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Photo courtesy Britbox Canada

Photo courtesy the Global Group

Photo courtesy BearManor Media

Our City Tonight

By Jim Gordon and Leeta Liepins

Published 1:41 PDT, Fri June 6, 2025

Spotlight on TV series, cocktail & an actor’s story

THE VIEW – Outrageous

Years before the Kardashians became the most famous (and we’ll say infamous) sisters in the world, there was another family of sisters who were as famous. They were the six aristocratic Mitford sisters of England. Long before social media, YouTube, and Reality TV, the Mitford Girls attracted as much attention from the press of their day, while always fascinating, (and at times angering), the British public. Now from BritBox comes an original, six-part drama called Outrageous that takes an unfiltered look at their lives during the 1930’s, when family wealth and privilege were on shaky ground—as was democracy and peace throughout Europe. Based on Mary Lovell’s definitive biography, The Mitford Girls, we follow these six very different, headstrong women as they chart their own paths, all the while making headlines in Britain and around the world. A solid cast—which includes Bessie Carter as the narrator and oldest sister, Nancy, Janna Vanderham as her sister, Diana, and as the parents, James Purefoy and Anna Chancellor—makes this series certainly binge-worthy, but with only one complaint: when will the next six episodes be ready for air? It’s that good. Outrageous is available for streaming on BritBox starting June 18. britbox.com

THE SIP – The Glowbal Bellini

Glowbal Restaurant Beverage Director, and one of our “cocktail experts”, Martin Kovalcik, joins us again with another cocktail creation that is perfect for the patio season. It’s the Glowbal Bellini. The original Bellini, invented in Harry’s Bar in Venice in the late 1940’s, offers white peach purée and prosecco, but the Glowbal version offers something different. “We wanted our version to offer a refreshing West Coast flair, Kovalcik tells us as he makes the cocktail, “so we offer smooth peach sorbet with a splash of bitters and a generous pour of chilled prosecco, resulting in a sparkling, slushy cocktail that balances sweet, tart, and bitter in perfect harmony.” We both agree how delicious this cocktail is, and ask for another. “It’s a sunshine-soaked twist on a classic favorite,” Kovalcik goes on to tell us, “and the good news for your readers is it’s as easy to make at home as it is to sip.” The Glowbal Bellini is available every Saturday and Sunday during the brunch. glowbalgroup.com

THE READ – Angie: The Life and Films of Angie Dickinson by James Stratton

Actress Angie Dickinson—who will be 94 in September—is one of the last great stars still with us from an entertainment era that is sadly gone. The classic movies, TV, and other art forms are thankfully still here to remind us how good it was, and the award-winning Dickinson was there to see a lot of it as a young actress starting out in the early 1950’s. Her best movie work is some of the best movies of their genres—think of the great western Rio Bravo, which made her a star in 1959, the Rat Pack’s Ocean’s 11 which also made her hip and cool in 1960, the solid remake, The Killers (1964), and one of our favourites, 1967’s Point Blank, a film about a lot of nasty people she did with Lee Marvin, where she showed great range. Then there’s a later entry, a great third act, the erotic crime thriller, Dressed to Kill in 1980. There was also a long list of great television work, most notably, her four years starring as Sergeant ‘Pepper’ Anderson in the 1970’s classic, Police Woman. She also travelled in circles that included Sinatra, JFK, Dean Martin and a marriage to legendary songwriter, Burt Bacharach. Which leads us to the first in our series of “great summer reads”, Angie: The Life and Films of Angie Dickison by film historian, James Stratton. It is the first (and we say long overdue) book-length study of her career. It is also a real page-turner, taking you from her early years growing up far from Hollywood, through a career which would span over six decades and contain an impressive and diverse body of work. If you’re a fan, this is a must-read. bearmanormedia.com