Latest news with #TheBlueLagoon
Epoch Times
07-05-2025
- Epoch Times
Getting the Most out of Your Island Vacation: 5 Tips for Exploring Beyond the Beach
It was a scene straight out of a technicolor-bright dream or 'The Blue Lagoon.' This place was paradise. As I stretched out on a beach chair, book in hand, this graceful tropical spot stimulated multiple senses. The sound of placid waves lapping on the sand while gentle breezes shook the palms above. A warm sun beamed down on my skin, mixed with sea salt carried forward on the winds. And of course, the smell of a fresh-caught fish lunch wafted over from the grill. A very nice day, to say the least. But if you're like me, it won't take too long to ask: What's next? For many, lounging on the beach is the perfect escape for a day, or maybe two. But soon enough, you're more than ready for more. Having visited dozens of islands around the world, I've found that sunny destinations often reward those with the curiosity to explore. From Tahiti and Tonga to Bali and the Bahamas, in the middle of the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Southern Oceans, there's always something fascinating to discover. That is, for those with the will to leave their lounger for a few hours. Here are five tips to get the most out of your next tropical vacation. Get on the Water On an island, this is the purest way to experience things. After all, long before anyone landed here in an airplane, both locals and explorers navigated and approached by boat. In many cases, you'll see the layers of history lining the coast clearest from onboard a vessel. It doesn't have to be fancy. Once, I had several days in Cancún, but after a couple of days on that seemingly endless sand, I was a little bored. So I hopped on the catamaran that skimmed north of the glassy hotel towers to the earthier Isla Mujeres. Along the way, a man in a mariachi suit serenaded those of us seated up on the top deck with Mexican ballads. On shore, I explored both the cobblestone village and Playa Norte. I didn't have time for the ecological preserve—I'll need to save that for my next trip to the Yucatán. It was a surprisingly fun and enriching day. Take a Swim This may seem obvious when you're staying on the coast. But a lot of people don't get far beyond dipping their toes in the water. And so many islands are lined with stacks of coral that are absolutely bursting with sea life, perfect for a snorkel trip that will enable encounters with clouds of colorful fish and so much more. Related Stories 5/18/2024 8/11/2023 And you might want to take it a step further, like I did in Boracay. This small island in the central Philippines is one of the most magnificent paradises in Southeast Asia. It's busy, with a beach that's filled with sunbathers all through the day and tuk-tuks taking you to pedestrian streets that light up at night. Staying for the better part of the week, I decided to get my scuba license—a decision I've never regretted. Really, it's an introduction to an undersea world, from the pool to open-water dives where I met sharks and rays and green and hawksbill turtles. So much better than just a day at the beach. Seek Culture When people think of the Society Islands (which include Tahiti and Bora Bora), they mostly see the picture-postcard views: jagged, lush, extinct volcanoes towering over seas so blue they challenge the imagination. But what I'll always remember most is an afternoon with an indigenous Polynesian guide on the less-visited island of Raiatea. We traveled inland on a small river aboard a wooden boat, listening to his commentary on everything from the natural splendor of the surrounding rainforest to the significance of his tattoos. We were even regaled by time-honored legends and the lilting sound of the man's bamboo flute. This is just one example—no matter where you travel, you can learn something from the local residents. Leave the Beach Many people choose beach vacations because their lives are busy and stressful, and all they want to do is take it easy. I get it. There's truly nothing wrong with that. But even the smallest steps can be rewarding. Take a stroll to see what's down there, at the end of the strip of sand. By walking a couple of blocks from your resort, you might find a good story to take home and tell your friends. Find Culinary Delights (and Experiences) Just eating and drinking can unlock so many secrets. Cooking can do way more. Culture, history, personal stories, and the personality of a place are all reflected in what, and how, people eat. Across the Caribbean, I've heard the narratives of fisher and farmer families in open-air markets. In a Jamaican cooking lesson, I learned about generations of recipes—and those who created them. On a Trinidad tour, I heard about the ingredients that arrived on the trade winds. A fish fry in Barbados was an opportunity to swap stories. I tasted the best because I ventured out. And yes, I ended up feeling very satisfied by a little delicious island exploration. Three Practical Tips Be ready for island time. The pace offshore can often be slower than in the city. Rather than getting frustrated or rushing, just leave enough time so you can relax and enjoy everything. Good things, as they say, come to those who wait—and this is especially true on islands. Prepare to be disconnected, especially in the remotest places. While satellite internet is transforming the whole world, you'll still find corners where communication links are slow or nonexistent. Anticipate delays and disruption. After all, archipelagos don't often facilitate ease when it comes to transportation. Keep in mind that boats will rarely get you there as quickly as roads.
New York Post
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Dallas' star says TV ‘cougar' Linda Gray's prank during controversial kiss left his lips numb
Christopher Atkins will never forget his on-screen kiss with TV 'cougar' Linda Gray. The actor played camp counselor Peter Richards, the much younger lover of Gray's Sue Ellen Ewing on the hit TV series 'Dallas' from 1983 to 1984. The now 64-year-old, an aspiring filmmaker, is currently fundraising for an upcoming project. Advertisement 'They put me and Linda together, and she was the very first cougar,' Atkins told Fox News Digital. 'Our very first kissing scene, which solidified this moment between the two of us, was on a dock at this place on a lake. And everybody's standing there watching. Usually, everybody goes home after their scenes… They say, 'Action,' and we had our moment. We do have our big kiss, we pull apart and they cut.' 'Linda says to me, 'So how was it?'' he recalled. 'I'm thinking, 'What am I supposed to say to that? Oh, it was terrible, let's do it again? What do you say?' I said, 'Yeah, it was good.' And then all of a sudden, my lips go completely numb. She, as a joke, had put on her lips all that… stuff that they numb your gums with before the dentist gives you the needle. Put it all over her lips and gave me this kiss.' 'That was my introduction to 'Dallas,'' he chuckled. 4 Linda Gray attends The 2024 Farrah Fawcett Foundation Tex-Mex Fiesta on October 24, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. Getty Images for Farrah Fawcett Foundation Advertisement The steamy TV romance made headlines in its day. Sue Ellen, who was married to philandering oil tycoon J.R. Ewing (played by Larry Hagman), was depicted sneaking about with her boy toy, USA Today reported. Atkins, 22, and Gray, 43, famously made the cover of US magazine with the headline, 'Robbing the Cradle.' 'I'll never forget, I was walking… at a hotel, and this lady, you could see her, she's staring at me,' he said. 'This woman starts coming straight at me, comes right up [to] my face and says, 'You're too young for her!' This is what it was. And it was robbing the cradle.' Atkins described the cast of 'Dallas' as pranksters — and no one left the studio unscathed. 4 Linda Gray supposedly put numbing cream on her lips before the big kiss. CBS via Getty Images Advertisement 'They were all practical jokers,' he said. 'They were all crazy. They were just fun and nuts.' As part of his sex symbol role, 'Dallas' producers made him wear tiny swim trunks. 'I got a note from the network saying to quit stuffing my Speedo,' Atkins chuckled. 'I was thinking, what the heck is that? I mean, it's sort of a backhanded compliment… I think Larry Hagman or somebody was just [pranking me] because they put me in a Speedo for the show. They didn't have to, but that's what they did. So I think the note came as more of a joke.' By then, Atkins had already stripped down for his first movie, 1980's 'The Blue Lagoon.' He was 18 and his co-star, Brooke Shields, was 14. Advertisement Shields and the film's crew have long maintained that she used body doubles for nude scenes and that her hair was glued on to her body to avoid exposing her chest, People magazine reported. Atkins auditioned for the role in hopes of simply getting bragging rights that he read for a major film. He ended up being chosen from among 4,000 hopefuls. 'I kept getting called back,' said Atkins. 'The last one was with Julie Warner, who was in 'Doc Hollywood' with Michael J. Fox years later. She would've gotten the part if Brooke didn't. I knew the director wanted Brooke Shields, but I didn't know that much about her at the time.' 'I lived on [a] boat off the island [where we were filming]… she hadn't come yet,' he said. 'She had another week or so before she was going to get here. The director had put her picture up over my bed so that I could start falling in love with her before the movie started. That was my introduction to Brooke Shields.' 4 Actor Christopher Atkins, 2015. Getty Images While the film was controversial for depicting the two young characters in a sexual relationship, it wasn't the first time that Shields raised eyebrows. People magazine reported that two years earlier, she starred in 'Pretty Baby', where she played a 12-year-old prostitute. 'The crew were all Australian,' said Atkins. 'Back in the day, all the Australian beaches… were topless. It was very natural and freeing for the Australians… And being on a deserted island, there were no tourists, nothing. It was just us on this island… [And] these two kids, in a natural [and deserted] environment, they wouldn't wear clothes. It wouldn't be something that was in the forefront of their minds, that they needed to cover up.' Advertisement 'As time went on, it just became more and more natural not to have clothes on,' said Atkins. 'The crew made it very, very easy. Randall [Kleiser], the director, made it very, very easy about it. [The scenes] were absolutely important for the film, but it wasn't grandiose. It wasn't something that was there for the exhibition of the film. He really wanted this to be as natural and as real as possible. I understood that and got that.' 4 Christopher Atkins and Linda Gray on the set of Dallas. Getty Images 'By the time I was done leaving that island four and a half months later, it [was] really hard for me to keep my clothes on at a beach,' he joked. People magazine noted that critics loathed the film. However, it was nominated for an Academy Award for best cinematography. The outlet reported that the film raked in more than $58 million, making it the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1980. Advertisement Looking back at his Hollywood career, Atkins insisted there are no regrets. 'I got to a point in my life where I married young,' he said. 'I wanted to be a dad more than chase the business… When I was 16 years old, I used to teach sailing in Rye, New York, to little kids. From that measly paycheck that I was getting, I used to put a dollar away for someday when I had kids. That's how badly I wanted kids. When I had my two kids, I just did whatever came my way, just to put food on the table for them and keep working.' 'I've been blessed,' he reflected. 'I've done over 100 different movies and television shows at this point. Now my kids have their kids, and that's pretty remarkable… I've done everything in this business except make my own film. That's the last box I now want to check off… That's what I'm chasing right now, putting some really good projects together… So there are no regrets.'
Fox News
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
'Dallas' star says TV 'cougar' Linda Gray's prank during controversial kiss left his lips numb
Christopher Atkins will never forget his on-screen kiss with TV "cougar" Linda Gray. The actor played camp counselor Peter Richards, the much younger lover of Gray's Sue Ellen Ewing on the hit TV series "Dallas" from 1983 to 1984. The now 64-year-old, an aspiring filmmaker, is currently fundraising for an upcoming project. "They put me and Linda together, and she was the very first cougar," Atkins told Fox News Digital. "Our very first kissing scene, which solidified this moment between the two of us, was on a dock at this place on a lake. And everybody's standing there watching. Usually, everybody goes home after their scenes… They say, 'Action,' and we had our moment. We do have our big kiss, we pull apart and they cut." "Linda says to me, 'So how was it?'" he recalled. "I'm thinking, 'What am I supposed to say to that? Oh, it was terrible, let's do it again? What do you say?' I said, 'Yeah, it was good.' And then all of a sudden, my lips go completely numb. She, as a joke, had put on her lips all that… stuff that they numb your gums with before the dentist gives you the needle. Put it all over her lips and gave me this kiss." "That was my introduction to 'Dallas,'" he chuckled. The steamy TV romance made headlines in its day. Sue Ellen, who was married to philandering oil tycoon J.R. Ewing (played by Larry Hagman), was depicted sneaking about with her boy toy, USA Today reported. Atkins, 22, and Gray, 43, famously made the cover of US magazine with the headline, "Robbing the Cradle." "I'll never forget, I was walking… at a hotel, and this lady, you could see her, she's staring at me," he said. "This woman starts coming straight at me, comes right up [to] my face and says, 'You're too young for her!' This is what it was. And it was robbing the cradle." Atkins described the cast of "Dallas" as pranksters — and no one left the studio unscathed. "They were all practical jokers," he said. "They were all crazy. They were just fun and nuts." As part of his sex symbol role, "Dallas" producers made him wear tiny swim trunks. "I got a note from the network saying to quit stuffing my Speedo," Atkins chuckled. "I was thinking, what the heck is that? I mean, it's sort of a backhanded compliment… I think Larry Hagman or somebody was just [pranking me] because they put me in a Speedo for the show. They didn't have to, but that's what they did. So I think the note came as more of a joke." By then, Atkins had already stripped down for his first movie, 1980's "The Blue Lagoon." He was 18 and his co-star, Brooke Shields, was 14. WATCH: CHRISTOPHER ATKINS LOOKS BACK AT 'THE BLUE LAGOON' AND 'DALLAS' Shields and the film's crew have long maintained that she used body doubles for nude scenes and that her hair was glued on to her body to avoid exposing her chest, People magazine reported. Atkins auditioned for the role in hopes of simply getting bragging rights that he read for a major film. He ended up being chosen from among 4,000 hopefuls. "I kept getting called back," said Atkins. "The last one was with Julie Warner, who was in 'Doc Hollywood' with Michael J. Fox years later. She would've gotten the part if Brooke didn't. I knew the director wanted Brooke Shields, but I didn't know that much about her at the time." "I lived on [a] boat off the island [where we were filming]… she hadn't come yet," he said. "She had another week or so before she was going to get here. The director had put her picture up over my bed so that I could start falling in love with her before the movie started. That was my introduction to Brooke Shields." While the film was controversial for depicting the two young characters in a sexual relationship, it wasn't the first time that Shields raised eyebrows. People magazine reported that two years earlier, she starred in "Pretty Baby", where she played a 12-year-old prostitute. "The crew were all Australian," said Atkins. "Back in the day, all the Australian beaches… were topless. It was very natural and freeing for the Australians… And being on a deserted island, there were no tourists, nothing. It was just us on this island… [And] these two kids, in a natural [and deserted] environment, they wouldn't wear clothes. It wouldn't be something that was in the forefront of their minds, that they needed to cover up." "As time went on, it just became more and more natural not to have clothes on," said Atkins. "The crew made it very, very easy. Randall [Kleiser], the director, made it very, very easy about it. [The scenes] were absolutely important for the film, but it wasn't grandiose. It wasn't something that was there for the exhibition of the film. He really wanted this to be as natural and as real as possible. I understood that and got that." "By the time I was done leaving that island four and a half months later, it [was] really hard for me to keep my clothes on at a beach," he joked. People magazine noted that critics loathed the film. However, it was nominated for an Academy Award for best cinematography. The outlet reported that the film raked in more than $58 million, making it the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1980. Looking back at his Hollywood career, Atkins insisted there are no regrets. "I got to a point in my life where I married young," he said. "I wanted to be a dad more than chase the business… When I was 16 years old, I used to teach sailing in Rye, New York, to little kids. From that measly paycheck that I was getting, I used to put a dollar away for someday when I had kids. That's how badly I wanted kids. When I had my two kids, I just did whatever came my way, just to put food on the table for them and keep working." "I've been blessed," he reflected. "I've done over 100 different movies and television shows at this point. Now my kids have their kids, and that's pretty remarkable… I've done everything in this business except make my own film. That's the last box I now want to check off… That's what I'm chasing right now, putting some really good projects together… So there are no regrets."
Buzz Feed
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
People Are Calling Eiza González 'Insensitive' After She Wore An Outfit Inspired By 'The Blue Lagoon' For An Interview With Brooke Shields
Baby Driver star Eiza González is being called out after a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show with Brooke Shields, and the whole thing is making me cringe. This week, Brooke was one of a few celebrities to fill in for Kelly on her talk show in the American Idol 's star's recent absence. As a guest host, Brooke spoke to actor Eiza González, and the conversation — while generally well received — featured one awkward moment that had viewers stirring in comment sections online. As the two sat down, Eiza gestured to her outfit, which consisted of a turtleneck and a blue tulle skirt. 'By the way, I wore this for you,' she said before asking Brooke, 'What does it look like?' After slightly hesitating, Brooke answered. 'My… outfit in Blue Lagoon,' she guessed. Eiza excitedly confirmed, smoothing down her skirt and saying, 'Yes! It's like a Blue Lagoon -inspired look for you.' 'Oh my gosh, that was a lot more covered than I was,' Brooke said as she pointed to Eiza's outfit. Eiza nodded, saying, 'I couldn't live up to the hair, so I was like, 'Well, I'll use fake tulle as hair.'' 'And that hair was… taped to my body, by the way,' Brooke shared, to Eiza's surprise. 'Yeah, they had to tape it to my boobs, because if the wind blew, it was like, woo!' The two laughed as Brooke said, 'There wasn't much! There wasn't much there.' If you aren't familiar with the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon, you might not know the many controversies surrounding the movie and Brooke's experience as its lead star. In addition to its controversial plot about two young cousins falling in love, the film has been widely criticized for its excessive nudity — particularly because Brooke was only 14 years old at the time. Of course, this film wasn't the only controversial experience in Brooke's earlier career. At just 11 years old, she starred in the 1978 film Pretty Baby, playing a child prostitute. Like The Blue Lagoon, the film featured several nude scenes and was banned in a number of locations upon release. In the decades since, Brooke has opened up about her traumatic childhood and has been vocal about her mistreatment and sexualization by the adults at that time — most notably in her documentary, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, which came out in 2023. In the two-part documentary, Brooke talks about her experiences making movies, including Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, and it's pretty clear that she doesn't recall them all that fondly. In light of this, when Eiza wore her new look on The Kelly Clarkson Show, viewers had a lot to say. 'I feel that's quite insensitive of her picking that outfit,' one person wrote. Another added, ''I'm dressed as you when you were exploited' is a choice.' One person highlighted Brooke's perspective, commenting, 'I wore this for yoooou just a lil something that symbolizes your trauma 😜.' 'The way I would never bring up blue lagoon to that woman,' someone else said. 'You can see it I her eyes the trauma flashback just came over her 😭,' a third person added. Others, however, were more diplomatic towards Eiza. One person said, 'I know her intentions were good, but that probably reminded [Brooke] of all her child acting drama.' Someone else agreed, adding, 'I would feel too bad to do it.' Another user suggested that Eiza may simply be unaware, saying, 'I never knew how she felt about that movie, maybe she didn't either. I don't believe she would do that intentionally if she had known.'
BBC News
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
It took nearly 60 years for Brooke Shields to overcome her imposter syndrome
In the new series of Influential with Katty Kay, actress and model Brooke Shields opens up about spending nearly six decades in the spotlight and how she finally overcame her imposter syndrome. More than 40 years after Time magazine called her the face of a decade in a 1981 cover story, actress and model Brooke Shields says that she's finally confident enough to not feel like a failure. Speaking to the BBC's Katty Kay for her interview series Influential, Shields opens up about everything from landing an Ivory soap campaign as an infant to the fallout from that infamous Time photo shoot. In 2023, a Hulu documentary, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, offered a glimpse into the reality behind the tabloid headlines, centering on the relationship between Shields and her late mother, Teri. With a new book released on 14 January, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman, Shields comes into her own and embraces the difficult task of ageing in the public eye. Having been working since she was an infant (on the aforementioned soap ad), Shields says her public association with youthful beauty - those iconic eyebrows and big hair - has made the ageing process even more of a challenge. "[Having] a youthful face, just regularly getting older is almost viewed as a disappointment," she tells Kay. "I think, psychologically, it's a very interesting thing… You really have to do a lot of work on yourself internally to be OK with not also being disappointed with yourself." Shields had early success as a model (she posed for Calvin Klein and Richard Avedon aged 15) and then as an actress, when she starred in films like The Blue Lagoon (1980) and Endless Love (1981). "I was the original influencer, actually," she jokes. Since then, she has parlayed her fame into partnerships with skincare brands, launched her own haircare line, Commence, and an online platform for women over 40, Beginning is Now. It's that community that she's embracing with her new book, with the realisation that some are starting to see her as a 59-year-old, not just the girl who starred in Pretty Baby. Being so strongly associated with a decade hasn't helped shift public perception, even though she has worked consistently since then. "It was a shock to me the first time I saw a wrinkle on a monitor, because I thought something was in the film," she says, revealing that she sometimes mistakenly believed she was immune to the passage of time. "I knew that I had to find value beyond the surface and looks and beauty, because it was such a part of my upbringing and who I was to people." Shields acknowledges that she's spent much of her life keeping up appearances, but she's had the privilege to see that Hollywood's focus on eternal youth isn't necessarily a universally held belief around the world. "It's definitely a very American thing. I think you go to Europe – I'm not sure about the UK as much, but definitely in Italy and France – there is a certain respect and reverence for beauty, mature beauty," she says. "We don't – we have not figured that out yet. I think, I hope it's changing a bit. I'm hoping to contribute to that." She calls aging liberating, not limiting. While Hollywood has been more welcoming of women of a certain age – just look at Demi Moore, Martha Stewart and Jennifer Coolidge's recent renaissances – Shields explains that there's a selfishness that arrives when things like children and career pressures aren't on the agenda anymore. "I think that there's a freedom to it and there's so many different factors that when you delve into them, you understand why this is a prime of our life in a way that is focused on just us," she says. "Not our biological clock, not societal pressures, not all of these things that we operate by – because your time runs out." Shields's career since the 90s has been marked by focused diversification; exploring ways to find success away from her appearance. Her CV includes a Broadway stint in shows like Chicago, Cabaret and Grease, in addition to her TV and film work. She has published two children's books and written about postpartum depression. She is also mother to two daughters, Grier and Rowan, and earned a degree in Romance languages and literatures from Princeton University. "When you start to write books or take jobs in other mediums and you learn different skills, [like] Broadway, speaking, all of those things that sort of add to you as a human being, the onus on just looking a certain way or on [being] 'the face of a decade', which is ridiculous in and of itself," she says. "I was a pretty face but you know, really?" More like this:• Entrepreneur Jane Wurwand on why 'high-touch will overshadow high-tech' in business• Ina Garten on her internet appeal: 'Young people don't have mom in the kitchen'• Olympic legend Lindsey Vonn explains the mindset of a winner Shields says this self-reflection is what allowed her to finally feel able to rub shoulders with her peers. She tells Kay that during an event for the opening of Sunset Boulevard with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, she realised that she could hold her own. The imposter syndrome that had loomed over her years in the spotlight had evaporated. "Everything that I've done and been and seen and grown from and learned gives me the opportunity to not be intimidated by any of these people in these rooms. I can admire them and I can look up to them and love their talent," Shields says. "I can be good enough. I'm as good as [whomever] I used to hold up on a pedestal." Influential with Katty Kay airs on Fridays at 21:30 ET on the BBC News channel. -- For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
