'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire' roars to $80M opening

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LOS ANGELES -- The Godzilla-King Kong combo stomped on expectations as “ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire ” roared to an $80 million opening on 3,861 North American screens, according to Sunday studio estimates.

The monster merger from Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures starring Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry brought the second-highest opening in what has been a robust year, falling just short of the the $81.5 million debut of “Dune: Part 2.”

Projections had put the the opening weekend of “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” which sees the monsters teaming up instead of squaring up, at closer to $50 million.

“It’s a cinematic event, and we’re seeing these iconic characters doing things we’ve never seen them do before,” said Mary Parent, chairman of worldwide production for Legendary. “There’s big swaths of the film that don’t have any dialogue, where we put you with the characters, it’s a very mythic experience.”

Last week's No. 1 at the box office, “ Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” was second with $15.7 million for a two-week total of $73.4 million.

“ Dune: Part Two ” stayed strong in its fifth week, falling in the third spot with an $11.1 million take and a domestic total of $252.4 million.

The last matchup of the two monsters from Warner Bros. and Legendary, 2021's “ Godzilla vs. Kong,” had a much smaller opening weekend of $48.5 million, but for a film slowed by the coronavirus pandemic and released simultaneously on HBO Max, it was a serious success that signaled what was to come for the pairing.

“It was a really big number all things considered,” Parent said.

The newer film had the second biggest opening of the studios' broader MonsterVerse franchise. “Godzilla” brought in $93.2 million in 2014. It was the biggest earner in the nearly 70-year cinematic history of the creature that originated and spent most of its screen life in Japan. It earned more than $200 million in North America and more than $500 million globally.

“Godzilla x Kong” comes just four months after the most recent Japanese rendition, the critical favorite and Oscar winner “Godzilla Minus One.”

But there was clearly no Godzilla glut for audiences, many of whom were willing to pay extra for IMAX and other special formats.

“These are literally two of the biggest movie stars in the world, and you have to see them on the biggest screen possible with the biggest sound possible,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore.

The combination of “Godzilla x Kong," “Dune Part Two” and “Ghostbusters" has put the year to date 6 percent behind 2023, while it was 20 percent behind on the eve of the March 1 release of “Dune."

“The industry was feeling pretty glum right before ‘Dune Part 2’ opened, but they've made up a lot of ground,” said Dergarabedian.

The summer is full of titles that are not guaranteed megahits but could break big, including Ryan Gosling's “The Fall Guy" and the next installments of “Planet of the Apes,” “Mad Max,” “Inside Out” and “Deadpool.”

That brings cause for optimism as the theatrical movie business seeks to hang on, though it’s highly unlikely it will surpass 2023, which saw “Barbie” surpass $1 billion globally with its release-date mate “Oppenheimer” not far behind.

“'Barbenheimer'” is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime event," Dergarabedian said.

Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” 80 million.

2. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $15.7 million.

3. “Dune: Part Two," $11.1 million.

4. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $10.2. million.

5. “Immaculate,” $3.3 million.

6. “Arthur the King,” $2.4 million.

7. “Late Night With the Devil,” $2.2 million.

8. “Tillu Square,” $1.8 million.

9. “Crew,” $1.5 million.

10. “Imaginary,” $1.4 million.

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April 01, 2024 at 08:41AM

Chance Perdomo, star of 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' and 'Gen V,' dies in motorcycle crash at 27

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Actor Chance Perdomo, who rose to fame as a star of “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” and “Gen V,” has died at age 27 following a motorcycle crash.

“On behalf of the family and his representatives, it is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Chance Perdomo’s untimely passing as a result of a motorcycle accident,” a publicist said in a statement issued Saturday evening.

The statement said no one else was involved in the crash. No details about the crash, including when and where it took place, were immediately released.

Perdomo most recently played Andre Anderson on the first season of “Gen V,” the college-centric spin-off of Amazon Prime's hit series “The Boys,” set in a universe where superheroes are celebrities — and behave as badly as the most notorious. Perdomo's character was a student at Godolkin University, founded by the sinisterly omnipresent Vought International corporation, where “supes” train; his power involved the manipulation of metal.

Amazon MGM Studios and Sony Pictures Television, the makers of “Gen V,” said the show's family was “devastated by the sudden passing.”

“We can't quite wrap our heads around this. For those of us who knew him and worked with him, Chance was always charming and smiling, an enthusiastic force of nature, an incredibly talented performer, and more than anything else, just a very kind, lovely person,” the producers of “Gen V” said in a statement. “Even writing about him in the past tense doesn't make sense.”

It wasn't immediately clear from the statements how Perdomo's death would affect production on the show, which also featured Jaz Sinclair, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Shelley Conn among its sprawling ensemble cast.

One of Perdomo's most famous roles was as Ambrose Spellman, a lead character on “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.” The four-season show was a far cry from the Melissa Joan Hart-fronted “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.” Created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the Netflix show set its Archie Comics characters a town over from the titular location of Aguirre-Sacasa's “Riverdale,” and employed a more spooky and salacious tone than its forerunner — although some of the original “Sabrina” actors came calling.

Perdomo's character was a cousin to Sabrina Spellman and a powerful, pansexual warlock who specialized in necromancy and is initially under house arrest. He often served as a sort of voice of reason on the show, which wrapped in 2020. He starred alongside Kiernan Shipka, Miranda Otto, Tati Gabrielle, Ross Lynch and, again, Sinclair.

Perdomo, who was Black and Latino, was born in Los Angeles and raised in England.

“I was always getting into fights until I put my energy into acting. Then my grades picked up, and I became president of the student union. Before that, I was similar to Ambrose being so pent up. He doesn’t know what to do with his energy because he’s trapped,” Perdomo told them.us in 2018.

“At the same time, he’s very open and loving. I identify with that now more than ever, because being away from family for so long really puts things into perspective. No matter the occasion, if I get that FaceTime or phone call from mom or my brothers, I’m picking it up right away. It’s family first for Ambrose, and I’m the same way,” he continued.

Perdomo also acted in several of the “After” movies and is credited in the upcoming “Bad Man” alongside Seann William Scott and Rob Riggle.

“His passion for the arts and insatiable appetite for life was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth will carry on in those who he loved dearest,” the statement from Perdomo's publicist said.

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March 31, 2024 at 09:41AM

Vanessa Carlton helps Capitals' John Carlson celebrate reaching milestone of 1,000 NHL games

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WASHINGTON -- Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson is on the verge of reaching the milestone of 1,000 NHL games, and pop singer Vanessa Carlton is part of the celebration.

Carlton remixed her hit song “A Thousand Miles” with Carlson-themed lyrics as part of a collaboration between the team and the production company Fresh Tape Media.

On Saturday night against the Boston Bruins, Carlson is set to become the 128th defenseman in league history to skate in 1,000 regular-season games. The 34-year-old has played the 41st-most minutes of any player in the league since ice time started being tracked officially in 1997-98, totaling just under 24,000 minutes — plus 3,005 more in the playoffs.

“He’s not just a point producer that is just playing the top of the power play and able to play that for 20 years,” coach Spencer Carbery said. “He’s playing that, plus he’s playing penalty kill, plus he’s playing 5 on 5 when you need to defend a lead and when you need to score a goal. That ability and uniqueness, there’s very few that log minutes in all those situations like he has throughout his career.”

Carlson, who is originally from Natick, Massachusetts, but much of his childhood in New Jersey, has taken more than 26,000 regular-season shifts, all with Washington, since making his debut in 2009.

"You try not to think about it like that," Carlson said Saturday morning when told that stat.

Carlton's song remix was released after the player with a similar sounding last name spoke to reporters following the team's morning skate.

Carlson is the 80th player to dress in 1,000 games with one team. His milestone comes a couple of weeks after teammate T.J. Oshie hit 1,000, and going through that helped prepare Carlson for what to expect not only Saturday night but next weekend when the Capitals hold a ceremony to honor him.

“You got so much going on now, in the now, in this league and where we are and just worrying about what’s at stake all the time,” Carlson said. “Just trying not to be a distraction to what we have on our plate right now and where we are."

The Capitals are trying to return to the playoffs after missing last year for the first time in Carlson's pro career.

___

AP NHL: https://ift.tt/EF0gKzr

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March 31, 2024 at 01:41AM

Colman Domingo and Taylor Hackford are some paying tribute to Louis Gossett Jr. after death at 87

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Famous fans and co-stars react to the death of Louis Gossett Jr., who died at 87.

“He was open and generous. Kind beyond measure. Regal. We owe so much to him. What a monumental life he lived.” — Colman Domingo, Gossett's co-star in “The Color Purple,” on X.

“The role of Master Sergeant Foley in ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ was written as a white man. When I visited the Navy Officers Flight Training Center in Pensacola, Florida, I discovered that many of the drill Instructors there were men of color. At that moment I changed the casting profile for Sergeant Foley. Lou Gossett came to see me. He told me he'd served in the U.S. Army as a Ranger, so in addition to being an accomplished actor, he knew military life — I hired him on the spot. Lou Gossett's Sergeant Foley may have been the first Black character in American cinema to have absolute authority over white characters. The Academy recognized his consummate performance by voting him an Oscar for best supporting actor. He definitely deserved it." — Taylor Hackford, who directed “An Officer and a Gentleman,” in a statement.

“One of the great American actors of our generation. A personal hero.” — Actor Wendell Pierce on X.

“Lou was set to play the role of my grandfather in the proposed feature film of my life. I will miss my friend.” — Singer Dionne Warwick in a statement.

“From ‘Roots’ to ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’ to ‘The Color Purple’ and now beyond, Lou was always an amazing artist and giving human being to me.” — Actor Sheryl Lee Ralph on X.

“I loved Lou. We did ‘The Choirboys’ in an ensemble, and then later starred together in ‘Diggstown.’ That experience cemented a lifelong friendship. I had always admired his fabulous talent, but grew to admire his modest demeanor more. A true gentleman.” — Actor James Woods on X.

“Louis was a groundbreaker, a brilliant, kind man, and an incendiary presence on screen. Each of us was lucky to have him.” — Actor and director Lee Grant on X.

“Your incredible talent and unforgettable performances will forever inspire generations to come. Thank you for sharing your gifts with the world. You will be deeply missed.” — NAACP on X.

“In our eyes, you were a LEADING man despite your many inspiring roles as supporting characters. Thank you for your undeniable talent. Rest In Power!” — Trial lawyer Ben Crump on X.

"As a city, we are grateful for the privilege of having had Louis Gossett Jr. among us, and we join together in honoring his life and contributions.” — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens in a statement.

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March 30, 2024 at 01:03AM

Top 20 Global Concert Tours from Pollstar

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The Top 20 Global Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows Worldwide. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers. Week of April 1, 2024 :

For free upcoming tour information, go to www.pollstar.com

___

TOP 20 GLOBAL CONCERT TOURS

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March 30, 2024 at 12:02AM

Doris Kearn Goodwin and Laurie Anderson to receive medals from American Academy of Arts and Letters

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Laurie Anderson poses during a photo call for the movie "Heart of a Dog," in Milan, Italy on Sept. 11, 2016, left, and Doris Kearns Goodwin arrives at a HISTORYTalks event in Washington on Sept. 24, 2022. Anderson, Goodwin and the president of the Harlem School of the Arts, James C. Horton, are being honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. (AP Photo)

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March 29, 2024 at 11:47PM

'Oppenheimer' director Christopher Nolan and wife Emma Thomas to get British knighthood and damehood

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LONDON -- The Oscar-winning director of “Oppenheimer,” Christopher Nolan, and his wife and producer Emma Thomas, will receive a knighthood and damehood for their services to film, according to a statement on Thursday from the U.K. government.

Their recognition comes after their biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb,” swept the awards season, notably at the Academy Awards earlier this month, where the movie won seven Oscars, including best film and best director.

Nolan, 53, had previously been nominated for "Memento,” “Inception” and “Dunkirk."

News of their honors was a bit of a surprise, because they are usually handed out twice in the year, once to mark the new year and then on the birthday of King Charles III, who confers the honors. They are sometimes awarded after special achievements, often related to sports and the arts.

The honors are formally awarded at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, often by the U.K. monarch in person. However, the king is currently not undertaking any royal duties, because he is undergoing treatment for cancer.

Born in London to a British father and American mother, Nolan met his future wife, Thomas, 53, while they both attended University College London. They have four children and run a production company, Syncopy, which has been behind many of their blockbusters.

When Nolan was presented with the British Film Institute Fellowship earlier this year for being “one of the world’s most innovative and influential film directors,” he credited his wife.

He said he never felt alone making films as Thomas “always saw things the same way I did in terms of the importance of the medium.”

Addressing the audience at this year's Academy Awards, Nolan noted cinema is just over a century old.

“Imagine being there 100 years into painting or theater,” said Nolan, who shared the best-picture award with his wife and producer. “We don’t know where this incredible journey is going from here. But to know that you think that I’m a meaningful part of it means the world to me.”

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March 29, 2024 at 05:47AM

Ex-Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura says he will sell cannabis edibles

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MINNEAPOLIS -- Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has announced he is entering the cannabis market as a seller, as the state still figures out retail sales of the drug on the heels of legalizing marijuana for adults last year.

Ventura is launching his own brand of cannabis edibles in partnership with Retro Bakery, which is based in suburban Minneapolis and producing hemp-derived THC edibles under the Jesse Ventura Farms brand, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

“Ventura Farms is my foray into the world of cannabis,” Ventura said in a Wednesday video with rock music playing in the background.

He added, “I’m a huge supporter of the cannabis industry. Cannabis saved my family’s life. And now it’s time for me to return to the cannabis world. And you can join me — Jesse Ventura and Ventura Farms — any time you want. We’re in the game."

Ventura has said the drug helped his wife get her seizures under control, MPR reported. Retro Bakery said the Ventura-branded edibles will be available for pre-order on April 1, according to MPR.

A former professional wrestler and actor, Ventura shocked the public when he won the race for Minnesota governor as an independent candidate in 1998. He served as governor from 1999 to 2003.

Ventura was one of the first governors in the U.S. to openly support marijuana legalization.

Last year, Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana for adults.

This month, the state’s top cannabis regulator said Minnesota probably won’t meet its goal of launching full-scale retail marijuana sales in the first quarter of 2025 because of the time it will take to draft regulations and issue licenses.

Using, possessing and growing marijuana for personal use, within limits, became legal last August. But sales are still a legal gray area.

Currently, only a few tribally owned on-reservation shops are legally allowed to sell recreational marijuana in Minnesota because tribal sovereignty exempts them from state regulation.

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March 29, 2024 at 01:11AM

Beyoncé shares 'Cowboy Carter' track list ahead of album, mentions Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson

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Buckle up, cowpoke: On Wednesday, Beyoncé shared the track list for her forthcoming album, “Act ll: Cowboy Carter."

“Cowboy Carter” arrives Friday, but fans got a sneak peek on the superstar's Instagram account, when she shared an image that appears to include the titles of her songs: from the previously released “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages," now including “American Requiem,” “Blackbird,” “Protector,” “My Rose,” “Bodyguard,” “Daughter,” “Spaghetti,” “Alligator Tears,” “Smoke Hour ll,” “Just For Fun,” “ll Most Wanted,” “Levi’s Jeans,” “Flamenco,” “Ya Ya," “Oh Louisiana,” “Desert Eagle,” “Riverdance,” “ll Hands ll Heaven,” “Tyrant,” “Sweet Honey Buckin,” and “Amen.”

One song appears to be called “The Linda Martell Show,” a reference to the groundbreaking country performer who became the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry.

There's also mention of “Dolly P” — likely a reference to Dolly Parton — and a track titled “Jolene," a reference to one of Parton's best-known songs.

Earlier this month, in an interview with Knox News celebrating the seasonal opening of her amusement park Dollywood, Parton said she thinks Beyoncé has recorded a cover of her 1973 hit.

“Well, I think she has,” she said. “I think she’s recorded ‘Jolene’ and I think it’s probably gonna be on her country album, which I’m very excited about that.”

The track list also mentions “Smoke Hour Willie Nelson,” but it is not immediately clear if Nelson is involved with the project.

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March 28, 2024 at 01:26AM

In Vienna, 2 portraits of Alexei Navalny are painted near a monument to Soviet soldiers

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VIENNA -- Two large portraits of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have been spray-painted on a property owned by the family of a former Czech foreign minister behind a monument to Soviet soldiers in Vienna.

The portraits were completed Wednesday on the wall behind the monument, which was already painted in Ukraine's blue and yellow national colors after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The wall belongs to the Palais Schwarzenberg, owned by the noble family of former Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, who died in November.

The monument portraying a Soviet soldier was built after Soviet troops took Vienna in 1945. Austria, which was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1938, was divided into occupation zones until the country was granted full sovereignty in 1955.

“The monument commemorates victims of dictatorship and Mr. Navalny is an obvious victim of dictatorship,” Maximillian Schaffgotsch of the Schwarzenberg family foundation told the Austria Press Agency.

Navalny, who crusaded against official corruption in Russia and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, died Feb. 16 in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence. Officials have said only that he died of natural causes.

Austrian graffiti duo Joel Gamnou painted the portraits. Jonathan Gamperl, one half of the duo, said that “so far we have only gotten positive feedback."

KSORS, a group described by Austrian media as being close to the Russian Embassy, complained in a Facebook post that the wall behind the monument to Soviet soldiers is being “misused for political purposes.”

An improvised memorial to Navalny opposite the embassy has been removed twice in the last two weeks. Vienna prosecutors are considering whether to open an investigation into those incidents, APA reported.

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March 27, 2024 at 11:47PM

March Madness: TV ratings slightly up over last year despite Sunday's blowouts

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The first three days of the NCAA Tournament attracted record ratings, only to see the momentum stifled due to Sunday's games being blowouts.

Overall, the tournament is averaging 9.07 million viewers on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. That is a slight increase over the 9.05 million average at this point last year.

Through Saturday, the tournament averaged 9.0 million, making it the most-watched through that stage.

Sunday's games averaged 8.91 million, an 8% decrease over last year. The average winning margin of the eight games was 18.9 points, including Duke's 93-55 blowout of James Madison and Purdue's 106-67 rout of Utah State, both on CBS.

Saturday's eight second-round games averaged 10.8 million, making it the most-watched second round Saturday in tournament history. The Michigan State-North Carolina game — an 85-59 victory by the Tar Heels — drew 10.02 million, the most-watched, second-round Saturday game since Kentucky-Indiana in 2016.

Thursday's first round averaged 8.5 million, the most-watched since 2015. Friday's averaged 8.6 million, the second-most just behind last year's 8.8 million.

CBS and TNT Sports should be able to regain some momentum during the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight with all four top seeds still alive and many traditional, blueblood programs still in the field.

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://ift.tt/5lVXwbq and coverage: https://ift.tt/9y1GP6L

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March 27, 2024 at 04:41AM

After ‘Wonka’ and ‘Dune,’ Timothée Chalamet signs first look deal with Warner Bros.

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Following the success of “ Wonka ” and the “ Dune” movies, Warner Bros. is staying in the Timothée Chalamet business. The star signed a first look deal with the studio to collaborate on future projects as an actor and producer, Warner Bros. said Tuesday.

This doesn’t mean that Chalamet can only make movies with Warner Bros., just that the studio is entitled to right of first refusal. The terms of the deal were not released, but it is a “multi-year” agreement.

Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chairs and CEO’s Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy said in a statement that they’ve admired his “commitment to his craft” and his “unwavering dedication to give 100% of his time and attention to every project he has made.”

Chalamet, in a statement, said of De Luca and Abdy: “These are studio heads who believe in real movie making, and I’m so grateful for their support as an actor, producer and collaborator. This partnership feels like a natural next step. Let’s go!”

The 28-year-old recently became the first star in over four decades to be in two top-grossing films released within eight months of each other with “Dune: Part Two,” which has a running box office total of $575.5 million, and “Wonka,” which made over $632 million globally. The previous record-holder was John Travolta with “Grease” and “Saturday Night Fever.”

Chalamet was a producer on Luca Guadagnino’s “ Bones and All ” and is also producing and starring in the upcoming Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown,” which is currently filming.

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March 27, 2024 at 02:48AM

Golden Globes land 5-year deal to air on CBS, stream on Paramount+

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NEW YORK -- The Golden Globes and CBS have reached a five-year deal to broadcast the annual award show and stream it live on Paramount+, it was announced Monday.

The new agreement, which begins with January's telecast, gives the Globes a new broadcast home following years of turmoil. The Globes had long resided at NBC before scandal enveloped the organization behind the awards, leading NBC to give them up.

CBS stepped in to air the 81st Golden Globes in January, and was rewarded with a ratings boost. The telecast pulled in an average of 9.4 million viewers, up about 50% from 2023, when NBC moved the Globes to a Tuesday.

“CBS’ collaboration with the Globes for this year’s broadcast was a big win for both of us and established strong momentum for awards shows in 2024,” said George Cheeks, president and chief executive of CBS, in a statement. “The Globes is a one-of a-kind live event that adds another marquee special and valuable promotional platform to CBS’ annual calendar.”

Though host Jo Koy drew bad reviews, a ceremony that featured Hollywood stars as well as Taylor Swift helped stabilize a Golden Globes that for a time was teetering on the brink. After The Los Angeles Times reported that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had no Black members, Hollywood boycotted the organization and the 2022 Globes were booted off the air.

The HFPA has since been dissolved. The Globes were acquired by Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, which Penske Media owns, and turned into a for-profit venture.

“CBS stepped up for the Globes during a very challenging time, and inherently understood its value, while having the foresight, imagination and conviction to bring this iconic show to its many platforms," Jay Penske, chief executive of Penske Media, said in a statement.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

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March 26, 2024 at 03:47AM

Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 31-April 6

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Celebrity birthdays for the week of March 31-April 6:

March 31: Actor William Daniels (“St. Elsewhere,” ″Boy Meets World”) is 97. Actor Richard Chamberlain is 90. Actor Shirley Jones is 90. Musician Herb Alpert is 89. Actor Christopher Walken is 81. Comedian Gabe Kaplan (“Welcome Back Kotter”) is 80. Guitarist Mick Ralphs of Bad Company and of Mott the Hoople is 80. Actor Rhea Perlman (“Cheers”) is 76. Actor Ed Marinaro (“Hill Street Blues,” ″Sisters”) is 74. Guitarist Angus Young of AC/DC is 69. Bassist Bob Crawford of The Avett Brothers is 53. Actor Ewan McGregor is 53. Actor Erica Tazel (“Queen Sugar,” “The Good Fight”) is 49. Rapper Tony Yayo is 46. Actor-musician Kate Micucci (“Raising Hope,” comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates) is 44. Actor Brian Tyree Henry (“Atlanta” ″Book of Mormon”) is 42. Actor Melissa Ordway (“The Young and the Restless”) is 41. Jazz trumpeter Christian Scott is 41. Producer-songwriter Jack Antonoff of Bleachers (and of fun.) is 40. Actor Jessica Szohr (“Gossip Girl”) is 39.

April 1: Actor Don Hastings (“As the World Turns”) is 90. Actor Ali MacGraw is 85. Reggae singer Jimmy Cliff is 76. Keyboardist Billy Currie of Ultravox is 74. Actor Annette O’Toole (“Smallville”) is 72. Director Barry Sonnenfeld (“Get Shorty,” “Men in Black”) is 71. Singer Susan Boyle is 63. Actor Jose Zuniga (“Mission Impossible: 3,” ″Twilight”) is 62. Country singer Woody Lee is 56. Actor Jessica Collins (“The Young and the Restless”) is 53. Rapper-actor Method Man is 53. Filmmakers Albert and Allen Hughes (“Menace II Society,” ″Dead Presidents”) are 52. MSNBC host Rachel Maddow is 51. Actor David Oyelowo (“Selma,” ″The Butler”) is 48. Actor Sam Huntington (“Superman Returns,” ″Jungle 2 Jungle”) is 42. Actor Taran Killam (“12 Years a Slave,” ″Saturday Night Live”) is 42. Actor Matt Lanter (“90210”) is 41. Singer Hillary Scott of Lady A is 38. Drummer Arejay Hale of Halestorm is 37. Actor Asa Butterfield (“Hugo,” ″Nanny McPhee Returns”) is 27.

April 2: Actor Linda Hunt (TV’s “NCIS: LA,” film’s “The Year of Living Dangerously”) is 79. Actor Sam Anderson (“Lost,” ″ER,” ″Perfect Strangers”) is 77. Singer Emmylou Harris is 77. Actor Pamela Reed is 75. Drummer Dave Robinson of The Cars is 75. Country singer Buddy Jewell is 63. Actor Christopher Meloni (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”) is 63. Singer Keren Woodward of Bananarama is 63. Country singer Billy Dean is 62. Actor Clark Gregg (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” ″The New Adventures of Old Christine”) is 62. Actor Jana Marie Hupp (“Ed”) is 60. Guitarist Greg Camp (Smash Mouth) is 57. Guitarist Tony Fredianelli (Third Eye Blind) is 55. Actor Roselyn Sanchez (TV’s “Grand Hotel,” ″Without a Trace”) is 51. Actor Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us,” “The Mandalorian”) is 49. Actor Adam Rodriguez (“Criminal Minds,” ″CSI: Miami”) is 49. Actor Michael Fassbender (“Shame,” ″Inglourious Basterds”) is 47. Keyboardist Jesse Carmichael of Maroon 5 is 45. Actor Bethany Joy Lenz (formerly Galeotti) (“One Tree Hill”) is 43. Singer Lee Dewyze (“American Idol”) is 38. Country singer Chris Janson is 38. Actor Drew Van Acker (“Training Day,” ″Pretty Little Liars”) is 38. Actor Jesse Plemons (TV’s “Fargo,” ″Breaking Bad”) is 36.

April 3: Actor Eric Braeden (“The Young and the Restless”) is 83. Actor Marsha Mason is 82. Singer Wayne Newton is 82. Singer Tony Orlando is 80. Singer Richard Thompson is 75. Bassist Curtis Stone of Highway 101 is 74. Guitarist Mick Mars of Motley Crue is 68. Actor Alec Baldwin is 66. Actor David Hyde Pierce (“Frasier”) is 65. Comedian-actor Eddie Murphy is 63. Singer-guitarist Mike Ness of Social Distortion is 62. Singer Sebastian Bach (Skid Row) is 56. Actor Jennie Garth (“Beverly Hills 90210″) is 52. Actor Adam Scott (“Severance,” “Parks and Recreation”) is 51. Guitarist Drew Shirley of Switchfoot is 50. Actor Matthew Goode (“Downton Abbey,” ″The Good Wife”) is 46. Actor Cobie Smulders (“How I Met Your Mother”) is 42. Singer Leona Lewis is 39. Actor Amanda Bynes is 38. Actor Rachel Bloom (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) is 37. Actor Hayley Kiyoko (“CSI: Cyber”) is 33. Bassist Sam Kiszka of Greta Van Fleet is 25.

April 4: Actor Craig T. Nelson is 80. Actor Christine Lahti (“Chicago Hope”) is 74. Singer Steve Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers is 73. Actor Mary-Margaret Humes (“Dawson’s Creek,” ″History of the World Part 1″) is 70. Writer-producer David E. Kelley (“Ally McBeal,” ″The Practice”) is 68. Actor Constance Shulman (“Orange Is the New Black”) is 66. Actor Hugo Weaving (“The Matrix,” ″Lord of the Rings”) is 64. Talk show host Graham Norton is 61. Comedian David Cross (“Arrested Development,” ″Mr. Show”) is 60. Actor Robert Downey Junior is 59. Actor Nancy McKeon is 58. Country singer Clay Davidson is 53. Singer Josh Todd of Buckcherry is 53. Singer Jill Scott is 52. Bassist Magnus Sveningsson of The Cardigans is 52. Magician David Blaine is 51. Singer Kelly Price is 51. Singer Andre Dalyrimple of Soul for Real is 50. Guitarist Josh McSwain of Parmalee is 49. Actor James Roday (“A Million Little Things,” “Psych”) is 48. Actor Natasha Lyonne (“Poker Face,” “Orange Is The New Black”) is 45. Actor-comedian Eric Andre (“The Eric Andre Show”) is 41. Actor Amanda Righetti (“The Mentalist”) is 41. Actor-singer Jamie Lynn Spears (“Zoey 101″) is 33. Actor Daniela Bobadilla (“The Middle,” “Anger Management”) is 31. Singer Austin Mahone is 28.

April 5: Filmmaker Roger Corman is 98. Country singer Tommy Cash is 84. Actor Michael Moriarty (“Law and Order”) is 83. Singer Allan Clarke of The Hollies is 82. Actor Max Gail (“Sons and Daughters,” ″Barney Miller”) is 81. Actor Jane Asher is 78. Singer Agnetha Faltskog of ABBA is 74. Actor Mitch Pileggi (“The X Files”) is 72. Singer Peter Case of The Plimsouls is 70. Rapper-actor Christopher “Kid” Reid of Kid ‘n Play (“House Party”) is 60. Guitarist Mike McCready of Pearl Jam is 58. Musician Paula Cole is 56. Actor Krista Allen (“Baywatch,” ″What About Brian”) is 53. Actor Victoria Hamilton (“The Crown”) is 53. Country singer Pat Green is 52. Rapper-producer Pharrell Williams is 51. Rapper Juicy J (Three 6 Mafia) is 49. Actor Sterling K. Brown (Film’s “Black Panther,” TV’s “This Is Us”) is 48. Singer-guitarist Mike Eli of Eli Young Band is 43. Actor Hayley Atwell (“Marvel’s Agent Carter”) is 42. Actor Lily James (“Downton Abbey”) is 35.

April 6: Actor Billy Dee Williams is 87. Actor Roy Thinnes (“The Invaders”) is 86. Director Barry Levinson (“Rain Man,” “The Natural”) is 82. Actor John Ratzenberger (“Cheers”) is 77. Actor Patrika Darbo (“The Bold and the Beautiful”) is 76. Actor Marilu Henner (“Taxi,” ″Evening Shade”) is 72. Actor Michael Rooker (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) is 69. Guitarist Warren Haynes of Gov’t Mule is 64. Singer-guitarist Black Francis of The Pixies is 59. Actor Ari Meyers (“Kate & Ally”) is 55. Actor Paul Rudd is 55. Actor Jason Hervey (“The Wonder Years”) is 52. Bassist Markku Lappalainen (Hoobastank) is 51. Actor Zach Braff (“Scrubs”) is 49. Actor Joel Garland (“Orange Is the New Black”) is 49. Actor Candace Cameron Bure (“Full House”) is 48. Actor Teddy Sears (“24: Legacy”) is 47. Musician Robert Glasper is 46. Actor Eliza Coupe (“Happy Endings,” ″Scrubs”) is 43. Actor Charlie McDermott (“The Middle”) is 34.

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March 25, 2024 at 11:26PM

AP Photos: India celebrates Holi, the Hindu festival of color, marking the reawakening of spring

Repost Ent dalamlima.blogspot.com

NEW DELHI -- Millions of Indians celebrated Monday the Hindu Holi festival, dancing to festive music, exchanging food and drink and smearing each other with red, green, blue and pink powder, turning the air into a joyful kaleidoscope of color.

Widely known as the Hindu festival of colors, Holi marks the arrival of the spring season in India, Nepal and other South Asian countries as well as the diaspora. It celebrates the divine love between the Hindu god Krishna and his consort Radha, and signifies a time of rebirth and rejuvenation, embracing the positive and letting go of negative energy

Across the country, people — some dressed in all white — celebrated the festival by drenching one another in colored powder while others flung water balloons filled with colored pigment from balconies. Some used squirt guns to chase down fellow revelers in parks, and others danced on the streets to music blaring from speakers.

Food and drink are a big part of the festivities. Vendors in parts of India sold Thandai — a traditional beverage prepared with milk, dry fruits and can sometimes be laced with cannabis.

Another tradition that marks Holi is Bhang, a paste made by grinding the leaves of the cannabis plant and is used in drinks and snacks. It is connected to Hinduism, particularly to Lord Shiva, and is eaten during some religious festivals in the region. The paste's sale and consumption are permissible under Indian law, although a few states have banned it.

In parts of India, people also lit large bonfires the night before the festival to commemorate the triumph of good over evil.

Holi traditions vary across India.

Last week, in preparation for the festival, hundreds of women in two northern towns celebrated by playfully hitting men with wooden sticks in response to their teasing as part of a ritual. Known as the “Lathmar Holi” (Stick Holi), it attracts a large number of visitors.

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March 25, 2024 at 07:26PM

NBC's Chuck Todd lays into his network for hiring former RNC chief Ronna McDaniel as an analyst

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NEW YORK -- Former NBC News “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd criticized his network Sunday for hiring former Republican National Committee head Ronna McDaniel as a paid contributor, saying on the air that many NBC journalists are uncomfortable with the decision.

Todd spoke on “Meet the Press” after his successor as moderator, Kristen Welker, interviewed McDaniel about her role in the 2020 election aftermath.

“Our bosses owe you an apology for putting you in this situation because I don't know what to believe,” Todd said. “I don't have any idea whether any answer she gave to you was because she didn't want to mess up her contract” with NBC, he said.

McDaniel “has credibility issues that she has to deal with: Is she speaking for herself or is she speaking on behalf of who is paying for her?”

Todd said many NBC journalists are uncomfortable with the hiring because some of their professional dealings with the RNC during McDaniel's tenure “have been met with gaslighting, have been met with character assassination.”

NBC had no comment on Todd's statement. The network announced McDaniel's hiring on Friday, two weeks after she stepped down as the RNC leader, saying McDaniel would add to NBC News' coverage with an insider's perspective on national politics and the future of the Republican Party.

“NBC News has a legacy of serving its audience through reporting that reflects and examines the diverse perspectives of American voters,” Carrie Budoff Brown, NBC's senior vice president for politics, said in a memo to staff members obtained by The Associated Press. She said McDaniel would contribute her analysis “across all NBC News platforms.”

One of the network's platforms is the cable network MSNBC, which appeals to liberal viewers. The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that MSNBC's president, Rashida Jones, had told employees that the network has no plans to have McDaniel on the channel.

MSNBC would not comment on that report on Sunday. An MSNBC executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person would not publicly discuss internal matters, said it would be up to individual network shows to decide whether to bring McDaniel on — not that there is a network-wide ban.

It's not unusual for television news outlets to hire politicians as analysts and commentators. One of McDaniel's predecessors at the RNC, Michael Steele, is an MSNBC contributor who hosts a weekend news program there. CBS News faced some backlash for hiring two former officials in the Trump administration, Reince Priebus and Mick Mulvaney, as analysts. Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former White House communications director during the Trump administration, became a CNN political commentator.

But McDaniel's tacit endorsement of Trump's false claims that the outcome of the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent makes her hiring even more sensitive, given the continuing legal and political ripples of the Jan. 6, 2021, siege at the U.S. Capitol that was an outgrowth of the fraud allegations.

A former Trump press secretary, Sean Spicer, chided Todd on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday. “Did he ever show concern about Jen Psaki joining the left-wing network? Symone Sanders?” he asked, citing two former Biden administration officials working at MSNBC.

Yet McDaniel's role in supporting Trump and some of his comments about the 2020 election, and the speed of her switch to a media job after being forced out of the RNC by Trump, attracted particular attention. The phrase #BoycottNBCNews was trending on X Sunday.

McDaniel's interview on Sunday's “Meet the Press” had been booked prior to the announcement that she'd been hired by the network.

During the interview, McDaniel acknowledged that Biden won the 2020 election “fair and square.” That was a reversal from a comment she made on CNN last summer, when she said “I don't think he won it fair. I don't.”

On Sunday, she said, “the reality is Joe Biden won. He's the president. He's the legitimate president. I have always said, and I continue to say, there were issues in 2020. I believe that both can be true.”

Under questioning from Welker, McDaniel said Sunday that she disagreed with Trump's contention that people jailed for their part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol should be freed.

“Why not speak out earlier?” Welker asked.

“When you're the RNC chair you kind of take one for the whole team, right?” McDaniel said. “Now I get to be a little bit more myself, right? This is what I believe.”

___

Associated Press writer Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.

___

David Bauder writes about media for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://twitter.com/dbauder

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March 25, 2024 at 08:17AM

Kate and William 'extremely moved' by support since the Princess of Wales' cancer revelation

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LONDON -- LONDON (AP) — Kate, the Princess of Wales, and her husband, Prince William, are said to be “extremely moved” by the public’s warmth and support following her shocking cancer announcement as tributes continued to pour in Sunday from around the world.

After weeks of frenzied speculation on social media about her health and well-being, Kate said in a candid video message on Friday that she is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer following major abdominal surgery. The 42-year-old princess said the cancer discovery was a “huge shock” and she was now in the early stages of preventative chemotherapy.

“The prince and princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the U.K., across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness’ message," a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said. “They are extremely moved by the public’s warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time.”

There has been a global outpouring of support, including from U.S. President Joe Biden, and King Charles III who is also undergoing treatment for cancer, which was found after he was undertaking treatment for an enlarged prostate. Neither Kate nor the king have revealed what type of cancer they have or the stage at which it was being treated.

Charles' nephew, Peter Phillips, said the king is “frustrated” that his recovery is taking longer than “he would want it to,” but that he was in “good spirits” and “pushing” his staff to be able to return to his duties after beginning his treatment for cancer last month.

“I think ultimately he’s hugely frustrated," Phillips, the son of Charles's sister Princess Anne, told Sky News Australia. “He’s frustrated that he can’t get on and do everything that he wants to be able to do. But he is very pragmatic, he understands that there’s a period of time that he really needs to focus on himself.”

People continued to flock Sunday to the royal's main London residence, Kensington Palace, as well as to Windsor Castle, where they spend most of their time, to show support for the princess, with many leaving flowers.

Until Friday, officials had only said Kate’s surgery in January was successful and recuperation would keep the princess away from public duties until April. This has sparked a flurry of rumor-mongering about the “missing” future queen, compounded after Kate acknowledged that she altered an official photo released to mark Mother’s Day in the U.K. earlier this month.

The photo, meant to reassure the public, triggered a backlash after The Associated Press and other news agencies retracted it over manipulation concerns.

Even a video published last week by The Sun and TMZ that appeared to show Kate and William shopping near their home didn't dispel the negative coverage.

Criticism of those jumping to sometime-outlandish conclusions continued to be voiced over the weekend.

Paddy Harverson, previously the official spokesman of Kate and the Prince of Wales, said that the speculation and pressure around Kate's health and whereabouts before her video statement was “the worst I’ve ever seen.”

However, he said he thought Kate would have revealed her cancer diagnosis exactly as she had, regardless of what was being speculated.

“I’m absolutely convinced that if we hadn’t had all the madness and social media, if we hadn’t had the sort of the Mother’s Day photo mistake, they would have still done it like this,” he told the BBC. “They would have still waited till this last Friday when the schools are breaking up to make the announcement.”

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March 25, 2024 at 03:26AM

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" is No. 1 with $45.2M, Sydney Sweeney's 'Immaculate' lands in fourth

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NEW YORK -- Ghost busting is still a good business.

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” collected $45.2 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, handing Sony Pictures the studio’s first No. 1 film since last summer.

The opening weekend for “Frozen Empire,” in 4,345 theaters, was nearly exactly the same as the $44 million launch for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife" in 2021. “Afterlife” rebooted the franchise with a sequel built around the descendants (Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace) of Harold Ramis’ Egon Spengler, along with Paul Rudd’s seismologist Gary Grooberson.

Neither film has been a hit with critics, but audiences have been more receptive. “Frozen Empire” garnered a B+ CinemaScore from moviegoers, a tick down from the A- score for “Afterlife.” “Frozen Empire” isn't assured of profitability, but it will hope for sustained business over spring break.

“Ghostbusters” films tend to make a low impact internationally. In 25 overseas markets, “Frozen Empire” added $16.4 million.

The latest “Ghostbusters” cost about $100 million to make. After Jason Reitman took over directing duties from his father, Ivan Reitman, to helm “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Frozen Empire” is directed by Gil Kenan, co-writer of “Afterlife.”

Those two sequels took “Ghostbusters” in a more family-oriented, albeit PG-13 rated, direction, with original cast members Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and Bill Murray returning in supporting roles. After the 2016 female-led “Ghostbusters” prompted a backlash, Sony rebooted the franchise.

The weekend’s other new wide release was “Immaculate,” the horror film starring Sydney Sweeney as an American nun at a remote Italian convent. The film, released by Neon following a premiere at SXSW, debuted with $5.4 million on 2,354 screens. Sweeney’s ascending star power helped make “Anyone But You” one of the most successful rom-coms in years. But “Immaculate,” an independent production that cost less than $10 million make, isn’t getting the same bounce.

“The movie features the popular Sydney Sweeney, but horror movies are not cast-driven,” wrote David A. Gross for the consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “They’re driven by the hook: the evil doll, the wicked smile, the invisible or silent presence, the found footage, the possessed child. That’s what terrifies the horror crowd. The hook is not completely clear here.”

The No. 2 spot went to “Dune: Part Two,” which continues to hold well. The Denis Villeneuve-directed sci-fi sequel starring Timothée Chalamet added $17.6 million in its fourth weekend of release, bringing the Warner Bros. release's domestic total to $233.4 million. Overseas sales are just as strong, adding up to a $574.4 million worldwide haul.

After two weeks atop the box office, Universal's “Kung Fu Panda 4” slid to third place with $16.8 million over its third weekend. The well-performing DreamWorks animated sequel is up to $133.2 million domestic. It debuted with $25.7 million in China, where the movies have historically been popular. When the 2008 “Kung Fu Panda” was released, its success partly inspired China to expand its own film production.

Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” $45.2 million.

2. “Dune: Part Two," $17.6 million.

3. “Kung Fu Panda 4,” $16.8 million.

4. “Immaculate,” $5.4 million.

5. “Arthur the King,” $4.4 million.

6. “Late Night With the Devil,” $2.8 million.

7. “Imaginary,” $2.8 million.

8. “Love Lies Bleeding,” $1.6 million.

9. “Cabrini,” $1.4 million.

10. “Bob Marley: One Love,” $1.1 million.

___

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

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March 24, 2024 at 11:41PM

Kevin Hart joining group honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American humor

Repost Ent dalamlima.blogspot.com

FILE - Kevin Hart attends a premiere on Jan. 8, 2024, in New York. Hart will receive the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in American humor on Sunday, March 24. Among those set to appear are Dave Chappelle, Jimmy Fallon, Chelsea Handler, Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

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March 24, 2024 at 10:17PM

Laurent de Brunhoff, ‘Babar’ heir and author, dies at age 98

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NEW YORK -- NEW YORK (AP) — "Babar" author Laurent de Brunhoff, who revived his father's popular picture book series about an elephant-king and presided over its rise to a global, multimedia franchise, has died. He was 98.

De Brunhoff, a Paris native who moved to the U.S. in the 1980s, died Friday at his home in Key West, Florida, after being in hospice care for two weeks, according to his widow, Phyllis Rose.

Just 12 years old when his father, Jean de Brunhoff, died of tuberculosis, Laurent was an adult when he drew upon his own gifts as a painter and storyteller and released dozens of books about the elephant who reigns over Celesteville, among them "Babar at the Circus" and "Babar's Yoga for Elephants." He preferred using fewer words than his father did, but his illustrations faithfully mimicked Jean's gentle, understated style.

"Together, father and son have woven a fictive world so seamless that it is nearly impossible to detect where one stopped and the other started," author Ann S. Haskell wrote in The New York Times in 1981.

The series has sold millions of copies worldwide and was adapted for a television program and such animated features as "Babar: The Movie" and "Babar: King of the Elephants." Fans ranged from Charles de Gaulle to Maurice Sendak, who once wrote, “If he had come my way, how I would have welcomed that little elephant and smothered him with affection.”

De Brunhoff would say of his creation, "Babar, c'est moi" ("that's me"), telling National Geographic in 2014 that "he's been my whole life, for years and years, drawing the elephant."

The books' appeal was far from universal. Some parents shied from the passage in the debut, "The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant," about Babar's mother being shot and killed by hunters. Numerous critics called the series racist and colonialist, citing Babar's education in Paris and its influence on his (presumed) Africa-based regime. In 1983, Chilean author Ariel Dorfman would call the books an "implicit history that justifies and rationalizes the motives behind an international situation in which some countries have everything and other countries almost nothing."

"Babar's history," Dorfman wrote, "is none other than the fulfillment of the dominant countries' colonial dream."

Adam Gopnik, a Paris-based correspondent for The New Yorker, defended “Babar,” writing in 2008 that it "is not an unconscious expression of the French colonial imagination; it is a self-conscious comedy about the French colonial imagination and its close relation to the French domestic imagination."

De Brunhoff himself acknowledged finding it "a little embarrassing to see Babar fighting with Black people in Africa. He especially regretted "Babar's Picnic," a 1949 publication that included crude caricatures of Blacks and American Indians, and asked his publisher to withdraw it.

De Brunhoff was the eldest of three sons born to Jean de Brunhoff and Cecile de Brunhoff, a painter. Babar was created when Cecile de Brunhoff, the namesake for the elephant's kingdom and Babar's wife, improvised a story for her kids.

"My mother started to tell us a story to distract us," de Brunhoff told National Geographic in 2014. "We loved it, and the next day we ran to our father's study, which was in the corner of the garden, to tell him about it. He was very amused and started to draw. And that was how the story of Babar was born. My mother called him Bebe elephant (French for baby). It was my father who changed the name to Babar. But the first pages of the first book, with the elephant killed by a hunter and the escape to the city, was her story."

The debut was released in 1931 through the family-run publisher Le Jardin Des Modes. Babar was immediately well received and Jean de Brunhoff completed four more Babar books before dying six years later, at age 37. Laurent's uncle, Michael, helped publish two additional works, but no one else added to the series until after World War II, when Laurent, a painter by then, decided to bring it back.

"Gradually I began to feel strongly that a Babar tradition existed and that it ought to be perpetuated," he wrote in The New York Times in 1952.

De Brunhoff was married twice, most recently to the critic and biographer Phyllis Rose, who wrote the text to many of the recent "Babar" publications, including the 2017 release billed as the finale, "Babar's Guide to Paris." He had two children, Anne and Antoine, but the author did not consciously write for young people.

"I never really think of children when I do my books," he told the Wall Street Journal in 2017. “Babar was my friend and I invented stories with him, but not with kids in a corner of my mind. I write it for myself.”

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March 24, 2024 at 04:02AM

Thunderstorms delay flights at Miami airport, suspend music festival and disrupt tennis tournament

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Severe thunderstorms in South Florida delayed departures at the Miami International Airport during the busy spring break season, suspended a popular electronic music festival and disrupted matches at a high-profile tennis tournament

MIAMI -- Severe thunderstorms in South Florida delayed departures at the Miami International Airport during the busy spring break season, suspended a popular electronic music festival and disrupted matches at a high-profile tennis tournament.

The thunderstorms that swept into South Florida Friday night delayed departures at Miami International for hours Saturday, according to the National Airspace System Status. The airport was experiencing record spring break traffic this season, averaging 170,000 passengers each day this month.

“Inclement weather may impact operations on March 23,” the airport tweeted. “If you’re traveling, please get in touch with your airline for the latest flight updates.”

At the Ultra Music Festival in a downtown Miami park, where 55,000 attendees were expected over three days, organizers shut down the music early Friday night because of lightning and strong winds.

“For your safety, Ultra Friday is temporarily shutting down,” organizers posted on social media Friday night. “Please calmly leave the park now.”

Rain and strong winds Friday also delayed the start of the day's tennis games at the Miami Open by six hours and then washed out the rest of the scheduled play early in the evening. The weather disrupted the match schedule, forcing some of Friday's postponed games to be played Saturday.

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March 24, 2024 at 01:41AM

The ‘Taylor Swift effect’ aims to provide water during Brazil's life-threatening heat waves

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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazilian climatologist Núbia Beray Armond for years had been sounding the alarm about Rio de Janeiro's need for an extreme heat plan including water distribution. Interest was tepid until a disastrous Taylor Swift concert — and now her phone won't stop ringing.

A stifling heat wave blanketed southeast Brazil the day of Swift’s concert last November, just before the start of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Tens of thousands of “Swifties” lined up for hours under a sweltering sun, some huddling beneath umbrellas. Once inside, a group of parched fans managed to get Swift’s attention; she paused her performance to ask staff to provide them with water.

Not everyone was so lucky. Ana Clara Benevides, 23, suffered heat exposure that caused cardiorespiratory arrest during the concert, and she died.

Her death sparked outrage. Many accused organizers of failing to deliver sufficient water for concertgoers. Brazil’s justice minister said the death was unacceptable, and his ministry issued a regulation obliging organizers of big events during heat waves to guarantee water for attendees.

Others were galvanized to enshrine water access into law, a sign Brazilian authorities have begun considering it a public health issue in an ever-hotter world.

Rio is in the vanguard. Of the almost 100 bills now working their way through municipal, state and federal legislatures, about a third are in Rio state, including the capital, according to an analysis by the consulting firm Governmental Radar, which dubbed it “the Taylor Swift effect.” Many of the bills are named after Benevides.

Niteroi, a city in Rio’s metropolitan region, was first to pass a municipal ordinance guaranteeing water at large events.

“Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Benevides’ death was a turning point in the issue of water distribution for Rio’s public administration,” said Beray Armond, coordinator of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro’s GeoClima laboratory and researcher at Indiana University Bloomington.

Brazil's summer has been particularly oppressive. Nine heat waves swept across the country in 2023, and three since January, according to the government's meteorology institute.

The heat index — what the temperature feels like to the human body when humidity is combined with air temperature — hit a record 59.3 degrees Celsius (138 Fahrenheit) the day of Swift’s concert. That record has been broken four times since, most recently during the March 11-18 heat wave, when the heat index reached 62.3 degrees Celsius (144 Fahrenheit) on Sunday.

In Rio, people sought relief at beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema. Thousands of colorful parasols fluttered in the sea breeze, and people dipped into the waves. But some, like 43-year-old Eduardo Alves de Castro, found it hard to relax.

“It’s worrisome because we wonder how far these high temperatures are heading. The concern is that there’s no end to it. We are in a very privileged place: Here in front of the beach, you cool off, but there are people in a much less favorable situation, and who are much more affected,” Castro said.

During heat waves, those unable to afford power bills from round-the-clock air conditioning often cool down with multiple showers a day, which deplete a shared tank or run up water bills.

Many people in favelas — urban, working-class neighborhoods — didn’t pay for water until three private companies assumed concessions in 2021 and began installing water meters. The largest of them, Waters of Rio, said in an email it has provided water to an additional 300,000 people since taking over.

Daiane Nunes, who lives in Rio's Rocinha favela, regularly treks uphill to a natural water source in the forest. She and fellow residents fill bottles in a small flow of water there.

“The water that comes from our pipes is impossible to drink because it contains a lot of chlorine. Apart from buying water, this is our only chance of getting natural water,” said Nunes, 33.

Water shortages for poor, non-white populations is a worldwide phenomenon growing increasingly severe as global temperatures rise.

Brazilian states and municipalities need to develop plans for water distribution, determine the costs and adopt the best means of management, said Luana Pretto, executive president of the Treat Brazil Institute, a think tank that advocates for basic sanitation and protection of water resources.

In Rio, ahead of World Water Day on Friday, people crowded into a hotel’s conference room in the city center to share their stories of trouble accessing water.

Water is intermittent in Jardim Gramacho, a neighborhood beside what until 2012 was Latin America’s biggest landfill. That was distressing to Fatima Monteiro, a community health agent who suffers from high blood pressure, which puts her at greater risk of blackouts and fainting during heat waves. She dug herself a makeshift well.

“I had to. I didn’t know how to live with the lack of water,” said Monteiro, who attended the conference. Aware that the runoff from landfill had caused water pollution, she said that to be safe she uses the well water only for cooking and washing.

Days after Benevides’ death, City Hall announced 150 designated areas within health posts where people suffering from dehydration could receive saline solution to mitigate the impacts of heat waves.

During Carnival festivities in February, the Waters of Rio concessionaire distributed water at the Sambadrome, where dancers in heavy costumes parade alongside gigantic floats. The company handed out water to parade-goers congregating before they entered the avenue, and after the parade following an hour of sweaty exertion.

But even as authorities attempt to grapple with the problem, there have been shortcomings.

Soccer fans complained they were barred from entering Maracana stadium with water bottles ahead of the game last Sunday — the same day the heat index hit 62.3 degrees Celsius. Brazil's justice ministry asked for clarification from Maracana's administrators, citing obligations of the regulation issued in the wake of Swift's November show.

Rio also moved to install free water dispensers. But as summer winds down, just one has been established so far, in the wealthy Ipanema neighborhood — and even it is proving less effective than desired. An Associated Press reporter visited the dispenser in the sweltering heat Wednesday and helped children struggling to use it, which requires scanning a QR code and filling out an online form. A man without a cellphone couldn’t get water.

While Beray Armond welcomed Rio's nascent attempts to provide water, she is waiting to see if the recently proposed bills are actually enacted into law.

“If you don’t have legislation that forces public or private entities to distribute water, you’re basically condemning your population to illness or death,” Beray Armond said. “We still need to improve, but it’s better than before, when we had nothing.”

___

Associated Press writers Mario Lobao and Diarlei Rodrigues contributed to this report.

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The ‘Taylor Swift effect’ aims to provide water during Brazil's life-threatening heat waves
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March 23, 2024 at 11:17AM

Joana Vicente steps down as Sundance Institute CEO

Repost Ent dalamlima.blogspot.com

Joana Vicente is stepping down as the CEO of the Sundance Institute, the nonprofit behind the annual Sundance Film Festival, after two and a half years

Joana Vicente is stepping down as the CEO of the Sundance Institute, the nonprofit behind the annual Sundance Film Festival, after two and a half years.

“She has been a true advocate for independent storytellers, and I know she will continue to positively impact this community,” said Sundance Institute Board Chair Ebs Burnough in a statement released Friday.

Vicente oversaw some of the Sundance Institute’s most challenging years during the pandemic, when the festival went virtual and later came back as a hybrid version.

Amanda Kelso, a member of the board, has been appointed acting CEO, the organization said.

Kelso will transition into the role in April and Vicente will continue to advise through June. She comes to the position with 25 years of experience in communications and technology, including serving as the managing director of Google Creative Lab.

“I believe in the power of Sundance and its ongoing impact in nurturing our mission-based work,” Kelso said in a statement.

The Sundance Institute runs programs year round for emerging artists, including directing and screenwriting labs and other artist programs that have helped filmmakers like Ryan Coogler, Chloé Zhao, the Daniels, Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Darren Aronofsky and Nia DaCosta early in their careers.

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Joana Vicente steps down as Sundance Institute CEO
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March 23, 2024 at 04:11AM

Lorrie Moore wins National Book Critics Circle award for fiction, Judy Blume also honored

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NEW YORK -- Lorrie Moore won the prize for fiction on Thursday, while Judy Blume and her longtime ally in the fight against book bans, the American Library Association were given honorary prizes by the National Book Critics Circle.

Moore, best known as a short-story writer, won the fiction prize for her novel, “I Am Homeless if This Is Not My Home."

Committee chair David Varno said in a statement that the book is a heartbreaking and hilarious ghost story about a man who considers what it means to be human in a world infected by, as Moore puts it, ‘voluntary insanity.’ It’s an unforgettable achievement from a landmark American author.”

Blume was the recipient of the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award.

The committee cited the way her novels including “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” have “inspired generations of young readers by tackling the emotional turbulence of girlhood and adolescence with authenticity, candor and courage.”

It also praised her role as "a relentless opponent of censorship and an iconic champion of literary freedom.”

The American Library Association was given the Toni Morrison Achievement Award, established to honor institutions for their contributions to book culture. The committee said the group had a “longstanding commitment to equity, including its 20th century campaigns against library segregation and for LGBT+ literature, and its perennial stance as a bulwark against those regressive and illiberal supporters of book bans.”

Blume, who accepted her award remotely from a bookstore she runs in Key West, Florida, thanked the ALA for “their tireless work in protecting our intellectual freedoms."

The awards were handed out at a Thursday night ceremony at the New School in New York.

Other winners included poet Safiya Sinclair, who took the autobiography prize for her acclaimed memoir “How to Say Babylon,” about her Jamaican childhood and strict Rastafarian upbringing.

Jonny Steinberg won the biography award for his “Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage,” about Nelson and Winnie Mandela.

Kim Hyesoon of South Korea won for poetry for her “Phantom Pain Wings.”

For translation, an award that honors both translator and book, the winner was Maureen Freely for her translation from the Turkish of the late Tezer Özlü's “Cold Nights of Childhood."

Tahir Hamut Izgil won the John Leonard Prize for Best First Book for his “Waiting to Be Arrested at Night: : A Uyghur Poet’s Memoir of China’s Genocide."

The prize for criticism went to Tina Post for “Deadpan: The Aesthetics of Black Inexpression,” and Roxanna Asgarian won the nonfiction award for We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America.”

Besides Blume and the library association, honorary awards were presented to Washington Post critic Becca Rothfield for excellence in reviewing and to Marion Winik of NPR's “All Things Considered” for service to the literary community.

The book critics circle, founded in 1974, consists of hundreds of reviewers and editors from around the country.

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Lorrie Moore wins National Book Critics Circle award for fiction, Judy Blume also honored
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March 22, 2024 at 03:26PM

Tired of inflated ticket prices, Yungblud is launching his own affordable music festival

Repost Ent dalamlima.blogspot.com

LONDON -- Tired of inflated ticket prices, recording artist Yungblud is launching his own affordable music festival.

Bludfest takes place on Aug. 11 in the iconic Milton Keynes Bowl, which in the past has hosted the likes of David Bowie and Green Day in Buckinghamshire, England, northwest of London.

Yungblud, whose real name is Dom Harrison, thinks that currently festivals are “unrepresentative of people” — so he’s fixing the price point of Bludfest at 49.50 pounds (around $63).

“It’s like massive ticket charges, massive prices that most of the time aren’t really going to the artist anyway,” he said of typical festival prices in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

He adds that music festivals are becoming inaccessible when really they should be about “having fun and making memories.”

Joining him on the bill are Lil Yachty, duo Soft Play, Nessa Barrett, Lola Young and Jazmin Bean. The Damned are also playing in an “icons” slot. Tickets for the event go on sale March 22.

Yungblud says he aims to make a “physical world” for him and his fanbase, and then “anyone else who wants to come along.”

The British star is also offering a “Make a Friend” option for fans attending alone. You can either chat before on a Discord channel, or go to the designated tent and meet people in person.

And he hopes to expand it out of the U.K. if it goes according to plan, taking the concept to different regions across the globe.

As well as Bludfest, Yungblud is also working on a new record, his fourth. In the past he’s written about darkness and depression, but says this one has a more positive tone.

“I’ve sung about the things that really hurt me in the beginning. And this new album flips over and it’s about the light. It’s about wanting to be alive and wanting to be with my friends and thinking I can get through it because these people have given me some hope,” he said.

And it’s not just his friends who give him hope — it’s also his fans.

“I really do have a strong faith in humanity in me because I see people every day and I see what they do for each other at my gigs,” he said.

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Tired of inflated ticket prices, Yungblud is launching his own affordable music festival
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March 22, 2024 at 02:47AM