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Since the tragic news broke that director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, have died, tributes have been pouring in. And amid the stories of kindness, compassion, and political action, one story stands out: How the couple’s chance first meeting altered the ending of the 1989 classic When Harry Met Sallypossibly the most beloved romantic comedy of all time. Had the couple not met during filming, the movie’s memorable New Year’s Eve ending might’ve not been a part of the film at all. During production of the iconic rom-com in New York City, photographer Michele Singer Reiner (then Michele Singer) stopped by the set. According to a 1989 New York Times article, the director, who was earlier divorced from Penny Marshall, spotted her and instantly felt moved. I look over and I see this girl, and Whoo! I was attracted immediately, Reiner told the news outlet. The two were introduced by cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld, fell in love, and were married just months after meeting, in the same year the film was ultimately released. Cynical ending becomes more hopeful The meeting didn’t just change Reiner’s own love story, however. It prompted a new ending to the film, ensuring that Harry and Sally’s love would also last forever. “Originally, Harry and Sally didnt get together. But then I met Michele and I thought: OK, I see how this works, he told The Guardian in 2018. After falling in love with Michele, the director, who had been single for many years at the start of filming, scrapped the film’s cynical ending, which had Harry and Sally bumping into each other on the street years after their romance, chatting, and walking off in separate directions. In its place, was the ending we now know and love. It was during the scene that Billy Crystal said to Meg Ryan one of the most quotable lines in the film: “When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start right now!” With a screenplay written by Nora Ephron, the movie went on to become influential in the bourgeoning rom-com genre that dominated the 1990s. A relationship that crossed into film and politics The director and his photographer wife would work together on a number of projects, including Misery and the newly released comedy Spinal Tap II. But their ventures weren’t just creative onesthey were dedicated to making the world a better place and speaking out in the political sphere. Together, they started the I Am Your Child campaign, which urged a focus on early childhood development, and championed a California bill that directed tobacco taxes toward prenatal care and early childhood programs. Reiner also cofounded the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which was instrumental in overturning the ban on same-sex marriage in the state. The director once joked that Michele, who took Donald Trump’s photo for the cover of his book The Art of the Deal, “has a lot to atone for.” But in reality, she was his biggest inspiration, inspiring him to fight for causes he believed in. “I can honestly say the reason I’ve done so many things politically is because of her,” he told Stephen Colbert at the Montclair Film Festival in 2016. She is my Bunsen burner that lights the flame in my ass. The couple remained together until their tragic death on Sunday. The Los Angeles Police Department has said it is investigating their deaths as an “apparent homicide.”
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E-Commerce
A leading candidate to be President Donald Trump’s choice for Federal Reserve chair said that he would present the president’s views to Fed officials for their consideration but they could reject them if they chose when making decisions on interest rates.Kevin Hassett, in an interview Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” said he would continue to speak with Trump if he becomes the Fed chair. But when asked if Trump’s opinions on interest rates would have “equal weighting” with members of the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee, Hassett replied, “No, he would have no weight.”“His opinion matters if it’s good, if it’s based on data,” Hassett continued. “And then if you go to the committee and you say, well, the president made this argument and that’s a really sound argument, I think, what do you think? If they reject it, then they’ll vote in a different way.”Hassett’s comments come as Trump is reportedly in final interviews with potential replacements for the Fed’s current chair, Jerome Powell. Trump has emphasized that he expects whomever he nominates to lead the Fed will sharply lower the central bank’s key rate, which currently stands at about 3.6%. Trump has said it should be cut to 1% or lower, a view almost no economist shares. Trump’s outspokenness has raised concerns about the Fed’s independence from day-to-day politics under any chair he appoints.Until Trump’s first election in 2016, presidents of both parties for several decades had avoided commenting publicly on Fed decisions, and usually refrained from doing so privately as well. Economists generally believe that a politically independent Fed is better at combating inflation, because it can take unpopular steps to keep prices down, such as raise interest rates.On Friday, however, Trump said that he “certainly should have a role in talking to whoever the head of the Fed is” about rates.“I’ve done great. I’ve made a lot of money, I’m very successful,” he said. “I think my voice should be heard.”The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Kevin Warsh, a fellow at the right-leaning Hoover Institution and former Fed governor, is Trump’s current favorite to replace Powell, whose term ends next May. But Trump has previously hinted that he would pick Hassett.“I think the two Kevins are great,” Trump told the Journal.Hassett, for his part, on Sunday said that “in the end, the job of the Fed is to be independent.”“In the end, it’s a committee that votes,” he said. “And I’d be happy to talk to the president every day until both of us are dead because it’s so much fun.” Christopher Rugaber, AP Economics Writer
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E-Commerce
If you grew up pre-Y2K, chances are youre familiar with the concept of a lava lamp. Its much less likely that youve ever encountered a lamp made out of literal lava. Thats the basic description of a series of three lamps made by the luxury Italian lighting company Foscarini. The companys new Alicudi, Filicudi, and Panarea lamps, designed by Italian father-and-son design team Alberto and Francesco Meda, are formed from actual lava rock sourced from Mount Vesuvius. To own a piece of Italys iconic volcano, youll have to fork over $866 for any one of the lamp models. [Photo: courtesy Foscarini] The real lava lamp may be pricier than its 70s predecessor, but thats thanks to the labor-intensive process that goes into recycling the actual lava into a workable materialand converting it into an object youd actually want to hang in your dining room. [Photo: courtesy Foscarini] How an Italian design company made lamps from literal lava When Alberto and Francesco began brainstorming for the collaboration with Foscarini, they wanted to experiment with a material that would be entirely new in the lighting world. Francesco is already the co-art director of the company Ranieri, which works exclusively with lava stone to create bespoke tiles, tables, and stoolsmaking lava stone a natural fit for this new project. Alberto and Francesco Meda [Photo: Giuliano Koren/courtesy Foscarini] Unlike marble, lava is not quarried: it is gathered directly from the mountain, Francesco said in a press release. After an eruption the magma settles, becoming part of the terrain and forming blocks of lavic stone that can be crafted. The cutting process generates a large quantity of surplus chips, which we wanted to salvage. The Alicudi, Filicudi, and Panarea lamps use recycled lava chips, provided by Ranieri and left over from its other projects, as the main material composing their shades. To convert them into lamps, the scrap chips are crushed into a powder with varying grain sizes; mixed with a binder to produce a paste; poured into molds; and finished by hand to create a unique surface on every piece. [Photo: courtesy Foscarini] According to the team, this poured-lava composite is lighter than solid lava, allowing it to form thinner shapes while still maintaining its durability. As an added bonus, natural lava has a rugged surface full of pores and craterssimilar to a moon or planetscape. It might not be gooey, glowing lava, but it has its own atmospheric charm. [Photo: courtesy Foscarini]
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E-Commerce
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