Latest news with #Bogart
Business Mayor
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
‘Fewer dollars' for UK economy as funder spurns English law
Fewer dollars are flowing into the UK economy due to uncertainty in the funding market, the chief of the world's biggest litigation funder warned today. Chris Bogart, chief executive of Burford Capital, said the economy was taking a hit as companies like Burford are no longer naming London as an arbitral seat or selecting English law as a dispute resolution mechanism in their international contracts. Bogart told journalists the government's failure to address problems posed by the PACCAR Supreme Court ruling was 'regrettable', and 'causing a problem for the London market'. He said: 'Look at all the mayhem that you're seeing from the tariffs from the US. Why are you seeing that? Because markets and businesses don't like such uncertainty. To invest, you have to have a higher level of certainty. What PACCAR , and the government non-response to it, has done is to create uncertainty. That means you're likely to see a lower allocation of capital to [that] market.' He added: 'The market-wide statistics that we've seen here bear that out. It's hard to get statistics on litigation funding, but [those] that are out there suggest there is less of it since PACCAR . And you've seen other demonstrable evidence of effects; for example Therium, a big London funder, the funder that did the sub-postmasters' case, has [made job losses]. So that's a sign that the market is not as healthy as you would like it to be.' Bogart added that before PACCAR , Burford named London as an arbitral seat and specified English law for all its international contracts. 'It didn't matter if it had anything to do with London; if we were going to do a financing agreement in, say, India or Dubai, we would try and have English law and London-seated arbitration. And now – we don't. We've stopped doing that. We've moved it to another jurisdiction, be it Singapore, Paris, New York. Because we have developed a less predictable dynamic here in this market, and that will mean fewer dollars flowing into the English economy, which is unfortunate because this is one of the major global centres for litigation and arbitration. And when you have losses like that, they take a long time to recover.' The Burford chief added: 'Clarity and predictability are an important part of law: it's not supposed to be something that's made up and new every time. If you have that kind of dynamic then it's harder to attract capital, it's harder to get cases to run. It was already hard enough in this market, because this is an expensive market. What is already happening in the UK is that you price the mid-sized case out of the market. And as you keep on making it more expensive, more difficult and more risky, you just keep on raising the bar for what kind of case is capable of getting funded.' Bogart also reflected on what he would like to see from the Civil Justice Council's current review of litigation funding. The CJC review will examine the need for tougher regulation of the sector, among other issues. He said: 'I'm hoping the CJC tells the government it's important to restore a degree of predictability and stability into the market. There's no need for a big regulatory apparatus here. The thing that people forget is that in most kinds of finance, regulation happens on a spot check-style level; and when you transact with your broker, the odds of that transaction being examined by the FCA [Financial Conduct Authority] are very, very small. [But] in litigation, there is a regulator in every single case. That's called the judge. Judges have broad powers to manage what goes on in the cases before them. 'So this is a solution in search of a problem. You haven't had any sort of history of problematic activity in the sector which warrants an intrusive regulatory response, so I hope that's the conclusion of the CJC, and that people will get back to business.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Juliet & Romeo': Shakespeare meets pop music for Timothy Scott Bogart's film with Rebel Wilson, Jason Isaacs
In 1968 there was Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet with Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting. In 1996 we had Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes starring in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. And in 2025 Timothy Scott Bogart has given us the musical Juliet & Romeo (now in theatres), starring Clara Rugaard and Jamie Ward in the title roles, alongside Jason Isaacs as Lord Montague, Rupert Everett as Lord Capulet and Rebel Wilson as Lady Capulet. Set in 1301, filmmaker Timothy Scott Bogart takes on William Shakespeare's story about star-crossed lovers with the intention of being authentic to the Medieval time period, overlayed with pop music. Bogart also wanted to flesh out more underserved characters from the original story. Before Bogart stepped behind the camera he was an actor, initially making the transition by directing theatre, including Romeo and Juliet multiple times. "I have to be honest, ... there were moments in the piece, there were characters in the piece, there were arcs of the piece that never quite felt fully developed, because there's only so much you can put in the play," Bogart explained to Yahoo. "It was something that had been kind of haunting me from my own inability to feel like I could crack it on stage, and it just kept coming back." In terms of creating the pop music in Juliet & Romeo, Bogart enlisted the help of his brother, Evan Bogart, and Evan's writing partner Justin Gray. Evan famously wrote the Beyoncé song "Halo," alongside Ryan Tedder. But how pop music even came into the equation for Bogart's film started more than a decade ago. "I remember saying to my brother, why do you think iambic pentameter? What do you think that was about? And in the most simple, kind of off the cuff way he said, 'I think that was the poetry of their time,'" Bogart said. "I said, interesting. What's the poetry of our time? And he said, pop music." "Now my brother, of course, who wrote 'Halo' for Beyoncé, he's going to come from pop music, but he started going, think about your world. When you see kids, what are they doing? They've got headphones on. ... They're listening to music. That is how they are expressing themselves. So about 10 years earlier, this idea of music as a central way to really get inner voice, which ultimately is what Shakespeare did so beautifully and brilliantly, ... it kept coming back." The concept of the songs representing inner voice was core to Bogart's vision, particularly in how to integrate the music with the story. "I don't think there's any more important subject that we wrestled with on how best to do it," Bogart said. "There's the musicals where the milkman clearly knows he's in a musical and is singing, and even the cow knows it's in a musical and it is singing. And I didn't want anything to do with that, it's just not my cup of tea. I really was trying, from the very beginning, to use this as inner voice." "There's a scene in the movie [where] Romeo and Juliet meet in the church, and suddenly they have this wonderful song. Well I don't really think they're singing in the church. I think they're they're two young people getting to know each other in the church, but it feels like they're singing about their love. ... I believe this kind of age demographic lives in a musical world. So throughout the movie we kept finding locations and places where songs would organically be occurring. ... Their Saturday night with your pals and that's what you would be doing." But of course, Bogart had to face the task of finding his Rome and Juliet, coming after a long line of actors who have played the roles in a variety of different on-screen adaptations. "Finding Romeo and Juliet, perhaps one of the hardest things you could ever do," he said. "You start going, well OK Leonardo DiCaprio. We know what that is. You know what Claire Danes is. ... You got Tom Holland doing his version, Rachel Zegler during hers." "I wanted our Romeo and Juliet to feel like fresh faces that would bring us into this new world. And so it was finding authenticity of people that just felt so real and so human, great voices, which thankfully, Clara and Jamie absolutely have." Adding to that was Bogart commitment to research and really crafting a story that was true to what was happening at the end of Medieval times into the Renaissance, and with that came Bogart's desire to actually make this Juliet & Romeo story into a trilogy. The opportunity to look at things like royal families fighting against Pope Boniface VIII, largely recognized among the worst Popes in history. "If Star Wars was the first, then Empire Strikes Back, and that's not terribly dissimilar to what we're trying," Bogart said. "The origin of the franchise really was birthed from my exploration of the real life story." "It really is a much bigger story about really the exciting characters of that time at perhaps the most transformative moment of that time."
Axios
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
The Twin Cities' best doughnuts, according to Axios readers
Kyle here. I recently asked Axios readers to share your favorite doughnuts in the Twin Cities — the suggestions … do- nut disappoint. The big picture: Taken together, your recommendations are a guide to the metro's most beloved doughnuts. I tried more than 30 creations from the places you suggested just to make sure. (Tough assignment, I know.) Taking the cake: More readers name-drop Minneapolis skyway favorite Cardigan Donuts (8 votes) than any other spot. Right behind it are Bogart's (7), Minnetonka's YoYo (7), Golden Valley's Funner Brothers (6), and Minneapolis mainstays Mel-O-Glaze (5) and Glam Doll (4). The fluffy middle: Prestige doughnut-makers get a lot of reader love, but so do simpler bakeries where a dozen generally costs less than $20: Donut Hut (7 votes) is a big deal in Little Canada. Megan M. is one of several readers to warn us it regularly sells out fast. Jeff D. says the buttercream at Northeast's Sarah Jane's Bakery is "otherworldly." Bloomington's Sunrise serves "classic, simple doughnuts … with excellent execution," Zach D. tells us. The gooey intrigue: As I suspected, nearly a dozen readers swore the metro's best doughnuts are at grocery stores or gas stations. Kowalski's, Lunds & Byerlys and Almsted's Market in Crystal all got multiple votes. What we're all (secretly?) saying: "I frickin' love me a good Holiday crème filled long john!" writes Katie M. Best bites: My faves from your recs Here are the 10 reader-recommended baked treats I can't stop thinking about. What I did: I visited 15 bakeries — every doughnut spot in the metro that at least two readers recommended, minus the big chain grocers and gas stations. At each place, I bought at least one specialty treat — not always a doughnut — and one staple variety like a plain glazed or a chocolate-frosted cake doughnut. What I found … Cardigan's old fashioned doughnut (Minneapolis): "There is only one correct doughnut answer," as Ashley J. recommends. Creamy consistency, pleasant almond finish, strong church basement vibes. $2.85 Bogart's brown butter (Minneapolis & St. Louis Park): Rich toffee notes and fluffy pastry. The fresher the better, so get to the bakeries in St. Louis Park or Minneapolis early. $3.50 The Heights Bakery 's raised glazed (Columbia Heights): A springy, brioche-like crumb that manages to be moist without being oily. $1.60 Plus: The blueberry Bismarck is worth trying just for the fresh-tasting fruit filling. Funner Brothers' giant doughnut hole (Golden Valley): Frying a ball of dough this massive to get a soft golden exterior and a delicate interior without a hint of doughiness feels like a real achievement. $1.50 Dufner's chocolate with sprinkles (Plymouth): Well-raised dough, golden crust and frosting that balances sweet and bitter cocoa. $1.89 Puffy Cream Donuts Plus ' chocolate Bismarck (Eagan): Rena R. is right to dub them "drive-worthy doughnuts." Finished with powdered sugar, this creation's heart is its silky, whipped filling. $2.59 Donut Star's almond buttercream bar (Burnsville & Lakeville): As decadent as a slice of cake, but light enough for the breakfast nook. $2.50 Donut Hut's chocolate with nuts (Little Canada): The best of the cake doughnuts I tried. Vanilla notes in the dough, savory notes in the nuts. $1.95 Honorable mention: The chocolate-and-nuts from Sunrise Donuts. Mel-O-Glaze's apple fritter (Minneapolis): I came into this taste test thinking Mel-O-Glaze was overrated for drowning interesting flavors in sugar. But gosh darnit, their apple fritter was just as Kent K. describes — "big, apple-y and wonderful" — and the glaze wasn't overpowering. Credit where it's due! $3 Baker's Wife 's American tea cake (Minneapolis): Not a doughnut, but the treat I could've kept eating all day. A croissant-like roll frosted with sugar — but not a " cronut." $4.25 Their doughnuts aren't to be missed either, which Jesslyn F. loves because they're sold "at old school bakery prices!" The fine print: More sweet spots I focused on spots that at least two readers recommended — which means some worthy places got snubbed from my taste test.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Aliza Spencer Friendship Day honors legacy of murdered Binghamton student
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – The Calvin Coolidge Elementary community honored the memory of Aliza Spencer today through multiple acts of kindness. The school that Aliza went to for kindergarten through 5th grade, commemorated her death with its Aliza Spencer Friendship Day. Spencer was 12 years old and a 6th grader at East Middle when she was shot and killed while walking near her home on April 21, 2022. Her killer has not been arrested. On Thursday, students from East Middle came to Coolidge, one per each classroom, and helped the younger students make friendship bracelets and play friendship bingo. 4th grade teacher Ann Marie Bogart's daughter was best friends with Aliza. She's determined to keep her memory alive. 'She was a model student and everyone loved Aliza. She loved everyone. And she deserves to be remembered for the beautiful person that she was,' said Bogart. Bogart showed her students a slide show about Aliza as well as a remembrance piece that News 34 aired shortly after her death. Bogart and a student from East also read the children's book 'Can Cat and Bird Be Friends?' East students Jahking Grandoit and Kashawn Hemingway say it feels good to spend time with younger kids. 'I feel like it's a good way to honor Aliza and how she was a good friend to everybody and liked to socialize and bring good vibes to everybody,' said Grandoit. 'Some kids knew Aliza and some kids didn't. It's good to do friendship stuff so that kids know how to be kind to each other and stuff,' said Hemingway. Other ways in which the school honored Aliza were through holding a food drive and book drive to restock the Little Free Library and Blessing Box that were created in her honor, as well as a photo area for kids. Binghamton's DPW painted a purple stripe down Robinson Street in front of the school in her honor. Black Bears gearing up to Run It Back Aliza Spencer Friendship Day honors legacy of murdered Binghamton student Maine-Endwell Odyssey of the Mind team headed to world competition Local leaders prepare to hit the runway for Mothers and Babies Fashion Gala Spotlight on Broome County Humane Society Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Anne Bogart's Boston Lyric Opera ‘Carousel' spins in circles
Like her 'South Pacific,' Bogart's 'Carousel' is metatheatrical, at least in theory. Press releases indicated the company is a 'traveling group of outsider artists' that puts on a production of the musical at an abandoned amusement park. Sara Brown's weathered wooden sets, including a towering roller coaster and a rotating circular dais, hinted at that intention; as did the colorful costumes, wigs and makeup by Haydee Zelideth and Earon Chew Nealey, which included plenty of ruffled skirts and neon-colored hair, a leather vest on the carousel barker Billy Bigelow (the outstanding baritone Edward Nelson), and one eye-catching tiger onesie. Theatrically post-apocalyptic and rough around the edges, it felt like a cousin of the 'Traveling Symphony' Shakespeare troupe as depicted in Emily St. John Mandel's National Book Award-nominated ' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up That framing device also did its part to explain the over-the-top acting of some of the side characters, for example Theophile Victoria's David Bascombe. The script makes Bascombe out to be a condescending enforcer of masculine Christian morality; Victoria, clad in a sweeping coat and top hat, gave the role a preening high camp twist. Advertisement However, in the program, Bogart's director's note indicated that the players are 'a group of refugees' that arrive from 'a great distance, seeking to gain access and acceptance.' This was represented by the tall rolling fences that took the place of curtains, behind which the company assembled during the overture and entr'acte, as well as actors dressed as unsmiling security guards positioned at either side of the stage throughout the show and intermission. Initially it seemed the guard characters were intended to be on the audience's side of the fourth wall, as they pointedly refused to interact with the actors' antics during the joyous clamor (choreographed by Shura Baryshnikov) of 'June Is Bustin' Out All Over,' but when a character called the police within the musical, those guards were the ones who answered the call. Otherwise, the refugee angle went unexplored, and it felt like a cheap afterthought. Jamie Barton as Nettie and the cast of Boston Lyric Opera's "Carousel." Nile Scott Studios Under all the colorful ruffles and found-object props, it was still 'Carousel,' played mostly straight. The company deployed a robust orchestra under the baton of David Angus, and a strong cast to carry the score and story of Rodgers and Hammerstein's 80-year-old musical. Advertisement Making her BLO debut, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton brought a terrifically full voice and overflowing heart to Nettie Fowler. Soprano Brandie Sutton, also a BLO first-timer, wore her fast wits like a crab wears its shell during her first scenes as Julie Jordan, making her later resignation to Billy's abuses even more tragic. Nelson was a compelling and emotionally infuriating Billy; already giving the impression of a confused and terrified young boy in a man's body, 'Soliloquy' only sealed that deal. Might we see him as Sweeney Todd in a few years? Soprano Anya Matanovič's effervescent Carrie Pipperidge was a delight, as was tenor Omar Najmi's stuffed-shirt Enoch Snow; their 'Say something soft and sweet' / 'Boston cream pie!' squabble earned several giggles. Baritone Markel Reed, as the scheming, strutting Jigger, snatched attention during 'Stonecutters Cut It on Stone' with an immaculate comic verse sung up an octave. Abigail Marie Curran's Louise landed onstage like a hurricane in the Act II dream ballet, wild-eyed and barefoot; her thrashing, whirling limbs beat at the bars of an invisible cage. (Costume team: nice job dressing the kids in Act II in a mixture of their parents' signature colors.) But 'Carousel' sung well still has the problem of being 'Carousel,' in which a teenage girl earnestly asks her mother if it's possible for a man to hit you but it feels like a kiss, and that mother saying 'it's possible, dear,' as the music swells. Nicholas Hytner's acclaimed 1990s production changed the tenor of that scene by having Billy Advertisement This production almost seemed to rush through that scene, crossing fingers no one would remember it in the wake of the uplifting graduation address given by the Starkeeper/Dr. Seldon (played by Boston Foundation president and CEO Lee Pelton) and subsequent finale-reprise of 'You'll Never Walk Alone.' The ultimate scene on Friday encapsulated many of the problems with this 'Carousel,' as the house lights illuminated and Pelton addressed the audience, with the company standing behind him. Were we meant to be the townsfolk, in-universe? Were we meant to be the audience of the traveling troupe? A community with the power to welcome refugees, which might choose not to? No one seemed to know. When Pelton asked a question that begged for a loud and affirmative audience response, I heard one lonely 'yes' from somewhere nearby. Before people join up with any cause, they need to know they're not just spectators. Some need to know that simply watching is no longer an option. This 'Carousel' had the opportunity to jolt us out of our comfortable seats; instead, it turned us in circles. A.Z. Madonna can be reached at
