T LOunge for November 26th 2024

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PinDuddell’s Restaurant – London, UK

Darlings, it’s TUESDAY and the stars are all heading into their holiday hidey-holes, which means the red carpet pickins, as they tend to do right around this time every year, have pretty much evaporated. But we’ll see what looks we can rustle up for judgment. Settle in and make some noise while you want to be entertained.

Meet the Cast of ‘The Empress’ on Netflix: Your Guide to the Hit German Period Drama
These stars bring the Hapsburg royal court to life on the hit international series, which just returned for season 2.
The Empress, one of the best period pieces on Netflix, is back for a new season of intense palace intrigue, breathtaking gowns, and sexy romance among the Hapsburg royals. The German-language romance series debuted on Netflix in September 2022, introducing fans to the headstrong Empress Elisabeth (a.k.a. “Sisi”) of Austria as she fell in love with and wed Emperor Franz Joseph I. The show quickly won acclaim and a passionate fanbase, even taking home the International Emmy for Best Drama. (More importantly, Sisi’s wedding dress was immediately considered a contender for the best TV looks of all time.)
After season 1 depicts Elisabeth’s struggles to adjust to the harsh standards of life at court, season 2 jumps ahead to the birth of her second child when the royal family’s legacy is in danger.

Theaters Ban Wicked Fans From Singing During the Movie
A major US theater chain has banned ‘Wicked’ singalongs, but star Cynthia Erivo thinks it’s fine.
Not even Wicked is immune from the 2020s tendency to turn everything into a possible fight. The hotly anticipated theatrical adaption of the blockbuster Broadway musical opened in theaters this weekend, with stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande thrilling audiences with their renditions of songs such as “Defying Gravity.” That the experience is so transcendent is raising concerns, however: fears that some patrons might break into song are prompting extreme preemptive measures to keep everyone’s lips zipped.

Pamela Anderson opens up about new film The Last Showgirl: ‘It’s so wonderful that this film is not exploitive’
‘I’ve been sexualised and objectified in my life and career, but I don’t want to be defined by what has been done to me. I want to be defined by what I do.’
After her devastating yet heartwarming documentary last year, Pamela Anderson is back. She’s set to star in The Last Showgirl, directed by Gia Coppola. Set in Las Vegas, she will play a showgirl who must find herself after her show is cancelled.
As she prepares to begin promoting the movie, which is due for release in 2025, Pamela has opened up to Deadline about how thankful she is that the film is “not exploitative”, but a “touching story”.
“It’s so wonderful that this film is not exploitive,” she said. “It’s not about violence or overt sexuality. It’s such a touching story and on so many different generations.”

The Six Triple Eight tells the incredible true story of WW2’s first and only unit of women of colour
Starring Oprah Winfrey and Kerry Washington, a new trailer for the series has just dropped.
When it comes to stories told by empowering, inspirational women in history, upcoming Netflix project The Six Triple Eight has everything you might need. And it’s just dropped an amazing new trailer.
It follows the story of a group of women of colour taking on adversity during WW2 – starring some serious Hollywood talent, including none other than Oprah Winfrey. Co-written and directed by actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry, it will look at a little-known – but no less heroic and important – real-life army unit that consisted of women of colour. Their mission was to deliver mail to soldiers to maintain morale – under circumstances rife with sexism and racism.

XO Khloé, Khloe Kardashian’s first signature perfume, smells naughty and nice
Here’s what we thought at first spritz.
Trust Khloé Kardashian to blindside us exactly one month before Christmas with her first signature fragrance launch. The entrepreneur teased the news of her scent, XO Khloé, last week, on Instagram, but the Brits can feel extra smug because it’s coming to us first (today), thanks to an exclusive partnership with Harrods, before rolling out in the US at Ulta from 1st December and other territories from Spring 2025.
We were one of the first to get our hands on a sample and honestly, it wasn’t what we expected.

I’ve spoken to the experts—these are the 7 winter nail trends they foresee all the cool girls wearing
Yes, cinnamon roll nails are in there
If there’s one reason why I get excited for the changing of the seasons, it’s to see what winter nail trends I can adopt. Although I have adored some of my autumn nail looks, and I’m a suck for a classic nude hue or orange-toned red shade, I also love a microtrend, be it some cute nail art or a specific colour everyone is getting on-board with (right now I’m big into cabernet nails).
For this season, I have spoken to two nail experts to determine the hottest winter trends, and even included one I’ve identified myself (cinnamon roll nails, you’re v welcome).

From ‘Cat Eye’ To Aura, Meet The Latest Winter Nail Ideas For Your Next Manicure
It’s time for the seasonal switch-up.
As per the sea of rich hues and seasonal styles sweeping your social feed, winter nails are now fully in focus. But it’s not all monotone finishes – if the current landscape is anything to go by, we’re entering an era of dopamine nail art with bigger and bolder looks superseding the softer palette of 2023. There are punk goth nails à la Selena Gomez, but also mood-boosting tips, and cat eye nails now trending.

Wicked Is Plenty Popular. But Is It a Potential Best Picture?
The Awards Insider team explains why the musical might be a serious Oscar threat after debuting to a magical $164 million at the worldwide box office this past weekend.
Rebecca Ford: I’m not sure this is a piece either of us would have anticipated writing a year ago. For many months, Wicked—the long-gestating musical adaptation—wasn’t a film we were seriously considering as a part of the awards race. That’s partially our fault, because musicals have such a spotty history at the Oscars, and partially not our fault, because representatives for the film made it very clear to us that their priority was ensuring a commercial success. That dream came true: Wicked, directed by Jon M. Chu and starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, earned $164 million worldwide in its opening weekend. That’s the biggest box office launch of all time for a Broadway adaptation.
But its box office reign is just one of the reasons that Wicked now feels like a real contender for best picture, as well as several other Oscar categories.

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Sequel Update: Jon M. Chu Says “I Won’t Bring Everyone Back Unless It’s Worth It”
Chu told us on Crew Call that as far as part two goes, “I won’t bring everyone back unless it’s worth it. There’s too much on the line for everybody.”
Continued, the filmmaker, “I want the best thing. I want it to be worthy of what Crazy Rich Asians 1 was. We’ve tried all different versions. It’s hard because people think the first movie is like the book, but it actually is not. It’s the right spirit, but the plotting is very different. And so, you can’t just go and translate. And we’ve tried versions and the fact is, is that we just haven’t gotten there.”
“And there’s no way I’m dragging the audience back. There’s no way the bar is too high. So, in time when we when we get there, we will.”

20 Curly Hairstyles For Every Hair Type, According to Pros
From bobs and shags to beach waves and pinup curls.
From ’70s-coded shags and ’20s-inspired pinup curls to cutting edge bobs and bangs, curly hair can do it all, as evidenced by the likes of Zendaya, Angelina Jolie, and Rihanna.
Of course, some curls require more maintenance than others. But no matter your curl type or how long or short your curls may be—and, likewise, whether you’re the new owner of a fresh perm or you’ve had curly hair since day one—everyone needs a little inspiration now and again. Ahead, 20 curly hairstyles for every hair type and length. Consider this your go-to curly hairstyling guide.

The 35 Best True Crime Documentaries and Series of 2024
From exposés about TikTok cults to shocking scandals, these docs and scripted shows will be your next obsession.
We at MC are serious about true crime. There’s a certain thrill in turning to the latest and greatest true crime books, podcasts, and TV shows, to analyze how filmmakers tell these jaw-dropping stories. Thankfully, 2024 saw the release of compelling dramatized series and documentaries that have taken thoughtful deep dives into some of the most sensationalized cases in history, brought to light overlooked cults and scams, and centered resilient stories of survivors.
Prepare your streamer accounts and put on your detective hats: These are the best new true crime documentaries and series from 2024. (For even more to watch, we rounded up 2023’s best true-crime documentaries and series last year.)

We Ranked Costco’s Thanksgiving Pies From Worst to Best
Eyes on the pies!
To quote cooking icon Ina Garten, store-bought is fine — and we’d argue that’s especially the case on the biggest cooking holiday of the year, when your oven is occupied by a 16-pound bird and everyone’s favorite side dishes. If you’re feeding a crowd on Thanksgiving (or you’ve been tasked with bringing dessert to a Friendsgiving), you’ll be tempted by Costco’s massive Kirkland Signature pies, each weighing in at over three pounds.
To help you to figure out which one deserves a spot on your holiday dessert table, we tried the retailer’s three most popular Thanksgiving pies — apple, pecan, and pumpkin — at the Food & Wine office. While Costco suggests a serving size of 12 slices, we found that these colossal pies can be cut into squares to yield at least 16 servings. That’s a whole lotta pie! Read on for our reviews of all three Thanksgiving pies, and maybe invest in some more Tupperware.

Krispy Kreme Launches 3 New Holiday Doughnuts — and 1 Returning Favorite
Fans of “The Grinch” are in for a treat.
Everyone is getting into the holiday spirit at Krispy Kreme, including the Grinch.
On Monday, Krispy Kreme announced its new holiday lineup of doughnuts, featuring none other than the coolest Whos in Whoville — and the return of one fan-favorite holiday doughnut.
“Who wants to celebrate Christmas with Krispy Kreme?! Our Merry Grinchmas doughnuts are guaranteed to make even the Grinchiest Grinch smile,” Dave Skena, the global chief brand officer at Krispy Kreme, shared in a statement provided to Food & Wine. “At Krispy Kreme, you’re a sweet one, Mr. Grinch!”

New Orleans Keeps a French Holiday Tradition Alive With Seasonal Feasts
Réveillon season is approaching — here’s how to celebrate.
A French Catholic custom that migrated to Louisiana with the French Creole population, Réveillon comes from the word for “awaken” and began as a celebratory meal at home after midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Raw and roasted oysters, turtle soup, gumbo, cassoulet, and bûche de Noël are some of the many dishes that could grace the table for the special occasion. Over time, the meal waned in popularity, largely fading from practice until a revival in the 1990s thanks to local tourism efforts, which brought the practice to restaurants during standard dining hours. Dozens of them now serve decadent multi-course Réveillon feasts throughout most of December, turning back time to dishes from the 1800s.

Why Is Gratitude So Difficult?
When we feel grateful, we’re doing something that’s more complex than it seems.
Gratitude isn’t obviously a concept capable of generating such perplexities. But it has hidden depths. Manela is among the philosophers who believe that the single word “gratitude” actually refers to two ideas, which may or may not be related. The first is “prepositional” gratitude—gratitude to someone for something. You might be grateful to a lifeguard for saving you from drowning, for instance, or to your friend for watching your dog while you’re away. The second is “propositional” gratitude—a more general gratitude for the fact that things are the way they are. Perhaps you’re grateful for the weather on your wedding day, or grateful to be alive after a cancer scare. When you arrive at your Airbnb to find a decorative sign that says “gratitude,” the sign is probably invoking the second type of gratitude. You’re not being reminded to be grateful to the owner of the Airbnb for bestowing upon you the boon of a tidy apartment; you’re being told to be grateful for a wondrous world filled with Airbnbs.

How to raise kids who give back to the world
Optimism, not despair, is the way to inspire kids to help the future.
As a teenager, I was really serious about doing good in the world. I volunteered at my local library and as a tutor for struggling students. When an international charity came to our school and gave a presentation about starving kids overseas, I gave them all my lunch money. I was the target audience for dozens of pitches about how I, as a child, could do good in the world — from fighting climate change to ending global hunger.
Now, as an adult with my own kids to raise, I have profoundly mixed feelings about how all these important moral messages were taught to me and how I see them imparted to teenagers today. I think we can do better when we talk to kids about how to do good in the world.

There Have Been Dozens of ‘Wicked’ Interviews. Why Did This One Go Viral?
When a journalist asked the actress Cynthia Erivo about fans “holding space” for the movie’s signature song, a meme was born.
The press tour for “Wicked” has been a long blur of pink and green outfits and a seemingly endless run of interviews with the film’s two stars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.
One of their appearances, however, has stood out among the dozens of others. In a conversation that has been clipped and shared widely across social media, the journalist Tracy E. Gilchrist, reporting for Out magazine, asked Ms. Erivo to respond to an observation that she had made: “I’ve seen this week people are taking the lyrics of ‘Defying Gravity’ and really holding space with that and feeling power in that,” Ms. Gilchrist said, referring to the musical’s anthem.

Inside the World of Competitive ‘Tablescaping’
These inventive, meticulous competitors can teach us something about setting the “perfect” table.
If you look to the Los Angeles County Fair’s annual tablescaping competition for a little place-setting inspiration, you may find, among other eccentricities, a giant handmade squid pressed against a floating submarine porthole, a fake urn for a fictitious dead cat, a dozen or so dolls and the endless glittering frills of tinsel.
I’m sorry, you were expecting the quiet drama of a seasonal floral arrangement? Maybe some muted tablecloths and tapered candles? These are not those kinds of tables. These are extravagant, excessive and technically precise set pieces that some contestants will spend all year designing and crafting.
“People think it’s trivial,” said Ava Tramer, a film and television writer who started competing in 2018. “But I take the idea of getting everything right and respecting the sport very seriously.”

Transforming Daniel Craig Into a Very Grimy William Burroughs
The clothes in Luca Guadagnino’s new film “Queer” are almost entirely from the 1950s. So don’t expect them to look spotless.
“Queer” the director Luca Guadagnino’s new film, is a tale of misplaced affection. It is also a movie that will leave neat freaks clutching their Tide pens.
Led by Daniel Craig at his elastic, drunken best, “Queer” follows Lee, a drug-addled older man who falls catastrophically in love with the much younger Allerton (played by Drew Starkey) in the steamy heat of 1950s Mexico. It morphs into a road film as the pair traverse the fecund South American jungle in search of ayahuasca. Along the way, their clothes acquire so many oil stains, sweat marks, muddy prints and smudges of unspecified origin that the audience can practically feel the grime through the screen.
“There’s nothing worse when you watch a film and it looks like it’s just been pressed,” said Jonathan Anderson, the fashion designer who was the film’s costume designer.

The 99 Best Movies of 1999, Ranked
From ‘Phantom Menace’ to ‘The Matrix,’ ‘Fight Club’ to ‘The Virgin Suicides’ — we rank the standouts of a truly outstanding year at the movies
Maybe the thought first occurred to you during the end of March, when a graceful, modern update of a Shakespearean comedy and a groundbreaking science-fiction movie opened on the same weekend. Or perhaps it was the wave of summer releases that hit screens, from the single most anticipated blockbuster ever to Stanley Kubrick’s swan song, that made you think something special was starting to happen. Or it could have been the tsunami of zeitgeist-surfing movies — all from a generation of filmmakers who, having come out of the Sundance labs and/or cut their teeth on music videos, would resurrect the maverick spirit of the Seventies auteurs — that convinced you that 1999 wasn’t just shaping up to be a pretty good year at the movies. It was turning into a genuinely great year at the movies.

Pedro Almodóvar and Celine Song on Love, Death, and Making Movies
Pedro Almodóvar may not have single-handedly reinvented Spanish cinema, but his subversive brand of exuberant, over-sexed, high-camp tragicomedy has become a projection of the national character. Starting in the punk, post-Francoist days of the early ’80s, the director focused his lens on highly stylized explorations of sex (Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!), romantic obsession (Law of Desire, with a smoking-hot young actor named Antonio Banderas in the role of the jealous gay killer), thorny family relations (All About My Mother), and basically any runaway plot involving cheating boyfriends, deranged exes, lost mothers, horny Madrileños, and a slapstick cameo by Rossy de Palma. In recent years, the director’s films have taken a more stoic turn. Still, nothing has prepared his fans for his latest effort: the composed yet gut-wrenching story of Martha and Ingrid, two female friends played by Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, who reconnect in late middle age as one succumbs to cancer. The Room Next Door is the director’s very first English-language film and much of it was shot in and around New York City. Fitting, then, that on a recent visit back for the New York Film Festival, Almodóvar took a break to talk with director Celine Song about love, death, and the difference between American and Spanish actors.

4 Things You Should Never Do to Your Thanksgiving Turkey
Avoid these easy-to-make mistakes and enjoy a perfect roasted bird at your feast.
You may dream of hosting a magical holiday celebration, but now is not the time for magical thinking. No matter how breathtaking your centerpiece or how creamy your mashed potatoes, there’s simply no substitute for thorough advance planning and careful organization when it comes to hosting a big occasion.
The turkey is the diva of the dinner, taking up the most space, demanding the most preparation time and attention, boasting a well-earned reputation for being temperamental and unpredictable, and ultimately occupying center stage on the table. For all these reasons, it’s vital to have a prep plan and a schedule for your turkey’s starring role. Here’s how to stay one step ahead—and avoid the simple mistakes that can lead to culinary catastrophe.

How Your Seating Arrangement Can Create a More Peaceful Thanksgiving Dinner
Interior design expert Gabrielle Santiago shares her tips for crafting a welcoming atmosphere that encourages positive interactions at the table.
Navigating family gatherings, especially during an election year, can be challenging when differing opinions come to the forefront. Here, I’m offering some essential tips for crafting a welcoming atmosphere that encourages positive interactions while subtly discouraging tension at the Thanksgiving table. By thoughtfully designing your table setting, you can significantly influence the overall tone of your Thanksgiving gathering.

15 Answers to Your Most Common Thanksgiving Dinner Conundrums
Thanksgiving solved! We have the answers to your most common questions, from how to carve a turkey to managing oven space.
Thanksgiving comes but once a year, and that’s why cooking this holiday feast can feel like such a challenge. For many home cooks, it’s easily the largest meal they ever prepare, and that unfamiliarity can feel overwhelming: There’s a good chance guests will be in attendance, so home cooks are tasked with serving more people than they’re used to (as well as finding enough dinner plates and dessert forks to accommodate their entire guest list) and cooking and baking dishes larger in size.
There’s also the turkey to think about. It still rules the Thanksgiving dinner table, and if you’re not adept at preparing a large bird, the process can be daunting. Whether you’re putting together a full holiday meal with the entire family or celebrating Friendsgiving with your inner circle, there’s still the feeling that the menu is not complete unless it’s centered around the turkey, so you surely want yours to shine. But how much turkey do you really need, and how can you fit it into the refrigerator ahead of Thanksgiving Thursday? Do you need to carve it, or will a guest step up to the platter?
Our sage advice is gathered here. Simply find your question and get our Thanksgiving wisdom. Then, go forth and prepare (and enjoy!) a delicious, flawless holiday feast.

How to Clean Plastic Food Containers (Including Stubborn Stains), According to Industry Pros
Bring on the tomato sauce.
For many of us, plastic food storage containers are a kitchen staple, keeping our leftovers fresh and weekly meal prep organized. However, stubborn stains, lingering odors, and greasy residues can turn our convenient food storage solution into a source of frustration. Foods with vibrant colors such as tomato-based sauces, red veggies, and curries containing turmeric often leave their mark, turning your favorite containers into grimy eyesores. But learning how to clean plastic storage containers effectively isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s also essential for extending the lifespan of your kitchen storage products.
Ahead, we’ll explore simple yet effective cleaning methods recommended by experts—from everyday upkeep to tackling tough stains and odors. With a few practical tips and tricks, you can keep your plastic containers spotless and odor-free and your leftovers fresh.

[Photo Credit: michaelisboyd.com]

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