Nyong'o joins 'Star Wars' cast

The cast of "Star Wars: Episode VII" unites well-known "Star Wars" names with some up-and-coming actors. At least one cast member, Daisy Ridley, is so new she has just a few acting credits to her name. You can see her in the back right of this cast photo, wearing a necklace and talking to "Star Wars" veteran Carrie Fisher. Here's who she'll star with:

Although director J.J. Abrams and the rest of the creative team have been quiet about character details, we now know who will make up the cast of the 2015 film. Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o has been announced as a cast member. She won the coveted best supporting actress award for her breakthrough role in "12 Years a Slave."

Gwendoline Christie, currently known as Brienne of Tarth on HBO's "Game Of Thrones," joins "Episode VII" and will next be seen as Commander Lyme in "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1."

John Boyega is best known for the 2011 sci-fi action comedy "Attack the Block." Boyega has been one of the actors rumored to be a top choice for the lead role.

Adam Driver is a multifaceted actor who'll presumably get to show more of his range in "Star Wars: Episode VII." While he's best known for playing a quirky love interest on "Girls," Driver has also appeared in feature films "J. Edgar," "Lincoln," "Frances Ha" and "Inside Llewyn Davis."

Oscar Isaac had a breakthrough role in 2013 as the cranky singer-songwriter Llewyn Davis in the drama "Inside Llewyn Davis." We can't imagine his work in "Star Wars: Episode VII" will require him to sing, but it would be awesome if it did; Isaac has proved he's got a great set of pipes.

Andy Serkis is setting himself up to have a busy few years. The celebrated actor will next appear in this summer's "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," which will be followed by "Star Wars: Episode VII" next year. After that, he's expected to appear in another "Tintin" movie, "The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun."

Does the name Domhnall Gleeson sound familiar? That might be because you remember him as Bill Weasley in the last two movies of the "Harry Potter" franchise. But Gleeson has established himself with a host of other projects, including 2010's "Never Let Me Go" and 2013's "About Time." Suffice to say that if you don't know Gleeson by now, you will after "Star Wars: Episode VII."

When we learned that "Episode VII" is supposed to take place 30 years after "Return of the Jedi" and feature a trio of newbies alongside some familiar faces, we were ready to bet the house that Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker would be one of the recognizable stars. It was an easy guess to make, though; Hamill has long been considered an unspoken done deal.

Carrie Fisher was one of the original "Star Wars" cast members who initially said she was on board the new movie, only for her rep to backtrack and say the actress was kidding. But Abrams' announcement is no joke: the former Princess Leia has returned.

After playing coy with the press for months, Harrison Ford has officially been announced as a part of the "Star Wars: Episode VII" cast. The actor is expected to reprise his role of Han Solo.

We can't be the only ones who are supremely relieved to see that Anthony Daniels, the voice of C-3PO, will be back in action.

Obviously, you can't have Daniels' C-3PO without Kenny Baker's R2-D2. Just the thought of splitting up the droids is heartbreaking!

Peter Mayhew is probably somewhere warming up his voice for that famous Chewbacca roar. The actor was rumored to be reprising the character in "Star Wars: Episode VII," but it wasn't official until Abrams' announcement.

Max von Sydow is one of the veteran actors joining the upcoming "Star Wars" movie. It isn't clear what the wide-ranging thespian will do in Abrams' picture, but we can rest assured that he'll bring his respected acting chops to the part.

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• Nyong'o's casting was announced Monday


• "Game of Thrones" star also joining cast


• Nyong'o tweeted the good news

(CNN) -- It continues to be the year of Lupita Nyong'o.

The Oscar-winning actress has joined the cast of "Star Wars: Episode VII," it was announced on Monday. Also joining the J.J. Abrams-directed film cast is Gwendoline Christie, best known for her role as Brienne of Tarth in "Game of Thrones."

"I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII," Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy said in a press release. "It's thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape."

The two will join the already announced cast of John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow. Former stars of the franchise Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher will be reprising their 1977 roles from the original, hit film.

Following the announcement Nyong'o tweeted "I can finally say it out loud and proud: I'm going to a galaxy far far away!" along with an Instagram picture of the "Star Wars" logo.

I can finally say it out loud and proud: I'm going to a galaxy far far away! http://t.co/b39DjEEAzB

— Lupita Nyong'o (@Lupita_Nyongo) June 2, 2014

This year Nyong'o won a best supporting actress Academy Award for her breakthrough performance in the film "12 Years a Slave." She was also named one of CNN's Fresh Faces for 2014 and People magazine's 2014 most beautiful person.

Lupita, a Cinderella for everybody

Lupita named People's most beautiful person of 2014

Rihanna bares almost all in sheer dress

Is it any shock that Rihanna showed up in a see-through dress to receive a Fashion Icon award at the 2014 CFDA fashion awards on June 2? After all, she has a perfume called Nude. (You can search around for the more explicit pics, as we are a family friendly site.)

Channing Tatum shows off some of his better assets in the movie "Magic Mike," and he's set to do that again in a sequel. But as he told Elle magazine, he enjoys being in the buff off-camera, too. "I have a really nice back porch where the pool is," he said. "Once the shoes are off, the socks come off too, and then everything else downstairs just follows at some point."

What better way to get in touch with nature than to lose every last stitch of clothing? That's what "True Blood" star Alexander Skarsgard did on a trip to the South Pole, as captured by adventure guide Inge Solheim. The snapshot isn't too surprising -- even considering the frigid temperature -- since this is one actor who has zero problems with nudity. On the job, "if we're naked in the scene, then I'm naked," Skarsgard once explained to Rolling Stone.

It's just too easy to make the joke about Shia LaBeouf's loving to be in "la buff." He recently tweeted a nude photo of himself from the upcoming film "Charlie Countryman" and has not been shy about appearing naked in movies and a music video.

Lady Gaga will pretty much get nude anywhere it seems - magazine spreads, music videos - she loves to bare it.

Jennifer Aniston explored the world of free love and nudity with Paul Rudd in the film "Wanderlust." She has been quoted as saying being nude in movies is "liberating," but denied to friend Chelsea Handler on her late night talk show that she and fiance, Justin Theroux , are nudists.

Lindsay Lohan was featured on the cover of the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Playboy magazine and her nude scenes from the 2013 film 'The Canyons" have shown up online.

Kate Winslet has famously had her nude portrait drawn in the film "Titanic" and stripped for other roles, though she admits it can get a bit weird stripping down on set. "I just go in and say 'Oh f**k' let's do it.' and Boom," she said in an interview. If you complain about it or procrastinate it's not going to go away. Its a profoundly bizarre thing to do. As actors you talk about it all the time."

Some of you might be more familiar with Kim Kardashian's curves than your own physique. The reality star became famous with a sex tape and stayed famous with her reality show and photos such as this one, which she did for W magazine in 2010. While Kardashian later said she didn't think she'd ever pose nude again, she still frequently posts the next best thing on her Instagram account.

Daniel Radcliffe spent so much time naked on the sets of films and productions, he had to ask the producers of his Brit drama, "A Young Doctor's Notebook," to let him keep some clothes on. "I think there was a discussion about possible nudity for one scene," Radcliffe recalled to The Independent, "and I think my comment was, 'I got naked in three films last year, please can I not?' "

Even those who've never watched a single episode of Lena Dunham's "Girls" know that the show includes plenty of nudity -- and most often, it's Dunham herself showing skin. While Dunham's said that her frequent nakedness isn't a political statement and is more about creative expression, she does acknowledge that it can have cultural impact. "We have this insane culture where women who don't look like the cast of 'Gossip Girl' are put into like sweaters and nightgowns to sleep in," she told CBS News in 2013. "What I love are the films of the '70s where a person gets out of bed and you see half their nipple because that's what it looks like when a person gets out of bed."

• Rihanna attended the CFDA Awards in a sparkling, sheer dress


• It was custom-designed by Adam Selman


• Vogue magazine and some observers have approved


• The singer received the CFDA's 2014 Fashion Icon award

(CNN) -- Rihanna's presence at Monday's CFDA Fashion Awards nearly eclipsed the ceremony itself, and she did it while wearing almost nothing at all.

The 26-year-old singer arrived at the stylish event, held by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, in a floor-length sparkling gown that recalled the era of Josephine Baker.

Custom-made by designer Adam Selman, the mostly backless number shone from 216,000 Swarovski crystals and was accented with a baby pink feather boa, gloves and a glittering turban.

See Rihanna's sparkly, nearly naked gown

But it wasn't just Rihanna's effortless 1920s glamour that turned heads. As Selman described to Style.com, "the dress is just fishnet and crystals and a couple of fingers crossed." That left everything that wasn't covered by a flesh-colored thong on full display.

"It's so naked," Rihanna's stylist, Mel Ottenberg, added to Style.com. "I don't know if it's shocking -- I'm with her all the time, so my shock gauge is off -- but I told her that I thought she was ready for this dress a while ago, and that I wasn't. I'm the prude, and I'm just catching up."

Ottenberg may still be getting used to the revealing look, but some observers -- like fashion magazine Vogue -- have heartily approved.

@Rihanna It must feel incredible going from a tomboy-ish cadet young girl to a fashion icon, all by the age of 26. SLAY GIRL, SLAY.

— Amira ༄ (@AmiraSaid) June 3, 2014

"Rihanna has become the rare celebrity who does not follow fashion -- she affects it," the magazine tweeted on Monday. Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour was at the ceremony to present Rihanna with the CFDA's 2014 Fashion Icon award.

"Fashion should never be frustrating," Rihanna said during her acceptance speech. "It should be fun."

Why Queen Elizabeth won't quit

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II hands a police officer some flowers she received from children as she leaves Christmas services at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, England.

Crowds cheer and wave Union Jacks as they march down the Mall toward Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in London on June 5, 2012.

Queen Elizabeth II tours the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on December 18, 2012 in London. She is more popular than ever among British adults.

Children wearing homemade paper crowns look on as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visit Macartin's Cathedral for Jubilee celebrations in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland.

Future queen Princess Elizabeth, right, poses with her sister Princess Margaret in 1933.

Queen Elizabeth II, with her husband Prince Philip, waves to the crowd on June 2, 1953, after being crowned at Westminster Abbey in London.

Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, study a model of the refurbished King's Cross train station during an event to mark 150 years of the London Underground. Charles is next in line to the British throne.

Queen Victoria and her beloved Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, at Buckingham Palace, on May 15, 1860. Victoria, George III's granddaughter, reigned from 1837 until her death, at the age of 81, in 1901.

Published in 1887, this drawing depicts Queen Victoria (1819-1901) at the start of her reign in 1837 and as she appeared 50 years later at the time of her Golden Jubilee.

• King Juan Carlos, 76, of Spain said he will abdicate the throne and pass the crown to his son


• Queen Elizabeth shows no inclination to step down for Prince Charles or Prince William


• Arianne Chernock: Historically, British monarchs stay on their thrones until they die


• Chernock: Monarchy is about perseverance; princes might have a long wait

Editor's note: Arianne Chernock is an assisant professor of modern British history at Boston University at work on a book titled "The Queen and I: The Right to Reign and the Rights of Women in Victorian Britain."

(CNN) -- On Monday, King Juan Carlos, 76, of Spain announced that he will soon abdicate the throne, passing the crown to his son Crown Prince Felipe, who is 46. Explaining his decision to his Spanish subjects, Juan Carlos noted that his son will help "open a new era of hope which combines the experience and momentum of a new generation."

Last year, Queen Beatrix, 75, of the Netherlands, abdicated the throne, also passing the crown to her eldest son.

Explaining her decision to her Dutch subjects, she said, "It was not because the office was too heavy for me, but because the responsibility for this country should lie in the hands of a new generation."

For those wondering why Queen Elizabeth II, an octogenarian, hasn't made a similar concession to youth, one has to realize that the modern British monarchy is founded on a different set of principles. As much as Britons might enjoy a change of pace at Windsor Castle, something faster and fresher, the monarchy in Britain is not about novelty. It's about staying the course, resolve, and perseverance.

Indeed in a culture similar to ours that places a premium on youth and beauty, the British monarchy stands out as one of those rare institutions where aging, with all of its complications and humiliations, is allowed to -- and expected to -- take place in full public view.

Consider King George III, who reigned from 1760 until his death in 1820 at the age of 81. Beginning in 1788, the king suffered periodic bouts from what was likely porphyria, a metabolic disorder affecting the nervous system.

King Juan Carlos of Spain attends an event at The Royal College of Artillery on May 16 in Segovia, Spain.

Prince Felipe of Spain, 46, is to succeed his father Juan Carlos, King of Spain.

By 1810, he was permanently insane. Blind and infirm, George III spent the last 10 years of his reign doddering about in Windsor Castle. Admittedly, George's son, the future George IV, served as regent for most of this difficult period.

Queen Victoria, George III's granddaughter, similarly reigned from 1837 until her death, also at the age of 81, in 1901 -- despite suffering a host of ailments in later years, including failing eyesight, insomnia and rheumatism.

Yet both monarchs were perhaps more popular in their oldest age than ever before.

George III survived the loss of the American colonies and the scandals surrounding his alleged madness to win the intense loyalty of most of his subjects. Following his 1809 Golden Jubilee, a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of a monarch's rule, the London Times proudly proclaimed that the event had been "celebrated by all ranks of people in this great metropolis, in a manner worthy of an aged and venerable King, and a loyal and enlightened nation."

And Queen Victoria overcame early skepticism about her capabilities -- and a dramatic curtailment in support during the 1860s, when she retreated from public view to mourn the death of her husband, Prince Albert -- to become the "Great White Queen," and the "Grandmother of Europe."

Spain's King Juan Carlos: I quit

At her 60th anniversary Diamond Jubilee in 1897, Victoria was feted like no sovereign before her. She may have only been able to offer a feeble wave from her carriage as she passed by throngs of well-wishers on her way to St. Paul's Cathedral, but her symbolic weight could not be overestimated.

The current British monarch follows in her predecessors' footsteps. When the young Elizabeth received word in February 1952, while traveling abroad in Kenya, that her father George VI had passed away, she rushed home knowing that the title she had just inherited would be hers until death.

"By the sudden death of my dear father I am called to assume the duties and responsibilities of sovereignty," the 25-year old queen explained to her privy councilors back in London.

"My heart is too full for me to say more to you today than I shall always work, as my father did throughout his reign, to advance the happiness and prosperity of my peoples, spread as they are all the world over."

When Elizabeth said "I shall always work," she meant it. Sixty years later, at the age of 86, the Queen maintains an active schedule and is the patron of more than 600 charities and organizations.

Add to this the fact that Elizabeth's reign, like those of her predecessors, has only seemed to improve with age, at least if measured by public approval ratings -- last May, shortly before the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, the market research company Ipsos MORI determined that support for the monarchy among adults in Britain is at an all-time high -- and there's little reason to think that Elizabeth will leave her post anytime soon.

Much as Prince Charles and Prince William may grow tired of waiting in the wings, a Platinum Jubilee could well take place in 2022.

Follow us @CNNOpinion on Twitter.

Join us at Facebook/CNNOpinion.

The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Arianne Chernock.

Almeria employing fire-fighting sheep

The attempts to combat forest fires is not just confined to human effort. The fire fighting unit Infoca has in its ranks this year 18,844 head of livestock, namely ‘firemen sheep’, which have the task of combing the mountains for pasture and scrub clean firewalls across the province.

The use of livestock as a tool for fire prevention in the mountains is an initiative that the Junta de Andalucia regional government imported from France in the late 90s and is now widespread throughout the region with increasing numbers of animals each season.

Specifically, in the province of Almeria, the scheme involves a dozen shepherds with their livestock (2,630 goats and 16,214 sheep) who work slowly but steadily, mainly in mountainous areas.

According to sources in Infoca, this controlled grazing has several advantages over mechanical control of the firewall. In monetary terms, a big saving is made because it prevents the need for machinery.

The work of the animals reduces up to 75% of the cost of regular treatments to prevent the grass growing.

The initiative also promotes the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity, while providing livestock grazing, and allows the shepherds to earn an income linked to their traditional business.

However the firefighting sheep not only work in the summer, the Junta has them contracted for the entire year. It is also vitally important they work during the winter months, as the mountains needs continual maintenance.

It is about removing the vegetation in the mountains to make it easier for effective, natural breaks, in case of fire.

Almeria employing fire-fighting sheep

The attempts to combat forest fires is not just confined to human effort. The fire fighting unit Infoca has in its ranks this year 18,844 head of livestock, namely ‘firemen sheep’, which have the task of combing the mountains for pasture and scrub clean firewalls across the province.

The use of livestock as a tool for fire prevention in the mountains is an initiative that the Junta de Andalucia regional government imported from France in the late 90s and is now widespread throughout the region with increasing numbers of animals each season.

Specifically, in the province of Almeria, the scheme involves a dozen shepherds with their livestock (2,630 goats and 16,214 sheep) who work slowly but steadily, mainly in mountainous areas.

According to sources in Infoca, this controlled grazing has several advantages over mechanical control of the firewall. In monetary terms, a big saving is made because it prevents the need for machinery.

The work of the animals reduces up to 75% of the cost of regular treatments to prevent the grass growing.

The initiative also promotes the conservation and enhancement of biodiversity, while providing livestock grazing, and allows the shepherds to earn an income linked to their traditional business.

However the firefighting sheep not only work in the summer, the Junta has them contracted for the entire year. It is also vitally important they work during the winter months, as the mountains needs continual maintenance.

It is about removing the vegetation in the mountains to make it easier for effective, natural breaks, in case of fire.