Lifestyle
The best California native plant for your zodiac sign
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The brand new yr gives a chance to reset and reexamine our place on Earth. So why not make a optimistic influence on the atmosphere in 2022 and create a pure habitat in your personal yard?
We are likely to look to the celebs in tough occasions (like a pandemic with extremely contagious variants), so we’ve assembled just a few of our favourite California native vegetation (Poppies! Ceanothus!) and paired them with their corresponding zodiac indicators.
And bear in mind, a yard isn’t a should in terms of planting California natives. Many will thrive and appeal to pollinators in container pots in your balcony and patio.
Aquarius
(Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Palmer’s Indian mallow, Abutilon palmeri
You will be cussed and a little bit of a insurgent, Aquarius, which implies you don’t care if a plant is tough or exhausting to search out. We advocate Palmer’s Indian mallow, Abutilon palmeri, a considerably uncommon plant that can enchantment to your unbiased nature. The drought-tolerant plant is hardy, fast-growing and options tender heart-shaped leaves and much of lovely apricot-colored flowers. Plant it in rocky or sandy well-drained soil and it’ll bloom all yr lengthy.
Pisces
(Feb. 19-March 20)
Hummingbird sage, Salvia spathacea
Because the zodiac’s most delicate signal, you’re a born nurturer and drawn to issues that encourage your creativeness. Your empathy and compassion for others consists of the atmosphere, Pisces, and also you want a plant that wants little water and attracts birds. Salvia spathacea, with its tall magenta and burgundy-colored flowers, suits the invoice.
Aries
(March 21-April 19)
Crimson fairyduster, Calliandra californica
You’ve got a way of journey and like to discover, Aries. As a fireplace signal, you might be drawn to the colour crimson, and the showy crimson flowers of the crimson fairyduster will fit your daring persona. And since you aren’t essentially the most organized signal within the zodiac, you gained’t have to fret about watering the Baja California native as this can be very heat- and drought-tolerant as soon as it’s established.
Taurus
(April 20-Could 20)
Ceanothus gloriosus ‘Anchor Bay’
As one of many extra reliable indicators, you want an equally dependable plant equivalent to Anchor Bay, which is able to tolerate virtually any sort of soil. The dense shrub can unfold to greater than 8 ft huge and can delight you — in addition to native birds and butterflies — with beautiful clusters of vivid blue flowers within the spring.
Gemini
(Could 21-June 20)
Slipper plant, Pedilanthus Bracteatus
You might be curious, social and clever, however of two minds and will be simply distracted. You want a plant that represents dualities, identical to your persona, Gemini. The slipper plant, or Pedilanthus bracteatus, is a succulent that’s technically from Mexico, however is ideal for SoCal gardens because it requires little care. The payoff? Multicolored red-orange flower bracts that can bloom within the late spring and summer time.
Most cancers
(June 21-July 22)
Silver lupine, Lupinus albifrons
As a Most cancers, you might be loving and protecting and create group wherever you go. Plant a number of lupines, watch them cross-pollinate and voila, immediate household! A quick spreader, lupine will probably be of curiosity to you as a caretaker as it’s the host plant for the endangered Mission blue butterfly.
Leo
(July 23-Aug. 22)
Verbena lilacina ‘De La Mina’
The egoist in you will discover it exhausting to withstand bragging concerning the proliferation of butterflies that can flock to the drought-tolerant De La Mina. Glorious in pots, the dramatic plant will produce attractive lavender-blue flower clusters with little or no water — acceptable for a zodiac signal as impatient as you, Leo.
Virgo
(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Desert willow, Chilopsis linearis
Though the desert willow tree stays leafless all through half of the yr, its blooming season within the spring and summer time will preserve your obsessive neat-freak tendencies busy for days, Virgo, because the aromatic purple and pink flowers fall to the bottom and require cleanup.
Libra
(Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Concord manzanita, Arctostaphylos densiflora ‘Concord’
Like the opposite air indicators, you will be, properly, a bit laid-back, Libra. However you might be additionally romantic and drawn to vegetation that symbolize peace and concord. The concord manzanita is an evergreen shrub that gives extra than simply concord in title — its flowers appeal to hummingbirds.
Scorpio
(Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
California poppy, Eschscholzia californica
You will be moody, Scorpio, and intrigued by intercourse, demise and rebirth. The California poppy, which you’ll spot in unglamorous locations like freeways and roadsides, was chosen as a logo for the state for good motive: It blooms within the spring, dies again, re-seeds and produces blooms endlessly and ever.
Sagittarius
(Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Crimson buckwheat, Eriogonum grande var. Rubescens
You’re a good one, Sagittarius, and worldly too. However do you know this? The colourful crimson buckwheat is a magnet for butterflies as properly traveled as you.
Capricorn
(Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Paradise pajaro manzanita, Arctostaphylos pajaroensis ‘Paradise’
As a Capricorn, you might be disciplined and count on the identical of vegetation. You like vegetation that present construction. So attempt the paradise pajaro manzanita, a daring evergreen with dramatic darkish crimson bark with white, pink and startling crimson flowers. As one of many extra sensible indicators, you’ll respect that its shredding bark is utilized by birds as nesting materials.
A few of our favourite locations to search out California native vegetation in and round Los Angeles:
Theodore Payne Basis in Solar Valley, Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano, Hahamongna Native Plant Nursery in Pasadena, California Botanic Backyard’s Develop Native Nursery in Claremont, Plant Materials in Silver Lake and Glassell Park, Artemisa Nursery in El Sereno and Moosa Creek Nursery in Valley Heart.
Extra tales
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Lifestyle
Yes, chef: 'The Bear' has a lot going on in its third season : Pop Culture Happy Hour
![Yes, chef: 'The Bear' has a lot going on in its third season : Pop Culture Happy Hour](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/07/01/bear-e302_06_24_06.still003_wide-3843f32636f8864faa933351f42e2d317549a544.jpg?s=1400&c=100&f=jpeg)
Jeremy Allen White in The Bear.
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Jeremy Allen White in The Bear.
FX/Hulu
The Bear just returned for its third season and it’s still one of the most stressful and most interesting shows on TV. Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) are launching their new fine dining restaurant, but he’s estranged from some of the people who are closest to him just as he sneaks up on a new level of success. The series is streaming now on Hulu.
Lifestyle
Pat Tillman Award Recipients Say Prince Harry Deserves the Honor
![Pat Tillman Award Recipients Say Prince Harry Deserves the Honor](https://imagez.tmz.com/image/f7/16by9/2024/07/01/f712e132bb104d9aa94418dfb9bff86a_xl.jpg)
Prince Harry has key figures in his corner amid the outrage over ESPN’s decision to honor him with the Pat Tillman Award for Service — at least 2 former winners say Harry is definitely deserving.
Jake Wood, a U.S. Marine and former college football player who won the award in 2018, tells TMZ … the Duke of Sussex is a natural fit for the Tillman honor because of Harry’s military service and his dedication to veterans.
Jake feels Prince Harry is a good choice because he’s dedicated his life to serving and supporting the military and veterans — Harry served 2 tours in Afghanistan — and that should be commended because there are hundreds of different ways a British royal could live his life.
Remember, Pat’s mom, Mary Tillman, set off the controversy when she slammed ESPN for its plan to give the award named after her son to “a controversial and divisive individual” at this month’s ESPY Awards ceremony.
Even ESPN personality Pat McAfee is publicly supporting Mary’s viewpoint, claiming his network is purposely trying to create a controversy … allegedly for better TV ratings.
Another previous winner, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro Jr., received the Tillman award in 2017, and totally disagrees with McAfee and Mary Tillman.
He says Harry’s work with wounded and injured veterans makes him a worthy recipient, and for what it’s worth … he’s looking forward to watching Harry follow in his footsteps.
That’s ESPN’s take too, as it insists Harry was chosen specifically because of his work as the founder of The Invictus Games for wounded and injured vets. Harry’s foundation is celebrating 10 years of service.
The notion ESPN selected Harry purely for publicity doesn’t make sense to Jake, who points out … the ESPYs and ESPN aren’t hurting for celebs and the ceremony is always chock-full of famous athletes.
Of course, Harry’s the first celeb to win the Pat Tillman Award for Service — in the past, it’s been reserved for unsung heroes, but Jake says Harry’s military background makes him unlike most celebs.
While Jake’s defending Harry here, don’t get it twisted … he says Pat’s mother has every right to defend her son’s legacy however she sees fit, and, obviously, he does not speak for the Tillman family.
Likewise, Israel has sympathy for Mary, but says the award boils down to service … and, for him at least, Prince Harry more than checks that box.
Lifestyle
Why 'A Family Affair' works so well as a Netflix romcom
![Why 'A Family Affair' works so well as a Netflix romcom](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4836x2719+511+219/resize/1400/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa2%2F5e%2F6ab9582944b2b985a4877bfb6f4c%2Fafa-20240301-10861r.jpg)
Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood and Zac Efron as Chris Cole in A Family Affair.
Aaron Epstein/Netflix
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About seven minutes into the new Netflix romantic comedy A Family Affair, Zac Efron, playing a conceited, not-too-bright movie star who’s just broken up with his girlfriend, is whining to his assistant (played by Joey King) that she needs to pick up his stuff from the ex-girlfriend’s place. He left treasured items there, he explains. He left his autographed Jordans! He left his Himalayan t-shirt! And then he says, gravely, as if it shows the urgency of the mission, “I left my copy of The Courage to be Disliked.” And I said, in my living room, “Ha!”
The Courage to be Disliked is a real book. It doesn’t actually endorse the practice of being a jerk; it’s more nuanced than that. But this character, without a pinch of self-awareness, bemoaning the disappearance of a book called The Courage to be Disliked? That’s a very solid joke, very solidly delivered by Efron. He follows it up with, “I have several underwears there. And people sell those.”
![Clockwise from top left: Industry, My Lady Jane, The Bear, The Umbrella Academy, Clipped and House of the Dragon](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1351x1350+101+0/resize/100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc5%2Fbe%2Fdd41899f4cdc8741c6f8af081988%2F6-images-1.jpg)
Eventually, the movie star, whose name is Chris, has one too many fights with the assistant, whose name is Zara, and he has to go find her to make amends. But when he goes to her house, he finds her mother, Brooke (Nicole Kidman), a beautiful widowed author who lives in the kind of gorgeous and classy house that starred in most of the best Nancy Meyers movies. (It’s sharply different from Chris’ house, which is equally fancy but also ugly and impractical, as seen in an effective little bit about his absurd front door.) Brooke and Chris start drinking tequila, they hit it off, and Zara, who lives at home and observes few boundaries with her mom, eventually walks in on them upstairs in Brooke’s bedroom.
Zara’s dismay over her mother’s relationship with Chris is not about the age difference (which goes mostly undiscussed), but about the fact that she’s seen Chris go through his girlfriend-dumping routine enough times to fear that her mother might get hurt. What follows in the script from Carrie Solomon is one part romance between Chris and Brooke, one part ongoing clash between Chris and Zara, and one part mother-daughter story about Zara and Brooke. And honestly, in this film from director Richard LaGravenese, it all works pretty well!
![Joey King as Zara Ford and Zac Efron as Chris Cole in A Family Affair.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3936x2624+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc4%2F7b%2F09f7e2054fdab01d873b57ae0db0%2Fafa-20220907-02637r.jpg)
Joey King as Zara Ford and Zac Efron as Chris Cole in A Family Affair.
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Tina Rowden/Netflix
Some of this — particularly an older woman getting involved with a younger male celebrity — may call to mind the recent movie The Idea of You, in which Anne Hathaway fell for a boy band member played by Nicholas Galitzine. I didn’t care for that movie at all, in part because it wasn’t funny enough, in part because the romance was unconvincing, and in part because the ending lacked emotional resonance. (It was based on a book with a completely different ending, and it turns out you can’t just take a carefully built story and flip the ending on its head and have the result make sense.) That book wasn’t written to be a romcom, but was adapted and wedged into the romcom box. This, on the other hand, is meant to be one — and it shows.
Efron is a much more successful, charismatic, and (especially) funny lead than Galitzine (whom I’d liked in Red, White & Royal Blue) opposite Hathaway in The Idea of You. And it’s refreshing to see Kidman happily making out with somebody, at least temporarily making her way out of the haunted-sad-person rut she’s been in for the past few years. Chris’ relationship with Brooke feels real and brings out nice things in them both, beginning when she explains the Icarus myth so he can understand its connections to his movie franchise, Icarus Rush, which she’s never seen. He certainly seems like a dope at first (“I’m Australian.” “Oh, do you know Margot Robbie?” “…No.” “I do.”), but as he gets comfortable, he grows on Brooke, in addition to being, you know, very hot.
All the way back in 2012, I wrote that Efron was making an interesting play to follow in the footsteps of somebody like Ryan Gosling. (At that time, in his mid-twenties, Efron was appearing in a Nicholas Sparks film.) Gosling was also once a Disney kid, and he managed to grow into a very good dramatic actor, a very good comic actor, and a very swoony romantic lead. Efron doesn’t have the Oscar nominations just yet, but he was excellent in a pure dramatic role in The Iron Claw in 2023, and he’s funny enough here as the willfully goofy hunk that he might have been a pretty terrific Ken if Gosling hadn’t been available — or a good Fall Guy.
![Romantic Comedy Guide: Irish Wish, Anyone But You, Upgraded](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/03/18/iw_20221004_unit_11149_r.jpg-iw_20221004_unit_11149_r_sq-ef2129b39827ac9e68403bc6b214a470984302b2.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
King is an established Netflix romcom lead herself, but she does a very nice job here, too. Besides the romance, particularly welcome is the strand of the story about Zara figuring out that the world is not all about her, even in her relationship with her mother. In a scene with her grandmother, played (skillfully as ever) by Kathy Bates, Zara starts to figure out what we all eventually must: Your parents are not only your parents, they are also human beings with lives and thoughts and wants that have nothing to do with you. She has a truth-telling moment with her best friend (Liza Koshy), too, about her problems not lying at the center of the universe, which gives the whole last act a very nice “What if somebody had forcefully told Rory Gilmore to get over herself?” quality.
Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood in A Family Affair.
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Tina Rowden/Netflix
It’s too early to declare some golden age of streaming romcoms, because the ones we get are still wildly uneven, and because on cable, it’s not as if they ever went away. But there’s some star power here, and some budget, and some writing and directing, that suggests interest in the genre is picking up steam and getting good results.
![Clockwise from top left: Inside Out 2, Thelma, Twisters, Hit Man, Fancy Dance and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/663x662+1681+688/resize/100/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Feb%2Fd5%2F9c7769a34e72a85a70e98fa6bb96%2F6-images-2.jpg)
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