Sydney's Sunday Reads: #24
Sydney's Sunday Reads is a weekly blog series that highlights some of my favorite stories, articles, think-pieces, and more from around the Internet.
One final Cook’s Tour. - We tragically lost chef and travel show host Anthony Bourdain in 2018, but his legacy lives on. At the time of his death, Bourdain was in the midst of writing a guidebook highlighting some of his favorite places around the world. Though the project was in the very early stages, his friend and longtime assistant Laurie Woolever was intent on finishing what Bourdain started, and set out to piece together excerpts from his most popular and long-running shows, No Reservations and Parts Unknown, as well as extensively interview his closest friends to make it happen. The result of Woolever’s true labor of love, World Travel, will be released on April 20th, but if you’re a diehard Anthony Bourdain fan and feel like you just can’t wait that long, you’re in for a treat. Here’s an excerpt from the book, an essay by Anthony Bourdain’s brother, Chris, about their first family trip to France and how it changed their lives forever. (Entertainment Weekly)
Queen Serena, ruler of on-the-court-fashion. - As the child of a former tennis line judge, I can probably name just about all of the contemporary greats without batting an eye, but no one stands out to me more than Serena Williams. Her athletic ability is second-to-none - the woman was 20 weeks pregnant when she won the 2017 Australian Open for goodness’ sake - but just as noteworthy? Her fashion moments on the court! Known for taking the lead in designing all of her outfits, Williams really upped her sporty fashion game this week when she debuted her multi-hued, one-legged catsuit, a touching homage to the late great track and field olympian, Florence Griffith Joyner, affectionally known as “Flo-Jo”, who famously rocked the style back in the late ‘80s. In a post-game interview, Williams revealed that she worked closely with her design team at Nike to give the eye-catching one-piece a few modern updates, as well as the necessary tweaks to make it all her own. Check it out here! (Buzzfeed)
Cooking with Mrs. Obama. - In case you missed it, this week former First Lady Michelle Obama announced the March 16th release of her new children’s cooking show, Waffles + Mochi, streaming exclusively on Netflix. The show will follow two puppets named, you guessed it, Waffles and Mochi, as they fulfill their dream of becoming chefs with the help of a magical flying shopping cart and Michelle Obama, who will play a supermarket owner. Viewers can also expect to see a slew of celebrity guests, as well as some home cooks along the way. The kid-centric series is the second project to come out of the Obamas’ multi-year, multi-million dollar deal with Netflix through their production company, Higher Ground Productions. I can’t wait to binge-watch this!! (The Cut)
A super skinny flat in the city. - As if big-city real estate wasn’t bonkers enough already, a “skinny” flat in west London, just six feet wide, recently went on the market for a cool $1.3 million dollars. The five-story property in Shepherd's Bush, converted from a hat shop into a residence by famed fashion photographer Juergen Teller, is 1,034 square feet and boasts three bedrooms, an art deco tub, a patio garden, and curb appeal that is certain to be a conversation-starter for years to come. Listen, ya’ll, I know living in a big city is fun, but if you’ve got $1.3 million to spend, head to the nearby ‘burbs where you can take advantage of all the SPACE. Everything fun is just a train ride away! (CNN)
Impossible? Things are happening every day! - No disrespect to Dame Julie Andrews, but for us ‘90s babies, Brandy Norwood is our Cinderella, and the incomparable Whitney Houston our Fairy Godmother. When I was a kid, I absolutely devoured the 1997 adaptation of the Rogers and Hammerstein classic Cinderella, which featured a star-studded, colorblind cast, gorgeous costumes, and captivating performances. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I watched it EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. it was on television. This week, Disney announced that the film would be available on its streaming platform, Disney+, beginning February 12th. To celebrate its release, singer Brandy, Disney’s first Black princess, teamed up with Youtube star Todrick Hall for a mashup of Cinderella’s greatest musical hits. Look closely, and you might just see some other familiar faces as well! I grinned until my cheeks hurt watching this. Check it out below! (Todrick Hall via Youtube)