Lifestyle
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Continue ‘Wicked’ Theme at Oscars Red Carpet
In the words of Glinda, pink goes good with green.
After months of method dressing, “Wicked” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo both arrived on the Oscars red carpet in their Ozian characters’ signature colors.
For Ms. Grande, nominated for best supporting actress, that meant an icy pink satin and tulle bustier gown from Schiaparelli decked out in more than 190,000 crystal sequins, rhinestones and beads. The wiggly waistline was inspired by an lamp designed by the artist Alberto Giacometti.
Ms. Erivo, who is nominated for best actress, opted for a shade of deep forest green, so dark it almost appeared black at first glance. But make no mistake, the subtle homage was intentional. Speaking with E! on the red carpet, she said the velvet Louis Vuitton gown — with an almost vampiric architectural collar — was a “nod to Oz, a nod to the green, and a nod to old Hollywood.” Her signature fingernails by the nail artist Mycah Dior were decorated with elaborate, hand-sculpted gilded art, including a tiny watch and clock.
Over the course of the “Wicked” press tour, both stars regularly stepped out in styles that referenced their characters. At the premiere in Los Angeles, Ms. Grande wore a pink Thom Browne gingham dress, while Ms. Erivo donned a green vinyl Louis Vuitton number.
Even at events not officially related to the film, the pair remained committed to the bit, like during an appearance at the Olympics in Paris where they each wore … well, you know.
The second installment of “Wicked” comes out later this year. We’ll have to wait and see if the duo will still be holding space for pink and green come November.
The American Library Association’s list of the most frequently challenged books of 2025 includes Sold by Patricia McCormick, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer: A Memoir.
American Library Association
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American Library Association
The American Library Association has released its annual list of the most commonly challenged books at libraries across the United States.
According to the ALA, the 11 most frequently targeted books include several tied titles. They are:
1. Sold by Patricia McCormick
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
5. (tie) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
5. (tie) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
8. (tie) A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
8. (tie) Identical by Ellen Hopkins
8. (tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green
8. (tie) Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Many of these individual titles also appear on a 2024-25 report issued last October by PEN America, a separate group dedicated to free expression, which looked at book challenges and bans specifically within public schools.
The ALA says that it documented 4,235 unique titles being challenged in 2025 – the second-highest year on record for library challenges. (The highest ever was in 2023, with 4,240 challenges documented – only five more than in this most recent year.)
According to the ALA, 40% of the materials challenged in 2025 were representations of LGBTQ+ people and those of people of color.
In all, the ALA documented 713 attempts across the United States in 2025 to censor library materials and services; 487 of those challenges targeted books.
According to the ALA, 92% of all book challenges to libraries came from “pressure groups,” government officials and local decision makers. While 20.8% came from pressure groups such as Moms for Liberty (as the ALA cited in an email to NPR), 70.9% of challenges originated with government officials and other “decision makers,” such as local board officials or administrators.
In a more detailed breakdown, the ALA notes that 31% of challenges came from elected government officials and and 40% from board members or administrators. In its full report, the ALA states that only 2.7% of such challenges originated with parents, and 1.4% with individual library users.
Fifty-one percent of challenges were attempted at public libraries, and 37% involved school libraries. The remaining challenges of 2025 targeted school curriculums and higher education.
The ALA defines a book “ban” as the removal of materials, including books, from a library. A “challenge,” in this organization’s definition, is an attempt to have a library resource removed, or access to it restricted.
The ALA is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to American libraries and librarians.
Promo image with Phil Pritchard, Alzo Slade, and Peter Sagal
Bruce Bennett, Arnold Turner, NPR/Getty Images, NPR
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Bruce Bennett, Arnold Turner, NPR/Getty Images, NPR
This week, Phil Pritchard, NHL’s Keeper of the Stanley Cup, joins us to about taking the cup jet-skiing and panelists Alonzo Bodden, Adam Burke, and Dulcé Sloan beef with the Pope and get misdiagnosed.
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