Bristol Palin spoke out on Tuesday to address "the wedding that didn't happen" -- her called-off nuptials to former Marine and U.S. Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer.
On her blog,
Palin, 24, posted a photo of herself and son Tripp, 6, with a statement
about the canceled May 23 nuptials. "I feel like I need to address the
elephant-in-the-room on this blog, since you guys have been with me
through thick and thin. When I first got engaged, you were the first
ones I wanted to tell."
"I guess you have seen by now that the
wedding -- that was supposed to happen last weekend -- was called off.
I'm sure you've seen this has been all over the media, but this is a
painful time for family and friends and I would just really appreciate
your prayers," she wrote. "I know God's plan is greater than anything
else, and Tripp and I are in Alaska beginning to rebuild our lives under
much different circumstances than we anticipated. Thank you for all of
your love and support. "
She also shared the blog post on her
social media accounts. "Sorry it's taken me so long to talk about
this... It's been hard," she wrote on Facebook.
Palin had been overjoyed when she got engaged to Meyer
in March at a Rascall Flats concert. "Truly the luckiest girl in the
world, cannot wait to marry this man!!!!" she wrote on Instagram,
accompanied by photos of her engagement ring.
Palin's
mother, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, announced on May 18 that her
daughter's wedding had been canceled, after reports that Meyer, 26, had
been previously married surfaced along with a wedding certificate.
Nobody from either family provided specifics for why Palin and Meyer's
relationship suddenly ended, but Bristol Palin denied that Meyer's
former marriage had come as a surprise.
"Regarding salacious
headlines in recent days about 'secret wives,' Dakota and I discussed
our past relationships prior to our engagement. Dakota was legally
divorced years ago, as any good reporter could and should have disclosed
to readers," she asserted in a statement on her mother's Facebook page.
South Side-based American Eagle Outfitters' strong earnings report last week is raising expectations about the company’s stock.
The latest evidence of came in a report
issued Saturday by Janney Montgomery Scott in which the firm maintained
its established buy rating of American Eagle stock and raised its price
target from $19 a share to $20, according to industry reports.
On Tuesday morning after a Memorial Day
weekend, American Eagle’s stock was trading around $16.40 a share, still
below the company’s 52-week high of more than $18.00 after the company’s first-quarter report announced last week achieved 15 cents per share, beating analysts’ estimates.
“So far this earnings season, American Eagle (NYSE: AEO) is one of very few bright spots,” wrote Anna Andreeva, a specialty retail analyst for Oppenheimer & Co.
Oppenheimer maintained an outperform rating for American Eagle while raising its stock price target from $18 a share to $19.
Andreeva described American Eagle’s stock as
an under-appreciated opportunity in a category of largely struggling
teen retailers.
Quoting American Eagle Chief Creative Officer Roger Markfield that the teen sector is in disarray,
Andreeva expects the company to grab sales from closing and
consolidating competitors. She estimated the closures and bankruptcies
of such chains as Delia’s, Wet Seal and Deb Shops has freed up $1
billion in market share that a stronger retailer such as American Eagle
can snare, particularly over still-weak competitor Abercrombie &
Fitch.
Overall, analyst option is still largely
mixed. According to Yahoo Finance, five research firms have upgraded
their rating of American Eagle’s stock in the last nine months versus
three that have downgraded it.
James Pearce says there was 'no fight, no spirit, no character' and emotional Rodgers is now clinging to to his job
How fitting that Liverpool were decked in all black for the occasion.
The mood was funereal as a desperate season reached a shambolic conclusion.
Not since Tottenham thrashed Bill Shankly’s team 7-2 at White Hart Lane in April 1963 have Liverpool taken this kind of hiding.
As a shell-shocked Brendan Rodgers,
flanked by security, walked down the touchline after the final whistle
he looked up to applaud the 2,805 supporters in the away end. Few
bothered to return the compliment.
Anger, embarrassment and disbelief reigned in equal measure.
Make no mistake, Rodgers now finds himself clinging to his job.
Rodgers apologised to fans, voice breaking with emotion
Having
declared on Friday that he was “150%” certain he would still be manager
come August, the man who addressed the media in the bowels of the
Britannia Stadium was considerably less sure.
“If the owners want me to go then I go,” he said, his voice crackling with emotion.
Rodgers
issued an apology to the fans and took “full responsibility”. There was
an impassioned plea about wanting to carry on and “fix” what’s gone
wrong over the past nine months. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers at the Britannia
Action Images via Reuters / Ed Sykes
But whether he will get the opportunity to do that is now shrouded in considerable doubt.
Rodgers will know better than anyone that this was the kind of spineless capitulation that often leads to P45s being handed out.
When
a group of players effectively throw in the towel like Liverpool did
during a pathetic first-half display there is nowhere for the manager to
hide.
Supporters can tolerate a lack of quality but this was simply cowardly. There was no fight, no spirit, no character.
Yet again Gerrard was let down by those around him
Five
times in the space of 23 minutes mid-table Stoke City gleefully
profited from Liverpool’s inability to do even the basics right.
What a desperate afternoon for the departing Steven Gerrard to bow out.
The
error-strewn performance his team-mates served up for his Anfield
farewell against Crystal Palace eight days earlier was bad enough, but
this debacle was off the scale.
Yet again Gerrard, who marked the occasion with his 186th goal for the Reds, was let down by those around him. Steven Gerrard on the final whistle
The long-serving captain will walk away with a heavy heart
but in time there will surely be a sense of release. Liverpool are in a
horrible mess and this time it’s up to someone else to drag them out of
it.
Not even during Roy Hodgson’s dismal reign did the Reds plumb
these depths. This made that bleak night at Ewood Park in January 2011
look like a masterclass.
Rodgers is now fighting for his Liverpool life
Liverpool’s
owners had insisted that Rodgers’ position wouldn’t be in jeopardy when
Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon sits down with the manager to
conduct this week’s end of season review.
But that won’t be the case any longer. Rodgers is fighting for his life.
His
army of critics will have grown considerably on the back of the club’s
worst defeat for more than half a century. The calls for him to be
dismissed will be deafening.
Over the past two months the wheels
have come off. Liverpool, who slipped to sixth place after Tottenham’s
final day win at Everton, have been dumped out of the FA Cup by Aston
Villa and have taken just eight points out of the last 27 on offer in
the league. Manager Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool go down 5-0
Rodgers has undoubtedly made mistakes but anyone who thinks
all the Reds’ ills will be cured by a change of manager is kidding
themselves.
This is a club lacking direction both on and off the pitch.
A
club which failed miserably to seize the golden opportunity it had last
summer to get back competing for the big prizes on a regular basis.
A club which operates with a flawed transfer policy which prioritises young potential over proven talent.
A
club which puts its faith in a transfer committee which left the squad
so short of firepower the Reds have effectively spent the campaign going
into battle armed with only a pea shooter.
Team sheet at Britannia was damning indictment of summer's £116m spending spree
This season has been wrecked by a catalogue of errors, unfortunate setbacks and unwanted distractions.
From
the loss of Luis Suarez and the pitiful attempts to adequately replace
him, to Daniel Sturridge’s injury nightmare and the Raheem Sterling
contract saga.
The team sheet at the Britannia Stadium was a damning indictment of last summer’s £116million spending spree.
Mario Balotelli and Javier Manquillo didn’t even make the matchday 18.
The
most expensive defender in the club’s history, Dejan Lovren, was
relegated to bench duty, alongside fellow £20million man Lazar Markovic.
Rickie Lambert was also overlooked with Rodgers deciding to play without a recognised striker.
It looked a dog’s dinner on paper and so it proved. Liverpool's Adam Lallana in action with Stoke City's Glenn Whelan
The front two of Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho
were no match for Stoke’s robust backline. There was no focal point for
the Reds’ attack and Rodgers’ powerpuff midfield were comprehensively
outfought.
The rout began in the 22nd minute. Marko Arnautovic got the better of Emre Can far too easily and picked out Charlie Adam.
The former Reds midfielder’s strike was parried by Simon Mignolet and Mame Diouf tucked away the rebound.
It
was crystal clear at Wembley last month that Can is no right-back but
Rodgers has bizarrely persisted with him there and it’s cost Liverpool.
Three minutes later Arnautovic beat Can again and teed up Diouf, who fired home from the edge of the box.
Raheem Sterling couldn't escape the warth of the travelling Kop
Rodgers
decided Sterling wasn’t in the right frame of mind to play after a week
when the youngster stepped up his attempts to force a move away from
Anfield this summer.
But Sterling couldn’t escape the wrath of
the travelling Kop, who applauded when Stoke fans chanted ‘there’s only
one greedy b******’ as he warmed up.
The third goal was simply
horrific as Can’s disastrous defensive header put it on a plate for
Jonathan Walters, who converted at the second attempt. Raheem Sterling of Liverpool during the match against Stoke
The fourth was barely any better as Mamadou Sakho and Lucas Leiva were caught napping and Adam drilled into the bottom corner.
The
fifth was a sweet strike from Steven N’Zonzi, who curled home from 25
yards, but the space afforded to him bordered on criminal.
‘Easy,
easy, easy,’ chanted the home fans as Rodgers, head down, walked
towards the dressing room at the break, a torrent of vitriol from the
away end ringing in his ears.
The introduction of Jordon Ibe and Kolo Toure for Moreno and Can was akin to rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.
Liverpool improved in the second half but they could hardly have got any worse.
Lallana
and Gerrard went close before Lambert was belatedly introduced for the
ineffective Joe Allen. His impact was instant as Gerrard burst on to
Lambert’s flick on and coolly beat Asmir Begovic.
Stoke had the
final word four minutes from time when the unmarked Peter Crouch headed
home Diouf’s cross. The Reds’ shame was complete.
Rather than
race for the exits, the travelling Kop stayed until the bitter end to
show their respect and admiration for their departing captain, who
tapped the badge on his shirt before disappearing into the tunnel. The
curtain has come down for Gerrard. Now Rodgers must wait to discover
whether he has also reached the end of the road with Liverpool.
MATCH FACTS
Stoke
(4-2-3-1): Begovic, Cameron, Shawcross, Muniesa, Pieters, Nzonzi,
Whelan, Walters (Odemwingie 67), Adam, Arnautovic (Crouch 80), Diouf.
Not used: Butland, Ireland, Wilson, Sidwell, Wollscheid. Liverpool (4-4-2):
Mignolet, Can (Toure 45), Skrtel, Sakho, Moreno (Ibe 45), Lucas, Allen
(Lambert 69), Henderson, Gerrard, Lallana, Coutinho.
Not used: Ward, Lovren, Sterling, Markovic Referee: Anthony Taylor Attendance: 27.602 Goals: Diouf 22, Diouf 26, Walters 30, Adam 41, N’Zonzi 45, Gerrard 70, Crouch 86. Bookings: Adam, Whelan, Shawcross, Lucas, Skrtel, Pieters. Man of the match: Steven Gerrard. Let down by those around him yet again.
Mike Marsland/WireImage; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Er, awkward indeed!
Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling may no longer be able to ever look at her beloved, adorable and innocent Neville Longbottom ever again.
The 49-year-old author viewed new, sexy photos of Matthew Lewis,
who played the character in all eight movies based on her books and
made his debut in the first one at age 11, published in the June 2015
issue of Attitude magazine. One of them shows the 25-year-old actor (who has grown into a hottie, in case you weren't aware) sitting on a chair in a pair of underwear that leaves little to the imagination.
Attitude
magazine also features Lewis on the cover, pulling up his tank top to
reveal his rock-hard abs. Rowling clinked on a link tweeted by the
magazine, which was accompanied by a cropped version of the cover, that
led to a full article containing both pics.
".@Mattdavelewis Not as bad as watching Dan in Equus, but close," Rowling said on Twitter on Thursday. "Warn me next time, for God's sake."
PHOTOS: Matthew Lewis' bulge Is on full display as he poses in underwear and flaunts his six-pack abs in Attitude magazine
Main Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe had appeared naked in Broadway and London productions of the psychological thriller play Equus.
"Well, this is awkward. Sorry, Jo..." Lewis responded, using Rowling's nickname.
".@Mattdavelewis I will always support you whatever you want to do, Matthew," she said. "Now go put some clothes on."
Then, gloriously, Jason Isaacs, who played the evil Lucius Malfoy, got involved.
"Surely Neville Pertbottom now?" he tweeted.
".@jasonsfolly @Mattdavelewis I wouldn't know," Rowling replied. "I hastily averted my eyes and read an article on Political Correctness to get over the shock."
Destiny’s new House of Wolves expansion went live at 10 AM Pacific
time today, and hordes of eager Guardians are in luck: unlike the
curious and underwhelming Dark Below, House of Wolves is hitting the
right marks so far. I’ve torn through the story missions and the first
strike, and there’s a spark here that the game hasn’t necessarily had
before. The gameplay has always been strong, but between opaque writing,
repetitive design and the Peter Dinklage’s constant half-conscious
droning, the story and world-building aspects were confusing at best and
a punchline at worst. That’s changed now: House of Wolves takes us out
of the Tower and into The Reef, the territory of the mysterious
human-offshoot Awoken. And the game is better for it.
House of Wolves concerns itself with Skolas, the Kell of the
eponymous Fallen house. The Fallen have been enemies since day one, but
we see a little more of them this time: Skolas is trying to subjugate
the other Fallen houses and become the Kell of Kells, something like the
Great Khan of fallen mythology. I never had a clear handle on the inner
workings of human society in the game, and the focus on the grand
cosmic story in the original campaign fell flat without any real
characters to ground it. This time around we’ve got Skolas, silent save
for a few incomprehensible if threatening shouts, and we’ve also got
Petra Venji, servant of the Queen, and Variks the loyal, a friendly
member of the Fallen house of Judgement. Each one of them has more
personality than the entire game thus far — it brightens the story
missions up to have someone with a little life in them talking to you.
It helps that the story itself is focused and better contained — a
far cry amorphous and confusing Dark Below missions. There’s a Kell,
he’s up to no good, and we’re here to stop him: fair enough. But the
focus on the Fallen also turns out to be a great move for the game:
their politics and character turn out to not only be far more
interesting than the either the relatively static human world or the
tiresome religiosity of the hive, but also goes a long way towards
giving the average enemy a little bit of character. I always had the
feeling that Destiny had an interesting world that we just weren’t
seeing — it’s finally starting to come into focus now that we’re outside
of the bubble of the tower.
What’s even better is that the story mode is starting to incorporate
some of the more interesting level design that used to be locked up in
raids and strikes. For one thing, that makes it available to players
without people to go on raids with, but it’s not just about gameplay. It
also gives the story weight by avoiding the sort of repetition that
gets gamers to tune out.
While I still feel like a good story mode shouldn’t blow by in a few
hours, the writing here just feels alive in a way that it didn’t before,
and it has me excited about what’s to come. Check out Paul Tassi’s piece for more on the mechanics and other modes.
A screen grab from Sunday’s special, ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians: About Bruce’ Photo courtesy of E! Entertainment
Ok folks, in the strange sideshow that is the Kardashians, we are now at part two of Keeping Up with the Kardashians: About Bruce.
Previously: Bruce Jenner did Khloe’s nails, and any day now, will be living as a woman
And wow, now things get interesting and emotional. For starters, it’s hard to not empathize with Jenner.
“Because of the situation I’m in, I think we can do a lot of good,” said Jenner, of being famous.
Kim asked the big question: Will Bruce undergo sex reassignment surgery?
Meaning, remove the “little thing” down there, as Bruce said? His answer: “No. As of right now, no.”
Was he grossed out having sex with Kris Jenner?
Not in the slightest, said Jenner of his ex-wife. “No, I’m totally heterosexual,” said Bruce. “I was always attracted to women.”
Go Kim! Again, she asks when they should refer to Bruce as her.
“You will see me and you will know,” he said.
Kris never saw this coming “in a gazillion years.”
“I think I’m just so confused right now. You shut me out a long time
ago. You were angry which made me angry,” sais Kris, during a
high-stakes conversation in her kitchen. She knew he’d always wanted to
dress like a female, but that’s it. “That’s the only thing I experienced
with you, Bruce,” she said. Her rage was palpable.
That “thing” inside of him that he could not suppress came back five years ago, said Kris.
Bruce said he’d always had these issues and never dealt with them. He
initially took hormones briefly decades ago; he never told Kris he was
taking hormones again, and said he did not take them until they
separated. He went to a therapist and “started working on things, trying
to figure out my life.”
They’re all kind of nervous to meet her, said Bruce, of his kids.
The sisters all talk about meeting “her” at some point, but Kendall
strikes the most honest note. “It might be a little weird,” she said.
Kim, meanwhile, checked out Bruce’s closet. And he confessed that he
stole an outfit of hers “a long, long time ago.”
Part one recap:
We learned that Bruce may be undergoing gender-reassignment surgery
(or not). He never answered the question directly, or provided a
time-frame. He has not said whether he’ll be known by a different name,
or what that name might be. We learned that Kim has been keeping his
secret for a decade, and that Kendall used to find makeup and thought
her dad was having an affair. We also learned that he’s adept at
manicures and pedicures, and has done Khloe’s nails.
Houston's Clint Capela, left, taking the
blame for intentionally fouling DeAndre Jordan in the first quarter of
Sunday's game. Jordan went to the free-throw line 28 times in the first
half.Credit
Stephen Dunn/Getty Image
How many times does a strategy have to fail before it is abandoned?
Two games after Coach Kevin McHale of the Houston Rockets criticized the Los Angeles Clippers for intentionally fouling Dwight Howard — which backfired as the Rockets
won the game — he apparently decided that two could play at that game.
McHale had his team foul DeAndre Jordan so often in Game 4 on Sunday
night that Jordan, a poor-shooting center, went to the free-throw line
28 times in the first half and 34 times over all as part of the 40 fouls
the Rockets committed.
The
strategy did not work. The Rockets were blown out, 128-95, as Jordan
was 14 for 34 from the line and finished with 26 points and 17 rebounds.
Howard was in foul trouble early and was barely a factor. He was
ejected with nearly 10 minutes remaining when he collected his second
technical foul.
Even the N.B.A.’s most frequent free-throw shooter, James Harden of the
Rockets, seemed to criticize his team’s strategy of forcing Jordan — and
his 41.7 percent career free-throw percentage — to the line.
Houston's Dwight Howard fouling Blake Griffin
of the Clippers in Game 4 on Sunday. The Clippers defeated the Rockets,
128-95, and lead the series, 3-1.
“Personally, I don’t like it,” Harden told reporters after the game,
“but I guess different coaches have their different philosophies.”
The interesting aspect of the strategy is how rarely it seems to work.
Since
game logs became readily available in the 1963-64 season, a player has
had 25 or more free-throw attempts in a game 74 times, including
regular-season and postseason games. The rare occurrence is generally
brought on by desperation, with teams trying to erase large deficits.
While coaches will try anything to avoid losing, it is worth noting that
the team on the receiving end of the fouls has won 50 of the games,
about two-thirds.
Some
instances can be discounted, as there is no way a team was sending
great free-throw shooters like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley or Harden
to the line that many times on purpose. But even among the league’s
free-throw butchers, it has not proved particularly effective.
In
DeAndre Jordan’s case, he has had three games with 25 or more
free-throw attempts, and his team has won all three. Similarly, Howard
has had it happen three times, and his team won all three as well.
Shaquille
O’Neal, who had to deal with intentional fouls so often that the
generic term for the practice is Hack-a-Shaq, was given 25 or more
free-throw attempts in a game five times and his teams were 4-1, with
O’Neal hitting more than 50 percent in three of the games.
Wilt
Chamberlain was one player against whom the strategy was, perhaps,
effective. That one-man statistical oddity is the outlier in so many
statistics that it often seems better to discount him entirely. But when
teams decided to put him to the line over and over again, it worked
nearly as often as it did not: His teams were 5-4.
But
one of the nine games proved that even when this strategy seems to be
working, it is not foolproof. On Dec. 12, 1967, the Seattle SuperSonics
went after Chamberlain and sent him to the line 25 times. In a
particularly bad performance, Chamberlain made only six free throws,
with his 24 percent mark the worst among players with 25 or more
attempts. That did not stop Philadelphia from winning, 118-107. Seattle
shut down Chamberlain, but Hal Greer torched the SuperSonics for 38
points.
There
is no question that DeAndre Jordan and Howard are terrible shooters
from the line and that sending them there a lot can be effective. But it
seems there is a limit to how effective the strategy can be when things
get so out of hand.
And
with both coaches in this series having tried the strategy and failed,
perhaps when they face off in Game 5 on Tuesday, the contest can involve
more basketball and fewer free throws.
(CNN)The
easiest way to describe Salman Khan to American audiences: Think Tom
Cruise, George Clooney and Charlie Sheen all rolled into one.
Like
Cruise, Khan burst onto the movie scene in the 1980s with matinee idol
good looks and went on to become a hunky major action star.
He
has long been a bachelor, much like Clooney was before he married human
rights attorney Amal Alamuddin in 2014, and has had a string of high
profile, highly publicized relationships.
And
like Sheen, he's had a reputation as a bad boy -- albeit a now reformed
one -- accused of everything from temper tantrums to domestic violence.
But
in sheer numbers, those three actors don't compare to the popularity of
Khan who is considered one of Bollywood's most bankable actors and one
of the world's biggest stars. While Hollywood struggles to get its
numbers up at the box office these days, Bollywood enjoys success and
popularity across Asia, Africa, Europe, the U.S. and Canada from
millions of fans who flock to theaters and purchase DVDs of their
favorite stars.
This week Khan was found guilty of a hit-and-run accident in 2002
in which the actor was accused of running over several men sleeping on a
Mumbai pavement, and killing one of them. Khan, who authorities said
was traveling after a night of drinking, was sentenced to five years in
prison and has appealed the ruling.
The verdict drew sympathy and support for the star from fans and several fellow actors.
While some audiences would like to have filmmakers brought up on
charges for a truly bad movie, no such law currently exists. (Write your
Congressman—we’ll happily sign the petition.) It takes more than
creative misdemeanors to put cast or crew in the back of a police car.
These five films managed to do just that.
1. Lost River Gets Ryan Gosling in Trouble
Gosling had designs on directing his first feature at least as far back as 2011, when he was filming The Ides of March
in Detroit with George Clooney. The then-30-year-old actor finished
principal photography on that film and proceeded to wander around the
city with a camera to get ideas for what would become his 2015 drama Lost River. At one point, Detroit police found Gosling in an abandoned building and thought he was trying to steal copper. Apparently unfamiliar with either Gosling’s work or his Internet memes, they hauled him in. Though he told the Los Angeles Times he was “not proud that I got arrested,” he said the experience gave him some ideas for the project.
2. The Minnesota Delivery And A Too-Real Robbery
When other locations fell through, producer Tim Christian decided to shoot the climax of his independent feature, 2013’s Minnesota Delivery,
on a public block in St. Paul, Minnesota. As actors with guns stormed
around, took cover behind a car, and generally did their best to look
suspicious, 10 St. Paul police cruisers surrounded the scene, drew their
(real) weapons, and ordered the men to the ground. Christian had failed
to secure a shooting permit from the city; he and three performers were
arrested and held until authorities checked out their story. “That was
some bad producing on my part,” Christian told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
3. The Wizard of Oz Revisited
Gigapix Studios may not sound familiar, but that could change if you
happen to work for the FBI: The film company enlisted over 750 investors
beginning in 2011 to finance a 3-D animated version of The Wizard of Oz.
Over $22 million was raised for that film and other projects—but none
of the films were ever made. After receiving several complaints, Federal
agents arrested several Gigapix employees in 2014 and handed down a
36-count indictment. Quoting the charges, the Los Angeles Timesreported
that instead of investing in the picture, Gigapix honchos “spent
investor money on salaries for themselves … and to pay their personal
expenses, employee salaries, and commissions.” In February 2015, two were sentenced to eight and five years in prison, respectively.
4. Gasland And The Fracking Controversy
The practice of fracking as a means to obtain natural gas has become a
controversial issue—one that certainly lends itself to a
documentary-length examination. Perhaps director Josh Fox thought the
gravity of such a film, a sequel to his own Gasland, would invite cooperation. In the case of an interrupted congressional hearing, it did not. In 2012, Fox was told Gasland
would be discussed during an Environmental Protection Agency report
meeting; when he was denied attendance after a short-notice request, he
decided to go anyway. After he refused to put away his camera, Capitol
Hill police arrested him, citing unlawful entry. Fox later told Huffington Post that he felt “my [press] credentials are my American citizenship.”
5. Midnight Rider
Shooting on train tracks can be a perilous situation. In 2014, director Randall Miller set up a scene for Midnight Rider,
a biopic about musician Gregg Allman, that was intended to show Allman
(played by William Hurt) in a dream sequence. But as a train loomed,
several crew members were unable to get out of its path in time. As it
smashed into set props, seven people were injured; one, Sarah Jones,
died as a result of her injuries. Miller and three others were charged
with involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespass; Miller pled guilty
to the charges and, according to an ABC News report,
was sentenced to 2 years in prison and is prohibited from directing or
assistant directing a film for 10 years. It’s believed to be the first
time a director has ever been held responsible for the death of a crew
member.
The stars have had their night at the museum, and the red carpet is
rolled up for now, but if this year’s gala is anything to go by, then
the fashion moments are likely to reverberate into tomorrow morning and
beyond. While many touched on the theme, “China: Through the Looking Glass,”
only a few embraced a larger-than-life idea of chinoiserie. One stylish
attendee who took cues from the impressive Ming-floral vase sculpture
in the Met’s great hall? Ivanka Trump whose exaggerated train mimicked the iconic blue and white ceramics.
Ultimately the majority of guests channeled the aesthetic in a less
literal way, by wearing red, and it came in every shade imaginable;
scarlet, auburn, and vivid ruby. Amal Clooney even managed to bring some of the grandeur of last year’s Charles James theme with her Maison Margiela couture look.
The best floral motifs of the night were elegant and restrained, like those worn by Bee Shaffer (hers was by Alexander McQueen) and Marissa Mayer. Jennifer Lopez, Reese Witherspoon, and Gigi Hadid led the way for old-world glamour in glittering body-skimming dresses, and Sienna Miller showed that tomboys can do sparkles too in her embellished trouser suit.
And speaking of wearing the pants, pajama dressing took on a new life thanks to Jenna Lyons, and Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne of Public School. Elsewhere, Liya Kebede and Diane Kruger eschewed diaphanous dresses for trousers, as did Lady Gaga.
Naturally the rule-breaking pop star put her own spin on the idea
though, finishing off her look with a lattice-like cape. And she wasn’t
the only one to go the superheroine route: Janelle Monáe, Lisa Airan, and Hannah Bagshawe wore capes as a dramatic alternative to the straightforward floor-length gown.
Some of the most daring red-carpet wins of the night alluded to the skin in unexpected ways. Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian West
both glided in wearing frothy, ethereal, and undeniably sexy
confections that relied on carefully placed sequins and
feathers—Givenchy and Roberto Cavalli by Peter Dundas respectively. In a
gorgeous Calvin Klein Collection dress that had intricate lacing up the
side, Kendall Jenner showed that the very notion of a plunging neckline might have shifted for good.
This Seventies-set chiller was scarily compelling, says Michael Hogan
Timothy Spall as Maurice Gross in Sky Living's The Enfield Haunting
Something spooky was happening behind
those fluttering net curtains. We've become accustomed to haunted houses
on-screen being remote farmhouses, cabins in the woods or forbidding
hilltop mansions. So it was refreshing that The Enfield Haunting (Sky Living) was set in a Seventies suburban semi. It was like (Dead) Man About The House or The Good Life with ghosts instead of goats.
This three-part drama is based on the notorious events of autumn 1977, when a poltergeist was said to be active in a North London council house. The bizarre happenings gripped the nation and became the most documented paranormal case in British history.
Elliot
Kerley as Billy Hodgson, Eleanor Worthington-Cox as Janet Hodgson,
Rosie Cavaliero as Mrs Hodgson and Fern Deacon as Margaret Hodgson in
the Sky Living drama (Photo: Nick Briggs)
The period setting was powerfully evoked: all browny-beige decor,
curling cigarette smoke, quilted anoraks, winceyette bedspreads, Some
Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em on the TV and Starsky & Hutch posters on
schoolgirls' bedroom walls.
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The house’s residents - harassed single mother Peggy Hodgson (Rosie
Cavaliero) and her children Margaret, Janet and Billy – were terrorised
by malevolent unseen forces. Called in to investigate were rookie
amateur Maurice Grosse (Timothy Spall) and sceptical expert Guy Playfair (Matthew Macfadyen) - on whose book, This House Is Haunted, the drama is based.
Timothy Spall and Juliet Stevenson in the Sky Living drama (Photo: Nick Briggs)
Spall gave a typically soulful performance, communicating with kindly
eyes and thoughtful sighs, but haunted by ghosts of his own. Along with
the excellent Eleanor Worthington-Cox, who played young Janet, he formed the emotional centre of this drama. Juliet Stevenson
was criminally underused as Spall’s brittle wife, while Macfadyen
seemed to be still wearing his wig from the 2005 film version of Pride
& Prejudice.
Stylish direction came from Kristoffer Nyholm of The Killing
pedigree. He’s a master of slow-burn pacing and built an oppressive
atmosphere, thick with dread and foreboding. Floorboards creaked, taps
dripped, knocking was heard. Slugs and snails were found slithering
around the house – like in the first series of Broadchurch, they symbolised sinister forces invading from outside.
Matthew Macfadyen as Guy Lyon Playfair in the Sky Living drama (Photo: Nick Briggs)
The scares, when they came, were effective. Furniture flew across the
room, marbles and teapots suddenly acquired minds of their own, canaries
died from fright, people levitated and curtains came to chilling life.
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Had Janet “brought something home” from the graveyard after a game of
hide and seek? Was it all a hoax, something hormonal or down to mass
hysteria? Definitive answers won’t come, of course, but this was a
compellingly strong start. Although anyone watching in a suburban semi
might not have slept so soundly last night. Drip, drip, creak. Was that
you, darling? Darling?
Elliot
Kerley as Billy Hodgson, Eleanor Worthington-Cox as Janet Hodgson,
Rosie Cavaliero as Mrs Hodgson and Fern Deacon as Margaret Hodgson in
the Sky Living drama (Photo: Nick Briggs) 
Timothy Spall and Juliet Stevenson in the Sky Living drama (Photo: Nick Briggs) 
Matthew Macfadyen as Guy Lyon Playfair in the Sky Living drama (Photo: Nick Briggs)