Family business November 8, 2011

George Papandreou, the embattled Greek prime minister has agreed to stand down and hand power to a government of national unity (to be headed by Lucas Papademos). The Times notes that Mr Papandreou is a member of ‘one of Greece’s leading political clans. His father and grandfather have both been prime minister.’ (The Times, 8.11.11)

The King and M August 13, 2010

Another “How they are related” snippet: Dr Miriam Stoppard is Oona King’s aunt: OONA King, the former “Blair babe”, has a secret weapon up her sleeve in her bid to become Labour’s next London mayoral candidate — the unswerving support of celebrity agony auntie Miriam Stoppard (Miriam’s sister is Oona’s mother). This is London (London [...]

Something for a Renée day December 6, 2009

Renée Zellweger, the star of Bridget Jones’s Diary, Chicago and Miss Potter has a Norwegian mother and a Swiss father. She grew up in Texas and worked for a while in a topless bar. Weekend Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4, 14 January 2007

Big Sleep, small world December 5, 2009

Lauren Bacall, the American actress who played opposite Humphrey Bogart in film noir classics such as The Big Sleep, is a cousin of Israeli politician Shimon Peres. Lauren Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske. Her mother Natalie Weinstein-Bacal legally changed her name to Bacall (adding an extra “l”). Her father was called William Perske. They were [...]

Five star romance December 5, 2009

‘The heiress [Paris Hilton] did her best to quash reports she and her Greek tycoon boyfriend Stavros Niarchos are about to split’. London Metro 19 February 2007,  ’Happy birthday, Paris!’

Rip, mix and burn December 5, 2009

Mixed metaphor ‘Mr [Tobias] Ellwood [Tory MP for Bournemouth East] said: ‘For Des Browne [the then Defence Secretary] to hide behind the smokescreen of red tape is totally unacceptable’. London Metro, 14 September 2007,  ”Cover-up’ row over wounded’ Mr Ellwood gloriously mixing his metaphors here.

How they are related (continued) November 27, 2009

‘Elisabeth Murdoch, her husband PR maestro Matthew Freud, and Ruth Rogers, owner of the dining room for everyone important, the River Cafe [and wife of the architect Lord (Richard) Rogers], pooled their impressive address books to organise an inauguration party yesterday afternoon.’ The Guardian, 21 Jan 2009, ‘[Richard] Curtis [screenwriter] leads Notting Hill celebrities in raising [...]

Flashman November 27, 2009

‘The pushiest of the photographers [in Rome in the 1950s], Paparazzo, even lent his name to tabloid snappers.’ Another Magazine Aut / Winter 2005, La Dolce Vita

Lost parrot November 27, 2009

Papagallo smarrito (Lost parrot) Photocopied notice on a tree in Milan, May 2008 The notice relates that ‘un bimbo piange per lui’ (a little boy is crying for him). A bimbo in Italian is a small boy, not a mildly offensive term for an attractive but vacuous woman.

How they are related November 27, 2009

Nicole Farhi, the French fashion designer, is married to British dramatist David Hare: ‘Ms Farhi, who lives with her husband, theatre director David Hare, at their detached period home [Hampstead] was unavailable for comment last night.’ ‘Knife robbers grab £8,000 gems from top designer Farhi’. London Evening Standard, 1 May 2008 It often seems that the number [...]