Saturday 31 January 2015

Ewan McGregor plays Jesus and the devil in Sundance epic

PARK CITY, Utah (AP) " Epic is not usually a term associated with films coming out of the Sundance Film Festival, which makes director Rodrigo Garcia's imagined story of Jesus's journey through the desert even more striking.Shot...


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Miss Marple actress Geraldine McEwan dies, aged 82

Geraldine McEwan has died.The actress - who was known for playing the title character in Agatha Christie's Marple - passed away at the age of 82 at Charing Cross Hospital in London on Friday, after suffering a stroke last October.Confirming...


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Imagine Dragons' bassist: Don't make Seahawks the hero

GLENDALE, Arizona (AP) " Imagine Dragons bassist Ben McKee has a simple reason he wants the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl " he doesn't want to see the Seattle Seahawks made into heroes.McKee is a native of Forestville...


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Review: Samsung Galaxy Note Edge – is this curvaceous phablet the future?





THE Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is an impressive but gimmicky twist on the successful Note formula.


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Rep: Val Kilmer undergoing tests for a tumor

LOS ANGELES (AP) " Val Kilmer is undergoing tests for a possible tumor, according to his representative.Liz Rosenberg confirmed Saturday that the 55-year-old actor is at a Los Angeles hospital and that doctors are "encouraged by...


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Brian Blessed withdraws from 'King Lear' production, after collapsing on stage

Brian Blessed has withdrawn from a production of Shakepeare's King Lear , a week after collapsing on stage.The English actor, known for his booming voice, is playing the lead role in the production.After he collapsed last week,...


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Welcome to the new telly smorgasbord

The arrival of global entertainment giant Net­flix in New Zealand next month is sparking an unprecedented battle for TV eyeballs.With 57 million subscribers in 50 countries, the internet television network serves up more than two...


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Snoop Dogg keeping focus on youth football before Super Bowl

PHOENIX (AP) " Super Bowl weekend isn't just about the championship game for Snoop Dogg " it's also a reminder that the next generation of NFL greats need to develop.The rapper has for years sponsored a youth football league that...


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Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina found unconscious in bathtub

The daughter of late singer Whitney Houston was pulled unconscious from her bathtub at her home in Georgia in an eerie echo of her mother's tragic death three years ago, several US media reports say.The Atlanta Journal Constitution...


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Auckland Fringe Festival: As once was Ponsonby

If you're out and about on the streets of Ponsonby this month, you might notice groups of headphone-wearing walkers. It's not a bizarre tourist venture but an unconventional new performance in the Auck


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British actress Geraldine McEwan dies at age 82

LONDON (AP) " The family of longtime actress Geraldine McEwan says she has died following treatment for a stroke. She was 82.McEwan was known for many roles including playing the famous Agatha Christie detective Miss Marple in 12...


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Whitney Houston's daughter found unresponsive in tub

ATLANTA (AP) " The daughter of late singer and entertainer Whitney Houston was found unresponsive in a bathtub and taken to an Atlanta-area hospital.Bobbi Kristina Brown was discovered Saturday morning by her husband and a friend.A...


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Michael Palin on Kiwis and humour

Living comedy legend Michael Palin is bringing his new Live on Stage show to Auckland. He is fresh from the sellout success of the Monty Python reunion shows, and this new offering covers both the Python days and his more recent success...


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BREAKING: Miss Marple actress Geraldine McEwan dies aged 82





ACTRESS Geraldine McEwan who was best known for playing Agatha Christie's Miss Marple has died aged 82, her family have confirmed.


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Getting ready for the world cup

Whoever said a dream job wouldn't have its deep-breath moments must have been dreaming. Laura McGoldrick and Mark Richardson could set them straight. Thousands of cricket fans would happily stand at silly mid-on to have a crack at...


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Back AGAIN! Kylie Minogue opts for double lace look to dine at the Chiltern Firehouse





SHE is rumoured to be dating Chiltern Firehouse owner Andre Balazs, so it comes as no surprise that that was Kylie Minogue's venue of choice for the second time in as many days.


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Art matters: Energetic observer nears end of house project

Art causes lurching emotions."From hateful boredom to supreme enlightenment," as John Radford puts it, raving about regular avant-garde concert series, Vitamin S. "It's insanely brilliant, it's part of my education," he says...


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Play it cool: Pale blue and lace looks for spring





DIVE into pale blue hues and gorgeous lace this spring


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Emmerdale's Sammy Winward on quitting The Woolpack: 'I was quite scared'





EMMERDALE barmaid Sammy Winward talks about her dramatic exit


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Stunning Neighbours actress Olympia Valance: 'I have feet like a hobbit'





THE Aussie actress reveals her top beauty tips


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Auckland Arts Festival: Going for baroque

You know a festival is on its way when an international orchestra is coming to town and, sure enough, a March concert by Tafelmusik, a Canadian baroque orchestra, promises to be a highlight of this year's Auckland Arts Festival.The...


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Galleries: The true suffering of war

With the anniversary last year of the beginning of World War I and this year's remembrance of the Gallipoli landings there has been much comment on war and its consequences. Two fine exhibitions from the Auckland Art Gallery's print...


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Ben Miller: 'I try to push myself to do comedy in different forms'





COMEDIAN Ben Miller is bringing one of Britain’s most loathsome monarchs back to life in Horrible Histories: King John And The Magna Carta


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Easy as pie! Paul Hollywood shares his best pastry recipes





IT WORTH to try these delicious pie recipes by Paul Hollywood, says our celebrity chef, Aldo Zilli


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Arts: A voyage around my father

Known for his political activism and satirical comedy, you wouldn't normally associate Mark Thomas with a rarefied art form such as opera. First performed at the Edinburgh Festival in 2012, Bravo Figaro! centres on the Clapham-born...


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Kasem's children urge elder abuse prosecution against widow

LOS ANGELES (AP) " The children of Casey Kasem are urging Los Angeles police to make progress in an elder abuse investigation focusing on the radio legend's widow.Kasem's children claimed at a Friday news conference that the investigation...


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When words fail BBC’s subtitles: Ironic mess up on Breakfast show





DO not adjust your sets! This is the moment yesterday when the subtitles went awry – during a discussion on poor subtitles.


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'We’re the real Flintstones!' Volunteers try to survive Stone Age in new TV experiment





TAKE a group of 20 men and women from all walks of life and cast them back thousands of years to the Stone Age.


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Jamie Dornan: 'There is nothing sexy about performing love scenes'





JAMIE DORNAN won the hottest film role of the year thanks to being The Fall guy.


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Scientists' 'hugely exciting’ DNA research may lead to extending life





SCIENTISTS have identified changes in our body clock that predict how long we will live.


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Elegant, stylish and easy-to wear: The best black and silver things we want this week





THERE'S something for every budget in this week's must-haves


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Nuts about almonds: The best beauty products with this nourishing gift of nature





ALMONDS don’t just taste delicious they have great antioxidant and nourishing benefits, too


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Emmerdale's Natalie Anderson on new ITV show Get Your Act Together





ACTRESS Natalie Anderson got more than she bargained for when she signed up for a new variety show


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Get clever with clematis: Alan Titchmarsh shares his pruning tips





PRUNING clematis? Follow these simple rules and you won’t go wrong


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Smeg, DeLonghi, Morphy Richards: Ten of the best kettles





IT'S the hardest-working appliance in the kitchen, so make sure you have a good kettle


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'I didn’t sell out' Emma Willis on how she became the face of Big Brother and The Voice





SHE'S currently the face of two of the hottest shows on TV, and Emma Willis says she got there because she didn't sell out.


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Carry On star Leslie Phillips unwell after seizure





CARRY ON star Leslie Phillips was being treated in hospital last night after a seizure.


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David Oyelowo - The man who would be King

There's a scene in Selma , in which Dr Martin Luther King, played by British actor David Oyelowo, leads the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.Among the actors - including Oprah Winfrey, who plays civil...


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Friday 30 January 2015

Venezuela allows security forces to use firearms in protests

C ARACAS, Venezuela (AP) " Human rights groups and Venezuela's opposition are criticizing the government's new authorization for riot police to use firearms to control protests.The new rules were slipped into a resolution this week...


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'It was hell' Nadia Sawalha becomes fourth Celebrity to be evicted from Big Brother





ACTRESS Nadia Sawalha became the fourth Celebrity to be evicted from the Big Brother House.


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Cheryl Strayed: Walk from the wild side

On the last day of shooting the movie of her life, Cheryl Strayed finally succumbed to the urgings of the director and filmed a cameo. She said her one line to Reese Witherspoon, watched her walk away, and broke down."The whole...


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Lawyer wants reporter to reveal details in James Brown case

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) " A reporter covering the fight over soul singer James Brown's estate has been ordered to tell a court how she obtained a diary from James Brown's widow.A judge issued a restraining order Friday telling...


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Elvis kitsch up for auction after quirky owner's death

JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) " Thousands of Elvis Presley-themed items are going up for auction this weekend in north Mississippi.They're from the kitschy collection of the late Paul MacLeod. The Elvis super fan operated his home as...


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Obama, Cooper push for media help in better vet portrayal

NEW YORK (AP) " The first lady and "American Sniper" star Bradley Cooper have banded together to push for accurate representation in film and TV of U.S. troops who've returned from war.Michelle Obama and Cooper joined a list of...


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Dinner date? Kylie Minogue stops by Chiltern Firehouse amid rumours she’s dating the owner





AUSTRALIAN beauty Kylie Minogue couldn't disguise her smile as she headed to the Chiltern Firehouse restaurant in London.


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WATCH: Matt Damon launches the 'Buy a Lady a Drink' campaign for Water.org





ACTOR Matt Damon has joined forces with Stella Artois to launch its first global social impact campaign ‘Buy a Lady a Drink’.


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Horsing around! Martin Freeman and Sherlock cast film elaborate Victorian street scene





WE'VE already seen Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in their Victorian outfits, and now the entire set has had an old-fashioned makeover.


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Salem - tune in for the TV fantasy

After the horrid Charmed and the hammy Coven series of American Horror Story , I'd all but given up on TV witches. But Salem (Wednesdays, The Zone, 9.30pm) brings new meaning to the phrase "toil and trouble". It's dark, creepy...


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'Foyle's War' returns for a final, satisfying season

LOS ANGELES (AP) " The end is at hand for "Foyle's War," the absorbing, impeccably produced World War II-era series that moved smoothly from crime to spy drama as the years passed.That the final three episodes build to a satisfying...


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Garden of the Week: Snowdrops at Chelsea Physic Garden





CHELSEA Physic Garden has its annual programme of snowdrop events from January 31, with a series of walks, talks and workshops.


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Brian Blessed pulls out of King Lear due to heart condition





VETERAN actor Brian Blessed has withdrawn from a production of King Lear just over a week after collapsing on stage.


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