest castrato-fests. Women were banned from Roman stages in the early 18th century, so Vinci deployed castrati as his heroines as well as his heroes. The procedure was not uncommon at the time and there were ethical overtones, too. In Artaserse, there is a single tenor, cast as the murderous Artabano: the natural, broken voice is synonymous throughout with extreme corruption. Prohibitions against women on stage also, however, allowed Romes composers to explore ambiguities surrounding gender and orientation. The plot deals with the moral education of an absolute monarch. Artaserse, king of Persia, must bring his fathers murderer in reality Artabano to justice. But the main suspect is Arbace, Artaserses closest friend and lover of his sister, Mandane. Emotions, whether verbally dened as love or friendship, speak the same musical language here, and it is soon apparent that Artaserses feelings for Arbace run deeper than his aection for his own ancee, Semira. A number of sopranos have championed Vinci of late. It was Max Emanuel Cencic, however, who seemingly had the idea of recording Artaserse with an all-male, mainly countertenor cast. Cencic himself plays Mandane opposite Philippe Jarousskys Artaserse and Franco Fagiolis Arbace. Diego Fasolis conducts with style. I had a couple of minor reservations: Jaroussky and Cencic might have been better suited to each others roles, and the all-recitative denouement is anticlimactic. But the singing is epochmaking, above all from Fagioli, who seems to redene the capabilities of the countertenor voice and take it beguilingly into territories new. Listen to him, and be seduced.
Pixis: Piano Concerto in C; Concertino in E Flat; Thalberg: Concerto in F minor

Shelley/Tasmanian Symphony
HYPERION
attracted a new generation of interpreters of late. Benjamin Schmids recording marks its second appearance on disc this year, and oers a very dierent experience from its immediate predecessor, on Hyperion, with Tanja Becker-Bender. Schmids playing is technically pristine, if cool, while the Tampere Philharmonic under Hannu Lintu opt for clarity rather than depth. The underlying idea, presumably, is to emphasise the classical sinews beneath the postRomantic surface. But its too detached for my taste, and youll probably prefer Becker-Benders ery engagement and the greater warmth of Lothar Zagroseks conducting on the Hyperion disc. Schmids choice of ller is the exacting Chaconne for Solo Violin, which he plays with terric nesse.
Perplexing disc Bernarda Fink
Johann Peter Pixis (1788-1874) and Sigismond Thalberg (1812-1871) were pianist-composers whom posterity has relegated to minor gures on the fringe of Liszts circle. They were big in their day, however. Many considered Thalberg to be Liszts main rival. Pixis, Liszts collaborator on one occasion, was also Thalbergs teacher. Listening to these works, however, you understand their comparative neglect. Pixiss Concerto in C and Concertino in E Flat have great charm, but not much drama. Thalbergs dicult Concerto in F minor is full of Lisztian virtuosity but lacks his sensitivity. Directing the Tasmanian Symphony from the keyboard, Howard Shelley gives us ne performances. Theres exquisite ligree in the Pixis, while the Thalberg has swagger and panache.
Reviews by Tim Ashley. To download or buy any reviewed CD, go to guardian.co.uk/music/ reviews or call 0330 333 6840.
Bernarda Fink: Canciones Espaolas

Fink/Spiri
HARMONIA MUNDI
Reger: Violin Concerto/Chaconne for Solo Violin

Schmid/Tampere Philharmonic/Lintu
ONDINE
Once dismissed as daunting because of its length, Regers Violin Concerto has
Bernarda Finks latest album is a survey of 20th-century Spanish art song as embodied in works by Falla, Granados and Rodrigo. Its a perplexing disc, in some respects. It reminds us, rst and foremost, what a superb song composer Rodrigo could be. But we also take away from it the overriding impression that Fink is uncomfortable in Falla, for which her non-interventionist approach singing o the line rather than the text is primarily responsible. She does wonderful things with Granadoss Tonadillas and with those expansive Rodrigo melodies in which Moorish and Sephardic inuences are strong. But shes too ladylike, in places, for Falla and the demotic carnality of his
Theatres London
Adelphi Theatre 0844 579 0094 NOW PREVIEWING
THE BODYGUARD
Mon-Sat 7.30pm, Wed & Sat 3pm www.thebodyguardmusical.com
ARTS THEATRE 020 7836 8463 A Radio Play by Samuel Beckett Directed by Trevor Nunn
Garrick 0844 412 4662 LOSERVILLE the Musical Mon-Sat 7.30pm, Wed & Sat 3pm
London Palladium 0844 412 4655 TOMMY STEELE in THE SPECTACULAR MUSICAL
Piccadilly Theatre 0844 871 3055
Shaftesbury Theatre 0207 379 5399
VIVA FOREVER!
Based on the songs of the Spice Girls Book by Jennifer Saunders From 27 November | 20-67.50 www.VivaForeverTheMusical.com
ROCK OF AGES
THE SMASH HIT MUSICAL St James Theatre 0844 264 2140
ALL THAT FALL

Cast includes Eileen Aitkins And Michael Gambon CAMBRIDGE 08444124652 Roald Dahls
SCROOGE
LYCEUM 0844 871 3000 book online www.thelionking.co.uk Disney Presents
Aldwych Theatre 0844 847 1712
DADDY LONG LEGS

PINTER 0844 871 7622 ALAN AYCKBOURNS A CHORUS OF DISAPPROVAL achorusofdisapproval.com A new musical Directed by John Caird www.stjamestheatre.co.uk
TOP HAT
"A musical like this comes around once in a lifetime." Sunday Tel Tue-Sat 7.30, Tue,Thu & Sat 2.30 www.tophatonstage.com
MATILDA THE MUSICAL

Tue7Wed-Sat7.30Wed&Sat2.30Sun3 www.matildathemusical.com Criterion Theatre 0844 847 2483 Londons Funniest Comedy
THE LION KING

Tue-Sat 7.30, Wed, Sat & Sun 2.30 For Group/Education rates call 08448717644 / Disney 02078450949
Ambassadors 08448 112 334
STOMP
Mon, Thu-Sat 8pm Thu, Sat & Sun 3pm, Sun 6pm APOLLO THEATRE 0844 412 4658 TWELFTH NIGHT RICHARD III In repertoire Tickets released every day Shakespearewestend.com APOLLO VICTORIA 0844 847 1696
The 39 Steps
Mon-Sat 8pm, Wed 3pm, Sat 4pm
DOMINION 0844 847 1775
LYRIC THEATRE 0844 412 4661
Prince Edward 0844 482 5152
THRILLER LIVE!
GIELGUD 0844 482 5130 Tue-Fri7.30, Sat 4&8, Sun 3.30&7.30 Flyingmusicboxoffice.com
JERSEY BOYS
Winner Best Musical! Oliviers Tue-Sat 7.30,Tue&Sat 3pm, Sun 5pm QUEEN'S 0844 482 5160
St Martin's 08444 991515 60th year of Agatha Christie's
THE MOUSETRAP
Evenings 7.30 Mats. Tues 3 Sat 4 www.the-mousetrap.co.uk
WE WILL ROCK YOU

by QUEEN & BEN ELTON Mon-Sat 7.30, Mat Sat 2.30 Extra show last Wednesday of every month at 2.30 www.wewillrockyou.co.uk
CHARIOTS OF FIRE
***** 'A magnificent triumph' Mail on Sunday Mon-Sat 19:45, Wed & Sat 15:00 chariotsoffireonstage.com
HER MAJESTY'S 0844 412 2707 THE BRILLIANT ORIGINAL
New London Theatre 020 7452 3000 / 0844 412 4654
WAR HORSE
Warhorseonstage.com NOVELLO 0844 482 5115 'ABBA-Solutely Fabulous' D.Mail
LES MISERABLES
WINNER! 2012 Olivier Audience Award Eves 7.30, Mats Wed & Sat 2.30 www.LesMis.com
Vaudeville Theatre 0844 412 4663
UNCLE VANYA
Mon - Sat 7.30, Thu & Sat 2.30 Wyndhams Theatre 0844 4825120
DRURY LANE 0844 871 8810
SHREK THE MUSICAL WICKED

WickedTheMusical.co.uk Mon-Sat 7.30pm Wed & Sat 2.30pm Duchess Theatre 0844 412 4659
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Mon-Sat 7.30, Thu & Sat 2.30 www.ThePhantomOfTheOpera.com
MAMMA MIA!
Mon-Sat 7.45, Thurs & Sat 3pm, www.Mamma-Mia.com
OUR BOYS
Savoy Theatre 0844 871 7687 Will Young as Emcee Michelle Ryan as Sally Bowles
DREAMBOATS
& PETTICOATS
CABARET
263,000 Guardian readers go to rock/pop concerts twice a year or more
To advertise please call 020 7611 9100
Entertainment
Source: TGI Oct 04 Sept 05
To advertise please call 020 3353 3877
Preview Games
he bloke with the barcode tattoo returns. Agent 47 last seen six years ago in Hitman: Blood Money has dusted o his old black suit, treated himself to a new red tie and dug out those silver pistols from the bottom of the drawer where he keeps his pants. His goal: to remind us gamers that before a certain band of free-running, century-hopping assassins, there was one undisputed king of the silent kill. A king with a barcode on the back of his bald head. You know, to help him blend in with the crowd. Hitman: Absolution (PC / PS3 / Xbox 360) is a third-person level-based stealth-em-up, or, depending on your play style, a third-person shooter. It follows genetically engineered superassassin Agent 47 as he tries to unravel the mystery and protect the life of a girl named Victoria. This, naturally, involves a lot of assassination, starting with the ong of his former handler, Diana, after she kidnaps the girl. Killing Diana is the games rst mission, and functions mostly as a tutorial. Sneaking past guards, you learn, is a matter of learning their patrol routes and, if necessary, distracting them. Killing them is even easier, with a garotte around the neck or a single silenced pistolshot, after which its best to pop the dead mans clothes on as a disguise and stash the body in a bin. So far, so familiar. Its level two when things open up and get interesting. Agent 47s second target, a vicious gangster, awaits him in the central pagoda of a bustling Chinatown courtyard. In fact, its a courtyard that bustles like nothing Ive ever seen before in a game, with a crowd of perhaps 100 civilians, gangsters and police milling about. Theres a price paid in size, however. Physically, the level is smaller than those in past Hitman games, and even the largest levels in Absolution are divided into sections. Despite their size, these are true sandbox missions, which you can play in many dierent ways. That Chinatown gangster alone can die more than a dozen dierent deaths, including being shoved into a manhole or crushed by a falling crate, poisoned with food or cocaine, garotted in an alley, gunned down in the street or sniped from afar with his own prized rie. The game has more than 80 possible improvised weapons and more than 50 unique accident opportunities. Not that its all about killing people. In fact, the score system actively encourages players to use as little violence as possible, deducting points for unnecessary deaths. High scores unlock assassin techniques,
Game on Hitman: Absolution is about more than just killing people. Honest onest o est
By Tom Meltzer
making it easier to sneak through the next mission like a true professional, rather than rushing in all guns blazing, unlocking nothing, and having to do the same again. Points are, however, awarded for silent kills and hiding bodies, so players keen to cause a bloodbath can salvage their scores by keeping their massacres quiet. It is, indisputably, an easier Hitman, though the Expert and Purist diculty settings are closer to the original. On normal diculty, though, the puzzlesolving element is all but gone. Instinct mode not unlike Eagle Vision in Assassins Creed highlights all nearby interactive objects, and picks out the paths of guards in aming lines across the oor. More so than with most games, its up to you to challenge yourself. Its not about playing through although the games 20 chapters should keep you busy but playing well. The new Contract mode lets you challenge others to play as well as you have, replaying missions but selecting your own targets. At heart, Absolution stays true to the Hitman spirit. In the end, you dont play for the violence, but for the cold satisfaction of a job well done.
THIS WEEK
Tom got all nostalgic for classic isometric RPGs and had to stop himself digging Planescape: Torment out of the drawer where he keeps his pants.
Become a member of Extra, the membership scheme for readers of the Guardian and Observer, and take advantage of our great oers, events and competitions.
Give someone a world of music this Christmas with our 20% discount on a gift subscription to Songlines magazine.
To find out more about this and other offers, go to: guardian.co.uk/extra | @Guardianextra
Reviews Television
SARAHS BACK
The Killing returns this weekend! Discuss every episode of the new mystery: guardian.co.uk/tvand-radio
A week in radio BBC Radio at 90

Elisabeth Mahoney
Your next box set Men Behaving Badly

When Gary proposes to Dorothy during a drunken meal, she responds two days later with a remark that seems to encapsulate the whole lad culture of the 1990s: Why would I want to marry a man who, although sometimes innocently entertaining, never grew up, only ever thinks of himself, takes no interest in the world, and whose idea of an elegant lifestyle is buying the most expensive lager in the o-licence? Surprisingly, given the extent to which Men Behaving Badly dened the laddish 1990s, the show hasnt aged too badly. Martin Clunes and Neil Morrissey play atmates Gary and Tony respectively (Garys previous lodger was Dermot, played by Harry Eneld, but he left after the rst series). Their at is lled with beer cans and overowing ashtrays. Women are birds and conversations generally revolve around things like whether, if you had to choose, bottoms are preferable to breasts. Can I have one of each? asks Gary. Yes, it can be cringeworthy and occasionally homophobic, but what stops their behaviour and language becoming downright oensive is their powerlessness. They are just that little bit too dead end (Gary is a dull middle-manager, while Tony has a series of forgettable jobs), too suburban, too old to be behaving so badly a couple of blokes in their 30s whose refusal to grow up is pitiful rather than admirable. For all their laddish talk, when they actually have to deal with real women, as opposed to the ones on their FHM posters, they are pathetic. Tonys attempts to impress upstairs
neighbour Deborah (Leslie Ash) fail repeatedly. And Gary is worse. Your lips are like liver, he tells one woman hes trying to seduce. That said, the female characters are depressingly cliched. Deborahs only function seems to be as gatekeeper to her pants. Dorothy, Garys longsuering girlfriend played by Caroline Quentin, is better she calls out his sexism and has ings of her own. But she doesnt do much to dispel the idea that women are nags out to stop their menfolk having fun. Towards the end of its six-series run, the largely unexamined sexism (Tony hiring a prostitute for Garys stag night is a real low) starts to seem played for cheap laughs. This is a shame, because if you can get through all this (and many will), youll nd that, as pure sitcom, Men Behaving Badly really works. There are some lovely lines. Id marry Debs tomorrow, says a lovesick Tony before remembering: Oh no, I cant do tomorrow theyre giving away free teas down the library. The physical comedy is genuinely funny, too: Gary playing with Dorothys removed appendix made me laugh out loud. And the present George and Anthea, Garys employees, give him in the nal episode still makes me smile. There is great chemistry between the men (Clunes and Morrissey were already friends) and they are occasionally endearing: Gary knows he would be lost without Dorothy, while Tony, for all his creepiness (he tries to steal Deborahs underwear), comes across as naive and sometimes even sweet. In many ways, I would like to have found Men Behaving Badly more dated but laddishness hasnt exactly disappeared. In fact, if anything, the show seems tame compared with the toxic culture of misogyny we currently nd ourselves in. Wahey! Emine Saner
Above left: Martin Clunes and Neil Morrissey in Men Behaving Badly. Below: Damon Albarn, who celebrated 90 years of BBC Radio
This week, BBC Radio turned 90 and did so with a landmark event: Damon Albarns 2LO Calling played simultaneously on all BBC radio stations to a potential audience of 120 million people. Rather more quietly, the birthday celebrations also include 90 By 90, launched this week online and broadcast on Radio 4 Extra from Friday. Its a collection of radio moments, some so familiar you can almost lip-synch them, others there to discover, and its a gem of an archive to explore. The clever idea is to repeat and celebrate the moments in a brief 90-second format. This still allows for some contextualisation from key observers or protagonists in the story, but also for a real sense of the moment from the clip itself. I like that its not just the usual suspects, either, but includes a breadth of radio voices, styles and levels of wider signicance. Not many archive collections would give the same time and pegging to George Orwells resignation from the BBC in 1943 (I am just an orange thats been trodden on by a very dirty boot) and Pete Tongs Friday night shout outs on his Essential Selection show. Those messages for people heading out for a big night out reected, one fan said, the country on weekend manoeuvres. Contained in every single nugget, though, is a clue to how radio works and why we connect with it. The format also mirrors how we listen, stumbling upon extraordinary moments. We might hear the power of a brilliant interviewer in Anthony Clares encounter with Claire Rayner; we know instantly, through voice and storytelling, the world people lived and worked in (try Dame Ethel Smyth from 1935, as she remembers meeting Brahms in, as she puts it formally, eighteen hundred and seventy seven) and were reminded of radios incredible history and signicance. John McCarthy recalled how the World Service got secret messages through to Terry Waite when he was held hostage; a reminder, said McCarthy, of the unique power of radio to reach one person where literally nothing else in the world could. Hear, hear.
PHOTOGRAPHS FREMANTLEMEDIA/REX; REDFERNS VIA GETTY IMAGES
hat kind of music do you like? is a fairly innocuous thing to ask, a bad-date question usually. Crucially, its a question you ask of someone you dont know very well, someone you want to get to know better. Its a search for common ground. Here, halfway through Michael Winterbottoms lm, Everyday (Channel 4), it comes weighed down with baggage, because of whos asking who (Im not going to write whom, it just sounds tossy these days, and Id probably get it wrong). This is a date of sorts. Ian (John Simm) is on day release from prison; hes got a day out with his partner Karen (Shirley Henderson) and their four kids. Its them, the kids, hes asking; he doesnt know what music his children like. Its a little thing, but its part of a much bigger thing: separation. The answer is a telling one too: The blues, the Beatles, Michael Jackson. This doesnt sound like the answer of kids who are aged at this stage between about ve and 13. It sounds more like the sort of music their dad would like, and they are looking for approval, approval from a father they hardly know. They go for a curry, then Ian and Karen sneak in a quickie while the children play in the park. After that its back to jail for Ian, and back to their rural Norfolk dad-less home for his family. I say the kids are aged between about ve and 13 at this stage because Winterbottom made Everyday over ve years, with four real siblings with no acting experience Stephanie, Robert, Shaun and Katrina Kirk as the children. Its an extraordinarily bold thing to do, with extraordinary results. Theres an authenticity to it that I dont think Ive ever seen in drama before. Nor do I think Ive ever felt so involved with a screen family. It feels more
Everyday stars Shaun, Stephanie, Katrina and Robert Kirk All Saints Pure Shores video, loads more Im sure Holkham Sands is turning into a bit of a location cliche. And they visit Dad in prison, which means taking a lot of buses, and trains, and taxis, waiting, getting searched. Mundane detail, yes, but so much about prison is mundane, and boring. The travelling is a really big deal for families, so Winterbottom makes a big deal of it. He was commissioned to make a lm about the prison system. But theres none of what you normally get in a prison drama no canteen episodes, no exercise yard conspiracies, no shower block attacks or escape attempts. Actually, prison itself comes out of it reasonably well: the screws arent all sadists; people arent trying to kill each other the whole time. But what goes on inside the prison walls is not what Winterbottom is mainly interested in. We dont even nd out what Ian is in for; thats not important. There are a couple of quick looks into his cell; plus visiting scenes the awkward conversations, the slow, strangling estrangement. But the real focus is on who is left outside, Karen, and most of all the kids. And because of that, I think it says more about what prison does to a family than any other prison drama Ive seen. Its dead sad: Ian missing out on things, even little things like music; the kids missing out on things, massive things, like having a dad and what that does to them; Karen not coping, and copping o with Eddie. But its not without hope. I had this terrible feeling of impending doom throughout, that it was all going to go wrong, that the family wouldnt come out the other end as a family. They do though, just about, wounded but still walking, along the beach that beach! together.
Last night's TV Could the family survive Dads prison sentence? Ive never felt so involved
By Sam Wollaston
like observational documentary. And theres a sense of real time; its like it is growing up with them. Simm and Henderson are both excellent: they have a chemistry, and an awkwardness, that comes from absence. But its the Kirk kids the boys especially who make this into something so real and so powerful. Something you care about. Not an awful lot happens; at times its pretty slow. The kids get up, clean their teeth, eat cereal, walk to the village school, sing, get into ghts (because another kid said something about their dad), go to see the head. Karen works in the pub, struggles, gets lonely, sleeps with Eddie from the pub. Sometimes they go to the beach the same one that was in Shakespeare in Love, Hilary and Jackie, Kingdom (that Lawyer show with Stephen Fry), the
AND ANOTHER THING
Its an amazing weekend for TV: The Killing, The Rolling Stones, The Secrets of Crickley Hall, Him & Her, Homeland, of course ... Quick, cancel everything. STAY IN!
TV and radio
Film of the day The Silence Of The Lambs (9pm, TCM) Suspense-drenched adaptation of Thomas Harriss bestseller with Anthony Hopkins evil personied as cannibal Hannibal Lecter and Jodie Foster as edgling Fed Clarice Starling.
BBC1
6.0pm BBC News (S) Weather 6.30 Regional News Programmes (S) Weather
BBC2
6.0pm Eggheads (S) 6.30 Strictly Come Dancing It Takes Two (S) Zoe Ball reports from the rehearsals. 7.0 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip (S) BBC Breakfast presenters Louise Minchin and Bill Turnbull hunt for antiques bargains in Greater Manchester.
ITV1
6.0pm Local News (S) Weather 6.30 ITV News And Weather (S)
Channel 4
6.0pm The Simpsons (S) (AD) Homer and Marge look back at their courtship. 6.30 Hollyoaks (S) Tragedy strikes again. 7.0 Channel 4 News (S) 7.30 Unreported World (S) Report from the Dominican Republic on teenagers who want to become professional baseball players in the USA. 7.55 4thought.tv (S) 8.0 Come Dine With Me (S) Theres spoilt food and selfpromotion as the dinner party challenge heads for Jersey for the rst time.
An Island Parish, BBC2
Watch this
Children In Need 2012 7.30pm, BBC1
The rst Children In Need to be presented from a set made entirely of eggshells. The usual presenters Terry Wogan, Fearne Cotton, Tess Daly present the usual evening of inane bonhomie, this year including a special episode of Doctor Who, a Girls Aloud reunion and a dance performance by Ann Widdecombe and Russell Grant. In sum: good cause, send cheque, no need to watch. Andrew Mueller
7.0 The One Show: Children In Need Special (S) Matt 7.30 Children In Need 2012 (S) The telethon begins. With music by One Direction and Girls Aloud. Plus Strictly Come Dancing and Doctor Who specials.
7.0 Emmerdale (S) (AD) Cain takes a swing at Cameron. 7.30 Coronation Street (S) (AD) Steve and Eva trail Rob and Michelle to Sheeld.
Attenborough: 60 Years In The Wild 9pm, BBC2

Sir David Attenborough has spent so much time covering the natural world that most Galpagos tortoises now know him simply as Dave, making him the ideal person to chart just how much nature TV coverage has progressed. In the rst of three shows, Sir David oers his own perspective on how wildlife has been lmed during his 60-year career, from the grainy monochrome of Zoo Quest to the HD wonder of Planet Earth. Mark Jones
8.0 Mastermind (S) Specialist subjects include the American Revolutionary War and East German athletics, 1976-1988. 8.30 An Island Parish (S) (AD) New series chronicling life on Sark in the Channel Islands. 9.0 Attenborough: 60 Years In The Wild (S) (AD) New series. David Attenborough looks back on his career, focusing rst on innovations in wildlife lm-making since he started out in 1952.
8.0 Island Hospital (S) Dr George Oswald and wife Karen enter Guernseys annual scarecrow competition. 8.30 Coronation Street (S) (AD) Leanne is irritable with Nick.
9.0 Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! (S) Another round-up of events in the Australian jungle.
9.0 Derren Brown: Fear And Faith (S) The showman concludes his experiment designed to remove peoples experience of fear.
An Island Parish 8.30pm, BBC2

The series returns, along with its successful formula: take a small island with a set of colourful characters and customs, lm for a year, and pull together the best narrative threads. This time were in Sark: measuring just over two square miles, the island has 600 residents, one police constable, and cars are banned. Generally (were told) the islanders arent keen on change, so when the Anglican vicar and Methodist minister hold a joint Easter service, eyebrows are raised. Martin Skegg
Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years Of The Top 10 9.25pm, BBC4

Illegal downloading may be damaging the music industry but once upon a time we were all little pirates, sailing the hi- seas, and poised over the pause button as Flu or Kid or Foxy counted down the top 40. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the UK singles chart, Pop Charts Britannia explores those shared rituals revolving around the charts, on radio or telly. Ali Catterall
10.0 BBC News (S) 10.25 Regional News And Weather (S) 10.35 Children In Need 2012 (S) Lee Mack stars in a Not Going Out special . Plus music from Leona Lewis, Paloma Faith and Tim Minchin.
10.0 Children In Need 2012 (S) Presented by Terry Wogan, Tess Daly and Fearne Cotton. Including a special edition of The Sarah Millican Television Programme. 10.40 Newsnight (S) With Eddie Mair. 11.10 The Review Show (S) (Followed by Weather.) 11.45 The National Lottery Friday Night Draws (S) 11.55 Later With Jools Holland (S) Extended version of Tuesdays show.
10.0 ITV News At Ten And Weather (S) 10.30 Local News/ Weather (S) 10.35 Wanted (Timur Bekmambetov, 2008) (S) (AD) Enjoyable but daft action-adventure, starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie.
10.0 Alan Carr: Chatty Man (S) With Julia Davis, John Bishop, plus Spice Girls Melanie C, Emma Bunton and Geri Halliwell. Rita Ora performs her new single, Shine Ya Light.
11.05 Friday Night Dinner (R) (S) (AD) Mum hides in the shed because theres a mouse in the house. Last in the series. 11.35 8 Out Of 10 Cats (R) (S) Jimmy Carr hosts. (Shown Monday.)
6.30 Composer Of The Week: Big Band. (R) 7.30 Radio 3 Live In Concert. From Manchesters Bridgewater Hall, the BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Juanjo Mena, performs Bachs Cantata No 147 and Bruckners Symphony No 9. Presented by Petroc Trelawny. 10.0 Free Thinking. Biologist Mark Pagel gives a talk entitled Evolution and Humanity What Next? at the Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival. With Rana Mitter. 10.45 The Free Thinking Essay: New Generation Thinkers. Medical historian Matthew Smith gives a talk on peanuts and the rise of food allergies, recorded at the Sage Gateshead. 11.0 World On 3. Lopa Kothari presents a session by Italian band Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino, plus new tracks from across the globe. 1.0 Through The Night. Including music by Mahler, Faure, Brahms, Eduardo Hubert, Zarzycki, Stravinsky, Spohr, Berezovsky, Wassenaer, Grandjany, Martinu, Schubert, Geminiani, Strauss and Mendelssohn.
Radio
Radio 3
90.2-92.4 MHz
6.30 Breakfast. Sara Mohr-Pietsch introduces favourite pieces, notable performances and a few surprises. 9.0 Essential Classics. With Sarah Walker. Including the Essential CD: Five Italian Oboe Concertos played by Nicholas Daniel, performances by pianist Noriko Ogawa, and this weeks guest, author Anne Fine. 12.0 Composer Of The Week: Big Band. Donald Macleod and Guy Barker examine the more recent directions taken in big band jazz, from
those rooted in the history of the form to contemporary contributions. 1.0 Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert. Ruby Hughes sings Brittens folk-song arrangements, the Heath Quartet plays Tchaikovskys Third String Quartet and Roderick Williams performs Ireland with pianist Susie Allan. 2.0 Afternoon On 3. The BBC SSO performs Szymanowski, Chopin and Tchaikovsky with conductor Alexander Vedernikov, and Vaughan Williams Fifth Symphony under the baton of Vassily Sinaisky. 4.30 In Tune. Mezzo Cecilia Bartoli talks to Sean Raerty about her latest album and the Neil Cowley Trio perform in the studio with students from Goldsmiths College, London.
Radio 4
92.4-94.6 MHz; 198kHz

6.0 (FM) Today. 9.0 (FM) Desert Island Discs. Kirsty Young talks to theatre critic Blanche Marvin. (R) 9.45 (LW) Act Of Worship. From Cardi. 9.45 (FM) Book Of The Week: Former People. By Douglas Smith. Abridged and produced by Jill Waters. 10.0 (LW) Test Match
Full TV listings For comprehensive programme details see the Guardian Guide every Saturday or go to tvlistings.guardian.co.uk/
Channel 5
6.0pm Home And Away (R) (S) (AD) Brax discovers Casey has gone missing. 6.30 5 News At 6.30 (S) 7.0 The Gadget Show (R) (S) Jason Bradbury and Pollyanna Woodward head to Iceland to test out hi-tech binoculars while whale-watching. (Shown Monday; followed by 5 News Update.) 8.0 Wild Things With Dominic Monaghan (S) The actor goes to the Ecuadorian Amazon to see a four million-strong colony of venomous, esheating army ants. (Followed by 5 News At 9.) 9.0 The Mentalist (S) A bank employee is murdered during a heist. Jane suspects the robbers had the help of an inside man.
BBC3
BBC4
More4
6.20pm Come Dine With Me (R) (S) Featuring contestants from Eneld.
Atlantic
6.0pm House (R) The doctor gives a lecture for medical students.
Other channels
E4 6.0pm The Big Bang Theory. Sheldon misses an opportunity to meet Stan Lee. 6.30 The Big Bang Theory. The friends ght over a ring they believe was used in The Lord of the Rings. 7.0 Hollyoaks. Phoebe struggles to stay quiet about the events of the crash. 7.30 How I Met Your Mother. Ted struggles to get his business o the ground. 8.0 New Girl. Nick and Schmidt become embroiled in an argument over DIY. 8.30 My Super ExGirlfriend. Fantasy comedy, starring Uma Thurman. 10.20 Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. Action adventure sequel, starring Steven Seagal. Film4 6.45pm Star Trek: Generations. Sci- sequel, starring Patrick Stewart and William Shatner. 9.0 The Bank Job. Fact-based crime thriller, starring Jason Statham. 11.10 Zebra Crossing. Premiere. Drama, starring Lee Turnbull. FX 6.0pm Leverage. The team investigates the death of a girl. 7.0 NCIS. The team investigates the deaths of a radio DJ and a naval ocer. 8.0 NCIS. Abby becomes personally involved in a murder case. 9.0 NCIS. Gibbs and the team track an arsonist. 10.0 The Walking Dead. The Governor throws a party for the people of Woodbury. 11.0 The Booth At The End. The Man appears to have unnished business with Doris. 11.30 True Blood. Eric plots his escape from the midst of the Authority. ITV2 7.0pm The Cube. Double Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah takes part. 8.0 The X Factor USA. The results of the second live show are announced. 9.0 Benidorm. Madges new boyfriend has a diving competition with the Oracle. 9.30 Benidorm. Martin and Kate look after Telles baby. 10.0 Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Now! News and gossip from the camp. 11.0 Switch. Graces new relationship appears to be going well. 12.0 Piers Morgans Life Stories: Peter Andre. The singer and reality star talks about his life. Sky1 6.0pm Futurama. Bender becomes addicted to electricity. 6.30 The Simpsons. Homer becomes an author of childrens books. 7.0 The Simpsons. Homer and Bart deliver a dead truckers cargo. 7.30 The Simpsons. Homer receives marital advice from a movie star. 8.0 Modern Family. Jays ex-wife turns up out of the blue. 8.30 Spy. A bang on the head makes Judith think she and Tim are still married. 9.0 Trollied. The store celebrates its one millionth customer with a trolley dash. Last in the series. 9.30 Trollied 2: Behind The Scenes. The making of the supermarket comedy. 10.0 A League Of Their Own. With guests Jessica Ennis, Micky Flanagan and Jimmy Carr. 11.0 Dont Sit In The Front Row. With Frank Skinner, Andrew Maxwell and Susan Calman. 11.30 Road Wars. The work of the Proactive Squad from Thames Valley Police. 12.0 Ross Kemp: The Invisible Wounded. Posttraumatic stress disorder among ex-service personnel. Sky Arts 1 6.0pm The Ronnie Wood Show. The Rolling Stones guitarist talks to Alice Cooper. 6.30 In Condence. Laurie Taylor talks to Michael Frayn. 7.30 The Beat Is The Law. Part one of two. How Sheelds musicians reacted to Thatcherism. 8.50 Forming Game. Animation, by Malcolm Sutherland. 9.0 Metal Evolution. The development of grunge. 10.0 ZZ Top Live From Texas. A concert by the rock band. 11.40 Billy Idol: In Super Overdrive Live. The 80s star performs at the Congress Theatre in Texas. TCM 7.30pm Wichita. Western, starring Joel McCrea. 9.0 The Silence Of The Lambs. Thriller, starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins. 11.15 Dead Calm. Suspense thriller, with Nicole Kidman and Sam Neill.
7.0pm Merlin (R) (S) (AD) Morgana imprisons Gwen in a magical tower. 7.45 Doctor Who (R) (S) (AD) Part one of two. The Doctor hunts for the last of the Weeping Angels.
7.0pm World News Today (S) Weather 7.30 Solti Centenary Concert (S) A performance to mark 100 years since the birth of Hungarian conductor Sir Georg Solti. From Symphony Centre, Chicago.
7.30 Hughs 3 Good Things (S) With recipes for beef and horseradish with sweet roasted beetroot, and beef stew with tomato and shallots.
7.0 House (R) The medic agrees to treat Staceys husband.
8.30 Impractical Jokers (R) (S) Hidden camera series where the hosts set each other embarrassing challenges.
8.0 Grand Designs (R) (S) (AD) Kevin McCloud revisits a couple who built two timber houses on a small plot in London.
8.0 Blue Bloods (R) (S) (AD) Danny and Jackie are assigned to protect a witness in a trial involving the Russian mob.
9.0 Unzipped (R) (S) Danny Dyer and Laura Whitmore guest. 9.45 Russell Howards Good News Extra (S) Extended version of the topical comedy show.
9.25 Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years Of The Top 10 (S) The story of the British singles chart, from the days of the rst NME chart in 1952 through to todays Radio One chart show.
9.0 The Lovely Bones (Peter Jackson, 2009) (S) (AD) A murdered teenage girl watches over both her family and her killer from the afterlife. Uneven fantasy-drama, starring Saoirse Ronan and Rachel Weisz.
9.0 Falcon (R) Series based on the best-selling novels by Robert Wilson. Detective Javier Falcn investigates when a Seville restaurateur is bound, gagged and tortured to death. Part one of two. 10.0 Boardwalk Empire (R) (S) (AD) Eli hosts a family gathering for Easter Sunday. Gyp Rosetti asks for a blessing from don Joe Masseria.
10.0 Castle (S) Part one of two. A serial killer seems to be taking inspiration from one of Castles books. 10.55 Law & Order: Criminal Intent (R) (S) A magician goes missing during a liveburial stunt. 11.55 Inside Hollywood Showbiz magazine show.
10.30 Some Girls (R) (S) The girls think Ambers new boyfriend has a mysterious secret.
10.55 Sound It Out (S) (AD) Documentary following day-to-day life at one of the last vinyl record shops in the UK.
11.0 Family Guy (R) (S) Peter injures his hand. (First of four episodes.) 11.25 Family Guy (R) (S) Lois teaches a sexeducation class. 11.45 Family Guy (R) (S) Stewie falls for an old ame.
Shropshire. 3.45 Friday Firsts. Holding On by novelist Ross Raisin. Last in the series. 4.0 Last Word. Obituary series, with Matthew Bannister. 4.30 Feedback. Listeners views. Last in the series. 4.55 The Listening Project. Members of the public share intimate conversations. 5.0 PM. Presented by Carolyn Quinn. 5.57 (FM) Weather 6.0 Six OClock News 6.30 The Now Show. Topical stand-up and sketches. (R) 7.0 The Archers. It is party time for Daniel. 7.15 Front Row. With musician and producer Brian Eno. 7.45 (LW) Children In Need: Jesss Story. By Nell Leyshon. 7.45 (FM) Children In
11.55 The Genius Of David Bowie (R) (S) Performances from the BBC archives, including Life on Mars?, Space Oddity and Fashion. Plus Lulu and Mott the Hoople cover Bowie songs.
11.35 Father Ted (R) (S) (AD) The Speedspoong episode where Dougal takes over as Craggy Islands new milkman.
11.15 The Wire (R) (S) Carcetti hits problems when he tries to relieve Burrell of his duties.
Jessica Ennis, Sky1

5.30 World Business Report 6.0 World Have Your Say 7.0 World Brieng 7.30 The Why Factor 7.50 From Our Own Correspondent 8.0 News 8.06 HARDtalk 8.30 The Strand 8.50 Witness 9.0 Newshour 10.0 News 10.06 World Football 10.30 World Business Report 11.0 World Brieng 11.30 Business Daily 11.50 Witness 12.0 World Brieng 12.20 Sports News 12.30 Boston Calling 1.0 World Brieng 1.30 World Business Report 1.50 From Our Own Correspondent 2.0 News 2.06 Your World 2.30 World Football 3.0 World Brieng 3.30 The Strand 3.50 Witness 4.0 News 4.06 Assignment 4.30 The Why Factor 4.50 From Our Own Correspondent 5.0 World Brieng 5.20 Sports News 5.30 The 5th Floor
Special. India v England. 10.0 (FM) Womans Hour. 11.0 A Place For Us. The lives of teenagers seeking asylum in Britain. 11.30 Polyoaks. Dr Hugh Thornton pioneers a new distance healing app. 12.0 News 12.04 You And Yours. 12.52 The Listening Project. Members of the public share intimate conversations. 12.57 Weather 1.0 The World At One. Current aairs. 1.45 In Pursuit Of The Ridiculous. Studying the purple emperor buttery. Last in the series. 2.0 The Archers. Lynda holds a tense rehearsal. (R) 2.15 Afternoon Drama: On Mardle Fen. New series. By Nick Warburton. 3.0 Gardeners Question Time. From Bishops Castle,
Need: Jesss Story. By Nell Leyshon. 8.0 Any Questions? From Dulverton, Somerset. 8.50 A Point Of View. With Mary Beard. 9.0 Friday Drama: Enquirer. The current crisis in newspaper journalism. 9.59 Weather 10.0 The World Tonight. 10.45 Book At Bedtime: The Liars Gospel. By Naomi Alderman. Abridged by Sally Marmion. 11.0 A Good Read. With Peter White and Heydon Prowse. (R) 11.30 Swimming With Piranhas. The battle to preserve the Chaco wilderness in Paraguay. (R) 11.55 The Listening Project. Members of the public share intimate conversations. 12.0 News And Weather 12.30 Book Of The Week:
Former People. By Douglas Smith. Abridged and produced by Jill Waters. 12.48 Shipping Forecast
Radio 4 Extra
Digital only
6.0 Paul Temple And The Margo Mystery 6.30 White Heat 7.0 Up The Garden Path 7.30 The Golden Age 8.0 The Navy Lark 8.30 The Burkiss Way 9.0 Bristow 9.30 The Brothers 10.0 Daniel Deronda 11.0 Made In Bristol 11.15 HMS Surprise 12.0 The Navy Lark 12.30 The Burkiss Way 1.0 Paul Temple And The Margo Mystery 1.30 White Heat 2.0 The Color Purple 2.15 Laurence LlewelynBowens Men Of Fashion 2.30 Gods Architect:
Pugin And The Building Of Romantic Britain 2.45 Other Peoples Children 3.0 Daniel Deronda 4.0 The 4 OClock Show 5.0 Beachcomber By The Way 5.30 Up The Garden Path 6.0 The Price Of Fear 6.30 The Woman In Black 7.0 The Navy Lark 7.30 The Burkiss Way 8.0 Paul Temple And The Margo Mystery 8.30 White Heat 9.0 Made In Bristol 9.15 HMS Surprise 10.0 Comedy Club: The Golden Age 10.30 Meanwhile With The Bearded Ladies 11.0 Big Town All Stars 11.30 Dial M For Pizza 12.0 The Price Of Fear 12.30 The Woman In Black 1.0 Paul Temple And The Margo Mystery 1.30 White Heat 2.0 Bristow 2.30 The Brothers 3.0 Daniel Deronda 4.0 90
By 90 The Full Set 4.15 HMS Surprise 5.0 Beachcomber By The Way 5.30 Up The Garden Path
World Service
Digital and 198 kHz after R4

8.30 Business Daily 8.50 Sports News 9.0 News 9.06 HARDtalk 9.30 The Strand 9.50 Witness 10.0 World Update 11.0 World Have Your Say 11.30 Science In Action 11.50 From Our Own Correspondent 12.0 News 12.06 World Football 12.30 The Strand 12.50 Witness 1.0 News 1.06 HARDtalk 1.30 Business Daily 1.50 Sports News 2.0 Newshour 3.0 World Brieng 3.30 World Football 4.0 News 4.06 HARDtalk 4.30 Sport Today 5.0 World Brieng
Puzzles
On the web For tips and all manner of crossword debates go to guardian.co.uk/crosswords
Quick crossword no 13,268

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Sudoku no 2346
Hard. Fill the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 box contains the numbers 1-9. Printable version at guardian.co.uk/sudoku
Stuck? For help call 0906 751 0036. Calls cost 77p a minute from a BT Landline. Calls from other networks may vary and mobiles will be considerably higher. Service supplied by ATS. Call 0844 836 9769 for customer service (charged at local rate, 2p a min from a BT landline). Free tough puzzles at www.puzzler.com/guardian
8 5 4 2 4 8 7 3 8 9 6 5 4 7 7 9
10 12 13
11
14 16
15
6 3
Want more? Access over 4,000 archive puzzles at guardian.co.uk/crossword. Buy all four Guardian quick crosswords books for only 20 inc UK p&p (save 7.96). Visit guardianbooks.co.uk or call 0330 333 6846.
17
18 20
19
Solution to no 2345
2 8 9 4 7 1 6 3 5 1 6 5 8 9 3 7 4 2 3 7 4 6 2 5 1 9 8 5 4 3 2 1 8 9 6 7 8 9 1 3 6 7 2 5 4 6 2 7 9 5 4 8 1 3 4 1 2 5 8 9 3 7 6 7 3 6 1 4 2 5 8 9 9 5 8 7 3 6 4 2 1
21
22
23
24
Across
1 Lightweight automatic rearm (3-7,3) 8 Wise (7) 9 Misery (5) 10 Ostracise (4) 11 False praise (8) 13 Fall (over here) (6) 14 Manage somehow (4,2) 17 End of a football pitch (4,4) 19 Semiprecious stone shade of green (4) 21 Nimble (5) 22 Suppose (7) 24 Proverbial activity requiring greater intelligence? (6,7)
12 Paid worker (8) 15 Dodging (7) 16 Lingerie (6) 18 Meat jelly (5) 20 Long length skirt (4) 23 Sheep (3)
Stuck? For help call 0906 751 0039 or text GUARDIANQ followed by a space, the day and date the crossword appeared another space and the CLUE reference to 85010 (e.g GUARDIANQ Wednesday24 Down20). Calls cost 77p a minute from a BT Landline. Calls from other networks may vary and mobiles will be considerably higher. Texts cost 50p a clue plus standard network charges. Service supplied by ATS. Call 0844 836 9769 for customer service (charged at local rate, 2p a min from a BT landline).
Kakuro no 1318
38 10 13 27 17 16 17 16 16 21 12 14 10 27 4 19 21 25 11 27 21 10 10 23 23 3 9 17 3 4 27 10 7 7 7 16 13 16 13 7 11 14 17 38 16 16 22 12 21 5 24 13 16 11 14 13 6 14 7 3 33 4 18 7 4 22 7
Hard. Fill in the grid so that each run of squares adds up to the total in the box above or to the left. Use only numbers 1-9, and never use a number more than once per run (a number may recur in the same row, in a separate run). Printable version at guardian. co.uk/kakuro
A great range of puzzle books is available from Guardian Books. To order, visit guardianbooks.co.uk or call 0845 606 4232.
Solution no 13,267
A E A X C J U R A S I F O N E N W C S E B C Z P A R T H E I D I O A P L L A R K S P O L G G L Y E N S U U P E L L Q U E N E U C A C C I A T I V T S R O N O F A G U N N R R M
Solution no 1,317
3 1 2 1 2 4 9 1 4 3 6 8 8 9 9 7 6 8 9 4 5 9 6 9 8 7 7 9 8 6 9 8 6 7 6 8 4 1 2 2 3 9 7 8 1 5 9 3 2 8 4 6 1 9 2 2 3 6 1 4 3 1 5 7 8 1 2 3 1 2 8 6 9 3 1 2 8 1 2 4 7 5 9 9 8
Down
1 Drain vital uid (3) 2 Nose owers (7) 3 Top (4) 4 Ritz and Hilton are (6) 5 Last drink of the day? (8) 6 Escort (5) 7 Area out of bounds to aircraft (2-3,4) 10 Astronomer (9)
H U R R I C A N E
R E H Y
25
7 6 8 8 9 9 7 4
5 9 9 8
Doonesbury
Garry Trudeau

The Guardian G2 16.11.2012

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Guardian G2 16.11.2012

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Friday 16.11.

ENGLAND IS VERY CYNICAL, LIKE WE ARE

The Power of Love

Brad Pitts bathtub

Helen Flanagan in tears; Hugo Taylor (below)

Taylors next project is a sitcom slated to star James Blunt

2 The Guardian 16.11.12

COVER BARRY J HOLMES FOR THE GUARDIAN PHOTOGRAPH ITV/REX FEATURES

On the web Participate in these important debates guardian.co.uk/lostinshowbiz

Brad Pitt: actor, designer, genius; one of his creations (above)

Brad makes a bum job of his bath design

16.11.12 The Guardian 3

New band of the week Scruzzer

4 The Guardian 16.11.12

PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES

16.11.12 The Guardian 5

PHOTOGRAPH BARRY J HOLMES FOR THE GUARDIAN

6 The Guardian 16.11.12

16.11.12 The Guardian 7

ons s rd & S umfo ustin, Texa M A rm in year perfo arch this in M

Mumford & Sons Road To Red Rocks DVD is released on 26 November

8 The Guardian 16.11.12

T MY I GO BIG I R ST F AUGH PT L ND KE A OING G

10 The Guardian 16.11.12

12 The Guardian 16.11.12

I DONT WANT TO BE A FILM MAKER

16.11.12 The Guardian 13

14 The Guardian 16.11.12

PHOTOGRAPHS SIPA PRESS/REX FEATURES; CORBIS

Find Out More www.ceciliabartolionline.com

Available On The App Store

16.11.12 The Guardian 15

OPERA FOR (KIDS WITH) DUMMIES

16 The Guardian 16.11.12

The F&M Playlist

16.11.12 The Guardian 17

Enter the void

18 The Guardian 16.11.12

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2

16.11.12 The Guardian 19

Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet

Dir: Jesse Vile. 86min. Cert: 15

Dir: P David Ebersole. 103min. Cert: tbc

THIS WEEK PETER BRADSHAW ENJOYED

Dir: PJ Hogan. With: Rebecca Gibney, Toni Collette. 115min. Cert: 15

Arthur Mathewss Radio 4 comedy The Golden Age, an antidote to Beebbashing

20 The Guardian 16.11.12

Forgive and forget

Cold and canny Rihanna

THIS WEEK ALEXIS LISTENED TO

16.11.12 The Guardian 21

Reviews Pop, rock and folk

Probably amazing live Allah-Las

22 The Guardian 16.11.12

EVAN DANDO AND JULIANA HATFIELD

A Vintage New Years Eve Party

Tickets 0844 847 9910 southbankcentre.co.uk

16.11.12 The Guardian 23

Reviews Jazz and classical

Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Raw and rousing Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Bobo Stenson Trio

Ron Miles/Bill Frisell