our

What’s the Difference Between Sourdough Starter and Yeast?

If both can make a dough rise, why does your dough recipe call for both?





our

'I choose you!' Google lets you vote for your favorite Pokemon

Fans of the show, movies and video games can participate by casting votes every day through February 14.

      




our

Dungeons & Dragons while social distancing? It's free to try the newest 'Critical Role'-inspired sourcebook.

Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer is the mind behind Dungeons & Dragons' latest official sourcebook. There's a preview online, too.

      




our

PlayStation's coronavirus contribution: Stay home and play free 'Uncharted,' 'Journey' PS4 video games

Sony PlayStation is giving players some free video games as part of its "Play At Home" initiative to encourage staying at home during the pandemic.

       




our

Travis Scott is going to debut his next song Thursday on Fortnite as part of virtual tour

Epic Games, the creators of Fortnite, announced Monday the musician will premiere a brand new track as part of an "Astronomical" tour within the game.

       




our

Outsourcing the coronavirus crisis to business has failed – and NHS staff know it | Cat Hobbs

Handing out contracts out to firms like Serco and G4S is now second nature to those in power. We need to rebuild state capacity

The coronavirus pandemic has revealed a lot about British society – the fragility of the economy, the insecure situation so many workers find themselves in – but it has also shone a light on the state itself. Many comparisons have been made between the current mobilisation of state resources and the second world war. But while that crisis involved a ramping up of public sector capacity, this one is being managed by a state that believes itself to be utterly dependent on the private sector.

First, there are the outsourcing giants, shadowy corporations who have been handed numerous contracts over the past 20 years. Matt Hancock has put Serco in charge of the phonelines for contact tracing, a vital part of the government’s public health strategy. This is a company that mismanaged data at a GP surgery, and failed to train staff properly for a breast cancer hotline service. Along with G4S, it claimed money from the government for tracking prisoners who were later found to be dead.

Continue reading...




our

What is contact tracing? Here's what you need to know about how it could affect your privacy

Health experts agree contact tracing is a key measure to contain a pandemic. But is the answer a contact tracing app?




our

Sidewalk Labs cancels plan to build high-tech neighbourhood in Toronto amid COVID-19

Sidewalk Labs, a Google-affiliated company, is abandoning its plan to build a high-tech neighbourhood on Toronto’s waterfront, citing what it calls unprecedented economic uncertainty.



  • News/Canada/Toronto

our

Icebergs and whales galore! Take a virtual tour of Bonavista Bay

Whale and iceberg season has come early, but the local tourism industry has been forced to press pause.



  • News/Canada/Nfld. & Labrador

our

Laura Whitmore says Strictly Come Dancing bosses made her spend 12 hours a day with partner Giovanni Pernice

Whitmore was the sixth celebrity to be eliminated from the 2016 series




our

Isolation Stories: ITV commission four-part drama series filmed in coronavirus lockdown

Actors will be responsible for filming themselves, with directors giving instruction remotely, in accordance with official lockdown rules




our

'It's going to look odd': Neighbours to resume filming with actors 1.5 metres apart and kissing banned

Soap halted production in late April due to Australia's coronavirus lockdown




our

From Will & Grace to Sex and the City, why do so many TV reboots lead to our favourite ensemble casts hating each other?

As the revival of 'Will & Grace' comes to a close amid allegations of cast feuds and bullying, Adam White asks why so many of our favourite shows seem to implode when they're brought back to life




our

23 Hours to Kill: Jerry Seinfeld unleashes his inner James Bond in new Netflix special trailer

New comedy special coming on 5 May




our

Will and Grace creators finally discuss Debra Messing and Megan Mullally feud rumours

Rumours of a rift between the actors began earlier this year, when the two unfollowed each other on Instagram




our

Jeers of a clown: How The Simpsons made Sideshow Bob into one of TV's favourite villains

Thirty years on from Kelsey Grammer's remarkable cartoon debut, Louis Chilton looks at the legacy of one of the most endearing felons in fiction




our

Our Girl fans spot serious 'gaffe' in final episode: 'So sick on so many levels'

Michelle Keegan made her final appearance as Georgie in the popular BBC drama




our

Steph McGovern stops daily Channel 4 show so family can get 'our home back'

TV host joked she may still be wearing slippers when show returns to Channel 4 studio in the coming months




our

Snoop Dogs: New Channel 4 show will see dogs with cameras give tours of celebrities' houses

Programme was announced at the Edinburgh Television Festival




our

Grayson Perry's Art Club has a radical, essential message – your art doesn't need to be good

Many of us need a modern-day Bob Ross in the shape of Grayson Perry, writes Lucy Jones, to help us reconnect with the child within who just wants to push paint around the page




our

Gordon Ramsay allegedly leaves neighbours furious after ignoring coronavirus lockdown rules: 'He's out all the time'

TV chef is said to have been seen 'multiple times in several places'




our

Michael Palin says he was saved by elderly neighbour after accidentally setting house on fire

Monty Python star was recovering from open-heart surgery when he says incident took place




our

How I Met Your Mother: Cobie Smulders defends show's controversial ending

The show ran for nine seasons from 2005 to 2014




our

Samuel L Jackson yells compliments at neighbours on Some Good News: 'Hey! Your shirt matches your dog!'

Actor took part in the latest episode of Krasinski's YouTube show




our

How I Met Your Mother: Cobie Smulders' finale defence reignites hatred for ending

'Is there anyone on Earth who enjoys the ending?'




our

'Get back in your own area': Holly Willoughby forgets about social distancing on This Morning

Presenter said she was 'genuinely sorry' for blunder




our

Courteney Cox 'loved playing overweight Monica' in Friends because she 'felt free'

Actor also revealed her favourite episodes of the sitcom




our

Watkins Family Hour: Brother Sister review – a model of sibling harmony

(Family Hour/Thirty Tigers)
Sean and Sara Watkins are back and in reflective mood

California’s Sean and Sara Watkins are akin to royalty in American folk circles, firstly as founding members of the hugely successful Nickel Creek, and secondly as hosts of an 18-year residency at LA’s Largo club, where they perform alongside invited guests. Brother Sister draws on both strands of their history. Like its self-titled 2015 predecessor, the album sets aside the pizzazz of Nickel Creek for a down-home approach, but instead of boisterous, star-studded cover versions come five original songs and a minimal musical palette.

Alternating on lead, the pair’s vocals remain a model of sibling harmony, while the interplay between Sean’s intricate guitar picking and Sara’s elegant fiddle is similarly impressive – the breakneck bluegrass instrumental Bella and Ivan is a case in point. Mostly, however, the mood is reflective. Lafayette and Miles of Desert Sand chronicle the search for a better life, and Fake Badge, Real Gun is an artful snipe at Trump – “Throw your tantrums but the truth will be waiting”. Warren Zevon’s forlorn Accidentally Like a Martyr fits in neatly, while Charley Jordan’s ribald Keep It Clean is a gleeful example of a Largo session.

Continue reading...




our

Paul Heaton: 'Love feels like someone is hitting your heart with a cricket bat'

The musician on DIY smooching, dinner parties and why he won’t do interviews between 1.45pm and 2.15pm

Raised in Sheffield, Heaton, 57, founded the Housemartins in the early eighties. They had hit singles with Happy Hour and Caravan Of Love before splitting in 1988. Heaton then formed the Beautiful South, releasing 10 albums before disbanding in 2007. With former band member Jacqui Abbott, Heaton has released three albums, the most recent being Manchester Calling. He is married with three children and lives in Manchester.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Forgetfulness.

Continue reading...






our

Sport documentaries: readers recommend their favourite films

From skateboarding to Sunderland, here are the documentaries you suggested to get through live sport’s long shutdown

We recently recommended 12 sports films to watch during lockdown, and asked readers for their favourite documentaries. Here are some of your selections:

Available on Curzon Home Cinema (UK) and Prime Video (US); watch trailer here

Available on Netflix or to rent from YouTube/Google Play/Prime Video

Related: Missing live sport during lockdown? Here are 12 sporting films to watch

Available on Prime Video (free in UK)

Available to buy via Curzon (UK) and Beamafilms; watch the trailer here

Available to rent on Apple/Google Play/YouTube; watch the trailer here

Available via Starz on Prime Video (US) and on DVD; watch trailer here

Available on DVD and online; watch trailer here

Available on ESPN Player; watch the trailer here

Available on Prime Video (UK) and to rent on YouTube. Watch trailer here

Related: The Simpsons: Springfield's greatest sporting moments – quiz

Continue reading...




our

Judith Lucy vs Men: cheer yourself with a short fix of standup – video

With comedy festivals cancelled around the world, Amazon Prime is releasing 10 original Australian standup specials to tide you over. Filmed at Melbourne's Malthouse theatre during the Before Times, the biweekly series has featured names like Celia Pacquola, Zoë Coombs Marr and Dilruk Jayasinha – with Tom Gleeson, Anne Edmonds and Tom Walker coming up soon. A few minutes of each is being published exclusively on Guardian Australia, and this week we have Judith Lucy, from her 2019 tour Judith Lucy vs Men

• Two Amazon Original standup specials will be released each week from 10 April. Amazon Prime is offering a 30-day free trial here

Continue reading...




our

Tom Walker's Very Very – cheer yourself with a short fix of standup – video

With comedy festivals cancelled around the world, Amazon Prime is releasing 10 original Australian standup specials to tide you over. Filmed at Melbourne's Malthouse theatre during the Before Times, the biweekly series has featured names like Celia PacquolaZoë Coombs Marr and Dilruk Jayasinha – with Tom Gleeson and Anne Edmonds  coming up soon. A few minutes of each is being published exclusively on Guardian Australia, and this week we have the exceptionally odd new show from Tom Walker, which was directed by Zoë Coombs Marr.

• The full version of Tom Walker's Very Very is released today. Amazon Prime is offering a 30-day free trial here

Continue reading...




our

Tom Gleeson's Joy – cheer yourself with a short fix of standup

With comedy festivals cancelled around the world due to the coronavirus crisis, Amazon Prime is releasing 10 original Australian standup specials to tide you over. The biweekly series was filmed at Melbourne's Malthouse Theatre and has featured Celia PacquolaZoë Coombs Marr and Dilruk Jayasinha. A few minutes of each is being published exclusively by Guardian Australia and this week we have eventual Gold Logie winner Tom Gleeson's show Joy. Come to hear about the disgusting wonders of parenting; stay for the killer punchline 

• The full version of Tom Gleeson's Joy is out now. Amazon Prime is offering a 30-day free trial here


Continue reading...




our

Melbourne Airbnb superhost jailed for at least five years for raping guest

Nicholas David Weston found guilty of four counts of rape of 19-year-old woman during her 2017 stay at his city apartment

An Airbnb superhost has been jailed for raping a young woman in Melbourne while she was visiting the city with her friend.

Nicholas David Weston was found guilty of four counts of rape of the 19-year-old woman over the horror stay at his Melbourne CBD apartment in November 2017.

Continue reading...




our

Sydney harbour master tells Ruby Princess inquiry he 'did not understand' email

NSW Health assessment the cruise ship was ‘low risk’ introduced ‘an unfortunate element’ into his decision-making

A New South Wales harbour master has told an inquiry he “did not understand” an email that told him to treat the Ruby Princess “as if it has a positive Covid-19 result” when it came into Sydney Harbour on 18 and 19 March.

Cameron Butchart, who was the duty harbour master on 18 March, said NSW Health’s assessment that the ship was “low risk” introduced “an unfortunate element” into his decision-making.

Continue reading...




our

'A Freudian nightmare': Madonna's Blond Ambition tour turns 30

Three decades on, the controversy-courting concert tour is still shaping the ways female artists express their sexuality

In Toronto, Madonna simulated masturbation on a velvet bed under the watchful eye of the Canadian police, who threatened her with arrest if her show went ahead. In Italy, unions called for a general strike if Madonna performed, and Pope John Paul II declared her concert “one of the most satanic shows in the history of humanity”. The Blond Ambition tour, which turned 30 years old last month, remains among the most controversial tours of all time.

Related: The Guide: Staying In – sign up for our home entertainment tips

Continue reading...




our

My favourite game: England v Australia, fifth Ashes Test, 1968 | Stephen Bates

A Derek Underwood-inspired England – assisted by the Oval’s resourceful spectators – beat the final-day flood, clock and Australian resistance to start my lifelong obsession with cricket

I was clearing out some old papers a while back when a small pink slip fell out. Even after 50 years I knew instantly what it was because it had been stuck to my bedroom wall when I was a teenager: indeed the old brown shadows of the tape were still there. It was the ticket for my first day’s Test cricket: the fifth Test against Australia at the Oval on 22 August 1968: Derek Underwood’s match and the game that started a lifelong obsession.

We joined my friend Matthew and his mother – two teenagers, what were we thinking of, taking our mothers? – and caught an early train from deepest Berkshire. London was a big, strange place where we rarely ventured and never as far south as SE11. We were square to the wicket and the players were so distant as to be indistinct, almost lost against the crowd.

Continue reading...




our

Pandemic nesters: what it's like to move back with your parents during lockdown

Some people have found returning to the family home a blessing, but for others it has been anything but smooth sailing

Covid-19 has reshaped geographic boundaries. It has left many financially distressed. Expatriates have returned from overseas for indefinite periods of time, and vulnerable people require more help than usual. For all these reasons, and many more, adult children have found themselves doing something that might previously have been unthinkable: moving back in with their parents.

Some are finding the experience transformative. One woman, who left New York for her parent’s rural home, told me that the space and country air have made her reconsider whether she will ever return to the city. But there are also downsides. “I’m craving male attention more than I ever have before,” she confessed. When flirting over apps stopped cutting it, she wound up ordering a vibrator in an unmarked box, and fended off her younger siblings in order to retrieve it from the mailbox.

Continue reading...




our

The Bourne Isolation: Matt Damon hangs out with locals as he spends lockdown in Irish town

The Hollywood star was filming The Last Duel in Dublin when lockdown measures kicked in




our

Amanda Holden is our lockdown style inspiration in cut-out floral mini-dress

The Heart Radio star is still bringing a touch of glamour to her working day




our

Dawn O'Porter pays tribute to the late Caroline Flack: 'That laugh, That humour, That loyalty'

O'Porter and Flack were good friends




our

Shakira graduates from Ancient Philosophy course after studying during lockdown

From headlining the Super Bowl to reading up on Plato...




our

Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik relationship timeline: From how they met to their brief split and baby rumours

The couple have been on and off since 2015




our

Amanda Holden releases debut single in honour of NHS heroes who 'saved her life'

Amanda Holden has released her debut single, a cover of Over The Rainbow, in honour of NHS heroes she said saved her life.




our

Andy Serkis plans live 12 hour reading of The Hobbit for charity

The star is best known for his role as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films




our

Can 5G become your new broadband connection?

Most of us get high-speed internet via a wired connection. But not everyone has access, like in rural areas. 5G could broaden those broadband options.

      




our

Grabbing an Uber? Buckle up and bring your face mask to combat coronavirus

As cities and states come out of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, Uber is working on technologies to ensure both drivers and riders have masks in place.