Courtney B. Vance on book bans, protests in Los Angeles, and narrating the audiobook of the biography of W.E.B. Du Bois
Laura sits down with award-winning actor Courtney B. Vance to talk about his latest role narrating the new audiobook of "W.E.B. Du Bois: Biography of a Race". Vance also discusses the rise of book bans and the deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles.
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CNN
32 minutes ago
- CNN
Remember Anna Wintour's shocking first Vogue cover?
By today's standards, the front cover of American Vogue's November 1988 edition seems typical enough. Beside the text 'the real cost of looking good,' Israeli model Michaela Bercu gazes past the camera, her windswept hair brushing across the shoulders of a bejeweled $10,000 Christian Lacroix couture jacket. Yet, the cover signaled a revolution at the storied fashion bible. It also marked two important — and related — firsts: This was the first Vogue cover produced by editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and the first ever to feature a pair of jeans. London-born Wintour, who on Thursday stepped down from the role after 37 years (she will remain as Vogue's global editorial director and publisher Condé Nast's global chief content officer), had been hired to shake things up. The magazine's previous editor, Grace Mirabella, oversaw a surge in readership but was, by her own admission, increasingly out of step with the 1980s zeitgeist. Condé Nast executives were reportedly worried the title was losing its edge. Mirabella had famously repainted former editor Diana Vreeland's red office a shade of beige, which became a metaphor for her reputation as being too unadventurous. Practically every American Vogue cover from 1980 to 1988 had been taken by Richard Avedon, a fashion photographer known for his stark, minimalist style. Models were usually shot against plain studio backgrounds in heavy makeup and statement jewelry. The covers were self-consciously elegant, standing aloof from the more mainstream women's weeklies they shared newsstands with. By contrast, Wintour's debut was warm and easygoing. German photographer Peter Lindbergh held the shoot outdoors rather than in a controlled studio; Bercu's eyes were neither fully open nor looking directly at the camera. As a result, she came across as a glamorous everywoman. Wintour's unpretentious approach was seemingly epitomized by another coverline on that first issue: 'Paris couture: haut but not haughty.' 'It looked easy, casual, a moment that had been snapped on the street, which it had been, and which was the whole point,' Wintour recalled in a Vogue feature marking publication's 120th anniversary. Then there were the jeans. These were not a high-fashion label's take on Americana, they were stonewashed denim pants straight from Guess. Having launched less than a decade earlier, the denim brand's highest-profile moment at that point had come courtesy of Michael J. Fox, who wore a pair of Guess jeans as Marty McFly in 1985's 'Back to the Future.' As such, both in style and styling, Wintour's first cover was a major statement — one that set the tone for hundreds of issues to follow. She went on to forge an editorial identity her predecessors might have looked down on, from spotlighting pop culture icons to featuring a man on the cover (Richard Gere, who appeared alongside then-wife Cindy Crawford). But there was an element of luck behind her debut issue, too. Wintour has since revealed that the jeans were a last-minute decision forced upon the shoot's stylist, Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, by unforeseen circumstances. Bercu was initially wearing a full Christian Lacroix suit comprising the beaded jacket (which Wintour described as 'all very 'Like a Prayer'') and a skirt, but the latter didn't fit properly. '(Bercu) had been on vacation back home in Israel and had gained a little weight,' Wintour recounted in the 2012 Vogue feature, before qualifying: 'Not that that mattered. In fact, it only served to reinforce the idea to take couture's haughty grandeur and playfully throw it headlong into real life and see what happened.' Wintour has since recalled that the magazine's printers were so surprised by the front cover that they called to see whether it had been sent in error. The veteran editor also played down the intention behind the image, though she surely knew, better than most, that magazines are judged by their covers. 'Afterwards, in the way that these things can happen, people applied all sorts of interpretations: It was about mixing high and low, Michaela was pregnant, it was a religious statement. But none of these things was true,' she said. 'I had just looked at that picture and sensed the winds of change. And you can't ask for more from a cover image than that.'
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chet Hanks Gives Tom Hanks a Shoutout For Appearing in His Music Video: ‘Love You, Dad'
Chet Hanks is thankful to get to work on the "Forrest Gump"-themed music video for his band's new album with "the most easygoing dude ever" — his Oscar-winning dad. Chet Hanks, 34, who makes up half the country music duo Something Out West with musician Drew Arthur, spoke on TODAY June 24 about his father, Tom Hanks, appearing in the video for their song "You Better Run." "Oh, man, he's a real prima donna," Hanks joked to Jenna Bush Hager and guest co-host Niecy Nash-Betts about working with his father. "I'm just kidding. He's the most easygoing dude ever. Love you, Dad." Chet Hanks re-creates his father's title character in "Forrest Gump" in multiple scenes in the video for "You Better Run," which dropped in March. At the end of the clip, Tom Hanks pops up next to him on a bench. Arthur recalled the surreal feeling of being on the set with the two-time Oscar winner for the video. "It was funny because I had to do a scene before him, and he's just standing there. And I was like, 'Tom was waiting for me,'" Arthur said. Chet Hanks is the third of four children Tom Hanks shares with wife Rita Wilson, whom he married in 1988. Chet Hanks and Arthur performed their song "Leaving Hollywood" on TODAY from their new EP of the same title. The country music sound is a departure from Hanks' previous musical releases as a rapper. "I think it was necessary," Hanks said about changing genres. "Not that I don't love rap still because I do, but when I got sober I had to switch it up. There was too much association with my old (life)." Arthur is "almost 10 years sober" and said the duo have "been having each other's back" in maintaining their sobriety. Hanks has also gotten back into the family business, as he played Travis Bugg, the point guard for the fictional Los Angeles Waves, on the Netflix sports comedy hit "Running Point," starring Kate Hudson. "It's about time," Hanks said about having a moment as an actor. "It's been a long road. I'm grateful for everything that's happened and where I'm at." This article was originally published on
CNN
38 minutes ago
- CNN
Twin waterspouts spotted in Florida
Twin waterspouts spotted in Florida Twin waterspouts were seen from Bradenton, Florida, just south of Tampa Bay, on June 22. 00:30 - Source: CNN Vertical Trending Now 17 videos Twin waterspouts spotted in Florida Twin waterspouts were seen from Bradenton, Florida, just south of Tampa Bay, on June 22. 00:30 - Source: CNN NBA Draft 2025: Here's what you need to know From Cooper Flagg's No. 1 selection and China's rising star Yang Hansen — here's what you need to know about the 2025 NBA Draft. 00:52 - Source: CNN Astronauts launch to space station after delay Axiom Space Mission 4 launched four astronauts from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The flight comes after an extended delay triggered by tests related to leaks plaguing the International Space Station. The group is expected to be in space for two weeks to help carry out about 60 experiments before returning home. 00:32 - Source: CNN New Yorkers, visitors cope with heat wave New York City nearly hit 100 degrees for the first time in over a decade on Tuesday. The city's last triple-digit temperature happened on July 18, 2012, but it hasn't been 100 degrees in June since 1966 – nearly 60 years ago. 00:47 - Source: CNN Why Japan has a rice crisis Rice prices in Japan have nearly doubled in the past year, exacerbating the country's cost of living crisis. CNN's Hanako Montgomery explains how this rice crisis emerged. 01:17 - Source: CNN Brad Pitt gets candid about recovery Brad Pitt opened up about his recovery experience in an interview on 'Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard.' 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Rubin Observatory released its first images, showcasing millions of galaxies. The images are also expected to reveal thousands of previously unknown space objects. 01:07 - Source: CNN Iconic taxi may vanish forever Hong Kong's government announced the shift away from the city's iconic red taxis toward multicolored electric and hybrid vehicles. Toronto native Alan Wu has refurbished one to keep the nostalgia alive for himself and others among the city's diaspora. 01:58 - Source: CNN Caves near China's 'Avatar Mountains' found packed with decade-old trash A hidden environmental crisis is unfolding in ancient caves near China's Zhangjiajie Forest Park, famed for its massive quartz-sandstone pillar formations, which are said to have inspired the floating scenery that appears in the 2009 Hollywood blockbuster 'Avatar.' Viral social media videos showing piles of trash in the area, some reportedly dumped over a decade ago, are prompting a mass cleanup of the karst caves. 00:59 - Source: CNN 50 years of 'Jaws' and shark attacks As Steven Spielberg's summer blockbuster 'Jaws' turns 50, CNN's Harry Enten figures out how likely it is to be attacked by a shark and whether we should fear the waters. 01:57 - Source: CNN The NHL Stanley Cup's perfect imperfections The Stanley Cup is one of the most iconic trophies in all of sports, but one of the reasons the NHL's championship trophy is so lionized is its perfect imperfections. CNN's Coy Wire spoke to The Keeper of the Cup Howie Borrow for a tour of some of the trophy's character-building bloopers. 01:02 - Source: CNN Storm chaser captures 'unprecedented' view of monster hailstones falling from sky Storm chaser and research scientist Sean Waugh has documented softball sized (or greater) hailstones in freefall with an ultra-high-tech camera mounted on a retrofitted research vehicle. The goal – to study and better understand what makes gigantic hail form, and how to better detect it and ultimately improve severe weather warnings. Sean speaks with CNN Meteorologist Derek Van Dam while on the road, capturing imagery of this very impactful and expensive natural phenomenon. (edited) 01:47 - Source: CNN Flash flood destroys apartment building An apartment building in West Virginia partially collapsed as flash floods hit the area. The governor's office said at least five people are dead and four people remain missing following the floods. 00:31 - Source: CNN After talking to hundreds of dads, this podcaster shares his two biggest lessons Dr. John Delony speaks to millions of listeners on his popular podcast about mental health, family and relationships. As a therapist, he's used to offering advice to struggling fathers, but we asked him about the biggest lessons he's learned as a dad. 01:32 - Source: CNN
