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​A group of young poets were left stunned by a guest appearance from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who dropped in to a Zoom class to say hello.

Meghan delighted the online gathering of Get Lit - Words Ignite, a non-profit arts education organisation based in California, by sharing some of her favourite poetry lines.

Posting about their surprise visitors on social media, the organisation said the couple were "magic and kind and interested in poetry" and had given the group the "most epic experience" in its history.

It is understood Harry and Meghan, who were pictured sitting side-by-side during the online class, wanted to back the organisation in honour of Black History Month in the US.

Get Lit is supporting the Black Lives Matter movement with a 2020-2021 anthology of suggested poems featuring only black authors and poets.

Mason Granger, the group's manager of public outreach, shared the same Zoom picture on Instagram, and said the Sussexes spent 45 minutes chatting with the teenagers and had taken time to learn about each of the students beforehand.

"Soooo Prince Harry and Meghan dropped into my poetry class on Saturday and kicked it with the Get Lit Players for a multitude of minutes," he said.

"My favourite part of it all was Meghan echoing so many sentiments we've talked about in class, about this particular moment in time/history to be a young person and the ripple effect of a single voice.

"The root of them deciding to come is because at some point in their lives, they were moved by a poem."

Mr Granger described the experience as "pretty surreal" and added: "My kids shared poems, they asked questions, the kids answered and asked questions back, they responded authentically."

Get Lit did not say which poem Meghan quoted, but the duchess has previously described poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou as "incredible".

She quoted Angelou in a rousing speech during the couple's tour of South Africa in 2019, saying: "Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it, possibly without claiming it, she stands up for all women."

A Note From The Beach, by Matt Haig, written from the perspective of the beach telling a sunbather it does not care about their body, was also included as a "personal favourite" verse when she guest edited British Vogue in 2019.
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And if you're thinking about inviting the couple for any future Zoom poetry sessions, they have Get Lit's seal of approval - Mr Granger said he "10/10 would recommend".

Source: Sky News 

Paris Hilton has testified about abuse she says she suffered as a teenager at a boarding school, including being forced into solitary confinement naked, made to take mystery pills, and subjected to beatings.

She has previously spoken to Sky News about her treatment during her childhood, and has also released a documentary about it called This is Paris.

The businesswoman and socialite, 39, was speaking to the Utah state senate on Monday as politicians considered legislation regulating the "troubled teen industry".

Facilities which brand themselves as "therapeutic boarding schools" or "emotional growth boarding schools" in the state take troubled teenagers and charge fees to "rehabilitate" them.

But there is little regulation of the practice in Utah, in the west of the United States, and Ms Hilton provided her own experience as evidence supporting greater legislation over the industry.

Ms Hilton was sent to Provo Canyon School - south of Salt Lake City - when she was 17 years old.

She stayed for 11 months and during that time said she was abused mentally and physically by staff.

Speaking before a senate committee at the Utah Capitol building, Ms Hilton said: "Children were restrained, hit, thrown into walls, strangled and sexually abused regularly at Provo.

"I could not report this because all communication with my family was monitored and censored.

"And what is disgusting is the programme doesn't just censor communication with family, but also with the entire outside world, so there was no way we could call for help."

She spoke in favour of a bill that would require more government oversight of youth residential treatment centres and require them to document when they use restraints.

Following the testimony - from Ms Hilton and others - the new measures were passed unanimously.

"Talking about something so personal was and is still terrifying," Ms Hilton told the committee.

"But I cannot go to sleep at night knowing that there are children that are experiencing the same abuse that I and so many others went through, and neither should you."

The Provo institution has changed ownership since Ms Hilton was there, and the current owners say they cannot comment on what happened before their tenure.

Since Ms Hilton released her documentary, other celebrities - like Michael Jackson's daughter Paris and tattoo artist Kat Von D - have spoken about their experiences at Provo or similar places.

During her testimony, Ms Hilton called on the national government, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, to make changes at a national level.

Speaking after her appearance, she said: "This is just the first step."

"This bill is going to definitely help a lot of children but there's obviously more work to do, and I'm not going to stop until change happens."

Source: ​Sky News

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Diana Ross paid tribute to her fellow original member of the Supremes, Mary Wilson, who died on Monday at age 76.
 
Ross tweeted on Tuesday morning that she had just woken up to the news of Wilson’s death. Wilson died at her home in Nevada, her publicist said. No cause of death was given. 

“My condolences to you Mary’s family,” Ross wrote. “I am reminded that each day is a gift, I have so many wonderful memories of our time together.”

“‘The Supremes’ will live on, in our hearts,” the iconic singer added. 

Wilson and Ross helped form the singing group the Primettes in 1959, alongside Florence Ballard and Betty McGlown. The group changed its name to the Supremes and later became a trio composed of Ross, Ballard and Wilson. They signed to Motown in the early 1960s. 

The Supremes released their first No. 1 single, “Where Did Our Love Go,” in 1964. Ballard — who died in 1976 — was replaced by Cindy Birdstrong. Ross left the group a few years later and Wilson stayed with the Supremes until the group was officially disbanded in 1977. Wilson later embarked on a solo career and released her self-titled debut album in 1979.

Wilson detailed her time as a Supreme in her 1986 autobiography “Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme.” Wilson and Ross had publicly discussed a potential reunion tour in 2000 that didn’t materialize.

Wilson said on “The Talk” last year that she and Ross were “family.”

“We started singing 1959, we were just 13 years old, we were sisters,” Wilson said. 

Motown Museum chair and CEO Robin Terry released a statement on Tuesday saying that the “world has lost one of the brightest stars in our Motown family.”

“Mary Wilson was an icon,” the statement read in part. “She broke barriers and records as an original member of the Supremes, one of the greatest music acts of all time.”
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