http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/?service=Rss http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-best-job-in-the-world-1814760.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-best-job-in-the-world-1814760.html ]]> <p> In the "My Oxford" column of the new Oxford Today magazine, Ian Hislop is asked if he'd like to be a student again. "Oh yes," he replies, "and I've a major fantasy that, somewhere, there [is] a college so desperate that they will ask me to be Master." As job applications go, this has a touchingly scattergun quality: any college will do, as long as I get to be Master. It's a fantasy shared by many: a job combining the roles of academic, diplomat, upholder of tradition, guardian of protocol, sports cheerleader, party-giver, gourmand, gossip, wine-tippler and amateur fundraiser. </p> Hit & Run Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-snotty-nose-cashmere-leggings-1814130.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-snotty-nose-cashmere-leggings-1814130.html ]]> <p>They look good on the uber-trendy child models in the ad campaign, and you know they'd look good on your offspring, too. As of yesterday morning, any pampered kid aged between the ages of 0 and 10 can work their new look from Stella McCartney – or more specifically, Stella McCartney for GapKids and BabyGap – while sipping their babyccinos. It's another coup for Gap, which has a successful history of bringing designers like Pierre Hardy and Roland Mouret on board to give their adult clothing some cutting edge. And when Hit & Run frisked the rails at 8am when the first collection hit stores yesterday morning, it looked like Stella had scored the chain yet another hit. She's designed exactly the sort of retro-cool clothes that will appeal to the adults buying the clothes. </p> Hit & Run Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/team-obama--too-much-of-a-good-thing-1813589.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/team-obama--too-much-of-a-good-thing-1813589.html ]]> <p>In case you didn't find time between your roast and the X Factor results show to read the 7,500-word dissection of the Obamas' marriage in The New York Times Magazine, one of the more revealing passages tells how the First Couple wasn't always so appealing. During the 2008 race for the Democratic nomination, Obama's advisers expressed concern that his rise to the top had been too solitary – that he wasn't seen as much of a family man. </p> Hit & Run Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-find-a-branch-near-you-1810363.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-find-a-branch-near-you-1810363.html ]]> <p>The Met Office has declared that this autumn is officially an Indian summer, predicting balmy temperatures of 21C in the South-east and Midlands tomorrow. What better way to celebrate the arrival of "summer" – and save some money during half-term – than with some leaf peeping? This activity – taking a walk in the woods to admire the glorious leaves, not spying on your neighbour through the garden hedge – has been popular in the US for years. But while New England's trees certainly put on an impressive display, our own woodlands also make a splendid seasonal splash. Here are some of the best spots for kaleidoscopic leafy loveliness. </p> Hit & Run Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-a-paw-carbon-rating-1809861.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-a-paw-carbon-rating-1809861.html ]]> <p>Forget scratched furniture and suspicious patches on the living room carpet – your pet suddenly has a lot to answer for: the planet's environmental future no less. </p> Hit & Run Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-a-marr-superstar-1806793.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-a-marr-superstar-1806793.html ]]> <p>According to the advertisements for his latest book, The Making of Modern Britain, Andrew Marr is "Britain's favourite broadcaster". Marr may indeed be the favourite broadcaster of Britain's media and middle classes, though messrs Paxman, Dimbleby or Davies – Evan, not Alan – might have something to say about it. Surely, however, the BBC's former political editor can't lay serious claim to the title of most popular man on the box when the two big programmes he presents go out at 9am on a Sunday (The Andrew Marr Show, BBC1), when nobody but the cabinet minister being interviewed and a couple of their aides is even awake; and 9am on a Monday (Start the Week, Radio 4), when most of us are out of earshot on a tube somewhere, glazedly wondering where the weekend went.</p> Hit & Run Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-when-divas-join-forces-1806157.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-when-divas-join-forces-1806157.html ]]> <p>Not since Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson teamed up for "I Know Him So Well" has the diva community been so excited. The news that Beyoncé and Lady Gaga are teaming up on a secret project will no doubt have their respective fans squirming in their chairs – with anticipation, that is, not because their bodysuits are chafing. Beyoncé, credited with one of the catchiest songs and most-copied dance routines of the past year with her hit "Single Ladies", has a repertoire that extends across soul, gospel, R'n'B and disco, not to mention crunk. Gaga, meanwhile, has a great wardrobe team and a vocoder.</p> Hit & Run Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-a-model-makeover-1802720.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-a-model-makeover-1802720.html ]]> <p> If you need a photo taking, where do you go? Mario Testino is busy, passport booths make everyone look like a government anti-crack campaign, and Snappy Snaps can be a bit harsh. My friend went recently, and when she suggested that the results weren’t exactly Holbeinesque, the ‘artiste’ responsible replied sullenly that “the camera never lies”. Then there’s the average makeover studio, where subjects submit to transvestite make-up and a tight perm before being photographed sitting backwards on a chair. </p> Hit & Run Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-itrsquos-the-lsquobig-lrsquo-for-asterix-1802085.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-itrsquos-the-lsquobig-lrsquo-for-asterix-1802085.html ]]> Hit & Run Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-from-hired-to-fired-1801749.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/hit-and-run/hit--run-from-hired-to-fired-1801749.html ]]> <p> The machinations of celebville are as turbulent as the intrigues of a bloodstained Renaissance court this week, with Madonna cast as Henry VIII and her personal trainer, Tracy Anderson, as the unfortunate Cardinal Wolsey. </p> Hit & Run Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:01 +0100