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Dizzee Rascal’s biography will be published in October
the world AROUND TOWN The Edinburgh International Science Festival is on the look-out for saint and sinners as part of this year’s line-up. The event aims to discover whether men sin more than women, if Scots are bigger sinners than the English and which sins are we most predisposed to commit? See their survey at www.sinneror saint.org, and check out the results at a special event at the Jam House on Mon 12 April. Elsewhere, a photographic exhibition has opened in St Andrew Square as the centrepiece to the festival. Spirit of the Wild, a collection of 60 spectacular wildlife images from renowned photographer Steve Bloom is on show now. BOOKS Canongate Books is set to publish a biography of Mercury Award-winning rapper Dizzee Rascal. As part of a collaborative venture between the publishing arm of Rascal’s Dirtee Stank, the illustrated hardback will be out this October, with audio and digital versions also in the pipeline. Elsewhere, online whodunit The Lost Book, which boasts graphics by Binary Fable and an accompanying soundtrack commissioned by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra has received a nomination in the Interactive category for the BAFTA Scotland New Talent Awards 2010. In other awards news, Jackie Kay’s Maw Broon Monologues, a major commission for the 2009 Glasgay! arts festival has been shortlisted for the inaugural Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry.
8 THE LIST 18 Mar–1 Apr 2010
night just in. C L U B S Sad news Glasgow's clubbing institution Optimo will be closing, with their last ever regular Sunday date on 25 April at Sub Club. Elsewhere, it’s all change as Berlin closes and returns as The Lane, complete with a decor and sound system revamp. In other clubs news, The Smirnoff Co are curating dance bonanza So...Sub Club & Slam. On March 26, The Arches play host to Pressure, with Jeff Mills, Dave Clarke and Tayo on the decks. Nearby, check out Return to Mono at the Sub Club with Andrew Weatherall and Ivan Smagge. COMEDY The Underbelly looks set to grow and grow this year following the announcement that the McEwan Hall will be joining the Udderbelly Pasture at Bristo Square. Acts already confirmed this August include Danny Bhoy, John Bishop and Jim Jefferies.
LGBT The date for this year’s Pride Glasgow has been announced. The parade will begin in Glasgow’s Blythswood Square on 17 July. MUSIC Simple Minds’ Jim Kerr is to pursue a solo career, under the name Lostboy! AKA; check out his wares at King Tut’s on 22 May. THEATRE And finally, Theatre Modo are set to present their latest show Sick at the Tron Theatre this month. Inspired by the time director Martin Danziger spent in hospital following a diagnosis of cancer in 2007, the show has been developed in collaboration with NHS Community Engagement, Yorkhill Young People’s Service, Maggies, Macmillan Cancer Support and Taktent.
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Channel Hopper
Dispatches from the sofa, with Brian Donaldson
■ There have been many moments to unintentionally chuckle at during the previous seven series of 24 (Sky One, Sun, 9pm): Jim from Neighbours conducting a political coup to claim the US presidency; Kim Bauer being kidnapped every second episode (was I hallucinating or did a mountain puma once take her hostage while she fled the manic attentions of spooky old Kevin Dillon?); Jack Bauer’s unerring ability at being tortured to within millimetres of his life before hurtling off skyscrapers towards a terrorist cell minutes later. But none of that can touch the screamingly funny segment in this latest season when Kiefer donned some heavy Harry Potter- like specs to ‘transform’ himself into a German nuke arms dealer.
Jack’s back. And so are the same storylines
In all honesty, CTU could have been shut down after three series and we would not have been any the wiser, for each subsequent season has followed almost identical patterns: some dodgy terrorists (East European/Islamic/ the odd slimy Brit or homegrown militia types) get hold of nerve gas/nuclear rods/a deadly virus and threaten to decimate a major US conurbation. An ever reluctant Jack gets the old fire in his belly only when he gets to pull out some fingernails, and a character you thought had died four years ago will show up in a major ‘twist’. Though since day one’s murder of Jack’s wife, we’ve simply come to expect the unexpected. A ten- minute split-sequence of Chloe taking a dump, Renee doing her nails and Pres Taylor tucking into some cold cuts is the only thing that would have veteran 24ophiles sitting up in shock.