PARIS: Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris will echo with song on Christmas Eve as it holds its first choir concert since the massive fire that nearly destroyed the gothic masterpiece last year.
An organ will be rented for the occasion, since Notre-Dame’s majestic pipe organ is being carefully dismantled for cleaning and restoration after the devastating blaze that struck on April 15, 2019.
Since then only two events have been held in the 13th-century landmark — a small mass celebrated in June 2019, and a prayer ceremony last April to mark Holy Friday.
The church remains closed to the public during the renovations.
Michel Aupetit, the archbishop of Paris, said Monday that two soloists would lead the choir and that the concert would be broadcast on radio.
Last week, the restoration reached a milestone with the removal of the last portions of metal scaffolding on the roof that melted into a tangled mess in the fire and threatened to crash to the floor.
That will allow crucial stabilization and protective work to proceed ahead of rebuilding the destroyed roof and spire.
Officials are racing to meet President Emmanuel Macron’s goal of having the cathedral restored within five years.
Paris pulls out the stops to restore Notre-Dame’s grand organNotre-Dame service a message of hope for France in coronavirus lockdown https://ift.tt/36rIWg1 November 30, 2020 at 05:13PM
CHENNAI: English author Anna Sewell wrote her only novel “Black Beauty” between 1871 and 1877, at a time when she was quite ill and could hardly get out of bed.
Often considered a children’s classic, it has sold a whopping 50 million copies and was actually directed at adults — Ashley Avis’s reimagining of “Black Beauty” for Disney+ underscores this in an enormously poignant way, although this sixth incarnation (the last being Caroline Thomson’s rather disappointing 1994 version) may have lost some appeal.
An autobiography of a wild horse captured in the American West and tamed, Avis’s film begins with the sorrowful story of how Black Beauty (voiced by Kate Winslet) is taken away from her family and brought to Birtwick Stables, run by John Manly (Ian Glen). Despite his experience as a horse whisperer, he is unable to tame Beauty. It takes his teenage niece Jo Green (Mckenzie Foy) to calm the magnificent creature.
Green, who comes to live with her uncle after the death of her parents in a car accident, succeeds largely because of her ability to treat Beauty not as an animal but as another soul capable of feelings. She says early on in a teary moment that like herself, the horse has lost its family. This understanding and the bond that follows are beautifully captured by Avis, also the writer.
What may serve as an important point of novelty is the gender switch. Beauty is now a female mustang, not a male as in the tome or adaptations. This may have been an intelligent ploy to establish a still warmer camaraderie between Green and Beauty. Only Green can soothe Beauty, who can help the girl get over her terrible loss.
But then the horse has to live through several masters after Manly finds he can no longer afford her. Beauty experiences as much care as cruelty, but as Winslet observes at the beginning: “A wise horse once told me that a mustang’s spirit can never be broken.”
While Winslet’s voiceover seems useful, there are moments when it is distracting. Also, Avis’s inclusion of a fair amount of modernism in her narrative — with swanky cars rubbing shoulders with horse-drawn carriages on the streets of New York, where Beauty is taken — may seem confusingly improbable. “Black Beauty” is charming, but what could have added a zing to it is greater drama. Most of the time, the storytelling is flat.
DUBAI: The fourth Distinctive International Arab Festivals Awards (DIAFA) took place at Dubai’s The Pointe, The Palm Jumeriah on Sunday, with a glittering array of stars taking to Instagram to celebrate their wins and show off their gowns at the star-studded, socially-distanced ceremony, which was hosted by Egyptian presenter Engy Kiwan.
Lebanese fashion blogger and eyewear designer Karen Wazen showed up to the event arm-in-arm with her husband, Elias Bakhazi. Wazen, who presented the International Artist Award to French-Congolese singer Gims, wore a strapless, burgundy-colored gown by Kayat. The womenswear label is helmed by Dutch-Moroccan designer — and one of the evening’s honorees — Laila Aziz.
The dress boasted a high slit and Wazen accessorized the look with gold Dior bangles, an Alaia purse and nude platforms from her sister Andrea Wazen’s footwear label.
“#diafa2020 first red carpet event in 2020! Always with my better half @eliasbakhazi,” wrote Wazen on Instagram.
Dubai-based Iraqi influencer Deema Al-Asadi was also at the event on Sunday. For the occasion, the television host chose a blush-pink creation by Dubai-based label Zeena Zaki to present Egyptian singer and actor Mohamed Ramadan with an award. The gown featured lace details and crystal embellishments on the straps.
However, the Best Dress Award went to Saudi TV presenter and influencer Eleen Suliman, who turned heads in a sparkling, eggshell blue Michael Cinco creation plucked from the Dubai-based designer’s Spring 2020 couture collection. The dress boasted a beaded bodice that was cinched at the waist and a voluminous, tea-length skirt. She elevated the look with a pair of dazzling sandals and jewelry by Yessayan.
DIAFA, which is held annually in Dubai, honors international and Arab figures for their annual achievements and for their contributions toward various communities.
International stars honored at the event include Lebanese singer Yara, Tunisian calligraffiti artist eL Seed, Pakistani actress Sajal Ali and Sudanese film director Amjad Abu Ala.
There were also performances by Gims, Yara and Tunisian singer Latifa.
LONDON: Netflix hit series “The Crown” should make clear that much of its content is fiction over fears of damage to the image of British royal family, a government minister said.
“It’s a beautifully produced work of fiction, so as with other TV productions, Netflix should be very clear at the beginning it is just that,” culture minister Oliver Dowden told The Mail on Sunday.
“Without this, I fear a generation of viewers who did not live through these events may mistake fiction for fact.”
The latest episode in the series, which follows the life of Queen Elizabeth II and her close family, revolves around Prince Charles and his doomed marriage to wife Diana.
Although largely sympathetic to Diana, her brother has also called for Netflix to make clear some scenes are fictional.
“It would help ‘The Crown’ an enormous amount if at the beginning of each episode it stated that, ‘this isn’t true but is based around some real events.’ Then everyone would understand it’s drama for drama’s sake,” Charles Spencer told ITV.
LOS ANGELES: Depending on who you ask, Westerns are either on their way out, gone for good, or making a slow comeback in Hollywood. At one point a staple genre of the film industry, the classic Western rarely makes it onto the movie theater marquee these days. Big-budget flops such as 2013’s “The Lone Ranger” have served to usher the genre out of popularity, but critical successes such as Quinten Tarantino’s “Django Unchained,” “The Hateful 8” and the Coen Brothers’ “True Grit” are doing their part to keep Westerns from dying off completely.
On Christmas Day, “News of the World” will be doing its part to keep the Western genre alive, and hopefully bag Universal Pictures a few Oscar nominations. Arab News heard more from the film’s star Tom Hanks.
“I love listening to a great story as much as I like telling one, and that’s why I was so excited about playing Kidd,” Hanks said, giving audiences a taste of what his performance has in store. “He is a storyteller. He is driven, emotional. He is noble. He is moved by a pursuit of the truth.”
Hanks plays Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a former army officer who, after the death of his family, makes his living traveling around Texas reading the news to illiterate townsfolk and entertaining with true tales from across the world.
“'News of the World' takes place in the shadow of the Civil War’s end. There is defeat. There is strife and anger. Because of the war, Kidd came back to having nothing left,” he told us. “Reading the news gave him a purpose. He got up. He collected the stories. He delivered a reading and then he moved onto the next town.”
As he continues in his travels, Kidd comes across Johanna, a young girl who had been taken from her pioneer family and raised by the Kiowa Native Americans.
“She has no idea who her family is,” Hanks shared. “Burdened by his own decency, Kidd is going to have to return her to her family and this coming from a man who has lost any semblance of what a family is.”
The movie is adapted from the novel of the same name by author Paulette Jiles, and while it is not based on a true story, its main characters are inspired by real people. Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd is based on the ancestor of a friend of Jiles’ — the similarly named historical figure Captain Adolphus Caesar Kydd — who performed readings of newspapers in the 1870s. Johanna is inspired by the more well-known historical tale of Cynthia Ann Parker, who was kidnapped and raised by the Comanche Native Americans.
Interestingly, there seems to be a disagreement between Jiles and film director Paul Greengrass about their goals in portraying the story of “News of the World.” In a 2016 interview with Texas Monthly, Jiles stated that she had no intention of making a commentary on contemporary politics with the original book, preferring to “move people into the world of imagination.”
Greengrass, on the other hand, told reporters at Vanity Fair that he saw the film, which features families and communities in conflict with each other, as representative of the societal divide in the modern-day US. With these opposing ideas woven into the fabric of the story, it will be interesting to see what audiences take away after watching.
It is clear what Universal is hoping to take away, and that is an Oscar. “News of the World” sees Hanks and Greengrass working together again after their previous collaboration, 2013’s “Captain Phillips.” While not an Oscar-winner, “Captain Phillips” received six nominations as well as attention at the Golden Globes and other award shows. With the film releasing at the tail end of the Oscar season, and a road-tested team of director and star, “News of the World” could be Universal’s best shot at an award for the 2020 film year.
Between award season dreams and the hopeful continuation of the Western genre, there is a lot riding on “News of the World.” At its core, however, the movie promises A-list performances and a compelling story full of action and heart.
“Kidd goes through something that saves him as much as he saves Johanna. She gave him a true purpose,” Hanks told us. “His real message is ‘when you have love in your life you will be alright.’ That’s what all great stories are. It’s just pure love for another human being.”
DUBAI: US actress Yara Shahidi has opened up about the values taught to her by her parents — and a host of other off-beat topics — in a new interview with Vogue magazine.
The “Grown-ish” actress took part in Vogue’s “73 Questions With” series in her home in Los Angeles and covered a variety of topics, from whether pineapple belongs on pizza (a strong no), to her current book of choice (“The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin).
The accomplished star, who is a karate black belt and a student at Harvard University, also shed light on her relationship with her parents and how they influenced her career choice.
Shahidi, whose father is Iranian-American and whose mother is African-American, started off as an actress in commercials.
“I started in print and commercials with my baba, who is a (director of photography) and my mother, who is a commercials actress, and my brothers and it was really just like a fun family affair, it didn’t take me out of school or any of my other passions,” she said.
When asked who she credits with her famous work ethic, she replied “both of my parents are very focused, so both of them.”
The 20-year-old also credits her parents with instilling her with a sense of responsibility for those who are less fortunate, saying, “it came from when my brother and I started making money from working at a young age, they sat us down and they had three jars — one for saving, one for spending and the most important one was for donating because their basic premise that we live by is that in order to receive you must constantly be giving.”
While giving the presenter a tour of her house and heading into the garden for a game of cornhole, the actress also opened up about what it was like to grow up in the public eye after she started acting on TV show “Black-ish” at the age of 14.
“It’s definitely different, but if there’s any set to grow up on I’d have to say it’s the ‘Back-ish’ set. Everyone from our crew to our cast is so supportive and even with some of the hate that we got for covering topics like police brutality or politics, we all have each other’s backs.”
Shahidi is no stranger to airing her political views and publicly stood against US President Donald Trump’s proposed immigration ban in 2017, saying “if my baba was stuck in an airport because of a Muslim ban 39 years ago, he would have never fallen in love with my mama” in a tweet at the time.
The star’s desire for diversity also came to the fore in 2019, when she spoke about her decision to walk away from a magazine shoot over its apparent lack of diverse models.
It was “totally uncomfortable and totally important,” Shahidi told Vogue of the experience, adding that it was an “important lesson to go through at that age in making sure that my voice and my values are front and center in everything that I do.”
Shahidi is set to play Tinkerbell in Disney’s “Peter Pan and Wendy,” marking the first time a person of color has filled the role that has traditionally featured a white actress.
In her conversation with Vogue, the star admits that she’s excited about the prospect.
“I’m actually excited by the prospect of flying,” she said of the possibility that she would have to strap on a harness for the role.
LONDON: Dave Prowse, the British weightlifter-turned-actor who played Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, has died. He was 85.
Prowse died Saturday after a short illness, his agent Thomas Bowington said Sunday.
Born in Bristol, southwest England, in 1935, Prowse represented England in weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games in the 1950s before breaking into movies with roles that emphasized his commanding size, including Frankenstein’s monster in a pair of horror films.
Director George Lucas saw Prowse in a small part in “A Clockwork Orange” and asked the 6-foot-6-inch (2-meter) actor to audition for the villainous Vader or the wookie Chewbacca in “Star Wars.”
Prowse later told the BBC he chose Darth Vader because “you always remember the bad guys.”
Physically, Prowse was perfect for the part. His lilting English West Country accent was considered less ideal, and his lines were dubbed by James Earl Jones.
Prowse was also known to a generation of British children as the Green Cross Code Man, a superhero in a series of road safety advertisements
“Ant-Man” director Edgar Wright paid tribute to Prowse on Twitter.
“As a kid Dave Prowse couldn’t be more famous to me; stalking along corridors as evil incarnate in the part of Darth Vader & stopping a whole generation of kiddies from being mown down in street as the Green Cross Code man,” he wrote. “Rest in Peace, Bristol’s finest.”
Watch: Final ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ trailer released onlineAttack of the clones as Star Wars fans design own lightsabers https://ift.tt/37g3W8p November 29, 2020 at 10:43AM
JEDDAH: The vegan diet has risen in popularity in Saudi Arabia in recent years and has been a constant topic of debate among Saudis, attracting the interest of many, including athletes.
Ongoing debates about whether the vegan diet is sufficient for normal people, let alone bodybuilders, abound, but one Saudi is answering them physically.
Veganism is a lifestyle that excludes all animal products from diets, clothing or any other purposes.
Over the years, a number of studies have found that people who eat vegan or vegetarian diets have a lower risk of heart disease, but other studies have also placed them at a higher risk of stroke, possibly due to the lack of vitamin B12, an essential vitamin that reduces the risk of anemia and neurological diseases.
Speaking to Arab News, 33-year-old Saudi vegan bodybuilder, Ali Al-Salam, who first started his vegan diet three years ago when he was suffering from high blood pressure, highlighted that the consumption of animal products is a deep rooted idea among bodybuilders and athletes.
“We always hear that in order to build muscle, we must consume animal products. In some parts of the world, there are people who can only have a small amount of animal products yet they live their lives healthily and comfortably and are not suffering from malnutrition — on the contrary, they have a lower level of chronic illnesses.”
When I consumed meat and animal products, I suffered from high blood pressure; it was 190 over 110, and I wasn’t even 30 yet. Two weeks into the vegan diet, it went down to 150. The vegan diet did what couldn’t be done with medications for me.
Ali Al-Salam, Saudi vegan bodybuilder
He said it also opened his eyes to what goes on in the dairy and meat industry; he began researching in 2016 and decided to become vegan in 2017.
“I was just like every other athlete, I used to consume a high amounts of protein. I remember in the last days before turning vegan, I used to have 10 egg whites and a piece of steak for breakfast to fulfil my protein needs. This made me think, ‘is this the only way to consume protein?’ And from then on, I started researching and got introduced to the vegan diet at a larger scale,” he said.
“When I consumed meat and animal products, I suffered from high blood pressure; it was 190 over 110, and I wasn’t even 30 yet. Two weeks into the vegan diet, it went down to 150. The vegan diet did what couldn’t be done with medications for me.”
He explained that bodybuilding does not solely rely on protein, and that there are steps that must be completed in order to reach an athletic body. Nutrition is the most important part, then comes type of exercise, and good rest.
“When we talk about good nutrition, it does not just rely on protein. Yes, it is important, but the amount of calories in general is more important,” he said.
“Let’s say you needed 200 grams of protein, does that mean if you consumed 200 grams of it, you would gain muscle? No. You need all the basic nutrients to reach a certain amount of calories in general,” he added.
He highlighted that as soon as people register for gym memberships, they immediately look for supplements because they think they cannot reach the needed amount of protein.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Veganism is a lifestyle that excludes all animal products from diets, clothing or any other purposes.
• Over the years, a number of studies have found that people who eat vegan or vegetarian diets have a lower risk of heart disease.
• But other studies have also placed them at a higher risk of stroke, possibly due to the lack of vitamin B12, an essential vitamin that reduces the risk of anemia and neurological diseases.
• Vegan athletes have more endurance, strength and faster muscle recovery, because the vegan diet is rich in antioxidants.
• Animal products sometimes cause inflammation, that your body needs to recover from in the first place.
“I’m talking about non-vegans here too, where their protein intake is already high. Marketing plays a big role here. People link protein to animal products because our society grew up with this idea as well.
“Can a vegan build muscle? Yes, when they eat right, exercise correctly and rest well. The misconception about protein stems from amino acids. People think vegan food lacks amino acids, and only animal products are full of them and that is far from the truth,” he added.
When comparing vegan athletes to regular athletes, he said vegan athletes have more endurance, strength and faster muscle recovery, because the vegan diet is rich in antioxidants which helps greatly in recovery, and because “animal products sometimes cause inflammation, that your body needs to recover from in the first place.”
Saudi Arabia ranked sixth for safest travel Arabic calligraphy in the spotlight at Saudi King’s Cup final https://ift.tt/3mlEJ2L November 28, 2020 at 10:02PM
DUBAI: Lebanese-Australian model Jessica Kahawaty has joined regional stars in promoting Valentino’s latest fragrance, Voce Viva, taking to social media as part of the #myvoicemystrength campaign.
Kahawaty is featured alongside fashion gurus Laila Abdallah and Leena Al-Ghouti, who also took part in the campaign with their own posts and videos on Instagram.
The Lebanese-Australian influencer posted a photo over the weekend in which she can be seen clutching the fragrance while sporting a peach sequined gown against the backdrop of a blue sky dotted with clouds. She captioned the post, “Voce Viva means to do something aloud for all to hear. Sometimes we think of our dreams, we write them down but what’s most important is saying them out loud for the universe to hear.”
Earlier in November, Kahawaty gave perfume lovers insight into the fragrance’s key notes, writing, “My voice takes on many forms: Serious, dreamy, funny... but most importantly, it always makes an impact. Meet Voce Viva fragrance with notes of orange blossom, mandarin and vanilla.”
UAE-based Palestinian-Canadian influencer Al-Ghouti took to Instagram earlier in November with a video to promote the new scent. In it, she poses with the cubic bottle against a background of foliage and rocks while wearing a monochrome outfit, complete with a black hijab.
“What does your voice mean to you?” Lebanese actress Abdallah asked in her caption, posted alongside a photo with an equally lush backdrop. In it, she poses in a sheer tulle top laid over an ochre slip.
Besides taking part in the campaign, Dubai-based Kahawaty has had a busy few months jetting to London for a fashion shoot earlier this fall and launching her own food and beverage concept with her mother in September.
Titled Mama Rita, the new service is a food delivery venture that focuses on healthy, home-cooked meals that her mother, Rita, specializes in, and which she routinely shares on social media.
“I just want to bring my mother’s passion to life. Her food is incredible, and I want the world to try it for themselves,” said the 32-year-old in conversation with Vogue Arabia.
“For years and years, everyone has been pleading with me to do something with my food—a cookbook, a show, a restaurant, anything! I love cooking for my friends and family as well as sharing new recipes,” said the model’s mother Rita, adding to her daughter’s statement.
Jessica handles the logistics of the company, focusing on branding, content, photography, procuring, copywriting and website design.
As an activist and UNICEF ambassador, Kahawaty’s new venture launched with a philanthropic element, with 100% of Mama Rita’s profits from the first two weeks going to victims of the Beirut explosion.
DUBAI: The Musée du Louvre and Christie’s have joined forces for an auction of 24 once-in-a-lifetime experiences, with bidding running from Dec. 1-15 online.
Read on for seven of the highlights.
The three Louvres
The winning bid will be entertained to a journey through the Louvre in Paris, Lens and Abu Dhabi.
La Joconde
Accompanied by Jean-Luc Martinez, president and director of the Musée du Louvre, the winner will attend the annual examination of the famed Mona Lisa painting.
Magical night
Discover the Louvre Museum by night in this magical experience for art lovers.
Fit for a king
Formerly used by French royals, the winning bidder will enjoy a private concert in the Caryatids Hall.
Rooftop fun with JR
The winning bidder will get the chance to join French photographer and street artist JR as he traverses the rooftops of the Louvre Museum.
Garden of the Tuileries
This experience allows the winner to name a newly planted tree and a restored bench in the famed garden.
A Cartier treat
The Cartier Panther bracelet will be given to the buyer during a visit to the Apollo gallery. Pierre Rainero, director of style and heritage at Cartier, will also guide the winner through a visit to the luxury label’s workshops.
GAZA CITY: To the sound of drums and flutes, a freshly coiffed Palestinian groom dances with his brothers, cousins and friends, anxiously waiting for his veiled bride to arrive in her shimmering gown.
It might have been a normal Gaza wedding, except for the venue — not a luxurious seaside hall, but a narrow alley in the Al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City.
Welcome to Gaza’s new pandemic-era weddings: they are small because of strict crowd limits, they are held outdoors, and they finish early to beat the curfews.
And they are a whole lot cheaper than usual.
“I’m not entirely happy because I would have preferred to celebrate it in a wedding hall,” said the groom, Mohammed Ahmed Ashour, wearing a blazer and burgundy tie.
But for his family, the 24-year-old merchant told AFP between dances, the pared-down nuptials have also brought welcome savings at a time of economic hardship.
Weddings in the Palestinian coastal enclave are usually extravagant affairs, held in large halls that dot the Mediterranean coastline.
Despite staggering poverty and unemployment rates of around 50 percent even before the pandemic, many Gazans spend several thousand dollars on weddings.
This year the virus has further impacted the economy in the strip, which has been under Israeli blockade since 2007, and is currently spreading rapidly across Gaza.
In recent weeks infections have multiplied and “the situation is getting out of control,” warned Doctor Ahmad Al-Jadba of Gaza City’s Shifa hospital.
On Friday, the Palestinian health ministry announced 922 new cases for the last 24 hours in Gaza, a daily record which takes the total number of people known to have been infected with the virus in the enclave to 18,333, including 86 deaths.
Hamas, the group that runs the strip, has banned large indoor gatherings to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Families have been forced to hold smaller weddings in less-than-fairytale settings — like alleys and backyards — but saved bundles in the process.
Ashour said these days many couples opt for scaled-back daytime nuptials which take “a little over an hour.”
Once the Ashours’ wedding was over, the musicians — three percussionists and a player of the traditional reed flute called a ney — headed home before the evening curfew.
They had more performances booked for the next day, as their small, traveling business is now thriving.
A few days later they were in Jabaliya, a town in the north of the strip, for the wedding of Ahmed Omar Khallah, a 28-year-old postman.
Khallah said that for him, too, the timing is good: “There is no work, no money, but we have saved a lot by marrying now,” he told AFP.
He was picking up his bride from a beauty salon.
Its proprietor, Fadwi, confirmed that “many young couples prefer to get married during the corona period because the costs are lower. They don’t have to rent wedding halls or pay for large buffets.”
Fadwi has changed his business hours to accommodate the new routine as Hamas police patrols enforce the night-time curfews.
“We now start work around 7:00 am,” he said, “because people only get married in ceremonies until 5:00 pm.”
Palestinian girls compete in a rare Gaza boxing contestGaza’s health system days from being overwhelmed by COVID-19, advisers say https://ift.tt/39nU6nU November 27, 2020 at 08:19PM
