11.02.16: TAKE THAT!
After 17 No 1 hits, pop world domination, an acrimonious split and dewy-eyed reunion, the phenomenally successful boy-turned-manband Take That were finally crowned best British group at the Brit awards, 21 years after their first performance on the cheesy late-night TV show The Hitman & Her.
Winners
British male solo artist: Plan B
British female solo artist: Laura Marling
British breakthrough act: Tinie Tempah
British group: Take That
British single: Pass Out by Tinie Tempah
MasterCard British album of the year: Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons
International male solo artist: Cee Lo Green
International female solo artist: Rihanna
International breakthrough act: Justin Bieber
International group: Arcade Fire
International album: The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
Critics’ Choice: Jessie J
11.02.11: CAN MERLY STREEP EVER REALLY SELL DOWDY?
The first still of The Iron Lady has been released and Streep has made a stellar effort to transform into Margaret Thatcher’s doppleganger. Working once more with Mamma Mia! director Phyllida Lloyd the film tells the tale of, “a woman who smashed through the barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male-dominated world. The story concerns power and the price that is paid for power, and is a surprising and intimate portrait of an extraordinary and complex woman.” Or in clearer terms, the movie looks at Thatcher’s life and her reaction to the Falklands War in 1982.
“The prospect of exploring the swathe cut through history by this remarkable woman is a daunting and exciting challenge,” Streep said. “I am trying to approach the role with as much zeal, fervor and attention to detail as the real Lady Thatcher possesses — I can only hope my stamina will begin to approach her own!”
Rounding out the cast are Jim Broadbent as husband Denis Thatcher, and Richard E Grant playing fellow Conservative politician Michael Heseltine.