Review: Monty Python at the Albert Hall: Not The Messiah
Never has so much goodwill flowed from an audience to the performers. Really, Eric and the gang could have sat and read the papers and got a standing ovation. But fortunately, it was an evening to remember anyway. I don’t…
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
I don’t know if this is ironic, or just a palindrome or something, but on the day I consigned the September 2009 edition of The Word magazine to the recycling, with Robert Wyatt on the cover and a Half Man…
Natalie Williams at Alimentum, Cambridge
OK, being at The Rock on Wednesday to see England thrash Croatia was a cracking evening out. But it turned out to be my second favourite night of the week, trailing a little way behind the quite superb meal we…
Prefab Sprout – new album (September 2009)
You can’t imagine how excited I was when I read the interview with Paddy MacAloon in Word magazine‘s latest issue. But perhaps not half as excited as I will be when I get my hands on the Prefab Sprout new…
Learning to paint and take photos in France
Just back from a fantastic week at a fantastic holiday cooking school in France – except Mrs R and I didn’t avail ourselves of the opportunity to cook, but instead spent the week learning to paint (Dawn) and taking some…
Michel Thomas Foundation Course in Spanish – 52% off!
If you’ve found a half-price offer on the Michel Thomas Foundation Course in Spanish, we can do even better than that: Amazon has it for less than half price! That’s £32.99, a 52% discount. Click here for the relevant Amazon…
Steven Wells RIP goes out with spooky Jacko reference
Blimey. Some things really are too spooky for words. On Wednesday night we lost Steven Wells (“Swells”), a writer who entertained and inspired so many people (including me at a very impressionable age). It’s choking to read the final piece…
“Thriller” at Elvyn Richards Hall Cabaret 1984
OK, I’ve finally transferred one of the oldest VHS home movies I have to my Mac, probably with only moments to spare before the tape crumbles into a pile of iron oxide. And it is… the “Thriller” sketch from the…
Who are the ten best cricketers of all time?
Christopher Martin-Jenkins recently accepted the thankless (but no doubt rewarding) commission to pick “the top 100 cricketers of all time”). Although he admits “The selection will inevitably offend some”, he has a pretty good stab at things, and if you…
Cheap Wii MotionPlus? Looks like Amazon’s the place
The £20 Wii Motion Plus Accessory is now being made available on pre-order from major retailers such as Amazon, which is also offering its “Pre-order Price Guarantee” (if the Amazon.co.uk price decreases between the time you place your order and…
Morrissey at Cambridge Corn Exchange gig review
Morrissey is one of those acts (like Springsteen) who seems to have so many fans at each gig who follow him around the country that you feel a bit of an intruder if you’re happy to just see him once…
Star Trek movie – great. Mainly.
(Minor spoilers only) OK, here’s the thing which we thought was really clever about the new Star Trek movie. We all know the film is a “start all over again” effort, going back to the beginning of the Original Series….
In The Loop – hilarious
Just back from a preview screening of In The Loop, the movie extension to the fantastic The Thick Of It TV series, held at the Arts Picturehouse in Cambridge and with writer/director Armando Ianucci present for a Q+A with a…
Looking for the best sit-down Chinese restaurant in Cambridge?
I haven’t done a restaurant review for ages, but I was blown away by our meal at The Peking in Cambridge tonight, so I’ve dusted off my reviewer’s hat (not seen since the days of AdHoc and RealCity magazines) and…
Peter Alliss – probably fatter than Pavarotti
I cannot stand Peter Alliss, the golf commentator, who should have retired years ago. Just as Tiger Woods is about to sink a putt to win a tournament, you think he’s going to chip in: “Now, at this point I…
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