Your Daily Horoscope by Madame Clairevoyant: July 17, 2026
With both the moon and Venus in Virgo, you can relax today — at least until Gemini shakes things up later this evening.
Émile Vernon: Master of Romantic French Art
Émile Vernon (1872–1919) was a talented French artist renowned for his delicate and romantic style during the Belle Époque period.
Working primarily in watercolor and gouache, Vernon specialized in idealized portraits of graceful young women, often depicted in soft, dreamy settings adorned with flowers and gentle lighting. His works perfectly captured the elegant femininity, poetic mood, and sentimental charm of early 20th-century French art.
These exquisite artworks beautifully showcase Émile Vernon’s mastery of romantic French art. With their soft color palettes, graceful figures, and dreamy atmospheres, his paintings continue to enchant viewers with their timeless elegance and poetic sensibility, offering a delightful window into the refined aesthetic of the Belle Époque.
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| A Summer Rose |
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| A Sweet Glance |
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| A Young Beauty Reading Her Book |
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| A Young Lady with a Mirror |
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| An Elegant Lady with a Yellow Rose |
Stunning Vintage Photos of Gina Lollobrigida on the Set of ‘The Law’ (1959)
These stunning vintage photos capture the legendary Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida at the peak of her beauty and fame during the filming of the 1959 drama The Law (La legge).
Shot on location in the sun-drenched landscapes of southern Italy, these portraits showcase Lollobrigida’s magnetic presence, radiant smile, and voluptuous charm that made her one of the most iconic sex symbols of world cinema in the 1950s.
Whether posing playfully between takes or exuding dramatic intensity, these rare images offer a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the making of one of her memorable films and celebrate the timeless glamour of “La Lollo” in her prime.
Photos of 17-Year-Old Phoebe Cates on the Set of Her Debut Film “Paradise” (1982)
Phoebe Cates’ experience on the set of Paradise (1982) was highly stressful, and it ultimately left her with deep regrets about the project. Paradise was her feature film debut,shot when she was just 17 years old, and it heavily modeled itself after the massive success of Brooke Shields’ The Blue Lagoon (1980). However, the reality of the shoot in Israel’s Negev Desert was far from ideal.
Cates was originally a successful teenage model but wanted to transition into acting. After passing a screen test in New York, she was offered the lead role of Sarah. She was highly apprehensive about the extensive nudity required by the script, but she ultimately took the job after her father encouraged her to accept it.
Filming in the harsh Negev Desert from March to May of 1981 proved to be a difficult learning curve. Cates noted in a 1982 interview that she struggled with the self-consciousness of her new career: “As a model, you have to be conscious of the camera; but as an actress, you cannot.”
The primary source of Cates’ distress and subsequent anger toward the film was how the production handled her nude scenes. While she did film several revealing scenes herself, she later discovered that the producers had used a body double to shoot much more explicit, close-up nude shots of her character without her knowledge or consent. The experience completely soured her view of the movie. Upon its release, she made her stance very clear. She later stated, “What I learned was never to do a movie like that again.”
Her co-star, Willie Aames, revealed that Cates was so upset about how she was treated that she completely distanced herself from the film and refused to do any promotional press alongside him. Interestingly, despite hating the film, she did record the movie’s main vocal theme, “Paradise,” which actually became a major pop hit in parts of Europe and Asia.
Fortunately, her very next project, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (released just six months later in late 1982), catapulted her to genuine stardom on her own terms.
26 Amazing Photographs of Ginger Rogers Playing Tennis From the Mid-20th Century
Academy Award-winning actress and dancer Ginger Rogers was a highly accomplished tennis player who took the sport seriously enough to compete at the highest level of American tennis. While best known for her legendary Hollywood dance partnerships, her athletic prowess extended far beyond the studio dance floors.
Her dedication culminated in playing in the mixed doubles draw at the 1950 U.S. National Championships (now known as the US Open) at Forest Hills. At 39 years old, she partnered with Frank Shields (the grandfather of actress Brooke Shields). Though they were eliminated in the first round, competing at a Grand Slam level cemented her status as a legitimate tennis player.
Her former assistant, Roberta Olden, told Fox News that Rogers was a very good tennis player who always beat her even though she was decades older than she was. Rogers initially played the sport alongside Hollywood legends such as Errol Flynn and Katharine Hepburn, but she was looking for a challenge, and she certainly got it at the tournament. Unfortunately, she and Shields lost to a much younger team. Rogers also competed in a celebrity tournament that took place in conjunction with the U.S. Open, but she and her partner lost before the final match.
Observers of her game frequently remarked that the same flawless footwork, balance, and timing that made her a transcendent dancer translates directly to her tennis style. She possessed a strong, competitive drive and continued to play well into her later years.
Rogers was highly influential in styling her own on-court looks, often opting for clean, tailored, and occasionally daring two-piece white ensembles that brought Hollywood elegance to the traditional tennis clubs of the mid-20th century.
