Online Pretty News

Saturday, January 7, 2017

"Emerald City": TV Review

"Emerald City": Meet Dorothy

There are probably people in the world who don"t like remakes, or the "reimagining" of classics. But are there really any people left in that camp when it comes to The Wizard of Oz, which has been a classic movie, a not very good modern movie, a play, a musical, a TV series and more? Friday night, L. Frank Baum"s books return as, well, a kind of weirdly dystopian tale that seems like it wants to be on HBO but ends up on NBCand that description makes it sound better than it really is.

Meaning, if someone wanted to make the bleakest Wizard of Oz eversay aCormac McCarthy versionwhere there is no happy ending and Dorothy just bleeds out somewhere in a Kansas alley as the credits roll, I would watch that. But NBC"s Emerald City is going for something with more right angles than a musical but less heft and depth than an FX drama and runs into this odd middle ground where the silly merges with the violent, fumbling the tone on down the Yellow Brick Road (which here is made of opium).

Anyway, it"s kind of a mess but your mileage may vary, especially since the first few hours are enough to keep you trying to figure out the mysterious direction Shaun Cassidy, David Shulner, Matthew Arnold and Josh Friedmanwho developed the 10-hour seriesare going in, led there by director Tarsem Singh (Mirror Mirror).

And at this point in the history of the Wizard of Oz, trying to figure out the latest reinterpretation is half the fun. This is a story that"s been worked over pretty hard through the years. It seems the intent with this NBC version was to pluck Dorothy out of Kansas and plop her down in... Westeros? Yes, there"s a half-baked Game of Thrones feel to emerald city in parts, and then when you"re adjusting to that there"s a pinch of w***y Wonka that seems a bit out of place as well before it all shifts to corners where the writers seem to be in a battle to make it more off-kilter as they go: Let"s have the Mistress of the Eastern Wood (Florence Kasumba) blow her brains out; the Wicked Witch of the West (Ana Ularu) be a brothel owner and addict; andGlinda of the North (Joely Richardson) appearing to think she"s inLord Of the Rings.

And then there"s Dorothy (Adria Arjona), who seems to be in a network cop procedural. On the other hand there"s a b-story about sexual identity which is kind of surprising and interesting and only slightly creepy.

Again, on some level Emerald Cityis just out there enough to keep you watching and maybe at this point in time and on network television there"s a certain need to be a ragtag curiosity to keep people coming back each week (it premieres with two full episodes, which is a bit daring in itself these days).

It"s hard to fault Emerald City for its ambition and creativity, but there"s a surprising level of violence here that only barely gets undercut by moments of silliness (and it was hard to figure out early on if the Wizard, played by Vincent D"Onofrio, was supposed to be silly or sinister). Maybe the tonal shifts were necessary because so many fingers appear to be in this reimagined pie.

There are creative tweaks to all the familiar characterssome you"ll see coming, some you"ll be amused by, some you"ll smile over and others you"ll groan overand if marching down the yellow poppy-pollen road of opium, through the Westeros hills and toward a 10-hour story that might pay off with some visual treats is the kind of TV journey you"re up for, by all means head to Emerald City. If not, you"ve still got L. Frank Baum"s books, Judy Garland"s movie version and Wicked if you want, so your options are extensive.

Or you could just choose an unfamiliar story that"s on TVI hear there are hundreds of those out there.

Cast: Adria Arjona, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ana Ularu, Vincent D"Onofrio, Joely Richardson, Jordan Loughran, Gerran Howell, Mido Hamada

Developed by: Matthew Arnold, Josh Friedman, David Schulner, Shaun Cassidy

Directed by: Tarsem Singh

Fridays, NBC, 9 p.m.

Email: Tim.Goodman@THR.com

Twitter: @BastardMachine

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/emerald-city-review-961472

SeaWorld killer whale Tilikum dies

PETA"s Comment on "Blackfish" Star Tilikum"s Death: He"s at Peace at Last

Tilikum, one of SeaWorld"s best known killer whales, has died. The orca, thought to be about 36 years old, drew international attention when it dragged its trainer underwater to her death during a 2010 show in Florida. SeaWorld officials say the killer whale had been in declining health and receiving treatment for a bacterial lung infection. Tilikum was featured in the documentary "Blackfish," which made the case against keeping orcas in captivity. SeaWorld faced intense backlash following the film and was forced to cut jobs as it lost promotional deals and took a hit in attendance. Amid the controversy, the park announced it will end its theatrical orca shows on Sunday.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/video/2017/01/06/seaworld-killer-whale-tilikum-dies?videoId%3D370868180

Matt Bonner dit stop � son tour : fin de carri�re pour un poignet de feu au style inimitable

Matt Bonner"s Plea for a New Shoe Deal | Kicks On Court Weekly

Linfo est passe relativement la trappe hier soir, noye entre les premires rumeurs de trade qui vont squatter nos Internets les prochaines semaines. Matt Bonner sen est donc all, 36 ans, nous laissant en souvenir une dernire vido limage du bonhomme.

Premire constatation, il est donc possible de faire craquer une carrire NBA longue de onze saisons sans pour autant pouvoir bnficier dun corps dApollon taill pour le sport de haut niveau. Deuxime chose ? Il existe des joueurs apprcis pour autre chose que leurs skills inimitables, leurs records de points ou leur prsence coutumire dans les Top 10 nocturnes. Matt Bonner reprsentaitun peu tout a la fois, et cest donc un joueur unanimement apprci qui sen va discrtement aprs une carrire qui laura vu dbuter en 2004 Toronto et terminer sa route San Antonio la saison passe. Deux franchises qui seront dailleurs les seules frquentes par le Red Mamba, ce dernier laissant coup sr avec ses adieux professionnels un souvenir agrable au sein des deux organisations quil squatta pendant douze ans.

Draft en 2003 par les Bulls sa sortie de Florida, cest donc un homme prsentant des stats en carrire discrtes qui nous quitte aujourdhui (5,8 points et 3 rebonds), mais surtout un poignet de feu faisant partie des rares snipers pouvant se targuer de squatter au-dessus de la barre des 40% de russite du parking, tout au long de sa carrire sil vous plait (41,4%, une pointe 45,7 en 2011 avec les Spurs, anne o il fut dailleurs le sniper le plus adroit de la Ligue). Les Spurs parlons-en dailleurs, puisque si cest bien au Canada que le sniper roux dbutera sa carrire (7,3 points et 3,6 rebonds en deux ans), cest bien dans le Texas que le bonhomme se fera un nom et une rputation, notamment grce sa capacit balancer de logive avec son paule droite comme rampe de lancement. Et si les dernires saisons de Matt SA rsonneront plus comme un service rendu au joueur que comme une relle plus-value pour la franchise, cest sans conteste un membre minent de la Spurs Nation qui prend aujourdhui sa retraite, ce dernier ayant sans doute prfr attendre 2017 pour dire stop, histoire de ne pas faire dombre ces messieurs Garnett, Bryant, Allen ou Duncan.

Douze saisons au plus haut niveau et deux titres NBA plus tard, cest donc un homme en paix avec lui-mme qui nous annonce son retrait de la NBA, dans un spot qui en dit long sur le personnage, hilarant mais tellement attachant. Pas athltique pour un sou mais nous offrant chaque soir son swag inimitable durant plus dune dcennie, matt bonner tait plus quun joueur NBA, ctait un copain, le bon copain. Alors bonne route Mattou, au plaisir de te revoir.

Source : The Players Tribune

Source: http://trashtalk.co/2017/01/07/matt-bonner-dit-stop-a-son-tour-fin-de-carriere-pour-un-poignet-de-feu-au-style-inimitable/

West Hartford School Marks Three Kings Day - Courant Community

All About Three Kings Day

On tip toes, pre-K students from Webster Hill School looked out their classroom door window to see if, in fact, camels came into the school and left gifts in their shoes - a pastime Puerto Rican and Latin American families celebrate on Three Kings Day.

While Randi Leopold"s 16 pre-K students napped Friday afternoon, she and teacher Rachel Burnett left little gifts - a ruler, stickers and a frog toy - in their shoes outside the classroom.

When students woke up, they looked outside to see if any footprints led to an entrance of the school. Students checked with principal Jeff Wallowitz, who was in on the secret. He told students that camels did come to the school bringing gifts.

When they walked into the hallway, students found their shoes filled with these gifts, and still walking around in their socks, students followed a trail of hay to an outer door of the school.

Three Kings Day concludes the Christmas season and is prominent among Puerto Rican and Latin American culture. In Christian tradition, three wise men, or three kings, arrived in Bethlehem on camels with gifts for newborn Jesus.

Three Kings Day includes festive bread, baked either with a small Jesus figurine or a coin. The person who has a slice with the Jesus figurine or coin is to host the Three Kings Day celebration the next year.

As different holidays approach, Leopold makes a point to recognize them and talk about the true meaning of each holiday and "celebrate diversity." She"s celebrated the Three Kings Day holiday with her students the last nine years, she said. Though none of her current students celebrated Three Kings Day, some of her past students did.

"The pre-K kids learned all about what Three Kings day actually is and this was the culmination," Leopold said.

Source: http://www.courant.com/community/west-hartford/hc-west-hartford-webster-hill-three-kings-day-0107-20170106-story.html

Friday, January 6, 2017

Did Meek Mill Just Throw Shade at Ex-Girlfriend Nicki Minaj? See the Cryptic Post Before It Was Deleted

DJ Khaled - Do You Mind ft. Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, August Alsina, Jeremih, Future, Rick Ross

Meek Mill is making astatement on Instagram following his breakup with Nicki Minaj.

Just hours after news broke that the couple endedtheir romantic relationship, the "All Eyes on You" rapper took to social media and shared quite the buzzworthy message.

In the post that has since been deleted, Meek displayed an image of wedge sneakers with the caption, "If you walk out don"t wear these they wack.."

If you think it"s just your average piece of footwear, let us explain the significance.

Those shoes were worn in the music video for Ciara"s 2013 break-up single "I"m Out" featuring nicki. coincidence or something more? we"ll let you decide.

The message comes shortly after Nicki ended any and all speculation about her relationship with a Twitter post.

"To confirm, yes I am single," she wrote to her 20.7 million followers. "Focusing on my work & looking forward to sharing it with you guys really soon. Have a blessed New Year. Love u."

While the couple began dating in early 2015, both parties have tried to keep their relationship private. In fact, Nicki once appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where she proclaimed to be "single" even though she was dating Meek.

"I don"t even want to say that I"m in a relationship anymore, because I think when people hear that, they go to like the mean place..." she told the talk-show host. "You know, I used to be secretive...I used to say, "I"m not in a relationship," even though I was in a 12-year relationship [with rapper Safaree Samuels]. Now I feel like just going back to that and saying, "You know what? I"m single.""

Through the course of their relationship, rumors also swirled that Nicki and Meek were engaged after the "Starships" rapper sported some impressive rings on that finger.

"He said that my third ring would be my engagement ring. But sometimes he calls me his fiance, and I"m always trying to stop him, like, "Nope! I ain"t got that third ring yet!"" she told Nylon. "We"re just taking it one step at a time."

Source: http://www.eonline.com/news/819934/did-meek-mill-just-throw-shade-at-ex-girlfriend-nicki-minaj-see-the-cryptic-post-before-it-was-deleted

Lilly Pulitzer"s Beach Bash Palm Beach Celebrated Life Under ...

LILLY PULITZER COLLECTION & HAUL / Covering the Bases

Lilly Pulitzer closed out 2016 with a philanthropic celebration of "Life Under Printed Palms."

The fashion brand"s annual Beach Bash, which took place Dec. 29 at The Beach Club in Palm Beach, for the first time benefited Loggerhead Marinelife center.

"lilly pulitzer and sea turtles are a perfect Palm Beach pairing, and we are so grateful to our guests and partners for their support," LMC President and CEOJack Lighton said in a statement. "These funds significantly aid us in furthering our mission of ocean and sea turtle conservation."

Guests decked out in Lilly-printed resort wear enjoyed colorful cocktails, gourmet cuisine,and unique forms of entertainment, such as live painting by a Lilly Pulitzer designer, LED robot dancers, and mystical mermaids.

Other signature stations included a juice stand from Field of Greens (a nod to Lilly Pulitzer"s original juice stand on Worth Avenue) and ahair and makeup pop-upsalon by Anushka Spa to keep guests looking Palm Beach posh.

Best of all, attendees took home a Lilly swag bag filled with fun gifts and became honorary adoptive parents of LMC patient "Lilly" the sea turtle, who is receiving treatment at the rehabilitation center.

See the photos below for a look at the under-the-sea themed decor with pops of color and Lilly Pulitzer print:

CourtesyTracey Benson PhotographyCourtesyTracey Benson PhotographyCourtesyTracey Benson PhotographyCourtesyTracey Benson PhotographyCourtesyTracey Benson PhotographyPhoto by Liz McKinleyPhoto by Liz McKinleyPhoto by Liz McKinleyPhoto by Liz McKinleyPhoto by Liz McKinley

(Lead photo of Loggerhead CEO Jack Lighton and friendscourtesyTracey Benson Photography)

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNF2NT9gGHKHf011TSfCwblKL-QdOQ&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779333401842&ei=_95vWIDTDsTC3AHWnq2QCQ&url=https://www.palmbeachermagazine.com/noteworthy/lilly-pulitzer-beach-bash-palm-beach-life-under-printed-palms-loggerhead-marinelife-center-photos-2017

Viola Davis" Childhood Tea Parties Will Warm Your Heart, Except for ...

Best Friends Challenge with Viola Davis

Viola davis has always been candid when it comes to her upbringing, but the Oscar nominee and Emmy winner opened up even more to host James Lipton when she stopped by Inside the Actors Studio. Davis, whose performance in Fences is generating a ton of buzz, revealed she and sister Dolores used to play a game of "tea party" when things were rough around the house.

"I grew up with extreme violence in the family, my father was an alcoholic," Davis said in the episode airing Thursday, Jan. 5 on Bravo. But this wasn"t just a normal tea party Dolores and Viola would play, no, the two took on personalities of rich women, Jagee and Jaja (taking a stab at spelling here) from Beverly Hills.

"We were very wealthy women who lived in Beverly Hills," Davis explained about her elaborate make believe. "We were dripping with diamonds, we both had little Chihuahuas in our hands and we would talk about the food we were eating and the wine we were drinking and what happened during the day and how our husbands bought us the diamond and how much they loved us"

But playtime always ended when Dolores had enough. "She would say, You don"t have any moneyYou"re poor, you live in a house, you don"t even have electricity,"" Davis said. And despite Davis" desire to continue the tea party, it would end once Dolores flipped that switch.

And look at Davis now

Davis returns in How to Get Away With Murder on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 10 p.m. Inside the Actors Studio airs Thursday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. on Bravo.

(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

Source: http://www.eonline.com/news/819576/viola-davis-childhood-tea-parties-will-warm-your-heart-except-for-the-way-her-sister-ended-the-game