Then the divorce took two years and I had to be at court every day.”Nearly two decades of litigation followed (Phil still won’t let her sing her hits on television) but during that time Ronnie found she still had some influential fans. I mention Patti Smith, who duets on the new record, and the energy [...]

Carvalho, after an impressive first year at Stamford Bridge, has struggled to settle in England and his relationship with the manager, Jose Mourinho, has failed to recover after a public row at the start of the season which led to the 27-year-old being fined £100,000. The Premiership champions are also unlikely to take up the [...]

(In practice, on those rare occasions when a complete cycle is performed, the physical demands on performers invariably mean that it’s spread over a week). Twenty years ago, BBC television very successfully broadcast the great Bayreuth centenary Ring under Boulez and Patrice Ch?au, one act at a time over 10 weeks.The Easter Monday broadcast took [...]

“Rolando will play the postino and I will be Pablo Neruda,” Domingo says, smiling – the prospect is clearly a delight. And meanwhile, in partnership with the noted chef Richard Sandoval, Domingo has added to his curriculum vitae an involvement in an international chain of Mexican seafood restaurants.The Il Postino opera is planned for Los [...]

It took the form of gun-heavy lyrics delivered over a backing track that featured a slowed funk sample, heavy with female vocals and synthesisers. Aided and abetted by Snoop Dogg and Warren G, Dre pioneered what would become known as G-funk. Their 1989 album, Straight Outta Compton, released on Ruthless Records, was as successful as [...]