Month: March 2021

With this past year’s city-shaking protests and quarantine closures, shops in cities across the country have been boarded up. In Seattle and other American cities, the plywood, – along with walls, sidewalks and even roads – have become a canvas for artists. As life gradually returns to normal, one question lingers: what will happen to the protest art many see as part of history in the making? Natasha Mozgovaya has more.
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Bunny Wailer, a reggae luminary who was the last surviving member of the legendary group The Wailers, died on Tuesday in his native Jamaica, according to his manager. He was 73.
Wailer, a baritone singer whose birth name is Neville Livingston, formed The Wailers in 1963 with late superstars Bob Marley and Peter Tosh when they lived in a slum in the capital of Kingston.
They first recorded catapulted to international fame with the album, “Catch a Fire.” In addition to their music, the Wailers and other Rasta musicians popularized Rastafarian culture among better-off Jamaicans starting in the 1970s.
Wailer’s death was mourned worldwide as people shared pictures, music and memories of the renown artist.
“The passing of Bunny Wailer, the last of the original Wailers, brings to a close the most vibrant period of Jamaica’s musical experience,” wrote Jamaica politician Peter Phillips in a Facebook post. “Bunny was a good, conscious Jamaican brethren.”
Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, also paid tribute to Wailer, calling him “a respected elder statesman of the Jamaican music scene,” in a series of tweets.  
“This is a great loss for Jamaica and for Reggae, undoubtedly Bunny Wailer will always be remembered for his sterling contribution to the music industry and Jamaica’s culture,” he wrote.
While Wailer toured the world, he was more at home in Jamaica’s mountains and he enjoyed farming while writing and recording songs on his label, Solomonic.
“I think I love the country actually a little bit more than the city,” Wailer told The Associated Press in 1989. “It has more to do with life, health and strength. The city takes that away sometimes. The country is good for meditation. It has fresh food and fresh atmosphere – that keeps you going.”
A year before, in 1988, he had chartered a jet and flew to Jamaica with food to help those affected by Hurricane Gilbert.
“Sometimes people pay less attention to those things (food) but they turn out to be the most important things. I am a farmer,” he told the AP.
The three-time Grammy winner died at the Andrews Memorial Hospital in the Jamaican parish of St Andrew, his manager, Maxine Stowe, told reporters. His cause of death was not immediately clear. Local newspapers had reported he was in and out of the hospital after a stroke nearly a year ago.
 
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Here are the winners in key categories for the 78th Golden Globe Awards, which were handed out on Sunday. “Nomadland” boosted its Oscars momentum by taking home the prizes for best drama film and best director for Chloe Zhao. On the comedy side, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” was named best musical or comedy film, and Sacha Baron Cohen was named best comedy actor. “The Crown” dominated in the television drama categories. Comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were back to host the event — the first major awards show of a pandemic-era season that culminates with the Oscars on April 25 — though they were on opposite coasts due to the coronavirus crisis. FILM Best film, drama: “Nomadland” Best film, musical or comedy: “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” Best director: Chloe Zhao, “Nomadland” Best actor, drama: Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” Best actress, drama: Andra Day, “The United States vs Billie Holiday” Best actor, musical or comedy: Sacha Baron Cohen, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” Best actress, musical or comedy: Rosamund Pike, “I Care A Lot”   Best supporting actor: Daniel Kaluuya, “Judas and the Black Messiah”  Best supporting actress: Jodie Foster, “The Mauritanian” Best foreign language film: “Minari” Best animated feature: “Soul” TELEVISION Best drama series: “The Crown” Best drama actor: Josh O’Connor, “The Crown” Best drama actress: Emma Corrin, “The Crown” Best musical or comedy series: “Schitt’s Creek” Best musical or comedy actor: Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”   Best musical or comedy actress: Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek” Best supporting actor: John Boyega, “Small Axe” Best supporting actress: Gillian Anderson, “The Crown”   Best limited series or TV movie: “The Queen’s Gambit”   Best limited series or TV movie actor: Mark Ruffalo, “I Know This Much Is True” Best limited series or TV movie actress: Anya Taylor-Joy, “The Queen’s Gambit”   
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Drama “Nomadland” and satire “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” won movie honors at the Golden Globes on Sunday in a mostly virtual bicoastal ceremony that was marked by impassioned calls for more diversity and the dominance of Netflix. “Nomadland,” a moving drama about van dwellers in recession-hit America from Searchlight Pictures, also took the best director prize for Chinese-born Chloe Zhao.It made Zhao only the second woman to win at the Globes in that category, and the first woman director of Asian descent to win. “For everyone who has gone through this difficult and beautiful journey at some point in their lives, this is for you,” said Zhao. “We don’t say goodbye, we say see you down the road,” she said, quoting a line from the movie. The two wins for “Nomadland” increased the profile of the film ahead of nominations in March for the Oscars. Sacha Baron Cohen, the creator of “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” from Amazon Studios was named best comedy movie actor, while singer Andra Day was a surprise winner for her lead role in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” “Donald Trump is contesting the result!” Baron Cohen joked about the win for the “Borat” sequel, which was a satire on the America of the former U.S. president. Netflix Inc’s period drama “Mank,” about “Citizen Kane” screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, had gone into Sunday’s show with a leading six nods but ended the night empty-handed.78th Annual Golden Globe Awards, Feb. 28, 2021.Nevertheless, the streaming service was the biggest winner on Sunday, with four wins in the movie field and six for television, including best TV drama series “The Crown” and limited series chess saga “The Queen’s Gambit.” The usual chummy gathering of A-listers at a gala dinner in Beverly Hills, California, was replaced by webcams in the homes of celebrities that were either dressed up or, like “Ted Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis, in casual garb. Hosted by Tina Fey in New York and Amy Poehler in Beverly Hills, the small physical audiences were made up of masked frontline workers. Peter Morgan, creator of “The Crown” said he missed being together. “I’m just sorry I am sitting here in my tragic little office and not surrounded by the people who make this show such a pleasure,” Morgan said, appearing by video. However Jodie Foster, a best supporting actress winner for the Guantanamo prison legal drama “The Mauritanian,” told reporters backstage that she felt it was one of the best Golden Globe shows ever. “It didn’t feel like it was filled with so much artifice,” said Foster. Emotional high points included a posthumous best actor award for Chadwick Boseman, who died at age 43 last August from an undisclosed battle with cancer. “He would say something beautiful,” said his widow Simone Ledward Boseman, as she fought back tears. “I don’t have his words.” British actors Daniel Kaluuya and John Boyega were among other Black winners chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which has been lambasted in recent days for having no Black people among its 87 members.Daniel Kaluuya at the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards, Feb. 28, 2021.”Soul,” the first Pixar movie to have a Black character in the lead, was named best animated movie and won best score. The HFPA was the target of jokes and comments throughout the night. “We all know awards shows are stupid,” said Fey. “Even in stupid things, inclusivity is important and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.” Members of the HFPA appeared briefly on Sunday’s show and pledged to do better. Jane Fonda, 83, used her lifetime achievement acceptance speech to make the case for elevating all voices in Hollywood, saying that stories “really can change people.” 
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Black British actors Daniel Kaluuya and John Boyega, and animated movie “Soul,” were among the early winners at Sunday’s virtual Golden Globes ceremony, which took place under a cloud following a furor over diversity.Kaluuya won best supporting actor for his role as Black Panther activist Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah.””This took it out of me. I gave everything,” said Kaluuya, accepting the award via a webcam.Boyega won the supporting actor award for his role in the “Small Axe” series of TV movies about life as a Black person in 1970s London. “Soul,” the first Pixar movie to have a black character in the lead, was named best animated movie.The usual chummy gathering of A-listers at a gala dinner in Beverly Hills has been overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic and controversy over the lack of Black members in the 87-member Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) whose members choose the Golden Globe winners.Actor Laura Dern presents the Best Supporting Actor award, in this handout photo from the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, Feb. 28, 2021.Three members of the HFPA appeared on the show and pledged to do better.”We look forward to a more inclusive future,” said Ali Sar, the current president, who is from Turkey.Comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, hosting from New York and Los Angeles respectively, opened the show by lobbing a series of jokes at the expense of the HFPA.”Let’s see what these European weirdos nominated this year,” Fey said.”We all know awards shows are stupid,” she said. “Even in stupid things, inclusivity is important and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. I realize HFPA maybe you guys didn’t get the memo … but you’ve got to change that.”In the movie category, Netflix period drama “Mank,” about the screenwriter of “Citizen Kane,” went into Sunday’s show with a leading six nominations, including for best drama movie, for actors Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried, and for director David Fincher.The biggest competition comes from Searchlight Pictures’ “Nomadland,” a moving documentary-style drama about van dwellers in recession-hit America, and star-laden 1960s hippie courtroom drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” also from Netflix. The #MeToo revenge black comedy “Promising Young Woman” and the unsettling aging tale “The Father” round out the film drama nominations.Aaron Sorkin won the Golden Globe for best screenplay for “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”The Disney+ TV film of hit Broadway musical “Hamilton” and Amazon Studios’ “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” a satire on the America of former President Donald Trump, are seen as front-runners in the best comedy or musical movie category.For television, the Netflix royal series “The Crown” leads the way with six nods, followed by quirky small-town comedy “Schitt’s Creek” on Pop TV.”Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman, whose death at 43 of an undisclosed battle with cancer stunned fans and the industry, is considered the favorite for a best actor Golden Globe. His last performance, as a brash trumpet player in drama “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” was released after his death.Jane Fonda and TV producer Norman Lear will get lifetime achievement awards on Sunday.
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