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Gordon Barr

Gordon Barr

Pop goes the diva

SHE’S a diva and proud of it. North performer Zoe Birkett proves there is life after Pop Idol, as Entertainment Editor GORDON BARR finds out.Read

Take a chance on this show

WHEN Mamma Mia! opened last month in the North, the company which has toured it for the past six years all agreed it was the best start ever - in the whole world!Read

Dad of Joe McElderry so proud of X Factor star

PROBATION officer Jim McElderry has to be the proudest father in the North today.Read

DOING IT HIS WAY

START spreading the news . . . according to Nancy Sinatra, the daughter of Ole Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, tribute act David Alacey’s rendition of New York, New York is far too close for comfort.Read

Taking a trip to Montenegro

AFTER a few glasses of rather fine local red wine, I was drawn into a debate about which smart hotel on Montenegro’s sparkling Adriatic coast was the backdrop for James Bond and Casino Royale.Read

Chris Evans talks about his fears for Gazza

“I TALKED to him about four weeks ago on the telephone, he was in his flat and he had just bought a parrot and it was flying around the room and he was trying to catch it.Read

DARKEST COMEDY

SEPTEMBER welcomes London Classic Theatre to the Gala Theatre in Durham.Read

STORMY SUMMER

THE Customs House has announced that it will bring Shakespeare’s magical last play to life as part of its Summer Theatre Season.Read

Magic island of the gods

DEEP in the Ionian Sea lies a jewel of an island unspoiled by mass tourism.Read

Directing a new Talent

VICTORIA Wood is to direct a new version of her play, Talent, at a Cumbrian Theatre.Read

Relaxing on happy island

ALL iguanas do is relax. So says EDWARD STEPHENS on a trip to Aruba in the Caribbean . . .Read

Hols sorted at push of a button

TRAVEL agent-using traditionalist BOB WHITTAKER logs on to the internet to investigate whether he could locate a special deal in Tenerife away from the hustle and bustle . . .Read

This week's bargain deals

DEVON . . . £79: Price is per person for a week’s stay at Bedford Cottage (sleeps four), a comfortable, cosy property near Tavistock in Devon with The Garden House – from Alan Titchmarsh’s “must see” list – less than a mile away.Read

More travel: Cumbria

CUMBRIA TOURISM has launched its new 2009 Caravan, Camping and Holiday Home Guide in time for this year’s National Camping and Caravanning Week, which takes place from May 23 to 29.Read

Camping in Cathar country

PHIL BROWN enjoys a family trip to France with eurocampRead

Himalayan holiday with intive to wedding

BILLY No Mates can breathe a sigh of relief now that the responsible tourism project Village Ways allows its visitors staying in any of its five Himalayan villages the opportunity to go to an Indian wedding as guest of honour.Read

Fairway to golfing heaven

“IF I spend the rest of my life designing courses I don’t think I’ll find a comparable site anywhere,” said Australian superstar Greg NormanRead

Bargain deals - 26 April

MALAYSIA - Business Class deals: Emirates Tours, specialists in tailor-made luxury holidays, has unveiled exclusive packages to Malaysia with Business Class flights. Read

Transported to other worlds

AN overnight stay at one of the Lake District’s latest boutique hotels showed ROBERT WEATHERALL you don’t have to travel far to be transported to another world . . .Read

The Grand Canyon, Arizona

Saddle up for Grand Canyon adventure

CALLING the Apache the People of the Woods might sound out of kilter with their bloodthirsty warrior image.Read

Author Profile

Gordon Barr is our Entertainment Editor. He has been covering showbiz stories for us since 1993, having joined the company in 1990. Having grown up in the Western Highlands in a village called Taynuilt, he is now very much a city lad and is interested in all forms of entertainment, with a wide taste in music, film, food and theatre.

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