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synchronousemma · 2 years

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7th November: Harriet Smith is a regular at Hartfield

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Read: Vol. 1, ch. 4; pp. 15–19 (“Harriet Smith’s intimacy at Hartfield” through to “oppose any friendly arrangement of her own”).

Context

Harriet Smith becomes a regular at Hartfield, and over these weeks is often in company with Mr. Knightley, Mr. Weston, and Mr. Elton. Harriet and Emma discuss Robert Martin, and Emma intuits that he might admire her friend.

We know this happened “soon” after Harriet and Emma’s introduction, “some weeks” before the “middle of December.”

Readings and Interpretations

Of Information

Emma’s view of Harriet comes forth in many ways, subtle and overt, in this passage, which relies heavily on free indirect discourse as focalized through Emma. The phrase “all her kind designs,” for example, may be indicative either of the narrator’s view or of Emma’s view of her own motives.

We are also given information through direct reports of Harriet’s and Emma’s speech, Harriet’s reports of Robert Martin’s speech, and Emma’s indirect reporting of Harriet’s dialogue (as in e.g. “his great good-nature in doing something or other,” possibly indicating the abstraction of Emma’s attention; Austen [1815] vol. 1, ch. 4; p. 16). We are left to piece together information, and the narrator’s and characters’ attitudes towards this information, as it is filtered through these different levels of remove (in the above example: Robert Martin’s action, which action Harriet reports, which report Emma thinks about, which thinking the narrator reports).

Reading On Reading

Critics have differing opinions on the import of the various books that are named in this section. Emma, in assuming that Martin does not read anything outside “the line of his business” (and thus does not possess the shared pool of information, references, and perspectives considered necessary for a gentleman’s education) is, per Rachel Brownstein, “[t]rying to persuade poor Harriet Smith that the farmer Robert Martin isn’t good enough for her” (p. 225). “Harriet struggles to defend her suitor” by detailing his reading habits, but nevertheless “has a flustered sense that there is something wanting in Robert Martin, that is, something that Emma would want.” Brownstein points out that this conversation occurs in a long 18th-century context of debate about how “the self and society could be improved by reading”; some reading might have a “civic value,” given “the idea of the informed citizen whose reading equipped him to function in the public sphere” (p. 228).

Brownstein assumes that the Gothic literature named has such a civic function: Harriet has been introduced to Gothic literature “under Emma’s tutelage,” and Emma feels that “if Robert Martin deserved to be called a man of information he would read fashionable gothic novels for himself, for pleasure”: “a romantic novel by a woman,” such as The Romance of the Forest, “promised to feminize and polish a Robert Martin” (p. 226).

Some scholars have a contrary reading that degrades (or that view Emma or the novel Emma as degrading) Gothic literature as unenlightening reading, or reading that indicates a lack of taste. Paul Fry, for example, argues that when Emma “magnifies Robert Martin’s failure to buy a Gothic novel, she is only thinking of his mercenary preoccupation and not alleging that he has poor taste. In fact, the vagueness of ‘the book you recommended’ may indicate her awareness that The Romance of the Forest is not wholly edifying reading” (p. 135). Corley attributes Harriet’s “rather haphazard taste” in English literature to head-teacher Miss Nash (p.126).1

Per Margaret Doody, the mentioning of these Gothic novels (as they are “stories of abuse and displacement”) has a positive function in troubling the notion of Highbury as a “peaceful, calm world.” She takes issue with views such as Fry’s, lamenting that “[c]ritical readers blithely assume that The Romance of the Forest and The Children of the Abbey […] are inferior books because Harriet Smith likes them. A strange reading of Austen’s dodgy novel, which centers on the fallibility of assumptions!” (p. 395).2

What of what Robert Martin has read? Per Ford, Robert Martin’s study of “Agricultural Reports” (perhaps William Stevenson’s General View of the Agriculture of the County of Surrey) “suggests a commitment not merely to ‘profit and loss’ […] but also to understanding the principles behind agricultural best practices” (n.p.), marking him out as innovative and well-informed.3

Rachel Trickett similarly argues that Martin’s reading choices show him to be a well-informed man and point up Emma’s snobbery towards him:

Jane Austen’s choice of books here is significant. Both were popular literary works she herself enjoyed—Elegant Extracts as a repository or anthology of the most popular pieces of prose and verse of the previous century and The Vicar of Wakefield as Goldsmith’s influential and immensely popular idyllic tale of the 1760s. Emma’s contempt for Robert Martin is […] ill founded in her author’s eyes […] Jane Austen singles out the snobbery and limitation to censure it (p. 298).

Regarding The Vicar of Wakefield: Robert Miles (paraphrasing Cronin & Macmillan) notes that it is a “cautionary tale of a humble maid who nearly comes to ruin by trying to marry above her station,” whereas The Romance of the Forest and The Children of the Abbey “are romances in which orphaned heroines find themselves elevated through marriages attendant upon the discovery of their noble births.” Thus “Robert Martin knows the reality-check, whereas Harriet wants him to read her own obvious wish-fulfillments (Cronin and Macmillan 449)” (Miles, p. 78). This, of course, is another reading that denigrates the Gothic in Emma.4

Discriminating by Degree

What does Emma mean when she says that “yeomanry are precisely the order of people with whom I feel I can have nothing to do”?

“Yeomanry” is a term that is commonly used to refer to freeholding farmers, who own the land on which they work, though Emma here uses it to refer equally to tenant farmers, who pay their landlords (in Robert Martin’s case, Mr. Knightley) for the use of their land. Emma says that she cannot meet Mr. Martin either on terms of charity (as she would if he were “lower”) or on terms of equality (as she could if he were genteel).

Alistair Duckworth attributes Emma’s statement to an unwillingness to interact with inferiors whom she is not able to “patronize” (p. 150). Howard Babb adduces jealousy as another possible motive:

Emma’s generalizations smugly catapult herself to a social elevation almost unapproachable. Her words are informed not only by her desire to appear socially exclusive but also by her irritation with Robert Martin for having attracted Harriet—which is to say that Emma, like her father, unhesitatingly converts private feelings into principles (p. 182).

Paul Pickrel agrees with Babb insofar as jealousy is involved, but argues that Emma’s supposed snobbery is a front to begin with:

Emma is no snob. She sometimes gives snobbish motives for her actions but always, I believe, for one of three reasons: either she does not know her real motives, or she is ashamed of them, or she has some strategic reason for disguising them. It is the last that leads to her snobbish remarks about Robert Martin. Clearly she wants to drive a wedge between him and Harriet in order to have Harriet to herself, and just as clearly there is no very good wedge at hand (p. 301).

Claudia Johnson, however, argues that there is no snobbery even in the sentiment expressed: Emma is here merely being open about the reality of how rank constrains and governs hers and others’ behavior, “describing with unwonted bluntness a mode of social organization which the most attractive of Austen’s heroes—Darcy, for one—thrive on and honor with raising our dander” (p. 126).

Certainly not Clever?

Some gentle fun is perhaps poked at Harriet in this passage—given the effusiveness and starts and stops of her style of speaking, for example, or her feeling that it is “very odd” for two people to have birthdays in the same month (Austen [1815], vol. 1, ch. 4; p. 17).5 Harriet’s flustered assertion that Martin is determined to get the novels that she had recommended “as soon as ever he can” is an example of Martin’s speech as reported by Harriet, but its phrasing is probably more indicative of Harriet’s speech style than Martin’s (ibid.).

Harriet is, however, clever enough to understand the import of Emma’s questioning as she (Emma) asks leading questions designed to cast Martin as less than a “man of information” (ibid.). Harriet understands, as Brownstein puts it, that “there are different kinds of books and different ways of reading,” from “books intended to instruct and to delight” to “useful” books to “books for leisure” (p. 226).

Her assertion, as well, that Robert Martin is “not handsome—not at all handsome. I thought him very plain at first, but I do not think him so plain now. One does not, you know, after a time” (Austen [1815], vol. 1, ch. 4; p. 17) may seem at first blush like a bit of inanity, especially as compared with the sophisticated syntax and crisp efficiency of Emma’s speech. But the sentiment expressed is not necessarily a foolish one: it reminds me of characters’ shifting attitudes towards beauty in others of Austen’s works, notably Pride and Prejudice (where Darcy’s evaluation of Elizabeth changes with familiarity)6 and Northanger Abbey (where Catherine, by no means a confirmed beauty, is one day described as looking “almost pretty”; Austen [1817], vol. 1, ch. 1; p. 6).

Discussion Questions

What parts of this passage are free indirect discourse, and which parts are narratorial? Is it always possible to tell?

How does this passage manage information between giving it to us directly, through Emma’s perspective, through Harriet’s direct dialogue, or through Emma’s indirect reporting of Harriet’s dialogue? Does it matter which information is given to us in which form?

What can we tell from this passage about Emma’s attitude towards Harriet, or towards Robert Martin? What does Emma mean by her aside on the “yeomanry”? Do we find Emma likeable here?

Where did Harriet get her taste in Gothic literature from? What do you think Emma’s opinion of these books is likely to be? What is the function of Gothic literature, or these specific titles, in this scene or the novel at large?

Footnotes

See also Alistair Duckworth: “Whereas Martin reads the Agricultural Reports, Harriet has only read ‘the Romance of the Forest’ and ‘the Children of the Abbey’” (p. 155). Per James Kinsley, the listing of these novels “indicate[s] the limitations of Harriet’s education and taste” (p. 441). Amigoni claims that the point made by mentioning Harriet’s novel-reading “seems to be that Emma had better reform herself before she does any more damage to the already half-ruined and impressionable Harriet, spoiled by the wrong kind of novel” (p. 50).

For a reading that vindicates the Gothic mode in Emma see McInnes.

On Martin's reading The Vicar of Wakefield see also Merrett, p. 716.

On this passage, and reading habits in the long 18th century, see also Simons, pp. 468–71, and Wilson, pp. 39–40.

This, incidentally, strikes me as one of those little details that allows Emma to intuit Harriet and Mr. Martin’s interest in each other from Harriet’s report. Austen’s manner of showing attraction between characters often hides in details such as this—I am put in mind of Mr. Darcy using Elizabeth Bennet’s height as a metric when Caroline Bingley asks about Georgiana Darcy’s, for example (Austen [1813], vol. 1, ch. 8; p. 27).

See Campbell.

Bibliography

Amigoni, David. “The Elements of Narrative Analysis and the Origins of the Novel: Reading Jane Austen’s Emma and Samuel Richardson’s Pamela.” In The English Novel and Prose Narrative. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2000, pp. 17–53.

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice (Norton Critical Edition). 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, [1813] 2001.

_____. Emma (Norton Critical Edition). 3rd ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, [1815] 2000.

_____. Northanger Abbey (Norton Critical Edition). New York: W. W. Norton & Company, [1817] 2004.

Babb, Howard S. Jane Austen’s Novels: The Fabric of Dialogue. Columbus: Ohio State University Press (1962).

Brownstein, Rachel M. “Why We Reread Jane Austen.” In Why Jane Austen? New York: Columbia University Press (2011), pp. 195–236.

Campbell, Teri. “’Not Handsome Enough’: Faces, Pictures, and Language in Pride and Prejudice.” Persuasions 34 (2012), pp. 207–21.

Corley, T. A. B. “Jane Austen’s ‘Real, Honest, Old-Fashioned Boarding-School’: Mrs La Tournelle and Mrs Goddard.” Women’s Writing 5.1 (1998), pp. 113–30. DOI: 10.1080/09699089800200035.

Cronin, Richard and Dorothy McMillan. “Harriet Smith’s Reading.” Notes and Queries 49.4 (December 2002), pp. 449–450. DOI: 10.1093/nq/490449.

Doody, Margaret. Jane Austen’s Names: Riddles, Persons, Places. Chicago: University of Chicago Press (2015).

Duckworth, Alistair M. “Emma and the Dangers of Individualism.” In The Improvement of the Estate: A Study of Jane Austen’s Novels. Baltimore, ML: John Hopkins Press, 1971, pp. 145–78.

Finch, Casey & Peter Bowen. “‘The Tittle-Tattle of Highbury’: Gossip and the Free Indirect Style in Emma.” Representations 31 (1990), pp. 1–18. DOI: 10.2307/2928397.

Ford, Susan Allen. “‘Not What You Would Think Anything Of’: Robert Martin and Harriet Smith.” Persuasions 38 (2016), pp. 137–54.

Fry, George. “Georgic Comedy: The Fictive Territory of Jane Austen’s Emma.” Studies in the Novel 11.2 (Summer 1979), pp. 129–46.

Johnson, Claudia L. “Emma: ‘Woman, Lovely Woman, Reigns Alone’.” In Jane Austen: Women, Politics, and the Novel. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988, pp. 121-43.

Kinsley, James, ed. Emma. By Jane Austen. Oxford: Oxford University Press (1995).

McInnes, Andrew. “Labyrinths of Conjecture: The Gothic Elsewhere in Jane Austen’s Emma.” Gothic Studies 18.1 (2016), pp. 71–84. DOI: 10.7227/GS.0006.

Merrett, Robert James. "The Gentleman Farmer in Emma: Agrarian Writing and Jane Austen's Cultural Idealism." University of Toronto Quarterly 77.2 (Spring 2008), pp. 711–37. DOI: 10.1353/utq.0.0280.

Miles, Robert. “‘A Fall in Bread’: Speculation and the Real in Emma.” Novel: A Forum on Fiction 37.1-2 (2004), pp. 66–85. DOI: 10.1215/ddnov.037010066.

Pickrel, Paul. “Lionel Trilling and Emma: A Reconsideration.” Nineteenth-Century Fiction 40.3 (December 1985), pp. 297–311. DOI: 10.2307/3044759.

Simons, Julie. “Jane Austen and Popular Culture.” In A Companion to Jane Austen, ed. Claudia Johnson and Clara Tuite. Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell (2009), pp. 467–77.

Trickett, Rachel. “Manners and Society.” In The Jane Austen Companion, ed. J. David Grey et al. New York: Macmillan (1986), pp. 297–303.

Wilson, Cheryl A. “The Practice of Reading: Austen as Guide.” In Jane Austen and the Victorian Heroine. New York: Palgrave Macmillan (2017), pp. 35–72. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-62965-0_2.

#jane austen #emma #emma woodhouse #jane austen's emma #harriet smith #miss nash #robert martin #e

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tabloidtoc · 3 years

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Star, March 1

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Humiliated Jennifer Lopez used for money and fame by Alex Rodriguez

Page 1: Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, who is a UK ambassador for George Clooney and Rande Gerber's tequila brand, welcomed a son on February 9 at London's Portland Hospital

Page 2: Contents, Robin Thicke in front of a piano at Gold Diggers studio in L.A.

Page 3: Star Shots -- Serena Williams honored late Olympic gold medalist Florence Griffith Joyner by rocking a one-legged Nike catsuit at the first day of the Australian open, Chrissy Metz brought some vibrancy to the virtual SCAD aTVFest where she discussed This Is Us and was honored with the Vanguard Award, Olivia Culpo checked out the view before heading to the Shaq Bowl in Tampa

Page 4: Inside Britney Spears' nightmare -- a shocking new documentary exposes how Britney was used and abused by people she trusted -- Britney's unable to communicate with fans directly without permission -- fans flooded Justin Timberlake's Instagram to demand an apology for what one called profiting from trashing a woman

Page 5: Facing a lawsuit from her estranged older sister has rattled Mariah Carey -- Alison Carey alleged to a NYC court that Mariah had intentionally inflicted emotional distress by writing about her in the 2020 tell-all The Meaning of Mariah Carey and Alison is seeking $1.25 million after the singer accused her of, among other things, throwing boiling hot tea on her and trying to sell a 12-year-old Mariah to a pimp -- now Mariah has become wary of even those in her inner circle and is making longtime employees re-interview for their jobs -- Mariah's always been on the paranoid side but everyone is a suspect now and she's grilling everyone from bodyguards to chefs to stylists and household staff who have been with her for years and if anyone pushes back they are shown the door -- her great fear is that people could cross over and spill secrets to the enemy because she's been caught off guard before by those she trusted

* Catching ZZZs has become a real problem for Kelly Clarkson -- between her gig as a daytime host, trying to sell homes in Nashville and Encino, and battling her ex Brandon Blackstock over custody of their two kids, she is beyond stressed and she can't sleep and nothing works; the most shut-eye she gets is two to three hours -- it's gotten so bad she's even tried hypnotherapy but her workaholic brain outwits it -- meanwhile her legal woes including a lawsuit with her husband and ex father-in-law's talent agency are getting nastier and Brandon has told her in no uncertain terms that he's not going to stop until he gets what he wants which is a ton of money and time with the kids

* She was the most loathed mother in America and now Casey Anthony wants her say -- 10 years after she was acquitted of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee, Casey is making a documentary about the trial and she thinks she can clear her name -- she's not looking for sympathy but she believes she's a victim too and was unfairly convicted in the public eye -- she is planning on dropping bombshells in the doc including her take on the theory that the toddler accidentally drowned in the family pool as well as shocking secrets about her own abusive upbringing but don't expect much remorse

Page 6: Just over a year after her father Kobe Bryant and sister Gianna Bryant perished in a tragic helicopter crash, Natalia Bryant who is Kobe's oldest daughter, has signed a modeling contract with IMG Models who also represent Bella Hadid and Gigi Hadid and the just signed Inauguration standout poet Amanda Gorman

* Rumer Willis was heartbroken when her months-long relationship with Armie Hammer fizzled out in December but after harrowing reports of Armie's alleged abuse of women including asking to barbecue their ribs and carry their severed toes in his pocket, Rumer is telling friends she feels lucky -- she wanted to defend him when the cannibalism stories first came out because she thought they were outrageous and now she feels badly for all of the victims and she's really grateful she didn't get caught up in the Armie nightmare

* Star Spots the Stars -- Eva Longoria, Mandy Moore, Demi Lovato, Dan Levy, Dorinda Medley

Page 8: Star Shots -- Meg Ryan wore some wide-legged trousers and a cute cap on a nature walk in Santa Barbara, Gavin Rossdale wore pink socks while playing tennis in L.A., Ciara holding six-month-old son Win during a family getaway to Hawaii

Page 9: Delilah Belle Hamlin and Love Island's Eyal Booker removed their masks for a quick street smooch during a coffee date in L.A., Sofia Richie enjoyed some PDA with shipping heir Gil Ofer in Miami

Page 12: Kate Upton doing yoga, Tia Mowry-Hardrict and her husband Cory Hardrict shared dishwashing duty after cooking at home, Robin Roberts tasted a treat on Good Morning America in New York City

Page 13: Pregnant Brittany Cartwright brought her dog along to retrieve the mail in L.A., Victoria Justice showed off her toned tummy post-workout in L.A.

Page 14: Goldie Hawn turned quality time with granddaughter Rani into a workout toting her in a backpack, Madonna and Guy Ritchie's son Rocco Ritchie waded in during a vacation in Tulum in Mexico, Lucy Hale on a stroll with her dog Elvis in L.A.

Page 16: Chris Noth put in a day's work on The Equalizer in Paterson in New Jersey, Flavor Flav and Flo Rida at The Super Glow Super Bowl kick-off party in Tampa, Bradley Cooper kept daughter Lea close as the two ran errands in NYC

Page 17: More than a week after celebrating 18 months of sobriety Lily Allen enjoyed a snack on-the-go in London, Jessica Alba lifted her son Hayes while riding scooters with husband Cash Warren in Beverly Hills

Page 18: Normal or Not? Cody Simpson got physical with new girlfriend Marloes Stevens during a romantic getaway in St. Barts -- normal, Selling Sunset's Christine Quinn picking up a portrait of herself in L.A. -- normal, Jack Black raised Thor's hammer in a parody posted on Instagram prompting Chris Hemsworth to call it the greatest thing he's ever seen -- not normal

Page 19: The Crown's Emma Corrin looked intrigued by a leafy object she stumbled upon during a stroll in London -- not normal, Sarah Jessica Parker kicked back in heels during a break from assisting shoppers at her flagship store in NYC -- not normal

Page 20: Fashion -- stars look sweet in tiered dresses -- Maude Apatow, Logan Browning, Margot Robbie

Page 21: Julianne Moore, Camila Morrone, Saoirse Ronan

Page 24: After months of quietly dating, Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley are ready to marry and they announced it in the most low-key way possible and the couple are madly in love and feel unequivocally that this is the real deal -- Aaron and Shailene were friends long before sparks flew in August last year and having to endure a long-distance romance during football season actually made their bond stronger -- Aaron and Shailene are already planning to start a family and they're at that stage when they feel ready to be parents and are keen to have a baby

Page 25: Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles have found another dynamic duo to spend their downtime with which is Florence Pugh and Zach Braff -- the foursome hit it off on the set of Don't Worry, Darling which Olivia is directing and in which Florence and Harry star -- they have the best time together and know how to forget the world outside -- as it turns out bearing witness to Florence and Zach's happy relationship despite their 20-year age difference played a part in Olivia taking a chance on dating Harry who is nine years her junior following her split from Jason Sudeikis and seeing them together inspired Olivia to go for it with Harry and she's so glad she did

* While some couples are overwhelmed being with their kids 24/7 in lockdown, Prince William and Duchess Kate have enjoyed the extended family time with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis -- having the kids at home during the pandemic has given Kate baby fever and she loves being around them and wants to have one more and she and William are trying for another, with Kate saying she's hoping for a girl -- as for raising four young kids, the pair are up to the challenge because Kate's a pro at multitasking and William is a devoted dad and they'll split parenting duties

* Matt Damon is hoping a change of scenery will save his rocky 17-year relationship with wife Luciana Barroso as the couple and their three girls have set up house in a lavish $7000-a-night rental in Australia's tony Byron Bay while the actor films Thor: Love and Thunder -- the beachy new surroundings are just what the couple needs after hitting a rough patch and Matt is working overtime to make sure Luciana enjoys herself Down Under by arranging date nights and buying gifts for her to open every day and even when he's working he's got time set aside for just them and the gestures seem to be working and it's the shot in the arm they both needed

Page 26: Cover Story -- Jennifer Lopez humiliated and used -- shocking cheating allegations rock J.Lo's world as fiance Alex Rodriguez's mistress Madison LeCroy tells all -- while Jennifer is putting on a brave face the affair rumors are devastating to her whether she admits it or not -- after revealing she and Alex exchanged DMs Madison said she doesn't want anything bad for his family or for hers -- Alex says it was innocent and that nothing happened but Jennifer is not fully buying it -- Jennifer and Alex's relationship is personal but it's also business; together, their fortunes have doubled

Page 30: Chip and Joanna Gaines -- inside our farmhouse reno -- Chip and Jo are expanding and renovating their Waco home and it may be their toughest job yet

Page 32: Celeb Parenting Fails -- these celebrity moms and dads share their hilarious hapless moments -- Anne Hathaway, Brad Pitt

Page 33: Willie Geist, Mila Kunis, Pink

Page 48: Parting Shot -- Despite it being her first concert in over a year, Miley Cyrus was ready to rock while headlining the TikTok Tailgate Super Bowl pre-show event in Tampa -- the show treated 7500 Florida-based healthcare workers to a set that included guest appearances by Joan Jett and Billy Idol, who both collaborated on Miley's latest album

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jeffreydesired · 3 years

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newagesispage · 5 years

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APRIL 2019

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***** The Rolling Stones have cancelled their North American tour. Mick Jagger apologized for cancelling due to undisclosed medical treatments. Oh Baby, Get Well Soon!!!!

***** Mick and his squeeze, Melanie Hamrick have put together a ballet set to Stones music called Porte Rouge. After premiering in Russia it will come to NY on April 18 for an opening night charity event to benefit Youth America Grand Prix. Tickets start at $600.

***** Tina Fey and Carol Burnett are working on a movie about Carol’s book, Carrie and me: A Mother –Daughter love story.

***** When I hear Bernie Sanders going on, I can’t help but think of Jimmy Carter. He was pushing many of these messages in the seventies. He tried to get us to have more respect for the land and to save energy and the greedy wrote him off as boring and the era of greed took over. Will we listen this time?

***** The Mueller report was finally turned over to Attorney General William Barr. This has started a whole new set of problems. Barr gives us a summary that is like springtime for Trump. He jumps right in to those that done him wrong and FISA warrants. Should congress get a look at the full report? Everyone is talking over each other and don’t seem to hear what the other is saying. Everybody piles on Adam Schiff because they think he isn’t accepting the report like a good Dem should. If they would listen, he makes it very clear that he respects the findings but they need to see the report. How dare they ask HIM to resign as Intel committee chair. It was heartwarming to see his backbone. They must quit backing down. We still don’t have the whole story but he still free to say that he thinks the actions we already know of were wrong. What the hell is wrong with that? Barr is supposed to release the heavily redacted report in mid- April. No collusion? Perhaps, Scary Clown 45 would probably not get his hands dirty. Obstruction? We’ll see. ** Tyler Mcgaughey, William Barrs son in law will now advise Trump and the White House staff. ** I am really sick of listening to the old white man POV.

***** Dow chemical has donated a mil to Trump’s campaign. Strange that Trump has blocked a report that took years of research and shows proof of Dow toxic pesticides which jeopardizes over 1,200 endangered species.

***** US from Jordan Peele opened to 70.3 mil. Just like his last movie, critics tell us to watch it twice. How great for the bottom line.

***** John McCarty, a dead man is running for village President in Spring Bay, Il.

***** Look out for the new film, The Kid, directed by Vincent D’onofrio. The western stars Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt, Hawk , D’onofrio , MorningStar Angeline and Leila George.

***** Did you ever see the reunion movie ‘Return to Green Acres? ‘ They tried to warn us of who Trump was a long time ago. How strange that it came full circle with that ridic Emmy Green Acres thing he did.

***** Shaq has become a deputy sheriff and has also been added to the board of directors of Papa John’s where he is an investor.

***** In sexual harassment news, Lucy Flores, a former Nevada assemblywoman has accused Joe Biden of unwanted touching and kissing at a 2014 campaign event.

***** Mark Hamill will voice the Chucky doll in the new Child’s Play.

***** Law and Order will get its 21st season.

***** The daytime Emmy noms have been announced and Days got the most this year. WOO HOO! The soap was nominated for drama, writing, costume, music, casting, art direction and oh, just everything. In the acting category the lead noms are Marci Miller, Tyler Christopher and Billy Flynn. Kate Mansi was noticed for a guest spot as Abigail so 2 actresses are up for Emmys in the same role. Other guest noms went to Thaao Penghlis and Philip Anthony Rodriguez. Kassie Depaiva, Linsey Godfrey (really?), Martha Madison, Greg Rikaart and Eric Martsolf were all nominated. Younger actor nods went to Olivia Rose Keegan, Lucas Adams, Victoria Konefal and Kyler Pettis. C’mon , why nothing for Lauren Koslow, Greg Vaughan, Casey Moss, Susan Seaforth Hayes and Robert Scott Wilson?? I think I would switch a few of these around but it is still great to see Days so blessed. I was also happy to see Max Gail from GH get noticed. CBS led the networks in noms. Hooray for Wayne Brady for game show host and Mark Hamill, Ruth Negga and Steve Buscemi in animated programs. Watch for the Daytime Emmys on May 5 which will not be on television again.

***** General Robert Neller has told the Pentagon that funds diverted to the wall are keeping Marines from rebuilding hurricane hit bases.

***** Devin Nunes is suing Twitter for the parody accounts, Devin Nunes Mom and Dvin Nunes cow which is pretty funny.

***** The EU is banning straw, cotton swabs and plastic cutlery by 2021.

***** Jenny McCarthy has a book out that slams The View.

***** Roseanne is thinking about suing ABC and has said some rather nasty stuff about Sara Gilbert.

***** Michael Avenatti was arrested for trying to extort $20 mil from Nike in NY. He claims he was just doing some lawyering. California has him on bank fraud charges. Why is there so much shadiness in this world? Let’s start rewarding the people doing good in this world and quit talking these headlines everyday.

***** Why did this Jussie Smollett thing go away?

***** Wal Mart is walking back this getting rid of the elderly and handicapped greeter thing.

***** Tracy Morgan and Will Forte are to star in the new animated Scooby Doo movie.

***** Johnny Depp has sued ex Amber Heard over the abuse allegations.

***** Martha Stewart is diving into the Marijuana product industry.

***** New York charges Manafort with 16 crimes. Perhaps he won’t get off as lightly with the state crimes.

***** Season 9 of American Horror Story has no premiere date yet. Emma Roberts is confirmed to return. It looks like it will also include Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters and silver medalist Gus Kenworthy.

***** New California Gov. Gavin Newsom has halted executions for now.

***** Dems will hold their convention in Milwaukee. And if I hear again that Hillary didn’t go to these sorts of places, I am gonna puke. She went! She went! Just not so much at the end.

***** Howard Stern will release his first book in 20 years this May.

***** Ok, so glad to see Whoopie Goldberg is starting to get back to work but it is just so unbelievable in this day and age and access to info that she seemed shocked that the insurance companies decide people’s fate. Of course, that is if you are lucky enough to have insurance.

***** Sandy Hook families can take lawsuits against the gun companies to court now.** Three suicides have recently come from survivors and a parent of Parkland and Sandy Hook. The pain goes on.

***** The Senate voted 59-41 to terminate the emergency declaration. VETO

***** Rick Singer, founder if a college prep business had pled guilty to money laundering, obstruction of justice and racketeering. The nationwide college entrance exam scandal involves about 50 people including Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin that dates back to 2011. People paid millions to use ringers to take or fix their children’s exams and sometimes faked photos with coaches to include them in sports they were never involved in. The U.S. attorney does not believe the schools themselves were involved. **Lawsuits have already begun from those claiming they could not get into a good college because those spots were taken by these alleged cheaters.

***** Jennifer Hudson will play Aretha Franklin in the biopic.

***** Experts say a recession is on the horizon.

***** Two Sacramento police officers will face no charges for their overkill of the unarmed Stephon Clark. Oh Big surprise!!

***** White supremacist groups on line are growing faster than ISIS. ** I never get it, if white supremacists are so supreme, so wonderful, wouldn’t they rise to the top naturally? Why do they need to rid the world of others or keep minorities down?? If they think others are so inferior, those they hate or fear should not be a problem .

***** Jeanine Pirro was pulled off Fox news after a racist rant about Muslims. ** And where is Rudy? The lawyer hasn’t been seen on the air since January. ** Is this true? Did Ivanka and Jared really try to resign? Did Scary Clown 45 try to push them into it and then not accept those resignations?

***** This can’t be true. Only 5 states have laws requiring patient consent for medical students to do vaginal exams on women under sedation.

***** I rarely think about Jay Leno but he was right about the late night comics all doing different versions of the same joke. But, who is he to talk? I mean how many different things did you do on OJ and Clinton?? At least these guys are funny.

***** The talk that people stay in their bubble becomes crystal clear when you see the poll asking if the President is truthful: Fox viewers : 84%, MSNBC viewers : 21% and CNN viewers: 1%. Whoa!

***** Word is that Scary Clown ordered economic advisor Gary Cohn to pressure the Justice Department to file a lawsuit to block the Att-Time Warner merger to retaliate against CNN.

***** At least 250 power plants across the country are leaking toxic chemicals into nearby water.

***** Jay Inslee is running for president! I think Stacey Abrams and Jay Inslee would be a nice ticket>

***** Beta O’Rourke is running for President! The psychedelic warlord!

***** Kristen Gillibrand is running for President!

***** Conor McGregor was arrested and charged with felony strong armed robbery and criminal mischief in Miami.

***** The process is in the works to get Trumps tax returns.** The house Judiciary committee has requested 81 documents.** This can’t be true. Trump was signing Bibles for volunteers and survivors in Alabama??

***** Just when it can’t get any weirder: Li Yang and her hubby, Zubin Gong run a string of massage parlors with questionable reputations. Until recently they ran the one that Robert Kraft was busted in. They also had a web site that seemed to sell access to their buddy, Donald Trump with Chinese business contacts. As soon as the story broke, the sites for an international consulting firm, text only in Chinese and no prices for the meets came down. Li Yang and her associates are in pictures at the inauguration, the White House, Mar A Lago and Trump’s super bowl party with the Pres, his sons and other Trump family members. We should have seen this coming. The old adage that always holds true with this administration seems true here. They always blame others for what they are really guilty of, this explains the Pizzagate garbage. This could be bigger than we ever dreamed. Even stories that we may have thought a bit out there need to be looked at closer. Can we connect the sex trafficking, the White House, the money? It is time to quit fucking around with the sellers and customers of those exploited in the sex trade. I don’t get it, all these men from Trump to R Kelly have the power over the women they supposedly use and abuse and yet they are always so angry. Perhaps they wouldn’t be losing their power if you treated others with respect and dignity. They always want all the power for themselves. And c’mon media, stop talking your heads off about the Omar story and give this Li Yang story a closer look.

***** The story of the fall of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes is a sad one. It does show that greed and massive fraud are not just for the men of this world. When I first heard of her plans for the blood testing, I was so impressed with what she was accomplishing at her age. Yes, she was another poor little rich girl whose family fortune was quite diminished by the time it got to her. Even without the Fleischman yeast money, she did seem to have advantages. I can see how some of us were fooled but what about the big investors, the stalwart statesmen? Do they not remember that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is? How can all the hype, the press, the marketing snowball before there is any proof that something is what is actually supposed to be?? I always assumed that by the time I am hearing about it, things are about ready to go. Seeing all these stories like Trump and Deutsche bank, light sentences for Manafort and now Holmes and her partner in crime seeming to get off lightly, there is not much hope for the little guy. WHY can’t we hold those involved in big money crimes really responsible??

***** It’s true, rich people cause socialism – Neal Brennan.

***** Even in 1692 the rich were different. –Stacy Schiff- The Witches.

***** FEMA released the personal data of 2.3 million victims.

***** They have dug up old words from Fox’s Tucker Carlson. Big surprise that he seemed to empathize with Warren Jeffs, thought women should just shut up and called a woman “cunty.” The women who lap up the words of these men must not think much of themselves.

***** Why are we letting the banks finance detention centers and prisoners? It’s more than immigration or punishing criminals. Why is this big business?? I can’t believe this is still going on. Wake up!!! When will the children be free? C’mon House and Senate, Pass the Shut Down child prison camps bill.

***** Somebody has to pay for this President’s folly: The scary clown new budget cuts:$ 1.5 trillion from Medicaid/ $845 billion from Medicare/ &25 billion from Social Security.

***** About 1 rural hospital a month is shutting down due to lack of support and lack of funds.

***** Globalization seems to be spreading a pathogen killing the olive trees in Italy.

***** A fake Melania?? WTF? UGH!

***** Matthew Whitaker is out! Bill Shine is out!

***** When will we ever be able to buy the boxed set of Late Night with Dave?? Hurry so the next generation can see the genius they may have missed.

***** Pete Davidson and Kate Beckinsale??

***** Hey Bill Maher, way to go with your PETA message about the terrible treatment of the geese used to make Canada Goose down jackets. I will stay away!!

***** J Lo and A Rod are engaged.

***** Bette Midler and Judith Light will join the cast of The Politician.

***** Jussie Smollett has been indicted on 16 felony counts.

***** HBO’s Crashing was cancelled. Pete Holmes was great in this but I never really saw much promotion for it. I hate it when good stuff falls thru the cracks.

***** Kathy Griffin has a new film about the ridiculous Trump head, nearly career ending, Government harassment crap in her life. Kathy Griffin: A Hell of a story. Make that lemonade!! A girl has to take care of herself. It premiered at SXSW.** Speaking of SXSW, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez drew great crowds while she was there.

***** R Kelly lives in Trump tower in Chicago. Well, of course he does. Why is it ok for the rest of us to put up with these arrogant, abusive males in this society? Everyone is giving kudos to Gayle King for her calm demeanor in her interview. Yes, how professional of her but why should she be subject to that disrespect?? She is in her workplace. Would R Kelly have liked his Mother or daughter to be treated that way?

***** So, word is that Isaiah 45 is a Trump thing with the evangelicals. This scripture refers to Cyrus , the anointed one. OY!

***** Days alert: Robin Strasser is coming OH BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!** Judith Chapman and her old style soap acting just too much. ** C’mon Chloe and Rex!!** More Nurse Shelly!! ** Is Johnny Dimera on his way to town? ** I was so glad to see Tony, one of the best characters ever anywhere, even if it was part of an out of body experience.

***** Why do we have to keep talking about George and Kelly Ann Conway?? Are they just covering their bases? With one on each side of the Trump argument, they win no matter what happens right?

***** So now we know that about 400 Catholic clergy have been accused of sexual misconduct in Illinois. It never ends.

***** End the electoral college!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

***** S

***** Fox has hired Donna Brazile. People seem to finally be taking Bill Maher’s advice and telling their point of view to the other side. How else will sanity prevail if we don’t find common ground? We cannot look to this administration for guidance in this world, we have to figure these things out for ourselves, which we should be able to do anyway.

***** Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds. We have to find our self- worth.

R.I.P. Andy Anderson, Katherine Helmond, Nathaniel Taylor, Luke Perry, Alabama tornado victims, Jan Michael Vincent, the Ethiopian airlines disaster victims, Hal Blaine, victims of the New Zealand Mosque shootings, Sydney Aiello, the Ogossogou village attack victims, Denise DuBarry, Larry Cohen, Jeremy Richman, Ray Sawyer, Tania Mallet and Nipsey Hussle.

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theconservativebrief · 5 years

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By November, Hollywood’s annual awards cycle is in full swing. Movies that are angling to capture the attention of both critics and members of various Hollywood professional guilds often come out in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, hoping to impress audiences and then stick in awards voters’ memories as voting begins.

It’s also a busy month in “prestige season,” when the public is finally able to see some of the critically lauded or otherwise buzzy films that debuted at film festivals and are hoping to remain in the awards conversation all the way until the Oscars in February. (For a movie to qualify for the Oscars, as well as for many critics and guild awards, it must premiere in New York and Los Angeles at least one week before the calendar year ends.)

November 2018 is full of movies with wide appeal. New movies from Oscar-favorite directors like the Coen brothers, Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity), Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) are about to hit theaters and, in some cases, Netflix as well. The selections include a biopic about Van Gogh, a heist movie, a crowd-pleasing historical comedy, and a wickedly funny tale of palace intrigue. And that’s just the beginning.

To prepare you for the oncoming onslaught of awards-season prognostication, here are eight films premiering this month that you can expect to hear more about in the months to come.

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The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a return to the Old West for Joel and Ethan Coen (who’ve traveled there before for two of their best films, No Country for Old Men and True Grit). It’s a trope-heavy sextet — six short films strung together, without any obvious connections between them except a kind of dream logic. It’s an episodic, dark-hearted romp through a series of stories about outlaws, gold diggers, robbers, pioneers, and mysterious strangers. Thematically, all six are loosely linked by a sense of how absurd death can be, how unfair and irreverent and sometimes even funny it is.

So even though The Ballad of Buster Scruggs isn’t a typical ballad, in that it doesn’t construct a single, continuous narrative, its thematic connections nonetheless give it the feel of a murder ballad. It’s not the tale of a single murder — more of a pile of them — but as the film’s individual pieces and parts accrue meaning, the culprits of its stories emerge: chance, human cruelty, and the unfeeling universe. In other words, it’s a Coen brothers movie, and one that, thanks to its fine darkly comic timing and steady directorial hand, could net them another Oscar nomination for writing or directing.

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Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen, whose 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture in 2014, returns to the awards race with a heist movie that has all the trappings of a typical heist movie: the plans, the machinations, the twists. But there’s a lot more going on, too, in a tale about women who know the world is stacked against them and decide to fight back against it anyhow.

After a group of women, previously strangers to one another, are widowed following their husbands’ deaths in a botched and seemingly inexplicable scheme, they band together to finish the job against the backdrop of a corrupt election on Chicago’s South Side. Viola Davis, who’s a strong contender for acting awards this season, leads a star-studded cast that also boasts Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, Carrie Coon, Liam Neeson, Colin Farrell, Daniel Kaluuya, Brian Tyree Henry, Jon Bernthal, and Robert Duvall.

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Julian Schnabel is both a painter and a celebrated filmmaker, and he’s clearly attracted to stories of people who overcome the odds — often some physical or mental challenge — to create art that endures far beyond their time. And he’s no stranger to the Hollywood awards fray: His 2007 film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, about a paralyzed man who writes a memoir by blinking his eye, netted him three Golden Globe nominations (two of which he won, for directing and foreign language film) and four Oscar nominations, including one for Best Director.

Eternity’s Gate is about Vincent Van Gogh, but Schnabel crafts a portrait of the artist that’s more broad, impressionist strokes than straightforward biopic. The film depicts Van Gogh’s descent into mental turmoil and constant rebuffing by the world around him, suggesting that he was more of an outsider artist than we’re accustomed to thinking of him, which ultimately makes the film more of a meditation on the nature of artistic calling. Both the film and its screenplay may be part of the awards conversation this year. But its best chance at trophy is perhaps in Willem Dafoe’s performance as Van Gogh, which has already attracted plenty of attention.

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Roma was one of the year’s most anticipated films, and it’s been the subject of rapturous reviews since its fall festival debut. The lushly shot, monochromatic domestic drama from Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity, Children of Men) — who also served as his own cinematographer on the film — tells the story of a family in Mexico City and a girl who works for them.

Focusing on the struggles and strength of the family’s women, Roma is funny, sad, and carefully told — a challenge to the viewer to simply sit and pay attention to people who find themselves overlooked in their own homes. The film is being positioned by Netflix for a run at awards in a number of categories, including cinematography, directing, and writing — and given its sensitive, gorgeous rendering that’s garnered comparisons to world cinema masters like Fellini and Bresson, it’s likely to be a strong contender.

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Green Book was an audience favorite on the fall film festival circuit, earning the Grolsch People’s Choice Award at TIFF, which is often considered a strong indicator of Oscar season success. (Last year’s winner was Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.) It’s easy to see why viewers liked it: Green Book is an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser, based on a true story and starring Viggo Mortensen as an Italian-American New Yorker who’s hired to drive a prominent Jamaican-American pianist, played by Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, on a performance tour through the south in the 1960s.

In some ways, Green Book feels too old-fashioned, with blithe characterizations that seem ripped from an earlier era of filmmaking. It often feels similar to movies like Driving Miss Daisy and others like it, which have more recently been criticized for whitewashing the true nature of racial tensions in America in favor of making audiences feel good. But it’s a broadly funny movie, with strong performances from Mortensen and Ali, and it seems obviously poised to be a favorite with some segments of the Academy as well as audiences this fall.

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A deliciously wicked, loosely historically based drama from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (who won an Oscar for his screenplay for The Lobster in 2017), The Favourite is a dark comedy about three women: Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), her closest friend and adviser (Rachel Weisz), and the young woman (Emma Stone) who joins the household and starts to usurp that coveted spot.

The luxurious interiors, cockeyed sensibility, and complex trio of female characters with frank views on power, sexuality, and what they want out of life has already pushed the film into the limelight after its fall festival run. The three performances at its center are all strong contenders for individual acting awards — particularly Colman, a beloved TV and film actress (and the new Queen Elizabeth on The Crown) whose time for recognition may finally have arrived.

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Shoplifters, from Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, made its debut earlier this year at Cannes, where the jury awarded it the top prize, the Palme d’Or. It’s an intimate and accessible drama about a family of small-time petty crooks who live in a small house, scratch out a living, and take in a young girl who appears to have lost her family altogether.

But as the story unfolds, a mystery seems to emerge almost imperceptibly from the family’s everyday interactions, and the movie eventually becomes something unexpected, surprising, and haunting. With strong performances and an engaging narrative, Shoplifters continued to earn praise and capture hearts throughout its fall festival run; it’s also Japan’s Oscars entry for Best Foreign Film.

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For his follow-up to Moonlight, which won Best Picture in 2017, director Barry Jenkins chose to adapt James Baldwin’s 1974 novel If Beale Street Could Talk. Set in Harlem, the story centers on a young black couple (played by Stephan James and newcomer Kiki Layne) who grew up together and fell in love. But then conflict takes over — not originating from inside their relationship, but pressing in from the outside world.

If Beale Street Could Talk is a beautiful, expressive film, at times feeling like a tone poem or lyrical plaint, with a stacked cast that also features Regina King, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, and Brian Tyree Henry. It’s set in the 1970s, but thanks to the way it confronts how sexual assault allegations, policing, and racism can interlock for communities of color, it feels incredibly contemporary, too. It’s hard not to fall under its beautiful, somber, lustrous spell, and as a story about black American life framed as a love story, its images are indelible.

Given its strong showing at fall film festivals and its combination of visual beauty and contemporary importance, If Beale Street Could Talk is being positioned as an awards contender in categories ranging from acting and cinematography to adapted screenplay, director, and Best Picture.

Original Source -> 8 movies out this month that are looking for Oscar season glory

via The Conservative Brief

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ralphmorgan-blog1 · 7 years

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London fire: Six killed as Grenfell Tower engulfed – BBC News

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionOne eyewitness said he saw people blinking lights within the building

At least six people have died after a huge fire raged through the night at a west London 24-storey tower block, and police expect that number to rise.

Eyewitnesses described people trapped in the burning Grenfell Tower, in north Kensington, screaming for help and yelling for their children to be saved.

Firefighters, who rescued many people, were called at 00:54 BST and are still trying to put out the fire.

Police say there may still be people in the building who are unaccounted for.

The ambulance service said 69 patients had been taken to six hospitals across London, with 18 in critical care. A further 10 patients made their own way to hospital.

During the night, eyewitnesses said they saw lights - thought to be mobile phones or torches - flashing at the top of the block of flats, and trapped residents coming to their windows - some holding children.

It is understood that "several hundred" people would have been in the block when the fire broke out shortly after midnight, most of them sleeping.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionMickey, a resident of Grenfell Tower: 'It was like a horror movie'

Commander Stuart Cundy, of the Metropolitan Police, said the recovery operation would be "complex and lengthy", and the number of fatalities was expected to rise.

He declined to give any details of the number of people who may be missing.

He said it was likely to be some time before police could identify the victims, adding that it was too early to speculate on the cause of the fire.

An emergency number - 0800 0961 233 - has been set up for anyone concerned about friends or family.

At 13:00 BST, Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said firefighters expected to be on the scene for at least another 24 hours.

She said there were concerns that people were still inside the tower and she urged all residents to make sure they had reported themselves to police so that the authorities know they are safe.

'Absolutely appalling'

Prime Minister Theresa May is "deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life", said Downing Street.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt praised the "heroic" response from the emergency services and the NHS hospital staff "working tirelessly to help".

Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is to demand a government statement in Parliament on Thursday on the tragedy, the BBC understands.

There must be a "full inquiry" into the fire, newly-elected Kensington MP Emma Dent Coad told the BBC.

Speaking outside the Rugby Portobello Trust emergency centre, the Labour MP said the fire was "absolutely appalling".

"The ferocity of that fire was extraordinary and terrifying," she said. "This must never happen again."

Police and fire minister Nick Hurd was due to chair a cross-party meeting to look at how the government can assist the emergency services and local authorities.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionDavid Benjamin says he was woken by a neighbour banging on the door

Paul Munakr, who lives on the seventh floor, managed to escape.

"As I was going down the stairs, there were firefighters, truly amazing firefighters that were actually going upstairs, to the fire, trying to get as many people out the building as possible," he told the BBC.

He said he was alerted to the fire not by fire alarms but by people on the street below, shouting "don't jump, don't jump".

Eyewitness Jody Martin said: "I watched one person falling out, I watched another woman holding her baby out the window... hearing screams.

"I was yelling at everyone to get down and they were saying 'We can't leave our apartments, the smoke is too bad on the corridors.'"

What we know so far

Baby caught after being 'dropped to safety from tower'

Latest updates as crews work on building

Pictures from the scene

Residents raised fire risk fears

Michael Paramasivan, who lives on the seventh floor with his girlfriend and young daughter, said he ignored official advice to stay in your home.

"If we had stayed in that flat, we would've perished. My gut instinct told me just to get the girls out. I wrapped the little one up because of the smoke and I just got them out."

Another resident, Zoe, who lives on the fourth floor, said she was woken by a neighbour banging on her door.

"The whole landing was thick with smoke. The smoke alarms weren't going off but the way it spread so quickly from the fourth floor, all the way up to the 23rd floor was scary."

At the scene

Image caption Mirna, Fatima and Zainnb are among those missing

By Lucy Manning, BBC News

They have lost their homes and for some, tragically their relatives.

At times there is the sound of sobbing as the word goes round that someone is missing, someone is feared dead.

I've spent the day inside the community centre where survivors have gathered.

Downstairs in the hall families sit at tables and wait for news.

One family told me they hadn't heard from their brother, sister and three children - Mirna, Fatima and Zainnb. Other relatives were out searching hospitals. There was still no news.

Outside the centre, Sawsan was with a group of women. For one it was too much, she was on the floor crying. Sawsan hasn't heard from her mum, sister, brother-in-law and nieces. She spoke to them when the fire started but nothing since.

Inside the centre, families are being helped with food, housing and medical treatment. It's busy and everyone is helping. Just not with the one thing they need - information about whether their relatives are safe.

Christabel told me how lucky her father had been. He tried to fight the fire but made it out alive.

Ed was saved when a friend called him to tell him to get out the building. "I'm lucky" he says. But they have lost everything.

Grenfell Tower, built in 1974, is part of the Lancaster West Estate, a sprawling inner-city social housing complex of almost 1,000 homes.

Robert Black, chief executive of the tower's management company, the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation, said: "The fire at Grenfell Tower is devastating and the reports of injury and losses of life absolutely heartbreaking.

"Along with my colleagues, I have been supporting residents since the early hours, working with the emergency services and the community."

The BBC's Andy Moore, who was at the scene through the night, described watching debris falling from the building, and hearing explosions and breaking glass.

Grenfell Tower, North Kensington

120 flats

24 storeys

20 residential levels

4 community/podium levels

2016 refurbishment completed

AFP

Image copyright PA

Image caption London fire crews said it was a "large and very serious incident"

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption There are 120 flats in the residential block

The London Fire Brigade said a structural engineer had checked the building and determined it was not in danger of collapse and that rescue teams were safe to be inside.

Initially, it was feared that the building, which appears to be gutted, could collapse.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was devastated by the horrific scenes, attended by more than 250 firefighters and 100 ambulance medics.

Questions will need to be answered over the safety of tower blocks, he told BBC Radio.

"We can't have a situation where people's safety is put at risk because of bad advice being given or if it is the case, as has been alleged, of tower blocks not being properly serviced or maintained," he said.

Matt Wrack, of the Fire Brigades Union said something had clearly gone badly wrong with fire prevention procedures at the building.

Firefighters would normally fight a fire in a tower block from the inside, going up the fire escape, and fighting using the internal dry-rising mains, he said, but that's not been possible in this case.

Construction firm Rydon said recent building work which it carried out on the block "met all required building control, fire regulation and health and safety standards".

Image caption Refurbishment work completed in 2016 included more residential areas in the four lower 'podium' levels

Appeals are being made on social media for news of missing friends and relatives, who might have been caught in the blaze.

Emergency rest centres have opened for those now homeless at Latymer Community Centre, St Clement's Church, Harrow Club and Rugby Portobello Trust. There are also local collections under way for spare clothes, toys, blankets and toiletries.

People are being advised by police to stay away from the area, where roads remain closed and nearby residents have been evacuated as a precaution.

Image copyright EPA

Image caption The London Fire Brigade said a structural engineer had checked the building

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images

Image caption More than 70 people have received treatment in hospital

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption Smoke could be seen from miles away

Safety concerns

Grenfell Tower underwent a two-year 10m refurbishment as part of a wider transformation of the estate, that was completed last year.

Work included new exterior cladding and a communal heating system.

The 24-storey tower, containing about 120 flats, is managed by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) on behalf of the council.

Before and during the refurbishment, the local Grenfell Action Group claimed that the block constituted a fire risk and residents warned that site access for emergency vehicles was "severely restricted".

Construction firm Rydon, which carried out the refurbishment, said it was "shocked to hear of the devastating fire" and added that the work "met all required building control, fire regulation and health and safety standards".

Council leader Nick Paget-Brown said the buildings were regularly inspected, but a "thorough investigation" was needed.