For the tell-all generation, something hasn't truly happened until it has been recorded in a volley of tweets and status updates.
It's no real surprise, then, that pop music seems to have taken a strangely testimonial turn. And so it is with Lily Allen, who first fixed her saucer eyes on us in 2006, when her debut album Alright, Still ushered in a new era of lippy pop starlets.
The tunes were good enough, but it was the lyrics that really caught the public's attention. Dressed up in sugary reggae beats were intermittent explosions of potty-mouthed vitriol aimed at past boyfriends and modern life. The result was an audience divided between lovers and loathers.
Two and a half years have passed and suffice to say Allen has not spent the time in quiet reflection on a remote Scottish island avoiding the media glare. Instead, barely a day goes by without several tabloid inches being dedicated to her nights on the town or pounds shed and regained.
Luckily for us, the break seems to have provided her with a whole host of new people and things to mouth off about. Produced by Greg Kurstin, the Los Angeles native and wonder boy behind such pop dazzlers as Kylie, Britney and Nellie, It's Not Me, It's You is a terrifyingly slick affair.
The ska and soul-heavy motifs of Alright, Still have been left behind in favour of electro-pop, country, folk, and vaudeville - a heady combination. The current single The Fear is an ironic look at the celebrity-obsessed youth culture. Yawn, you may think, but Allen's wry sense of humour and deadpan delivery of lines like "I'm not a saint and I'm not a sinner, but everything's cool as long as I'm getting thinner" give the tinny pop beats a crackling edge.
Likewise, Everyone's at It, a jaded take on society's bad habits, is jarring in its honesty while delivering a rollicking blast of pop. Her vocal style is, like her lyrics, uncomplicated, and, bar the scattering of mockney "uvvers" and "finks", rather emotive. It's when she gets her political hat on that things go a little awry, and the untimely ode to George Bush just sounds like a petulant teenager having a rant.
Who'd Have Known is a sweet ballad about young love, and Chinese touchingly depicts the mundanities of everyday life as the bits that matter. Life through Allens lens is far from rosy, and there aren't many aspects of her private life that don't get an airing here, including her neglectful father, past boyfriends and familial tensions; but this is a brave attempt to define the mood of her generation, and she does it with precocious and loveable swagger.
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Company%20Profile
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WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
- Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
- Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match
- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
- Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
- Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass
Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
'C'mon C'mon'
Director:Mike Mills
Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
