Quantcast
Channel: Canada
Viewing all 8305 articles
Browse latest View live

Laura Vandervoort Naked For PETA: Actress Goes Nude For Anti-SeaWorld Campaign

$
0
0
Naked and floating in a tiny tank of water next to a "Welcome to SeaWorld" sign, Canadian TV star Laura Vandervoort ("Bitten," "Smallville") is putting herself in the place of captive orcas for a PETA ad campaign.

The print ad directs viewers to an anti-SeaWorld site by proclaiming, "Come see Laura as she's confined to a tiny tank and forced to perform tricks for your entertainment! Learn the truth behind the show and Boycott SeaWorld!"

laura vandervoort naked peta

"We wanted to express the confinement and the torture and the agony and the anxiety that the orcas go through in a tank, for them, the size of a tub," Vandervoort said in an exclusive video interview with PETA. "I had seen the movie 'Blackfish,' and not only did it make me cry … but it impacted me in a way that I wanted to do something, and I wanted to help."

Vandervoort joins a long list of celebrities—including Bob Barker, Krysten Ritter, Behati Prinsloo, Joan Jett, Kathy Najimy, Tommy Lee, and Eli Roth—who have teamed up with PETA to speak out against amusement parks that keep intelligent marine mammals in captivity.

Canadian transgender model Jenna Talackova also recently posed for PETA after announcing she was going vegan.


Zac Posen And Coco Rocha In Toronto For Special Runway Show

$
0
0
Some of fashion's biggest names were in Toronto last night to attend the 2014 "Suzanne Rogers Presents" gala.

Hosted by Suzanne Rogers, the annual fundraiser features a runway presentation by a big-name designer in support of children's charities. Zac Posen was the featured designer this year, following in the footsteps of Oscar de la Renta and Marchesa.

Beyonce Gives Us A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Why 'Pretty Hurts'

$
0
0
Beyonce wants to teach the world why "Pretty Hurts."

In a new video posted on YouTube, Queen Bey takes us behind the scenes of the video for her newest single, "Pretty Hurts," which was directed by Melina Matsoukas.

Prince Harry And Cressida Bonas Split: Report

$
0
0
Prince Harry has allegedly ended his relationship with Cressida Bonas, reports say.

The 29-year-old British royal has been dating the 25-year-old socialite for nearly two years now, and speculation was rife the pair were on the verge of becoming betrothed.

“He found her too needy and it just wasn't working out,” a source told People magazine.

Spokespersons for Prince Harry and Cressida had not confirmed rumours of a split at press time.

Until recent breakup reports emerged, it appeared as if the couple were going strong.

The pair recently enjoyed a skiing break to Kazakhstan and they have been spotted out and about in public several times in the past few months.

It is claimed Prince Harry even invited Cressida to live with him at Kensington Palace.

“It has become very serious, very quickly and Cressida already spends most of her time at Kensington Palace, so Harry asked her to move in seven days a week,” a source told UK magazine Grazia previously.

Prince Harry and Cressida have been guarded about details of their romance since they began dating.

And apparently they weren’t even comfortable telling loved ones about their plans for the future.

"They are clearly crazy about each other and privately his friends are sure it's going to last, but they're super private about that question," a source told E! News.

"Friends know better than to ask [whether or not they’re getting married]."

Cute Mother's Day Gifts: Great Ideas For The Fashion-Conscious Mom

$
0
0
Mother's Day is a great way to show your mom just how special she is to you, and what better way to do that than by showering her with lots of cute Mother's Day gifts?

Brunch, spa gift cards and flowers are all good but we here at HuffPost Canada Style believe that moms are only truly pampered when they feel beautiful on the inside and out, which is why we scoured the Internet for creative and meaningful gift ideas for the fashion-conscious mom.

Your mom (or grandma) doesn't have to be a fashionista to enjoy these gifts: does your mom like jewelry? We picked out trendy and classic pieces. Does she like personalized gifts? We found handmade pieces. What about bath stuff? Yep, we picked out delicious smelling soaps and bath salts.

So don't panic and take a look at our picks for cool Mother's Day gifts:

Rihanna Goes Completely Topless In NSFW Lui Magazine Cover

$
0
0
She actually did it!

After teasing her fans with nearly naked Vogue Brasil photo shoots, Rihanna lived up to her Badgalriri persona by posing topless for Lui magazine.

The French men's mag released the cover on Twitter on Tuesday. Shot by photographer Mario Sorrenti (known for his work on the Kate Moss for Calvin Klein Obsession ads), the 26-year-old wears nothing but a pink bikini bottom, gold body jewelry and a blue bucket hat.

Lui also posted a Twitter photo collage that shows a behind-the-scenes look of the racy photo shoot. In the pics, the "Stay" singer is seen posing sans panties and wearing a tiny unbuttoned crop top.

Check out the totally NSFW pics below:

rihanna


Initially Yours: Cool monogrammed décor gifts just for mom

$
0
0

Thanks to modern technology, we're now able to monogram just about anything, cheaply and easily.

Teens can initial their water bottles, kids can get their names on lunch boxes, dads have their own golf balls, and moms . well, let's take a look at some fun, personalized gift ideas for her.

Pottery Barn offers lofty and light faux-mohair throws in a palette of soft hues, embroidered with an initial — perfect for summer's air-conditioned rooms. If Mom's lucky enough to have a quiet space of her own, consider giving her a lettered linen pillow or a pretty art piece with a monogrammed initial on linen, framed in alder wood. Simple, paperwhite-scented soaps etched with Mom's initial would make a nice-smelling gift for her bathroom. (www.potterybarn.com )

Or consider an initialed acacia-wood bath caddy, with spots for a beverage, phone, and an e-reader or book. A luxurious linen throw can be embroidered with either hot-pink or lime-green thread. Or get really creative: Come up with everybody's favourite things about the family matriarch, then order a personalized love letter on canvas for her that's titled "Dear Mom.". (www.redenvelope.com )

Jonathan Adler loves a monogram. His chic, initialed Lucite trays in Acapulco and Bargello prints kick up the modern vibe. Adler's also carrying New York artist Trey Speegle's customized vintage pop alphabet collages, which incorporate whimsical elements like vintage paint-by-number art. (www.jonathanadler.com )

Lily Pulitzer-print acrylic trays with Mom's initials in the centre would make pretty yet practical gifts for entertaining or to hold fragrances or trinkets. For her home office, consider a magnetic note board covered in an elegant black-and-white damask print. (www.thestationerystudio.com )

Girly Twirly's got a wide range of fun gifts that can be monogrammed. Chinoiserie and preppy-print cutting boards, umbrellas and unscented candles are part of the product mix. Also here: laser-cut monograms in unfinished wood that you can paint or decorate yourself and hang with ribbon on doors, windows or anywhere Mom wants to make her mark. (www.girlytwirly.com )

For the gardening mom, check out Williams-Sonoma's monogram-able gardening tools, including Sophie Conran's potting scoop, and a chic copper trowel. (www.williams-sonoma.com )

San Francisco designer Jennifer Morla offers her signed typographic giclee prints exclusively through personalized gift retailer Mark & Graham. She composes her pieces using a variety of fonts and midcentury elements.

Also at Mark & Graham are linen shower curtains, chambray pillow shams, and a selection of totes for Mom to take to work, tennis or weekends at the cottage.

Company spokesman Michelle Bowler says the newest monograms have a fresh, refined look. "Our library's top sellers are balanced between modern and classic designs. Sans-serif fonts like Neutra, and single letter initials are popular," she says.

People are also adding their own elements like dashes, dots, lines, circles and parentheses. (www.markandgraham.com )

If you're craft-savvy, there are online tutorials on creating your own monogram using Photoshop or Word programs, and then affixing them to all sorts of things. (www.inmyownstyle.com )

A Look Back At Some Of The Most Memorable Met Gala Outfits Of All Time

$
0
0
In honor of this year's Met Gala, which promises to be full of fashion fodder and stunning gowns, we take a look back at the best (and sometimes over-the-top) gowns from year's past.

Sharon Stone Strips Down To Her Underwear For GQ Italia

$
0
0
Sharon Stone, we salute you!

The 56-year-old blond bombshell graces the cover of GQ Italia and girl looks better than starlets half her age. For real.

The "Basic Instinct" star showed the result of her hard work and discipline by wearing see-through lingerie, which left little to the imagination.

Sharon's sexy outfit (a black mesh-and-lace bodysuit) offered a hint of the "Casino" star's tummy and a ton of cleavage which she proudly flaunted. (You go, girl!)

Smoky eyeliner, platform heels and a dazzling smile completed her racy ensemble; a look that the Oscar-nominee is totally used to wearing.

We'll be seeing a lot more of Stone this month as the blond beauty is expected to be at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. At last year's Cannes, the actress dazzled (and made us blush) in a skimpy dress that revealed a flash of side-boob.

Let's just face it: Sharon Stone is fabulous and she'll continue to be so forever.

sharon stone

Mindy Kaling's All-Pink Outfit Is A Perfect 'Mean Girls' Throwback

$
0
0
Mindy Kaling probably didn't know it, but the actress made a "Mean Girls" shoutout with her cute outfit on Wednesday.

At Hulu’s Upfront presentation in New York City, the fashionista sported a bubblegum pink ensemble–a sly reference to the movie's famous line, "On Wednesdays we wear pink!"

Coincidentally, April 30 was the film's 10-year anniversary, which was celebrated by its stars, Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Seyfried, who each paid tribute to the movie on Instagram and Twitter.

Although bright pink is hard to pull off (it can come dangerously close to looking like Pepto-Bismol), the 34-year-old looked dainty and chic in the boxy Finders Keepers top and chiffon tulip skirt which she paired with white Nicholas Kirkwood pumps.

The Vogue "model" was so in love with her outfit that she shared several pics posing in the vibrant look on Instagram.

Love ya, Mindy!



mindy kaling


Emmanuelle Chriqui's Leather Peplum Dress Is Stunning

$
0
0
There must be something in the Canadian waters because Canuck actresses are stunning.

To wit: Montreal-native Emmanuelle Chriqui, who stepped out on Wednesday at the Crackle NewFronts event in New York City wearing a sexy LBD.

The 36-year-old "Entourage" star sported a strapless Katherine Kidd peplum dress, which featured contrasting leather and satin stripes and a shiny belt that cinched in her petite waist.

To accentuate the hot look, Emmanuelle accessorized with black and silver heels and a "three finger" ring, which gave the ensemble a rock star vibe.

But that doesn't mean the "Cleaners" actress had a rock star attitude; wearing subtle makeup, she let her natural beauty shine through and complemented her gorgeous look with side-swept hair.

So, how does the most beautiful woman on TV look so stunning? The actress told Stylelist Canada that the secret to looking fabulous is to avoid putting on tons of makeup.

"As you age, less is more," she said. "If you wear a lot of makeup and you're powdering, it goes in the lines and creases and it makes you feel tired and older, whereas if you keep your face cleaner it looks fresher and more youthful."

Her philosophy is definitely working!

emmanuelle chriqui

Emmanuelle is a natural beauty:


Amal Alamuddin's Engagement Ring Is Similar To Angelina Jolie's

$
0
0
When news broke that George Clooney and girlfriend Amal Alamuddin were engaged, we didn't believe it. (He's the eternal bachelor! He's Leonardo DiCaprio Sr.!)

But then we saw the engagement ring and our disbelief quickly evaporated.

People magazine's latest cover features a close-up photo of the massive rock: an ethically-mined emerald-cut diamond boasting seven-plus carats flanked by two tapered baguettes set on a platinum band.

It's been pointed out that the sparkler, worth an estimated $650,000, is strikingly similar to Angelina Jolie's engagement ring, given to her by Brad Pitt.

Not only do the rings feature emerald-cut diamonds but both Clooney and Pitt helped design their respective bling. The one difference lies in the amount of diamonds: Angie's ring features several emerald-cut rocks, whereas Amal's features one.

According to reports, George cooked dinner before getting down on one knee and presenting Amal with the ring.

She's one lucky gal!

george clooney

Compare that to Angelina Jolie's rock:

angelina jolie engagement ring

More celebrity engagement bling:

55 colleges, universities face investigation over handling of sex abuse complaints

$
0
0

WASHINGTON - Fifty-five colleges and universities — big and small, public and private — are being investigated over their handling of sexual abuse complaints under Title IX, the Education Department revealed Thursday.

The Education Department's decision to release the list is unprecedented and comes as the Obama administration seeks to shed greater transparency on the issue of sexual assault in higher education and how it is being handled.

Going forward, the department said, it will keep an updated list of schools facing such an investigation and make it available upon request.

The schools range from big public universities like Ohio State University, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Arizona State University to private schools like Knox College in Illinois, Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and Catholic University of America in the District of Columbia. Ivy League schools like Harvard, Princeton and Dartmouth are also on the list.

The agency previously would confirm such an investigation when asked, but students and others were often unaware of them.

"We hope this increased transparency will spur community dialogue about this important issue," Catherine E. Lhamon, the department's assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a statement.

Lhamon said a school's appearance on the list does not mean that it has violated the law but that an investigation is ongoing.

Some investigations were prompted by complaints directly to the department; others were initiated by the department following compliance reviews triggered by other factors, such as news stories. That was the case at Dartmouth, where investigators visited the Hanover, New Hampshire, campus in late January to speak with students, faculty and alumni.

"We are hopeful at the end of this there will be a resolution that will strengthen our internal processes and result in a safer community," Dartmouth spokesman Justin Anderson said Thursday. "There's always something we can learn and ways to get better."

Education Secretary Arne Duncan said there had been "lots of internal debate" about whether to release the list but that he believes in transparency; he said the more the country is talking about the problem of sexual assault, the better. Duncan said there is "absolutely zero presumption" of guilt in his mind for schools being investigated.

"No one probably loves to have their name on that list," Duncan said during a White House media briefing. "But we'll investigate; we'll go where the facts are. And where they have done everything perfectly, we'll be very loud and clear that they've done everything perfectly."

Duncan said while being on the list might feel difficult for schools, it pales in comparison to the difficulty and trauma borne by sexual assault victims on American college campuses.

"In terms of what's morally right there, the moral compass, whatever we can do to have fewer young women and young men having to go through these types of horrific incidents, we want to do that," Duncan said.

Title IX prohibits gender discrimination at schools that receive federal funds. It is the same law that guarantees girls equal access to sports, but it also regulates institutions' handling of sexual violence and increasingly is being used by victims who say their schools failed to protect them.

Ada Meloy, general counsel for the American Council on Education, a higher education group, said most of the schools were probably aware there was such an investigation. "I think that every college and university in the current environment is concerned about the need to be very attentive to what they are doing with regard to policies and procedures" related to sexual assault on campuses, Meloy said.

Citing research, the White House has said that 1 in 5 female college students is assaulted. President Barack Obama appointed a task force comprised of his Cabinet members to review the issue after hearing complaints about the poor treatment of campus rape victims and the hidden nature of such crimes.

The task force announced the creation of a website, notalone.gov, offering resources for victims and information about past enforcement actions on campuses. The task force also made a wide range of recommendations to schools, such as identifying confidential victims' advocates and conducting surveys to better gauge the frequency of sexual assault on campuses.

The department publicized guidance on Title IX's sexual assault provisions in 2011, and complaints by students have since increased. Complaints, however, don't always lead to an investigation.

The department can withhold federal funding from a school that doesn't comply with the law, but it so far has not used that power and instead has negotiated voluntary resolutions for violators.

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., have said non-compliance under the law is "far too common." They say a lack of federal resources is partly to blame for that, and they've sought more money to ensure timely and proper investigations.

Another law that campus sexual assault cases fall under is the Clery Act, which requires colleges and universities to report crime statistics on or near their campuses. It also requires schools to develop prevention policies and ensure victims their basic rights. Investigations under this law are not included in the list that was released.

_____

Associated Press writer Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, and Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Follow Kimberly Hefling on Twitter at http://twitter.com/khefling

Smithsonian awards National Design Award to fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez, 10 others

$
0
0

WASHINGTON - Fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez will receive a National Design Award this year from the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, along with 10 other top names in design.

Rodriguez designed the memorable black and red dress worn by first lady Michelle Obama in Chicago on election night in 2008. The dress recently went on display for the first time at the National Archives to represent her signature style in history. Earlier, Rodriguez designed Carolyn Bessette's wedding dress for her 1996 marriage to John F. Kennedy Jr.

The New York City-based Cooper-Hewitt museum announced this year's recipients of the design awards Thursday. The museum said Rodriguez "redefined American style for the past two decades, playing a singular role in global fashion through his structured and elegantly minimal designs." He has also been named one of the nation's most influential Hispanics by Time magazine.

This year's winners also include brand designers Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar for lifetime achievement; architect Witold Rybczynski for design mind; online marketplace Etsy for corporate and institutional achievement; Angela Brooks and Lawrence Scarpa for architecture; San Francisco design studio Office for communication design; Aaron Koblin of San Francisco for interaction design; Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors for interior design; Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture for landscape design; and San Francisco design firm LUNAR for product design.

Museum Director Caroline Baumann said this year marks the 15th year of honouring the nation's top designers.

"I am delighted to welcome this new class of extraordinary designers, each of whom represent the very best in their discipline and demonstrate design's power to affect the quality of our life, community, economy and environment," she said in announcing the awards.

The first lady serves as honorary patron of the National Design Awards, which were launched at the White House in 2000. A jury of design leaders and educators reviews nominations and selects winners based on their excellence, innovation and public impact.

___

Follow Brett Zongker at https://twitter.com/DCArtBeat

Gift Guide: Plenty of options for upgrading mom's dated devices; from tablets to all-in-ones

$
0
0

ATLANTA - Mom is busy.

She's working and making and doing and raising you, among other things. In return, it's probably time for her to upgrade her aging PC or laptop. Hint, hint.

To that end, I've found and tested three products with all the latest touch-screen creature comforts: one tablet, one laptop and one all-in-one, which is a computer where the crucial components (CPU, optical drive, hard disk drive, RAM) are all built in to the housing of the display.

___

— Asus VivoTab Note 8 ($299, Windows 8):

Your mom is probably like a lot of busy moms who use their smartphones for nearly everything to do with staying connected. But occasionally a little more screen size would do nicely. The Asus VivoTab Note 8 is a solid pick for a tablet.

The Note 8 has an 8-inch display, measured diagonally, and can quickly go from easy, breezy light-use mode to professional environment workhorse.

Popular social media apps such as Facebook and Twitter are just a touch away. But when it's time to get productive, that's where having a full version of the Windows 8 system comes in handy. Strong, office-ready apps, such as Microsoft Office, deliver the utility mom is accustomed to, in a way iPads and Android tablets can't.

The Wacom stylus pen is an attractive bonus. It tucks away in a hole near the base when not in use. But you'll use it on some Windows applications that have less than finger-friendly menus, or to doodle some notes in the margins of documents.

I tested it out with various drawing apps, like Pen Sketch. Its sensitivity and ability to vary the weight and thickness of the strokes was really impressive.

When I took some notes at a city hall meeting using Microsoft's OneNote, it looked exactly like smooth pen on paper. There were no jagged, pixelated edges on my lines, and the stroke weight of my jotted notes matched the various pressure I applied while scribbling.

The VivoTab Note 8 battery boasts 8 hours of life and comes with Microsoft Office for free. It's typically free only on tablets with a lightweight variant of Windows called RT. The Note has the full version.

It also has a MicroSD slot for expanded storage, which can come in handy if your mom shoots a lot of video. The base model has just 32 gigabytes, typical for Windows tablets. The quad-core Intel Atom processor is strong enough for any tablet tasks. The display is sharp. There's a lot for mom to like here.

___

— Lenovo Flex 15D ($499, Windows 8):

Touch screens on laptops are tricky. Touch them too hard with one finger and the laptop rocks back, or tips over. It's not a good experience if the screen is teetering back and forth when you interact with it.

Lenovo Group's Flex 15D solves that. The laptop's hinge is designed such that the keyboard half of the laptop can face down and act as a stand for the touch display. What you lose in terms of a physical keyboard in this configuration, you gain by have a sturdy and pleasing angle by which to view and access the display.

It's a sleek-styled laptop, tapered thin near the touchpad below the keys. The straight lines and minimalist bezel design make this a very eye-appealing addition to the office or household.

Underneath all that sleek is enough power to get mom through her tasks. The Flex 15D has a quad-core AMD 1.5 GHz processor, four gigabytes of RAM and a 500 gigabyte hard drive.

The touch screen responded well to my pinches and swipes, but I found the resolution a little soft. It's sharp enough for most common tasks, but non jaw-dropping sharp.

___

— Asus All-in-One PC ET2322 ($1,099, Windows 8):

All-in-one desktop computers have finally hit their full stride with the advent of touch-screen interaction. This Asus unit is big and bold. It handled visually oriented tasks on my desktop effortlessly.

The display is a lush 23-inch full high-definition screen that delivers rich colours with crisp sharpness. At that size, it's good to be sharp because there's going to be a lot of video viewing and photo slideshow swiping going on.

The display houses all of the guts of the computer — the hard drive, processor, RAM, optical DVD-RW drive. It all rests on a circular, silver stand that can angle the screen for sight-level comfort. Looks aside, this is a powerful PC with an Intel Core i5 processor.

Moms are going to like launching simple pastime apps with the swipe of a finger and then settling down with the wireless keyboard and mouse for some home office productivity. I know I did.

Also tucked under the lower left of the screen is a 6-in-1 card reader, for camera memory cards and more. Near the top is a 2 megapixel user-facing camera makes for solid selfies and Skype chats. I kept looking around for something AsusTek Computer Inc. forgot on this unit — some weak link in the chain of performance. If it's there, I missed it.

___

Follow Ron Harris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Journorati

___

Asus VivoTab Note 8: http://bit.ly/1gUAstZ

Lenovo Flex 15D: http://shop.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/ideapad/flex/flex-15d

Asus All-in-One PC ET2322: http://bit.ly/1gUArWV


Kate Middleton's Yellow Roksanda Ilincic Dress Her Most Popular Yet

$
0
0
While Prince William thought Kate Middleton looked like a banana in her bright yellow Roksanda Ilincic dress, the public couldn’t disagree more! Since sporting the sunny frock in Sydney, Australia, Ebay has reported a 95 per cent increase in sales of yellow dresses. And the craziest part? Sales spiked only four days after she wore it!

An Ebay spokesperson told Marie Claire: “The Duchess of Cambridge’s wardrobe undeniably affects what’s in when it comes to style-hunting on eBay, with sales consistently skyrocketing after she is photographed in the latest trend.”

Amazingly, Google also saw a huge increase in searches for “yellow dress” and “kate yellow dress” on the same day the Duchess sported the attire.

But Kate’s yellow frock wasn’t the only outfit that inspired a fashion frenzy during the tour Down Under. Her Diane Von Furstenberg dress also spiked searches for “wrap dresses” and sold out on DVF’s U.S. site within minutes of her appearance.

Likewise, Ebay reported that there has been a surge of sales in floral dresses and green frocks as well, rising 94 per cent and 88 per cent respectively. Kate wore similar styles when she sported a spring-inspired L.K. Bennett frock and a green Catherine Walker coat dress.

Clearly Vogue was wrong they dubbed her the “Duchess of Normcore,” because from as far as we can tell, the Kate Effect is still going strong!

royal tour sydney kate middleton

Federal jury clears Applebee's restaurant in deadly New Mexico drunken driving crash

$
0
0

SANTA FE, N.M. - A federal jury has decided an Applebee's restaurant in New Mexico broke no laws when it served a man whose drunken-driving crash killed two young women.

The Albuquerque Journal reports (http://goo.gl/KX8c94) the jury returned its verdict Wednesday. It says the Santa Fe restaurant didn't violate the state Liquor Control Act when it served James Ruiz and his friend Gilbert Mendoza in 2010.

Police say Ruiz, driving drunk, killed 19-year-old Del Lynn Peshlakai and her 17-year-old sister, Deshauna, of Naschitti. The sisters were in Santa Fe to support their school's basketball team.

The Peshlakai family has settled its civil claims against many of those they sued in the deaths. However, Applebee's and its franchisee AmRest were added to the lawsuit later.

Jeff Ray, an El Paso attorney who defended Applebee's, said he was pleased with the jury's verdict.

George Clooney Proposal: How Did He Ask Amal Alamuddin To Marry Him?

$
0
0
Picture it: a home-cooked meal, candlelight, ambient music ... it's the perfect scene for a marriage proposal.

Leave it to George Clooney to get it just right; according to US Weekly, that's exactly what the A-list actor did when he popped the question to British lawyer Amal Alamuddin.

Clooney, 52, crafted a beautiful dinner for Alamuddin, 36, at his Studio City, Calif. mansion. He then, of course, got down on bended knee to ask her to marry him.

A source told PageSix that Clooney "was so happy she accepted, he was calling friends with the news later that night."

Fully covering all his bases, Clooney also designed the seven-plus carat diamond engagement ring. Reportedly worth $650,000, People magazine featured an up-close-and-personal picture of it. The massive ring is composed of an ethically-mined emerald-cut diamond, boasting seven-plus carats flanked by two tapered baguettes set on a platinum band.

Both Clooney and Alamuddin are said to be overjoyed and looking forward to the upcoming nuptials. No specific date for a wedding has been set.

Anne Hathaway's Hairstyle Channels '90s-Era Gwen Stefani

$
0
0
Earlier this week, Anne Hathaway stepped out wearing her hair in an intricately twisted updo which left us a little confused.

Southern food and Southern music increasingly coming together in TV, books and magazines

$
0
0

When the Zac Brown Band hits the road, they take their instruments, amps and 54-foot custom food truck called "Cookie."

"We're Southern guys," says Rusty Hamlin, travelling chef for the Grammy-winning band, whose 2008 hit "Chicken Fried" catapulted them to fame. Before each show, Hamlin feeds up to 200 fans a gourmet Southern meal as they hang out with the band. "Nothing makes us happier than getting to know people around a plate of food."

Country music and food — especially Southern food — have long been intertwined, with lyrics about sweet tea, pecan pie and whiskey joining references to mother, country and pickup trucks. But as country music and Southern food each move beyond their traditional bounds — Zac Brown Band sells out Boston's Fenway Park and even Los Angeles has a fried chicken festival — they have spawned a new hybrid of cookbooks, cooking shows, food festivals and even restaurants that are rapidly becoming mainstream.

"Country music is huge and it's just gotten huger," says Cynthia Sanz, editor of People Country, the celebrity magazine's country music quarterly. People has been publishing its country music edition for roughly a decade and recently added a country channel to its digital site. "It's always been connected to food. It's more than just the music genre, it's a lifestyle."

Food has always been a staple of People's country music coverage, Sanz says, and a Facebook post of a popular star such as Tim McGraw making dumplings can get more than 4,000 "likes," above average for the page.

Big-name national country stars such as Trisha Yearwood were among the first to succeed on the mainstream food front. Yearwood, a three-time Grammy Award winner, is the author of two bestselling cookbooks and the host of Food Network's "Trisha's Southern Kitchen," which is entering its fifth season.

But today, even books featuring lesser-known country names are doing well. "Country Music's Greatest Eats," a collaboration of Southern Living magazine and Country Music Television, sold 11,000 copies in 12 minutes on shopping channel QVC, says the book's publicist, Aimee Bianca. Though the book doesn't hit stores until May 6, Bianca says, it already has exhausted its initial 80,000 print run.

"If you think about music, but country music in particular, every single song has a story to tell," says Hunter Lewis, executive editor at Southern Living. "We always say about Southern recipes that every recipe tells a story: it's from somewhere, from someone, your mom, your grandmother taught you to do it... If you think about the way recipes are passed down and shared, and the way songs are written and passed down and shared, it's a very natural intersection."

Country stars also are pairing food and music in restaurants and festivals. Singer-songwriter Toby Keith owns a chain of restaurants named after his 2003 hit "I Love This Bar" that can be found in more than a dozen cities from Foxborough, Massachusetts, to Oxnard, California. Chart-topping artist Dierks Bentley opened Whiskey Row in Scottsdale, Arizona, featuring craft beer, organic ingredients and a 360-degree stage for music acts. In September, Nashville, Tennessee, will host its second annual Music City Food and Wine Festival. Created by Grammy Award-winning artists Caleb and Nathan Followill of Kings of Leon and chef Jonathan Waxman, a pioneer of American regional cuisine, the festival features national and regional chefs and music.

"We wanted a closely curated festival that featured national chefs to draw attention, but it was about the town of Nashville and about the regional area," Waxman says. "We're talking Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia... That area of the world has just grown up culinary-wise."

Waxman and others point to the upscaling of Southern food that has occurred as locals schooled in famous urban kitchens return to the area. Cities such as Nashville, Birmingham, Alabama, Athens, Georgia, and even little places like Kinston, North Carolina have welcomed home young chefs who win national acclaim by offering new twists on the foods of their youth. Nashville alone had three James Beard nominees in 2014, including Nate Appleman protege Tandy Wilson.

"People used to flock to Nashville for the Ryman," Southern Living's Lewis says about the theatre known as the "Mother Church of Country Music." ''Now they're flocking to Nashville to eat Tandy Wilson's food."

Many people close to the scene also credit the success of the food-country music pairing to the food itself and the stars who cook it. The food is unfussy, comfy, homey. A can or two of condensed soup is not unheard of. Such dishes hardly conjure the image of effete "foodies" that might otherwise repel this down-to-earth audience. And they mirror the authentic image of the stars themselves.

"Most people identify with country artists as someone they can invite to dinner and sit down and have a meal with themselves," says Amanda Phillips, vice-president of Consumer Marketing at Country Music Television, which offers a food-and-a-movie format show. "There's a familiarity and connection with the stars that's really accessible. You think about a major pop star — Lady Gaga — there's not that connection there."

___

PORK CHOPS THAT MAKE YOU CRAZY

Start to finish: 35 minutes (15 minutes active)

Servings: 8

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

3/4 teaspoon onion power

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

8 centre-cut bone-in pork chops (3 to 3 1/2 pounds)

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, divided

Heat the oven to 200 F.

In a large, shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, paprika, black pepper, white pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme and red pepper flakes. One at a time, dredge 4 of the pork chops through the flour mixture, coating both sides evenly and shaking off any excess. Set aside.

In a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until just smoking. Add the 4 coated chops and cook for 5 minutes, turning once. Reduce the heat to medium and cook another 2 minutes, turning once. Transfer the chops to an oven-safe plate and place in the oven to keep warm.

Repeat the dredging and cooking with the remaining 4 chops, using the remaining tablespoon of oil.

Nutrition information per serving: 220 calories; 80 calories from fat (36 per cent of total calories); 9 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 65 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 26 g protein; 610 mg sodium.

(Recipe adapted from Southern Living's "Country Music's Greatest Eats," Oxmoor House, May 2014)

Viewing all 8305 articles
Browse latest View live


<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>