Month: November 2017

Steven Spielberg’s new movie The Post may be set in 1971, but its theme about press freedom is all about today.

Spielberg rushed to get the movie filmed and released within a year. It is about the battle by newspapers to publish the leaked Pentagon Papers detailing the U.S. government’s misleading portrayal of the Vietnam War.

“I just felt that there was an urgency to reflect 1971 and 2017 because they were very terrifyingly similar,” the Oscar-winning director told a Hollywood audience after a screening of the film on Monday.

“Our intended audience are the people who have spent the last 13, 14 months thirsting and starving for the truth,” Spielberg said. “They are out there, and they need some good news.”

Spielberg, a prominent Hollywood Democrat, did not mention U.S. President Donald Trump. But The Post arrives in movie theaters in December at a time when media outlets have been under repeated attacks by Trump since his election in November 2016.

Trump has called journalists “the enemy of the American people.” He uses the term “fake news” to cast doubt on news reports critical of his administration, often without providing evidence to support his case.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in August the Trump administration was considering requiring journalists to reveal their sources amid Trump’s push to stop leaks to the press.

Streep, Hanks

Starring Meryl Streep as the late Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham and Tom Hanks as late editor Ben Bradlee, The Post is seen by awards watchers as a front-runner for next year’s Oscars.

The film dramatizes the decisions by The New York Times and The Washington Post to publish the top-secret Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam War in the face of injunctions by the Nixon administration in a battle that went to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Spielberg said that before making the film he was “really depressed about what was happening in the world and the country.”

After getting the script in February, “suddenly my entire outlook on the future brightened overnight,” he said.

The Post was shot in June and opens in U.S. movie theaters on December 22.
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Meghan Markle became an advocate for women when she was an 11-year-old elementary school student, and achieving gender equality remains a driving force for the fiancée of Britain’s Prince Harry and self-described “feminist.”

Since 2014, the American actress has helped put a global spotlight on the need for equality between women and men as an “Advocate for Political Participation and Leadership” for the women’s agency of the United Nations.

In her role for UN Women, Markle spent time at the World Bank and with the team of then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton learning more about the issue. She also visited Rwanda, which has the highest percentage of women in parliament and where she also met with female refugees.

UN Women said in a statement after Monday’s announcement of Markle’s engagement to Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson that it “trusts and hopes that in her new and important public role she will continue to use her visibility and voice to support the advancement of gender equality.”

Markle spoke about her accidental road to becoming an advocate at a star-studded celebration in March 2015 for the 20th anniversary of the Beijing women’s conference that adopted a roadmap to achieve equality for women, which is the framework for UN Women’s activities.

Her opening words drew loud applause and cheers: “I am proud to be a woman and a feminist.”

Markle recalled that around the time of the 1995 Beijing conference she was in school in Los Angeles watching television and saw a commercial for a dishwashing liquid with the tagline: “Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans.”

“Two boys from my class said, ‘Yeah. That’s where women belong – in the kitchen,'” she said.

“I remember feeling shocked and angry and also just feeling so hurt. It just wasn’t right, and something needed to be done,” Markle said.

When she went home, she told her dad, who encouraged her to write letters.

“My 11-year-old self worked out that if I really wanted someone to hear, well then I should write a letter to the first lady. So off I went scribbling away to our first lady at the time, Hillary Clinton,” Markle said.

She also wrote to her main news source, Linda Ellerbee, who hosted a kids news program, as well as to “powerhouse attorney” Gloria Allred and to the manufacturer of the dishwashing soap.

To her surprise, she said, after a few weeks she received letters of encouragement from Clinton, Allred and Ellerbee, who even sent a camera crew to her house to cover the story.

“It was roughly a month later when the soap manufacturer, Proctor and Gamble, changed the commercial for their Ivory Clear Dishwashing Liquid … from ‘Women all over America are fighting greasy pots and pans’ to “People all over America …’,” Markle said.

“It was at that moment that I realized the magnitude of my actions,” she said. “At the age of 11, I had created my small level of impact by standing up for equality.”

Markle said that for her, equality means that Rwandan President Paul Kagame is equal to the little girl in the refugee camp who dreams of being president and the U.N. secretary-general is equal to the U.N. intern who dreams of shaking his hand.

And “it means that a wife is equal to her husband, a sister to her brother – not better, not worse. They are equal,” she said.

UN Women has set 2030 “as the expiration date for gender inequality,” Markle said, but even though women comprise more than half the world’s population, their voices still go unheard “at the highest levels of decision-making.”

Markle called for programs to mobilize girls and women “to see their value as leaders” and for support to ensure they have seats at the top table. And when those seats aren’t available, “then they need to create their own table,” she said to loud applause.

Markle also said Rwanda’s Kagame, who has championed women in parliament, should be a role model, “just as we need more men like my father, who championed my 11-year-old self to stand up for what is right.”
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Thirteen things worth noting about Tuesday’s nominations for the 2018 Grammy Awards:

​THIS IS NOT #OSCARSSOWHITE

 

The Recording Academy is ensuring black or Latino artists will win big at the show next year: only three white acts are nominated in the top four categories.

 

Black and Latino artists often lose in the top categories, including album of the year and song of the year. This year, those categories are dominated by Jay-Z, Bruno Mars, Childish Gambino, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Kendrick Lamar.

 

Lorde is the only white nominee for album of the year, while Bieber is the only white nominee for record of the year (for his appearance on “Despacito”). Bieber is nominated again for song of the year, where singer-songwriter Julia Michaels is nominated. Michaels is also the only white nominee in best new artist.

 

ROCK `N’ NO

 

Rock and country acts were shut out of the top four categories of the Grammys, though they have won those top honors in the past.

 

Two country artists were nominated for best new artist at the 2017 Grammys, and the 2016 show featured a country and rock act nominated for album of the year with Chris Stapleton and Alabama Shakes.

 

LONG LIVE THE DEAD

 

Actress Carrie Fisher and singers Leonard Cohen, Chris Cornell, Glen Campbell and Gregg Allman are among the deceased nominees.

 

Cohen, who died last year, is up for best rock performance, where Cornell is a nominee, and best American Roots performance, where Campbell is nominated. Allman also scored two nods, including best Americana album and best American Roots song.

 

Fisher is nominated for best spoken word album, pitting her against Bruce Springsteen.

 

Linkin Park, which lost its lead singer Chester Bennington, surprisingly didn’t earn a nomination.

 

MAYBE NEXT YEAR

 

Katy Perry has scored Grammy nominations consecutively from 2009 to 2015, but this year marks the first album from Perry’s catalog not to receive a nomination. “Witness” was released in June and underperformed compared to her previous releases. Though she has yet to win a Grammy, she’s earned 13 career nominations.

 

Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus and John Mayer also released albums eligible for nominations but didn’t score any.

 

DJ Khaled, who had a No. 1 album and hit songs this year, didn’t earn a single nomination. J. Cole and Future were also shut out of the rap categories.

 

Ed Sheeran was snubbed in the top three categories, though he earned nominations for best pop vocal album and best pop solo performance.

 

Sam Hunt, who set a record for the longest-running No. 1 song on Billboard’s Hot country songs chart with “Body Like a Back Road,” wasn’t nominated for song or record of the year. He earned nominations for best country song and best country solo performance, though.

 

Miranda Lambert’s double album, “The Weight of These Wings,” was snubbed in best country album and album of the year. And though Taylor Swift received two nods, including one for writing a country song, she didn’t receive nominations in song of the year, record of the year and best pop solo performance for her No. 1 hit, “Look What You Made Me Do.”

 

Grammy favorites Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys and John Legend all were shut out of the R&B categories.

 

CARDI B: THE GRAMMY NOMINEE

 

Stripper-turned-reality-star-turned-rapper Cardi B is now a Grammy nominee.

 

The former “Love & Hip Hop” cast member, who had a No. 1 pop hit this year with “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” is nominated for best rap song and best rap performance.

 

Female rappers are well-represented this year: Rapsody, who appeared on Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly,” is nominated for best rap album and best rap song.

 

TIK TOK: IT IS KESHA’S TIME

 

Despite a plethora of pop hits, Kesha had never earned a Grammy nomination — until now.

 

The singer, who this year released her first album in five years, has been at war with former mentor and producer Dr. Luke, claiming he drugged, sexually abused and psychologically tormented her. Dr. Luke denies the allegations.

 

“Rainbow,” nominated for best pop vocal album, marks the first time Kesha has created music commercially without Dr. Luke.

 

Kesha is also nominated for best pop solo performance for the piano tune “Praying,” which includes the lyrics “no more monsters, I can breathe again.”

 

FUNNILY ENOUGH

 

Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman and Jim Gaffigan are nominated for best comedy album.

 

FAMOUS FACES

 

Two-time Grammy winner Lin-Manuel Miranda is nominated twice this year for his work on the “Moana” soundtrack.

 

Seth MacFarlane is up for best traditional pop vocal album, where he will compete against Bob Dylan. Bernie Sanders and Mark Ruffalo share a nomination for best spoken word album.

 

Even Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name is attached to the Grammys: Though he’s not nominated, Randy Newman’s satirical ode to him, titled “Putin,” earned a nomination.

STILL ROCKING `N’ ROLLING

 

Despite being one of the most celebrated acts in music history, The Rolling Stones have only won two Grammy Awards.

 

The veteran act is nominated this year for best traditional blues album for “Blue & Lonesome.”

 

PHARRELL: THE GRAMMY PHAVORITE

 

Pharrell didn’t release a new album, but he’s nominated for three awards.

 

He’s up for best R&B song for co-writing SZA’s “Supermodel” and earned two nods for his work on the “Hidden Figures” soundtrack.

 

OH LORDE

 

Though she earned an album of the year nomination for her sophomore effort, “Melodrama,” Lorde didn’t earn any other nominations at the Grammys. Most album of the year nominees also earn nods in their genre categories, which would be best pop vocal album for Lorde. She also was shut out of best pop solo performance.

 

ROCKERS WHO POP

 

Rock band Imagine Dragons, favorites on pop radio, earned nominations for best pop duo/group performance and best pop vocal album.

 

In the latter category, Coldplay is also a nominee, surprising for a five-song EP.

 

Alternative rock group Portugal. The Man, who had a huge pop hit this year with “Feel It Still,” is nominated for best pop duo/group performance.

 

LA LA LAND

 

Composer Justin Hurwitz, who won two Oscars this year, is nominated for four Grammys thanks to his work on “La La Land.”

 

Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul — who both won the best original song Oscar for “City of Stars” with Hurwitz — are nominated for two Grammys: one for “La La Land” and another for best musical theater album for the Tony Award-winning musical, “Dear Evan Hansen.” Due to low submissions, the best musical theater album category only includes three nominees (“Hello, Dolly!” and “Come From Away”).
…

Musicians react to the Grammy Awards nominations, announced Tuesday by The Recording Academy. The 60th annual Grammys will air live from New York on CBS on Jan. 28, 2018.

Luis Fonsi on Instagram, regarding his thrice-nominated song Despacito:

“In these tumultuous times we are living in, where dividedness abounds, I am beyond happy and proud that a song in ESPANOL is nominated in three major categories at the 60th GRAMMY awards. Let’s continue sharing all our beautiful cultures and roots with the world. There is no better time than now. QUE VIVAN LOS LATINOS Y NUESTRA MÚSICA. @daddyyankee @justinbieber @recordingacademy #Despacito”

New artist and song of the year nominee Khalid on Twitter:

“Woke up to find out that I’m nominated for 5 Grammys. I’m in shock. I’m so thankful man this is unbelievable”

Logic on Twitter, about his song, 1-800-273-8255:

“Today I was woken up by my wife calling to tell me I was nominated for Song Of The Year at the Grammys and Best Music Video. I can’t even believe this tweet!”

Reba McEntire on Instagram, about her nomination for best roots gospel album:

“I woke up seeing this text this morning. Congratulations to everyone who worked so hard to put this album together. Thanks so much!! Timing is everything and everything happens for a reason. Thank you Lord. #sohumbled #backtogod #grammys2018”

Thomas Rhett on Twitter about his nomination for country album:

“Wow wow wow wow wow! This is incredible. #GRAMMYs”

Lady Antebellum on Twitter, about their country album nomination:

“Beyond proud of this album and couldn’t be more honored to be nominated in this category by the @RecordingAcad! #HeartBreak”

Despacito co-writer Erika Ender on Instagram:

“OMG!!! What a blessing!!! Congrats to all!!! #Despacito #Nominated #SongOfTheYear #Grammys2018”

Brothers Osborne on Twitter, about their nomination for best country duo/group performance:

“Well dang y’all! Woke up to a Grammy nomination this morning for It Aint My Fault. So rad! Thanks so much for love. #GRAMMYs”
…

A list of nominees in the top categories at the 60th annual Grammy Awards, announced Tuesday by The Recording Academy.

 

Album of the year: “Awaken, My Love!,” Childish Gambino; “4:44,” Jay-Z; “DAMN.,” Kendrick Lamar; “Melodrama,” Lorde; “24K Magic,” Bruno Mars.

 

Record of the year: “Redbone,” Childish Gambino; “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber; “The Story of O.J.,” Jay-Z; “HUMBLE.,” Kendrick Lamar; “24K Magic,” Bruno Mars.

 

Song of the year (songwriter’s award): “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender and Marty James Garton; “4:44,” Jay-Z and No I.D.; “Issues,” Julia Michaels, Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen and Justin Drew Tranter; “1-800-273-8255,” Logic, Alessia Cara, Khalid and Arjun Ivatury; “That’s What I Like,” Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus and Jonathan Yip.

Best new artist: Alessia Cara; Khalid; Lil Uzi Vert; Julia Michaels; SZA.

 

Best pop solo performance: “Love So Soft,” Kelly Clarkson; “Praying,” Kesha; “Million Reasons,” Lady Gaga; “What About Us,” Pink; “Shape of You,” Ed Sheeran.

 

Best pop duo/group performance: “Something Just Like This,” The Chainsmokers and Coldplay; “Despacito,” Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber; “Thunder,” Imagine Dragons; “Feel It Still,” Portugal. The Man; “Stay,” Zedd and Alessia Cara.

 

Best traditional pop vocal album: “Nobody But Me (Deluxe Version),” Michael Buble; “Triplicate,” Bob Dylan; “In Full Swing,” Seth MacFarlane; “Wonderland,” Sarah McLachlan; “Tony Bennett Celebrates 90,” various artists.

 

Best pop vocal album: “Kaleidoscope EP,” Coldplay; “Lust for Life,” Lana Del Rey; “Evolve,” Imagine Dragons; “Rainbow,” Kesha; “Joanne,” Lady Gaga; “Divide,”  Ed Sheeran.

 

Best dance/electronic album: “Migration,” Bonobo; “3-D The Catalogue,” Kraftwerk; “Mura Masa,” Mura Masa; “A Moment Apart,” Odesza; “What Now,” Sylvan Esso.

 

Best rock album: “Emperor of Sand,” Mastodon; “Hardwired…To Self-Destruct,” Metallica; “The Stories We Tell Ourselves,” Nothing More; “Villains,” Queens of the Stone Age; “A Deeper Understanding,” The War On Drugs.

 

Best alternative music album: Everything Now,” Arcade Fire; “Humanz,” Gorillaz; “American Dream,” LCD Soundsystem; “Pure Comedy,” Father John Misty; “Sleep Well Beast,” The National.

 

Best urban contemporary album: “Free 6LACK,”‘ 6LACK; “Awaken, My Love!,” Childish Gambino; “American Teen,” Khalid; “Ctrl,” SZA; “Starboy,” The Weeknd.

 

Best R&B album: “Freudian,” Daniel Caesar; “Let Love Rule,” Ledisi; “24K Magic,” Bruno Mars; “Gumbo,” PJ Morton; “Feel the Real,” Musiq Soulchild.

 

Best rap album: “4:44,” Jay-Z; “DAMN.,” Kendrick Lamar; “Culture” Migos; “Laila’s Wisdom,” Rapsody; “Flower Boy,” Tyler, the Creator.

 

Best country album: “Cosmic Hallelujah,” Kenny Chesney; “Heart Break,” Lady Antebellum; “The Breaker,” Little Big Town; “Life Changes,” Thomas Rhett; “From A Room: Volume 1,” Chris Stapleton.

 

Best jazz vocal album: “The Journey,” The Baylor Project; “A Social Call,” Jazzmeia Horn; “Bad Ass And Blind,” Raul Midon; “Porter Plays Porter,” Randy Porter Trio With Nancy King; “Dreams And Daggers,” Cecile McLorin Salvant.

 

Best jazz instrumental album: “Uptown, Downtown,” Bill Charlap Trio; “Rebirth,” Billy Childs; “Project Freedom,” Joey DeFrancesco & The People; “Open Book,” Fred Hersch; “The Dreamer Is The Dream,” Chris Potter.

 

Best compilation soundtrack for visual media:  “Baby Driver”; “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2′”; “Hidden Figures: The Album'”; “La La Land”; “Moana: The Songs.”

 

Producer of the year, non-classical: Calvin Harris; Greg Kurstin; Blake Mills; No I.D.; The Stereotypes.

 Best music video: “Up All Night,” Beck; “Makeba,” Jain; “The Story of O.J.,” Jay-Z; “Humble,” Kendrick Lamar; “1-800-273-8255,” Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid.

 
…

CBS isn’t saying that Jeremy Piven’s freshman series “Wisdom of the Crowd” is canceled, but the actor apparently sees it that way.

 

“After the network said Monday it won’t expand its initial episode order for the crime drama but declined to address its future, Piven responded with a bittersweet tweet.

 

“Proud of the work we did and we will Finish out our 13 episodes with full hearts!” Piven wrote on his Twitter account, adding, “Thanks for all the love, going to miss it as well.”

 

The tweets were confirmed by a spokeswoman, who declined further comment.

 

The network’s decision follows sexual misconduct allegations leveled by several women against Piven, who has denied them. CBS said previously it is looking into the claims but has issued no further statement.

 

Piven stars in the series as a tech guru who creates a crowd-sourcing app to help solve crimes, including his daughter’s killing. CBS plans to air the rest of the 13 episodes.

 

“Wisdom of the Crowd” has earned lackluster ratings but CBS didn’t comment on why it wasn’t ordering a full season, typically about 20 episodes.

 

Meanwhile, the network announced Monday it was ordering additional episodes of two sitcoms, Matt LeBlanc’s “Man With a Plan” and “Superior Donuts.”
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Alec Baldwin mixed his Emmy-winning impression of President Donald Trump and the advocacy of a serious Democratic activist Monday, headlining a state party banquet in Des Moines.

The actor known lately for his recurring role on Saturday Night Live wowed more than 2,000 party faithful, at times slipping into the Trump spoof but urging them to work harder than they did in 2016, when Trump carried the state.

It was much-needed humor for a party, still licking its wounds from the presidential election, and locked out of the governor’s mansion and in the legislative minority after controlling both just 10 years ago.

Baldwin donned his contorted faux-Trump scowl and joked about Democrats’ annual Jefferson-Jackson banquets, named for past Democratic presidents, but which his character confused. “Jefferson Jackson was a great man,” Baldwin blurted.

In a nod to Iowa’s renewable energy scene, Baldwin’s Trump gave a shout out to corn-based fuel additive producers by noting “all the ethanol miners out there.”

That was after he took the stage, posing first as a professor at the defunct Trump University, touting course listings such as “political science fiction,” and featuring members of Trump’s cabinet as the faculty.

“Jeff Sessions will be teaching a class. He just can’t remember which one,” Baldwin quipped, in a reference to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who testified this month he had forgotten about a Trump campaign meeting where an aide suggested a Trump meeting in Russia.

But Baldwin, a Democratic activist for years behind the scenes, talked about his experience traveling through Massachusetts with Sen. Ted Kennedy during his 1994 campaign against Republican Mitt Romney.

More recently, Baldwin campaigned this fall for winning Virginia governor candidate Ralph Northam ahead of the Nov. 7 election.

Baldwin impersonated former President Bill Clinton, less for laughs than to remind the audience of the former president’s advice that the investigation into Russian connections with the Trump campaign is less advisable for the party than persuading voters to support Democrats.

Baldwin called on Iowa Democrats, also still smarting over the bitter 2016 presidential caucus fight between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, to unite after the 2018 gubernatorial primary, now featuring seven candidates.

“I want you to take the pledge right now and come together,” Baldwin said.

With one last joke, he implored Americans to “send Trump to a retirement home in Moscow where he belongs.”

And he brought the crowd to its feet with his final request: “Let’s make America America again.”
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Britain’s Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle will be married at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in May next year, Kensington palace said Tuesday.

“Her Majesty The Queen has granted permission for the wedding to take place in the chapel. The Royal Family will pay for the wedding,” the palace said in a statement, adding that further details about the wedding would be released “in due course”.

The couple officially announced their engagement a day earlier, posing for photographs on the grounds of Kensington Palace hours after the announcement. The two were engaged in London earlier this month, according to a statement.

Markle is best-known for her work in the television drama “Suits”.

The prince and the actress made their first public appearance in September in Toronto at the Invictus Games, a sports event for wounded veterans.

WATCH: How London reacted to news of royal engagement
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An Egyptian rights campaigner has won the Nelson Mandela award for individual activism for 2017, a South African organization announced on Monday.

Khaled el-Balshy, a former board member of Egypt’s Journalists’ Union, will receive the Individual Activist award of the Nelson Mandela – Graca Machel Innovation Awards on Dec. 7 in Fiji’s capital Suva, the Johannesburg-based organization, Civicus, said in a posting on its website.

El-Balshy, it said, has sought every available platform to shine a light on violations by the Egyptian government and share these with the world.

“He has boldly and relentlessly pursued the cause of free speech, despite facing personal judicial and online harassment,” it said.

The organization, which operates in 145 countries around the world, began granting the awards named after Nelson Mandela and his wife Graça Machel in 2005, for those “who have demonstrated remarkable courage and commitment in the pursuit of social change.”

El-Balshy said the award is a step to shed light on the public freedom and the freedom of expression in Egypt.

“It is a message to all jailed journalists who are paying a price for doing their jobs; a message that even they are behind the bars, their voices can be heard all over the world,” he told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

El-Balshy was handed a one-year, suspended sentence in March, along with the former head of the Union and another board member, over charges of “harboring fugitives” — a reference to two journalists, Amr Badr and Mahmoud el-Saka, arrested in a police raid in 2016 on the journalists’ union headquarters in Cairo. The two had sought shelter there from government charges over their reporting on two controversial Red Sea islands that Egypt handed over to Saudi Arabia.

El-Balshy remains in Egypt.

Journalists have been regularly detained, jailed, and prosecuted in Egypt under the rule of general -turned-president Abdel Fatah el-Sissi, who led the 2013 military overthrow of Egypt’s first freely elected civilian President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The country was ranked 161 out of 180 countries in the 2017 Press Freedom Index, according to the annual ranking of Reporters Without Borders, a freedom of expression advocacy group.
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Russian election influence, the ever-widening sexual harassment scandal, mass shootings and the opioid epidemic helped elevate the word “complicit” as Dictionary.com’s word of the year for 2017.

 

Look-ups of the word increased nearly 300 percent over last year as “complicit” hit just about every hot button from politics to natural disasters, lexicographer Jane Solomon told The Associated Press ahead of Monday’s formal announcement of the site’s pick.

 

“This year a conversation that keeps on surfacing is what exactly it means to be complicit,” she said. “Complicit has sprung up in conversations about those who speak out against powerful figures in institutions, and those who stay silent.”

 

The first of three major spikes for the word struck March 12. That was the day after “Saturday Night Live” aired a sketch starring Scarlett Johansson as Ivanka Trump in a glittery gold dress peddling a fragrance called “Complicit” because: “She’s beautiful, she’s powerful, she’s complicit.”

 

The bump was followed by another April 5, also related to Ivanka, Solomon said. It was the day after she appeared on “CBS This Morning” and told Gayle King, among other things: “I don’t know what it means to be complicit.”

 

It was unclear at the time whether Ivanka was deflecting or whether the summa cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business — with a degree in economics — didn’t really know.

 

Another major spike occurred Oct. 24, the day Arizona Republican Jeff Flake announced from the Senate floor that he would not seek re-election, harshly criticizing President Donald Trump and urging other members of the party not to stand silently with the president.

 

“I have children and grandchildren to answer to, and so, Mr. President, I will not be complicit,” Flake said.

 

Solomon noted that neither she nor Dictionary.com can know what sends people to dictionaries or dictionary sites to look up “complicit” or any other word. She and other lexicographers who study look-up behavior believe it’s likely a combination of people who may not know a definition, are digging deeper or are seeking inspiration or emotional reinforcement of some sort.

 

As for “complicit,” she said several other major events contributed to interest in the word. They include the rise of the opioid epidemic and how it came to pass, along with the spread of sexual harassment and assault allegations against an ever-growing list of powerful men, including film mogul Harvey Weinstein.

 

The scandal that started in Hollywood and quickly spread across industries has led to a mountain of questions over who knew what, who might have contributed and what it means to stay silent.

 

While Solomon shared percentage increases for “complicit,” the company would not disclose the number of look-ups, calling that data proprietary.

 

The site chooses its word of the year by heading straight for data first, scouring look-ups by day, month and year to date and how they correspond to noteworthy events, Solomon said. This year, a lot of high-volume trends unsurprisingly corresponded to politics. But the site also looks at lower-volume trends to see what other words resonated. Among them:

INTERSEX: It trended on Dictionary.com in January thanks to model Hanne Gaby Odiele speaking up about being intersex to break taboos. As a noun it means “an individual having reproductive organs or external sexual characteristics of both male and female.” Dictionary.com traces its origins back to 1915, as the back formation of “intersexual.”

 
SHRINKAGE: While the word has been around since 1790, a specific definition tied to a famous 1994 episode of “Seinfeld” led to a word look-up revival in February. That’s when a house in The Hamptons where the episode was filmed went on the market. For the record: The Jason Alexander character George Costanza emerges with “shrinkage” from a pool and said “shrinkage” is noted by Jerry’s girlfriend.

 
TARNATION: It had a good ride on Dictionary.com in the first few months of the year due to a round of social media fun with the “What in tarnation” meme that had animals and various objects wearing cowboy hats.

 
HOROLOGIST: As in master clockmaker, like the one featured in the podcast “S-Town,” the highly anticipated “This American Life” follow-up to the popular “Serial” podcast. All seven episodes of murder intrigue were released at once in March. Horologist, used in the radio story, trended around that time.

 
TOTALITY: There were look-up spikes in August. Thank you, solar eclipse and your narrow band of totality, meaning the strip of land where the sun was completely obscured by the moon.
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Late night talk show host Seth Meyers will host the 2018 Golden Globe movie and television awards ceremony in January, organizers said on Monday.

It will be the first Golden Globes hosting gig for Myers, 43, whose “Late Night with Seth Meyers” airs on NBC.

The Golden Globes ceremony, an informal and boozy dinner attended by hundreds of A-list stars, is one of the biggest in the Hollywood awards season that culminates with the Oscars in March.

The 2018 ceremony will take place on Jan. 7 in Beverly Hills and will be broadcast live on NBC, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which votes on the awards, said in a statement.

Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, said in a statement that Meyers “will be taking a closer look at this year’s best movies and television with his unique brand of wit, intelligence, and mischievous humor.”

Meyers began his television career on satirical sketch show “Saturday Night Live” in 2001 and was a cast member for 13 seasons, serving as head writer for nine seasons.

As Golden Globes host, he follows in the footsteps of Jimmy Fallon, British comedian Ricky Gervais, and comedy duo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
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The Maryland-based production crew for “House of Cards” will continue to get paid for at least another two weeks. The show has been on hiatus since October, when allegations of sexual harassment surfaced against star Kevin Spacey.

The Baltimore Sun reported that production company Media Rights Capital has updated the cast and crew in an email. It says they’ll be paid for an additional two-week period that begins Monday and continues through Dec. 8.

The email said the company will provide another update by Dec. 8. The show is filmed in the Baltimore area. Between 250 and 300 people work on the production crew.

Spacey played ruthless politician Frank Underwood and served as executive producer. Netflix and Media Rights Capital recently announced that Spacey had been fired.
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She is an entertainment figure in her own right, and an outspoken woman comfortable talking about her background and her passions. American actress Meghan Markle will be a new type of royal when she weds Prince Harry in the spring.

 

In some ways, Markle – a mixed-race American raised in California, and a divorcee – makes a surprising addition to Britain’s monarchy.

 

But the institution has moved on with the times, and the romance between Markle and Harry has a decidedly unstuffy, modern feel to it.

 

Markle, best known for her role as an ambitious paralegal in the hit U.S. legal drama “Suits,” surprised many when she shared her feelings for Harry in a September cover story for Vanity Fair. Asked about the media frenzy surrounding their courtship, the 36-year-old said: “At the end of the day I think it’s really simple … we’re two people who are really happy and in love.”

 

Describing Harry as her “boyfriend,” Markle said that while she expected that she and Harry would have to “come forward” about their relationship at some point, the two were just a couple enjoying time spent with each other.

 

“Personally, I love a great love story,” she said.

 

It is unusual for a royal love interest to speak so publicly – and candidly – before becoming engaged. Harry’s past reported girlfriends all shied away from the media limelight, and his sister-in-law, formerly known as Kate Middleton, stayed silent until she and Prince William gave a formal televised interview at Buckingham Palace after their engagement became public.

 

But then, unlike some other “commoners” romantically linked to Britain’s royals, Markle is no stranger to media exposure and the world of show business.

 

The actress’s most successful role is the feisty Rachel Zane in the TV legal show “Suits,” now in its seventh season. Her career has also included small parts on TV series including “Fringe,” “CSI: Miami,” “Knight Rider'” and “Castle,” as well as movies including “Horrible Bosses.”

 

Outside of acting, Markle founded a lifestyle blog called TheTig.com (which closed down in April without explanation), and has lent her celebrity status to humanitarian causes.

 

She has campaigned with the United Nations on gender equality, written in Time magazine about girls’ education and the stigma surrounding menstruation, and has traveled to Rwanda as global ambassador for the charity World Vision Canada. She has described how her mother took her to the slums of Jamaica to witness poverty first-hand, saying experiences like that shaped her social consciousness and charity work.

 

Harry and Markle held hands for their first official appearance together in September in Toronto at the Invictus Games, a sporting event for wounded service personnel that Harry spearheaded.

 

Both were dressed casually in jeans, smiling and chatting as they arrived for a tennis match. Several days later, Harry was photographed kissing Markle on the cheek as he joined the actress and her mother in a luxury box to watch the event’s closing ceremony.

 

Markle said she met Harry through friends in London in July 2016, and that they had been dating quietly for several months before the romance hit the headlines.

 

The media attention then became so intense that Harry took the unusual step of officially confirming the romance in order to warn the media off. In a strongly-worded statement issued through the palace, the prince pleaded for reporters to stop intruding on his girlfriend’s privacy. He condemned “outright sexism and racism” in some online comments, and said some articles with “racial undertones” had crossed the line.

 

Some tabloids had alluded to Markle’s mixed-race heritage, pointing out she has an African-American mother and a white father.

 

Markle herself has spoken out about coming to terms with being biracial – both growing up, and in her Hollywood career.

 

In a March interview with Allure magazine, she said studying race at college was “the first time I could put a name to feeling too light in the black community and too mixed in the white community.

 

“For castings, I was labeled ‘ethnically ambiguous’,” she said.

 

Markle was born Aug. 4, 1981, to a clinical therapist mother and television lighting director father. She grew up in Los Angeles, and now lives in Toronto.

 

She studied at a girls’ Roman Catholic high school before attending Northwestern University in Illinois, where she studied theater and international relations.

 

Markle married film producer Trevor Engelson in 2011, but the pair divorced two years later.

 

It wouldn’t be first time that a British royal has married an American – or a divorcee. In 1936, Edward VIII famously abdicated after he was forced to choose between the monarchy and his relationship with twice-divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson.

 

In her Vanity Fair interview, Markle made clear the world’s attention on her romance did not faze her.

 

“I’m still the same person that I am, and I’ve never defined myself by my relationship,” she said. “The people who are close to me anchor me in knowing who I am. The rest is noise.”

 

 
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Britain’s Prince Harry is officially engaged to American actress Meghan Markle.

Harry’s father, Prince Charles, made the announcement in a statement Monday.

“His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince Harry to Ms. Meghan Markle.”

The statement said the wedding will take place in Spring 2018 and “Further details about the wedding day will be announced in due course.”

Hours after the engagement was made public, the couple posed for photographers on the grounds of Kensington Palace.

The couple became engaged in London earlier this month, according to the statement.

Watch the video of Prince Harry’s engagement

Harry “informed The Queen and other close members of his family,” the announcement said, and “. . . also sought and received the blessing of Ms. Markle’s parents.”

An official announcement had been expected after Markle, in a recent interview with Vanity Fair magazine, spoke of her relationship with Harry, saying, “We’re a couple. We’re in love.”

Markle’s parents also released a statement, saying “We are incredibly happy for Meghan and Harry. Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person. To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for us as parents.”

Markle’s parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, are divorced.

Markle is best-known for her work in the television drama Suits.

She is a Global Ambassador for World Vision Canada, which campaigns for better education, food and health care for children around the world. As well as her humanitarian work, she is known for campaigning for gender equality.

Markle was previously married to film producer Trevor Engelson.

The prince and the actress made their first public appearance in September in Toronto at the Invictus Games, a sports event for wounded veterans.

The two said they were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. In their first joint interview, the duo declined to identify the friend. Markle said the only question she asked the friend was, ‘Is he nice?’ Because if he wasn’t kind, it just didn’t — it didn’t seem like it would make sense,” she said.

Last year, Harry, who is fifth in line to the throne, issued a statement decrying the media coverage of his girlfriend, condemning the “outright racism and sexism of social media trolls and web article comments,” as well as the racial stereotypes used in some newspapers.

Markle is biracial. Her father is white. Her mother is black.

Markle said she found the press scrutiny of her ethnicity “disheartening,” but added that she and Harry have “never put any focus on that; we’ve just focused on who we are as a couple.”
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