The biggest holiday of the season is in full swing, and holiday decor provides an important background for all the festivities. Cities, public buildings and most private homes are made ornate with Christmas trees, lights, bows, menorahs, Santas and other holiday figures. Some are now preparing for New Year’s Eve as well. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports on the new decor trends that are competing with the traditional, but lights are essential during the long winter nights.
…

It’s a winter wonderland near Washington this holiday season, as it has been for nine years. It’s an exhibit called ICE!, and to it took more than 2 million pounds of ice to create sculptures that fill a huge indoor park. VOA’s Eunjung Cho reports.
…

It’s one of the country’s first branches of law enforcement. Founded in 1791 by George Washington, the U.S. Park Police oversee all federal parks, but only a few officers get to work like the country’s first president … on horseback. Arash Arabasadi reports from Washington.
…

What makes a film a holiday landmark? Not so much religious subject matter as much as its appeal for the whole family and audiences of all ages. This year, three high-budget films, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the political thriller The Post and the musical The Greatest Showman, fit the bill. 

The new Star Wars installment is one of the most highly anticipated film extravaganzas of the year. It begins with a desperate standoff of the forces of the Resistance against the First Order. Even if Star Wars is not your religion, this visually powerful sci-fi flick offers massive sets, complex characters and, most important, a twist of events centered on the battle of good versus evil.

Daisy Ridley reprises the role of Rey, one of the key characters of the Resistance, who finds Luke Skywalker on a remote island and uncovers the powers of the Jedi warrior. Ridley said that what attracted her to this story was the martial arts-type of fighting. She said the Jedi was reminiscent of the samurai and that warrior’s code of ethics.

As Rey discovers her powers she grapples with her purpose in the battle between the Rebels and First Order. Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, the brooding, charismatic antihero and prospective leader of the Order, is also facing inner conflict.

​Ultimately, ‘a family story’

As the main heroes reckon with who they are, margins between good and evil are blurred. And if the philosophically charged plot does not satisfy you, something else in this film will, said Daisey Ridley. “Ultimately, it is a family story,” she said. “But then, some people prefer the ships. Some people prefer the creatures. I hope there is much that will please a lot of people in The Last Jedi.”

Mark Hamill, who reprises the much-anticipated role of Luke Skywaker, was overwhelmed by the scope of the film’s production. “I’m telling you, I’ve never been on a set that opulent in my life, plus 150 extras in exotic makeup and prosthetics,” he said. “They spared no expense!”

The cast is equally expansive, including first-generation cast members such as the late Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa and Hamill. It would not be an exaggeration to say that newcomer filmmaker Rian Johnson has created the most riveting yet Star Wars episode, with a thought-provoking tale, stellar performances, great ensemble cast and a plot that is emotionally satisfying without being cliched.

The battle scenes are enhanced by the tightly paced drama and powerful cinematography. Naturally, the glorious sets and costumes help.

“I hope audiences come out of the theater wanting to run into their backyard, grab their Star Wars toys and start flying spaceships around. I hope it just feels like a great Star Wars movie, a fun Star Wars movie that takes you back to being 10 years old again,” the filmmaker said.

​Political thriller

Another big holiday movie focuses on a real-life political story that rocked America in the ’70s.

The Post, a critically acclaimed docudrama by Steven Spielberg, tells the story of how The Washington Post newspaper, at great risk, published excerpts of top-secret government documents describing the war in Vietnam as a lost cause and revealing that the U.S. government had lied about the extent of its involvement in the war in Indochina.

“It showed that we were fighting an illegal war. An unwinnable war. And yet we fought on,” Spielberg said.

Meryl Streep has already received critical acclaim for her role as Washington Post publisher and socialite Katharine Graham, and Tom Hanks interprets the paper’s prominent executive editor, Ben Bradlee.

The two offer a dynamic performance showcasing their often-contentious relationship as they argue over whether to publish excerpts of the secret documents, known as the Pentagon Papers — a move that could have destroyed the paper and everyone who worked for it. 

This is a highly entertaining, tightly paced political drama that will appeal not only to fans of political thrillers who may reminisce about Alan J. Pakula’s iconic All the President’s Men, but also to many who may find the ’70s political scene in the U.S. nation’s capital eerily relevant to today as they listen to Hanks as Bradlee retort, “What will happen if we don’t publish? We will lose. The whole country will lose!”

​Barnum’s spectacle

And from the musical film genre, Hugh Jackman takes center stage as The Greatest Showman. The film by Michael Gracey is based on the real life of showman P.T. Barnum who founded was was originally called Barnum & Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth.

Jackman plays the legendary Barnum as he rises from obscurity, recruits marginalized people with peculiar talents and creates a spectacular variety troupe. Michelle Williams plays Barnum’s wife, Charity Barnum.

The film, a great spectacle of its own this yuletide season, delivers a message of acceptance for those who, no matter how different or odd they may look, exude a spark of genius. As P.T. Barnum says in the film, “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.” 
…

What makes a film a holiday landmark? Not so much religious subject matter as much as its appeal for the whole family and audiences of all ages. This year, three high-budget films, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the political thriller The Post and the musical The Greatest Showman, fit the bill. 

The new Star Wars installment is one of the most highly anticipated film extravaganzas of the year. It begins with a desperate standoff of the forces of the Resistance against the First Order. Even if Star Wars is not your religion, this visually powerful sci-fi flick offers massive sets, complex characters and, most important, a twist of events centered on the battle of good versus evil.

Daisy Ridley reprises the role of Rey, one of the key characters of the Resistance, who finds Luke Skywalker on a remote island and uncovers the powers of the Jedi warrior. Ridley said that what attracted her to this story was the martial arts-type of fighting. She said the Jedi was reminiscent of the samurai and that warrior’s code of ethics.

As Rey discovers her powers she grapples with her purpose in the battle between the Rebels and First Order. Kylo Ren, played by Adam Driver, the brooding, charismatic antihero and prospective leader of the Order, is also facing inner conflict.

​Ultimately, ‘a family story’

As the main heroes reckon with who they are, margins between good and evil are blurred. And if the philosophically charged plot does not satisfy you, something else in this film will, said Daisey Ridley. “Ultimately, it is a family story,” she said. “But then, some people prefer the ships. Some people prefer the creatures. I hope there is much that will please a lot of people in The Last Jedi.”

Mark Hamill, who reprises the much-anticipated role of Luke Skywaker, was overwhelmed by the scope of the film’s production. “I’m telling you, I’ve never been on a set that opulent in my life, plus 150 extras in exotic makeup and prosthetics,” he said. “They spared no expense!”

The cast is equally expansive, including first-generation cast members such as the late Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa and Hamill. It would not be an exaggeration to say that newcomer filmmaker Rian Johnson has created the most riveting yet Star Wars episode, with a thought-provoking tale, stellar performances, great ensemble cast and a plot that is emotionally satisfying without being cliched.

The battle scenes are enhanced by the tightly paced drama and powerful cinematography. Naturally, the glorious sets and costumes help.

“I hope audiences come out of the theater wanting to run into their backyard, grab their Star Wars toys and start flying spaceships around. I hope it just feels like a great Star Wars movie, a fun Star Wars movie that takes you back to being 10 years old again,” the filmmaker said.

​Political thriller

Another big holiday movie focuses on a real-life political story that rocked America in the ’70s.

The Post, a critically acclaimed docudrama by Steven Spielberg, tells the story of how The Washington Post newspaper, at great risk, published excerpts of top-secret government documents describing the war in Vietnam as a lost cause and revealing that the U.S. government had lied about the extent of its involvement in the war in Indochina.

“It showed that we were fighting an illegal war. An unwinnable war. And yet we fought on,” Spielberg said.

Meryl Streep has already received critical acclaim for her role as Washington Post publisher and socialite Katharine Graham, and Tom Hanks interprets the paper’s prominent executive editor, Ben Bradlee.

The two offer a dynamic performance showcasing their often-contentious relationship as they argue over whether to publish excerpts of the secret documents, known as the Pentagon Papers — a move that could have destroyed the paper and everyone who worked for it. 

This is a highly entertaining, tightly paced political drama that will appeal not only to fans of political thrillers who may reminisce about Alan J. Pakula’s iconic All the President’s Men, but also to many who may find the ’70s political scene in the U.S. nation’s capital eerily relevant to today as they listen to Hanks as Bradlee retort, “What will happen if we don’t publish? We will lose. The whole country will lose!”

​Barnum’s spectacle

And from the musical film genre, Hugh Jackman takes center stage as The Greatest Showman. The film by Michael Gracey is based on the real life of showman P.T. Barnum who founded was was originally called Barnum & Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth.

Jackman plays the legendary Barnum as he rises from obscurity, recruits marginalized people with peculiar talents and creates a spectacular variety troupe. Michelle Williams plays Barnum’s wife, Charity Barnum.

The film, a great spectacle of its own this yuletide season, delivers a message of acceptance for those who, no matter how different or odd they may look, exude a spark of genius. As P.T. Barnum says in the film, “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.” 
…

What makes a film fit for the holidays? Not so much a religious subject as an appeal to the whole family and audiences of all ages. This year, three high-budget films, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” the political thriller “The Post” and the musical “The Greatest Showman,” fit the bill. VOA’s Penelope Poulou has more.
…

We’re gathering the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending Dec. 16, 2017.

Winter is fast approaching here in the Northern Hemisphere, and sure enough, the chart freezes up this week, yielding no new titles.

Number 5: Imagine Dragons “Thunder”

Imagine Dragons retreats a slot to fifth place with “Thunder.” This Las Vegas band was rock’s biggest crossover success story with two Top Five singles in 2017.

“Believer” and “Thunder” are streaming smashes, with nearly one billion combined plays. The group may also soon grab more Grammy wins: “Radioactive” took Best Rock Performance in 2014, and this year, “Thunder” and the “Evolve” album are both competing in separate Pop categories. Grammies get handed out on January 28.

Number 4: Lil Pump “Gucci Gang”

Lil Pump sinks a slot to fourth place with “Gucci Gang.” 

TMZ reports the 17-year-old rapper received a $345,000 advance from Warner Brothers to make his debut album. It’s a five-album deal which reportedly will allow Lil Pump to keep 15 percent of the royalties from his debut album. He also reportedly receives a cut from merchandise sales.

Number 3: Ed Sheeran with Beyonce “Perfect”

Ed Sheeran and Beyonce climb two slots to third place with their remix of “Perfect.”

Ed’s not done with this song … on December 12 he announced that an orchestral version featuring Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli will appear on December 15. Producing and orchestrating the song will be Ed’s brother, Matt Sheeran.

Number 2: Camila Cabello Featuring Young Thug “Havana”

Camila Cabello and Young Thug just can’t break free from second place with “Havana.”

Camila and her former group Fifth Harmony both performed — separately of course — at the Z100 Jingle Ball in New York City on December 8. Camila reportedly had a brief but cordial backstage chat with Fifth Harmony member Lauren Jauregi. Camila left Fifth Harmony in December 2016.

Number 1: Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage “Rockstar”

While we await the arrival of Post Malone’s “Beerbongs & Bentleys” album, let’s rack up “Rockstar” for an eighth week at No. 1.

Post says he feels his breakout hit “White Iverson” remains his one truly good song. He says he used to perform it twice in concert to make up for his lack of worthy material.

There’s no telling what will happen next week, but we hope you’ll be back.
…

On a recent Saturday, BloomBars was filled with energy. “Give me the peace sign,” announced Baba Ras D, holding up his two forefingers in the “V” that is known in the U.S. as the peace sign.

“Pass the peace, pass the peace,” he said, touching his fingers with those of some of the toddlers in his audience, before beating on his drum. “Give me the peace sign!” The toddlers beat on drums, too.

The nonprofit community arts center in Washington rocked with sound and movement, some of it rhythmical, some of it not.

“They are children who can’t say peace. They can’t say the word, but they know how to pass it,” Baba Ras D says about his audience.

His program is called Harambee, which means “all pull together” in Swahili. Baba Ras D, who has Trinidadian and Caribbean roots, created it more than 25 years ago. 

“I was not born in Africa; Africa was born in me,” he said. “You can bring unity about with one word, and that word is harambee.”

Baba Ras D, whose name means “Father of Kings and Queens,” is a former college basketball player, who holds a degree in criminal justice and worked as a juvenile corrections officer. That experience helped make him aware of the importance of early childhood development and led him to start the Harambee program. 

“That is the most important move I have ever made,” he said. “Just to see where I can fit in to be able to help dismantle the cradle-to-prison pipeline, and a way where I can also be of an impact for our future to let them study war no more.”

Growing up in a musical family, Baba Ras D learned to play a variety of instruments, including his signature drum. “The Djembe drum from West Africa is a percussion instrument that I find resonates with my heartbeat,” he said. His drum also connects with the heartbeat of his audience. “That is the power of the drum to bring us all together as one.”

Toddler ambassadors

Baba Ras D, whose given name is Darren Campbell, hopes the children will learn compassionate communications and become peace ambassadors, peacekeepers and peacemakers.

“After the series of time coming to the Harambee experience, they just don’t practice it here,” he said. “They practice at home. They practice in the community. They practice it in the neighborhood.”

Matt Dull has brought his son Max to the program for three years, and he has seen changes in Max. “Max uses Baba Ras D as a reference point in many of our everyday activities. At his day care … I think he is a good sharer. I think he learned here.”

Parents benefit, too.

“It makes me feel a lot better than when I showed up here,” said Kaydee Dahlin, who has been bringing her 4-year-old daughter, Flora, to Harambee practically since she was born. Now, she also brings 1-year-old Gustavo.

“I love the messages,” she said. “Like today when we said over and over ‘Love Is on the Rise,’ I got a tear in my eye because these days there’s a lot of bad news, and to bring our children to a place where you can sing and play music and sing ‘Love is on the Rise’ — really it’s healing.”
…

Britain’s Prince Harry and his American fiancee, Meghan Markle, will marry on Saturday May 19, Kensington Palace said.

Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, fifth-in-line to the throne, and Markle, who stars in the U.S. TV legal drama “Suits”, announced their engagement last month with the marriage to take place in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

“His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and Ms. Meghan Markle will marry on 19th May 2018,” Kensington Palace said in a statement.

The couple have chosen to marry in Windsor, west of London, because it is “a special place for them”. Harry’s 91-year-old grandmother, Elizabeth, will attend the ceremony.

Markle, 36, who attended a Catholic school as a child but identifies as a Protestant, will be baptized and confirmed into the Church of England before the wedding.

She intends to become a British citizen, though she will retain her U.S. citizenship while she goes through the process.

The Gothic St George’s Chapel is located in the grounds of Windsor Castle, which has been the family home of British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years.

Within the chapel are the tombs of ten sovereigns, including Henry VIII and his third wife Jane Seymour, and Charles I.

 
…

They say young children are like sponges. They soak up information from all around them unconsciously, and build on that core foundation for the rest of their lives. Baba Ras D, a corrections-officer-turned-singer, is a firm believer in the theory. He created a program for children that inspires peace and unity in the community. And the children love him and the program. VOA’s June Soh met him at a performance in Washington.
…

Walmart and a book distributor distanced themselves from Tavis Smiley on Thursday after PBS said an investigation found “troubling allegations” of sexual misconduct by the radio and TV host.

The moves came a day after PBS said it was suspending Smiley following an independent investigation by a law firm. PBS said the firm uncovered “multiple, credible allegations of conduct that is inconsistent with the values and standards of PBS.” His show’s page at PBS was scrubbed on Thursday.

Smiley has denied any wrongdoing.

Walmart, which had been a sponsor of Smiley’s talk show and an upcoming touring theatrical show, cut ties with him. “We take these issues very seriously and are troubled by the recent allegations,” the retail giant said in a statement. “As a result, we are suspending our relationship with Mr. Smiley, pending the outcome of the PBS investigation.”

Hay House, which distributes the Smiley Books imprint, said all Smiley projects were “on hold” pending an internal review. Smiley had planned in September to release Leading by Listening: Connecting through Conversation to Transform Your Relationships and Your Business.

Smiley responded to the allegations on Facebook, saying PBS “overreacted” and calling it “a rush to judgment.” He said he has never harassed anyone and claimed one relationship the network uncovered was consensual.

“If having a consensual relationship with a colleague years ago is the stuff that leads to this kind of public humiliation and personal destruction, heaven help us,” he said. “This has gone too far. And, I, for one, intend to fight back.”

PBS responded to Smiley’s accusations by saying it stands by the integrity of the investigation. “The totality of the investigation, which included Mr. Smiley, revealed a pattern of multiple relationships with subordinates over many years,” a PBS spokesperson said.

The ouster comes weeks after PBS cut ties with anchor and talk show host Charlie Rose, citing “extremely disturbing and intolerable behavior” by him toward women at his PBS talk show.

Smiley brought rare diversity to late-night TV and has drawn the ire of conservatives and liberals alike for some of his views. He has worked for six networks over a 30-year career and his radio program “The Tavis Smiley Show” was distributed by Public Radio International from 2005 to 2013. He has been with PBS for 14 seasons and some 3,000 episodes.

Upcoming projects

Smiley also has a development deal with Warner Bros. Television and was working with J.J. Abrams to turn his new book about Michael Jackson’s last days and death into a limited TV series. He also has a podcast via PodcastOne.

Smiley next month is expected to launch a nationwide 40-city tour of a theatrical production focusing on the last year of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. Death of a King: A Live Theatrical Experience is based on Smiley’s 2014 book of the same title and was to start Jan. 15, King’s birthday.

Death of a King is being produced by Mills Entertainment, which did not respond Thursday to requests for comment. Several of the venues slated to host the show did not respond to queries about whether the show would play as scheduled. One that did, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, said: “We just learned of these allegations and at this time will reserve comment.”

Smiley also oversees the publishing imprint Smiley Books and has written more than a dozen books, including his memoir What I Know for Sure and The Covenant with Black America.

Wave of dismissals

The dismissals of Smiley and Rose at PBS follow dozens of firings and suspensions of prominent men who have been accused of sexual misconduct or harassment. The wave began this fall with allegations lodged against Harvey Weinstein and has impacted numerous high-profile TV and media figures, with Matt Lauer, Garrison Keillor, journalist Mark Halperin, NPR news chief Michael Oreskes, reporter Glenn Thrush and New Republic editor Leon Wieseltier all felled, among others.

According to Variety, the investigation found that Smiley had engaged in sexual relationships with multiple subordinates and created “a verbally abusive and threatening environment.”

Smiley in his Facebook post claims PBS “refused to provide me the names of any accusers, refused to speak to my current staff, and refused to provide me any semblance of due process to defend myself against allegations from unknown sources.”
…