Western Mail

Karenprice Inside Track

WHAT do you get when you take the work of one of Wales' most famous poets and a singer-songwriter from a seminal bands of the '80s? A brand new album, that's what. David Sylvian has long been an admirer of the words of the late RS Thomas, the poet and clergyman, noted for his nationalism, spirituality and deep dislike of the anglicisation of Wales. Sylvian was introduced to the work of Thomas by a friend a couple of decades ago who felt the musician would be interested in the fact that the wr...

Index

'I Don't Play the Hollywood Game' ; Ricky Gervais has Come a Long Way From Playing David Brent in the Office. But As He Appears in - and Directs - a Major Feature Film, Rob Driscoll Discovers That He Hasn't Forgotten His British Roots

HE'S arguably the most famous and popular British actor in Hollywood since Hugh Grant, but Ricky Gervais isn't about to let that go to his head. True, the one-time star of The Office and Extras has lost some of that David Brent paunch of late through hitting the gym in the States, yet with a handful of Golden Globes behind him he insists he won't be sucked into the LA movie machine and become a celluloid commodity.

Irisprizefestival ; Six New Feature Films Are Being Screened As Part of This Year's Iris Prize Festival, Which Celebrates the Best in Gay and Lesbian Film From Around the World. Leading Actors and Directors Will Be Travelling to Cardiff to Introduce Each Screening. One of the Films, As Voted for by the Friends of Iris, Will Also Walk Away with Pounds 1,000. These Are the Offerings...

Hollywood Je t'aime (European Premiere) Cineworld - October 8 at 8.30pm Director: Jason Bushman Jerome, an innocent young man, leaves a dark and damp Paris to spend Christmas in Hollywood following his dream of becoming an actor and possibly forget he's still in love with his ex-boyfriend. Jerome, portrayed by Eric Debets, is a stranger in a foreign country and totally unprepared for life in the US. Redwoods (European Premiere) Cineworld - October 9 at 7.30pm Director: David Lewis Everett is ...

Keep On Running ; the Story of Controversial Hunger Striker Bobby Sands Is Being Told in a New Physical Theatre Show. Karen Price Asks Eddie Ladd Why She Was Inspired to Create the Piece

EDDIE Ladd is going to be spending much of her time on stage on a giant running machine. But the show has nothing to do with fitness.

Culturevulture

Age: 23 From: Cwmllynfell but now living in Swansea Occupation: Breakfast presenter on 102.1 Bay Radio, which broadcasts from Neath. What was the last movie you saw? Dorian Gray - I am always a little sceptical when they try and adapt films from a book, but this dark tale from Oscar Wilde's work was done very well.

Pop Goes the Poet ; for His Latest Album David Sylvian, the Former Frontman of Seminal '80s Band Japan, Takes Inspiration From the Life and Work of Welsh Poet Rs Thomas. Long-Time Fan Hannah Jones Exchanges Emails with Him to Understand the Meaning Behind Manafon

Q: Let's start with the word, Manafon. Tell us about the connection of your new work to this one word, which is a place in Powys.

Fivelive On This Week's to-Do List

1 Cliff Richard & The Shadows Cliff Richard and The Shadows dominated the British popular music scene in the late '50s and early '60s. Now they have reunited and are back on the road. where? Cardiff International Arena when? Tuesday tickets? Call 029 2022 4488 2 Absurd Person Singular The biggest West End comedy hit of 2008 is coming to Cardiff. Alan Ayckbourn's play focuses on party time at the Hopcrofts' when the only present they want is to succeed in scaling the social ladder.

Familytime Picks for Kids

1 We're Going On A Bear Hunt Michael Rosen's prize-winning story featuring swishy swashy grass and a splishy splashy river is brought to life on stage for children aged three years old and over. where? New Theatre, Cardiff when? Until tomorrow tickets? Call 029 2087 8889 2 Gulliver Hijinx brings to life the weird and wonderful world of Gulliver's Travels, with its tiny Lilliputians, giants, mad scientists and talking horses.

'I've Scored the Goal' ; Singer-Songwriter Paolo Nutini Is Winning Over the Fans and the Critics - and He's Still Only 22. As He Embarks On a Uk Tour, Karen Price Finds Out More About His Music

CHATTING to Paolo Nutini is not an easy task. It's not because the singer-songwriter is awkward - far from it; he's very pleasant and chatty. It's all down to the fact that I'm calling him on a mobile phone and the line is very bad. Add to the mix his thick Scottish accent and I'm having difficulty deciphering many things he's saying during our short interview. Thankfully he's not become a precious showbiz star and he patiently repeats several answers.

Pictures in the Paintings ; a Major Retrospective Exhibition by Artist Ken Elias Spans His Career From the 1960s to the Present. Here Co-Curator Ceri Thomas Looks at the Five Sections of the Show

1 The Student Years: 1963-69 Ken Elias' development as an artist in South Wales began in earnest in 1963-64 when he attended the weekly evening art classes of the Neath-based painter Will Roberts. Three portrait drawings survive from this time: one of each of his parents and one self-portrait. The most interesting and original of these is Portrait of My Father (1963), because it is the first recorded example of his employment of a faceted male head in profile. A year later, in 1965, Elias emb...

Darryl Corner ; the View

REVIEW: Virginia Bodman at Bay Art, Bute Street, Cardiff, until October 17 VIRGINIA Bodman's paintings have been described as "gendered" and they're most definitely feminine; the soft palette of pinks, yellows and pastels, the use of pattern and the inclusion of domestic objects and themes being the most obvious point of reference. There's a seductive lushness to many of her canvases. In Picnic, the dappled light under the shade of trees is rendered in soft monochrome reds but it's the extrav...

Jazz Sales Are Music to Honda's Ears ; Honda has Taken the Innovative Concept of the Jazz to the Next Stage - with More Space, Better Versatility and Smarter Looks to Improve On What Was Already an Excellent Car

Silence is golden for Honda as far as the new generation Jazz is concerned. The 1.4 ES version is the quietest car of its type I have driven and firmly underlines the facts of this versatile little car's success.

Renault's Family Holdall

The Renault Modus is basically a larger Clio estate, so it has all that car's excellent suspension, steering and engines. It's practical and smooth, refined and nippy and it comes in both normal and long wheelbase versions to give more space. There are smooth 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 petrol engines, with power ranging from 75 to 113bhp and there are also four versions of the same, very smooth and quiet 1.5 DCi turbo diesel with power ranging from 65 to 86bhp.

A6 - the Affordable Used Car From Audi

Expensive cars like the Audi A6 come down to much more reasonable money much sooner than you might think. A friend picked one up for just pounds 800 with 140,000 miles on the clock but with full service history. It's now up to 178,000 and still going well with no serious bills.

New Polo - a Whole Lot of Car

At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that Volkswagen had lost its marbles.Another new Golf just months after the launch of its latest Mk6 offering? But look closer and what you are actually seeing is the new Polo, the fifth version of the German manufacturer's loveable supermini. Although always playing second fiddle to its more popular and larger Golf sibling, the new chunkier five-door Polo, which hits UK roads this month, has gained a couple of inches and is now only nine in...

Vw Gives Life to the Maxi People Carrier

LAST February Volkswagen"s commercial division launched the Caddy Maxi, a new line-up of compact vans that set the LCV market alight with its increased payload and competitive pricing. The entry-level vehicle carried a price tag of just over pounds 12,600, which attracted enough buyer interest to tempt Volkswagen into offering a variation designed specifically for people carrying.

Sinclair Direct'S Unique Offer

ORIGINALLY established as a sales arm of Sinclair Finance and Leasing in order to sell ex-fleet vehicles at the end of their contract, Sinclair Direct has now grown to supply part exchange vehicles from all its 19 prestige franchise branches across South Wales. Due to being part of the Sinclair Group, the biggest motor group in SouthWales as well as amongWales" Fast Growth 50 and the UK's top 250 most successful privately owned companies, Sinclair Direct has a wide selection of brands and spe...

Mercedes Becoming a More Affordable Choice

There was a time when Mercedes cars were substantially more expensive than even their main German competitors. But the latest E- Class, even when specifications are matched, comes out cheaper than the Audi A6. I've just driven the E220 CDi, which is probably the biggest seller, and it's a typical Mercedes - hugely refined and comfortable, just as it should be.

Nissan's Family Traveller ; Alistair Coull and Val Jessop

It's billed as a seven-seater, and it is, but Nissan's extended Qashqai+2 provides only 'occasional' accommodation in the third row. As part of its name intimates, Nissan has squeezed in two extra seats in the larger Qashqai. But they are by no means an afterthought with an extra length of floorpan tacked on at the back. Designers have increased the Qashqai's wheelbase by 135mm so that extra room is also enjoyed by passengers in the middle row seats.