A Star Studded Charity Gala Will Be Held at the Malibu Home of Actor Jane Seymour Saturday
The Palisades home he shared with his family burned to the ground. With nothing left, Seymour took Lando and six other members of his family, two German shepherds and two pet birds into her home as they struggled with the unimaginable loss. Seymour and Lando have been friends since the CBS show premiered in 1993 and ran for six seasons. The duo also appeared together as love interests in the 2022 Lifetime movie, A Christmas Spark. While they both married other people, their friendship remains an enduring one. Lando posted on social media after the Palisades Fire devoured everything his family owned:'Thankfully, there are angels in this world. We're left with nothing, except each other. My friend Jane Seymour allowed us to come up to her house and opened it up for us without any hesitation and, thank God, gave us someplace to come and sleep.' After she heard from Lando —and so many other friends who lost everything in the fires — she decided to open up her home. Her late mother surely would have chastised her if she hadn't. That woman, Mieke Frankenberg, was a spirited one-time Red Cross nurse who survived a Japanese internment camp during World War II by putting her skills and charm to work.That generous spirit was passed on to her daughter with a constant reminder, Seymour remembers. 'Darling, there are always people worse off than you,' Frankenberg would say. 'If you can open your heart and help somebody, you have purpose. And when you have purpose in giving, you are receiving.' That is exactly how Seymour felt during those days, having Lando's family close to her, fortunate to be the recipient of her friend's love and gratitude and surrounded by family, which epitomizes the energy of the Open Hearts Foundation. 'My dream is we have an Open Hearts philosophy spread all over the world that unites and empowers people," she said. "When people are throwing their hands up and living in fear, we are asking what we can all do uniquely right now to help others.'
A ticket to the Open Hearts Foundation's annual gala has become coveted, and this year, Seymour is hosting it at her Malibu home to bolster her city —which was devastated by the deadly Palisades Fire that left nearly 7,000 homes and businesses destroyed and claimed 12 lives. The gala will also recognize the devastation of the Eaton Fire that killed 18 people, injured 9 fire-fighters and devoured miles upon miles of homes and businesses in Altadena.
This year, the monies raised at the gala will invigorate her charity's focus on funding arts programs for youth affected by the fires.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
10 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Cold Lake welcomes sister city delegation from Hugelsheim, Germany
For three days, the four-person delegation explored the community, strengthened international ties, and embraced the laid-back spirit of Alberta's Lakeland. The relationship between Cold Lake and Hugelsheim goes back to the 1980s, rooted in a shared connection through NATO and the presence of a Canadian Forces base in Germany. 'Our sister city, Hugelsheim - we became sister cities in the 80s, and we've carried this relationship ever since,' said Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland. The City of Cold Lake sent its own delegation to Hugelsheim this past May for Spargelfest, which is a famous German festival celebrating asparagus season. 'They put on a great event,' Copeland said of the festival, describing the residents as being among 'the warmest, the friendliest people you're ever going to meet.' Hugelsheim's CAO Max Schell said the last visit to Cold Lake by his city's representatives was in 2007 and so it was time for a return visit. 'I said we had to go there (Cold Lake) because Craig is always coming to Spargelfest. So, we had to return the favor, you know.' The group's itinerary included a tour of local oil fields, a visit to the Cold Lake Air Force Museum, and a scenic boat trip on Cold Lake itself. 'We learned a lot about the native culture yesterday. There's a section in the museum with all the native stuff. It's really interesting, the history,' said Schell. 'We did not have natives in Germany.' The German visitors also soaked in Cold Lake's natural beauty. 'Oh, it's great. It's wonderful. The landscape and the lake is just beautiful. The people are so welcoming, and we are treated so well here. It's really nice,' Schell said, comparing the atmosphere to back home which he said is 'a little bit more strict and formal and not as chilled out.' 'Germany is too serious,' added Hugelsheim Coun. Uwe Holzer with a laugh. The delegation planned to end their Canadian trip with a visit to the Calgary Stampede, followed by a tour through the Rocky Mountains. 'We got ourselves tickets and we're really looking forward to that,' said Schell. 'We try to visit Banff, Jasper . . . just a little round trip and catch everything.' As the delegation prepared to leave, they encouraged Cold Lakers to visit Hugelsheim, especially during Spargelfest. 'Just come over. The people are so friendly,' said Schell. 'Everybody likes it - the fest, the beer, and the music,' he said, adding, 'And I can just say, 'Welcome to Hugelsheim'.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Los Angeles Times
14 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
LAX won't say who designed its iconic murals, but the Dodgers will. Why?
What would a baseball team in Los Angeles want from a retired artist and designer in New York? Janet Bennett wasn't sure. Generations of Angelenos are familiar with her signature project. You probably have walked right past it. Those colorful tile mosaics that decorate the long corridors toward baggage claim in five terminals at Los Angeles International Airport? She designed them. You might have seen them in the movies or on television: 'Airplane!,' 'Mad Men' and 'The Graduate,' just for starters. You might have memorized the trivia: When you passed the red tiles, you were halfway down the corridor. 'Red means halfway' was shorthand for locals in the know, just like 'E Ticket' or 'the #19 sandwich.' 'It just says L.A. in so many ways,' said Janet Marie Smith, the Dodgers' executive vice president of planning and development. The Dodgers wanted to get in touch with Bennett because they were about to install a similar tile wall at Dodger Stadium. Smith could not find Bennett, but she reached out to someone who had liked an article about Bennett that had been posted on LinkedIn. Same last name, same spelling. Smith crossed her fingers. Turned out to be a relative of Bennett. The Dodgers sent some sketches of their project and asked Bennett for her thoughts. 'I was a little disappointed I didn't work the project,' Bennett said over the telephone, chuckling, 'but I don't think I could have done it at this stage.' Bennett is 96, happily living one block from Central Park. The LAX project was completed in 1961 — the year before Dodger Stadium opened. What the Dodgers really were offering was the recognition denied to Bennett six decades ago. 'I realized they just wanted my blessing,' Bennett said. 'They wanted the connection. And that was very satisfying.' And, yes, she had some thoughts for the Dodgers. She wrote them a letter by hand, the old-fashioned way. The letter got lost in the old-fashioned mail, but Bennett's daughter had thought to take a picture of the letter, and she sent it to the Dodgers via email. Bennett's advice for the colors of the tiles? 'Don't limit it,' she wrote, 'to the Dodger blue.' On game days, Dodgers players take an elevator to the lowest level of Dodger Stadium. As they exit, they look to their right to see the Dodgers' World Series championship trophies and most valuable player awards, to their left to see the Gold Glove awards. When they turn toward the clubhouse, they see Cy Young and Silver Slugger and manager of the year awards on the right, rookie of the year awards and then the Dodgers' retired numbers on the left. 'It's meant to be uplifting and motivating, and a reminder to everyone — our players included, who take that path — of what a storied franchise this is,' Smith said. The fans in the fanciest seats, the ones you see on television right behind home plate, can take that path too — but only until they reach the double doors, the ones with 'DODGERS CLUBHOUSE' painted above them. Pass through those doors, and you used to see a gray wall decorated with signage pulled from storage — signs from events held at Dodger Stadium long ago, and others commemorating milestone seasons. As part of the clubhouse renovations last winter, Smith and her team imagined how to freshen up that walkway. 'We wanted to try to get it out of its funk of just being a concrete wall,' she said. 'And, once we got tile in our head, how could you not think of the LAX walls?' The Dodgers' clubhouse features a tile wall 'in the hydrotherapy area,' Smith said. The tiles there are all Dodger blue. For the clubhouse walkway, Smith and architect Brenda Levin opted for multiple shades of blue tiles, interspersed with white tiles — a decision reinforced when they received Bennett's suggestion to go beyond Dodger blue. The wall includes more than 714,000 individual tiles, Smith said. 'I think they did an excellent job,' Bennett said. 'They got the rhythm of vertical stripes, which has a very athletic look.' To Smith, a fierce advocate of sports venues reflecting their host cities, the tile wall reflects home. 'In many ways, that is a symbol: not just of L.A., but of 'Welcome to L.A.' ' she said. 'That felt right to us. 'It's not screaming at you. But, if you know, you know. We've always wanted that area to feel like a 'Welcome to L.A.' to our players.' If you know, you know, but the players may not know. Dave Roberts, the Dodgers' manager, said he did not know the story behind the wall until Smith explained it to him. 'It's a great little touch,' Roberts said. Smith said players and team executives have asked about the wall. Many of them did not know about the LAX walls, but she understood why. 'They don't fly commercial,' she said. If you merit an obituary in the newspaper, the first sentence generally includes your claim to fame. In 2007, The Times published an obituary with this first sentence: 'Charles D. Kratka, an interior designer and graphic artist whose Modernist projects included the mosaic walls in tunnels at Los Angeles International Airport, has died.' Said Bennett: 'I just about freaked out.' After Bennett had finished the LAX mosaics, she left town. By the time the airport unveiled them, she said, she was in Latin America. Until she saw that Times obituary, it had not occurred to her that anyone else might have gotten the credit for the LAX project. In the obituary, the airport historian credited Kratka with the design, and so did the director of volunteers at the airport museum. In 2017, so did an official LAX document: 'Completed in 1961, Charles Kratka's mosaic murals have become iconic symbols of Los Angeles International Airport.' At the start of the Jet Age, when airplane travel was a glamorous affair and even passengers in the cheaper seats enjoyed in-flight meals served with silverware, Bennett said the murals were designed to evoke the wonder of a cross-country trip: blue for the ocean at each end of the corridor, and in between green for the forests, and yellows, oranges and browns for farmland, prairies and deserts. Bennett freely admits that Kratka was involved in the project. The city hired Pereira and Luckman as architects for the LAX expansion, and Kratka was the firm's head of interior design. 'He was my boss,' Bennett said. Bennett said the mosaic design was hers, although she said she did not recall whether she had chosen to use glass for the tiles. 'Everything from that point on was mine,' she said. Bennett and her family have pushed for LAX to recognize her as the designer. Airport officials acknowledge Bennett's participation in the project but, amid a search for records from six decades ago and without Kratka to provide his version of events, they believe a conclusive determination would be difficult. And, back in the day, credit was more commonly attributed to a firm rather than to an individual designer. When I asked for a statement saying whom LAX currently credits with the design, an airport spokeswoman said, 'LAX has no official comment.' In 2017, Design Observer investigated and ultimately supported Bennett's claims, citing two primary findings: one, an acclaimed designer of the same era 'vividly recalls Bennett doing the murals,' and, two, Bennett installed similar tile murals for two Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations in San Francisco. That was good enough for Smith and the Dodgers. At LAX, there is no sign crediting anyone — not Bennett, not Kratka, not Pereira and Luckman, not anyone else — for the murals. However, the Dodgers have given Bennett her due at Dodger Stadium, on a sign directly across from their tile wall. 'This mosaic wall draws inspiration from architect Janet Bennett's iconic mosaic murals at Los Angeles International Airport,' the text begins, 'that transformed a transit space into a work of art.'
New York Post
14 hours ago
- New York Post
Brooklyn's 'show sauna' competition, where masters wow sweating crowds
Call them hot and unbothered. During late June's heat wave, when most New Yorkers sat pinned to air conditioners, 1,200 sauna enthusiasts swarmed Brooklyn's Bathhouse to witness the country's first sauna master smackdown. Some wore bell-shaped felt bucket caps to prevent overheating and to signal: This ain't my first hydro-deo. Others were Bathhouse regulars who, like any good New Yorker, saw a line — in this case for the wellness venue's 80-seater 'event sauna' — and joined the queue. 16 Bathhouse in Brooklyn held the US's first-ever show aufguss competition. Aysia Marotta 16 Sauna masters performed 13- to 15-minute routines with lights, music, dance, narration, costumes and props for sweating audiences. Aysia Marotta Called competitive show aufguss (pronounced 'off-goose') — a German term for a type of guided group sauna experience common in Europe — the two-day event featured 10 of the nation's top sauna masters, who took turns spinning towels like lassos and pounding aroma-infused ice balls onto hot stone as a panel of judges and fired-up fans looked on. Each 13- to 15-minute routine also brought the heat with lights, music, dance, narration, costumes and props intended to blow hot air and tell a story. One master with the apropos last name Fiery portrayed the evolution of hip hop. Another depicted a terminal illness. 'The Celestial Sisters of Fire and Ice' interpretive-danced their way through a fight and reconciliation. 'Fire can help warm and ice can help soothe, and those working together creates a more beautiful world,' the real-life siblings and Vegas showgirls cooed. The goal of those in the hot seat? To rack up enough points in categories like heat distribution and towel technique to secure the title of first US aufguss champion — and advance to the world championships in Italy this fall. 'I'm so nervous,' Thor Moeller admitted a few hours before stepping onto the steamy stage. After all, a lot could go wrong. He once dropped a hot stone. 16 Over 1,000 sauna enthusiasts came for the two-day competition. Aysia Marotta Others have smacked spectators with spinning towels. You can get off beat or over time. There's choreography to forget, essential oils to burn, lines to miss. One of the day's first performers had already burned and crashed — straight into the sauna's glass door. Outside, Moeller consoled the rumor mill in earnest: 'I didn't see any blood.' 'It's kind of like being a samurai. A sauna master comes to you and they're like, 'You're a sauna master.' It's very unofficial.' Travis Talmadge, Bathhouse cofounder It was a lot to absorb on a Monday afternoon when both the literal and figurative world was burning. But when you're sticking to strangers just trying to breathe through the next hot minute, 'a lot' is relative. That's the whole point. 'You can experience beautiful art if you're just open for it,' said Lasse Eriksen, a Norwegian jury member and vice president of the Aufguss WM, described as the FIFA for aufguss. 'But if you just want to sit there and critique, you can do that, but then it becomes very hot. And then you just want to leave.' 16 'The Celestial Sisters of Fire and Ice' interpretive-danced their way through a fight and reconciliation. Aysia Marotta 16 Competitors earn points in categories like heat distribution and towel technique. Aysia Marotta Auf-what? 'Aufguss is immersion into the way of sauna. That's the important thing: It's still sauna,' Eriksen explains. But rather than sweating it out alone, aufguss is communal and guided. Rather than leaving when you get too hot, the ritual has a beginning and end. There's also math (hot stone plus ice equals steam) and science (wafted steam feels hotter than still steam). The actual temperature, however, remains the same — around 185 degrees Fahrenheit. 'People are always like, 'How hot are you going to make it?'' Moeller, 32, said. 'I'm like, 'How hot can I allow you to feel the sun?'' 16 There's an art to aufguss, where sauna masters manipulate steam and how hot the room feels. Alonzo Solarzano, Bathhouse's first director of aufguss, is seen competing. Aysia Marotta 16 They use props, like Nico Fiery, who poured water from a sneaker. Aysia Marotta Show or 'theme' aufguss is classic sauna on steroids. It can be the difference between a bartender cracking open a beer and a mixologist crafting a cocktail blindfolded — and then lighting the garnish on fire. It is, many sauna masters will tell you, a multi-sensory experience. Competitive show aufguss, then, asks: Who does it best? The answer comes down to five elements: professionality (if you drop a towel, you mustn't use it again), heat distribution (why should one row get all the good stuff?), towel technique (a helicopter is a classic; a release-and-catch throw is risky but wows), fragrance (real birch beats synthetic lavender) and storytelling (audience members' tears and laughter are a good sign). Sauna masters 'need to learn to connect with the sound, to move the wind and the smells and create it comfortably hot, not too early, not too late, right in the middle,' Eriksen explained. 'The music has the right build up, the volume is just the right build up. When everything is in line and everything is perfect, then you have a maximum score. And that is almost impossible.' 16 Sauna masters 'need to learn to connect with the sound, to move the wind and the smells and create it comfortably hot, not too early, not too late, right in the middle.' Aysia Marotta 16 There is actually a sauna culture in America now,' Bathhouse's cofounder Travis Talmadge (pictured) said. Aysia Marotta The road to sauna master Aufguss has long been a familiar offering in European saunas, but it's only recently gained steam in the US, in large part due to the burgeoning 'social wellness' movement, said Don Genders, CEO of Design for Leisure, an event co-sponsor and maker of spa environments like sauna cabins. Clubbing is out, tubbing is in. 'It's almost like a perfect storm,' Genders said. And New York is its eye. While Bathhouse is the first in New York to develop an aufguss program, the city can't seem to get enough of water-based wellness. Canadian bathhouse Othership landed in New York last year. Aire Ancient Baths launched on the Upper East Side in 2025. There's also Remedy Place and the Well. 'There is actually a sauna culture in America now,' Bathhouse's cofounder and sauna master competitor Travis Talmadge said. 16 Most of June's competitors (like Tovi Wayne, pictured) honed their craft by finding mentors, obsessing over YouTube videos and practicing. They invested in towels with the preferred grip, weight and length. Aysia Marotta And with sauna culture comes sauna masters. How exactly does one become such a thing? 'It's not like a driver's license yet,' Eriksen said. In fact, Talmadge said, 'it's kind of like being a samurai. A sauna master comes to you and they're like, 'You're a sauna master.' It's very unofficial.' Not that aspiring and accomplished masters don't take it seriously. Most of June's competitors honed their craft by finding mentors, obsessing over YouTube videos and practicing. They invested in towels with the preferred grip, weight and length. Alonzo Solarzano, Bathhouse's first director of aufguss, rented out studio space and made multiple calls to a childhood friend with acting expertise to suss out his storyline. 'The advice I got was: You want to end on a positive note,' he said. While many sauna masters have some performance background and innate hand-eye coordination, 'there's really no barrier to entry — that's what I love about it,' Genders said. 'It's incredibly democratic.' 16 The Celestial Sisters earned the top prize for pairs. Aysia Marotta 16 Rather than sweating it out alone, aufguss is communal and guided. TJ Lupo is seen performing 'Reflections of Grief.' Aysia Marotta Solarzano, for one, had never been in a sauna — let alone heard of aufguss — when he got a job as a therapy attendant at Bathhouse in Williamsburg in 2021. The 29-year-old had recently moved to New York after burning out as a dancer in his Massachusetts hometown. He figured the gig would help him reset. Then Bathhouse offered its employees aufguss training. Over the next few years, Solarzano traveled abroad to learn from the auf-GOATS and quit his other job in data engineering. 'He was like, 'Aufguss is my identity,'' Talmadge recalls. Moeller, a native New Yorker with a beard, man bun and golden retriever energy, found aufguss after moving to Austria in 2015 to work at a ski resort. He's now a sauna meister at a different resort — and Austria's 2023 show aufguss national champion. 16 In the US, people are clothed, typically in swimsuits. That's not always the case in other countries. Aysia Marotta Competing in the US, though, is different. Here, guests aren't naked. That fact eliminates at least one European debate: 'Do you sit directly on the wood? Do you have a towel between your skin and the wood? A number of different people have analyzed the situation,' Moeller said. TJ Lupo's path to aufguss traces to his 'very dark past.' The sauna master at MindZero Wellness in Virginia underwent brain surgery for a tumor and discovered contrast therapy while recovering. The spa owner, a Czech native, introduced him to aufguss. 'I found waving towels, so emotionally, I'm able to handle things much easier just because I have an outlet to express myself,' he said. 16 Jury member and six-time Danish national aufguss champion Ong Lai Pang of Malaysia set the stage. Aysia Marotta 16 Many attendees wore felt hats. Aysia Marotta Competition heats up When the door opened to Bathhouse's event sauna on Day 2 of the competition, jury member and six-time Danish national aufguss champion Ong Lai Pang of Malaysia set the stage, as he did before every show. 'One, two, three!' Pang, who resembles a monk, albeit one spotted wearing an 'I love naked people' T-shirt, bellowed. 'Aufguss!' the crowd shouted back. 'Three, two, one!' Pang continued. 'Family!' onlookers roared. Solarzano was set to take the stage. Two girls in the audience were among the many there for the home-turf favorite. 16 'When people ask me what they do,' said the mom of the Celestial Sisters, 'I always tell them: They're living their dream.' Aysia Marotta One, a Bathhouse regular, had seen Solarzano practicing and knew she had to come to his show. Her friend was more skeptical. She worried about the 'cringe' factor and her ability to withstand the heat. 'I'm a baby in the sauna,' she confessed. (You are allowed to leave, though few do.) But when the lights came up after Solarzano's Western outlaw-themed, country ballad-inspired performance of loss, deceit and redemption, the friend was still there. She'd seen expert-level double-towel tricks for the first time. She'd clapped along to the music and gasped at the drama. The sweat was an afterthought. 'That was actually one of the best things I've seen all year,' she said. The jury agreed: Solarzano took first place. The Celestial Sisters earned the top prize for pairs. Their Midwestern mom teared up. 'When people ask me what they do,' she said, 'I always tell them: They're living their dream.'
