This year, Food Network will be showcasing a fantastic holiday lineup with the debut of Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays.
The series consists of four brand new specials, starring the internationally renowned Selena Gomez, which will premiere on Thursday, November 30th at 8 pm ET/PT.
Gomez is excelling in her career as a musical artist, actor, businesswoman, and philanthropist, but she seeks assistance from experts to enhance her cooking abilities during the holiday season.
This year, she has extended an invitation to all-star chefs Eric Adjepong, Alex Guarnaschelli, Michael Symon, and Claudette Zepeda. They will be bringing their favorite dishes and culinary wisdom to her home kitchen in order to prepare flawless holiday meals that can be shared with loved ones.
“The holidays have always meant so much to me. It was an honor to have these amazing chefs in my kitchen to introduce some of their favorite foods and what makes the holidays special for them,” Gomez says.
During the four specials, the chefs will guide Selena and her best friend, Raquelle Stevens, in improving their culinary skills to enhance the season.
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli and Selena prepare roast beef and “Chantilly” mashed potatoes for a tree-trimming party for Selena + Alex. Michael Symon appears in Selena + Michael for a “Surf & Turf” Christmas with Selena, tackling steaks and lobster.
Chef Claudette Zepeda prepares a Mexican feast in Selena + Claudette, including tamales, a traditional Latin Christmas dish, and a unique twist on a historic salad.
Then, at Selena + Eric, celebrate the New Year with Chef Eric Adjepong over a brunch featuring Shrimp and banana Grits and Malva Pudding. Gomez’s Papa, Nana, and sister Gracie make special appearances, making this a family affair.
“With an incredible festive programming slate all season long, Food Network is the holiday destination for viewers and their families,” said Betsy Ayala, Head of Content, Food, Warner Bros. Discovery. “Offering special culinary moments is the way Food Network celebrates the holidays, so to have superstar Selena Gomez, who has more than 650 million fans on social media, open the door to her own home kitchen is a holiday dream come true for fans.”
Selena Gomez is one of her generation’s most globally and culturally celebrated artists, actors, producers, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists.
Gomez, a GRAMMY-nominated recording artist, has sold over 210 million singles worldwide and has over 45 billion global streams.
She has produced the hit Netflix series 13 Reasons Why as well as the acclaimed Netflix docu-series Living Undocumented.
Selena is currently executive producing and starring in the critically acclaimed Hulu series Only Murders in the Building, which she co-created with comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short.
Gomez was nominated for both a Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series and a SAG Award for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Furthermore, she was only the second Latina to be nominated for an Emmy for executive producing a comedy series last year. Gomez debuted her beauty line Rare Beauty in 2019.
Gomez announced the Rare Impact Fund as part of the collaboration, pledging to raise $100 million for mental health services for people in underserved communities.
Gomez produces Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays for July Moon Productions, with executive producers Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman on behalf of Sony Pictures Television’s The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC), showrunner Shauna Minoprio, and Melissa Stokes.
Netflix has unveiled the latest teaser for its Indonesian series Cigarette Girl that will start streaming on November 2, 2023. Based on the novel by Ratih Kumala, the period drama tells the story of Dasiyah (Dian Sastrowardoyo), whose passion is concocting the perfect formulas for clove cigarettes, known as kretek. It also delves into her love story with Soeraja (Ario Bayu), a narrative intertwined with Indonesian historical events in 1960. Decades later, Soeraja’s son, Lebas (Arya Saloka), meets Arum (Putri Marino), and together, they set out to unearth buried secrets from the past.
Helmed by acclaimed directors Kamila Andini and Ifa Isfansyah, the series is produced by BASE Entertainment with showrunners Shanty Harmayn and Tanya Yuson. Ratih Kumala and Tanya Yuson are credited as screenwriters, along with Kanya K. Priyanti and Ambaridzki Ramadhantyo.
The trailer reveals a glimpse of what viewers can expect from the series. Old Soeraja pleads with Lebas to find Dasiyah, whose love for kretek was hindered by societal norms and traditions. Determined to realize her dreams of producing the best clove cigarettes, Dasiyah becomes the catalyst that eventually brings Lebas and Arum together on an unexpected journey to the past.
The series also features actors Tissa Biani, Ine Febriyanti, Winky Wiryawan, Sheila Dara, Ibnu Jamil, Rukman Rosadi, Nungki Kusumastuti, Dimas Aditya, Pritt Timothy and Tutie Kirana.
Be sure to watch Cigarette Girl starting November 2nd, only on Netflix.
Madisyn Shipman, a former child star, gained recognition for her portrayal of Kenzie Bell in the Nickelodeon series Game Shakers.
The comedy series, which ran for three seasons from 2015 to 2019, revolves around two seventh graders who establish a highly successful gaming company.
However, Shipman is currently abandoning her pristine teenage persona in exchange for her personal money-making venture.
At the age of 20, she has become a member of the Playboy digital creator platform, which bears resemblance to the business model of OnlyFans.
Through this platform, she has attained financial independence and has been able to finance her own music career.
In 2021, Playboy introduced a platform named Centerfold after discontinuing the print magazine in 2020. Before that, in 2015, Playboy had attempted to remove nudity but reversed this decision in 2017.
The company claims to have already compensated numerous creators who are encouraged to freely express their creativity and sexuality, without any apologies.
The explicit digital hub offers fans the opportunity to connect with creators for exclusive access to photos, video calls, and other messaging features.
However, according to Shipman, the choice to include nudity is entirely up to the individual.
“I always said, especially to my fans, that I was never going to join a paid creator platform because I didn’t want to show my body,” Shipman told Fox News in an exclusive interview. “That was the biggest thing. That’s not how my goals align. So I made this clear to Playboy, and they said, ‘You don’t have to do that.’ That’s the great thing about Playboy. If you want to show everything, you’re more than welcome to, but you don’t have to.”
“My fans love it,” Shipman continued. “And it just goes to show you that you don’t have to show your body to make money and to make this a lucrative thing for you. I’m now able to fully self-fund my music career, which is wonderful. I have my own house. I’m fully taken care of. I’ve got so much financial freedom and I truly wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for Playboy.”
Shipman states that being a part of Playboy has been an “honor” and she recently had the chance to go on a four-day photo shoot in the Bahamas with other models associated with the platform.
Shipman explains that she chose to collaborate with the brand as it provided her with an opportunity to distance herself from her Nickelodeon persona.
“I have always felt a sense of repression in terms of my sexuality and showing my body,” Shipman says. “And I think a lot of that is because I grew up on a Nickelodeon show. You’re taught that you can’t wear crop tops. You can’t show too much skin. You’ve got to be presented as a little girl constantly.”
After Game Shakers ended, Madisyn Shipman remembered going through a small identity crisis because she didn’t know her true self.
“Now, I’m reclaiming my power,” Shipman added. “I’m reclaiming my sexuality. I’m doing what makes me happy. And I have no issues posing in a bikini or a lingerie set. It’s just me. I think it’s so empowering to be able to pose like that and feel great in my skin.”
THE FAMILY CHANTEL returns for its final, most explosive chapter on Monday, November 6th at 9 pm ET/PT.
The last season ended with Pedro reaching a breaking point and filing for divorce. Chantel, desperate for help, had Winter and Karen move into her house, which she had previously shared with Pedro. The schism between the two families was accentuated by jaw-dropping revelations and emotional exchanges between Pedro and Chantel. The final season of THE FAMILY CHANTEL concludes this couple’s story.
Nine months later, both are eager to be free of one another. As their divorce nears completion, accusations and old resentments make reaching an agreement difficult. Decisions like selling the house and deciding who gets what possession are nearly impossible between the two. While both families believe they are on the right side of the divorce, they are fiercely feuding as they fight to protect their own.
As viewers bid farewell to the couple’s journey together, the season’s twists and turns signal the end of THE FAMILY CHANTEL. This final chapter promises to deliver highly charged moments until the very last minute when the families meet face to face for the final time, from cultural clashes and language barriers to secrets revealed.
Sharp Entertainment, a division of Sony Pictures Television – Nonfiction, created THE FAMILY CHANTEL for TLC.
The more than 391,000 American children and youth living in foster care deserve to grow up in safe and loving homes devoted to their health, happiness, and success. These are often our most vulnerable children, and we have a solemn responsibility as a country to ensure they grow up healthy, supported, and with as much opportunity as all other children.
From day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken action to protect children and youth in the child welfare system, support the thousands of dedicated kinship and foster families who are a critical resource to children and families in times of need, and invest in community-based child abuse and neglect prevention programs that help to prevent the conditions that lead to kids entering foster care in the first place.
Today, and in recognition of National Kinship Month, the Biden-Harris Administration is building on this progress and releasing three landmark regulations to strengthen services and support for children and families in the child welfare system. Specifically, the regulations will:
Support kinship caregivers – family members and loved ones who step forward to care for a child in foster care – by making it easier for them to access resources and financial assistance.
Protect LGBTQI+ youth in foster care from abuse and mistreatment and ensure they have the services they need to thrive.
Expand access to legal services for children and families at risk of entering or in the child welfare system.
Taken together, this landmark package of new rules, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families, will advance equity in the child welfare system and have a profound impact on the safety and wellbeing of families across the country.
Support kinship caregivers. When parents are having a difficult time safely caring for their own children, it is often grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives who step forward to provide a loving home for those children, either temporarily or permanently. These kinship caregivers help children stay connected to their families and cultural identity, and research shows that children in foster care who are able to live with their kin experience less trauma. But for too long, federal regulations imposed significant burdens on these kinship caregivers by making it harder for them to become foster families. Today, HHS has issued a final regulation that will allow states to simplify the process for kinship caregivers to become foster care providers, and require that states provide these family members with the same financial support that any other foster home would receive. This regulation will help families across the country care for children in their extended family, and receive the resources and financial support they need and deserve. These changes will advance the Administration’s priority of equity for families who have been underserved and adversely affected by persistent poverty.
Protect LGBTQI+ youth. LGBTQI+ youth face profound disparities in the foster care system. Because of family rejection and abuse, LGBTQI+ children are overrepresented in foster care where they face poor outcomes, including mistreatment and discrimination because of who they are. To address these disparities, President Biden signed an Executive Order directing HHS to protect LGBTQI+ youth in the foster care system. Today, HHS is delivering on that promise by releasing a proposed regulation to protect LGBTQI+ youth in foster care. The proposed rule would require that every state’s child welfare agency ensure that LGBTQI+ children in their care are placed in foster homes where they will be protected from mistreatment related to their sexual orientation or gender identity, where their caregivers have received special training on how to meet their needs, and where they can access the services they need to thrive.
Expand access to legal services. Many families that come to the attention of a child welfare agency are in the midst of or recovering from familial, health, housing, or economic challenges. Children and families in the child welfare system must navigate complex legal proceedings related to these challenges but are often forced to do so without access to a lawyer. This makes it harder for families to achieve stability and get the necessary resources. Oftentimes access to legal representation could avoid placing children in foster care. For example, under this rule, if a parent was seeking a restraining order from an abusive spouse in order to keep their children safe and prevent their removal from the home, a state could use federal funds to help that parent access a lawyer to file a restraining order. Today, HHS is releasing a proposed rule that will allow child welfare agencies to use federal funds to expand access to legal services for families who need access to a lawyer to achieve stability. In addition, the rule would allow Tribes to be reimbursed for the legal costs of intervening in a state foster care court proceeding over the parental rights of an Indian child, which Tribes have the authority to do under the Indian Child Welfare Act, but which can be costly for Tribes.
These new regulations build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s track record of strengthening services for children and families in the child welfare system, including:
Investing hundreds of millions of dollars in community-based child abuse and neglect prevention programs.
Proposing a $5 billion expansion of evidence-based foster care prevention services to allow more children to remain safely in their homes with their families.
Proposing a $9 billion expansion to provide housing vouchers to all 20,000 youth exiting foster care annually — a key step in helping them secure stable housing during this difficult transition.
Working to help states place more children with relatives and other trusted adults instead of in group homes, and calling on Congress for an additional $1 billion to help youth aging out of foster care find a job, enroll in and afford higher education, obtain necessities, and access preventative health care
Calling on Congress to make the Adoption Tax Credit fully refundable and proposing extending it to legal guardians — including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives.
Working with states to help youth aging out of the foster care system stay in school, participate in job training programs, pay their bills, and transition to adulthood.
Expanding the Military Parental Leave Program, which enables service members to spend needed time with their families following a child’s adoption or placement in long-term foster care.
Bringing the child poverty rate to a historic low during the expanded Child Tax Credit, preventing children from being unnecessarily removed from their families because of poverty.
