Abbott baby formula recall: FDA says parents should avoid certain ...

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The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday cautioned people to avoid certain powdered infant formulas that may be tied to bacterial infections in four babies who were hospitalized.

The infections, which may have led to the death of one baby, were found in Texas, Ohio and Minnesota, the FDA said in a news release.

The FDA is advising that people should avoid using Similac, Alimentum or EleCare powdered infant formulas if the first two digits of the code are 22 through 37; the code on the container contains K8, SH or Z2; the expiration date is April 1, 2022, or later.

Three infections stemmed from Cronobacter, a bacteria that can cause severe, life-threatening infections or inflammation of the membranes that protect the brain and spine. The third infection was from Salmonella, a group of bacteria that can cause digestive illness and fever.

“Parents and caregivers of infants who have used these products, and are concerned about the health of their child, should contact their child’s health care provider,” the FDA said in the news release.

The infections stem from infant powdered formulas that were made at Abbott Nutrition’s facility in Sturgis, Michigan. The company said Thursday that it’s recalling the formulas in question

“During testing in our Sturgis, Mich., facility, we found evidence of Cronobacter sakazakii in the plant in non-product contact areas. We found no evidence of Salmonella Newport,” Abbott Nutrition said in a news release. “Importantly, no distributed product has tested positive for the presence of either of these bacteria, and we continue to test.”

The company noted that its testing did not find Cronobacter sakazakii or Salmonella in the retained samples related to the complaints. The investigation is underway.

The US is facing a shortage of baby formula.

According to market research firm IRI, stores’ infant formula inventories in mid-January were down 17% from where they were in mid-February 2020, just before the pandemic hit US shores.

The Infant Nutrition Council of America, whose members include the largest formula makers Abbott Nutrition, Reckitt Benckiser and Gerber Products Co., said earlier this month that manufacturers were working to quickly ensure availability and access to infant formulas.

In a statement, the group acknowledged reports of challenges across the supply chains, including impacts on transportation, labor and logistics.

“Members of INCA are committed to meeting the needs of families who rely on infant formula — it is their top priority,” the group said.


Greta Gerwig to receive Palm Springs film festival award for 'Barbie'

Academy Award nominee Greta Gerwig will receive the Director of the Year Award for her criticallyacclaimed, record-breaking film "Barbie" at the Palm Springs International Film Awards.

The Film Awards will take place on Jan. 4, 2024, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the festival running through Jan. 15.

Gerwig's "Barbie" (cowritten with Noah Baumbach), along with Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer," took cinematic audiences by storm this summer as the global phenomenon aptly named "Barbenheimer." The film follows the iconic doll Barbie in her perfectly pink world until she suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and existence. "Barbie" stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon and Simu Liu.

"Barbie" has brought in more than $1 billion at the global box office and is the highest-grossing film of the year.

“Director Greta Gerwig has brought us the cinematic experience of the year with 'Barbie,' theperfect blend of comedy, emotion and adventure that has both entertained and resonated withaudiences, becoming a cultural touchstone around the world,” Festival Chairman NachhattarSingh Chandi said in a statement.

"Gerwig is a masterful filmmaker, and her vision is brought to life so vividly by both the script she co-wrote with Noah Baumbach, and by her clear and singular collaboration with her extraordinary crafts teams, whose visuals are matched only by the outstanding performances delivered by Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and the entire cast. It is our honor to present the Director of the Year Award to Greta Gerwig," he added.

Gerwig is a three-time Academy Award-nominated director and writer who has established herselfas one of Hollywood’s most important voices. Her solo directorial projects include "Lady Bird," which was nominated for five Academy Awards, including best director and best original screenplay for Gerwig, and "Little Women," which earned her a best adapted screenplay nomination.

She has also appeared in front of the camera in a number of projects, including "White Noise," "Jackie," "Maggie’s Plan," "20th Century Women," "Lola versus," "Damsels in Distress," "Mistress America" and "Frances Ha," for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a comedy/musical.

Past recipients of the Director of the Year Award include Jane Campion ("The Power of the Dog"), Alejandro G. Iñárritu ("Babel," "Birdman"), Steve McQueen ("12 Years a Slave"), Alexander Payne ("Sideways"), Sarah Polley ("Women Talking"), Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air"), David O. Russell ("The Fighter"), Quentin Tarantino ("Once Upon a Time in Hollywood") and Chloé Zhao ("Nomadland"). In the years they were honored, McQueen, Payne, Reitman, Russell and Tarantino received Best Director Academy Award nominations, while Campion, Iñárritu and Zhao won the Oscar.

Gerwig joins this year’s previously announced honorees "Killers of the Flower Moon" (Vanguard Award), Emma Stone (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress), Cillian Murphy (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor) and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Breakthrough Performance Award).

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

Quentin Tarantino nabs director of year award at Palm Springs film ...

Quentin Tarantino will receive the Director of the Year Award at the 2020 Palm Springs International Film Festival for the film "Once Upon A Time ... in Hollywood."

"Once Upon A Time ... in Hollywood" is a comedy-drama about a fictional '50s-era Hollywood actor named Rick Dalton (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double Cliff Booth (played by Brad Pitt) who are both struggling to find work in Hollywood two decades later, and soon find themselves intertwined with the Manson Family.

Tarantino will receive his award at the Palm Springs film festival's annual Film Awards Gala, taking place at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Jan. 2, 2020.

Festival Chairman Harold Matzner said Tarantino "captures the essence of 1969 Hollywood in his latest cinematic masterpiece, 'Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.'"

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The film is Tarantino's first not to be distributed by Miramax Films, after he ended his business relationship with the entertainment company following sexual assault allegations made against founder Harvey Weinstein.

It was also former "Beverly Hills 90210" star Luke Perry's final film before his death in March.

Reviews of the film were positive overall. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone referred to Pitt and DiCaprio as a "landmark screen team" in his critique.

"Two hours and 40 minutes can feel long for some. I wouldn’t change a frame," Travers added.

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times called it "one of the best films of the year."

"This is a brilliant and sometimes outrageously fantastic mash-up of real-life events and characters with pure fiction," Roeper said.

But some reviewers took issue with the film, criticizing its masculine heroism and dark nostalgia.

Tthe moral of 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' seems to be 'who doesn’t miss the good old days when cars had fins and white men were the heroes of everything?'" wrote Los Angeles Times culture columnist and critic Mary McNamara.

"Tarantino has a history of seeming to enjoy planting racial slurs in the mouths of his characters, and 'Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood' is no different," wrote Richard Brody of The New Yorker.

Tarantino made his directorial debut with the 1992 crime film, "Reservoir Dogs." After its premiere at Sundance Film Festival, it was picked up by Miramax Films and grossed more than $2 million playing in 61 theaters nationwide.

Two years later, Tarantino released another crime film, "Pulp Fiction," starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Bruce Willis. It grossed over $200 million at the box office and won Tarantino and co-writer Roger Avary an Oscar for Best Screenplay, along with nominations for Travolta, Jackson and Thurman.

After the release of his 2012 revisionist western "Django Unchained," Tarantino won another Oscar for Best Screenplay.

Tarantino joins previously announced Palm Springs film festival honorees Jamie Foxx, Adam Driver, Cynthia Erivo, Laura Dern, Zack Gottsagen, Antonio Banderas, Jennifer Lopez, Martin Scorsese, Charlize Theron, Joaquin Phoenix and Renée Zellweger, all of whom are expected to be in attendance to receive their awards at the gala.

Past recipients of the Director of the Year Award include Bradley Cooper, Steve McQueen, Sean Penn, Jason Reitman and Robert Zemeckis.

The Film Awards Gala ceremony, hosted once again by longtime television host Mary Hart, kicks off the 12-day festival of events and film screenings happening Jan. 2-13, 2020 in the Coachella Valley.

For gala tickets or tables, call (760) 969-7533.

Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or (760) 778-4617. Support local news, subscribe to The Desert Sun.

Cillian Murphy to receive Palm Springs International Film Festival ...

BAFTA Award nominee Cillian Murphy will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor, for his performance as physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in "Oppenheimer" at the Palm Springs International Film Awards.

The Film Awards will take place on Jan. 4, 2024, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the festival running through Jan. 15.

Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer," along with Greta Gerwig's "Barbie," took cinematic audiences by storm this summer as the global phenomenon aptly named "Barbenheimer." Writer-director Nolan's record-breaking epic thriller "Oppenheimer" propels audiences into the paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it. With America locked into a devastating war, Oppenheimer becomes the central figure in a pulse-pounding race against the Nazis to develop the first atomic bomb. The film also stars Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt, Oscar winner Matt Damon and Oscar nominees Robert Downey Jr. and Florence Pugh.

Related:Barbie lives a mid-century modern lifestyle on Tiny Palm Springs Instagram account

"Oppenheimer" marks Murphy’s sixth collaboration with and first leading role for Nolan.

"After working together on five previous films, including 'The Dark Knight' trilogy, 'Inception,' and 'Dunkirk,' Cillian Murphy and writer-director Christopher Nolan reunite for one of the most ambitious and epic films of the year. Murphy gives a stunning portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer as a conflicted scientist leading the Manhattan Project to produce the world’s first atomic bomb," Festival Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi said in a statement. "For this career-best performance, we are honored to present the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor, to Cillian Murphy."

In 2005, Murphy made an indelible impression as Dr. Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow in "Batman Begins," for which he received a London Film Critics Circle Award nomination. He reprised the role in the Oscar-winning blockbuster "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises," and later collaborated with Nolan as the billionaire heir apparent/mark in the critically acclaimed sensation "Inception." More recently, Murphy played a solider opposite Mark Rylance and Barry Keoghan in Nolan’s World War II epic "Dunkirk."

Murphy's filmography also includes "28 Days Later," "Breakfast on Pluto," "A Quiet Place Part II," "The Wind that Shakes the Barley," "The Party," "Free Fire," "Anthropoid," "In the Heart of the Sea," "Transcendence," "Aloft," "In Time," "Perrier’s Bounty," "Sunshine," "Red Eye," "Cold Mountain," "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and "Intermission." For six seasons on television, Murphy starred as Thomas Shelby, the most ruthless brother in a family of Birmingham gangsters, in the BAFTA Award-winning series "Peaky Blinders."

Past recipients of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor, include Riz Ahmed, Jeff Bridges, Bradley Cooper, Daniel Day-Lewis, Adam Driver, Colin Farrell, Colin Firth, Andrew Garfield, Matthew McConaughey, Gary Oldman, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and Eddie Redmayne. In the years they were honored, Bridges, Day-Lewis, McConaughey, Oldman, Penn and Redmayne went on to win the Academy Award for best actor, while Ahmed, Cooper, Driver, Garfield, Farrell, Firth and Pitt received nominations.

Other honorees at the 2024 Palm Springs International Film Awards include "Killers of the Flower Moon" (Vanguard Award) and Emma Stone (Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress).

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

Palm Springs Film Festival's Director of the Year is Chloé Zhao

Director and screenwriter Chloé Zhao has been named the Palm Springs International Film Festival's Director of the Year for her film, "Nomadland."

Zhao adapted her film from the book by Jessica Bruder. It focuses on Fern, a woman who explores life "outside of conventional society" following her rural Nevada community's economic collapse following the Great Recession, according to film festival officials.

The film "captures the triumph of the human spirit,” Festival Chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement.

“This extremely unique and well-done film captures the grand landscapes of the American West as it follows Fern, played by Frances McDormand, who hits the road in her camper van moving from one real encampment of present-day nomads to another," Matzner said. " 'Nomadland' is one of the most accomplished films of the year and we are delighted to honor our first female Director of the Year, Chloé Zhao.”

McDormand won Oscars for her performances in "Fargo" and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." She is also known for performances in films such as "Almost Famous," "Mississippi Burning," and "North Country."

This year, "Nomadland" won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice International Film Festival and the People’s Choice Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. It also recently won Best Film from the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Boston Online Film Critics Association and the Indiana Film Journalists Association.

Zhao was named Best Director by the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, and the Indiana Film Journalists Association.

Zhao was born in Beijing and also raised in Brighton, England. She moved to the United States and studied politics at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and film production at New York University.

Her first feature film as a writer, director and producer was "Songs My Brothers Taught Me," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015.

The 32nd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival had been planned for Feb. 25 to March 8 before organizers canceled it in November due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Zhao will join other honorees who will be acknowledged the week of Feb. 8 during tribute segments on the TV program "Entertainment Tonight." Exclusive interviews with honorees will air the week of Feb. 22.

Honorees include actor and filmmaker Gary Oldman, who's receiving the Chairman’s Award for his role in "Mank," and actress Carey Mulligan, who's getting the International Star Award, Actress for her performance in "Promising Young Woman."

Previous recipients for Director of the Year include Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Steve McQueen, Alexander Payne, Jason Reitman, David O. Russell and Quentin Tarantino.

Desert Sun reporter Colin Atagi covers crime, public safety and road and highway safety. He can be reached at colin.atagi@desertsun.com or follow him at @tdscolinatagi. Support local news, subscribe to The Desert Sun.

Golden Globes: Which winners, losers had ties to Palm Springs area

Under normal circumstances, the Golden Globes are held smack dab in the middle of the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January.

The same stars who walk the red carpet on gala night in Palm Springs make the short trip over to Hollywood to do it all again at the Globes.

But not this year, of course. The Golden Globes were held Sunday in a virtual format which led to a disjointed and somewhat clumsy broadcast with sound and timing problems. Hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey were on different coasts, and nominees chatted with each other over Zoom during commercials.

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Even though that symbiosis between the two events didn't happen this year, there are still plenty of ties between the desert and the Golden Globes.

Here are a few:

No Globes for 'Palm Springs,' the movie

The movie named after our fair city "Palm Springs" was up for Best Picture of the comedy or musical variety, and its star Andy Samberg was up for Best Actor, but neither earned the victory. The film which, notoriously in these parts, did not show or have anything to do with Palm Springs, was a hit last summer.

More:The one thing missing from Andy Samberg's 'Palm Springs' movie? The city itself

The Best Picture for a comedy went to "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" and the Best Actor in a Comedy went to Sacha Baron Cohen for the same movie.

In one comedic element during the broadcast, actors had pretend Zoom calls with their doctors. Actress Carey Mulligan, who received the International Star Award, Actress from the Palm Springs film festival for her performance in "Promising Young Woman," told her doctor that she wakes up every morning feeling it's the same day over and over again. Her doctor told her she's got a case of "Palm Springs," a reference to the infinite time loop vibe of the film.

Desert resident nominated but does not win

Gary Oldman, who announced at a recent film festival that he had moved to Palm Springs, did not win Best Actor in a Drama for the movie "Mank" about Herman J. Mankiewicz, who famously penned the movie "Citizen Kane."

Scenes in 'Mank' look familiar? That's because it was filmed in California desert

That award went posthumously to the late actor Chadwick Boseman for his role in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

Oldman's portrayal was excellent and he likely saved on gas mileage with parts of the movie filmed in nearby Victorville, which as the movie explains, is where Mankiewicz was when he wrote the famous script.

Oldman did, however, nab the Chairman’s Award, Actor from the Palm Springs film festival for his performance in "Mank.”

Palm Springs film fest honorees get wins

While the Palm Springs International Film Festival did not exist in its traditional in-person capacity this year, it did still hand out its annual awards — and some of those honorees took home Golden Globes on Sunday, including one of the biggies.

Andra Day, of the film "The United States vs. Billie Holliday," won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama. She also took home the Breakthrough Performance Award handed out by the Palm Springs film festival.

Chloe Zhao won the Golden Globe for Best Director for her remarkable film "Nomadland" which also won Best Picture. She became just the second woman to win the Golden Globe for Best Director. She was also given the Director of the Year Award by the Palm Springs film festival.

Daniel Kaluuya won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for his role in the movie "Judas and the Black Messiah." He was given the International Star Award by the Palm Springs film festival this year. He won the first award of the night and immediately started talking while on mute, hammering home the unusualness of the night with honorees all chiming in via Zoom.

Aaron Sorkin won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay for the film "The Trial of the Chicago 7." Sorkin, along with the cast of the film, was given the Vanguard Award by the Palm Springs film festival.

The movie "Minari" won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. One of its stars Yun-Jung Youn, who played the grandmother, was honored by the Palm Springs film festival as this year's Spotlight Award-winning woman.

Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.

Palm Springs film festival celebrities: Adam Driver, Jennifer Lopez ...

Lights, camera, action. It's almost time for the Palm Springs International Film Festival!

That means we're also close to welcoming a slew of A-list celebrities to the Coachella Valley. Some of Hollywood's most high-profile directors, actors, actresses and more will descend on the California desert for the 12-day festival of events and film screenings happening Jan. 2-13, 2020.

It kicks off with the star-studded Film Awards Gala, where many Oscar hopefuls walk down a red carpet in front of the Palm Springs Convention Center.

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Here are the celebrities expected to be in attendance at the 2020 Palm Springs International Film Festival:

Antonio Banderas

Spanish actor and singer Antonio Banderas will receive the International Star Award, Actor for his performance in "Pain and Glory" at the film festival's Film Awards Gala, taking place at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Jan. 2, 2020. The film chronicles the final days of a fictional film director named Salvador Mallo as he reflects on his life. Banderas is also expected to be in attendance at the Talking Pictures screening and discussion of "Pain and Glory," taking place at 10 a.m. on Jan. 3 at the Palm Springs Art Museum's Annenberg Theater.

More:Antonio Banderas to receive award at Palm Springs film festival

Noah Baumbach

"Marriage Story" director Noah Baumbach is expected to be in attendance at the Talking Pictures screening and discussion of the film, taking place at noon on Jan. 2 at the Richards Center for the Arts at Palm Springs High School. The film is about a marriage between a stage director (played by Adam Driver) and his actress wife (played by Scarlett Johansson) who go through a coast-to-coast divorce and fight for custody of their young son.

Robert De Niro

For his performance in "The Irishman," Robert De Niro will receive the Creative Impact in Acting award from Variety on Jan. 3 during the annual 10 Directors to Watch brunch at the Parker Palm Springs. Many film critics criticized director Martin Scorsese for using de-aging special effects on De Niro in "The Irishman." Regardless, the actor's portrayal of World War II veteran and mafia hitman Frank Sheeran is one of De Niro's finest roles.

Laura Dern

Actress Laura Dern will receive the Career Achievement Award at the film festival's gala. The 52-year old actress starred in two films this year: the classic period drama, "Little Women," and the comedy drama, "Marriage Story." She also plays Renata Klein in the HBO series "Big Little Lies" and is the voice of Sue Murphy in the Bill Burr animated Netflix sitcom "F is for Family." Dern is also expected to be in attendance at the Talking Pictures screening and discussion of "Marriage Story," taking place at noon on Jan. 2 at the Richards Center for the Arts at Palm Springs High School.

More:Laura Dern to receive career achievement award at Palm Springs film fest

Adam Driver

Driver will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor at the awards gala for his performance in "Marriage Story." The actor is also expected to be in attendance at the Talking Pictures screening and discussion of the film, taking place at noon on Jan. 2 at the Richards Center for the Arts at Palm Springs High School.

More:'Marriage Story' star Adam Driver to receive award at Palm Springs film fest

Cynthia Erivo

Actress Cynthia Erivo will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award at the film festival for her performance in the title role of the Harriet Tubman biopic, "Harriet." It's the first leading role for Erivo, a 32-year old actress, singer and songwriter, who plays the renowned "conductor" of the Underground Railroad. The actress is also expected to be in attendance at the Talking Pictures screening and discussion of the film, taking place at 10 a.m. on Jan. 2. at the Palm Springs Cultural Center.

More:'Harriet' star Cynthia Erivo to receive award at Palm Springs film festival

Jamie Foxx

Actor, singer and comedian Jamie Foxx will receive the Spotlight Award, Actor at the awards gala for his performance in "Just Mercy." The film is based on attorney Bryan Stevenson's (played by Michael B. Jordan) bestselling 2015 memoir about defending Walter “Johnny D.” McMillian (played by Foxx), a black man sentenced to death row for a crime he did not commit.

More:Jamie Foxx to receive Spotlight Award at Palm Springs film festival

Zack Gottsagen

Actor Zack Gottsagen will receive the Rising Star Award for his performance in "The Peanut Butter Falcon," at the Film Awards Gala. The film follows young man with Down syndrome (played by Gottsagen) who lives in an assisted living facility in North Carolina and is obsessed with professional wrestling. He decides to escape to Florida to attend wrestling school with the help of a thief and fisherman (played by Shia LaBeouf).

More:Zack Gottsagen to receive award at Palm Springs film festival

Jennifer Lopez

Singer, actress and fashion designer Jennifer Lopez will receive the Spotlight Award, Actress for her performance in the film "Hustlers" at the Film Awards Gala. "Hustlers" follows a group of former strippers in New York who come together in a scheme to steal money from their Wall Street clients. Lopez plays veteran stripper Ramona Vega.

Celebrity significant other possibility: Perhaps Lopez will be joined by her famous fiancé, former baseball star and current TV personality Alex Rodriguez.

More:'Hustlers' star Jennifer Lopez will be honored at film festival

Edward Norton

The writer, director, producer and actor of "Motherless Brooklyn" is expected to be in attendance at the Talking Pictures screening of the film, taking place at 9 a.m. on Jan. 4 at Palm Springs High School. Edward Norton will join a discussion with author Jonathan Lethem, who wrote the 1999 novel, “Motherless Brooklyn” about a detective with Tourette syndrome, following the screening.

Todd Phillips

"Joker" director Todd Phillips will receive the Creative Impact in Producing award from Variety during the annual 10 Directors to Watch brunch. Using the 1988 graphic novel "The Killing Joke" as source material, "Joker" provides a cautionary tale about ignoring those with mental illness. Actor Joaquin Phoenix plays a failed stand-up comedian and party clown who morphs into a criminal.

Joaquin Phoenix

Phoenix, known for his roles in "Walk the Line" and "Inherent Vice," will receive the Chairman's Award at the Film Awards Gala for his performance in "Joker." Festival Chairman Harold Matzner called the actor's portrayal of the film's title role "another in his arsenal of unforgettable characters."

More:'Joker' star Joaquin Phoenix to receive award at film festival

Jay Roach

The "Bombshell" director is expected to attend the Talking Pictures screening of the film at 10 a.m. on Jan. 2 at the Palm Springs Art Museum's Annenberg Theater. The movie is based on the 2016 sexual harassment allegations against former Fox News chairman and CEO, the late Roger Ailes. Roach will answer questions following the screening, around noon.

Lorene Scafaria

Lorene Scafaria, the writer and director of "Hustlers," is expected to attend the Talking Pictures screening of the film at 9:45 a.m. on Jan. 3 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center.

Martin Scorsese

Scorsese, who is known for such epic mob films as "Goodfellas," "Casino" and "The Departed," will receive the Sonny Bono Visionary Award at the awards gala for his film "The Irishman." Almost four hours long, "The Irishman" follows Frank Sheeran (portrayed by De Niro), a high-ranking official in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and one of only two non-Italians affiliated with the American commission of the Sicilian Mafia.

More:'The Irishman' director Martin Scorsese will be honored at film festival

Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino will receive the Director of the Year Award at the awards gala for his film "Once Upon A Time ... in Hollywood." Matzner said Tarantino "captures the essence of 1969 Hollywood in his latest cinematic masterpiece," which is a comedy-drama about a fictional '50s-era Hollywood actor (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double (played by Brad Pitt) who struggle to find work in Hollywood.

More:Quentin Tarantino nabs director of year award at Palm Springs film festival

Charlize Theron

South African actress Charlize Theron will receive the International Star Award, Actress at the Film Awards Gala for her performance in the film "Bombshell." Theron plays former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. The actress was previously honored at the Palm Springs film festival with the Desert Palm Achievement Award in 2006 and the Vanguard Award for her performance in "Young Adult" in 2012.

More:'Bombshell' actress Charlize Theron nabs award at film festival

Lena Waithe

"Queen & Slim" writer Lena Waithe will receive the Creative Impact in Producing award from Variety during the annual 10 Directors to Watch brunch. In the film, a young African-American couple meet for a first date. After they're pulled over by a white bullying police officer (played by country singer Sturgill Simpson), the night takes a dark turn when the officer is dead and the couple is on the run.

Olivia Wilde

The "Booksmart" director is expected to be in attendance at the Talking Pictures screening and discussion of her film, taking place at 1 pm. on Jan. 3 at the Palm Springs Art Museum's Annenberg Theater. "Booksmart" is Wilde's directorial debut and follows two high school standouts who attend a party ahead of graduation.

Renée Zellweger

Renée Zellweger is picking up Oscar buzz for her performance in the 2019 Judy Garland biopic "Judy" and will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress at the Film Awards Gala. Matzner called Zellweger's portrayal of Garland "outstanding" and "a career best," echoing the praise of many film critics for her performance, in which she does her own singing.

More:Renée Zellweger to receive Palm Springs film festival's top actress award

Artistic director offers 10 must-see festival picks

Bruce Fessier

The Desert Sun

The Palm Springs International Film Festival this week offers an opportunity to view about half of the films being considered for Best Foreign Language Oscar nominations.

One of those films will be named Best Foreign Language Film of the Year award by the international FIPRESCI critics organization, which is judging the festival’s 43 Oscar submissions in its Awards Buzz section. That designation may not be as prestigious as the Motion Pictures Academy's selection for Best Foreign Language Film, but it makes the Awards Buzz a competition worth exploring.

WHOLE PICTURE: Complete Awards Buzz program

43 films are still a lot of movies for the average festival-goer to see in the next 10 days. And who wants to ignore all the premieres in this festival?

Festival Artistic Director Michael Lerman has come up with two lists of five “must-sees” films.

The five in the Awards Buzz competition are:

“The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki,” from Finland. 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Palm Springs High School; 10:30 a.m. Monday, Mary Pickford; 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, Camelot. This is the story of a small-town boxer who has a shot at the featherweight boxing championship of the world, if he can only stop eating long enough to make weight. Lerman calls it an “audience-pleasing tale of love and boxing. Sweet, pitch-perfectly acted and incredibly endearing.”

“Apprentice,” from Singapore. 2 p.m. Tuesday, the Regal; 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Mary Pickford. This psychological drama by Boo Junfeng was runner-up to “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki” for the Un Certain Regard Award recognizing innovative, emerging filmmakers at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. “A thought provoking meditation on death and capital punishment in one of the smartest character studies made this year,” Lerman said.

“My Life as a Zucchini,” Switzerland. 5 p.m. Tuesday, the Regal; 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, Palm Springs High School. A Golden Globe-nominated animated film about a boy who is accompanied to a foster home by a friendly police officer after his mother disappears. “Beautiful, hilarious and human, this Swiss kids movie has been striking a chord with adults all over the world for its sharp writing and unique animation style,” Lerman said. “Made for anyone ages 12-100, this is a ‘don’t miss’ shoe-in for the Best Foreign Language and Animation Oscars.

“Fire at Sea,” Italy. 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Annenberg; 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Camelot; 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Annenberg. Gianfranco Rosi’s commentary on the European migrant crisis, as seen through the eyes of one man and the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa. It won the European Film Award for best doc. “Equal parts beautiful and harrowing, this brilliantly structured documentary explores Italy’s relationship to the seas that border it by juxtaposing an aspiring sailor against the backdrop of the rough seas around him, which serve as a key area in the European migrant crisis,” Lerman said.

“Under the Shadow,” from the UK, Qatar, Jordan and Iran. 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, all at the Mary Pickford. Babak Anvari’s Farsi-language horror tells the story of a mother and daughter in post-revolution Tehran in the 1980s who find themselves terrorized by an evil that has invaded their house. “Part terrifying ghost story, part examination of war-torn Tehran, this exhilarating film captures what genre cinema does best – uses metaphor to explore the evils in the real world,” Lerman said.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Who is Michael Lerman?

Five narrative films not up for Academy Awards consideration, but still likely to satisfy audiences are:

“Paint It Black,” U.S., 7:30 p.m. Friday, Camelot; 11 a.m. Saturday, Regal, 4 p.m. Wednesday, Mary Pickford. This film, starring Rancho Mirage native Alia Shawkatt (best known for her role from “Arrested Development”), follows the aftermath of a young man’s suicide, when his mother and punk girlfriend get into an epic battle. Actress-turned-director Amber Tamblyn's cast also includes Janet McTeer and Alfred Molina in Tamblyn's directorial debut. “Unique filmmaking and a daring lead performance from Alia Shawkat anchor this female centric, emotional drama,” Lerman said.

“Souvenir,” Belgium. 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Camelot; 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, Regal; 12:45 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, Palm Springs High School. A musical romance starring Isabelle Huppert as a former Eurovision star who is enticed into making a comeback. “Isabelle Huppert shines in this touching love story between a retired front woman for a band and much younger factory worker who rekindles her passion for music,” Lerman said.

“Una,” UK. 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Annenberg; 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13 Camelot; 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, Palm Springs High School. The story of an encounter between a man and a woman 15 after he was imprisoned for having a sexual relationship with her when she was 13 and he was 40. “Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn give riveting performances,” Lerman said, “in this searing adaptation of David Harrower’s award winning play ‘Blackbird.’”

“King of the Dancehall,” U.S. 7:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, Annenberg; 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, Mary Pickford. Nick Cannon’s introduction as a tour de force writer, producer, director and star. “Be whisked away to Jamaica in this colorful and lively story of an ex-con who gets caught up in the vibrant dancehall scene in Kingston,” Lerman said.

“The Rehearsal,” New Zealand. 1:30 p.m. Monday, Camelot; 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 13, Regal; 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 15, Regal. An adaptation of the Eleanor Catton novel exploring teaching and art and showing once again how life inspires art. Or, as Lerman puts, “Alison Mclean (Jesus’ Son) returns with this fiercely sardonic and extremely engaging take on a scandal inside a performing arts school.”

Palm Springs film festival to honor Jane Campion with Director of the ...

Academy Award-winner Jane Campion will receive the Director of the Year Award for her latest film "The Power of the Dog" at the Palm Springs International Film Awards.

The Film Awards will take place in person on Jan. 6, 2022, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the film festival running through Jan. 17. The 2021 festival and film awards were canceled last November due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On top of directing "The Power of the Dog," Campion produced and wrote the script based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Thomas Savage. Hyper-masculine rancher Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) incites fear in others, while his brother George (Jesse Plemons) is more gentle and wants to distance himself from Phil. When the two meet widow and inn owner Rose Gordon (Kirsten Dunst) and her quiet son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), and George eventually marries Rose, Phil takes his mockery and torment to a new level. That is until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.

Campion was awarded the Silver Lion for directing at the Venice International Film Festival in September. The film is out in theaters beginning Wednesday and will be released on Netflix on Dec. 1.

Related: 'Spencer' star Kristen Stewart to be honored with Spotlight Award at Palm Springs International Film Awards

More: Palm Springs film festival to honor Penélope Cruz with International Star Award for 'Parallel Mothers'

Festival Chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement that Campion has "once again created a cinematic masterpiece."

Past recipients of the Director of the Year Award include Alejandro G. Iñárritu ("Babel," "Birdman"), Steve Mc Queen ("12 Years a Slave"), Alexander Payne ("Sideways"), Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air"), David O. Russell ("The Fighter"), Quentin Tarantino ("Once Upon a Time in Hollywood") and Chloé Zhao ("Nomadland"), who all went on to receive Best Director Academy Award nominations. Last year's honoree Zhao won Best Director, making her the second woman and first woman of color to win in the award.

Campion is best known for her 1993 debut feature "The Piano," for which she was the first female director to win the Palme D’Or, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival, and one of only seven women ever to be nominated for the Best Director Oscar. The film also received nine Academy Award nominations and three wins, including Campion taking home the Best Screenplay statue.

Her other films include "Sweetie" in 1989; "An Angel at My Table" in 1990, which won seven awards at the Venice Film Festival; "The Portrait of a Lady" in 1996, which was nominated for two Academy Awards; "Holy Smoke" in 1999; "In the Cut" in 2003; and "Bright Star" in 2009. Campion also created, co-wrote, co-directed and executive produced the two season mini-series "Top of the Lake" starring Elisabeth Moss.

Campion joins this year’s previously announced honorees Penélope Cruz (International Star Award, Actress) and Kristen Stewart (Spotlight Award, Actress).

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

Palm Springs film fest kicks off with celebrity arrivals on red carpet

The Palm Springs International Film Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

On Thursday, the illustrious Film Awards Gala takes place at the Palm Springs Convention Center to mark the start of the festivities – and awards season.

Hosted by Mary Hart and "Entertainment Tonight," and presented by American Express, the gala is an evening of glam that raises more than $1 million for the Palm Springs International Film Society every year, according to the festival's website.

It's also played a key role in attracting industry stars, distinguishing Palm Springs from most other film festivals. The gala's reputation as a portender of Academy Awards nominations has made it prudent for Oscar hopefuls to attend.

The evening starts with a cocktail hour at 5 p.m. before dinner and the awards show, where previously announced honorees receive ornate statuettes. But first, they walk a red carpet outside the convention center, flanked by other A-list celebrities.

Live coverage of Palm Springs film fest:Live blog: 'Mary Poppins' cast, Queen film star Rami Malek to walk Palm Springs film fest red carpet

30TH ANNIVERSARY:The Palm Springs film festival is positioned to survive. L.A.'s didn't. Here's why

FESTIVAL EXPANDS: Lineup shows best of last 30 years

STARS RETURN:Palm Springs film festival calling Timothée Chalamet's name for Spotlight Award

Some of this year's awardees include: Timothée Chalamet, who will be honored with the Spotlight Award, Actor; Glenn Close with the Icon Award; Olivia Colman with the Desert Palm Achievement Award; Bradley Cooper with the Director of the Year Award; Alfonso Cuarón with the Sonny Bonny Visionary Award; Spike Lee with the Career Achievement Award; Regina King with the Chairman's Award; Rami Malek with the Breakthrough Performance Award; Melissa McCarthy with the Spotlight Award, Actress; the cast and director of "Green Book" with the Vanguard Award; and the cast of "Mary Poppins Returns" with the Ensemble Performance Award.

"Green Book" stars Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, and director Peter Farrelly are expected to be in attendance to accept their award. From "Mary Poppins Returns," actress Emily Blunt, who plays the magical English nanny, is expected to be on hand along with Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and Joel Dawson, who play the kids in the musical fantasy.

Additionally, actress Emma Stone will be in attendance to present Colman, her co-star in "The Favourite," with her award along with last year's Oscar winner Gary Oldman, who has a home in Palm Springs.

If you're hoping to snag some autographs, it's best to line up no later than 4:30 p.m. Stars usually arrive around 5:30 p.m. Barricades are set up across from the red carpet, and usually a couple hundred fans line up behind them. Some die-hards camp out overnight to claim the best spots, but even if you show up on Tuesday afternoon, you should be able to be in position to easily see the stars, if not interact with them.

If you can't make it to the convention center, you can follow The Desert Sun's live coverage throughout the evening. In addition to updates on desertsun.com, you'll also find photo galleries of our favorite fashion trends and more.

On The Desert Sun Instagram account @DesertSun, our reporters will take you behind the scenes to peep the arrivals. Plus, our Twitter account @MyDesert will be updated throughout the night.

You also can watch a Facebook live stream of the fans who line up to see their favorite stars, plus witness their potential meltdowns upon meeting, at facebook.com/TheDesertSun.

Following the Film Awards Gala, Opening Night takes place Jan. 4 with a 6:30 p.m. screening of "All is True" at Palm Springs High School. Directed by and starring England’s five-time Oscar-nominated Kenneth Branagh, “All Is True” is a look at the final days of William Shakespeare.

The festival runs Jan. 3-14 at venues throughout Palm Springs and Cathedral City. Over the course of two weeks, 223 films from 78 countries will be screened, including 30 of the most popular films in the festival's history.

This year's event will close Jan. 13 with a 6:30 p.m. showing of "Ladies in Black," directed by two-time Oscar-nominated Australian, Bruce Beresford, at Palm Springs High School. The film examines the glory days of elegant department stores.

Kristin Scharkey is the editor of DESERT magazine and community content editor at The Desert Sun. Desert Sun reporters Geraldine Estevez, Bruce Fessier and Shad Powers contributed to this report.

Sarah Polley to receive directing award at Palm Springs film festival

Academy Award nominee Sarah Polley will receive the Director of the Year Award for her latest film, "Women Talking," at the Palm Springs International Film Awards.

The Film Awards will take place in person on Jan. 5 at the Palm Springs Convention Center, with the Palm Springs International Film Festival running through Jan. 16. The 2022 festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On top of directing "Women Talking," Polley wrote the script, which is based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Miriam Toews. The film centers on a group of women living in an isolated religious colony as they struggle to reconcile their faith after a series of sexual assaults committed by the colony's men are revealed. The film stars Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Sheila McCarthy, Michelle McLeod, Kate Hallett, Liv McNeil, August Winter, Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand.

“Sarah Polley continues her outstanding work as a writer and director in her latest film 'Women Talking.' She brings together a stellar cast in her adaptation of the Miriam Toews book, taking us on a cinematic journey filled with raw emotions and performances,” Festival Chairman Harold Matzner said in a statement. “It is our honor to present Sarah Polley with the Director of the Year Award.”

Polley received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for her feature directorial debut, "Away From Her." The film also garnered a Best Actress nomination for star Julie Christie. Her second feature was "Take This Waltz" starring Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman.

"Stories We Tell," her documentary that examines secrets and memories in her own family, won Best Documentary Film awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, National Board of Review and the New York Film Critics Circle, as well as a Writer’s Guild of America award for its screenplay. Polley executive produced and wrote the Netflix limited series "Alias Grace," which she adapted from Margaret Atwood’s novel.

As an actor, her film credits include "The Sweet Hereafter" (Best Supporting Actress Award from the Boston Society of Film Critics), "Go" (Independent Spirit Award nomination), "Dawn of the Dead," "Mr. Nobody," "The Weight of Water, Existenz," "The Secret Life of Words," "My Life Without Me" (Best Actress from the Chlotrudis Awards), "Guinevere," "Don’t Come Knocking," "The Claim" and "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen."

In 2022, Polley released "Run Towards the Danger: Confrontations with a Body of Memory," an autobiographical collection of essays detailing her relationship with her body and how her memory of past and present experiences has contributed to her evolving understanding of self.

Past recipients of the Director of the Year Award include Jane Campion ("The Power of the Dog"), Alejandro G. Iñárritu ("Babel," "Birdman"), Steve Mc Queen ("12 Years a Slave"), Alexander Payne ("Sideways"), Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air"), David O. Russell ("The Fighter"), Quentin Tarantino ("Once Upon a Time in Hollywood") and Chloé Zhao ("Nomadland") who all went on to receive Best Director Academy Award nominations. Campion, Iñárritu and Zhao went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Director.

Polley joins the Film Awards' previously announced honoree Colin Farrell (Desert Palm Achievement, Actor).

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.


How we got addicted to using Q-tips the wrong way | CNN Business

New York CNN Business —

Every Q-tips box has a warning label: “Do not insert swab into ear canal,” and if you’re going to use it to clean your ears, gently swab the outer part only.

But extracting wax from our ear canals is precisely why most of us buy Q-tips in the first place. The humble Q-tip was so perfectly designed for this purpose that it turned into a generic word for a product.

Yet, somehow, we use it for the very thing it specifically warns us not to do.

‘Q-Tips Baby Gays’

The origins of this strange consumer phenomenon can be traced to Leo Gerstenzang, an immigrant from Poland.

In 1923, Gerstenzang supposedly thought he could improve upon his wife Ziuta’s method of wrapping a wad of cotton around a toothpick to clean their newborn daughter Betty’s eyes, ears, belly button and other sensitive areas during bathing.

Gerstenzang started a company that year to develop and manufacture the first ready-made sterilized cotton swabs for baby care. Over the next couple of years, he worked to design a machine that could produce swabs “untouched by human hands.”

A Q-tips advertisement from 1945. Q-tips were originally designed for baby care. The Tampa Tribune

“Baby Betty Gays” was the original working name for the swabs because daughter Betty laughed when her parents tickled her with them, according to her 2017 paid obituary. By the time Gerstenzang put out one of the first newspaper advertisements for his invention in 1925 it was shortened to “Baby Gays.”

Soon, Gerstenzang changed the brand name to “Q-Tips Baby Gays.” By the mid-1930s, “Baby Gays” was dropped from the name.

There are competing histories to where the “Q-tips” addition came from. According to a spokesperson for Unilever (UL), the consumer goods conglomerate that bought Q-tips in 1987, the “Q” stands for “quality” and “tips” describes the cotton swab at the end of the stick (the first swabs were single-sided sold in sliding tin boxes).

But, according to Betty’s obituary, “Q-tips” was a play off “Cutie-Tips” because she was so cute as a baby.

‘Adult ear care’

Q-tips never told us to stick the swabs in our ear canal to clear out earwax. But, from its beginning in the 1920s, it made ear care a key focus of its marketing strategy. This trained generations of Americans to associate it with cleaning there.

Mid-century advertisements often featured illustrations of men and women cleaning their ears or their babies’ ears with them, including one depicting a man removing water from his ears after a swim.

Old versions of boxes listed “adult ear care” as a main use for the product.

Even Betty White later appeared in television spots for Q-tips in the 1970s and 1980s, promoting them as the “safest and softest” swabs on the market for your eyes, nose and ears.

A Q-tips advertisement in Life Magazine from 1956. Some ads around the period showed men cleaning water out of their ears with Q-tips. Life Magazine

Q-tips are almost addicting to use to clear out wax and it becomes a vicious cycle when we do so, said Douglas Backous, a neurotologist specializing in treating ear and skull conditions. Removing earwax creates dry skin, which we then want to scratch with — of course — a Q-tip.

Sticking Q-tips in your ears also can damage the ear canal. Most people do not actually need to remove earwax, as well, because ears are self-cleaning. Inserting a swab can traps earwax deeper inside, he said, and “you’re actually working against yourself by using it.”

It wasn’t until the 1970s, under previous owner Chesebrough-Pond’s, that Q-tips added a warning about not sticking the thing in your ear. It’s unclear what prompted this change.

“The company has no details on why they did this, and our search of the records turns up no publicized case of anyone with a swab in the brain,” the Washington Post reported in 1990. “Something must have happened, and Chesebrough-Pond’s didn’t want to be blamed.”

But by the time Q-tips added that warning label, it was too late. Consumer habits had become impossible to break, and Q-tips controlled around 75% of the market for cotton swabs.

“It was just accepted that that’s how people were using it,” said Aaron Calloway, the Q-tips brand manager at Unilever in 2007 and 2008.

‘Beauty assistant’

So what should you use Q-tips for? The company has several suggestions. For decades, it has tried to emphasize the versatility of cotton swabs.

During the 1940s, Q-tips were positioned as an essential tool for women’s cosmetics and beauty routines.

“Mommy, do you know you can use Q-tips for many things?…You can use them yourself when using cream or make-up, too mommy!” read a 1941 print advertisement.

By the 1940s, Q-tips was marketed to women as a tool for their beauty routines. New York Daily News

Another print advertisement, a decade later, described Q-tips as a “beauty assistant” for women.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Q-tips began to tell consumers they were for more than just for babies or women – they were handy for just about any project around the house or in their lives.

“For lubricating power saws and drills…guns and fishing reels…mending a tea cup and cleaning jewelery…Antiquing furniture,” read a 1971 ad.

Today, there are no ears in Q-tips’ advertising. A spokesperson for the brand says 80% of consumers use Q-tips for purposes other than personal care.

CNN’s Leidy Cook contributed to this article.

Why Tide Pods look like candy | CNN Business

New York CNN Business —

In 2004, Procter & Gamble was looking for a hit.

It had been two decades since the consumer products conglomerate introduced Tide liquid detergent, revolutionizing the way people washed their clothes. Cheaper rivals and in-house store brands were chipping away at Tide’s dominance.

P&G had also found that consumers were tired of lugging around bulky seven-pound Tide detergent bottles, measuring and pouring liquid detergent into a cup and then cleaning up the inevitable spills. Doing the laundry had become a dreaded chore.

Tide Pods' signature three-chamber design. The product has been one of Procter & Gamble's most successful innovations in years. Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The company needed to develop something so different that it would convince consumers to switch away from liquid detergent. It set about trying to develop a distinctive palm-size, liquid-filled detergent capsule that would catch shoppers’ eyes on the shelf and make doing laundry a bit more exciting.

In 2012, after eight years, P&G finally introduced America to Tide Pods, a delectable blue, orange and white single packet of concentrated detergent.

Tide Pods was a breakthrough success. But P&G created a product so visually appealing and irresistible that it inadvertently turned into a public health risk.

Disrupting the wash

Tide, which arrived on the US market in 1946 as the first synthetic detergent, has long been one of P&G’s most important brands on a roster that includes Gillette, Pampers, Dawn, Bounty and other staples of American homes.

Tide came to dominate the detergent sector and was at one point P&G’s largest US brand. Within the company, working on Tide has been a coveted job and often a stepping stone to the executive suite.

Tide Pods was not P&G’s first attempt to develop a laundry tablet.

In 1960, P&G launched Salvo, a compressed powdered tablet. It was on the market for about five years. In 2000, P&G introduced Tide Tabs: tablets filled with powder detergent. But the company pulled them off the market two years later – the powder tablets didn’t always dissolve completely and they worked only in hot water.

“It wasn’t even close to hitting the goals,” one former P&G employee later told The Wall Street Journal.

Tide Pods launched in 2012. Here, former CEO Bob McDonald showcases an early version of Tide Pods' clear package design. Daniel Acker/Bloomberg/Getty Images

P&G’s next attempt – creating a tablet with liquid that would eventually become Tide Pods – was a hugely difficult engineering task. It involved more than 75 employees and 450 different packaging and product sketches. Thousands of consumers were surveyed.

The goal was to “disrupt the ‘sleep-washing’ ” among consumers who “automatically pick up” detergent, P&G’s marketing director for North American fabric care told The New York Times. “We want to shake this category up with innovation.”

At the Academy Awards telecast in 2012, P&G introduced Tide Pods in a sparkling, vibrant commercial with the tagline “Pop In. Stand Out.” The spot encouraged customers to “pop” Tide Pods into the washing machine and watch their clothing “pop” with brightness. P&G spent $150 million on an advertising blitz rolling out Tide Pods to consumers.

‘Food imitating products’

Within a year, Tide Pods crossed $500 million in sales in North America and controlled about 75% of the market for single-dose laundry packets, the company said at the time. The product was so successful that other manufacturers raced to create similar versions.

Tide Pods appealed to customers with its lightweight design, blue, orange and white-striped swirl and soft, squishy feel.

Today, it features a patented three-chamber design that separates detergent (the green compartment), stain remover (white) and whitener (blue). P&G did not say why it changed the colors.

Even Tide Pods packaging was distinct.

The company developed a see-through fishbowl-shaped plastic container that showed the pods clearly to stand out on the shelf. People also liked how the Tide Pods felt in their hands, researchers found.

Tide Pods’ design was reflective of a long strategy of consumer product makers designing cleaners and personal hygiene products that exhibited food or drink attributes, according Dr. Frédéric Basso, a professor at The London School of Economics and Political Science, who has researched this trend, known as “food imitating products.”

Other examples of this tactic include bottles shaped like soft drinks and labels that depict colorful fruits.

By developing products that create links to food, play or other positive experiences, customers are less likely to automatically associate these items with an unpleasant or boring chore, Basso said.

“Tide Pods obviously remind people of foods, especially foods that have been made to appeal to children,” John Allen, an anthropologist at Indiana University and author of “The Omnivorous Mind: Our Evolving Relationship with Food,” said in an email. It’s “bite sized, processed, colorful, with a non-threatening texture, sort of like a cross between candy and a chicken nugget.”

Unintended consequences

But Tide Pods’ appearance held an unforeseen threat.

Young children and elderly people with dementia started popping them into their mouths. Within two months after Tide Pods’ launch, nearly 250 cases of young children eating detergent packs were reported to poison control centers around the United States.

P&G quickly responded to safety issues by making Tide Pods packages more difficult to open, with a double-latch to the lid. A year later, the packaging was changed to orange from the original clear plastic that resembled candy bowls. Since then, P&G has made a number of other changes that made Tide Pods’ packages more child-resistant, and it enhanced the warning labels.

P&G said accidents among young children result primarily from incorrect safekeeping and access to laundry packets, not the color of the pods. The company pointed to a 2017 study that found color does not play a critical role in accidental exposures to laundry pods.

The company has an ongoing safety campaign on Tide Pods to educate consumers about proper use and storage of the product, a P&G spokesperson said. It includes advertising and content partnerships with online parenting channels.

Still, laundry detergent pods by Tide and other companies were involved in two deaths and two dozen life-threatening poisonings in 2013 and 2014. US poison control centers received more than 37,000 calls in those years involving children younger than six, according to one study.

P&G has developed numerous safety innovations to Tide Pods since 2012. Mike Blake/Reuters

Between 2012 and 2017, eight deaths were reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Two of the cases were young children and six were adults with dementia.

In 2015, Consumer Reports said laundry pods were too risky to recommend because of their safety issues.

That year, P&G and other manufacturers adopted voluntary standards for laundry packets aimed at reducing accidents involving young children. Led by P&G, manufacturers agreed to keep the capsules in opaque containers, coat them in a bitter or foul-tasting substance and strengthen them to reduce the risk of bursting when they’re squeezed.

A P&G spokesperson said that the standard has led to a steep decline in the rate of accidents in recent years, even as more people use laundry packets.

Despite P&G’s efforts to make Tide Pods’ packaging and design safer and warn consumers on risks, a Tide Pods “challenge” meme spread rapidly on social media among teenagers daring others to swallow the pods in early 2018. Tide partnered with then-New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski to issue a PSA and launched a safety campaign on social media.

At the time, New York lawmakers called for P&G to change Tide Pods’ design to make them look less edible. Lawmakers in the state introduced a bill that would require all detergent packages sold in New York to be of a uniform color that is “unattractive to children.”

But P&G said accidents happen whether the product has no color, one color, or multiple colors and there is insufficient evidence to show that any color is linked to safety improvements.

Storing Tide Pods out of the reach of children, the company said, is the most important safety prevention measure.