All posts tagged: Barbara

Partita by Barbara Kingsolver – Book Review by The Bookish Elf

Partita by Barbara Kingsolver – Book Review by The Bookish Elf

Published by Jenni Sidey

After the sprawling social fury of Demon Copperhead, the new novel from one of America’s most decorated living writers returns to the same Appalachian soil with a smaller cast and a quieter ambition. Partita by Barbara Kingsolver is a memory novel built like a baroque suite, named after the J.S. Bach form that organizes loose dances around a shared key. The structural choice is not ornament. It is the engine. Livia Cable, a piano teacher on a small Tennessee dairy, gets a phone call from a man she has not heard from in over twenty years. He asks to come see her. He gives her a week to decide. What follows is not a plot in the usual sense but a reckoning, paced through movements titled Allemande, Toccata, Sarabande, Fugue, Pathétique, Da Capo, and Al Fine, with seven numbered preludes braided between them. The Story, Kept Spoiler-Free In her younger life, Livia was Livia Bohusz, a scholarship student at a serious music conservatory, the first in her family to leave the tobacco-and-cattle county where she …

Sotheby’s Offers Art and Design From Estate of Dealer Barbara Gladstone

Sotheby’s Offers Art and Design From Estate of Dealer Barbara Gladstone

Published by Jenni Sidey

During its New York design week (June 5–11), auction house Sotheby’s will offer art and design from the estate of revered art dealer Barbara Gladstone, who died in 2024 at age 89. The 140 lots on offer include contemporary art, modern and contemporary design, prints, and photographs and are estimated to bring between $6.9 and $10 million. The sale takes place on Tuesday, June 9, with a public preview exhibition opening June 2 at the house’s Madison Avenue headquarters. The house previously sold a dozen contemporary artworks from Gladstone’s collection as part of a May 15 sale. Including pieces by Carroll Dunham, Sigmar Polke, Elizabeth Peyton, Richard Prince, Rudolf Stingel, and Andy Warhol, the group sold for $18.5 million (with fees) against a high estimate of $12 million (not including fees), with all finding buyers and 75 percent of them selling above their high estimate. Related Articles The art and design sale, in addition to works by artists such as Matthew Barney, Anish Kapoor, Alex Katz, Yayoi Kusama, Peyton, Prince, and Amy Sillman, includes significant …

Inside One Tree Hill star Barbara Alyn Wood’s acting dynasty with 3 famous daughters

Inside One Tree Hill star Barbara Alyn Wood’s acting dynasty with 3 famous daughters

Published by Daniella Wilson

Barbara Alyn Woods is known for her roles in television series One Tree Hill and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, but she’s also the matriarch of an acting dynasty, raising the next generation of actors in her daughters Natalie Alyn Lind, Emily Alyn Lind, and Alyvia Alyn Lind. Barbara has been acting professionally since the 1980s, starring alongside Demi Moore in 1996’s Striptease, as the mom Diane Szalinski in TV series Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and as Deb Scott on teen drama series One Tree Hill. She married assistant director John Lind, whom she met on the set of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, in 1999, and they welcomed their three girls between 2000 and 2007; Barbara and John divorced in 2021. © WireImageBarbara Alyn Woods, (C) with Natalie (2L), Emily (2R) and Alyvia in 2012 “Our family is very female-centric – we even have female dogs,” Barbara told HELLO! at the 2026 Gracie Awards, where she was joined by Natalie and Alyvia. “I’ve been to the Gracie Awards several times without them, and this is the first time …

LA mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt loses it after journalist points out he lives in Santa Barbara

LA mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt loses it after journalist points out he lives in Santa Barbara

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt reacted angrily on social media after a journalist pointed out that he’s not currently living in Los Angeles. The former cast member of reality show The Hills has claimed in multiple campaign videos that he was living in a trailer at the site of his Palisades home, which burned down in the 2025 L.A. fires. However, recent reporting has uncovered that Pratt has, in fact, been splitting time between a high-end L.A. hotel and a rental house outside the city. On X, Variety journalist Marlow Stern reacted to a headline claiming that Pratt plans to leave Los Angeles if he loses the election in June by writing: “he… lives in santa barbara.” Pratt was clearly upset by the jibe, writing in response: “My house burned down. I lost everything. I can’t rebuild. As a 42 …

10 things to do in the chill coastal neighbor to celebrity hot spot Santa Barbara

10 things to do in the chill coastal neighbor to celebrity hot spot Santa Barbara

Published by Sam Flores

When my husband and I bought our home, my dad recommended that I avoid sharing the name of our new city. “Don’t tell people you’re in Goleta,” he said with a smirk. I grew up in Santa Barbara, and despite my proximity to the little ag town of Goleta just 10 miles north, I knew little about it. But after enjoying its relaxed vibe, wide-open spaces and tight-knit community, I realized what I’d been missing. Goleta might not have the glitz of its more famous neighbor, the one Angelenos frequently visit for its picturesque palm tree skyline, Spanish architecture and coastal resort vibes, but it deserves its own spotlight. And it’s been getting one lately: Goleta’s Monique Limon is making waves in the California Senate, the Austrian national soccer team will call the city home for the FIFA World Cup 2026, a renovation of the Ritz-Carlton Bacara welcomed chef Danny Grant’s new restaurant Marisella, and the debut of a full-scale train station is expected by summer. Still, it can feel like there are more acres …

‘Beaches’ star Barbara Hershey, 78, looks completely different now

‘Beaches’ star Barbara Hershey, 78, looks completely different now

Published by Daniella Wilson

Barbara Hershey made a rare public appearance this week, looking worlds away from her iconic on-screen persona in the hit movie Beaches. The 78-year-old actress appeared onstage alongside TCM host Alicia Malone during “A Conversation with Barbara Hershey” at the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival, held at The Hollywood Roosevelt in Los Angeles on Saturday May 2, 2026. © Getty Images for TCMBarbara speaks onstage during “A Conversation with Barbara Hershey” at the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival For the occasion, Barbara opted for an elegant yet understated look, embracing a rich tonal palette. She wore a soft, rust-coloured tailored blouse with a classic collar and button-down front, layered over a coordinating satin skirt that fell to mid-calf. The skirt featured delicate embroidered floral detailing scattered across the fabric, adding texture and a subtle romantic touch to the ensemble. Her silver-grey hair was styled in a relaxed, shoulder-length cut, parted at the centre and softly feathered around her face, giving her a natural, effortless finish. She kept her makeup light and refined. © Getty Images …

Terrifying footage shows huge shark stalking hydrofoilers off Santa Barbara coast

Terrifying footage shows huge shark stalking hydrofoilers off Santa Barbara coast

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more A hydrofoiling trip off the Santa Barbara coast took a terrifying turn when two friends were stalked by a large shark. The friends, Ron Takeda and Tavis Boise, shared footage of the scary encounter, which lasted around five minutes as they were hydrofoiling – riding surfboards equipped with underwater wings that lift them above the surface. “I wanted it to be a dolphin,” Takeda told KTLA. “I honestly didn’t think it was a dolphin, but I wanted it to be one. I yelled, ‘Tavis, is this a dolphin?’” Takeda told the outlet that, in the moment, there was no time to feel fear, even as the shark appeared to take an unusual interest in him. “Lots of people see the shark, but that’s it …

Inside Barbara Eden’s 3 marriages — from her 16-year union to a fellow heartthrob TV star to her happy ever after

Inside Barbara Eden’s 3 marriages — from her 16-year union to a fellow heartthrob TV star to her happy ever after

Published by Daniella Wilson

What would you do if you had a genie at your beck and call? Hit ’60s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie asked just that, exploring the adventures of the mischievous and slightly naive Jeannie as she yearned after the astronaut who found her. Leave the comfort of your genie bottle behind, cosy purple sofa and technicolour throw cushions included, for a look inside the real-world romances of Jeannie herself. © Getty Images Barbara got her start in the ’50s and has been busy on screen ever since Who is Barbara Eden? Born on 23 August 1931, Barbara Eden got her start in the 50s on shows like I Love Lucy and West Point. She stayed booked and busy for the rest of the decade with a variety of projects, appearing in 52 episodes of How to Marry a Millionaire and musical comedy A Private’s Affair, among others. As well as I Dream of Jeannie, Barbara made a name for herself in 1961 adventure classic Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and 1978 comedy Harper Valley P.T.A.. © Getty …

EastEnders legend teases tributes to Barbara Windsor as Mitchell siblings reunite

EastEnders legend teases tributes to Barbara Windsor as Mitchell siblings reunite

Published by Daniella Wilson

Ross Kemp has revealed that his forthcoming EastEnders stint will feature tributes to the late Barbara Windsor and her character Peggy Mitchell. Windsor took over the role from original actress Jo Warne in 1994, and continued in a regular capacity until 2010. After a number of guest appearances, she returned for the final time in 2016 for Peggy’s final storyline. The star had requested then-executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins create a plot that would see her bow out as the Mitchell matriarch following her own diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease, something she revealed publicly two years later. She passed away aged 83 in December 2020, with the BBC soap dedicating an episode to her. While Kemp’s comeback is flooded with sadness, as Grant Mitchell says goodbye to old school friend Nigel Bates (Paul Bradley), he has teased that one particular scene is “farce” in comparison to the severity of the events happening around him. Ross Kemp spoke to Radio Times‘s Michael Adams about his forthcoming return to EastEnders. Radio Times/Ben Rayner During an interview following a photoshoot for …

Barbara Chase-Riboud on Why She Declined to Represent the US in Venice

Barbara Chase-Riboud on Why She Declined to Represent the US in Venice

Published by José Betancourt

As questions continue to swirl around Alma Allen‘s US Pavilion for this year’s Venice Biennale, sculptor Barbara Chase-Riboud revealed that she was also offered the opportunity to represent the country—and that she had declined it. News of Chase-Riboud’s decision to say no was first reported by the New York Times yesterday, in an extensive feature by Zachary Small on the rocky run-up to Allen’s choice, which came after the Trump administration removed language about diversity from the application materials. But the article did not quote Chase-Riboud on the matter until a feature on the pavilion that ran in the Financial Times today. Related Articles “Participating in the 61st Venice Biennale would have been splendid,” Chase-Riboud told journalist Julia Halperin. “Art is the only thing that proves that anything has ever happened in the world. For me, as a world citizen, this was not the moment.” Both papers, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, also reported that another 86-year-old artist, the photographer William Eggleston, had been offered the pavilion and that he, too, declined. Eggleston …