Friday

By the time Salman Rushdie's latest novel, <i>Fury</i>, was officially published in London on September 6, it had been murdered in the womb -- assassinated by early reviews and concerted malice, writes John Sutherland.

The doyenne of US film critics, she influenced Hollywood and moviegoers.

After a mere eight-year gap, the curmudgeonly Mancunians have returned. <i>Get Ready</i> (Gallo) finds them sounding as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as they ever have, focusing on what they do best, with the amps whacked up to 13.

<b>Review: Hollow Man</b>

The fantastical world of James Bond gets brought down to earth in The Tailor of Panama, and the result is funny, tense, and coldly cynical, writes Shaun de Waal.

Just as <i>Big Brother</i> mania takes hold in South Africa, <i>Series 7: The Contenders</i>, an American satire of "reality TV" shows, comes to the big screen, writes Shaun de Waal.

Is <i>Series 7</i> a high-minded satire of reality TV -- or the usual screen violence tarted up for the arthouse crowd?

<b>Reveiws:</b> <i>Welcome to our Hillbrow</i> by Phoswane Mpe (University of Natal Press) and <i>Sea-Mountain, Fire City: Living in Cape Town</i> by Mike Nicol (Kwela).

Reveiws:</b> <i>Welcome to our Hillbrow</i> by Phoswane Mpe (University of Natal Press) and <i>Sea-Mountain, Fire City: Living in Cape Town</i> by Mike Nicol (Kwela).

In recent years she may have become better known for her eccentric life than her eccentric singing style, but Björk's new album celebrates the joy of domesticity. Iceland's queen of pop talks to Barbara Ellen.

Review: <i>Proud of me: Speaking out against Sexual Violence and HIV</i> by Charlene Smith (Penguin).

Pauline Kael, whose long and passionate movie reviews in the New Yorker mobilized and divided fans and filmmakers alike, died on Monday at her home in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

There will be no more secret music events like the three "underground" performances of United States hip-hop superstars Cypress Hill in South Africa recently, writes Rob Rose.

Reviews:</b> <i>A Conspiracy of Paper</i> by David Liss (Abacus) and <i>Sleep of Death</i> by Philip Gooden (Robinson).

One of the few things Aaliyah Haughton, who has died in a plane crash aged 22, had in common with other young American R&B singers was the regal custom of using only her first name.

The sound of a band baring their deepest emotions can provoke a multitude of reactions. In James's case, it's the sensation of having stumbled into a men's therapy group at the moment they link arms for a group hug. Reunited on <i>Pleased to Meet You</i> (Universal) with producer Brian Eno -- though his aesthete's influence is hard to detect.

While dignitaries and delegates from around the world do battle with the spectre of racism within the walls of Durban's International Conference Centre this week, a formidable array of related cultural events takes place in and around the city, writes Alex Sudheim.

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