31 h. ago ‘Are the neighbours’ curtains twitching? Good!’ Avril A, the 80s housewife who became a star of Manchester’s gay scene

She sang out of tune, her choreography was bizarre – and everyone who saw her loved her. As her superb music is rereleased, her family and fans recall a subcultural greatWhen Joanne Rosenthal was a kid in Manchester, gatherings of her religious Jewish family were enlivened by the presence of her uncle’s eccentric wife. “Mad eye makeup; larger than life. You’d say to her: ‘Auntie Avril, can I give you some more chicken?’ And she’d say: ‘Go on, Joanne, my punters love me with a bit of meat on.’ Hang on, what are you talking about, your punters?”There would be other “tantalising references to her career on stage” besides, but no further info. “Everyone’s sitting there at Passover or Jewish New Year and no one asks any follow-up questions!” Rosenthal continues. “It’s like everyone accepts that Auntie Avril is this subversive presence. When I told her I was getting into music, she said: ‘Quit school, join a band, get on the road, never look back – you won’t regret it.’ It was a very humd...

Culture

1 week ago From Jewish housewife to gay bar icon: The life and times of one 'larger than life' Manchester performer

'She was the first person to admit that she wasn’t conventionally talented - she was ridiculous, she was outrageous and just the embodiment of camp'

Politics

2 w. ago Meghan Markle shares sweet unseen photo of Lilibet and Archie enjoying a DisneyLand party complete with Little Mermaid cake for Princess' birthday

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, and her husband Prince Harry, 41, took their two children to the popular destination in June, ahead of appearing in a 20/20 special about the famed resort.

Politics

2 w. ago Robert Redford’s death renews search for suspect in murder of daughter’s boyfriend

FBI announces $10,000 reward to find suspect who disappeared after Sid Wells was fatally shot in 1983The recent death of Robert Redford brought renewed interest to an unresolved search for a murder suspect – the one accused of killing the boyfriend of the acclaimed actor’s daughter in Colorado decades earlier.As local outlets recounted in the aftermath of Redford’s death, his daughter Shauna was attending the University of Colorado Boulder when her boyfriend and fellow student, Sid Wells, was fatally shot in his apartment. Redford was gearing up to film his classic The Natural at the time of the 1 August 1983 murder, yet he was at his daughter’s side in the wake of Wells’ death and was present for his funeral. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Skinner and Slegers pay tribute to Beard after Manchester United hold Arsenal

Managers Marc Skinner and Renée Slegers paid tribute to the warmth and “larger-than-life character” of Matt Beard after their teams Manchester United and Arsenal played out a goalless draw on a sombre afternoon for the Women’s Super League.Less than 24 hours after the news of the death of the former Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham United manager Beard, at the age of 47, late on Saturday evening, there was a moment’s silence held before kick-off. Manchester United and Arsenal’s supporters then spontaneously applauded on 47 minutes, with the travelling Arsenal fans displaying the words “We love you Beardy” on handheld signs, and after the game, both managers’ thoughts were clearly primarily with Beard’s loved ones. Continue reading...

Sport

2 w. ago Al Pacino on Dog Day Afternoon at 50: ‘It plays more today than it even did then’

The 85-year-old actor talks the legacy of his stirring 1975 drama, his love of YouTube, fake death rumours and why he won’t discuss politicsThe lions of 1970s cinemas are now lions in winter. “I’m so sad about Redford,” says Al Pacino, a day after the death of Robert Redford, his fellow octogenarian actor. “I liked him so much. He was such a sweetheart.”Perhaps it is because he is currently filming King Lear that Pacino is preoccupied with our collective crawl toward death. He recently rewatched his younger self in Dog Day Afternoon, a Hollywood classic that celebrates its 50th anniversary on Sunday, and was struck by how many of the cast are now gone. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago As Hollywood mourns Robert Redford, why do we still struggle with the idea of male beauty? | Jason Okundaye

The superstar never wanted to be a sex symbol. But we don’t have a language to discuss what great beauty can feel like for menRobert Redford, who died this week at the age of 89, was, as well as being one of Hollywood’s brightest stars both in front of and behind the camera, graced with “all-American good looks [that] couldn’t be ignored” as the BBC wrote. Breaking through in the “new Hollywood” era, his luscious blond curls, defined jawline and gentle, charming smile provided him the typical pretty-boy advantages that beauty offers for a career in entertainment, though his talent and zest for acting pushed him further still.It was his role as the gunslinging, sharpshooting Sundance Kid in 1969, alongside the more established Paul Newman, which propelled him to fame – though the film’s creator, William Goldman, had dismissed Redford as “just another California blond throw a stick at Malibu, you’ll hit six of him”. Yet what comes through about Redford in the commentary and obituaries...

Politics

2 w. ago Mel Gibson hints at return to film in Scotland as Braveheart turns 30

The Hollywood icon reacted positively to the news that his iconic Braveheart film has inspired the building of the Stirling Studio complex on the 30th anniversary of the blockbuster film.

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Always the coolest, calmest man in the room’: friends and film

Everybody loved Robert Redford. Directors and co-stars including Ralph Fiennes, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Judd Hirsch, Norman Reedus and F Murray Abraham explain whyJames Vanderbilt (Truth, 2015) Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago The unsolved family murder that haunted Robert Redford for decades... as police reveal 'new evidence' on 'killer' who is STILL one of America's most wanted

Hollywood icon Robert Redford's death has reignited interest in a 40-year-old case involving his daughter Shauna and the mystery of how the suspect vanished.

Events

2 w. ago The unsolved murder that haunted Robert Redford for decades... and the 'killer' who is still one of America's most wanted

Hollywood icon Robert Redford's death has reignited interest in a 40-year-old case involving his daughter Shauna and the mystery of how the suspect vanished.

Events

2 w. ago How Robert Redford redefined menswear on – and off – the screen

The late actor was a paragon of masculine cool and a sartorial chameleon, able to take any aesthetic trope and make it shine with easy authenticityThe pantheon of men’s style icons is surprisingly compact. There are scores of uniquely handsome and stylish actors, pop stars, sportsmen – but when it comes to their decades-long influence and a sense of permanence unaffected by trends in fashion, three square-jawed American boys next door stand out: Paul Newman, Steve McQueen – and Robert Redford, who died yesterday at 89.Redford’s death is, obviously, a loss to cinema. In the latter half of the 20th century, few actors so roundly embodied the soul of American film-making, or perhaps even the US itself. During a decade-long, career-defining run of hit movies, Redford established the archetype of the modern leading man. He was impossibly handsome and warmly charismatic, of course, but also scrappy, soulful, athletic, bookishly intelligent and politically aware. A matinee idol who could f...

Politics

2 w. ago Robert Redford's funeral plans organized by his wife revealed

The Out Of Africa star, who died in Utah in his sleep, 'left specific instructions for a simple, family-only funeral,' claimed the site. He died Tuesday at the age of 89.

Politics

2 w. ago Robert Redford’s grandchildren honor ‘larger than life’ film icon with unseen photos

Acting and directing legend died in his sleep at the age of 89

Culture

3 w. ago Robert Redford connection to iconic meme found as fans all make same mistake

Robert Redford passed away this week at the age of 89, and although his acting and directing career spanned decades, some have realised they know him from somewhere else

Politics

3 w. ago Robert Redford was a 'kind man' who loved hikes near San Francisco but had a 'deep sadness' after son died 5 years ago, say locals

'Tere was an intense sadness to him after his son died a few years ago. Bob talked about how much he missed his son, it was a heartbreaking thing for him,' added the waiter in Tiburon, California.

Events

3 w. ago With the Sundance Film Festival and filmmaker labs, Robert Redford brought change to cinema

Robert Redford, who died Tuesday at 89, transformed the film industry with the Sundance Institute and Film Festival

Culture

3 w. ago Robert Redford death latest: All the President’s Men reporter Bob Woodward hails ‘noble’ actor

‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ actor died at his home in Utah, his publicist confirmed

Events

3 w. ago ‘A dolphin among sharks’: Robert Redford, a beautiful man and a decent human being

People remember the human side of the ‘dazzling’ film star, who was kind and wise and lived a dignified lifeRobert Redford, giant of American cinema, dies aged 89I met Bob in 1984 after he finished Out of Africa through a mutual friend in Malibu, and subsequently began to work for him and became friends. At that time he was establishing Sundance and distancing himself from Hollywood. He was a dolphin among sharks. He was the most kind and wise person one could ever know in this life.Lex, Joshua Tree, CA Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘A dolphin among sharks’: readers pay tribute to Robert Redford, a great movie star and decent human being

People remember the human side of the ‘dazzling’ film star, who was kind and wise and lived a dignified lifeRobert Redford, giant of American cinema, dies aged 89I met Bob in 1984 after he finished Out of Africa through a mutual friend in Malibu, and subsequently began to work for him and became friends. At that time he was establishing Sundance and distancing himself from Hollywood. He was a dolphin among sharks. He was the most kind and wise person one could ever know in this life.Lex, Joshua Tree, CA Continue reading...

Politics