News about Art Garfunkel

Richard Adams' 1972 novel told the story of a young rabbit who has a vision of his land being destroyed by bulldozers at Sandleford and journeys with his group to Watership Down. Now the controversial plan to build 360 new homes at Sandleford Park has been approved by West Berkshire councillors. In 2011 Richard Adams, who grew up near Sandleford, criticised plans to build 2,000 houses in the area. The author, who died in 2016, said at the time 'It's a beautiful piece of open country and the most beautiful area south of Newbury. The very idea of building on it makes your gorge rise.'

EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Has Denmark's new Queen Mary forgiven her husband Frederik for his alleged dalliance with Mexican socialite Genoveva Casanova? Yes, according to Australian body language specialist Dr Louise Mahler, who looked at their attempts at kissing on the Copenhagen balcony after they became king and queen. 'Dr. Mahler says there were several chances for a kiss that were wrongly aligned.' 'Mary had the opportunity to kiss but Frederik missed it, then the opposite happened and they kissed.' I thought the kiss was genuine and full of warmth.' Louise gives the marriage a thumbs up after she takes down her binoculars.

However, the locals cautioned today that it was only a small compromise and that they would keep fighting to completely stop the growth on Strattons Farm, on the Hampshire-Berkshire border, near the famous hillside that was immortalized in Richard Adams' much-adored book. The celebrated hillside overlooks Phantom of the Opera maestro Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber's 5,000-acre Sydmonton Court estate, which is also close to Highclere Castle, where Downton Abbey was shot. Last year, Anglo Renewables stoked a storm by a planning request for a sprawling 86-acre solar farm at Strattons Farm, just off the A339 near Watership Down, which was immortalized in Richard Adams' book. Anglo Renewables revealed today that they had downsized their estimates by 19 percent by removing panels in the planned solar farm's southern and western areas.

Charting the development of pop music from the 1950s to the present, with a fascinating event for every day of the year, a diverting new book reveals the strange twists and quirks of musical history…

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: The reclassification of Watership Down, rather than being awake, has sparked a parental warning, and could help to avoid nightmares. Richard Adams' epic animal allegory about refugees and fascism in 1978 is perhaps the most disturbing children's film ever made. It attracts young viewers with twee cartoons of cute rabbits, but then unleashes gory violence laden with satanic overtones. All this is accompanied by Art Garfunkel's Bright Eyes, a No 1 pop hit sung with a saccharine sweetness that disguises the morbid lyrics: 'Bright eyes, how can you close and fail?How can a light that burns so brightly suddenly burn so pale?'

The ride was long. Two young girls, who were blaming their father at the wheel, were on the back seat, eager to be entertained. They begged, if we tell a tale. Richard Adams couldn't help but oblige when viewed in the rearview mirror at his beloved children, then just six and eight. The tale he told them brought them on their journey from North London to Stratford-upon-Avon so captivated their children, Juliet and Rosamond, now 64 and 64, that they insisted they write it down, even pooling their pocket money to buy him the newspaper to encourage him to pick up a pen. Watership Down, one of the most popular children's books, was published. It's now 50 years since the tale of rabbits Fiver, Hazel, and Bigwig, who's ardent journey to another warren was published. Pictured (L-R): Richard's children and the film.