... Sixties boost for cancer appeal By NATASHA FIELDING AN ORGANISER of a Midland cancer appeal is staging a Sixties Dance Night to help raise much needed cash for research into secondary brain tumours. Management of The New Kings Cabaret Theatre in Birmingham have donated the auditorium and are fund ing the show on behalf of a cancer suf ferer, who is paying a personal thank you to her specialist ...

... Neil's a drag says Duvall BLACKPOOL fun pub entertain er and drag act Tony Duvall won't be voting Labour at the next general election. Having been resident record spin ner and personality at Hacketts ground floor fun pub on Central Drive for the past three years he's now, shall we say, between jobs. Duvall, one of the resort's last per sonality jocks, left the venue rather more abruptly than ...

... Tower gathers strength for live circus CAMPAIGNERS pressing to save live entertainment in Blackpool Tower Circus are taking their battle to London. A public meeting has been called at the Theatre Museum to canvas support for the cam paign to keep a live circus in Blackpool Tower where own ers First Leisure intend operat ing on anitnatronics presenta tion from 1992. Founder of the Tower Circus ...

... Ford slams Doddy as Key favourite By HELEN GOULD COUNTRY musician Jed Ford, has accused his local Peterborough venue of favouritism for welcoming back Ken Dodd's late- running show despite 'fining' Ford for running over time. Ford packed out the 400-seater Key Theatre when he booked it for his own show this summer, and was billed £100 for finishing his performance 15 minutes late. However, he ...

... Venue violence HUNDREDS of people fled in panic from Brixton's Academy venue last week as a gunman blasted a middle aged man in full view of a crowd of horrified onlookers. Fans, who had queued for hours to see reggae star Shabba Ranks, fell choking to the ground after a CS gas cannister was hurled through the packed hall. Minutes later the shoot ing sounded. The lone gunman ran from a side ...

... Hot Ice extra Blackpool's annual ice show is to have an extra three week boost next year. The Pleasure Beach Hot Ice Britain's first ever and longest running ice spectacular will open next season three weeks earlier than ever before. The decision to open Hot Ice '91 on May 26 is due to the success of this year's show with its new look formula of six matinees plus six evening shows a week. It ...

... Tennents LAughs in Dublin THEY'RE laughing, not crying, in their beer in Dublin these days. Tennents LA, the low alcohol lager, is providing substantial sponsorship for efforts to establish an alternative comedy circuit in the city. The brewery has dubbed its spon sorship Tennents LAugh. A spokes woman explained: Tennents LA is new in Dublin and so is alternative comedy. The project is an ...

... Comic in cash row with Virgin By HELEN GOULD COMEDIAN Lennie Windsor, who abandoned his show when he suffered a soaking at the hands of Richard Branson, has called in Equity after the Virgin empire boss allegedly balked at paying his bill. The multi-millionaire booked Windsor's spoof game show for a company party at Torquay's Palace Hotel. But the comic called it a night when Branson, dressed ...

... Smart move for Orchestra By BRIAN ATTWOOD HALLE Orchestra general manager Clive Smart announced this week his company has slashed its deficit by more than a quarter of a million pounds in just one year. Figures out for the financial year to March 3 1 reveal that the Halle is now only £3,500 in the red, compared with £264,000 in 1989. This follows a massive boost to the orchestra's earned ...

... Conservationists call for Blackpool bier top enquiry By ROBIN DUKE LEADING conservation groups have moved in to try and save Blackpool's big top. i nc cream oi me couniry 5 heritage groups met in London's Theatre Museum and called for a full public inquiry' into planned changes at Blackpool Tower Circus. Members of the Circus Support Group joined represen tatives from the Theatre Trust and ...

... Proby returns VETERAN pop star P J Proby is making a comeback and he's chosen Blackpool as the place to stan it all. All next summer holidaymakers will be able to hear the former chart top per, bringing back the memories of his Top 20 days, at North Promenade's New Lansdowne Hotel. Fifty two-year-old Proby, who now lives in Bolton, is no stranger to Britain's number one resort having topped ...

... Bill rocks pop Music industry fears Government trade ban By HELEN GOULD Weeks of intense lobbying by the music industry failed to stop the House of Lords amending the Bill to include a controversial definition of pop, which effectively outlaws bids from the business for one of the two new commercial music stations. The government-inspired clause labels pop as rock and other strongly rhythmic ...