Latest news with #Rosemary'sBaby
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Influencer culture pilloried in prose
Part mystery, part satire and even part horror, second-generation Chinese-Canadian writer Liann Zhang's debut novel is a bizarre but entertaining look at the world of social media influencer culture. Julie Chan is a supermarket cashier with no friends who steals food from work to keep herself fed. One day, she receives a disturbing phone call from her estranged twin sister, Chloe, a rich influencer with followers in the millions. Sensing something is wrong, Julie travels to Chloe's New York City penthouse and finds her sister dead on the floor. As she's about to report the death to the police, Julie quickly makes the rash decision to switch places, ditching her sad, anonymous life for her twin's more comfortable and glamorous one. Julie Chan is Dead With unwitting help from Chloe's manager, Julie seamlessly continues her sister's social media life, interacting with fans, receiving lavish gifts and going to trendy parties. At first, no one in Chloe's world suspects the truth, and everyone writes off any strange behaviour as her just being '#sad' and '#grieving.' But it doesn't take long for her aunt and cousin to figure out what's going on, and Julie soon finds herself being blackmailed. In order to pay off her scheming family members, she becomes a lot more obvious with paid endorsements on her channels, while watching her numbers drop on each platform. Thankfully, Julie has her new influencer friends to cheer her up. A group of mostly indistinguishable twentysomething white women, the Belladonnas are led by Bella Marie, whose level of fame and wealth seems almost unattainable for a social media personality. But, of course, Julie soon learns her new friends may be hiding some sinister secrets. Toronto- and Vancouver-based Zhang was only 16 when she had her own brush with internet fame, gaining over 20,000 followers on a skincare-themed Instagram account. The author, who now has a degree in psychology and criminology, says this book was inspired by the fellow influencers she met through group chats. Clearly she has some strong, negative feelings from this experience, as most characters are quite unlikable — even Julie, who quickly embraces her new personality. Zhang takes some fun shots at influencer culture, and that cynical humour drives the first half of the novel. But it does get dragged down by some very predictable turns. Then a huge twist comes that makes the second half seem like a different book altogether. It quickly delves into cult-horror territory — think Rosemary's Baby or The Wicker Man but with trite self-help affirmations and beauty tips. The shift may be a bit jarring for some readers, but Zhang's cutting humour is amped up, along with the overall pace, which all leads to a ridiculous, over-the-top finale. While it has some flaws, Julie Chan is Dead is a fun, memorable debut. Hardly an influencer, Alan MacKenzie is struggling to find 600 subscribers for his YouTube channel.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pamela Anderson's Met Gala Bob Is Her Most Dramatic Hair Change In Decades
Pamela Anderson attended the 2025 Met Gala wearing a sculptural gown and major hair change. Her flippy bob and sharp bob are her most dramatic haircut in decades. While she was once synonymous with a messy updo and party girl smoky eye, these days Pamela Anderson is known for a totally different beauty look. After deciding to go makeup-free for Paris fashion week in 2023, her go-to beauty vibe is all about glowing skin and soft loose waves or an effortless beachy blowout. However, at the 2025 Met Gala, she premiered a short, chin-skimming bob, and it's the most dramatic hair change she's made in decades. For the Monday, May 5 event, Anderson's hair was worn middle parted and flipped out in a perfectly mod yet entirely of-the-times style (the girls have been loving a flippy bob lately) that still retained some of her natural texture. Her fringe, which she often wears long and wispy, was styled straight across and also cut short, veering into baby bang territory. With her famous locks glowing as blonde and buttery and ever, the whole thing felt very '60s Mia Farrow at the beginning of Rosemary's Baby. The fact that it was a gloomy day in New York helped with the comparison... though I'm not sure Rosemary would pick the same gown. Rocking a fresh complexion per usual (who needs heavy liner when you have your Sonsie products and a face like that?), Anderson chose to provide us with some glitz and glam in another way. Standing in stark contrast to the flowy and ethereal nude Oscar de la Renta gown she wore to her first Met Gala in 2024, her 2025 dress by Tory Burch was structured and glittery. The gown featured a sculptural boatneck that stood above her shoulders, long sleeves, and a floor-length skirt, all made up of the same sparkling rhinestone and crystal-covered fabric. Last year, the actor capped off the night with a solo stroll through Central Park. While her hair won't be flowing in the wind as she (hopefully) continues that tradition, I'm sure she'll still feel pretty free. You can take the girl off of Vancouver Island and cut off her ability to throw up a casual thong-tied updo, but she'll forever be herself. That's why we love her—and those thin brows—so much. Read the original article on Byrdie
Buzz Feed
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
What's The Scariest Scene In A Religious Horror Film?
Are you a horror movie fan? Because if you are, I'm willing to bet you've seen your fair share of religious horror movies, and I need you to tell me which one has the SCARIEST scene of all time? Maybe you're a purist, and the scene in The Exorcist where Captain Howdy's face pops up in the kitchen ALWAYS gives you chills. Or, perhaps, you prefer the ICONIC jump scare in The Exorcist III because, in your opinion, it's basically terrible, shocking art. Maybe THAT baby scene in The Witch was so, so, so, so horrifying it actually left you feeling sick to your stomach. The scariest scene you've ever seen could've even been more the ending of Rosemary's Baby ("What have you done to its eyes?!?!"). So, now it's your turn. Tell us, what's the SCARIEST scene in a religious horror film you have ever seen, and WHY it scares you? Share your story in the comments below or via this anonymous form here and your story could be featured in a future BuzzFeed Community post and/or video!
The Guardian
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Studio: Seth Rogen's triumph of a Hollywood satire is absolutely stuffed with career-best acting
The Studio has some notes for Hollywood. Like in The Oner, the second episode of Apple TV+'s new industry comedy (out Wednesday 26 March) from the Superbad team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The incoming head of Continental Studios, Matt Remick (Rogen), is careening through the Hollywood Hills in his convertible, racing to the set in time to catch the director's virtuoso oner. That is a scene filmed in one single, continuous take, which – in this case – must also be completed in 'the magic hour' before sunset when the light is just so. As Matt and fellow executive Sal (Ike Barinholtz) make their clumsy entrance (patronising a PA, offering unwanted feedback, debating whether the oner really is 'the ultimate cinematic achievement' or 'just a director jacking off'), it becomes clear that the episode will itself unfold in a oner. Very clever. Did you already know all about oners? Perhaps you have an opinion on the Goodfellas tracking shot v Roger Deakins's Oscar-winning work on Sam Mendes's war movie 1917? If so, you are very much The Studio's target audience: an unabashed cinephile who bemoans the never-ending churn of bankable 'IP' while wishing for a return to the days of classics such as Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby, Woody Allen's Annie Hall or, as Matt ruefully reflects, 'some great film that wasn't directed by a fucking pervert'. You are, in fact, quite a lot like Matt, a man whom corporate big boss Griffin Mill (Bryan Cranston) suspects of unsuitable instincts: 'You're obsessed with actors and directors liking you, rather than being obsessed with making the studio as much money as possible.' Griffin's got Matt bang to rights there, as we see in another episode when Matt delegates, delays and otherwise weasels his way out of delivering a necessary note to famous nice-guy director Ron Howard. Unlike Matt, though, The Studio has plenty of constructive criticism to offer, with a point of view on every live industry issue, from overlong running times to gender parity. All the episodes zip along like an assistant in a golf cart crossing the lot on an emergency coffee run, but all contribute something interesting to the big picture. Because Matt's personal dilemma is also the dilemma at the heart of cinema: are we making art here? Or are we making money? Is it possible to do both? And if it is, can you do so without turning into a total lying, scheming scumbag, who'd sell your grandmother for an awards speech shoutout? Rogen and Goldberg seem to be managing, at least judging by The Studio's crammed cameo list, which overflows with the friends they've made – and kept – along the way. I mean, they managed to get Scorsese for the first episode. And let me tell you, no one plays 'Martin Scorsese' like Martin Scorsese. This guy's got talent! Indeed, every cameo in The Studio is a career-best, and every supporting actor is perfectly cast. It's a treat whenever Kathryn Hahn enters a room as marketing maven Maya, giant adult sippy-cup in hand, to ream out Matt for even aspiring to cool ('Who are you? The fucking Fonz?'). Or when ex-studio head Patty (Catherine O'Hara) turns up to reminisce – very respectfully, mind – about some dearly departed dick ('He had a package like a caramel leather sofa … rest in peace'). One evergreen criticism is that, like La La Land or Entourage, The Studio is another example of the industry's self-obsession which risks alienating the average audience member, who's never set foot on a soundstage nor sampled the delights of on-set catering. Not even a single M&M. But, as Maya could tell you – might scream in your face, in fact – not everything needs to be relatable, Matt. Whatever happened to being awestruck by glamour? This is Hollywood, baby, the town where, actually, magic hour lasts all day. Or all decade, back in the 70s; that era of Easy Riders and Raging Bulls, which the Continental team are subconsciously, sartorially reaching for in every scene. But wait, maybe the glory days aren't over just yet, because The Studio is a triumph! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll pre-order the Blu-ray. Two thumbs up. Five stars. No notes.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Experience Catalina: Hollywood's Historic Hideaway Just Off L.A.'s Coast
There are a lot of magical things about living in L.A., but my newfound favorite is jumping on a ferry for a quick 70-minute ride — accompanied by schools of dancing dolphins and the occasional whale — to arrive at the craggy shore of the paradise that is Santa Catalina Island. The island has a rich history rooted in pirates and smugglers, gold diggers (the panhandling kind, at least back then) and missionaries — long before it became a resort destination for well-heeled Angelenos seeking an Amalfi Coast-like the Golden Age of Hollywood, Catalina Island became a hideout for Tinseltown celebrities who came in droves. Marilyn Monroe. Joan Crawford. Jimmy Cagney. Charlie Chaplin. Cecil B. De Mille, a prominent film director, was quoted in an island newspaper saying that Catalina was 'the only place where I can get away to work amid real inspiration.'It's easy to see why the minute Avalon comes into sight. As the charming town and its commanding view of the world-famous Catalina Casino built over the surf appears, it's mesmerizing. A scene out of, well, a movie. Or many, in fact. Some of Hollywood's best films were shot in part on Catalina Island, dating back to silent films in the '20s. Later movies with scenes set around Catalina Island include The Glass Bottom Boat, Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, Jaws, Apollo 13 and Step Brothers, which spawned a real-life Catalina Wine Mixer. STAYI disembarked the ferry and rolled my suitcase over to the Hotel Atwater, a charming 95-room hotel built in 1920 — a year after chewing gum magnate and Chicago Cubs owner William Wrigley Jr., flush with Doublemint cash, fell in love with Santa Catalina and purchased control of the Santa Catalina Island Company, which continues to be run by generational members of the Wrigley clan to this day. The hotel has recently undergone a renovation and greets guests with vibrant, oceanic hues that are immediately soothing to frenetic Angelenos (at least this one). The hotel is named for Wrigley's daughter-in-law, Helen Atwater Wrigley, one of a long line of businesswomen in the dynasty that fought to preserve the island's pristine natural state with the creation of the Catalina Island Conservancy — which manages 88 percent of the Island's 48,000 acres of land framed by 60 miles of rocky waterfront. The rooms are small but sweet, and come with sparkling wine. A nod to Helen's love of a nightly glass of bubbly before bed. DOThere is no doubt that strolling over to the ultra-luxurious Descanso Beach Club, a private beach where guests can sip a drink with toes in the sand, is to experience an afternoon of respite in the sun. The club's food is an upscale spin on beach shack fare, which can be enjoyed at a private cabana or at a table just feet from the soft waves of the bay. The lounge chairs fanned by the ocean breeze invite a snooze. But for the more active visitors to Catalina, there are 165 hiking trails crisscrossing the island with stunning views and special guests: bison. There's also the Botanical Gardens and a zipline with panoramic vistas. DINEThe Avalon Grille, just a quick jaunt from the Hotel Atwater, is an upscale steakhouse with impressive meat and fish dishes. But the real draw to this spot is rooted in the rich history of the Wrigley family's indelible imprint on Catalina Island: the Wrigley Martini, which was made famous by ink-stained scribes and sports figures in 1950s Chicago, where it was served in the Windy City's landmark Wrigley Building. Now, the drink has been recreated by the mixologists at the Avalon Grille and it's easy to see why it was a favorite of the old-school hard-bitten news gatherers of that era. LOCAL LEGENDOn Thanksgiving weekend in 1981, Hollywood star Natalie Wood was found floating in the Pacific Ocean near the 60-foot yacht shared with her husband, actor Robert Wagner, called 'the Splendour.' The couple had set sail that weekend with Wood's co-star in the movie Brainstorm, actor Christopher Walken. After dinner and drinks, Wood, 43, vanished and was found drowned on Nov. 29, 1981. Her death was initially ruled an 'accidental drowning' but her case was reopened by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department homicide division with the investigation focusing on Wagner after witnesses described a fight earlier that night. The LASD cleared Wagner in 2022 and Wood's death continues to be mulled over as an enduring Hollywood mystery._Side TripThe El Rancho Escondido, or 'the hidden ranch,' is where Helen and her husband Phillip once maintained a stable of prize-winning horses. For the first time, the family is offering tours. The ranch is now home to some of the most exquisite Arabian horses and serves as a small museum for the Wrigley family's equestrian victories. It's also home to the family's grapes for Rusack Vineyards. _GETTING THERE The Catalina Express departs from Long Beach, Dana Point and San Pedro, and the Catalina Flyer ferries from Newport Beach.
