DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Joseph Fiennes says playing Michael Jackson ‘was a wrong decision’
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Though the project was never released, Joseph Fiennes being cast to play Michael Jackson in 2017 created a whitewashing controversy. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Fiennes addressed the backlash to his casting. Fiennes had initially defended the decision in a 2016 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. It doesn’t negate who he was.”In a 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Jackson rejected the idea of having a white actor portray him onscreen. Winfrey had asked him about reports that he wanted Pepsi to cast a white actor to play him as a child in a commercial.

Persons: Joseph Fiennes, Michael Jackson, Jackson, Marlon Brando, Brian Cox, Elizabeth Taylor, Stockard Channing, Fiennes, “, ” Fiennes, ”, ” “, “ It’s Michael, –, Oprah Winfrey, Winfrey, ” Jackson Organizations: CNN, Guardian, Hollywood, Pepsi

☆ The owners of a 1,900 square foot house next to the Masters golf course keep turning down millions of dollars to sell
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Augusta National has spent $200 million buying up property around the course for two decades. According to The Wall Street Journal, Augusta National spent over $200 million purchasing over 100 properties covering 270 acres since 1999. Here is a view of the house from Google Street View, with Augusta National in the background. It's like the Martians have landed," Pirample told Golf Digest. "I could do without the lights and the generators and all the noise," Kittie Baker told Golf Digest.

Persons: —, Steve Politi, Thacker, Stanley Dr, Augusta National's, Herman, Elizabeth Thacker don't, Elizabeth Thacker, NJ.com, Elizabeth, Graig, Peter Larson, Politi, Herman Thatcher's, William Thatcher, Hatcher, John Pirample, William Thatcher's, Pirample, Kittie Baker, Thatcher, hasn't, we're, Scott Brown, Sarah Stier, Emmett Knowlton Organizations: Augusta National, Service, Augusta National Golf Club, Wall Street, Independent, Google, Summer House Realty, Augusta, Golf, Masters Locations: Georgia

☆ What It Was Like to Work Closely With Elizabeth Holmes at Theranos
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Kiera Fields | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Patrick O'Neill worked closely with the disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes. "Seeing those people be brought to justice is a comfort," he says of Holmes going to jail. I hadn't heard about Theranos before Elizabeth Holmes approached TBWA/Chiat/Day, the ad agency where I was a creative director, in 2012. Working with Holmes closely, I felt like she had to bring herself down to earth to communicate with me. Elizabeth Holmes and the Theranos story are now so well-known that when people ask me what my story is, I have to decide whether I'm going to talk about it.

Persons: Patrick O'Neill, Elizabeth Holmes, Holmes, TBWA, Steve Jobs, I'd, Theranos, Elizabeth, we'd, Apple weren't, We'd, It's, Errol Morris, Martin Schoeller, Elizabeth's, hadn't, I've Organizations: Morning, Starco Brands, Apple, Visa, Olympics, Walgreens, Wall Street, Forbes, Wall Locations: Theranos, Arizona, Silicon

☆ A family makes over $100,000 tax-free renting out their home to billionaires for one week in April. Welcome to the Masters housing frenzy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Masters Golf Tournament doubles the population of Augusta, Georgia, for one week every April. "There's not a lot of homes in this area that look like ours and rent for Masters," Hayley Mack told the outlet. We obviously get a very big number for Masters week." On a normal week, the home rents for about $2,500, but during the Masters, that sum swells to about $30,000. "The area is just pandemonium," Williams told Golf Digest.

Persons: —, Mack, Hayley Mack, Justin Timberlake, Mack wouldn't, Ralph Lauren Polo, Tipton Sholes, Tipton, Kathie Williams, Williams, She's, Sholes, Elizabeth Thacker, NJ.com, Herman Organizations: Service, Golf, Ralph Lauren Polo Bar, Buffalo Wild Wings, Tipton, Masters, Augusta National, Hilton Head, Golf Digest, Wall Street Journal Locations: Augusta , Georgia, France, Augusta, Italy, Hawaii

☆ What Makes a Great Performance? Backstage Drama, That’s What.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Roslyn Sulcas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

“The classicist who wants to be modern, meeting the modernist who wants to be classical.” So says Elizabeth Taylor, summing up the fractious encounter between the revered Shakespearian actor John Gielgud, and her new husband, the actor Richard Burton. It’s 1964, Taylor and Burton are the most famous couple in the world, and Burton is rehearsing the role of Hamlet for a Broadway production that Gielgud is directing. It’s not going well. That’s the setting for “The Motive and the Cue,” a new play directed by Sam Mendes, written by Jack Thorne, and starring Mark Gatiss as Gielgud, Johnny Flynn as Burton and Tuppence Middleton as Taylor. The play, which opened to enthusiastic reviews in May and runs through July 15 at the National Theater, in London, was an idea born out of the pandemic, said Caro Newling, a co-founder with Mendes of Neal Street Productions, which developed the show.

Persons: Elizabeth Taylor, John Gielgud, Richard Burton, It’s, Taylor, Burton, Gielgud, Sam Mendes, Jack Thorne, Mark Gatiss, Johnny Flynn, Tuppence Middleton, Caro Newling, Mendes, Neal Organizations: National Theater, Neal Street Productions Locations: London

☆ Eating disorder helpline that reportedly planned to fire its human staff disables its chatbot after a woman said it told her to count calories, weigh, and measure herself weekly
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The National Eating Disorders Association disabled its chatbot after it gave "harmful" information. NEDA reportedly plans to fire its human helpline staff on June 1, and is using Tessa for an interactive program. The National Eating Disorders Association has disabled its chatbot after the association said it "may have given information that was harmful and unrelated to the program." Chase previously told Insider the chatbot was not meant to replace the human helpline staff. All of us came to this job because of our passion for eating disorders and mental health advocacy and our desire to make a difference."

Persons: Tessa, NEDA, Sharon Maxwell, Maxwell, Sarah Chase, Elizabeth Thompson, Thompson, Chase, Abbie Harper, NEDA's Organizations: Eating Disorders Association, Eating Disorders, Daily, X2Ai

☆ Take a look at this sleek $3.7 million yacht that has 3 bedrooms and is perfect for Ibiza parties
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Yachting has long been a favorite pursuit of the rich and famous. Take a look inside the Princess Yachts S62, one of the vessels that was on display. From top business leaders and royals, to sports stars and Hollywood celebrities, yachting has long been a favorite pastime of the rich and famous. Whether it's Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' $500 million megayacht or Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie's $300 million aquarium-equipped superyacht, the boats are bigger and flashier than ever. Take a look inside one of the yachts that was on display.

☆ Bizarre Sea Creatures Illuminate the Dawn of the Animal Kingdom
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Carl Zimmer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Scientists have long wondered what the first animals were like, including questions about their anatomy and how they found food. In a study published on Wednesday, scientists found tantalizing answers in a little-known group of gelatinous creatures called comb jellies. While the first animals remain a mystery, scientists found that comb jellies belong to the deepest branch on the animal family tree. The oldest definitive animal fossils date back about 580 million years, although some researchers have claimed to find even older ones. Sponges would make sense as the oldest animal.

☆ Avedon at 100: Celebrities select the famed photographer’s best works
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

courtesy Richard Avedon/The Richard Avedon FoundationWhen Hillary Clinton, then a US Senator, arrived for a shoot with Avedon in 2003, she recalled him looking at her and saying, "I've seen this image before." courtesy Richard Avedon/The Richard Avedon FoundationFashion designer Miuccia Prada selected this image of Boyd Fortin, a teenaged rattlesnake skinner from Texas, taken in 1979. courtesy Richard Avedon/The Richard Avedon FoundationFashion designer Calvin Klein selected this infamous campaign image from his label's archives. courtesy Richard Avedon/The Richard Avedon FoundationFilmmaker Sofia Coppola chose this iconic 1958 photograph of model China Machado. courtesy Richard Avedon/The Richard Avedon Foundation“Avedon 100” is on view at Gagosian in New York through June 24.

CNN —Hundreds of jewels once owned by late Austrian billionaire Heidi Horten have fetched a combined 176 million Swiss francs ($196 million) to become the most expensive private jewelry collection ever to appear at auction. Heidi Horten pictured wearing the Briollete of India necklace, which sold for 6.3 million Swiss francs ($7 million). The most valuable lot, a ruby and diamond Cartier ring that is “pigeon blood” in color, fetched just over 13 million Swiss francs ($14.5 million), despite Christie’s expecting bids as high as 18 million Swiss francs ($20 million). A 90-carat “Briolette of India” diamond necklace by jeweler Harry Winston also came in below estimate, selling for 6.3 million Swiss francs ($7 million). courtesy Christie'sElsewhere, however, a Bulgari diamond ring more than doubled its high estimate to fetch 9.1 million Swiss francs ($10.1 million).

☆ London's Big Ben fails to bong as clock briefly stops
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The Elizabeth Tower of the Houses of Parliament, commonly known as Big Ben, is seen in London, Britain, June 30, 2022. REUTERS/John SibleyLONDON, May 10 (Reuters) - London's famous Big Ben bell failed to chime on Wednesday when the dials of the Great Clock at Britain's Houses of Parliament briefly stopped working. "We are aware that the clock dials on the Elizabeth Tower were temporarily displaying the incorrect time on Wednesday afternoon," a spokesperson for parliament's lower house, the House of Commons, said. "Clock mechanics worked quickly to rectify the issue and the clock is now functioning as normal." The 13-tonne Big Ben bell was largely silenced for five years while a major restoration of the Elizabeth Tower took place, with the so-called 'bongs' finally resuming regular service in November 2022.

The collection, acquired between the early 1970s until Horten's death last year, is also comprised of more than 100 Bulgari pieces. "What's important is that we have been completely transparent," Rahul Kadakia, international head of jewellery at Christie's, told Reuters. Christie's said it would make a "significant contribution" from its final proceeds to Jewish organisations to advance Holocaust research and education. "Of course we cannot erase history," said Max Fawcett, head of the jewellery department at Christie's in Geneva. Christie's will auction 400 pieces in Geneva on Wednesday and Friday and hold an online sale.

☆ Police arrest 52 including republicans during King Charles' coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Police arrested the leader of the anti-monarchy group Republic and 51 others at King Charles' coronation on Saturday, with officers saying their duty to prevent disruption outweighed the right to protest. [1/7] Protesters hold placards as people gather on the day of Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation ceremony, in London, Britain May 6, 2023. Most of the anti-monarchy protesters on Saturday had congregated in Trafalgar Square next to the bronze statue of King Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649, leading to a short-lived republic. Since Charles became king last September, there have been protests at royal events. Events to mark the coronation in other countries where Charles is head of state were also low key.

☆ Police arrest anti-monarchy protesters ahead of King Charles' coronation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Police arrested the leader of the anti-monarchy group Republic hours before King Charles' coronation on Saturday and a number of other protesters who had gathered among the crowds lining the procession route in central London. "NOT MY KING"[1/2] An anti-monarchy demonstrator holds stickers ahead of Britain's King Charles’ procession to his coronation ceremony from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, at The Mall in London, Britain May 6, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls 1 2Some anti-monarchy protesters had held up signs saying "privatise them" and "abolish the monarchy, not the right to protest", and "Not My King". Most of the anti-monarchy protesters on Saturday had congregated in Trafalgar Square next to the bronze statue of King Charles I, who was beheaded in 1649, leading to a short-lived republic. While many other European monarchies have come and gone, or are far diminished in scale and importance, the British royal family has remained remarkably resilient.

Penny is the man who choked Neely on the F train, a former senior law enforcement official confirmed. A former senior law enforcement official confirmed to Insider that Daniel Penny was the man who is seen on video placing Neely in a chokehold before his death. The video shows Penny and two other men holding Neely on the floor of the subway car until Neely stopped moving. Neely appeared to stop moving as Penny applied a chokehold on the floor of the subway train as it idled at Broadway-Lafayette station. On the day of the altercation on the subway, Penny was wearing a sweatshirt from a Long Island surf shop and a hat with the logo of an Australian surf brand.

☆ 9 things you think you know about ancient Egyptians that are actually wrong
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

With their impressive architecture, scientific knowledge, religious cults, and beautiful artwork, the ancient Egyptians continue to impress historians long after the end of their reign. The pyramids were built by slavesThe Sphinx at Giza in Cairo set against the Pyramid Pyramid of Khafre. That means there may have been sacrifices over a period of about 400 years, while ancient Egyptians ruled for about 3,000 years. His book detailing the life of ancient Egyptians was extremely influential. Many misconceptions that have survived in the lore about ancient Egypt to this day may have found their origins in Herodotus's work.

[1/5] Britain's Camilla, Queen Consort attends a Garden Party, in celebration of King Charles' coronation, at Buckingham Palace, London, Britain. When Charles' divorced first wife, the popular, glamorous Princess Diana, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, Camilla bore the brunt of media hostility. That's the strength of love," Camilla told Charles in the secretly recorded telephone conversation publicised in 1993. From being able to appear in public together, to marriage and last year's approval from Queen Elizabeth to Camilla taking the title Queen Consort, their success is complete. Other surveys have also indicated only a minority thought she should be Queen Camilla.

☆ A King Who Actually Likes the Arts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

With these varied interests, Charles is the most culturally attuned monarch for well over a century. In the 17th century, Charles I, a patron of painters including Rubens and Van Dyck, built one of Europe’s most important art collections. But where previous monarchs were known for their passions, Charles has often been defined by the things he doesn’t like. In a phone interview, O’Regan said that once you “delved into Charles’s likes and dislikes,” a picture emerged of a man whose interests were “obviously nuanced.”“He’s someone who is clearly very affected by music and other arts,” O’Regan said. “I remember being so completely transfixed by the magic of it,” Charles said during a 2018 radio interview.

☆ Scotland’s Coronation Day: Charles Souvenirs, Anti-Monarchy Rallies and Shrugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Stephen Castle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As co-leader of the Scottish Green Party, Lorna Slater attended three official ceremonies honoring the death of Queen Elizabeth II, including her state funeral. But she won’t be going to the coronation of King Charles III. Pro-independence sentiment has long simmered there alongside ambivalence about the royal family: affection in some quarters, frustration in others and, maybe most troubling for the monarchy, a growing indifference. In one poll, almost three-quarters of people questioned in Scotland said they did not care about the coronation, and less than half thought Britain should continue with a monarchy. In interviews, some Scots echoed Ms. Slater’s worries about the cost-of-living crisis rippling through British homes but while some lamented the inequality symbolized by the crown, others said the royals were part of national heritage and helped drive business.

☆ Screen to shield sacred moment of King Charles' coronation unveiled
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The three-sided screen will shield Charles when he is anointed with holy oil, consecrated in Jerusalem, on his hands, breast and head, shortly before he is crowned at London's Westminster Abbey on May 6. Buckingham Palace said it was historically regarded "as a moment between the sovereign and God" with the screen there to protect its sanctity. "Now this three-sided screen provides absolute privacy." "It is such a private, sacred moment," she told Reuters "It's a mystic moment." "It's utilising stuff that might have been used as firewood but actually we're using it for something very special," Gutfreund said.

☆ Nazi Cloud Hangs Over One of the Largest Jewelry Sales in History
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Zachary Small | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One standout piece, the “Briolette of India,” includes a 90-carat diamond and carries a high estimate of $7.8 million. They are among the 700 jewels from the estate of an Austrian heiress that will go on sale at Christie’s on May 3 as part of one of the largest jewelry sales in history. The proceeds are to benefit a charitable foundation established by Horten, whose husband, Helmut, was a German retailing billionaire whose specialty was department stores. “It’s one of the most beautifully curated collections that will ever come up in the jewelry world,” said Anthea Peers, president of Christie’s Europe, Middle East and Africa. That’s important for the estate and for us.”

Despite having the backing of the late Queen Elizabeth to take on the Murdoch group, Harry said attempts to get an apology from them had been stonewalled. "This goes to prove the existence of this secret agreement between the institution and senior executives at NGN." William's office said it could not comment on ongoing legal proceedings and NGN had no comment on the deal with William. The queen gave her backing for him to pursue his case and seek an apology from Murdoch himself, he said. Harry, who now lives in California with his family, was not in court, but would be watching proceedings by videolink, his lawyer David Sherborne said.

☆ ‘Good Night, Oscar’ Review: Sean Hayes With Demerol and Cadenzas
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Jesse Green | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Oscar Levant, the troubled midcentury musician and wag, often said he’d erased “the fine line between genius and insanity.”He says it again, or a version of it, in “Good Night, Oscar,” the unconvincing biographical fantasia that opened Monday at the Belasco Theater. But on the evidence of the character as written, and especially as impersonated by Sean Hayes in a gloomy if accurate performance, Levant doesn’t erase the line so much as fudge it. Certainly the play, by Doug Wright, fails to make much of a case for the genius part of the joke. Instead, it offers a spray of Levant’s most famous quips, like the one about Elizabeth Taylor: “Always a bride, never a bridesmaid.” And instead of dramatizing how marvelous Levant was, it just says so repeatedly. Mostly it’s just a cry; Levant doesn’t seem brilliant but ill.

☆ UK economy shows no growth in February as strikes weigh
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Economic output was flat in month-on-month terms in February, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Thursday. A Reuters poll of economists had pointed to growth of 0.1%. The ONS revised up January's monthly growth rate in the overall economy to 0.4% from a previous estimate of 0.3%. "A combination of upward revisions in GDP data and an improvement in global economic conditions could help the UK economy avoid a recession this year," Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK, said. "While this will provide relief for policymakers, the outlook for growth in the medium-term remains relatively weak by historical standards."

☆ Britain to join Indo-Pacific trade bloc in biggest trade deal since Brexit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Justin Tallis | AFP | Getty ImagesBritain struck a historic trade deal to join a vast Indo-Pacific trade bloc after nearly two years of intense negotiations. The U.K. said this was the country's largest post-Brexit trade deal and makes it the first European nation to join the CPTPP, since it came into force in 2018. watch nowNatalie Black, the U.K.'s trade commissioner for Asia Pacific, called it a "progressive deal" for Britain. Deborah Elms, executive director of the Asian Trade Centre, said it's very hard to calculate these trade figures, especially based on existing trade flows. watch nowThe trade flows are always "under what you actually are likely to see in the reality as businesses recognize the benefits and start to use a trade agreement like the CPTPP," she added.

Search resuls for: "Elizabeth T"

25 mentions found