T LOunge for February 3rd, 2023

Circe Bar and Lure Restaurant – Oia, Santorini, Greece

Sigh.

Ssssssiiiiiiiigggggggghhhhhhh.

That’s it. Let it out. You made it, darling.

Pamela Anderson Tells Ronan Farrow How She Survived Hollywood
In our conversation, she is honest, funny, and extremely Canadian: that rare celebrity to emerge from the disorienting labyrinth of fame knowing herself more, rather than less. In a later painting in Titian’s series, showing the aftermath of the bathing scene, Diana, still baring one breast, has found her arrows. She chases Actaeon, who is now transformed into a stag and being mauled to death by his own hounds. Anderson tells me she doesn’t seek reevaluation, only catharsis, and I believe it. But, like Diana, she is, in her way, seizing control.

Oscar Drama Is As Old as the Oscars, and We’ll Never Get Enough of It
On this week’s Little Gold Men podcast, The New Yorker’s Michael Schulman joins to discuss his upcoming book Oscar Wars, and what it can teach us about the latest Oscar scandal.
From the very, very beginning of the Oscars there have been Oscar scandals, as The New Yorker’s Michael Schulman chronicles in his delicious new book Oscar Wars, out February 21. On this week’s Little Gold Men podcast he joins to discuss the scandalous and sometimes hilarious stories from his book, and how all that historical context can teach us what to expect as the Academy promises changes in campaign rules following the To Leslie investigation.

Princess Diana’s Personal Letters From the Last Two Years of Her Life to Be Auctioned for Charity
The collection is “an astonishing, confidential collection of 32 highly personal letters and cards written by the Princess of Wales to two of her closest friends.”
Letters that Princess Diana sent during the last two years of her life will be up for auction this month.
“Susie & Tarek Kassem, as very close friends of Diana, Princess of Wales, have treasured these letters for over 25 years. They reflect the special and loving relationship they had with the most unique women that they had ever known,” Lay’s Auctioneers said in a statement. “Now, in 2023, the ownership of these poignant documents is a responsibility that the Kassems do not wish to pass on to their children or grandchildren. They have decided to sell the letters and use proceeds of the sale to support some of the charities that were close to Susie and Diana’s hearts.”

A Guide–With Predictions!—to the Best International Films at the 2023 Oscars
What’s the most interesting Oscars category? Easy: international feature film, where winners tend to hold up better in retrospect than their best-picture counterparts (compare Drive My Car to Coda, say, or Roma to Green Book), and where 2019’s Parasite proved that a foreign language film can capture the zeitgeist better than anything from Hollywood—and take the biggest prize. For whatever reason, the Academy rarely gets this category wrong, and increasingly, with a globalizing film industry and an uncertain American indie market, foreign nominees feel like the most urgent titles on the slate. This year’s nominees are particularly good—and I’d argue they make a case for awards season more capably than the wild and wooly 10 nominees for best picture do.
You should seek out all five—because you won’t find a better set of films at the Oscars. Here’s a guide, with a prediction or two thrown in.

The Making of Måneskin: How Four Young Italians Became the Biggest Rock Band to Emerge in Years
On a January day in a drab, deserted hotel in Rome, the four members of Måneskin are back at work after a brief holiday following a whirlwind 2022 that saw the young Italians vault into rock stardom.
Last year, the band opened for the Rolling Stones; grabbed a nomination for best new artist at the Grammy Awards; wrote and recorded songs with Max Martin, the most successful hitmaker of the past 25 years; and lit up some of the world’s biggest stages, including the Coachella, Lollapalooza, Rock in Rio and Global Citizen festivals. And in a triumphant homecoming concert last July, they performed for more than 70,000 people at Rome’s Circus Maximus — the ancient chariot-racing stadium — just a few miles from the middle school where three members of the band first started playing together.

30 Pitch-Perfect Rom-Coms To Watch Ahead Of Valentine’s Day
Depending on who you ask, Valentine’s Day is either the sole thing that makes February bearable or Hallmark-sponsored hell. Whichever side of the debate you fall on, you can find validation – or solace – in a good rom-com. Below, Vogue rounds up 30 of the best.

New Mexico Could Become the First State With an Official Scent — and It’s Delicious
We bet you can guess what it is.
In New Mexico, they take their chiles seriously.
Just look to the small community of Hatch, which hosts the famed Hatch Chile Festival every year that can be smelled for miles around. Vibrant chile ristras are strung up on nearly every street above sizzling blistered chiles that await being savored in stews, fresh salsas, and even burgers.
So yes, the love of chiles here runs deep — so deep that local Sen. Bill Soules, inspired by a chile presentation led by fifth graders, proposed the smoky-sweet scent of chiles become the state’s official aroma.

Helena Bonham Carter Pays Fond Tribute to British TV Legend in Russell T Davies‘ ’Nolly’: TV Review
‘Nolly’ gives British screen icon Noele Gordon the limelight she deserves
A clumsily aspirational, shot-as-live serial set around a motel in the British Midlands — some distance removed from the working-class, Northern grit of ITV’s better known, Bob Dylan-approved “Coronation Street” — “Crossroads” became notorious for its combination of wobbly sets, inexplicable plot shanks and stretches of dead air deployed to trick out the U.K.’s yawning schedules. One argument goes it could only have been a ratings success in a country with just three channels – because there was frankly so little else to watch.
Though dewier than her real-life equivalent was in 1981, Bonham Carter gets much of the Gordon detail right: the clipped accent, the staccato delivery, the priceless, almost imperceptible head turn – unique to “Crossroads” players – which signified the soap was cutting to another ad break.

Freeze-Dried Fruit Is a Smart Way to Add Flavor to Cakes, Cookies, and Other Foods—Any Time of the Year
It also has one of the longest shelf lives of any food in your kitchen.
When you want to incorporate the bright, vibrant flavors and colors of your favorite fruits into cakes, cookies, desserts, and snacks, even when they’re not in season, turn to freeze-dried fruits. Although they may look like they belong in the gift shop at NASA, freeze-dried fruits have been making their way into grocery stores in recent years. Learn what this space-age food is and how to use it in your kitchen.

How to Sort Laundry the Right Way, According to Experts
Find out if it’s really necessary to separate your garments before every wash—and more advice from the pros.
Between loading your soiled clothing in the laundry basket and tossing it in the washing machine lies one essential practice: sorting. Although it’s easy to brush off this process during prep, it contributes to the longevity of your garments. Here’s what the experts say about whether you should sort your laundry or not—and the best way to do it.

Jazz Wunderkind Samara Joy Is Primed for Greatness
Samara Joy was ready to make her mark on the jazz scene back in 2019, when she won the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. But just a few months later, COVID-19 took hold. While that kind of stall in trajectory might have thrown anyone else for a loop, Joy, 23, instead doubled down on honing her craft, pivoting her focus toward cementing her place among the jazz vocalist canon. She released an unplanned, eponymous debut for the U.K.-based indie label Whirlwind Recordings in 2021—and took full advantage of quarantine, posting intimate and stirring performances on her Instagram channel. “I’m a much more developed artist now than I was then,” Joy tells me over Zoom before a performance in Raleigh, N.C. “I’m in a much better place now than I was at that point.” Perhaps that’s because fate stepped in—and now, her ascension to stardom is inevitable.

Judith Light on Doing Her Own Stunts and Fighting Natasha Lyonne in ‘Poker Face’
Lucky McKee, who directed “Time of the Monkey,” also speaks with The Hollywood Reporter about the standout fifth episode, co-starring Light and S. Epatha Merkerson.
Irene Smothers and Joyce Harris finally brought Judith Light and S. Epatha Merkerson together.
The two screen and stage legends had admired each other for years, but they’d never crossed paths on a project. Not until they were cast as — wait for it — a pair of homicidal political radicals on Rian Johnson’s new Peacock series.
“The role came to me. They sent me the script,” Light tells The Hollywood Reporter of landing the standout part of Irene Smothers, one-half of the murderous nursing home duo who star in “Time of the Monkey,” which released Feb. 2. “The agent said, ‘Do you want to do this?’ And I said, ‘Are you kidding? Is that a question? Of course I want to do it. But I really want to make sure that it’s Epatha that I get to work with.’ That was really important to me. They were in talks with her, and I said, I really wanted to make sure that’s going to land. I’ve wanted to work with Epatha for forever.”

How to Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets for Good
Create a functional storage system for your pots, pans, and everything in between with this step-by-step guide from our experts.
The kitchen truly is the center of your home—it’s where you gather to make family meals or prepare for a dinner party. Since this space sees so much action, it’s important that it is organized with efficiency and accessibility in mind. But when was the last time you took a peek inside your cabinets? No matter how hard you try, they inevitably become cluttered. Tidying them up, however, is a must if you want your kitchen to work as hard for you as you do in it.
To tackle your cramped, too-full kitchen cabinets, create a strategy before diving into the organization process. (This will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by everything inside of them!) To help, here’s how experts recommend organizing your kitchen cabinets with ease.

Our 2023 Grammys predictions: Who will win (and who should)
Will they be wild about Harry or bow down to Beyoncé? Can the best Bad Bunny win? We have theories.
The COVID asterisks are off (R.I.P. to those rooftops and Las Vegas parking lots), and the membership has conspicuously shifted: As of last September, the Recording Academy brought in nearly 2,000 new voters — a considerable portion of them female and nonwhite — to diversify its ranks.
That’s not the only reason the Grammy Awards may need all the seats at L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena when they return Sunday on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. with three-time host Trevor Noah. For the second year in a row, the nominees for the top four categories have swelled from eight to 10 (once upon a time, a.k.a. ye olde 2017, it was five). Slated performers include Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, Mary J. Blige, Lizzo, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Sam Smith, and Kim Petras, and the broadcast will undoubtedly spill over its scheduled three-and-a-half-hour runtime.

New Title Examines Role of Black King in Medieval and Renaissance Art
In Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance Art (J. Paul Getty Museum, $40), experts examine manuscript illuminations, paintings, and sculptures of the Black magus from Getty and other international collections. Essays by experts in the art of Ethiopia, Nubia, West Africa, western Europe, and the African diaspora add a rich interchange of ideas. They provide insight into the complex interconnections of race, religion, trade, enslavement, and colonial power that influenced images of the Black king over time. Works by contemporary artists connect to the present; they question traditional narratives of conquest, exploration, and authority and actively participate in a process of history making through their work. This extensively illustrated volume welcomes everyone—from casual readers to students and scholars. It offers a compact yet nuanced look at portrayals of the Black magus, from medieval legend to Renaissance king to popular figure today.

Getty Museum Presents A Passion for Collecting Manuscripts
The J. Paul Getty Museum presents A Passion for Collecting Manuscripts, an exhibition of illuminated manuscripts that reveals the secret histories and adventures of these precious medieval objects as they were collected and sold, lost, and re-found, over the course of hundreds of years.
Drawn from Getty’s collection, the exhibition goes on view at the Getty Center from January 31 through April 23, 2023.
“Medieval illuminated manuscripts were added as a collecting area at the Getty Museum in 1983 to bridge the gap between ancient Greek and Roman art and Renaissance panel paintings, to offer a more complete history of western European art,” says Timothy Potts, Maria Hummer-Tuttle and Robert Tuttle Director of the Getty Museum. “Through continued acquisitions, we have established one of the most important collections of illuminated manuscripts in the United States, allowing us to explore myriad themes through our regular rotation of exhibitions.”

The Fullest View of Vermeer Still Leaves Plenty to the Imagination
A blockbuster exhibition brings together more paintings by the Dutch master than ever before. Yet he remains a mystery, despite efforts by authors, filmmakers and researchers to fill the empty space.
Sheer numbers are sure to draw many visitors to “Vermeer,” the blockbuster exhibition devoted to the Dutch Golden Age master that opens at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam on Friday. The Dutch national museum has managed to gather 28 of Johannes Vermeer’s paintings, representing about 75 percent of his known surviving works. That’s seven more than the public could see at the last major Vermeer retrospective nearly 30 years ago.
Numbers are important when it comes to Vermeer because he didn’t produce many pieces. Depending on how you count, his overall output was somewhere around 40 to 45 paintings, across a career that lasted no more than two decades. (Only about 35 of those 17th-century works are thought to exist today.)

The Best Times to Visit Disneyland for Fewer Crowds, Gorgeous Weather, and Lower Prices
Planning a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth? Here are the best times to go to Disneyland.
Thinking about visiting the “Happiest Place on Earth,” Disneyland? There’s always a reason to plan a vacation to the Southern California theme park destination — especially now, with Disney100 celebrations underway — but deciding on the best time to visit depends on a few factors. Maybe you’re looking for a winter escape to enjoy temperate weather and the resort’s stunning holiday displays, or maybe you’re planning a trip to visit one of their award-winning food festivals. Picking the right time of year can mean fewer crowds (and shorter lines for the best Disneyland rides) or deals on tickets and hotel rooms. Whether you’re planning on visiting with your family or bringing some friends along for the ride, here are the best times to go to Disneyland.

Inflation Leads a New Generation to the Bread-Making Machine
Rediscovered in the early days of the pandemic, the mainstay of ’90s kitchens has become an indispensable tool for some younger bakers trying to save money.
A year ago, Mekayla Garcia, a stay-at-home mother in San Angelo, Texas, bought a 1999 Breadman bread-making machine at Goodwill for $7, nearly the same price she pays for her weekly loaf of organic bread. She cleaned the machine, searched for the recipe guide online and made white bread that same night.
“I swear by it,” said Mrs. Garcia, 24, who uses the machine to make bread dough, which she then bakes in her oven. She bought the bread maker so she could save money as food prices rise. “The bread is just perfect. And who doesn’t love homemade bread?”
The bread maker — an appliance that mixes, kneads, proofs and bakes bread a loaf at a time — found new fans during the early days of the pandemic, as shoppers worried about food shortages and home bread-baking became a sign of the times. But recent inflation has given the machine another boost. Social media influencers, especially on TikTok, have contributed to the resurgence.

[Photo Credit: mariott.com, mystique.gr]

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