Sinead O’Connor documentary will still air despite singer’s death – to ‘tell her side of story’
Nothing Compares, a documentary about Sinead O’Connor, will still air on Saturday to provide viewers the opportunity to “hear her tell her side of the story”, according to the filmmaker.
Belfast-born director Kathryn Ferguson confirmed the original plan to release the programme on Sky Documentaries and Now from 29 July will proceed despite the recent passing of the Grammy-winning singer and songwriter at the age of 56.
The decision to move forward with the broadcast was made after careful consideration following the musician’s death.
The 2022 documentary delves into the late Irish star’s journey to international stardom, particularly after releasing her rendition of Nothing Compares 2 U, and the controversies she faced due to her outspoken protests.
The Irish singer in her music video for Nothing Compares 2 U
“We had been scheduled to release Nothing Compares today on Sky / Now for a very long time and after lots of thought we are going to go ahead with that plan,” Ferguson tweeted on Saturday.
“The reaction to the film and love for Sinead has been palpable and we feel screening it this weekend is the right thing to do, so that people can see her in all her glory and hear her tell her side of the story.”
She added: “An option she was rarely granted by some facets of the media who spent so much of their time being reductive of all she had to say.
“Nothing Compares is a love letter to Sinead. She meant the absolute world to me and I know she did to many of you.
“Watch the film, feel the rage, have a good cry and let’s remember the woman for her radical, magical ways and all she has done for us. I’ve never been prouder to be an Irish woman.”
The documentary examines pivotal moments in O’Connor’s late 80s and early 90s career through a “contemporary feminist lens”.
The singer gained fame with highly acclaimed albums, including her 1987 debut The Lion And The Cobra and Grammy-winning follow-up I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.
The documentary examines pivotal moments in O’Connor’s late 80s and early 90s career
Throughout the decades, she released eight more albums, with her last, I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss, launched in 2014.
The Irish musician was renowned for her strong positions on social and political matters, notably when she tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II on US sketch show Saturday Night Live in 1992, protesting against the Catholic Church, which led to a vehement backlash.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘It isn’t good’: Sinead O’Connor’s final video
Read more:
‘Beyond compare’: Tributes paid to Sinead O’Connor after singer’s death
Sinead O’Connor and the story of her second Prince cover
The documentary showcases snippets from her music videos and live performances, along with previously unreleased footage and a more recent interview.
Ferguson previously expressed her desire for the documentary to “serve as a reminder of her greatness,” as she described O’Connor as “a special, funny and magnificent human being”.
She added: “Her fire lit a torch for so many of us, particularly those who grew up in the 1990s, and those who really needed her light.”
The filmmaker also expressed her gratitude for the “tremendous privilege” of creating the programme with the singer’s approval.
The documentary initially premiered at the Sundance World Cinema Documentary Competition in 2022 and later had a cinema release in October of the same year.
It received multiple award nominations and won the title of Best Feature Documentary at the Irish Film & Television Awards.
Nothing Compares will air on Sky Documentaries at 9pm and will be available on the subscription service Now. It will also be shown on Sky Showcase and Sky Arts.
Taylor Swift has revealed the release date for her new album, The Life Of A Showgirl.
The pop megastar announced her 12th studio album earlier this week but didn’t give many details.
Now, in social media posts and an appearance on boyfriend Travis Kelce’s sports podcast, Swift revealed just what fans can expect from the new album.
Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce on the New Heights podcast. Pic: New Heights
The Life of Showgirl, written during the European leg of her record-breaking Eras tour, will be released on 3 October.
It consists of 12 songs, including the title track that features pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
The full track list is:
1. The Fate Of Ophelia
2. Elizabeth Taylor
3. Opalite
4. Father Figure
5. Eldest Daughter
6. Ruin The Friendship
7. Actually Romantic
8. Wi$h Li$t
9. Wood
10. Cancelled!
11. Honey
12. The Life Of A Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)
Long-time collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, two Swedish producers who worked with Swift on some of her biggest hits, joined the pop star for this album.
Within four hours of posting the full podcast episode on YouTube, it had already gathered 4.7m views.
The cover of Taylor Swift’s newly announced album. Pic: Republic Records
The back cover of Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl. Pic: Republic Records
‘The hardest-working star in pop’
The album follows last year’s The Tortured Poets Department, which was released during the Eras tour.
That tour, with shows on five continents and in 51 cities, raked in more than $2.2bn (£1.62bn) and was the highest-grossing tour of all time.
Read more about Taylor Swift:
Swift’s final London show was the ‘best’
The impact of the ‘excruciating’ Era’s tour
Her new chart record
“This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant,” Swift said during her podcast appearance.
Sky News culture and entertainment reporter Gemma Peplow said after her globe-trotting tour and a swathe of re-releases over recent years, the new album cemented Swift’s reputation “as the hardest-working star in pop”.
Disgraced US film producer Harvey Weinstein is to be tried for a third time in a sexual assault case.
A jury in New York could not reach a verdict in June against the 73-year-old who was accused of raping actress Jessica Mann, and a mistrial was declared.
Judge Curtis Farber has said he wants the new trial to happen before the end of this year.
The same jury found Weinstein guilty in June of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and not guilty of assaulting Polish former runway model Kaja Sokola the same year.
Weinstein will be sentenced for the guilty verdict in Ms Haley’s case on 30 September.
He denied all of the charges. Throughout the retrial, his lawyers insisted the sexual encounters with his three accusers were “transactional” and “consensual,” and labelled the women as opportunists.
Weinstein was originally convicted of rape and criminal sexual act by the same court in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison for the crimes.
Last year, however, New York’s highest court overturned the conviction, prompting Weinstein’s retrial this summer.
Weinstein was once one of the most powerful people in Hollywood – the co-founder of film and television production companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company, who produced films such as the Oscar-winning Shakespeare In Love, Pulp Fiction, and The Crying Game.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
In 2017, a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him propelled the #MeToo movement.
Some of those accusations later led to criminal charges and his convictions in New York and California.
Before the retrial, Weinstein was also serving a 16-year prison sentence after being found guilty of rape in California in December 2022. He has also denied this charge.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike