Latest news with #Beckerman
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Katie Pandolfo Named G.M. of L.A.'s Crypto.com Arena
Katie Pandolfo has been promoted to general manager of Arena, home to the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, NHL's Kings, WNBA's Sparks and the Grammy Awards, AEG announced Thursday. Pandolfo comes from another AEG property, Dignity Health Sports Park in nearby Carson, where she also served as G.M. since 2009 after starting there in 2004. More from The Hollywood Reporter Weezer Bassist Scott Shriner's Wife Shot During L.A. Police Chase, Authorities Say Minivan Crashes Into Crowd Near Downtown Los Angeles' Fashion District, Injuring Nine Pedestrians Papa Roach Marks 25th Anniversary With L.A. Concert: "It's a Celebration of Life" During her tenure, the 125-acre campus — host of Los Angeles Galaxy MLS matches — hosted seven MLS Cup championship contests, Olympic and World Cup qualifying soccer matches, three seasons of Los Angeles Chargers NFL football (while SoFi Stadium was being built) and championship boxing. Pandolfo will oversee day-to-day operations of the busy Arena and report directly to AEG president and CEO Dan Beckerman. 'Katie brings a wealth of experience to this role having guided the operations and management of Dignity Health Sports Park for over two decades,' Beckerman said in a statement. 'She is a talented leader with a proven track record of success in delivering world class events and an incredible reputation for guiding and motivating her team.' 'Her dedication and passion will be invaluable assets in leading Arena into the future, especially as the arena continues to build its legacy as a premier sports and entertainment destination with high-profile global events on the horizon, including the 2026 Grammy Awards, the 2027 NCAA regional men's basketball tournament and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic games.' Pandolfo takes over for the retiring Lee Zeidman on June 1. Zeidman, who has served as G.M. of Arena since the building opened in October 1999 as Staples Center, will remain as an adviser during a transition period. 'Lee has made an indelible and lasting impact on AEG, Arena and the city of Los Angeles, and his retirement later this year will mark the end of a remarkable chapter in his career,' Beckerman noted. 'I am grateful for Lee's friendship and support over these many years and wholeheartedly thank him for his years of leadership and numerous contributions.' Pandolfo is a founding member of the Women's Leadership Council at AEG and serves on the L.A. Sports and Entertainment Commission and the City of Carson's Economic Development Commission. With the promotion, Pandolfo — who was raised in Chicago and worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers after graduating from St. Norbert College in Wisconsin — will become the rare sports exec to have experience working with teams from the MLB, NFL, MLS, NHL and NBA. 'I am excited to join the talented team at Arena and look forward to collaborating with the arena's management team and partners to continue delivering exceptional experiences that shape the future of culture and entertainment,' she said. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Place of Politics in Fiction
This is an edition of the Books Briefing, our editors' weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here. Novelists are an opinionated lot. They often say things, write essays, and sign petitions reflecting political positions that many of their biggest fans might not like. One of the best things about fiction is that it can convey higher (or at least more complicated) truths than even the author knows. A reader doesn't have to sign on to V. S. Naipaul's sometimes odious beliefs about postcolonial societies to take pleasure in his language and characters, or support a boycott of Israel, as Rachel Kushner publicly has, to find in her novel Creation Lake a nuanced but withering portrayal of both extractive capitalists and callow activists. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie self-consciously embodies this split between the novelist and polemicist. Her new novel, Dream Count, is her first in a dozen years—a period during which she wrote and spoke frequently about feminism, grief, and political dogmas. In a conversation this week with the Atlantic staff writer Gal Beckerman, Adichie explained how her novel departs from her beliefs, and why that's a good thing. She also made clear that compartmentalizing her ideas of 'what the world should be' is not as easy as it might seem. First, here are four new stories from The Atlantic's Books Section: Chimamanda Adichie's fiction has shed its optimism Why the Trump administration canceled me The unlikely friendship behind an Oscar favorite 'Amphigory': A poem by David Eileen Both Beckerman and Tyler Austin Harper, who also wrote about Dream Count this week, cite an offhand, possibly facetious statement that Adichie made in 2016: 'We women should spend about 20 percent of our time on men, because it's fun, but otherwise we should be talking about other stuff.' Why, in defiance of this feminist assertion, are men so prominent in her new book, they wonder? Because 'I don't want to write about women's lives as I wish they were,' she told Beckerman. Instead, the novel tries to imagine actual women interacting with actual men. In fact, Adichie has strong opinions on the question of politics in fiction; as she told Beckerman, she believes that many writers are prone to 'ideological conformity,' which can hobble their work. Perhaps she'd support this modest proposal: Fiction should spend about 20 percent of its time imagining the world as the author would like it to be. But that's easier said than done. We don't live in a time when politics can be cordoned off from art; it permeates the world, and a novel without much of it would be difficult to believe. In an author's note at the end of the book, Adichie confirms that the story of her character Kadiatou bears a close resemblance to the 2011 case of Nafissatou Diallo, the Guinean immigrant who alleged that Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, assaulted her in a New York City hotel suite. (All criminal charges against Strauss-Kahn were dismissed; he settled Diallo's civil suit against him for an undisclosed sum.) Adichie told Beckerman that she had struggled 'to write honestly' about Kadiatou, because 'I had unconscious 'noble ideas' for her.' And in the note, she admits to 'creating a fictional character as a gesture of returned dignity. Clear-eyed realism, but touched by tenderness.' So this character's journey is undeniably political, elevating the perspective of a person whose allegations against a very powerful man were shut down in the courts. But, Adichie adds, the goal is to be 'relentlessly human,' not 'ideological': Kadiatou has lost her husband, struggles with American sexual mores, longs for home. To render her carefully, Adichie tells Beckerman, she did prodigious research and watched hours of videos of Guinean women cooking. Her portrait reflects the world as Adichie wishes it were, but also shows a deep recognition of the world as it is. For a novelist, that is more than enough. Chimamanda Adichie Is a Hopeless Romantic By Gal Beckerman Discussing Dream Count, her first novel in 12 years, the Nigerian author shares her thoughts on masculinity, political chaos, and the future of fiction. Read the full article. , by Edith Wharton 'Mrs. Wharton,' reads a line in The Atlantic's review of her 1927 novel, Twilight Sleep, 'has never really descended from that plane of excellence which since its beginning has characterized her work.' Implicit in this observation: until now. Although contemporary reviewers might not have appreciated Twilight Sleep as much as they did Wharton's previous books, her 17th novel offers an updated, Jazz Age–variation on a familiar, Wharton-esque theme: social ruin. In Roaring '20s New York, Pauline Manford, the book's heroine, inoculates herself from life's unpleasantries—including her second husband's affair with his stepson's wife, Lita—with a busy social calendar, but when disaster strikes and the affair is discovered, not even Pauline's unblinking devotion to rationality, truth, and progress can soothe her emotional reaction. Named after the drug cocktail given to women in the 20th century to ward off the pains of childbirth, which brings to mind the anesthetized attitude of some of its characters, Twilight Sleep was republished in late 2024. — Rhian Sasseen From our list: Six older books that deserve to be popular today 📚 The Antidote, by Karen Russell 📚 Murder the Truth: Fear, the First Amendment, and a Secret Campaign to Protect the Powerful, by David Enrich 📚 Goddess Complex, by Sanjena Sathian Cling to Your Disgust By Spencer Kornhaber It was inauguration weekend, and I'd been sitting in a restaurant where the bartender was blasting a playlist of songs by the rapper once known as Kanye West. The music sounded, frankly, awesome. Most of the songs were from when I considered myself a fan of his, long before he rebranded as the world's most famous Hitler admirer. I hadn't heard this much Ye music played in public in years; privately, I'd mostly avoided it. But as I nodded along, I thought it might be time to redownload Yeezus. Read the full article. When you buy a book using a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic. Sign up for The Wonder Reader, a Saturday newsletter in which our editors recommend stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Explore all of our newsletters. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
The Place of Politics in Fiction
This is an edition of the Books Briefing, our editors' weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here. Novelists are an opinionated lot. They often say things, write essays, and sign petitions reflecting political positions that many of their biggest fans might not like. One of the best things about fiction is that it can convey higher (or at least more complicated) truths than even the author knows. A reader doesn't have to sign on to V. S. Naipaul's sometimes odious beliefs about postcolonial societies to take pleasure in his language and characters, or support a boycott of Israel, as Rachel Kushner publicly has, to find in her novel Creation Lake a nuanced but withering portrayal of both extractive capitalists and callow activists. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie self-consciously embodies this split between the novelist and polemicist. Her new novel, Dream Count, is her first in a dozen years—a period during which she wrote and spoke frequently about feminism, grief, and political dogmas. In a conversation this week with the Atlantic staff writer Gal Beckerman, Adichie explained how her novel departs from her beliefs, and why that's a good thing. She also made clear that compartmentalizing her ideas of 'what the world should be' is not as easy as it might seem. First, here are four new stories from The Atlantic 's Books Section: Both Beckerman and Tyler Austin Harper, who also wrote about Dream Count this week, cite an offhand, possibly facetious statement that Adichie made in 2016: 'We women should spend about 20 percent of our time on men, because it's fun, but otherwise we should be talking about other stuff.' Why, in defiance of this feminist assertion, are men so prominent in her new book, they wonder? Because 'I don't want to write about women's lives as I wish they were,' she told Beckerman. Instead, the novel tries to imagine actual women interacting with actual men. In fact, Adichie has strong opinions on the question of politics in fiction; as she told Beckerman, she believes that many writers are prone to 'ideological conformity,' which can hobble their work. Perhaps she'd support this modest proposal: Fiction should spend about 20 percent of its time imagining the world as the author would like it to be. But that's easier said than done. We don't live in a time when politics can be cordoned off from art; it permeates the world, and a novel without much of it would be difficult to believe. In an author's note at the end of the book, Adichie confirms that the story of her character Kadiatou bears a close resemblance to the 2011 case of Nafissatou Diallo, the Guinean immigrant who alleged that Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, assaulted her in a New York City hotel suite. (All criminal charges against Strauss-Kahn were dismissed; he settled Diallo's civil suit against him for an undisclosed sum.) Adichie told Beckerman that she had struggled 'to write honestly' about Kadiatou, because 'I had unconscious 'noble ideas' for her.' And in the note, she admits to 'creating a fictional character as a gesture of returned dignity. Clear-eyed realism, but touched by tenderness.' So this character's journey is undeniably political, elevating the perspective of a person whose allegations against a very powerful man were shut down in the courts. But, Adichie adds, the goal is to be 'relentlessly human,' not 'ideological': Kadiatou has lost her husband, struggles with American sexual mores, longs for home. To render her carefully, Adichie tells Beckerman, she did prodigious research and watched hours of videos of Guinean women cooking. Her portrait reflects the world as Adichie wishes it were, but also shows a deep recognition of the world as it is. For a novelist, that is more than enough. Chimamanda Adichie Is a Hopeless Romantic By Gal Beckerman Discussing Dream Count, her first novel in 12 years, the Nigerian author shares her thoughts on masculinity, political chaos, and the future of fiction. What to Read Twilight Sleep, by Edith Wharton 'Mrs. Wharton,' reads a line in The Atlantic 's review of her 1927 novel, Twilight Sleep, 'has never really descended from that plane of excellence which since its beginning has characterized her work.' Implicit in this observation: until now. Although contemporary reviewers might not have appreciated Twilight Sleep as much as they did Wharton's previous books, her 17th novel offers an updated, Jazz Age–variation on a familiar, Wharton-esque theme: social ruin. In Roaring '20s New York, Pauline Manford, the book's heroine, inoculates herself from life's unpleasantries—including her second husband's affair with his stepson's wife, Lita—with a busy social calendar, but when disaster strikes and the affair is discovered, not even Pauline's unblinking devotion to rationality, truth, and progress can soothe her emotional reaction. Named after the drug cocktail given to women in the 20th century to ward off the pains of childbirth, which brings to mind the anesthetized attitude of some of its characters, Twilight Sleep was republished in late 2024. — Rhian Sasseen Out Next Week 📚 The Antidote, by Karen Russell 📚 , by David Enrich 📚 Goddess Complex, by Sanjena Sathian Your Weekend Read By Spencer Kornhaber It was inauguration weekend, and I'd been sitting in a restaurant where the bartender was blasting a playlist of songs by the rapper once known as Kanye West. The music sounded, frankly, awesome. Most of the songs were from when I considered myself a fan of his, long before he rebranded as the world's most famous Hitler admirer. I hadn't heard this much Ye music played in public in years; privately, I'd mostly avoided it. But as I nodded along, I thought it might be time to redownload Yeezus. When you buy a book using a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pomegranate juice is the nutrient-dense drink you probably need more of
Of Mediterranean origin, the pomegranate fruit is most known for its vibrant, edible seeds, and simultaneously tart and sweet flavor. Throughout history, the fruit has been steeped in ancient Greek and Roman mythology, but today, modern research has confirmed that pomegranate is packed with immune-boosting antioxidants. We spoke with a registered dietitian to break down the science behind all of pomegranate juice's health benefits. Read on to discover why you should seriously consider incorporating this nutrient-dense beverage into your everyday diet. Absolutely — pomegranate juice contains a plethora of vitamins and minerals that support your immune and cardiovascular systems. 'The juice contains boatloads of vitamin C, antioxidants and flavonoids, all of which help to prevent excess inflammation and keep cells running smoothly on all cylinders,' explains Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, registered dietitian and author of 'The Better Period Food Solution.' Pomegranate juice is an excellent source of vitamin C, but it also contains high concentrations of ellagitannins. Similar to vitamin C, ellagitannins contain antioxidant, anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties, studies show. More: Does TikTok's 'pomegranate pump' actually work? The answer may surprise you Stress, lack of sleep, and exposure to smoke, pollutants, and the sun, are all factors that can impede the efficiency of your cells to 'transport nutrients, deliver oxygen [and] clot wounds,' she explains. Antioxidants found in pomegranate juice may counteract some of the "negative damage or inflammation that has been done to your cells,' ensuring your immune system functions as it should, Beckerman says. Antioxidants similarly work to preserve nitric oxide, a compound that has a role to play in moderating blood pressure, per Healthline. Nitric oxide 'acts as a vasodilator, allowing blood to flow without constriction, or tightness, throughout the body,' Beckerman says. As the blood circulates throughout the body more efficiently, your blood pressure will drop as well, she says. Pomegranate juice is a versatile beverage, and 'if paired properly with foods, or if used in a smoothie with protein sources like seeds or nut butters, you can enjoy it daily,' Beckerman says. However, if you're drinking pomegranate juice every day, you'll want to be careful of the tannins that it contains, she says. Similar to red wine, the tannins found in pomegranate juice may stain your teeth over time. To prevent the possibility of teeth staining, 'be sure to swish your mouth out afterwards with water to set it back to neutral and rid yourself of any lingering juice,' she recommends. Not outright, but it is important to note that, in the nature of enjoying pomegranate in the form of a juice, pomegranate juice has a noticeable lack of fiber 'when compared to eating the pomegranates as individual seeds,' Beckerman adds. More: Is cereal good for you? Watch out for the added sugars in these brands. Because pomegranate juice is digested faster than pomegranate in its natural form, there's an increased possibility of a blood sugar spike, which 'can lead to insulin resistance and even sugar cravings throughout the day,' she explains. 'However, if you pair it with a meal that has protein, like eggs, avocado or nuts,' this becomes less of a concern, she says. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is pomegranate juice good for you? Dietician weighs in
