As investors continue to struggle for returns, is purchasing fine art a sensible alternative? June 21, 2012 YES Philip Mould There is a difference between investment and speculation in art. Speculation is about the hunt for the next Damien Hirst. It involves looking into the shop window – meeting dealers and attending sales to find an artist that will, with luck, excel in the next generation, and for which you are now [...]
RAPID RESPONSES June 21, 2012 Modest proposals [Re: We need a flat tax with no loopholes to reduce avoidance, yesterday] There’s a strong argument for saying that, considering the incompetence of successive British governments in spending tax revenues, legally minimising tax contributions is actually the most ethical option for British taxpayers. Edward Fox The easiest and most effective way to [...]
Family melodrama is a sheer joy June 21, 2012 THEATRE LAST OF THE HAUSSMANS National Theatre ***** The scene is a grotty but desirable house on the Devon coast, decked in Indian blankets, hippy memorabilia and booze bottles. Onto this set appears the rake-thin, sexy Helen McCrory, playing edgy single mother Libby; her newly arrived ex-junkie brother Nick, endearingly played by Rory Kinnear, and [...]
Where to lunch June 21, 2012 For those in the know, it’s now de rigueur to opt for afternoon tea over lunch for business meetings – it’s both less formal and less expensive. Everybody knows establishments like The Wolseley, The Ritz and The Langham but if you want to impress your clients or colleagues with something more off the beaten path, [...]
One Abe struggles to overcome silliness as another battles against grinding cynicism June 21, 2012 FILM DARK HORSE Cert 15 *** Dark Horse takes the indie template dragged into the mainstream by films like Juno and Superbad, removes the Hollywood niceties and replaces them with a bleakly funny desperation. Abe is an overweight man-child who collects ThunderCats dolls and still lives with his parents. He’s the kind of guy nobody [...]
Think Like A Man is a refreshingly original take on a tired formula June 21, 2012 FILM THINK LIKE A MAN Cert 12A **** Another rom-com adaptation of a self-help dating book? Once your eyes return from their deep roll, the chances are you will snort, spit or sneer. But – despite adding to a genre that’s defined by mediocrity (see: He’s Just Not That Into You) – Think Like a [...]
England and Italy look set to go the distance June 21, 2012 ENGLAND ITALY Sunday – 7.45pm BBC One THE 2012 European Championships have been highly entertaining so far but, going into the quarter-finals, there isn’t one team that you could say is a certainty to win it. Germany, the only nation to emerge with a 100 per cent record from the first round, have been most [...]
Moonlight Cloud might be the only one who can live with Black Caviar June 21, 2012 I HAVE never seen a display like the one Frankel put in on Tuesday, and I very much doubt I ever will again. We are extremely lucky to have him and the pressure is now on Black Caviar to deliver in tomorrow’s Diamond Jubilee Stakes (3.45pm). Peter Moody’s wonder mare is unbeaten in 21 starts [...]
Newfangled and Astrology set to brighten up gloomy Ascot June 21, 2012 This afternoon’s Coronation Stakes (3.45pm) looks wide open now that Maybe has been pulled out due to a stone bruise, and 11 fillies are set to go to post. They include the winners of both the English and Irish 1000 Guineas, not to mention French raider Bugie D’Amore, and the potentially exciting Cardigan. However, it [...]
Parker warns England over Italy danger man Balotelli June 20, 2012 ENGLAND midfielder Scott Parker has warned team-mates they will have to stop his old foe Mario Balotelli if they are to overcome Italy on Sunday and reach the semi-finals of the European Championship. Tottenham’s Parker and Balotelli, of Manchester City, clashed last season in the Premier League when the Italian earned a four-game ban for [...]
