Today, Dyi Records have announced the reissue of X-Ray Spex’s 1995 lost classic ‘Conscious Consumer’. The highly sought after album originally received a very limited CD only release in 1995 on Receiver Records in the UK and has been officially unavailable for the past 27 years. Now it has been remastered from the original master tape and will land on vinyl for the first-time ever with unpublished lyrics and original sleeve notes from the iconic vocalist Poly Styrene.
The reissue follows the recently re-release of ‘Germ Free Adolescents’ on day-glo pink vinyl and CD on 29th September via Secret Records, which was put out via Poly Styrene’s estate.
Notable for reuniting Poly Styrene with the original X-Ray Spex saxophonist Lora Logic and bassist Paul Dean, as well as featuring guitar from Crispian Mills and drums from Paul Winterhart (under their respective pseudonyms Red Spectre and Pauli OhAirt) of the band Kula Shaker.
The reissue follows the recently re-release of ‘Germ Free Adolescents’ on day-glo pink vinyl and CD on 29th September via Secret Records, which was put out via Poly Styrene’s estate.
Notable for reuniting Poly Styrene with the original X-Ray Spex saxophonist Lora Logic and bassist Paul Dean, as well as featuring guitar from Crispian Mills and drums from Paul Winterhart (under their respective pseudonyms Red Spectre and Pauli OhAirt) of the band Kula Shaker.
- 10/13/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
Tish Murtha, who lived a life as tough as those she shot in different eras of deprivation and marginalisation, receives a wholehearted and riveting tribute
There’s passion in this heartrending documentary from film-maker Paul Sng, comparable to his excellent earlier film about Poly Styrene, of X-Ray Spex. It is about the Tyneside photographer Tish Murtha who chronicled working-class lives in the north east in the 70s and 80s (and also those of Soho sex workers in London), earning for herself the nickname “Demon Snapper” in the papers.
She showed the reality of poverty and deprivation in communities where the misery of unemployment had been allowed to settle by the Westminster political classes who considered it a price worth other people paying for the boon of undermining trade union power. But in capturing the faces, particularly the faces of children, Murtha showed her subjects’ humour, optimism and refusal to be cowed.
There’s passion in this heartrending documentary from film-maker Paul Sng, comparable to his excellent earlier film about Poly Styrene, of X-Ray Spex. It is about the Tyneside photographer Tish Murtha who chronicled working-class lives in the north east in the 70s and 80s (and also those of Soho sex workers in London), earning for herself the nickname “Demon Snapper” in the papers.
She showed the reality of poverty and deprivation in communities where the misery of unemployment had been allowed to settle by the Westminster political classes who considered it a price worth other people paying for the boon of undermining trade union power. But in capturing the faces, particularly the faces of children, Murtha showed her subjects’ humour, optimism and refusal to be cowed.
- 6/14/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Over the credits, Polite Society plays X-Ray Spex's Identity, Poly Styrene's strident vocals still as powerful almost 50 years after they were recorded. It's an apt choice, almost note perfect, and I start at the end because Polite Society is so certain in its course and headlong towards it that X must mark the spot. Why? It's a treasure.
It screened as the closing gala of Glasgow's 2023 Film Festival, and in the press showing Eye For Film caught, many of those in the audience had already seen it. As critics we don't always get the choice of what we see, but that makes it all the more important to choose what we see twice. Polite Society deserves that kind of attention, rewards it with detail, delight.
It's a début feature for writer/director Nida Manzoor. Her breakthrough work was tv-show based on a short, We Are Lady Parts. The travails of.
It screened as the closing gala of Glasgow's 2023 Film Festival, and in the press showing Eye For Film caught, many of those in the audience had already seen it. As critics we don't always get the choice of what we see, but that makes it all the more important to choose what we see twice. Polite Society deserves that kind of attention, rewards it with detail, delight.
It's a début feature for writer/director Nida Manzoor. Her breakthrough work was tv-show based on a short, We Are Lady Parts. The travails of.
- 4/27/2023
- by Andrew Robertson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Melanie Iredale, Jeanie Finlay and Lauren Castro are among the participants.
Birds Eye View director Melanie Iredale, British Council’s Catherine Bray, and filmmaker Jeanie Finlay are among the speakers participating in the industry programme of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival (Gff), taking place from March 6-9 and with a particular focus on female talent.
Iredale will participate in an event called ”20 years of Birds Eye View” which celebrates the organisation’s Reclaim The Frame, a spotlight for female and non-binary filmmakers.
Bray will host one-to-one sessions with first and second-time directors to discuss their festival strategies.
Jeanie Finlay,...
Birds Eye View director Melanie Iredale, British Council’s Catherine Bray, and filmmaker Jeanie Finlay are among the speakers participating in the industry programme of this year’s Glasgow Film Festival (Gff), taking place from March 6-9 and with a particular focus on female talent.
Iredale will participate in an event called ”20 years of Birds Eye View” which celebrates the organisation’s Reclaim The Frame, a spotlight for female and non-binary filmmakers.
Bray will host one-to-one sessions with first and second-time directors to discuss their festival strategies.
Jeanie Finlay,...
- 2/8/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Programme will have a particular focus on female talent across the industry
The Glasgow film festival (Gff) has unveiled the full programme for its 2023 industry focus strand with participants including Birds Eye View director Melanie Iredale and the British Council’s Catherine Bray.
The programme will run March 6-9 and have a particular focus on female talent across the industry.
Iredale will participate in an event celebrating 20 years of Reclaim The Frame – a spotlight for female and non-binary filmmakers – with film critic and curator Xuanlin Tham.
Bray will be offering 1:1 sessions with first and second-time directors to discuss their festival strategies.
The Glasgow film festival (Gff) has unveiled the full programme for its 2023 industry focus strand with participants including Birds Eye View director Melanie Iredale and the British Council’s Catherine Bray.
The programme will run March 6-9 and have a particular focus on female talent across the industry.
Iredale will participate in an event celebrating 20 years of Reclaim The Frame – a spotlight for female and non-binary filmmakers – with film critic and curator Xuanlin Tham.
Bray will be offering 1:1 sessions with first and second-time directors to discuss their festival strategies.
- 2/8/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Representation in the arts matters, and for young, up and coming stars representing a minority, it’s important and powerful to be recognised, and vitally, to be seen. BAFTA seemingly agree – and are spotlighting talent from in-front of and behind the lens from across the UK & US, in their annual initiative titled BAFTA Breakthrough, with alumni consisting of the likes of Tom Holland, Florence Pugh, Letitia Wright & Jessie Buckley.
This year we had the pleasure to speak to two of the breakthroughs, in British actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, as well as American actor Brandon Perea, who made his name with a role in Jordan Peele’s Nope. We spoke about their thoughts on being named a Breakthrough star, and what it means for them personally and for their respective careers. We also look back on projects been, such as Eastenders for Ayling-Ellis, and Nope for Perea, and look ahead to the future,...
This year we had the pleasure to speak to two of the breakthroughs, in British actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, as well as American actor Brandon Perea, who made his name with a role in Jordan Peele’s Nope. We spoke about their thoughts on being named a Breakthrough star, and what it means for them personally and for their respective careers. We also look back on projects been, such as Eastenders for Ayling-Ellis, and Nope for Perea, and look ahead to the future,...
- 11/11/2022
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Chloe Fairweather, who directed documentary ‘Dying To Divorce’ has also been selected
UK actors Ambika Mod and Nell Barlow are among the 33 talents across film, TV and game selected for the 2022 edition of Bafta Breakthrough.
Mod was also chosen as a 2022 Screen Star of Tomorrow. She appeared alongside Ben Whishaw in the BBC series This Is Going To Hurt and is starring in the upcoming Netflix series One Day.
Barlow starred in the coming-of-age comedy Sweetheart which was written and directed by Marley Morrison who has also been selected as a Bafta Breakthrough. The film was nominated for five British...
UK actors Ambika Mod and Nell Barlow are among the 33 talents across film, TV and game selected for the 2022 edition of Bafta Breakthrough.
Mod was also chosen as a 2022 Screen Star of Tomorrow. She appeared alongside Ben Whishaw in the BBC series This Is Going To Hurt and is starring in the upcoming Netflix series One Day.
Barlow starred in the coming-of-age comedy Sweetheart which was written and directed by Marley Morrison who has also been selected as a Bafta Breakthrough. The film was nominated for five British...
- 11/10/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
The British Academy has unveiled the latest crop of participants the U.S. and U.K. that will take part in its annual Breakthrough program, aimed at supporting emerging talent across film, TV and video games.
The 32-strong list of names — 20 from the U.K. and 12 from the U.S. — includes an impressive ensemble of creatives, such as Nope breakout Brandon Perea and Sex Education director Runyararo Mapfumo, who were selected by an international jury that included Oscar-winning actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Ramy co-creator Ari Katcher and Swan Song and Alex Rider actor Nyasha Hatendi.
Backed by Netflix for the last two years (the streamer’s head of U.K. features Fiona Lamptey is also on the jury), the BAFTA Breakthrough program first launched in the U.K. in 2013 before expanding to China in 2019 and the U.S. and India in 2020. It sees each...
The British Academy has unveiled the latest crop of participants the U.S. and U.K. that will take part in its annual Breakthrough program, aimed at supporting emerging talent across film, TV and video games.
The 32-strong list of names — 20 from the U.K. and 12 from the U.S. — includes an impressive ensemble of creatives, such as Nope breakout Brandon Perea and Sex Education director Runyararo Mapfumo, who were selected by an international jury that included Oscar-winning actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Ramy co-creator Ari Katcher and Swan Song and Alex Rider actor Nyasha Hatendi.
Backed by Netflix for the last two years (the streamer’s head of U.K. features Fiona Lamptey is also on the jury), the BAFTA Breakthrough program first launched in the U.K. in 2013 before expanding to China in 2019 and the U.S. and India in 2020. It sees each...
- 11/10/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back – The Rooftop Concert is heading back to Imax after a one-day, single-show screening last Sunday — the 52nd anniversary of the band’s iconic 1969 concert. The show and live Q&a with Jackson beamed directly to theaters had its share of sellouts, with audio and visuals about as close as possible to actually joining the band on the roof of their Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Savile Row. Disney and Imax are presenting it again February 9 at 75-80 locations, then on 200 screens starting February 11 through the weekend.
(The concert is also included in its entirety in Jackson’s six-part doc series The Beatles: Get Back, which hit Disney+ last fall. Click video above to play an exclusive clip.)
The film is one of of trio of music documentaries including New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization and Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché in theaters this weekend.
(The concert is also included in its entirety in Jackson’s six-part doc series The Beatles: Get Back, which hit Disney+ last fall. Click video above to play an exclusive clip.)
The film is one of of trio of music documentaries including New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization and Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché in theaters this weekend.
- 2/4/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
By Glenn Dunks
British X-Ray Spex frontwoman Poly Styrene and American pop superstar Janet Jackson are two very different musicians. It stands to reason that any biographic documentary about either would be wildly unalike. Although both artists are boundary-pushing women of colour in music, on very basic metrics, Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché and Janet Jackson. are indeed very different. One is a exploration of a punk icon’s chaotic life and early death in all of its subject’s messy, unglamorous glory. The other is a sprawling, four-part work of popumentary that venerates and celebrates with high-gloss entertainment. However, it is in the areas where these projects intersect where one project finds its strengths and the other, unfortunately, falters...
British X-Ray Spex frontwoman Poly Styrene and American pop superstar Janet Jackson are two very different musicians. It stands to reason that any biographic documentary about either would be wildly unalike. Although both artists are boundary-pushing women of colour in music, on very basic metrics, Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché and Janet Jackson. are indeed very different. One is a exploration of a punk icon’s chaotic life and early death in all of its subject’s messy, unglamorous glory. The other is a sprawling, four-part work of popumentary that venerates and celebrates with high-gloss entertainment. However, it is in the areas where these projects intersect where one project finds its strengths and the other, unfortunately, falters...
- 2/3/2022
- by Glenn Dunks
- FilmExperience
Celeste Bell and Paul Sng’s terrific and deeply moving documentary Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché casts a hand-hewn spell; much like its subject, the artist and musician Poly Styrene (1957-2011), it conjures a collaged world that is alternately intentional and reflective, yet steeped in the search for a certain liberating transcendence from the impositions of identity, family and memory. Born Marian Elliot, in Bromley, Kent to a white British mother and Somali father, and raised in Brixton, Poly made art from an early age. She wrote, drew, made her own clothes, and formed the band X-Ray Spex at 19. The […]
The post “You Don’t Need to Wait for Permission to Create Art”: Celeste Bell and Paul Sng on Their Doc, Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “You Don’t Need to Wait for Permission to Create Art”: Celeste Bell and Paul Sng on Their Doc, Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/2/2022
- by Madeleine Molyneaux
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Celeste Bell and Paul Sng’s terrific and deeply moving documentary Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché casts a hand-hewn spell; much like its subject, the artist and musician Poly Styrene (1957-2011), it conjures a collaged world that is alternately intentional and reflective, yet steeped in the search for a certain liberating transcendence from the impositions of identity, family and memory. Born Marian Elliot, in Bromley, Kent to a white British mother and Somali father, and raised in Brixton, Poly made art from an early age. She wrote, drew, made her own clothes, and formed the band X-Ray Spex at 19. The […]
The post “You Don’t Need to Wait for Permission to Create Art”: Celeste Bell and Paul Sng on Their Doc, Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “You Don’t Need to Wait for Permission to Create Art”: Celeste Bell and Paul Sng on Their Doc, Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 2/2/2022
- by Madeleine Molyneaux
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Celeste Bell on her film with Paul Sng, Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché: “What we set out to do is address universal themes that we can all relate to, whether you’re a fan of X-Ray Spex, Poly Styrene, punk music or even interested in music at all …” Photo: BBC Arena
Celeste Bell and Paul Sng’s Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché (BIFA Best Independent Documentary and Discovery Award winner), co-written with Zoë Howe, with Poly voiced by Ruth Negga (Rebecca Hall’s Passing and Oscar nominated for Jeff Nichols’ Loving) features some of the most creative talent of the late Seventies, early Eighties London, including X-Ray Spex members Paul Dean and Lora Logic; Neneh Cherry, Don Letts, Pauline Black, Vivien Goldman, Ana Da Silva, Gina Birch, Thurston Moore, Youth, and Vivienne Westwood sharing their remembrances of Poly Styrene off-camera, while we see brilliantly chosen and socially...
Celeste Bell and Paul Sng’s Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché (BIFA Best Independent Documentary and Discovery Award winner), co-written with Zoë Howe, with Poly voiced by Ruth Negga (Rebecca Hall’s Passing and Oscar nominated for Jeff Nichols’ Loving) features some of the most creative talent of the late Seventies, early Eighties London, including X-Ray Spex members Paul Dean and Lora Logic; Neneh Cherry, Don Letts, Pauline Black, Vivien Goldman, Ana Da Silva, Gina Birch, Thurston Moore, Youth, and Vivienne Westwood sharing their remembrances of Poly Styrene off-camera, while we see brilliantly chosen and socially...
- 2/2/2022
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
With Sundance now wrapped up, this month we turn our sights on Berlinale and a number of notable releases arriving both theatrically and digitally. From international Oscar contenders to long-delayed releases to musician-focused docs to our favorite group of jackasses, it’s an eclectic month. See our picks below.
15. The Sky Is Everywhere (Josephine Decker; Feb. 11 in theaters and Apple TV+)
Curiously absent from Sundance and Berlinale is the latest by an alum of both, Josephine Decker. Following Madeline’s Madeline and Shirley, the director is back with The Sky Is Everywhere, which was adapted by Jandy Nelson, based on her novel. Produced by A24 and Apple, it follows a high-schooler who loses her older sister and attempts to regain her footing in life. With the YA material, it looks like Decker is carving a new path; we’re curious to see the results.
14. Taste (Lê Bảo; Feb. 16 on Mubi...
15. The Sky Is Everywhere (Josephine Decker; Feb. 11 in theaters and Apple TV+)
Curiously absent from Sundance and Berlinale is the latest by an alum of both, Josephine Decker. Following Madeline’s Madeline and Shirley, the director is back with The Sky Is Everywhere, which was adapted by Jandy Nelson, based on her novel. Produced by A24 and Apple, it follows a high-schooler who loses her older sister and attempts to regain her footing in life. With the YA material, it looks like Decker is carving a new path; we’re curious to see the results.
14. Taste (Lê Bảo; Feb. 16 on Mubi...
- 2/2/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
How do you make a documentary about your own mother? And how do you tell that story when you grew up in an unstable environment, with a fractured relationship? That’s the challenge that Celeste Bell faced when crafting “Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché,” a feature-length record of the tumultuous life of her mother, influential early punk rocker Poly Styrene.
Poly Styrene blazed onto Britain’s punk rock scene as an angry teenage cyclone, energized by the creativity and freedom of the music while she confronted racism and sexism as a mixed-race Black woman. But the glory days didn’t last long. After her triumphant entry onto the pop charts, she spent years seeking refuge from fame by joining the Hare Krishna movement while battling mental illness. Her sudden fame and challenging later years are artfully brought to life in the documentary that opens in selected U.S. theaters this week,...
Poly Styrene blazed onto Britain’s punk rock scene as an angry teenage cyclone, energized by the creativity and freedom of the music while she confronted racism and sexism as a mixed-race Black woman. But the glory days didn’t last long. After her triumphant entry onto the pop charts, she spent years seeking refuge from fame by joining the Hare Krishna movement while battling mental illness. Her sudden fame and challenging later years are artfully brought to life in the documentary that opens in selected U.S. theaters this week,...
- 2/1/2022
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
We don’t want to overwhelm you, but while you’re catching up with our top 50 films of 2021, more cinematic greatness awaits in 2022. Ahead of our 100 most-anticipated films (all of which have yet to premiere), we’re highlighting 30 titles we’ve enjoyed on the festival circuit this last year (and beyond) that either have confirmed 2022 release dates or await a debut date from its distributor. There’s also a handful of films seeking distribution that we hope will arrive in the next 12 months, as can be seen here.
As an additional note, a number of 2021 films that had one-week qualifying runs will also get expanded releases in 2022, including A Hero (Jan. 7), Cyrano (Jan. 28), The Worst Person in the World (Feb. 4), Mothering Sunday (Feb. 25), Petite Maman, and A Chiara.
The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs (Pushpendra Singh; Jan. 12)
Northwest India’s Jammu and Kashmir region resides at the center of a...
As an additional note, a number of 2021 films that had one-week qualifying runs will also get expanded releases in 2022, including A Hero (Jan. 7), Cyrano (Jan. 28), The Worst Person in the World (Feb. 4), Mothering Sunday (Feb. 25), Petite Maman, and A Chiara.
The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs (Pushpendra Singh; Jan. 12)
Northwest India’s Jammu and Kashmir region resides at the center of a...
- 1/5/2022
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Nominations have been unveiled for the 42nd London Critics’ Circle Film Awards. Check out the full list below.
Jane Campion’s The Power Of The Dog leads the field with nine nominations, followed by Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter which received 6 (a Netflix one-two). Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir Part II, released by Picturehouse in the UK, followed with five.
This year’s contenders feature a notably healthy representation of female filmmakers, with the top three most nominated films all helmed by women directors.
More than 180 critics across print, online and broadcast media voted for this year’s noms, which were unveiled by British actors Joanna Vanderham and Gwilym Lee. The ceremony will take place on February 6, 2022, at London’s May Fair Hotel.
“Even though cinemas were closed for half of this year, our members were always watching films,” says Rich Cline, chair of the Critics’ Circle Film Section.
Jane Campion’s The Power Of The Dog leads the field with nine nominations, followed by Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter which received 6 (a Netflix one-two). Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir Part II, released by Picturehouse in the UK, followed with five.
This year’s contenders feature a notably healthy representation of female filmmakers, with the top three most nominated films all helmed by women directors.
More than 180 critics across print, online and broadcast media voted for this year’s noms, which were unveiled by British actors Joanna Vanderham and Gwilym Lee. The ceremony will take place on February 6, 2022, at London’s May Fair Hotel.
“Even though cinemas were closed for half of this year, our members were always watching films,” says Rich Cline, chair of the Critics’ Circle Film Section.
- 12/16/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s our favourite night of the year! The 2021 BIFA awards took place this evening at Old Billingsgate in London. Hosted by People Just Do Nothing’s Asim Chaudhry, those attending include Emma Corrin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Joe Cole, Lucy Boynton, Jude Law, Harris Dickinson, Paapa Essiedu, Caitriona Balfe, Morfydd Clark, Riz Ahmed, Wumni Mosaku, Ruth Wilson, Stephen Graham and James Norton.
The 24th British Independent Film Awards saw Joanna Scanlan’s After Love take home a handful of awards, Clio Barnard’s Ali & Ava also did well – and there’s something wonderful in championing the very best in British Independent film – so, hey – we’re all winners here.*
David Sztypuljak and Scott Davis were our men at the event, asking questions.
You can see our interviews below, as well as a full list of tonight’s winners and nominees.
*Actual winners are below.
The 2021 BIFA Red Carpet Interviews
The...
The 24th British Independent Film Awards saw Joanna Scanlan’s After Love take home a handful of awards, Clio Barnard’s Ali & Ava also did well – and there’s something wonderful in championing the very best in British Independent film – so, hey – we’re all winners here.*
David Sztypuljak and Scott Davis were our men at the event, asking questions.
You can see our interviews below, as well as a full list of tonight’s winners and nominees.
*Actual winners are below.
The 2021 BIFA Red Carpet Interviews
The...
- 12/6/2021
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
’After Love’ wins best British independent film, plus actress and director prizes.
Aleem Khan’s feature directing debut After Love won six awards at this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), which took place tonight (December 5) in London.
Scroll down for full lst of winners
After Love won best British independent film, with Khan taking home three prizes: best director, best debut director and best screenplay. Khan was named a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2015 and his 2014 short Three Brothers received a Bafta nomination.
The film stars Joanna Scanlan, who also won best actress, as a Muslim woman who...
Aleem Khan’s feature directing debut After Love won six awards at this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), which took place tonight (December 5) in London.
Scroll down for full lst of winners
After Love won best British independent film, with Khan taking home three prizes: best director, best debut director and best screenplay. Khan was named a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2015 and his 2014 short Three Brothers received a Bafta nomination.
The film stars Joanna Scanlan, who also won best actress, as a Muslim woman who...
- 12/5/2021
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Kenneth Branagh’s autobiographical drama Belfast and Philip Barantini’s single-take title Boiling Point both lead nominations for this year’s British Independent Film Awards with 11 nods a piece.
Belfast, which chronicles the tale of life as a young boy in the city in 1969 in the midst of the Troubles, earned a Best Actress nom for Caitríona Balfe, Best Supporting Actress nom for Judi Dench, Best Supporting Actor for Ciarán Hinds and a Breakthrough Performance nomination for newcomer Jude Hill. The title, which is being released in the U.S. by Focus Features on November 12, also earned seven craft nominations including Best Casting and Best Cinematography.
Boiling Point, which follows an up-and-coming chef under extreme pressure, scored a Best Actor nom for Stephen Graham, Best Supporting Actor for Ray Panthaki, Best Supporting Actress for Vinette Robinson and a Breakthrough Performance nomination for Lauryn Ajufo as well as a Breakthrough Producer nomination.
Belfast, which chronicles the tale of life as a young boy in the city in 1969 in the midst of the Troubles, earned a Best Actress nom for Caitríona Balfe, Best Supporting Actress nom for Judi Dench, Best Supporting Actor for Ciarán Hinds and a Breakthrough Performance nomination for newcomer Jude Hill. The title, which is being released in the U.S. by Focus Features on November 12, also earned seven craft nominations including Best Casting and Best Cinematography.
Boiling Point, which follows an up-and-coming chef under extreme pressure, scored a Best Actor nom for Stephen Graham, Best Supporting Actor for Ray Panthaki, Best Supporting Actress for Vinette Robinson and a Breakthrough Performance nomination for Lauryn Ajufo as well as a Breakthrough Producer nomination.
- 11/3/2021
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
10 films on the list for low-budget independent films.
Harri Shanahan and Sian A. Williams’ documentary Rebel Dykes and Ryan Andrew Hooper’s comedy-thriller The Toll are among the 10 titles longlisted for the Discovery award at the 2021 British Independent Film Awards (Bifas).
Six documentaries make the list, including Annika Ranin and Sean Fee’s Boarders, following a group of British skateboarders on their journey towards the sports Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020. Ranin and Jasmin Morrison are also on the longlist for breakthrough producer, announced as part of the new talent selection earlier this month.
Further documentaries include Celeste Bell and Paul Sng...
Harri Shanahan and Sian A. Williams’ documentary Rebel Dykes and Ryan Andrew Hooper’s comedy-thriller The Toll are among the 10 titles longlisted for the Discovery award at the 2021 British Independent Film Awards (Bifas).
Six documentaries make the list, including Annika Ranin and Sean Fee’s Boarders, following a group of British skateboarders on their journey towards the sports Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020. Ranin and Jasmin Morrison are also on the longlist for breakthrough producer, announced as part of the new talent selection earlier this month.
Further documentaries include Celeste Bell and Paul Sng...
- 10/29/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
19 films on international, 14 on documentary list.
Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winner Titane and Andrea Arnold’s Cow have made the longlists for best international independent film and best documentary respectively at the 2021 British Independent Film Awards (Bifa).
Titane is one of 19 titles on the international list, alongside fellow Cannes 2021 titles A Chiara, Compartment No. 6, Drive My Car, Great Freedom, Paris, 13th District and Red Rocket.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
Six of the 19 international titles hail from North America, with 12 from Europe and one from Japan. Nine of the 19 directors are women.
Alongside Cow on...
Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winner Titane and Andrea Arnold’s Cow have made the longlists for best international independent film and best documentary respectively at the 2021 British Independent Film Awards (Bifa).
Titane is one of 19 titles on the international list, alongside fellow Cannes 2021 titles A Chiara, Compartment No. 6, Drive My Car, Great Freedom, Paris, 13th District and Red Rocket.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
Six of the 19 international titles hail from North America, with 12 from Europe and one from Japan. Nine of the 19 directors are women.
Alongside Cow on...
- 10/26/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
For a young teenager steeped in grunge, Britpop, and the Beatles, the discovery of 1970s UK punk rock was tantamount to a swift slap in the face—and a glorious one, at that. And one of the crucial pieces of pre-internet background information was England’s Dreaming, Jon Savage’s indispensable study of the era. The book is full of memorable figures—none more so than Poly Styrene. She is only a minor player in Savage’s text, but few resonate more. The author explains that “Poly was a star, with her dayglo clothes, multi-racial background, teeth braces, and surreal songs which wittily commented on that very process of consumption and packaging that she was at once celebrating and transcending.”
All of these elements and many others are represented in the long-in-the-works documentary Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché, which makes its Canadian premiere at Hot Docs 2021. The timing is apropos.
All of these elements and many others are represented in the long-in-the-works documentary Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché, which makes its Canadian premiere at Hot Docs 2021. The timing is apropos.
- 4/30/2021
- by Christopher Schobert
- The Film Stage
I’ll never forget the first time I heard Poly Styrene. I was in college, hanging out at a buddy’s one evening. We were drinking beer, smoking pot and playing records. One of them was something new, a document of the current London punk-rock scene: Live at the Roxy London WC2, featuring now-legendary acts like Wire and the Buzzcocks. The songs were by turns arty or aggro, surging out of a mix that felt submerged in an ambient murk. And then this teenager’s voice cut through. Over the curdled notes of Lora Logic’s saxophone, drums clamor and the song explodes. “Bind […]
The post SXSW Critic's Notebook: Poly Styrene: I am a Cliché, Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes, Disintegration Loops, J'ai Été Au Bal first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post SXSW Critic's Notebook: Poly Styrene: I am a Cliché, Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes, Disintegration Loops, J'ai Été Au Bal first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 3/23/2021
- by Steve Dollar
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
I’ll never forget the first time I heard Poly Styrene. I was in college, hanging out at a buddy’s one evening. We were drinking beer, smoking pot and playing records. One of them was something new, a document of the current London punk-rock scene: Live at the Roxy London WC2, featuring now-legendary acts like Wire and the Buzzcocks. The songs were by turns arty or aggro, surging out of a mix that felt submerged in an ambient murk. And then this teenager’s voice cut through. Over the curdled notes of Lora Logic’s saxophone, drums clamor and the song explodes. “Bind […]
The post SXSW Critic's Notebook: Poly Styrene: I am a Cliché, Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes, Disintegration Loops, J'ai Été Au Bal first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post SXSW Critic's Notebook: Poly Styrene: I am a Cliché, Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes, Disintegration Loops, J'ai Été Au Bal first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 3/23/2021
- by Steve Dollar
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
These are heady times for music documentaries. Questlove’s “Summer of Soul” won the audience and jury prizes at the Sundance Film Festival; docs about the Beastie Boys, Taylor Swift, the Bee Gees, the Go-Go’s, Tina Turner, Billie Eilish, Britney Spears and many others have gotten attention lately; high-profile narrative directors Peter Jackson, Edgar Wright and Todd Haynes have made recent or upcoming docs about the Beatles, Sparks and the Velvet Underground, respectively; and films on Tom Petty, Charlie Xcx, Guy Clark and Poly Styrene are on the bill at the South by Southwest festival.
One advantage of docs like those has always been that they have a built-in, passionate audience of fans for the subject’s music – and in many cases, filmmakers aim their work at the devotees who will savor every detail and sing along with every word. I might embrace each nuance in “Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You,...
One advantage of docs like those has always been that they have a built-in, passionate audience of fans for the subject’s music – and in many cases, filmmakers aim their work at the devotees who will savor every detail and sing along with every word. I might embrace each nuance in “Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You,...
- 3/19/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The X-Ray Spex singer is revealed as a mystic, rebellious working-class woman of colour in this valuable film
The siren-wail of Poly Styrene’s voice was the authentic sound of punk: derisive, subversive, yearning and romantic. No one could have been less of a cliche. This riveting and valuable documentary is co-directed by Paul Sng and the musician’s daughter Celeste Bell, and evidently structured in a similar way to Bell’s book, Dayglo: The Poly Styrene Story, published last September. Hearing X-Ray Spex again is a madeleine and an intense pleasure.
The siren-wail of Poly Styrene’s voice was the authentic sound of punk: derisive, subversive, yearning and romantic. No one could have been less of a cliche. This riveting and valuable documentary is co-directed by Paul Sng and the musician’s daughter Celeste Bell, and evidently structured in a similar way to Bell’s book, Dayglo: The Poly Styrene Story, published last September. Hearing X-Ray Spex again is a madeleine and an intense pleasure.
- 3/5/2021
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Punk music has always been about individuality. Although skinheads and fascists have periodically tried to co-opt and homogenize the genre over its 50-year history, they have always failed, because the true spirit of punk begins with an original thought, a unique life story, and the poetic philosophies that truth is beauty and that the pomp and artifice of pop music are a distraction from expressing something deeper.
At its core, punk is the people’s rock & roll. Perhaps that’s one reason why the genre appeals more broadly than some...
At its core, punk is the people’s rock & roll. Perhaps that’s one reason why the genre appeals more broadly than some...
- 2/26/2021
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: U.S. sales firm Utopia has picked up world rights excluding the UK to biographical doc Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché, narrated by Ruth Negga (Loving).
The doc, which will unspool at the Glasgow Film Festival this week ahead of its North American premiere at SXSW in March, charts the story of British punk artist Poly Styrene.
Co-written and co-directed by the singer’s daughter, Celeste Bell, the film will chart the story of Marianne Joan Elliott-Said, known by her stage name Poly Styrene, who fronted band X-Ray Spex in the 70s, becoming the first woman of color to front a successful rock band in the UK.
The Anglo-Somali punk musician, who passed away from breast cancer in 2011, was an inspiration for the riot grrrl and Afropunk movements and was known for her songs about identity, consumerism and postmodernism.
Bell directs with Paul Sng and narrates with Oscar-nominee Negga.
The doc, which will unspool at the Glasgow Film Festival this week ahead of its North American premiere at SXSW in March, charts the story of British punk artist Poly Styrene.
Co-written and co-directed by the singer’s daughter, Celeste Bell, the film will chart the story of Marianne Joan Elliott-Said, known by her stage name Poly Styrene, who fronted band X-Ray Spex in the 70s, becoming the first woman of color to front a successful rock band in the UK.
The Anglo-Somali punk musician, who passed away from breast cancer in 2011, was an inspiration for the riot grrrl and Afropunk movements and was known for her songs about identity, consumerism and postmodernism.
Bell directs with Paul Sng and narrates with Oscar-nominee Negga.
- 2/24/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
At the height of punk in the late Seventies, Poly Styrene stood out as a true individual. Whether fronting X-Ray Spex or performing solo, she had a style all her own and seemingly boundless energy, commanding audience attention with ease. Behind the striking stage gear and formidable vocals, however, was a powerful intellect, and a lot less attention has been paid to that. Celeste Bell and Paul Sng's documentary aims to put that right, to paint a more complete portrait of this complicated individual.
Central to the quest is Bell herself - Poly's daughter, who grew up with someone very different from the public image and has spent a lifetime trying to reconcile the two. though its is in essence a chronological journey through Poly's life, the film constantly intercuts between these two aspects of identity, exploring, in the process, who she was as a creative artist. It also explores the.
Central to the quest is Bell herself - Poly's daughter, who grew up with someone very different from the public image and has spent a lifetime trying to reconcile the two. though its is in essence a chronological journey through Poly's life, the film constantly intercuts between these two aspects of identity, exploring, in the process, who she was as a creative artist. It also explores the.
- 2/23/2021
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
“Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil,” a docuseries exploring the singer’s near fatal overdose, will open the 2021 SXSW Film Festival in March, the festival announced Thursday.
Michael D. Ratner directed the YouTube Originals docuseries, which will look at Lovato’s awakenings following her 2018 overdose and her return to music. Ratner was granted unprecedented access to the pop star’s personal and musical journey.
“It’s impressive and rare to see a pop superstar tell their story so authentically and without pretense,” said Janet Pierson, director of film at SXSW. “We’re privileged to present this intimate journey told with such vulnerability. Demi Lovato’s profound interest in mental health awareness is helping change the landscape of a crucial issue in this year of national and international trauma and loss.”
Pierson added: “We are excited to share a handful of films from various sections of the festival to give you a taste of the talent,...
Michael D. Ratner directed the YouTube Originals docuseries, which will look at Lovato’s awakenings following her 2018 overdose and her return to music. Ratner was granted unprecedented access to the pop star’s personal and musical journey.
“It’s impressive and rare to see a pop superstar tell their story so authentically and without pretense,” said Janet Pierson, director of film at SXSW. “We’re privileged to present this intimate journey told with such vulnerability. Demi Lovato’s profound interest in mental health awareness is helping change the landscape of a crucial issue in this year of national and international trauma and loss.”
Pierson added: “We are excited to share a handful of films from various sections of the festival to give you a taste of the talent,...
- 1/14/2021
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
As Austin-based South by Southwest shifts online this year, the SXSW Film Festival isn’t slowing down when it comes to bringing progressive, exciting, envelope-pushing — and sometimes delightfully bizarre cinema from all over the world. The film festival will kick off with the World Premiere of YouTube Originals docuseries Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil as its Opening Night Headliner. SXSW Online kicks off on March 16 and continues through March 20.
Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil explores every aspect that led to Lovato’s nearly fatal overdose in 2018, and her awakenings in the aftermath. Director Michael D. Ratner was granted unprecedented access to the superstar’s personal and musical journey during the most trying time of her life as she unearthed her prior traumas and discovered the importance of her physical, emotional, and mental health. Far deeper than an inside look beyond the celebrity surface, the docuseries is an intimate portrait of addiction,...
Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil explores every aspect that led to Lovato’s nearly fatal overdose in 2018, and her awakenings in the aftermath. Director Michael D. Ratner was granted unprecedented access to the superstar’s personal and musical journey during the most trying time of her life as she unearthed her prior traumas and discovered the importance of her physical, emotional, and mental health. Far deeper than an inside look beyond the celebrity surface, the docuseries is an intimate portrait of addiction,...
- 1/14/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
After last year’s South by Southwest was among the first major events to be derailed by the pandemic, the annual series of conferences and festivals is making its return with a 2021 online edition. On Thursday, festival organizers announced the first nine titles in its film and TV lineup, including a docuseries exploring Demi Lovato’s near-fatal overdose, a true-crime miniseries from Joe Berlinger, and Justine Bateman’s directorial debut starring Olivia Munn and Justin Theroux.
SXSW will offer an online program of events from March 16-20, with film screenings, conference sessions, music showcases, exhibitions, meetups, and other virtual versions of the annual festival’s mainstays.
The opening night headliner will be “Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil,” from director Michael D. Ratner. Like his “Justin Bieber: Seasons” docuseries, the Demi Lovato title is a YouTube Original. The series explores “every aspect” that led to Lovato’s nearly fatal...
SXSW will offer an online program of events from March 16-20, with film screenings, conference sessions, music showcases, exhibitions, meetups, and other virtual versions of the annual festival’s mainstays.
The opening night headliner will be “Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil,” from director Michael D. Ratner. Like his “Justin Bieber: Seasons” docuseries, the Demi Lovato title is a YouTube Original. The series explores “every aspect” that led to Lovato’s nearly fatal...
- 1/14/2021
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
Two films capture the volatile climate with race relations in Great Britain during the mid-Seventies into the early Eighties: Franco Rosso’s 1980 feature Babylon, starring Brinsley Forde with a score by Dennis Bovell, and Rubika Shah's ever more urgent White Riot (2019 London documentary winner). The latter focuses on the evolution of Rock Against Racism in 1976, which led to the 1978 Victoria Park concert, featuring Steel Pulse, The Clash, Tom Robinson, Jimmy Pursey of Sham 69, and Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex.
Steve McQueen’s Mangrove, co-written with Alastair Siddons, starring Shaun Parkes, Letitia Wright, and Malachi Kirby, and shot by Shabier Kirchner, is neither of the period, nor a documentary, (as are the respective films mentioned above) and yet, it manages to convey a vivid sense of time, place, and community, plus the critical...
Steve McQueen’s Mangrove, co-written with Alastair Siddons, starring Shaun Parkes, Letitia Wright, and Malachi Kirby, and shot by Shabier Kirchner, is neither of the period, nor a documentary, (as are the respective films mentioned above) and yet, it manages to convey a vivid sense of time, place, and community, plus the critical...
- 9/26/2020
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Throughout world history, music has served as a balm for those living under oppression, as much it’s served as a tool of empowerment. The latest installment in Rolling Stone‘s new weekly playlist series, “Music at Home,” features 12 tracks honoring the legacy of global Black resistance in song. Feel free to blast these songs as you pre-game for the next protest against anti-Black violence and police brutality — or alternatively, as you direct money towards jail support and mutual aid funds from the safety of your own home.
(Find this playlist on Spotify here.
(Find this playlist on Spotify here.
- 6/6/2020
- by Suzy Exposito
- Rollingstone.com
Vivien Goldman was a pioneering London punk journalist in the 1970s, covering bands like the Slits and the Raincoats, dabbling in music with her indie dub records. Now a professor at NYU, Goldman tells a fascinating tale in Revenge of the She-Punks—as she calls it, “A Feminist Punk History from Poly Styrene to Pussy Riot.” It’s the freewheeling tale of how radical women who could barely play their instruments ended up changing the world. “Punk was exciting and it was doable,” the Raincoats’ Gina Birch tells Goldman. “I thought,...
- 5/30/2019
- by Rob Sheffield
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: Ruth Negga Reveals the Surprising Punk Rock Inspiration for Her Badass Role on 'Preacher'
In AMC's gothic action dramedy Preacher, Ruth Negga stars as the hard-drinking, tough-as-nails Tulip O'Hare, and despite the delicate nature of the flower she shares her name with, Tulip proves time and again she's not someone to be messed with.
The actress recently sat down with Et during a press junket promoting the second season of the acclaimed series, where Negga opened up about the surprising real-life icons who inspired her performance -- and revealed how her character is a far cry from how Tulip appeared in the comic book series Preacher is based on.
In the comics, Tulip is a skinny, blonde white woman who is getting her life back on track after kicking her drug habit. In the TV series, Tulip bites a man's ear off while fighting him in runaway car careening through a field and then kills him with an ear of corn. Then, she builds a bazooka out of tin cans and...
The actress recently sat down with Et during a press junket promoting the second season of the acclaimed series, where Negga opened up about the surprising real-life icons who inspired her performance -- and revealed how her character is a far cry from how Tulip appeared in the comic book series Preacher is based on.
In the comics, Tulip is a skinny, blonde white woman who is getting her life back on track after kicking her drug habit. In the TV series, Tulip bites a man's ear off while fighting him in runaway car careening through a field and then kills him with an ear of corn. Then, she builds a bazooka out of tin cans and...
- 7/7/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
Invoking "Babylon" in the title of Julien Temple's documentary on London seems bleak, but it's really a dare. This is a montage spanning 100 years, from the turn of the 20th century to the 2012 Olympics. Temple splices in anachronistic images and music throughout, so that the future cuts into the past and the past is ever-present. He has a penchant for punk, a subject he's covered before, and when Edwardian-era suffragettes smash windows to X-Ray Spex's "Oh Bondage! Up Yours!" it's not the first or last time the movie feels like one long music video, something else Temple's spent time on. T.S. Eliot and William Blake have their say, and a pigeon-capturing lady on the streets gets more screen time than Lady Diana. But this is no crazy quilt. Temple and editor Caroline Richards demonstra...
- 5/30/2013
- Village Voice
In Greil Marcus’s punk-rock critical opus Lipstick Traces, the writer describes a kind of magic created by the sneering music of the Sex Pistols: “… the pop magic in which the connection of certain social facts with certain sounds creates irresistible symbols of the transformation of social reality…” Marcus goes on to write about “that voice,” the sardonic howl of Johnny Rotten but also singers like Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex (“Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard/But I think, oh bondage up yours!”) Marcus’s history ends in the ’80s, but were it to be updated …...
- 4/9/2013
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
There is much to discuss about last night's Grammy Awards, but before I start a lot of trash talk, I want to honor the music legend that was Whitney Houston.
I was out for dinner when I got a text with the news and spent the remainder of the night into the early hours trying to find a way to process it. Even typing this out now seems like it shouldn't be happening. Her talent was immeasurable and it is apparent in the words of her close friends that she was someone who brought light and love into many lives. Many of you probably have specific memories with certain songs. I don't have a specific memory but hearing just her name reminds me of almost two decades of change in my life and in hers.
I can't speculate as to what happened but I know that I feel guilty, just...
I was out for dinner when I got a text with the news and spent the remainder of the night into the early hours trying to find a way to process it. Even typing this out now seems like it shouldn't be happening. Her talent was immeasurable and it is apparent in the words of her close friends that she was someone who brought light and love into many lives. Many of you probably have specific memories with certain songs. I don't have a specific memory but hearing just her name reminds me of almost two decades of change in my life and in hers.
I can't speculate as to what happened but I know that I feel guilty, just...
- 2/13/2012
- by Mia Jones
- AfterEllen.com
Review Of The Year
It's been an incredible year in the world of showbiz, with the usual headline-grabbing antics, scandal, sleaze, celebrity births, star weddings, and bitter break-ups. Here, WENN takes a look back at the first six months of 2011...
January
The new year began with wedding bells for many couples including singer Shania Twain, who married her fiance Frederic Thiebaud in Puerto Rico on New Year's Day, while country star Kellie Pickler and actress Valerie Bertinelli also walked down the aisle on 1 January.
The new year brought baby news for a number of celebrity couples - Orlando Bloom and his wife Miranda Kerr became first-time parents with the birth of their son Flynn. Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem also welcomed a son, and Owen Wilson became a father just days after he announced his girlfriend's pregnancy. Nicole Kidman also hit headlines when she and her husband Keith Urban revealed they welcomed a daughter called Faith via a surrogate mother over the holidays.
There was also pregnancy news for actress Kate Hudson, who announced she was expecting a baby with Muse rocker Matt Bellamy, as well as Marion Cotillard, Jewel, Selma Blair and Victoria Beckham, who confirmed she was pregnant with her fourth child.
However, the first few weeks of 2011 also brought a slew of celebrity splits - Keira Knightley ended her longtime romance with actor Rupert Friend, Shakira parted ways with Antonio de la Rua, her boyfriend of more than 10 years, and Mila Kunis and Macaulay Culkin separated after eight years together.
Many stars saw in the new year by addressing their personal problems, and a number of famous faces went in and out of rehab in the first few weeks of 2011. Lindsay Lohan and Demi Lovato both ended long treatment stints in January, while David Arquette, Backstreet Boys star A.J. McLean and his bandmate Nick Carter's younger brother Aaron all enrolled in programs. Troubled actor Charlie Sheen also admitted himself to a clinic just weeks after he was hospitalised to treat a hernia, and he later admitted he turned to booze to blot out the pain of the medical condition. Sheen’s rehab stint forced TV bosses to shut down production on his show Two and a Half Men.
Another colourful character to hit the headlines in January was British funnyman Ricky Gervais, who managed to cause controversy during his stint as Golden Globes host. The comedian was condemned by organisers for poking fun at celebrity guests including Robert Downey, Jr., Johnny Depp and Tom Hanks during the glitzy prizegiving.
The month held good news for veteran actor Michael Douglas as he was given the all-clear after a gruelling battle with throat cancer. His wife Catherine Zeta-Jones subsequently admitted she cried tears of joy when doctors told the couple the actor had beaten the disease. Poison rocker Bret Michaels also overcame a health crisis after undergoing successful surgery to close a hole in his heart.
January also saw the loss of a number of great stars including Oscar-winning James Bond theme composer John Barry, and Scottish musician Gerry Rafferty, who passed away after suffering liver failure. The world of Hollywood was again plunged into mourning following the death of British actor Pete Postlethwaite, who died at the age of 64.
February
As awards season got into full swing, The King's Speech was the toast of Hollywood after scooping four Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor for the movie's star, Colin Firth, and Best Director for Tom Hooper, while Natalie Portman fought back tears as she walked away with the Best Actress honour for her role as a tormented ballet dancer in Black Swan. It was a different story at the Independent Spirit Awards, where Black Swan trounced its rivals, picking up four honours including Best Director for Darren Aronofsky.
In the world of music, Lady Gaga's incredible rise continued as she picked up three Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album, but her achievements were overshadowed by country trio Lady Antebellum, who scored five accolades, and the shock win for Canadian rockers Arcade Fire in the prestigious Album of the Year category for their disc The Suburbs. Across the pond at the Brit Awards in London, Arcade Fire were again bathed in glory when they were handed the International Group and International Album honours, while newcomer Tinie Tempah crowned a triumphant 12 months by taking home the British Breakthrough Act and British Single titles. Rihanna was named Best International Female solo star, and Justin Bieber was named the International Breakthrough Act of the year.
Away from the red carpet, it was a bleak month for My Name Is Earl actress Jaime Pressly, who was charged with driving under the influence after failing a field sobriety test, Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey, who was underwent an operation to remove a growth from her foot, Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who was hospitalised with a flesh-eating bug, and Dame Judi Dench, who broke two of her toes on the set of her new movie J. Edgar.
There were also woes for Rihanna, whose raunchy promo film for single S&M provoked outrage around the world and was banned in 11 countries, actress Eliza Dushku, who broke a finger on holiday, and fashion king John Galliano, who was suspended and later sacked by Christian Dior after he was filmed launching an anti-Semitic rant at stunned drinkers in a bar in Paris, France.
Rock duo the White Stripes stunned the music world when they announced they were splitting up after 14 years, and Lady Gaga's much-hyped new single Born This Way was unveiled to a barrage of accusations she had ripped off Madonna's classic Express Yourself. But there was good news for older music fans, as '60s icons The Monkees announced they were reuniting for a U.K. tour.
Loved up celebrity couples Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, and Anna Friel and Rhys Ifans, both confirmed their engagements, and there were wedding bells for Kelsey Grammer - who married for the fourth time - and Mark Ronson and Katherine Jenkins, who both announced their respective engagements.
Among the stars hearing the pitter-patter of tiny feet this month were Christina Applegate, who gave birth to a daughter, magician David Blaine, who became a first-time father to a baby girl, reggae star Zac Marley, rocker Rod Stewart, Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon, and No Doubt star Tom Dumont.
Jude Law continued his unlucky-in-love streak when he split - yet again - from Sienna Miller, Iron Man star Terrence Howard was hit with divorce papers, Olivia Wilde split from her husband after eight years, and celebrity couple Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz announced their marriage was over.
The world of showbiz bid farewell to guitar legend Gary Moore, who died aged 58, blues legend Eddie Kirkland died in a car crash at the age of 88, Seinfeld star Len Lesser succumbed to pneumonia aged 88, and The Dukes of Hazzard actress Peggy Rea, who passed away at the age of 89.
March
Tinseltown lost one of its brightest lights in March after movie icon Dame Elizabeth Taylor died of congestive heart failure at the age of 79. Tributes from the world of showbiz poured in for the Cleopatra legend, with Sir Elton John, Jane Fonda, Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli leading the heartfelt remembrances. The acting great was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, where her dear friend Michael Jackson was also laid to rest in 2009.
March was also marked by controversy as a host of famous faces found themselves in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Pop star Christina Aguilera was arrested for drunkenness in West Hollywood, while Boardwalk Empire beauty Pas de la Huerta was also apprehended after a bar fight in New York City. Jackass daredevil Steve-o was taken into custody in Canada on an outstanding warrant, and rapper Rick Ross got caught smoking marijuana in a Louisiana hotel room.
But it was Charlie Sheen who really gave fans something to talk about after he was fired from Two and a Half Men following months of public feuding with writer/creator Chuck Lorre. Days later, cops raided Sheen's Los Angeles home to investigate a tip that the troubled star was in violation of a court order by keeping a gun in the house.
March also brought one of the year's most devastating tragedies as Japan was hit by a massive earthquake, which then created an enormous tidal wave. More than 15,000 people perished in the disaster and Slash, Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas and the Foo Fighters were among the big-name acts who staged gigs to raise money for victims, while actresses Sandra Bullock and Demi Lovato also donated $1 million (£625,000) each to boost relief efforts.
Back in Hollywood, there was plenty of heartache as Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel ended their romance, Renee Zellweger called it quits with Bradley Cooper and Twilight beauty Ashley Greene split from Joe Jonas.
But love was most definitely in the air for Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, who married showbiz agent Jim Toth in a romantic ceremony at her California home. Canadian crooner Michael Buble also wed stunning supermodel Luisana Lopilato in a civil ceremony in her native Argentina.
Celebrations were in order for former Spice Girl Melanie Brown, who announced she and husband Stephen Belafonte were expecting their first child together. Actors Robert De Niro and Mel Gibson became proud grandfathers in March, while Elizabeth Banks also became a first-time mother to a baby boy, born via surrogate.
Emily Deschanel confirmed she was expecting her first child with actor husband David Hornsby, while Cruel Intentions star Ryan Phillippe also had baby news after the tabloids reported that his ex-girlfriend, actress Alexis Knapp, was pregnant.
There was a health scare on the cards for tennis ace Serena Williams after she was hospitalised with a blood clot in her lungs, while fears for Zsa Zsa Gabor's wellbeing mounted when she began coughing up blood and suffered circulation problems in her left leg.
There was a close call for actor David Arquette after he was in a head-on car crash in Los Angeles, and Glee star Lea Michele was also involved in a smash when her car was struck by a drunk driver.
Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean had a lucky escape after he was shot in the hand during a visit to his native Haiti, while James Taylor suffered a broken leg in a skiing accident in Utah.
Courtroom battles loomed for Britney Spears, who was hit with a $10 million (£6.25 million) lawsuit over a perfume deal, and Jay-z was accused of trademark infringement over the logo for Roc Nation.
Even clean-cut teen pop sensation Justin Bieber found himself named in court papers after a songwriting duo sued over claims they hadn't received royalties for his hit song One Less Lonely Girl.
April
There were births, marriages and bust-ups galore as Spring sprung in April, but only one subject was on everyone's lips - the royal wedding. Celebs and commoners alike got carried away in the buzz of the big day on 29 April, when brunette beauty Kate Middleton walked down the aisle with her very own Prince Charming, William. Who would design the dress? Who would be invited? Would best man Harry fall for bridesmaid Pippa? But all questions fell by the wayside on the morning of the magical day, as Britain and two billion viewers across the world came to a standstill to watch the future Queen of England step out of her Rolls-Royce wearing a stunning Alexander McQueen lace gown to huge cheers from the crowd. The pair wed in front of 1,900 quests, including Queen Elizabeth II, the entire royal family, and even showbiz royalty Victoria and David Beckham, and left London's Westminster Abbey to great fanfare as the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. But Kate didn't hog all the limelight - who can forget the backing support of her sister Pippa, hailed Her Royal Hotness thanks to that figure-hugging dress and her much-discussed derriere?
The wedding was of fairytale proportions, one even our favourite celebs couldn't compete with - but that didn’t stop them from trying! Canadian crooner Michael Buble was one of the biggest stars to walk down the aisle in April - his second set of nuptials to stunning fiancee Luisana Lopilato following their original wedding day in March. Controversial couple LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian also wed in a private ceremony in Malibu, which was a surprise for guests - they thought they were there for the pair's engagement party! Funnyman Rob Schneider also joined the marriage club, exchanging vows with fiancee Patricia Azarcoya Arce over the Easter Weekend. The marriage mood of the month gave many stars ideas; the likes of Kate Hudson and Matt Bellamy, and Tom Fletcher and his longtime girlfriend became engaged.
Despite love being in the air, some unions were destined to end - Elizabeth Hurley started divorce proceedings against her millionaire husband Arun Nayar, while Christina Aguilera's five-year marriage to Jordan Bratman was declared officially over. After marriage must come babies, and April was awash with stars welcoming newborns. Superstar Mariah Carey welcomed twins Moroccan and Monroe, and in true diva style, gave birth to them on her fourth wedding anniversary to Nick Cannon. The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers and Black Eyed Peas rapper Taboo both welcomed their third sons, while Jane Krakowski, Kevin James, Toni Collette and Drea De Matteo all also became parents to baby boys. Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal was an exception to the rule - he became the proud father of a baby girl.
But with ups, there must be downs - and nobody does scandal like the stars. Teen sensation Demi Lovato stunned her legions of loyal fans by opening up about the emotional issues which landed her in rehab earlier in the year, revealing she was battling an eating disorder and cut herself at her lowest moments. Charlie Sheen continued his madcap ways by embarking on a comedy tour following his sacking from Two and a Half Men - only to get booed offstage on his first night, with critics calling his stand-up debut an "epic failure". Bond fans mourned April as the month Sir Sean Connery announced he was retiring from public appearances after he failed to show up to a charity event in New York. Lindsay Lohan was back in trouble - and in court - when a judge decided she'd had enough of the actress' antics and sentenced her to 120 days behind bars for violating her probation. Nicolas Cage hit the headlines when he was arrested on domestic violence charges following a street bust-up with his wife in New Orleans, and Vince Neil was also in hot water for domestic violence - his ex-girlfriend accused him of jabbing a finger at her during an argument. However, the biggest shock came when Welsh beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones checked into a mental health facility to overcome her bipolar disorder. The stint in the clinic came after a tough year for the Oscar-winner following husband Michael Douglas' cancer battle.
April was a sad month for actor Tim Robbins, who tragically lost his father, Gil, and his mother, Mary, within days of each other. The punk world was left in mourning when X-Ray Spex legend Poly Styrene lost her battle with cancer at the age of 53, while British actress Elisabeth Sladen, Dr Who's longest running sidekick, also passed away after a fight with the disease.
May
May was a shocking month as Hollywood tough guy Arnold Schwarzenegger split from his wife of 25 years Maria Shriver, only to reveal later on in the month he had fathered a lovechild with their housekeeper 13 years earlier. Although the scandal rocked Hollywood, he wasn't the only one heading for splitsville - Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller became officially divorced, as did actress Neve Campbell and James Bond star George Lazenby. Lady Gaga also split from boyfriend Luc Carl, while Hayden Panettiere ended her romance with her boxer boyfriend Wladimir Klitschko. Girls Aloud beauty Nadine Coyle also became single after calling off her engagement to American footballer Jason Bell.
But it wasn't all doom and gloom - Beatles legend Sir Paul Mccartney announced he was engaged to marry for the third time, to American Nancy Shevell, while director Sophia Coppolla and reality star Kim Kardashian also announced plans to walk down the aisle.
As for marriages, Marie Osmond remarried her first husband Stephen Craig, 29 years after they first exchanged vows and in the same wedding dress. Wedding bells also rang for Kings Of Leon frontman Caleb Followill and Victoria's Secret supermodel Lily Aldridge, while country king and queen Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert also became man and wife in Texas.
New romances between Sienna Miller and Tom Sturridge, as well as Nick Jonas and Australian pop star Delta Goodrem also came to light.
It was a baby boom month, with many stars becoming parents for the first time. Rockers Bryan Adams and Matthew Followill, actors David Schwimmer and Mike Myers, and actresses Alicia Silverstone, Marion Cotillard and Lost's Evangeline Lilly all became first-time parents. Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton welcomed her second son. French first lady Carla Bruni and actress Bryce Dallas Howard were also celebrating pregnancies. But it was a sad month for British actress Kelly Brook, who suffered a miscarriage.
Other sad news in May came when Grease actor Jeff Conaway passed away at the age of 60, sending Hollywood into mourning. Boxing legend Sir Henry Cooper died two days before his 77th birthday and Superman star Jackie Cooper also died, aged 88. The month started with the shock news that al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden had been shot dead in Pakistan. Other stars facing struggles included Sean Kingston, who was involved in a horrific jet-ski crash, while veteran actress Zsa Zsa Gabor was also hospitalised with pneumonia-type symptoms and fell into a coma.
It was also a controversial month for Lindsay Lohan, who started a 120-day jail term in the comfort of her own home for parole violation. British rocker Pete Doherty was also jailed for six months for cocaine possession. Other stars facing woes included Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, Friends star Matthew Perry and boxer/singer Oscar De La Hoya, who were all submitted in to rehab programs. It was an embarrassing month for British singer Cheryl Cole, who was hired, then fired to sit on the judging panel of America's The X Factor. In music news for the month, Silverchair announced they were to split, Rod Stewart announced a Las Vegas residency, while it was a big movie month as the Cannes Film Festival in France also kicked off. While Brad Pitt was hailed at the glitzy event, with his film Tree Of Life winning the coveted Palme d'Or prize for Best Film, it was a bad experience for director Lars Von Trier, who was banned from the festival for controversial statements he made about Nazi leader Adolf Hitler during the festivities.
June
As summer blossomed, June marked a baby boom in Hollywood. Pop star Pink became a first-time mum at the beginning of the month when she welcomed little Willow, while drummer Adrian Young added to the No Doubt family with daughter Magnolia. Natalie Portman became a yummy mummy to son Aleph, actress Tia Mowry also welcomed a little boy, and model/actress Devon Aoki was another addition to the first-time mum club with the arrival of Hunter. Denise Richards made headlines when she announced she'd adopted a baby, Eloise, into her brood, while Meat Loaf became a grandfather when his daughter Pearl Aday gave birth to a baby boy. Lindsay Price and Nia Long also announced their pregnancies in June, as did Lily Allen - whose baby news went public on the same day she married partner Sam Cooper.
Lily's wedding wasn't the only one at the start of summer - Rachel Weisz married actor Daniel Craig following a whirlwind romance and Noel Gallagher put his wild ways behind him after exchanging vows with longterm partner Sara MacDonald.
However, the month was marred by a string of high-profile splits - David Duchovny and Tea Leoni separated just two years after reconciling following the actor's sex addiction admission, Jack White parted ways with model/singer wife Karen Elson after six years of marriage, and Hugh Hefner was dumped by fiancee Crystal Harris - just days before their planned wedding. Elizabeth Hurley's divorce from Arun Nayar was granted, and George Clooney split from Elisabetta Canalis.
There were health dramas aplenty - pop princesses Selena Gomez and Jennifer Hudson were hospitalised within days of each other. Both stars were forced to pull performances, and getwellselena even became a top trending topic on Twitter.com as fans rallied to support the Disney idol. Gomez later revealed she was malnourished and feeling exhausted, while Hudson was diagnosed with a severe bout of food poisoning.
The music world was left reeling when legendary saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who had worked with Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga, died from complications stemming from a major stroke. The rocker led the tributes to his pal, declaring, "His loss is immeasurable and we are honoured and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years." TV fans were also left in mourning following the passing of Columbo star Peter Falk at the age of 83, while legendary TV cowboy James Arness also died.
In other June news, the vampires from Twilight overpowered the magical Harry Potter kids at the MTV Movie Awards, taking home five golden popcorn prizes to their film franchise rival cast's one. The Cmt Awards took place in Nashville, Tennessee just days later and newlyweds Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert dominated the ceremony - picking up three of the nine top honours between them. But it was a bad month for their country music rival Trace Adkins when his Tennessee home was destroyed by fire.
The month was special for U2 when they headlined Britain's iconic Glastonbury festival after a year-long wait - they were forced to pull out of the event in 2010 after frontman Bono underwent surgery on his back. In a spooky echo of U2's concert drama, pop star Jessie J was forced to axe several summer shows after undergoing emergency surgery on her broken foot – but still fulfilled her duties at Glastonbury, performing while perched on a red and gold throne.
January
The new year began with wedding bells for many couples including singer Shania Twain, who married her fiance Frederic Thiebaud in Puerto Rico on New Year's Day, while country star Kellie Pickler and actress Valerie Bertinelli also walked down the aisle on 1 January.
The new year brought baby news for a number of celebrity couples - Orlando Bloom and his wife Miranda Kerr became first-time parents with the birth of their son Flynn. Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem also welcomed a son, and Owen Wilson became a father just days after he announced his girlfriend's pregnancy. Nicole Kidman also hit headlines when she and her husband Keith Urban revealed they welcomed a daughter called Faith via a surrogate mother over the holidays.
There was also pregnancy news for actress Kate Hudson, who announced she was expecting a baby with Muse rocker Matt Bellamy, as well as Marion Cotillard, Jewel, Selma Blair and Victoria Beckham, who confirmed she was pregnant with her fourth child.
However, the first few weeks of 2011 also brought a slew of celebrity splits - Keira Knightley ended her longtime romance with actor Rupert Friend, Shakira parted ways with Antonio de la Rua, her boyfriend of more than 10 years, and Mila Kunis and Macaulay Culkin separated after eight years together.
Many stars saw in the new year by addressing their personal problems, and a number of famous faces went in and out of rehab in the first few weeks of 2011. Lindsay Lohan and Demi Lovato both ended long treatment stints in January, while David Arquette, Backstreet Boys star A.J. McLean and his bandmate Nick Carter's younger brother Aaron all enrolled in programs. Troubled actor Charlie Sheen also admitted himself to a clinic just weeks after he was hospitalised to treat a hernia, and he later admitted he turned to booze to blot out the pain of the medical condition. Sheen’s rehab stint forced TV bosses to shut down production on his show Two and a Half Men.
Another colourful character to hit the headlines in January was British funnyman Ricky Gervais, who managed to cause controversy during his stint as Golden Globes host. The comedian was condemned by organisers for poking fun at celebrity guests including Robert Downey, Jr., Johnny Depp and Tom Hanks during the glitzy prizegiving.
The month held good news for veteran actor Michael Douglas as he was given the all-clear after a gruelling battle with throat cancer. His wife Catherine Zeta-Jones subsequently admitted she cried tears of joy when doctors told the couple the actor had beaten the disease. Poison rocker Bret Michaels also overcame a health crisis after undergoing successful surgery to close a hole in his heart.
January also saw the loss of a number of great stars including Oscar-winning James Bond theme composer John Barry, and Scottish musician Gerry Rafferty, who passed away after suffering liver failure. The world of Hollywood was again plunged into mourning following the death of British actor Pete Postlethwaite, who died at the age of 64.
February
As awards season got into full swing, The King's Speech was the toast of Hollywood after scooping four Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor for the movie's star, Colin Firth, and Best Director for Tom Hooper, while Natalie Portman fought back tears as she walked away with the Best Actress honour for her role as a tormented ballet dancer in Black Swan. It was a different story at the Independent Spirit Awards, where Black Swan trounced its rivals, picking up four honours including Best Director for Darren Aronofsky.
In the world of music, Lady Gaga's incredible rise continued as she picked up three Grammy Awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album, but her achievements were overshadowed by country trio Lady Antebellum, who scored five accolades, and the shock win for Canadian rockers Arcade Fire in the prestigious Album of the Year category for their disc The Suburbs. Across the pond at the Brit Awards in London, Arcade Fire were again bathed in glory when they were handed the International Group and International Album honours, while newcomer Tinie Tempah crowned a triumphant 12 months by taking home the British Breakthrough Act and British Single titles. Rihanna was named Best International Female solo star, and Justin Bieber was named the International Breakthrough Act of the year.
Away from the red carpet, it was a bleak month for My Name Is Earl actress Jaime Pressly, who was charged with driving under the influence after failing a field sobriety test, Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey, who was underwent an operation to remove a growth from her foot, Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who was hospitalised with a flesh-eating bug, and Dame Judi Dench, who broke two of her toes on the set of her new movie J. Edgar.
There were also woes for Rihanna, whose raunchy promo film for single S&M provoked outrage around the world and was banned in 11 countries, actress Eliza Dushku, who broke a finger on holiday, and fashion king John Galliano, who was suspended and later sacked by Christian Dior after he was filmed launching an anti-Semitic rant at stunned drinkers in a bar in Paris, France.
Rock duo the White Stripes stunned the music world when they announced they were splitting up after 14 years, and Lady Gaga's much-hyped new single Born This Way was unveiled to a barrage of accusations she had ripped off Madonna's classic Express Yourself. But there was good news for older music fans, as '60s icons The Monkees announced they were reuniting for a U.K. tour.
Loved up celebrity couples Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez, and Anna Friel and Rhys Ifans, both confirmed their engagements, and there were wedding bells for Kelsey Grammer - who married for the fourth time - and Mark Ronson and Katherine Jenkins, who both announced their respective engagements.
Among the stars hearing the pitter-patter of tiny feet this month were Christina Applegate, who gave birth to a daughter, magician David Blaine, who became a first-time father to a baby girl, reggae star Zac Marley, rocker Rod Stewart, Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon, and No Doubt star Tom Dumont.
Jude Law continued his unlucky-in-love streak when he split - yet again - from Sienna Miller, Iron Man star Terrence Howard was hit with divorce papers, Olivia Wilde split from her husband after eight years, and celebrity couple Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz announced their marriage was over.
The world of showbiz bid farewell to guitar legend Gary Moore, who died aged 58, blues legend Eddie Kirkland died in a car crash at the age of 88, Seinfeld star Len Lesser succumbed to pneumonia aged 88, and The Dukes of Hazzard actress Peggy Rea, who passed away at the age of 89.
March
Tinseltown lost one of its brightest lights in March after movie icon Dame Elizabeth Taylor died of congestive heart failure at the age of 79. Tributes from the world of showbiz poured in for the Cleopatra legend, with Sir Elton John, Jane Fonda, Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli leading the heartfelt remembrances. The acting great was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, where her dear friend Michael Jackson was also laid to rest in 2009.
March was also marked by controversy as a host of famous faces found themselves in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Pop star Christina Aguilera was arrested for drunkenness in West Hollywood, while Boardwalk Empire beauty Pas de la Huerta was also apprehended after a bar fight in New York City. Jackass daredevil Steve-o was taken into custody in Canada on an outstanding warrant, and rapper Rick Ross got caught smoking marijuana in a Louisiana hotel room.
But it was Charlie Sheen who really gave fans something to talk about after he was fired from Two and a Half Men following months of public feuding with writer/creator Chuck Lorre. Days later, cops raided Sheen's Los Angeles home to investigate a tip that the troubled star was in violation of a court order by keeping a gun in the house.
March also brought one of the year's most devastating tragedies as Japan was hit by a massive earthquake, which then created an enormous tidal wave. More than 15,000 people perished in the disaster and Slash, Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas and the Foo Fighters were among the big-name acts who staged gigs to raise money for victims, while actresses Sandra Bullock and Demi Lovato also donated $1 million (£625,000) each to boost relief efforts.
Back in Hollywood, there was plenty of heartache as Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel ended their romance, Renee Zellweger called it quits with Bradley Cooper and Twilight beauty Ashley Greene split from Joe Jonas.
But love was most definitely in the air for Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, who married showbiz agent Jim Toth in a romantic ceremony at her California home. Canadian crooner Michael Buble also wed stunning supermodel Luisana Lopilato in a civil ceremony in her native Argentina.
Celebrations were in order for former Spice Girl Melanie Brown, who announced she and husband Stephen Belafonte were expecting their first child together. Actors Robert De Niro and Mel Gibson became proud grandfathers in March, while Elizabeth Banks also became a first-time mother to a baby boy, born via surrogate.
Emily Deschanel confirmed she was expecting her first child with actor husband David Hornsby, while Cruel Intentions star Ryan Phillippe also had baby news after the tabloids reported that his ex-girlfriend, actress Alexis Knapp, was pregnant.
There was a health scare on the cards for tennis ace Serena Williams after she was hospitalised with a blood clot in her lungs, while fears for Zsa Zsa Gabor's wellbeing mounted when she began coughing up blood and suffered circulation problems in her left leg.
There was a close call for actor David Arquette after he was in a head-on car crash in Los Angeles, and Glee star Lea Michele was also involved in a smash when her car was struck by a drunk driver.
Hip-hop star Wyclef Jean had a lucky escape after he was shot in the hand during a visit to his native Haiti, while James Taylor suffered a broken leg in a skiing accident in Utah.
Courtroom battles loomed for Britney Spears, who was hit with a $10 million (£6.25 million) lawsuit over a perfume deal, and Jay-z was accused of trademark infringement over the logo for Roc Nation.
Even clean-cut teen pop sensation Justin Bieber found himself named in court papers after a songwriting duo sued over claims they hadn't received royalties for his hit song One Less Lonely Girl.
April
There were births, marriages and bust-ups galore as Spring sprung in April, but only one subject was on everyone's lips - the royal wedding. Celebs and commoners alike got carried away in the buzz of the big day on 29 April, when brunette beauty Kate Middleton walked down the aisle with her very own Prince Charming, William. Who would design the dress? Who would be invited? Would best man Harry fall for bridesmaid Pippa? But all questions fell by the wayside on the morning of the magical day, as Britain and two billion viewers across the world came to a standstill to watch the future Queen of England step out of her Rolls-Royce wearing a stunning Alexander McQueen lace gown to huge cheers from the crowd. The pair wed in front of 1,900 quests, including Queen Elizabeth II, the entire royal family, and even showbiz royalty Victoria and David Beckham, and left London's Westminster Abbey to great fanfare as the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. But Kate didn't hog all the limelight - who can forget the backing support of her sister Pippa, hailed Her Royal Hotness thanks to that figure-hugging dress and her much-discussed derriere?
The wedding was of fairytale proportions, one even our favourite celebs couldn't compete with - but that didn’t stop them from trying! Canadian crooner Michael Buble was one of the biggest stars to walk down the aisle in April - his second set of nuptials to stunning fiancee Luisana Lopilato following their original wedding day in March. Controversial couple LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian also wed in a private ceremony in Malibu, which was a surprise for guests - they thought they were there for the pair's engagement party! Funnyman Rob Schneider also joined the marriage club, exchanging vows with fiancee Patricia Azarcoya Arce over the Easter Weekend. The marriage mood of the month gave many stars ideas; the likes of Kate Hudson and Matt Bellamy, and Tom Fletcher and his longtime girlfriend became engaged.
Despite love being in the air, some unions were destined to end - Elizabeth Hurley started divorce proceedings against her millionaire husband Arun Nayar, while Christina Aguilera's five-year marriage to Jordan Bratman was declared officially over. After marriage must come babies, and April was awash with stars welcoming newborns. Superstar Mariah Carey welcomed twins Moroccan and Monroe, and in true diva style, gave birth to them on her fourth wedding anniversary to Nick Cannon. The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers and Black Eyed Peas rapper Taboo both welcomed their third sons, while Jane Krakowski, Kevin James, Toni Collette and Drea De Matteo all also became parents to baby boys. Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal was an exception to the rule - he became the proud father of a baby girl.
But with ups, there must be downs - and nobody does scandal like the stars. Teen sensation Demi Lovato stunned her legions of loyal fans by opening up about the emotional issues which landed her in rehab earlier in the year, revealing she was battling an eating disorder and cut herself at her lowest moments. Charlie Sheen continued his madcap ways by embarking on a comedy tour following his sacking from Two and a Half Men - only to get booed offstage on his first night, with critics calling his stand-up debut an "epic failure". Bond fans mourned April as the month Sir Sean Connery announced he was retiring from public appearances after he failed to show up to a charity event in New York. Lindsay Lohan was back in trouble - and in court - when a judge decided she'd had enough of the actress' antics and sentenced her to 120 days behind bars for violating her probation. Nicolas Cage hit the headlines when he was arrested on domestic violence charges following a street bust-up with his wife in New Orleans, and Vince Neil was also in hot water for domestic violence - his ex-girlfriend accused him of jabbing a finger at her during an argument. However, the biggest shock came when Welsh beauty Catherine Zeta-Jones checked into a mental health facility to overcome her bipolar disorder. The stint in the clinic came after a tough year for the Oscar-winner following husband Michael Douglas' cancer battle.
April was a sad month for actor Tim Robbins, who tragically lost his father, Gil, and his mother, Mary, within days of each other. The punk world was left in mourning when X-Ray Spex legend Poly Styrene lost her battle with cancer at the age of 53, while British actress Elisabeth Sladen, Dr Who's longest running sidekick, also passed away after a fight with the disease.
May
May was a shocking month as Hollywood tough guy Arnold Schwarzenegger split from his wife of 25 years Maria Shriver, only to reveal later on in the month he had fathered a lovechild with their housekeeper 13 years earlier. Although the scandal rocked Hollywood, he wasn't the only one heading for splitsville - Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller became officially divorced, as did actress Neve Campbell and James Bond star George Lazenby. Lady Gaga also split from boyfriend Luc Carl, while Hayden Panettiere ended her romance with her boxer boyfriend Wladimir Klitschko. Girls Aloud beauty Nadine Coyle also became single after calling off her engagement to American footballer Jason Bell.
But it wasn't all doom and gloom - Beatles legend Sir Paul Mccartney announced he was engaged to marry for the third time, to American Nancy Shevell, while director Sophia Coppolla and reality star Kim Kardashian also announced plans to walk down the aisle.
As for marriages, Marie Osmond remarried her first husband Stephen Craig, 29 years after they first exchanged vows and in the same wedding dress. Wedding bells also rang for Kings Of Leon frontman Caleb Followill and Victoria's Secret supermodel Lily Aldridge, while country king and queen Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert also became man and wife in Texas.
New romances between Sienna Miller and Tom Sturridge, as well as Nick Jonas and Australian pop star Delta Goodrem also came to light.
It was a baby boom month, with many stars becoming parents for the first time. Rockers Bryan Adams and Matthew Followill, actors David Schwimmer and Mike Myers, and actresses Alicia Silverstone, Marion Cotillard and Lost's Evangeline Lilly all became first-time parents. Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton welcomed her second son. French first lady Carla Bruni and actress Bryce Dallas Howard were also celebrating pregnancies. But it was a sad month for British actress Kelly Brook, who suffered a miscarriage.
Other sad news in May came when Grease actor Jeff Conaway passed away at the age of 60, sending Hollywood into mourning. Boxing legend Sir Henry Cooper died two days before his 77th birthday and Superman star Jackie Cooper also died, aged 88. The month started with the shock news that al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden had been shot dead in Pakistan. Other stars facing struggles included Sean Kingston, who was involved in a horrific jet-ski crash, while veteran actress Zsa Zsa Gabor was also hospitalised with pneumonia-type symptoms and fell into a coma.
It was also a controversial month for Lindsay Lohan, who started a 120-day jail term in the comfort of her own home for parole violation. British rocker Pete Doherty was also jailed for six months for cocaine possession. Other stars facing woes included Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, Friends star Matthew Perry and boxer/singer Oscar De La Hoya, who were all submitted in to rehab programs. It was an embarrassing month for British singer Cheryl Cole, who was hired, then fired to sit on the judging panel of America's The X Factor. In music news for the month, Silverchair announced they were to split, Rod Stewart announced a Las Vegas residency, while it was a big movie month as the Cannes Film Festival in France also kicked off. While Brad Pitt was hailed at the glitzy event, with his film Tree Of Life winning the coveted Palme d'Or prize for Best Film, it was a bad experience for director Lars Von Trier, who was banned from the festival for controversial statements he made about Nazi leader Adolf Hitler during the festivities.
June
As summer blossomed, June marked a baby boom in Hollywood. Pop star Pink became a first-time mum at the beginning of the month when she welcomed little Willow, while drummer Adrian Young added to the No Doubt family with daughter Magnolia. Natalie Portman became a yummy mummy to son Aleph, actress Tia Mowry also welcomed a little boy, and model/actress Devon Aoki was another addition to the first-time mum club with the arrival of Hunter. Denise Richards made headlines when she announced she'd adopted a baby, Eloise, into her brood, while Meat Loaf became a grandfather when his daughter Pearl Aday gave birth to a baby boy. Lindsay Price and Nia Long also announced their pregnancies in June, as did Lily Allen - whose baby news went public on the same day she married partner Sam Cooper.
Lily's wedding wasn't the only one at the start of summer - Rachel Weisz married actor Daniel Craig following a whirlwind romance and Noel Gallagher put his wild ways behind him after exchanging vows with longterm partner Sara MacDonald.
However, the month was marred by a string of high-profile splits - David Duchovny and Tea Leoni separated just two years after reconciling following the actor's sex addiction admission, Jack White parted ways with model/singer wife Karen Elson after six years of marriage, and Hugh Hefner was dumped by fiancee Crystal Harris - just days before their planned wedding. Elizabeth Hurley's divorce from Arun Nayar was granted, and George Clooney split from Elisabetta Canalis.
There were health dramas aplenty - pop princesses Selena Gomez and Jennifer Hudson were hospitalised within days of each other. Both stars were forced to pull performances, and getwellselena even became a top trending topic on Twitter.com as fans rallied to support the Disney idol. Gomez later revealed she was malnourished and feeling exhausted, while Hudson was diagnosed with a severe bout of food poisoning.
The music world was left reeling when legendary saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who had worked with Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga, died from complications stemming from a major stroke. The rocker led the tributes to his pal, declaring, "His loss is immeasurable and we are honoured and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years." TV fans were also left in mourning following the passing of Columbo star Peter Falk at the age of 83, while legendary TV cowboy James Arness also died.
In other June news, the vampires from Twilight overpowered the magical Harry Potter kids at the MTV Movie Awards, taking home five golden popcorn prizes to their film franchise rival cast's one. The Cmt Awards took place in Nashville, Tennessee just days later and newlyweds Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert dominated the ceremony - picking up three of the nine top honours between them. But it was a bad month for their country music rival Trace Adkins when his Tennessee home was destroyed by fire.
The month was special for U2 when they headlined Britain's iconic Glastonbury festival after a year-long wait - they were forced to pull out of the event in 2010 after frontman Bono underwent surgery on his back. In a spooky echo of U2's concert drama, pop star Jessie J was forced to axe several summer shows after undergoing emergency surgery on her broken foot – but still fulfilled her duties at Glastonbury, performing while perched on a red and gold throne.
- 12/31/2011
- WENN
As year-end rituals go, remembering those we've lost over the past twelve months is the solemn twin of list-making, though it's often no less an act of celebration. In the new issue of the Brooklyn Rail, Charles Bernstein and Susan Bee look back on the life of George Kuchar, "one of the most creative, original, and influential filmmakers of our time, straddling two generations of North American iconoclasts, from Stan Brakhage, Ken Jacobs, Rudy Burckhardt, Kenneth Anger, and Michael Snow to Warren Sonbert, Ernie Gehr, Abigail Child, and Henry Hills. Often collaborating with his twin brother, Mike, George Kuchar started making films as a Bronx teenager, and the brothers' early films already show the ingenuity, exuberance, and do-it-yourself charm that would pervade scores of their subsequent films."
More from Clara Pais in the freely downloadable December issue of One + One, which also features Diamuid Hester on Jacques Tati, Donna K on Brent Green,...
More from Clara Pais in the freely downloadable December issue of One + One, which also features Diamuid Hester on Jacques Tati, Donna K on Brent Green,...
- 12/11/2011
- MUBI
The former The Smiths frontman, Steven Patrick Morrissey recorded a chat with Dermot O'leary which was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Saturday.
During the interview, he branded the recent royal wedding "dreadful" and criticised other BBC presenters before making a series of prickly comments about O'Leary, telling listeners, "He doesn't listen - he gets paid all this money."
He also told the presenter, "There is just something about your face that says 'Please lie to me and I will believe you'", prompting O'Leary to later tell the singer, "(You need to) listen and not just wait for your chance to talk."
The interview ended with a tense exchange in which O'Leary said, "It's been really difficult but I've enjoyed it", with Morrissey replying, "You don't rule the world, Dermot."
Morrissey has now issued a statement apologising for his attitude during the interview and admitting he was in a "foul mood...
During the interview, he branded the recent royal wedding "dreadful" and criticised other BBC presenters before making a series of prickly comments about O'Leary, telling listeners, "He doesn't listen - he gets paid all this money."
He also told the presenter, "There is just something about your face that says 'Please lie to me and I will believe you'", prompting O'Leary to later tell the singer, "(You need to) listen and not just wait for your chance to talk."
The interview ended with a tense exchange in which O'Leary said, "It's been really difficult but I've enjoyed it", with Morrissey replying, "You don't rule the world, Dermot."
Morrissey has now issued a statement apologising for his attitude during the interview and admitting he was in a "foul mood...
- 5/2/2011
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
In tragic news, on the heels of María Isbert, Marie-France Pisier, Phoebe Snow, and Diana Wynne-Jones, punk-rock icon Poly Styrene has passed away.
Poly Styrene was born Marianne Elliot Smith in 1957, and she passed away yesterday evening after a long battle with cancer. She was a punk rocker and a feminist, as the lead singer of X-Ray Spex.
She will be missed.
Poly Styrene was born Marianne Elliot Smith in 1957, and she passed away yesterday evening after a long battle with cancer. She was a punk rocker and a feminist, as the lead singer of X-Ray Spex.
She will be missed.
- 4/28/2011
- by Superheidi
- Planet Fury
In 1976 young Poly Styrene formed X-Ray Spex after seeing the Sex Pistols perform, and became an icon of feminine rebellion. "Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard, but I think, oh bondage up yours!" she famously declared. THR reports that she died last night in her sleep at age 53, after struggling with breast cancer.
X-Ray Spex, a group of "young punks who want to stick it together," released their single "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" in 1977. They followed up with the album "Germ Free Adolescents" in 1978 but then disbanded. Poly Styrene then went on to release a solo album called "Translucence," in 1980 before leaving the stage to become a Hare Krishna. She moved into a temple in Hertfordshire and remained there with her daughter. According to the BBC, Boy George once tried to break her out of the temple. At the news of her passing, he wrote...
X-Ray Spex, a group of "young punks who want to stick it together," released their single "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" in 1977. They followed up with the album "Germ Free Adolescents" in 1978 but then disbanded. Poly Styrene then went on to release a solo album called "Translucence," in 1980 before leaving the stage to become a Hare Krishna. She moved into a temple in Hertfordshire and remained there with her daughter. According to the BBC, Boy George once tried to break her out of the temple. At the news of her passing, he wrote...
- 4/26/2011
- by Brandon Kim
- ifc.com
An iconic British punk singer, Poly Styrene, born Marianne Elliott-Said, has died after a battle with spine and breast cancer. She was 53. "We can confirm that the beautiful Poly Styrene, who has been a true fighter, won her battle on Monday evening to go to higher places," read a statement on her Twitter. In 1976, Styrene formed X-Ray Spex after watching the Sex Pistols perform.Their song "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" was released from their debut album, Germ Free Adolescents, in 1978. The BBC has a full obituary here NPR has a great recent piece on her here Marianne released a solo album, Generation Indigo, just last month.
- 4/26/2011
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
Tuesday brought sad news for punk rock fans with the death of former X-Ray Spex singer Poly Styrene. Flagrant music lovers Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie shared what she meant to them, both as a music icon and performer with a punny name.
The flip-side of authority in the U.K. continued to trend in conversations as well, though, with Mark Millar and Paul Grist sounding off about the British royal family and their ensuing wedding. Read on for jabs, queries, and "Doctor Who" and "The Killing" criticism.
I'm @brianwarmoth, and this is the Twitter Report for April 26, 2011.
Poly Styrene pt. 1: @kierongillen Rip Poly Styrene. Her voice meant more than a tweet can hold. X-ray Spex made me feel invulnerable and fragile simultaneously.
-Kieron Gillen, Writer ("Phonogram," "Thor")
Poly Styrene pt. 2: @McKelvie Poly Styrene. There was a pun name. None of this Perry Farrel business. Rip.
-Jamie McKelvie,...
The flip-side of authority in the U.K. continued to trend in conversations as well, though, with Mark Millar and Paul Grist sounding off about the British royal family and their ensuing wedding. Read on for jabs, queries, and "Doctor Who" and "The Killing" criticism.
I'm @brianwarmoth, and this is the Twitter Report for April 26, 2011.
Poly Styrene pt. 1: @kierongillen Rip Poly Styrene. Her voice meant more than a tweet can hold. X-ray Spex made me feel invulnerable and fragile simultaneously.
-Kieron Gillen, Writer ("Phonogram," "Thor")
Poly Styrene pt. 2: @McKelvie Poly Styrene. There was a pun name. None of this Perry Farrel business. Rip.
-Jamie McKelvie,...
- 4/26/2011
- by Brian Warmoth
- MTV Splash Page
"Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard ... but I think ... Oh, Bondage Up Yours!" Those are the opening lines of one of the greatest punk songs of all times, X Ray Spex's 1977 firebomb, "Oh, Bondage, Up Yours!"
They're spoken in a girlish English accent by Poly Styrene, the band's singer and one of the most iconic figures in punk history, who died on Monday at the age of 53 after a long battle with cancer.
Styrene (born Marianne Elliot-Said on June 3, 1957) came to embody everything that punk meant to this budding teenage anarchist when I first discovered the sound of youth in revolt. More than former flatmate Johnny Rotten's sneering snarl, Joey Ramone's snub-nosed hiccup or Joe Strummer's agitated yawp, Styrene sounded like punk felt: messy, untrained, unrestrained, unafraid and uninhibited.
Her strangulated vocals, atonal, piercing, and yes, at times annoying, embodied the Diy aspect of the first wave,...
They're spoken in a girlish English accent by Poly Styrene, the band's singer and one of the most iconic figures in punk history, who died on Monday at the age of 53 after a long battle with cancer.
Styrene (born Marianne Elliot-Said on June 3, 1957) came to embody everything that punk meant to this budding teenage anarchist when I first discovered the sound of youth in revolt. More than former flatmate Johnny Rotten's sneering snarl, Joey Ramone's snub-nosed hiccup or Joe Strummer's agitated yawp, Styrene sounded like punk felt: messy, untrained, unrestrained, unafraid and uninhibited.
Her strangulated vocals, atonal, piercing, and yes, at times annoying, embodied the Diy aspect of the first wave,...
- 4/26/2011
- by Gil Kaufman
- MTV Newsroom
London (AP) — Poly Styrene, the braces-wearing singer who belted out "Oh bondage, up yours!" with the band X-Ray Spex, has died at the age of 53. Styrene, whose real name was Marion Elliott-Said, had been suffering from cancer. A statement on the singer's official website and Twitter feed said Tuesday that "the beautiful Poly Styrene, who has been a true fighter, won her battle on Monday evening to go to higher places." Boy George was among those paying tribute on Twitter, writing, "Oh bless you Poly you will be missed! Legend!" X-Ray Spex released just one album, 1978's "Germ Free...
- 4/26/2011
- by Jill Lawless (AP)
- Hitfix
She lived the punk ethos every day of her life and in doing so changed the face of music. Poly Styrene, aka Marianne Elliot Said, the British punk rock icon whose dissonant rebellious yelp as the lead singer of '70s outfit X-Ray Spex cut through an era of conformity and influenced countless musicians, has died. She was 53. According to a statement on the Spex website, Styrene passed away peacefully in her sleep after a battle with breast cancer on Monday evening. Born on July 3, 1957, in the London borough of Bromley to a British legal secretary and a Somali-born aristocrat, this biracial girl ran away from home at age 15 and hitchhiked around various music festivals. After stumbling upon...
- 4/26/2011
- E! Online
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