From Tom Hanks to Tom Hanks by Daniel Dilworth...

Tom Hanks resided in the Hell’s Kitchen area of New York, as did the Italian-American writer Mario Puzo. Mario Puzo wrote a book called The Family, a novel about the Borgias. The Borgias were one of the big families of The Renaissance. Another important family at this time were the Medicis. The Medicis ruled the city of Florence, home to the Statue of David. This is a famous piece of art by Michelangelo. Michelangelo also worked in the Vatican. Another famous artist commissioned by the Pope to work in the Vatican was Raphael, who painted The School of Athens. This painting featured Raphael and his mentor and idol, Leonardo da Vinci (it also has a sulking Michelangelo.) Another famous Leonardo is Leonardo DiCaprio, the famous film star. He starred in Catch Me if You Can alongside Tom...

Why I Hate Golf Apr10

Why I Hate Golf

I know it’s skilful – there’s abolutely no doubt in my mind about it. Serial killers use skill too: the Boston Stranger grabs you from behind, you’re out like a light, two or three seconds flat. That’s skill. It’s the walking. Too much walking. You hit the ball and it goes away from you and then you go look for it, on foot. It’s the constant talking. Golfers like to talk. That’s why it’s so amenable to business deals and all that pompous stuff golfers go on about. The clothes are dire. Tiger Woods. Yeah, he’s talented. So is Celine Dion. But imagine him for a moment, in his hey-day, behind closed doors. Imagine the expensive Champagne, the dollars on the bed, the high-pitched, bimbo-giggles, the blonde dye-jobs, the collagen and the silicone. The privilege. Golf is the sport of rich, retired bankers, property developers and creative accountants. The average jokes. Golfers seem the most likely people to say the word “heck” in conversation. That’s not right. It’s, like, sooooooo American! Oh my God! I once heard this on TV while golf was happening on the TV at the same time as I happened to be looking at the TV: “You the man!” Ugh.          ...

Monologue: Sorry!

The Irish: we’re an odd race of people. You get all this stuff about us being friendly and sociable and all that. Fair enough. I guess that’s true. And the drink, and the sport, and the meuwsic! All that is very Bórd Fáilte and good for business; it makes us feel better too. But what gets me is all this bloody sorry-saying. You’re coming out of a bank and there’s someone coming in and you say, “Sorry,” and maybe they say, “Sorry” too: you’re walking into a restaurant and some biddy steps right across your path and on your toe and you’re the one who says, “Sorry” when it’s her fault: and coming in and out of staffrooms – that’s when everyone likes to say “Sorry.” Think about how many opportunities we give ourselves to apologise (because that’s what you’re doing – you’re apologising) each and every bloody day. There are the examples mentioned above, but there are many, many more to mention. Here are some of them: Trying to get someone’s attention; Returning a stale sandwich in a café; Leaning across someone in a shop queue; Telling someone they’ve given you the wrong change; Going out through a door; Coming in through a door; What you say when someone bumps into you while you’re moving; Moving  backwards in a bookshop; Asking someone for the money they owe you; Telling someone the truth; Criticising someone who really deserves it; That’s only some. I haven’t time to give a definitive list. It’s not possible anyway even if I did because it would be too long. Here’s what I propose: STOP SAYING SORRY ALL THE BLOODY TIME; IT’S AFTER GETTING INTO THE WIRING! OUR INSTINCT IS TO SAY SORRY FOR EVERYTHING, EVEN WHEN IT’S NOT OUR...

The New Star by Eugene O’Brien Apr10

The New Star by Eugene O’Brien...

It was the end of Autumn, approaching the first of November to be exact, as the New Star went off to his first ever rugby training session. The club was a well known local one down in Tramore Road known as Sundays Well. There he stood in the middle of the changing room getting ready,trembling with fear in case the team wouldn’t accept him.While he was putting on his boots an old primary school classmate walked in and The New Star said: “Wait…I know you.” “Ya?” “I went to school with you, didn’t I?” The other player replied: “Ya. You went to Ballygarvan N.S. didn’t you?” The New Star replied: “Ya I did. Your name is Tim is’nt it?” Tim said: “Ya.You joining up with us or you just training with us?”. “Ya I’m joining up; I finally got the nerve to begin a new sport.” Tim smiled and said: “Alright, that’s cool, just follow me out there when you’re ready and I’ll introduce you to the the lads”. On the way out The New Star met a man he later discovered was the President of the Club, who also turned out to be involved with training the team. His name was Paul Dunton. He was a heavy, well-built man but he also had a presence about him that made the New Star think he was a legend in some way. He introduced The New Star to the team and the rest of the coaches. All of the nervousnous and jitters he had been feeling were now gone and The New Star finally got on with his first training experience in rugby. He felt at home at once. Why, he thought, had he not tried this ages ago? A month passed since The New...

From Jeremy Renner to Jeremy Renner by Captain Shamrock...

Jeremy Renner appeared in the 2009 film The Hurt Locker which was directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Bigelow was the first woman to win the Best Director award at the Oscars, beating her ex-husband James Cameron. He was nominated for his film Avatar. Avatar is the biggest grossing film of all time. A previous film to hold this coveted title was the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation. The Birth of a Nation was a film set around the time of the American Civil War. The music video to Some Nights is also about the American Civil War. Some Nights is a song by the American band Fun. Fun is an American band, fronted by Nate Ruess. Ruess recently did a collaboration with Pink. Pink has featured in Happy Feet Two, as did Matt Damon. Damon starred in three of the four Bourne films. The star of the other Bourne film was Jeremy...