Uncategorized

Why Americans love the Fringe

‘It’s like the Olympics of performing’ says Los Angeles-based comedian Greta Titelman on the Fringe’s reputation over the pond. ‘It’s a big honour – but you will likely have a mental breakdown at some point during your run.’ Like over 350 US-based acts this year, Greta has opted to spend August in Scotland’s capital at the largest arts festival in the world. With just over 3,500 shows in total at this year’s Fringe, Americans are well over-represented. But appeals to them about the Fringe? ‘My show is about sex, and luckily, you people have sex too’ ‘I have been working on my hour for years and I feel finally mentally and emotionally prepared

Harry Kane should have gone to Saudi Arabia

It’s official, folks: Harry Kane is off to Germany. England’s captain this morning joined Bayern Munich for an initial £86.4 million. The 30-year-old will sign a four-year contract. The Germans are understandably excited. In the UK, though, most football fans were left scratching their heads. Bayern Munich? Why? Kane could have gone to Saudi Arabia and played alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane Some will say they’re a club with a loyal fanbase and a strong history. Yes, but the same can be said of Leeds United and Celtic, so don’t pull that card. If this were the year 2000, Kane’s move would make complete sense. But this

Two tips for Ascot’s Shergar Cup meeting

Amid the fun and games that always accompanies the Shergar Cup meeting at Ascot, there is at least one horse that goes to the Berkshire track on a deadly serious mission. Connections of PRYDWEN are hoping he can win the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers handicap (tomorrow, 2.10 p.m.) for two reasons. Four teams of three jockeys compete for a trophy with points awarded for all of the six races based on the finishing position of the horses First, the two-mile contest is worth nearly £40,000, a nice enough pot in itself, but, more importantly, victory would mean the horse incurred a 4lbs penalty for the Sky Bet Ebor Handicap

The unbearable smugness of Bill Maher

Bill Maher has many fans. But no one is a bigger fan of Bill Maher than Bill Maher. His smugness is as apparent as it is nauseating. That self-satisfied grin, forever etched on his face, gets on my nerves. I’m sure I’m not alone. Twenty years ago, Maher, the human equivalent of Marmite, made his first appearance on HBO. Since then, his show, Real Time with Bill Maher, has grown in popularity – and for good reason. It’s a great show. Good comedians must be able to poke fun at themselves, not just members of the audience. Maher obviously never got the memo Not necessarily because of Maher, but more because

What teachers really do over the summer holidays

Already we’re deep in the school summer holidays. Hell for parents, who still have to keep their kids occupied for weeks on end; heaven for teachers, with all those weeks off. The biggest danger with so much time off is that, after a few weeks, your brain becomes addled For those of us fortunate enough to teach in independent schools, the holidays began on 1 July, which by now seems an age ago and we don’t go back to school until September. Two whole months off, on full pay. Long enough to forget about troublesome teenagers; long enough to dream dreams of new careers. A sense of space and peace

How Cuba was overthrown as the cigar capital of the world

A reputation for excellence has long maintained the status of everything from French wines to Scottish tweed – but globalisation has disproved the myth that the best of any particular product can only come from one country. Cuba is no longer seen as the source of the finest cigars thanks to the increasing dominance of its near neighbour, the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic’s cigar-producing boom can be traced back to 1959 when the revolution in Cuba – then by far the world’s leading cigar exporter – led to the nationalisation of industry This year, Habanos SA – the Havana-based business that oversees all Cuban cigar sales – reported 2022