#bonnie is next yahoo!

[malk-with-tea]

Odile!!!!

[starrstunned]

Oh my god help me 🙏🙏

There's more on the way.

[angstics]

From The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More by Chris Anderson (2006)

Reprise found a perfect example of just that kind of fan base with a punk-pop fivesome from New Jersey called My Chemical Romance. Although the band’s album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge came out around the same time as McKee’s, it was their second album. The first, on an independent label, had sold 10,000 copies, which suggested a small but strong core following. So five months before the second album’s launch in May 2004, Reprise started giving tracks to Web sites focused on that core, such as Shoutweb.com and AbsolutePunk.net, to get the buzz going among the faithful in hopes that it would spread.

The label also pushed the band on PureVolume.com and MySpace.com, two relatively new (at the time) music-heavy socialnetworking sites with an exploding user base. It gave exclusive live tracks to PureVolume for promotions and premiered an Internet-only video for the band’s first single, “I’m Not Okay (I Promise).”

Once the tracks were out there, Reprise could watch how they did. Using BigChampagne file-trading data, the label could see growing interest in “Not Okay,” but also heavy trading and searching on the track “Helena.” On the basis of that, it made “Helena” the next single, and, helped by requests from the band’s core fans, the song got airplay. By the end of the summer, “Helena” had become the band’s biggest radio single by far.

As the band went on tour in September, Reprise extended the promotions to Yahoo! Music and AOL, including audio, video, and a heavily promoted live performance from Yahoo!’s studios. Meanwhile, fans flocked to the band’s Web site and MySpace page. My Chemical Romance now has Warner’s largest email list.

The album went on to sell 1.4 million units, making it one of the biggest hits of the year. Most of that came after radio and MTV embraced the band and brought it to a larger audience, but it all started online, where the band’s core audience had cemented its credibility.

What was the difference between My Chemical Romance and Bonnie McKee? Talent differences aside, My Chemical Romance had the advantage of an existing base of fans, both of its first album and its live shows. There were thousands of people already hungry for more from the band, and when the label gave them what they wanted, in the form of early online content, they returned the favor with strong word of mouth, including radio requests. And that, in turn, got the band the airplay that took it to the next level of popularity, acquiring a new, larger, set of fans.

McKee, by contrast, was a relatively unknown artist, who had rarely played live. Although people liked what they heard on Yahoo!, it wasn’t enough to trigger real fan behavior. They didn’t buy the album, and they didn’t clamor for more. On MySpace today, My Chemical Romance has more than 1 million “friends”; McKee has 12,000. Word of mouth makes all the difference.

[weaselmcdiesel]

the rest of the attacks i did this month! yahoo!! credits beneath the cut ^^

in order from left to right

Topaz, Teke, Quill, Sam, Max, Clingy, Huxley, Uhkrio, Glazer, Phyre, Harimau, Bonnie, Hannah

my af is WeaselMcDiesel if you wanna fight next year ^^

[natromanxoff]

Queen + Adam Lambert live at the Forum in Inglewood, CA, USA - July 3, 2014

(x)

• Tonight's gig is held at one of the most iconic concert venues in the world: The Forum (Inglewood). Being next to Adam's city of residence, Los Angeles, the concert is attended by many of his friends and family, as well as celebrities.

• Deciding to upgrade from spectator status, Brian May joins Adam by sitting on the chaise longue during the guitar solo of "Killer Queen", where once again Adam attempts his human-champagne-fountain-spout impersonation in a supine position.

• Celebrities in the house include: Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Dominic Howard (Muse), Tony Canal (No Doubt), Adrian Young (No Doubt), Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters), Chris Colfer (Glee), Bonnie McKee, Allison Iraheta (American Idol), Michael Orland (American Idol)

(x)

(x)

“[…] Adam guzzled Moët et Chandon from his pretty cabinet while splayed grandly across a velvet fainting couch during a very killer "Killer Queen." He amusingly gave a shoutout to all the "fat-ass bitches" during "Fat-Bottomed Girls." He had the crowd going ga ga, and clapping along Live Aid-style, for "Radio Ga Ga." And he rocked five costume changes, including one with floor-sweeping gold leather fringe, plus one pageant-worthy rhinestone crown that surely made the aforementioned Drag Race contestants emerald-green with envy. Adam made the "Fabulous Forum" just a little more fabulous on Thursday night.

Adam was a total professional, of course; his how-are-they-not-Memorex vocals were pristine throughout the revue, and were especially awe-inspiring during "Who Wants to Live Forever" and "The Show Must Go On," two of the toughest songs in the Queen catalog. (It's also significant that Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor entrusted Adam with singing a reworked version of the Freddie Mercury 1984 solo single "Love Kills," which was never performed during Freddie's lifetime and only just made its live debut on this year's tour.) But there was always a certain pleasing playfulness to Adam's performance, a certain likable somebody-pinch-me-I'm-singing-with-my-heroes giddiness. It was an attitude that made the audience root for Adam, as fans were reminded that in some ways, he's still that same hopeful, starry-eyed kid who stood in line to try out for a TV talent show, somehow wound up onstage with Queen at the Season 8 Idol finale living out his rock 'n' roll fantasies, and simply can't believe his good fortune even five years later.

And it was that humility, mixed in with all the brashness and bravado, that helped Adam convert the naysayers in the crowd. When he asked for the audience to cheer for Freddie Mercury during the intro to "Love Kills," or graciously stepped aside and gestured to the video screen to let a virtual Freddie take over lead vocals midway through "Bohemian Rhapsody," his showed his respect for the Queen legacy in a way that all fans could appreciate. […]”

- Lyndsey Parker, yahoo!

“[…] In between the instrumental solos, Lambert continued to prove himself, almost channeling Mercury with the perfection of his notes during “Under Pressure.” After this tune, May joined him on the catwalk stage.

“I have to ask, I think it’s his hometown, what do you think of the new boy?” May said.

The audience went wild. […]”

- Michelle Mills, Los Angeles Daily News

“[…] The frontman easily proved his mettle during an ultra-dramatic “Somebody to Love,” while Taylor gave thunderous heft to “I Want It All” as the tempo increased and May did another fast-fingered display. A tribute to Mercury came during a solo acoustic take on “Love of My Life,” during which the ax man said, “This is for Freddie. He’s not very far away,” pausing after singing the line, “I still love you.” It finished with a film clip of Mercury singing the song.

Before the group performed the folky space tale “’39,” also on the B-stage, May mentioned Einstein’s theory of relativity (he has a Ph.D. in astrophysics) and was joined by the other musicians. Taylor handled lead vocals on the poignant ballad “These Are the Days of Our Lives.” Once Lambert returned, the drummer impressed again during their stunning duet “Under Pressure” and said, “It’s good to be back here; it feels like home. There’s no dancers. Just real singing.” […]”

- George A. Paul, The Orange County Register

Fan Stories

“The place was buzzing with anticipation when the lights dropped, and from the stage, which was wrapped in a giant curtain with the swan logo, came the pulsing heartbeat of “Procession”. Smoke billowed from behind the curtain and the lights glowed along with the music until the final crescendo when the back-lit stage seemed to light up like a white sun. Now the curtain and smoke turned to an otherworldly blue as the introductory riff from “Now I’m Here” (from Sheer Heart Attack) hit our ears. Then, just as the main riff exploded we see a 50’ tall shadow of Adam Lambert, the curtain is drawn away, and it is ON like 1974 all over again! Then, keeping the ‘74 party going strong, they launched into a pile driving version of “Stone Cold Crazy”, also from Sheer Heart Attack. From the outset, the band sounded to be in peak form – powerful, melodic and majestic. For his part, Lambert came out like he owned the place. He neither tried to mimic Mercury, nor did he hide the influence that Freddie had on him as a performer already. By the time he began belting out the next song, “Another One Bites the Dust”, I was “all in” on Lambert. Can he replace Freddie Mercury? Of course not - but he is a perfect fit as the singer of this version of Queen. On the next song, “Fat Bottomed Girls”, Lambert showed he could handle the crowd with one of Queen’s biggest anthems, while the band, especially Brian May, absolutely RAWKED out. Fans, like myself, who had been around since before A Night at the Opera were in for a treat, as the next three songs all came from the two 1974 LP’s: “In the Lap of the Gods”, “Seven Seas of Rye” and “Killer Queen”. Queen had so many colossal hits back in the day, and all of them came from 1975 and later, that it was a real surprise to hear them play five of their first seven songs from before that time. Queen played for over two hours with 21 songs in their main set. They played all the hits you’d expect like: “Somebody to Love”, “Under Pressure”, “Radio Ga Ga” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”. One of the strongest performances, in a concert full of them, was “Tie Your Mother Down” off of 1976’s A Day at the Races. Brian May’s riffing and soloing were ferocious and Adam Lambert showed that he can handle balls-out rock like he did singing Zeppelin on American Idol. Plus, on drums was Roger Taylor’s son, Rufus, who looks and plays like a young Taylor Hawkins. In the middle of the set they did slow it down as first May, and then Taylor, came out to a small center stage to connect with the audience as the original Queen. May was singing “Love of My Life”, accompanied by the audience, when he was joined on the screen by Freddie Mercury. In other hands this may have seemed to be a cheap, sentimental stunt. Yet Brian May and the group are so obviously sincere about their love and respect for Mercury that it works perfectly as a moving tribute. After that, May was joined by the rest of the band, sans Lambert, for the acoustic “39”, which was written and sung by Brian May. Then Taylor took his turn as front man, singing “These are the Days of Our Lives”, in front of a slide show of early Queen pictures. If I have a complaint about the show it would be that they seemed to drag this section out a little too long, especially since they did pretty much the same thing during their mid-00’s tours with Paul Rogers. It’s a small complaint though and it turns out that May and Taylor are in charge – not me!

The main set ended, as expected, with Queen’s biggest hit, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, in full sensory overload mode. First Lambert comes out and gets the iconic first verse going, followed by Mercury on the big screen singing the second verse. The way they handled the video it was as if Freddie was there singing for us! Then May came out for the guitar solo wearing a gold robe circa 1975. The band left the stage as usual for the operatic middle section while the video and light show took over in spectacular fashion. Then out comes the full band in full heavy metal bombast to close out the song and the set. The encore of “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” could almost be a letdown after experiencing the behemoth of “Bohemian Rhapsody” – but then Roger Taylor’s drums start the stomp, Brian May lays down a barrage of power chords and Adam Lambert struts out triumphantly in a leopard skin suit and gold crown. The band showed the sold out Forum crowd why they ruled the world for over a decade so many years ago. During the encore, as well as the rest of the show, the lighting and stage effects were astonishing and took this longtime concert goer back to the glory years of arena rock.” - @maxsounds, (x)

By Kevin Winter.

[wp-yahoo-style-1042-yahoopa-blog]

From Bambi to Dumbo: Disney’s most beloved characters take a dark turn at Coach NYFW show

The Coach Spring 2019 set during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 11, 2018. (Photo: Getty)

A few of Disney‘s most-beloved characters have taken a dark, grungy turn in Coach’s Spring 2019 show during New York Fashion Week on Tuesday afternoon.

As the upper echelon of the fashion industry filtered into a large tented venue at Pier 94 along the Hudson river, guests were greeted with an enormous T-rex sculpture made of old metal scraps (a windmill, doors, and discarded metal bars). Rusty swings dangled from the sculpture. The set production resembled an abandoned, makeshift playground.

Selena Gomez sat front row wearing a metallic-gold, Western-inspired fringe dress layered with a black floral sheer blouse. She sat next to artist and photographer, Petra Collins, plus-size model Paloma Elesser, and stylist Kate Young. Whoopi Goldberg and Vogue editor Anna Wintour sat just a few seats away.

Paloma Elesser, Petra Collins, and Selena Gomez at the Coach Spring 2019 show on September 11, 2018 in New York City. (Photo: Getty)

The show opened with heavy metal rock music blaring in the background as models stomped through the sandy set. Kaia Gerber strutted past Gomez wearing a baby-blue, oversized intarsia sweater with an image of Disney’s Captain Hook, except here he is reimagined as a crocodile. (He’s still got his pirate hat and hook, of course.) Gerber wore the sweater over a ruffle skirt and had on suede fringe moccasin boots.

Kaia Gerber walks the runway for Coach. (Photo: Getty)

Similarly, other Disney characters like Bambi and the Aristocats were printed on hoodies, and Dumbo showed up embroidered on both men’s and women’s knits. They were styled with fashionable items like black sunglasses, jacquard skirts, leather trousers, and fringe sneakers.

Overall, the collection possessed a ’90s grunge feel seen in its plethora of maxi prairie dresses, leather jackets, and oversized hoodies. They were intermixed with a Western flair, too, as seen in the frequent use of fringe and patchwork.

A model walks the runway for Coach. (Photo: Getty)

A model walks the runway for Coach. (Photo: Getty)

A model walks the runway for Coach. (Photo: Getty)

This special collaboration marks the fourth one between Coach and Disney. The brand used 1960s illustrations of Disney characters by Bonnie Cashin for its designs. During the show, the label also debuted their brand-new “barrel bag,” which has a cylindrical shape, similar to a duffle bag, except miniature sized. The playful bags still possess Coach’s aesthetic, but are reimagined with classic Disney characters on the hangtags and on the bags themselves.

The new “barrel” bag by Coach, unveiled during New York Fashion Week. (Photo: Getty)

Fortunately, if you’re looking to snag one of these Disney-inspired bags featuring Bambi, Dumbo, and the Dalmatians, they’re available now online at coach.com for $450.

Read More from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Fashion designer casts all Asian models for historic NYFW runway show  • Political slogan tee strikes at NYFW: ‘Vote for Cynthia’ Nixon  • Curvy model causes a stir in ‘Sample-Size’ T-shirt at NYFW’s most diverse show 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.

[ethanalter]

'Outlander' Postmortem: How production designer Jon Gary Steele built the 'A. Malcolm' print shop

Claire and Jamie (Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan) enjoy their reunion in A. Malcolm’s print shop (Photo: Starz)

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the “A. Malcolm” episode of Outlander.

A successful 18th century printer’s press like the one owned and operated by one A. Malcolm — a.k.a. James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser — doesn’t just spring up overnight. No, the lovely Edinburgh-based print shop where Outlander‘s long separated couple, Jamie and Claire, had their six-episodes-in-the-making reunion on this week’s super-sized installment took well over a year of careful planning and construction by the show’s production design team, headed by Jon Gary Steele. Speaking with Yahoo Entertainment, Steele reveals that his crew started work on A. Malcolm’s shop midway through shooting the show’s second season. “Halfway through one season, we always start on the next,” he says, which means his team is already deep into designing Season 4 while Season 3 is still airing. “It takes a lot of time to get these sets done.”

And key sets like the print shop are treated with exceptional care. Not only is it the scene of what’s arguably the season’s emotional high point so far, but it’s also an environment that fans of the Outlander novels have been waiting to see brought to life… and they’ll know if the details aren’t exactly right. Fortunately, Steele is as detail-minded as the show’s devoted fan base, whether he’s building Jamie’s printing press or the brothel pied-à-terre where the Frasers continue their reunion. “The reaction we get from the fans makes us excited and proud, because they love the detail, so we work harder to make everything better each season,” he says.

We spoke with Steele about building a working version of “Bonnie,” Jamie’s beloved printing press, and the little details he hopes fans notice in the episode’s two major sets.

As I understand it, you built an actual printing press for Sam Heughan to operate in the print shop scene. Yes, we paid a specialist who does these recreations for universities, libraries, and museums, and had two of them built while we were filming Season 2. We also had someone come in and show Sam how to work it. Almost everything you see on that set was made [for the show]: every counter, every piece of print. I’ve had people ask me, “Why didn’t you put the print shop on one level?” I wanted two levels, because I thought it would be more visually interesting if Claire had to walk in and look down for the iconic scene of the reunion. I pitched it to Ron [Moore, the showrunner] and Matt [Roberts, the writer and producer] as it being a precursor to a factory. His store is upstairs, and then down below you can see all the workings. It was all built on one stage, and there’s catwalks and stairs that you can take. The downstairs was split in half with a wall of glass like the glass upstairs. It makes it more interesting for the camera. We didn’t want it to be a box: we wanted it to be possible for them to shoot it [from many angles].

Jamie hard at work over his beloved printing press, Bonnie (Photo: Starz)

Jamie names his printing press “Bonnie,” and in the book his name is carved on the frame. Did you replicate that detail? I don’t think we did. I wish we had remembered to do that! We tried to fill the set with detail and make sure that no matter where you looked, it looked period-correct and that there’s stuff to shoot through, as well as hanging paper drying everywhere. We did tons of research and saw that printing presses in the 1700s had these tool leather walls, so we did our own version of that. That’s the most ornate part, and it’s in the store where Claire comes in. It’s more utilitarian downstairs.

Is this the model for how a well-off printing press might have looked in the 18th century versus a less-successful publisher? Yes it was. We try to make everything look beautiful; even the ugliest stables, we try to make look as real as possible, but also beautiful in a way. And that’s what we tried to do here. For example, we spent a lot of time on the “A. Malcolm” sign that hangs outside. We knew it was a hugely important thing for fans of the book. I told the graphics people that I wanted to put lots of symbols into the sign, so we did all sorts of research into different symbols and incorporated them. There’s tin, because there’s tin in the press, as well as Jamie and Claire’s initials. We also wanted to be able to shoot through it so they could have camera on one side, while Claire comes up to it on the other. And they really did make signs like that: they were cast-iron and were pierced, so we tried to make it period-correct like that.

Claire examines the sign for A. Malcolm’s print shop (Photo: Starz)

Like many of the sets, the printing press is predominantly lit by candlelight. How does that factor into your designs? We worry a lot about it. Back in Season 1, we used to joke that everything had to be brown with a bit of gray. It’s been fun to see more color appear. There’s a lot of red in the printing press, and we couldn’t use red in Season 1 because that was the color of the redcoats only! But everything is thought about with the candle in mind. We have candles, candelabras, and chandeliers on almost every set, and we also build fireplaces because that’s what they did in the 18th century: it was a source of heat and light. For exteriors, we have metal braziers. The DPs love them, and they look really good on film. When you shoot in a courtyard, it adds a little burst of golden color. We always take samples of colors and fabrics and hold them up next to the costumes, with candles next to that to see if they look good in candlelight or not. The DPs always make it look beautiful.

What’s one detail about the printing press you hope viewers at home notice? My favorite part is the storeroom upstairs because of the walls. We put little bits of gold on the molding around the doorways and the bookcases when you walk into the room. I remember a carpenter going, “You want gold in the touch-up?” I told him that it’s just a highlight. When it’s lit with the candles and chandeliers, the gold shimmers in the light. That’s my favorite thing. Also, the tool leather walls that aren’t tool leather, but look like it!

Let’s turn to the Edinburgh brothel. You’ve designed a lot of brothels for the show already. How did you want this one to stand apart? What I was trying to do was take this space and cover it in old rugs to make it look like a harem. The way I described it to Ron was, “I want to put built-in daybeds everywhere, with one in the center for the madam. And then everything around the openings will be covered with rugs.” He was like, “Rugs?” And I said, “Yeah, rugs. It’s not Paris — it’s more downscale.” We were trying rugs, and at first none of them matched, but then we found some we loved and made duplicates and covered the walls in the whole place so it creates a tapestry of rugs. And it works! It’s crazy, but it works. [Laughs]

And that was entirely your own invention? This is my fourth year on the show, and you always want to do something different. We’ve done tons of taverns and a couple brothels before, and we know fans love this stuff. So even though it has to be period correct, we want [each set] to be special. Everyone on this show wants it to be special in every scene and in every detail, be it the armorer who does the guns or the set decoration or the costume designers or the props department. When you see Claire’s medicine kit for the next season, it’s like a piece of art — it’s stunning.

Jamie and Claire continue their reunion at Jamie’s apartment above a brothel (Photo: Starz)

Speaking to the beauty aspect, Jamie’s private room does seem a bit more romantic than an actual brothel likely would have been. Anywhere that Jamie and Claire are going to have a romantic scene we try to make as sexy as we can, even if it’s a barn. They ended up having more scenes there than we thought, and the crew was actually a little angry about shooting in this little room. I was like, “This is way bigger than it should be. It’s really just a room in a brothel — this is the triple the size!” They need that room to shoot; it all works out and looks great.

Since they have to film so many intimate scenes, do Sam Heughan or Caitriona Balfe have special requests in terms of the kind of mattress or bedding they prefer to lie on? We only try to make sure the bed’s big enough for Sam, because he’s 6’3″ long! There was one scene where the rug they were going to be on was really abrasive, so we had to swap that out. But they’re very kind and generous to us, and never really ask for anything from us. They always come and say thank you to all the departments about how beautiful everything is. That’s a good thing, because we’ve all been on projects where it’s not like that.

Any hidden details about the brothel you want to call out to eagle-eyed fans? We put these little columns on the madam’s daybed. It was built especially for her so she could lounge on this giant daybed with thousands of pillows — kind of like an opium den, but it’s Scotland! So we put these big twist columns on there, as well as the fireplace mantles. Someone said, “That’s a little bit much for a brothel,” and I said, “If you can’t do it in a brothel, you can’t do it anywhere!” There’s certain sets that have to be exactly period correct, but we try to have fun with it [when we can].

Most of your pre-Outlander production design credits are films that take place in contemporary settings. Has it been fun living in the past for three seasons? I love it! It’s the most fun stuff I’ve ever done. I love doing things like American History X and Cruel Intentions also, but it’s a dream to do the 18th century, because it’s such a beautiful period for design. We build so much stuff and research continuously; everybody in the department is always looking through books or magazines, and Google is huge. What’s interesting is that in Season 1, we would type “18th century” into Google and you’d get Game of Thrones or other period shows. Now when we’re researching stuff, we see pieces of our own sets! I should have stock in Google. [Laughs]

Outlander airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on Starz.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Notes from our ‘Outlander’ wine tasting ‘Outlander’ Postmortem: Toni Graphia on writing the prelude to the print shop scene: ‘Stay tuned!’ ‘Outlander’ postmortem: Duncan Lacroix talks Murtagh Fraser’s surprise resurrection

[marcuserrico]

Role Recall: Woody Harrelson on identifying with 'Cheers' character, learning to dunk, and what he really thinks of Jennifer Lawrence

Over the course of a wildly successful, widely diverse three decades, Woody Harrelson has held down the tap on Cheers, proved white men can jump, and managed to survive The Hunger Games, winning an Emmy and receiving two Oscar nods along the way. The 56-year-old Texas native has two major films out this month — the Rob Reiner-helmed biopic LBJ, in which he’s virtually unrecognizable as the 36th president, and the Oscar-buzzing Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, where he plays a local sheriff under siege from a mother who wants justice for her murdered daughter —  and has recently wrapped filming on 2018’s surefire blockbuster Solo: A Star Wars Story. Yahoo Entertainment recently down with Harrelson for a guided tour of his greatest hits in the latest edition of our Role Recall series. Some highlights:

Cheers (1985-93) Harrelson’s breakout role came in the classic NBC sitcom, where he joined the ensemble in 1985 as the kind, yet dimwitted bartender Woody Boyd. “It was a friend of mine who told me that there was this part you should go try out for,” Harrelson explains. “The part’s named Woody, he’s from Indiana, where we had gone to college, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’

“There was a lot about Woody Boyd that I resonated with. And though I didn’t think I was very innocent at the time, I probably was pretty innocent. It was the first time I really broke out of anonymity — and poverty.”

White Men Can’t Jump (1992) Harrelson really couldn’t jump for the Ron Shelton comedy about two basketball hustlers, a fact that resulted in endless taunting (and wagering) from co-star Wesley Snipes. “That was one of the funnest times I ever had doing a movie. I remember having an actual contest with Wes where I was trying to dunk. We were betting and I was losing. Then he went to his trailer … and this [crew member] told me, “Why don’t you ever stretch?” This is my first introduction to yoga,” Harrelson recalls, “and I started stretching and the next thing you know, I could dunk the ball. This is on a 9-and-a-half-foot rim, by the way; I couldn’t do it on a 10-foot rim. … He came out of his trailer and I pretended I couldn’t and we upped the bet and upped the bet and then slammed it. I’ll never forget the look on Wes’s face: It was joyous.

Indecent Proposal (1993) This extremely popular, extremely un-P.C. film starred Robert Redford as mogul who offers Harrelson’s character $1 million for a night with his wife, played by Demi Moore. “My mom was pretty psyched,” says Harrelson. “She didn’t come to visit me on set much, but with Robert Redford was in the movie, she came to the set for sure. She was like a little girl. It was fantastic.”

Natural Born Killers (1994) Harrelson and Juliette Lewis played a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde in Oliver Stone’s graphically violent road-trip movie that polarized audiences upon its release. “I didn’t know it would be that controversial. It was very controversial,” says Harrelson. “People are like, ‘Do you like doing controversial movies?’ I’m like, ‘Hell, no. I like doing movies people would go see, not movies people are boycotting.'”

The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) Harrelson reteamed with Stone and earned his first Oscar nomination playing Hustler magnate Larry Flynt in this biopic. “I wouldn’t have been much into doing this movie if I hadn’t come to respect Larry. I don’t respect much the pornography part of what he does,” Harrelson quickly adds, “But what he is as a person, and the rebel that he is, and even what he did recently offering $10 million for any information that leads to the impeachment of our so-called president… I’ve never met a more honest man.”

The Hunger Games (2012-15) For the blockbuster four-film saga based on the bestselling book series, Harrelson played mentor to Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen. “I love Jen,” Harrelson says with a smile. “She’s absolutely hysterical. She’s her own person. I love who she is. I think she’s a tremendous actress, but even more so as a person, she’s one of my top favorite people in the world.”

True Detective (2014) Harrelson and partner Matthew McConaughey both earned Emmy nominations for HBO’s esoteric mystery thriller. “Love working with Matthew, that’s the third thing we did together,” Harrelson says, ticking off their collaborations in EDtv and Surfer Dude. “He’s a hard-core committed guy… Man, what a performance.” But despite their good vibes on set and off, that doesn’t mean Harrelson wants to reprise their partnership for a follow-up season of True Detective. “I don’t see doing that because it went really well the first time and if you come back around to it, what else are you going to hear? ‘Not as good. Wasn’t as good. Boy, you guys were good before, but this time…’ I don’t want to hear that.”

Watch the complete Role Recall above.

Here’s Woody on why he almost didn’t appear in the upcoming Star Wars movie:

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

Woody Harrelson’s sheriff investigates Frances McDormand for dental crimes in ‘Three Billboards’ clip (exclusive)

Woody Harrelson’s ‘LBJ’ transformation was so complete it fooled his daughter

‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ cast on the film’s ending and its connection to previous ‘Apes’ movies

[bigbirdgladiator]

Two tropical storms have already formed prior to the official start of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on June 1- and AccuWeather meteorologists say there are two factors behind the unusual occurrence. These weather factors could soon cause more storms to brew, but this time, forecasters are watching a new tropical hotspot of the basin.Tropical Storm Arthur, the first storm of the season, was named by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on May 16, the earliest-named tropical system to form in the Atlantic since Tropical Storm Arlene in April 2017. The system first developed into a tropical depression about 125 miles off Melbourne, Florida. As the disturbance gained strength and moved northward over warm waters in the western Atlantic, Arthur avoided landfall in North Carolina. But, the system still unleashed wind gusts of up to 49 mph in the state. Fortunately, no major impacts were reported, and Arthur went out to sea before it could directly strike land.Less than two weeks later, Tropical Storm Bertha became the second-named storm of the season on May 27 in a similar area to where Arthur had developed. Bertha will also go down as the first-named storm to make landfall in the U.S. this year. Bertha struck about 20 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday, and unleashed flooding rainfall across the Carolinas and portions of the mid-Atlantic. Before officially being named the system drenched South Florida with flooding rainfall, which pushed monthly rain totals to more than two times the normal amount for May in places like Miami.The last time two named storms preceded the official start of hurricane season in the Atlantic was in 2016, when Hurricane Alex and Tropical Storm Bonnie both formed before June 1. This GOES-16 satellite image taken Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at 11:40 UTC and provided by THE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows Tropical Storm Bertha approaching the South Carolina coast. (NOAA via AP) "You get early season development when you get an interaction between the jet stream and the tropics," AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. "It's still early enough in the year that, at times, the jet stream can take pronounced dips into the south."A southward plunge in the jet stream causes weather systems to interact with the warm water of the Atlantic, explained Rayno."The jet stream brings down frontal boundaries that stall, frontal boundaries are locations where showers and thunderstorms could form, and in time, if you can get that area to sit, you start to get lower pressure to form, and in time this could turn into a tropical system," said Rayno.Arthur and Bertha both formed from a similar set of weather factors, and a third-named tropical storm could form as early as next week, fueled by another big dive of the jet stream."On Monday, this dip in the jet stream [is] gonna push a frontal boundary into the northwest Caribbean. That frontal boundary will stall as we get into Monday. [On] Tuesday, showers and thunderstorms start to form and by mid- to- late-next week, I think we are going to get an area of low pressure to form," said Rayno. The Miami skyline is shrouded in clouds as a cyclist rides along Biscayne Bay at Matheson Hammock Park, Friday, May 15, 2020, in Miami. A trough of low pressure moved through the Florida Straits and organized over the northwest Bahamas to become Tropical Storm Arthur. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Rayno said that he believes there is a 50/50 chance that the third named storm, which would be called Cristobal, could be the result of this setup.AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist David Samuhel said tropical trouble could first brew in the East Pacific before emerging into the Atlantic. Forecasters have been monitoring an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific this week that could soon churn out a tropical entity, which could take an unusual track into Central America."We are watching an area south of Mexico and Central America. It is expected to become a tropical depression or even a named storm as it approaches the coast of El Salvador, Guatemala and southern Mexico," Samuhel said.Even though the storm that is being monitored will likely dissipate over land, Samuhel said that, "There will be abundant moisture associated with the system and when that moisture moves northward into the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, it could reform into a new tropical system."The last three tropical cyclones to make landfall in the U.S. during the month of June were all Gulf of Mexico storms, similar to the hotspot currently being monitored. The most recent Gulf of Mexico storm to result in a June landfall was Tropical Storm Cindy, which came ashore in western Louisiana in 2017.Samuhel advised that while the reformation of the storm would not happen until several days into June, the conditions could be favorable for development as water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are above normal and upper-level conditions in the atmosphere could remain favorable.It has been a few years since the third-named storm of the season formed as early in the season as June and made landfall in the U.S., with the last occurrence being Tropical Storm Cindy in 2017 and then again in 2016 when Tropical Storm Colin developed and slammed into the Gulf Coast of Florida, north of Tampa.Before that, it had been several decades since this happened with the last time prior to 2016 being back in 1968, when Tropical Storm Candy formed in late June.Having three named storms this early in the season is a rare occurrence, and only twice in the last decade has a fourth-named storm formed in June with Tropical Storm Danielle in 2017 and Tropical Storm Debby in 2012. Tommy and Dorothy McIntosh walk away from their daughters flooded home in Live Oak Fla., Wednesday, June 27, 2012. Dozens of homes and businesses were flooded by torrential rains from Tropical Storm Debby. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) Landfalling hurricanes are even more rare during the month of June. Hurricane Bonnie in 1986 was the last hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. during the month. The Category 1 storm generated peak winds of 85 mph before rolling into High Island, Texas. Bonnie claimed five lives in the U.S. and it triggered more than a foot of rainfall in parts of Texas, including 13 inches in Ace, Texas."Only one major hurricane has made landfall in June anywhere in the U.S.," Samuhel said, adding that Hurricane Audrey dealt a devastating blow to southwestern Louisiana when it crashed onshore as a Category 3 storm, packing 125-mph winds, in 1957, and killed more than 400 in the U.S. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), Bonnie ranks as the seventh deadliest storm to make landfall in the U.S. and the third deadliest in Louisiana history.Dan Kottlowski, AccuWeather's top hurricane expert, and his team of long-range meteorologists, have been hard at work analyzing weather patterns for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season since late in winter. Kottlowski warned about early season risks in the Gulf of Mexico in his initial forecast for the season, which was released on March 25.Kottlowski upped the numbers projected for the 2020 season in an early May forecast update. He expressed "growing concern" for an active season due to a La Ni��a pattern that is expected to develop during the season. La Niña is the cool phase and counterpoint to El Niño -- and it is characterized by three consecutive months of below-normal temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, near the equator. The team is now predicting 14 to 20 tropical storms and seven to 11 hurricanes, since La Niña patterns can limit episodes of high winds that can disrupt tropical development in the Atlantic.Four to six of the storms could strengthen into major hurricanes - Category 3 or higher. And Kottlowski warned that four to six named tropical systems could make direct impacts on the U.S mainland, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.The AccuWeather TV Network on Thursday night will host its first-ever hurricane town hall. The exclusive one-hour event will be moderated by AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Brittany Boyer who will lead a roundtable discussion with several of the top minds in hurricane forecasting and weather preparedness.Among those joining the discussion will be National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham, AccuWeather's own hurricane expert Dan Kottlowksi and Trevor Riggen of the American Red Cross, along with several others. Chief among the topics being discussed will be the impact the coronavirus pandemic will have on preparing for hurricanes this season, which AccuWeather forecasters believe will be very active. Tune in to the AccuWeather TV Network at 9 p.m. EDT Thursday evening and check AccuWeather.com for highlights and a recap.Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/36ERazx

[worldtopnewsoftheday]

Two tropical storms have already formed prior to the official start of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on June 1- and AccuWeather meteorologists say there are two factors behind the unusual occurrence. These weather factors could soon cause more storms to brew, but this time, forecasters are watching a new tropical hotspot of the basin.Tropical Storm Arthur, the first storm of the season, was named by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on May 16, the earliest-named tropical system to form in the Atlantic since Tropical Storm Arlene in April 2017. The system first developed into a tropical depression about 125 miles off Melbourne, Florida. As the disturbance gained strength and moved northward over warm waters in the western Atlantic, Arthur avoided landfall in North Carolina. But, the system still unleashed wind gusts of up to 49 mph in the state. Fortunately, no major impacts were reported, and Arthur went out to sea before it could directly strike land.Less than two weeks later, Tropical Storm Bertha became the second-named storm of the season on May 27 in a similar area to where Arthur had developed. Bertha will also go down as the first-named storm to make landfall in the U.S. this year. Bertha struck about 20 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday, and unleashed flooding rainfall across the Carolinas and portions of the mid-Atlantic. Before officially being named the system drenched South Florida with flooding rainfall, which pushed monthly rain totals to more than two times the normal amount for May in places like Miami.The last time two named storms preceded the official start of hurricane season in the Atlantic was in 2016, when Hurricane Alex and Tropical Storm Bonnie both formed before June 1. This GOES-16 satellite image taken Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at 11:40 UTC and provided by THE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows Tropical Storm Bertha approaching the South Carolina coast. (NOAA via AP) "You get early season development when you get an interaction between the jet stream and the tropics," AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. "It's still early enough in the year that, at times, the jet stream can take pronounced dips into the south."A southward plunge in the jet stream causes weather systems to interact with the warm water of the Atlantic, explained Rayno."The jet stream brings down frontal boundaries that stall, frontal boundaries are locations where showers and thunderstorms could form, and in time, if you can get that area to sit, you start to get lower pressure to form, and in time this could turn into a tropical system," said Rayno.Arthur and Bertha both formed from a similar set of weather factors, and a third-named tropical storm could form as early as next week, fueled by another big dive of the jet stream."On Monday, this dip in the jet stream [is] gonna push a frontal boundary into the northwest Caribbean. That frontal boundary will stall as we get into Monday. [On] Tuesday, showers and thunderstorms start to form and by mid- to- late-next week, I think we are going to get an area of low pressure to form," said Rayno. The Miami skyline is shrouded in clouds as a cyclist rides along Biscayne Bay at Matheson Hammock Park, Friday, May 15, 2020, in Miami. A trough of low pressure moved through the Florida Straits and organized over the northwest Bahamas to become Tropical Storm Arthur. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Rayno said that he believes there is a 50/50 chance that the third named storm, which would be called Cristobal, could be the result of this setup.AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist David Samuhel said tropical trouble could first brew in the East Pacific before emerging into the Atlantic. Forecasters have been monitoring an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific this week that could soon churn out a tropical entity, which could take an unusual track into Central America."We are watching an area south of Mexico and Central America. It is expected to become a tropical depression or even a named storm as it approaches the coast of El Salvador, Guatemala and southern Mexico," Samuhel said.Even though the storm that is being monitored will likely dissipate over land, Samuhel said that, "There will be abundant moisture associated with the system and when that moisture moves northward into the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, it could reform into a new tropical system."The last three tropical cyclones to make landfall in the U.S. during the month of June were all Gulf of Mexico storms, similar to the hotspot currently being monitored. The most recent Gulf of Mexico storm to result in a June landfall was Tropical Storm Cindy, which came ashore in western Louisiana in 2017.Samuhel advised that while the reformation of the storm would not happen until several days into June, the conditions could be favorable for development as water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are above normal and upper-level conditions in the atmosphere could remain favorable.It has been a few years since the third-named storm of the season formed as early in the season as June and made landfall in the U.S., with the last occurrence being Tropical Storm Cindy in 2017 and then again in 2016 when Tropical Storm Colin developed and slammed into the Gulf Coast of Florida, north of Tampa.Before that, it had been several decades since this happened with the last time prior to 2016 being back in 1968, when Tropical Storm Candy formed in late June.Having three named storms this early in the season is a rare occurrence, and only twice in the last decade has a fourth-named storm formed in June with Tropical Storm Danielle in 2017 and Tropical Storm Debby in 2012. Tommy and Dorothy McIntosh walk away from their daughters flooded home in Live Oak Fla., Wednesday, June 27, 2012. Dozens of homes and businesses were flooded by torrential rains from Tropical Storm Debby. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) Landfalling hurricanes are even more rare during the month of June. Hurricane Bonnie in 1986 was the last hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. during the month. The Category 1 storm generated peak winds of 85 mph before rolling into High Island, Texas. Bonnie claimed five lives in the U.S. and it triggered more than a foot of rainfall in parts of Texas, including 13 inches in Ace, Texas."Only one major hurricane has made landfall in June anywhere in the U.S.," Samuhel said, adding that Hurricane Audrey dealt a devastating blow to southwestern Louisiana when it crashed onshore as a Category 3 storm, packing 125-mph winds, in 1957, and killed more than 400 in the U.S. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), Bonnie ranks as the seventh deadliest storm to make landfall in the U.S. and the third deadliest in Louisiana history.Dan Kottlowski, AccuWeather's top hurricane expert, and his team of long-range meteorologists, have been hard at work analyzing weather patterns for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season since late in winter. Kottlowski warned about early season risks in the Gulf of Mexico in his initial forecast for the season, which was released on March 25.Kottlowski upped the numbers projected for the 2020 season in an early May forecast update. He expressed "growing concern" for an active season due to a La Niña pattern that is expected to develop during the season. La Niña is the cool phase and counterpoint to El Niño -- and it is characterized by three consecutive months of below-normal temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, near the equator. The team is now predicting 14 to 20 tropical storms and seven to 11 hurricanes, since La Niña patterns can limit episodes of high winds that can disrupt tropical development in the Atlantic.Four to six of the storms could strengthen into major hurricanes - Category 3 or higher. And Kottlowski warned that four to six named tropical systems could make direct impacts on the U.S mainland, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.The AccuWeather TV Network on Thursday night will host its first-ever hurricane town hall. The exclusive one-hour event will be moderated by AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Brittany Boyer who will lead a roundtable discussion with several of the top minds in hurricane forecasting and weather preparedness.Among those joining the discussion will be National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham, AccuWeather's own hurricane expert Dan Kottlowksi and Trevor Riggen of the American Red Cross, along with several others. Chief among the topics being discussed will be the impact the coronavirus pandemic will have on preparing for hurricanes this season, which AccuWeather forecasters believe will be very active. Tune in to the AccuWeather TV Network at 9 p.m. EDT Thursday evening and check AccuWeather.com for highlights and a recap.Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/36ERazx

[usuallyleftnight]

Two tropical storms have already formed prior to the official start of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on June 1- and AccuWeather meteorologists say there are two factors behind the unusual occurrence. These weather factors could soon cause more storms to brew, but this time, forecasters are watching a new tropical hotspot of the basin.Tropical Storm Arthur, the first storm of the season, was named by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on May 16, the earliest-named tropical system to form in the Atlantic since Tropical Storm Arlene in April 2017. The system first developed into a tropical depression about 125 miles off Melbourne, Florida. As the disturbance gained strength and moved northward over warm waters in the western Atlantic, Arthur avoided landfall in North Carolina. But, the system still unleashed wind gusts of up to 49 mph in the state. Fortunately, no major impacts were reported, and Arthur went out to sea before it could directly strike land.Less than two weeks later, Tropical Storm Bertha became the second-named storm of the season on May 27 in a similar area to where Arthur had developed. Bertha will also go down as the first-named storm to make landfall in the U.S. this year. Bertha struck about 20 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday, and unleashed flooding rainfall across the Carolinas and portions of the mid-Atlantic. Before officially being named the system drenched South Florida with flooding rainfall, which pushed monthly rain totals to more than two times the normal amount for May in places like Miami.The last time two named storms preceded the official start of hurricane season in the Atlantic was in 2016, when Hurricane Alex and Tropical Storm Bonnie both formed before June 1. This GOES-16 satellite image taken Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at 11:40 UTC and provided by THE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows Tropical Storm Bertha approaching the South Carolina coast. (NOAA via AP) "You get early season development when you get an interaction between the jet stream and the tropics," AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. "It's still early enough in the year that, at times, the jet stream can take pronounced dips into the south."A southward plunge in the jet stream causes weather systems to interact with the warm water of the Atlantic, explained Rayno."The jet stream brings down frontal boundaries that stall, frontal boundaries are locations where showers and thunderstorms could form, and in time, if you can get that area to sit, you start to get lower pressure to form, and in time this could turn into a tropical system," said Rayno.Arthur and Bertha both formed from a similar set of weather factors, and a third-named tropical storm could form as early as next week, fueled by another big dive of the jet stream."On Monday, this dip in the jet stream [is] gonna push a frontal boundary into the northwest Caribbean. That frontal boundary will stall as we get into Monday. [On] Tuesday, showers and thunderstorms start to form and by mid- to- late-next week, I think we are going to get an area of low pressure to form," said Rayno. The Miami skyline is shrouded in clouds as a cyclist rides along Biscayne Bay at Matheson Hammock Park, Friday, May 15, 2020, in Miami. A trough of low pressure moved through the Florida Straits and organized over the northwest Bahamas to become Tropical Storm Arthur. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Rayno said that he believes there is a 50/50 chance that the third named storm, which would be called Cristobal, could be the result of this setup.AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist David Samuhel said tropical trouble could first brew in the East Pacific before emerging into the Atlantic. Forecasters have been monitoring an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific this week that could soon churn out a tropical entity, which could take an unusual track into Central America."We are watching an area south of Mexico and Central America. It is expected to become a tropical depression or even a named storm as it approaches the coast of El Salvador, Guatemala and southern Mexico," Samuhel said.Even though the storm that is being monitored will likely dissipate over land, Samuhel said that, "There will be abundant moisture associated with the system and when that moisture moves northward into the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, it could reform into a new tropical system."The last three tropical cyclones to make landfall in the U.S. during the month of June were all Gulf of Mexico storms, similar to the hotspot currently being monitored. The most recent Gulf of Mexico storm to result in a June landfall was Tropical Storm Cindy, which came ashore in western Louisiana in 2017.Samuhel advised that while the reformation of the storm would not happen until several days into June, the conditions could be favorable for development as water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are above normal and upper-level conditions in the atmosphere could remain favorable.It has been a few years since the third-named storm of the season formed as early in the season as June and made landfall in the U.S., with the last occurrence being Tropical Storm Cindy in 2017 and then again in 2016 when Tropical Storm Colin developed and slammed into the Gulf Coast of Florida, north of Tampa.Before that, it had been several decades since this happened with the last time prior to 2016 being back in 1968, when Tropical Storm Candy formed in late June.Having three named storms this early in the season is a rare occurrence, and only twice in the last decade has a fourth-named storm formed in June with Tropical Storm Danielle in 2017 and Tropical Storm Debby in 2012. Tommy and Dorothy McIntosh walk away from their daughters flooded home in Live Oak Fla., Wednesday, June 27, 2012. Dozens of homes and businesses were flooded by torrential rains from Tropical Storm Debby. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) Landfalling hurricanes are even more rare during the month of June. Hurricane Bonnie in 1986 was the last hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. during the month. The Category 1 storm generated peak winds of 85 mph before rolling into High Island, Texas. Bonnie claimed five lives in the U.S. and it triggered more than a foot of rainfall in parts of Texas, including 13 inches in Ace, Texas."Only one major hurricane has made landfall in June anywhere in the U.S.," Samuhel said, adding that Hurricane Audrey dealt a devastating blow to southwestern Louisiana when it crashed onshore as a Category 3 storm, packing 125-mph winds, in 1957, and killed more than 400 in the U.S. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), Bonnie ranks as the seventh deadliest storm to make landfall in the U.S. and the third deadliest in Louisiana history.Dan Kottlowski, AccuWeather's top hurricane expert, and his team of long-range meteorologists, have been hard at work analyzing weather patterns for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season since late in winter. Kottlowski warned about early season risks in the Gulf of Mexico in his initial forecast for the season, which was released on March 25.Kottlowski upped the numbers projected for the 2020 season in an early May forecast update. He expressed "growing concern" for an active season due to a La Niña pattern that is expected to develop during the season. La Niña is the cool phase and counterpoint to El Niño -- and it is characterized by three consecutive months of below-normal temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, near the equator. The team is now predicting 14 to 20 tropical storms and seven to 11 hurricanes, since La Niña patterns can limit episodes of high winds that can disrupt tropical development in the Atlantic.Four to six of the storms could strengthen into major hurricanes - Category 3 or higher. And Kottlowski warned that four to six named tropical systems could make direct impacts on the U.S mainland, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.The AccuWeather TV Network on Thursday night will host its first-ever hurricane town hall. The exclusive one-hour event will be moderated by AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Brittany Boyer who will lead a roundtable discussion with several of the top minds in hurricane forecasting and weather preparedness.Among those joining the discussion will be National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham, AccuWeather's own hurricane expert Dan Kottlowksi and Trevor Riggen of the American Red Cross, along with several others. Chief among the topics being discussed will be the impact the coronavirus pandemic will have on preparing for hurricanes this season, which AccuWeather forecasters believe will be very active. Tune in to the AccuWeather TV Network at 9 p.m. EDT Thursday evening and check AccuWeather.com for highlights and a recap.Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/36ERazx

[tendance-news]

Two tropical storms have already formed prior to the official start of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins on June 1- and AccuWeather meteorologists say there are two factors behind the unusual occurrence. These weather factors could soon cause more storms to brew, but this time, forecasters are watching a new tropical hotspot of the basin.Tropical Storm Arthur, the first storm of the season, was named by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on May 16, the earliest-named tropical system to form in the Atlantic since Tropical Storm Arlene in April 2017. The system first developed into a tropical depression about 125 miles off Melbourne, Florida. As the disturbance gained strength and moved northward over warm waters in the western Atlantic, Arthur avoided landfall in North Carolina. But, the system still unleashed wind gusts of up to 49 mph in the state. Fortunately, no major impacts were reported, and Arthur went out to sea before it could directly strike land.Less than two weeks later, Tropical Storm Bertha became the second-named storm of the season on May 27 in a similar area to where Arthur had developed. Bertha will also go down as the first-named storm to make landfall in the U.S. this year. Bertha struck about 20 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina, on Wednesday, and unleashed flooding rainfall across the Carolinas and portions of the mid-Atlantic. Before officially being named the system drenched South Florida with flooding rainfall, which pushed monthly rain totals to more than two times the normal amount for May in places like Miami.The last time two named storms preceded the official start of hurricane season in the Atlantic was in 2016, when Hurricane Alex and Tropical Storm Bonnie both formed before June 1. This GOES-16 satellite image taken Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at 11:40 UTC and provided by THE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), shows Tropical Storm Bertha approaching the South Carolina coast. (NOAA via AP) "You get early season development when you get an interaction between the jet stream and the tropics," AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said. "It's still early enough in the year that, at times, the jet stream can take pronounced dips into the south."A southward plunge in the jet stream causes weather systems to interact with the warm water of the Atlantic, explained Rayno."The jet stream brings down frontal boundaries that stall, frontal boundaries are locations where showers and thunderstorms could form, and in time, if you can get that area to sit, you start to get lower pressure to form, and in time this could turn into a tropical system," said Rayno.Arthur and Bertha both formed from a similar set of weather factors, and a third-named tropical storm could form as early as next week, fueled by another big dive of the jet stream."On Monday, this dip in the jet stream [is] gonna push a frontal boundary into the northwest Caribbean. That frontal boundary will stall as we get into Monday. [On] Tuesday, showers and thunderstorms start to form and by mid- to- late-next week, I think we are going to get an area of low pressure to form," said Rayno. The Miami skyline is shrouded in clouds as a cyclist rides along Biscayne Bay at Matheson Hammock Park, Friday, May 15, 2020, in Miami. A trough of low pressure moved through the Florida Straits and organized over the northwest Bahamas to become Tropical Storm Arthur. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Rayno said that he believes there is a 50/50 chance that the third named storm, which would be called Cristobal, could be the result of this setup.AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist David Samuhel said tropical trouble could first brew in the East Pacific before emerging into the Atlantic. Forecasters have been monitoring an area of disturbed weather in the East Pacific this week that could soon churn out a tropical entity, which could take an unusual track into Central America."We are watching an area south of Mexico and Central America. It is expected to become a tropical depression or even a named storm as it approaches the coast of El Salvador, Guatemala and southern Mexico," Samuhel said.Even though the storm that is being monitored will likely dissipate over land, Samuhel said that, "There will be abundant moisture associated with the system and when that moisture moves northward into the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, it could reform into a new tropical system."The last three tropical cyclones to make landfall in the U.S. during the month of June were all Gulf of Mexico storms, similar to the hotspot currently being monitored. The most recent Gulf of Mexico storm to result in a June landfall was Tropical Storm Cindy, which came ashore in western Louisiana in 2017.Samuhel advised that while the reformation of the storm would not happen until several days into June, the conditions could be favorable for development as water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are above normal and upper-level conditions in the atmosphere could remain favorable.It has been a few years since the third-named storm of the season formed as early in the season as June and made landfall in the U.S., with the last occurrence being Tropical Storm Cindy in 2017 and then again in 2016 when Tropical Storm Colin developed and slammed into the Gulf Coast of Florida, north of Tampa.Before that, it had been several decades since this happened with the last time prior to 2016 being back in 1968, when Tropical Storm Candy formed in late June.Having three named storms this early in the season is a rare occurrence, and only twice in the last decade has a fourth-named storm formed in June with Tropical Storm Danielle in 2017 and Tropical Storm Debby in 2012. Tommy and Dorothy McIntosh walk away from their daughters flooded home in Live Oak Fla., Wednesday, June 27, 2012. Dozens of homes and businesses were flooded by torrential rains from Tropical Storm Debby. (AP Photo/Dave Martin) Landfalling hurricanes are even more rare during the month of June. Hurricane Bonnie in 1986 was the last hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. during the month. The Category 1 storm generated peak winds of 85 mph before rolling into High Island, Texas. Bonnie claimed five lives in the U.S. and it triggered more than a foot of rainfall in parts of Texas, including 13 inches in Ace, Texas."Only one major hurricane has made landfall in June anywhere in the U.S.," Samuhel said, adding that Hurricane Audrey dealt a devastating blow to southwestern Louisiana when it crashed onshore as a Category 3 storm, packing 125-mph winds, in 1957, and killed more than 400 in the U.S. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), Bonnie ranks as the seventh deadliest storm to make landfall in the U.S. and the third deadliest in Louisiana history.Dan Kottlowski, AccuWeather's top hurricane expert, and his team of long-range meteorologists, have been hard at work analyzing weather patterns for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season since late in winter. Kottlowski warned about early season risks in the Gulf of Mexico in his initial forecast for the season, which was released on March 25.Kottlowski upped the numbers projected for the 2020 season in an early May forecast update. He expressed "growing concern" for an active season due to a La Niña pattern that is expected to develop during the season. La Niña is the cool phase and counterpoint to El Niño -- and it is characterized by three consecutive months of below-normal temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, near the equator. The team is now predicting 14 to 20 tropical storms and seven to 11 hurricanes, since La Niña patterns can limit episodes of high winds that can disrupt tropical development in the Atlantic.Four to six of the storms could strengthen into major hurricanes - Category 3 or higher. And Kottlowski warned that four to six named tropical systems could make direct impacts on the U.S mainland, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.The AccuWeather TV Network on Thursday night will host its first-ever hurricane town hall. The exclusive one-hour event will be moderated by AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Brittany Boyer who will lead a roundtable discussion with several of the top minds in hurricane forecasting and weather preparedness.Among those joining the discussion will be National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham, AccuWeather's own hurricane expert Dan Kottlowksi and Trevor Riggen of the American Red Cross, along with several others. Chief among the topics being discussed will be the impact the coronavirus pandemic will have on preparing for hurricanes this season, which AccuWeather forecasters believe will be very active. Tune in to the AccuWeather TV Network at 9 p.m. EDT Thursday evening and check AccuWeather.com for highlights and a recap.Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/36ERazx

[courtneytincher]

Joshua Wong Vows to Keep Fighting After Arrest: Hong Kong Update

(Bloomberg) -- Tensions spiked in Hong Kong ahead of what could be a 13th straight weekend of protest, as police arrested several top opposition figures including Joshua Wong after banning a mass march scheduled for Saturday.The moves signaled a harder line by the government against the largely leaderless protest movement, which began in June over a bill allowing extraditions to mainland China before morphing into a wider push against Beijing’s increasing grip on the city. While Wong and a fellow activist were later released on bail, the arrests could fuel unauthorized gatherings that have sparked confrontations with police in recent weeks.Embattled leader Carrie Lam this week called for a dialogue with the opposition while refusing to rule out invoking a sweeping colonial-era law that allows for easier arrests, deportations, censorship and property seizures. The unrest in the Asian financial hub now threatens to distract from China’s celebrations of the Oct. 1 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule.Here’s the latest (all times local):Wong Vows to Fight (6:01 p.m.)After being released on bail, Wong and Agnes Chow, another democracy activist who was arrested, vowed to continue the fight for democracy. He also warned Chinese President Xi Jinping about using force to quash the protests.“I urge the international community to send a message to President Xi, sending troops or using emergency ordinance is not the way out,” he said.Wong, Chow Granted Bail: Ming Pao (5:05 p.m.)Wong and Agnes Chow, another democracy activist, were granted bail, Ming Pao newspaper reported, citing the presiding judge. Their hearing has been adjourned until November 8.China Rejected Lam’s Concession: Reuters (2:23 p.m.)The Chinese central government earlier this summer dismissed a proposal by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to withdraw the controversial extradition bill, Reuters reported on Friday. Beijing ordered Lam not to yield to any of the protesters’ other demands at that time, the report said, citing three unidentified people with direct knowledge of the matter.District Councilor, Prominent Activists Arrested (1:04 p.m.)Sha Tin District Councilor Rick Hui was arrested and was at Kwun Tong police station, his assistant said. It came after prominent young activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow were arrested Friday morning, according to their Demosisto party. The group said the two were taken to the Wan Chai police headquarters and that they had arranged lawyers to handle the cases.Police confirmed the arrest of a 22-year-old man with the last name Wong on three alleged offenses, including organizing and inciting others to participate in unauthorized assembly. They also confirmed the arrest of a 22-year-old woman with the last name Chow.Protesters Cancel March (12:03 p.m.)Key protest organizer the Civil Human Rights Front said it would cancel Saturday’s planned march after failing to obtain a police permit, the group’s Vice Convener Bonnie Leung said. CHRF said it didn’t want participants to bear the legal consequences of taking part in an illegal assembly. Hong Kong authorities earlier rejected the group’s appeal, she said.Andy Chan Arrested (9:53 a.m.)Radio Television Hong Kong reported that pro-independence activist Andy Chan, founder of the banned Hong Kong National Party, was arrested at the city’s airport. It came the morning after Chan posted about his imminent detention on his personal Facebook page.Cathay Warns Staff (8:40 a.m.)Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. warned staff not to take part in next week’s general strike, according to an internal memo sent from Tom Owen, the company’s director of people. Those participating in the strike risk getting fired, the memo said. Cathay will monitor attendance closely, it said. It reiterated that it had zero tolerance for any support or participation in illegal protests. “Cathay Pacific Group does not approve of this strike,” Owen said in the memo.Upcoming EventsA disruption of airport infrastructure has been planned for Sunday afternoon, along with a protest outside the British consulate in the city center.There are then calls for a two-day citywide general strike to begin Monday, accompanied by rallies kicking off at 1:30 p.m. in various parts of the city. Some students also plan “class boycott” rallies.Strike rallies will continue Tuesday afternoon, including at Chater Garden, in the central business area. Students plan to protest again.\--With assistance from Natalie Lung, Annie Lee and Justin Chin.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Karen Leigh in Hong Kong at kleigh4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Daniel Ten KateFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

(Bloomberg) -- Tensions spiked in Hong Kong ahead of what could be a 13th straight weekend of protest, as police arrested several top opposition figures including Joshua Wong after banning a mass march scheduled for Saturday.The moves signaled a harder line by the government against the largely leaderless protest movement, which began in June over a bill allowing extraditions to mainland China before morphing into a wider push against Beijing’s increasing grip on the city. While Wong and a fellow activist were later released on bail, the arrests could fuel unauthorized gatherings that have sparked confrontations with police in recent weeks.Embattled leader Carrie Lam this week called for a dialogue with the opposition while refusing to rule out invoking a sweeping colonial-era law that allows for easier arrests, deportations, censorship and property seizures. The unrest in the Asian financial hub now threatens to distract from China’s celebrations of the Oct. 1 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule.Here’s the latest (all times local):Wong Vows to Fight (6:01 p.m.)After being released on bail, Wong and Agnes Chow, another democracy activist who was arrested, vowed to continue the fight for democracy. He also warned Chinese President Xi Jinping about using force to quash the protests.“I urge the international community to send a message to President Xi, sending troops or using emergency ordinance is not the way out,” he said.Wong, Chow Granted Bail: Ming Pao (5:05 p.m.)Wong and Agnes Chow, another democracy activist, were granted bail, Ming Pao newspaper reported, citing the presiding judge. Their hearing has been adjourned until November 8.China Rejected Lam’s Concession: Reuters (2:23 p.m.)The Chinese central government earlier this summer dismissed a proposal by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to withdraw the controversial extradition bill, Reuters reported on Friday. Beijing ordered Lam not to yield to any of the protesters’ other demands at that time, the report said, citing three unidentified people with direct knowledge of the matter.District Councilor, Prominent Activists Arrested (1:04 p.m.)Sha Tin District Councilor Rick Hui was arrested and was at Kwun Tong police station, his assistant said. It came after prominent young activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow were arrested Friday morning, according to their Demosisto party. The group said the two were taken to the Wan Chai police headquarters and that they had arranged lawyers to handle the cases.Police confirmed the arrest of a 22-year-old man with the last name Wong on three alleged offenses, including organizing and inciting others to participate in unauthorized assembly. They also confirmed the arrest of a 22-year-old woman with the last name Chow.Protesters Cancel March (12:03 p.m.)Key protest organizer the Civil Human Rights Front said it would cancel Saturday’s planned march after failing to obtain a police permit, the group’s Vice Convener Bonnie Leung said. CHRF said it didn’t want participants to bear the legal consequences of taking part in an illegal assembly. Hong Kong authorities earlier rejected the group’s appeal, she said.Andy Chan Arrested (9:53 a.m.)Radio Television Hong Kong reported that pro-independence activist Andy Chan, founder of the banned Hong Kong National Party, was arrested at the city’s airport. It came the morning after Chan posted about his imminent detention on his personal Facebook page.Cathay Warns Staff (8:40 a.m.)Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. warned staff not to take part in next week’s general strike, according to an internal memo sent from Tom Owen, the company’s director of people. Those participating in the strike risk getting fired, the memo said. Cathay will monitor attendance closely, it said. It reiterated that it had zero tolerance for any support or participation in illegal protests. “Cathay Pacific Group does not approve of this strike,” Owen said in the memo.Upcoming EventsA disruption of airport infrastructure has been planned for Sunday afternoon, along with a protest outside the British consulate in the city center.There are then calls for a two-day citywide general strike to begin Monday, accompanied by rallies kicking off at 1:30 p.m. in various parts of the city. Some students also plan “class boycott” rallies.Strike rallies will continue Tuesday afternoon, including at Chater Garden, in the central business area. Students plan to protest again.\--With assistance from Natalie Lung, Annie Lee and Justin Chin.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Karen Leigh in Hong Kong at kleigh4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Daniel Ten KateFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

August 30, 2019 at 11:53AM via IFTTT

[mandibierly]

'Good Behavior' star Michelle Dockery looks ahead to 'Godless,' 'Network,' and, hopefully, the 'Downton Abbey' movie

Michelle Dockery as Letty in ‘Good Behavior’ (Photo: TNT)

“Letty is the sort of character that feels like she can do anything,” Michelle Dockery says. “She’s fearless like that.” Look at the roles the British actress has on the horizon, and it’s clear she and her Good Behavior alter ego have that in common.

After six seasons as Lady Mary on Downton Abbey, Dockery signed on to play Letty — a recovering addict and unrepentant thief who hooks up with a hitman (Juan Diego Botto’s Javier) while hoping to someday give her son, Jacob (Nyles Julian Steele), a “normal life.” She remembers the TNT drama’s creator, Chad Hodge, and director of its 2016 pilot, Charlotte Sieling, wrote a manifesto. “I always have it in my dressing room in my trailer just to remind myself of some things,” she says. “One of the first things Charlotte said to Chad was, ‘I think we’re creating poetic noir.’ And he said, ‘What’s that?’ And she said, ‘I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.’ That’s what they achieved. They’ve created this genre which is very different, and we have brilliant directors who really get the style of it and the tone. It’s very specific.”

In Season 2’s second episode, airing Sunday, Javier tells Letty he’s going on his annual solo camping trip to mourn the little brother whose accidental death his father still blames him for. In reality, as Letty learns in the exclusive sneak peek above, Javier has taken another job to help pay for her son’s private school. She’ll spend most of the episode trying to keep Javier from being alone with his mark. “She’s doing it for the good of Javier and her son, because if he continues to carry out these jobs then he’s not holding up his end of the bargain [of being there to help raise Jacob]. The danger [of the FBI catching Javier] only increases with each job that he does,” she says. “And, of course, they’re aware now that somebody is trying to kill Javier, and they don’t know who that is.”

This season, even more than the first, has a “Bonnie and Clyde feel to it,” Dockery says. That’s fitting, considering Dockery’s next role is one that won Bonnie and Clyde‘s Faye Dunaway her Oscar. She’ll star as ruthless television executive Diana Christensen in the first stage adaptation of the 1976 film Network, opposite Bryan Cranston as mad-as-hell anchorman Howard Beale, which runs Nov. 4 through March 24 at London’s National Theatre. “I love the film, it’s a classic, and the adaptation is brilliant — so much of it is [Paddy] Chayefsky’s original dialogue that [playwright] Lee Hall has done a brilliant job at working it for the stage,” Dockery says. “And it is incredibly current, this sense of unrest and unease. There’s a lot of angry people out there, and I think it’s something that has come at the right time.”

She’d been eying a return to the stage, where she began her career, for a long time and jumped at the chance to act with Cranston, whom she’d previously only met once, at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “He’s such a lovely man, and, of course, someone who I’ve loved since Breaking Bad,” Dockery says. “So it’s an honor to work with him.”

Michelle Dockery as Alice Fletcher in Netflix’s ‘Godless’ (Photo: James Minchin/Netflix)

Come Nov. 22, she’ll be back on the small screen in Godless, the Netflix limited series from writer/director Scott Frank and executive producers Steven Soderbergh and Casey Silver. The seven-part drama is an authentic Western, centered on a town run mainly by women. Dockery stars as outsider Alice Fletcher, a widow who finds herself in the middle of a brewing showdown between a wounded outlaw (Unbroken‘s Jack O’Connell) who shows up at her ranch in the middle of night and his former gang, led by his revenge-seeking father figure (Jeff Daniels).

Dockery never dreamed she’d get to be in a Western — “Of course it’s something that you’d love to do, but they’re incredibly rare, especially for a Brit,” she says with a laugh — let alone one that tells a new kind of story. “Those towns, where it was solely women and children because the men had died in a mining accident, were common during that time,” she says. “Along with all of the conventions of a Western — the bad guys and the good guys — there is this story running through it of just the people and how they lived in the town, and a sense of loneliness, that everyone essentially is alone, and the relationships that develop between people, and just daily life in the West in the 1880s. It’s something that I’ve never really seen before on television. It is a truly beautiful masterpiece, I think, and I’m very proud of it.”

The project has been over a decade in the making. “Initially it was a film script, that Scott Frank has been working on for 10, 15 years,” she says. “So I feel really fortunate to be part of it. We all feel like that, because it could’ve happened years ago [with a different cast]. It could’ve happened at any different time.”

That leads us to our final question: Will patience pay off for Downton Abbey fans, who are hoping to see Lady Mary return for that proposed movie? “That’s always the last question!” Dockery says with another laugh. “I remain hopeful. It’s just difficult to get together 18 strong cast members. I think it’ll all be about timing, so we’ll see.”

Good Behavior airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on TNT.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

‘Godless’ first look: Michelle Dockery and Merritt Wever get their guns

Review: ‘Mindhunter’ and the origins of serial-killer entertainment

Frank Oz restores dark original ending of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ for Trump era (exclusive)

[supertrendingnewsarticles]

Violence erupted in Hong Kong on Monday as protesters stormed the Legislative Council on the anniversary of the city’s return to Beijing, amid growing anger over a plan to allow extraditions to China.     Hundreds of masked demonstrators ran riot inside the building, forcing their way into the chamber, and smashing up doors, walls and paintings. Portraits of Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and Chinese President Xi Jinping were torn down. On Monday night, Hong Kong police moved in to clear the hundreds of protesters who stormed the legislature, and fired tear gas at protesters outside parliament.   Hours earlier, they had streamed into the legislature after shattering windows with metal trolleys and poles and wrenching open metal shutters. The council issued a red alert, ordering them to leave. But the riot police who had previously been pushing them back appeared to have retreated. Earlier, police had raced toward protesters, beating some with batons and using pepper spray to thin the crowds. As the day wore on, more people turned out to participate in a planned rally to mark the date the former British colony was given back to China in 1997. The organisers said some 550,000 attended. Anti-government protesters stormed Hong Kong's parliament building  Credit: VIVEK PRAKASH/AFP/Getty Images Jeremy Hunt, the British Foreign Secretary, tweeted in support of the demonstrations, saying: "No violence is acceptable but HK people must preserve right to peaceful protest exercised within the law." Away from campaigning want to stress UK support for Hong Kong and its freedoms is UNWAVERING on this anniversary day. No violence is acceptable but HK people MUST preserve right to peaceful protest exercised within the law, as hundreds of thousands of brave people showed today.— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) July 1, 2019 “I wanted to add to the crowd numbers so that the government could hear the dissatisfaction of so many people,” said Gary, 35, a teacher, who declined to give his surname. Ming, 50, a business owner, told The Daily Telegraph: “I have marched all three times. I completely support the young people and their ideals and ambitions, which is for the good of Hong Kong.  "Seeing these young people like this, if I didn’t come out, I couldn’t have that on my conscience. I’m in my fifties, what can we do for these young people? One thing we can do is come out and march." Pro-democracy activists use the handover anniversary every year to march through Hong Kong calling for greater freedoms, though have failed to win any concessions from Beijing. Coming after three weeks of ongoing rallies, this year's rally took on even greater significance.  Hundreds of protesters poured into the building after hours of trying to break through windows Credit: Vivek Prakash/AFP Marches since June 9 have seen crowds swell to over one million with people demanding Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed leader, Ms Lam, withdraw a controversial extradition bill. Rights activists argue that, if passed, it would see suspects face unfair trials in mainland China where the courts are controlled by the ruling Communist Party and authorities use torture to extract forced confessions. The proposed bill, which has been delayed but not scrapped since protests intensified, adds to growing fears that China is gradually snuffing out the city’s freedoms, which were guaranteed for at least 50 years in a handover agreement between Britain and Beijing. China has become more willing to openly intervene in politics, barring individuals from running for the city’s legislature, forcing elected lawmakers to step down, and jailing young activists. As fears over human rights have grown, Germany has recently granted asylum to two Hong Kong dissidents. Riot police had pushed protesters back earlier in the day but later retreated Credit:  Anthony Kwan/ Getty Images  “The government is doing so much to threaten our way of life,” said Jessica Yeung, 50, a university professor who left a family holiday in York early to come home and join the protests. “We have to stand and safeguard our values.” Mrs Ho, a manual worker in her fifties, said: “I’ve come out to all the marches. I am not just supporting the students, I am supporting our Hong Kong spirit. They said it was one country two systems, but it’s not like that anymore. As for the glass breaking, we don’t know who they are.” The latest rallies in Hong Kong represent the biggest popular challenge to Chinese president Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012. The extradition issue has re-united Hong Kong’s previously fractured anti-Beijing resistance movement which had been riven with in-fighting and squabbles between different camps. Police officers use baton to disperse anti-extradition protesters during a clash outside the Legislative Council Complex  Credit: Getty “It’s a matter of a raw nerve having been touched for both the political groups and parties, as well as for the general public, so people came out,” said Steve Tsang, director of the University of London’s SOAS China Institute. “It didn’t matter who was asking them,” he said. “They voluntarily and proactively went out to show how much they care about the consequences of allowing those laws to be passed.” Protest organisers hope “to transform our power from the streets into the political system,” Bonnie Leung, vice-convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, told The Telegraph, looking ahead to elections for the city’s legislature next year. It’s an opportunity for the resistance camp to win more seats and whittle down the current pro-Beijing majority, she said. As it stands, 43 of 70 seats are currently held by Beijing supporters in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. “Then the government can no longer ignore our voices as they are doing now,” said Ms Leung. Hong Kongers have also criticised the UK, urging London to do more to pressure China to uphold its end of the handover agreement, the Sino-British Joint Declaration.  Anti-extradition protesters push barricades toward police on a street during a stand-off outside the Legislative Council Complex Credit: Getty “The British suck,” said Alex, a designer, 25, who declined to give his real name. “They abandoned us and only paid us lip service.” Protesters have been increasingly wary of their identities being revealed over fears of future backlash. Many have used umbrellas or donned face masks as a way to obscure their faces, as well as to defend against tear gas. On Sunday, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt urged the Hong Kong authorities to respect the “rights and freedoms” ahead of anniversary date, reiterating the UK’s support for the declaration. “It is a legally binding treaty and remains as valid today as it did when it was signed and ratified over thirty years ago,” he said. “It is imperative that Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, and the rights and freedoms of the Hong Kong people, are fully respected in line with the joint declaration and the Hong Kong basic law.” Two years ago, China said the joint declaration was a historical document that no longer had any practical significance. Beijing reiterated its stance on Monday, calling on the UK to stop “gesticulating” and “interfering” in its former colony and that Britain’s rights and obligations under the joint declaration had ended.  Police officers pepper spray during a clash with anti-extradition protesters Credit: Getty “Britain has no so-called responsibility for Hong Kong,” said Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry. “Hong Kong matters are purely an internal affair for China. No foreign country has a right to interfere.” “We urge Britain to know its place and stop interfering in any form in Hong Kong matters and do more for its prosperity and stability rather than the opposite,” he added. Aside from Mr Geng’s comments there was no mention of the protests in Hong Kong on Monday in China, where censors tightly control news and information. State media instead carried remarks from Mr Xi extolling the virtues of the Communist Party on the 98th anniversary of its founding – coincidentally the same day as the handover anniversary. Protesters have indicated no plans of backing down – unlike past demonstrations, the latest wave have coalesced through a groundswell from many groups – political parties, labour unions, business groups, schools – rather than one main convenor. “This is a pretty organic movement; there is not one single organizer like in 2014, where everyone was looking to the student leaders,” Dennis Kwok, a politician who opposes the extradition bill, told the Telegraph. “There are no leaders in this one.” Additional reporting by Yiyin Zhong Are you participating in the Hong Kong protests? Or have you been watching them unfold? Are you Hong Kongese or an expat? We want to hear from you about your reasons for taking part, what you hope the outcome will be and how it will impact the future of Hongkongers.  Send us an email to yourstory@telegraph.co.uk including your name, location and any images or video of the protests for the chance to be featured in the Telegraph. Submission of material is subject to our website terms and conditions which can be found here.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/327nPLo

[teeky185]

Violence erupted in Hong Kong on Monday as protesters stormed the Legislative Council on the anniversary of the city’s return to Beijing, amid growing anger over a plan to allow extraditions to China.     Hundreds of masked demonstrators ran riot inside the building, forcing their way into the chamber, and smashing up doors, walls and paintings. Portraits of Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and Chinese President Xi Jinping were torn down. On Monday night, Hong Kong police moved in to clear the hundreds of protesters who stormed the legislature, and fired tear gas at protesters outside parliament.   Hours earlier, they had streamed into the legislature after shattering windows with metal trolleys and poles and wrenching open metal shutters. The council issued a red alert, ordering them to leave. But the riot police who had previously been pushing them back appeared to have retreated. Earlier, police had raced toward protesters, beating some with batons and using pepper spray to thin the crowds. As the day wore on, more people turned out to participate in a planned rally to mark the date the former British colony was given back to China in 1997. The organisers said some 550,000 attended. Anti-government protesters stormed Hong Kong's parliament building  Credit: VIVEK PRAKASH/AFP/Getty Images Jeremy Hunt, the British Foreign Secretary, tweeted in support of the demonstrations, saying: "No violence is acceptable but HK people must preserve right to peaceful protest exercised within the law." Away from campaigning want to stress UK support for Hong Kong and its freedoms is UNWAVERING on this anniversary day. No violence is acceptable but HK people MUST preserve right to peaceful protest exercised within the law, as hundreds of thousands of brave people showed today.— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) July 1, 2019 “I wanted to add to the crowd numbers so that the government could hear the dissatisfaction of so many people,” said Gary, 35, a teacher, who declined to give his surname. Ming, 50, a business owner, told The Daily Telegraph: “I have marched all three times. I completely support the young people and their ideals and ambitions, which is for the good of Hong Kong.  "Seeing these young people like this, if I didn’t come out, I couldn’t have that on my conscience. I’m in my fifties, what can we do for these young people? One thing we can do is come out and march." Pro-democracy activists use the handover anniversary every year to march through Hong Kong calling for greater freedoms, though have failed to win any concessions from Beijing. Coming after three weeks of ongoing rallies, this year's rally took on even greater significance.  Hundreds of protesters poured into the building after hours of trying to break through windows Credit: Vivek Prakash/AFP Marches since June 9 have seen crowds swell to over one million with people demanding Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed leader, Ms Lam, withdraw a controversial extradition bill. Rights activists argue that, if passed, it would see suspects face unfair trials in mainland China where the courts are controlled by the ruling Communist Party and authorities use torture to extract forced confessions. The proposed bill, which has been delayed but not scrapped since protests intensified, adds to growing fears that China is gradually snuffing out the city’s freedoms, which were guaranteed for at least 50 years in a handover agreement between Britain and Beijing. China has become more willing to openly intervene in politics, barring individuals from running for the city’s legislature, forcing elected lawmakers to step down, and jailing young activists. As fears over human rights have grown, Germany has recently granted asylum to two Hong Kong dissidents. Riot police had pushed protesters back earlier in the day but later retreated Credit:  Anthony Kwan/ Getty Images  “The government is doing so much to threaten our way of life,” said Jessica Yeung, 50, a university professor who left a family holiday in York early to come home and join the protests. “We have to stand and safeguard our values.” Mrs Ho, a manual worker in her fifties, said: “I’ve come out to all the marches. I am not just supporting the students, I am supporting our Hong Kong spirit. They said it was one country two systems, but it’s not like that anymore. As for the glass breaking, we don’t know who they are.” The latest rallies in Hong Kong represent the biggest popular challenge to Chinese president Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012. The extradition issue has re-united Hong Kong’s previously fractured anti-Beijing resistance movement which had been riven with in-fighting and squabbles between different camps. Police officers use baton to disperse anti-extradition protesters during a clash outside the Legislative Council Complex  Credit: Getty “It’s a matter of a raw nerve having been touched for both the political groups and parties, as well as for the general public, so people came out,” said Steve Tsang, director of the University of London’s SOAS China Institute. “It didn’t matter who was asking them,” he said. “They voluntarily and proactively went out to show how much they care about the consequences of allowing those laws to be passed.” Protest organisers hope “to transform our power from the streets into the political system,” Bonnie Leung, vice-convenor of the Civil Human Rights Front, told The Telegraph, looking ahead to elections for the city’s legislature next year. It’s an opportunity for the resistance camp to win more seats and whittle down the current pro-Beijing majority, she said. As it stands, 43 of 70 seats are currently held by Beijing supporters in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council. “Then the government can no longer ignore our voices as they are doing now,” said Ms Leung. Hong Kongers have also criticised the UK, urging London to do more to pressure China to uphold its end of the handover agreement, the Sino-British Joint Declaration.  Anti-extradition protesters push barricades toward police on a street during a stand-off outside the Legislative Council Complex Credit: Getty “The British suck,” said Alex, a designer, 25, who declined to give his real name. “They abandoned us and only paid us lip service.” Protesters have been increasingly wary of their identities being revealed over fears of future backlash. Many have used umbrellas or donned face masks as a way to obscure their faces, as well as to defend against tear gas. On Sunday, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt urged the Hong Kong authorities to respect the “rights and freedoms” ahead of anniversary date, reiterating the UK’s support for the declaration. “It is a legally binding treaty and remains as valid today as it did when it was signed and ratified over thirty years ago,” he said. “It is imperative that Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy, and the rights and freedoms of the Hong Kong people, are fully respected in line with the joint declaration and the Hong Kong basic law.” Two years ago, China said the joint declaration was a historical document that no longer had any practical significance. Beijing reiterated its stance on Monday, calling on the UK to stop “gesticulating” and “interfering” in its former colony and that Britain’s rights and obligations under the joint declaration had ended.  Police officers pepper spray during a clash with anti-extradition protesters Credit: Getty “Britain has no so-called responsibility for Hong Kong,” said Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry. “Hong Kong matters are purely an internal affair for China. No foreign country has a right to interfere.” “We urge Britain to know its place and stop interfering in any form in Hong Kong matters and do more for its prosperity and stability rather than the opposite,” he added. Aside from Mr Geng’s comments there was no mention of the protests in Hong Kong on Monday in China, where censors tightly control news and information. State media instead carried remarks from Mr Xi extolling the virtues of the Communist Party on the 98th anniversary of its founding – coincidentally the same day as the handover anniversary. Protesters have indicated no plans of backing down – unlike past demonstrations, the latest wave have coalesced through a groundswell from many groups – political parties, labour unions, business groups, schools – rather than one main convenor. “This is a pretty organic movement; there is not one single organizer like in 2014, where everyone was looking to the student leaders,” Dennis Kwok, a politician who opposes the extradition bill, told the Telegraph. “There are no leaders in this one.” Additional reporting by Yiyin Zhong Are you participating in the Hong Kong protests? Or have you been watching them unfold? Are you Hong Kongese or an expat? We want to hear from you about your reasons for taking part, what you hope the outcome will be and how it will impact the future of Hongkongers.  Send us an email to yourstory@telegraph.co.uk including your name, location and any images or video of the protests for the chance to be featured in the Telegraph. Submission of material is subject to our website terms and conditions which can be found here.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://ift.tt/327nPLo