Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
• Britain marked Queen Elizabeth II’s 94th birthday with silence Tuesday, as the nation in lockdown amid the covid-19 pandemic forgoes the usual gun salutes and ringing of bells. With thousands dead amid the outbreak, the monarch decided that the celebratory display of military firepower would be inappropriate. Nor was there be a celebratory peal of bells at Westminster Abbey, as the church where the queen was married and crowned is currently closed. The royal family took to social media to share images of Elizabeth as she marked the occasion — but in keeping with social distancing rules, there were no visits. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, joined by their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, now based in Los Angeles, held a video call with the queen to wish her a happy birthday. Other family members were also expected to telephone and video call the monarch privately to deliver their birthday messages. The royal family also shared private family footage of the monarch as a young princess. The Royal Collection Trust archive film showed Elizabeth playing on a seesaw and in a garden with her sister, the late Princess Margaret. The queen marked the day with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, 98, at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.
• Chip and Joanna Gaines’
Magnolia Network will be blooming late because of the coronavirus crisis. The network’s planned October launch is being pushed back because of production delays related to the covid-19 disease, it was announced Tuesday. A new debut date wasn’t immediately announced. The pandemic has brought most TV and film production to a standstill. Discovery Inc.’s DIY Network will be rebranded as the Magnolia Network when the joint venture with the husband-and-wife team’s Magnolia company launches. To tide viewers over, the DIY Network will air a special Sunday previewing of some of Magnolia Network’s series and revisiting Fixer Upper, the HGTV renovation series that launched Chip and Joanna Gaines’ TV careers from Waco, Texas. The four-hour “Magnolia Presents: A Look Back & A Look Ahead” will offer sneak peeks at shows including Family Dinner with host Andrew Zimmern, and the England-based remodeling series Bespoke Kitchens.