Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore Among Those who Lost Homes in Los Angeles Fires

A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)
A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)
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Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore Among Those who Lost Homes in Los Angeles Fires

A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)
A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)

Fires burning in and around Los Angeles have claimed the homes of numerous celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton and led to sweeping disruptions of entertainment events.
Three awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed. Next week's Oscar nominations have been delayed. And tens of thousands of Angelenos are displaced and awaiting word Thursday on whether their homes survived the flames — some of them the city's most famous denizens, The Associated Press reported.
More than 1,900 structures have been destroyed and the number is expected to increase. More than 130,000 people are also under evacuation orders in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, a number that continues to shift as new fires erupt.
Late Wednesday, a fire in the Hollywood Hills was scorching the hills near the famed Hollywood Bowl and Dolby Theatre, which is the home of the Academy Awards.
Here are how the fires are impacting celebrities and the Los Angeles entertainment industry:
Stars whose homes have burned in the fires Celebrities like Crystal and his wife, Janice, were sharing memories of the homes they lost.
The Crystals lost the home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that they lived in for 45 years.
“Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this,” the Crystals wrote in the statement.
Mandy Moore lost her home in the Altadena neighborhood roughly 30 miles east of the Palisades.
“Honestly, I’m in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family. My children’s school is gone. Our favorite restaurants, leveled. So many friends and loved ones have lost everything too,” Moore wrote on Instagram in a post that included video of devastated streets in the foothill suburb.
“Our community is broken but we will be here to rebuild together. Sending love to all affected and on the front lines trying to get this under control,” Moore wrote.
Hilton posted a news video clip on Instagram and said it included footage of her destroyed home in Malibu. “This home was where we built so many precious memories. It’s where Phoenix took his first steps and where we dreamed of building a lifetime of memories with London,” she said, referencing her young children."
Elwes, the star of “The Princess Bride” and numerous other films, wrote on Instagram Wednesday that his family was safe but their home had burned in the coastal Palisades fire. “Sadly we did lose our home but we are grateful to have survived this truly devastating fire,” Elwes wrote.
The blazes have thrown Hollywood's carefully orchestrated awards season into disarray.
Awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed due to the fires. The AFI Awards, which were set to honor “Wicked,” “Anora” and other awards season contenders, had been scheduled for Friday.
The AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, which honor movies and television shows that resonate with older audiences, were set for Friday but have been postponed.
The Critics Choice Awards, originally scheduled for Sunday, have been postponed until Feb. 26.
Each of the shows feature projects that are looking for any advantage they can get in the Oscar race and were scheduled during the Academy Awards voting window.
The Oscar nominations are also being delayed two days to Jan. 19 and the film academy has extended the voting window to accommodate members affected by the fires.



Olympic Tourists in Cortina Can Explore the Dolomites with the New ‘Uber Snowmobile’ Service

 The peaks of the Dolomites are seen from the Cortina Sliding Centre during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo on February 5, 2026. (AFP)
The peaks of the Dolomites are seen from the Cortina Sliding Centre during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo on February 5, 2026. (AFP)
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Olympic Tourists in Cortina Can Explore the Dolomites with the New ‘Uber Snowmobile’ Service

 The peaks of the Dolomites are seen from the Cortina Sliding Centre during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo on February 5, 2026. (AFP)
The peaks of the Dolomites are seen from the Cortina Sliding Centre during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo on February 5, 2026. (AFP)

The peaks of the Dolomites are seen from the Cortina Sliding Centre during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo on February 5, 2026. (AFP)

For one month starting on Saturday, Olympic spectators keen for a side trip to a UNESCO World Heritage Site can use Uber to reserve a ride on a snowmobile along the snow-covered road to the base of the Three Peaks of Lavaredo.

The dramatic, jagged limestone pinnacles stand just 23 kilometers (14.3 miles) from the Cortina venues where athletes are competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

One of the Olympic torchbearers, Giulia Baffetti, runs snowmobiling tours through Cortina-based winter activities outfit Snowdreamers. The company partnered with Uber, the official ride-hailing sponsor for the Games, to offer free tours on the weekends in February to people in town.

"Uber Snowmobile" tours, which can only be booked through Uber, include a ride in an Uber transfer bus for up to eight people from Cortina to the spot where riders mount their snowmobiles for departure. Tourgoers then follow the instructor, who leads the line of snowmobiles.

The first slots offered went fast, but Uber spokesperson Caspar Nixon said Friday that it planned to add more.

The three peaks are a magical place, Baffetti said, and this is a way for more people to experience it. Hikers and climbers flock there in the warmer months. In the winter, it’s a prime spot for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and sledding. Snowmobiling is allowed in a limited area in order to protect the environment.

"We want to give an experience to the tourists, so they can feel the mountains in a different way," she said.

The Associated Press took the one-hour tour on Thursday, ahead of the Saturday launch, along with one other person. Helmets are essential, while heated handgrips are a most welcome feature. And that red button? Passengers can push it to stop the snowmobile if it veers off course or they feel unsafe.

The adrenaline-filled ride reaches speeds up to 40 kph (25 mph) when zooming past snow-covered trees, and drivers are instructed to slow when coming upon cross-country skiers and sledders. Deer and wolves are sometimes seen along the 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) route up to the base of the peaks.

Also visible on Thursday was the southernmost of the three Lavaredo peaks, rising sharply out of the fog. While the Dolomites are breathtaking from Cortina — and on Friday, the sun shone and the view was clear from town — they are even more impressive up close.

The route back includes a short loop around Lake Antorno. Before traversing all the ups and downs, the snowmobile instructor leading the tour offers a reminder about that red button.

Saher Deeb, an Israeli tourist, was along for the ride Thursday, one day after his 29th birthday. It was his first time on a snowmobile, and he was all smiles as he climbed off at the end.

"It was perfect," he said.


French Duo Finish Walking from France to Shanghai After 1.5 Years

 Performers throw molten iron to create sparks during a performance on the Bund promenade along the Huangpu river, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse in Shanghai on February 2, 2026. (AFP)
Performers throw molten iron to create sparks during a performance on the Bund promenade along the Huangpu river, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse in Shanghai on February 2, 2026. (AFP)
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French Duo Finish Walking from France to Shanghai After 1.5 Years

 Performers throw molten iron to create sparks during a performance on the Bund promenade along the Huangpu river, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse in Shanghai on February 2, 2026. (AFP)
Performers throw molten iron to create sparks during a performance on the Bund promenade along the Huangpu river, ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year of the Horse in Shanghai on February 2, 2026. (AFP)

Two French adventurers reached the end of an epic walk from France to Shanghai on Saturday, after nearly a year and a half crossing 16 countries almost entirely on foot.

Loic Voisot and Benjamin Humblot embraced as they stood by the river on the Bund promenade, the financial hub's distinctive skyline glittering in the background.

Voisot and Humblot set off from Annecy in September 2024.

"We were thinking about this moment almost every day for more than a year now, so it's a really strong feeling," Humblot said of reaching their destination.

Hanging out after work one day, the two friends realized they both yearned for a "great adventure".

They wanted to visit China -- but without flying, which they believe is too harmful to the environment.

A plan to set out on foot was hatched, and except for a stretch in Russia which was done by bus for safety reasons, 518 days and around 12,850 kilometers (7,980 miles) later they took the last steps to completing it.

Around 50 people gathered at the start point for the last 10km stretch of their odyssey, many local people who have been following them on social media.

Along the way their numbers swelled, as media, French residents of Shanghai and others joined.

"If your dreams are crazy, just take it step by step and sometimes you will not succeed, but sometimes you will," said Voisot.

Asked what he would do first now the walk was over, he joked: "Sleep a lot!"


Annual Orchids Show Brings Vivid Color to Chicago Winter

Orchids adorn a Volkswagen Beetle as finishing touches are placed on the 12th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Glencoe, Ill. (AP)
Orchids adorn a Volkswagen Beetle as finishing touches are placed on the 12th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Glencoe, Ill. (AP)
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Annual Orchids Show Brings Vivid Color to Chicago Winter

Orchids adorn a Volkswagen Beetle as finishing touches are placed on the 12th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Glencoe, Ill. (AP)
Orchids adorn a Volkswagen Beetle as finishing touches are placed on the 12th annual Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, in Glencoe, Ill. (AP)

A soft layer of white snow blankets the grounds of the Chicago Botanic Garden. The air is chilly, the sky gray.

Inside, however, the air is warm and lights illuminate more than 10,000 vividly colored orchids. Staff members move in and out of greenhouses, preparing to open the garden’s 12th annual Orchid Show on Saturday.

This year’s theme is “Feelin’ Groovy" with several installations calling back to the 1970s, including a yellow Volkswagen Beetle filled with orchids.

“It’s just a really great way to get out of the winter cold and come into our greenhouses,” said Jodi Zombolo, associate vice president of visitor events and programs. “I think people are really looking for something to kind of bring happiness and something that they will enjoy and find whimsy in.”

The orchid family is one of the largest in the plant world and some of the species in the show are rare, exhibits horticulturist Jason Toth said. One example is the Angraecum sesquipedale, also known as Darwin’s orchid, on display in the west gallery.

Toth said the orchid led Darwin to correctly conclude that pollinators have adapted in order to reach down the flower's very long end.

"It has a great story and it’s quite remarkable-looking,” said Toth.

Elsewhere, massive, gnarly roots dangle from purple, pink and yellow Vanda orchids in the south greenhouse. These epiphytic orchids grow on the surface of trees instead of in soil.

“I think everyone’s tired of the winter,” said Toth. “So having some kind of flower show at this point is what we’re all craving. And 'Orchids' fits the bill.”

The show is expected to draw 85,000 visitors this year.