This week's burning question

The Independent’s entertainment newsletter [The Independent]( October 15, 2022 [View in browser](   This week’s burning question: is Damien Hirst trolling us all, or is he actually a cunning art world genius? In fact, it's probably both. He made headlines for [setting fire to his own paintings this week]( – £10m worth of them, apparently – and lots of people cried “publicity stunt”. Hirst’s argument was that he was actually turning them into NFTs. Mark Hudson’s argument? [Accusing Damien Hirst of publicity stunts is like panning Van Gogh for painting sunflowers](. This, after all, is how the controversial Turner Prize winner has made a name – and a fortune – for himself since the start of his career. Saturday is Strictly day, which is normally a nice, cheerful thing. But last weekend, a row erupted when head judge Shirley Ballas admitted she would have sent singer Fleur East home over (the patently less good at dancing) presenter Richie Anderson. Does she have a problem with women? In this week’s State of the Arts column, [Isobel Lewis argues that we can’t call out Ballas without looking more closely at the audience’s own biases](. Hirst burns his artworks earlier this week (Damien Hirst and Science Ltd) If you haven’t already, make sure you read Louis Chilton’s [excellent interview with Tom “Draco Malfoy” Felton](. The Harry Potter star opened up about his previous mental health struggles, something which co-star Emma Watson encouraged him to discuss in his new memoir about making the films. Oh, and he sounds like he has a very sweet dog (a labrador called Willow). I also loved [Kevin EG Perry’s interview]( with Booker Prize winner George Saunders, who is releasing a new collection of short stories. (Liberation Day was reviewed by Martin Chilton in [his monthly books column](last week.) Saunders is such an original and surprising writer, and I love what he said about never phoning it in. Wisdom, age, experience… they mean nothing: “In art you really have to be a baby all the time”.     [The Saturday Interview – Julian Lennon]( [Oscars image]( Julian Lennon has just released 'Jude', his first album in a decade (Robert Ashcroft) This week, Mark Beaumont spoke to the [musician and activist Julian Lennon](. It's a really fascinating and eye-opening conversation about the journey he's been on as an artist and person – up to the point that his first album in a decade is called Jude (a nod to the rather famous song named after him). [Lennon discusses]( coming to terms with his own identity, fighting to save the planet, and the "shedding of a skin" that took place when he changed his name. [Oscars image]( Julian and his late mother, Cynthia Lennon (PA Archive) Read an extract from our Saturday Interview below… Ahead of our interview, Lennon’s people politely ask that we don’t stray too far into the “dad stuff”. It’s the sort of request that always brings to mind the old Mitchell & Webb sketch, where a PR meets a journalist en route to the interview room, saying “now Neil will only talk about the new album. If you bring up anything he did in the Sixties he’ll terminate the interview.” To which the befuddled hack replies, “But he was the first man on the moon…” Lennon is, of course, his own artist with his own elegant ambient rock sound and his own colourful story to tell: exotic adventures, personal hardships, pop successes, cosmic revelations. But considering he’s here to talk about a new album – his first in 11 years – with the Beatle-adjacent title Jude, plus a cover single of his father’s “Imagine” in aid of Ukraine, it’s a tougher ask than usual. In person, however, Lennon turns out to be quite open and philosophical about his background and the wild meandering journey it’s led him on. [Read the full interview here](   What to binge this week [Heartbreak High]( I definitely do not miss being a teenager – still haunted by an MSN Messenger pile-on that I experienced in 2004 – but I'm anthropologically curious enough to appreciate Netflix's reboot of teen soap Heartbreak High. [As Amanda Whiting wrote in her Hit Pause column this week](, the angst is still there, but now they have TikTok as well. Sends an actual chill down my spine. 'Heartbreak High' is on Netflix The cast of 'Heartbreak High' (Netflix)   Out and about [Good]( David Tennant returned to the West End for the first time in five years this week, playing a liberal professor lured by Nazism in CP Taylor's 1982 drama. [Read Anya Ryan's review here](.   INDYBEST / [BEST BUYS]( Stranger Things and Quiksilver launch an Eighties-inspired collection that’s worn by the cast in season 4 As the second half of series four unfolds, inject some retro style into your wardrobe [Read more](     Essential reading [The 17 absolute worst sex scenes in movie history]( [The 17 absolute worst sex scenes in movie history]( [Furious mother condemns local cinema after it bans children from new ‘Minions’ film]( [Furious mother condemns local cinema after it bans children from new ‘Minions’ film](   OTHER NEWSLETTERS YOU MIGHT LIKE [Race Report] The Race Report Fortnightly, 7am (UK time) Written by Nadine White [Join now]( [Health Check] Health Check Every Thursday, 7am (UK time) Written by Rebecca Thomas [Join now]( If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. 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