Olympic Return - Celine Dion returned to the stage for the first time since revealing a serious health condition, giving a powerhouse performance at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. The Canadian superstar had been rumoured to be singing a duet with Lady Gaga, but instead went solo on the Eiffel Tower to bring the four-hour event to a climax.
It was Dion's first live performance in four years, and came a year and a half after she revealed a diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS) - a rare neurological disorder that causes muscles to spasm and can be debilitating. It also affected her distinctive, forceful voice. The 56-year-old, known as the "queen of power ballads", has been having therapy to "rebuild" her voice. In Paris, her delivery of Edith Piaf's classic L'Hymne à l'Amour gave encouraging signs that the treatment is working.
Freelance Post - Arts Council England has created a role dedicated to the needs of freelancers. The post - director, London and individual practitioners - has been filled by Yasmin Khan. Her role will be to "help strategically enable creative freelancers across all art forms and regions", ACE said. She will be responsible for taking a national leadership role in shaping and delivering the Arts Council’s work, policy and funding processes as they relate to freelancers and individual practitioners, it added.
Khan will join ACE in September, having previously worked at the Science Museum as curator team manager and at the British Library as interpretation manager. "I feel it’s an ideal time to embrace this new role at ACE. I’m so excited I’ll have a chance to collaborate with such talented and dedicated colleagues who enable England’s art sector to thrive. Looking forward to meeting you all soon and working closely together," she said. Earlier this year, MPs backed demands for a freelancers’ commissioner to "champion" the interests of creative freelancers.
Zero Hours - Theatres and creatives have warned the government that a bid to ban zero-hours contracts could lead to rising costs in the sector and a "depletion of the talent pool", by restricting the use of flexible agreements for front of house and box office workers. They argue that the current arrangement provides flexibility to theatremakers, who may be doing box-office jobs and front of house roles to support their creative work.
Chris Stafford, the chief executive of Curve in Leicester, said that while the industry was waiting to hear "the detail" of Labour’s Employment Rights Bill, it was nonetheless a "misconception to assume zero-hour contracts only benefit the employer", as suggested by the government. Stafford said: "Many zero-hour workers welcome the flexibility of this arrangement and replacing it with an employment contract will potentially lead to fewer individuals choosing to be engaged, a depletion of the talent pool and no doubt increased costs for theatres."
Backlash - The National Wax Museum in Dublin is "committed" to creating a new wax figure of Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor after significant public backlash. It comes after the museum unveiled a waxwork of the late singer and activist to coincide with the first anniversary of her death. The museum has now said it will be removed in order to create "a more accurate representation".
Among those who criticised the original figure was O'Connor's brother, John. He said he was shocked when he first saw the waxwork online and said it was "inappropriate". He added that the figure looked "between a mannequin and something out of the Thunderbirds".
Farewell - British blues musician John Mayall - whose influential band the Bluesbreakers was a springboard for stars including Eric Clapton - has died at the age of 90. Sir Mick Jagger led the tributes, hailing him as "a great pioneer of British blues". Eric Clapton posted a video thanking Mayall for "rescuing me from oblivion" when he wanted to quit music as a teenager before joining his band.
A statement on Mayall's Instagram page said: "Health issues that forced John to end his epic touring career have finally led to peace for one of this world’s greatest road warriors. John Mayall gave us 90 years of tireless efforts to educate, inspire and entertain."
Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir, the last surviving member of Motown group The Four Tops, has passed away at the age of 88. “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of a trailblazer, icon and music legend who, through his 70-year music career, touched the lives of so many as he continued to tour until the end of 2023, and officially retired this year,” his family said in a statement.” RIP.
(Jim Evans)
30 July 2024
