Latest news with #Rowan
Metro
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Supernatural thriller fans insist 'give it a chance' after BBC drops 16 episodes
The mega fans of Interview with the Vampire might already be well acquainted with another series of occult novels from the author Anne Rice. The trilogy Mayfair Witches has been adapted into two eight-part seasons of TV, starring The White Lotus's Alexandra Daddario, and the BBC has just added the second season to iPlayer. Daddario plays the preternaturally gifted surgeon Rowan Fielding, an adoptee aching to connect with her birth family, who learns she can hurt people with the power of her mind. Here comes the lore, because in Rowan's mission to learn more about herself, she discovers she is heir to a lineage of numerous such powerful women. But there's a dark legacy attached to her family tree, as she comes to discover in a saga of sex, death and magic across the years. Rowan is joined along the way by Lasher, a shapeshifter that has been bound to the family for generations, and is cryptically played in its most common form by Jack Huston. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'Things don't end well for the women in this family,' Rowan is told during her quest for answers. And we start to get a sense why, with a smattering of flashbacks from the present New Orleans setting to a 17th-century Scottish village. There, we see a past generation of Mayfairs grapple with being women with witchy reputations and the stigma attached in the eyes of religious authorities. In amongst the secrets, murders and various dances, there are also gestures to Mayfairs even further back. There might be some ropey Scottish accents along the way, but a strong contingent of fans have urged viewers not to judge the show against the books, given it's not a wholly faithful adaptation of Rice's trilogy. Those existing outside the Mayfair book universe have praised the show as a spooky watch that's worth giving a go, in spite of a fairly low Rotten Tomatoes rating (59%). Taking to Google reviews, Leia Sadinsky wrote: 'From the first episode, I was hooked—the storytelling unfolds in such an intriguing way, keeping me captivated as each new piece of the mystery falls into place. More Trending 'If you're on the fence about watching because of the reviews—give it a chance. You might just find yourself just as enchanted as I am.' 'As someone who hasn't read the novels & loves fantasy that takes hints from real life – I recommend it to all those who might have enjoyed series like Sabrina on Netflix,' echoed Maha Zainab Ishtiaq. Stephanie Lily added: 'So many bad reviews from those who read the book, I guess I'm happy I didn't because I am really captured by the story! I highly recommend!' View More » Mayfair Witches is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'Best crime thriller of 2025' confirms season 2 on Netflix after 26,100,000 views MORE: RuPaul's Drag Race star rushed to hospital after 'homophobic' attack at Tesco MORE: Gregg Wallace announces autism charity role after claim he 'used autism as an excuse'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Here's why you should never name your baby one of these 3 common names, speech therapist says
Don't name them that. Millennial parents are using the '90s as inspiration for naming their newborns — which is fine, as long as they avoid three names in particular, according to a speech therapist. Chloe Conrad is a speech-language pathologist who often posts informative, helpful videos for parents on her Instagram page. In one of Conrad's recent posts, she shared three specific names parents should never consider naming their baby — and for good reason. 'Three names I would never name my child as a speech therapist: Rory, Rowan and Aurora. They're so hard to say,' the expert point-blank said in the video, which has garnered over 250,000 views. In the caption of the post, she provided some more context on her opinion: 'Basically any name with R and O in it next to each other. I LOVE the way they sound but struggle teaching a child to say them.' If you struggle pronouncing these challenging names — you're not alone. Many people in the comment section agreed with Conrad. 'My guess was Aurora before I ever heard it! Lol. I have the hardest time saying it! We had a little girl on our soccer team last season and even the parents yelling it sounded off to me! Lol.' 'lol I've always found Rory hard but I just realised I can't say Aurora at all.' 'So true lol all those Rs!' Conrad explained in an interview with why so many people struggle pronouncing these, rather simple-looking names. When there's a word or name that has a R before an O — most people struggle articulating these letters together. 'The W sound is made with rounded lips, and O is also a rounded vowel,' she told the outlet. 'So when you put the two together, it becomes increasingly difficult for a young child to produce clearly.' Thankfully, it seems that most parents are avoiding these tricky-to-pronounce names — and instead are opting for simpler names like Liam and Olivia. Liam has ranked No. 1 for boys' names eight consecutive years — while Olivia has taken the cake for girls' names for six years in a row. Aside from these two, old-fashioned baby names like Theodore, Oliver, Owen, Eleanor, Eloise and Margaret are back in style. 'I think vintage names evoke a sense of nostalgia. I get a lot of clients who pull out their family tree, looking to grandparents and great-grandparents for name inspiration,' Colleen Slagen, author of the forthcoming book 'Naming Bebe,' told Yahoo! Life. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Here's why you should never name your baby one of these 3 common names, speech therapist says
Don't name them that. Millennial parents are using the '90s as inspiration for naming their newborns — which is fine, as long as they avoid three names in particular, according to a speech therapist. Chloe Conrad is a speech-language pathologist who often posts informative, helpful videos for parents on her Instagram page. In one of Conrad's recent posts, she shared three specific names parents should never consider naming their baby — and for good reason. 'Three names I would never name my child as a speech therapist: Rory, Rowan and Aurora. They're so hard to say,' the expert point-blank said in the video, which has garnered over 250,000 views. In the caption of the post, she provided some more context on her opinion: 'Basically any name with R and O in it next to each other. I LOVE the way they sound but struggle teaching a child to say them.' If you struggle pronouncing these challenging names — you're not alone. Many people in the comment section agreed with Conrad. The expert advised parents to spare themselves and avoid naming their newborns one of these tricky names. nataliaderiabina – 'My guess was Aurora before I ever heard it! Lol. I have the hardest time saying it! We had a little girl on our soccer team last season and even the parents yelling it sounded off to me! Lol.' 'lol I've always found Rory hard but I just realised I can't say Aurora at all.' 'So true lol all those Rs!' Conrad explained in an interview with why so many people struggle pronouncing these, rather simple-looking names. When there's a word or name that has a R before an O — most people struggle articulating these letters together. 'The W sound is made with rounded lips, and O is also a rounded vowel,' she told the outlet. 'So when you put the two together, it becomes increasingly difficult for a young child to produce clearly.' Thankfully, it seems that most parents are avoiding these tricky-to-pronounce names — and instead are opting for simpler names like Liam and Olivia. Liam has ranked No. 1 for boys' names eight consecutive years — while Olivia has taken the cake for girls' names for six years in a row. Aside from these two, old-fashioned baby names like Theodore, Oliver, Owen, Eleanor, Eloise and Margaret are back in style. 'I think vintage names evoke a sense of nostalgia. I get a lot of clients who pull out their family tree, looking to grandparents and great-grandparents for name inspiration,' Colleen Slagen, author of the forthcoming book 'Naming Bebe,' told Yahoo! Life.
South Wales Argus
23-07-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Archbishop Rowan Williams extension link to house sales
Funding for the extension of Archbishop Rowan Williams Church in Wales Primary School, which has been close to capacity for at least the past two years, is linked to money promised to Monmouthshire County Council by housing developers. The councillor in charge of education, Labour's Laura Wright, said a timeframe for when a planned classroom extension for the Portskewett school can be built is dependant on the housing developments. She said the council has invoiced the developers for 'some of' the money it is owed under a Section 106 legal agreement which governs payments for community benefits linked to planning permissions. It has requested the cash as Cllr Wright said the 'relevant number of houses have either been sold or occupied'. She said: 'However the amount isn't immediately sufficient to develop a classroom extension as envisioned as being needed. When the remaining funds are received from the developer it will be feasible to undertake the work. 'A timeframe for this is as yet undefined and will be dependent on how quickly the houses can be built and sold. This approach isn't unusual in the circumstances but I appreciate it is probably frustrating. We do remain committed to the development and extension of Archbishop Rowan Williams Church in Wales Primary.' Conservative councillor for Portskewett, Lisa Dymock, said all connected with the school were 'eagerly awaiting clarity on the promised funding especially given the pressures on space and rising pupil numbers.' Two years ago there was a row between the Conservatives and the ruling Labour group over a decision to allocate more than £400,000 paid to the council, from earlier housing developments, to a primary school in Caldicot rather than Archbishop Rowan Williams. At the time Cllr Dymock, and the Conservatives, claimed some of the cash should have gone to the Portskewett school which was just four places short of its 210 pupil capacity. But the council cabinet said the money wouldn't have covered the work required at the school but its expansion could be funded from an expected £1.1m due from the other local housing developments.
RTÉ News
22-07-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
1-in-4 businesses yet to take action to prepare for pension auto-enrolment
One-in-four businesses in Ireland have yet to take any action to prepare for the introduction of pension auto-enrolment ahead of its launch on 1 January 2026, according to a new survey. The research from professional services firm Aon found that only 7% of organisations have fully updated their internal systems and legal documents ahead of the launch, while just 4% have reached the stage of communicating to employees around the implementation of auto-enrolment. In May this year, Aon conducted an analysis of 202 client occupational pension schemes to assess organisational preparedness for auto-enrolment and the steps being taken in response. The pension auto-enrolment scheme is called "My Future Fund" and is designed to help over 800,000 workers to begin saving for their retirement. All employees not already in an occupational pension scheme, aged between 23 and 60 and earning over €20,000 across all of their employments, will be automatically enrolled in the new scheme. The research from Aon shows that 85% of organisations in Ireland have concerns about the introduction of pension auto-enrolment, with the additional costs the main worry for more than half of respondents. According to the study, 59% of surveyed organisations have developed a strategic roadmap for pension auto-enrolment, while 62% are planning to enrol applicable employees in an existing pension scheme. This can help to avoid the complexity of running both an occupational scheme and the auto-enrolment scheme in parallel. "It's clear from our analysis that organisations in Ireland are largely making positive progress on their auto-enrolment journey and look set to reap the rewards in the coming months," said Caroline Rowan, Head of Retirement Consulting at Aon Ireland. "However, it is concerning to see a sizable minority of businesses yet to take any action to prepare for the scheme," she said. "Given the major transformation required across payroll, people and processes, these businesses will need to urgently accelerate their preparations over the coming months," Ms Rowan said.
