Darkness Visible: Exorcism Films & the Iconography of Evil
Skip to content
US letter to Israel calls for more aid into Gaza in 30 days
The United States has sent a letter to Israel demanding it facilitate an immediate surge in humanitarian assistance into Gaza. The letter, which the Pentagon said was intended to remain private, comes as a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery, or THAAD, has started to arrive in Israel to defend against future attacks. VOA…
How Diane Keaton saved broke Al Pacino after hit movie premiere
Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributorsAl Pacino recently revealed that he was experiencing money struggles shortly after the premiere of one of his most successful movies – and if it weren’t for his then girlfriend, Diane Keaton, he might have gone broke.Keaton, 78, and Pacino, 84, met on the set of The Godfather, but their romantic relationship did not bloom until the filming of The Godfather Part II. The couple started dating in 1974, around the same time Keaton found out that the actor was in dire need of help with his finances.In his memoir, Sonny Boy, Pacino wrote, “When I finished making ‘The Godfather,’ I was broke, not that I had ever had any money, but now I owed money.” The actor explained, “My manager and agents got their cuts of my salary while I had to live on support from Jill Clayburgh.”
Kay Adams (DIANE KEATON), Michael Corleone (AL PACINO) Regie: Francis Ford Coppola aka. The Godfather / DER PATE USA, 1972. Al Pacino recently revealed details about his financial struggles and how his long time…
Kay Adams (DIANE KEATON), Michael Corleone (AL PACINO) Regie: Francis Ford Coppola aka. The Godfather / DER PATE USA, 1972. Al Pacino recently revealed details about his financial struggles and how his long time girlfriend, Diane Keaton, helped him.
More
FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images
The Academy Award winner’s memoir later revealed that he took Keaton along with him to talk to his entertainment lawyer, but the Town & Country actress did a lot more than that.According to the memoir, Keaton yelled at the lawyer saying, “Do you know who he is? Yeah, you’re going to tell me, ‘Oh, he’s an artist.’ No. He. Is. An idiot,” before he could get an answer out. Pacino also wrote that she also told the lawyer, “He’s an ignoramus,” and that “When it comes to this, you’ve got to take care of him.” The actor also noted that Keaton was right about everything and actually encouraged him to get back to work after only working on five movies throughout the 80s.”I could say I got taken advantage of. I could blame my accountants. I could blame [my manager] Mary Bregman, who had put me into some sort of tax shelter that went south. I could blame myself, but then I’d have to take responsibility for my own actions,” he wrote in the memoir.Pacino delved into various other experiences and personal struggles with his finances throughout his life in the book, and even admitted that some of his later projects were done purely for the money and doesn’t even think they are “very good.”The Scarface star also mentioned that his role as Tony Montana in the 80s crime drama was the role that brought in the most dough, writing, “To this day it’s still the biggest film I ever did. The residuals still support me, I can live on it, I mean, I could, if I lived like a normal person.”
Charlotte is (almost) the Work from Home Queen of the United States
The Census Bureau recently released its latest American Community Survey, a detailed look at how Americans live.One of the topics: How Americans get to work, and how many don’t have a commute at all.In the city of Charlotte, 29.7% of survey respondents reported working from home in 2023.That’s high. Still, it’s not a surprise, because Charlotte is a white-collar city. There are lots of bankers and lawyers working in their home offices, at least part-time.But few people know just how high that is.The ACS compiled data on 234 “places” with more than 65,000 people (including cities and densely-populated unincorporated areas).Of all those places, only Berkeley, Calif., had a greater share of people working from home than Charlotte, at 31.3%.Charlotte being almost tops in the nation for “work from home” is more than just a quirky statistic.It explains why the uptown office market is struggling, with some leaders calling for drastic measures such as tax incentives to demolish unneeded buildings. And it should be a key consideration in how the city plans its transportation future, especially a proposed multibillion-dollar plan that depends on a one-cent sales tax increase.Sixty percent of that sales tax money is dedicated to transit — which has been crippled in Charlotte in part by a number of technological and societal changes, including work from home.The cities with the most and least work-from-homeBefore we get back to all that, here is some data on work-from-home:In 2014, 4.9% of American workers worked from home, according to the American Community Survey. That’s now nearly tripled, to 13.8%.A decade ago, 5.2% of Charlotte workers were homebound. That was just a smidge above the national average. There were more than 60 cities in the country with a greater share of people working from home.But the city’s share of people working from home has risen nearly 500%, vaulting us to almost the top of the list.Here are the Census-designated places with the greatest share of people working from home in 2023:Berkeley, Calif. 31.3%Charlotte, NC 29.7%Arlington, Va. 28.6%Seattle, Wash. 28.5%Alameda, Calif. 28.1%Austin, Texas 28.1%Naperville, Ill. 27.9%Washington, D.C. 27.3%Dublin, Calif. 27.2%Denver, Colo. 26.1%And here are the Census-designated places with the smallest share of people working from home:New Bedford, Mass. 3.8%South Gate, Calif. 4%Trenton, N.J. 4.3%Brockton, Mass. 4.8%Fall River, Mass. 4.9%Corpus Christi, Texas 4.9%Compton, Calif. 5.2%Springfield, Mass. 5.2%San Juan, Puerto Rico 5.5%Elizabeth, N.J. 5.6%How do we get to work?The ACS also estimates how Charlotte’s 505,000 workers commuted in 2023.Drove alone in a car: 286,000Work from home: 150,000Carpool: 42,500Walk: 10,200Public transportation: 9,272Bicycle: 1,200Compare that to the ASC breakdown of how Charlotte’s 410,000 workers commuted in 2014:Drove alone in a car: 315,000Carpool: 44,700Work from home: 21,500Public transportation: 15,640Walk: 7,640Bike: 1,472Total public transportation share in 2014 was 3.8%. That’s fallen by more than half, and it’s now down to 1.8%.One thing that’s interesting is that walking had a sizable jump over the last decade, from 7,640 to 10,200. Perhaps that’s the result of more people living uptown and in South End, where they can walk the Rail Trail to the office.(If you are wondering, the American Community Survey asks workers age 16 and up how they got to work in the previous week from a list of options, including work from home. People who commute with more than one method are asked to select the mode of travel used on most days. So someone working from home might still go into the office one or two days a week.)Moving forward, it’s unclear whether employers will be able to force their workers back to the office full time, or at least the majority of time.At the start of 2024, Bank of America issued a stern warning to its employees who weren’t returning to the office. Most of the banks and other white-collar employers are on something like a three-day-a-week requirement now, but (so Transit Time hears through the grapevine) compliance is spotty at best.Last month, Amazon ordered all its workers to return to the office five days a week. Will that embolden other companies to do the same?Road congestionThe Texas Transportation Institute found the average Charlotte driver lost 57 hours a year to congestion in 2017. That fell rapidly during the pandemic as we stayed home en masse, dropping to 24 hours lost.Total traffic delays haven’t reached pre-pandemic levels yet, but are rising rapidly. They were up to 48 hours in 2022. Delays could surpass pre-pandemic levels this decade.Not a consideration for transportation planCharlotte is leading efforts to increase the Mecklenburg sales tax by one-cent to fund a multibillion-dollar transportation plan.City leaders haven’t publicly discussed in-depth the impact of work from home on transit, which is slated to receive 60% of the sales tax money if the plan moves forward (counting buses and rail). They instead focus on the overall population growth in the region, and the need to mitigate future congestion.In fiscal year 2014, CATS carried 29.5 million passenger trips. By fiscal year 2019, on the eve of the pandemic, ridership had already fallen to 24.3 million. That was possibly due to the proliferation of ride-share companies.COVID and work-from-home drove ridership even lower.For fiscal year 2024, CATS carried 15.3 million passengers. The transit system is on pace to carry about 16 million passenger trips in the current fiscal year.The rate of post-pandemic bounce-back is slowing, suggesting CATS ridership will stabilize at around 16 million to 17 million trips. That would be 68% of pre-pandemic levels and 56% of the peak a decade ago.The best way to measure the impact of work-from-home is on CATS’ commuter bus fleet, which caters exclusively to uptown workers. Ridership on those express routes is down 75% compared to 2014.
Here’s How the Cover of Fall’s Biggest Book — Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo — Came to Life (Exclusive)
Bestselling author Sally Rooney’s latest novel, Intermezzo, was published in September, and has quickly become one of the buzziest books of the yearPEOPLE spoke with Farrar, Straus & Giroux creative director Rodrigo Corral and graphic designer and illustrator June Park, who designed the novel’s U.S. cover“We brainstormed a few ideas, and we tried different concepts and directions that revolved around chess,” Park says of the design process
You’ve likely seen it staring out at you from your local bookstore’s front window display, taking over your social media feeds or under the arms of celebrities and bookworms alike: the cover of Sally Rooney’s novel, Intermezzo. The Irish writer’s latest book, which was published on Sept. 24 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, is undoubtedly one of the biggest new releases of the year so far.Readers, for one, are enamored with the plot, where brothers Peter, a lawyer, and Ivan, a chess prodigy, find themselves balancing relationships with very different women in the aftermath of their father’s death. A book centered on sibling dynamics is a fresh take for Rooney, who rose to literary fame with the novels Conversations with Friends (2017), Normal People (2018) and Beautiful World, Where Are You (2021).Another source of discussion, however, is the eye-catching cover. The stunning U.S. cover, featuring a yellow chess board design, was created by Farrar, Straus & Giroux creative director Rodrigo Corral and graphic designer and illustrator June Park.“Sally’s such an international, skilled, big author and we do have such big pride in being her U.S. publisher,” Corral tells PEOPLE. “We take it really seriously [when] we do get to design a book cover for her. We’re really mindful of her previous books, her brand, what the U.K. covers were doing. We wanted to make sure this makes sense to — and also appeals to — the U.S. market.”
The cover of ‘Intermezzo’ by Sally Rooney.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
The book cover design process typically takes about two to three weeks, Corral explains, and begins by meeting with the book’s editors. The author fills out a questionnaire to help the designers get a sense of the author’s thoughts throughout the writing process. Next, designers read the manuscript, share initial ideas within the art department and bring them to the editor for approval. Then, the jacket goes to the author and sometimes the sales team for their sign-off before the book hits the market.Park and Corral, who first began working together in 2015, had about “three weeks maximum” to design the cover for Intermezzo, which features the novel’s five central characters appearing as the shadows of chess pieces.
“Chess is such a prominent theme. We knew that that was not only important to the book, but, also, it’s visually really intriguing,” Park tells PEOPLE of the concept’s origin. “We brainstormed a few ideas, and we tried different concepts and directions that revolved around chess. We ultimately agreed that this specific layout was really interesting to us. And even with this, we played around so much [with] different layout, scale, color.”“That’s one of our joys in this space, is getting to be able to really refine ideas,” Corral says, adding that, “there’s something really rewarding” for the reader to see the correlation between the cover and the story itself.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
“All those things on the jacket function as clues and we love that,” Corral says. “It’s almost like a dialogue between design and reader, which we really pride ourselves in doing.”Devoted Rooney fans also know how the author’s books have taken on a new life beyond the page. Coveted press packages for Beautiful World, Where Are You featured tote bags, postcards and a now-iconic yellow bucket hat with the novel’s cover and title design. For Intermezzo, Park and Corral’s designs appeared on items like bandanas, enamel pins, a reusable bag and even a puzzle.Creating those promotional materials meant the designers had to align with the marketing department very early on in the process, to ensure everyone was working in tandem, Corral explains.
“It really takes a village to bring everything home,” Park says.The excitement for Intermezzo has been going strong since the novel was first announced in February 2024. Receiving an early reader’s copy was cause for celebration — and envy — on TikTok and Instagram, and many users were also quick to share their thoughts on the novel’s U.S., U.K. and exclusive Barnes and Noble covers, which Park says is great to see.
“There’s a lot of discourse online — a lot of hype about the cover, about the book, of course, a lot of debate between which cover you like more: U.K. vs. U.S.,” Park says. “It’s really all fun and makes me very happy to hear the discussion continue.”And this isn’t the first time the designers have seen the buzz grow for their books. Both Park and Corral have worked on covers for other big-name authors, from John Green to Lauren Groff, and say that hearing readers’ reactions is still rewarding. Though Corral finds it “fascinating” that some people are still discovering that book cover design is a profession, seeing his work out in the world “never gets dull.”
“Readers want to read because they want to get lost. They want to go on a journey. They want to learn something,” Corral says. “And that’s what’s such a gift, I think, for us as designers; we get that freedom to come up with something that they can connect with.”Park, who added that she loves seeing the work of her fellow FSG team members on display, also points out the importance of designing work for the writers themselves.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. “These are authors’ babies,” Park says. “They spend countless hours and life experience to make this happen. And it’s such an honor to get to have my take on it, try to make something meaningful for them, and also something that appeals to people. Something that people want to collect all editions of. It’s all really very gratifying work for me.”
Tori Amos Aims to Help Kids Find ‘Inspiration and Magic’ with Debut Children’s Book Tori and the Muses
Tori Amos is ready to inspire kids everywhere with her debut children’s book!
The Grammy-nominated musician, 61, has partnered with Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, to publish Tori and the Muses which will hit bookshelves everywhere on March 4, 2025. The book follows a young Tori navigating the magical world of inspiration in all its forms.
The cover of Tori Amos’ new children’s book, ‘Tori and the Muses’.
Penguin Random House
With illustrations by Demelsa Haughton, readers can expect to be taken into the world of a child who has “11 Muses who have guided her artistic pursuits since she was a baby.”
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
“Unhappy when her father forces her to rehearse for music recitals, the Muses remind Tori that inspiration is everywhere, and perhaps in helping others find their own Muses, she may better understand herself,’ a synopsis explains.
Amos, who also penned the 2020 New York Times bestseller Resistance: A Songwriter’s Story of Hope, Change, and Courage, said in a statement shared with PEOPLE that she was inspired to write her upcoming book to “offer up a different way for the reader to find inspiration and magic that is all around each of us.”
Author and songwriter Tori Amos.
Kavita Kaul
“For me, the muses allowed me to escape the concrete boundaries that confined me and enabled me to find a place where I could create without fear of judgment,” said Amos. “The muses are there for everyone, should you ever wish to look, and trust me here … they do not have cell phones or tablets … so will always be focused on guiding you to a whole new world of creativity.”
The multi-hyphenate artist proudly opened up about what she hopes readers will away from of her picture book for children in a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
“It’s a book about finding your inspiration really. For a family or a kid who reads this book, I’d like them all to walk away, maybe creating together,” she said. “Maybe encouraging each other, even the parents, to find their muses and the magic that will make them passionate about creating.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Tori and the Muses hits bookshelves March 4, 2025, and is available to preorder now, wherever books are sold.
How to Read the ‘Wicked Books’ in Order
1Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory MaguireNow 20% OffBorn with green skin and sharp teeth, Elphaba is a smart but prickly girl. This is the story of how she becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the West, as she fights discrimination against the talking Animals and finds herself gravely misunderstood. RELATED: Best Wicked Costume Ideas2Son of a Witch by Gregory MaguireNow 30% OffThe sequel to Wicked follows Liir, a young boy who may be Elphaba’s son. As he seeks to understand his identity and survive the turmoil of Oz, can he take up Elphaba’s mantle to fight for change? And can he find his half-sister in the process?Advertisement – Continue Reading Below3A Lion Among Men by Gregory MaguireNow 40% OffThis installment follows Brrr, the Cowardly Lion, once a young cub that Elphaba defended in Wicked. As civil war looms across Oz, Brrr meets a young girl named Dorothy and searches for information about Elphaba.4Out of Oz by Gregory MaguireNow 31% OffThis finale of The Wicked Years series brings together mysteries from the previous three books and ties them all together. Munchkinland has seceded from Oz, and hunters seek Elphaba’s book of spells to use in the war. The Cowardly Lion looks for redemption, while Dorothy is brought back to Oz to stand trial for murder. Throughout it all, Liir’s daughter, born green, is placed into Glinda’s care as she comes of age. Sarah Vincent (she/her) covers the latest and greatest in books and all things pets for Good Housekeeping. She double majored in Creative Writing and Criminal Justice at Loyola University Chicago, where she sat in the front row for every basketball game. In her spare time, she loves cooking, crafting, studying Japanese, and, of course, reading.Advertisement – Continue Reading BelowAdvertisement – Continue Reading BelowAdvertisement – Continue Reading Below
Opinion staff hot takes: 2024 election
With the 2024 presidential election looming, tensions are rising all over. Everyone has their own views and feelings on the election, whether those have to do with the candidates and their platforms, voting, media coverage, etc. Some of those are more controversial than others. Here at the opinion section, we don’t shy from controversy. So…
36 Travel Essentials You Probably Haven’t Thought Of, But Definitely Need
There are also two USB ports! Promising review: “While the listing says this adapter can’t be used in South Africa, India, Switzerland, and Italy, I just used this on my Italian vacation (in five different hotels!) and had zero issues — in fact, it was a complete godsend. Maybe they’ve updated the design, as I’ve seen some other reviewers who visited these countries say it worked for them, too. I’m not a tech-guru by any means, but I was able to get it working the very first time I tried it, and luckily for my husband, who did not think to bring an adapter, we were able to charge both his phone and mine every night using the USB ports. Just know that it’s primarily meant for charging small devices and not for powering up things like hair dryers and straighteners. I got it in black and it’s super sleek-looking, too!” —former BuzzFeeder Britt RossGet it from Amazon for $13.99+ (available in three styles).
FIFA signs up Lenovo as official tech partner for World Cup 2026 and beyond
Lenovo has been announced as the official technology partner for FIFA, the governing body covering world football.The deal, announced at Lenovo Tech World 2024, will cover the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, as well as the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil.It will see Lenovo offer its full range of computing technologies in a bid to make the world’s most popular sport even smarter and more accessible for fans across the globe.FIFA and Lenovo partnership“Lenovo is proud to support FIFA’s vision of leveraging technology to elevate the game, enhance the fan experience worldwide, and foster innovation that levels the playing field,” said Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang.“We’re excited that our cutting-edge technology and AI innovation will take center stage in the upcoming tournaments, demonstrating to the world the transformative power of smarter technology.”The company has said that its ThinkPad laptops, tablets, Motorola mobile phones, and servers will be among the technology being integrated for the tournaments, helping improve fan experiences in stadiums and global broadcasts, power enhanced analytics, and democratize data across all global football-playing nations.Lenovo already supports Formula 1 with its technology efforts, supporting improved fan engagement and broadcasting capabilities – something FIFA will hope to follow in the future.Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!“At FIFA, we are committed to growing the game globally and making football accessible for all – and we are excited to welcome Lenovo to our journey, and to work with them to implement technologies, innovations and programmes that spread our sport,” added FIFA President Gianni Infantino.“Data and technology combined helps us to know fans better, and we will use it to create unparalleled and unforgettable fan experiences at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.”More from TechRadar Pro