Latest news with #YoungTurks
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Lena Dunham 'broke up with New York' and made London her home
Lena Dunham made her name with New York-set sitcom Girls, and at the height of the show's success she seemed to embody everything about living in the city. But now, the writer, director and actor has moved to the UK, swapping NYC for London. Her new show for Netflix, Too Much, takes inspiration from her own move across the pond, casting Megan Stalter as heartbroken New Yorker Jessica looking for a fresh start in London. She soon crosses paths with musician Felix (Will Sharpe) and finds communicating with a Brit holds a whole new set of problems. But what was behind Dunham's own move to the UK as a born-and-bred New Yorker? In May, Dunham wrote about her reasons for "breaking up with New York" in The New Yorker, opening up on how, from childhood, she had found the city's busyness anxiety-inducing. Although her parents loved the city, she admitted she had never felt at home despite having written and starred in Girls, a series where her character Hannah believes she'll find her true self there. She wrote of Girls: "The irony was that the series cemented me, in the minds of everyone I met, as a New York girl through and through. How could they have known that the safest I'd ever felt in New York was either hiding under the covers or pretending to be someone else under klieg lights?" Dunham spent some time living in Wales but eventually migrated to London, where she says she was won over by the spaciousness compared to her home town. She wrote: "Three decades of urban sense memory cleared, as if I had woken up to a system upgrade and damaged files had been erased in the process." Adding that "London is my home now", she said that despite some similarities, London does not "jangle" her in the same way. The move to London was never supposed to be permanent - Dunham expected to leave after a work project ended - but she met her now-husband, Luis Felber, after a mutual friend set them up on a blind date and realised she did not want to take him away from his life in London. In another interview with The New Yorker, Dunham claimed that she fitted in perfectly in England because she is uncomfortable with receiving compliments and "I don't like having 'Happy Birthday' sung to me". Dunham's husband is British-Peruvian musician Luis Felber, who she met in 2021 just after coming to London for a filming project. She was in the UK making the film Catherine Called Birdy, starring Bella Ramsey, when she was introduced to Felber and they worked together on the film's soundtrack. Dunham also shot the music video for one of Felber's songs recorded during lockdown. Felber is one of the founders of the label and club night Young Turks, and has performed as part of various bands and groups, as well as under the name Attawalpa. They made the Netflix sitcom Too Much together, inspired by their own romance. Although Dunham knew she didn't want to star in another TV show she'd written, Too Much takes plenty of inspiration from her own experiences of moving from New York to London and falling in love with a Brit. She told Netflix: "When I first started coming to the UK for work… I thought to myself, 'I want to write something about the experience of being a foreigner here, and the fantasies we have of [London] versus the realities'. Then when I met my husband, Luis, I felt like I was experiencing all of that, but in the context of a relationship." However, while Dunham does have a small part in the show, she isn't the lead, explaining that she was "just not up for having my body dissected again" after her experience of fame on Girls. Asked by The New Yorker whether comparisons would be drawn between her real life and Too Much, she replied: "Totally. I can't escape it. It's about an American woman in London who has had a bad breakup in New York and is confused, meeting a recovering punk musician and trying to figure out if they can make a life together. It's not a huge leap. But I knew from the very beginning I would not be the star of it." Too Much begins streaming on Netflix on Thursday, 10 July.
Irish Independent
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Rod Stewart at Glastonbury: Pop superstar brings some Vegas razzmatazz to Worthy Farm, but it's an odd fit
But his superpower has always been his voice, and at 80 it is starting to show signs of wear and tear. Which is not to suggest he can't sing. Give the old crooner a big ballad and he can still wring every last drop of emotion out of it, especially when floating around in the upper edges of a melody. He's a bit wheezing and breathier than in his prime, but his sense of where his voice can slip and slide through a song is second to none. Signature ballads such as The First Cut is the Deepest and I Don't Want To Talk About It were gorgeous in the afternoon sun. A version of I'd Rather Go Blind dedicated to the late Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac was momentarily stunning, as if the huge occasion had fallen away and we were watching Rod the Mod connect with his beloved soul music in a profound way. But much of the set felt misplaced, as he tried to bring cheesy Vegas razzmatazz to dated pop-rock hits that he no longer has the lung power to fully command. Young Turks was blasted out very fast and quite flat, as if he was straining to sing it in a key out of his natural range. The sentiments of Forever Young are fine, but he needs to sing it better than that to convince us of the merits of growing old disgracefully. It was notable that the vocal energy level shot up when Stewart went off to 'change me shirt and 'ave a cuppa tea' and his trio of female backing vocalists took over for a rip through Proud Mary. I wonder if the occasion actually got a bit too much for him? Which might seem absurd for a performer of Stewart's experience, but he admitted at one point to being 'so excited, I can hardly breathe'. He brought the hits, a slick band, and the desire, but he couldn't quite command a crowd, who only really joined in on the biggest songs, a sing-along of Sailing and a perhaps ironically well-received Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? that Stewart shouted rather than sang. A sign declaring 'Rod you're a plonker' suggested some still needed convincing of his charms. It took the arrival of his old guitar foil Ronnie Wood to really inject some rock spirit as they blasted through a raucous version of the Faces' Stay With Me, before Lulu joined them to charge through a cheesy Hot Legs. It was fun, but I suspect Stewart's ancient guest stars (who included his soundalike Mick Hucknall) don't quite have the wow factor for a younger generation of listeners. There's been a lot of talk about the Middle East, quite rightly so The phrase 'use your platform' has been bandied about a lot this year, as young bands seem to be rediscovering the urge to speak out on issues of the day. Established acts have been less vocal, perhaps more aware of possible career repercussions. Stewart is probably too venerable to worry about reputational risks, and weighed in with: 'There's been a lot of talk about the Middle East, quite rightly so.' But rather than encouraging chants of 'Free Palestine', he dodged to the ironically safer terrain of another war, dedicating a ropey cabaret version of The O'Jays Love Train to 'the Ukraine'. I'm not sure the song's generic universal love sentiments really count as a political statement, but at least he was making an effort to show he was in line with the festival's values. Stewart even brought out festival founder Michael Eavis in a wheelchair to celebrate his 89th 'birthday' (which was actually last October). The bearded old farmer and the pink-suited veteran star looked like a very odd couple, and, in truth, it all felt like a bit of an odd fit − a flashy cabaret in a field rather than a triumphant celebration of a superstar.
Times
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Rod Stewart at Glastonbury review — roguish charm with a touch of the cruise ship
Just after whatever controversy was aroused by Rod Stewart saying 'we should give Farage a chance' in an interview I conducted with him that ran on Saturday, Stewart was carrying on regardless. He came on stage in a glittering tuxedo and white frilly shirt, backed by three blonde backing singers who looked like all his wives put together. Then he proceeded to ensure pure entertainment won through. 'I'm here!' announced Stewart, before adding, possibly in acknowledgement of Glastonbury's inclusive ethos: 'Music brings us together.' And Stewart does have the tunes to bring us together. Some Guys Have All the Luck was a mid-period favourite, while his throaty roar on The First Cut Is the Deepest, a soul classic made famous by PP Arnold, still had the power to cut through everything. • Follow our live coverage of the final night of Glastonbury 2025 There was more than a touch of the cruise ship to it all, with the backing singers in tiny dresses and the string players made up of unusually glamorous women. Still, Stewart does have a roguish charm and he could really bring out the beauty of the songs, not least when he came toward the crowd for Young Turks. It was a little odd to hear Stewart's tale of nocturnal romance in the blazing sun, but that wasn't his fault and at 80 he still brought out the emotion. 'How was that one?,' he asked. The answer was: pretty good. 'There's been a lot about the Middle East, but I'd like to draw your attention to Ukraine,' said Stewart before a cover of the O'Jays' Love Train, but it was his own standards that made the set come alive. You Wear it Well was a lovely reminder of his ragged early Seventies glory days, while Maggie May, his tale of a teenaged one-night stand with an older woman, was lovely. • Rod Stewart: 'We've got to give Nigel Farage a chance' It was also dated. ''Allo girls!,' he shouted as the backing singers came forward for Young Hearts Run Free, while a rendition of Lady Marmalade began to look like a scene from the Playboy mansion. But nobody expects Rod Stewart to be edgy, and when he started kicking footballs into the crowd during Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?, the cheesiness slipped into the sublime. Besides, Stewart's voice remained incredible, this was the singalong slot, and everyone sang along to Baby Jane. Finally, Ronnie Wood came on for the Faces' rollicking classic Stay with Me and Lulu duetted on Hot Legs. If people were upset about Stewart's endorsement of Nigel Farage, they didn't show it. This was showbiz, right down to the swaying finale of Sailing. ★★★☆☆ Follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
Times
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Rod Stewart, Glastonbury review: roguish charm with a touch of the cruise ship
Just after whatever controversy was aroused by Rod Stewart saying 'we should give Farage a chance' in an interview I conducted with him that ran on Saturday, Stewart was carrying on regardless. He came on stage in a glittering tuxedo and white frilly shirt, backed by three blonde backing singers who looked like all his wives put together. Then he proceeded to ensure pure entertainment won through. 'I'm here!' announced Stewart, before adding, possibly in acknowledgement of Glastonbury's inclusive ethos: 'Music brings us together.' And Stewart does have the tunes to bring us together. Some Guys Have All the Luck was a mid-period favourite, while his throaty roar on The First Cut Is the Deepest, a soul classic made famous by PP Arnold, still had the power to cut through everything. There was more than a touch of the cruise ship to it all, with the backing singers in tiny dresses and the string players made up of unusually glamorous women. Still, Stewart does have a roguish charm and he could really bring out the beauty of the songs, not least when he came toward the crowd for Young Turks. It was a little odd to hear Stewart's tale of nocturnal romance in the blazing sun, but that wasn't his fault and at 80 he still brought out the emotion. 'How was that one?,' he asked. The answer was: pretty good. • Rod Stewart: 'We've got to give Nigel Farage a chance' 'There's been a lot about the Middle East, but I'd like to draw your attention to Ukraine,' said Stewart before a cover of the O'Jays' Love Train, but it was his own standards that made the set come alive. You Wear it Well was a lovely reminder of his ragged early Seventies glory days, while Maggie May, his tale of a teenaged one-night stand with an older woman, was lovely. It was also dated. ''Allo girls!,' he shouted as the backing singers came forward for Young Hearts Run Free, while a rendition of Lady Marmalade began to look like a scene from the Playboy mansion. But nobody expects Rod Stewart to be edgy, and when he started kicking footballs into the crowd during Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?, the cheesiness slipped into the sublime. Besides, Stewart's voice remained incredible, this was the singalong slot, and everyone sang along to Baby Jane. Finally, Ronnie Wood came on for the Faces' rollicking classic Stay with Me and Lulu duetted on Hot Legs. If people were upset about Stewart's endorsement of Nigel Farage, they didn't show it. This was showbiz, right down to the swaying finale of Sailing. ★★★☆☆ Follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
LeMonde
22-06-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
Historian Vincent Duclert: 'Focusing on whether genocide is taking place in Gaza is counterproductive'
As a genocide specialist, I am often asked whether genocide is taking place in Gaza. Faced with the same question during his interview on French network TF1 on Tuesday, May 13, President Emmanuel Macron said it was for historians to say, and mentioned my work on the Armenian genocide and my report from the commission that investigated France's role in the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda. Why is such precedence given to historians on an issue that is, first and foremost, a matter of law? The dual identification of genocide and the crime it defines was the work of Polish law expert Raphael Lemkin, a former prosecutor in Warsaw whose family was exterminated by the Nazis. He narrowly escaped the Holocaust and managed to take refuge in the United States. There, in 1943, he completed the book that defines the crime of genocide through the study of the fate of Jews in Axis-occupied Europe. He also drew on knowledge of the extermination of Armenians by the Unionist Young Turks in the Ottoman Empire. To reach this definition that matched the scale of genocidal enterprise, Lemkin worked as a historian. The concept of genocide as defined by international justice in 1945 thus established a link with the earlier history of the Armenian genocide. There is a mutual and often decisive contribution between historians and law experts. Several historians, including Israelis, and law experts have concluded that a genocide has been committed by the State of Israel. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) warned on January 26, 2024, of a "real and imminent risk of irreparable harm" under the charge of genocide. The International Criminal Court (ICC), meanwhile, has since November 21, 2024, been prosecuting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif (now dead) for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
