When etalkanchor Lainey Luiset foot on the Golden Globes red carpet wearing this gown,she instantly made waves and found herself on a number of best-dressed lists. The Telegraph, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post and Queer Eye's Karamo Brownall raved about her look. Lui responded by saying, "I'm a Canadian-Asian woman and I wanted to wear an Indigenous designer's work." That designer is 25-year-oldLesley Hampton, who started her own clothing line three years ago when she was still in college. She joined q's Tom Power live in studio to talkabout how she uses fashion toworkthrough tough issues, from body positivity to mental health.

Download our podcast or click the 'Listen' link near the top of this page to hear the full conversation withLesley Hampton.

Produced by Jennifer Warren

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This Indigenous designer's gowns are turning heads on the red carpet and busting down barriers - CBC.ca

This is The Year of the Rat it is an immutable fact not just my opinion it dates back centuries in the Chinese culture. There are 12 animal characters that rotate every 12 years and they determine the strengths and weaknesses of the year ahead. And the strengths and weaknesses of the people born under these signs.

The Lunar New Year started in a soft way on Jan. 17 (with the Kitchen God Festival or Little New Year a time to sweep with a clean new broom and sweep away bad luck). The official holiday begins on Jan. 25 (you must not sweep on this day or you will sweep good luck away) and the holiday ends on Feb. 8 as all good holidays do with fireworks. It is the time of the Lantern Festival. And during this time you can now expect to receive lucky red envelopes filled with cash.

I grew up 20 minutes outside of San Francisco and my birthday falls on the same date of course in the Gregorian calendar but in different parts of the cycle of Chinese New Year. My oft-divorced, mostly single mother loved controlled adventure she was a lifelong Republican so venturing into Chinatown at night was wildly and somehow acceptably exotic. Each year for my birthday we would attend the final nighttime parade with the serpentine dragon carried by dozens of Chinese people through the streets of Chinatown at night. We would sit inside at a window table on the second story of a Chinese restaurant and eat bowls of noodles and drink pots of tea and try to understand the coded messages in our fortune cookies. There were firecrackers and candied ginger and coconut.

This fall I had a magical visit to San Francisco to meet family I never knew I was related to until now who turn out to be funny and smart and lovers of fine Chinese cuisine. After a perfect morning at the San Francisco MOMA (where we saw the most remarkable exhibit by mysterious photographer JR) they took me to a hip Chinese restaurant owned by a longtime San Francisco Chinese family and we ate family-style dishes cooked at the table right before us. On my last day before I headed to the airport I went into Chinatown and sat down for a slow tea ceremony with a lovely woman who didnt have to work too hard to convince me to buy two pounds of fragrant tea blueberry oolong and rose bud.

It was just the heads of the animal characters of the zodiac brought to life. It was dizzying to look up and see them all and to meander between the animals.

In 2012 on a business trip to Washington, D.C., I was fortunate to witness the magical and exotic art from Chinese dissent artist Ai WeiWei. It featured 12 giant bronzes surrounding an outdoor fountain at the Hirshhorn Museum (part of the Smithsonian). It was just the heads of the animal characters of the zodiac brought to life. It was dizzying to look up and see them all and to meander between the animals. I had heard WeiWei speak in 2011 while he was under house arrest in China. He was on a cellphone while he was in a closet in his home and I was in the audience at the annual TED conference where it was broadcast to us. We sat in our seats in the auditorium in Vancouver holding our breath fearful he might be discovered as he explained his art and his risky brave life.

This week I saw a press release that stated WeiWei would be among the rock star folks from the arts and culture world who would be speaking on a panel during Sundance. The rabbit in me hopped up and down. And I tried to remember what this was the year of the and a song popped into my head, Year of the Cat. (Which it is not of course it is The Year of the Rat we have established that fact already). But in the Vietnamese zodiac The Year of the Cat (not found in the traditional Chinese zodiac) becomes wait for it the Year of the Rabbit. My year. So, the fact the popular, haunting Al Stewart song recorded at the iconic Abbey Road studios in 1976 when it was actually the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac which was made the Year of the Cat in the Vietnamese version seemed somehow cosmically connected or just the kind of midnight connections that happen when sleep evades a wandering mind.

And then I got to thinking about the intersections between Sundance and the Chinese New Year and Ai WeiWei being here and I imagined the parade of my childhood winding down Main Street one night during the film festival. A serpentine, brightly colored dragon and firecrackers and candied ginger tossed out to the crowds that would gather and it seemed like an idea that begs to take wings or get legs or whatever animal euphemism you are comfortable with

This week about half a cord of beautiful pion pine firewood arrived on my front porch perfectly stacked in a crisscross manner while I was at work. It was better than a crisp bill in a red envelope. Starting a new year this week makes perfect sense to me separating it apart from the Christian holidays. I am ready to light some firecrackers and sip fragrant exotic tea and bundle up to stand in a line in the hopes of getting into a panel where the greatest voices shaping arts and culture in the world will appear at the Sundance Film Festival. And this year that festival will start on the eve of the Chinese New Year, which is something to prepare for this Sunday (dont forget to shop for a new broom) in the Park

Teri Orr is a former editor of The Park Record. She is the director of the Park City Institute, which provides programming for the George S. and Dolores Dor Eccles Center for the Performing Arts.

Original post:

Teri Orr: The Year of the Rat leads down a rabbit hole - The Park Record

What to watch Wednesday as the House transmits the impeachment articles to the Senate:

____

AT ISSUE

Under Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House voted Dec. 18 to impeach Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress stemming from his conduct toward Ukraine. Trump is the third president to be impeached in U.S. history. The others are Clinton and, in 1868, Andrew Johnson. President Richard Nixon resigned before the House could impeach him.

Pelosi delayed the transmission of the articles to the Senate, holding out for more specific terms of the trial.

___

THE CROSSING

Pelosi Wednesday morning named he seven House managers who will make the case to senators that Trump abused his office by pressuring Ukraine to investigate the son of political rival Joe Biden, and then obstructed Congress search for what happened. The House formally signed off on the managers and the transmission to the Senate, voting 228-193.

The team is led by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, who led the impeachment investigation and hearings. The others are Reps. Zoe Lofgren of California, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Val Demings of Florida, Jason Crow of Colorado and Sylvia Garcia of Texas.

Pelosis choices suggests an emphasis on professional experience (many are lawyers) and subject matter expertise. She nodded to the 2020 elections, choosing what House members said was geographic diversity by appointing managers from beyond Democrat-dominated states.

And in choosing Garcia and Crow, she acknowledged the class of freshmen lawmakers who helped flip the House in the 2018 elections. Crows appointment, too, is a nod to the seven national security freshmen who had resisted impeaching Trump, but then wrote an op-ed calling for it after the Ukraine scheme broke.

A Democrat familiar with how most managers were chosen said they were notified in a two-step process. First, they were told they were being considered. Then they were summoned to Pelosis office to meet with the speaker one-on-one. Inside, Pelosi told them she had chosen them for the high visibility role. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to convey the order of developments.

Later Wednesday, the whole prosecution team will line up behind House Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving and House Clerk Cheryl Johnson, who will be holding the articles in folders. The procession will walk through National Statuary Hall, past Pelosis office, across the Rotunda and to the doors of the Senate.

The managers will return to the House until the Senate admits them.

___

FURNITURE AND OATHS

The Senate then considers some mundane-sounding details, as well as some historic ones, according to the precedent of Clintons impeachment trial.

First, theyll consider resolutions on such things as how to arrange the chamber to accommodate the prosecution and defence teams, and who can watch from the galleries. Then, according to a memo circulated among senators, comes a series of formalities, including the reception of the House managers.

By the end of the week, the managers are expected to exhibit the articles of impeachment. Roberts and the senators will take their oaths. And the senators will sign an oath book used since 1986 for presidential and judicial impeachment trials that has been stored at the National Archives.

___

THE SENATE CONVENES AS A COURT

Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! All persons are commanded to keep silent, on pain of imprisonment, while the Senate of the United States is sitting for the trial of the articles of impeachment.

So proclaimed James Ziglar, then the Senate sergeant-at-arms, at Clintons trial in 1999.

Senate rules say the trial then begins, and runs six days a week not on Sunday until its resolved. But senators could vote to change the schedule.

Arguments in Trumps trial begin next Tuesday, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

___

NO DISMISSAL

Trump has said he wants a full trial with witnesses while also suggesting hed favour a dismissal.

But it takes 51 of 100 senators to do almost anything during a trial, and even Republican senators have rejected the idea of a dismissal.

___

WITNESSES?

The jury is out on whether the Senate calls witnesses, but its possible.

Former national security adviser John Bolton has agreed to testify if subpoenaed, and some Republicans have been meeting privately to guarantee that witnesses can be called. With a 53-seat Republican majority, four GOP senators would have to vote with all Democrats to reach the 51-vote threshold.

On this, watch GOP moderate Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.

Any plan for witnesses would likely involve depositions and testimony from people called by Republicans and Democrats.

Trump has said he wants the Senate to call Pelosi and Schiff, but thats highly unlikely.

During the Clinton trial, former White House intern Monica Lewinsky was deposed privately but not called to testify. She and Clinton had had an extramarital relationship, they both said.

___

THE FOUR

Senators are fond of talking and any politician wants to stay connected to constituents. So the impeachment trial rule against speaking or consulting their phones on the Senate floor has the potential to make all of them cranky.

None moreso, however, than the four Democratic senators forced to decamp from Iowa less than three weeks before the elections leadoff caucuses. Look for Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Michael Bennet of Colorado to send surrogates to Iowa or make short trips back and forth.

Ive told them this trial is your responsibility as senators and scheduling is not going to influence what we should do, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told The Associated Press in an interview last month. He said none of them objected. There are benefits of running as a senator, Schumer added, and there are liabilities.

___

Follow Kellman on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/APLaurieKellman

___

This story has been corrected to show Johnson, not Jackson, was impeached.

Laurie Kellman, The Associated Press

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The Crossing: What to watch as impeachment heads to Senate - rdnewsnow.com

Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou arrives at her probation office in Vancouver, on Dec. 12, 2018. If convicted, Ms. Meng could face a significant prison sentence.

Jimmy Jeong/The Canadian Press

When Meng Wanzhou makes her latest court appearance on Monday, it will be more than a year since she was first escorted into Courtroom 20 for her bail hearing. Inside the high-tech, high-security fortress in the basement of the B.C. Supreme Court, a packed gallery of curious supporters and media from around the world studied her face through bulletproof glass.

Ms. Meng will be back in that courtroom on Monday for the start of her formal extradition hearing, a protracted process that could stretch on for months. At the end of it, a judge will ultimately decide whether the Huawei heiress and chief financial officer will be extradited to the U.S. to face fraud charges.

U.S. prosecutors allege Ms. Meng made misrepresentations to foreign banks, including HSBC, about Huaweis relationship with Skycom Tech. The U.S. Department of Justice describes Skycom as a Huawei subsidiary that sold telecommunications equipment to Iran, putting the financial institutions at risk of violating U.S. sanctions against the Middle Eastern country. If convicted, Ms. Meng could face a significant prison sentence.

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Ms. Meng has spent her year of partial house arrest in Vancouver, accompanied by her husband and a rotating cast of family members. Her mundane existence has given few hints that she has become a potent flashpoint in U.S.-China relations and spurred China to block billions of dollars in Canadian agricultural imports.

Ms. Meng has given no interviews over the past year, but open letters and notes she has written to employees and supporters, coupled with sightings and interviews with those who know her, offer a glimpse into her past year.

Her first message to the public came on Dec. 11, 2018, when she released on $10-million bail and moved to her home in the affluent Dunbar neighbourhood. With journalists staking out the property and passersby snapping photos, the 47-year-old executive posted a short note to WeChat, Chinas most popular messaging app.

I am in Vancouver and back with my family, she wrote. I am proud of Huawei, I am proud of my motherland. Thanks to everyone who cares about me.

She included an image of a ballerinas feet, one neatly wrapped in a satin pointe shoe, the other bare, mangled and bandaged. Behind all greatness is suffering, reads the accompanying text. Its an image repurposed from an old Huawei ad intended to convey the hard work that went into building the company the largest private enterprise in China.

There are indications Ms. Meng is not close with the man who runs the telecom giant her father, Ren Zhengfei. Huaweis founder did not learn about his daughters arrest in December, 2018, from Ms. Meng directly. Instead, she called the companys legal department first, who passed the news on to Mr. Ren.

In an interview with The Globe and Mail in December, he waved away a question on the subject. Of course she should contact the legal department first, as this is a legal issue, he said.

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Throughout last winter and spring, Ms. Meng attended procedural hearings, each time rushing from home to waiting vehicle to courtroom as shutters clicked, reporters shouted questions and the security detail she is paying for court-imposed, to ensure she abides by her bail conditions acted more as personal bodyguards. She dressed down in hoodies and yoga pants, tuques and newsboy caps. She said not a word to the public.

In May, Ms. Meng relocated to her other Vancouver property, a newly renovated home recently assessed at $13.6-million that her legal team said would offer better security. The 8,100-square-foot, seven-bedroom house with manicured lawns stands in stark contrast to the living conditions of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have languished in Chinese prisons since being detained in apparent retaliation for Ms. Mengs arrest.

Within days of the move, Ms. Meng sent a letter to Huawei employees expressing gratitude for their support, which she said buoyed her spirits despite the constraints of her bail conditions, which stipulated that she must wear a GPS monitor, remain under constant surveillance and stay away from the airport.

Every time a court hearing has finished, I have seen Huawei employees staying up all night just to follow my case in distant time zones. This has brought me to tears, read Ms. Mengs letter, which the company translated into English. Your concern has warmed my heart and your support has filled me with power.

By then, more than five months had passed since her arrest, and the U.S. moved to level economic sanctions against Huawei. Mr. Ren, who initially passed off Ms. Mengs incarceration as a misunderstanding, began to think of his daughter, whom he called innocent, as a pawn in a larger U.S. action against the company.

Asked how he expected to resolve the issue, he made no comment about his daughter, answering instead that Huawei began to speed up efforts to improve our internal systems and product development.

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In Vancouver, Ms. Mengs life plodded along. She was seen perusing the luxury retailer Holt Renfrew and eating at its French-inspired caf. An onlooker who recognized the high-profile detainee at the next table, where she sat with two companions, snapped photos of the group eating yam fries and salad before a member of Ms. Mengs security detail directed a waitress to put a stop to it.

As summer turned to fall, there was a sudden change: Ms. Meng began attending court proceedings in head-to-toe designer outfits: Chanel dresses, Jimmy Choo stilettos, a Hermes handbag valued at upwards of $10,000, by some accounts.

Instead of rushing about, she now walked confidently with her shoulders back and head held high. She thanked supporters for attending and media for covering her case.

There have been countless studies, from MIT to Princeton University, that showcase the power of appearance in swaying public opinion on issues like trustworthiness or competency, said Lexi Pathak, vice-president and partner at Faulhaber Communications, a marketing agency that specializes in lifestyle brands.

Ms. Meng has gone from hiding her face and wearing nondescript clothing like yoga pants to openly engaging with the press and dressing in an extremely polished manner... that actually draws attention to her GPS monitor. In this case, one might surmise that she is taking an active stance to exude grace, calm and confidence in the public eye to help influence how she is being perceived.

In fact, those were the exact descriptors that began to circulate among Chinese netizens. Chrison, one of the countrys top fashion bloggers, with more than nine million followers on Weibo, posted about Ms. Mengs court apparel, saying it upended the Western publics preconception of the smart but drab Chinese businesswoman.

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Wilson Hu, senior vice president of public affairs at Huawei Technologies Canada, said Ms. Meng wasnt in the mood to care about her outfits after her arrest. However, after months of recovery, she started to return to her normal state.

Its her in normal life. [She] didnt deliberately try to show anything, he said, noting those appearances fit her social status, fortune and taste.

But he said her distress at her current situation has never changed.

Her inner stress and the anxiety about the uncertainty of future are always there, he said in an interview.

On Oct. 1, Chinas National Day, she emerged from her home in a red Gucci dress with a China flag pin over her heart, pausing briefly to speak with Chinese-language media.

I wish my mother country happy birthday, and wish [her] to be thriving and prosperous, Ms. Meng said. Wherever we are, our hearts are always with our motherland. Thank you, everyone.

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Later in the month was another birthday: her fathers. In an open letter, Ms. Meng reminisced about the family getting together every year on this day to eat her fathers cooking.

Today though, I cant be there with you, eating the food you make, listening to you chitchat, touching your wrinkles or kissing your face, she wrote. And I cant be there to take your critical advice. Remember, you owe me this. Please make it up after I get back home.

The letter was signed Piggy.

As Ms. Meng rounded the corner on one year in Vancouver, she took on a more introspective tone. In an open letter marking the anniversary of her detention, she wrote of the fear, pain, disappointment, helplessness, torment, and struggle she had felt, and how her heart and been warmed by the kind words of supporters.

Long work hours and chaotic days back in Shenzhen gave way to the glacial pace of her house arrest conditions, she wrote: It is so slow that I have enough time to read a book from cover to cover. I can take the time to discuss minutiae with my colleagues, or to carefully complete an oil painting.

The letter garnered considerable attention on Chinese social media but likely not for the reasons Ms. Meng had hoped. Days earlier, a former Huawei employee had gone public about being jailed for 251 days after the company accused him of extortion.

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On Weibo, numerous replies to a post about Ms. Mengs letter slyly included the number 251: "Have you been illegally detained in your high-end mansion for 251 days? one person wrote.

You deserve it. At least you are living in a mansion," wrote another. Our ordinary people can only live in a prison cell.

Chinese prosecutors ultimately dropped the charges against the employee because of unclear criminal facts and insufficient evidence."

Around the same time, Mr. Ren spoke to The Globe in an interview that spanned two hours. In it, Mr. Ren spoke extemporaneously except when asked about the condition of his daughter. Then, he pulled out a notecard and read a prepared statement: As parents, he read, we do miss our children. And, he added, this current situation has had a certain impact on her life. But her mother and her husband have been taking turns to fly to Canada and keep her company.

Mr. Ren has not travelled to Canada.

We can talk on the phone thats good enough," he said.

With a report from Nathan VanderKlippe

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Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou heads back to B.C. court one year later - The Globe and Mail

Three pregame notes of importance.

First, apparently a WWII veteran is an usher at LCA and he dropped the puck for Military Appreciation Night.

Second, Mick is once again rocking the pre-game flannel with a cheeky attitude to match.

Third, the starting line combos are something.

Acciari gets a great scoring chance thanks to Daley but Jimmy stops it. And just like that Red Wings get a powerplay at 1:43! Connolly for roughing Bertuzzi. The Wings give up a shorthanded chance after Zadina gets clipped in the visor/ear with a high stick (no call), but Jimmy makes another save. Powerplay over after nothing exciting happened in our favor.

Another penalty! Pysyk trips Bowey. Wings back on the powerplay at 6:07 after a tripping call on Pysyk [pronounced like a sound you make at a cat that is rudely ignoring you]. And another powerplay over! The Wings did get 4 shots.

Nemeth gets a double minor for high sticking (it was not on purpose and Ekblad really is bleeding) at 8:36. Penalty kill time! Nice toe save by Jimmy on Huberdeau to kick things off. Jimmy and the posts have been busy but all are in full Tiberius mode and keeping it locked down. Penalty killed!

Biega DANGLES? It doesnt work but that was fun.

13:47 and Hronek takes exception to a clean hit and grabs Trochek and throws some punches. Throws punches TO THE RIBS. BODY SHOTS. WHAT A MANIAC. Take a note Big Tony, thats how you do something stupid without breaking your hand.

The refs break it up before it becomes a real fight. Hronek gets a 2, 5, AND 10 for instigator/fighting/misconduct. Blash is doing the lizard squint thing he does when hes a certain level of annoyed. Panthers back on the powerplay with 6 minutes to go and Hronek down the tunnel.

Penalty killed and smart to have Fabbri sitting in the bad boy box for Hronek so he can grab a scoring chance right when the penalty expires. All the Wings players are energized and putting together scoring chances.

Until.

Dadonov is wide open and has all the time in the universe to crash the net and score. Not Jimmys fault and its 1-0 Panthers.

And then Pysyk makes it 2-0 Panthers.

Two quick goals against at the end of the period? This NEVER happens to us! Jimmy kept it from being much worse, but was no match for Mike Green and Madison Bowey.

Stop me if youve heard this one before. A PENALTY HAS BEEN CALLED! Dylan Larkin was FRAMED for slashing Pysyk at 3:06 and were back on the penalty kill.

Nemeth, a lefty, broke his stick and had to use LGDs right hand stick which is imbued with all the magical backhand power which helped him shovel the puck out of the zone. Art. Abdelkader also managed a shorthanded breakaway but he didnt score. Not Art.

But then, fresh out of the penalty box, DYLAN LARKIN SCORES GOAL #100! 2-1 Panthers. Beautiful goal from the future captain at 5:15.

ANOTHER PENALTY. Malgin interfered with Ehn at 5:50. Red Wings on the powerplay again. Powerplay over and we learn that Filppula will not return to the game due to a lower body injury of some sort. Not sure when that happened.

OH MY TAP DANCING KEN DANIELS ANOTHER PENALTY. Connolly tripped Bowey at 8:08. Wings back on the powerplay, a new powerplay, with the same people, but a minute after the other one. But this one is also not successful. Were 0/5 on the powerplay so far tonight if you havent been counting.

The second half of the period is a whole lotta nothing, which is far from bad news for the Red Wings. The Panthers have beaten the Wings the last 5 times but the Wings are showing a lot of energy, hustle, heart and definitely grit tonight. Its been mostly a battle of goaltending so far, with the difference coming from how easy it is to crumble the Wings defense.

But not giving up a shorthanded goal is still a type of victory.

Hronek shoves at Trochek again, maybe a little crosscheck from a cross Czech, and a little later in his shift Trochek hunts him down and lays him flat. That gets Trochek called for interference and Red Wings on the powerplay!

Bowey manages to get a piece of Barkov to stop a shorthanded chance. Powerplay has had a tough time getting anything set up tonight but this one did have a bit more consistent zone time, after the almost-shorty. Another powerplay over.

Larkin also took a Mike Green shot off the instep, but seems fine.

I literally just looked up my ceiling and screamed because there are TWO MORE PENALTIES TO REPORT. 6:29 has Malgin high-sticking Fabbri and 6:50 has Larkin FALSELY IMPRISONED for the sports crime of tripping against Acciari. Well play 4 on 4 for a bit.

Great save by Jimmy on Ekblad! Hes been Mr. Slidy Saver this homestand. Vatrano is trying to sell a performance hoping for yet another penalty call but the refs arent buying.

NIELSEN ON A BREAKAWAY.

HE FAILS.

TWICE.

TWO TIMES A FAILURE.

Barkov gets a break the other way, and he gets two chances, and Jimmy stops them both! Poetry. Penalties expire and its 5 on 5 again with 11 minutes to go. Still 2-1 Panthers. Bobrovsky and James Tiberius are putting on a show tonight, and it would be nice if Bob would stop.

Speaking of things that should stop, multiple reports are rolling in that the Woos have started up again.

Vatrano is in some pain and Hronek is leaning over the boards saying something at him, Mick thinks its funny anyway. Biega heads to the box for inflicting said pain in the family gems. He gets a major penalty for spearing and a game misconduct, but its under review. After review, its knocked down to a 2 minute slashing penalty. It was a garbage move in any case and we end up with Biega 2 minutes for slashing at 12:50. Penalty kill time!

The penalty is not killed. Barkov makes it 3-1 Panthers. Jimmy should be furious at Biega for taking that stupid penalty. Again, Jimmy has been fantastic all night.

BUT GUESS WHAT ITS POWERPLAY TIME! AGAIN! Sceviour unsportsmanlike conduct at 13:45. Im not sure how Green going after Pysyk for hitting him in the face and Larkin coming to help out Green ends up with Sceviour in the box but its been a confusing game. Were now 0 for 7 on the powerplay. But still have not given up a shorthanded goal so...victory!

Two minutes to go, Jimmy still fantastic and amazing in full Tiberius mode but ready to head to the bench at any moment. Hes to the bench and the puck is in the empty net. Malgin makes it 4-1 with the empty netter.

Game over. Wings lose 4-1 with shots 38-28 in favor of the Panthers.

Once more, Jimmy was great.

JIMMY WAS GREAT.

Read more from the original source:

Powerless Plays: Wings lose 4-1 and go 0 for 7 on the powerplay - Winging It In Motown

You may have forgotten who took home the Academy Award for best actor in 2001, but you probably remember Bjrks swan dress.

The Oscars have had no shortage of out-there looks over the years, from Chers bedazzled two-piece ensembles to Geena Davis ruffled mini dress.

Ahead of the 92nd Academy Awards on Feb. 9, we took a trip down red carpet memory lane. Here are some of the most memorable and outrageous Oscars outfits of all time.

Arriving at the awards show with then-husband Bruce Willis, Moore wore black spandex bicycle shorts and a textured corset that she styled herself.

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To add an element of formality to the look, Moore attached a half-skirt made out of metallic floral fabric. Despite it being the 80s when workout shorts were all the rage, the actors outfit made many worst-dressed lists.

READ MORE: Oscar nominations slammed over lack of diversity

Vogue, however, fondly looked back on Moores DIY ensemble in 2018, calling it enticing in many ways.

Whoever sat behind Cher at the Oscars in 1986 likely had an obstructed view, but this sequin outfit and feathered headdress is one of the stars most iconic looks.

Designed by renowned fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie, the performer wore the one-of-a-kind outfit to present the award for Best Supporting Actor.

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Cher often wore Mackies creations to the Academy Awards; in 1973 she wore a yellow embellished two-piece and continued to sport his designs throughout the 80s, including in 1988 when she won an Oscar for Moonstruck.

The country singer brought a lot of colour to the red carpet at the 74th Academy Awards.

Wearing Versace, Hills rainbow gown looked like a prom dress gone wrong. Its tablecloth-esque fabric was so form-fitting it must have been hard for Hill to just breathe.

Who could forget the swan dress? Icelandic artist Bjrk turned heads at the 2001 Oscars when she arrived in a nude bodysuit under a feathered swan wrapped around her neck. She even stopped to lay eggs on the red carpet.

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The dress was designed by Macedonian designer Marjan Pejoski, who has since dressed other celebrities, like Katy Perry.

READ MORE: Montreal filmmaker gets Oscar nomination for Brotherhood

Bjrks look is so iconic that it was included in a MoMA exhibit and has inspired endless pop culture references. At the Emmy Awards the same year, Ellen DeGeneres wore a swan dress knock-off, and Kevin James did the same at the 2002 Peoples Choice Awards.

When hosting the Oscars in 2006, Jon Stewart even joked about the dress and said Bjrk wasnt in attendance because she had been shot by Dick Cheney, referencing his infamous hunting accident.

A real mix of formal and casual attire, Thornton came to the 69th annual Academy Awards dressed in a three-piece suit and ZZ Top baseball hat.

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He took home an Oscar that year for his film Sling Blade wearing a ribbon around his neck as a tie. At least it was less controversial than a blood vial.

This list could be comprised of only Chers Oscars outfits, but this two-piece ensemble is one of her most revealing looks.

Designed by her go-to Bob Mackie, the superstar wore a sheer, patterned skirt with a matching barely-there halter top that exposed her midriff. In the same floral fabric, Cher sported a scarf/necklace hybrid tied around her neck.

READ MORE: Heres your full list of 2020 Academy Award nominees

Purple and blue eyeshadow (and nails) finished the look.

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Even though it was the 90s a decade when many fashion crimes were committed Davis Oscars look was just plain bad.

Nominated for her role in Thelma and Louise, Davis arrived at the awards show in a ruffled mini dress complete with satin gloves that nearly reached her armpits. To highlight the dress train, Davis wore contrasting black sheer tights and pointed black shoes.

Created by costume designers Ruth Meyers and Bill Hargate, the dress looked like a wedding gown that had gone through a paper shredder.

Between the neon green and purple satin, Goldberg brought a lot of personality to the 1993 Academy Awards.

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The actor and comedian wore a patterned jumpsuit underneath a cape-like skirt and collared jacket. To complete the look, Goldberg sported matching shoes. At least she was committed.

Before she was convincing women to put jade eggs inside their vaginas, Paltrow went bra-less in an Alexander McQueen sheer gown at the 2002 Academy Awards.

Between the smoky eye makeup, side braid, and overall attempt to be gothic chic, Paltrow perfectly embodied the mood of the early 2000s.

Its a bird! Its a plane! Its an Oscars dress?

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Kirkland really failed to take off with this caped sheer getup at the 2007 Academy Awards. The actor claimed it was made by her Kabbalah teacherand called the look a rabbi and a reverend, whatever that means.

This outfit is tame compared to some of the others Dion has worn, but it still caused a stir back in 1990. The Canadian superstar wore a Dior satin suit jacket backwards, paired with an oversized fedora and bedazzled sunglasses.

READ MORE: 2020 Oscars confirmed to be host-free

While she wasnt the first celebrity to play with menswear, Dion was an early adopter of suits over dresses on the red carpet.

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Known for her out-there outfits (who could forget her 2010 meat dress?! Or showing up at an awards show in an egg?!), Lady Gaga looked like she went straight from scrubbing dishes to the Oscars with her red leather gloves which became the subject of many memes. (It was later speculated that she wore the gloves to cover her new engagement ring.)

The artist paired the oversized gloves with a custom Azzedine Alaa gown for the red carpet and changed outfits for her on-stage performance.

Gagas white dress took two weeks to make and required a team of 25 people, Vogue reported.

Pharrell likes hats but he doesnt like pants.

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At the 2014 Oscars, the musician wore the top half of a suit with skater shorts. Pharrell has gone on to repeat this offensive look at other award shows and public events, including the 2019 Oscars where he wore camo shorts.

Laura.Hensley@globalnews.ca

2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Link:

The most out-there Oscars red carpet fashion of all time - Global News

Posted on 03 January 2020.

R

By Ranger Steve MuellerW

The suet feeder attracts many bird species including the Red-bellied Woodpecker. One would expect a name to indicate a prominent feature but for this woodpecker it does not. Instead people tell me they have the uncommon Red-headed woodpeckers.

The head on the adult Red-headed Woodpecker is a distinctive feature on both sexes and they have a striking wing characteristic that cinches identification. This species head is completely red on front, back, sides, and top in the adult birds. The young have brown heads during their first year that gradually change to red.

The wings have large white patches on what are called the secondary feathers. This makes the lower back look white even on young birds perched on a tree. The adults white is pure but the young have some brown barring through the white. In flight the white on the wings flashes brightly making identification easy.

The bright red head is not always as obvious as the white on the wings. Dim light in cloudy weather subdues the red color but the large white patches on wings remain obvious. The belly on this species is white.

Wheres the red on the Red-bellied Woodpecker? Their breast is gray or brownish with a slight tinge of red on the lower belly near the tail. The red is barely visible and not the good feature for identification. The head pattern is more helpful. Both sexes have significant red on the back of their heads but the sides and front are gray. The male has a red cap that continues over the top of the head that is lacking in the female.

Lack of solid color on the head helps distinguish the Red-bellied from the Red-headed. When the red color is subdued in dim light, the solid pattern verses dark and light contrast can be seen. In flight the Red-bellied has a white patch on the upper rump but it does not extend across the lower wings like it does on the Red-headed.

Red-bellied Woodpecker wings are flecked with white spots overlaying black throughout the wing. There is a sharp division of black and white on the Red-headeds wings with the upper back black and lower white.

Less obvious features help with identification. The bill on the Red-bellied is dark but is silvery gray on the Red-headed. The nine species of woodpeckers in Michigan have dark upper tail feathers but some have white outer feathers. Both the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers outer tail feathers are white with a helpful difference for separating the two. There are black flecks on the underside across the white feathers on the Downy and the Hairys is pure white. When the Downy spreads its tail feathers while standing on a suet feeder or tree, some black flecking can be seen on the outer most upper tail feathers. The Hairy is larger than a Downy.

Five of the nine Michigan woodpeckers are common in our region. The approximate order from most common is Downy, Red-bellied, Hairy, Northern Flicker (yellow-shafted), and Pileated. Depending on the neighborhood habitat, that order might differ. Flickers are not frequently seen in winter and the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is usually only noticed during spring and fall migrations. The crow sized Pileated is present all year where there are larger trees and they often frequent large upland forest or extensively forested lowland floodplains.

Behavior in nature niches is important for recognizing species. With considerable practice varied calls help separate species even when not seen. Most helpful is the rhythm of head-banging on a tree, house, or sound resonating surface. Speed and loudness of woodpecker pounding helps. It also varies with the work being done. Territorial tree pounding sounds different from that of birds searching for insects hidden under tree bark.

Downy Woodpeckers are more likely on smaller branches than Hairy Woodpeckers that choose larger branches when working. Northern Flickers and Red-bellied woodpeckers, that are about the same size, choose different habitats. Flickers are often found in open areas feeding on ants while the Red-bellied almost always feeds in forests. Michigan woodpeckers nest in hollow trees. Take notice of details to hone your observation skills.

Natural history questions or topic suggestions can be directed to Ranger Steve (Mueller) at odybrook@chartermi.net Ody Brook Nature Sanctuary, 13010 Northland Dr. Cedar Springs, MI 49319 or call 616-696-1753.

Read more from the original source:

Where is the Red Belly? - cedarspringspost

*You Season 2 spoilers ahead*

If youre like us, you completely devoured Season 2 of Netflixs You in record time and are now trying to wrap your head around every crazy thing that just took place.

In addition to Joe Goldbergs stalker ways, fans were quick to talk about the huge plot twist towards the end ofthe season that rendered everyone speechless.

Season 2 of You was filled with so many twists and turns that our heads are still spinning.

Viewers watched as Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) traveled to Los Angeles from New York to start a whole new life and escape the wrath of his presumably-dead ex-girlfriend.

While Joe tried to leave his obsessive serial killer ways behind him and start fresh, he sets his eyes on a new love interest in LA and get this, her name is actually Love (Victoria Pedretti).

Just like in Season 1, Joe develops an unhealthy infatuation with Love and will stop at nothing to make her fall in love with him.

But as history repeats itself, the former book store clerk runs into a few hurdles along the way, one of them being his ex-girlfriend , Candace Stone, coming back into the picture. (If you dont want us to spoil Season 2 for you, avert your eyes.)

During the Season 1 finale, Candace (Ambyr Childers) made her grand debut after it was believed that Joe had killed her following their tumultuous romance.

Not only does her appearance take Joe completely by surprise, it also leaves him scared for his life, which results in him packing up and heading out west.

Throughout Season 2, viewers get to learn a little bit more about the woman who wants to expose Joe for everything he is. One of the biggest revelations we came across was that Joe didattempt to kill Candace and though he thought he succeeded, he left her still breathing.

Instead of leaving her old life behind, Candace decides to seek out Joe in LA and stop him from hurting Love.

While Candaces plan was going pretty well in the beginning, the plot twists of all plot twists had to go and happen.

In episode 9, the red-headed beauty is finally able to show Love the type of person Joe really is by exposing her to his ultra-creepy storage unit lair.

While Candace thought shed finally taken down her maniac ex, Love goes ahead and kills her, shocking viewers as well as Childers.

During a recent interview with Glamour, the actress opened up about the unexpected plot twist and admitted that she too was shocked by Loves sinister ways.

She plays this beautiful, vulnerable, sweet, broken human being, Childers told the outlet back in December 2019. When she killed Candace in the end, its just like, I dont think people are going to see that coming. You dont. What you think is because Candace is back, somehow shes going to figure a way out to get Joe back. And, yeah, she does in little ways, but ultimately you cant put up a fight against him. Thats just the way it is.

While Candace made a valiant effort to finally destroy Joe Goldberg, whos to say someone else wont pick up where she left off?

With Joe having made many enemies and with Loves true colors finally showing through, fans are already certain that Season 3 of You will bea crazy ride.

Read more:

This 'You' Star Admits They Were Completely Blindsided by That Shocking Season 2 Plot Twist - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Marie Ulven, aka Girl In Red, bounces down the canal path into the artsy and industrial Hackney Wick cafe, baggy skater jeans dragging along the floor. In the midst of a whirlwind day of press as she wraps up her European tour, the 20-year-old Norwegian is excited as fuck just at the prospect of ordering a hot chocolate. It stands to reason then that her enthusiasm at the prospect of world domination is off the scale. All the shows are sold out! she beams. Its fucking lit!

Her energy is both infectious and totally understandable. Her first London show at Camden Assembly in January 2019 was to around 200 people, but on this November night shell end her year at the sold-out Electric Ballroom with a crowd of 1,500. Across two EPs Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 her self-produced, honest and arresting lo-fi anthems of teenage anxiety, everyday depression, queerness, lust, heartache and confusion have amassed millions of streams, legions of fans and approval from the likes of Billie Eilish and The 1975s Matty Healy. But that was just 2019. Its 2020 that shes calling The Year Of World In Red.

We can see it too. Thats why were kicking off the NME 100 2020 our tips for the years essential new artists with Girl In Red. With massive tunes, religiously rowdy gigs, and a dedicated young fanbase hanging on to her shameless message of fun, progress and acceptance, shes the hero that the decade needs and one to win over indie kids across the planet. Among the peers of her generation rewriting the rulebook of what it is to be the rockstar, 2020 is hers for the taking.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

Born in the quiet North West Norwegian town of Horten in 1999, Ulven enjoyed her childhood with her sisters and divorced parents, curious about music but more obsessed with The Simpsons and fingerboarding (the latter is an obsession that still consumes her to this day more on that later but you can check out some footage of her fingerboard battling as a youngster below). Still, she sensed that she wanted to be a superstar, a pirate, or a pirate superstar.

At 12 she was gifted her first guitar, and four years later, inspired by The Smiths and other cool bedroom artists, started releasing her own songs on Soundcloud in her native tongue and under her real name. You can still find Marie Ulven material on Spotify that shows the embryonic elements of the Girl In Red sound, but she insists that her early music was not good. To prove her point, she gets her phone out and plays us some. We dont speak Norwegian too well, so we ask her to translate.

Youre running away from me / Far away ahead, youre turning around she says with a shrug and a cringe. That song was about a boy. Since I started releasing all my Girl In Red music, Ive pretty much been out. My first song for the project was I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend, which was totally about a girl.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

Girl In Red came to be in 2017 after Ulven realised she was in love with her best friend and tried to find her at a concert. She spotted her wearing a red sweater and texted her the words girl in red. Nothing came of it, but that feeling of romance and excitement tinged with a little longing set out the direction for Girl In Reds music from that moment.

As Girl In Red, Ulven sees no need to code her thoughts and feelings. Theyre pretty direct, and thats what her fans buy into. Theyre so pretty it hurts / Im not talking bout boys / Im talking bout girls / Theyre so pretty with their button-up shirts, she sings on the bristling rush of Girls, while on the tender We Fell In Love In October she recalls days lost to smoking cigarettes on the roof and vows You will be my girl / You will be my world.

The first time NME spoke to Ulven was during her first US tour last April, where shed already found an audience so devoted that theyd just run right up and scream in my face. She was already changing and saving lives. I have a bunch of queer kids following me because they see themselves in me and the lyrics, because they need that direct ability to relate to something, she told us. I have people messaging me all the time to say like Yo, I came out to your song, or Im in the car right now and I just played Girls in front of mom and I told her Im gay.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

Back in London, she tells us how her fanbase is growing larger and louder by the day.

How does it feel seeing more and more of your fans in the flesh, instead of just streaming numbers?

Ill see two million streams on my new song, which is awesome but its also this number that I cant understand. To see 1,000 people in front of you singing to that song is when it really gets cool.

How would you describe your relationship with your fans?

Right now, I feel like its really healthy. In the beginning, I think I got too close to some people. Not in a weird way, but they would pour their entire emotional life onto me and I would try to help them and give advice and stuff like that. Eventually, I realised that I dont have enough emotional capacity to also take care of all these other people.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

But theres a little more distance now?

Im in some group WhatsApp chats and still connect with them, but its not like Im a shrink to them. It feels more healthy to me now. I still get a lot of messages from people asking me to help them, but I try to stay away from that kind of stuff because I know that its harmful for me. I wish I could help everybody, that would be ideal. Now its really good and I feel really close to everyone I meet. Everyones like, We wanna grow with you! and Im like, And I love you!

Do you feel as if anything is out of bounds when writing a song?

I dont feel like that. I think that everything I experience is pretty normal stuff. Its not like Ive killed somebody and am trying to hide it. I have a song called Dead Girl In The Pool, but thats not actually about killing anybody. My fans are genuine, and we connect because Im honest and real with them.

Maries publicist tells us to wrap up so they can Uber it across town to soundcheck in Camden. We bundle in to continue the interview, and wind through North London joking about how showbiz all this seems and how the paparazzi could chase us at any second. Ive never understood that whole side of the press, she says, recalling how being playlisted by Billie Eilish saw a Norwegian tabloid suddenly writing about her. I was like, Oh now they care! she laughs.

Shes the woman thats dominating the whole world, she says of Eilish. I met her when I was at a festival in Belgium. Shes just killing it.

And how about that shout-out from The 1975s Matty Healy? He took a picture of a poster that I was on and commented with a little heart, swoons Marie. I was like, Wow! He knows I exist! My sister messaged me like, WHAT?! WHY IS MATTY HEALY TALKING ABOUT YOU ON HIS INSTA STORY?

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

As the journey continues, Marie begins quizzing NME about the travel logistics of Taylor Swifts London Boy, before professing her love of Swift albums Red and 1989. All the while, shes practising a pretty great mockney accent and working the word mandem into almost every sentence.

After soundcheck we nip outside the Electric Ballroom to find an army of teenagers whove been queuing for hours on this freezing Tuesday afternoon. Screaming and waving rainbow flags, they form a line that snakes around the block. When they pile into the venue they quickly clean out the merch table, then the real party begins the show is as far from bedroom music as it comes, with a moshpit, flags flying and Marie sailing over their heads crowdsurfing. A few kids fall down and get carried out, but good vibes remain. This isnt just a show its a community.

A few weeks later, we catch up again at a photoshoot in Willesden Junction. Hows it goin, mandem? she greets us. It seems to have caught on. After that show, I was just like MANDEM! MANDEM! Now its becoming a problem. Its becoming more of a part of my daily life.

During the shoot, Marie swoons along to The Japanese Houses 2019 album Good At Falling (Im obsessed with this record, she says, I listen to it every day on the road), crushes on her PRs dog, Larry, and makes the most of the curved, ramp-like edges of the room to pull off some of her best fingerboard moves. Remember those tiny, palm-sized skateboards that were big in the 00s? Marie wants to bring them back. Honestly. This new one that I bought in Berlin was 140. No regrets! she beams, proudly showing off her new board. She plans to start selling official Girl In Red fingerboards on her merch stand, too.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

Whats it like making these songs in your bedroom and then taking them out to bigger and bigger venues?

Thats super, super weird. From being home and living with my sister in this normal sort of life to seeing people outside the venues losing their shit just at me walking by I never thought anyone would do that with me. I never thought Id be that person where someone is like, Oh, I want your sweaty towel!

With your music being so raw and full of energy, do you get pissed off when people pass it off as being cute?

Ive seen a few things calling my music cute bedroom songs. Im like, What the fuck are you talking about? My single Bad Idea slaps ass! Its a rock n roll tune! Its a pop song! I dont really care what people label my music as. As long as they like it. Labels dont really mean anything. Its what you feel about the song that matters.

Yeah, Bad Idea is about as real as it gets

Thats a pretty direct song. Nobody asks me what that song is about because everybody knows. When I wrote it, I saw these red colours in my head and was just seeing me and some other girl going at it. I just wanted this really intense video of these two girls doing something that they probably shouldnt because its not a good idea in the long term. I like that song, it goes so hard live. Thats fun.

How does it feel to read that youre a queer spokesperson for your generation?

Im not. I just happen to like girls, make music and have a platform. That doesnt mean Im saying, Yo, I know everything about queer culture, and now Im always gonna speak about it and its gonna be right. I dont think people think of me as some kind of sensei who knows everything about being queer and queer history. All I can do is say from my perspective and think about how it might be from other perspectives, but right now I dont even know what Im saying. Still, when someone is hateful and homophobic Im like, Youre wasting your time honey! We are gonna win this representation war!

Admitting that theres still not enough queer representation in pop culture in 2020, Ulven wants art to normalise the conversation. We need more queer art and movies, she tells us. Lets get rid of terms like coming out and just make it normal. If there is going to be a wave of work to reshape and modernise perspectives in all fields, its going to come from Generation Z who are already shifting the boundaries of what it is to be and how to become a pop star. Look at Billie Eilish, Clairo, Cuco, Beabadoobee, Conan Gray, King Princess, and Snail Mail all born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, all self-made stars via the internet and who speaking directly to their own generation about unique experiences and shared values.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

I think with artists like Billie Eilish, Clairo, King Princess and myself if Im allowed to put myself in that people are getting into it because you can see that its real and that they mean it, says Marie. No ones trying to be something that theyre not.

She continues: Maybe were all just chillin and vibin. Were all just doing what we want, and maybe its the way were doing it. Theres an authenticity.

Its the generation thats fighting to be heard, in no small part thanks to teenage climate change activist and icon-in-the-making Greta Thunberg. Legend! shouts Marie at the mention of her name. She is leading the biggest revolution of our time right now. Shes going to be in the history books like Martin Luther King.

If theres a political element to Girl In Reds music, she claims that its her existence as an artist that sees her fighting for representation, rather than singing about it. I would rather write about feelings, she admits. Feelings are universal. I dont want to write a song about politics, I dont want to write a song about the right to love. I just want to write about loving.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

After our interview, Marie will fly home for some much-needed time off during which she plans to spend taking photos, drinking coffee, finding ways to avoid mindlessly scrolling Instagram and yes, fingerboarding. Theres also the small matter of finishing her debut album which she hopes to have out by autumn 2020. Quizzed about the records progress she pulls out her phone and asks Do you wanna hear the best chorus Ive ever written in my life?

Sure! Why not?

What follows is an embellished take on the Girl In Red sound, with summery hip-hop beats bouncing over post-punk guitars and yes a chorus that absolutely slaps. I feel like this is going to be the first song on the record, she tells us.

She plays us another demo with the working title of Love You Stupid Bitch that has a catchy, love-struck refrain: The perfect one for you is me.

Fresh sonic directions aside, Marie tells us that her new songs are turning out to be very grown up and very dark. This is an artist who thrives on real life drama to act as her muse. I need to find a girl that can break my heart and then do some stuff. I need to experience something. I need to start living.

Girl In Red, shot for NME. Photos by Fiona Garden

Despite craving a little more heartache, Girl In Red is pumped by whats around the corner and were convinced 2020 will be her year. As is she. World In Red, man its coming, she concludes. World domination, thats what I want.

Read this article:

The Big Read Girl In Red: "World domination. That's what I want" - NME Live

JANUARY 2, 2020

WHILE ON THE SET of Anthony Manns 1954 film The Far Country, Jimmy Stewart was approached by an old man who wanted to compliment him on his work in an earlier movie. The man couldnt remember the title or release date, but there was one scene that stood out for him, which he proceeded to describe. The film, Stewart realized, was Come Live with Me, from 1941; and while the man had forgotten the title, a small part of the story had stuck with him for over a decade. As Stewart later told Peter Bogdanovich, movies seem to give people little tiny pieces of time that they never forget.

Any film historian will appreciate Stewarts observation, especially those who have had the privilege of working in film archives around the world. There is no better access to those little tiny pieces of time than flipping through original documents written by the great performers, producers, writers, and directors. Of course, not everyone has the opportunity to take that journey until now. Letters from Hollywood: Inside the Private World of Classic American Moviemaking, edited and annotated by Barbara Hall and Rocky Lang, escorts readers through the history of Hollywood by way of the personal letters of famed Hollywood legends.

Each letter is presented exactly as it sits in its archival folder. Many letters are typed, but many others are handwritten (though the editors have kindly typed them up for us, since the aged cursive is often difficult to decipher). With each new exchange comes a brief overview of the parties involved, which adds useful historical context. The journey begins in the early days of Hollywood, in 1921, two years before the famous Hollywoodland advertisement sign was built.

The first letter is from renowned illusionist Harry Houdini, soliciting business from Adolph Zukor, an executive with Famous Players-Lasky (a precursor to Paramount). Houdini was sure that his latest film, The Man from Beyond (1922), would rival the excitement of D. W. Griffiths Way Down East (1920) the film where Lillian Gish dangerously rode an ice floe down a river. The letter was to no avail, however, and Houdini wound up distributing the film himself.

That same year, Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle, recently released from jail, sent a letter to studio executive and personal friend Joseph Schenck. Arbuckle hosted the infamous 1921 Labor Day weekend bash in San Francisco where actress Virginia Rappe was raped (she would die shortly thereafter). In this letter, written in longhand, Arbuckle maintains his innocence while understanding the difficult position he had put the studio in. While Arbuckle was never convicted of the crime (two trials ended in hung juries and the third finally acquitted him), he never returned to his previous stardom.

Another letter a 1922 thank-you note to Zukor comes from Mabel Normand, a silent-film comedienne who had starred alongside Arbuckle and Charlie Chaplin. Mabels wit is on full display, complete with her special brand of self-deprecating humor (Lest I forget to tell you about my hair it is exactly like Sid Graumans). The letter opens with her lightheartedly promising that, if Zukor doesnt read the letter, she will never again see any of his movies. Her words leap off the page, just as her performances jump from the screen into the audiences hearts.

Other amusing letters include MGM executive Irving Thalberg firing the notoriously difficult director Erich von Stroheim for insubordination and actor Ronald Colman outlining his reservations about the talkies. Readers familiar with Stroheims tendency to drive studio heads crazy will not be surprised by Thalbergs stern dismissal. Another humorous missive features Henry Fonda writing to director William Wyler, after his daughter was born, to assure the famous director that Jane is ready for work because her father was an actor. Wyler responded in jest, informing Jane that Henry Fonda was never an actor.

Censorship problems are discussed in an alarmed correspondence from Atlanta censor Zella Richardson, writing to Hollywood censor Jason Joy about the 1932 film Red-Headed Woman. In the letter, Richardson calls the films star Jean Harlow a hussy while assuring Joy that this is the first time she has ever used the word. Such letters show the prudishness of some viewers at the time, as well as their frustration over Hollywoods willingness to tackle controversial themes such as adultery. Letters from Hollywood also includes a lengthy memo detailing the censorship issues surrounding the classic film noir Double Indemnity (1944).

Also included are a few important, if rather infuriating letters, such as Dorothy Arzner trying to drum up work from Preston Sturges in 1944 after other offers to dried up. Arzner directed many important Hollywood films in the 1920s and 30s, but she found it difficult to sustain her career in an increasingly male-dominated profession. Very few women directed for Hollywood studios in the 1940s, with Ida Lupino (also a successful actress) being the exception that proved the rule. Even more maddening is a letter from Fox production head Sol Wurtzel telling actress Madge Bellamy to lose weight. Editors Hall and Lang place next to this letter a cover from a 1929 issue of Photoplay featuring Bellamy, with a headline that reads Diet, the Menace of Hollywood.

In another significant letter, Samuel Goldwyn refuses to give Orson Welles free rein on a picture, regardless of Welless argument that he has already proven himself on stage and on radio. Yet RKO studios would indeed give Welles complete control of his first Hollywood film, Citizen Kane, in 1941. Later in the book, we read Hollywood gossip queen Hedda Hopper dishing on an early screening of Welless movie, calling it foul.

In the late 1930s, Universal Studios founder Carl Laemmle wrote a letter pleading with Wyler to help the Nazis victims in Germany. You can feel the desperation in his words, as he knew intimately the dangers that were growing in Europe. The mogul spent the last years of his life fighting to help the victims of Hitlers Final Solution. Laemmle would not live to see Charlie Chaplins satire of fascism The Great Dictator (1940), though he would have thoroughly enjoyed it. One person who did see that movie was acting coach Constance Collier, who promptly wrote a response to Hedda Hopper. After discussing the overwhelming audience appreciation for Chaplin, Collier writes that [h]e is the uncrowned king of the world and I think the message of the picture will have a deep and vital effect on every one who sees it.

Letters from Hollywood compellingly shows why film historians love spending so much time in the dusty archives. Barbara Hall and Rocky Lang have produced a joyous collection that permits readers to experience the thrill of flipping through primary documents. The collection furthers the tradition that the late Rudy Behlmer popularized in books like Memo from David O. Selznick (1972), Memo from Darryl F. Zanuck (1993), and Inside Warner Bros. (1985). Behlmer understood the joys of digging through film archives, and he worked to share the fruits of that process with film enthusiasts around the world. Anyone who has spent time in an archive knows the droves of stories that remain untold and the wealth of underappreciated material calling out for reexamination.

Chris Yogerst is assistant professor of communication in the department of arts and humanities at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. His next book, Hollywood Hates Hitler! Jew-Baiting, Anti-Nazism, and the Senate Investigation into War Mongering in Motion Pictures, will be published in September 2020 by the University Press of Mississippi.

See more here:

Into the Archives: On Letters from Hollywood - lareviewofbooks

First there was Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final. Then, Andrew Shaw in double overtime in Game 2 of the 2015 Western Conference final.

Now add Senators forward Colin White in a Saturday night matchup between the Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning to the shortlist of head-butt controversies in sports this millennium. (Editors note: If this feels melodramatic, its supposed to be. Just go with it.)

Less than 20 seconds after Tampas Tyler Johnson scored the go-ahead goal in Saturdays game, White tied the game 4-4. Or so he thought.

With just over a minute left in the third period, Thomas Chabot entered the zone and passed the puck to White in front of the net. His initial shot hit the crossbar and popped up in the air; White used his head to redirect the puck past Curtis McElhinney for what the Senators momentarily thought was the game-tying goal.

The referee immediately called no goal, and the call was upheld...

Read this article:

'What a heads-up play!': Colin White's game-tying goal against Tampa disallowed, but should it be legal? - The Athletic

Back in the late 1980s, one of the premier muscle cars money could buy was a thundering Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC 6.0 Wide-Body from AMG. Insanely powerful, insanely expensive and, with only 50 or so examples ever built, insanely rare.

At the upcoming Russo and Steele collector car auctionrunning January 15 through 19in Scottsdale, Ariz., a stunning tribute to the legendary Wide-Body Benz coupe will go under the hammer, with an impressive $250,000 to $300,000 estimate.

A restomod 1989 Widebody Mercedes 560 SEC Coupe. being offered by Russo and Steele.Photo: Courtesy of Russo and Steele.

Based on a pristine 1989 560 SEC with just 32,000 miles on the clock, the car was given a total, ground-up restoration by Southern Californiabased Bespoke Motors, which included a complete, one-off Wide-Body body kit re-created in carbon fiber.

In addition to those iconic, bulging front and rear fenders, AMG-replica front and rear lower fascias and spoilers were also molded in carbon, along with carbon rocker panels.

The one-off automobile has only 32,000 miles on it.Photo: Courtesy of Russo and Steele.

To complete the unmistakable look of an original Wide-Body, AMGs super-wide, polished monobloc alloys were reproduced. Then, the entire car was painted in that sinister shade of Mercedes-Benz Blauschwarz metallic black and every piece of chrome trim blacked-out.

Open one of those huge, vault-like doors and its hard not to be wowed by the period-correct, body-hugging Recaro bucket seats trimmed in gorgeous, hand-stitched red leather. The restorers also created a unique Gray Zebra wood veneer for the door panels and dash, and sourced a period-correct AMG Momo steering wheel.

The car features Recaro bucket seats trimmed in hand-stitched red leather.Photo: Courtesy of Russo and Steele.

As part of a full mechanical rebuild, the car comes with new coil-over suspension, bigger brakes (front and rear), and a bespoke stainless steel high-flow exhaust.

The dash, door panels and period-correct AMG Momo steering wheel dressed in a Gray Zebra aesthetic.Photo: Courtesy of Russo and Steele.

If theres a major shortcoming with the car, however, its that it retains the stock 5.5-liter V-8 from the 560 SEC. The crowning glory of the Wide-Body was AMGs conversion to a heavy-metal 6.0-liter V-8 with new AMG-designed cylinder heads, twin overhead cams and 32 valves.

This modified V-8 took max power up from the standard 238 hp to an impressive, for the time, 385 hp. Even more formidable was the engines ability to produce twice the torque of the original 5.5 at half the engine speed. It was a monster, giving the car swifter acceleration than a Lamborghini Countach.

The lack of the latter will likely turn-off purist bidders, though the cars stunning restoration and conversion to a carbon-fiber Wide-Body look should excite lovers of the eras Mercedes muscle.

The example on offer has a new coil-over suspension, bigger brakes and a bespoke high-flow exhaust.Photo: Courtesy of Russo and Steele.

As for the estimate being as high as $300,000, that could be a stretch. At last Februarys RM Sothebys Paris auction of the Youngtimer Collection, an original 1989 Wide-Body 6.0 with just 27,731 kilometers sold for $338,972. But then a similarly original car auctioned by RM Sothebys at Amelia Island last March fetched $179,200.

Continued here:

This Stunning Restomod of One of AMGs Baddest Benzes Is Heading to Auction - Robb Report

The Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) review meeting held here on Friday turned out to be a stage for district in-charge Minister V. Somanna to assert his authority over officials and repeatedly proclaim his 40 years of experience in politics.

The Minister turned up late by an hour and, after a perfunctory apology, took up the role of a schoolteacher and called out the names of the heads of 29 departments who were supposed to attend the meeting.

As the Minister began reading out their names as if to mark their attendance, the hapless officials stood up to signal their presence and introduced themselves. Mr. Somanna sought to know their designation and rank, and whether they were district-level officials.

At least three department heads were absent, and taking umbrage to this, the Minister sought an explanation from their assistants who had been deputed to attend the meeting. In one case, the department head was out of town following the death of a relative. But Mr. Somanna instructed the deputy to call the official over phone and later spoke to him from the stage to ascertain whether he was indeed speaking the truth.

Another official was absent as he had to attend court proceedings. Mr. Somanna lashed out at the deputy and said, Ask your boss to come to the meeting immediately. The court case can always be adjourned. He then instructed the deputy to leave the meeting hall.

PWD engineers were conspicuous by their absence and an incensed Mr. Somanna asked for an explanation. On learning that they were in Bengaluru to attend a meeting called by Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol, Mr. Somanna immediately called the latter, first to ascertain whether such a meeting had indeed been convened and then to express his ire over it. He asked Mr. Karjol to relieve the district-level officials from Mysuru so that they could return to the city and attend the meeting, which he said would go on till 6 p.m.

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Minister arrives late to meeting, sees red over absentee officials - The Hindu

On Thursday night, President Donald Trump ordered the US military to assassinate Qassim Suleimani, a man widely considered Iran's second most important leader. Following the successful strike, fury has erupted in Iran. Threat levels have escalated in both Tehran and Washington. Are the US and Iran headed for war?

Let's take a step back.

Some will accuse Trump of "wagging the dog" to divert attention from the free flow of impeachment-related accusations against him in Washington and play tough guy for a political base that backs the use of American military power, particularly against enemies like Iran.

But before Americans indulge in a reflexive partisan response to this event, take a look at the man US forces just killed. Suleimani was leader of the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. In that role, he has launched both military and terrorist attacks on Americans and US allies across the Middle East.

Trump, like many US presidents before him, has warned that the US will act forcefully against those who kill Americans. Suleimani and the Iran-backed militia groups he leads inside Iraq are responsible for recent attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdadand for a recent attack on US forces in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk that killed an American contractor and wounded US soldiers.

In short, Trump drew a red line. Iran crossed that line, more than once. Iran's supreme leader tweeted that Trump "can't do anything" about it; Trump proved him wrong. Military machismo aside, Suleimani is a man of war who has killed Americans, and Iran walked directly and deliberately into this mess.

Yes, Donald Trump has run an often erratic foreign policy, including in the Middle East. (See the endless confusion about status of US forces in Syria. Heck, see the unilateral decision to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal that got this whole cycle of escalation started.) But his actions say he wants to bring US troops home from the Middle East, not kick off another endless Middle East war that will cost the US dearly in blood and treasure.

There's another reason to believe all-out war will be avoided: Iran's leaders are angry, but they aren't irrational. They know their regime can't survive an unlimited confrontation with a military superpower.

So, if neither Trump nor Iran's leaders want war, what is there really to fear from this event?

Plenty.

First, Iran must retaliate for the killing of Suleimani. This is a man who answered directly to Iran's supreme leader, not its president. This assassination, though it occurred inside Iraq, is a strike at the heart of Iran's regime.

Iran will probably attack US ships in the Persian Gulf, and there will be attacks on US soldiers inside Iraq. Trump has shown that, while he would rather reduce than expand the US presence in a region far less important to the US than it was even a decade ago, he will attack Iran. In other words, it's one thing to say that neither side wants war. That doesn't mean they won't stumble into one.

But the bigger problem for Trump may come from the government of Iraq. That's where the US and Iran have done most of their fighting in the recent past. Thanks to the toppling of Saddam Hussein, Iraq is now a democracy. A raucous one, to be sure, but it's a genuine democracy. As in Iran, the clear majority of Iraqis are Shia Muslims. And though Shia in Iraq and Iran don't always share common interests, the current Iraqi government is much more closely aligned with Iran than with any other government. It needs Iran's money and its military support, and while Western powers come and go from the Middle East, Iraq knows Iran will always be its neighbor and must be accommodated.

That's why the Iraqi government will now sharply increase pressure on US forces to leave Iraq once and for all. While Donald Trump might want to pull US troops back, he won't respond kindly if he believes they're being pushed.

Nor will Trump appreciate the hedging from some US allies. French President Emmanuel Macron appears to agree with Russia's Vladimir Putin, according to a statement from the Kremlin, that the killing of Suleimani "could seriously worsen the situation in the region." In addition, the Saudis, the closest US ally in the Arab Middle East, may begin to wonder how long Trump can be relied on to protect Saudi interests against Iranian attack if things get hot.

There's another worry inside Iraq. Suleimani was the leader of the various militia groups that have carried out many acts of violence there. Temporarily without a leader, and furious over his death, some of them may act on their own against US forces, with or without explicit backing from Tehran.

But the ultimate wildcard here is Donald J Trump. He is a commander in chief who acts impulsively. Reportedly, neither US congressional leaders nor US allies were warned in advance of the strike on Suleimani.

And this is an election year in the United States. Trump knows this is the year Americans will render their judgment on his presidency. No president wants to appear weak, but Trump has built his personal and political brand on toughness and decisive action. How will he respond when Iran kills more Americans? When Iraq sends him an eviction notice? When he hears criticism from Europe or from Democrats?

The cameras are on. The spotlight is hot. The world is watching.

No one rational wants all-out war. But that's no guarantee that, as the temperature rises, cooler heads will prevail.

Read more from the original source:

Are the US and Iran headed for war? - GZERO Media

Apple just entered an exclusive partnership with Richard Plepler, one of the chief architects of HBOs last two decades of success. According to the New York Times, Pleplers new production company has a five-year exclusivity deal with Apples TV+. If Apples entertainment executives arent worried about what the incoming titans arrival means for their jobs and the platforms future yet, they probably should be. At least from where Im sitting.

For some context, here, Plepler departed his role as chief executive of HBO last year following AT&Ts acquisition of Time Warner. At the time, it was reported that Plepler found the merger minimized his autonomy, as AT&T bosses stepped in and immediately started tinkering with HBOs highly successful entertainment model. Reports last year detailed a new regime under which the business model would be closer to Netflixs than HBOsnamely, churning out more content instead of necessarily good content.

Plepler left after nearly three decades at HBO. But AT&Ts loss was evidently quickly interpreted to be a potential gain for Apple TV+. In many respects TV+ competes more directly with HBO than it does other streaming competitors. Apples own executives have described TV+ as a sort of antithesis to Netflix.

According to a New York Times interview with Plepler about the move, Apples Eddy Cue reached out to the former HBO head soon after he left HBO last February. Those talks landed Plepler at the company with a five-year producing role for series, documentaries, and films produced for Apple TV+. Cue, who oversees Apples services business, including TV+, previously brought on Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlich to oversee the TV+ division over two years ago.

Plepler told the Times that a condition of his arrival at Apple is that Van Amburg and Erlich were game. This makes sense on Pleplers part, given that corporate dust-ups appear to be the driving force behind his leaving HBO. Based on Pleplers statements to the Timesspecifically that all he wants to do is run my own little PT boatthat probably also involved ensuring some creative autonomy for his direction.

But Pleplers Apple dealto be clear he is not running TV+, just contributingalso feels significant in light of the reception of Apples new tentpole service. TV+ just hasnt popped on the cultural landscape like Apple might have wanted. And there were issues early on, like axing a show based on Dr. Dres life because it was too violent, and canceling one about Richard Gere on a shooting spree because it wasnt friendly enough.

But the initial launch of TV+s 2019 slate is where the real problem lies. Despite The Morning Shows Golden Globe nods, the showApples biggest bet for its debut content offeringsgenerated mixed reviews, as did much of Apples other original content. It didnt get anywhere near the attention that it, in theory, should have.

For All Mankind, the platforms science fiction drama series about the space race from Hugo- and Emmy Award-winning showrunner Ron Moore, made nowhere near the splash it should have. Yet itis exactly the kind of weird, alt-historical series that should have been a contender during awards season.

Part of the issue with this seriesas with virtually all of Apples content offeringsis that Apples typical shroud-of-mystery and tight-lipped approach to its product rollouts is fundamentally at odds with how you make people give a shit about entertainment. There was virtually zero buzz about these respective shows prior to launch because we knew nothing about them. All viewers knew prior to launch day, based on rumors, was that Apple TV+ amounted to nothing more than an expensive NBC. That weve still heard little about its 2020 lineup doesnt exactly help its cause.

For a company that hopes to position itself as a kind of taste-making kingpin for news, entertainment, and music, its thin slate of content upon launch hinted that Apples own hubris may have impeded its ability to meet the expectations it had fanned for viewers and critics.

Mark Duplass, who stars as Chip in The Morning Show, said as much in a recent interview this week. I think Apple knows this now, but they didnt do a very good job of welcoming critics into the process because theyre used to keeping their product secret, When youre dealing with critics, you dont keep secrets, Duplass told The Hollywood Reporter during a red carpet review for Bombshell. The critics did not like that, and I think they lashed out a little bit.

As The Hollywood Reporter noted, theres a pretty big discrepancy between audience and critical reception of that series in particular. (Your feelings on Duplasss show may depend, in part, on your individual response to it using a real national tragedy as the backdrop for a cringe-worthy plot device.) But theres no doubt the platform as a whole could use some work, and theres a reason that so many other of Apples debut series were snubbed for their own awards nods.

The deal with Plepler feels like a desire to alter course for Apple. Plepler did tell the Times explicitly that he does not want to run anything again and instead wants to focus on producing. Still between TV+s muted debut and his deal, if I were running TV+ right now I might be worried.

More here:

The Current Heads of Apple TV+ Should Be Terrified - Gizmodo

Cruise ship holidays are growing in popularity as they appeal to more and more people. An advantage of cruises is that you are less limited when it comes to luggage allowance. However, there are still a number of dos and donts when packing luggage for a cruise.

However, the concerns surrounding bananas arent entirely old wives tales.

In the 1700s it was noted that ships which transported bananas were often wrecked or lost at sea.

What was the reason behind this strange power of the curved yellow fruit?

The explanations for why bananas spell trouble are varied.

DON'T MISS

One reason is that poisonous spiders would stow away among bananas and poison the crew.

Another is that because bananas emit ethylene as they ripen, this causes other fruit and vegetables nearby to go rotten.

This, in turn, would result in the crew going hungry - and increasing the chances of trouble brewing.

In reality, modern health and safety rules and superior food storage render these fears null on cruise ships these days.

Continued here:

Cruise secrets: Never pack this unlikely thing in cruise luggage - it could be unlucky - Express

Bob Nicholson, the man most responsible for the event becoming the phenomenon it has become, is pumped in several different directions as the 2020 IIHF World Junior heads to the medal round.

As the Oilers executive who succeeded in securing the 2021 world junior for Edmonton and Red Deer, Nicholson believes hes about to oversee a phenomena equal to or perhaps surpass the most ballistic hosting of the event in history.

Thats one Bob Nicholson. But there are two others.

Theres the Bob Nicholson who is the vice president of the IIHF. And theres the Bob Nicholson, the former head of Hockey Canada who took the event from crayons to perfume.

Im just excited, he said Wednesday as he contemplated whats about to happen in Ostrava and what he expects to happen in Edmonton.

At the Czech-Canada game on New Years Eve they said the building was packed with 75 per cent Canadians and next year were going to hold it right back in Edmonton where we set records in 2012.

This is when the numbers go crazy and people get excited. Our priority lottery draw ends at 11:59 p.m. Sunday and we have plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

Were trending really well. And this is the period when in 2012 it exploded and were confident its going to do exactly the same. If you want to go to the games you definitely need to get into the draw to have a chance to get a ticket.

The bonus this time is Canada has a good young team and there are going to be a lot of returning players, added Nicholson of the team in Ostrava.

When Alberta last played host to the championship, more than 175,000 entries were received for the priority lottery draw.

The tournament sold out a year out in 2012 and were trending with very similar numbers again this time around. Given the entries weve already received for the 2021 priority draw, we are very much on the same pace, said Nicholson.

Percentage-wise going into this final stretch were at almost exactly the same identical position we were in 2010. Were at 97 percent.

In Ostrava, the 2020 IIHF World Junior playoff rounds begin Thursday. In Edmonton, the final countdown to a total and complete 100 per cent sellout of the 2021 World Junior shifts into overdrive at the same time.

Understand one thing, though. This is when it happens. And it hasnt happened yet.

Theyre extremely happy with being at 97 percent of where they were at this point going into 2012, especially considering that they have the Red Deer market in exchange for the Calgary market. But the thing is that approximately 60 percent of the priority draw sign-ups came within these last five days for the 2012.

What they want fans to understand right now is that entering the priority draw during the remainder of this week is their only way to secure tickets.

You should know that they used the same template with the priority draw again to make sure it was a fair system both locally, regionally, nationally and world wide.

The front of the line fans, of course, were the season ticket holders of the Oilers, Flames, Oil Kings and Hitmen in 2012. In 2021 they are the season ticket holders of the Oilers, Oil Kings and Red Deer Rebels.

That has been very comparable, said Nicholson.

Edmonton offers two ticket packages of eight games each involving five preliminary pool round games including two Canada games.

Package A features Canada games including Boxing Day and New Years Eve plus Canadas quarter-final and semifinal round if they arent eliminated early. Package B includes non-Canada quarterfinal and semifinal games but gets you the gold medal game.

The Red Deer package features three price ranges $490, $625 and $725 and features twice the number of games (either 16 or 17) including two pre-tournament games involving Canada, 10 preliminary games, two quarter-finals and either two or three relegation round games depending on whether a third and deciding game of the best of three series will be required.

Fans can register at HockeyCanada.ca/Tickets until Sundays deadline of 11:59 p.m. Each priority draw winner will have the right to buy up to four tickets.

When it comes to Edmonton-Red Deer 2021, the focus will also very much be on Ostrava. The final order of finish will determine which nations will compete in Group A in Edmonton and Group B in Red Deer. The teams in Canadas group will play in Edmonton.

You get the idea. Theyre down to the real action in Ostrava 2020 AND in Edmonton for 2021.

tjones@postmedia.com

@byterryjones

Read this article:

JONES: Anticipation already building for 2021 IIHF World Junior in Edmonton and Red Deer - Edmonton Sun

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Winter in the garden - Cyprus Mail

December 26, 2019 | 12:19pm

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Her "Game of Thrones" character Brienne of Tarth --spoiler alert! --may not have wound up on the Iron Throne, but at the HBO series' Season 8 premiere, Christie looked every bit like royalty in this mesmerizing ensemble.

FilmMagic

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Between "Hustlers," her viral moment on the Versace catwalk and celebrating her 50th birthday, Jennifer Lopez had one hell of a year --and had every reason to peacock in this shimmering look at the Vanity Fair Oscar party.

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The "Pose" star won the Oscars red carpet in this black velvet tuxedo gown that was as stunning as it was statement-making. "When he started wearing dresses, that was very specific because of all the stuff that was going on in the White House regarding transgender rights," Porter's stylist, Sam Ratelle, told Page Six Style. "We started talking about it and we're like, 'We have to start representing these people because you have to normalize that somehow publicly. There has to be visibility.'"

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Months before dropping her dreamy, romantic album "Lover," the pop phenom attended the Time 100 Gala, where she perfectly set the tone of her upcoming era with this ethereal pastel frock --which she helped design.

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"Crazy Rich Asians" proved a hit with critics and moviegoers alike, making megastars of its cast in the process. Gemma Chan particularly knocked it out of the park with her looks throughout the film's press tour and awards season, saving the best --this head-turning, hot pink creation with pockets (!) --for last at the Oscars.

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There were plenty of appropriately campy outfits at this year's Met Gala, but none so eye-catching as Mone's surrealist blinking ensemble.

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It's rare that Zendaya sets foot on a red carpet without making multiple best-dressed lists, but this Poison Ivy-inspired ensemble she wore to the Emmys was simply sublime.

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The "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" star went from Disney villainess to snow queen at the movie's London premiere, wearing this caped creation awash with embellishments.

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The "If Beale Street Could Talk" star looked gorgeous at the LACMA Art + Film Gala in this green sequined gown, which she teamed with an equally head-turning sculptural hairstyle.

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At the premiere of "The Lion King," the pop icon proved why she's called Queen Bey in this golden, glowing gown.

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Siren indeed! 2019 was unquestionably Lizzo's year, and the "Truth Hurts" hitmaker's red-hot outfit at the MTV VMAs completely embodied her playful spirit.

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This vibrant purple gown would've been breathtaking on its own, but the addition of Liu's emerald Lorraine Schwartz jewels and Tyler Ellis clutch made her head-to-toe Tonys look even more striking.

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The "Bodak Yellow" rapper emerged from this dramatic Venus-inspired design as a bonafide fashion superstar at the Grammys.

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Sure, the sequined harness (sorry, bib) he wore to the Golden Globes may have been buzzier --but from a purely style standpoint, nothing the actor wore this year could top the dove-colored suit he chose for the Venice Film Festival premiere of "The King."

Corbis via Getty Images

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It's hard to believe that fashion's favorite bad gal only just launched her luxury label this year. To accept the Urban Luxe Award for her brand at the British Fashion Awards, Rihanna looked minty fresh (not to mention fierce) in this monochromatic outfit.

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The ever-regal Dame Mirren debuted pink hair on the Cannes red carpet this year, clad in a glittering rose gold gown to match.

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Nobody does dreamy dressing quite like Fanning, whose fashion parade at the Cannes Film Festival was the stuff of fairytales. This floral look --complete with fresh flowers woven into the star's braided updo -- was a particular standout.

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Burnt orange isn't a traditional color pick for a red carpet dress, but the Oscar nominee --who looked breathtaking in this plunging number at the London premiere of "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" -- pulled it off with, well, flying colors.

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Read the original here:

The 19 best red carpet looks of 2019 - Page Six

Holiday revelers at Christkindlmarket in Chicago are getting the boot, and they couldnt be happier about it.

At this German-themed Christmas market in Daley Plaza, a jovial family wraps mittened hands around steaming boot-shaped mugs of hot chocolate and glhwein, a mulled red wine that emits an enticing aroma of cinnamon and cloves. Then, they raise them high, kicking off the holiday season with a clamorous toast.

Cheers!

Chicago is an action-packed, family-friendly city at any time of the year, but during the holidays, it transforms into a glittering urban landscape with enough activities to keep you busy for the Twelve Days of Christmas and beyond.

For many locals, purchasing a keepsake mug at Christkindlmarket is a Christmas tradition. The popular boot design hasnt been around since 2015, and collectors are celebrating its return.

German-born Maren Biester Priebe, CEO of German American Events, says there have been many different shapes over the years: beer steins, kettles and winter hats with pompoms, but the boot seems to have a special place in the hearts of Chicagoans.

Have a Christmas list longer than Santas beard? With dozens of vendors selling everything from cuckoo clocks to nutcrackers to handmade ornaments, youll zip through it faster than you can say, Bah, humbug.

Keep up your shopping stamina by nibbling on German holiday delicacies like marzipan and heart-shaped gingerbread cookies.

If youre lucky, you might just see Christkind herself, a fairylike being that, like Santa Claus, delivers Christmas gifts to good little boys and girls.

50 W. Washington St., through Dec. 24; christkindlmarket.com.

Christmas Around the World

What began at the Museum of Science and Industry during World War II with a single Christmas tree to show solidarity with the United Nations has grown into a virtual indoor forest of 50 trees representing holiday customs far and wide.

Families pose for photos in front of their favorites.

American kids are surprised to learn Dutch children dont hang their stockings from the chimney with care; they get their treats in the wooden shoes they leave out for Sinterklaas. He arrives, not by a reindeer-pulled sleigh, but on a snowy white horse. The tree representing the Netherlands is adorned with painted wooden shoes.

The Croatian tree, with its traditional red and white, heart-shaped cookie dough ornaments, looks like its covered in valentines.

Paper birds roost in the Welsh tree to represent the ancient tradition of hunting a wren, considered the king of birds. It was customary to carry the tiny bird in a cage during holiday visits.

The piece de resistance is the 45-foot-tall Grand Tree in the copper-domed rotunda where surprise snow showers delight visitors.

5700 S. Lake Shore Drive, through Jan. 5; msichicago.org.

Holiday tea

Christmas carolers demand figgy pudding. And we wont go until we get some, so bring some out here!

Figgy pudding, whatever that is, is not forthcoming, but theres an array of other sweet treats, including a chocolate yule log, chocolate cranberry pound cake and plump domes of red velvet cake at high tea at the Lobby restaurant in the Peninsula Chicago.

Savory delights are plentiful, too, like smoked salmon sandwiches topped with caviar and flaky spiced vegetable tarts.

Children who enjoy hosting pretend tea parties for dolls and stuffed animals are wowed by the real thing: tea service in the glow of a sparkling Christmas tree.

108 E. Superior St.; peninsula.com/en/chicago.

Navy Pier

Baby, its cold outside, so Navy Pier brings the fun indoors with Winter WonderFest. In the summer, this amusement park on Lake Michigan is a hub of outdoor family entertainment, but when Jack Frost starts his nipping, it transforms into a wintry indoor playground.

Little ones hop aboard the Arctic Express Train Ride and travel through an enchanting holiday village, while older kids take a spin around the indoor skating rink or get on the Ferris wheel which is enclosed and heated for a birds-eye view of the action and the holiday lights.

Kids will leave with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads the Sugar Plum aerialists, that is. These audacious performers twirl at lightning-speed from ribbons suspended from the ceiling and hold seemingly impossible poses.

The Sugar Plum aerialists perform at 3, 4 and 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays during the holiday season.

600 E. Grand Av.; Winter WonderFest runs through Jan. 12; navypier.org.

ZooLights

Know a little one who wants a pony for Christmas? Tell her it wont fit in Santas sleigh, and take her to the annual ZooLights event at Lincoln Park Zoo instead. A glowing, rainbow-hued tunnel is a portal to whimsical, illuminated sculptures of zoo animals.

Of course, there are real animals, too. Surrounded by giant rabbits, monkeys, giraffes and zebras, shell soon forget the pony.

ZooLights runs from 4:30 to 9 p.m. nightly through Jan. 5, excluding Dec. 24 and 25.

2001 N. Clark St.; lpzoo.org.

Tracey Teo is an Indiana-based travel writer.

Follow this link:

5 reasons to head to Chicago during the holidays - Minneapolis Star Tribune