Queen Elizabeth

Kenneth Branagh Scores the Knighthood

Yesterday, Irish actor and director Kenneth Branagh, who in our younger years was pretty much synonymous with William Shakespeare, was knighted by the Queen of England for ”services to drama and the community of Northern Ireland, joining the ranks of fellow knighted thespians like Laurence Olivier, Ben Kingsley, and Michael Caine.” Well, it’s about time! Maybe. We’re not… Read More

Glamorous Photos Celebrating Western History’s Most Powerful Queens

While Queen Elizabeth I, Cleopatra, and Marie Antoinette all make bold appearances, you may not recognize all of the female rulers in Alexia Sinclair’s The Regal Twelve. The Sydney-based photographer explains that the project “is a diverse series that celebrates the famous, the infamous and the obscure. Selection was based on their contrasts in leadership, their flamboyancies and their enduring influence upon society. In a time when women generally held little power, these Artemis-like women ruled as both male and female.” The digital montages — which combine backdrops from a trip to Europe with studio photos of models — that result are lush and glamorous fashion-style renderings of badass queens from throughout Western history. Click through to see The Regal Twelve, and visit Sinclair’s website to see more of her work. … Read More

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

1. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol dominated the holiday box office for the second week running, pulling in an estimated $31.3 million. It was followed by Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which made an estimated $22.1 million, and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, which made $18.3 million. [via Moviefone]

2. Rupert Murdoch,… Read More

5 Headlines from the Last 24 Hours That Shouldn’t Be Funny But Are

1. Historicaltweets.com Re-imagines Famous Moments through Tweets [via Time]
Why this IS funny: “Lassie: Idiot child fell down the mine shaft again. That makes 3 times in one week.”
Why this ISN’T funny: Lassie hated his job

2. Bret Michaels injured at the Tony Awards [via People]
Why this IS funny: The curtain for the “Rock of Ages” set at the Tonys nearly decapitated Bret Michaels!!!
Why this ISN’T funny: The curtain for the Rock of Ages set at the Tonys nearly decapitated Bret Michaels. … Read More