OUT THIS WEEKEND PREVIEWS August 6, 2009 FILM MESRINE: KILLER INSTINCT Vincent Cassell stars in part one of this French gangster biopic. ADAM Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne star in a film about a relationship between two outsiders. MEGA SHARK VS GIANT OCTOPUS The race for next year’s Oscars starts here. DVD17 AGAIN Zac Efron stars as a man who finds himself [...]
Pumping it up for the summer August 6, 2009 THE tricky question of what footwear a chap should sport with his shorts raises its head every summer, and never gets properly resolved (though there’s one iron rule – leave those socks in the drawer, daddio). This year it’s all about the new breed of plimsolls, the sports shoe that’s been brought back from the [...]
How to create a stylish home study August 6, 2009 YOU know that extra room in your flat that’s too small to be a bedroom but too big to waste on storage alone? That’s the room you should really get round to turning into an office. And, with the rise of technology that enables you to work from home more easily, this is the time [...]
Redevelopment makes Croydon a property hotspot August 6, 2009 WITH most parts of the country in the property doldrums at the moment, there are not too many places that look like clever investments. One that is bucking the trend is Croydon, which will be the next UK city to undergo a serious regeneration. There are plans to inject £3.5bn into the city over the [...]
FOCUS ON: PURLEY, SURREY August 6, 2009 AMBERHURST, 12 SILVER LANE, CR8 3HGPrice: £2.85mSet among park-like grounds on the Webb Estate conservation area, this imposing seven-bedroom house also comes with an annexe. The main bedroom has a dressing room, en suite and leads out onto a balcony. There are also seven reception rooms all of which have superb views and large windows. [...]
How the Russian oligarchs came to rise and reign in boomtime London August 5, 2009 LONDONGRADBY MARK HOLLINGSWORTH AND STEWART LANSLEYFourth Estate, £12.99ONE of the most visible signs of the times over the past few years has been the increasing Russification of London. The likes of Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club, Oleg Deripaska, who made headlines when he entertained the then-EU trade minister Peter Mandelson and shadow [...]
OUT OF OFFICE August 5, 2009 JAZZ AT VIVAT BACCHUSClerkenwell dwellers not content with food and fine wine should pop along to Vivat Bacchus in Farringdon this Saturday, where jazz pianist Jason Thompson (who has entertained the likes of Bill Clinton and Michael Douglas) will be in situ with his group, the JT Band. The food and wine here is always [...]
The breakfast club August 5, 2009 BREAKFAST has been creeping in to business culture for years. But let’s be honest – a couple years ago the preferred way of discussing important work matters was over beef bourguignon, a cheese plate and a couple of bottles of Burgundy. Those who opted instead for morning meetings were known as “power breakfasters”. Now, thanks [...]
Small but perfectly formed August 4, 2009 THE FACTS:MINI JCW CONVERTIBLE6-SPEEDMANUAL PRICE: £23,4700-62MPH: 6.9secsTOP SPEED: 146mph (limited)CO2 G/KM: 169g/kmMPG COMBINED: 39.8 THE Met office came in for flak last week after admitting its forecast for a “barbecue summer” was just a little wide of the mark. Darn that jet stream. Well, I’ve come to learn during my road-testing years that waiting for [...]
Why the triathlon has become the ultimate water-cooler competition August 3, 2009 ON A NORMAL weekend you’re more likely to encounter tumbleweed in Docklands than serious signs of human activity. It might have been a bit of a shock this Sunday, then, to have seen 13,000 people swarming into the water at Royal Victoria docks, climbing out to run 10km and then cycling to Westminster and back. [...]