Five Great Reads: Heather Graham, Ozzy Osbourne, and the dirtiest race in Olympic history

The Guardian

02-05-2025

Top of the weekend to you all. For Australian readers yet to cast your vote, here's something to consider on your way to the polling booth. And a recommendation for you all once you've consumed this week's third read: crank this up to 11 and give the drummer some.
Families can be difficult, as the actor Heather Graham can attest.
She says she ceased all contact with her mother and 'really religious' father when they vetoed her taking a role in the cult 1988 comedy Heathers. From Twin Peaks to playing Rollergirl and Felicity Shagwell, her Hollywood career has subsequently thrived – and even survived a couple of run-ins with the notorious Harvey Weinstein.
Directorial debut: Graham has stepped behind the camera for Chosen Family, a comedy-drama film about a child-free yoga teacher called Ann struggling with her manipulative, dysfunctional family.
How long will it take to read: Five minutes.
Watching Donald Trump move fast and break a lot of things has been exhausting enough from a distance. David Smith, our Washington DC bureau chief, has witnessed the carnage first hand. He runs the ruler over what the Democratic veteran Chuck Schumer has dubbed '100 days of hell for the American people'.
Survey says: A recent US poll had disapproval for Trump's presidency at 55%. He received 49.8% of the popular vote in the presidential election.
How long will it take to read: Four minutes.
Further reading: This interactive breaks the first stanza of Trump's second term down into 41 bite-sized fiascos.
He (allegedly) bit the head off a live bat. He (allegedly) snorted a line of live ants. Now Ozzy Osbourne, one of the wildest of all the rock'n'roll wild men, is in a lot of pain after five spinal surgeries and a Parkinson's diagnosis.
He and his Black Sabbath bandmates talked exclusively to Alexis Petridis ahead of the heavy metal titans' reunion/final farewell show – and assured fans Ozzy will make it on stage.
'I think Ozzy might be on some kind of throne, but I'm in the dark as much as anybody else.' – Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi on how his frontman will get through the gig.
Best line-up ever? Support acts include Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Pantera and Tool. All proceeds will go to charity.
How long will it take to read: Five minutes.
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Jess Davies was 15 when the first intimate photo she shared with someone she trusted was circulated more widely. When she was a glamour model for Britain's 'lads' mags', she says a man she was dating snapped her sleeping naked and sent the pic to his mates.
Years later, other photos of her were used to scam or catfish a series of men. The BBC learned of her plight and a documentary, When Nudes Are Stolen, followed. Now 32, Davies's new book turns the spotlight back on the online scam perpetrators and the 'anonymous, secretive world' they inhabit.
Risk, Captions and Make Me Ashamed: The names of some of the 'games' Davies observed men playing with women's photos in the darker recesses of the web.
How long will it take to read: Five minutes.
Britain's Lisa Dobriskey was unusually candid to the BBC after placing 10th in the women's 1,500m at the 2012 London Olympics: 'I don't believe I'm competing on a level playing field.'
She was right. Five of the top nine finishers, including the gold and silver medallists, have since been hit with doping violations and had their placings stripped. Dobriskey and other athletes who were cheated out of medals that day tell the story of the dirtiest race in Olympic history – and its long-running aftermath.
How long will it take to read: Ten minutes.
Further reading: Gout Gout's coach, Di Sheppard, on guiding the Australian sprint sensation.
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