No: 17264 Friday, June 23, 2017

www.kuwaittimes.net

FRIDA

Y

, JUNE 23, 2017

Page 21

A Moroccan man sits in the

doorway of a house in

Chefchouen, in the northern

Moroccan Rif region, during

the Muslim holy fasting

month of Ramadan. — AFP

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L i f e s t y l e

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Russell Crowe 

to

lead new Asian film

jury in Australia

H

ollywood star Russell Crowe will chair a

jury to decide the best Asian production

at Australia's annual film awards this year,

which will recognize excellence in Asian movie-

making for the first time. The new award for top

Asian feature will be handed out at the presti-

gious Sydney bash in December, as appetite for

regional films surges Down Under. It is part of a

plan by the Australian Academy for Film and

Television Arts (AACTA) to boost the relationship

between the nation's respected film industry and

its closest neighbors.

Sitting on the jury alongside Crowe will be

Chinese director Lu Chuan, prolific Indian actor

Anupam Kher, Oscar-nominated producer Gary

Kurtz, and acclaimed South Korean writer, direc-

tor and producer Kim Ki-Duk, among others. "As

the Asian screen industry continues to grow and

the traditional borders to content distribution are

breaking down, audiences across the world are

discovering what other regions have to offer,"

said AACTA chief Damian Trewhella. "There is

strong audience demand for Asian cinema in

Australia and an increase in co-productions

between Western and Asian filmmakers. 

I

f Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize re-ignited the

debate on what separates popular music

from poetry, Sam Baker is here to complicate

things further. Baker makes elegant, original

music. Nothing he does could be mistaken for

anyone else's work. Baker's career emerged

from a remarkable life story. In 1986 he was on a

train in Peru when a bomb set by terrorists

exploded. Baker suffered brain damage, hearing

loss and a hand injury that forced him to teach

himself to play guitar left-handed.

The simple grace of his craft, on full display in

his fifth release, "Land of Doubt," emerged from

that tragedy. With a sound both soaring and

sad, the Texas-based Baker sings in a raspy talk-

whisper that makes you stop what you're doing,

sit down and listen. The words emerge in sharp

relief from a soundscape of restrained guitar,

piano, strings and muted trumpet. Baker has

mostly veered away from the story-portraits of

earlier albums and toward songs about heart-

break and loss. There are hints of bitterness, and

if there is hope to be found, it lies in the majesty

of the music. A song called "The Feast of Saint

Valentine," for example, dwells on a "wish you

well" card that hints at a recent breakup.

Impossibly sad, it's delivered against an ascend-

ing backdrop that could be the soundtrack of

mountains. Somehow, it lifts the spirit. The

effect, utterly evocative, may or may not qualify

as poetry. But it is certainly poetic. — AP

Sam Baker

makes art with a style all his own

Appeals court 

reinstates Howard's

divorce judgment

A

California appeals court on

Wednesday reinstated Terrence

Howard's divorce judgment involving

his second wife after finding the actor was

not coerced into signing it. The ruling could

allow Michelle Ghent to claim some of

Howard's lucrative earnings from the hit Fox

television series "Empire." The three-justice

panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal in

Los Angeles ruled unanimously to reinstate

the judgment that was tossed out by a lower

court in 2015. That ruling found the "Empire"

star was under duress when he agreed to

pay Ghent generous spousal support

because he feared she would leak embar-

rassing information about him.

Howard claimed Ghent made the threat

in a 2011 phone call. A year later, the couple

agreed to a divorce settlement that paid her

significant spousal support. Wednesday's

ruling says the passage of time negates

Howard's claim that he was forced to sign

the agreement. The ruling also noted

Howard's repeated attempts to reconcile

with his ex-wife as showing he was not

coerced into the agreement. A phone mes-

sage left for Howard's attorney Thomas

Dunlap was not immediately returned.

The 2012 agreement called for Howard to

pay Ghent monthly support of $5,800 and as

much as $4 million a year, depending on his

earnings, including potential income from

his role as Lucious Lyon on the Fox series

"Empire," which had not yet premiered. In a

deposition, Ghent denied extorting the actor

and argued that he didn't prove she had

made threats in 2011 to force him to sign the

agreement, her lawyers said.—AP

I

t's been more than 25 years, and Ice Cube's

still got something to say. The 48-year-old

entertainer has come a long way from his

start as part of the West Coast rap group N.W.A.

and later a solo artist, branching into movies

and now founding a soon-to-be-launched half-

court basketball league. But some things

haven't changed, like his willingness to call out

law enforcement on the way he sees policing

done and to speak his mind on race issues, like

he did recently when he took late-night host Bill

Maher to task for his use of the N-word during a

show.

He brought that attitude to the 25th anniver-

sary re-release this month of his 1991 solo

album, "Death Certificate," with its newly added-

on lead single, "Good Cop, Bad Cop." Asked for

his thoughts about where the country is with

policing, especially in the wake of several high-

profile shootings of minorities by officers, he

was blunt: "Same as we always been."

"Police have a philosophy, they have a theo-

ry, they have a way of doing stuff, it's win at all

costs," Cube, born O'Shea Jackson, said Tuesday

in an interview with The Associated Press. "Win

now, apologize later, that's the model. By having

that way of thinking and that philosophy, it's all

about 'Us against Them,' that's the mentality."

"Good Cop, Bad Cop" calls on good cops to

speak and act against corrupt police officers, a

far cry from the attitude in N.W.A's infamous

song, "F--- tha Police," but Cube said he's

"always really hoped good police would take

care of bad cops," that while the 1988 song was

a "revenge fantasy" type of thing against police

abuse, the new song is a plea for honorable

cops to step up and speak out.

"They're our last line of defense against this

onslaught of abuse," he said. He has seen

changes he thinks are positive, he said, pointing

to officers in fatal shootings at least getting to

the stage of undergoing trials, even if convic-

tions are still extremely rare. In the days of his

youth, "police could do no wrong ... now you

fast forward 25 years later, at least the cops are

being put on trial for their actions."

And it's not just the police that Cube is will-

ing to, well, police. His appearance on "Real

Time With Bill Maher" was noted for his strong

criticism of Maher, who had jokingly referred to

himself by using the N-word during the previous

week's episode. —AP

U

S television star and music sensation

Charice Pempengco of the Philippines has

announced a new transgender identity,

revealing his new name on Twitter: Jake Zyrus.

"My first tweet as Jake. Overwhelmed. Saw all

your love comments and I'm so happy. Finally. I

love you, everyone and see you soon," the 25-

year-old wrote this week on his revamped Twitter

account, which has nearly a million followers. "I

won't let anyone ruin this moment. I won't let

anyone ruin my happiness. Thank you to all the

beautiful write ups about me." 

The artist born as Charmaine Clarice

Pempengco inspired millions of Filipinos with her

journey from poverty to sharing the stage with

Celine Dion,  Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban,

even singing at Barack Obama's pre-US presiden-

tial inauguration galas. Her self-titled debut

album in 2010 landed at number eight on the US

Billboard 200 Albums chart, the same year she

starred in the American hit television series:

"Glee", playing exchange student character

Sunshine Corazon.

Pempengco also appeared as herself in the

2009 film "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The

Squeakquel". In 2013, Pempengco came out as a

lesbian, which caused controversy in the

Philippines, where most Filipinos are Catholic and

homosexuality is tolerated but not totally accept-

ed. The following year Pempengco opened up on

Oprah Winfrey's television show, saying:

"Basically, my soul is male."

A report released by Human Rights Watch

Thursday said lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-

gender (LGBT) students across the Philippines

suffered bullying and discrimination in school

due to their sexual orientation and gender identi-

ty. "LGBT students in the Philippines are often tar-

gets of ridicule and even violence," Ryan

Thoreson, LGBT rights program fellow at the US-

based monitor said in a statement, adding teach-

ers and schools took part in the mistreatment.

The Philippine edition of Esquire magazine apol-

ogized on Wednesday for an article on Zyrus's

announcement that made fun of the singer's

choice of name.

"We thought we were being a crass-but-sup-

portive friend in the way we wanted to show our

support while poking a little fun at Jake, but we

totally drunk-uncled our way through it," the

magazine wrote on its website. Zyrus expressed

his appreciation on Twitter. "Apology accepted,

all love to you @EsquirePH," he wrote. "Respect

for everyone." — AFP

In this file photo, Terrence Howard

arrives at the 68th Primetime Emmy

Awards in Los Angeles. — AP

In this  photo rapper and actor Ice Cube pos-

es for a portrait in New York to promote the

25th anniversary re-release of his 1991 solo

album, ‘Death Certificate.’— AP

Philippine star Charice 

announces new transgender name

After over 25 years, Ice Cube's still got something to say

This file photo shows Filipina singer Charice

Pempengco performing during the launch-

ing of her first album in Makati, financial dis-

trict of Manila. — AFP

A file photo shows actor Russell Crowe on the

red carpet during the world premiere of ‘The

Water Diviner’ in Sydney. — AFP

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