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Luxury meets grunge at Versace Milan Fashion Week show
MILAN (Reuters) – Versace married luxury with grunge at Milan Fashion Week on Friday, presenting an Autumn/Winter 2019 line featuring leather, faux furs and ripped jumpers, as well as plenty of the Italian luxury label’s signature safety pins.
A model presents a creation by Versace during the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo
Creative director Donatella Versace, sister of the fashion house’s late founder Gianni Versace, sent models including sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner down a catwalk with a giant safety pin sporting the label’s Medusa logo, where they were joined by 1990s models Shalom Harlow and Stephanie Seymour.
The line, which also featured Barocco-style V logos, nodded to the golden safety pins that adorned a black dress from Versace’s Spring/Summer 1994 line, made famous when actress Elizabeth Hurley wore it to the “Four Weddings and a Funeral” premiere.
Safety pins were omnipresent on the runway – securing cut draped mini dresses, on jumpers and skirts and as earrings.
Several looks also paid tribute to “Versace’s storied relationship with fashion photography”, with tops printed with portraits of Donatella Versace by American photographer Richard Avedon, who shot campaigns for the brand.
There were plenty of vibrant colors on tops, tights, stockings, dresses and bags. Outfits were layered: ribbed tops under silk shirts, dresses and jackets, all in different shades.
“Bold women feel free to stay away from what is expected,” Versace said in a press release.
“With this collection, I wanted to show that side of a woman that isn’t afraid to step outside of her comfort zone because she knows that imperfection is the new perfection.”
Knits, sometimes with silk straps on top, had ripped sleeves and hems, and were matched with a mock croc quilted leather two-piece or slit tweed skirts. Barocco prints appeared on sleeves of a trench.
Lace was used for neon colored hems on silky slip dresses, usually in contrasting colors or on black trousers suits.
Evening gowns were luxurious – a sparkly orange number with Medusa medallions straps or black frocks with plenty of golden embellishments and belt buckle straps.
The brand, which was bought by Capri Holdings Ltd, formerly Michael Kors, last year, also presented herringbone coats and dresses and Vittoria print silks. Footwear was embellished with buckles.
Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Edmund Blair
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New Bottega Veneta designer Lee mixes modern and classic at Milan show
MILAN (Reuters) – Bottega Veneta’s new creative director, Daniel Lee, premiered his first catwalk show for the Italian luxury label at Milan Fashion Week on Friday, in which he said he added a touch of modernity to the brand’s classic looks.
A model presents a creation by Bottega Veneta during the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo
Lee, who was previously at French label Celine, kicked off the show in all leather looks – a décolleté dress, zipped biker jacket and trousers – and plenty of A-line quilted skirts that were held at the front with chunky golden chains.
Coats and jackets had very large V-necklines, while tops and long shirt and other dresses were adorned in tiny mirror shapes that added a touch of sparkle.
“While the quiet craft central to Bottega Veneta’s identity is still present, fall 2019 brings a sharp injection of modernity to traditional technique, turning up the volume,” show notes read.
“Combining the human hand with technology and process, the result is simultaneously classic and contemporary.”
Bottega Veneta’s owner, luxury group Kering, said last year German designer Tomas Maier was stepping down as creative director of the Italian leather goods maker, known for its woven leather bags, after 17 years.
Lee said he was “presenting a new vocabulary” for the brand, with the traditional weave “reinterpreted and evolved”.
The weave was seen on outerwear. Other coats had leather closures in some instances, while shiny jackets were taken in at the waist. Knit figure-hugging dresses had open necklines.
The chunky chains were also seen on knits and golden detailing was added to belts that were put on two-layered dresses as well as macs.
For men, there were knits, sometimes ribbed or with rolled up necks, deconstructed or slit, and with extra long sleeves. Tailored coats were sleek and worn over sheer-like tops. Trousers were tucked into chunky boots.
The color palette was mainly dark – black, dark purple, navy and brown, but dabs of orange, turquoise, cream, shiny pink and lilac added bursts of color.
Heels and men’s shoes also bore the quilted pattern. Women also wore chunky boots.
Milan Fashion Week runs until Feb 25.
Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alison Williams
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R&B crooner R. Kelly charged with sexually assaulting teenage girls
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Grammy-winning R&B singer R. Kelly was charged in Chicago on Friday with the aggravated sexual assault of four people, including three teenage girls, following years of accusations against the performer.
Kelly, 52, was charged in a 10-count Cook County Circuit Court indictment handed down two months after the debut of a six-hour documentary series on the Lifetime television network in which multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct and abuse.
Lawyers for the R&B superstar, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, could not be reached for comment on Friday. Attorney Steven Greenberg said on Twitter that Kelly would turn himself in to Chicago police between 11 p.m. and midnight Central time (0500-0600 Saturday GMT).
Greenberg told Reuters in an interview in January the Lifetime series was a “complete fabrication” and that there was no evidence to support the allegations against his client.
At a news conference on Friday after the charges were detailed in a court filing, the Cook County state’s attorney, Kimberly Foxx, said three of the four victims Kelly is accused of sexually abusing between 1998 and 2010 were under age 17 at the time of the assaults.
Kelly, was expected to appear at a bond hearing on Saturday afternoon, Foxx said. The entertainer faces a maximum sentence of 70 years in prison if convicted.
Later on Friday, attorney Michael Avenatti, who has represented porn star Stormy Daniels in a legal battle with President Donald Trump, told a separate news conference he has been retained by two people who he said were victims, as well as two parents and two “whistleblowers” from Kelly’s inner circle.
Avenatti said his firm had uncovered a 40-minute videotape shot in the late 1990s allegedly showing Kelly performing sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl. Avenatti said he had given the tape to prosecutors.
Chicago prosecutors have not said if that footage was part of their case against Kelly.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. vocalist, songwriter and producer R. Kelly performs on the final day of the St Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival at Pigeon Island National Landmark, May 12, 2013. REUTERS/Andrea De Silva
YEARS OF ACCUSATIONS
Avenatti said he would seek to expose the complicity of members of Kelly’s inner circle who he said helped cover up the abuse. “Mr. Kelly did not do this alone,” he said.
Kelly, best known for his hit single “I Believe I Can Fly,” has for years denied accusations of abuse swirling around him.
In 1994 he married 15-year-old singer Aaliyah in 1994, a union that was annulled months later by her parents. In 2008, Kelly was tried and acquitted on child pornography charges in Chicago. Aaliyah died at age 22 in 2001 in a plane crash.
But “Surviving R. Kelly” touched off a new furor on social media when it debuted in January, prompting his record label, Sony Music-owned RCA, to end its relationship with the hitmaker.
Singer Lady Gaga, who had recorded a sexually suggestive 2013 duet with Kelly, “Do What U Want (With My Body)”, apologized for the song, removed it from streaming services and vowed to never work with him again.
“We are proud that Lifetime was able to provide a platform for survivors to be heard,” Lifetime said in a written statement on Friday.
It was not immediately clear if the charges announced on Friday in Chicago stemmed from accusations made in the documentary or if any of the alleged victims, who were identified in the indictment only by their initials, were the same.
Following the debut of the documentary in January, Foxx at a news conference called for anyone who felt they had been abused by the singer to come forward.
Social media erupted again on Friday after the charges were announced.
“It took this long to indict R.Kelly because the victims are Black girls,” political analyst Zerlina Maxwell, who describes herself as a survivor of sexual assault, wrote on Twitter.
Slideshow (2 Images)
Last month, a former manager for the singer turned himself in to authorities in Georgia, where he was wanted on a charge of making threats against one of the families that took part in the documentary.
Kelly, a three-time Grammy winner whose hits also include “Bump N’ Grind” and “Your Body’s Callin,” grew up in a Chicago public housing project where, according to his autobiography, he was sexually abused beginning at age 8.
Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles and Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles and Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Leslie Adler
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From fishing village to gastronomic heaven: tables turn for Wolfgat
PATERNOSTER, South Africa (Reuters) – In a small fishing village on South Africa’s rugged west coast, restaurateur Kobus van der Merwe is struggling to process his meteoric rise to gastronomic stardom.
He recently got back from Paris, where four days ago his 20-cover Wolfgat was named Restaurant of the Year at the inaugural World Restaurant Awards, also winning the remote location prize.
“In our category, which was for the off-map destination… there are restaurants that we literally hero-worship and we were like, this is insane,” the food-journalist-turned-chef told Reuters TV on Friday in his first interview with foreign media since returning home.
Others on that shortlist included Japanese wild dining sensation Tokuyamazushi.
Of both prizes, he added: “We never dreamed of making the shortlist, let alone winning.”
Situated in Paternoster, about 160 km (100 miles) northwest of Cape Town, Wolfgat’s speciality is seafood.
Van der Merwe’s seven-course tasting menu pays homage to the region’s long-gone indigenous inhabitants, and his signature dishes are flavored and supplemented with ingredients foraged locally, such as seaweed and succulent plants.
They include Rooibos tea-smoked yellowtail with dune spinach and buttermilk rusk, and freshly baked bread served with bokkom (salted dry fish) butter and infused herbs.
Guests at the 130-year-old whitewashed restaurant, nestled above Wolfgat cave within hearing distance of crashing waves, pay 850 rand ($60), or 1400 rand including drinks.
Van der Merwe, who took the plunge into full-time cooking before completing his culinary studies, said he had no wish to expand or replicate Wolfgat in an urban setting.
Slideshow (10 Images)
“We certainly don’t aspire to be in the city because the west coast is our muse and I can’t see Wolfgat existing anywhere else,” he said.
His clientele is split evenly between foreign tourists visiting the village and well-heeled South Africans.
But those who make the two-hour drive from Cape Town had better be sure of their reservations before they set out – because he’s fully booked for the next three months.
Reporting by Wendell Roelf; writing by John Stonestreet
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Singer R. Kelly charged with sexually abusing teenage girls
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Grammy-winning singer R. Kelly was charged on Friday with criminal sexual abuse of at least three teenagers under age 17, the local state’s attorney said, following years of allegations against the 52-year-old R&B singer.
An attorney for the singer did not immediately return a call or email seeking comment.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx, at a news conference in Chicago announcing the charges, said Kelly was expected to appear in court on Saturday for a bond hearing on the 10 counts he was charged with under a grand jury indictment. Three of the four victims he allegedly abused between 1998 and 2010 were under age 17 at the time, Foxx said.
At least two of the alleged victims were girls, while the gender of the other two was not clear from the court documents.
The age of the fourth was not provided. Kelly was accused of sexual misconduct during an attempted sexual assault in that incident.
In the indictments involving the other three alleged victims, Foxx said the grand jury indicted him on charges of aggravated criminal abuse, based on the victims being under 17 and Kelly being more than five years older.
Kelly, whose real name is Robert Kelly, faces three to seven years in prison on each count, Foxx said.At a news conference in January, Foxx had called for anyone alleging abuse by the singer to come forward so their claims could be investigated. She made the remarks after the six-hour documentary “Surviving R. Kelly” was aired on Lifetime television. In the documentary, multiple women made allegations of sexual misconduct against the performer.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. vocalist, songwriter and producer R. Kelly performs on the final day of the St Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival at Pigeon Island National Landmark, May 12, 2013. REUTERS/Andrea De Silva
“We are proud that Lifetime was able to provide a platform for survivors to be heard,” the cable network said in a statement following the charges.
SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS
The “Surviving R. Kelly” documentary in January set off a furor on social media. Singer Lady Gaga, who had recorded a duet with Kelly, vowed to never collaborate with him again.
Twitter erupted again on Friday over the latest charges.
“It took this long to indict R.Kelly because the victims are Black girls,” political analyst Zerlina Maxwell, who describes herself as a survivor of sexual assault, wrote on Twitter.
Kelly, singer of “I Believe I Can Fly” and a record producer as well, has for years denied accusations of abuse, including those made in the documentary. In 2008, he was tried and acquitted on child pornography charges in Chicago.
Kelly’s record label, Sony Music-owned RCA, split with the Chicago native last month after activists from the #MuteRKelly pressure group delivered a petition signed by some 217,000 people to Sony headquarters in New York City asking the record company to drop Kelly.
Slideshow (2 Images)
Kelly, a three-time Grammy winner whose hits also include “Bump N’ Grind” and “Your Body’s Callin,” grew up in a Chicago public housing project where, according to his autobiography – “The Soulacaster: The Diary of Me” – he was sexually abused beginning at age 8 by a woman who was 10 years older.
He struggled academically as a boy and dropped out of high school. He later got his musical break on a television talent show and released his first album in 1992.
Separately last month, a former manager for the singer turned himself in to authorities in Georgia, where he was wanted on a charge of making threats against one of the families that took part in the Lifetime documentary.
Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angele and Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles and Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Leslie Adler
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Etro goes ‘Aristo-Indie’ at Milan Fashion Week show
MILAN (Reuters) – Etro mixed aristocratic with underground vibes at Milan Fashion Week on Friday, with the Italian designer label looking to models of different ages to present its Autumn/Winter 2019 line.
Models present creations by Etro during the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo
Womenswear creative director Veronica Etro showcased vibrant tapestry prints, nodded to equestrian influences and added regal touches for the “Aristo-Indie” collection.
Wearing a red tapestry print jacket, white shirt and tight black trousers, model Edie Campbell opened the show in the cloisters of the 19th century Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi.
Models wore printed silky flowing skirts, chunky knits, belted or with a high neck, check coats – inspired by male tailoring – and buttoned blazers as dresses.
There was plenty of the fashion’s houses usual paisley print on coats, trouser suits and dresses.
The collection also featured jodhpur-like trousers, frills on ponchos, long skirts and dresses as well as shirts with large tied bows at the neck.
“A quirky collector, a hyper elegant queen of the castle, living in a decadent Neo-Victorian romance. Fragments of noble memories are subverted with subcultural references for an indie attitude,” show notes read.
“A corsetry aesthetic meets equestrian vibes, preppy influences and underground grunge touches.”
To the sound of Verdi’s classical music mixed with more contemporary tunes such as “London Calling” by The Clash, models of different ages including Tatjana Patitz, Alek Wek and Jacquetta Wheeler strutted down the catwalk.
A corset was tied on top of a green floral silk dress while a polo top was matched with check trousers. The check print was also seen on a jacket matched to a shirt dress.
Puffed up sleeves appeared on tops, off-shoulder dresses and floral print jackets.
A selection of black dresses came in velvet with puffed up off-shoulder sleeves, embroidered with metallics or in chiffon. Some of the dresses were reminiscent of royal gowns.
Bustier belts adorned most of the outfits and for footwear, models wore pointed boots.
Milan Fashion Week runs until Monday.
Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian, Editing by William Maclean
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Singer R. Kelly charged with sexual abuse: court records
FILE PHOTO: U.S. vocalist, songwriter and producer R. Kelly performs on the final day of the St Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival at Pigeon Island National Landmark, May 12, 2013. REUTERS/Andrea De Silva
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Grammy-winning singer R. Kelly was charged on Friday with multiple counts of criminal sexual abuse, following years of allegations of sexual misconduct, according to court documents posted online.
The 52-year-old R&B singer was charged in Cook County, Illinois, with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse, according to the documents.
Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx was scheduled to announce charges against Kelly at a news conference at 3 p.m. ET on Friday in Chicago, her office said in a statement.
An attorney for the singer did not immediately return a call or email seeking comment.
Reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago; Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles and Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Bill Tarrant and Leslie Adler
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Britain’s Harry and Meghan to champion cause of girls’ education in rural Morocco
FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, arrive to attend the Endeavour Fund Awards in the Drapers’ Hall in London, Britain February 7, 2019. Tolga Akmen/Pool via REUTERS
RABAT (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince Harry and his pregnant wife Meghan will begin a three-day visit to Morocco on Saturday during which they will show their support for rural girls’ education in the Atlas mountains.
The visit at the request of the British government is the second to the kingdom in recent years by a member of the royal family, following a trip by Prince Charles in 2011. Queen Elizabeth visited Morocco in 1980.
It is expected to be the final royal overseas trip before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are due to become parents this spring, according to British media.
The couple arrive in Casablanca on Saturday evening. The next morning they will fly to the Atlas mountains where they will meet girls at a boarding house run by Education for All, an NGO that builds dormitories near schools to reduce school drop-out rates among girls aged 12 to 18, the UK embassy said.
“This visit will help give international publicity to the work we do and will help us raise money to build more boarding houses,” Michael McHugo, founder of Education for All, told Reuters by phone.
While in Asni, Harry and Meghan will meet local high school students and teachers and afterwards attend a football game.
“The visit will add new momentum to tourism in the region,” said Montassir Itri from Asni.
On Monday, the Duke and Duchess will attend an equestrian event in the capital Rabat centering on horse therapy for children with special needs, followed by a cooking event and a meeting with young social entrepreneurs.
The couple is also expected to meet a member of the Moroccan royal family later in the day at a palace in Rabat.
Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; Editing by Hugh Lawson
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As Smollett faces charges ‘Empire’ TV show cuts his character
(Reuters) – Actor Jussie Smollett’s character is being removed from the final two episodes of Fox’s hip-hop drama “Empire” after he was arrested and accused of staging a hoax hate crime attack on himself, show officials said on Friday.
FILE PHOTO: Jussie Smollett exits Cook County Department of Corrections after posting bail in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., February 21, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Lott/File Photo
The move came a day after the 36-year-old was charged with lying to Chicago police about the allegedly staged incident, in which he said two masked men beat him and slung a noose around his neck while yelling racist and homophobic abuse.
Smollett faces up to three years in prison if convicted in the case, which fueled political divisions that have roiled the United States since Donald Trump’s 2016 election.
Smollett’s character, Jamal Lyon, will be removed from the final two episodes of the current season of Empire, according to 20th Century Fox Television, which said it wanted to avoid “further disruption” on the set of the popular show.
“The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us,” the show’s co-creators and producers said in a statement. “While these allegations are very disturbing, we are placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays out.”
Lawyers for Smollett did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
According to police, the actor, who is black and openly gay, paid two brother $3,500 to attack him on Jan. 29 in the hope of advancing his career and because he was unhappy with salary.
Police did not spell out how he hoped to boost his salary by staging such a hoax.
While the actor initially received an outpouring of support on social media, others were skeptical about the attack, which he said took place outside his Chicago apartment at 2 a.m. on a frigid night.
In his account, Smollett said his attackers also shouted “This is MAGA country,” referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.
Trump responded on Thursday after Smollett was charged, tweeting: “(W)hat about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!?”
Trump’s critics have said his rhetoric has fueled racism and violence, while his supporters say the press has unfairly cast Trump and his supporters in a bad light.
The Walt Disney Co secured a $71 billion deal in July to acquire 21st Century Fox Inc’s film and television assets, which means “Empire” will belong to the production company.
Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York
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Roses, leopard prints and lots of lace at Blumarine Milan show
MILAN (Reuters) – Romantic lace and plenty of blooming red and pink roses took over the Blumarine catwalk at Milan Fashion Week on Friday, where Italian designer Anna Molinari said she wanted to inject some “love for beauty” into women’s wardrobes.
A model presents a creation by Blumarine during the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo
Light pink coats with furry trimmings, harlequin prints and a pastel-coloured Argyle knit top and hot pants opened the Autumn/Winter 2019 show for the Italian fashion label. Some outfits had large black bows tied at the back.
Leopard prints also appeared on the runway, on a belted coat, jacket, pencil skirt and slim fitted dress.
Molinari, dubbed “the Queen of Roses” for her love of the flower, then sent out models in an array of creations sporting red and pink blooms.
Sequined red roses climbed up a jean trouser leg, they were printed on chiffon dresses and a shiny Mac bore large pink versions.
There was also plenty of lace on plunging black evening dresses.
“(We need) passion, this love for beauty. I see women in winter, they are all dressed in puffer jackets and jeans, and in the summer they wear jeans with T-shirts. This is not fashion, this is no longer love for beauty,” Molinari said backstage.
“We need to look after ourselves with an elegant, harmonious, passionate, seducing dress.”
Short black dresses were strapless, one-shouldered and with slits or with other detailing. One pale pink chiffon dress came with a cape. See-through tops were tied at the neck and paired with shiny or tiered skirts.
For footwear, models wore thigh high black heeled boots or sandals with bows – either at the front or back, paired with socks.
Milan Fashion Week is the third stop on the month-long catwalk calendar, which began in New York and also includes London and Paris.
Reporting By Marie-Louise Gumuchian; editing by John Stonestreet
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Movies with a message make impact beyond Oscars glitz
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The movie “Green Book” explores racial inequality, “Roma” reveals the emotional toll placed on domestic workers, and “RBG” chronicles the fight for women’s rights.
FILE PHOTO: Julie Cohen (L) and Betsy West from “RBG” attend a reception for Oscar-nominated documentary films, ahead of the 91st Academy Awards, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. February 19, 2019. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
The messages in the three Academy Awards contenders are no accident. All were produced and financed by Participant Media, a pioneer among a group of companies aiming to advance social missions through movies.
Participant was founded in 2004 by billionaire and former eBay President Jeff Skoll. The company’s credits range from Al Gore’s climate-change documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” and Steven Spielberg’s historical drama “Lincoln” to “Spotlight”, a best picture winner about journalists who exposed a cover-up of abuse by Catholic priests.
“We often gravitate toward stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, becoming leaders for change in their own and others’ lives,” Participant Media Chief Executive David Linde said by email.
“Roma” is a prime example, Linde said. The black-and-white drama, which was distributed by Netflix Inc, revolves around Cleo, an indigenous Mexican housekeeper who displays courage in the face of serious challenges.
It will compete at the Oscars on Sunday for best picture with “Green Book,” a Participant movie released by Comcast Corp’s Universal Pictures about a black pianist on a 1962 concert tour of the segregated U.S. South.
“RBG,” about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is up for best documentary.
Participant’s movies are paired with off-screen activism. For “Roma,” the company joined the National Domestic Workers Alliance to push for labor protections and supported the launch of an app that provides benefits to house cleaners such as paid time off.
COMPELLING, SUCCESSFUL
Scott Budnick, who quit his career producing comedies such as “The Hangover” to advocate for prison reform, is also working to spark change through compelling and commercially successful entertainment.
His new company, One Community, is aiming to raise $10 million to mount a year-long campaign around the January 2020 release of the film “Just Mercy,” a biographical drama starring Michael B. Jordan as a lawyer fighting to free a man wrongly convicted of murder.
The campaign is expected to kick off within the next two months and will be designed to prompt changes on issues such as the death penalty and juvenile sentencing, Budnick said in an interview.
One Community, which is co-financing “Just Mercy” with AT&T Inc’s Warner Bros., “is the branch between philanthropy and politics to the entertainment community,” he said.
While many philanthropists and politicians want to tackle problems such as poverty or homelessness, “they are never aligned with a major studio that may be spending $20, $40 or $60 million to sell that issue to the public,” Budnick said.
“We’re here to be that aligner,” he said.
A co-producer of “Just Mercy” is Macro, a company committed to developing TV shows and movies that represent a broad range of stories featuring people of color. Past films include the critically acclaimed dramas “Fences” and “Mudbound.”
Macro was founded by former talent agent Charles King and is funded by organizations that support the company’s mission, including the Ford Foundation that invested $5 million.
“Affecting which stories are told, by whom, and from what perspective, is an extremely powerful way to change the discourse in this country,” said Cara Mertes, director of a Ford Foundation initiative called JustFilms. “For us, this is social justice impact.”
Budnick’s One Community is funded by a variety of investors, including Endeavor Content and Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin.
Slideshow (2 Images)
It is set up as a “double bottom line” company to generate profits and social change, Budnick said. Executives are working with social scientists to develop metrics to gauge success.
That framework is not for every investor, Budnick said.
If someone is looking for a return of 10 times their investment, “they could go to Twitter, Uber, Instagram,” Budnick said. “This is not that. This is a company modeled to make money, and it’s modeled to make impact.”
Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Paul Tait
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Factbox: List of some reported racial attacks in U.S. deemed to be false
(Reuters) – Actor Jussie Smollett of the television drama “Empire” staged an attack on himself that appeared to have racist and homophobic overtones as a publicity stunt, Chicago police said on Thursday.
The 36-year-old, who is black and openly gay, was arrested and charged with lying to police in connection with the Jan. 29 incident, in which he paid two men $3,500 to strike him and put a noose around his neck, according to police.
Here is a brief list of other incidents in the United States involving discredited reports of racially motivated attacks:
December 2016 – Yasmin Seweid, 18, was charged with filing a false police report after telling police that three white men, yelling the name of then President-elect Donald Trump, had attacked her on a New York City subway for wearing a traditional Muslim head scarf.
January 2016 – Ariel Agudio, Asha Burwell and Alexis Briggs, former students at the State University of New York at Albany, were charged with false reporting and misdemeanor assault after claiming they were racially attacked on a bus by 12 to 20 people, including white men, according to reports by Times Union newspaper. University police accused the three students, who are black, of being the aggressors in the physical altercation and were dismissed from the school.
October 2008 – Ashley Todd, a former volunteer for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, admitted to Pittsburgh police that she lied about being robbed and beaten by a black man after he saw a McCain bumpersticker on her car, according to reports by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Todd, who is white, was sentenced to nine months of probation.
October 1994 – South Carolina native Susan Smith drowned her two young sons when she let her car roll into a nearby lake with the boys inside. Smith, who is white, had originally told police that the children had vanished when an armed black man forced his way into the car. She later confessed to the killings and was sentenced to life in prison.
November 1987 – Tawana Brawley, then 15, claimed she was kidnapped and raped by a gang of white men in Wappingers Falls, New York, who used charcoal to scratch racial slurs into her skin. A state grand jury found her story to be untrue and all the men who were accused in the attack were exonerated. Brawley, who is a black woman, insisted years later that her story was true.
Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis
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Jackson estate says HBO film violates non-disparagement contract: lawsuit
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The estate of Michael Jackson filed a lawsuit on Thursday against HBO saying that its documentary about allegations of child sex abuse by the late singer breached a previous agreement by the cable channel not to disparage him.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, said HBO could owe more than $100 million in damages for what the estate called the network’s “reprehensible disparagement” of the “Thriller” singer in the documentary.
Documentary “Leaving Neverland” is due to be broadcast on AT&T owned HBO on March 3 and 4 after a world premiere at the Sundance film festival last month.
In the documentary, two men who are now in their 30s, say they were befriended by Jackson and were sexually abused by him starting from when they were 7 and 10 years old.
Jackson, who died in 2009, was acquitted at a 2005 criminal trial in California on charges of molesting a different, 13-year-old boy, at his Neverland ranch.
The lawsuit does not seek to prevent the broadcast of the documentary but says it violates a 1992 contract for HBO’s broadcast of Jackson’s “Dangerous” world tour, in which the network agreed not to disparage him at that time or in the future.
The estate is seeking to enforce a clause in the 1992 contract saying it entitles the estate to arbitrate the dispute.
“Despite the desperate lengths taken to undermine the film, our plans remain unchanged,” HBO said in a statement on Thursday. “HBO will move forward with the airing of the two-part documentary on March 3rd and 4th. This will allow everyone the opportunity to assess the film and the claims in it for themselves.”
Slideshow (2 Images)
The singer’s family last month called the documentary and news coverage of the accusations in it a “public lynching” and said Jackson was “100 percent innocent.”
Howard Weitzman, an attorney for the Jackson estate, said in a statement on Thursday that HBO “could have and should have ensured that ‘Leaving Neverland’ was properly sourced, fact checked and a fair and balanced representation.”
He said the network had “breached its agreement not to disparage Michael Jackson by producing and selling to the public a one-sided marathon of unvetted propaganda to shamelessly exploit an innocent man.”
Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Jonathan Stempel; editing by Howard Goller and Grant McCool
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Topsy-turvy season gives Oscars a best picture cliffhanger
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Hollywood’s awards season reaches a climax at Sunday’s Oscars with a cliffhanger over the top prize after a topsy-turvy best picture race marked by the fading of early favorites and the tantalizing question of whether Netflix can trump traditional movie studios.
While Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron’s sentimental Netflix movie “Roma” and historical romp “The Favourite” from Fox Searchlight go into the ceremony with a leading 10 nominations each, there’s no guarantee they will come out on top.
“This year’s Oscar best picture race is as wide open as I have ever seen it,” said Matthew Belloni, editorial director of the Hollywood Reporter.
“If ‘Roma’ wins best picture, it will be a watershed moment for Netflix. It will announce the day they have arrived,” he added. No streaming service has ever won the Academy Award for best picture.
The Academy Awards will be handed out on Sunday in a live ceremony televised by ABC starting at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET (0100 GMT on Monday).
Award watchers say Universal Pictures’ “Green Book,” a road trip set in the segregated U.S. South in the 1960s, and the studio’s Ku Klux Klan comedy-drama “BlacKkKlansman” from director Spike Lee are also serious contenders for the best picture statuette.
From street kids to war romance, Oscar foreign-film slate keeps it real
Sentiment for Lee is rising, they say, and he could become the first African-American ever to win a best director Oscar with his film tapping into historical and contemporary U.S. racial tensions.
“‘Green Book’ and ‘BlacKkKlansman’ are more representative of the traditional best picture winner, which is a polished popular film that has an important social message,” said Tom O’Neil, founder of awards website Goldderby.com.
FILE PHOTO: The 75th Venice International Film Festival – photocall for the movie “Roma” competing in the Venezia 75 section – Venice, Italy, August 30, 2018 – Director Alfonso Cuaron with actors Yalitza Aparicio, Nancy Garcia and Marina de Tavira. REUTERS/Tony Gentile
Awards leading up to the Oscars this year have been inconsistent, with “Green Book,” 21st Century Fox rock biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Disney superhero movie “Black Panther” and “Roma” all picking up prizes.
Political comedy “Vice” and Warner Bros. musical romance “A Star is Born,” starring acting nominees Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, round out the best picture contenders, although both films have seen their luster fade.
“In the fall, I would have thought ‘A Star is Born’ would have been coming in as the big favorite, and it has faded out of the conversation for reasons I cannot really place,” said Alison Willmore, critic and culture writer for BuzzFeed News.
Meanwhile, “Green Book” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” have shrugged off a slew of negative publicity, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” star Rami Malek is seen as the favorite to win best actor for his portrayal of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.
Fiascos and fumbles: Oscar organizers stumble to restore glory
“Bohemian Rhapsody” director Bryan Singer was accused of sexual misconduct involving underage men in the 1990s in an article published in January by The Atlantic magazine. Singer issued a statement denying the accusations.
Willmore said Malek looked like an Oscar winner. “What Rami Malek does in that movie is acting with a capital ‘A.’ He models himself after this famous figure, he wears prosthetics and he ‘performs’ at Live Aid,” she said.
The family of the real-life black pianist at the center of “Green Book” have said his portrayal, by supporting actor front-runner Mahershala Ali, contained inaccuracies. Ali has said he respects the family and had spoken with them.
Accusations also resurfaced in January of sexual impropriety in the 1990s by the movie’s director, Peter Farrelly. Farrelly apologized for his conduct.
FILE PHOTO: Spike Lee, director of “BlacKkKlansman” and nominee for best director poses with nominee plaque at the Directors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S. February 2, 2019. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
“No film has been more insulted this year than ‘Green Book,’ but no film has won more prizes,” said Variety awards editor Tim Gray.
In other races, Glenn Close looks certain to take her first Oscar, for best actress, for portraying a submissive spouse to her Nobel Prize-winning writer husband in “The Wife.”
“She seems to be a safe bet, which is ironic considering she portrays a woman in ‘The Wife’ who has been cheated out of an award,” said O’Neil.
Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Jonathan Oatis
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Jussie Smollett staged Chicago ‘hate crime’ seeking higher pay: police
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Actor Jussie Smollett paid two brothers to stage a racist and homophobic attack on him and pose as supporters of President Donald Trump because he was unhappy with his pay on the hip-hop TV drama “Empire,” Chicago’s police chief said on Thursday.
Smollett, who is black and openly gay, was arrested on Thursday and charged with lying to police about the supposed attack on Jan. 29. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was visibly angered as he condemned Smollett’s actions.
Police did not spell out how the 36-year-old actor hoped to boost his salary by staging such a hoax.
“Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career,” Johnson told a news conference, adding that the actor paid the brothers $3,500 to stage the supposed hate crime.
“This stunt was orchestrated by Smollett because he was dissatisfied with this salary. He concocted a story about being attacked,” Johnson said. “We gave him the benefit of the doubt.”
Police did not say how much Smollett is paid for his role on “Empire.” If convicted, he could face a prison sentence of one to three years.
A judge set bail at $100,000 and ordered Smollett to surrender his passport. The actor, who turned himself in early on Thursday, was released from jail after paying 10 percent of the bail amount as stipulated by the judge.
In court, Smollett wore a black jacket and stared at the prosecutor as she detailed the allegations against him.
A spokesman for Smollett’s lawyers, Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson, said in an email, “Once we are ready to make statement we will do so.” On Wednesday, the lawyers had said they were conducting a thorough investigation to form an aggressive defense.
Smollett had claimed that two masked men struck him and put a noose round his neck while shouting “This is MAGA country,” referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. It was initially reported that an unknown substance was poured over him, but Johnson on Thursday said that was unclear.
“@JussieSmollett – what about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!? #MAGA,” Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
The Smollett case touched off a furor in the United States as it tapped into increasingly heated political divisions since Trump’s 2016 election. Critics of the president have said his rhetoric has fueled racism and violence, while his supporters say the press has been too quick to embrace any news that appears to cast Trump and his supporters in a bad light.
SMOLLETT RETURNS TO ‘EMPIRE’ SET
20th Century Fox Television, which airs “Empire” and on Wednesday said that Smollett “continues to be a consummate professional on set,” on Thursday said in a statement, “We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options.” It also said it understands “the seriousness of the matter and we respect the legal process.”
Hollywood trade publication Variety reported that Smollett returned to the set of “Empire” – a drama about a music empire and a family dynasty – after being released by police on Thursday.
According to court papers filed in the sensational case, Smollett wrote the brothers a $3,500 personal check and gave them $100 to buy the rope, ski masks, gloves and red MAGA-style baseball caps that were used in the supposed attack.
Jussie Smollett exits Cook County Department of Corrections after posting bail in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., February 21, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Lott
Police interviewed more than 100 people, reviewed footage from more than 55 surveillance cameras and executed more than 50 search warrants.
Johnson told reporters that Smollett had first tried to gain attention by sending himself a threatening letter filled with “racial, homophobic and political language.”
“When that didn’t work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack and drag Chicago’s reputation through the mud,” the police chief said.
On Feb. 13, police arrested the two brothers, who had been recognized from surveillance footage of the area where Smollett said the attack occurred. One of the two men had appeared with Smollett on “Empire,” according to police and their lawyer.
Prosecutors said one of the brothers had supplied Smollett with “designer drugs” in the past.
Near the end of the 48 hours in which police are allowed to detain potential suspects without charging them, the brothers “decided to confess to the entirety of what the plot was,” Johnson said. They became cooperating witnesses and were released two days later without charges.
Since the alleged attack, Smollett had received support on social media, including from several celebrities and Democratic presidential candidates. Others were skeptical of the incident, which Smollett said occurred around 2 a.m. on a Chicago street during one of the city’s coldest weeks in recent history.
In an interview with “Good Morning America” last week, Smollett said he was angry that some people questioned his story, and he suggested the disbelief might come from racial bias.
Johnson called for Smollett to apologize to the city and said he was worried that real victims might now be reluctant to come forward.
Slideshow (13 Images)
“My concern is that hate crimes will now be publicly met with a level of skepticism,” the police chief told reporters, adding that the city had bigger problems.
“I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention,” he said.
Reporting by Karen Pierog and Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago and Gina Cherelus in New York; Additional reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee, Wis., Gabriella Borter and Peter Szekely in New York and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Daniel Wallis, Matthew Lewis and Leslie Adler
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Absorbing Vincent: Van Gogh goes immersive in Paris exhibition
PARIS (Reuters) – A Paris gallery is offering visitors the chance to immerse themselves in the colourscapes of Vincent Van Gogh like never before.
L’Atelier des Lumieres is projecting digitized, multilayered versions of some of the artist’s most famous works, including “Starry Night Over the Rhone” and “Churchyard in the Rain”, onto its floor and walls
Conveying at different stages the illusion of water rippling in the light and raindrops falling, the show is accompanied by a rich soundtrack.
“Obviously, we have “The Starry Night,” we have the sunflowers, we have the irises,” gallery director Michael Couzigou told Reuters TV.
“The idea here is to propose something that’s different from classic museums. It’s to allow the visitors to really get inside the paintings.”
“Van Gogh, La Nuit Etoilée”, which opens on Friday and runs until Dec 31, is the gallery’s second immersive art project, following a Gustav Klimt show in 2018.
writing by John Stonestreet
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Actor Smollett staged ‘hate crime’ hoax to advance career: Chicago police
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Actor Jussie Smollett paid two brothers thousands of dollars to beat him in a staged racist and homophobic attack because he was unhappy with his salary on the hip-hop TV drama “Empire,” Chicago’s police chief said on Thursday.
Smollett, who is black and openly gay, was arrested on Thursday and charged with lying to police about the alleged attack on Jan. 29. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was visibly angered as he condemned his actions.
Police did not spell out how the 36-year-old actor hoped to boost his salary by staging the supposed attack by supporters of President Donald Trump. “Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career,” Johnson told a news conference, adding that the actor paid $3,500 to the brothers to stage the supposed hate crime.
“This stunt was orchestrated by Smollett because he was dissatisfied with this salary. He concocted a story about being attacked,” Johnson said. “We gave him the benefit of the doubt.”
Police did not say anything about the amount of Smollett’s salary. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence of one to three years.
A judge set bail at $100,000 and ordered Smollett to surrender his passport. The actor, who turned himself in early Thursday, was released from jail after paying 10 percent of the bail amount as stipulated by the judge.
In court, Smollett wore a black jacket and stared at the prosecutor as she detailed the allegations against him.
Smollett had said two apparent Trump supporters struck him and put a noose round his neck while shouting “This is MAGA country,” referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. It was initially reported that an unknown substance was poured over him, but Johnson on Thursday said that was unclear.
“@JussieSmollett – what about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!? #MAGA,” Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
The Smollett case has become a sensation in the United States as it tapped in to increasingly heated political divisions since the election of Trump in November 2016. Critics of Trump have said his rhetoric has fueled racism and violence, while the president’s supporters say the press has been too quick to embrace any news that appears to cast Trump and his supporters in a bad light.
20th Century Fox Television, which airs “Empire,” said in a statement on Thursday that it understands the seriousness of the matter and respects the legal process. “We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options,” the statement said.
Smollett wrote the brothers a $3,500 personal check and gave them $100 to buy the rope, ski masks, gloves and red MAGA-style baseball caps that were used in the supposed attack, according to court papers.
A spokesman for Smollett’s lawyers, Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson, said on Thursday in an email, “once we are ready to make statement we will do so.”
On Wednesday, they had said they were conducting a thorough investigation to form an aggressive defense.
Jussie Smollett exits Cook County Department of Corrections after posting bail in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., February 21, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Lott
‘THROUGH THE MUD’
Police interviewed more than 100 people, reviewed video from more than 55 surveillance cameras and executed more than 50 search warrants during the investigation.
Johnson told reporters that Smollett had first tried to gain attention by sending himself a threatening letter filled with “racial, homophobic and political language.”
“When that didn’t work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack and drag Chicago’s reputation through the mud,” the police chief said.
On Feb. 13, police arrested the two brothers who were recognized from surveillance footage of the area where Smollett said the attack occurred. One of the brothers worked with Smollett on “Empire,” according to police and their lawyer.
Near the end of the 48 hours in which police are allowed to detain potential suspects without charging them, the brothers “decided to confess to the entirety of what the plot was,” Johnson said. They became cooperating witnesses and were released two days later without charges.
Since the alleged attack, Smollett had received support on social media, including from several celebrities and Democratic presidential candidates. Others were skeptical of the incident, which Smollett said occurred around 2 a.m. on a Chicago street during one of the city’s coldest weeks in recent history.
In an interview with “Good Morning America” last week, Smollett said he was angry that some people questioned his story, and he suggested the disbelief might come from racial bias.
Slideshow (13 Images)
Johnson called for Smollett to apologize to the city and said he was worried that real victims might now be reluctant to come forward.
“My concern is that hate crimes will now be publicly met with a level of skepticism,” Johnson told reporters, adding that the city had bigger problems.
“I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention,” the police chief said.
Reporting by Karen Pierog and Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago and Gina Cherelus in New York; Additional reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee, Wis.; and by Gabriella Borter and Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Matthew Lewis
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