Sleight of blurry hand
What the fuss around a 'disappeared' princess says about the royal family's comms…and other stories.
Welcome to Quality Sheet, a weekly assortment of outside-the-box news, events, trends and offbeat oddities to indulge your curiosity. Subscribe for a midweek treat each Wednesday that'll make you hummm with intrigue and amusement.
Where to start the past seven days? We had Crufts (💓), the Oscars (🍑) and Donatella Versace getting stuck in a lift (😭). Lenny Kravitz wore flared pinstripe trousers (😍) to accept his star on the Hollywood walk of fame. News agencies told the royals they want receipts, proof, timeline, screenshots, fucking EVERYTHING! And, somewhere in New Jersey, Teresa Giudice is preparing to flip a table at news that Rupert Murdoch got engaged for a sixth time. Will the couple make it down the aisle? My middle fingers are crossed for them.
Welcome to Quality Sheet—let’s dive in.
🍬
If there’s a family that can simultaneously divide and unite a nation, it’s the British royals. As conspiracies and concerns about Kate Middleton’s whereabouts balloon beyond the size of Kensington Palace, it’s clear the couple next in line to the throne has a major PR problem, NPR’s Linda Holmes says. “Putting out pictures, statements, strategic leaks — there's no point. There is always a way to take a piece of evidence, put it next to your pet theory, and pound it with a hammer until it seems like it fits together.”
Related: NewsGuard’s James Warren warns the manipulated Mother’s Day photo “foreshadows skullduggery likely to face millions of average news consumers this election season” in the U.S., but also possibly in the U.K. and beyond.
🍭
“Footwear is camp again!” The Cut’s Cortne Bonilla declares, following the influx of furry shoes on last month’s runways. My feet and I are tickled about this trend for summer. Now to find a pointy-toed version…
🍫
Patagonia’s “earliest inhabitants” made cave paintings that researchers recently determined were 8,200 years old. What did the art depict, and who were the artists? According to My Modern Met, “researchers believe 130 generations of ancient humans were responsible for the artwork—which includes abstract, human, and animal figures,” and were likely hunter gatherers living in a “very arid” climate, Madeleine Muzdakis reports.
🥧
You’ve heard of shrinking European towns paying people to move in. Now, if you’re in the U.S., there’s a similar initiative encouraging people to move to different communities across the country for cash and other incentives. Click here to find your next home, maybe.
🍯
The term “cowboy” originated “as a derogatory alternative to cowhand and was often given to Black men working with cattle. After emancipation, one in four cowboys were Black,” Grace Ebert writes in Colossal. She talks to photographer Ivan McClellan, whose series “Eight Seconds” captures Black cowboys across the U.S.
🍪
On my reading list: Brad Gooch’s biography of Keith Haring, “Radiant,” which the New York Times calls “a faithful retracing of his steps, with over 200 people interviewed or consulted.”
🍿
Classic noughties films like “The Devil Wears Prada” and “13 Going On 30” were among several of their time depicting a glamour in the journalism industry that has long since been put to bed. Writer and editor Gillian Orr charts how the fantasy of the reporter flush with time and cash faded out in Hollywood—and how real life falls short.
🥠
Catch a selection of Ramadan light displays across parts of central London, until April 16.
🍦
If you fancy adding a first edition iPhone to your bedside drawer, consider placing a bid for this rare, sealed 4GB 2007 handset at auction. Listed by LCG Auctions, bids started at $10,000. If last year’s record for a similar item is anything to go by, this one could fetch $190,000.
🎁
Thank you for reading. Share to sweeten someone’s day—and have a lovely rest of your week!
Isabel :)
Get in touch/share links/follow me:
I have another newsletter that explores what it means to live freely! It goes out a few times a month, you can subscribe below:
