Move over Penélope and Scarlett - a struggling musician-turned-diva is the real feelgood story behind Woody Allen's new movie.

When British cinemagoers flock to Woody Allen's latest film Vicky Cristina Barcelona this week, they are likely to have been drawn by the triple attraction of Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem, who star in the tale of a love triangle conducted in one of Europe's most charismatic cities. But in Catalonia the true hero of the film is an Italian busker who has never been anywhere near the studios of Hollywood.

The film has already garnered a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination, but last week a less publicised award - a Catalan film festival award for best original music - went to Giulia Tellarini, whose "Barcelona" forms the opening soundtrack to the film and has already been adopted by the city's tourist board.

Tellarini and her band a...

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A new article at the Evening Times lists the "top ten" buskers who became celebrities. Blues great BB King went town to town in Mississippi playing his guitar for loose change. The stand-up comic Eddie Izzard first took his talents to the streets of Sheffield then on to fame in Europe.Can you guess which future star was kicked out of Spain for vagrancy? How about guessing which star performed fire tricks on the streets of London? Of course, we can't forget the star who performed a mime act on the streets of New York while an acting student.

The top ten is quite entertaining and revealing while the "X" list (ex-busker) contains an incredible list of lists featuring all buskers who became *Stars*. There is a new master compilation currently being built that is due out sometime next year.

Read about...

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(SANTA FE) It was less than six years ago when busking was illegal in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Today, business is booming for street-performers. Many talents can be found in downtown Santa Fe these days. Buskers are now allowed to perform between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays, they are allowed to perform until 1 a.m.

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COLUMBIA TO SET HAT OUT FOR BUSKERS

(COLUMBIA, S. CAROLINA) Columbia has come a long way in just the past two months rewriting their busking ordinances for all to enjoy.

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Hard-working busker Derek Allan is about to embark on his toughest gig yet - playing 10 sets of 10 hours in 10 different venues.The singer-songwriter’s fundraising efforts will see him play for 10 consecutive nights as he pulls out all the stops to help Grace House Hospice Appeal to reach its latest target.

And not content with that, he is issuing a universal offer of help to any small charities or individuals who need a helping hand getting together the money they need.

Derek, 34, from Red Row in Northumberland, first came to the attention of Journal readers when he performed seven consecutive 12-hour gigs in seven different Northumberland pubs, with no backing group.

The exertion left Derek, who suffers from epilepsy, exhausted and he almost fainted several times during the g...

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(HOLLYWOOD) The film "The Giant Mechanical Man" tells of a human statue street-performer (Topher Grace) who falls in love with female zoo worker (Jenna Fischer). Each of them resists pressure from friends and family not to get together. A romantic comedy, it's yet again another love story featuring the performers. A tried and true story-line, it dates back to the silent cinema era with "The Blue Angel".


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