Month: December 2019

Renee Zellweger, Brad Pitt and Eddie Murphy are locks. But whether “Cats” has it in the bag, too, we won’t know until the 77th annual Golden Globes are announced Monday morning.The Hollywood Foreign Press Association will unveil their nominations in Los Angeles beginning at 8:04 a.m. EST. They will be live-streamed on the Golden Globes’ Facebook page and their website, with the second wave of nominees carried live on NBC’s “Today” show at 8:15 a.m. Dakota Fanning, Susan Kelechi Watson and Tim Allen will announce the nominations from the Beverly Hilton hotel.The Globes separate their top categories between drama and comedy/musical, giving some movies well outside the awards conversation an opportunity.While movies like Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” are widely expected to come away with numerous nods, few would be surprised if the press association — a group known for its sometimes quirky picks, its penchant for A-listers and its fondness for musicals — also included the upcoming, much-memed big-screen adaptation of “Cats.” The HFPA, a group with 87 voting members, was shown an unfinished cut of Tom Hooper’s film.Brad Pitt arrives at the special screening of “Ad Astra” at ArcLight Cinemas, Sept. 18, 2019, in Los Angeles.More likely are nominations for the likes of Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker”), Jennifer Lopez (“Hustlers”), Murphy (“Dolemite Is My Name”), Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio (“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” slated as a comedy for the Globes), Zellweger (“Judy”), Awkwafina (“The Farewell”) and the leads of “Marriage Story”: Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.In the early going, Netflix has dominated awards season. “The Irishman” last week won best film from the New York Film Critics Circle  and the National Board of Review. “Marriage Story” virtually swept the IFP Gotham Awards.On the television side, the Globes often relish being the first awards group where late fall series are eligible, meaning that Netflix’s “The Crown” and Apple’s “The Morning Show” could have a big morning, along with Emmy winners “Fleabag” and “Game of Thrones.” HBO’s “Watchmen” could also be a factor.Ricky Gervais will host the Globes for the fifth time on January 5. Tom Hanks, a possible nominee for his performance as Mister Rogers in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award. The Carol Burnett Award will go to Ellen DeGeneres. 
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You didn’t know his name, but you certainly knew his voice and alter ego.Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch for nearly 50 years on TV’s Sesame Street, died Sunday at his home in Connecticut. He was 85.The Sesame Workshop, which produces the show, says Spinney had been suffering from dystonia — a disease that causes involuntary muscle movements.Spinney introduced Big Bird and Oscar on Sesame Street’s first episode in November 1969. The show’s young audience immediately embraced both characters.The yellow feathered Big Bird stood two and a half meters tall and had a child’s view of the world – he was filled with curiosity, questions, and innocence.FILE – Big Bird, voiced by Caroll Spinney, reads to children during a taping of Sesame Street in New York, April 10, 2008.Oscar lived in a garbage can and was perpetually grubby and miserable. But he was still lovable even when he grumbled at anyone who lifted the lid of his can. Oscar let young kids understand that it’s OK to be angry sometimes.”Before I came to Sesame Street. I didn’t feel like what I was doing was very important. Big Bird helped me find my purpose,” Spinney once said.The Massachusetts-born Spinney became interested in puppetry as a child and after serving in the U.S. Air Force, brought his skills to early television in the Boston area.The founder of the Muppets troupe, Jim Henson, discovered Spinney at a puppet festival and helped develop Spinney’s trademark characters for the new non-commercial children’s series that set the standard for educational television.  In addition to Sesame Street, Spinney played Big Bird on TV game and variety shows and in live stage shows. The character is on the Library of Congress’ list of Living Legends.Playing Big Bird was a physically exhausting job. Spinney had to strap a television monitor to his body to see that was going on outside the huge costume he had to wear. He had to constantly hold his arm up to operate Big Bird’s mouth.Spinney gave up wearing the bird costume when he was 82 years-old, but continued to provide Big Bird’s voice until he retired last year.There is no retirement in sight for Big Bird or Oscar. 
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Actress Sally Field, singer Linda Ronstadt and the disco-funk band Earth Wind and Fire awaited their turn in the spotlight Sunday night as part of the latest group of recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievements in the arts.Also in this year’s class are conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and long-running children’s TV show “Sesame Street.”Once again, the attendance of President Donald Trump had been an open question until the White House said Friday that neither he nor first lady Melania Trump would attend. Trump skipped the past two celebrations; in 2017, after multiple recipients threatened to boycott the event if he attended.The Kennedy Center’s president, Deborah Rutter, said in an interview earlier this year that “they are always invited.”Field, 72, was a television star at age 19 and went on to forge a distinguished career that included two Academy Awards and three Emmys. She starred last year in a Netflix miniseries called “Maniac.”FILE – Puppeteer Caroll Spinney is interviewed during a break from taping an episode of “Sesame Street” in New York, April 10, 2008.”Sesame Street” debuted in 1969 and remains a force in children’s educational television. The show now airs new episodes on HBO, and they are rebroadcast months later on the show’s original home, PBS. The co-founders of “Sesame Street,” Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett, will accept the award on behalf of the show.Hours before the ceremony, the Sesame Workshop announced that Caroll Spinney, who gave Big Bird his warmth and Oscar the Grouch his growl for nearly 50 years on “Sesame Street,” died Sunday at the age of 85 at his home in Connecticut.Ronstadt was one of the faces of American music in the 1970s and 1980s, landing on the cover of Time magazine in 1977. In 2011, she announced her retirement from singing, citing the advancing effects of Parkinson’s disease.Tilson Thomas, who has served as music director of the San Francisco Symphony for the past 24 years, has become particularly renowned for his interpretations of the entire works of Gustav Mahler.Earth, Wind and Fire was originally formed in Chicago by lead singer Maurice White. The group drew elements from rhythm and blues, funk, and disco in a flashy crowd-pleasing mix that spawned eight No. 1 hits. Songs such as “September” and “Shining Star” remain in heavy rotation for both radio station programmers and wedding DJs.Each recipient was to be honored with a personalized presentation that in the past has in included surprise guests. Last year, Cher was shocked to find her friend Cyndi Lauper walking onstage to deliver a tribute; Lauper had said she would be out of town.The event will be broadcast on CBS on Dec. 15. 
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3D-printed cocktails, a traffic jam sculpture made of hundreds of tons of sand and more celebrity sightings than a Kardashian Christmas party were all part of over-the-top festivities during the week of Art Basel Miami.Art collector Wayne Boich hosted a lavish dinner at his home Friday night that included Dan Marino, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. The after-party crowd, including Floyd Mayweather, Hannah Bronfman, and Alesso, watched a performance by Wyclef Jean, who did a throwback to the Fugees with “Ready or Not,” and later brought dozens of girls onstage to dance with him before passing the mic to “Country Grammar” singer Nelly. Rapper 2 Chainz closed out the night.Across town, rapper Travis Scott didn’t take the stage until 3:30 a.m. at a sold-out performance at 24-hour nightclub E11even. Scott stood on top of the DJ booth tossing dollar bills into the crowd and yelling at partygoers to put away their phones and enjoy the moment.Later in the night, he partied with Nelly in the owner’s booth. Singer Kehlani and model Winnie Harlow were also spotted in the crowd.On the art side, the most talked about work of the week was titled “Comedian” – a spotty banana duct-taped to a wall by artist Maurizio Cattelan.According to artnet News, two pieces quickly sold for $120,000. The Paris-based Perrotin gallery raised the price to $150,000 for the third piece, which will be sold to a museum. The bananas were bought at a local grocery store and instructions were not given on what to do as the banana ages.The gallery did not respond to several emails from The Associated Press seeking comment.The city of Miami Beach commissioned a million-dollar traffic jam by artist Leandro Erlich. It took 330 tons (300 metric tons) of sand to construct 66 life-sized sculptures of cars and trucks stuck in an imaginary traffic jam on the oceanfront of popular Lincoln Road. The installation alludes to Florida’s fragile position in the large universal canvas, touching on climate crisis and rising sea levels.The Shore Club South Beach also focused on global warming where a 36-foot-long (11-meter-long) floating ice sculpture inside the pool spelled out the words “HOW DARE YOU.” The piece, titled “Climate Meltdown” by artist Rubem Robierb, lasted approximately eight hours.The Miami Beach EDITION hotel was also eco-conscious with its Museum of Plastic pop-up where visitors were guided through an interactive experience that tells the story of the single-use plastic water bottle.Photographer David Yarrow’s picture of real-life “Wolf of Wall Street” Jordan Belfort sold for $200,000. The piece was signed by director Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio.Bulleit’s novel 3D-printed bar also drew a curious crowd, where guests watched a robotic arm disperse microscopic drops of liquid into drinks in a pre-set pattern. The whiskey maker has printed more than 7,800 cocktails since partnering with a robotics engineer.Elsewhere over the weekend, Haute Living hosted an album release party for Fat Joe; and Lil Wayne, G-Eazy, Rick Ross and 2 Chainz performed at various clubs. Sean Penn and DiCaprio partied late night at Rockwell, where Gucci Mane took the stage.“Cats” actor Idris Elba was slated to spin tracks along with Diplo at club Basement on Saturday night. The actor, who performs under the name DJ Big Driis, played Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival earlier this year. 
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Will Smith still feels “emotional” about homelessness years after playing a destitute man in one of his most acclaimed film roles, the Hollywood star has told charity campaigners braving a fierce New York winter night to sleep rough.Hundreds of people had gathered in Times Square on Saturday, rugged up and ready to bunk down in freezing temperatures, in a campaign to raise funds for what organizers said was record homelessness globally.Smith told the crowd that his Oscar-nominated role in “The Pursuit of Happyness” — a 2007 biopic of a salesman forced to live on the streets of San Francisco with his young son — was a “life-changing experience” that had allowed him to understand the misery of poverty.”It makes me emotional thinking about it right now,” Smith said. “To not have a place to go and to be able to lay your head down with your children at night is a horrendous tragedy.”Smith also charmed crowds with a “bedtime story” — a rap rendition of the theme tune to his 1990s hit sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”People in over 50 cities around the world slept on the streets to support the World’s Big Sleep Out campaign, the charity said in a Saturday statement, adding that funds from the New York event would be donated to the UN Children’s Fund.”In New York City alone, more people are now homeless than at any time since the Great Depression,” the statement said.”Over 62,000 people in New York, including 22,000 kids, will sleep in shelters tonight and the number of homeless people and refugees in cities around the world continues to hit record highs with each passing year.”  
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Berlin, Paris and London are common destinations for African artists seeking to establish their careers and build name recognition. But as they focus their attention on the West, they risk being forgotten at home. Such was the inspiration behind a traveling exhibition making its way across Africa.An oil on canvas painting by Senegalese artist Soly Cissé titled “Comme des héros” is displayed at Dakar’s Museum of Black Civilizations. (Photo: A. Hammerschlag/VOA)Hundreds of people from around the world are gathered in Dakar’s Museum of Black Civilizations for the grand opening of a contemporary art exhibition called “Prête-moi ton rêve” or “Lend me your dream.” Guests draped in elaborate African robes admire an array of intricate sculptures, striking photographs and textured paintings. There are more than 100 works by 30 artists from 15 African countries, including Ivory Coast, Congo, Morocco and Mali.An untitled wax and pigment on wood by Moroccan artist Mahi Binebine is displayed at Dakar’s Museum of Black Civilizations. (Photo: A. Hammerschlag/VOA)For many of the artists, the opportunity to show their work to other Africans is a rare occasion.Fihr Kettani is the secretary general of the Foundation for the Development of Contemporary African Culture, which organized the exhibit. He said the goal of the exhibition is to assemble the best in contemporary African art and display the work for an African audience.He says they realized these artists had been successful in Paris, Italy, London and New York, yet they had not achieved the same recognition in their home countries. So they came up with the idea to bring them together on African soil … the idea is to reconcile the market value of Africa, so that Africans can, in a way, share in their success.A sculpture by Moroccan artist Fathiya Tahiri titled “La Fourmi” is displayed at Dakar’s Museum of Black Civilizations. (Photo: A. Hammerschlag/VOA)The exhibit will travel to seven African cities over the course of one year, including Casablanca, Abidjan, Lagos, Addis Ababa, Cape Town and Marrakech. In doing so, the exhibit seeks to unite the continent’s web of cultures and ethnic traditions while celebrating African art in its place of origin.Yacouba Konate is one of the exhibit’s curators. He said he hopes the show will help internationally renowned African artists forge a relationship with their neighbors at home.Photographs by Cameroonian artist Angèle Etoundi Essamba titled “Rêve brisé” are displayed at Dakar’s Museum of Black Civilizations. (Photo: A. Hammerschlag/VOA)He says Africa was often forgotten by exhibition organizers. Their exhibits toured Paris, Dusseldorf and London, but no one thought about the necessity or the interest there would be to show African works in Africa.Even when organizers do consider touring Africa, Konate said they give up easily and claim it’s impossible due to inadequate facilities and insufficient funding.He says they wanted to take on these problems and constraints together, and then see, little by little, that they can remove these obstacles and show that it’s possible.A bronze sculpture by Ivorian artist Siriki Ky titled “Têtes précieuses” is displayed at Dakar’s Museum of Black Civilizations. It is part of the exhibition “Prête-moi ton rêve,” which is touring Africa over the course of one year. (A.Hammerschlag)One of the featured artists is Ivorian sculptor Siriki Ky. He said it was important for him and the other artists to have their work considered by fellow Africans.He says they work much more in the West, outside of Africa. That’s why they wanted to participate in this exhibit – so that their neighbors and parents can see their work, interpret it, and decide whether or not they like it. But at least they’ll know that they’re doing this work.
 
The exhibition will remain on display at Dakar’s Musee des Civilisations Noires through January 28.
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Most Americans understand the Palestinian people in context of their decades long conflict with Israel. To provide more context, a museum in Washington D.C. is shining a light on its culture and heritage; one artifact at a time. More on this museum from VOA’s Imron Jadoon
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The recent film release, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” by Marielle Heller, is based on the Esquire magazine article, “Can you say..Hero?” that award-winning journalist Tom Junod wrote in 1998 about Fred Rogers. Rogers is an American TV personality who spoke to children and advocated empathy, understanding and reconciliation. The newly released films shows how two polar opposites, an empathic Mister Rogers and a cynical writer, become friends. Some have said the movie makes them “want to be better people.” Conversely, Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” a billion-dollar box office hit, offers a dark portrait of Batman’s nemesis, thriving on rancor, revenge and social chaos. VOA’s Penelope Poulou looks at the two films’ contrasting messages
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The largest concentration of black African churches outside of Africa can be found in South London. Each week, about 20,000 people attend one of the mostly Pentecostal churches in the city. Reporter Marthe van der Wolf has more from London.
 
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A battered Fender Stratocaster played by the late Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia could fetch up to $400,000 at an auction in Los Angeles next week.The guitar, nicknamed Alligator because of the distinctive green alligator sticker on the front, was played by Garcia on the Grateful Dead’s 1972 European tour and other live performances between 1971-1973, auctioneers Bonhams said Thursday.“It is very special because it was the first guitar that (he) ever named. He had a reputation for naming his guitars,” Giles Moon, director of music memorabilia at Bonhams, told Reuters.First named guitarThe guitar, made in 1955, is believed to have been given to Garcia by British musician Graham Nash.“Jerry played guitar on one of his albums and as a thank-you present Graham bought the guitar. Supposedly, he found it in a pawn shop in Texas and gifted it to Jerry in 1970 and then it was Jerry’s favorite guitar for about three years,” Moon said.Moon said the $250,000-$400,000 estimate was on the conservative side and that the guitar could sell for much more given Garcia’s skills as a guitar player and the fervent Deadhead fan base.The musician’s custom-made Wolf guitar, which he played for more than two decades, sold for $1.9 million at a charity auction in 2017.FILE – Late Grateful Dead front man Jerry Garcia’s custom-made “Wolf” guitar sold for $1.9 million at auction in 2017 to benefit the Southern Poverty Law Center.Other items for saleThe Alligator guitar is one of 70 lots up for sale on Dec. 10 from the personal collection of Garcia, the founder and driving force of the California counter culture band who died of a heart attack in 1995 at age 53.Garcia’s Martin D-28 acoustic guitar, played while the band toured Canada in 1970, carries a pre-sale estimate of $30,000-$50,000, while a watercolor of an alligator painted and signed by Garcia in 1992 has a high estimate of $6,000.Garcia’s collection of EC Comics Crime SuspenStories from the 1950s are also being auctioned.Rock guitars are among some of the most-coveted and collectible items at auction. A black Fender Stratocaster owned by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour set a world record of $3.9 million at auction in New York in June 2019.
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The name Muhammad has made the list of top 10 baby names for boys in the U.S. for the first time.According to the parenting website BabyCenter, Aaliyah also climbed to the number 10 spot on the list for girls.Sophia remained the most popular name for girls while Liam climbed to the top spot for boys.Muhammad and Aaliyah have replaced Mason and Layla placing 10th on the list.Other popular names include Jackson, Noah, Aiden and Grayson for boys and Olivia, Emma, Ava and Aria for girls.“Muhammad’s been rising on BabyCenter top baby name lists around the world, so we knew it would soon break into the U.S. top 10,” Linda Murray, BabyCenter’s global editor in chief, said in a press statement. “Muslim families often choose Muhammad for firstborn sons to honor the prophet and bring blessings to the child.”Social Security data shows Muhammad went from No. 620 in 2000 to No. 345 in 2018.The disparity arises because BabyCenter accepts variable spellings for the same name, such as Mohammad, Mohammed, or Muhammad. The Social Security Administration treats them as separate names.Muhammad has been the most popular boy’s name in Britain for the last three years, according to BabyCenter.
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Kenya’s island of Lamu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is under threat, activists say. Authorities are constructing major projects on the mainland, including a port and an oil pipeline. They also hope to build the region’s first coal-fired power plant. While the infrastructure is likely to boost the local economy, some Lamu residents worry the development and a flood of outsiders will affect the local culture — and the architecture, which some say is already falling apart.”We are doing our best to prevent that kind of intervention and new developments, so that we can preserve the Lamu,” said Abu Bakr Badawi, who is with the century-old Riyadha Mosque.The remoteness of the island, where cars don’t fit on the narrow streets and donkeys are the main mode of transport, has helped maintain its 650-year-old Swahili culture and traditions.But authorities say the $26 billion group of projects will improve economic links between Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia, and create thousands of jobs.A Kenyan court in June, however, halted construction of a coal-fired power plant that was to help fuel the projects, encouraging opponents.”We as Lamu people are afraid because when people come from other areas, they come with many things,” said Raya Famau Ahmed, an activist opposed to the coal plant. “Their own language, their own culture, their own way of living. And this might alter the cultural way people have been living.”Lamu authorities vow to protect the island’s world heritage status from the development projects.FILE – People walk along the streets in Kenya’s resort town of Lamu.However, activists worry the changes could affect the town’s unique, antique character. More than a third of Lamu’s historic buildings are already falling apart, says Athman Hussein of the National Museums of Kenya.”Some of the owners don’t want any kind of intervention,” Hussein said. “They think perhaps by putting money into their building, you are actually owning it; you are taking over a particular building. So, it’s a complex kind of thing.”Lamu authorities say they are raising funds to help renovate historic buildings and develop the economy, with tourism as a major pillar. At the risk of commercializing their culture, some argue that bringing in more tourists may actually help keep Lamu’s unique traditions alive.
 
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