Fox’s ‘Family Guy’ launches Season 15 on Sunday

Author: 

AP

Fri, 2017-09-29 16:38

ID: 

1506712481543545000

NEW YORK: As everyone must know by now, Fox’s animated series “Family Guy” lives to lampoon human nature and human frailties, and does so without fear or favor.
There is something bracing about “Family Guy” as it blows its whistle on a society that seems to grow ever coarser and more mean-spirited, while individuals squawk at any hint of disrespect directed toward them and wilt at every trigger word.
For anyone weary of today’s reflexive correctness, the show, with its deft blend of the ingenious and the rude-and-crude, provides a counteractive safe space where no low blow, regardless of how low, is inadmissible. And so it carries on, as porky patriarch Peter Griffin and his family and friends begin their 15th season on Sunday (9 p.m. Eastern) on Fox.
With that in mind, show runners Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin recently shared some details of what lies ahead — including the series’ 300th episode, which will not be just a milestone, Appel promises, “but one of our best.”
The season premiere, said Sulkin, “will be our shameless grab to win a (best show) Emmy” — an itch so far unscratched by the Television Academy.
As Peter embarks on his own For Your Consideration campaign, he will make “Family Guy” more like proven Emmy-winning shows, including not just comedy but also dramas and reality. Guest voices include Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Louis C.K., Bill Maher, Christina Pickles and the late Adam West.
What else?
“We will have a special episode where (precocious toddler) Stewie is in therapy for the entire half-hour,” said Sulkin, “with the therapist played by Sir Ian McKellen.”
“Stewie actually learns something about himself,” said Appel — “as opposed to everyone else’s therapy.”
Another episode, titled “Three Directors,” will tell the same simple story — Peter losing his job — within the half-hour, “but each version is told in the style of Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson and Michael Bay,” Appel said.
“We have an episode where Brian (the erudite, articulate family dog) and Stewie go back to Victorian England and play Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson,” said Sulkin. “That seems like something we might have done before, but we actually had not.”
The series, which premiered in 1999, was created by Seth MacFarlane, who handed over the reins as showrunner in 2010 to pursue other projects, including the two “Ted” films and, currently, his new Fox sci-fi series “The Orville,” which he created, wrote and stars in.
But he continues to voice a number of favorite “Family Guy” characters, “and while he is recording if there are things that he does not like, or DOES like, he will let us know,” Sulkin said.
One of MacFarlane’s signature elements in the show is its cutaway gags and comic asides. Peppered through each episode’s 22 minutes, those cutaways are where some of its sharpest and most devilish comedy resides, and where the series takes its wildest flights of fancy.
“It is one of Seth’s brilliant strokes,” said Appel. “The cutaways predate YouTube and Hulu clips, and anticipated the shared content of my kids’ generation. When people watch 30- or 60- or 90-second bits that they like, that they think is funny, they will follow the trail to the whole show those bits came from. ‘Family Guy’ is popular because hopefully it is good, but the cutaways serve as a lifeline to the show in some ways.”
Another MacFarlane masterstroke continues unabated: the considerable naughtiness of “Family Guy.” This means ongoing discussions with the network over content.
“Rich has a background in law,” said Sulkin, “so when we have issues that are brought up by Standards, he is particularly good at making arguments to get us around some of those issues.”
“I think what Alec is saying is: as a comedy writer, I am a great lawyer,” Appel cracked.
“Rich just made several valiant phone calls trying to defend a bit in an upcoming show which is a play on the ‘I Love Lucy’ chocolates-on-a-conveyer-belt scene,” Sulkin said. “But instead of Lucy, it is Peter. And instead of chocolates, it is little Dixie cups filled with truckers’ urine for a drug test. Those are the kinds of things that we fight for.”
“It is not exactly what my mother imagined when she paid for my law school,” Appel said, “but it is something.”
He did not say who won this particular debate.

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http://ift.tt/2fY2YDQ September 29, 2017 at 08:15PM

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Beyonce sings Spanish for relief efforts on ‘Mi Gente’ remix

Author: 

AP

Fri, 2017-09-29 16:30

ID: 

1506712340503518300

NEW YORK: Beyonce has released a surprise single on which she sings in Spanish, English and French to raise relief money for those affected by hurricanes in the Caribbean and earthquakes in Mexico.
Beyonce is featured on a remix of J. Balvin and Willy William’s “Mi Gente,” which means “my people” in Spanish. The single was released Thursday night.
In an English verse on “Mi Gente,” Beyonce sings, “lift up your people, from Texas Puerto Rico, dem islands to Mexico.”
Beyonce says on her website that she’s donating all of her proceeds from the song to relief efforts. The site also includes links directing fans to fundraising sites to help victims of the Mexican earthquakes, Hurricanes Maria and Irma in the Caribbean and Florida, and Hurricane Harvey in her native Texas.

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http://ift.tt/2xR7s9c September 29, 2017 at 08:12PM

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus announces she has breast cancer

Author: 

AFP

Fri, 2017-09-29 06:25

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1506712262003503200

LOS ANGELES: Award-winning “Veep” star Julia Louis-Dreyfus revealed Thursday that she has breast cancer.
The 56-year-old American actress disclosed the diagnosis to her 750,000 Twitter followers, posting a picture of a printed note that read: “One in eight women get breast cancer. Today, I am the one.”
“The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring friends, and fantastic insurance through my union,” she continued.
“The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let us fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality.”
Louis-Dreyfus, who has two children with actor Brad Hall, attached an image of the note to a tweet in which she wrote: “Just when you thought...”
The news comes less than two weeks after the “Veep” star won a sixth consecutive Emmy for comedy acting.
A native New Yorker of French stock, Louis-Dreyfus has been one of America’s most popular and influential comedy actors since she found fame with cult sitcom “Seinfeld” in the 1990s.
On “Veep” she plays a somewhat bumbling vice president who later becomes the acting president, despite her hapless staff making political blunders along the way.
She has six consecutive best actress Emmys for “Veep” as well as three as an executive producer when it was awarded best comedy series.
She has won in the past for her roles on “Seinfeld” — which also earned her a Golden Globe — and “The New Adventures of Old Christine.”
It has been a rollercoaster year or so for the actress, who tearfully dedicated her acting Emmy in 2016 to her father, who passed away two days earlier.
“I am so glad that he liked ‘Veep,’” she said, her voice breaking down as she accepted the award. “Because his opinion was the one that really mattered.”
“Veep” recently announced that the seventh season of the HBO show, due to air in 2018, will be its last.
Among the people expressing support for Louis-Dreyfus after her cancer revelation was former vice president Joe Biden, whose son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46.
“We Veeps stick together. Jill and I, and all of the Bidens, are with you, Julia,” Biden wrote, referring to his wife.
He attached a photo from a comic video in which he and Louis-Dreyfus spoofed the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2014.
“Yes we do. Love back to all of you,” the actress replied.

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http://ift.tt/2fY2UnA September 29, 2017 at 08:13PM

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‘The Walking Dead’ reaches 100th episode milestone

Author: 

AP

Fri, 2017-09-29 03:00

ID: 

1506628664385665700

SENOIA: For seven seasons, AMC’s “The Walking Dead” has explored a world where the dead roam the earth while the living seek safety — from other humans as much as from the zombies trying to tear into their flesh.
There are characters whose faith is tested but find their grit and fierceness. There are those who are kissups and latch themselves onto leaders, their will to survive stronger than their pride. Then there are those who seize a newfound power to terrorize and bully. Through it all, it is often difficult to discern the difference between who is good and who is evil, something that evolves and can change from moment to moment.
And now, as the show approaches its 100th episode — the kickoff to Season 8 that launches on Oct. 22 — the characters are on the verge of war, a battle pitting character Rick Grimes and his band of loyalists against Negan and the Saviors, mixed in with a few other communities whose allegiances sometimes shift without warning.
For a full day this spring, AMC invited a small group of journalists to the set to talk with the actors and crew involved in the show. Everyone took pains to avoid revealing what was in store in the next season.
The main filming location is on a sprawling lot tucked behind this small south Georgia town where most of this new world has sprouted: Raleigh Studios, a constantly evolving set on 140 acres where all sorts of imaginary communities have been created from scratch.
The Heap — an actual mound of trash filled with all sorts of debris and cars no newer than 2010 (the year the world is said to have died) — was created in just three weeks to serve as the domain for Jadis (played by Pollyanna McIntosh), who speaks in an odd clipped form of English and switches allegiances as fast as character Michonne can lop off a head with her Katana.
The Hilltop, ruled over by drunkard and chauvinist Gregory (played by Xander Berkeley), took nearly four months to create, its 18th century architecture brick exterior concealing an interior that is basically a shell, devoid of any walls. Alexandria, the gated community supposedly in northern Virginia, is an actual subdivision that four real families call home and have to stay clear of the film crews that flock there six months out of the year.
The first season was shot largely in Atlanta. By the second season, Raleigh Studios in Senoia — about an hour south of Atlanta — had been created in this town of about 4,000.
Not only does it allow the show to create and keep the communities that make up “The Walking Dead,” but it can be constantly reinvented. The spot where Gabriel’s church once stood? It was torn down and became the dirt circle where Season 6 ended with Rick and his crew kneeling before Negan, the spot where beloved characters Glenn and Abraham were slain at the end of Negan’s barbed-wire covered bat.
And now? It remains vacant. “This is pretty much hallowed ground,” said Tom Luse, the show’s executive producer, as he gave a group of journalists a tour of the studio grounds. It was a tough scene to shoot, he said, and it was even tougher to lose not only two beloved characters but two actors among a crew that considers itself tight-knit.
“I do not know if we will shoot here again,” Luse said, adding later: “This is a shrine.”
Virtually everything is shot on the site. One exception: The Kingdom, which is shot at Tyler Perry’s studios at nearby Fort McPherson.
One of the biggest advantages and challenges? The grass and shrubs. “Greens help hide a million sins,” Luse said. But they also have to ensure it does not get trimmed or mowed too often. “We have to constantly recreate that dead look.”
The show is based on comics created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore. The comics are still going strong with more than 165 issues so far. In some cases, the TV show mirrors how it plays out in the comics; in other instances it veers off on its own course. Even a few characters not seen in the comics find their way on the screen, including Daryl Dixon (played by actor Norman Reedus), a crossbow-wielding character who has proved to be one of the show’s most popular.
Melissa McBride as Carol Peletier, left, and Norman Reedus as Daryl Dixon. (Gene Page/AMC via AP)
Gale Anne Hurd, an executive producer, attributes much of the cast’s comradery to Andrew Lincoln, who plays lead character Grimes, a sheriff who emerged from a coma to find the zombie apocalypse has turned the world upside down.
“We work and live in a bubble. And it is great that is the case because no one has changed,” Hurd said. “That is what is special about this show. Not one person from the (original) cast all of a sudden thinks they are some sort of superstar and has a big trailer or an entourage. They are still in two banger trailers.”
When did it start to dawn on them when the show would become a huge success and endure? For Hurd, it was fairly early: Season 2. The characters had escaped to a sprawling farm outside of Atlanta. There was comfort, apparent safety and places nearby to raid for weapons, food and other assorted basics.
“The second season was one in which with people arguably could say OK, it slowed down, they are at the farm, it was focused significantly on character development and the fandom grew,” Hurd said. “And in my mind knowing that there was action to come and there were bigger worlds, more worlds, more characters that if we were building viewers in Season 2 that it was the kind of trajectory that made for a show that could endure.”
Greg Nicotero, special effects guru who has not only made his mark on the show by creating the zombies who lurch and prowl the world but also is co-executive producer and occasional-director, called this season’s premier its most propulsive — a word used repeatedly by the cast and crew as they began taping Season 8.
Season 7 was known for segmented episodes that narrowly focused on one character or community. It was described as a tough season to get through, the actors missing the chance to interact with a variety of colleagues and feeling isolated. Cast and crew say the feel for Season 8 is different. The pace will be accelerated and even the way it is filmed will feel different, though no one would even come close to betraying those nuggets fans crave to divine which characters might die and how the war will play out.
But they do note that there will be moments that pay homage to all the previous seasons — and to their loyal fans.
“There is gonna be some moments that people who have watched the show from the beginning will see and be like, ‘Oh, OK, I see what they are doing here’ by paying tributes to specific moments over the last seven years,” Nicotero said.

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http://ift.tt/2kaPdGP September 28, 2017 at 08:58PM

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‘I hope I live up to the hype’: Jason Mraz to go to Broadway

Author: 

AP

Fri, 2017-09-29 03:00

ID: 

1506628664445666300

NEW YORK : When he was still a teenager, Jason Mraz considered musical theater as a career option but feared he would end up frustrated and as a waiter. Now the singer-songwriter is ready to make that jump and he is picked an appropriately titled show — “Waitress.”
The two-time Grammy Award-winning troubadour whose hits include “I am Yours” and “I Will not Give Up” will make his Broadway debut in the hit musical starting Nov. 3.
“It is classy, it is classic, it is whimsical, it is kitsch, it is funny, its scandalous — it is got a little bit for everyone,” said Mraz. “I love that I get out of my routine and try on a new routine that requires me to show up in a different way.”
“Waitress,” the musical adaptation of the 2007 film with songs by pop star Sara Bareilles, tells the story of Jenna, a waitress and pie maker trapped in a small-town diner and a loveless marriage.
Mraz will play Dr. Pomatter, a gynecologist and Jenna’s love interest. He will have several duets with actress Betsy Wolfe, including the steamy “Bad Idea,” the adorable “It Only Takes a Taste” and the aching “You Matter to Me.” Mraz has already recorded “Bad Idea” and “You Matter To Me” with Bareilles on her Top 10 album “What is Inside: Songs From Waitress.”
“I love Sara, I love the music, I love the story, I think Dr. Pomatter is a very likable guy even though he’s somewhat scandalous in the plot. He is a likable character and his songs are so enjoyable,” said Mraz.
The Virginia-born singer who briefly attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy before focusing on his own music said he weighed a career in musicals but feared he would be auditioning for the rest of his life.
“That scared me and I thought, ‘I am going to be a waiter. I am going to be a waiter for the rest of my life.’ So at 18, I decided, ‘I am going to write my own music and essentially write my own life musical,” he said.
“I said, in the back of my mind, ‘Maybe in my 40s or 50s, when I am older and I have life experience, there might be more parts available for me. And, sure enough, two months after I turned 40, my phone rang and I got an invitation to come to New York.” He laughed: “The universe is cashing in the rain check.”
Mraz joins other stars from pop and rock to join Broadway shows, including Panic! at the Disco’s singer Brendon Urie in “Kinky Boots,” Josh Groban in “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” Sting in “The Last Ship,” Carly Rae Jepsen in “Cinderella” and Bareilles herself, who has played Jenna.
“I hope I live up to the hype,” said Mraz.

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http://ift.tt/2wo3dyc September 28, 2017 at 08:58PM

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Debra Messing regrets going on Megyn Kelly’s new show

Author: 

AP

Fri, 2017-09-29 03:00

ID: 

1506628664415666000

NEW YORK: “Will & Grace” star Debra Messing says she regrets her appearance on Megyn Kelly’s new NBC daytime show.
Messing made her comments while responding to an Instagram follower who asked why the actress would appear on “Megyn Kelly TODAY.” Kelly joined NBC from Fox News earlier this year.
Messing replied that she was only told it was a “Today” show appearance and did not know Kelly was hosting. She added: “Regret going on. Dismayed by her comments.”
Kelly received backlash online after bringing a “Will & Grace” fan on during a Monday segment with the sitcom’s cast and asking him if he was inspired to become gay and a lawyer because of Eric McCormack’s character, a gay attorney. After surprising the fan with a trip to Los Angeles to see a live-taping of “Will & Grace,” she told him she thought “the ‘Will & Grace’ thing and the gay thing is going to work out.”
Earlier in the segment, Kelly noted the sitcom’s reputation for having an outsized cultural impact on gay rights in the US. “Will & Grace” returns to the NBC lineup Thursday, 11 years after its first run on the network.
Despite her comments, Messing retweeted co-star Sean Hayes picture of the cast’s appearance on Kelly’s show and his note that they were “having fun” during the episode.
Kelly has not commented on Messing’s remark.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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http://ift.tt/2k724cR September 28, 2017 at 08:58PM

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Game of Thrones lovers Harington and Leslie to marry in real life

Author: 

AFP

Wed, 2017-09-27 20:02

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1506586193941762100

LONDON: British actor Kit Harington and fellow Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie announced their engagement on Wednesday, defying their ill-fated fictional love on the hit series in which she dies in his arms.
Harington, who plays Jon Snow, and Leslie, Ygritte in the series, announced their engagement with an unassuming traditional ad in The Times newspaper.
The actors, who are both 30 years old, met on set in Iceland and have been together since 2012.
Leslie’s character is captured by Snow in season two and later becomes his on-screen lover.
Her line “You know nothing, Jon Snow” has become a popular quote from the series as a whole.
Ygritte is killed in a confrontation in season four.
“If you’re already attracted to someone and then they play your love interest in the show, it becomes very easy to fall in love,” Harington told Vogue magazine in an interview last year.
The couple were reported earlier this year to have bought a 15th-century home in eastern England with a moat, a swimming pool and a banqueting hall.

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http://ift.tt/2xNJz2c September 28, 2017 at 09:12AM

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Gunslinging Pakistani girls in lawless land shoot for Academy Award

Author: 

Reuters

Tue, 2017-09-26 17:10

ID: 

1506435595474924200

MUMBAI: British-born filmmaker Sarmad Masud was inspired to make a feminist Western in Pakistan when he heard how two gun-toting teenage girls fought off 200 men trying to take their home.
“My Pure Land,” which is Britain’s foreign language entry for the Academy Awards, highlights how patriarchy and corruption make it hard for women in Pakistan to claim land.
“What appealed to me was the courage of this young girl who stood up to 200 armed men for her home and the family’s honor,” Masud told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, referring to the chief protagonist, Nazo Dharejo.
“Land disputes are not as glamorous as other themes, but this was an important story that needed telling.”
The low-budget Urdu-language film tells the story of two sisters and their mother who defend their home from their uncle and his hired goons after the death of their father and brother.
Land ownership defines social status and political power in Pakistan, and disputes often target single women who have inherited property.
The girls are taught to shoot at a young age by their father, who tells them their land is their honor and must be protected, and gives them boys’ names to empower them.
“Pakistan gets a bad rap when it comes to feminism — but we’ve had some incredibly strong women from there, including Benazir Bhutto, Malala and this young woman,” Masud said, adding that Dharejo has joined a political party to tackle corruption.
More than a million property disputes are pending in Pakistani courts, Masud’s research showed.
Disagreements are often settled by force, and village elders and the police are complicit in a corrupt system that does not always respect legal claims, least of all by women.
While women do have inheritance rights, men generally control ownership, passing land from father to son.
“It is a classic good versus evil battle in a lawless land where everything goes,” Masud said.
“It is also very specific to Pakistan, where land disputes are so prevalent because honor is everything, and it is closely tied to land, with which people have an almost spiritual bond.”

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http://ift.tt/2yFifRV September 26, 2017 at 03:42PM

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Britain opens first subsidy-free solar power farm

Author: 

Reuters

Tue, 2017-09-26 09:23

ID: 

1506411359793014100

LONDON: Britain’s first solar power farm to operate without a government subsidy is due to open in eastern England on Tuesday, as a sharp fall in costs has made renewable energy much more economical.
Britain needs to invest in new energy capacity to replace aging coal and nuclear plants that are due to close in the 2020s. But it is also trying to reduce subsidies on renewable power generation.
“The cost of solar panels and batteries has fallen dramatically over the past few years, and this first subsidy-free development at Clayhill is a significant moment for clean energy in the UK,” Claire Perry, minister for Climate Change and Industry said.
The 10 megawatt (MW) solar farm, in Clayhill, Bedfordshire, can generate enough electricity to power around 2,500 homes and also has a 6 MW battery storage facility on site.
In an effort to curb spiraling renewable subsidy costs the government has moved to scrap new subsidies for solar projects and onshore wind over the past few years.
The project “proves that the government’s decision to withdraw subsidies doesn’t have to signal the end of solar as a commercially viable technology,” Steve Shine, chairman of the Clayhill project’s developer, clean tech firm Anesco, said.
Falling costs have seen solar power capacity soar in Britain to around 12 gigawatts (GW), from around 2 GW five years ago, and on one sunny day in May this year solar hit a record, providing almost 25 percent of the country’s electricity.
Britain has a target to meet 15 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020, up from 8 percent in 2015.
The country’s renewable subsidy auction for offshore wind hit a record low earlier this month, falling well below the cost of subsidies promised to French utility EDF to build the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant.

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http://ift.tt/2wS26es September 26, 2017 at 02:12PM

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Jennifer Lopez donating 1m to hurricane relief

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AP

Tue, 2017-09-26 03:00

ID: 

1506372657958890300

LAS VEGAS: Jennifer Lopez is donating $1 million to hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
The 48-year-old singer-and-actress — who revealed last week she has not heard from her family on the island since a series of hurricanes hit the area — has reached out with financial aid and she and her boyfriend Alex Rodriguez are doing everything they can to help.
Speaking during a press conference with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, she said first in Spanish, and then in English: “Alex Rodriguez and I, who are both New Yorkers, are using all our resources and relationships in entertainment, sports and business to garner support for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.”
The “On the Floor” hitmaker revealed the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball have pledged to help in a major way, while she and her ex-husband Marc Anthony — the father of her nine-year-old twins Max and Emme — have been working to mobilize over 30 athletes and artists to quickly get aid to Mexico and the Caribbean.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and player J.J. Barea have been working with Jennifer and have two planes of help and generators ready to fly to Puerto Rico.
She added: “We are working day and night to identify the needs.”
During the press conference, the “Shades of Blue” star admitted she still has not heard from her family and she is “concerned,” for both her own loved ones and “everyone on the island.”
Jennifer previously used Instagram to urge her fans to help the aid efforts in Puerto Rico.

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http://ift.tt/2jYJ00v September 25, 2017 at 09:51PM

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Dolce&Gabbana court youth with offbeat looks in Milan

Author: 

AP

Tue, 2017-09-26 03:00

ID: 

1506372657988890600

MILAN: Milan designers are breathing fresh air into Milan Fashion Week, quite literally.
Many fashion houses are showing their collections outdoors this season, or at least throwing open the windows on their grand palazzi venues, betting on Mother Nature with open-air shows. The late summer-early fall weather has cooperated fully.
Here are some highlights from Milan as previews for next spring and summer’s womenswear collections mark their fifth and penultimate day on Sunday:
Shades of Milan at Dolce&Gabbana
There was something for everyone on Dolce&Gabbana’s “Queen of Hearts” runway — even an elaborate, colorful applique jacket reminiscent of the $51,000 number that Melania Trump famously wore to a summit in Sicily.
Could the message be that there is a queen — or first lady — in everyone?
While Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana maintained their pact to supply the world with sexy dresses for day and evening, they also gave the collection some decidedly off-beat touches.
The Melania floral jacket, for example, was worn over a vegetable print dress that is unlikely to attract the First Lady’s eye for clean lines.
Dolce&Gabbanago offbeat
Dolce&Gabbana’s Queen of Hearts was a central theme for the season, appearing in its most elaborate version in heavily bejeweled dresses or as brightly sequined tops and leggings.
But prints featuring vegetables, Sicilian deserts or animals of the savannah certainly competed for billing — paired with funky eyewear featuring fringe or tiny jeweled hands or ornamental earrings shaped like eggplants or holiday decorations.
In a more unusual turn for the designers, a wrap dress with an abstract print was paired with yellow tights with oversized blue polka dots — a more eccentric, or perhaps just more youthful, combo than the usual Dolce&Gabbana look. It suggests the designers are taking some cues from the Millennials who have packed their front rows in recent season.
A raffia weave top in primary colors definitely fits the duo’s Sicily vibe, but a rainbow weave corset over a matching diaphanous evening gown had a Harlequin feel that veered toward costume.
Marni treasure hunt
Marni is undergoing a color and floral revival in Francesco Risso’s second womenswear collection at the 23-year-old fashion house.
Risso said the collection represents a treasure hunt of objects collected by a scavenger, who then adopts and incorporates them into her life. There’s a vein of nostalgia that runs through the collection, in both the prints and the slightly retro silhouette made contemporary by its proportions.
So in Risso’s fashion treasure hunt, a 1950s-style print bathing suit in sturdy yesteryear cotton becomes a top, worn with a seafoam green floral skirt. The hemlines are left unfinished and the proportions slightly oversized.
The florals are not mere prints but attic-trove brocades that offered texture or dainty, orderly granny flower prints. Other pieces are bejeweled, as if for some off-beat royal court.
The silhouette had a strong daywear vibe and primarily consisted of dresses and skirts, with some boxy boyish pants and bowling shirt combs.
The brand’s trademark furs included one inspired by Cruella Deville.
The Marni woman “has this sort of ‘20s languor, that is sculptural at the same time,” Risso said backstage.
Ferragamo under stars
Salvatore Ferragamo energized Milan’s Piazza Affari with an open-air runway show on Saturday night, a sign of freshness and openness as womenswear design director Fulvio Rigoni previewed his third collection.
Models walked on a Plexiglas runway over a fresh lawn of real grass sprinkled with plastic daisies. The fashion crowd was treated to a Botticelli-inspired light show on the façade of Milan’s stock exchange building before being invited inside to party with the British band “Clean Bandit.”
The celebratory atmosphere was all meant as an antidote to trying political times, the designer said.
“I wanted to create positive feelings at this particular moment,” Rigoni said. “At least in fashion, we want to dream a little.”
Ferragamo’s handkerchief tricks
The foulard was the star of Rigoni’s collection for Ferragamo.
Twisted for dramatic effect, they became the straps on halter dresses or oversized stitching on an off-the-shoulder dress, with the length of the silken scarf trailing. And dramatically, Rigoni created trompe l’oeil prints that gave the illusion of draped foulards on simple, straight dresses.
Rigoni said he imagined how he would dress Salvatore Ferragamo’s iconic clients, taking inspiration from Greta Garbo, Carmen Miranda, Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe to create straight silhouettes from the 1920s, fringe detailing from the 1930s and flared trousers from the 1970s.
The Ferragamo rounded gancio, or clasp, was a motif throughout, as an anchor for scarfs, a handle on mini-bags and even a pocket detail. Laser perforations on suede dresses and coats had the feel of crochet, while hand-painted python boots and coats underlined the brand’s technical prowess. Colors included bright pink, emerald green, red and plum punctuated by neutrals.
“I wanted a relaxed vibe and an easiness that is perceptible and refreshing,” Rigoni said. “The collection is fresh because there is a casualness, even if it is very studied.”
The fierce Cholitas Luchadoras female wresters of Bolivia inspired Italian-Haitian designer Stella Jean’s latest collection, which combines elements of the Cholitas traditional costume with Western tailoring and sportswear.
Jean said she was impressed by the way the Cholitas, who were spurned for their traditional colorful dresses, defied the discrimination by becoming professional wrestlers.
Jean’s Cholitas wear white peasant dresses with embroidery details layered with bowling shirts, or full skirts and men’s shirts with a wrestler’s body overtop. Wrestling capes were emblazoned with “Stella Jean Wrestling Team,” and the looks were finished with tall Peruvian hats.

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http://ift.tt/2y3W9eS September 25, 2017 at 09:51PM

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‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ dethrones ‘It’ with $39m debut

Author: 

AP

Tue, 2017-09-26 03:00

ID: 

1506372657898890000

NEW YORK: The R-rated spy comedy “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” displaced the horror sensation “It” as the No. 1 film in North America, while the second “Lego Movie” spinoff of the year did not assemble the expected audience.
The 20th Century Fox release opened with a weekend-leading $39 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday. But “It” still continues to pull in record crowds. With $30 million over the weekend, “It” is now the highest-grossing horror film of all time, not accounting for inflation, with $266.3 million thus far. (1973’s “The Exorcist” grossed $232.9 million domestically, or more than $1 billion in 2017 dollars.)
Twentieth Century Fox’s “Kingsman” sequel sought to expand on the 2015 original’s $36.2 million opening, and its $414 million worldwide take. Matthew Vaughn’s sequel returned stars Taron Egerton and Colin Firth, while adding Channing Tatum, Halle Berry and others. Made more for audiences than critics, reviews for the gleefully distasteful spy romp were poor, at 51 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Fox could celebrate an uptick the second time around, albeit a small one. “The Golden Circle” also debuted with $61 million overseas, giving it a $100 million global weekend. Vaughn is planning a third “Kingsman” film.
“We are 7 percent bigger than the last one, which opened on a holiday weekend,” said Chris Aronson, distribution chief for Fox. “We grew the franchise. We are very happy.”
The Stephen King adaptation “It,” from Warner Bros. and New Line, may have slightly eaten into the ticket sales for “Kingsman.” Few believed “It” would still be such a draw in its third week of release; horror films usually drop severely after release. But the film has already established itself as the biggest hit ever in the month of September — a welcome relief to Hollywood after a dismal August.
The “Lego Movie” spinoff “The Lego Ninjago Movie,” was further off expectations, debuting with $21.2 million. Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s “The Lego Movie” — the 2014 hit that made $469 million worldwide — kicked off a bustling franchise. “Ninjago,” though, is the second spinoff of the calendar year, following February’s “The Lego Batman Movie.”
That release opened with $35 million and grossed $312 million in total — marks that “Ninjago” appears will fall well short of. It may be two “Lego” movies in a year were too many.

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http://ift.tt/2jZn1Gr September 25, 2017 at 09:51PM

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’World’s heaviest woman’ dies in Abu Dhabi hospital

Author: 

AFP

Mon, 2017-09-25 15:11

ID: 

1506344756005974000

ABU DHABI: An Egyptian believed to be the world’s heaviest woman died Monday of heart and kidney failure at an Abu Dhabi hospital, following months of treatment to help her lose weight and one day walk again.
A team of more than 20 doctors had been caring for the bedridden Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty, 37, since her arrival at Burjeel Hospital in May.
El Aty first sought treatment in India, traveling from the port city of Alexandria to Mumbai aboard a specially modified Airbus in early February.
She had a long wait as no airlines were willing to fly her due to her health complications.
She had not left home in more than two decades and weighed around 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds).
Her request for an Indian visa was initially denied, but she was granted passage after the doctor who volunteered to do her initial surgery tweeted a plea for help directly to India’s foreign minister, who intervened.
She underwent bariatric surgery — a stomach-shrinking bypass procedure — the following month, initially shedding 100 kilograms at Saifee Hospital.
Her family told the doctor that as a child she was diagnosed with elephantiasis, a condition that causes the limbs and other body parts to swell, leaving her almost immobile.
By the time she left Mumbai, doctors said El Aty had lost more than half her original weight.
El Aty left Mumbai when her sister clashed with the hospital, disputing her progress and treatment.
In Abu Dhabi’s Burjeel Hospital, doctors were hoping to help El Aty walk again, according to a report in the Indian Express.
El Aty celebrated her birthday last month with her family and doctors by her side.
The Alexandria native had dreamed to one day visit the beach again, the Indian Express said, quoting her sister.

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Food & Health

http://ift.tt/2wRXbW7 September 25, 2017 at 02:20PM

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The waste-collecting cyclists who caught the UN’s eye

Author: 

AFP

Mon, 2017-09-25 06:25

ID: 

1506325397154406700

NANTES, France: Putting an end to the unnecessary burning of biodegradable waste, one restaurant at a time, has become the forceful mission of a team of French cyclists.
Their creative initiative, which relies largely on volunteers, has even impressed the United Nations.
La Tricyclerie, a neat play on the French words for sorting out rubbish, recycling and biking, turns vegetable, coffee, and other organic waste into compost.
Coordinator Valentine Vilboux, 29, travels on her electric bicycle to restaurants in the western city of Nantes, collecting peelings otherwise destined for the bin.
“It’s simple; we take everything, even the eggshells and citrus fruits. Everything apart from bread, meat and fish,” she says.
“It’s a lot! It proves the food is fresh and homemade,” she says, of one cafe after weighing out 20 kilos (44 pounds) of vegetable peelings.
Launched at the end of 2015 with just eight restaurants on board, the anti-waste tour has grown to include 23 restaurants and nine businesses, catching the attention of the United Nations.
La Tricyclerie and its founder Coline Billon, 26, are one of 12 world finalists, whittled down from 2,400 candidates, for the UN’s “Young Champions of the Earth” competition. The prize, to be awarded in November, is $15,000 (12,500 euros).
“It’s very rewarding, even if you don’t feel like you’ve invented something incredible,” said Vilboux.
While paper and glass recycling is becoming automatic to many, biodegradable waste generally ends up in landfill or incinerators in France.
This “black gold” could serve as fertilizer for farmers once it’s been composted, and currently represents a third of French household rubbish.
Salad bar manager Colette Marghieri wanted to join the scheme, even though there is no legal obligation to separate biodegradable rubbish.
“At the start, I had some doubts about the sorting but it’s easy and it doesn’t disrupt the service at all,” she said.
Fellow restaurant manager Guenole Clequin said: “It’s simple and very effective. We can see how much used to be thrown away.”
La Tricyclerie, which has two paid staff and about 10 volunteer collectors on bikes, receives a financial contribution of 40 euros per month and an annual membership fee of 50 euros from each business.
“A real community with the restaurants has built up around the reduction of rubbish and the creation of compost — we are real environmental actors,” said one of the volunteers, Pierre Briand, stirring smoking compost.
Cyclists call at each restaurant twice a week to pick up the waste.
The compost is redistributed free of charge to community gardens or to students of the Nantes horticultural school.
La Tricyclerie, which collects around 1.5 tons of waste a month, has set itself an objective of reducing the volume of restaurant food waste in the city by 40 percent.
And the impact could spread out of town.
The initiative has already been contacted by interested individuals in the southern French city of Perpignan, the Belgian capital Brussels, and the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion.
“It’s a little drop, but the potential is enormous,” Vilboux said confidently.

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Food & Health

http://ift.tt/2xAwHw7 September 25, 2017 at 11:49AM

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Serbia grants citizenship to actor Ralph Fiennes

Author: 

Reuters

Fri, 2017-09-15 13:08

ID: 

1506335635995116900

BELGRADE: Serbia has granted citizenship to British actor and director Ralph Fiennes for his work in promoting the country and its culture, an official record showed on Friday.
Fiennes is the last in a string of celebrities including Hollywood actor Steven Segal, ballet dancer Sergei Polunin and several soccer and basketball players to have been granted citizenship in recent years.
According to an official record made public in Serbia’s Official Gazette, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic signed the decree on Fiennes’ citizenship on Sept 7.
By law foreigners can be awarded Serbian citizenship by the government without being required to live there or relinquish their previous citizenship.
“Through his artistic work and business activities, he (Fiennes) selflessly promoted Serbia ... (its) movie production capacities, as well as its people, both as professionals and friends,” the Politika daily quoted Brnabic as saying.
Neither Fiennes, who is currently in Belgrade filming a movie about Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, nor his staff were immediately reachable for comment.
Fiennes, who was nominated for Academy Awards for his roles in the “The English Patient” and “Schindler’s List,” made his directorial debut in Serbia in 2010 with an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus.
Earlier this year, Fiennes was also present at the inauguration ceremony for Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic.

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Offbeat

http://ift.tt/2wRp5BE September 25, 2017 at 11:35AM

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Sri Lanka arrests man with gold-filled bottom

Author: 

AFP

Mon, 2017-09-25 13:18

ID: 

1506335388995068800

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka customs arrested an India-bound air passenger attempting with “difficulty” to smuggle nearly one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of gold stuffed in his rectum, a spokesman said Monday.
Officials were alerted when the 45-year-old Sri Lankan behaved “suspiciously” at Colombo airport’s departure lounge on Sunday, spokesman Sunil Jayaratne said.
“He was called for a thorough screening after customs officers noticed him walking with difficulty and appearing to be in pain,” Jayaratne told AFP.
He said a close examination revealed the gold wrapped in black plastic sheets.
Among the 904 grams of gold recovered were seven yellow “biscuits” and six chains. The haul was valued at 4.5 million rupees ($30,000).
Jayaratne said the contraband was seized and the man fined 100,000 rupees. He described him as a courier for an organized smuggling ring.
Sri Lanka allows passengers leaving the island to carry a reasonable quantity of personal jewelry. It also allows imports of precious metals at a low tax.
Smuggling is usually carried out as part of money-laundering schemes or to transfer proceeds from drug sales, Jayaratne said.

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Offbeat

http://ift.tt/2xAQoE6 September 25, 2017 at 11:31AM

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Fergie inspired by Beyonce

Author: 

AP

Mon, 2017-09-25 03:00

ID: 

1506285745269706700

NEW YORK: The “Big Girls Don’t Cry” has nothing but praise for pop superstar Beyonce, revealing she is an inspiration to her
“in all areas.”
Fergie said: “(My album) is completely different than Beyonce’s (Lemonade), but absolutely, she is an inspiration to me in all areas. Performance, drive, balance — I mean, she is the Queen B. How can you not be inspired by her?”
And the 42-year-old singer took hints and tips from Beyonce when she released her own visual album “Double Dutchess.” She added to Entertainment Tonight: “Beyonce, of course, paving the way, Justin Bieber doing his version, having Parris (Goebel) choreograph and all the dancers ... it keeps it interesting.
“It used to be, back in the day, you would do one video, because you are waiting for a video channel to play that video, but now, on cell phones, everywhere, in iPic (theaters), you can go see everything, so why not make it a visual feast and a visual treat.
“I kinda just stumbled. You know me, I am kind of clumsy, so mine’s more stumbling in each experience and adventure, and that is more what it is. It is kind of like a photo album of the last few years of my life.”
Meanwhile, Fergie previously revealed getting pregnant helped to “reset” her.
She explained: “I am not going to sacrifice time with my child. That is just not going to happen. They can keep banging on my door (to release an album), but I am like, ‘I’m with Axl. I am off the grid! Bye!’
“Getting pregnant reset me. I just got on my game. People wanted me to release it and I was like, ‘It is good, but I want it to be great.’ I have never taken this much responsibility (for my music). I am executive-producing (the album) and I kept wanting to make it better and better. I wanted to strive for greatness.”

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Offbeat

http://ift.tt/2y26yHI September 24, 2017 at 09:42PM

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Demi Lovato to help war-scarred children in Iraq

Author: 

AP

Mon, 2017-09-25 03:00

ID: 

1506285745219706400

NEW YORK: Demi Lovato was named a Global Citizen ambassador at the organization’s annual music festival Saturday, championing the mental health of thousands of children displaced within Iraq and other vulnerable communities.
The singer and Global Citizen will fund the expansion of a Save the Children pilot program, Healing and Education through the Arts, to violence-scarred young people living in Iraq’s Kirkuk and Salah al Din areas.
“Ending the stigma around mental health conditions and supporting internally displaced children to build physical and mental resilience through education and access to justice is not a choice, it needs to happen, and it needs to happen now,” the singer said onstage in Central Park.
Since 2014, more than 3 million people in Iraq have been displaced within the country due to war and conflict. Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children, told the festival crowd the organization’s HEART program will allow displaced children scarred by the violence to process trauma “through drawing, painting, music and other art forms” as a way to begin healing and “rebuild their self-confidence and trust in others.”
Lovato has been a strong advocate for mental health issues after sharing her own struggles with eating disorders, substance abuse and a bipolar diagnosis.

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Offbeat

http://ift.tt/2fjZkDS September 24, 2017 at 09:42PM

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Charles Bradley, late-blooming US soul voice, dead at 68

Author: 

AFP

Sun, 2017-09-24 00:03

ID: 

1506249830225982800

NEW YORK: Charles Bradley, the soul singer whose robust voice and defiantly upbeat outlook won him stardom in his final years after a life of poverty, died Saturday from cancer. He was 68.
Bradley, who for years had scraped by as a James Brown impersonator, had pulled off another battle against the odds earlier this year when he triumphantly returned from cancer treatment.
But the disease had spread to his liver and he recently canceled months of shows. He died at his Brooklyn home surrounded by family, friends and bandmates, his publicist said.
“Mr Bradley was truly grateful for all the love he’s received from his fans and we hope his message of love is remembered and carried on,” his Facebook page said, asking for donations to art charities that support young people in lieu of flowers.
After years of taking odd jobs across the United States and drifting into homelessness, Bradley was discovered by the co-founder of Brooklyn-based Daptone Records, which put out his debut album in 2011 when he was 62.
With a rich, brassy voice that evoked Otis Redding coupled with the body-shaking screams of Brown and a relentless positivity, Bradley at last found commercial success.
“I always wanted this in my 30s and 40s, but I got it at the age of 62. It’s bittersweet,” he told Esquire magazine.
His latest album, “Changes,” figured on several music magazines’ lists of 2016’s top albums.
Bradley found an enthusiastic, and much younger, audience as he was booked for leading festivals such as Coachella and Glastonbury.
A devout Christian who frequently invoked God, Bradley would descend from stage to hug fans and toss out roses from heaping bouquets as he urged listeners to devote their lives to love and racial tolerance.
“Changes” opens with Bradley’s take on the patriotic hymn “God Bless America.” In a spoken intro, Bradley acknowledged he has endured “hard licks of life” but voiced conviction that “America represents love for all humanity and the world.”
Abandoned at birth by his New York-based mother, Bradley spent his early years in Gainesville, Florida with his grandmother before an itinerant life that took him to Alaska, California, Maine and upstate New York, where he was a cook at a mental hospital and recalled harassment by police.
Facing homelessness, Bradley returned in the mid-1990s to New York to reconcile and care for his aging mother.
He lived with his brother Joseph, a tax broker. But the stability was short-lived when Joseph was shot and killed by their nephew — a trauma Bradley turned into the song “Heartache and Pain.”
“I went crazy; I just couldn’t take it. I tried to run in front of cars — I ran in front of everything that was moving, but nothing would hit me,” Bradley later told National Public Radio.
Bradley was 14 when he witnessed Brown’s swaggering energy at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater.
“I saw him and was like, ‘whoa,’” he later said, explaining that he learned to throw all of his energy into shows.
Playing Brown under the stage name “Black Velvet,” Bradley had his break when he was spotted by Daptone co-founder Gabriel Roth whose label specializes in reviving retro soul and funk.
On “Changes,” the title track was a cover of the song by metal legends Black Sabbath that Bradley heard as a eulogy for his mother, to whom he became close before she died in 2014.
Returning to Gainesville to perform last year, Bradley said in a local interview that he saw in his music a way to “help humanity.”
“I want to leave a legacy of myself that the world can say, ‘Charles Bradley was a real person. He loved what he did, and he loved to entertain people, and he liked to give the best.’“

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http://ift.tt/2yzsV4D September 24, 2017 at 01:23PM

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British actor Colin Firth gets dual Italian citizenship after Brexit vote

Author: 

Reuters

Sat, 2017-09-23 19:41

ID: 

1506249799805982300

ROME: British actor Colin Firth, who has often played the role of a quintessential Englishman in his many films, has become an Italian citizen, Italy’s Interior Ministry said.
“The very famous actor, who won an Oscar for the film ‘The King’s Speech’, is married to a citizen from our country and has often declared his love for our land,” the ministry said in a statement.
Firth said he would remain a dual national, adding that his Italian-born wife would also be seeking British nationality.
“We never really thought much about our different passports,” the actor said in a statement.
“But now, with some of the uncertainty around, we thought it sensible that we should all get the same,” he added, in an apparent reference to last year’s British vote to leave the European Union.
Firth has been married to Italian film producer Livia Giuggioli since 1997 and the couple live with their two sons in Britain. Unlike some other EU countries, Italy and Britain both allow dual nationality.
“My wife and I are both extremely proud of our own countries,” Firth said.
A number of EU countries, including Germany, France and Ireland, have reported a surge in British citizens seeking a new nationality in the wake of the Brexit vote.
The Italian announcement came just hours after British Prime Minister Theresa May flew to Florence to make a keynote speech to try to revive stalled Brexit negotiations and reassure worried business leaders.

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http://ift.tt/2wKFVXL September 24, 2017 at 01:20PM

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Paris once again the world’s undisputed fashion capital

Author: 

AFP

Sun, 2017-09-24 06:32

ID: 

1506246863395734700

PARIS: When Paris fashion week begins on Monday, it will do so in a city that is once again the undisputed fashion capital of the world.
New York, Milan and London have all tried to take its crown, but more than ever Paris remains fashion’s reference point, analysts insist.
An exodus of American designers to Paris left New York fashion week earlier this month a withered shadow of its former self.
The loss of Rodarte, Proenza Schouler, Thom Browne and Altuzarra to Paris prompted a bout of soul-searching in the US fashion industry which had felt that momentum was on its side.
“Three is a trend, but now there’s four,” said US Vogue’s Nicole Phelps. “And it’s not just any four; it’s four of the best regarded, most influential labels on the calendar. New York has lost a good-sized chunk of its new guard.”
The iconic New York brand Tommy Hilfiger also decamped to London, with sportswear giant Lacoste following the rush to Paris. And on Friday the ever so British Mulberry also said it was quitting its traditional London berth for Paris.
While New York fashion week’s slimmed down line-up now lasts six days like Milan, and London is all over in four, Paris is a whirlwind of nine mostly madly packed days.
The turnaround in fortunes is all the more startling given that 18 months ago New York looked like it was going to turn the whole fashion calendar on its head.
Its big commercial brands were pushing a shift to the “see now, buy now” model, where clothes go straight on sale after shows.
Paris resisted ending the traditional four- to six-month lag from runway to retail, warning of the environmental impact of unsold clothes no one liked and claiming it would steamroll creativity and younger labels who need to try out ideas on the catwalk.
With many designers already questioning the need for fashion shows in an age of Instagram launches, Paris looked like it might be caught on the wrong side of history.
But things have worked out quite differently, French analyst Nicolas Boulanger of L&CPG consultants told AFP.
Paris has only become more dominant, he said.
“There is a density of luxury brands (in Paris) that you do not find elsewhere, and the fact that it is the home city of large groups like Kering and LVMH, who dominate luxury brands, only reinforces its historic hold,” Boulanger said.
He argued that Paris has a “greater legitimacy in some respects over other fashion capitals” because of the “holy unction” imparted by haute couture, the elite shows of handmade creations that are only held in the French capital.
Boulanger said part of the reason that Paris has been “shining even more” in recent seasons was because haute couture opened its doors to younger talent.
Steven Kolb, head of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, which runs the New York shows, remains bullish, citing how New York poached pop star Rihanna’s Fenty Puma show back after two years in Paris.
The council is also making the best of a bad lot by showcasing 13 American designers’ work in Paris.
Kolb told reporters that the US brands who defected to Paris had done so for personal or strategic reasons, mostly to prolong the time their collections stay in the shops.
“If you were to ask any one of them, I think they would confirm that it’s not a negative statement on New York,” he said.
And Boulanger agrees that talk of New York fashion week’s demise is off the mark. “Tom Ford’s return to show in New York... means he sees his future there and it would be foolish to write it off in an industry where everything moves so fast,” he said.
As if to prove the point the Global Language Monitor, which measures the online and media impact of major events, this month named New York on top of its annual “global fashion capitals” list, toppling Paris.
Boulanger insisted that having a few fashion capitals rather than just one was “important in a truly global business... so having different capitals with different personalities is a strength,” he added.

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Fashion

http://ift.tt/2yz2fAV September 24, 2017 at 11:01AM

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Prince William visits McLaren headquarters

Author: 

ARAB NEWS

Sun, 2017-09-24 03:00

ID: 

1506196457810331500

• Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, visited the headquarters of McLaren Automotive in Woking, UK and was given a tour of the production center by Mike Flewitt, McLaren’s CEO. The duke talked to Alex, one of the company’s young apprentices nominated as apprentice of the year. He then met Amina, a recent production apprentice, along with her mentor Mandy, to understand how the company supports her development to help nurture future talent, essential for a company blending cutting-edge design with hand-built craftsmanship. Design director Rob Melville explained to the duke the philosophy behind McLaren’s latest supercar, the 720S. Launched in March, it is the first model in the second-generation Super Series that has already sold out for this year, and is one of 15 new models and derivatives the company will deliver by 2022. Flewitt said: “It’s a great personal honor to welcome the duke to McLaren Automotive and something that each and every one of our people should feel justifiably proud of as a globally renowned British sports and supercar creator.”
• The Audi Sport GmbH is extending its R8 model series to include a new derivative with rear-wheel drive. The Audi R8 V10 RWS comes in a limited series of 999 units with both Coupe and Spyder variants. It will be rear-driven (Rear Wheel Series) and be built exclusively by hand at the Böllinger Hofe R8 factory. “A limited-edition special model for customers with an appreciation for essential driving enjoyment, the R8 V10 RWS is an absolutely exclusive offer. With its mid-mounted V10 engine and rear-wheel drive, it successfully brings the driving concept of our R8 LMS racing car to the streets.”
• Renault has revealed Symbioz, an integrated house and car that work together in harmony. Symbioz extends the vision of autonomous, electric and connected cars to a time when vehicles fully interact with connected homes, cities, other vehicles and road infrastructure and become even more personal. The revelation of a concept car associated with a connected home is unprecedented at a motor show. Symbioz demonstrates dynamic scenarios where the car is put to use in different places within and around the home and while traveling. “The way we use our cars is changing. Already a car is more than just a way to get from one place to another. Full of technology, it’s becoming an interactive and personalized space that connects passengers to other cars, people and objects around them,” said Thierry Bollore, group Renault executive vice president and chief competitive officer.
• An engineering student from the UAE has been awarded the career opportunity of a lifetime in automotives and Formula 1, as Infiniti announced Yazan Al-Hindawi as the Middle East winner of the Infiniti Engineering Academy 2017. Having been selected from thousands of entries and beating nine other finalists from around the country in an action-packed event at Infiniti Arabian Automobiles Center in Dubai, 24-year-old Yazan Alhindawi from the UAE will move to the UK in October for a career opportunity of a lifetime. He will spend six months working at Renault Formula 1 Team’s technical center in the UK (Enstone), and six months working at the Infiniti European technical center (Cranfield). He will play a key role in the ongoing transfer of technical knowledge and expertise between the Renault Sport Formula 1 team and Infiniti.

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Motoring

http://ift.tt/2wcZdRf September 23, 2017 at 08:54PM

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Ford cars will ‘talk’ to pedestrians by light signals

Author: 

ARAB NEWS

Sun, 2017-09-24 03:00

ID: 

1506196457800331200

LONDON: Ford Motor has designed a light signal system for autonomous vehicles that company officials say helps solve the problem of self-driving cars safely interacting with pedestrians, bicyclists and human drivers.
Looking to prepare for this eventual reality, Ford Motor Company partnered with Virginia Tech Transportation Institute to conduct a user experience study to test out a method for a self-driving vehicle to signal its intent by soliciting real-world reactions from people on public roads.
The white light display, located at the top of the windshield, is designed to communicate intent to yield way or accelerate from a stop, which today is done through hand gestures, head nods and eye contact. 
The cue for yielding to a full stop is two white lights that move side to side.
A rapidly blinking white light indicates the vehicle is beginning to accelerate from a stop, and a solid white light means the vehicle is driving under computer control.
“Understanding how self-driving vehicles impact the world as we know it today is critical to ensuring we’re creating the right experience for tomorrow,” said John Shutko, Ford’s human factors technical specialist.

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Motoring

http://ift.tt/2fiRA4J September 23, 2017 at 08:54PM

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Desperate marketing

Author: 

Adel Murad

Sun, 2017-09-24 03:00

ID: 

1506196457830332100

After years without a single scrappage scheme to replace old polluting cars with new clean versions, almost all car companies are now offering these schemes in Europe with generous cashback offers.
These offers are not driven by an altruistic desire to clean up the environment, but rather by the sluggish sales figures in all segments. In Britain, figures show that new car sales to private buyers are down by a substantial 10 percent in August than a year ago. Diesel car sales were even worse — down by 21 percent.
During the recession of 2008, governments came to the rescue with scrappage schemes to encourage sales of new cars in a stagnant market.
This time, hopes of government interventions failed to materialize and companies took matters into their own hands.
The new scrappage scheme offered by car companies to replace old cars with cleaner ones is nothing but a cheap and desperate attempt to boost sales in environmentally wrapped packages.
While offering these schemes, car companies are still selling diesel cars.
Polluting cars taken in part exchange, some of which are in good running order, are not scrapped but rather sold in auctions and most of them are used again on the roads.
Buyers of new cars through these schemes are not doing it for the environment either.
They think they are getting a good deal selling their old cars worth no more than $700 for $2,000 in subsidy form to buy their new cars. What they do not realize is that they are going to lose more money than the incentive they got, in depreciation during the first three years of new car ownership.
These schemes have a whiff of dishonesty about them in the way they describe themselves and in how they are operated by the companies.
They have nothing to do with the environment and they aim at flogging more sales. Similar schemes in the past did not last long.
• Adel Murad is a senior motoring and business journalist, based in London.

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Motoring

http://ift.tt/2wdTqL4 September 23, 2017 at 08:54PM

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First edition of Egypt’s El-Gouna festival kicks off

Author: 

ARAB NEWS

Sun, 2017-09-24 03:00

ID: 

1506196236360278400

HURGHADA, Egypt: The first El-Gouna Film Festival (GFF) kicked off on Friday evening in Egypt’s Red Sea resort town of El-Gouna, hosting dozens of movie stars and filmmakers.
The annual GFF is seen as an attempt to revive Egyptian cinema.
Scheduled for Sept. 22-29, the GFF film gala will screen 69 films from 36 countries, including 16 feature films, 18 short films and 12 long documentaries, in addition to 19 films outside the official competition and four in a special program.
During the opening ceremony, Adel Imam, a superstar and top comedian in Egypt and the Arab world, received the Career Achievement Award in appreciation of his rich cinematic history.
“Our slogan this edition is ‘Cinema for Humanity,’ and our aim is to employ cinema to promote humanitarian values and bring them back to our society,” said GFF Founder Naguib Sawiris. “Adel Imam has brought joy to this nation and drawn smiles on many faces, and he has always been a defender of our unity against extremism and terrorism, and this is why we are paying tribute to him.”
The GFF also plans to honor American actor and director Forest Whitaker for his distinguished artistic and humanitarian careers at the closing ceremony.
The gala presented “Sheikh Jackson” as its opening movie, which is directed by Egyptian filmmaker Amr Salama.
The film is to be released in Egyptian cinemas later this month and has been put forward by Egypt as a candidate for a best foreign film Oscar nomination.
Stars attending the opening ceremony included: Egyptian actors Adel Imam, Ahmed Malek, Ahmed El-Fishawy and Farouk El-Fishawy, Tunisian singer Latifa, Egyptian actresses Yosra El-Lozy, Hala Sedki, Elham Shahin and Bushra, Palestinian-Jordanian actress Mais Hamdan, and Lebanese actress Cyrine Abdel Nour.

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Offbeat

http://ift.tt/2fhqriR September 23, 2017 at 08:51PM

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