Latest news with #Skyscraper
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Things you didn't know were invented in Illinois
CHICAGO (WGN) — When it comes to groundbreaking inventions in the Land of the Lincoln, Illinois is no stranger to life-changing innovations. The Ferris Wheel, the Skyscraper, and even dentistry are just some of the state's key innovations. But do some exist that you may not know about? WGN-TV has compiled a short list of items that originated in Illinois: The inventor of the mobile phone, Chicago native Martin Cooper, made the first call on April 6, 1973. The Motorola researcher and executive is primarily regarded as the 'father of the cell phone' because he led the team behind the invention. According to following the belief that the cell phone should be portable and not solely operable in automobiles, Cooper and his team developed the DynaTAC (Dynamic Adaptive Total Area Coverage) phone, which was 23 cm (9 inches) tall and weighed 1.1 kg (2.5 pounds). The phone is often referred to as a brick phone due to its resemblance. Users paid $3,500 for the phone, equivalent to more than $25,000 in today's dollars, based on inflation. The delicious 'Golden Child' of Hostess was invented on April 6, 1930, at Continental Baking Company in western suburban Schiller Park. According to the Hostess, baker James Alexander Dewar was behind the idea of sponge cakes, with the original filling consisting of banana-flavored cream filling, and later replaced by the vanilla cream filling that generations have grown to love. Dewar noticed shortbread pans not in use and came up with the idea. The name Twinkie also stems from a billboard near the production plant that bore the name 'Twinkle Toe Shoes.' The Twinkie now comes in various flavors and remains a popular snack among Illinoisans and beyond. Edward Seymour is credited with inventing spray paint in west suburban Sycamore in 1949. According to Seymour created the first aerosolized spray paint can by inventing a novelty spray can to demonstrate an aluminum paint he had made for painting steam radiators. Based on the same principle as spray deodorizers and insecticides, the device featured a small can of paint equipped with an aerosol propellant and fitted with a spray head. 'Soon after perfecting the first spray can, Ed and the employees of his new company formulated the paint, which was mixed and filled with aerosol using a combination of customized and specially engineered machinery.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Metro
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
'I wrote huge songs with stars at their lowest points but turned down millions'
Work-life balance is something we all struggle with but for Toby Gad, his 'crossroads' saw him step away from multi-million dollar opportunities. While he might not be a household name, he's actually behind eight UK Top 10 hits — four of which are number ones. For the past 30 years, Toby has been one of the most in-demand songwriters and producers in pop, working with the likes of Madonna, John Legend, and Beyoncé. However, he revealed to Metro that at the height of his career in the early 2010s, he decided to turn down the money, take a step back, and 'catch a wave' instead. Toby shared: 'My wife was already in Hawaii with my daughter. They were waiting for me to come for the vacation, and I kept pushing it another week and another week. 'The calendar was full to the brim for the next months, with two or three writing sessions every month, [even] every day. I really was at a crossroads.' At this time, he had created All Of Me with John Legend, which shot to number one in the US and peaked at number two in the UK. His other number ones include Beyonce's If I Were A Boy, Don't Hold Your Breath by Nicole Scherzinger, and JLS's Love You More. This was not overnight success, though, as Toby's career began early and by 18, three of his and his brother's songs had found their way onto a Milli Vanilli album, and the music world opened up. He worked on an album for Enrique Iglesias before moving to New York. As the 00s began, so did Toby's climb to the top of the charts. One stand-out emotive hit was with Fergie for Big Girls Don't Cry, which peaked at number two (with Rihanna's Umbrella claiming the top spot). Toby also has a double Top 20 UK hit with Skyscraper, which he wrote with Demi Lovato; it peaked at 17, then went to number one with Sam Bailey's cover. 'My songs are quite often autobiographical,' Toby shared. 'So I love artists who have something to say and who have gone through hard times. 'With Fergie, that was one of her lowest low points. Or Demi, when we recorded Skyscraper, she was just about to go to rehabilitation, we were all crying when she sang that.' Demi recorded a second version of the track when she was out of rehab, which was 'perfect', but in the end, they used her original version. 'It's just raw and honest, and it breaks your heart when you listen to that song. Her performance is so intense,' Toby praised. 'I like to write with artists. I want to pull the things out of their life, poke into their wounds and find the places that hurt, and then that's what we write about, like a therapist.' Toby reflects on the careers of his 2010s producer peers, sharing he was 'in a similar position' (prospects-wise, not legally) to industry heavyweight Dr Luke. Dr Luke 'got $100 million from Sony to start a massive label', becoming the CEO, signing artists, and making his mark as one of the biggest names in the industry. The Kemosabe Records founder now has an estimated net worth of $200,000,000 (£150,900,000). 'For me,' Toby continued. 'I was thinking, why am I doing this? It was the third time I had a global number one — at the time, All Of Me was number one. 'The third time I had climbed the Mount Everest of the music world, and that climb is a long way. So why am I actually doing this?' His time spent constantly working meant he was barely home, letting his family life slip away in favour of the music machine. 'It was shameful,' he shared. 'I was not getting younger. I had two daughters and my beautiful wife, who cooked dinner almost every evening, and I usually never showed up in time. 'I made a decision to say no to every record label, cancel all the sessions and say I'm not writing songs. I'm learning to live again, be a human being and learn how to catch a wave, which was profound.' Since then, he has made more time for his family, written a book (with another on the way), been a judge on German Idol, and even had a documentary made about his life. German Idol made Toby a household name, but seeing the auditions had a profound impact on the way he viewed his songs from a decade ago. 'When I came back, I wanted to pass the torch to these young talents, because a lot of the young contestants sang my songs and demonstrated to me that these songs were still alive and they meant something to them. 'They were songs they grew up with, and they wanted to hear the stories behind these songs. So I felt it would be appropriate to re-record these songs with young artists.' The Untouched hitmaker revisited some of his biggest songs in a project called Piano Diaries, with artists like Victoria Justice, Keke Palmer and Angelina Jordan, covering these classics. He's already working on a second edition of the album, with new songs including an unreleased track originally written with the late Donna Summer. 'I used to not want to work for a while, and I'm glad I've had these years,' Toby mused. 'Now I'm working harder than ever.' More Trending He confesses that he used to feel 'very jealous' and be 'extremely competitive' as he tried to climb the mountain that is the music industry. Now, the TV judge is 'done' with all of that and returned to his roots as an artist, releasing music under his own name as well as songwriting and producing. Toby said: 'I think I had to relearn kindness, and now I'm just an artist myself, releasing songs myself, I feel so many producers and songwriters are artists, but aren't credited as such, or aren't on stage as artists. It's so rewarding. 'It's funny. People are famous, they're on stage and people might know one song. And here I am, nobody knows my name, but I have dozens of songs that people can sing along to.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Netflix viewers rediscover 00s sci-fi thriller with 'unexpected' twist as it climbs the charts MORE: David Beckham is the ultimate Spice Girls fanboy in 50th birthday tribute MORE: The Kooks reveal the fan favourite 00s track they desperately 'tried to avoid' performing
CNN
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Dwayne Johnson, is that you? See his dramatic new look as UFC fighter Mark Kerr in ‘The Smashing Machine' trailer
Dwayne Johnson is soon heading to theaters in what might be the most dramatic role of his career so far. In 'The Smashing Machine,' Johnson will play MMA and UFC fighter Mark Kerr, who was the subject of a 2002 HBO documentary that chronicled his substance abuse and explored the brutality of the sport to which he'd dedicated his life. The new trailer for 'The Smashing Machine,' released Tuesday by A24, hits on those themes and more, also highlighting Kerr's tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend, played in the film by Johnson's former 'Jungle Cruise' co-star Emily Blunt. 'Winning is the best feeling in the word,' Johnson as Kerr says in the trailer. 'It's 40,000 people in there cheering you on. There's no other high like it in the world.' Though he has yet to speak specifically about his physical transformation for the role, Johnson appears to have used facial prosthetics to help him more closely resemble Kerr, whose 12-year career took off in the late '90s. The new film marks a more dramatic turn from Johnson, who is best known for his high-octane action fare like 'San Andreas,' 'Skyscraper,' and is certainly not what audiences might be accustomed to seeing from him. That, he told GQ last year, was apparently the point of playing Kerr. 'It was also an opportunity for me, I realized, to stretch myself in ways that I hadn't been stretched yet,' he told the publication. 'And also challenge myself in ways that I hadn't been challenged.' Johnson's most recent theatrical release was last year's 'Moana 2,' in which he once against lent his voice as Maui. He has also been more active in the wrestling ring in recent years after making a surprise return to WWE in 2023. Last year, he joined the board of directors for TKO Group Holdings, the company consisting of the recently merged WWE and UFC. Following the WWE's partnership with Netflix, he made a much-hyped appearance at the January debut of WWE Raw on the streaming platform. 'The Smashing Machine,' out October 3, comes from writer/director Benny Safdie, who marks his solo film directorial debut with the movie. He is best known for working alongside his brother Josh, co-directing the acclaimed 'Uncut Gems,' among other films.
CNN
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Dwayne Johnson, is that you? See his dramatic new look as UFC fighter Mark Kerr in ‘The Smashing Machine' trailer
Dwayne Johnson is soon heading to theaters in what might be the most dramatic role of his career so far. In 'The Smashing Machine,' Johnson will play MMA and UFC fighter Mark Kerr, who was the subject of a 2002 HBO documentary that chronicled his substance abuse and explored the brutality of the sport to which he'd dedicated his life. The new trailer for 'The Smashing Machine,' released Tuesday by A24, hits on those themes and more, also highlighting Kerr's tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend, played in the film by Johnson's former 'Jungle Cruise' co-star Emily Blunt. 'Winning is the best feeling in the word,' Johnson as Kerr says in the trailer. 'It's 40,000 people in there cheering you on. There's no other high like it in the world.' Though he has yet to speak specifically about his physical transformation for the role, Johnson appears to have used facial prosthetics to help him more closely resemble Kerr, whose 12-year career took off in the late '90s. The new film marks a more dramatic turn from Johnson, who is best known for his high-octane action fare like 'San Andreas,' 'Skyscraper,' and is certainly not what audiences might be accustomed to seeing from him. That, he told GQ last year, was apparently the point of playing Kerr. 'It was also an opportunity for me, I realized, to stretch myself in ways that I hadn't been stretched yet,' he told the publication. 'And also challenge myself in ways that I hadn't been challenged.' Johnson's most recent theatrical release was last year's 'Moana 2,' in which he once against lent his voice as Maui. He has also been more active in the wrestling ring in recent years after making a surprise return to WWE in 2023. Last year, he joined the board of directors for TKO Group Holdings, the company consisting of the recently merged WWE and UFC. Following the WWE's partnership with Netflix, he made a much-hyped appearance at the January debut of WWE Raw on the streaming platform. 'The Smashing Machine,' out October 3, comes from writer/director Benny Safdie, who marks his solo film directorial debut with the movie. He is best known for working alongside his brother Josh, co-directing the acclaimed 'Uncut Gems,' among other films.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Commemorative George Stubbs horse sculptures to be auctioned
Eight horse sculptures, created for George Stubbs' 300th birthday celebrations last year, are set to be auctioned this week. The sculptures, half of which are life-size, were part of a Stubbs Trail around North Lincolnshire - the area where Stubbs conducted his anatomical studies, which, according to a spokesperson, "would revolutionise the way the horse was depicted in art - some of the most gruesome work ever undertaken by an English artist." Stubbs, an 18th-century equestrian artist, began to acquire his dissecting skills in Liverpool while working with his father, who was a currier (a specialist leather-worker). He further developed these skills at the County Hospital in York, where he studied anatomy, dissecting and drawing human cadavers. In 1756, Stubbs moved to a farmhouse near Horkstow, where he spent 18 months dissecting horse bodies, drawing and recording his findings. This gruesome work led to a new understanding of horse anatomy, resulting in some of the most accurate horse pictures ever painted. His knowledge was shared in his book, The Anatomy of the Horse, which was published in 1766. As part of the Stubbs tercentenary celebrations, North Lincolnshire Council commissioned 20 horse sculptures - ten life-size and ten smaller versions - to create a Stubbs Trail around sites connected to the artist. Each sculpture is unique, created by a contemporary artist in collaboration with a local school or community group. The groups were given the choice of keeping their horse or having it sold for charity when the Stubbs celebration ended. The four life-size horses going under the hammer include Skyscraper, the first sculpture on the Stubbs Trail, which was sited at Baysgarth Park in Barton on Humber. Standing 15 hands high, Skyscraper was the work of Hull artist Caitlin Smith, assisted by local primary schoolchildren. The auction also includes Spirit, the work of the Sussex-based equestrian artist Jane Johansson and the Scunthorpe Museum Society Art Group. The largest of the sculptures to be auctioned is George - the work of Gillian Higgins, an expert in equine anatomy. George stands 83 inches tall. Auctioneer Paul Potter said: "The horses are jaw-droppingly impressive sculptures that have fascinated thousands of people who enjoyed the Stubbs Trail during the 300th anniversary celebrations, and they're still impressing here at the saleroom in Messingham. "The looks on the faces of visitors when they find themselves meeting a life-size horse in reception or around the corner amid the china cabinets have been absolutely priceless." The sale catalogue is available to view at The viewing session is at The Old School Saleroom in Messingham on Wednesday, April 23, from 10am to 4pm. The auction gets underway at 10.30am on Thursday, April 24.
