Lifestyle
Just Through Central Park, a Different Gala Celebrates Students’ First Steps
Just a 10-minute walk from the flashing cameras and swarms of crowds outside the Met Gala last night, a very different sort of gala was taking place at the Central Park Boathouse. It was the inaugural iBrain Gala, a runway show dedicated to celebrating the nonverbal and physically disabled students who attend the iBrain school in Brooklyn and on the Upper East Side.
On a long red carpet, teenage students wearing tuxedos, glittering spring dresses and superhero costumes were helped out of their wheelchairs and into a pediatric metal exoskeleton that allowed them to walk. Their friends, family and teachers cheered them on with applause. Then they made their way to a small runway stage, where they basked in more applause.
The evening’s fashion theme was “Glamorous Superheroes,” and outfits included Aquaman, Superman and Batman. Artworks were auctioned off to bidders, including a painting titled “Transforming Marco” that depicted a wheelchair-using student named Marco Cohen walking for the first time with the exoskeleton device. The painting showed him striding forward alone with majestic purple waves flowing behind him.
The school’s founder and chairman, Patrick Donohue, explained his gala’s mission.
“The difference between the Met Gala and this gala,” he said, “is that over there, they have George Clooney walking around with a bunch of celebrities, and here, we have students walking for the very first time in their lives, and that is something special.”
Mr. Donohue founded the school, which also has a location in Washington, D.C., in 2018. The reason was partly personal: His teenage daughter, Sarah Jane, is severely disabled and brain-injured, and when she was a child he felt that the city’s schools could not adequately accommodate her needs, so he resolved to start his own.
As the night grew late, and the school’s students savored their last turns on the runway stage, Mr. Donohue reflected on the gala’s debut.
“We picked the Central Park Boathouse because we intentionally wanted to be close to the Met Gala to help bring attention to our inaugural event,” he added. “This event is here to highlight our amazing students and all our hard-working teachers and staff.”
“Because they actually are,” he added, “the most beautiful people in New York City tonight.”
Philadelphia (1993)
Library of Congress
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Library of Congress
Two actors received double recognition when the Library of Congress announced its most recent additions to the National Film Registry, a collection of classic films intended to highlight film preservation efforts and the depth and breadth of American film.
Bing Crosby, the popular midcentury crooner, starred in White Christmas (1954) and High Society (1956). And Denzel Washington starred in Glory (1989) and Philadelphia (1993), all now part of the registry’s roundup of the country’s most culturally significant films.
Created in 1988, the National Film Registry adds 25 films every year. New additions are usually announced in December of each calendar year. The Library of Congress did not explain why its 2025 films were announced in 2026.
Half a dozen silent films were added to the registry, more than usual. Many of them were recently discovered or restored. The oldest, The Tramp and the Dog (1896), is an early example of “pants humor,” which comes from the fun of watching people lose theirs. It is likely the first commercial film made in Chicago. The Oath of the Sword (1914) is the earliest known Asian American film, about a Japanese student in California yearning for his beloved back home.
Other newly added silent films include the first student film on record, made in 1916 at Washington University in St Louis, Mo. and Ten Nights in a Barroom (1926), a melodrama with an all-Black cast, one of only two surviving films made by the Colored Player Film Corporation of Philadelphia.
Four documentaries were added to the collection, including Ken Burns’ first major documentary, The Brooklyn Bridge (1981).
Widely familiar additions include one Boomer classic – The Big Chill (1983) – and several Gen X ones: Before Sunrise (1995), Clueless (1995) and The Karate Kid (1984.)
The Karate Kid (1984).
Library of Congress
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Library of Congress
“I’m amazingly proud,” star Ralph Macchio told the Library of Congress in an interview. “The National Film Registry and film preservation are so important because it keeps the integrity of cinema alive for multiple generations.”
Other contemporary movies added to the registry include The Truman Show (1998), Frida (2002), The Incredibles (2004) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), set in an Alpine resort in the 1930s. Director Wes Anderson credited the Library of Congress for inspiring the movie’s distinct visual style.
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Library of Congress
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Library of Congress
“When we were first starting to try to figure out, how do we tell this story… the architecture and the landscapes… they don’t exist anymore,” Andserson said in a statement, explaining that he started his research in the Library of Congress “We just went through the entire photocrom collection, which is a lot of images. And …we made our own versions of things, but much of what is in our film comes directly – with our little twist on it – from that collection, from the library, the Library of Congress.”
The entire list of movies added to the National Film Registry for 2025 follows in chronological order.
• The Tramp and the Dog (1896)
• The Oath of the Sword (1914)
• The Maid of McMillan (1916)
• The Lady (1925)
• Sparrows (1926)
• Ten Nights in a Barroom (1926)
• White Christmas (1954)
• High Society (1956)
• Brooklyn Bridge (1981)
• Say Amen, Somebody (1982)
• The Thing (1982)
• The Big Chill (1983)
• The Karate Kid (1984)
• Glory (1989)
• Philadelphia (1993)
• Before Sunrise (1995)
• Clueless (1995)
• The Truman Show (1998)
• Frida (2002)
• The Hours (2002)
• The Incredibles (2004)
Ray J
I’m On 8 Different Meds For Heart Issues
Published
Ray J says doctors are giving him every drug under the sun in an attempt to prolong his life … prescribing eight different kinds of medications despite their grim prognosis.
The rapper tells TMZ … he went to doctors who gave him the bad news, telling him they’re not sure how long he has to live … and they recommend he stay in bed and take his medication.
ICYMI … Ray J says doctors gave him just months to live — telling his followers he doesn’t think he’s going to make it to 2027. He says half of his heart has turned black and it’s only beating at 60 percent, which is not a good sign.
Ray J says doctors prescribed him several different meds, including the cholesterol medication Lipitor, Jardiance and Entresto — medications for people at high risk of heart failure — among others.
Ray J reveals his heart is only operating at 25%, with doctors giving him a short time to live. He says his heart is mostly black: ‘I f***ed my shit up.’ pic.twitter.com/frWDoDQEyu
— Rain Drops Media (@Raindropsmedia1) January 28, 2026
@Raindropsmedia1
Doctors told him to prepare for the possibility of getting a pacemaker or defibrillator … though he won’t get an update until he goes back to the doctor for a check-up in 14 days.
Ray J says doctors have warned him not to drink or smoke — which is hard for him — but he’s doing his best to stay on the straight and narrow. He says not being able to see his kids “took me down” — and “made me realize I need to change my ways of living.” Ray is currently under a criminal protective order preventing him from seeing his kids.
As for his proposed trip to Haiti to find a cure for his disease … Ray J says he does know the island nation is in complete chaos, but he says his research so far has led him to believe Haiti has cures for diseases, including heart diseases so he’s willing to risk it and go there for treatment.
Wrapping it up, Ray J adds, “If I come out of this, I’ll be stronger and a better person.”
Michael Mayo’s latest album, Fly, earned the singer-songwriter and composer his first Grammy nominations of his career.
Lauren Desberg
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Lauren Desberg
With the release of his sophomore album, Fly, in October 2024, singer-songwriter and composer Michael Mayo ascended to new artistic heights.
Much like his lauded 2021 debut album, Bones, the Los Angeles-born singer flexed his jazz-influenced musical prowess on Fly, enthusing critics with the album’s floating production, expressive songwriting and its highlighting of his expansive vocal range. The album ultimately landed Mayo his first Grammy nominations of his career, with Fly being nominated for best jazz vocal album and best jazz performance for the album’s track “Four.”
Micheal Mayo’s sophmore studio album, Fly, was the follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut album, Bones.
Lauren Desberg
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Lauren Desberg
In an interview with All Things Considered, Mayo said that his artistry is driven by his focus on remaining true to himself and what he wants to express as a singer.
The track “Four” is a reinterpretation of a Miles Davis tune from the 1950s, which became a jazz standard. In an interview with All Things Considered, Mayo said it’s important to respect and learn traditional jazz music, but merely copying it would go against the vision of the jazz greats, who tried to push the artform to new places. And though Mayo says he’s not consciously trying to modernize jazz, he says leading with authenticity helps him innovate in his music.
“I’m going to make the musical statements that feel the most natural,” Mayo said about his stylistic choices on Fly.
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While speaking to NPR’s Ailsa Chang, Mayo discussed the people who helped make Fly take flight and how he approaches taking artistic risks.
Listen to the full interview by clicking on the blue play button above.
This interview is part of an All Things Considered series featuring first-time Grammy nominees, ahead of the Grammy Awards on February 1.
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