Archive for the ‘Entertainment’ Category

Mais Hamdan releases new single

Posted on Feb 21, 2012 08:01:44 AM

Jordanian artist Mais Hamdan completed recording a new song
titled “Ma Areedah” (I don’t want him), which is sung in the Khaleeji (Gulf)
dialect. The song is written by Ahmad Alwi, composed by Hisham Al Sakran and
composed by Naser Saleh, who had composed Mais’s first khaleeji song “Kayf
Halak” (How are you).

Mais recorded the song in Iraqi singer Majed Al Muhandis’s
studio in Cairo in the presence of Naser Saleh. Mais said that she is very
happy to work with Naser again and he has a special touch which he adds to the
songs he composes and she considers working with him a big plus for her career
especially since he is known for composing some of the most famous Khaleeji
songs for big stars like Saudi singer Mohammad Abdo.

According to the London based Elaph, Mais said that she
intends on filming a new music video for the sng in Lebanon and will release it
as a single.

Hyde Park concert numbers reduced

Posted on Feb 20, 2012 08:01:44 PM

The number of concerts held at Hyde Park has been cut from 13 a year to nine after complaints from residents.

The staging of live Olympics screenings and concerts planned for 2012 were not included in the review and the council agreed that an 18-day series of concerts will be held in the park to celebrate the Games and events related to the Queen's Jubilee.

Hyde Park is managed by the Royal Parks, which previously said restrictions could leave it with a £1.5m funding gap.

But the Royal Parks, the Environmental Health service and organisers have agreed to the changes.

Councillor Audrey Lewis, Westminster Council's Licensing chairman, said: "We have a duty to balance the needs of local residents with the desire of concert organisers to hold events and the compromise that the committee has reached does all of this.

"We will monitor the additional noise control measures and continue to work with both concert organisers and residents to ensure this is an effective solution to concerns raised."

John Probyn, chief operating officer of Live Nation, which organises concerts at the park, said: "This is good news for the thousands of Londoners and visitors from overseas enjoying all concerts we have in place, and also the London 2012 events in Hyde Park this summer."

London's Mayor Boris Johnson said he believed "common sense has prevailed".

He added: "Westminster are right to respect their residents, but they also have a responsibility for the economic vitality of the capital overall.

"Large-scale music events like the Hyde Park concerts make a massive contribution to London's economy."

The council said there would also be more stewards employed during events in future, with better arrangements put in place for cleaning up after concerts.

The Royal Parks also acknowledged there was an "issue of public nuisance", the council said.

Beach Boys, Radiohead, Chili Peppers play Bonnaroo

Posted on Feb 19, 2012 11:01:42 PM

Nashville: The reunited Beach Boys will celebrate sunshine and summer at the 2012 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival with Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Phish and Bon Iver.

The always eclectic four-day festival also will include Skrillex, Foster the People, The Avett Brothers, The Shins, The Roots and Alice Cooper on the 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tenn. Bonnaroo will be held June 7 to 10.

The lineup has something of a ripped-from-the-headlines feel. Several acts had notable nights at the Grammy Awards.

The reunited Beach Boys lineup of Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks made their live debut at the awards, joined on stage by Foster the People.

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Elissa shocked and Haifa sad over Whitney Houston’s death

Posted on Feb 18, 2012 11:02:07 PM

Lebanese singer Haifa Wahbi rushed
to give her condolences to the family and fans of American legendary singer
Whitney Houston, who passed away at the age of 48 inside a hotel room in
Beverly Hills on February 11.

Haifa was the first Arab singer to
write on her official page on the internet social network Twitter a letter
describing Whitney as legend and that the world has lost one of its music icons
and she is very sad over her death. Haifa added that she was a big fan of
Whitney and had always followed up on her latest news.

On her part, Elissa had written on
her page on Twitter that she was in shock over Whitney’s death and gives her
deepest condolences to all fans around the world and wished her soul rests in
peace. Elissa made her condolences from Turkey, where she had gone to hold a
live performance.

Whitney had begun her singing
career at the age of 11 and it lasted for 25 years. She was able to become one
of the most famous pop singers the world knows and her albums had achieved the
highest sales throughout her history. She won six Grammy Awards and over 400
other awards throughout her career. One of her most famous songs is “I will
always love you”.

Belgian Oscar entry surprised many, including its maker

Posted on Feb 17, 2012 11:01:31 AM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Among the big surprises at January’s Oscar nominations was a foreign language movie nod for Belgium’s “Bullhead,” and perhaps nobody was more shocked than its first-time director, Michael Roskam, and leading man, Matthias Schoenaerts.

The nomination, Oscar watchers seemed certain, would go to the Dardennes brothers, Jean-Pierre and Luc, who are icons of Belgian cinema. After all, their “The Kid with a Bike” won a Grand Prix award at the Cannes film festival last May and “Kid” is widely-considered their most accessible film yet.

“I thought this time they will make it because they were never Academy Award nominated,” Schoenaerts told Reuters. “And then it came as a surprise that we made it.”

Schoenaerts was in France when he heard the news on the set of his new movie, “Rust & Bone,” which is co-produced by the none other than the Dardennes.

“They came to visit us on set,” he said. “They were really happy and they really appreciate Michael’s work and mine.”

In “Bullhead,” Schoenaerts plays Jacky Vanmarsenille, a muscled-up, steroid-injecting cattle farmer whose tragic childhood continues to cripple him as an adult.

Jacky is linked to the “hormone mafia,” a criminal network that distributes livestock-enhancing steroids throughout Europe where it remains illegal. When an investigator is assassinated, Jacky’s world caves in around him.

“I wanted the audience to see an artificially built man, a man that was not supposed to be so muscled,” said Roskam, who was recently named one of Variety magazine’s ten new directors to watch for 2012.

“He was carrying weight on his shoulders, but also the past,” Roskam said.

BIG BODY, VULNERABLE MAN

Schoenaerts put on thirty kilos (66 lbs.) of muscle for the role, knowing the big, bulky body would intimidate audiences but that he could win them over if he could get inside the “artificial body” of Jacky and show his character’s true innocence and vulnerability.

An unimposing man in real life, Schoenaerts had six full years to become the bullish Jacky Vanmarsenille, a luxury that allowed him to make the character part of his own DNA. Even so, the actor was shocked to find himself struggling with his confidence just hours before the cameras rolled.

“I was like, ‘damn, I’m not ready,’” he confessed. “I’m always scared as hell but for this part especially — because it was a very complex part. And I was looking forward to it for so many years. Then, it’s the moment of truth.”

But after all that preparation, it took Schoenaerts only moments before he realized he was ready. “I felt it from the first rehearsal on set,” he sighed.

While the Dardennes and “Kid With a Bike,” won at Cannes, “Bullhead” has been no slouch in the festival world, either. It played at last year’s Berlinale and found a U.S. distributor in September.

A month later, it selected to be the Belgian entry for the Oscar, and it’s been a rollercoaster ride for Roskam ever since.

“I’m literally getting sick of it,” he told Reuters, blowing his nose.

When asked if the nomination changes the way he looks at “Bullhead,” or any of his films, the director paused for an uncomfortably long moment.

“I just didn’t know that the very best of what I could do, what level it could be,” he said, reflecting on the experience. “It’s hard to explain suddenly becoming somebody who made an Oscar-nominated movie.”

(Reporting by Jordan Riefe; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Joyce children’s book sparks feud

Posted on Feb 16, 2012 05:01:35 AM

A children's story by James Joyce has been published for the first time by a small press in Dublin.

However the Zurich James Joyce Foundation has called its publication an "outrage", saying it had not granted permission for the book's release.

The Cats of Copenhagen was written in a letter to Joyce's grandson in 1936 as a "younger twin sister" to the already published story, The Cat and the Devil.

The story tells of a Copenhagen in which things are not what they seem.

Publisher Ithys Press says Joyce's works are now in the public domain.

The letter, in which the tale was found, was donated to the Zurich James Joyce Foundation by Hans Jahnke, the stepbrother to Joyce's grandson Stephen James Joyce.

'Legal and valid'

In a statement, the Foundation said it had "allowed serious bona fide scholars to inspect its documents", but was "never approached or informed" about the Ithys book.

"The Foundation is therefore all the more dismayed to learn that a copy of the letter to young Stephen Joyce of 1936 must have been used for its publication in book form," it said.

It added it "was left completely in the dark – it never permitted, tolerated, condoned or connived at this publication, and it rigidly dissociates itself from it".

In response, Anastasia Herbert of Ithys said: "The unpublished works of James Joyce are now (since 1 January 2012) in the public domain.

"A publication such as that of The Cats of Copenhagen is legal and valid and any attempt to interfere with its free dissemination is both unlawful and morally reprehensible."

She added the attempt by the Foundation "to assert some right on this now public-domain document is preposterous.

"The book was conceived not as a commercial venture but as a carefully crafted tribute to a rather different Joyce, the family man and grandfather who was a fine storyteller.

"In this tiny text, we see Joyce commenting on fascism, even in its guise as communism, with the 'red boys' carrying out the orders of the Politburo."

The Foundation's Fritz Senn told The Guardian that although Joyce's published works entered the public domain in Europe on 1 January, it had not yet been determined whether non-published material was also out of copyright as well.

Ms Herbet said the argument raised a significant number of questions "about ownership in a post-copyright age".

"Is it really only bona fide scholars who have the right to see, interpret, adapt, and publish from works in these archives?" she told the BBC.

"And who exactly qualifies as a 'bona fide' scholar?"

Ithys has printed a limited run of 200 illustrated copies, ranging in price from €300 (£250) to €1,200 (£1,000).

Bassam Kousa fleeing Syria

Posted on Feb 14, 2012 08:02:01 PM

Prominent Syrian actor
Bassam Kousa denied circulating rumors that he has fled Syria and is currently
living abroad to escape the current chaotic conditions. It was added that
Bassam will return once conditions are stable once more.

The actor stated that
he was shocked with such rumors and stressed that he is currently residing in
Damascus and has never left the country. He also denied rumors that he does not
intend on taking place in any new drama until conditions are stable once more.

Bassam said that the
drama industry has suffered tremendously as a result of the events taking place
in Syria with demonstrations in the streets and protesters demanding the
resignation of the government of President Bashar Al Asad.

With regards to the
dramas he will take part in this year, Bassam revealed that he is currently
going over several scripts, but has not made a final decision.

Thistle And Shamrock: Fiddle Styles

Posted on Feb 14, 2012 05:01:50 AM

Sample a variety of fiddle flavors from the wide world of Celtic music.

For more information on this program, visit www.thistleradio.com.

Grammys fashion ranges from surreal to sublime

Posted on Feb 14, 2012 02:01:50 AM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The show must go on. Despite Whitney Houston’s shocking death a day earlier, music stars came out to celebrate Sunday’s Grammy Awards with typical red carpet flash and over-the-top fashion.

Several artists exuded glamour, including Carrie Underwood, nominated for best country solo performance, who arrived shimmering in a silver Gomez-Garcia gown with a Swarovski black clutch. Other musicians raised eyebrows, including up-and-coming Russian-born singer Sasha Gradiva, who wore a soft pink mermaid shaped gown that featured a machine-gun adorned sleeve.

“I think in the last five to seven years the Grammys have become a showcase for the most outlandish look in fashion. If an artist comes in couture, it is usually accompanied with a statement,” said style expert and TV host Sam Saboura.

And that was exactly what Black Eyed Peas frontwoman Fergie appeared to be going for when she appeared wearing a designer gown that left little to the imagination. The 36-year-old singer wore a blood orange peek-a-boo Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture gown revealing black bra and panties beneath.

She took a page from other pop stars like nominee Katy Perry who famously arrived last year in a Giorgio Armani dress embellished with angel wings.

This year, Perry arrived wearing sky-high blue hair that complemented a full-length baby blue sparkly gown with plunging back.

Hip-hop rapper Nicki Minaj, nominated for best new artist and other awards, arrived sporting a red Versace couture hooded cape on the arm of an escort dressed in a pope outfit.

Lady Gaga strutted into the show in a black Chanel gown adorned with silver chains and dramatic net over her face.

“It’s usually one-up game at the Grammys,” said Saboura. “Now artists have stylists fixing their trains on the red carpet. It’s become as dramatic as the Oscars. We expect craziness.”

The death of pop singer Houston, a six-time Grammy winner, on the eve of the awards shook the world. She will be honored during the ceremony by singer Jennifer Hudson according to Grammy organizers, who scrambled to rearrange the show in response to Houston’s death.

Grammy awards favorite Adele, known for wearing 60s style dresses and hairstyles, sported a classic look in a long black beaded gown. She wore her hair swept down in a wavy bob.

“Adele does big 60s hair well and always looks a little flirty,” said Saboura.

(Editing by Doina Chiacu)

Adele wows with post-throat surgery song

Posted on Feb 13, 2012 08:01:50 PM

<span class="articleLocation”>(Reuters) – Adele wowed fans on Friday in her first public singing outing since throat surgery in November, putting to rest fears that her distinctive husky voice may have been damaged.

The soulful British singer, 23, is due to make her official performance comeback at the Grammy Awards on Sunday where she is expected to take home an armful of trophies following the worldwide success of her album “21″.

But on Friday, American TV viewers heard her sing three verses, a cappella, of her hit song “Rolling In The Deep” in an excerpt of an upcoming “60 Minutes” interview on CBS.

“Thank the music gods that she sounds just as perfect as she did before that hemorrhaged vocal chord,” wrote Jarett Wieselman at celebrity website TheInsider,

HollywoodLife.com said Adele “sounds amazing,” while E! Online’s Alexis L. Loinaz wrote, “The gal kills it! If there are any lingering doubts that Adele might not be ready to unleash those pipes yet, this footage puts them to rest.”

Adele was forced to cancel part of her U.S. tour last year because of persistent vocal problems. In November, she underwent laser surgery to remove a hemorrhaged polyp on her vocal cords and was ordered to take two months of vocal rest.

Organizers confirmed only 10 days ago that she would be performing at the Grammy Awards show in Los Angeles on Sunday, where she has six nominations, including the coveted record, album and song of the year.

The full “60 Minutes” profile will be shown immediately before the Grammy telecast. Adele told interviewer Anderson Cooper that she first realized there was something wrong with her voice when she was singing live on a French radio station and, “It felt like something popped in my throat.”

She said the surgery was a wake-up call to help her realize her vocal limits.

(Reporting By Christine Kearney; editing by Patricia Reaney)