Author: Ohart

German band Joasihno strikes a chord in a unique way as it takes its show on the road.

Currently touring in Canada, the two-man band works in concert with a “robotic” element that can play several instruments at the same time.

“Actually we call it psychedelic robot orchestra,” said Cico Beck, one of the creators of the band. “It’s a combination of acoustic instruments but also very trashy robot instruments,” he added.

Once hooked up to wires and set up, instruments that include a xylophone, drum and cymbal play on their own. Another contraption, a horizontal, self-revolving wooden stick, stands atop a microphone stand. The stick contains long strings tied on each end with a wooden ping pong-sized-ball attached. As the stick rotates, the balls hit a block on the floor, creating a hollow knocking sound. 

Beck said a computer is at the heart of the self-playing instruments.

“Most of this stuff is controlled by the computer. The computer can translate voltage signals, so the robots are controlled by the voltage, that is controlled by the computer,” Beck said. 

Playing in an experimental band with a robot orchestra is not the same as playing in a traditional one, said Nico Siereg, the other Joasihno member.

WATCH: Robotic orchestra

​”It’s a little bit different because you also have in mind that there are machines playing with you, so there’s no reaction from them.” 

Siereg said in some ways, once the robots are programmed, he is free to focus on what he is playing and even improvise. The musician said he can envision future scenarios in which technology plays a greater role in creating different types of music; but, he voiced hope that “real music won’t die.”

Even if the robots are not taking over the music world, Beck said it is undeniable that in the 21st century, music and technology are intertwined.

“Technology is like a very important tool that even, very often, it’s also a very important part of inspiration,” he added.

Joasihno performed several shows at the now-concluded music festival and tech conference known as South by Southwest, held in Austin, Texas. The experimental band is hoping its high-tech use of instrumentals will be music to one’s ears.
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Alongside Spider-Man, the Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow and the other superheroes of the Marvel Universe is Ms. Marvel…a young shape-shifting crusader for today’s diverse American society. Ariadne Budianto has more on the first Muslim superhero to have her own dedicated series.
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International Paralympic Committee (IPC) president Andrew Parsons on Sunday declared the Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics closed, and paid tribute to late British physicist Stephen Hawking as an “inspiration.”

At a spectacular ceremony that featured dancing, music and light shows, the curtain was officially brought down on nine days of sporting action.

“The time has come for me to declare the Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games closed,” Parsons said.

Hawking, who died last week aged 76, is fondly remembered by Paralympians as he opened the 2012 London Paralympics.

Parsons paid tribute to the scientist as “a genius of a man, a pioneer and inspiration to us all.”

“While Hawking tested the limits of his imagination, Paralympians, you have once again pushed the boundaries of human endeavor,” he told the audience.

Towards the end of the ceremony, the Paralympic flag was handed over to the mayor of Beijing — which will host the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.
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Artists and their audiences in New York City will soon have access to a giant stage that can morph into different shapes. “The Shed,” being built on Manhattan’s West Side, will invite visual and performance artists to experiment with a transformable space in which they can present their art. VOA’s George Putic reports.
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Maryam Durrani is a child prodigy who wrote her first book at the age of 13, making her one of the youngest authors in America. But as VOA’s Niala Mohammad reports, the hijab-wearing teen defies stereotypes associated with Muslims and girls.
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The president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that hands out the Oscars, is being investigated over allegations of sexual harassment.

The Academy is reported to have received three complaints against John Bailey Wednesday.

The Academy issued a statement Friday saying it “treats any complaints confidentially to protect all parties.” The statement said there would be no further comments “until the full review is completed.”

Bailey, who is 75, became Academy president in August. He is a veteran cinematographer whose films include The Big Chill and Groundhog Day.

The Academy and the movie industry have been rocked by the recent revelations of what appears to be widespread sexual harassment in the industry. The #MeToo and the Time’s Up movements have brought global attention to the matter.

Powerful movie producer Harvey Weinstein was expelled from the Academy, following detailed media reports about his inappropriate sexual behavior with actresses and female staff members.

In December, the Academy adopted a code of conduct for its members.
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A popular Indian pop singer has been convicted of human trafficking and cheating after a court found he pretended people were in his performance troupe so they could get jobs in North America.

Daler Mehndi says he is innocent. He was sentenced to two years in prison but was freed on bail Friday to appeal his conviction.

Prosecutors say Mehndi and his brother took “passage money” from Indians they offered to disguise as performers in his troupe. The job seekers could then stay in the United States and Canada to find work.

The cheating conviction alleges the brothers took money from some Indians and never took them abroad.

Mehndi shot into fame in the 1990s with Punjabi-language songs and energetic dancing. He also lent his voice for Bollywood film songs.
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Every year, hundreds of thousands of people flock to Washington in the spring to see the cherry blossoms bloom. The buds on the trees can survive chilly temperatures but need warm days to burst open with their white or pink flowers. But because of fluctuating spring temperatures, it is not always easy to predict when the trees will bloom. As we hear from VOA’s Deborah Block, it appears this year’s flowers may come out a bit earlier than usual.
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John’s songs will be re-worked by top artists including Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Willie Nelson and Chris Stapleton.

John announced on Thursday the April 6 release of two albums. “Revamp” will include covers by pop and rock stars from Mary J. Blige to Miley Cyrus. Miranda Lambert and Dolly Parton will appear on the country album, “Restoration.”

Pink and Logic will team up for “Bennie and the Jets” and Florence + the Machine take on “Tiny Dancer.” Other acts on “Revamp” include Sam Smith, Coldplay, The Killers, Mumford and Sons, Q-Tip, Demi Lovato, Queens of the Stone Age and Alessia Cara.

“Restoration” will feature Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Don Henley, Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Brothers Osborne, Dierks Bentley, Rhonda Vincent and Lee Ann Womack.
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Queen Elizabeth II has given her formal consent to the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

 

 The British monarch has issued a declaration consenting “to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle.”

 

The prince, fifth in line to the British throne, and the American actress are to marry May 19 at Windsor Castle.

 

Alongside the declaration that was made public Thursday, the queen signed an Instrument of Consent, a formal notice of approval, transcribed in calligraphy and issued under the Great Seal of the Realm.

 

Harry is among a handful of senior royals who must seek the monarch’s permission to marry or have their descendants disqualified from succession to the crown.

 
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Italian fashion house Versace and handbag and accessories maker Furla said they would stop using real fur in their creations, joining a growing list of luxury labels turning their backs on the fur industry.

Fashion houses around the world are bowing to pressure and using alternatives to real fur amid pressure from animal rights groups and changing tastes of younger customers, who are increasingly aware of the environmental issues linked with the clothes they buy.

Donatella Versace, the artistic director and vice-president of Versace, said that she did not want to kill animals to make fashion and that it “it doesn’t feel right”, speaking in an interview with The Economist’s 1843 magazine on Wednesday.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) Senior Vice President Dan Mathews said in an emailed statement that it was “a major turning point in the campaign for compassionate fashion”, adding that he looked forward to seeing a “leather-free Versace next.”

The animal rights group recently campaigned at the Pyeongchang Winter games for an end to the fur trade.

Furla on Thursday committed to replacing all fur with faux-fur for both menswear and womenswear starting from its Cruise 2019 collection.

Italian fashion group Gucci, part of Paris-based luxury conglomerate Kering, said in October it would stop using fur in its designs from its spring and summer 2018 collection joining Armani, Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and multi-brand online luxury retailer Yoox Net-A-Porter

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British designer Stella McCartney has long followed a so-called “vegetarian” philosophy, shunning not only fur, but also leather and feathers.

Reporting by Giulia Segreti; Additional reporting by Sarah White in Paris.
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A producer of hit royal drama The Crown says Claire Foy, who played the central role of Queen Elizabeth II, was paid less than her on-screen husband.

The Netflix series traces Elizabeth’s journey from princess to queen, beginning in the 1950s.

Trade publication Variety quoted producer Suzanne Mackie as confirming Foy was paid less than Matt Smith, who played Prince Philip in two seasons of the series. She made the reported comment at an industry event in Jerusalem.

She said this was because Smith was better-known after starring in the sci-fi series Doctor Who. Mackie said the gap would be closed with the forthcoming third series, saying “going forward, no one gets paid more than the queen.”

Foy’s agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Neither Foy nor Smith will appear in the third series, which will star Olivia Colman as the middle-aged monarch.

The gender pay gap has become a big issue in Hollywood after revelations that many female stars were paid less than their male counterparts.
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Well-traveled and much experienced as a soccer coach, Hector Cuper is facing a new obstacle when it comes to preparing Egypt for this year’s World Cup.

The tournament in Russia starts on the final day of Ramadan, the holy month that requires Muslims to fast from dawn to sunset. Egypt is scheduled to play its opening match a day later, on June 15, against Uruguay.

That means much of Egypt’s preparations for the World Cup – the country’s first in 28 years – will be done while the all-Muslim team is supposed to be fasting during daylight hours.

“If I deal with that pragmatically, I should turn the day upside down. Maybe Egyptian players are accustomed to doing this, but I as a Western person am not,” Cuper said late Tuesday on a TV talk show. “How can I train them at night around 11 or 12 after iftar (the meal Muslims eat at sunset to break their fast)? And how can I train them during the day without water and when they had nothing to eat?

“We are working on this and seeking to find the best way to overcome fasting fatigue and prevent it from hurting the players.”

Egypt, a record seven-time African champion, will also face host Russia and Saudi Arabia in Group A at the World Cup. Cuper, an Argentine who has coached extensively around his native country and in Europe, took over as national team coach in 2015.

There has been widespread speculation on whether soccer authorities in Egypt will request a fatwa, or a religious edict, from the country’s top theologian exempting the squad from fasting during the crucial month of preparation before the tournament begins.

In comments published Wednesday, Cuper said it would be up to the individual players to decide.

“Players of the national squad are absolutely free to fast and we cannot interfere in this because of my full respect for all faiths,” Cuper said, adding nutrition experts have been retained to advise the players on how to cope with fasting and sleeping during Ramadan.

In Russia, the Egyptian team will be based in Chechnya. Team officials have said they are happy to be in Grozny because it is a Muslim city where the players would be comfortable.

Devout Muslims refrain from food, water and sex while the sun is out during Ramadan. The lunar month is in May and June this year, with the long days making the fast a grueling 15- or 16-hour test of stamina. During Ramadan, Muslims break their fast at iftar, the traditionally large meal after sunset. Just before dawn, they eat another meal, sohour.

“I endure a great deal of hardship when I am fasting, but I prefer to honor my religious duty as long as I am able to cope,’ said Egypt defender Saad Sameer, who plays for Cairo club Al-Ahly. “I will fast the month of Ramadan, regardless of what the team decides.”

Another Egypt player, Zamalek midfielder Tareq Hamed, said he would abide by any decision reached by the team’s management on whether to fast.

“I hope we do well in the World Cup and not be distracted by issues like fasting,” said Hamed, adding he and many other players have in the past played matches while fasting.

Edicts exempting soccer players from fasting are not without precedence.

A 2008 edict by Egypt’s mufti, the country’s top theologian, exempted players from fasting during match days, arguing that if playing is what they do for a living then they should break their fast, provided that they compensate for those days after the end of Ramadan. Training, he said, did not provide grounds for breaking the fast.

The issue of Ramadan has showcased the religious dimension of sports, especially soccer, in Egypt, a majority Muslim country of about 100 million people, of whom about 10 million are Christians.

Egyptian match commentators routinely pray to God to come to the aid of the national team and they offer a prayer of thanks when they score. Beside the “Pharaohs,” the Egyptian national team has another nickname: “The Squad of al-Sajedeen,” or the team that kneels down and offers prayers, which they do after scoring.

It is also traditional for the team to collectively read the opening verse of the Quran before kickoff.
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Tuaregs in northern Niger are hoping to draw tourists back to the region by putting their traditional dances, music poetry and camel races on display.

 

Despite concerns about Islamic extremism throughout the Sahel region in West Africa, organizers recently hosted more than 1,000 visitors to a cultural festival in Iferouane, a village in Niger’s far north.

 

“Without tourism, our youth risks falling into idleness and misery, and will join the wave of migration to Europe,” said Mohamed Houma, the mayor of the town located about 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the central city of Agadez.

 

The Air festival, considered one of the most important gatherings to celebrate the culture of the Tuareg people, has been held since 2001.

 

It was marked last month by the sound of tende, the Tuareg style of music and drumming, as the women and men, on foot and on their camels, participated in song and dance competitions.

Since 2001, the gatherings have been held to celebrate the culture of the semi-nomadic Tuareg people. More than 2 million Tuaregs live in the Sahara Desert area, stretching across Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria and Tunisia.

 

Niger’s Air region, with oases, mountains and sand dunes, has been a destination for adventurous Western tourists since the 1980s and the visitors have been a financial boon for the region. But the tourism has dwindled since the Tuareg rebellion, which lasted from 2007 to 2009, and from the proliferation of armed and extremist groups in the Sahel region.

Security guards watched over the dozen French and Belgian tourists who participated this year’s in Air Festival.

 

“We are very happy because this festival shows the rest of the world that despite the international geopolitical and security context, we live here in peace, sheltered from the upheavals of some of our neighboring countries,” Houma said.

French tourists to the festival this year included Jacques Maire, a French legislator who heads a France-Niger Friendship group in the French National Assembly.

 

While the situation in Niger is tense, he said it is not the worst in the region.

 

“There has always been a strong French appetite for the Sahara,” said Maire. “We must seize every opportunity to recreate tourist flows.”‘

 

 
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World-renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, who sought to understand a range of cosmic topics from the beginning of the universe to the intricacies of black holes, died Wednesday at the age of 76.

A family spokesman said he died peacefully at his home in the city of Cambridge where he worked for decades as the Lucasian Professorship of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge.

“He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years,” Hawking’s children, Lucy, Robert and Tim, said in a statement.

He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at the age of 21, a disease that eventually confined him to a wheelchair and took away this ability to speak, leaving Hawking to communicate through a voice synthesizer.

Doctors predicted he would only live a few years, but he instead thrived, focusing on his work that included seeking to bridge the gap between Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity that describes the motion of large objects and the Theory of Quantum Mechanics dealing with subatomic particles.

“My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all,” Hawking said.

His 1988 book “A Brief History of Time” became an international bestseller and brought him widespread fame.

One of his most famous accomplishments came in his research on black holes, showing that small amounts of radiation could escape their gravitational pull. The phenomenon is now commonly known as Hawking radiation.

A sign of his popularity came in October when Cambridge put Hawking’s 1966 thesis online for the first time, and demand for the document was so high the university’s website crashed.

Hawking was also a proponent of human space travel to the Moon and Mars, an endeavor he said would help unite humanity in the shared purpose of spreading beyond Earth.

Hawking said making the first moves into space would “elevate humanity” because it would have to involve many countries.

“We are running out of space and the only places to go to are other worlds. It is time to explore other solar systems. Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I am convinced that humans need to leave Earth,” he said last year. “If humanity is to continue for another million years, our future lies in boldly going where no one else has gone before.”
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Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei has unveiled a 60-meter inflatable rubber raft carrying more than 300 anonymous oversized figures in Sydney, Australia, to represent the plight of refugees around the world. His work of art comes as more than 11-thousand migrants have arrived by sea in Europe so far this year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Nearly 430 have died or gone missing in the attempt. VOA’s Mariama Diallo reports.
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Jimmy Gata, 19, recites an anti-drugs poem at “Theatre in the Park” in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, jumping and gesturing on the stage, as spectators clap and cheer on the former addict.

Before finding his passion for the spoken word, Gata regularly took BronCleer, a cough syrup often smuggled in from South Africa that contains codeine, a painkiller similar to morphine. If enough is drunk, it also intoxicates like alcohol.

“Since Ngoma Yorira Theatre Association took me in to learn about film-making and acting and poetry, I have had no time for (BronCleer),” said Gata, a trained motor mechanic.

There are no accurate figures on the number of drug users in Zimbabwe. The Ministry of Health and Child Care says about 3,000 people nationwide are suffering mental illness directly related to drug abuse.

For 19-year-old Innocent Ndaramashe, an emerging R&B and hip-hop music star who was addicted to substances like BronCleer, the performing arts came to his rescue just in time.

“My music encourages my peers not to consume drugs because they damage our health,” Ndaramashe told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “As a young man who has been taking drugs, I decided to preach against the abuse of drugs through my music career.”

In a country where many people struggle to earn a living in the informal economy, the theater association has also helped out the poor and hungry.

“(It) gives food parcels, groceries to the needy in my community of which I am also a beneficiary because I am very old,” said 73-year-old Tambudzai Mlambo, a resident of Mbare township in Harare.

State Support

As Zimbabwe battles drug abuse made worse by a shortage of jobs for young people, the government acknowledges the contribution of the community arts scene.

“Groups that have of late emerged have helped to keep former drug addicts focused on theater or art. This diverts their attention from drugs to concentrate on something new and positive for their well being,” said Dorcas Sithole, deputy director of the Ministry of Health’s mental health department.

The state is doing what it can to fight drug abuse in tough circumstances, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“We are trying to prevent drug users from turning into addicts,” she said, explaining how the government puts them on withdrawal programs in hospital and is also planning to open rehabilitation centers.

In addition, anti-drugs activists say there is a need for occupational therapy such as theater, which also helps young people build their self-esteem.

“Nurturing talent provides an avenue for accomplishment as opposed to helplessness which is associated with the onset of drug use,” said Hilton Nyamukapa, program coordinator for the Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network.

Established seven years ago, the national network advocates for strategies to address problems linked to drug use in Zimbabwe and across Southern Africa.

Community Care

A pioneer of the idea of using theater to tackle drug problems, Ernest Nyatanga, founder and president of the Ngoma Yorira Theatre Association, said his organization pays former addicts for their acting.

“Rewarding former drug users for their performances in theater helps to motivate them and cultivate in them a desire to work for themselves,” he told Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Recently the association shot films highlighting social and economic issues facing the country, such as “The Delinquent” which depicts a misled young man who takes drugs while in school. The films are shown at Harare’s “Theatre in The Park.”

Nyatanga said the association donates some of the proceeds from its performances — which it stages in townships in remote areas too — to local orphanages and poor widows.

And it has helped feed people going hungry when drought hit food supplies in rural and urban areas.

It also recruits community members to sell recordings of theater productions on a commission basis by the roadside.

“We are an association that lives amongst ordinary people, and we care for their needs,” Nyatanga said.

So far, the theater association has helped more than 340 individuals change their lives for the better, 30 percent of whom were hooked on drugs, he said.

Parents like Linda Masarira, 36, whose 18-year-old son was an addict but has now resumed his secondary-school studies, are grateful for its work.

“It is a miracle – my son is reforming; he is now an upcoming hip-hop star while he is also into theater and as a result he has… stopped using drugs,” Masarira said.

Faith and Football

Community religious groups like the Christian Youths Fellowship Association (CYFA) based in Chegutu, a farming town 100 km (62 miles) west of Harare in Mashonaland West Province, have also joined the fight against drugs.

Patrick Imbayago, founder and director of the CYFA, said his group has shown anti-drugs films in urban and rural townships.

“After seeing these kinds of films, few would return to drug abuse because… drug abusers are shown as eventually losing their marbles, going mad,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The CYFA also funds football training for young people.

“The more we occupy them with social activities like soccer, the less our youths turn to drug abuse,” said Imbayago.
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The next book from Nobel winner Malala Yousafzai is a story of refugees.

 

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers told The Associated Press on Monday that Yousafzai’s “We Are Displaced” will come out Sept. 4. The book will combine her own experiences with accounts she has heard while visiting refugee camps. The 20-year-old Pakistani activist for female education said in a statement that she hoped to show “the humanity behind the statistics.”

 

In 2014, she became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner ever when given the award at age 17. Yousafzai also is known for her best-selling memoir, “I Am Malala.”
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Russia on Monday named a deaf white cat who lives in Saint Petersburg’s historic Hermitage Museum as its official prognosticator for the World Cup.

Achilles the Cat will hope to repeat the fabled exploits of Paul the Octopus and other “psychic” animals tasked with predicting winners of football’s showpiece event.

“We will hold a special press conference and hand Achilles a Fan ID card,” the Hermitage Museum’s cat press secretary Mary Khaltunen told the R-Sport news agency.

The fact that Russia’s most fabled collection of art has a spokeswoman for cats may be news to some.

But R-Sport says Hermitage Museum cats are legion — and apparently football experts.

The cats were first brought to the Hermitage when Peter the Great made its Winter Palace into the new imperial home in the 17th century.

Empress Elizabeth of Russia eventually issued a decree demanding “the shipment of cats to the court”.

The Hermitage was turned into a private art collection after Catherine the Great’s death in 1796.

The Hermitage’s Cat Museum founder Anna Kondratyeva said Achilles went on sabbatical and “put on a belly” after also picking winners in last year’s Confederations Cup in Russia.

It was not immediately clear how well he did.

But the 4.7-kilogramme (10.4-pound) feline would have to be in top form to repeat Paul the Octopus’s correct prediction of all seven German wins at the 2010 World Cup.

The octopus also correctly picked final winner Spain by settling its tentacles over the Spanish flag when it was lowered into Paul’s tank.

Achilles’s selection process will be less dramatic: the cat will simply sticks his snout into the winning bowl of food.

“Achilles was born deaf, which may explain his heightened intuition,” R-Sport wrote.

 

 

 
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Eminem denounced the U.S. gun lobby for its political power, the latest political intervention from the rap superstar.

Performing over the weekend at the fan-voted iHeartRadio Music Awards, Eminem added a verse about the National Rifle Association at the start of his song “Nowhere Fast.”

“This whole country is going nuts. And the NRA is in our way,” Eminem, clad in a black hoodie, rapped during the televised awards Sunday night in Los Angeles.

“They’re responsible for this whole production. They hold the strings . They control the puppet,” he rapped.

“Nowhere Fast,” whose collaborator Kehlani sing with Eminem at the awards, appears on the rapper’s latest album, “Revival” in which the 45-year-old star showed a more political side with impassioned denunciations of President Donald Trump.

Eminem — early in his career better known for controversial lyrics about women and gays — last year drew headlines with an intensely anti-Trump freestyle rap at another show, the BET Hip Hop Awards.

In that televised appearance, Eminem skewered the president’s stance on white supremacy and warned Eminem fans they had to choose between him and Trump.

Eminem’s new political voice has become all the more striking as he is by far the most successful white rapper of all time, with a fan base that partly overlaps with Trump’s key demographic.

The National Rifle Association is famous for its political muscle and has strenuously opposed any major attempts to curtail gun ownership in the United States, which has a higher rate of firearm deaths than any other developed country.

High school students who survived last month’s mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 people, have launched a campaign to defy the gun lobby and press for gun control.
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Comedian Kathy Griffin is embarking on her comeback, nine months after she provoked outrage — and lost much of her work — by posing with a fake severed head that appeared to depict President Donald Trump.

Griffin announced on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher Friday night that she had just booked upcoming shows at New York’s Carnegie Hall and at Washington’s Kennedy Center — “Trump’s backyard,” she called it.

“I’m dipping my toes into touring again,” Griffin said, adding that the Republican president and his supporters would prefer she never worked again.

Griffin’s appearance on Maher’s show, and what she called her “small victorious announcement,” appeared to mark the beginning of her comeback, after the backlash over the offending photo last May badly hurt her ability to work. “TMZ was reporting my show cancellations in real time,” she said of her standup tour. She also lost her longtime New Year’s Eve hosting gig on CNN.

Unable to tour in the United States, Griffin went overseas, performing in 23 cities in 15 countries, she said. But because she was under investigation in the United States, she was “detained at every single airport,” she said.

Griffin thanked Maher for being one of the only celebrities who publicly supported her during the ordeal. Introducing Griffin, Maher told the audience, “She is a good American who loves her country and should be able to work in it.”

Initially, Griffin apologized for the photo that appeared last May, taken by photographer Tyler Shields. But she later said she was no longer sorry, because the reaction had gotten so out of hand.

Referring to the desire of some Trump supporters to “decimate” her, she raised her arms defiantly and exclaimed, “I’m not decimated!”

Griffin has not specified the dates of her upcoming shows in New York, which she also announced on Twitter, and in Washington.
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Facebook is getting deeper into the professional sports streaming game, partnering with Major League Baseball to air 25 weekday afternoon games in an exclusive deal.

The games will be available to Facebook users in the U.S. on Facebook Watch, the company’s video feature announced last August, via the MLB Live show page. Facebook said Friday that recorded broadcasts will also be available globally, excluding select international markets.

The package, MLB’s first digital-only national broadcast agreement, precludes teams from televising those games on their regional sports networks. The concept is similar to the exclusive package of Sunday night games on ESPN.

Facebook, Twitter and Amazon and other tech companies are in a race to acquire sports streaming rights, which can be lucrative and potentially boost user loyalty. The deal comes at a time when leagues are worrying about cord-cutters causing a decrease in viewers among cable television networks.

Verizon signed a deal with the NBA to stream eight basketball games on Yahoo, and Amazon paid $50 million to stream NFL games to Prime members last season.

The games will be produced by the MLB Network for Facebook Watch, with interactive and social elements that differentiate them from live streaming.

Facebook’s first-month schedule includes Philadelphia-New York Mets on April 4, Milwaukee-St. Louis on April 11, Kansas City-Toronto on April 18 and Arizona-Philadelphia on April 26.

Facebook had a package of 20 non-exclusive Friday night games last year that began in mid-May and used broadcast feeds from the participating teams.
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We’re rolling out the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart for the week ending March 10, 2018.

Number 5: BlocBoy JB & Drake “Look Alive”

For the first time in a month, we get a newcomer. It happens in fifth place, where BlocBoy JB and Drake rise a slot with “Look Alive.”

BlocBoy JB is James Baker, a rapper from Memphis. He began uploading his songs to SoundCloud in 2012 and dropped his first mix tape in 2016. He posted a few viral hits, which attracted Drake’s attention. This is BlocBoy JB’s first Top 10 single — it’s Drake’s 23rd.

Number 4: Camila Cabello Featuring Young Thug “Havana”

Camila Cabello and Young Thug spend yet another week in fourth place with “Havana.”

Camila turned 21 on March 3, and last weekend she and her family celebrated in Miami. Here’s something else for Camila to celebrate: She’s going on tour with Taylor Swift. Camila and Charli XCX will support Taylor on her upcoming “Reputation” world tour — dates and locations have yet to be announced.

Number 3: Bruno Mars & Cardi B “Finesse”

Bruno Mars and Cardi B relax in third place with “Finesse.”

But we have bad news for Bruno’s fans in Beijing, China: A proposed tour stop there has been canceled. Last week, the city’s Municipal Bureau of Culture confirmed that the show’s promoter has canceled its application to host the singer on April 25. Guangzhou and Shanghai, however, appear to still be on the itinerary in late April.

Number 2: Ed Sheeran “Perfect”

Ed Sheeran stays strong in second place with his former champ “Perfect.”

Ed recently donated a signed guitar to the family of 11-year-old Melody Driscoll. The young UK resident suffers from the incurable disorder Rett syndrome, and her family faces a lengthy legal battle. Doctors want to withdraw Melody’s medication, fearing it will damage her liver; however, her parents say she’s in extreme pain and needs to continue. They hope the signed guitar can raise money to pay their legal fees.

Number 1: Drake “God’s Plan”

Drake bookends this week’s Top Five, as “God’s Plan” spends a fifth week at No. 1. The hit debuted at No. 1 — the 29th such song in the 59-year history of the Hot 100 chart. It also opened in first place on the Canadian and UK lists. It’s Drake’s fourth U.S. No. 1 single, and his second as a solo artist. So all in all, Drake’s doing well.

I hope you are, too … and thanks for checking us out!
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Barack Obama and Netflix reportedly are negotiating a deal for the former president and his wife, Michelle, to produce shows exclusively for the streaming service.

The proposed deal was reported Friday by The New York Times, which cited people familiar with the discussions who were not identified.

The report sent shares to an all-time high of $326.74 earlier. The Los Gatos, California, company’s stock reached $326.07 in afternoon trading, marking a gain of nearly 3 percent.

Netflix did not immediately respond for a request for comment. Obama spokeswoman Katie Hill declined comment on the report.

Obama senior adviser Eric Schultz, in a statement provided to The Associated Press, said the Obamas believe in the power of storytelling to inspire.

Schultz said the couple continues to explore new ways to help others share their stories.

The New York Times reported that Obama doesn’t intend to use his Netflix shows to respond directly to President Donald Trump or conservative critics.
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Ethiopia recently held the second edition of the African Circus Arts Festival, which saw 11 circus troupe artists from six African countries perform at the event.

Hundreds of Addis Ababa residents came out to see acrobats, hoopers, jugglers and contortionists among other acts on stage, when the circus came to town.

The three-day fair was organized by the country’s Fekat circus group which wants to promote performance arts and provide opportunities for artists to showcase their talent in music, dance, acting as well as fashion and design.

Most performers were young people who come from difficult backgrounds. The circus encouraged them to use art to express their cultural heritage and fuse it with contemporary influences.

Other acts lined up included South Africa’s Zip Zap circus group, which specializes in multidisciplinary shows.

The group said they were surprised by the reception they got from audiences in Addis Ababa.

“Beautiful beautiful, I really loved the energy of the audience as well. Even though I was dying and getting tired, they’re the ones who kept me going and pushing. So I am really grateful to the fans as well,” said Phelelani Ndarkrokra, a member of South Africa’s Zip Zap circus group.

The Fekat circus group which showcased hoopers and jugglers among other performers say that despite its social, cultural and economic potential, the circus remains largely unrecognized in Africa, and has few job opportunities for artists.

Fekat which was formed in 2004 and runs a circus school in Addis wants to change that.

Organizers say the turnout this year from participating countries was encouraging and that the event has potential to grow even further.

“You know I used to meet African artists all around the world but not in Africa. So we thought why we don’t organize something in Africa and we took this initiative from a long time ago,” said Fekat co-founder Dereje Dagne.

Although a ticket for the show cost around 6 USD, which is a steep price for many Ethiopians, many were happy to attend the show.

“I believe strongly that we Africans can uniquely perform circus because we can show our vast culture through circus. It makes me extremely happy that Ethiopia could host such an event,” said Abel Temesgen, a guest at the event.

“I think the circus could grow to a higher level if the public gave it the same attention as they do for other arts like theater and cinema. I wish people could get more awareness about circus,” added another audience member, Mikias Mulugeta.

The circus also provided a platform for artists to exchange contacts and learn from each other, as well as attend workshops in different performance disciplines.

The event is sponsored by UNESCO and the European Union among other partners. Organizers say they plan to hold the circus annually in future.
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That galaxy far, far away keeps expanding. In the latest in a flurry of “Star Wars” spinoffs, the Walt Disney Co. announced Thursday that Jon Favreau will write and executive produce a live-action “Star Wars” series for the company’s planned streaming platform.

 

Disney is readying a streaming service to compete with Netflix, and it has signaled that “Star Wars” will be a major component. The not-yet-named service is planned to launch in late 2019.

 

“Jon brings the perfect mix of producing and writing talent, combined with a fluency in the Star Wars universe,” said Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm president, in a statement. “This series will allow Jon the chance to work with a diverse group of writers and directors and give Lucasfilm the opportunity to build a robust talent base.”

 

Favreau has been a Disney regular, having directed the first two “Iron Man” films for Marvel and 2016’s “The Jungle Book.” He also helped produce several “Avengers” movies. He’s currently prepping a “Lion King” remake to be released in 2019.

 

He has some “Star Wars” experience, too, having provided a voice for “The Clone Wars” animated series. Favreau also has a role in the upcoming Han Solo spinoff “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”

 

“If you told me at 11 years old that I would be getting to tell stories in the ‘Star Wars’ universe, I wouldn’t have believed you,” said Favreau.

 

Disney has previously announced that “The Last Jedi” writer-director Rian Johnson is developing a new “Star Wars” film trilogy, and that “Game of Thrones” creators D.B. Weiss and David Benioff will write and produce a separate series of “Star Wars” films.

 

No details or release date were announced for Favreau’s series.

 
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