"Once upon a time," begins Ciarán Collins' debut novel, "there were two lovers called Sinéad and James." She is a local girl from a poor Catholic family where her home life is troubled and her parents abusive, while James is the son of a well-off Protestant couple who move to the area to renovate an old castle.

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Miss Utah, Marissa Powell, lets rip about corporate sexism during Sunday's pageant

Communications: A good week for terrible interviews. Starring Joe Kinnear and Miss Utah

He may have mastered the interview for the job of director of football at Newcastle United, but Joe Kinnear made a complete hash of an interview on TalkSport the day after signing his contract.

Angus T Jones out of Two and a Half Men for branding series 'filth' - but Ashton Kutcher is set to return

Hit American sitcom Two and a Half Men has been commissioned for its 11 series. But just five months after urging viewers to turn it off and branding it "filth" the show's Half Man will no longer make regular appearances.

Tom Cruise in Joseph Kosinski’s science-fiction mystery thriller ‘Oblivion’

Oblivion cruises to top of UK box office

Tom Cruise vehicle Oblivion has landed safely at the top of the UK box office taking £4.96 million at cinemas in Britain and Ireland.

Lindsay Lohan is due to appear on Charlie Sheen's show Anger Management

Lindsay Lohan to play Charlie Sheen's love interest in Anger Management

Two of Hollywood’s most volatile stars Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan will appear together in an episode Sheen’s US TV series Anger Management.

Anger Management, starring Charlie Sheen, is being renewed for 100 episodes

Television: Strap in for 100 new episodes of Charlie Sheen

For even the greatest comedies, getting a new series renewed (ie funded for a new series) can be hard work. When Seinfeld struggled in its first few seasons, it was almost cancelled until it moved slots. Even mega hits like Modern Family only tend to be renewed one season in advance due to the huge costs of making a 24-episode series.

Feminists hate Chris Brown because he's black, says Brendan O'Neill

Blogger and controversialist Brendan O'Neill has stoked the fires again, writing in The Huffington Post that the main reason "feminists" hate Chris Brown so much is because "he's big, bad and black" - not the singer's horrendous assault on Rihanna.

Page 3 Profile: Julian Fellowes, Writer

Is the end of Downton nigh?

Page 3 Profile: Angus T Jones actor

Not another pay increase?

Two and a Half Men actor Angus T Jones blasts show as 'filth' and 'bad news'

The 19-year-old actor says he doesn't want to be on the show

Two and a Half Men actor Angus T Jones blasts show as 'filth' and 'bad news'

The 19-year-old actor says he doesn't want to be on the show

This film image released by Film District shows Jeffrey Dean Morgan, left, and Chris Hemsworth

'Red Dawn' army digitally altered to protect lucrative film sales in China

Special effects teams digitally removed all references to China

Edgy touch: Seth MacFarlane, director and co-writer of Ted

'Family Guy' creator Seth MacFarlane to host The Oscars 2013

"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane will host the 2013 Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles.

Hollywood's Mr Angry back on winning run

Charlie Sheen's new sitcom is soulless and formulaic but it will still be a big hit, predicts Sarah Hughes
Anger Management, Charlie Sheen's new sitcom for cable channel FX is (very) loosely based on the 2003 Adam Sandler/Jack Nicholson movie of the same name

Charlie Sheen: Hollywood's Mr Angry is back on a winning streak

Charlie Sheen's soulless new sitcom will still be a big hit, predicts Sarah Hughes

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The great war photographer was not one person but two. Their pictures of Spain's civil war, lost for decades, tell a heroic tale
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The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

Someone, somewhere has to write speeches for world leaders to deliver in the event of disaster. They offer a chilling hint at what could have been
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Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Think comedy’s a man's world? You must be stuck in the 1980s, says Holly Williams
Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

The Dr Feelgood guitarist talks frankly about his terminal illness
Lure of the jingle: Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life

Lure of the jingle

Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life
Who stole the people's own culture?

DJ Taylor: Who stole the people's own culture?

True popular art drives up from the streets, but the commercial world wastes no time in cashing in
Guest List: The IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Guest List: IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Before you stuff your luggage with this year's Man Booker longlist titles, the case for some varied poolside reading alternatives
What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

Rupert Cornwell: What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

The CIA whistleblower struck a blow for us all, but his 1970s predecessor showed how to win
'A man walks into a bar': Comedian Seann Walsh on the dangers of mixing alcohol and stand-up

Comedian Seann Walsh on alcohol and stand-up

Comedy and booze go together, says Walsh. The trouble is stopping at just the one. So when do the hangovers stop being funny?
From Edinburgh to Hollywood (via the Home Counties): 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Edinburgh to Hollywood: 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Hugh Montgomery profiles the faces to watch, from the sitcom star to the surrealist
'Hello. I have cancer': When comedian Tig Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on

Comedian Tig Notaro: 'Hello. I have cancer'

When Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on
They think it's all ova: Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Our chef made his name cooking eggs, but he’s never stopped looking for new ways to serve them
The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

With its own Tiger Woods - South Korea's Inbee Park - the women's game has a growing audience
10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

Here are the potential stars of the World Championships which begin on Saturday
The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

Briefings are off the record leading to transfer speculation which is merely a means to an end