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The Spinoff
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
The top 20 moments from the DIVA exhibition at Auckland Museum, ranked
Bow down bitches, the true divas are in town. This week in attention economy news, JoJo Siwa is threatening to release her cover of 'Bette Davis Eyes' on Spotify. In the short video she's already released, she sounds like she's swallowed three packets of cigs and auto tuned the raspy result. She looks like she wants to fuck around and find out what being a tradwife is. Turning what I assume are her own Bette Davis eyes towards the camera as several strands of pearls threaten to engulf her head, it's clear her Gene Simmons, Karma era is over. This is what everyone is talking about right now. Next week, it will be something else. In 2025, new viral obsessions are spawned, devoured and pronounced dead within 24 hours. The average human attention span is about eight seconds, which is a perfect capsule for everyone's six seconds of fame. Everything is new, yet nothing truly is. We've never been more immersed in celebrity gossip, commentary, and access. We've also never been so context-poor and so deprived of enduring cultural meaning. Meeting this moment is DIVA, an exhibition developed by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, currently housed at Auckland Museum until October. It's the perfect example of what a museum exhibition should be in 2025. It is accessible and relevant, brimming with pop culture references and real-life spectacle you just can't experience during your daily scrolls. It presents serious hypotheses about gender, the tension between attention and exposure and the true meaning of genius and celebrity. Most importantly, it reminds us that we all stand on the shoulders of giants and that cultural connective tissue binds our past to our present. It's also a welcome boon for the museum. Two of its most popular attractions have been closed indefinitely due to the detection of asbestos, adding another item to Wayne Brown's 'Fix Auckland' list. Here are the top 20 moments ranked according to historical significance, pop culture heft and spectacle, with a few subjective calls based on when I cried, gasped and flamed with joy. 20. Exit through the gift shop The museum and gallery trick of forcing you to leave through the gift shop at the end of an exhibition might be one of my all-time favourite retail strategies. I always end up buying something. DIVA is no different. Nobody needs a $300 pair of diamante-studded glasses from Elton John's line of eyewear, but did I stop and try them on? Yes. Will I be back to purchase some prints of Nina Simone, Grace Jones, and Benny and the Jets era Elton? Absolutely. My love of retail strategy is also niche, hence the lower ranking. To be clear, the rare gems are located in the exhibition, not the shop. 19. Barbra and the purple extravaganza from Funny Girl It's the dress and the coat. So much chiffon. 18. Finding your own diva There's a red carpet and many spots for posing. I did mine in the gift shop, you do you hunny diva child. 17. The full arc of Maria Callas Two of Callas's most iconic costumes are displayed together – her blue dress from her 1952 London debut in Norma and the red gown from her final stage performance in Tosca (1965). Diva is an Italian word, and the exhibition explores its origin, weaponisation and reclamation. None of that is possible without homage being paid to the ultimate opera diva. 16. The moment you realise you're tripping the audio Moving through the exhibition, you wear a pair of pretty chic and futuristic headphones. Audio experiences at museums and galleries are pretty common these days, but a few minutes into DIVA, you realise the audio you hear along the way is being triggered by your movement through the space. There's nothing like hearing 'Pynk' by Janelle Monáe while staring deep into the folds of her vulva (pants). 15. The moment you realise you could be tripping Björk gown. The end. 14. The wall quotes So many, all good. Collect the set. Get them tattooed. 13. The early showgirl cossies The mannequins have hips! 12. Grace Jones's breastplate First created by Issey Miyake for his 1980 Autumn-Winter collection, it looks like liquid hard-moulded to the body. Various iterations of the Miyake breastplate have been worn by Grace Jones during her career, including in this recording of her performing 'I Need A Man'. 11. Nina makes me cry The selected photos and audio combine to capture a significant portion of Nina Simone's power, anger and legacy. 10. Marilyn Monroe's fringed black dress Worn when she played Sugar Kane in Some Like It Hot (1959), this was Marilyn at the peak of her powers. Funny, vulnerable and pre the disastrous and tragic rekindling of relations with the Kennedys. 9. The Pierce, Davis, Garland triptych Next to a Mildred Pierce costume is a poster for All About Eve, another all-time great film starring another diva, Bette Davis. If we're talking about 'Bette Davis Eyes', I recommend staring into the real ones (as Margot Channing) instead of JoJo Siwa's. Drag queen Charles Busch once described fictional divas Norma Desmond and Margo Channing as 'powerful women fighting for their rights in a straight man's world' and the exhibition's rich recounting of the way Hollywood regarded and treated 'difficult women' is useful set up for the reclamation of the term explored in the exhibition's later stages. 8. All the Bob Mackie There are at least four Bob Mackie for Cher designs in the exhibition, one he did for Liza Minnelli for New York New York and the flame dress he made for Tina Turner. Mackie remains unrivalled in his ability to blend costume with couture. He was also a master of costume sketches, and DIVA includes many of the sketches for the creations you can then see in their full glory. 7. Realising you need to step up the game for your 50th birthday Elton John wore the Sandy Powell design featured in the exhibition to his 50th birthday party. It was so ostentatious and large that he had to be trucked in. If nothing else, it was a good reminder that birthdays should be all about you, and you should step up and into a proper frock. 6. Our very own diva For the Auckland leg of this touring exhibition, Aotearoa's own diva, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, has lent her millennium coat, worn at the New Year's Day performance she participated in as part of a 30-hour live television special broadcast to one billion people worldwide. Contains feathers and cultural touchstones. 5. Whitney makes me cry She was so beautiful and talented. The exhibition includes radiant photos of Houston and the dress she wore to the 1994 Grammy Awards, designed by Marc Bouwer. 4. The dress Joan Crawford wore in Mildred Pierce The 1945 film noir Mildred Pierce is one of my all-time favourite movies. It was one of the first old Hollywood films I watched that made me realise contemporary culture didn't have a monopoly on portraying complicated, complex, and sometimes difficult women. The dress itself, designed by Milo Anderson, was worn by Crawford in the film as she begins running her restaurant. It transitioned her away from plain, housewife garb into more structured and shoulder-padded suiting, marking her changing station and wealth. 3. The size of Prince's feet If you know, you know, but the exhibition contains a pair of Prince's shoes. They confirm Prince's likely origin as a pixie sent from on high to deliver music for the ages while emanating an ambiguous, raw and real sexual power. 2. The vulva pants I would sell an organ (if required) to see Janelle Monáe live. A high-concept fashion icon, the vulva pants worn for the 2018 'Pynk' video were peak vulva-inspired dressing, and frankly, we don't have enough of that. 1. Rihanna as pope Rihanna owns the Met Gala carpet and has done for a decade now. For the 2018 Met Gala, themed 'Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination', Rihanna wore a papal-inspired outfit designed by John Galliano for Maison Margiela. In my humble opinion, it ranks as one of the best Met Gala themes and one of Rihanna's best looks. We don't often get to see John Galliano's designs beyond our magazines and screens here, so seeing this beaded creation in person was truly the highlight for me. Rihanna's star began rising in 2005, and she remains an enigmatic diva with enduring popularity. My one true pope. My one true diva.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Singer debuts bold new look that leaves fans gobsmacked as she channels Hollywood icon in 1930s pin-up style blonde wig and frilly crop top... but can you guess who it is?
A popular singer has stunned fans by debuting a bold pin-up inspired transformation, worlds away from her previous looks. After recently vowing to 'grow out of her comfort zone' in a candid series of posts, the reality star, 22, ditched her signature rainbows and rhinestones this week as she took inspiration from a Hollywood icon. She displayed her taut midriff in a lacey crop top with frilly sleeves and a pair of black and white gingham trousers, while sporting a 1930s style curly blonde wig. Leaning fully into the pin-up aesthetic, she completed the makeover with a classic bold red and heavily blushed cheeks. Sharing a slew of photos of sultry snaps lying on the carpet to display the look, the Celebrity Big Brother star revealed she was channelling acclaimed actress Bette Davis to promote her new song. While she also shared a snippet of the track, a cover of the Kim Carnes' 1981 hit Bette Davis Eyes, sending fans wild. But can you guess who it is? It's JoJo Siwa! The Dance Moms star became famous for her love of bright colours and sparkles, as well as her trademark big bows and high ponytails. But she ditched that aesthetic entirely this week, looking nothing short of sensational in the new blonde bombshell look on her Instagram. JoJo teased fans that she was set to release her version of Bette Davis Eyes on streaming, after changing the lyrics to make it an on-stage tribute to her boyfriend Chris Hughes. She first performed the song at a festival in May, and later admitted that Chris, who was watching in the audience, had no idea she changed the song's final line, from 'Better Davis' Eyes,' to 'Chris Hughes' Eyes,' until the moment she sang it on stage. Sharing a clip of her in the 1930s get-up singing the track in her famous raspy vocals, she asked her followers about whether she should release the cover on Spotify. She wrote: 'After performing this song live and then seeing the beautiful response to it, I decided to go record a studio vocal…. 'I'm undecided if I should release it on Spotify or not… Would you want me to?!!! If you would, I'm thinking maybe end of this week?' Chris was quick to throw his support behind his girlfriend, commenting on her Instagram post: 'Unreal.' And as well as calling for the song's release, JoJo's fans couldn't help but also praise her sophisticated new look. They said: 'The song, the look, everything perfection'; 'JOELLE!! I almost passed out from this... you are out of this world'. 'Oh my god, this is amazing... what a look... like Marilyn Monroe and Bette Davis all in one'; 'You sound amazing & also looking absolutely beautiful as always'. While Irish twins Jedward also flooded the comments with praise, writing: 'This sounds incredible' and 'Jojo Monroe'. It comes after JoJo recently reflected on the changes in her personal and professional life in a series of candid Instagram posts. The dancer previously said she's 'never been happier,' since she begun dating Chris , even secretly flying to the UK last month to surprise him after 10 days apart. And after offering insight into the recent changes in both her professional and personal life in a shoot with YOU Magazine, JoJo took to Instagram to reflect on 'the woman she's becoming.' The former child star admitted that while it is 'scary' to face the recent changes in her life, her shoot with the publication has helped her 'let go of control.' In a series of posts, she wrote: 'Stepping into something new… and a little scary. These photos are different. They're bold. They're grown. They're me. 'For the longest time, I lived inside a sparkly little bubble - and while I love her, it's time to find the woman I am becoming #JoJoSiwa #NewEra.' Following her stint on Celebrity Big Brother, where she and Chris first met, JoJo has shared her time on the show has pushed her to make certain 'changes' in her life, after noticing things she should 'never have been OK with.' And she echoed this in her second post, writing: 'This shoot pushed me. Not just to pose differently, but to feel differently. To let go of control. ''To stop asking 'Is this what people expect from me?'' and start asking, ''Is this me?'' The answer is YES. So here's to discomfort - it is where the good stuff lives. #OutOfMyComfortZone #Fearless #AdultJoJo.' Offering a message to her fans, JoJo added: 'To anyone afraid to change… I get it. 'But we don't grow inside the lines. mess it up, try it anyway, and let the world see you ❤️ Here I am. Love her, fear her, or try to figure her out — this is me.' And as well as calling for the song's release, JoJo's fans couldn't help but also praise her sophisticated new look The dancer previously said she's 'never been happier,' since she begun dating Chris , even secretly flying to the UK last month to surprise him after 10 days apart Since confirming their relationship last month, things have been heating up between them, with JoJo sharing she's been embraced by her newfound British fanbase. She has also heavily hinted that there are plans for more shows in the UK later this year, after two performances in London back in May. In her interview with YOU, JoJo shared that she now identifies as queer, admitting she previously felt 'pressure' to call herself a lesbian. The star has sparked a social media frenzy since she confirmed she is dating Love Island star Chris, after they met on Celebrity Big Brother in April. She said: 'When I came out at 17, I said: 'I'm pansexual, because I don't care [about gender].' But then I kind of boxed myself in and I said: 'I'm a lesbian.' And I think I did that because of pressure.' The Dance Moms alum has had several relationships with women since coming out in February 2021. 'In a weird way, I think [the pressure] came a little bit from inside the [LGBTQ] community at times. From people I know, from partners I've had,' she contended. 'You just get put in this world where you feel like, because you now have said, 'Oh, I'm a lesbian', you have to be a lesbian. And the truth is, sexuality is fluid.'
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for June 21, #271
Here are the answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition. Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles. Today's Connections: Sports Edition is a puzzler. Think about logos you've seen on uniform designs, and you'll solve the blue category. Read on for hints and the answers. Advertisement Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That's a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn't show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic's own app. Or you can continue to play it free online. Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta Hints for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group. Advertisement Yellow group hint: That hurts. Green group hint: Sparks and Sun also fit. Blue group hint: Look closely at the uniforms. Purple group hint: Bette and Sammy, outside of sports. Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Yellow group: Soreness. Green group: WNBA teams. Blue group: Items in MLB team logos. Purple group: ____ Davis. Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers? The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Saturday, June 21, 2025. The yellow words in today's Connections The theme is soreness. The four answers are ache, discomfort, spasm and twinge. The green words in today's Connections The theme is WNBA teams. The four answers are Fever, Lynx, Mystics and Storm. The blue words in today's Connections The theme is items in MLB team logos. The four answers are halo, Liberty Bell, skyline and socks. The purple words in today's Connections The theme is ____ Davis. The four answers are Anthony, Baron, Chili and Crash. Toughest Connections: Sports Edition categories The Connections: Sports Edition puzzle can be tough, but it really depends on which sports you know the most about. My husband aces anything having to do with Formula 1, my best friend is a hockey buff, and I can answer any question about Minnesota teams. Advertisement That said, it's hard to pick the toughest Connections categories, but here are some I found exceptionally mind-blowing recently. #1: Series A Clubs, Jan. 11. Answers: Atalanta, Juventus, Lazio, Roma. #2: WNBA MVPs, Jan. 21. Answers: Catchings, Delle Donne, Fowles and Stewart. #3: Premier League team nicknames, Jan. 17. Answers: Bees, Cherries, Foxes and Hammers. #4: Homophones of NBA player names, Jan. 26. Answers: Barns, Connect, Heart and Hero.
CNET
20-06-2025
- Sport
- CNET
Today's NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints, Answers for June 21 #271
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today's Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles. Today's Connections: Sports Edition is a puzzler. Think about logos you've seen on uniform designs, and you'll solve the blue category. Read on for hints and the answers. Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That's a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn't show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic's own app. Or you can continue to play it free online. Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta Hints for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Here are four hints for the groupings in today's Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group. Yellow group hint: That hurts. Green group hint: Sparks and Sun also fit. Blue group hint: Look closely at the uniforms. Purple group hint: Bette and Sammy, outside of sports. Answers for today's Connections: Sports Edition groups Yellow group: Soreness. Green group: WNBA teams. Blue group: Items in MLB team logos. Purple group: ____ Davis. Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words What are today's Connections: Sports Edition answers? The completed NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Saturday, June 21, 2025. NYT/Screenshot by CNET The yellow words in today's Connections The theme is soreness. The four answers are ache, discomfort, spasm and twinge. The green words in today's Connections The theme is WNBA teams. The four answers are Fever, Lynx, Mystics and Storm. The blue words in today's Connections The theme is items in MLB team logos. The four answers are halo, Liberty Bell, skyline and socks. The purple words in today's Connections The theme is ____ Davis. The four answers are Anthony, Baron, Chili and Crash.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
JoJo Siwa CONFIRMS romance with Chris Hughes while on-stage at her second London show after performing sweet on-stage tribute to him
JoJo Siwa finally appeared to confirm her romance with Chris Hughes as she took to the stage for her second show in London on Tuesday. The pair have sparked frenzied speculation over their relationship status after meeting in the Celebrity Big Brother house, and enjoyed a passionate reunion when JoJo flew to the UK on Sunday. And after taking to the stage at Colours Hoxton, JoJo finally appeared to admit her friendship with Chris had blossomed into romance, despite being coy about their status in previous interviews. The star once again performed her cover of Bette Davies' Eyes, and changed the end of the song's lyrics to sing 'Chris Hughes Eyes.' Admitted she'd changed the end of the song because it made her 'happy,' she added: 'I'll tell you this much, if it's not obvious, that ending lyric is very much true,' sparking a huge cheer from the fans in attendance. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Chris had attended JoJo's first show in London the previous night, but the star admitted he couldn't attend Tuesday's performance. So instead, the dancer revealed she'd brought along the orange beanie he'd given her while in the house, after she caught Christopher singing one of her hits while she was still asleep. She told the audience: 'This morning I woke up and all I heard was [sings Nobody Can Change me] he was singing, so I figured today I'd bring a little bit of him while I sing this next song.' The previous evening, Chris was filmed beaming at JoJo and blowing her a kiss as she performed her on-stage tribute to him. The Dance Moms star then revealed a rhinestone-covered Sunderland football shirt, the team Chris supports, after they were promoted to the Premier League on Saturday, telling the crowd: 'This is for somebody special who's here tonight.' The pair were then spotted leaving the venue together, with Chris going onto share a cosy snap of himself and JoJo cuddling in bed watching Dumb and Dumber. Despite frenzied speculation around her relationship with Chris, JoJo was noticeably coy when grilled about their bond in Monday's Lorraine. Lorraine's step-in host Andi Peters asked the star if they have had a chat, similar to how they do in Love Island, to make themselves 'exclusive'. JoJo laughed at the question and said: 'Chris and I have had a lot of chats. 'We've never gone into the kitchen and the head is turning, we've never had that version. He's the best man.' JoJo and Chris were reunited on Sunday when she jetted to the UK, with the former Love Island seen waiting to greet her with a bouquet of roses. 'I will say he is up there as one of my favourite people in the entire world, he makes me happier than I think I've ever been, he makes me feel so full as me, he's a really good one who has been the most incredible addition to my life,' JoJo gushed. Over the weekend JoJo revealed she was missing Chris - just days after the couple were spotted sharing a kiss during a romantic, adults-only getaway in Mexico. The American dancer shared a cosy black-and-white photo of the pair strolling along a street together, with Chris wrapping one arm around her shoulder. Posting the photo to her Instagram Stories, she captioned it: 'Just a lil longer' alongside a love heart emoji. Last week, the pair appeared to 'confirm' their romance after jetting to Florida with JoJo's family to celebrate her 22nd birthday, as they were spotted kissing in a swimming pool. It comes after on Saturday JoJo's love life took a surprising new direction as she reportedly believes Chris is 'the one' and sees a long-term future with him. A source exclusively told that JoJo believes Chris would make 'a tremendous father.' JoJo — who recently declared she no longer identifies as a lesbian — is 'telling people that Chris is the one in a dramatic twist in the way she has lived her life over the last few years,' the insider said. 'She feels more alive than she ever has been with anyone else. With Chris, she realized that this is exactly what she has wanted for so long.' The insider confirmed the romance, stating: 'The rumours are true, they are a thing and it is going very well.' More than just a fleeting romance, JoJo sees a long-term future with the reality star. 'Another thing she has wanted for so long is children. And she feels that Chris would be a tremendous father if they decided to go down that route.' The source added, 'Things are happening at a breakneck pace to the outside eye, but to them it is going at a pace that feels absolutely right.' Earlier this week the pair couldn't keep their hands off each other in new snaps uploaded by the singer - after 'confirming' that they are together with a kissing pool snap. On Wednesday, JoJo shared intimate snaps with Chris to her Instagram page as they spent time together on her special day. He treated her to a mountain of birthday presents, they enjoyed breakfast together on the morning of her big day and one snap even showed Chris with his hand high up on JoJo's leg. She penned in the caption: 'This years birthday week was more magical than anything! 'Full of surprises, family time, performing, chilling, laughing, loving, smiling, and good meaningful cries.
