A New York disc jockey wearing a policeman’s uniform. The outfit is not a costume, it’s the work uniform of New York City Police officer who takes his hobby as a DJ seriously. Lieutenant Acu Rhodes says it started as a casual pastime, but quickly became a serious devotion. So serious that Rhodes, or DJ Ace, turned it into part of the NYPD’s community policing outreach. Evgeny Maslv reports from New York City, in this story narrated by Anna Rice.
…

your ads here!

A New York disc jockey wearing a policeman’s uniform. The outfit is not a costume, it’s the work uniform of New York City Police officer who takes his hobby as a DJ seriously. Lieutenant Acu Rhodes says it started as a casual pastime, but quickly became a serious devotion. So serious that Rhodes, or DJ Ace, turned it into part of the NYPD’s community policing outreach. Evgeny Maslv reports from New York City, in this story narrated by Anna Rice.
…

your ads here!

Prolific French composer Michel Legrand, who won three Oscars and five Grammys during a career spanning more than half a century, died Saturday aged 86, his spokesman said.

Legrand lived in a musical whirlwind, with the same appetite for popular music to jazz, from conducting to film.

“Since I was a child, my ambition has been to live completely surrounded by music, my dream was to not miss anything, which is why I have never focused on a single musical discipline,” he said.

He first won an Academy Award in 1969 for the song “The Windmills of Your Mind” from the film “The Thomas Crown Affair”.

He followed that with Oscars for his music for “Summer of ’42” in 1972 and for “Yentl” in 1984.

Legrand, who had been scheduled to stage concerts in Paris in April, died early Saturday with his wife, the actress Macha Meril, his spokesman told AFP.

During his long career, he worked with some of the music world’s biggest stars such as Miles Davies, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli and Edith Piaf.

He also won five Grammys from 17 nominations, including one for the theme from “Summer of ’42”.

“For me, he is immortal, through his music and his personality”, French composer and conductor Vladimir Cosma told AFP on hearing of Legrand’s passing.

“He was such an optimistic personality, with a kind of naivety in optimism, he saw everything in rosy colours!”

‘A magical world’

Born in Paris on February 24, 1932, Legrand belonged to a family of musicians.

His father, who left the family home when Legrand was just three, was a composer and conductor.

“The world of childhood, mine, was a lonely world, I did not like going to school, I did not like the world of children and adults, I hated to hear ‘eat your soup, go bed’,” he remembered.

At just 10 years old, he entered the Paris Conservatory of music.

“For me, who hated life, when I first came to the Conservatory I crossed the threshold into a magical world where the only question was music”, he said.

He began composing film music in the 1960s with the emergence of French New Wave directors such as Agnes Varda, Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Demy.

He composed the scores for Demy’s “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg” (“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”) in 1964 and “Les Demoiselles de Rochefort” (“The Young Ladies of Rochefort”) in 1967, for both of which Legrand received Academy Award nominations.

He moved to the United States in the 1960s.

“It was a real risk to leave France, landing in Hollywood without real commitment,” he wrote in his 2013 autobiography, describing this step as “part of Russian roulette”.

The father of three children, he married his third wife, Macha Meril, in 2014.

 
…

your ads here!

Prolific French composer Michel Legrand, who won three Oscars and five Grammys during a career spanning more than half a century, died Saturday aged 86, his spokesman said.

Legrand lived in a musical whirlwind, with the same appetite for popular music to jazz, from conducting to film.

“Since I was a child, my ambition has been to live completely surrounded by music, my dream was to not miss anything, which is why I have never focused on a single musical discipline,” he said.

He first won an Academy Award in 1969 for the song “The Windmills of Your Mind” from the film “The Thomas Crown Affair”.

He followed that with Oscars for his music for “Summer of ’42” in 1972 and for “Yentl” in 1984.

Legrand, who had been scheduled to stage concerts in Paris in April, died early Saturday with his wife, the actress Macha Meril, his spokesman told AFP.

During his long career, he worked with some of the music world’s biggest stars such as Miles Davies, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli and Edith Piaf.

He also won five Grammys from 17 nominations, including one for the theme from “Summer of ’42”.

“For me, he is immortal, through his music and his personality”, French composer and conductor Vladimir Cosma told AFP on hearing of Legrand’s passing.

“He was such an optimistic personality, with a kind of naivety in optimism, he saw everything in rosy colours!”

‘A magical world’

Born in Paris on February 24, 1932, Legrand belonged to a family of musicians.

His father, who left the family home when Legrand was just three, was a composer and conductor.

“The world of childhood, mine, was a lonely world, I did not like going to school, I did not like the world of children and adults, I hated to hear ‘eat your soup, go bed’,” he remembered.

At just 10 years old, he entered the Paris Conservatory of music.

“For me, who hated life, when I first came to the Conservatory I crossed the threshold into a magical world where the only question was music”, he said.

He began composing film music in the 1960s with the emergence of French New Wave directors such as Agnes Varda, Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Demy.

He composed the scores for Demy’s “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg” (“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”) in 1964 and “Les Demoiselles de Rochefort” (“The Young Ladies of Rochefort”) in 1967, for both of which Legrand received Academy Award nominations.

He moved to the United States in the 1960s.

“It was a real risk to leave France, landing in Hollywood without real commitment,” he wrote in his 2013 autobiography, describing this step as “part of Russian roulette”.

The father of three children, he married his third wife, Macha Meril, in 2014.

 
…

your ads here!

Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Saturday in the centuries-old colonial Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria la Antigua, telling Panama’s priests and nuns to try to find joy in their work despite what he called “wounds of the church’s own sin.” 

 

He did not specify what he meant by that, but in his message, titled “The Weariness of Hope,” he encouraged members of the clergy to remain faithful despite the frustrations and anxieties of serving the church in today’s world. 

 

“The Lord knew what it was to be tired, and in his weariness so many struggles of our nations and peoples, our communities, and all who are weary and heavily burdened can find a place,” he said. 

 

The pope noted that the cathedral in which he spoke had recently reopened its doors after a long renovation. “This restoration has sought to preserve the beauty of the past while making room for all the newness of the present,” he said. “That is how the Lord works.” 

 

The pope made his address as part of World Youth Day, the Catholic Church’s international youth rally held every two to three years. Several hundred people were estimated to have turned out for the pope’s Way of the Cross procession in Panama City on Friday evening, according to the Associated Press. 

Student priests

 

On the fourth day of his visit to Panama, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church was also to meet with student priests at the seminary of San Jose.  He was expected to talk with the young men about the dwindling number of men entering the priesthood and the reasons for the declining numbers. Francis has admitted in other locations that sex scandals and cover-ups have contributed to a drop in the number of men seeking religious vocations.    

 

On Friday, the pope went to a youth detention center, enabling the inmates to participate in World Youth Day.  Francis also heard the confessions of five of the detainees.  

 

In an emotional homily at the detention center, Francis said he deplored society’s tendency to label people as good or bad, the righteous or sinners. Instead, he said, society should focus on creating opportunities that enable people to change.  

 

In a veiled swipe at U.S. President Donald Trump and his insistence on a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, the Argentina-born pope said of the tendency to label: “This attitude spoils everything, because it erects an invisible wall that makes people think that, if we marginalize, separate and isolate others, all our problems will magically be solved.”  

Francis added, “When a society or community allows this, and does nothing more than complain and backbite, it enters into a vicious circle of division, blame and condemnation.”  
…

your ads here!

Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Saturday in the centuries-old colonial Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria la Antigua, telling Panama’s priests and nuns to try to find joy in their work despite what he called “wounds of the church’s own sin.” 

 

He did not specify what he meant by that, but in his message, titled “The Weariness of Hope,” he encouraged members of the clergy to remain faithful despite the frustrations and anxieties of serving the church in today’s world. 

 

“The Lord knew what it was to be tired, and in his weariness so many struggles of our nations and peoples, our communities, and all who are weary and heavily burdened can find a place,” he said. 

 

The pope noted that the cathedral in which he spoke had recently reopened its doors after a long renovation. “This restoration has sought to preserve the beauty of the past while making room for all the newness of the present,” he said. “That is how the Lord works.” 

 

The pope made his address as part of World Youth Day, the Catholic Church’s international youth rally held every two to three years. Several hundred people were estimated to have turned out for the pope’s Way of the Cross procession in Panama City on Friday evening, according to the Associated Press. 

Student priests

 

On the fourth day of his visit to Panama, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church was also to meet with student priests at the seminary of San Jose.  He was expected to talk with the young men about the dwindling number of men entering the priesthood and the reasons for the declining numbers. Francis has admitted in other locations that sex scandals and cover-ups have contributed to a drop in the number of men seeking religious vocations.    

 

On Friday, the pope went to a youth detention center, enabling the inmates to participate in World Youth Day.  Francis also heard the confessions of five of the detainees.  

 

In an emotional homily at the detention center, Francis said he deplored society’s tendency to label people as good or bad, the righteous or sinners. Instead, he said, society should focus on creating opportunities that enable people to change.  

 

In a veiled swipe at U.S. President Donald Trump and his insistence on a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, the Argentina-born pope said of the tendency to label: “This attitude spoils everything, because it erects an invisible wall that makes people think that, if we marginalize, separate and isolate others, all our problems will magically be solved.”  

Francis added, “When a society or community allows this, and does nothing more than complain and backbite, it enters into a vicious circle of division, blame and condemnation.”  
…

your ads here!

When thinking about people with cancer, the images that first come to mind are usually dark, sad and depressing. But that’s not what photographer Linda McCarthy sees. With her “Survivors” project, her goal was to put a face on breast cancer, photographing women who survived or are being treated for the disease.

“I wanted to photograph them as whole women not the parts that they see of themselves,” she explained. “So, I didn’t want scars, I didn’t want anything like that. I wanted them to see how beautiful they are. They are survivors, they change their outlook on life and say, ‘Yes, this is me, and I’m a survivor.’ So, you see the transformation going on while I photograph them.”

One of the survivors is Cheryl Listman. The single mother was diagnosed with stage 2-B breast cancer in 2013, and told she had a 40 percent chance of survival. Thinking about her two kids made her determined to not give up and to keep fighting the disease.

The Survivors photography project fit nicely with her attitude.

“I work with women, I help educate women who are going through the journey and just help them navigate through the medical side of it,” Listman said. “When she (Linda McCarthy) asked me, I thought, ‘Well, maybe it’s just another impact that I could have on women.’ And then also I would be able to look back and see how far I came.”

Focusing on the whole woman

The idea of featuring breast cancer survivors came to McCarthy when she was searching for a ballerina to photograph for her portfolio.

“I was introduced to Maggie, who is known as the Bald Ballerina,” she recalled. “She was diagnosed at the age of 23 with stage-4 metastatic breast cancer. So, I met her and asked if I could photograph her, not as a ballerina, but as a beautiful girl who happens to have breast cancer.”

Through the lens of her camera, McCarthy says she has always sought to capture the spirit and essence of her subjects.

To do that, McCarthy offered each of the participants a consultation session. During that time, they opened up and talked about themselves, giving her a chance to get to know them.

The women were also given a makeover. By the end of the session with makeup artist Victoria Ronan, many were surprised — and delighted.

“In some cases, it’s been a very long time since they had makeup on, it’s been a very long time since they had done something for themselves,” Ronan said. “I had a lot of women look in the mirror and just start tearing up. They couldn’t believe how beautiful I’ve made them look.”

When fighting breast cancer, Listman said, it’s helpful to feel beautiful.

“It’s very important because when you go through a horrific journey and treatment, you don’t feel beautiful,” Listman explained. “There is a lot of things done to your body physically, there is a lot of things done to you emotionally, mentally, things that you will never forget that are not pretty. So, when you get to that point in your journey, you feel like a woman again, you feel beautiful, you feel like you’ve accomplished the mission.”
…

your ads here!

When thinking about people with cancer, the images that first come to mind are usually dark, sad and depressing. But that’s not what photographer Linda McCarthy sees. With her “Survivors” project, her goal was to put a face on breast cancer, photographing women who survived or are being treated for the disease.

“I wanted to photograph them as whole women not the parts that they see of themselves,” she explained. “So, I didn’t want scars, I didn’t want anything like that. I wanted them to see how beautiful they are. They are survivors, they change their outlook on life and say, ‘Yes, this is me, and I’m a survivor.’ So, you see the transformation going on while I photograph them.”

One of the survivors is Cheryl Listman. The single mother was diagnosed with stage 2-B breast cancer in 2013, and told she had a 40 percent chance of survival. Thinking about her two kids made her determined to not give up and to keep fighting the disease.

The Survivors photography project fit nicely with her attitude.

“I work with women, I help educate women who are going through the journey and just help them navigate through the medical side of it,” Listman said. “When she (Linda McCarthy) asked me, I thought, ‘Well, maybe it’s just another impact that I could have on women.’ And then also I would be able to look back and see how far I came.”

Focusing on the whole woman

The idea of featuring breast cancer survivors came to McCarthy when she was searching for a ballerina to photograph for her portfolio.

“I was introduced to Maggie, who is known as the Bald Ballerina,” she recalled. “She was diagnosed at the age of 23 with stage-4 metastatic breast cancer. So, I met her and asked if I could photograph her, not as a ballerina, but as a beautiful girl who happens to have breast cancer.”

Through the lens of her camera, McCarthy says she has always sought to capture the spirit and essence of her subjects.

To do that, McCarthy offered each of the participants a consultation session. During that time, they opened up and talked about themselves, giving her a chance to get to know them.

The women were also given a makeover. By the end of the session with makeup artist Victoria Ronan, many were surprised — and delighted.

“In some cases, it’s been a very long time since they had makeup on, it’s been a very long time since they had done something for themselves,” Ronan said. “I had a lot of women look in the mirror and just start tearing up. They couldn’t believe how beautiful I’ve made them look.”

When fighting breast cancer, Listman said, it’s helpful to feel beautiful.

“It’s very important because when you go through a horrific journey and treatment, you don’t feel beautiful,” Listman explained. “There is a lot of things done to your body physically, there is a lot of things done to you emotionally, mentally, things that you will never forget that are not pretty. So, when you get to that point in your journey, you feel like a woman again, you feel beautiful, you feel like you’ve accomplished the mission.”
…

your ads here!

In her studio in Davidsonville, Maryland, artist Linda McCarthy takes all kinds of photographs: school students, family portraits and headshots. Last year, she started a new photography project, “Survivors.” It focuses on women who survived or are being treated for breast cancer. Faiza Elmasry tells us more about this project. Faith Lapidus narrates.
…

your ads here!

In her studio in Davidsonville, Maryland, artist Linda McCarthy takes all kinds of photographs: school students, family portraits and headshots. Last year, she started a new photography project, “Survivors.” It focuses on women who survived or are being treated for breast cancer. Faiza Elmasry tells us more about this project. Faith Lapidus narrates.
…

your ads here!

It is especially difficult for people with disabilities to find opportunities to develop skills and make a living. But a program in Washington is helping artists with special needs get the kind of training they need to develop their skills and earn an income. Rendy Wicaksana tell us more about the non-profit group, Art Enables and the people it helps.
…

your ads here!

It is especially difficult for people with disabilities to find opportunities to develop skills and make a living. But a program in Washington is helping artists with special needs get the kind of training they need to develop their skills and earn an income. Rendy Wicaksana tell us more about the non-profit group, Art Enables and the people it helps.
…

your ads here!

In Taiwan, many villages are nearly forgotten. Young people have left for work in the cities and local trades such as fishing have declined. But more than 90 of these villages got a makeover in the past decade. Artists have painted giant, colorful murals on the walls of old buildings or streets. Two villages are especially popular and attract tourists. Instead of gray houses, they’re taking in rainbow-colored art, sharks and a poodle that licks people’s hands. Ralph Jennings has this report.
…

your ads here!

In Taiwan, many villages are nearly forgotten. Young people have left for work in the cities and local trades such as fishing have declined. But more than 90 of these villages got a makeover in the past decade. Artists have painted giant, colorful murals on the walls of old buildings or streets. Two villages are especially popular and attract tourists. Instead of gray houses, they’re taking in rainbow-colored art, sharks and a poodle that licks people’s hands. Ralph Jennings has this report.
…

your ads here!

For director Bart Freundlich and Julianne Moore, having their film “After the Wedding” premiere opening at the Sundance Film Festival holds a special significance. Moore and Freundlich came to the festival 22 years ago with another film, “The Myth of Fingerprints,” before marriage, children and everything else.

“In between there have been a ton of movies, mainly by her, but some by me,” Freundlich said. “This is something that is really special to me.”

The family drama “After the Wedding” kicked off the 2019 Sundance Film Festival Thursday night in the Eccles Theater. The film is a remake of an Oscar-nominated Danish film from Susanne Bier, and stars Moore as a wealthy businesswoman looking to donate money to an Indian orphanage run by Michelle Williams’ character, while also planning her daughter’s wedding with her husband, played by Billy Crudup.

Things get a little more complicated than that, but the developments are better left seen for oneself.

There was at least one significant change, however. In the original Danish film, Moore’s character was a man, but she gave her husband the idea to flip the gender.

Moore said the switch “deepened” the story for her.

Sundance founder Robert Redford started off the evening reflecting on the origins of the festival, 34 years ago. He recalled a quainter Park City, with only one theater, the Egyptian and just a few restaurants and a library. In the early years, he remembered standing outside the theater, “Trying to hustle people in.”

“People were just wondering why I was there,” Redford laughed. “But finally, slowly things developed.”

Indeed, Redford hardly has to hustle people into theaters anymore at Sundance. Every one of the half dozen opening night films were sold out Thursday.

“Without you there’s nothing,” Redford told the audience. “Thank you for being part of the equation.”
…

your ads here!

For director Bart Freundlich and Julianne Moore, having their film “After the Wedding” premiere opening at the Sundance Film Festival holds a special significance. Moore and Freundlich came to the festival 22 years ago with another film, “The Myth of Fingerprints,” before marriage, children and everything else.

“In between there have been a ton of movies, mainly by her, but some by me,” Freundlich said. “This is something that is really special to me.”

The family drama “After the Wedding” kicked off the 2019 Sundance Film Festival Thursday night in the Eccles Theater. The film is a remake of an Oscar-nominated Danish film from Susanne Bier, and stars Moore as a wealthy businesswoman looking to donate money to an Indian orphanage run by Michelle Williams’ character, while also planning her daughter’s wedding with her husband, played by Billy Crudup.

Things get a little more complicated than that, but the developments are better left seen for oneself.

There was at least one significant change, however. In the original Danish film, Moore’s character was a man, but she gave her husband the idea to flip the gender.

Moore said the switch “deepened” the story for her.

Sundance founder Robert Redford started off the evening reflecting on the origins of the festival, 34 years ago. He recalled a quainter Park City, with only one theater, the Egyptian and just a few restaurants and a library. In the early years, he remembered standing outside the theater, “Trying to hustle people in.”

“People were just wondering why I was there,” Redford laughed. “But finally, slowly things developed.”

Indeed, Redford hardly has to hustle people into theaters anymore at Sundance. Every one of the half dozen opening night films were sold out Thursday.

“Without you there’s nothing,” Redford told the audience. “Thank you for being part of the equation.”
…

your ads here!

The Screen Actors Guild turns 25 years old Sunday, and executive producer Kathy Connell has shaped every one.

And while the milestone anniversary offers a chance to reflect on the show’s growth and impact, Connell says not to expect too many flashbacks on the telecast, which will be broadcast on TNT and TBS beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern.

“We’re going to have some lookbacks but we only have two hours, our show is very tight,” Connell said.

Connell has produced every SAG Awards, which honors the top performances in film and television each year. Tom Hanks and Jodie Foster were the top film actor winners in 1995, while this year the Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga-led A Star Is Born is the top film nominee.

Cooper and Gaga, along with actors Chadwick Boseman from Black Panther and Constance Wu from Crazy Rich Asians will be among the presenters Sunday.

Unlike other awards ceremonies that also honor directors, writers and other artists, the SAG Awards are solely focused on actors and the craft of acting.

“It’s really a peer award and it’s very meaningful because to become a union member is one milestone and then to be nominated and awarded by your peers is another major milestone I think for actors,” Connell said during a recent interview. “It’s very personal. The room has fun. Our show is different because the room has fun. We consider it the actors’ party at the actors’ house.”

‘Wonderful moments’

The ceremony also showcases the guild’s Life Achievement Award, which predates the awards show and has been bestowed since 1962.

This year’s recipient is Alan Alda, whom Connell calls a “true TV icon and a wonderful man.”

Previous recipients include Morgan Freeman, Carol Burnett, Betty White, Elizabeth Taylor, Sidney Poitier and George Burns.

Connell’s hands-on approach — she and her team meticulously craft the seating chart — has led to many special memories, including one with 2014 honoree Debbie Reynolds.

The actress wasn’t feeling well, so her daughter Carrie Fisher took her place during rehearsals. Fisher and Connell shared a few moments together.

“My parents had just passed, so I knew what it was like and the concern that she had for Debbie’s health, and so she and I had a couple of wonderful moments together,” Connell said. “Then Carrie and Debbie had a great time onstage, and I think it was the last time they were both onstage together.”

Evolution of SAG awards

Connell has presided over numerous changes to the awards over the years. The inaugural ceremony, for instance, did not include the outstanding film ensemble, added in the second year. The category has become a key bellwether for whether a film will be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.

Last year, Kristen Bell served as the show’s first ever host. Megan Mullally, a three-time TV comedy actress SAG winner for Will & Grace, will host this year’s show.

Connell said there’s still at least one awards show mainstay the SAGs hasn’t used: “They still haven’t let me do a song and dance, I don’t know why.”

Above all, she says she tries to keep the show fun.

“It’s a work day for these actors. People don’t understand it. It is really a workday for them,” she said. “Just like any contest, some people are going to go home without a statue. So how do I make it as enjoyable as I can possibly make it for people? That’s my job.”
…

your ads here!

The Screen Actors Guild turns 25 years old Sunday, and executive producer Kathy Connell has shaped every one.

And while the milestone anniversary offers a chance to reflect on the show’s growth and impact, Connell says not to expect too many flashbacks on the telecast, which will be broadcast on TNT and TBS beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern.

“We’re going to have some lookbacks but we only have two hours, our show is very tight,” Connell said.

Connell has produced every SAG Awards, which honors the top performances in film and television each year. Tom Hanks and Jodie Foster were the top film actor winners in 1995, while this year the Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga-led A Star Is Born is the top film nominee.

Cooper and Gaga, along with actors Chadwick Boseman from Black Panther and Constance Wu from Crazy Rich Asians will be among the presenters Sunday.

Unlike other awards ceremonies that also honor directors, writers and other artists, the SAG Awards are solely focused on actors and the craft of acting.

“It’s really a peer award and it’s very meaningful because to become a union member is one milestone and then to be nominated and awarded by your peers is another major milestone I think for actors,” Connell said during a recent interview. “It’s very personal. The room has fun. Our show is different because the room has fun. We consider it the actors’ party at the actors’ house.”

‘Wonderful moments’

The ceremony also showcases the guild’s Life Achievement Award, which predates the awards show and has been bestowed since 1962.

This year’s recipient is Alan Alda, whom Connell calls a “true TV icon and a wonderful man.”

Previous recipients include Morgan Freeman, Carol Burnett, Betty White, Elizabeth Taylor, Sidney Poitier and George Burns.

Connell’s hands-on approach — she and her team meticulously craft the seating chart — has led to many special memories, including one with 2014 honoree Debbie Reynolds.

The actress wasn’t feeling well, so her daughter Carrie Fisher took her place during rehearsals. Fisher and Connell shared a few moments together.

“My parents had just passed, so I knew what it was like and the concern that she had for Debbie’s health, and so she and I had a couple of wonderful moments together,” Connell said. “Then Carrie and Debbie had a great time onstage, and I think it was the last time they were both onstage together.”

Evolution of SAG awards

Connell has presided over numerous changes to the awards over the years. The inaugural ceremony, for instance, did not include the outstanding film ensemble, added in the second year. The category has become a key bellwether for whether a film will be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.

Last year, Kristen Bell served as the show’s first ever host. Megan Mullally, a three-time TV comedy actress SAG winner for Will & Grace, will host this year’s show.

Connell said there’s still at least one awards show mainstay the SAGs hasn’t used: “They still haven’t let me do a song and dance, I don’t know why.”

Above all, she says she tries to keep the show fun.

“It’s a work day for these actors. People don’t understand it. It is really a workday for them,” she said. “Just like any contest, some people are going to go home without a statue. So how do I make it as enjoyable as I can possibly make it for people? That’s my job.”
…

your ads here!

A judge signed off Friday on changes to the legal team representing Harvey Weinstein in his rape and sexual assault case, allowing the film producer to swap out his bulldog New York City defense attorney for a four-person team that’s full of courtroom star power.

The disgraced Hollywood mogul was in court in Manhattan —along with new lawyers Jose Baez, Ronald Sullivan and Duncan Levin, and former lawyer Benjamin Brafman — as Judge James Burke approved the switch.

“Welcome to the New York State Supreme Court,” Burke told Weinstein’s new lawyers.

Weinstein, 66, and Brafman, 70, announced last week that they had “agreed to part ways amicably.” The move came a month after they lost a hard-fought bid to get the case thrown out.

Weinstein’s trial is tentatively scheduled for May.

He is charged with raping a woman in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006. He denies all allegations of nonconsensual sex.

Weinstein’s other new lawyer, Pamela Robillard Mackey, didn’t attend Friday’s hearing because she was out of the country.

Baez is perhaps the best-known name of the four. He first gained fame for representing Casey Anthony, the Florida mom whose televised trial in 2011 ended in an acquittal on charges of killing her young daughter.

Baez and Sullivan, a 52-year-old Harvard law professor, teamed up to successfully defend New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez against murder charges in 2017. Hernandez, in prison for a 2015 murder conviction, killed himself five days later.

Mackey, who’s based in Denver, represented Kobe Bryant when the former basketball star was accused of raping a 19-year-old at a Colorado resort in 2003. The charges were dismissed when prosecutors said the accuser was no longer interested in testifying.

Levin is a former top deputy under Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.

Weinstein announced the new legal team on Wednesday.

Actress Rose McGowan, one of the first of dozens of women to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct, blasted Baez and Sullivan for agreeing to represent Weinstein after they defended her in a drug case last year. She called it a “major conflict of interest.”

Baez and Sullivan said in a statement that McGowan’s case had nothing to do with Weinstein and that they were certain there was no conflict.

 
…

your ads here!

A judge signed off Friday on changes to the legal team representing Harvey Weinstein in his rape and sexual assault case, allowing the film producer to swap out his bulldog New York City defense attorney for a four-person team that’s full of courtroom star power.

The disgraced Hollywood mogul was in court in Manhattan —along with new lawyers Jose Baez, Ronald Sullivan and Duncan Levin, and former lawyer Benjamin Brafman — as Judge James Burke approved the switch.

“Welcome to the New York State Supreme Court,” Burke told Weinstein’s new lawyers.

Weinstein, 66, and Brafman, 70, announced last week that they had “agreed to part ways amicably.” The move came a month after they lost a hard-fought bid to get the case thrown out.

Weinstein’s trial is tentatively scheduled for May.

He is charged with raping a woman in 2013 and performing a forcible sex act on a different woman in 2006. He denies all allegations of nonconsensual sex.

Weinstein’s other new lawyer, Pamela Robillard Mackey, didn’t attend Friday’s hearing because she was out of the country.

Baez is perhaps the best-known name of the four. He first gained fame for representing Casey Anthony, the Florida mom whose televised trial in 2011 ended in an acquittal on charges of killing her young daughter.

Baez and Sullivan, a 52-year-old Harvard law professor, teamed up to successfully defend New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez against murder charges in 2017. Hernandez, in prison for a 2015 murder conviction, killed himself five days later.

Mackey, who’s based in Denver, represented Kobe Bryant when the former basketball star was accused of raping a 19-year-old at a Colorado resort in 2003. The charges were dismissed when prosecutors said the accuser was no longer interested in testifying.

Levin is a former top deputy under Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.

Weinstein announced the new legal team on Wednesday.

Actress Rose McGowan, one of the first of dozens of women to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct, blasted Baez and Sullivan for agreeing to represent Weinstein after they defended her in a drug case last year. She called it a “major conflict of interest.”

Baez and Sullivan said in a statement that McGowan’s case had nothing to do with Weinstein and that they were certain there was no conflict.

 
…

your ads here!

The very first image in Netflix’s new film Close is South Sudan’s flag billowing in the wind.

Shot in Morocco, the opening scene introduces the main character, a professional bodyguard named Sam, played by actress Noomi Rapce, who accompanies two journalists across war-torn terrain in a vehicle that is ambushed by armed men.

The scene is action-packed and lasts only 4½ minutes, but it has dominated heated discussion and sparked questions about why South Sudan’s flag was used. The country has been locked in a civil war since 2013.

“If you use people’s flag, you need to talk to them to see whether you are offending them, because it is not just about leadership, it’s not just about governments, it’s about people,” said Kuir Garang, a South Sudanese-Canadian novelist living in Alberta, Canada. 

Netflix did not respond to requests for comment.

Garang said he feels the internet giant owes South Sudan an explanation.

“There are many people here in Canada, in Australia, in the U.S. who use that flag. And if that flag represents terrorism, or you know, mindless violence, and is seen on the cause of people, those people can easily be associated with terrorism,” he said.

Many people also expressed their concerns on Twitter.

South Sudanese native Malith Dak Gerich, who lives and works in South Korea, said moviemakers did not consider the fact that the South Sudanese flag was a lot more than a plot object to many observers around the world.

“Looking at the movie, I cannot even go through New York City wearing anything to do with the South Sudanese flag without [fear of being] attacked or something like that,” Dak said.

Garang said the larger issue is that the scene pushed a negative narrative about his country, and that Westerners should work harder to understand the context and the sensitivities of each country.

“I think people at Netflix should see that they have resources, moviemakers have resources, so what they should do is to put in resources into making research as to what is appropriate talk to the people,” he said.
…

your ads here!

The very first image in Netflix’s new film Close is South Sudan’s flag billowing in the wind.

Shot in Morocco, the opening scene introduces the main character, a professional bodyguard named Sam, played by actress Noomi Rapce, who accompanies two journalists across war-torn terrain in a vehicle that is ambushed by armed men.

The scene is action-packed and lasts only 4½ minutes, but it has dominated heated discussion and sparked questions about why South Sudan’s flag was used. The country has been locked in a civil war since 2013.

“If you use people’s flag, you need to talk to them to see whether you are offending them, because it is not just about leadership, it’s not just about governments, it’s about people,” said Kuir Garang, a South Sudanese-Canadian novelist living in Alberta, Canada. 

Netflix did not respond to requests for comment.

Garang said he feels the internet giant owes South Sudan an explanation.

“There are many people here in Canada, in Australia, in the U.S. who use that flag. And if that flag represents terrorism, or you know, mindless violence, and is seen on the cause of people, those people can easily be associated with terrorism,” he said.

Many people also expressed their concerns on Twitter.

South Sudanese native Malith Dak Gerich, who lives and works in South Korea, said moviemakers did not consider the fact that the South Sudanese flag was a lot more than a plot object to many observers around the world.

“Looking at the movie, I cannot even go through New York City wearing anything to do with the South Sudanese flag without [fear of being] attacked or something like that,” Dak said.

Garang said the larger issue is that the scene pushed a negative narrative about his country, and that Westerners should work harder to understand the context and the sensitivities of each country.

“I think people at Netflix should see that they have resources, moviemakers have resources, so what they should do is to put in resources into making research as to what is appropriate talk to the people,” he said.
…

your ads here!