T LOunge for April 9th 2024

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PinMadhu’s Restaurant – Rickmansworth, UK

It’s TUESDAY, dammit. Let’s sit somewhere chic and airy all day. We have many things to show you today, so sit tight and tell the waiter to put your drinks on our tab.

‘Back to Black’ Review: Marisa Abela Nails Amy Winehouse in Every Look, Mood and Note in a Biopic at Once Forthright and Forbidding
Sam Taylor-Johnson’s jazz-meets-rock-star drama exerts an authentic fascination, even as its dysfunctional-addict love story keeps us at a distance.
“Back to Black,” the 2006 album that the new Amy Winehouse biopic takes its title from, is a record built on an exquisite contradiction. The music has a crispy delicious retro-bop bounce, a quality that extends to Winehouse’s vocals, which take the growling-cat stylings of jazz legends like Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday and kick them up into something playfully ferocious. Yet when you tune into the lyrics, they’re as dark as midnight. “Rehab,” the album’s showpiece track, must surely be the jauntiest song ever recorded about an addict who turns the refusal to help herself into a stance of rock ‘n’ roll defiance.

Does it matter if Carrie Bradshaw is the worst?
Carrie Bradshaw is a menace. That’s the point.
In another major licensing grab for Netflix, HBO’s juggernaut Sex and the City officially landed on the platform this week. Older fans of the show are already anticipating the possibility of Gen-Z’s horrified reaction to the raunchy and, in some ways, culturally outdated show. Can today’s youth stomach Carrie’s confusion over bisexuality or the women’s obsession with thinness? Will “puriteens” be scandalized watching Samantha Jones hook up with a random delivery guy?
Lest we forget, Sex and the City has been available to stream for years. So the idea that teenagers and early 20-somethings have never engaged with the series before is a little presumptuous. (They’ve surely encountered some fashion inspo TikToks.) Rather, it seems like this move to Netflix has given everyone a chance to reignite the now-decades-long discourse about the show’s storylines and characters.

Billie Piper on Scoop, sisterhood and overcoming imposter syndrome
Female empowerment is at the heart of the film in many ways. When do you feel empowered?
“I feel empowered when I’ve been able to have healthy communications with people. I feel empowered when I’ve had a really wonderful day with my children, as in when everything’s gone to plan, which very rarely happens, but I get a real sense of achievement from that, I suppose, just spending meaningful time with them.”

Sam Taylor-Johnson On Amy Winehouse: ‘I Felt Like I Was In Service To Her’
The ‘Back to Black’ director on why she hopes the story will give Amy Winehouse back her agency – and get us all listening to her music.
The film follows Winehouse from her early days, before she was signed to her record label, to her creating one of the best-selling albums of our time. ‘I wanted the album to be the framework of the movie, as a sort of window into a particular moment in her life, and for it all to be through her eyes,’ Taylor-Johnson says. ‘To give her agency back, because it felt like it had been taken away. And to allow her to tell her own story and use the lyrics, her words, so it’s very much her perspective.’

“There’s So Many Things Lurking”: Andrew Scott On The Sinister And Seductive New Ripley
As a child, Scott was sent to drama classes to get over his shyness. He still remembers his first role, as the Tin Man in a production of The Wizard of Oz. “I felt completely free,” he says, seemingly transported to the moment he launched into “If I Only Had a Heart” onstage. “I felt joy – that’s the word. Not only did I feel it, but I felt that other people felt it when they were looking at me…. Some intuition told me as an 11-year-old: ‘You have to be this expressive, that’s what theatre is!’ Nobody taught me that. I just felt it.” 

Did Marie Antoinette Have the Best Bedroom in Europe?
Who’s the most powerful ruler of them all? For a new series, one photographer found answers—in the bedroom.
Sumptuous interiors are something of a specialty for David Leventi. The photographer is best known for his series showcasing legendary opera houses of the world in all of their exquisitely textured beauty—La Fenice in Venice, La Scala in Milan, Palais Garnier in Paris, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, among them.
Running as a parallel to this project is another ongoing work in progress that trades the stage for more intimate—though certainly no less performative—environs: the royal bedchamber. For this series, Leventi has been letting himself into the private quarters of Europe’s grand palaces and aristocratic piles. Thought gilded thrones were the true seats of power? Think again.

Scoop tells the story of the remarkable women behind the Prince Andrew interview
Netflix’s new film is not only bloody brilliant, it’s all about the power of women.
It made me laugh and it made me cry and it also delivers some exceptional performances.
But it’s the topics that this pacey, almost thriller-like film tackles that really give Scoop its gravitas and also its relevance today, nearly five years after said ‘scoop’. Topics including the blindness and abuse of privilege and its toxic, devastating consequences; the problematic British class system and the monarchy plus the power of great journalism, which in the fake-news-saturated, A.I-encroaching times we’re living in has never felt more crucial. But it’s also about the power of women.

How Mary & George’s Fashion Is Different From Other Period Pieces We’ve Seen Before
“I took from the past and learned from the future,” costume designer Annie Symons says
If you aren’t familiar with Jacobean dress, it’s time to get into it. As costume designer Annie Symons explained to us while discussing her work on the new Starz miniseries Mary & George, the era—during which James I ruled jointly over both England and Scotland, from 1603 to 1625—is not often represented in film or television, but filled with sartorial delights nonetheless. The hats, the ruffles, the jewels and fabrics—this was when English court fashion was at its most flamboyant.

The 17 Best Floral Perfumes to Wear This Spring and Beyond
Including favorites from Marc Jacobs, Ellis Brooklyn, and more
Of all the fragrance families, the most familiar and easy to recognize is probably a floral perfume. Floral fragrances at their core may seem simple and fresh, but when layered with spicy, gourmand, or earthy notes, the best floral perfumes prove to be highly dynamic and totally intoxicating.
Fragrances in this olfactive family are characterized by dominant notes derived from flowers (you may have guessed) like rose, jasmine, orange flower, and lily of the valley.

How Did the Negroni Become the Most Popular Nonalcoholic Cocktail?
We’ve reached peak nonalcoholic Negroni — now what?
Take a look at the menu at any bar or restaurant that has decided to invest in its nonalcoholic beverage program beyond offering Diet Coke or sparkling water, and you’ll likely notice a spritz or some sort of highball featured. Bonus points if there’s a zero-proof beer or wine listed, the latter of which is usually white or sparkling.
These drinks are based on beverages that are comparatively lower in alcohol to begin with, making them easier to translate into booze-free riffs. So how exactly did the Negroni, one of the most classically spirit-forward cocktails out there with a 1-1-1 ratio of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, become a mainstay of nonalcoholic drink lists?

There’s an Actual Petition to Bring Back Lodge’s Beloved Waffle Maker
These are the best alternatives you can buy now.
Whether it’s your favorite toaster or the pan you use every day, every home cook has that one item they simply couldn’t live without. So what would you do if your most prized kitchen possession is discontinued? That’s exactly what happened to a community of cast iron-obsessed Redditors, and they’re not going down without a fight.

Kellogg’s and Crocs Just Dropped a Limited-Edition Line of Shoes and Charms
Start your day on the right foot.
Kellogg’s announced a brand-new partnership with Crocs, bringing you some seriously colorful new footwear accessories that will help you show off your love of both Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam. The limited-edition launch includes several Jibbitz, small pins that can be added to your Crocs for a personalized touch, allowing you to showcase your love for both Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam.

Here’s Exactly How Many Bubbles Are in a Glass of Champagne
A fun fact for the ages.
Have you ever sipped a glass of Champagne and thought to yourself, “man, I’d really enjoy this more if I knew exactly how many bubbles were in this bottle.” No? Well, I bet after reading that sentence you’ll wonder about it next time. Luckily, I won’t leaving you hanging. Or, more specifically, scientists won’t leave you hanging, because they know precisely how many bubbles are in a bottle of Champagne.

40 Strawberry Desserts That Will Absolutely Brighten Your Day
Put your haul from the pick-your-own patch to good use.
Warmer days and sunnier skies indicate something seriously important: strawberry season! Each year from spring to early summer, local strawberries can be found in supermarkets or farmer’s markets across the country and there is truly nothing sweeter. So whether you hit the pick-your-own patch and have a surplus of strawberries or you’re just looking to celebrate the season with a spring treat (or two), our best strawberry desserts will satisfy.

Is Apple Cider Vinegar Really a Cure-All?
It has been said to help with weight loss, blood sugar control, acne and more. But experts say the science is more nuanced.
Apple cider vinegar has been used as a home remedy for healing wounds, quelling coughs and soothing stomachaches for thousands of years, said Carol Johnston, a professor of nutrition at Arizona State University.
But while some of apple cider vinegar’s health claims have a little science behind them, Dr. Johnston said, many claims haven’t been studied at all. Here’s what we know about apple cider vinegar — and some important cautions to keep in mind if you try it.

Our 20 Best Avocado Recipes, From Tacos to Ice Cream
From tacos to ice cream, this beloved ingredient makes its way into some of our favorite recipes.
When you have a ripe avocado, time is of the essence—one day the avocados are hard as a rock, and the next day it’s time to use them or lose them. It’s easy to mix them with lime juice and onion into tasty guacamole or mash them up for your morning avocado toast, but avocados are good for much more beyond the ordinary.
They may not be what comes to mind when you think about staple ingredients, but in our kitchens, avocados are one of our favorite ways to incorporate healthy fats, fiber, and so many other vitamins and minerals into our daily routine. And while they’re delicious as a taco or sandwich filling, they’re also versatile enough to add something special to sweet treats like muffins and ice cream. Give one of these recipes a try and discover how delicious avocados can be.

This French Museum Displays 1,000 Chandeliers Dating Back to the Middle Ages — Here’s Why You Should Visit
In France’s Luberon Valley, one chandelier maker is keeping a centuries-old craft alive.
In the world of chandelier design, few work harder to ensure that the art form survives than Régis Mathieu. Born in Marseille to lighting designer Henri Mathieu, Régis took the reins of the family business, Mathieu Lustrerie, at 19.
Today, when he isn’t restoring glittering pieces for the Palace of Versailles or Notre Dame Cathedral, Mathieu creates one-of-a-kind fixtures for French fashion houses like Saint Laurent (a hallway of chandeliers for its Paris Fashion Week show last February) and celebrities like Brad Pitt (an octopus-shaped chandelier for the actor’s Château Miraval winery).

[Photo Credit: cliqueliving.co, madhus.co.uk]

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