Women’s FA Cup final: Attendance record smashed as 30,000 fans watch Chelsea beat Notts County August 1, 2015 Chelsea Ladies beat Notts County Ladies 1-0 in front of the biggest crowd ever gathered for a Women's FA Cup final. Read more: Meet Claire Rafferty, the City analyst making history with England and Chelsea Ji So-Yun scored the only goal of the game as Chelsea won their first Women's FA Cup in front of over [...]
New Arsenal contract puts Theo Walcott alongside Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil as Premier League’s joint seventh best paid player July 31, 2015 Theo Walcott's salary will match Arsenal teammates Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, after he signed a new four-year contract worth around £30m. Read more: Arsenal 2014/2015 player stats – how does Theo Walcott compare against the rest of the Arsenal squad? The Gunners have given the England international an estimated £140,000 a week (£7.3m a [...]
Film review: Beyond the Reach July 31, 2015 Cert 12a | ★★☆☆☆ Michael Douglas’ career renaissance continues, this time as an ill-intentioned businessman on a hunting trip in the Mojave desert. When the accidental killing of an old man puts his career in jeopardy, he sets sights on his young tracker (Jeremy Irvine). The tension steadily builds during the first 30 minutes. Once [...]
Film review: Hot Pursuit is predictable but charming July 31, 2015 Cert 12a | ★★★☆☆ Dirty cops, drug cartels and killer stilettos – Hot Pursuit doesn’t deal in subtlety and that’s fine. It’s not edgy, smart or even particularly original but it is redeemed by the comic chemistry between Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara. Set in Texas, Witherspoon plays uptight and rules-obsessed police officer Cooper. After [...]
Theatre review: Three Days in the Country July 31, 2015 Lyttelton Theatre | ★★★☆☆ If Three Days in the Country was written by Chekhov, the whole cast would have killed themselves by the second day and there’d just be a creaking door on the third day, swinging open and shut to the distant cry of seagulls. Happily, it’s written by one of his contemporaries, Tergenev, [...]
Sinatra: The Man & His Music – theatre review July 31, 2015 London Palladium | ★★☆☆☆ Sinatra: The Man & His Music is the hideous offspring of a multimedia museum “experience” and Strictly Come Dancing. Attempts to cash in on the great crooner were almost inevitable in his centenary year, but this lazily-executed act of technological necromancy could appeal only to the least critical of fans. Sinatra’s [...]
Beijing beats Almaty bid to host 2022 Winter Olympics – despite lack of snow July 31, 2015 Beijing will become the first city to host both the summer and winter Olympic Games, after beating a bid from Kazakhstan's Almaty to the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. Read more: Almost no-one is interested in hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics A small majority of the 84 voting members of the International Olympic [...]
Film review: Is Rogue Nation the best Mission Impossible film yet? July 31, 2015 Cert 12a | ★★★★☆ Four years after the success of Ghost Protocol, Tom Cruise returns for a fifth outing as agent Ethan Hunt. With the IMF closed down and his own government on his tail, he must race across the globe to try and uncover The Syndicate, a network of former international operatives led [...]
Community Shield: Should Chelsea and Arsenal fans be bothered? Here’s what history tells us July 31, 2015 Arsenal and Chelsea fans should keep their emotions in check when watching this year's Community Shield – history shows the result has no sway on the final outcome of the final Premier League table. Read more: Wenger at odds with old foe Mourinho over Hazard Of course, the chance to beat a London rival at Wembley [...]
Community Shield looks Arsene Wenger’s best chance of beating Jose Mourinho July 31, 2015 Aside from a bit of pride if you’re on the wrong end of a thrashing, there is very little for Chelsea or Arsenal to lose from the Community Shield on Sunday – but there is plenty to gain. If you win, you celebrate – it’s always nice to start the new campaign with a [...]