The star-filled cast is “always talking and texting,” she said in a recent interview, namely about the opportunity “to connect and create those characters again.”
Getting a straight answer about the third season of Big Little Lies has felt like questioning the Monterey Five regarding the circumstances of that fateful murder. Ever since the season two finale, which ended on a haunting cliffhanger, speculation about what’s next for our secretive, yet gossipy heroines has followed. In a new interview, star and producer Reese Witherspoon suggested that there may still be more Lies to be told.
The media mogul, who sold her production company Hello Sunshine for a reported $900 million last year, sat down with Lauren Neustadter, the brand’s president of film and TV and The Hollywood Reporter for a chat about their business. Amongst discussion about Sunshine titles including The Morning Show and Where the Crawdads Sings, the duo dropped some Lies teases.
When asked about the last time they “had a serious conversation about revisiting” the show, Witherspoon laughed, replying, “Yesterday.” Neustadter said they had even texted about the topic, but offered only a playful wink when asked about what was said. “I talk to Nicole Kidman about it all the time, too,” Witherspoon said, before naming her fellow co-stars. “And Laura Dern. And Zoë Kravitz. And Shailene Woodley. Somebody asked me the other day, ‘What co-stars do you talk to more than any other?’ It’s absolutely the Big Little Lies cast. We’re always talking and texting.”
Witherspoon then shared that the sudden passing of Jean-Marc Vallée, the series’ producer and first-season director “was really hard on us.” She continued, “He was our collaborator. He was our friend. He was our brother. So much of that series was born of his imagination and his creativity, so it is hard to imagine a future without him.” Then again, Witherspoon said she’s hopeful that the story, based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel, can endure, adding, “But there is certainly a deep desire for all of us to connect and create those characters again.”
From the moment Disney released the first trailer for the upcoming live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid," the internet has been dominated by angry voices who say it’s "unrealistic" for Black actress Halle Bailey to play Ariel.
But stories about mermaids aren't exclusive to Western fairytales. Long before Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" was published in 1837, Black mermaids were swimming their way through African folklore.
Natasha Bowen wrote "Skin of the Sea" and “Soul of the Deep,” a young adult fantasy series about Black mermaids. Instead of building a story on the typical Western mythology around mermaids, Bowen chose to draw from West Africa.
Author Natasha Bowen reading her book "Skin of the Sea." (Courtesy of Natasha Bowen)
“Whenever I write, I always include characters that look like me and my family, my friends,” Bowen says. “My father is from Nigeria, and so looking more into the origins and the goddesses and the beliefs behind them led me to the story.”
One mermaid-like figure featured prominently in African folklore is Mami Wata — a seductive water spirit with a dangerous edge.
“The Mami Wata that most of the people that I knew grew up with … was used as a deterrent,” Bowen says. “So like lots of fairy tales, they were told to scare children and make them beware of any dangers. Mami Wata was kind of a scary figure to make sure you don't drown or you don't venture too much into deep water.”
Bowen hoped to subvert some of the lore around Mami Wata in her own storytelling.
“I wanted to make her into a better version, so not a … typical kind of siren and vicious-like mermaid,” she says. “I wanted her to be an entity that was about courage and uplifting various people around her.”
Another crucial figure in African folklore is Yemoja, a half-woman, half-fish deity of the Yoruba religion. And beliefs around Yemoja are closely tied to the transatlantic slave trade.
“[Yemoja] was a goddess of river in the streams. And the stories go, depending on who’s telling them, is that she left those rivers and streams to follow the first enslaved people,” Bowen says. “Some people believe that she wrecked the slave ship. Some believe that she offered the enslaved comfort, and others believe that she returned their soul home if they died in the sea.”
So if this rich African folklore around mermaids exists, why all the backlash around a Black Ariel? Bowen says it's all about the kinds of stories we are exposed to.
“When I'm teaching children, they will often … assume that the way that story should be is what they've consumed over the years. And I think we're fed that version of mermaids, which is pale-skinned with red hair or blond hair. And that's been the norm for so long,” she says. “But there are beliefs of mermaids in every culture, and I think it's important to reflect that.”
Representation is important not just for Black people — but for everyone, Bowen says.
“I think speaking from Black mermaids, we need to see ourselves in positions as magical creatures. There's all the furo about Black people in fantasy. And I think that it's important for us to see ourselves — to have that freedom of imagination. And I think it's important for everyone else to see us in those roles as well,” Bowen says. “You can only grow yourself when you learn more about other people and other cultures.”
Kalyani Saxena produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Gabe Bullard. Saxena adapted it for the web.
Little Mix singer Perrie Edwards and her soccer star fiancé Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were the targets of a terrifying home burglary this week.
The pair, both 29, were downstairs with their 13-month-old son Axel when robbers broke into their $3.9 million property in northwest England on Tuesday, The Sun reported.
The “Sweet Melody” hitmaker and her beau, who plays for Liverpool in the Premier League, were robbed of precious jewelry items and designer handbags, according to the outlet.
Cheshire Constabulary, the local police force, confirmed to BBC News officers were called to the burglary at 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The investigation is ongoing.
Sources told The Sun that Oxlade-Chamberlain and Edwards — who joined the band Little Mix in 2011, when they appeared in the hit show “The X Factor” — were left “terrified” and “heartbroken” by the ordeal.
Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards’ (left) house was burgled with the singer and family inside the northern English home.Getty Images for Warner Bros
Page Six has reached out to Edwards and Oxlade-Chamberlain’s reps for comment.
“It’s just the most violating thing — to think that someone has been all over their belongings before they even realized what was happening is so upsetting,” a pal told the outlet.
The lovebirds first sparked dating rumors in November 2016 but reportedly waited to go public until January 2017. Prior to Oxlade-Chamberlain, Edwards was previously engaged to One Direction singer Zayn Malik.
September 30, 2022 at 02:41PM
https://pagesix.com/2022/09/30/little-mix-star-perrie-edwards-house-robbed-while-she-was-inside-with-fiance-and-baby-son/
Little Mix star Perrie Edwards' house robbed while she was inside with fiancé and baby son - Page Six
BELPRE, Ohio. (WTAP) - The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has issued a permit for an injection well in Little Hocking. Some locals and the Little Hocking Water Association fear the project could pollute their drinking water.
Linda Aller, a hydrogeologist with Bennett and Williams who works with the Little Hocking Water Association, explained, “They’re using these wells to dispose of all those unwanted liquids from drilling and fracking.”
It will be owned by Arrowhead Road Services LLC, which already has another injection well in the area.
There have been several local meetings held about the project. Click the links below to learn more about those meetings.
The Little Hocking Water Association General Manager John Smith said the injection site is only about a mile away from their well field.
Aller said the new Arrowhead injection well could interfere with improperly plugged orphan wells that might be in the area.
“..., there’s a lot of wells that were drilled in the old days where no one knows where they really are that weren’t correctly plugged,” she explained.
The consequences of that would be contaminated drinking water and environmental pollution, according to Aller. She explained that injection wells inject fluid into the ground, which creates pressure, which could force the fluid back up if there’s a hole from an orphan well underground.
“If it comes back up, it can then move into the shallower formations, which are where you get your water supply from,” she said.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources said it cannot calculate the risk orphan wells pose but acknowledged that the risk is there.
The division also stated that ODNR and Arrowhead were required to review all available records of wells in the area.
It is not known, however, how many undocumented orphan wells are in Ohio.
Aller said there’s also a fault line in the area that may interfere with the well, causing the fluid to spread beyond the area intended, contaminating drinking water and the environment.
“The idea is, if these fluids when you put them in and you put them under pressure, they can move along those faults or they can actually cause the faults to move…so, if the faults move, that’s an earthquake,” she explained.
The ODNR stated that there’s a seismic monitoring network nearby that will monitor the new well.
It also stated that information already collected shows the ground can withstand the project.
Aller said she’s also concerned about trucks bringing fluids to the site having spills, which would contaminate the water supply.
“A spill on the surface would take whatever brine was in the truck or whatever fracking fluids were in the truck and dump them directly on the surface…,” she said.
The ODNR stated that surface spill contamination is rare. However, if a spill happens, ODNR can order Arrowhead to shut down immediately to fix the spill. ODNR can also provide a “written violation”, revoke permit, “compliance agreement”, and refer the case to the Ohio Attorney General.
The ODNR stated that it may take on the spill remediation costs if there is an immediate risk to public health, safety, and environment and no responsible party is identified.
Still Little Hocking Water Association is taking proactive measures.
General Manager John Smith explained, ”After our meeting at Saint Andrews church - the board, we decided to do sampling.”
He elaborated, “For the next two years, every quarter we’re going to sample our well field to make sure there hadn’t been any changes.”
It’s a precaution they’ve already put in place for Arrowhead’s other well in the area, according to Smith.
Aller said it’s too soon to say whether there’s fallout for that well.
The fight against Arrowhead injection wells isn’t new for Little Hocking Water Association. Smith said they first confronted ODNR in 2020, when the permit for Arrowhead’s first well in the area came out.
“Our concern of course is the safety of our customers and we’re doing the best we can to protect them,” Smith said.
If Little Hocking Water Association’s drinking water supply becomes contaminated, the association would probably have to find a new water source according to Smith. He noted it would be a costly endeavor.
Aller said of the pollution concerns surrounding the upcoming project, “Clearly we’re hoping that it never happens. That would be the first thing. But the geological conditions in the area indicate that there’s a possibility that it could.”
ODNR stated that, if injection fluid gets into drinking water, typically the owner of the injection well must temporarily provide drinking water or reimburse the water supply owner.
Fees collected from class two injection wells go towards ODNR operations and the oil and gas well fund, according to ODNR. The division said this is not the sole source of funding.
The oil and gas well fund funds ODNR regulating the oil and gas industry as well as plugging idle and orphan wells, according to ODNR.
The division stated that it reviewed the well application to make sure both the environment and public health are protected during the well’s operation and construction.
It stated in a document addressing concerns, “Disposal of brine is a necessary part of oil and gas production.”
An ODNR media contact said that division staff regularly inspect wells.
Arrowhead Road Services LLC has not responded to WTAP’s multiple requests for comment.
To read ODNR’s full response to concerns, click here.
little.indah.link Was 'The Little Mermaid' About Hans Christian Andersen's Unrequited Love for a Man? | Snopes.com
In the fall of 2022, Disney announced it was preparing to release a live action remake of its 1989 animated musical hit, “The Little Mermaid.” Due for release in May 2023, the trailer triggered a racist backlash when it revealed the lead character, Ariel, would be played by Halle Bailey, a singer and actress with an exquisite voice, who is Black.
The internet outrage that ensued reminded some that Hans Christian Andersen, the author of the 1837 fairy tale upon which the Disney film is based, may have had motives for writing the original story that would upset the same critics for reasons other than the skin tone of a fictional character:
Imagine if he knew that Hans Christian Andersen was closeted gay man who wrote The Little Mermaid as an allegory for his own unrequited love of a man that ultimately married a woman. https://t.co/g0OWJsFf7c
Although we can’t say for certain what Andersen’s motives for writing ‘The Little Mermaid” were, we can say that some biographers and academics believe Andersen was bisexual, and at the time he wrote the story, he was also writing letters to a male friend expressing his affection for him.
How the Disney and Original Mermaid Stories Differ, and Why That’s Important
It’s important to note that while the Disney film is based on Andersen’s original tale, it’s not quite the same story. One major departure is the fact that the main character “Ariel” is so different from Andersen’s that she was arguably invented by Disney.
And the areas of divergence between the Disney version and Andersen’s version are key in theories that Andersen’s story represents his unfulfilled desires for a man he appeared to have been infatuated with when he wrote it.
In Andersen’s melancholy tale, the mermaid has no name, is slightly younger than the Disney character, and is quiet and wistful, as opposed to the bold and adventurous Ariel character.
Andersen’s story is a much darker one, and the two stories also have opposite endings.
In Andersen’s unhappy telling, the mermaid spends a great deal of time watching her prince from afar. As in the Disney story, she is rendered mute (but more graphically so) by a sea witch. Her new legs doom her to live in agony. And while Disney’s Ariel eventually gets her voice back, Andersen’s mermaid never does, and therefore never gets to tell the prince the about her love for him.
Perhaps most importantly, Andersen’s story doesn’t have the happy ending that Disney princess stories do. In fact, the angsty ending reads as one might expect a jilted lover to write it.
Andersen’s mermaid dies when she sacrifices herself to save the life of her beloved, on the night of his wedding to another girl. She flings herself into the ocean as he sleeps next to his new bride, dissolving into sea foam, then finds her spirit ascending with other “daughters of the air.”
How the Story Fits in with Andersen’s Alleged Devotion to Edvard Collin
As noted above, Andersen wrote diary entries and letters reflecting attraction to both men and women.
One object of his romantic desire appeared to be his friend Edvard Collin, the son of Andersen’s benefactor, Jonas Collin. When Andersen began composing “The Little Mermaid” in 1836, he was “in a funk,” according to literary magazine Lit Hub. The funk was inspired by being (perhaps unknowingly) spurned by Collin, who didn’t return his feelings and married a woman.
Despite this rejection, biographer Jackie Wullschlager wrote in “Hans Christian Andersen: The Life of a Storyteller,” Andersen would obsess over Collin for the rest of his life.
Rictor Norton, an author who focuses on LGBTQ literary history, noted in his 1998 book “My Dear Boy: Gay Love Letters Through the Centuries,” that the story of Andersen’s life was reflected in “The Little Mermaid.”
Norton wrote that in “The Little Mermaid,” which was “written when Collin decided to get married, Andersen displays himself as the sexual outsider who lost his prince to another.”
Although Andersen confessed in one letter to Collin that, “my sentiments for you are those of a woman,” he couldn’t live openly in that era with those feelings, and Collin’s responses seemed to reflect his cluelessness about Andersen’s feelings toward him, accusing him of writing too many letters and “deplorable productivity,” according to Lit Hub.
Andersen was indeed a prolific writer, and his fairy tales remain highly influential today, many years after his 1875 death. His tales are likely familiar to many who heard them as children, and they continue to be adapted in stage and film productions, including, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Princess and the Pea,” “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Red Shoes,” and many more.
Sources:
Bellot, Gabrielle. “Dear Internet: The Little Mermaid Also Happens to Be Queer Allegory.” Literary Hub, 12 July 2019, https://lithub.com/dear-internet-the-little-mermaid-also-happens-to-be-queer-allegory/.
Andersen, Hans Christian, “The Little Mermaid.” https://andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheLittleMermaid_e.html. Accessed 29 Sept. 2022.
Lepage, Robert. “Bedtime Stories.” The Guardian, 18 Jan. 2006, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2006/jan/18/theatre.classics.
Norton, Rictor. “My Dear Boy : Gay Love Letters through the Centuries.” San Francisco : Leyland Publications, 1998. Internet Archive, http://archive.org/details/mydearboy00rict.
Allen, Brooke. “The Uses of Enchantment.” The New York Times, 20 May 2001. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/01/05/20/reviews/010520.20allent.html. Accessed 29 Sept. 2022.
ON PINELLAS COUNTY’S BARRIER ISLANDS — About an hour after Pinellas sheriff’s deputies reopened access to the barrier islands around 6 a.m. Thursday, the streets remained quiet, with only a few people coming out to assess the damage.
Businesses and beachfront owners from Clearwater Beach to Pass-A-Grille were among the first to be evacuated in Pinellas County’s Zone A. But after Hurricane Ian shifted south, the county’s beachfront towns were mostly spared.
“The winds were much more intense during Hurricane Irma, and this storm, fortunately, the winds weren’t as severe,” said Deputy Chuck Skipper.
People also took evacuation orders seriously and sheltered in place when the storm passed through, Skipper said.
By 7 a.m. a man was out walking his dog in Indian Shores. Businesses at John’s Pass Village and Boardwalk in Madeira Beach remained boarded up but were largely damage-free. Not far away, deputies guarded a downed utility line near Gulf Boulevard and 134th Avenue in Madeira Beach.
Property manager Bruce Myers took two days to prep the Dolphin Reef Condominiums in Indian Rocks Beach for the storm. Myers placed sandbags at each unit, shut down the pool and stashed away outside furniture.
He came back this morning to no real damage and just fallen palm fronds.
“We lucked out,” Myers said.
A sign for the Two Mermaids Resort in Treasure Island had fallen and shattered. A very shredded but still standing American flag waved in the wind in front of the Penthouse Beach Club.
A shredded billboard sign stands above Giuseppe's Pizzeria on Thursday in St. Pete Beach. [ ANGELICA EDWARDS | Times ]
John Petrilena, 63, works at the Penthouse and stayed there to ride out the storm. He moved here from Pittsburgh in April, so this was his first hurricane. He said the destruction that took place in Fort Myers could have happened in Pinellas.
“My heart certainly went out to those people because that so, so easily could’ve been us,” he said.
At Pass-A-Grille Beach, Susan Hilton fought strong winds as she snapped photos of the ocean to post in a Facebook group. Hilton, 65, said had come to the area to check on the houses of friends who had evacuated.
Compared to the damage done here by Irma, she said, “this seems not as bad.”
Other damage included a toppled light pole in Pasadena and some debris in Clearwater Beach. In St. Pete Beach, a convenience store was missing some shingles and the sign for the Polynesian Putter mini golf course and Sea Palms Motel had toppled, crushing a chainlink fence.
A fallen light pole lies outside a Winn-Dixie in South Pasadena on Thursday. [ ANGELICA EDWARDS | Times ]
The Hotel Zamora, also in St. Pete Beach, suffered a couple thousand dollars in damages to the roof, said engineering supervisor Jeff Rose. The storm destroyed some artificial boxwood greenery and ripped off the outside bar’s countertop.
Still, Rose said, Tampa Bay escaped the brunt of a major storm.
“We were prepared for worse,” he said.
Times staff writer Tracey McManus contributed to this report.
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Little Wekiva River, the 18.2-mile stream in Seminole County, experienced record flood levels Thursday morning after Hurricane Ian hit Central Florida, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Seminole County officials said the flooding from the Altamonte Springs stream, which has been at the center of numerous restoration efforts, is expected to spill over into the Spring Oaks neighborhood.
News 6 spoke with a resident who has lived around the Little Wekiva River for about 30 years and said flooding in the area, even just during this year’s rainstorms, has been nothing like he’s seen before.
This comes as flash flood warnings cropped up throughout the county. These warnings are in effect for parts of Seminole County and east Central Florida.
This affects Little Wekiva River in Altamonte Springs, with major flooding expected in the Spring Oaks neighborhood. Other locations also may experience flash flooding including St Johns River, Little Econ River, Wekiva River, Gee Creek and Econ River.
Other areas that may experience flash flooding include the St. Johns River, Little Econ River, Wekiva River, Gee Creek and Econ River, county officials said in a tweet.
News 6 meteorologists said parts of Orange and Seminole counties are expected to get as much as 10 to 15 inches of rain.
September 29, 2022 at 04:09PM
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2022/09/29/little-wekiva-river-experiences-record-flood-levels-during-hurricane-ian/
Little Wekiva River experiences record flood levels during Hurricane Ian - WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando
La Guerche de Bretagne in Western France welcomed 320 players, 60 coaches, and 50 officials to the Interligues Little League® France tournament, hosted by the French Baseball and Softball Federation (FFBS).
On August 26-28, 2022, as the Little League Baseball® World Series celebrated championship weekend of its 75th Anniversary, the FFBS ran its largest event to date that featured Major Division and Senior Division baseball competition.
“Our leagues sent a combination of the best talents of their territory,” said François Collet, Executive Director of the FFBS and France’s District 1 Administrator. “Our ‘Ligues Régionales’ were modified following an administrative reform resulting in the determination of our Little League boundaries. We rebranded our Interligues to ‘Interligues Little League’ a couple of years ago, formalizing this event as a qualifier for the Europe and Africa Region Tournament.”
Branding for Little League France is part of the strategy to better identify and communicate about the program throughout the country.
“Prior to the restrictions imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, FFBS also provided equipment to the local leagues,” said Mr. Collet. “The federation continues to communicate about Little League and to build loyalty amongst children by offering them goodies such as Little League France pins.”
The 2021 tournament featured 20 teams and this year, a total of 22 teams took the field, highlighted by 12 Senior Division baseball teams representing all of France’s metropolitan leagues. The Major Division tournament was contested amongst 10 teams.
“It’s two competitions in one event,” said Mr. Collet. “Leagues are sending a combination of the best talents from their territory to this event that has existed for more than 20 years (but was not organized every year).”
A couple of years ago, league boundaries were redrawn which created the 12 leagues now operating within Metropolitan France, and with rebranding, the chartered leagues are now recognized as Interligues Little League.
To enhance participation, the French Baseball and Softball Federation is now also offering funding for leagues to play in this national event, as well as for travel to the Europe and Africa Region tournaments.
“The cost to operate these tournaments, the number of games available to play, and placement of game officials are issues we are determined to overcome,” said Mr. Collet. “We are also building on the international opportunities Little League is providing, especially for our umpires. We hope these events motivate existing game officials and attract new ones. We strive to one day soon have one of our umpires become the first to take part in a World Series.”
The interest from communities, volunteers, and the families of players will continue to impact the growth and expansion of Little League throughout France and all of Europe. The unique experiences these events are offering is creating heightened exposure for the Little League program.
“We also would like to launch a softball event based on this approach next year as participation numbers in softball are small and we currently don’t provide a lot of playing time opportunities,” said Mr. Collet. “In that regard, we think the Little League program is a perfect fit to encourage participation and provide lifetime experiences that will benefit everyone and help us develop the sport.”
In recent years, France has not fielded a team for the Little League Baseball Europe and Africa Region tournament, played in Kutno, Poland, as leagues struggle to gather enough funding to participate in the event. In 2022, however, France participated in the Intermediate (50/70) and Senior League Baseball Europe and Africa Region Tournaments. Little league France expects to field more teams in other baseball and softball divisions in the seasons ahead.
“We’re thankful to Little League for providing lifetime opportunities to children, parents, coaches, and officials,” said Mr. Collet. “We hope that the success and exposure of these events will help keep everyone involved, while promoting the sport and attracting new players.”
September 29, 2022 at 06:55AM
https://www.littleleague.org/news/hundreds-of-players-and-volunteers-showcase-the-little-league-program-in-frances-interligues-event/
Hundreds of Players and Volunteers Showcase the Little League® Program in France's “Interligues Event” - Little League - littleleague.org
Tituss Burgess wasn’t shocked by the negative reaction surrounding the new “Little Mermaid” trailer starring black actress Halle Bailey.
“You know what? I’m not surprised by anything. We live in America,” the “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” star, 43, told Page Six exclusively at the “Hocus Pocus 2” premiere on Tuesday.
“It’s a very racist country, it’s a very narrow-minded country, full of mental illness and people who cannot see the forest from the trees,” added Burgess, who originated the role of Sebastian the Crab on Broadway. “The movie is not made for them; it’s made for people with open minds.”
Within days of its debut earlier this month, the trailer for the live-action version of the classic Disney cartoon garnered nearly 14 million views and 626,000 “likes,” but YouTube reportedly was forced to disable “dislikes” after receiving 1.5 million thumbs-downs.
The upcoming film also received plenty of love, though, as social media was flooded with adorable videos of young black girls thrilled to see that Ariel looked just like them.
Halle Bailey’s remake premieres in May 2023.Disney
Burgess made sure to note that the mermaid, based on a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, isn’t real.
“It’s fictional!” he exclaimed to us. “She doesn’t exist, so there’s that! [That’s] all the information you need about the people who are feeling cantankerous about it.”
Burgess played Sebastian in the Broadway production of “The Little Mermaid.”WireImage
The Emmy nominee is certainly busy these days.
“I just finished ‘Snow White’ for Disney. I play Bashful,” he shared. “I just finished a show for Disney+ called ‘Best in Snow.’ I’m the host of that. I just filmed some stuff for ‘The Wonder Years,’ and I’m about to film another movie for Disney+.”
Burgess played Titus Andromedon in "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt."
"This is worldwide, this is global, girl! Get a grip!"...
2
View Slideshow
When Page Six jokingly asked whether Disney had him on retainer, Burgess quipped, “They should!”
Also walking the red carpet at the “Hocus Pocus 2” premiere were the movie’s stars, Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker, the latter of whom brought along her rarely seen 13-year-old twin daughters, Marion and Tabitha.
These diminutive Filipino treats are fluffy, fragrant and perfect to share with friends.
My name comes from a language I can’t speak. My mother, who grew up in Cotabato City in the southern Philippines, knows five languages, including Tagalog (taught at school), Ilocano (from her parents), a mash-up of Ilonggo and Cebuano (from the housekeepers) and Chabacano (from the neighbors). But English is the only one we share.
We didn’t eat much Filipino food at home when I was a child in Honolulu, beyond chicken adobo and, on special occasions, leche flan with its pooling caramel. My father, a pubkeeper’s son from Liverpool, England, was the cook; when my mother arrived in the United States as a bride, armed with a degree in chemistry, she didn’t even know how to make rice. She planned to name me Anne-Marie, then found out that my father, without consulting her, had written “Ligaya” on my birth certificate: in Tagalog, “happiness.” (“Ligaya” is also the title of a 1993 hit by the Filipino rock band Eraserheads, with the infamous line “Gagawin ko ang lahat pati ang thesis mo,” which translates as “I’ll do everything for you, even your thesis,” a declaration of love that perhaps makes sense only in a culture so insistent on the pursuit of education.)
We all talked at once. We ate plate after plate.
I moved to New York with a handful of Filipino words — essentials, like salamat (thank you), kanin (cooked rice) and ay nako (sometimes “oh my,” sometimes just an exasperated sigh). I used to joke that my mother could always find another Filipino, wherever she was, and within minutes they’d be fast friends. Inevitably they’d turn out to be distantly related; the cousins multiplied. But if I heard Tagalog in my new city, it was only in passing. I’d see Filipinos on the street and feel like an impostor. Did they see me, too?
Then I met the Filipino Canadian poet J. Mae Barizo, who introduced me to the Filipino American poet Sarah Gambito, who in turn invited me to a gathering at her home of Filipino artists, writers and filmmakers. She called it the Soul Pood Salon, a wink at how native speakers often pronounce the letter “f” like a “p.” Everyone was asked to bring a dish for merienda — in Spanish, an afternoon snack, but in the Philippines, any eating outside regular mealtimes, which happens to be when I like to eat best.
In this case it was a feast, the table crowded with the likes of adobo; leek fried rice; ginisang ampalaya, bitter melon hustled in a pan with shrimp, eggs and tomatoes; bistek, steak seared with onion rings, then christened in a hot bath of soy sauce and calamansi (a fruit akin to lemon-lime, but smaller and more tart). There were as many sweet things as savory, like ensaymadas, soft, yolk-rich brioche buns loaded with butter, sugar and cheese, and suman, sticky cakes of rice cooked in coconut milk until it’s as swollen as risotto.
We all talked at once. We ate plate after plate. No one seemed to mind if I said the names of dishes wrong. I didn’t know what a barkada was — a group of friends, or as my mother puts it, “your gang” — until I had one.
The mini bibingkas showed up later, at a book party for “Loves You,” Gambito’s 2019 poetry collection, which almost doubles as a cookbook. (The opening poem is half recipe, instructing: “Invite at least 15 people. It’s okay if your apartment is small,” and ending, “Serve with so much white rice.”) I was already familiar with the glory of bibingka, a cake traditionally made with rice flour and coconut milk and baked to supreme fluffiness over banana leaves in a terra-cotta oven. But I’d never seen it so dainty, built to fit in the palm of the hand and be devoured in three bites. Each little cake came with a frill of banana leaf and a whiff of its clean, green-tea scent, and was topped with half-melted opalescent strands of macapuno, the jellylike flesh of prized mutant coconuts.
Gambito got them from the baker Ray Luna, who had trained as a nurse — like many Filipino immigrants to the United States, and somewhat unwillingly; “Oh, great, I’m going to be a stereotype,” he recalls with a laugh — before opening the coffee shop Mountain Province in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in 2013. He adapted his recipe from a version by his lola (grandmother), using self-rising flour instead of rice flour and coconut cream for extra richness. It was the first Filipino dessert he put on the menu, when he was the lone baker in the kitchen. “The easiest to make in a pinch,” he said.
Mountain Province almost weathered the pandemic. It closed this February. Luna is a nurse once more, tending to cancer patients. I asked if he might share his recipe, so I could bring bibingka the next time I see the barkada. He was happy to share — “to give immortality,” he said, “to a recipe that might otherwise be forgotten.”
LITTLE HOCKING, Ohio (WTAP) - A low-cost rabies vaccine clinic will be at the Little Hocking Township Park State Route 124 on Saturday, October 1, 2022, from 12 P.M. to 1:30 p.m.
The vaccinations will cost $10. The Washington County Health Department says the goal of the clinic is to provide the important service to members of the community who may have difficulty affording it at a veterinary clinic, where additional expenses like office visit fees may apply.
Both dogs and cats may be vaccinated at the clinic. Dogs must be on a leash and cats must be in a carrier. All pets must be 12 weeks of age or older.
MURCIA, Spain -- The United States men's national team played its final warmup match for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and while the performance was an improvement over last Friday's 2-0 defeat to Japan, a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday wasn't exactly what the Americans were hoping for either.
The U.S. had the majority of possession in the match, but clear chances were at a premium for both sides. That said, goalkeeper Matt Turner still had to be sharp, delivering several impressive saves.
As World Cup tune-ups go, this was an odd one. The match itself was sparsely attended, with no more than 1,000 fans in the stands. It made for a surreal atmosphere, as individual fans could be heard hurling invective, even at U.S. players. Sergino Dest was a particular target. He was approached on the field by a fan midway through the first half during a break in play, and the interloper had to be wrestled to the sideline.
Meanwhile, the injury bug appeared to bite U.S. attacker Giovanni Reyna once again. He was subbed out in the 30th minute for Paul Arriola and headed straight down the tunnel, with manager Gregg Berhalter trailing behind. A U.S. Soccer spokesperson said the sub wasn't planned, and later added that Reyna took himself out due to muscle tightness.
Given that everyone connected with the U.S. team was fearing the worst given the injury problems Reyna has endured in the past year, that counts as semi-good news. But it will be something to keep an eye on.
The U.S. did play with more intensity, and looked better defensively, but the match lacked the kind of energy that one would normally expect from a World Cup send-off match, and a 0-0 scoreline seemed appropriate. Overall, the result concluded a window that was disappointing for the U.S. and doesn't create much optimism for Qatar.
2. Sharpness still lacking
The U.S. got a boost with the return of Christian Pulisic to the attack, and Ricardo Pepi started as well. With Kellyn Acosta coming in for Luca de la Torre in midfield, the U.S. looked better than they did against Japan. That is a low bar to clear, however, and while the U.S. enjoyed a sizable edge in possession for most of the night, it never quite clicked in the attacking third.
It wasn't for lack of trying. Center-back Walker Zimmerman in particular found outside-backs Dest and DeAndre Yedlin with regularity in what seemed to be plenty of space, but it never translated into clear looks at goal. It left Pepi largely hunting for scraps and that never really materialized, finishing the evening with just 13 touches.
As for Pulisic, there were moments of play in which he created danger and looked ready to shake loose on the wing, but like his teammates, the final killer pass wasn't there. It was the kind of performance that left you wanting more.
The attack seemed to perk up when a quartet of substitutions entered the match. Jesus Ferreira had a glorious chance to put the U.S. up a goal but fired straight at Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Rubaie. The U.S. didn't create much more after that.
3. Preparing for the Zimmerman-Long partnership
After hinting that he might go with a different center-back pairing earlier in the window, Berhalter persisted with Zimmerman and Aaron Long to start the match. Compared to the debacle that was the Japan game, both players delivered improved performances and were sharper on the ball, too.
There were moments of danger, however, including one first-half scramble that stretched the U.S. defense to the limit. Turner did his prospects of starting in Qatar no harm either with another solid performance.
So is this the starting tandem for Qatar? It seems like the health and playing time of Chris Richards will go some ways toward determining that. Or at least it should. As it stands, though, this seems to be the pairing that Berhalter has hitched his fortunes to. Getting Richards on the field in place of Long would likely inspire more confidence, but the ensuing weeks will ultimately determine what decisions Berhalter makes.
United States: Matt Turner 7, Sergino Dest 4, Aaron Long 5, Walker Zimmerman 6, DeAndre Yedlin 6, Kellyn Acosta 5, Tyler Adams 7, Weston McKennie 6, Giovanni Reyna 5, Ricardo Pepi 5, Christian Pulisic 5
BEST: Tyler Adams, United States. This was a match in which there wasn't much in the way of standouts, but Adams delivered a much better performance for the U.S. and was a big reason for the Americans' possession edge. It helped that he had a steelier presence beside him in Acosta, and he was guilty of the occasional giveaway, but it was a performance to build on for the U.S. midfielder.
WORST: Sergino Dest, United States. Berhalter opted to deploy the AC Milan right-back at left-back, and it went about as poorly as his previous performances on that side did. Dest was shaky with his distribution and looked overmatched in the air. Antonee Robinson can't heal up soon enough.
Highlights and notable moments
This about sums it up.
The USMNT registered only two shots on target over 180 minutes.
- Saudi Arabia is the seventh opponent who's qualified for the World Cup that the U.S. has played in 2022. The USMNT has scored in just one of those seven games, going 1W-3L-3D.
- The Americans have failed to score in the first half in four of their past five matches, and have been held scoreless in their past three against opponents who've qualified for the World Cup.
- The U.S. failed to score from open play in eight of its twelve games in 2022. Of the 18 goals the team scored this year, ten were scored from open play (eight of which were scored against Grenada and Panama) and eight were from dead-ball situations.
Up next
Saudi Arabia:Al-Akhdhar are next in action on Oct. 26, when Albania travel to Abu Dhabi for a friendly.
United States: This was the Americans' final match before the World Cup in November. Berhalter's team will take on Wales in Group B on Nov. 21.
You can’t say Nick Kroll doesn’t love a voice. His new Netflix special, Little Big Boy, is full of weird little voices and small impressions, and they’re some of the most confident, assured parts of the hour. At their best, Kroll’s stories are rooted in his own experience but are explored from several angles with narrative asides and other characters who intrude on the action, and there is a feeling of relief when he can relax into the performance of someone other than himself. He plays his mom, his dad, a 4-year-old who’s stalling at bedtime, and — most frequently — exaggerated, bizarro versions of himself in various mortifying scenes from his past. He’s so good in those moments, especially when he plays himself. The characters are specific, novel, and fun, in a way that some of Kroll’s material otherwise is not. Sometimes his performances have enough buoyancy to keep the whole joke afloat. Toward the end, though, the special starts to founder.
If there’s anything Kroll likes more than doing a fun, vaguely demonic voice, it’s telling a poop joke. Who can blame him? He’s hardly alone, and the scatological portions of Little Big Boy are some of the most striking, evocatively told segments in the hour. These are obviously things Kroll has spent a great deal of time considering: the causes of diarrhea, the futility of trying to fight it, the euphemisms, the universality, the shivering, the hair rising on your arms. Kroll has a mastery of the whole experience. He has keen observational powers, but in Little Big Boy, they are almost wholly devoted to what it feels like when your bowels go awry. The first story (childhood karate class) sets the tone. The second one (restaurant and then car) escalates the experience. By the third explosive-diarrhea joke, though, you come away so sorry that Kroll has spent this much of his life enduring and meditating on this particular feeling.
The shame of those experiences and Kroll’s depression after a particularly brutal breakup are the highlights of Little Big Boy. Without the image of Kroll standing onstage, the stories could almost be scenes from Big Mouth, the Netflix series about adolescence that Kroll co-created and stars in as a voice actor. The special also shares some of Big Mouth’s fondness for letting a supernatural figure comment on a character’s shame. In Big Mouth, it’s several hormone monsters; in Little Big Boy, it’s Kroll’s inner critical monologue, which speaks through the voice of Kroll doing an impression of British actor Jason Statham. The accent wobbles sometimes, which may be an issue for a realistic dramatic performance, but it works quite well for stand-up. Kroll-as-Statham poses more of a writing problem than a performance issue, however. The idea is fine, and the first few times he shows up are entertaining. After a few Statham appearances, though, he starts to wear out his welcome largely because he doesn’t have much that’s new to say.
The same is true for Little Big Boy more generally. The momentum of those opening stories starts to falter toward the end as Kroll shifts into a more straightforward retelling of the past several years of his life. After the embarrassing poop experiences of his youth and a tour through why we hate our mothers (conclusion: They are annoying), Kroll starts catching up to his more recent history and is much less confident about how to mine these stories for humor. He enters into a stream of nice, superficial wife-and-baby stories, and it feels as if he’s uncertain about where to take an off-ramp back into a more fully realized, well-built closing joke. The one wholly developed joke in the final stretch of the special comes from a time early in his relationship with his wife when they’re going for a drive in Italy. Eventually, yes, of course, it becomes one of the poop jokes. But before then, there’s a little throwaway moment when Kroll gives a bit of exposition: “We go to the Hertz Bologna, which means, ‘My pee-pee hurts.’” Then he giggles and his entire body appears to transform into a strange, elfish demon. “Hee hee hee!” he says, cowering behind the stool that has been holding his glass of water. “You can’t see me behind this stool!” He’s proud of, mortified by, and delighted with his stupid little pee-pee joke. He’s impish! He’s an odd little weirdo!
At every moment, Little Big Boy wants to embrace that energy, that mischievous, nose-thumbing, thrilled, mortified feeling of making a truly stupid or crude joke and then having to be seen as someone who just made that joke. When Kroll pulls it off, the special is a fun demonstration of his whole comedic identity. When he starts to run out of steam or feels hampered by the comparative adultness of jokes about being a husband and father, you wonder why he can’t transform back into that imp coyly grinning behind a stool. It would be much more fun and more memorable than the shrug Kroll offers at the end.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/6US2CY4TDNCR7D362QM26BPGDQ.jpg)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/WRSP23OGTFBCTB7J2FEKCWIGXQ.jpg "A shredded billboard sign stands above Giuseppe's Pizzeria on Thursday in St. Pete Beach.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/FNCVCJ7LOVBRJDOHSZACI7SPCY.jpg "A fallen light pole lies outside a Winn-Dixie in South Pasadena on Thursday.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/EEECHGDOEZC6FCI22VCTL22U6M.JPG)
