Daily Post

Meet the Stars of Tomorrow

EACH year a host of new Welsh faces become household names spiralled to stardom by a film, song,book or TV programme. In recent years we have seen Rhys I fans become an international star overnight with his part in Notting Hill, Ioan Gruffudd as Hornblower, Charlotte Church's Voice Of An Angel,Cerys Matthews with Catatonia and 15 years ago Aled Jones with Walking In The Air.

The Bad Taste Brothers Return

PETER and Bobby Farrelly have broached almost every taboo subject with their bad taste adult comedies There's Something About Mary,Dumb and Dumber and Me, Myself and Irene. In this latest feature, the writer-directors court controversy once more by tackling the thorny subject of physical disability.

The 10 Welsh Stars Ready to Rule the World ; Alun Prichard Profiles the Names That Should Be On Everybody's Lips by This Time Next Year

Christian Bale Christian first came to international prominence at just 13 when he starred in Steven Spielbrg's multi Oscar-winningEmpire of the Sun.

Fine Study of Mid-Lifecrisis ; the Verdict Roger Dodger (Cert 15,101 Mins).Drama. Campbell Scott,Jesse Eisenberg,Jennifer Beals,Elizabeth Berkley,Isabella Rossellini. Rent It If... You Enjoy Films Rich in Pithy, Elegant Language.

ADVERTISING executive Roger Swanson (Campbell Scott)is fast approaching the big 4-0 andhas just been rudely cast aside by his boss and lover,Joyce (Isabella Rossellini). Unfortunately,Roger cannot deal with rejection and so he sets out to prove his prowess as a ladies man.

Valerie Hill: A Real Gut Instinct When Viewing Art

THE post-Christmas malaise posed problems for the Hill family. Mum and Dad wanted fresh air and a bracing walk so they suggested a trip to Formby Point and a kick around on the beach. Our two boys wanted to stay put in the warm fug of the living room, welded to the sofa playing with their Zoid Blaster Leaders of the Universe monstrosities. All activity to be accompanied by loud and mindless telly, natch.

Valerie Hill: Such Poise for One so Old

MODEL Yasmin Le Bon,right, still turns heads at the grand old age (for a catwalk queen)of 39. How does she do it? "I have only one superstition which I stick to religiously.

Valerie Hill: Festive Tv Was Full of Old Humbug

IGUESS it's a sign of age to moan about Christmas television but this year's offerings were dismal. Work and family commitments mean I watch less and less (if I catch an episode of Coronation Street once every three weeks I'mdoing well) so the holiday season is a chance to veg out and tune in. The much- hyped festive offering of The Office, unsurprisingly, was a huge anti-climax and certainly could have been condensed into a one hour programme instead of stringing it out over two nights.

Valerie Hill: Radio Threw a Googly

HEARING the cricket commentator Henry Blofeld on Desert Island Discs choose a recording of his two great colleagues was a welcome reminder of an unintentionally hilarious piece of radio. Jonathan Agnew remarked that "Ian Botham almost got his leg over."

Looking Back ...

Sian Lloyd: Dream Start to 2004

DON'T know what the weather's like for you at the moment,but for me it's hot hot hot! I am in southern Australia with my beloved and enjoying every moment of "I'm a celebrity get me back to Oz". It's a funny old world isn't it?You spend the whole of your life not making it to Australia, then suddenly you go twice within a year.

Sian Lloyd: And That Was the Year That Was ...

AT least there was a transport high to my year,and that came in the shapely form of my brand new Mini Cooper S. I shattered the sump on my Golf GTi Turbo,failed to stop,and learnt a very expensive lesson. Anyway,I am still enjoying driving my nifty little speed demon. Parking in London is a dream,and my street-cred has gone way up with my godson Morgan. He got his first ride when I opened the Llangollen Food Festival a few months ago,and I'm pleased to say he thoroughly approved of both desig...

Obituary: Keith Dunn

WHEN millions of daffodils sway in the breeze this spring, in Liverpool's Marie Curie Fields of Hope, the thoughts of many will turn with affection to Keith Dunn, former fund-raiser extraordinaire for the cancer charity on Merseyside. It was Keith who conceived the idea of persuading people to buy daffodil bulbs in memory of loved ones, raising money for MarieCurie at the same time.

The Daily Postcard

Behind the Speaker's Chair: No Masterminds Here

IN ONE breath,WilliamHague, the former Conserv ative Party leader, says that he wants an all-party committee of MPs to oversee the honours system in future. And, in the next breath,he says that during the course of last year alone (2003) thousands of pages of laws passed through the House of Commons without ever being debated.

Thought for the Day

OVER the years of my ministry, I have been asked to conduct an exorcism of a home. I have found that in some cases I did not need to carry out an exorcism but to ask God's blessing on the home. In other cases, the people in the house were so frightened by what they were experiencing that nothing less than a full exorcism followed by a blessing was called for. As a minister,I believe in force for good, whomI call God. It therefore follows that there must be a force for evil, whom I call the De...

Quote of the Day

Arts: Still Pure Gold ; Reborn and Repackaged but Still As Cool As Ever, Tony Hadley Talks to Chris Brown

A LEGEND of the '80s and occasional reality television show star, Tony Hadley still pulls in crowds of dedicatedfans. As cool now as he was singing "Gold" with Spandau Ballet,he was a runaway winner of the ITV programme "Reborn in the USA."

Rock Music: Mars Echoes to the Sound of Silence

AT JODRELL Bank, scientists have been waiting patiently for a Blur song to be heard. From Christmas Day to last Monday they sat around hoping that one twinkly piece of music will be playedbut, sadly, there has been no signal from the Beagle 2 space probe.

Arts: And the Winners Are ... ; Credit Where It's Due. Arts Editor Philip Key Highlights the Best People,Places,and Performances of 2003

THEREareno trophies, no dressy dinner and -best of all-no acceptance speeches in the annual Key Awards for the best arts events of the year. Just a sincere thank you to those who havemadememorablemany of the days and nights in the dark spent by your hard-working Daily Post reviewing team. To befrank, it is not always a pleasure. Therehavebeen the art shows of such pretentiousness that it has been difficult to keep a straight face.

Classical: A Moving Insight Into the Life of Ferrier

WHEN writing about KathleenFerrier a little time ago,I failed toment ion her appearances in Liverpool. The reason was that,at that time,I had no information about them.