T LOunge for January 24th 2024

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PinAquaz Restaurant – Santorini, Greece

From sun up to sunset, your day is set. Take a seat. It’s FRIDAY. You’ve earned the sea air.

After The Crown, meet Ena. As Spain’s new royal drama delves into an ‘unknown’ period of Spanish history, Tatler reveals the true tragic story of its mysterious lead role – Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg
Queen Victoria loved Victoria Eugenie as if she were her mother, but the political turmoil of 20th century Europe was not as kind to the young royal – as Ena promises a Spanish answer to The Crown, Tatler looks through her life
From assassination attempts to dynastic diseases, the life of Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg was rife with royal drama. No wonder, then, that Ena, a new biopic based on her British upbringing as the granddaughter of Queen Victoria and her own turbulent reign as the Queen of Spain, has got everybody talking. Could it fill the regal gap left by The Crown? The Spanish series, unveiled at Mipcom in Cannes, lurches from fairy tale to family tragedy and political thriller – just like the life of its subject. But who was the real Victoria Eugenie?

The waifish bro appeal of Timothée Chalamet
His Oscar strategy is to be a weird little dude. It’s working surprisingly well.
Timothée Chalamet scored the second Oscar nomination of his young career this week, and he’s a favorite to take home the trophy. In many ways, his work as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown is classic Oscars fare: an Academy darling who donned prosthetics and learned how to play the guitar for his turn as a musical icon. Yet all the same, as Chalamet campaigns assiduously for the trophy, the publicity offense he’s mounting doesn’t look quite like traditional Oscars campaigns do.

What ‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emilia Pérez’ AI Controversy Means for the Oscars
It’s a lot bigger than you think.
After a few L.A. fire-related delays, the 2025 Oscar nominations have finally been announced, and—surprise, surprise—The Brutalist has emerged as a front-runner with 10 nominations, including Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress. But just because it’s nominated doesn’t mean the film will leave with any golden statues come Oscar night. In fact, the film’s Oscar chances are currently up in the air, thanks to a recent controversy surrounding The Brutalist’s use of Artificial Intelligence.

Cynthia Erivo Is Just One Award Away From EGOT Status
Here are the trophies she’s collected so far.
Cynthia Erivo is taking flight this award season. Thanks to her bewitching turn as Elphaba in Wicked, the British actress has been racking up nominations left and right, as well as dominating the box office and our TikTok ‘For You’ pages. But yesterday, Erivo earned her biggest Wicked honour yet: an Oscar nomination. This marks her third nod from the Academy, following two in 2020 for lead actress and original song for Harriet.
If Erivo takes home this Oscar, she’ll have a lot more to celebrate: It would make her the youngest EGOT winner in history, according to Entertainment Weekly. Currently, that title is held by John Legend, songwriter Robert Lopez, and songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Erivo—a stage performer, recording artist, and actress—has already garnered an Emmy, Grammy, and Tony; all she needs is an Oscar to complete the quartet.

Björk Is Hopeful for Our Planet
Björk is optimistic about our planet’s future. In the face of seemingly constant environmental disasters, her outlook goes against the public sentiment of many. “The nihilism, the self-pity, it’s like it’s cool to give up,” Björk says, a slight chuckle in her voice. “I don’t think it’s cool to give up.”
This optimism in the Icelandic artist’s worldview is stark and refreshing; it’s also integral to her work. Most recently, she completed the film version of Cornucopia (available for streaming January 24 on Apple TV), a four-year-long “digital theater” tour that made stops in four continents and totaled 45 shows. Originally premiering at New York City’s The Shed in May 2019, Cornucopia took a full two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions, eventually finishing in Bordeaux in December 2023.

I swear by these 6 clever tips to make my manicure last longer—and they’ve been approved by the experts
Go longer between salon appointments
As much as I love keeping up with the latest nail trends and the look and feel of freshly manicured nails, I have to admit, occasionally I find the whole process a bit of a chore. As a die-hard BIAB fan girl, achieving a fresh set involves a nail appointment every few weeks and when you add to that the time it takes not only to travel to the salon but also to select the perfect nail look to recreate ahead of my visit (arguably the most time-consuming part), it’s not always the most time effective of treatments.

These two top hairstylists just confirmed fringes are back in a *big* way for 2025; here’s how to wear them
If you’re thinking about bangs, nows the time
Over the last several months, I’ve written my fair share of hair trend reports for the new year. And while bobs are still making waves and soft mullets are having a clear moment, there’s one hairstyle (or perhaps, accessory to a hairstyle)on everyone’s lips: the humble fringe.
For 2025, fringes have made the ultimate return (did they ever leave?!). Enough to terrify any commitment-phobe, getting a fringe cut in once was seen as an act of chaos and confusion (going through a breakup? Cut in bangs as an act of defiance.). But no more: in 2024, it seemed not a cool girl around hadn’t experimented with some form of fringe, be it full, side-swept or mini.

I tried Pilates toe taps every day for a week after my instructor recommended it – and I’m blown away
One of the OG Pilates moves.
Pilates was the workout of 2024, and we’re not expecting it to go anywhere this year. With more and more variations cropping up for us to try (from wall Pilates, to Reformer, to HIIT Pilates and more), I think there’s something to be said for bringing it back to basics and focusing on individual Pilates exercises. Don’t get me wrong, I love trying a new Pilates workout, but by committing to practising individual exercises, we set ourselves up for better form, and stronger foundations, down the line.
Take the humble Pilates toe taps, for example. They’re a beginner-friendly move that research shows strengthens our core, supports our spine, and improves our pelvic stability.

The ‘French tip lip combo’ makeup trick will go down in beauty history
You can’t persuade us otherwise.
Red lips have been left behind, but the liner and gloss duo that’s ruled the 2020s has got a new name – The French tip lip combo – and we can never un-hear it.
Coined by TikTok user DaMenace, who captioned his post “idk what it’s called that’s the best way I can explain it,” he posted a video declaring: “You know what I love about the girls so much? When y’all doing that lil thing with your lips, when y’all put the outline on there with the lipgloss in the middle, giving like French tip lip combo? Oh my God…”

12 celebrity engagement manicures, from Zendaya to Selena
Give us the inside scoop.
I don’t know about you, but whenever anyone gets engaged I want to know two things: what do the ring and nails look like? Celebrity engagement manicures give us a glimpse behind the most special occasion (and one of the most important manis) in that person’s life – and stranger or not, we want the inside scoop.
It’s an intimate moment, but it also has the opportunity to be an inspirational one too, giving us creative fodder for our own future nuptials or simply providing a cute moment of joy from one person to another that we can share in.

Kim Chi and Sundae Flowers Launch Korean-Inspired Edibles
PAPER caught up with the international drag icon ahead of the launch of her collaboration with the fashion brand Sundae School, which turned its Korean streetwear infused brand into cannabis hotspot Sundae Flowers. The yuzu- and kimchi-infused edibles are launching with the campaign “Kim Chi Over Flowers” – a play on the legendary K-drama masterpiece Boys Over Flowers – pulling inspiration from everything Kim Chi loves and has become known for throughout her drag career. Reference points include vintage comics, Korean pop culture and, most importantly here, delicious food.

Demi Moore’s Oscar Nom Morning: “Screaming,” a Ryan Murphy Phone Call, and a Bittersweet Reality Check
“I have Ryan Murphy calling me on the other line,” she told Vanity Fair moments after her first career Oscar nomination was announced. “I’ll have to call him right back.”
Demi Moore is officially an Oscar nominee. The Hollywood icon broke into the industry by making box-office hits and starring in films that won her collaborators awards (Ghost, A Few Good Men)—but as she said when she won the best-actress Golden Globe earlier this month, until now, she hadn’t ever won an award for her acting. Now, for her gonzo, moving, career-best performance in the body-horror satire The Substance, the actress is a front-runner to go all the way at the Oscars in a competitive best-actress field. Her film is also nominated for best picture, director, and screenplay. (The latter two both went to filmmaker Coralie Fargeat.)

55 Must-Watch Movies Based on True Stories
Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.
We love a great story, and from romances, to comedies, to thrillers, cinematic history is packed with plenty of them. Yet, surprisingly, some of the greatest stories ever filmed aren’t pure fiction at all—in fact, some of the most resounding tales owe their inspiration of real life being even more dramatic than anything you could imagine. No matter what kind of film you’re looking for—a period piece, perhaps? A stirring biopic? An edge of your seat crime drama?—these ripped-from-reality movies will have you in awe, and no doubt send you searching for even more about the real stories that inspired them. Here, some of the greatest films of all time based on true stories.

Karla Sofía Gascón Just Made History as the First Out Trans Actress to be Nominated for an Oscar
The Academy has recognized just two trans performers before her.
The 2025 Oscar nominations are out, and we already have something to celebrate. Karla Sofía Gascón, who played the title role in Emilia Pérez, was nominated for best lead actress, making her the first out trans woman to receive the honor. She is up against Cynthia Erivo for Wicked, Mikey Madison for Anora, Demi Moore for The Substance, and Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here.
Gascón is not the first trans person who’s been nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ever. Before coming out and before his transition, Elliot Page was nominated in the same category for his work in Juno, and the singer Anohni was nominated for Best Original Song in 2016, but she decided to skip the ceremony after not being invited to perform, per NPR. Still, if Gascón wins (and she has a good chance!), she will make history as the first out trans Oscar winner ever.

Why You Should Consider Paying Cash at a Restaurant
The convenience of cashless payments comes at an increasingly hefty price for small business owners.
For many restaurant operators, rent is one of the top monthly expenses. But for Jordan Rubin, the chef/owner of Mr. Tuna and co-owner of Bar Futo and Crispy Gai in Portland, Maine, the cost of rent is dwarfed by another expense.
“Credit card fees are our third largest cost behind labor and food costs,” he says. “We are spending over double our rent on credit card fees every month.”
While diners might not realize it, every time they swipe their credit card at a restaurant, they’re contributing to a mounting financial burden for many independent restaurants. Credit card processing fees typically range from 2% to 3.5% per transaction (plus in many cases, a per-swipe fee of about 30 cents).

Sake Is Sacred in Japan — Here’s Where to Sip at the Spiritual Source
If you really want to learn about sake, immerse in its birthplace.
Last December, when the traditional knowledge and techniques of making Japanese sake with kōji mold were added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the organization noted that sake is “viewed as a sacred gift from deities.” It wasn’t just a turn of phrase. In Japan the origin of sake is deeply rooted in mythology and relationships with kami, Japanese gods. Perhaps nowhere in Japan is this reverence felt more deeply than in Izumo in Shimane Prefecture, where ancient tales name it as the birthplace of doburuku (raw, unfiltered) sake.

Where to Taste the Best Clam Chowder in Boston
Seek out the thick, creamy, smoky cure to cold days in New England.
“Clam chowder is a religion in these parts,” says Kathy Sidell, owner of Saltie Girl restaurant in Boston’s Back Bay. With each spoonful, the best clam chowder in Boston grounds you in coastal Massachusetts — “the mudflats in Ipswich and the North Shore where the clams are freshly dug. It’s thick, creamy, clammy, briny, smoky personality cures a cold winter day in the Northeast.”
Of course, she’s describing New England clam chowder, rich with heavy cream unlike Rhode Island’s clear clam chowder or the other popular chowder that’s reddened with tomatoes. “Don’t even mention Manhattan,” she scoffs, a sentiment common to those who grew up in New England.

Let One of the Greatest Writers of the 20th Century Teach You How to Drink Scotch
From the Food & Wine archives, Kingsley Amis delves into the history of Scotch-making and how best to enjoy it.
The origins of Scotch are unknown. During his invasion of Ireland in the year 1170, Richard Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, is said to have noticed that the inhabitants were drinking whiskey as well as being killed by his troops. So the Irish would have had plenty of time to teach the Scots the process of distilling in the three-plus centuries that elapsed before the first authenticated mention of what sounds like Scotch. But did they? Were they in a position to? Who could have taught the Irish in the first place? And if they did not teach the Scots, could the English have passed along the discovery without making any use of it themselves till they started producing gin four or five centuries later? Or did the Scots learn from the French, distillers of brandy since roughly the time of Strongbow and allies of Scotland against aggressive England through the same period?

Dolly Parton’s Sweet New Breakfast Syrup and Baking Mixes Are Here
And the packaging is perfect.
Attention Dolly Parton fans and sweets fans: You’re both about to be equally delighted.
In January, Parton returned to the baking scene with the latest additions to her Dolly x Duncan Hines empire. This time, it includes a brand-new syrup that will make your breakfast even better.
The new Original Syrup (selling for $4.29), Parton’s website explains, “is irresistibly sweet” and is the “perfect pairing” for pancakes and waffles. However, the Tennessee-born country legend added that you shouldn’t “be afraid to get creative by adding it to oatmeal, biscuits, French toast, pastries, and so much more.”
And here’s the best part: The syrup comes in adorable guitar packaging that will brighten up your pantry and maybe make you belt out a Parton tune or two.

BBC, Sky Arts Docs Explore How the Nazis “Weaponized” Music at Auschwitz
‘The Lost Music of Auschwitz’ and ‘The Last Musician of Auschwitz,’ airing in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the camp, also look at the hope music gave its prisoners.
Music played at the Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, the 80th anniversary of whose liberation is being remembered on Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday, is the focus of two films on British TV, namely public broadcaster BBC and Comcast’s Sky.
Both films explore the roles that music and the as many as 15 orchestras formed there played at Auschwitz where more than 1.1 million people lost their lives, including how musicians had to perform march music as other prisoners in the camp had to leave for work early in the morning and return late or play for the entertainment of Nazi officers.

‘I’m Still Here’ Star Fernanda Torres Repeats Mother’s Historic Best Actress Nom
The Brazilian star’s mother secured an Academy Award nomination for best actress 26 years ago.
Fernanda Torres‘ mom must be so proud.
On Thursday, the star of Walter Salles‘ period drama I’m Still Here, repeated her mother Fernanda Montenegro’s historic achievement from 1999 (for Central Station) becoming only the second Brazilian to be nominated by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in the best actress category. (Ms. Montenegro lost out to Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love.)
Torres is up against Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón, Wicked‘s Cynthia Erivo, Mikey Madison for Anora, and Demi Moore for The Substance in the category. Earlier this month, the 59-year-old was the surprise winner of the best actress Golden Globe in the drama category, beating out boldface names including Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Tilda Swinton, Pamela Anderson, and Kate Winslet.

When You Should Rinse Canned Beans, According to an Expert
Sometimes you need to and sometimes it isn’t necessary.
Canned beans can quite simply save the day. Even when compared to other powerhouse pantry ingredients, few are as versatile and nutritious as the mighty bean. They are inexpensive and widely available, and many varieties of beans come canned. But do you need to rinse canned beans? It’s a question asked by many, even sparking some controversy. We spoke to a canned bean expert to learn what that mysterious liquid is and if draining and rinsing the beans is necessary. And if so, when should and shouldn’t you?

These Homemade Air Fresheners Will Make Your Space Smell Clean
Try these tips for DIY air fresheners made from ingredients like eucalyptus, lemon, and vinegar.
Smells are everywhere in our homes and, sometimes, they aren’t all too fresh. Before you reach for a store-bought cleaner, consider using a do-it-yourself, green alternative. You’ve probably used baking soda to freshen up your fridge, but there are plenty of other products you can use to deodorize your home and give it a clean scent. Whether you’re trying to get rid of the food smells that linger or just looking to purify the air in general, try one of these homemade air fresheners.

Are All-White Kitchens Losing Their Appeal? Interior Designers Weigh In
All-white kitchens are being warmed up with earthy tones and wood accents.
All-white kitchens are undeniably classic. Crisp, bright, and fresh, they’re the place you can imagine whipping up perfect batches of chocolate chip cookies or entertaining your family for the holidays.
But after years of stark white cabinetry and gleaming kitchen countertops, are homeowners starting to get bored with the all-white look? Or do all-white kitchens just need a little something modern to feel more relevant?
We asked the experts to weigh in on whether all-white kitchens are going out of style and how to make them feel less dated.

How to Make Flower Food—the Secret to Long-Lasting Bouquets
Keep your blooms healthy and vibrant for longer with this 3-ingredient DIY flower food formula.
Whether you’re unwrapping a beautiful bunch of flowers purchased at the market or a bouquet shipped to your door, most flower arrangements come with a small packet of flower food. This powder contains specially formulated ingredients to help your blooms thrive for longer. But if you’re making a bouquet with flowers from your garden, you can easily DIY your own flower food. Ahead, floral experts break down the ingredients in flower food and share a few methods to make your own at home.

Over or Under? Charmin Settles the ‘How to Hang Toilet Paper’ Debate
Because who better to ask than an actual TP brand?
Toilet paper is a hot topic, especially when it comes to the right way to hang it. The “over or under” dispute can become a matter of contention between even spouses, with heated arguments reaching a stubborn impasse over which is the definitive way to hang one’s TP. It seems that just as many people argue in favor of “under” as they do for “over. ” The debate can get as fraught and ongoing as arguments over how to load a dishwasher.
To (hopefully) put the argument to rest, we took it to the experts at Charmin—because who better to ask how to hang toilet paper than an actual TP brand? After all, there has to be a definitively correct way. (Right?)

12 U.S. National Parks You Can Visit Without a Car
Thanks to public transit systems and private tours, you can experience these national parks without having to drive.
Several parks have their own robust networks of (often free) shuttles, while others sit enticingly close to commercial airports, cruise ports, and train stations. So, while visiting national parks without a car may not be common, it’s certainly doable — and the National Park Service points out that it has historical precedent, too.
“For over 150 years, from horse-drawn stagecoaches to electric shuttle buses, public modes of transportation have helped visitors experience the wonders of national parks,” says Kathy Kupper, a public affairs specialist with the NPS. More than 30 million people used NPS transit systems in 2023, she adds, and that doesn’t even account for the many more who use other train, plane, or bus networks to reach their desired destinations.

How to Spend 3 Days in Wisconsin’s Door County — Cherry Orchards, Quaint Villages, and Pristine Shores Included
Wisconsin’s Door County is where Scandinavian hygge meets Midwestern charm.
About 30,000 people live on the peninsula year-round, a third of them in and around the city of Sturgeon Bay. But in tourist season, the population explodes: the county sees about 2.5 million visitors a year, who go for its natural beauty, fresh air, and Wisconsin’s nostalgic lake culture. A three-hour drive from my home in Madison, Door County offered me the chance to show my mom a different side of Wisconsin, one that isn’t all dairy farms and Packers games. It was a place to slow down and spend a weekend exploring an endless shoreline.

This National Park in Belize Is Rooted in Sacred Mayan Healing Traditions — What It’s Like to Visit
A national park in Belize has deep roots in Mayan healing traditions.
Smoke curled around my body as Maria Garcia, a Yucatec Maya healer, walked around me in circles, swinging a pail of incense. I closed my eyes and inhaled the spicy fragrance — copal resin mixed with cinnamon and rosemary — while Garcia brushed my limbs with a bundle of piper amalago leaves. The plant, part of the family that includes common black pepper, is sacred to the Maya for its healing properties. “We use it like a brush to remove all of the negativity,” Garcia said. “You give all that’s not good to the plant and the plant gives you its energy.”

[Photo Credit: sunrockssantorini.com, 10deka.com]

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