T LOunge for February 10th, 2023

Character Italian Restaurant and Lounge Bar – Santorini, Greece

Huzzah, hooray and hallelujah, darlings. It’s FRIDAY at last. Get your Santorini on.

The Best Fashion Moments From Super Bowl Halftime Performers
Super Bowl halftime performers are one of the best parts of the big event. Sure, football fans tune in for the actual game, but non-sport followers are here for the show. Over the years, the half-time intermission has grown into more and more of a spectacle; each musician to grace the field’s stage seems to outdo the next, their sets filled with elaborate pyrotechnics and even more dazzling costumes. This year, worldwide superstar Rihanna will take the main stage on Sunday—and in honor of her upcoming halftime performance, Vogue is looking back at some of the best fashion moments from past years.

Amanda Gorman on Wellness, Her Favorite Hair Accessories, and How She Gets Into the Writing Zone
You’ll remember American poet and activist Amanda Gorman from President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021. Resplendent in a yellow coat and ruby red Prada hairband, she gave a moving reading of her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” as the eyes of the world looked on. In the two years since that pivotal moment, Gorman has become a Vogue cover girl and Estée Lauder’s first global changemaker. Here, she talks about her writing process, hair accessories, and the well-being workout she loves.

Super Bowl Halftime Show 2023: Rihanna To Headline
‘A woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn,’ said Jay-Z.
‘I’ve been so focused on the Super Bowl I totally forgot that my birthday’s coming up. I totally forgot about Valentine’s Day,’ she said. As for the set-list, she said that choosing the songs ‘was the biggest challenge’ and went through ‘probably about 39 versions’ of the final line-up.
‘That was the hardest, hardest part – deciding how to maximise 13 minutes but also celebrate. That’s what this show is gonna be – it’s gonna be a celebration of my catalog in the best way that we could’ve put it together,’ explained the 34-year-old singer. ‘You’re trying to cram 17 years of work into 13 minutes, so it’s difficult. Some songs we have to lose because of that, and that’s gonna be okay, but I think we did a pretty good job of narrowing it down.’

Kate Winslet Revealed That James Cameron Was the One Who Drew Her in ‘Titanic’
Fans have known for decades, but Winslet still has to tell the tale.
In 2014, Winslet told Yahoo! Movies U.K. that she sometimes gets asked to autograph printed pictures of that scene.
“I don’t sign that one,” she said. “It feels very uncomfortable. Why would you do that? … They were asking me to sign it. People ask me to sign that one a lot, and actually there’s a photo of it as well that someone’s lifted from a still of the film. That photo gets passed around. It’s like, ‘No, I didn’t mean for it to be a photograph that I would end up seeing 16, 17 years later.’ It is still haunting me.”

Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Knows What It Takes to Be a Muse
The “Pose” star talks about her partnership with Charlotte Tilbury, favorite beauty lessons, and astrology.
“When I looked at the campaign, the first thing I looked at was all these four women right here grouped together. We look great together; we look like a team together,” she says. “And when young girls who come into this space, whether they be trans or not, they’re going to look at this picture and they’re going to see that it is possible to have this makeup, for it to lay on their face. They’re going to see all types of representation and they’re going to be able to see someone in every aspect that looks like them.”

Truman Capote’s Infamous 1966 Black and White Ball is Being Turned Into a Musical
Composer and lyricist Ryan Scott Oliver is working on a musical based on the historical event titled Party of the Century.
Truman Capote will soon be celebrated in a musical crafted by composer and lyricist Ryan Scott Silver. Called Party of the Century, the production will reimagine one of the most famous society events in American history: Capote’s 1966 Black and White Ball at the Plaza Hotel.
Silver has only just begun writing alongside Kirsten Guenther, whom he worked with on a previous production called Mrs. Sharp. Though Silver has yet to have a show produced on Broadway, his past industry awards, which include the Klbean Prize, Jonathan Larson Grant, and Richard Rodgers Award, signal a promising result, and per Broadway News, his new project will be “full of queerness, and betrayal, and murder.”

You Think You Understand Thai Culture Because You Eat at Thai Restaurants? Think Again
A government campaign drove the popularity and similarity of Thai menus, but they left out an ingredient: the experiences of actual Thai people.
Food has played a significant role in the ways people perceive my family’s identity in America. Witnessing members of my family being expected to fulfill a role of being easy-going (Thailand is marketed as “The Land of Smiles”) and serving delicious food compels me to explore the origins of this concept of “Thainess.” That’s the performance that Thai people do to uphold ideas of Thai culture and cuisine that have nothing to do with the actual experiences of Thai people.
But how did there get to be so many Thai restaurants in America, with diners having such limited knowledge of actual Thai people? Gastrodiplomacy.

Get Your Cookies and Support a Troop of Girl Scouts in the NYC Shelter System All at the Same Time
“It’s deeper than cookies, camping, and crafts. It’s about providing a unifying experience.”
In 2017, Troop 6000, a Girl Scouts chapter for children living in a shelter in Queens, New York, stole the hearts of cookie lovers worldwide with their story of resilience. Since then, the dynamic troop has grown by leaps and bounds, and now, the brilliant young innovators are ramping up to sell those beloved boxed delights once again. And that means if you love those gooey-coconut-caramelized Samoas or melt-in-your-mouth, chocolatey Thin Mints, you should have your wallets ready on March 1 to support them.

Claire Foy on disagreements, empowering dialogue and tackling difficult subjects
The actress discusses her new role in Women Talking and what it represents beyond the screen
The actress is no stranger to playing remarkable women. She is perhaps best known for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix’s drama series The Crown; she recently starred opposite Paul Bettany as Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, in Sarah Phelps’ terrific drama A Very British Scandal. She brought depth and agency to what might have seemed like a thankless role — that of Neil Armstrong’s wife, Janet — in Damien Chazell’s 2018 film First Man. But for Foy, Women Talking brings her to another level. “This is the job I’ve always been waiting for — without realising I’ve been waiting for it,” she says. “And if I’ve been waiting for it, as an actor, surely to God, there are women out there, or young girls, and men, who are waiting to see this actually be realised: this kind of story not being marginalised and not made to feel small.”

Why Vanilla Powder Is Better Than Vanilla Extract, According to Professional Bakers
You’ll want to use it in everything from cakes to ice cream.
If you’re an avid home baker, it might be time to stock vanilla powder in your pantry. Also known as vanilla bean powder and ground vanilla, vanilla powder is essentially whole vanilla beans that have been dried and processed into a powder. The ingredient might seem elusive at first, but with some practice and creativity, it could be just what you need to add warmth and flavor to baked goods and desserts. We spoke to experts to learn what makes vanilla powder so popular with professional bakers.

How to Identify Your Soil Type—Plus, the Best Flower and Plant Varieties to Grow in Each
We’ll also teach you how to amend the soil you have so you can grow the plants you want.
Depending on where you live, you’re likely to have one of six different types of soil: loam, clay, sandy, silty, chalk, or peat. Knowing which type of soil you have in your yard is important—and will help you create a lush, self-sustaining garden, pick the right plants, and trouble-shoot any issues. Fortunately, there are several easy ways to figure out what you’re working with.

Next Big Thing: Lukas Gage Talks ‘White Lotus’ Secrets, Manifesting a Job on ‘Fargo’ and the ‘You’ Scene Everyone Will Be Talking About
The actor, who first broke out on ‘Euphoria,’ kicks off a big year in an even bigger way.
Gage, who grew up in Encinitas, California, is discussing his flourishing career with an eye toward the past. We’re sitting over flat whites in a cafe near his apartment, a purchase he allowed himself after his breakout on The White Lotus — and, shortly after he went viral for a director’s crass hot-mic judgment of his rental (“These poor people live in these tiny apartments”) during a Zoom audition. “In the moment itself, I don’t think it was an intentional reaction to what happened,” he says. “But looking back, I do think I felt I had to wash that part of my life away.” He recently spoke to THR about the next phase of his career.

Becoming Idris Elba
In an exclusive interview for Esquire as he prepares for the release of Luther: The Fallen Sun, coming soon to cinemas and Netflix, the British movie star reflects on a London childhood, his West African roots, the private life of a public figure, and the lessons he’s learnt along the way
“As humans, we are obsessed with race. And that obsession can really hinder people’s aspirations, hinder people’s growth. Racism should be a topic for discussion, sure. Racism is very real. But from my perspective, it’s only as powerful as you allow it to be,” Elba explained. “We’ve got to grow. We’ve got to. Our skin is no more than that: It’s just skin.”
“If we spent half the time not talking about the differences but the similarities between us, the entire planet would have a shift in the way we deal with each other. As humans, we are obsessed with race. And that obsession can really hinder people’s aspirations, hinder people’s growth. Racism should be a topic for discussion, sure. Racism is very real. But from my perspective, it’s only as powerful as you allow it to be. I stopped describing myself as a Black actor when I realised it put me in a box. We’ve got to grow. We’ve got to. Our skin is no more than that: it’s just skin. Rant over.”

22 Super Bowl Drinks for the Ultimate Game Day Party
Whether you like sangria, mocktails or Jello-O shots, these football cocktails are all winners.
When you think about all your favorite Super Bowl snacks — saucy chicken wings, finger foods, cheesy party dips — you’ll notice they all have one big thing in common: They’re all amazing drinking food. And if you spend as much time thinking about the Game Day booze as you do the Super Bowl food (a lot, if you’re us), you’ll need a few Super Bowl drink ideas up your sleeve.
Whether you’re celebrating a record-breaking win or seeking comfort after a crushing defeat, you’ve got your choice of these perfect pick-me-ups. You could totally buy a few six packs of beer or hard seltzer, but why not complement that sumptuous spread with some equally, well-curated cocktails? We’ve got everything: cute Jell-O shots shaped like beer pints, sangrias in unexpected flavors and even a few chile-spiked cocktails. Leaning tropical? Make a fizzy blue Curaçao-based punch. Wintry vibes more your speed? Go for a soul-soothing spiked hot chocolate. Plus, we included thirst quenching mocktail recipes if you are looking for booze-free options.
If you don’t want to spend the entire time mixing cocktails at your Super Bowl party, don’t worry: we’ve included tons of options you can easily mix up in advance, so you’ll only have to get off the couch to grab another round. Because on Super Bowl Sunday, you don’t want to miss a single second of the fun.

Learn about Joseph, a Celebrated Haitian Model in 19th-Century Paris
A new Google Arts & Culture exhibit explores the life one of the most famous Black models of the era
From Delacroix to Manet, some of the best known artists of the 19th century featured Black subjects in their paintings, based on Black models.
In 1800s Paris, modeling was an often-unwelcoming profession to people of color, and few could earn a living this way. However, one model named Joseph was sought after by some of the most renowned painters in Paris. He became a registered model at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts and paved the way for future Black models.

How to go car-free — or car-light — in Middle America
A guide to going without four wheels, even if you don’t live in NYC.
Adults, especially workers, who don’t drive are a rare breed in the US. About 85 percent of American workers use a car to commute daily, the vast majority of them driving alone. Only about 8 percent of US households don’t have a vehicle. For many, it’s because they can’t afford one, not because they don’t want one. People of color are less likely to have access to a car than white people, a difference that tracks with wealth disparities. Those with higher incomes who don’t have cars are more likely to live in one of a handful of major metros with robust legacy transit systems like New York, Boston, or Washington, DC.

Bosses want to pay you more but give you less
A growing number of workers are going freelance, taking higher wages over benefits and job security.
Part of what’s leading more people to independent work is that regular employment doesn’t look so hot right now in certain industries. After a recent round of layoffs at the biggest, most profitable tech companies, including Amazon and Google, some workers are finding themselves unemployed and struggling to find the reasons why, when many of them were considered high-performers, at the top of their field. These once-hot tech companies are starting to behave a lot like the rest of stodgy corporate America, making cuts simply to appease investors. Meanwhile, traditional industries are calling workers, who had done their jobs from home during the pandemic, back to the office in what can seem like an arbitrary power play.

Celebrating the incredible style of HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon on the 21st anniversary of her death
The many gorgeous gowns of Princess Margaret
HRH Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon’s pioneering style paved the way for Diana, Princess of Wales to don the candy-coloured confections of tweed twin sets we know and love. The perfect recipe of elegance, grace and high octane glamour has allowed the younger generation of royals rules to follow in her footsteps of fashion. The ‘Margaret look’ has always been on-the-nose of modern design.
It was Margaret who bought couturier Christian Dior into the forefront of the press, thanks to the decadent dress she wore on her 21st birthday, carefully selected from a private show for the Queen Mother and sister, the then Princess Elizabeth. Captured by Cecil Beaton in his signature lavish elan, the frothy layered tulle cream ballgown has since become an emblem of Dior, couture and sovereign style worldwide with countless references still rife on the runways decades later.

[Photo Credit: character.gr, dimitriseconomou.com]

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