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Netrebko finally breaks Covent Garden curse
The opening night of La Traviata saw the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden on its feet after every act - bewitched by a spellbinding performance by Russian soprano Anna
Netrebko. But since that night two weeks ago the singer, who is being hailed as the next... [continued]
Netrebko sings Donna Anna in Don Giovanni 
Netrebko performs O Mio Babbino Caro
Charles to boycott Beijing Olympics
For years, the Prince of Wales had a relationship with China that was best described as “frosty”. Now, Charles has snubbed the Chinese government by refusing to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Prince Charles has told the human rights campaign group Free... [continued]
In Town Last Night: Patti and Andy Wong see in the Year of the Rat
Surrealism was the theme for Patti and Andy Wong's annual Chinese New Year party last night. This banking-dynasty couple (pictured with designer Roberto Cavalli
above) celebrated the Year of the Rat a couple of weeks early at the County Hall Gallery with suitably artistic flair. Cue a parade of fashion... [continued]
More pictures
Levy signs six-figure deal to tell all
Cherie Blair's memoir isn't the only autobiography due to get under Gordon Brown's skin this autumn. Lord Levy, Tony Blair's former
fundraiser, has signed a six-figure contract with Simon & Schuster to publish a 'warts and all' account of his life as an advisor to Blair's government and the Labour... [continued]
Blair signs book deal - but can he actually write it?
Cherie cashes in on the Blair years
Screen Actors Guild awards honour Day-Lewis and Christie
British actors Daniel Day-Lewis and Julie Christie took the top prizes last night at the annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Hollywood, both inching closer to
Oscars. Day-Lewis won best actor for There Will Be Blood, while Christie, who has hinted that she might now retire from... [continued]
The First Post A-Z of Oscar-nominated films
Oscar nominations: No Country For Old Men tops table
See trailer for No Country For Old Men
See trailer for Away from Her
See trailer for There will be Blood
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In Brief: Taylor-Wood to direct first film
Turner Prize-nominated artist Sam Taylor-Wood, known for her video portrait of a sleeping David Beckham, is to direct her first full-length feature film, an
adaptation of British author Julie Myerson's novel The Story of You... Steve Coogan, whose previous girlfriends include Courtney Love, is said to be... [continued]
Steve Coogan takes Sundance by storm
Bobby Fischer, chess genius, dies
Ledger may have died of heart attack, say police
Police investigating the death of Heath Ledger believe the young actor may have died of a heart attack, and not a drug overdose, it has been reported. TMZ, the celebrity website that
broke the news of the actor's death last Tuesday, quoted sources "intimately connected with the... [continued]
Ledger death: mystery calls to Mary-Kate Olsen
See Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain (clip courtesy of Entertainment Video)
Patricia Cornwell’s real-life love triangle
The American crime writer Patricia Cornwell, best known for her Dr Kay Scarpetta novels, finds herself one of the protagonists in a real-life thriller due to be published in the US. Twisted Triangle tells the story of the lesbian affair that developed in the 1990s between an FBI agent, Margo... [continued]
