Image
'It's almost like a weapon': How the blonde bombshell has symbolised desire and danger Western culture, she says, has built a whole mythology around female blondeness − from religious iconography and fairy tales, to art and advertising − that has told specific stories about what it means to be blonde. In cinema's early years, comedies such as Platinum Blonde (1931) and Bombshell (1933), starring Jean Harlow, embedded concepts of the dazzling, devastatingly beautiful blonde into the cultural vernacular. "The idea that you're a bombshell, it's almost like a weapon," says Nead. "On the one hand, it is this kind of ideal, but at the same time, it's also threatening."   Before Harlow, there was another − more natural-looking − blonde on the scene: Mary Pickford, whose amber curls helped earn her the moniker of "America's Sweetheart". But while Pickford played the guileless girl waiting to be rescued, Harlow's peroxide blonde ...
Post a Comment

 Murdoch loses bid to change trust in real-life 'Succession' battle


A real-life “inheritance” battle over Rupert Murdoch’s media empire has ended with a Nevada court commissioner denying the billionaire’s bid to change a family trust and give control to his eldest son. 

The case pits the 93-year-old against his three children over who will have control of News Corp. and Fox News when he dies. It is reported that Mr. Murdoch sought to amend a family trust created in 1999 so that his son Lachlan could take control without “interference” from his siblings Prudence, Elizabeth and James. 

According to the New York Times, the Nevada commissioner said Mr. Murdoch and Lachlan acted in “bad faith” and called the effort a “carefully crafted charade.” In a statement, a spokesman for Prudence, Elizabeth and James said: “We welcome Commissioner Gorman’s decision and hope that we can move beyond this case to focus on strengthening and rebuilding the relationship between all members of the family.” Mr Murdoch’s lawyer, Adam Streisand, told the New York Times that they were disappointed and planned to appeal.

 A spokesman for Mr Murdoch declined to comment to the BBC. Mr Streisand did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The famous family was one of the inspirations behind the hugely popular TV series Succession – something the Murdochs have always refused to comment on. But according to the New York Times report, which is based on a copy of a sealed court ruling, the billionaire’s children began discussing their father’s death and how they would handle it after an episode of the HBO series in which “the patriarch of the family dies, throwing his family and business into chaos.” The episode involved Elizabeth’s representative writing a “‘inheritance’ memo” to the trust to prevent this from happening in real life, the report said.

 The case has been heard behind closed doors in Nevada, a state that offers one of the most confidential legal settings for matters including family trust disputes. It has a “close on demand” law that allows parties involved in some sensitive cases to request that court proceedings be closed from public access, ensuring complete privacy. Mr. Murdoch, who has been married five times, also has two young children, Grace and Chloe, who have no voting rights under the trust agreement. The case was launched after Mr. Murdoch decided to change the trust due to concerns about a “lack of consensus” among the children, the Times reported. Lachan is considered more conservative than his siblings and would preserve the legacy of his media brand. Since the 1960s, Mr Murdoch has built a global media giant with major political and public influence. 

His two companies are News Corporation, which owns the Times and the Sun in the UK and the Wall Street Journal and Fox News in the US. Mr Murdoch had been grooming his two sons to follow in his footsteps since they were teenagers, journalist Andrew Neil told the 2020 BBC documentary The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty. “Family has always been very important to Rupert Murdoch, especially from the point of view of building a dynasty,” the former Sunday Times editor said. In 1999, the succession plans of the Murdoch Family Trust, which owns the media companies, were essentially set to be settled.

 This led to Mr Murdoch giving his eldest children various jobs within his companies. The trust gives the family eight votes, which it can use to have a say on the boards of News Corp and Fox News. Mr. Murdoch currently controls four of those votes, with each of his eldest children in charge. The trust agreement states that once Mr. Murdoch dies, his votes will pass equally to his four eldest children. However, differences of opinion and political views have led to family rifts. 

The battle over the trust changes is not about money, but power and control over the future of the Murdoch empire. The commissioner’s ruling is not final. The proposed resolution, filed in court, will still be considered by a district judge and may choose to rule differently. The judge could take weeks or months to make a decision, which will not be made public.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Nick Clegg leaves Meta ahead of Trump's return as US president Former deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg is to step down from his current job as president of global affairs at social media giant Meta. In a post on Meta's Facebook on Thursday, Sir Nick, a former leader of the Liberal Democrats, said he was departing the company after nearly seven years. He will be replaced by his current deputy and Republican Joel Kaplan, who previously served as deputy chief of staff in the White House during President George W Bush's administration, and is known for handling the company's relations with Republicans. He added that he would spend "a few months handing over the reins" and representing Facebook at international gatherings before moving on to "new adventures". Sir Nick's resignation comes just weeks before Donald Trump returns to the White House. The president-elect has repeatedly accused Meta and other platforms of censorship and silencing conse...
Read more
Image
Disney holds small-scale Snow White premiere amid controversy Disney's live-action remake of Snow White is set to be released in UK cinemas next week, marking the latest efforts by the film studio to revive a beloved old classic. But the film, which stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, has faced several issues throughout its production. The movie is being released amid a debate about how the seven dwarfs are represented on screen, while Zegler has made headlines for critical comments about the original 1937 film. The European premiere was held on Wednesday at a castle in Northern Spain, instead of a more traditional and high-profile location such as London's Leicester Square. The film's European premiere took place on Wednesday at a remote castle in Spain, which was the inspiration behind the castle in the 1937 original animated film. Zegler performed a rendition of original song Waiting On a Wish at the event on Wednesday evening in Segrovia, north-West of Madrid. Most media...
Read more
Image
  Venezuela frees six US men after Trump envoy meets Maduro Venezuela has freed six US detainees after talks in Caracas between President Nicolás Maduro and a senior Trump administration official. The release of the men was announced on social media by Donald Trump and his special envoy, Richard Grenell. Grenell - who published online a photo of the six on board his plane - said they had spoken by phone to President Trump to thank him. Earlier, the White House had called on Venezuela to release "US hostages" - as well as agreeing to receive Venezuelan criminals deported by the US - or face consequences. Venezuela's Maduro sworn in for third term after contested elections US announces $25m reward for arrest of Venezuela's Maduro 'I thought I was going to die': Jailed Venezuelan activist Grenell did not name the six men, who were seen dressed in light blue outfits used by the Venezuelan prison system. "We are wheels up and headed home with these 6 American ...
Read more