Tag Archives: Icon

Sir Richard Alston Was A Gem

The whole dance community lost a light this week, after the sad news of Sir Richard Alston’s passing. Originally, he trained in fine art and theatre design, but got bitten by the dance bug in the mid-sixties, before training under the inimitable Merce Cunningham in the mid-seventies. That spirit of invention and playfulness never leftContinue reading “Sir Richard Alston Was A Gem”

G-L-O-R-I-A

Gloria Steinem has passed away at 92 and I have nothing but respect for what she achieved in her lifetime. From protesting for our reproductive rights, to working undercover as a Playboy Bunny to report on their unfair working conditions, she was pretty fearless. The tireless feminist activist and journalist made women’s struggles go mainstream.Continue reading “G-L-O-R-I-A”

Tim Curry Was Hot

Said it before and I’ll say it again, the Rocky Horror film is overrated shit, but for Tim Curry, the naughty tomcat. RIP, TC.. Top Cat! The purr, the pout, the sass, the strut, the mangled RP pronunci… ation. No one could come close to his Dr Frank -N -Furter. Nobody would dare. Props tooContinue reading “Tim Curry Was Hot”

Dolly Forever

Dolly has left us. What can we say that hasn’t already been said? Singer, songwriter, philanthropist, icon, champion of LGBTQI rights, Grammy Award winner, Hollywood Star of Fame winner, actor, theme park creator. 100 million records sold worldwide, endlessly quotable, forever recognised, and not bad for a lil gal who grew up- the fourth childContinue reading “Dolly Forever”

I ❤️Bob Mortimer

He’s the Middlesbrough boy who, since leaving his career in law (yes really)in the nineties, as part of the double act with Vic Reeves (Jim Moir) TV appearances alone, or with Paul Whitehouse, has delighted Britain with his surreal shenanigans. He’s silly, bitingly sardonic and yet rather sweet and mischievous too. He literally goes, “hee!Continue reading “I ❤️Bob Mortimer”

Film Review: Gene Kelly-An American In Hollywood

Claudia Collao’s exuberant documentary on the great actor, dancer and film maker Gene Kelly looks at his rise to stardom, quest for innovation in all that he did, and above all, his egalitarian attitude that dance should be accessible to everyone, no matter where they came from. As someone who had grown up in hard-scrabbleContinue reading “Film Review: Gene Kelly-An American In Hollywood”

Film Review : Becoming Madonna

Madonna has always been resolutely Madonna, bitch. From 2024, this documentary directed by Michael Ogden follows her early career trajectory like a tracking pigeon. It’s extremely insightful, like a scrapbook bursting to life, full of interviews with those who knew her back in the day, like late brother Christopher who became one of her backingContinue reading “Film Review : Becoming Madonna”

Documentary Review: The Myth of Marilyn Monroe

  What an utter train wreck of a documentary, The Myth of Marilyn Monroe is. Directed by Oliver Elphick, it charts her rise and fall, with some historical context of America in the fifties, as opposed to telling her life story with any nuance. Instead, fairytale rags to riches clichés abound. The American Dream symbolismContinue reading “Documentary Review: The Myth of Marilyn Monroe”

Fallen To Earth, Low But Not Down

“It’s very, very sad… Very romantic” , David Bowie explained to a bemused Russell Harty in one of their many infamous awkward chatshow exchanges, after of course the pompous host remained fixated on the aesthetics and not substance, yet again. He was of course referring to The Man Who Fall To Earth. Low, the albumContinue reading “Fallen To Earth, Low But Not Down”