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The National
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Author Andrew Meehan on 10 things that changed his life
The trip doesn't seem so momentous now, but it felt like quite the schlep then, and is perhaps the reason why, nowadays, I'd do anything to avoid a long commute. Childhood is so busy! But in that train ride – 40 minutes there, 40 minutes home – I'd read poetry, think about girls, bands, exams. I'd fidget, doze and dream of a life that could be made from words. Two: M&S prawn sandwiches MY dad, an architect for the Bank of Ireland, was older than many of my friends' parents. When he retired, in my first year of secondary school, it was a nice thing to come home for lunch that he'd make for me. Forgive me if I'm misremembering or just imagining this (did M&S even sell prawn sandwiches in the early 1980s?), but one day, instead of making me scrambled eggs or a cheese omelette, my dad bought me a prawn sandwich for lunch. He might even have had it out it on a plate. This was, after all, a man who once ate a McDonald's with a knife and fork. All I can say is that it felt pretty upscale for a 12-year-old and, now, whenever I have the urge to feel fancy, I head to M&S for a prawn sandwich. Three: David Wasco, production designer IN the 1990s, I worked mainly as a TV researcher. I always felt I was doing this job by accident (my bosses might have felt the same) and at some point, I found myself in Los Angeles working on a Channel 4 documentary to coincide with the first television broadcast of Reservoir Dogs. As part of the programme, we spoke to all of Tarantino's collaborators, many of whom were in pre-production with him on his film Jackie Brown. As Quentin Tarantino's production designer, David Wasco, took time out of his day to talk about his work on Reservoir Dogs, I saw that he was designing imaginary branding for soft drinks and burger wrappers for use in Jackie Brown. To think that people worked so hard on seemingly inconsequential background objects! But it's those small objects that make a world, and really from that day on, I knew I wanted to be a part of a profession where people spend their days taking such care in making new realities. Four: Steven Purvis, tailor LET'S stick with making. When I got up on my feet in the world of work, it felt very grown-up to be paying rent, and paying bills. Perhaps I should have been saving up for a deposit for a flat, but whenever I had a spare few quid, I'd go and visit tailor Steven Purvis at his workshop on Chancellor Street in Partick. Steven had made a pattern for jackets like the ones worn by SNCF train drivers, and I had them in many colours and fabrics. After that, he made me piles of suits and coats, most of which I still wear. Our relationship was oddly formal and informal. Once, when measuring me for something new, he wrote down my measurements with a smoky mutter of, 'sir is a fat bastard'. Steven isn't around anymore but our conversations about ticket pockets and pleats (yes or no?) opened me up to the interplay of intent, function, purpose, and pleasure that has carried into the way I think about making art. Five: Paddy Higson and Simon Perry, film producers I WORKED for a long time in script development for film and television. While I don't think they ever met, I had two very influential bosses in two different countries in Paddy Higson (Scotland) and Simon Perry (Ireland). Film producers, both, as well as proper enablers of emerging talent. Paddy died this year, and I will always think of her values, her bravery, her patience with a problem, her hospitality, her belief in others. She was so much more than her work, but whenever I get stuck at mine, I try to draw on her wisdom, which seemed never-ending. It's that feeling I get from my former boss at the Irish Film Board (Screen Ireland). In years and years of meetings with Simon, I could always count on his rigour and warmth; I'd grow to depend on his long-range vision. As Paddy Higson was, Simon Perry is the kind of person who takes real pleasure in the achievements of others. Six: Sheridans Cheesemongers, Galway GALWAY is a town that's hospitable to newcomers and in the early 2000s, I was perhaps just another reveller who turned a long weekend into a stay of a few years. I lived there when I worked at Screen Ireland; perhaps the first time in my life that I hadn't been in Dublin thinking I should be in Glasgow, or in Glasgow wondering about Dublin. But Galway is not the kind of town to concern itself with others. For me, the place starts and ends with cheesemonger Seamus Sheridan, and when I found a home from home in Sheridans wine bar, I found a room that I'd happily sit in until the end of time. I also learned about choosing the right wine to go with the right food (whatever it is you feel like drinking with whatever it is you feel like eating). Seven: Le Baratin, Paris PARIS used to be where I went to have a bad time, but I did get the hang of it in the end. Le Baratin, on a side street in Belleville, is where I first tasted natural wine (which I no longer drink but am still boring about). I can remember feeling out my first mouthful of Le Rouchefer by René and Agnes Mosse, a wine I'm still puzzling over 15 years hence. What is it about the place? You could say that the owners, Raquel Carena and Phillip Pinoteau, have made their own mythology. But Le Baratin won't be there forever. Every time I visit, I do so with a ritual, almost pathological yearning, which is to say that I take a moment to entertain the possibility that this will be my last time there. I am like that around anything meaningful and precious. It can't last forever, it just can't. Eight: Scottish book people IF it's getting harder to find the Paddy Higsons and Simon Perrys in the screen world, I'm nowadays more drawn to book people. Slightly more gentle, slightly more civilised, slightly more broke! Glasgow has Mount Florida books, Bigglestones on Glassford Street, and the Waterstones might be the last remaining reason to visit Sauchiehall Street. Last week I went with my friend Lisa Boden to a SPAM magazine poetry event in the Doublet bar in the west end. If I was there to hear the TS Eliot winner Peter Gizzi, it was a privilege to discover new work from Heather Rankin, Sam Rodilosso, and Tim Tim Cheng. A life-giving night. Nine: Pluscarden Monastery, Elgin SPEAKING of life-giving, last year I went on a retreat to Pluscarden Abbey, near Elgin. The meanness of some religious men is very familiar to many people with a Catholic education, particularly an Irish one, but I found only kindness from the Benedictines of Pluscarden. Life in the monastery is not as pleasureless as you might expect. While the religious life isn't necessarily defined by second helpings of fish pie and vegetables from the garden, so much of what is useful and reflective in the world can be provided by the way in which these monks go about their days. The brethren sing for hours at a time, offering up hymns as pure as nothingness. Pluscarden is an open-hearted place and I found wonder and release there. 10 The Herald building on Albion Street I AM typing these words in a peaceful room overlooking the old Ramshorn graveyard in Glasgow's Merchant City. I bought the place last year. As I did it up, from top to toe, was I thinking of the kind of care taken by the likes of Steven Purvis and David Wasco? Maybe. But I do often think of the morning in April 1995, when I came along to the doorway of the printing presses in this same building to pick up an article I'd written for the Glasgow Herald about a Las Vegas-set documentary I'd been involved in. This was my first publication of any significance, and the paper felt so precious in my hands. That was 30 years ago. Is this to say that, after four novels, life has come in a perfect circle? That would be too neat. I'd much rather think of it being a circle drawn with a more wayward hand. Best Friends, the latest novel by Andrew Meehan, is published by Muswell Press.
Miami Herald
30-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
A federal program sent local farmers' fresh produce to food banks. It's being cut
Stew — a big pot of it — with onions, potatoes and bell peppers. Maybe a little bit of meat, if they're lucky, Jackie Brown muttered, chewing over potential dinner ideas for her family as she surveyed the produce refrigerator at the Feeding South Florida food bank in Pembroke Park on a recent afternoon. She was planning a week of meals for herself and the five grandchildren she's raising, all big eaters, and needed something hearty that would also yield leftovers. Brown, 59, is one of the 1.2 million South Floridians who relied on Feeding South Florida, the region's largest food bank, last year to supplement their groceries. As rising costs of living have nudged more locals into greater financial precariousness and closer to hunger, the organization reported that nearly two in 10 South Floridians turned to it last year for food. But recent federal funding cuts mean Feeding South Florida's budget is about to shrink by more than 30%. As part of its push to reduce federal spending, the Trump administration shuttered the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA), a $900 million initiative started in 2021 to help food banks purchase produce from local farmers. In doing so, it lopped $13.5 million — nearly all of the food bank's federal funding — from Feeding South Florida's budget. That means fewer vegetables on the table for families like Brown's, and fewer orders for the farmers who grow them. ▪ ▪ ▪ Particularly toward the end of the month, Brown relies on food banks like Feeding South Florida to put meals on the table. 'That's what I use the food bank for,' she said, 'to fill in that last week of the month before I get more [food stamp] assistance.' Like many across the country, and especially in South Florida, her household has felt the squeeze of rising prices. U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows grocery prices have jumped roughly 30% since 2020. Over the same period of time, Miami-Dade's rate of food insecurity — people who don't have enough to eat — has spiked by 50%. On any given day, roughly 400,000 Miamians, 15% of the county's population, don't know where their next meal will come from. Compounding that vulnerability are proposed major cuts to federal spending on food assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps, on which nearly 3 million Floridians, including Brown and her five grandchildren, rely. For Brown's family and others that are either food insecure or close to it, food banks have become especially important for ensuring access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The local produce purchase program is largely to thank. Feeding South Florida estimates that nearly half of its produce is purchased with money from the program. Without the funding, the food bank told the Miami Herald it anticipates 'a reduction in both the volume and variety of fresh foods available' at its food banks and that its 'capacity to provide nutritious food will be significantly affected.' Robin Safley, the CEO of Feeding South Florida's umbrella organization, Feeding Florida, emphasized the economic importance of guaranteeing access to healthy, fresh food. Those served by her organization's affiliate food banks disproportionately deal with chronic health issues, including diabetes, said Safley. 'Many of them are also on Medicaid,' she noted, 'so those chronic conditions can really drive up the cost of health care.' Healthy eating plays a critical role in mitigating those costs, she added. But beyond those health impacts, Safley pointed out that the program has given local farmers more opportunities to sell produce in their home communities. ▪ ▪ ▪ At his farm in Palm Beach County earlier this month, J.D. Poole shouted over the sound of water raining from pipes affixed to the ceiling, cooling boxes of freshly picked corn below. A third-generation farmer from Belle Glade, Poole co-founded Scotlynn Sweet-Pac Growers in 2012. Still based in Belle Glade, the company plants, harvests and ships thousands of acres of sweet corn, pumpkins, cabbage, watermelon and asparagus each year. Thanks to the federal food purchase initiative, from which Florida received and dispersed more than $20 million to food banks last year, Feeding South Florida has been a major buyer from Poole. He estimates his farm sends more than 1 million pounds of produce each year down to the food bank, which purchases those orders with money from the program. Poole said the arrangement accounts for roughly 10% of Sweet-Pac Growers' annual revenue. The program was particularly helpful for selling perfectly good produce that grocery stores wouldn't buy because of slight aesthetic imperfections, he added. 'Rather than walk away and take a huge financial loss' on those vegetables, the program helped his business recoup planting investments that otherwise would've been lost, while at the same time 'providing really good, fresh food at a reasonable cost to the needy.' If not for the program, that produce would've been thrown out. That's what will likely happen now. He was grateful to provide for those in need, but Poole says he can't afford to harvest, process, package and ship his produce to food banks on his own dime. He hopes the president will reconsider the program's termination. A Trump voter, Poole is generally content with the administration thus far. And he backs Trump and the Department of Governmental Efficiency's (DOGE) purported efforts to eliminate the 'fluff' in government spending. But, he said, this initiative is not fluff. 'It's a very needed program.' Poole is far from alone in the agriculture community in his assessment. Aaron Shier, the government relations director at the National Farmers Union, a D.C.-based advocacy group, said the program has been important for many community farmers and strengthened local food supply chains, all while feeding people in need. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, a Florida Democrat who sits on the House Appropriations Committee's agriculture subcommittee, described the program as a 'win-win for our local farmers and for families in need.' Its cancellation is a 'gut punch,' she told the Herald, especially for small farmers and food-insecure people. People like Brown. The grandmother's disability benefits and SNAP assistance alone aren't enough for her to provide for her dependent grandchildren, whose mother died and whose father isn't in the picture. But Brown, turning to her friend Lathoya Bennett, said she feels lucky. 'Lots of people, lots of homeless people, can't even get here to get [this food]. We really need more of this.' Bennett nodded as she looked over the piles of carrots and onions: 'This is really a blessing.' This story was produced with financial support from supporters including The Green Family Foundation Trust and Ken O'Keefe, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
Black America Web
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Pam Grier's Iconic Roles That Changed Hollywood Forever
Source: LMPC / Getty Pam Grier, known as the undisputed queen of 1970s Blaxploitation films, paved the way for Black women in Hollywood by embodying strength, style, and resilience on-screen. Her groundbreaking career spans over five decades, delivering unforgettable performances that have earned her a devoted global fan base. RELATED: Someone Had The Audacity To Say Pam Grier Isn't Black Beauty Personified RELATED: Pam Grier Taps Into Her Inner Gangsta In Tubi's 'Cinnamon' Grier burst into stardom during the 1970s with films that gave audiences fiercely independent heroines rarely seen at the time. She became the face of a genre, bringing charisma and power to every role. Grier's performances didn't just entertain; they broke barriers, showcasing women not as damsels in distress but as characters who could command their own stories. The 1973 classic Coffy is perhaps her most iconic role, where she played a nurse turned vigilante taking down drug pushers. Her unapologetic portrayal of Coffy transformed her into a feminist icon of the era. Soon after, she solidified her status with Foxy Brown, where she became a force of justice once again. These roles made her a symbol of empowerment, especially for underrepresented audiences. Years later, Grier captivated audiences in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, proving her immense range as an actress. Playing the titular role, a smart and resourceful flight attendant tangled up in a money-laundering scheme, Grier earned critical acclaim, including a Golden Globe nomination. It was a triumphant return to mainstream cinema, showing her remarkable staying power. Pam Grier's legacy isn't just about the characters she played. It's also about the doors she opened for women of color in Hollywood. Her fearless performances continue to inspire, and her influence is felt across the industry. Grier shines as Coffy, a nurse who turns vigilante to take down drug dealers and crime bosses responsible for destroying her community. Her fierceness and unapologetic determination made Coffy a groundbreaking character and solidified Grier as the first Black female action star. Playing Foxy Brown, a courageous woman on a mission to dismantle a drug syndicate, Grier brings unmatched charisma and strength to the role. This film remains a cultural touchstone for its bold, unapologetic portrayal of empowerment and justice. Grier stars as Jackie Brown, a flight attendant caught smuggling money, in Quentin Tarantino's homage to 1970s Blaxploitation. Her layered, nuanced performance in this crime drama earned her critical acclaim and showcased her ability to master more subdued, complex roles. Grier plays Sheba Shayne, a no-nonsense private investigator who returns to her hometown to fight off corrupt businessmen threatening her father's business. Her intelligence and poise in this role highlighted her versatility as an actress. Grier takes on the horror genre in this sequel to 'Blacula.' Playing Lisa, a voodoo priestess, she radiates strength and courage while facing supernatural forces. Her commanding presence elevated this cult classic beyond a standard horror film. Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
Daily Mail
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Bridget Fonda seen with husband Danny Elfman for first time in years as she shows off dramatic weight loss
Reclusive star Bridget Fonda Fonda and Danny Elfman were spotted together for the first time in years—just months after she was seen without her wedding ring. The 61-year-old screen icon, who vanished from the spotlight after starring in cult classics like Point of No Return and Jackie Brown, revealed a noticeably slimmer figure as she stepped out with the famed composer, 71, outside their Los Angeles home on Monday. Wearing a dark pea coat and matching pants, the daughter of Hollywood legend Peter Fonda looked worlds away from her former physique, unable to hide her dramatic weight loss or the return of her gold wedding band. Amid Hollywood's Ozempic craze, some fans suspect Bridget's transformation is due to weight-loss injections, though others credit diet and lifestyle—while she's stayed silent either way. Danny, known for scoring Tim Burton 's biggest films, kept things casual in a baseball tee and cap as the pair were seen reviewing home renovations. The couple, last seen on the red carpet in 2009, appeared in high spirits after years out of the spotlight—despite swirling split rumors and no divorce filing in Los Angeles courts. Reclusive star Bridget Fonda Fonda and Danny Elfman were spotted together for the first time in years—just months after she was seen without her wedding ring Danny, known for scoring Tim Burton 's biggest films, kept things casual in a baseball tee and cap as the pair were seen reviewing home renovations Wearing a dark pea coat and matching pants, the daughter of Hollywood legend Peter Fonda looked worlds away from her former physique , unable to conceal her dramatic weight loss , nor her gold wedding band Married since 2003 and parents to one son, Oliver, 20, the pair have long kept their private life tightly under wraps. Fonda was last seen on screen in the 2002 TV movie Snow Queen. A month before she and Elfman became engaged, she fractured her vertebrae in a serious car accident along the Pacific Coast Highway. The injury prompted her to step away from acting for good. After making her on-screen debut at age five in Easy Rider alongside her father, Fonda went on to work with legendary directors including Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather Part III) and Quentin Tarantino (Jackie Brown). In 1990, she received her first Golden Globe nomination for 'Scandal'. Her second came in 2002 for After Amy. Fonda also earned an Emmy nomination in 1997 for In the Gloaming. Married since 2003 and parents to one son, the pair have long kept their private life tightly under wraps Asked a few years ago if she'd ever return to Hollywood, Fonda told DailyMail: 'No, I don't think so. It's too nice being a civilian.' Meanwhile, Elfman—best known for his collaborations with Tim Burton on films like Batman, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Alice in Wonderland—has been battling a series of sexual harassment allegations. In 2023, his former protégée Nomi Abadi accused him of inappropriate behavior, including once serving her a martini glass filled with semen. Nomi Abadi, a 36-year-old composer, had previously sued Elfman for breach of contract after alleging that he had failed to pay her a portion of a settlement they had previously agreed to. In a 2023 Rolling Stone piece, Abadi made the accusation involving the martini glass, which elicited a vigorous denial from Elfman. But now Abadi is taking Elfman to court over his response to her claims with a new defamation lawsuit. She is suing the Oingo Boingo singer and songwriter — who was also been sued by a second woman for alleged sexual abuse — for denying her account, which she claims is tantamount to calling her a liar, according to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ. In Abadi's defamation suit, she reiterated her claims that Elfman gave her a martini glass filled with semen. In 2023, his former protégée Nomi Abadi accused him of inappropriate behavior, including once serving her a martini glass filled with semen Nomi Abadi, a 36-year-old composer, had previously sued Elfman for breach of contract after alleging that he had failed to pay her a portion of a settlement they had previously agreed to She says she was invited to Elfman's studio in August of 2016, when she was allegedly presented with the martini glass bearing a whitish substance. Abadi describes how she 'sat in silence, terrified, gagging from the putrid smell coming from ... semen ejaculate.' The Rolling Stone report cited a police report filed by Abadi in November 2017, in which she claimed that Elfman had exposed his genitals and masturbated in her presence — without her consent — multiple times. In the wake of the accusations, Elfman agreed to a 2018 settlement and nondisclosure agreement with Abadi. But she sued the musician in 2023 for breach of contract for allegedly failing to pay all of the agreed-upon $830,000. Abadi claimed he had failed to make two payments, one due in 2019 and one in 2021, which totaled $85,000. 'How do I respond to accusations so serious that being innocent is not a valid defense? It is excruciating to consider that a 50-year career may be destroyed in one news cycle as a result of vicious and wholly false allegations about sexual misconduct,' began Elfman's denial. 'Ms. Abadi's allegations are simply not true,' he said.
NBC Sports
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
A Samuel L. Jackson sighting becomes an instant highlight of Super Bowl week
Super Bowl week has had many expected highlights. We interviewed Deion Sanders, Justin Jefferson, Jayden Daniels, Joe Montana, and many other current and former stars of the NFL. Sunday morning brought an unexpected I-think-I-just-shit-my-pants moment. My wife, my brother-in-law, his wife, and me went out for breakfast at a spot near our hotel in the French Quarter. I wanted a second cup of coffee but I didn't feel like standing in the line at the bakery again. So when I got back, I walked over to the coffee shop in the hotel lobby. The line was about five deep, and it stretched out the door to the phone-booth-sized store. I stood to the right of the entrance. Someone else was waiting to my left. Low key. Incognito. Unassuming. I glanced over. It was Samuel L. Jackson. The pulse quickened. The nerves on the back of the neck tingled. The mind raced. I wanted to do the fanboy thing and start gushing. But he had the force fields up, which I respected. That's entirely his prerogative — especially since he surely gets mobbed wherever he goes. But, man, it was Samuel L. Jackson. He was Stacks in Goodfellas. Jules in Pulp Fiction. Ordell Robbie in Jackie Brown. Stephen in Django Unchained. Major Marquis Warren in The Hateful Eight. Five of my all-time favorite movies, featuring the guy standing literally two feet away. I kept wrestling with blurting something out and respecting his desire to be left alone. I kept trying to come up with something. 'Make that coffee to go, right?' 'Are you ordering some serious gourmet shit?' 'I hope nobody poisoned the coffee.' But I knew he didn't want to be bothered. Especially not by some schmuck like me. I still wanted to talk to him. I mean, it's the one time in my life that I'll have a chance to speak to Samuel L. Jackson. I had to say something. So after he paid (I didn't notice if his wallet still said 'Bad Mother Fucker') and started to leave, I mustered the nerve. Gathered my thoughts. Opened my mouth. And out came this: 'I'm not gonna bother you, but we love you.' Which probably made him wonder who in the fuck 'we' is, since it was just me. (The 'we' was supposed to mean my son and me.) Of course, there's a decent chance that what I think I said and what I actually said were two different things. It might have been even more gibberish-ish than I recall. Regardless, of all the unforgettable moments from a full week in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX, that's the one I'll always remember. And if I ever run into him again, maybe he'll recognize me and say, 'Yeah, you're that dumbass who said 'we' while you were standing there all by yourself.'
