Puttin’ on the Ritz: The business of selling luxury July 4, 2022 If you are a regular reader of this column, it is a fair bet that you enjoy—or at least have a healthy interest in—what are hoarily known as the finer things in life. I have written about cocktails, tailoring, members’ clubs, cigars, hats and a gallimaufry of luxury-associated subjects, unstinting in my recommendations and preferences. [...]
Live action Halo is finally here – but is it any good? July 4, 2022 A live action adaptation of the Halo game franchise has been in the works almost since the Xbox first launched. Peter Jackson, Guillermo Del Toro and Neill Blomkamp are among the names to have attempted a feature film in the 2000s, while this Steven Spielberg-produced version was first announced in 2013. The series finally arrives [...]
The Black Phone is a creepy reunion for Derrickson and Hawke July 4, 2022 Having acrimoniously parted ways with the Doctor Strange franchise, director Scott Derrickson goes back to his horror roots with The Black Phone, a cleverly pitched movie based on a short story by Joe Hill (the pen name of Stephen King’s son). Set in the late 70s, Mason Thames plays Finney, a young man who becomes [...]
In the Black Fantastic is the most exciting exhibition of the year July 4, 2022 From the moment you enter In the Black Fantastic, the blockbuster new exhibition at the Hayward gallery, you can tell it’s something special. A giant sculpture made up of interlinking forearms stacked to the rafters snakes dramatically across the main concourse; to your left an entire wall is taken up by a kaleidoscopic collage filled [...]
Premier League business ramping up as Jesus becomes Gunner and Phillips heads to Man City July 4, 2022 Two of last week’s most talked about potential Premier League transfers transpired today as Arsenal announced the singing of Gabriel Jesus while Man City confirmed they’d picked up Kalvin Phillips. Brazilian Jesus joins from Manchester City for a fee understood to be £45m and the forward is set wear the No9 shirt occupied by Alexandre [...]
LIV Golf: Branden Grace wins in Portland and banks $4m individual prize July 4, 2022 “S***, this is fun! How good has this been? I’ve never experienced anything like this.” The words of Branden Grace after he banked the $4m prize pot for winning the second LIV Golf Invitational event in Portland, Oregon on Saturday. For the second time in two events, Grace shot a final round 65 – at [...]
Hollie Pearne-Webb: I am still learning how to lead as England hockey captain July 4, 2022 It’s not often you get the chance to reinvent yourself as a captain three years into your tenure, but that’s exactly what England and Great Britain hockey captain Hollie Pearne-Webb is doing as her side begin a World Cup and then head to a home Commonwealth Games. The Pearne-Webb era has been dogged by the [...]
Jones and England on the back foot after Australia loss in Perth July 3, 2022 As the sun set in the Western Australian metropolis of Perth on Saturday, hopes of Eddie Jones’ England team repeating their astonishing 3-0 whitewash of the Wallabies in 2016 faded into the night. Two late tries from Henry Arundell and Jack van Poortvielt ensured the 30-28 losing scoreline was slightly more palatable than it looked [...]
Tour de France: Europol raid 14 locations across Europe for doping claims against Bahrain team July 1, 2022 Pan-European police force Europol confirmed this afternoon that raids which took place in 14 locations across Europe this week are focused on “possible doping allegations of a cycling team participating in the Tour de France”. The European law enforcement agency said it had conducted searches in France, Belgium, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Poland, and Slovenia between [...]
Lewis Hamilton calls for Bernie Ecclestone and Sir Jackie Stewart to be censored after Nelson Piquet’s racial slur July 1, 2022 Formula One legend Lewis Hamilton believes Bernie Ecclestone and Sir Jackie Stewart should be censored, as he declared “enough is enough” after Nelson Piquet’s racial slur. The seven-time world champion was speaking ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix – days after 69-year-old Piquet’s offensive reference to Hamilton emerged from a podcast recorded last November. [...]