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Twiggy hosts festival fashion show

Wed, 23 May 2012 00:03:24 +0100

Twiggy is rolling back the years to her 1960s heyday by hosting a fashion show at a summer festival.

Royal Opera's "Falstaff": Big knight on a big horse

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:08:24 +0100

LONDON (Reuters) - A new production of Verdi's "Falstaff" at the Royal Opera features a big man on a big horse, and it could only flop if the Italian baritone Ambrogio Maestri could not sing the title role, which is manifestly not the case. ...

Adele, LMFAO sweep tribute-filled Billboard awards

Mon, 21 May 2012 05:16:12 +0100

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Energetic performances and heart-felt tributes took centre stage at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, as Adele, LMFAO, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift came away top awards. British Grammy-winning singer Adele won 12 awards from 18 nominations for her juggernaut album "21," including top artist, top female artist and top album. Her awards were not presented during the live show and the singer was not present. ...

Cheryl Cole takes starring role in Nicola Robert’s new fashion TV show

Sat, 19 May 2012 11:42:27 +0100

Cheryl Cole may be busy promoting her upcoming single Call My Name and debut movie What To Expect When You're Expecting but that doesn't mean she's short of time to help her friends. Proving once again that Cheryl Cole is …

Scottish jewellery show commemorates Norway tragedy

Fri, 18 May 2012 19:22:37 +0100

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - The 77 people killed by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway last year have been commemorated in a display of specially commissioned jewellery which opened on Friday at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. Curator Rose Watban said 16 established or up-and-coming jewellers in Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Denmark and Scotland were contacted to create items "inspired by a place they love, as well as draw inspiration from each other's work". ...

Danny DeVito In West End Theatre Debut

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:57:38 +0100

Danny DeVito has been talking about his excitement at making his West End debut in Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys.

Swift's donation to Hall of Fame

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:10:14 +0100

Taylor Swift is donating four million dollars to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the US to make sure education continues.

Broadway play's echoes of Bo scandal may prevent China staging

Fri, 18 May 2012 05:17:56 +0100

NEW YORK (Reuters) - China's biggest political scandal in two decades is likely to have dashed playwright David Henry Hwang's hopes of bringing his Broadway play "Chinglish" to mainland China anytime soon. In a case of life imitating art, the comedy has so many similarities to events surrounding deposed Chinese politician Bo Xilai that Hwang says he doesn't believe it would be acceptable to the authorities to allow a production to be mounted. ...

Diane Kruger and Eva Longoria lead fashion at Cannes Film Festival opening day

Thu, 17 May 2012 07:59:09 +0100

Cannes Film Festival kicked off in spectacular style yesterday with gorgeous gowns aplenty. Eva Longoria and Diane Kruger stole the show on the first day of the Cannes Film Festival thanks to the huge trains of their dresses yesterday. [Related …

Famed art collection to open in new Philadelphia home

Thu, 17 May 2012 01:50:56 +0100

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The Barnes collection, with more than 4,000 works of art including paintings by Renoir, Van Gogh and Cezanne, opens at its new home on Saturday in Philadelphia's cultural center. The opening in the modern $150 million (94.2 million pounds) facility on a 4.5-acre (1.8-hectare) site comes after a nearly decade-long fight over the move from its historic home in a suburb outside the city. "This is a world-class collection and we decided to give it a world-class home," Joseph Neubauer, vice chairman of the board of The Barnes Foundation, said on Wednesday. ...

London show celebrates 60 years of British glamour

Tue, 15 May 2012 19:38:12 +0100

LONDON (Reuters) - A decadent gown made from feathers and a printed lace latex dress designed by some of fashion's luminaries will go on display as part of a new exhibition to celebrate the glitz and glamour of Britain's ball gowns. Ball gowns: British Glamour Since 1950, on at London's Victoria and Albert Museum from May 19 until January 2013, showcases a collection of 60 dresses marking the journey of formal attire from private events to the public parade. ...

Rita Ora channels Rihanna’s fish-inspired fashion in scale effect dress

Mon, 14 May 2012 13:06:26 +0100

Rita Ora is no stranger to Rihanna comparisons— not only does she possesses the same fearless poise and striking vocals but the singer is equally as experimental with her fashion. To celebrate hitting the number one spot with R.I.P featuring …

Pudsey 'perfect' for Hollywood

Sun, 13 May 2012 18:06:19 +0100

Britain's Got Talent winner Ashleigh Butler believes her victorious dog Pudsey would be perfect for Hollywood roles like the one played by Uggie in Oscar-winning film The Artist.

BGT Fashion-Off: Amanda Holden v Alesha Dixon

Sun, 13 May 2012 13:10:43 +0100

With Alesha Dixon joining Amanda Holden on the Britain's Got Talent panel this year for the first time, all eyes were on what fashion spectacles the pair would pull out. And just as the past week of BGT semi-finals has …

Veteran actor in theatre collapse

Sat, 12 May 2012 22:26:05 +0100

Veteran stage and screen actor John Woodvine is in a stable condition in hospital after collapsing while performing in a musical.

BGT favourites 'talked about split'

Sat, 12 May 2012 04:47:00 +0100

Pop-opera duo Jonathan and Charlotte have admitted they were ready to split up and go it alone when they first appeared on Britain's Got Talent.

Artist Kapoor finds beauty in London's Olympic orbit

Fri, 11 May 2012 19:14:27 +0100

LONDON (Reuters) - Turner prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor said on Friday that Britons would grow to love his spiralling red tower on London's Olympic Park, just as people had come to appreciate other structures initially loathed, including the Eiffel Tower. The 115-metre tall structure, higher than London's Big Ben and New York's Statue of Liberty has divided opinion, with some describing it as resembling a carnival slide or a water pipe. ...

Italy vies for fashion medal with Armani suits

Fri, 11 May 2012 03:51:39 +0100

MILAN (Reuters) - Will Italians be the best-dressed squad of the London 2012 Olympic Games? The Italy team is pinning its hopes of striking gold in the style stakes on fashion guru Giorgio Armani, and his 50-piece Olympic collection. Yet, prevailing in the fashion arena may be just as hard as winning medals on the running track given the competition from rivals such as U.S. designer Ralph Lauren and Britain's Stella McCartney, who have created stylish kits for their respective national teams. ...

Composer George Benjamin: Don't label me, I'm British

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:50:48 +0100

LONDON (Reuters) - Rats "stream like hot metal, to the rim of the world" and children, lured by the music of a Pied Piper-like exterminator, disappear into a hillside in British composer George Benjamin's eerie 2006 mini-opera "Into the Little Hill". Benjamin claims they're still alive, and perhaps better off, inside that hill, where the "piper" leads them after the minister fails to pay him for exterminating the rats, but one can't help but wonder how much oxygen they're getting. ...

New record for Lichtenstein at Sotheby's postwar auction

Thu, 10 May 2012 04:43:04 +0100

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Roy Lichtenstein's "Sleeping Girl" sold for nearly $45 million (27.8 million pounds) on Wednesday, setting a record for the pop artist at Sotheby's $267 million auction of postwar and contemporary art. The 1964 canvas, executed in the artist's signature, commercially influenced comic-book style, made its high estimate with a hammer price of $40 million. Along with Francis Bacon's "Figure Writing Reflected in Mirror," it achieved the night's top price of $40 million, or $44,882,500 including commission. ...

A love story that sparked a fashion empire

Wed, 09 May 2012 23:03:11 +0100

SUMIRAGO, Italy (Reuters) - Mention the name Missoni, and most think of a fashion empire that revolutionised textile patterns, spawned the no-bra look on the catwalks, and is now a global brand that designs everything from sweaters to sheets to hotels. But none of it would have happened had it not been for the 1948 London Olympics, where one kind of flame sparked another between Rosita Jelmini and Ottavio Missoni. She was 16, going on 17, a shy Italian girl in London to improve her English. ...

Apprentice reject blames horror art

Wed, 09 May 2012 22:42:57 +0100

Apprentice reject Laura Hogg slammed the modern art featured in the show as a "monstrosity" and blamed it for getting her fired by Lord Sugar.

London show celebrates modern age design innovation

Wed, 09 May 2012 13:52:56 +0100

LONDON (Reuters) - The Jaguar E-type, an LED dress and Concorde lead visitors through the last 60 years of British design in this summer's flagship exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Delving deep into its collection, the museum has put on display examples of British innovation, some of which have never been shown before. Everything from household knives and forks, to a Sex Pistols' album cover takes you through the last six decades, tracing the art school movement from the utilitarian mundane to the rock-n-roll rebels. ...

Rothko Painting Hits Record At Auction

Wed, 09 May 2012 13:10:44 +0100

A painting by US artist Mark Rothko has set a record for a contemporary work of art, selling for \$86.9m (£53.8m) at auction in New York.

Apprentice hopefuls in art sale bid

Wed, 09 May 2012 00:01:48 +0100

The business brains in The Apprentice have to brush up on their selling skills when Lord Sugar challenges them to sell modern art.

New York's 'Fashion Oscars' Terrify SJP

Tue, 08 May 2012 15:44:04 +0100

Fashionista Sarah Jessica Parker has attended New York's Met gala, admitting on the red carpet it is the most "terrifying" of events due to its status as 'fashion's Oscars'.

Beyonce shows off body at NY gala

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:40:46 +0100

Beyonce flaunted her post-baby body in a sheer, figure-hugging gown at the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute Benefit Gala in New York.

Operatic pair are hit with viewers

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:40:46 +0100

Pop-opera duo Jonathan and Charlotte have won the public vote in the latest Britain's Got Talent semi-final to book their place in the final.

Met Gala: Kristen Stewart and Florence Welch opt for opposite fashion choices

Tue, 08 May 2012 09:45:04 +0100

The Met Gala on Monday brought a range of trends to the red carpet, but both Kristen Stewart and Florence Welch stood out for their original outfits at NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Big trends at the Schiaparelli and Prada …

Met Gala: Rihanna, Gwyneth Paltrow and more dare to bare in backless trend

Tue, 08 May 2012 09:09:34 +0100

Plenty of flesh was on display at the Met Gala on Monday, but most of it was bare backs as celebrities embrace the backless trend at the Costume Institute Gala at NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Last night at the …

Met Gala: Carey Mulligan, Cameron Diaz, Lana del Rey and more sparkle in the metallic trend

Tue, 08 May 2012 08:21:20 +0100

There were sparkles galore at the Met Gala on Monday, with metallic dresses the biggest trend of the night at the Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Light was bouncing off all the …

Met Gala: Beyonce, Diane Kruger and more take flight with feathers trend

Tue, 08 May 2012 08:00:14 +0100

The Met Gala saw the A-list don their very best red carpet style in New York City on Monday, and feathers were a big trend to fly into the Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Schiaparelli …

Albarn Makes Obscure Scientist Opera Subject

Mon, 07 May 2012 17:31:32 +0100

Damon Albarn has spoken to Sky News about why he created a new opera about an obscure 16th century physicist and philosopher.

Tulisa Britain’s Got Talent performance bizarre fashion

Sun, 06 May 2012 23:52:24 +0100

Tulisa celebrated reaching Number One tonight by taking to the Britain's Got Talent stage during the live semi-final tonight to perform her new single. But instead of listening to her hot new single 'Young' - which topped the charts this …

Gotye aims to avoid being somebody we used to know

Thu, 03 May 2012 22:47:38 +0100

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Australian singer Gotye has conquered the United States with his heartfelt pop tune "Somebody That I Used To Know," but even as it hits No. 1 on singles charts, he is eager to become someone fans will always know for his "peculiar" sound. Gotye has enjoyed a rapid rise in fame, not just in the U.S. but around the world, for the song of a failed relationship that features New Zealand artist Kimbra. But his offbeat music and rocket ride to stardom has led many to consider whether his career will be short-lived. He doesn't think so. ...

Art fair fight? UK's Frieze launches in New York

Thu, 03 May 2012 12:39:43 +0100

LONDON (Reuters) - New York's contemporary art scene is undergoing a major shake-up this year, with Britain's hugely successful Frieze Art Fair opening its inaugural U.S. edition on Friday just weeks after the established Armory Show closed its doors. Organisers of both events sought to play down the element of competition, although the Armory admitted it had felt obliged to up its game this year, knowing a rival upstart was moving in on its turf. "I don't see it as a problem," said Noah Horowitz, managing director of Armory, when asked about what threat Frieze posed. ...

The Scream Sells At Auction For Record $120m

Thu, 03 May 2012 10:29:12 +0100

The Scream by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch has become the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction after being bought for $119.9m (£74m).

Helsinki rejects Guggenheim museum proposal

Wed, 02 May 2012 23:13:53 +0100

HELSINKI (Reuters) - Helsinki rejected a proposal to build a 140 million euro (113.7 million pounds) Guggenheim museum on the Finnish capital's waterfront, a notice on the city's website said on Wednesday. The Helsinki City Board, a vetting committee of 15 municipal politicians selected to consider proposals for the Helsinki City council, voted eight to seven against putting the Guggenheim project forward for the council's consideration. "The City Board rejects the project" it said on the Helsinki city website under the heading Decision bulletin no. 17. ...

Oscars venue christened The Dolby Theatre

Tue, 01 May 2012 22:26:48 +0100

(Reuters) - When Hollywood rolls out the red carpet in 2013 for filmdom's Academy Awards, the venue will be the same but it will be called The Dolby Theatre. Audio company Dolby Laboratories said on Tuesday that it had purchased naming rights for the 3,400-seat Theatre that up until this year had carried the name of iconic film company, Kodak. CIM Group, which owns the Theatre and adjacent hotel and shopping complex, said Dolby had signed a contract that would be good through 2033. ...

Film, performance, drawings make Turner shortlist

Tue, 01 May 2012 18:20:50 +0100

LONDON (Reuters) - The Tate Britain released a shortlist for the Turner Prize on Tuesday that will bring delight and despair in equal measure to the critics and supporters of modern art's most prestigious and controversial award. The final four chosen to contest the Turner prize included two filmmakers, an artist who mixes painting, film, sculpture and performance and a classic illustrator who makes painstakingly detailed drawings. The four artists named were Spartacus Chetwynd, Luke Fowler, Paul Noble and Elizabeth Price. ...