Tag Archives: Britain

I just love these. From the Guardian: By now, there is a good chance you have seen the YouTube video of James Corden and Adele singing songs together in a car. Thanks to endless shares and retweets on social media this morning, the video is currently inescapable. About 100,000 people an hour are viewing it. Someone could upload a video …

The Guardian reports: Alan Rickman, one of the best-loved and most warmly admired British actors of the past 30 years, has died in London aged 69. His death was confirmed on Thursday by his family. Rickman had been suffering from cancer. A star whose arch features and languid diction were recognisable across the generations, Rickman found a fresh legion of …

According to statistics just issued by British police agencies, the number of reported Grindr and Tinder-related crimes have soared by 700% in the last two years. Last year Grindr was named in 135 police reports. BT.com reports: The number of alleged crimes potentially involving people’s use of dating apps Tinder and Grindr has increased more than seven-fold in the past …

The Donald is furious about the coming Parliament debate on banning him from UK. The Guardian reports: The US Republican presidential candidate, who became the focus of the petition after his call for Muslims to be banned from entering the US, reacted on Wednesday by saying his organisation had plans to invest more than £200m in the development of his …

Another treat for the Anglophiles. The Verge reports: Netflix is sharing a few new trailers on stage at its CES 2016 keynote, and they’re just starting to hit YouTube for the benefit of viewers who aren’t there in person. The first trailer premiered is for The Crown, a period drama about the British royal family in the 20th century helmed …

The final season of Downton Abbey has already concluded in the UK, but it just launched last night in America. Season 6 picks up in 1925, so there’s hardly any time jump from season five. Dive in and dish the continuing intrigue. British readers, hold your tongues, please.

After more than 500,000 signed a petition calling for Donald Trump to be banned from entering the UK, Parliament is now bound to debate such a move. Today the Cameron administration issued a statement which hints at supporting Trump’s banning. Via the Guardian: The government has responded to a petition calling for Donald Trump to be banned from coming to …

According to just declassified British documents, Margaret Thatcher opposed an early HIV awareness campaign because people would learn that anal sex is a thing. Via the Independent: Documents released by the National Archives show that the then health secretary Norman Fowler proposed in February 1986 to publish full-page adverts in national newspapers explaining that unprotected anal intercourse carried one of …

Via the Guardian: Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, founding member and singer in the British heavy metal band Motörhead, has died at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer. The band announced on their Facebook page that Lemmy learned of the disease on 26 December, and was at home when he died. Lemmy, born Ian Fraser …

The Guardian reports: In a year which saw a series of terrorist atrocities, including in Paris and Tunisia, as well as a refugee crisis in Europe, the Queen has highlighted the “moments of darkness” that confronted the world in her Christmas Day address to the Commonwealth. The mass shootings and bombings that killed 130 in Paris last month, and the …

In her cover story interview with TIME Magazine, Adele looks forward to meeting her toddler son’s future girlfriend OR boyfriend. From the interview: Releasing the biggest album of the year comes along with a demanding promotional schedule, but Adele says having her son Angelo, 3, along for the ride actually helped. “The other day I was saying, ‘Oh God, I’m …

Yes. Squeeze. Via Pop Matters: Legendary English pop band Squeeze released a new album, Cradle to the Grave, on November 27th and it’s their highest charting UK release to date, entering the charts at #12. Just goes to show that pop masters’ talents never dim and the record displays the band’s patented combination of memorable melodies and clever lyrics. “Cradle …

Gone viral and heading for half a million views is this holiday ad for a British hardware chain “where gays and straights can buy drills and so much more.” The deadpan delivery is flummoxing some viewers and others see this commercial as gently mocking gay-inclusive ads from major retailers. Watch below.

Clip recap: “The cast of the popular ITV series Downton Abbey (Michelle Dockery, Hugh Bonneville and Allen Leech) perform a scene of the show, but substituted their British accents for American ones. The stars attempted a twist on the British period drama during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday.” (Tipped by JMG reader Chris)

Well, THAT didn’t take long. The BBC reports: A petition calling for Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump to be barred from entering UK has gathered more than 200,000 names, so MPs will have to consider debating the issue. The petition went on Parliament’s e-petition website on Tuesday. It was posted in response to Mr Trump’s call for a temporary halt …

Homosexuality remains criminalized in 40 Commonwealth nations. Newly-elected Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland wants to do something about that. Via the Independent: A report this month by the Kaleidoscope Trust shows that more than 90 per cent of LGBT Commonwealth citizens live in jurisdictions where they are treated as criminals or suffer discrimination. Testimony from LGBT people in that report …

British rapper and Oscar nominee M.I.A., whom you may best know from her bird-flipping 2012 Super Bowl performance with Madonna, addresses the refugee crisis in the video for her latest single. Newsweek reviews: It’s a visual feat, with striking images depicting hundreds of sullen people perched on boats, scaling fences, walking in the ocean and running across fields, mimicking the …

The Church Of England is threatening to sue a British ad agency for declining to run their “Lord’s Prayer” Christmas ad in cinemas that will be showing Star Wars. According to a policy statement from the agency, they don’t place any political or religious advertising. And of course, Tony Perkins says this is our fault. Via email: The most disturbing …

This is SO great. Vulture recaps: Adele’s sense of humor may not always translate in her songs, but trust us, it’s there even when she’s not drunk-tweeting. During a BBC special that aired in the U.K. on Friday night, Adele appeared in a sketch for Graham Norton — or at least they say that’s Adele. Meet Jenny: an Adele impersonator …

This morning Adele released a live video for the second single from her album, 25, which launches on Friday. Watch below. Her first single from the album debuted at #1 in dozens of countries and broke the record for the most digital downloads in its first week in the US.