Latest news with #XFiles
The Guardian
5 days ago
- The Guardian
Where the wild things are: how to immerse your kids in the great outdoors this summer
'Aliens!' The call came loud and shrill from the trees as I scanned the foliage for the unmistakable shape of my four-year-old son. For a moment, nothing stirred. The beams of light from the sun spotlit a nearby clump of bracken so intensely it reminded me of the torches Mulder and Scully used in The X Files. Then, a rustle came from up ahead. 'Quick! I found them,' he yelled before disappearing into a clearing between the pines. I walked on, to find, in front of us, the curved edges and spherical lines of a UFO, coloured so dark it nearly blended into the shadows. It was, of course, a metal sculpture representing the alien vessel said to have landed here over 40 years ago. On top of it stood my son. Even before I managed to take a decent picture, he wanted to run on again. 'We've got to find number four now,' he declared. We were in Suffolk's Rendlesham Forest, a 15-mile drive from Ipswich, walking a free UFO trail, based on the sighting of unexplained flying objects by US military officers based here in 1980. Loving to follow a trail of any kind over several hours – but especially one where he can tick off numbers, so he knows there is an end (handily, this one culminates in a playground) – he walked, ran and skipped the three miles, while I enjoyed spending time outside with him. When it comes to the summer holidays, it can feel as if we are doing a countdown. Of the 13 weeks most children get off school each year, six are lumped together over the summer, making July and August feel like a stretch of endless time. Not only can it be a nightmare, due to the juggle of childcare and work, but keeping kids entertained and – crucially – active rather than sat in front of screens can be expensive. So many activities cost a fortune. But there is another way. And it is completely free. And that is the outdoors. The UFO-themed walk was on Forestry England land, which is one of the first places to turn during the holidays. From interactive app-based trails that allow you to take videos of your child pretending to be a dragon complete with AI wings, to crafting missions where you work together to find natural items on the woodland floor to make the face of the Gruffalo, they are an inexpensive way to immerse yourself in nature. On the UFO trail, a free leaflet at the start guided us around the trees where I could tell the story of the key sites. My son was so enamoured of the map and tale that the next morning at breakfast he asked me to read it again while he followed the map with his finger and remembered our adventure. But an outdoor adventure doesn't have to be deep in the forest, where maps are required. The next day, we headed to Thorpeness, home to the much-photographed House in the Clouds, a former water tower that was disguised as a red and black clapboard house in 1923. Our mission was to find a way to get a good photograph of it. We followed a footpath up a hill, past quirkily painted weatherboarded houses which were popular after the first world war. While I was in awe of the house we had come to see, my little one found it way more exciting to discover the windmill opposite (bought by the creator of the House in the Clouds to help pump the water). Adjacent to Thorpeness is the town of Aldeburgh, where we spent hours on the shingle beach filling buckets with 'magic stones', chasing the waves, paddling in the North Sea and taking shelter under Maggi Hambling's giant scallop shell sculpture when rain fell. The day was rounded off with a hearty helping of fish and chips from Aldeburgh Fish and Chips, owned by the same family since 1967. Weeks on, my son still talks about this day as one of the best in his life. Beaches are always a winner when trying to convince kids that nature is cool. On a previous trip, I took my boy to New Quay in Ceredigion, west Wales (one of a few places that lay claim to being the inspiration for the characters and town in Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood). We didn't set foot indoors for an entire day. When the tide was out, we set up a beach 'base camp' with some shade under a giant parasol, then proceeded to bury each other in the sand. Then we looked for jellyfish washed up on the shore (a great opportunity to teach him about them), went rock pooling in the shallows (we found crabs, limpets, anemones and periwinkles) and built an elaborate fortified river, hewn from the silt using our buckets and spades. As the temperature rose, we swam in the sea and, just before the end of the day, we were treated to a spectacle of the resident bottlenose dolphins putting on an impromptu performance at dusk. None of this cost a penny. Yet we'd shared some of the best quality time I've experienced – bonding over the natural world, revelling in getting sand between our toes, and shivering in the cool waters of the Irish Sea. For something that feels like a bigger trip to my son, I try to involve a train. A couple of summers ago, we took the fast train to Scotland, then caught the ferry to the Isle of Mull as foot passengers. There, I hired an e-bike with a child seat and trailer, and we stopped off to wild camp near a loch. He helped me put up the tent, I cooked our dinner on a stove and we bonded over a shared love of marshmallows. We stayed up watching the sunset, despite it being way past his bedtime. 'I love the sun so much,' he told me as we saw the sky turn purple. 'I don't want to go to sleep.' He did, thankfully, nod off under a sky full of stars, with not a mention of Bluey, Peppa Pig or any of the other characters he usually demands entertain him. On one of the last days, we woke before dawn. I packed a chocolate croissant in my bag and we climbed the nearest hill to watch the sun rise. He still talks about it and asks when we will do it again. One of my most memorable trips with him was paddleboarding on the river near our house. I packed a picnic and we paddled to an island, where we sat and watched the birds, while he asked what each one was called and demanded we collect some of their lost feathers to take home, in the hope we might one day be able to make a cape that allowed us to fly back here. Memories like this are priceless. I know, given his age, he probably won't remember everything we do, but I hope going into the wild places will instil in him a knowledge that the natural world is a wondrous place and the backdrop to some of our happiest times together. For me, it helps to remember that when it comes to the holidays, instead of counting the days, I need instead to make the days count. Phoebe Smith is the author of Wayfarer and the 2025 recipient of the Royal Geographical Society's Ness award for promotion of accessible adventure, particularly to women and those from underprivileged communities
Perth Now
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Gillian Anderson wants to be 'looked at adoringly for who I am'
Gillian Anderson wants her partner to desire the real her instead of a "perfect version". The X Files star spoke about her own desires in a candid interview on Davina McCall's Begin Again podcast, praising women for sending in their personal letters and stories for her book Want and Gillian insisted talking about sex often opens up a much bigger conversation. She explained: "I think what was remarkable about the book and the conversation that it's started, was because of the courage of the women who submitted the letters. "The bigger light bulb is: 'If I'm not able to ask for what I want of the person I've been married to for 25 years, does that have any link to why I'm not able to ask for what I want in the work that I do? "And the raise that I've been thinking about asking for? Or actually to assume that I might be talented at this other thing that I haven't gone after because I've been kind of wrapped up' ... "I didn't expect the reaction that we've had and I didn't expect that these were the types of conversations that we'd be having. I've had women come up to me and say: 'This has changed my life'. And at the end of the day we're talking about courage really." She went on to add that a lot of the writing seemed to be about being "seen" and she opened up about how she wants to be looked at by her partner. Gillian - who is in a relationship with screenwriter Peter Morgan - added: "There's a lot of really, really touching writing in here and real touching honesty and part of that too which really moves me, was women writing about being seen. "Yes there's a version of a fantasy where even in my mind I look a certain way and I'm imagining that they are desiring me as that way, but actually the thing that I really want is to be looked at adoringly for who I am, and how I look and for that to be the thing that my partner is desiring - not the perfect version of it, but actually you."
The Star
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
'Madam Secretary' co-stars Tea Leoni and Tim Daly are officially married
Tim Daly and Tea Leoni began dating in the summer of 2014. Photo: TNS Tea Leoni and Tim Daly, I now pronounce you Mr. & Mrs. Madam Secretary . The pair of actors, who shared the screen on the CBS political drama, will now share a life together as husband and wife, making their TV romance a reality. Leoni, 59, and Daly, 69, tied the knot Sunday in a private ceremony, The Times confirmed Tuesday. Leoni and Daly began dating in the summer of 2014 and starred in Madam Secretary as United States Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord and her scholar husband Henry McCord. The series aired on CBS from September 2014 to December 2019. A representative for Leoni did not confirm additional details about the newlyweds' ceremony, but People reported that the actors' intimate nuptials took place in New York with only immediate family as attendees. Leoni and Daly began their romance just before the former finalised her divorce with X Files star David Duchovny. Leoni and Duchovny wed in 1997 after meeting on The Tonight Show and share two adult children, actor West Duchovny and Kyd Miller Duchovny. Before David Duchovny, Leoni was married to TV producer Neil Joseph Tardio Jr. from 1991 to 1995. Daly's marriage to Leoni marks his second: He was previously married to theatre actor Amy Van Nostrand. The exes share children Sam and Emelyn. In a March 2024 interview with the Really Famous With Kara Mayer Robinson podcast, Daly spoke to its host about finding love on Madam Secretary . He said his views about starting a committed relationship later in his life changed once he met Leoni. "It's the deepest, most fun, most truly intimate relationship I've ever had," he said. – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
Miami Herald
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
‘Madam Secretary' co-stars Téa Leoni and Tim Daly are now real-life spouses
LOS ANGELES - Téa Leoni and Tim Daly, I now pronounce you Mr. & Mrs. "Madam Secretary." The pair of actors, who shared the screen on the CBS political drama, will now share a life together as husband and wife, making their TV romance a reality. Leoni, 59, and Daly, 69, tied the knot Sunday in a private ceremony, The Times confirmed Tuesday. Leoni and Daly began dating in the summer of 2014 and starred in "Madam Secretary" as United States Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord and her scholar husband Henry McCord. The series aired on CBS from September 2014 to December 2019. A representative for Leoni did not confirm additional details about the newlyweds' ceremony, but People reported that the actors' intimate nuptials took place in New York with only immediate family as attendees. Leoni and Daly began their romance just before the former finalized her divorce with "X Files" star David Duchovny. Leoni and Duchovny wed in 1997 after meeting on "The Tonight Show" and share two adult children, actor West Duchovny and Kyd Miller Duchovny. Before David Duchovny, Leoni was married to TV producer Neil Joseph Tardio Jr. from 1991 to 1995. Daly's marriage to Leoni marks his second: He was previously married to theater actor Amy Van Nostrand. The exes share children Sam and Emelyn. Before crossing paths on "Madam Secretary," both Leoni and Daly had established their screen careers with a variety of TV and film credits. Leoni came to the CBS series with films including "Bad Boys," "Spanglish" and "Jurassic Park III" under her belt. She also appeared in the series "The Naked Truth" and "Flying Blind." Daly's resume includes the series "Wings" and "Private Practice," and he voiced Superman in several animated projects. In a March 2024 interview with the "Really Famous With Kara Mayer Robinson" podcast, Daly spoke to its host about finding love on "Madam Secretary." He said his views about starting a committed relationship later in his life changed once he met Leoni. "It's the deepest, most fun, most truly intimate relationship I've ever had," he said. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mark Snow, ‘The X-Files' Theme Song Composer, Dies at 78
Mark Snow, the Emmy-nominated composer behind the beloved X-Files theme song, has died. He was 78. Snow died Friday at his home in Connecticut, a representative confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. More from The Hollywood Reporter Kun on Latest Single "Deadman" and His Next Chapter: "It's Really Just the Beginning" Kelly Clarkson Postpones Opening Night of Las Vegas Residency Shortly Before Showtime Young Noble, Member of Tupac Shakur's Outlawz Rap Group, Dies at 47 Sean Callery, a fellow composer and friend of Snow's, also announced his death on Facebook. 'Mark Snow, and one of the most wonderful and talented people I've ever known, has passed away,' he wrote in the Friday post. '33 years ago he began mentoring me as an artist. Who knew that I was also at the beginning of a deep friendship that would only grow and evolve over 3 decades along with our graying hair and tighter deadlines.' Callery continued. 'I am so grateful to him for his sage counsel and his laugh-out-loud biting wit. My career got started by an act of generosity on his part 33 years ago – period, full stop. I love you my friend. There will never ever be another like you. I send love to Glynnis and all his children and grandchildren during this time.' Snow notably composed the iconic opening theme for The X-Files. He worked on the crime drama series during its full time on-air from 1993 until its end in 2018. Aside from the theme song, he worked on the rest of the show's music, earning six Emmy nominations throughout his X-Files tenure. Snow, too, served as the composer of the franchise's 1998 film, The X Files. A 15-time Emmy-nominated composer, Snow lent his talents to a slew of shows, including Blue Bloods, Smallville, One Tree Hill, Children of the Dust and Ghost Whisperer, among others. His work has also appeared across film, including features in The New Mutants, Ernest Saves Christmas and Crazy in Alabama. Snow also frequently worked on TV movies. Some of his past credits include The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, one of his first projects he worked on in 1976 that starred John Travolta, Overboard, Casino, Angel City, Malibu, California Girls, The Lost Capone, An American Story, A Stranger in Town, Trial by Fire, The Perfect Mother, Paradise and Strange Calls. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
