Writer Isabel Allende still believes in love
Over the last year, Isabel Allende has been coping with loss and grief after the passing of her mother, a stepfather whom she “adored,” and an ex-husband. But not everything was bad, she said: “On the other hand, I also got married last year.” At 77, the Chilean author still believes in love. “I am not afraid of it,” she said, laughing when talking about her third... READ MORE
Alice McDermott on life and faith
On a gray afternoon this winter, novelist Alice McDermott paused for a pint of Guinness at the Irish Inn in Glen Echo, Maryland, to chat with a reporter about, among other things, life, literature and what it means to be an American. “What makes all Americans Americans, regardless of the hyphenation, is that they are from someone, or are someone, who left [their home], whether for... READ MORE
Reese Witherspoon stands up for women
Reese Witherspoon remembered when she met with several film production studios in 2011 to ask them how many movies were being developed for women. The studios’ responses nearly floored her. “Of all the major seven studios, the answer was one,” Witherspoon said after she received the prestigious Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment... READ MORE
Cabaret series honors legendary singers
Richmond theater aficionado Mark Singer, 69, has attended performances in major cities all over the world, but he is still impressed by the “fantastic talent” he sees among Richmond performers. Because of the quality of local talent, Singer subscribes to Legends on Grace, a series of cabaret-like performances presented by the Richmond Performing Arts Alliance (RPAA). RPAA... READ MORE
Sophia Loren comes to town
Take one look at Sophia Loren, who was born in 1934, and it’s clear she knows the secret of aging well. “There is a fountain of youth,” Loren once said. “It is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” Loren, 85, is still bringing her passionate... READ MORE
Daphne Maxwell Reid enjoys the journey
Though she recently turned 71, when actress Daphne Maxwell Reid appears at the Senior Connections’ Empty Plate Luncheon in Richmond on October 2, audience members shouldn’t expect the Richmond resident to talk about her quiet, peaceful retirement. “I don’t retire,” Reid said. “I’ll take my pension, but I’ll still be busy.” Reid has been busy for decades. After... READ MORE
Carol Burnett’s Q&A roadshow
Although beloved American comedian Carol Burnett grew up in poverty in the 1940s with two alcoholic parents, she never felt poor or unloved, thanks to her grandmother. With their scrounged pennies, the two would retreat to the cool darkness of movie theaters in California as often as possible. The optimism of the films, coupled with her grandmother’s love, left a lasting impression on... READ MORE
A homecoming for performer Tori Amos
When singer-songwriter Tori Amos addresses graduates at the Peabody Conservatory’s 2019 Commencement on Wednesday, May 22, it will be a homecoming of sorts for her. Amos was the youngest student ever admitted to Peabody, receiving a full scholarship when she was just five years old. She lived in Baltimore from 1965 to 1972, at which time her family moved to the suburbs of Washington,... READ MORE
For Julia Roberts, things improve with age
Julia Roberts is sitting on a couch in a Soho hotel when Lucas Hedges bursts in and begins frantically searching for his phone, sending pillows flying. “This is what I say to Finn,” Roberts says, referencing one of her three children as she instructs her 21-year-old co-star. “Where did you go from here, honey?” Roberts’ motherly instincts play a big part of her latest film,... READ MORE
Cicely Tyson wins first (honorary) Oscar
Cicely Tyson received her first and only Oscar nomination in 1972. It was for best actress for her work in Sounder, which she thinks of as her first major role. She wasn’t called to the stage that year — Liza Minnelli was for Cabaret — but now 45 years later, Tyson is finally getting her Oscar. “It is an emotionally wrenching matter to me,” Tyson said. Tyson, 93, is no... READ MORE
