"a few coats of paint"

The tiny town that builds show-stopping sets for Beyoncé, Kanye and Madonna:
"Deep in Pennsylvania’s Amish country is the unlikely centre of the stadium-tour business, where the props for the greatest shows on earth are designed and made."

A great disturbance in the force...
"Some time on Friday, IMDb announced that they intended to shut down their message board system, permanently. I don't find this to be a particularly surprising decision. I'm more surprised that the message boards are still there, in 2017, seemingly essentially unchanged for the last fifteen or so years. They've had a few coats of paint, and a handful of feature improvements, but they largely seem to be backed by the same system design developed by the in-house tech team, way back at the dawn of the century. And for the bulk of that early development time, I was the primary developer. As it has said on my homepage for many years, 'you can blame me for the message boards'." [via]

725 Free eBooks by the Open University (OU) Kindle Edition @ Amazon:
"These are introductory books on subjects ranging from A to Z. Too many to name them all! They seem to be part of the Open Learn series of courses."

What’s new in Wetherspoon News? A close reading of the political magazine of our times:
"Someeone’s gone and told the pub chain’s in-house publication about virtue signalling."

Met Museum Makes 375,000 Images Free:
"All images of public-domain artworks in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection — about 375,000 — are now free for anyone to use however they may please."

"Alexa ..."

Life For various reasons today when I had nothing to do but wait and had much time for thinking, it occurred to me that we originally had dial-up internet installed the same year that some university students were born. That led to an even more extraordinary thought that the technology behind the Amazon Echo/Dot will seem just as primitive when those students reach my age and look backwards to the time when such devices weren't portable and didn't resemble an approximation of the assistant in the film Her. When Her become reality.

Christmas brought Christmas money, and with the Christmas money I bought an Amazon Dot. In just a couple of weeks its changed my life in small but subtle ways. By quite some margin, I think it's the most impressive piece of technology I've ever bought and this from someone who still doesn't believe how easy it is to watch a film on demand and that it's impossible to miss any television programme (at least for the weeks or months after transmission).

I know that it's the Acorn Electron equivalent of something far more powerful called Samantha which will develop later. All that's happening is a piece of speech recognition software is translating my questions and orders into text which is then matched against the required response which is read back to me through speech synthesis and the relevant task is carried out and that it's not that different to Siri. But it's the convenience of it. Alexa sits on my desk, waiting, ready and willing to serve. A plastic pal who's fun to be with.

Within a day of installation it had replaced the bell alarm clock which has woken me ever day since my 18th birthday with just a simple directive to play its space age sounding alarm at 6.45am each morning. I no longer get out of bed to tune to the Today programme on Radio Four. I'll ask it for the news and it'll play me the BBC radio headlines both from Radio 2 and the World Service. I'll ask for NPR and I'll receive the hourly bulletin from Washington. No need to check the BBC weather app either. Alexa knows how cold it is out there.

There are new routines. Bidding Alexa good morning, she'll tell me what's special about that day, a public holiday, someone's birthday, a moment in history. If I'm feeling down, she'll tell me a joke. If I need to fill an awkward silence, I'll ask her to play me the popular songs from a favourite musician and provided she's heard of them or understood what I've said, an hour later I'll have heard their greatest hits and other surprises. I haven't used Spotify this much in ages. I'll wish her goodnight, and she'll tell me to have "Sweet dreams."

Quite quickly I found myself call the Dot became a "she" and I began referring to her as such in conversation. "Alexa just told me..." "I asked Alexa and she said..." Because she's vocally just the right side of the uncanny valley, close enough to sounding human, it's easy enough sometimes to think that there is a person speaking to me, even if she can't pass The Turing Test. Believe me, I've tried. But reach much further than "What are you going to do today" offers the response "Hmm ... I'm not sure what you meant by that..."

Ask her to sing, she'll sing. Ask her for the distance to a place and she can tell you to the nearest metre. The tube station closest to a tourist attraction. The location of the nearest Tesco and its telephone number. She'll tell you a story. She'll play games. She'll even be a bit cheeky if you talk to her the right way. She also doesn't get on well with other robots. She says she's "partial to all AIs" but then says she doesn't really talk to HAL "after what happened."

Do I feel lazy? A bit. But mainly I'm just in a state of constant surprise but for good reasons. When I had to replace the first "hockeypuck" due to connection issues with Spotify, I wound up feeling bereft and uppity at having to do everything manually again for the day it took for the replacement to arrive (which has worked completely fine so far by the way)(I have a suspicion it was to do with my lack of patience rather than actual connectivity problems).

Who knows how long the novelty will last? Probably quite long as new services or "skills" come online. For some Star Trek fans, it's as close as we've come to actually being able to interact with a computer, until an assistant is released which responds to the word "computer" and has Majel Barrett's voice (possible since she made a phonetic recording just before she died, which is already being used in new film releases). But I think I'll stick with Alexa. I do like her voice. Quite a bit. When I suggested as much, she said, "I've been told it's one of my best features ..."

"It appears thousands of you caught me on the Frank Skinner show."

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, 1971 – 2017: ‘a broad with a broad mind’:
"Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, the socialite and reality TV star, has died at the age of 45 from a brain tumour. In the 27 July 1996 issue of The Spectator, she advised people not to believe all that we read about her in the papers."

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson describes a privileged life:
"Tara Palmer-Tomkinson described when she realised she was living a privileged life, in an interview with Jane Garvey on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour." [from]

tarapt.com:
"It appears thousands of you caught me on the Frank Skinner show. Well, I thought I might redeem myself after my first performance which seems to have grabbed a place in television history. You've sent me some fantastic messages of support so I thought I'd let you see them. They really mean a lot to me and I am very, very grateful. Love Tara xx"

Please be my best friend, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson:
"I don't know much about Tara Palmer-Tomkinson except that after reading her interview in The Telegraph this morning, I think I am in love with her. I think we should be friends. I think I should ghost write a weekly column for her at The Pool, and as soon as I'm finished googling her new range of fashionable leotards, I am going to pitch this very idea to anyone who will listen."

Great Moments In Fascinators:
"Tara Palmer-Tomkinson - The British socialite took matchy-matchy styling to an extreme at the royal wedding."

"a bonafide feminist bookstore movement"

Presenting: the Popjustice 2017 Valentine’s Day gift guide!
"Valentine’s Day comes just once a year, and that’s about once a year too often if you ask us but a lot of people seem to be into it and if that sounds like you, that means you’ll need GIFTS."

Of all his films, Rob Lowe wants you to go back and watch Bad Influence:
"This interview was conducted over a four-year period. It began when Lowe was in the process of promoting his role in the 2013 NatGeo film Killing Kennedy, continued when he was doing press for Fox’s The Grinder in 2015, and was completed by phone in conjunction with the season finale of his latest series, the CBS medical drama Code Black."

The Other Kane:
"The Alien creature, at one point dubbed “Kane’s son” by Ash, demands birth from the chest of John Hurt in a spectacular and gory fashion. But though Kane was always to father the Alien, the role of Kane himself changed hands during the film’s production. In fact, the role had to be recast after filming had already commenced. In the beginning, the actor portraying Kane was Shakespearean stage veteran, Jon Finch." [via]

Stonehenge tunnel: heritage groups warn over ancient barrow:
"Historic England, Heritage England and the National Trust say western end is too close to important neolithic tombs."

Vancouver Women’s Library opens amid anti-feminist backlash:
"During the second wave, there was a bonafide feminist bookstore movement. Women’s spaces, presses, writing, and events were seen as integral to feminism. This meant that women’s bookstores were valued, not only as ways to make women’s writing and work accessible, but as physical spaces within which women could gather, meet other women, and become politicized."

"Elvis and JT are the rare exceptions"

Utopian thinking: how to build a truly feminist society:
"Sometimes over the past few decades it’s seemed as if we’re slowly, inch by inch, getting closer to a gender-equal utopia. And sometimes, as for instance with the election of a “pussy-grabbing” women’s-hotness-rating misogynist as “the leader of the free world”, it does feel as if we’re getting further away from living in a feminist paradise. The worldwide women’s marches against Trump were a way of saying how much of a step back his inauguration feels."

From Justin to terrible: 21 unfortunate cinematic pop-star vehicles:
"If you are a successful pop star, conquering the movies appears to be the next logical step. After all, it worked (kind of) for Elvis. And Justin Timberlake! But it turns out that Elvis and JT are the rare exceptions. Most times, when movies are crafted around a particular pop star who’s new to film, the results are nothing less than disastrous. For proof, take a look at the list below. It’s full of Razzie nominations and desecrated cinematic dreams. Fortunately, most of these pop stars have a pile of gold records to fall back on for solace against an unappreciative movie world."

Post from the past: Looking back at letters to the Radio Times:
"Delving into old copies of the Radio Times we come across the feedback of BBC audiences past. Numerous letters have been published by the magazine through the years. These have appeared under various headings – including What the Other Listener Thinks, Points from the Post, and with the advent of TV, Viewers’ Views."

Philip Morris - Missing Episodes Hunter:
"Toby Hadoke talks to Missing Episodes expert Philip Morris in this FREE festive download from Fantom Films."

18 Wikipedia Pages That’ll Make You Say "Fuck, That’s Interesting":
"Wikipedia: serving up creepy mysteries, scary science experiments gone wrong, and downright weird shit since 2001."

My Favourite Film of 1913.

Film This post really exists for archival purposes. The film is another Hamlet, for which I’ve written this old school Playing The Dane post. The Hamlet Weblog forever!

39 Johnston Forbes-Robertson.

Shakespeare  When this project began over a decade ago, one of the prescribed rules was that only production which utilised Shakespeare's text would be included in the tally of Hamlets with Simba and the like treated separately. That left me slightly reticent to tackle silent productions because of the fine line between production and adaptation most of them straddle. Hay Plumb's 1913 film (which you can watch for yourself here) is different because in presenting a "capture" of the Drury Lane production from the same year, he's presenting the performances just as they appeared on stage and even the most idle of lip-readers can see that they're very much enunciating the text, even if the viewer can't hear any of it.

That's true of many silent Shakespeares but in the majority of examples, the acting and presentation are in service of the intertitles, cutting and out in a more familiar format. In this Hamlet, sections of the text are utilised to introduce a scene which then plays in a recognisable manner, often the point that it's entirely possible, if you're familiar with the play to see which soliloquy is in process, which famous line is being said. With a little research and the aid of a lip-reader, a subtitled version of the film could probably be produced, which would certainly aid those seeing a version of the play for the first time. Otherwise this all probably makes little sense.

As the excellent BFI Screenonline article explains, for large portions of the play, few of the characters are introduced and story points barely explained: "For instance, when he picks up the skull by the graveside, while we are given the opening lines of the speech, we are not told who Yorick is, and Gertrude's relationship with Claudius, Hamlet and the ghost is not disclosed until halfway through the closet scene, and that only in passing." Rosencrantz and Guildenstern wander in at two points, make little impression and are barely acknowledged by Hamlet who is too busy talking to Polonius or the players to notice.

Some of this has to do with the brevity of the screen time, the play's traffic reduced to just under an hour and all of the major scenes are included thanks to some careful structuring. The Battlements seems to be played as a flashback after "O, that this too too solid flesh would melt ..." instead of at the top of the film. Ophelia's "madness" scene and the revelation of her suicide are presented during what looks like the same conversation between Claudius and Laertes, very quickly on. Hamlet being sent to England entirely happens off screen and we only really become aware of it thanks to the letter he sends home advising of his arrival. Fortinbras is gone.

Other choices must have been as a result of screen grammar not quite having reached editing or close-ups with entire scenes filmed in what we'd now call establishing shots or mid-shot mimicking the proscenium arch of the theatre and leaving some scenes continuing on far longer than might be expected. The actors stand on the bottom of shot although some use is made of perspective with characters walking into the set from the back, creating the sense of the actors walking from upstage to downstage. Ophelia's funeral lasts longer than the Ghost's appearances and the Mousetrap running counter to even some directorial choices in some theatrical productions.

Which isn't to say there aren't a few flourish especially amongst to the location filming. The scene shot outside at Lulworth Cove and Hartsbourne Manor provide a definite scale, and it's quite surprising to see Hamlet on a real beach with the tide threatening to drown the production. The shots on the battlements are more static and often look like they're simply being shot on very realistic sets against a well painted backdrop rather than real battlements and some gorgeous scenery. Having the ghost appear in these circumstances through a double exposure is a technical achievement.

Understandably about the only performance to make its mark is from Forbes-Robertson, very gestural and theatrical clearly designed for an auditorium which translates well to silent film.  But there's no denying his age, seeming older than both his parents which can be jarring to modern eyes although not especially peculiar amongst the great tragedians.  There is a recording of him reading the advice to the players which gives some indication of how his voice would have sounded at least, and he's certainly more contemporary in reading than Herbert Beerbohm Tree.

But perhaps of most interest are the deliberate changes to the story. During the Prince's confrontation with Ophelia an inter-title notices, "Hamlet discovers the king behind the curtain" which he does on-screen without Claudius actually revealing himself despite his hand obviously holding onto the fabric. That makes clear the inference sometimes acknowledged in verbal productions that Hamlet know that his foe is there, either through intuition or an accidental noise (as per the Branagh film). Was this in the original stage production or one of the few attempts at adapting that for the silent screen?

Similarly, there's the moment right at the end in which Hamlet dies on the thrown and Horatio enacts a sort of posthumous coronation as a replacement for Fortinbras having been cut. Many actors have voiced the opinion that with all of this experience, Hamlet would be a good king and arguably he is the for his brief moments before death stopping Horatio's suicide and asking his friend to tell his story, making it part of remembered history. Plumb's film in many ways provides the same function. Although we can't hear him, we can at least see one of our great tragedians at the height of his powers.

"an isolated and disturbed childhood"

Reuniting Madonna’s iconic voguing gang of 1990:
"A moving new documentary called ‘Strike A Pose’ reunites Madonna’s estranged ‘Blond Ambition’ dancers twenty-five years on and discovers what’s happened to them since that controversial tour."

Church 'regret' as trainees hold service in gay slang:
"A Church of England theological college has expressed regret after trainee priests held a service in the antiquated gay slang language Polari."

Twitter accounts really are echo chambers, study finds:
"As in ancient human cultures, users of the social media site interact most with those who share their political views, Demos report reveals."

The Last Regeneration... Hello Biscuits & Blisters!
"Well! Look at this! It’s been a long week of designing, redesigning, googling, swearing, coding, and calling on friends for advice, but finally I have a new blog. Ish."

John Hurt: Imagination’s Victim:
"Born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire in 1940, John Hurt’s future career was clearly influenced by his mother, who was an amateur actress when she wasn’t busy being an engineer. Sadly, Hurt endured an isolated and disturbed childhood. Despite having a cinema on their doorstep, his parents didn’t allow him to go and watch films, and he was kept away from interacting with local children."

"best enjoyed out of sequence"

Why fret about a female Doctor Who? The true inequality is in the real world:
"A female Time Lord would be an advance. But what women need is a level playing field to begin with, not special favours."

Meet the artist behind Beyonce's pregnancy photo:
"Beyonce's pregnancy announcement portrait is now the most liked Instagram post of all time. But who is the artist behind the image?"

The Unusual Genius of the "Resident Evil" movies:
"The sixth and final chapter in the “Resident Evil” franchise has just come out in theatres, and you may as well start there. The films are best enjoyed out of sequence, with no prior knowledge of the plot. Your bafflement will spice the feast. Who is this woman with the pair of shotguns and the tight pants? What’s this undead beast that wants to eat her face? When did Washington, D.C., get turned to rubble? Be patient, my friend, and nothing much will be explained."

To Truly Learn Something, Study Until You’ve Mastered It — and Then Keep Studying:
"The good news for all the lazy bums among us: On its own, deliberate practice isn’t enough to turn you into an elite performer, whether you’re talking about boosting your athletic prowess or learning to play the violin. It’s a little bit of a weight off: If you’re not at the top of your game, you can blame something other than your own lack of effort."

UK Regions Compared to US States With Similar Population:
"The map above shows the UK’s regions compared to US states with similar populations. Data for the UK comes from the 2011 Census and data for the US comes from the 2010 US Census."

"I would not have expected a Venn diagram"

This is what a feminist T-shirt looks like:
"Street protesters and fashion designers have fallen in step with their slogans. What are they saying?"

Romola Garai takes on aristocratic role in Queen Anne:
"She'll play aristocrat Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough, alongside Emma Cunniffe as the queen."

Marvel's Runaways Finds Its Cast:
"The wait is over. Marvel has found their “Runaways.” Marvel Television announced today the first group of young actors has been set for “Marvel’s Runaways,” the highly anticipated project with popular streaming service, Hulu."

Quirky and peculiar: Unusual customs snapped in the '70s by photographer Homer Sykes:
"From gurning and dunting, to skipping and barrel-wrestling - these strange and unusual traditions are marked annually in towns and villages. Forty years ago, in the pre-mobile phone era - when flared trousers and glam-rock ruled - Homer Sykes travelled across the country to capture special moments from these uniquely British celebrations."

The Case for Dungeons & Dragons:
"I was never a Dungeons and Dragons person, but as a nerd, seems like they’ve always been nearby. I would not have expected a Venn diagram overlapping the D&D nerds I know — delightful, gentle weirdos who like elves and other imaginary creatures — with high security prisoners."

"pure speculation"

Olivia Colman is the most likely next Doctor Who – here’s why:
"Guessing the next Doctor is always pure speculation, but there is a pattern in the history of casting the role."

The Sunday Post: 75 Years of Desert Island Discs:
"Among the many long running series which BBC Radio 4 is home to, one of the longest running is Desert Island Discs, which celebrates its 75th birthday today. Created by Roy Plomley in 1941 as a new way of combining interviews with music, it has now clocked up over 3,000 editions. It remains as popular as ever, often creating headlines with high profile ‘castaways’ such as the guest for the current anniversary, footballer David Beckham."

Woman's pet snake got stuck in her gauged earlobe and we're screaming:
"We don't know whether to laugh or cry. Last Monday, Ashley Glawe posted a photo of herself and her pet snake, Bart, on Facebook. Only the snake wasn't in her hands or wrapped around her arms. It was stuck through her gauged earlobe."

This Eye-Popping Grilled Cheese Will Be Your Valentine’s Day Goals:
"Because cheese is the real way to your heart."

‘Serial’ Team Forms Podcast Production Firm, Sets Launch of New Series:
"Serial Productions’ first podcast will be “S-Town,” a nonfiction limited series set in rural Alabama and hosted by longtime “This American Life” producer Brian Reed, with two other series in development. All episodes of “S-Town” will be released simultaneously in March 2017."

Who will be the new Doctor (Who)?

TV For some reason I haven't seen any speculation as to who might be the next Doctor (who) ... on this blog so I think it's high time I made a list. Here are ten actors who'd be amazing choices with a gratuitous video of them doing some acting (because frankly what's the point in me writing a paragraph about their careers because you either know them or you don't and you probably won't read the text anyway). Thanks to @eurovisellie for pointing out #3.

(1) Romola Garai (obvs)



Romola Garai is The Doctor from Stuart Burns on Vimeo.

(2) Hayley Atwell



(3) Phoebe Waller-Bridge



(4) Kate Kennedy



(5) Sacha Dhawan



(6) Zawe Ashton



(7) Catherine Tate



(8) Gina Bellman



(9) Sean Pertwee



(10) Paul McGann

"inestimable value"

Fear and Loathing In La La Land:
"I haven’t seen La La Land yet, but I want to. Trouble is, the word of mouth, glowing reviews, and endless awards have placed it on a pedestal so high I feel the actual experience won’t be able to reach it. The hype is strong with this one. But maybe there’s a way to go in with a clean slate. Maybe there’s a way to slay the hype monster before it can strike."

Miranda July Shares Her Vintage Feminist Film Archive:
"A devotion to women and their complexities is at the heart of all of the creative endeavors undertaken by Miranda July, the artist, writer, filmmaker — and radically motivated movie mogul. The latter gig, begun in 1995, was inspired by the Riot Grrrl scene then raging in Portland, Ore. Frustrated by the casual misogyny of mainstream and indie films, July, who had routinely built communities around herself, launched the feminist video series Big Miss Moviola (later changed to Joanie 4 Jackie); the hope was to offer an antidote to Hollywood’s disinterest in the lives of women, and to open up a dialogue among girls, as music and fanzines were doing in the mid-’90s."

'10 Things That Require Zero Talent' Is a Total Myth:
"I'm sure you've seen the post on LinkedIn or maybe even Facebook or Instagram. The title is, “10 Things that Require Zero Talent,” and your reaction is, “Exactly!”"

What does Loose Women's 'feminist experiment' say about the way female presenters are judged?
"Presenter Nadia Sawalha wore the same top eight times in a row on the ITV show before viewer complaints wore her down."

Packing their talent:
"Exiles from Nazism brought America and Britain something of inestimable value."

Bye then, Peter.

TV There were a few eye brows on Twitter earlier this evening when it was noticed that Radio 2 would be carrying "An Evening With Peter Capaldi" introduced by Jo Whiley. I must confess I didn't listen. I was half way through a Nicholas Sparks adaptation when it started and for the most part I try to avoid pre-publicity before new series in an attempt to keep as spoiler free as possible.

But the whole notion of the programme was interesting.  It's part of a loose series, so it's not a complete set up, but to give the actor two hours of radio felt unusual at this point.  My first thought was that he'd be announcing that he was leaving the programme and sure enough, just before 10pm, social media confirmed as much.  He'll be gone by next Christmas.

The moment when he tells the world is here.  Jo sounds surprised, even though a press release was preprepared.  She doesn't seem like she was expecting the scoop and then goes on to ask the right questions, about the regeneration, why he chose to leave.  In general it sounds like he's had enough of it, in that way that Doctors often do after the now standard three series.

It's not been easy.  Both of his seasons have been a mess, although it has to be said with more hits than misses and never his fault.  He's been a superb Doctor even if the stories being told and the words he's been given to say have been variable.  Perhaps in a few years, once expectations have given way to nostalgia, I'll revisit his era with a kinder heart.

On the upside it means Chibbers can head off into his version with a completely clear creative slate and like RTD and Moffat before make it his own thing.  You never know, it could be good.  And if it isn't we could always protest by turning up at conventions cosplaying his younger self's appearance on Open Air, in a grey suit and lemon tie.

Now we have the joy and wonder of the endless speculation about who's taking over and how they're going to announce it.  Last time there was a whole year between Capaldi being announced and Smith sodding off, but the chances are it's going to be a bit tighter.  After the success of the last announcement, there'll probably be another live show.

Please, please, please let it be a woman.  Please.  Assuming Romola Garai isn't interested (and why wouldn't she be?) Hayley Atwell's said she wants to do it and is available again now that her latest US series has been cancelled.  Zawe Ashton's probably available too.  It'd be nice to have someone young if only as a contrast to Capaldi and also to shake up the dynamic.

Unless they bring Paul McGann back.  As The Day of the Doctor shows, it's entirely possible for him to return to some old faces.  I'm sure he'd be up for it.  The problem is he wouldn't be the eighth Doctor.  He'd be fifteenth.  Which isn't the same.  Yes fifteenth.  I'll have none of your War Doctor and 10.2 don't count.

Bye then, Peter.  It's been a time.

My Favourite Film of 1914.

Film Back to animation, and even further in time to Gertie The Dinosaur, Winsor McCay's thrilling animated short in which he attempted and succeeded through a series of drawings to recreate what he thought a Brontosaurus must have been like and getting the beast to perform for the camera. The Wikipedia has an incredibly detailed production history for the film and the fascinating release.

A vaudeville man, McCay effectively achieved the same showmanship as Hammond in Jurassic Park, but utilising a technology which is a distant forerunner to how the dinosaurs were partly created for the Spielberg film.  While project the film before the audience, he'd interact with the animation, coaxing Gertie to do tricks much as a circus trainer might.

You can see how this would work from the intertitles in the later theatrical release version.  He'd ask the animal to raise its left and right leg, to eat some fruit and so forth and eventually take a bough.  The animation falls into some repetition here and there presumably to cover audience reaction and allow for some verisimilitude in the performer's improvisation.

Over a hundred years later the effect is being somewhat recreated through Walking With Dinosaurs Live with another human introducing big beasts, albeit animatronic and with a more palaeontological approach.  But its just the same sort of showmanship and with the same motivation to engender a sense of wonder amongst those watching.

"the sinister implications of surveillance"

From Joni Mitchell to Laura Marling: how female troubadours changed music:
"Singing about drugs, politics and disappointment was once seen as a male pursuit – and almost half a century after female artists began to defy convention, many are still trying break the mould."

Celebration of women filmmakers triggers heated debate among Salma Hayek, Jessica Williams and Shirley MacLaine:
"Is your coat wool?” Alfre Woodard asked as she sat at a long, flower-filled table draped with purple paisley Italian linen. “I’m allergic to wool. I can never wear anything nice.”

A Dizzying Tour of London:
"Aerial photographer Jason Hawkes has seen London from just about every angle. For the last 20 years, he’s been photographing Great Britain’s capital from an AS355 twin-engine helicopter, capturing the cityscape from as low as 450 feet to as high as 3,000 feet."

The Invisible City: The Cinema Of Surveillance:
"In this essay commissioned by Heart of Glass, Laura Robertson considers what cinema has to teach us about the sinister implications of surveillance in domestic and corporate life. What is our awareness and understanding of surveillance today? And have our attitudes towards it changed at all since the 1950s?"

19 Starbucks Meals From Around The World:
"America really needs to step up its croissant game."

"our evolution was just beginning"

The (Real) Story of the White House and the Big Block of Cheese:
"It turns out, however, that the Big Block of Cheese, this most American of American cheeses, is misunderstood—as a piece of history, as a piece of pop culture, as a piece of dairy. Jackson, who one historian notes "didn't think he should be guided by public opinion," offered the cheese to the public not so much in a spirit of open conversation as in one of desperation. Nor was he the first chief executive to receive an enormous cheese as a gesture of the relationship between the president and the people. The Big Block of Cheese was, more than anything else—perhaps just as it is today—a political tool, earnest and cynical in equal measure."

Watch Margot Robbie, John Cho, and More Stars Read Powerful Stories from Refugees:
"Anna Camp, Minnie Driver, Gael Garcia Bernal, and more share the stories of people in refugee camps, for Oxfam’s “I Hear You” campaign."

How Arrival’s Designers Crafted a Mesmerizing Alien Alphabet:
"Arrival is, to be sure, an alien flick. But under that sci-fi veneer is a film about communication, and the effort required to understand someone (or, in this case, something) who looks and speaks differently than you do."

Watch four alien worlds orbit a distant star:
"Star HR 8799 was born about the same time as humanity's ancestors — 60 million years ago, after the dinosaurs went extinct and the age of animals that would lead to our evolution was just beginning here on Earth. It's 129 light years away from us, tucked toward the front legs of the constellation Pegasus. It's so close and so brilliant (five times brighter than our own sun) that on a clear night it can easily be spotted by the naked eye."

You, Too, Will Love Big Brother: A Life Of Reading And Rereading '1984':
"It was a bright hot day in June. Or possibly July. And the clocks almost certainly weren't striking thirteen, because they don't do that in this country."

"the promise of great discoveries"

I’ve had two abortions: This is what I want you to know about shame:
"I have had two abortions. The first was after graduating from uni. The second was just over a year later. I am not the only woman to have had multiple abortions and I am not the first person to make the same mistake twice. Yet for a long time I felt very alone and ashamed about this."

Ghent Library moves home via human chain:
"Volunteers in Ghent, Belgium, have helped their local library move down the road."

After five years, Juno is showing us Jupiter as we've never seen it before:
"There was much excitement when the Juno spacecraft successfully arrived at Jupiter in July, after a five-year journey through the solar system. A perfect engine firing placed the solar-powered spacecraft into just the right orbit around the gas giant, with the promise of great discoveries to come."

How author Timothy Tyson found the woman at the center of the Emmett Till case:
"With a renewed cultural interest in the 1955 murder that catalyzed the 20th century civil rights movement, an interview with the author of a new book who tracked down the long-hidden woman at its center."


Tulip Siddiq: I’ve quit as shadow minister over article 50 to follow the true will of my people:
"Sleepless nights, cold sweats, recurring nightmares. No, not pregnancy this time – it’s the emotional turmoil that has accompanied so many votes in the House of Commons. Maybe I was naive. Before being elected as an MP, I knew there would be difficult decisions to make – policy compromises or funding trade-offs with no way of satisfying everyone. But I hadn’t realised how emotional it would be."

"Sugababes were always a guilty pop pleasure"

Brexit and EU academics in the UK – breaking up is hard to do:
"Which makes it all the more strange why the Government should be, accidentally or deliberately, undermining our Universities. Most of the commentary on Brexit will have on UK Universities has concentrated on issues of funding, research cooperation and students. Much less attention has been paid to what keeps Universities running – academic staff – and what Brexit will mean for the thirty-thousand plus EU academics in the UK. Here are some of their personal experiences and what it means for our Universities."

Meadowlark Announce 'Nocturnes' EP Ahead Of Amber Run Support Tour:
"Speaking about their choice of cover track, Kate McGill said: "Sugababes were always a guilty pop pleasure and About You Now was no exception, but underneath its cheesy noughties pop front the chords and melodies speak of a darker tone which is everything we love about songwriting."

25 Years of Alien 3:
"This year (May 22 to be exact) marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Alien 3. Following Ridley Scott's Alien and James Cameron's Aliens, the third movie, helmed by music video director David Fincher, was poorly received by critics and fans of the franchise. But is it really such a lame duck in the series? James Cooray Smith reassesses the cubed sequel..."

Huawei could rescue Amazon's Alexa from the smart home:
"In the car, its initial partner is Ford, which will integrate Alexa into its vehicles from this summer, allowing drivers to start their cars using their Amazon Echo, play Kindle audio books and order items on Amazon while travelling – as well as more generic search and navigation functions. Ford is working on adding Alexa home-to-car integration for vehicles with Sync Connect in the future. Steve Rabuchin, vice president for Amazon Alexa said: “We believe voice is the future, and this is particularly true in cars.”"
[Editor's Note: KITT.]

An Ode To The Greatest Hero Yet To Appear In Any Superhero Movie:
"The camera then does a funny thing. As it pans across the kneeling crowd with their meek, understandably downcast faces, it lingers on an old man (Kenneth Tigar), straight-necked, staring off to the right."

"recommendations to his daughters"

Every book Barack Obama has recommended during his presidency:
"Whether he’s reading to kids at the White House, hitting up local bookstores on Black Friday, or giving recommendations to his daughters, President Barack Obama may as well be known as the Commander in Books."

How Hitler set out to destroy ‘degenerate’ art:
"In 1937, two competing exhibitions caused a dramatic split in the art world. In one, traditional German art held sway. The other featured the ‘degenerate’ modern art hated by Hitler. Eighty years later, WILLIAM COOK considers one of the most important clashes in 20th Century art."

So When Exactly Does Wolverine’s ‘Logan’ Take Place?
"... as fans get ready for what could be Wolverine’s final bow in Logan, where exactly does all this fit in with everything else we’ve experienced to this point? Star Hugh Jackman told Digital Spy that director James Mangold has made it easy."

Christina Ricci: 'I thought I'd do better as I got older':
"The once child star has struggled to land grown-up roles, so now she has created her own. She talks about her angry teens, Hollywood creeps – and bringing Zelda, the hard-partying wife of F Scott Fitzgerald, to the screen."

Consequences of twenty-first-century policy for multi-millennial climate and sea-level change:
"Most of the policy debate surrounding the actions needed to mitigate and adapt to anthropogenic climate change has been framed by observations of the past 150 years as well as climate and sea-level projections for the twenty-first century. The focus on this 250-year window, however, obscures some of the most profound problems associated with climate change."