From Moo Deng to Me Espresso: it’s the 2024 bumper pop culture quiz of the year
Do you know your hot rodent boyfriends, which celebrity is selling feet pics on OnlyFans and who fell off a stage this year? Then this is the quiz for you
‘It’s like having an affair’: Blackadder, the Beatles, Gavin & Stacey … the chemistry of successful writing duos
The long-awaited return of Ruth Jones and James Corden’s hit BBC sitcom represents the latest in a long line of successful creative duos. An author who writes with her husband examines why partnerships work so well
Cher: The Memoir, Part One review – from an orphanage to superstardom
The first volume of Cher’s extraordinary memoir mixes hard times with the high life
A Complete Unknown review – Timothée Chalamet’s Bob Dylan is an electric revelation
James Mangold’s biopic follows the rise of the era-defining star with Chalamet brilliantly embodying his shapeshifting allure
Over the Rainbow: Tales from an Unexpected Year by Alex James review – Blur reunited
The britpop bassist tears himself away from cheese just long enough to play with his old bandmates in this joyfully chaotic memoir
‘It’s like they were smoking something potent’: the ‘bizarre’ Paul McCartney alien musical that never was
Former Beatle’s treatment for the film – and an expanded version by sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov – unearthed in the US
The best biographies and memoirs of 2024
Salman Rushdie’s account of his near-fatal stabbing, a 360-degree view of Queen Elizabeth II and Al Pacino’s rags to riches career are among this year’s most compelling personal histories
Five of the best music books of 2024
From stories of queer artists reshaping the pop landscape to an insider’s view of Tupac and Biggie, the highlights of a tuneful year
‘A dancer dances, even with replaced hips and scoliosis’: only one actor can play Liza Minnelli
Despite Minnelli’s memoir not being finished and a queue of ‘Academy award, Emmy, Tony and Grammy winners excited to talk’, the star of the upcoming biopic is already obvious
Over the Rainbow by Alex James review – blessed is Blur’s cheesemaker
The Britpop bass player’s engaging memoir of the last Blur reunion reads like a freewheeling adventure without consequences – except when he crosses ‘the boss’
Every Valley: The Story of Handel’s Messiah review – hallelujah! A fresh take on the composer’s much-loved work
By revealing the murky circumstances in which it was created, Charles King’s fascinating history of the oratorio shows it in a new light
Rebel Musix, Scribe on a Vibe by Vivien Goldman review – hanging with the punks and the Rastas
From Bob Marley embracing the Clash to Brian Eno hurling his phone against a wall, this wide-ranging collection of music writing evokes an era in which journalists and musicians existed side by side
The Memoir: Part One by Cher – a gutsy tale of showbiz survival
The first chapter of the superstar performer’s recollections is full-blooded and hearty, but only hints at her real persona
The Chronicles of Doom review – unmasking hip-hop’s peerless prankster
SH Fernando Jr’s exhaustive biography of MF Doom takes us on the underground rapper’s strange musical journey from New York suburb to Yorkshire social club
Wicked review – Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are a blast in sugar-rush Wizard of Oz fantasy
Stephen Schwartz’s musical prequel has been brought to the big screen, with Erivo’s charismatic Elphaba exerting a planetary pull over a star-studded cast