PRECIS 10

Rest of Amy Winehouse's European tour in doubt

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110620/ap_on_en_ot/eu_britain_amy_winehouse

overshadow- to cause someone or something seem less important or less happy

Karen has always felt overshadowed by her famous elder sister.

My happiness was overshadowed by the bad news.

meltdown- a complete failure 

The last few months have seen the progressive meltdown of the country's political system.

...fear of a global financial meltdown

shatter- to destroy or seriously damage something

The war shattered this country's economy.

Noisy motorbikes shattered the peace.

jeer- to shout or laugh at someone in an unkind way that shows you have no respect for them

The people at the back of the hall jeered (at) the speaker.

I didn't come here today to jeer: I want to give advice.

stumble- to fall or almost fall while you are walking or running; to walk in a way which does not seem controlled 

We could hear her stumbling around the bedroom.

Cheryl's horse stumbled, throwing her to the ground.

decipher- to discover the mening of something written badly or in a difiicult hidden way; to understand something mysterious or confusing

Can you decipher the writing on this envelope?

I always wonder how people manage to decipher my doctor's handwriting.

startling- surprising and something worrying

Nobody made any response to his startling suggestion.

...startling new evidence...

Amy Winehouse is a very popular singer,who won Grammy Award five times. However, Amy is addicted to alcohol and drugs. Her strong addiction have overshadowed her musical career. A few days ago, she had a very public meltdown on stage in Belgrade. The city was the frist stop of her European summer concert tour.The main goal od the tour was to show that Amy is a talented singer and to make people forget about her problems. Unfortunately, Amy's performance which was a complete disaster, shatterd the goal. The singer stambled around the stage, trying to recall the lyrics of her own songs. The audience had a lot of problems to decipher what song Winehouse was performing! A great number of disappointed and angry fans left the concert hall. After all, Serbian media called the concert a 'scandal', 'the worst in the history of Belgrade'. As a result, Amy refused the payment for the performance. Then, she cancelled the next concerts in Istambul and Athens and came back to London. The Belgrade disaster raised a lot of questions about her ability to perform on stage, before an audience. What is she going to now? In one of her well- known songs she sings "Thy try to make me rehab"..and " I said no, no, no".