All this fucking racist poison about Birmingham. And all the wonderful things you can do in Birmingham. Go to the Barber. Go to the cathedral. Go and eat some of the most amazing Baltis you'll ever have. Go and eat some of the most amazing Caribbean food. Do these twats even *like* this country?

Has to be Nigel Blackwell, no?

My ex- neighbour had a sticker that said “Sadiq Khan is not my mayor “. And he was right because we lived in Kent.

Know someone who's Bollywood-curious? Filmi Ladies is starting a 5-part series for beginners, with 2 recommendations per episode. First up: Jab We Met and Paheli. youtu.be/d6z8yCQSIT4?...

Yes, yes I know I keep banging on about my fucking book! However, if you want one repost this and I’ll do a random winner pick thing by the end of the week because I’m great like that. ♥️📚 #amindofmyown

On Justin Tipping's HIM, now showing: tinyurl.com/ycyp5z2f

On THE SMASHING MACHINE (now showing), which - contra first impressions - may just be the most perverse Safdie endeavour yet: tinyurl.com/5n835up5

An excellent night on BBC Four tonight, with several examples of early BBC programming for the South Asian community: www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p0...

The funniest moment in the generally quite sad new Ozzy Osbourne doc ("No Escape from Now", Paramount+, from Tuesday) is when a desperately frail OO, months away from taking his final bow, tells daughter Kelly "it could be worse... I could have been Sting".

On HOMEBOUND and THEY CALL HIM O.G., the reissued THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN and AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER [below], plus the weekend charts and picks: tinyurl.com/2atsxbkk

On HOMEBOUND and THEY CALL HIM O.G., the reissued THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN and AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER [below], plus the weekend charts and picks: tinyurl.com/2atsxbkk

Three unseen breakers from tonight's #TOTP double-bill. First, Jean-Michel Jarre and Apollo 440's World Cup '98 collab (didn't really cut through the beery fug of Fat Les and Three Lions redux, but it's sort of fun): youtu.be/Bxc_rzRnpY4?...

On last week's UK chart: new entries from Lola Young, Lewis Capaldi and Raye. theeartrumpet.substack.com/p/week-39-se...

On the current Telugu hit THEY CALL HIM O.G., now showing: tinyurl.com/yekya3uz

David Cross folks.

On this week's other must-see, Neeraj Ghaywan's HOMEBOUND (which could itself have been called ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER): tinyurl.com/3h39js4f

On 1957's THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, returning to UK screens from Thursday: tinyurl.com/58ceujvv

By way of a heads-up - the terrific JOYLAND debuts on Film4 tonight at 12.35am as part of C4's latest Asian film season. Earlier thoughts: tinyurl.com/y6hp4pyz

On ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER [below], HAMILTON, STEVE, THE SOUND OF MUSIC at 60 and BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN at 100, plus a Stuart Craig obituary and the weekend charts and picks: tinyurl.com/2atsxbkk

On ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER [below], HAMILTON, STEVE, THE SOUND OF MUSIC at 60 and BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN at 100, plus a Stuart Craig obituary and the weekend charts and picks: tinyurl.com/2atsxbkk

On this week's UK chart - new entries from Sheeran, Twenty One Pilots, Jade and Gorillaz ft. Sparks: theeartrumpet.substack.com/p/week-38-se...

Captain Sir Keir's Poll Tax.

Watched twice already today all because of @ricardoautobahn.co.uk - released forty years ago today, got to no.2 in the Billboard chart. And in some movie trivia, in Beverly Hills Cop II, when Foley visits the gun club, he uses the cover name Richard James, a nod to Rick James who produced the song.

My Telegraph obit of production designer Stuart Craig, who died earlier this month: www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2...

On the instructive failure(s) of Tim Mielants' STEVE, now showing: tinyurl.com/yvypxzhy

Anyway, who wants to see a photo Paul McCartney took of George Harrison wearing not one but TWO top hats?

On THE SOUND OF MUSIC, back in cinemas aged sixty: tinyurl.com/ysu6f42n

Coverage of the Charlie Kirk Funeral begins today at 2pm on ABC, all Disney apps, Hulu, and Corncob TV

On GHOST TRAIL, QUEEN OF THE RING [below] and THE SHEPHERD CODE: ROAD BACK, plus the weekend charts and picks: tinyurl.com/2atsxbkk

On the BFI's centenary reissue of BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN, with the Pet Shop Boys score: tinyurl.com/yc2cw852

Some unseen breakers from tonight's #TOTP, starting with Chumbawamba's France '98 song. The FA originally had it as their first choice for that year's England squad; the band didn't want to ascribe it to a particular nationality. (Hence "England United" 🙄) youtu.be/f9-erfd5hxI?...

please write the "comedy foreigner" out of the paper s2 please write the "comedy foreigner" out of the paper s2 please write the "comedy foreigner" out of the paper s2 please write the "comedy foreigner" out of the paper s2

On GHOST TRAIL, QUEEN OF THE RING [below] and THE SHEPHERD CODE: ROAD BACK, plus the weekend charts and picks: tinyurl.com/2atsxbkk

Scholars of television as a reflector of reality: the tone of last night's DAILY SHOW is fascinating. youtu.be/_GXNJ3V9lzg?...

On Jonathan Millet's thriller GHOST TRAIL, opening tomorrow: tinyurl.com/mrcnzbby

Talk about accelerationism. www.odeon.co.uk/films/face-o...

On this week's UK pop charts - new releases from Gaga, Sabrina, Tame Impala and her from Evanescence: theeartrumpet.substack.com/p/week-37-se...

Everyone moves up a slot on the Most Handsome Living Man list now.

I used to work near Google HQ and a few of the google crew tried to wear the original Google Glass recording specs to our local pub. They were asked to leave and called “Glassholes” by other drinkers.

On THE SHEPHERD CODE: ROAD BACK, opening Friday: www.theguardian.com/film/2025/se...

On period wrestling saga QUEEN OF THE RING, opening Friday: www.theguardian.com/film/2025/se...

Wow. Kudos to the organisers (and the victor) for not being huffy and recognising the protesters have a point. (Also strikes me that, as with Eurovision, there's an obvious way to avoid future disruption. Whether cycling will take that route is another matter.) www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/s...

Stay optimistic. Be as optimistic as a perfumier persisting with Johnny Depp as the face of their product in the year 2025.

Hi, my name is Stereo Mike. The unseen breakers from this past Friday's #TOTP 1998 reruns include the lowly first appearance - at #34 - of Bran Van 3000's ever-marvellous, ever-mysterious "Drinking in L.A." (it dropped out and came back bigger than ever the following year). youtu.be/OQsQZvsR_QI?...

On THE LONG WALK, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST and LOKAH CHAPTER ONE: CHANDRA, plus THE MODERNS [below] on demand, a Jacques Charrier obit and the weekend charts and picks: tinyurl.com/2atsxbkk

New supergroup just dropped.

On THE LONG WALK, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST and LOKAH CHAPTER ONE: CHANDRA, plus THE MODERNS [below] on demand, a Jacques Charrier obit and the weekend charts and picks: tinyurl.com/2atsxbkk

For our Freshers' Week, we just had Let Loose.

On last week's UK pop chart: theeartrumpet.substack.com/p/week-37-se...