Diva patrol … Donna Summer. Photograph: Harry Langdon/Estate of Donna Summer SudanoAs her ill-starred 1981 album I’m a Rainbow gets remixed and reissued, we celebrate the queen of disco’s best work
by Alexis Petridis20. True Love Survives (1981)Sessions for Donna Summer’s I’m a Rainbow were interrupted when her label boss David Geffen fired producers Giorgio Moroder and Peter Bellotte. The unfinished album was eventually released in 1996 – a remix collection is out this week – revealing at least one killer in the classic Summer mode. Read More...
Mission: Impossible This article is more than 6 months oldI did my PhD in Hollywood action films – here’s why Mission: Impossible is the bestThis article is more than 6 months oldClem BastowThe series has come to be characterised largely by Tom Cruise’s spectacular stunts – but what sets them apart are Ethan Hunt’s very human qualities
Everyone knows Leo Tolstoy’s line about unhappy families, but few are familiar with his lesser known first draft: every insane PhD student goes insane in their own special way. Read More...
SEMANTIC ENIGMASI have heard that the well used phrase 'Nitty gritty' has its origins in slave ship terminology - and is therefore an unsavoury phrase for PC enthusiasts. Hutchinson's dictionary states its origin is unknown 1960s - des anyone have further information? James Hempsall, Leicester UK
The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century Words suggests that it's "a rhyming form based on grit". Incidentally, it also records its first use in print as being a quote by the field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People - so I think you're probably safe in using it. Read More...