Author: Ohart

A hand-drawn map that shows Walt Disney’s original ideas for Disneyland has sold at auction for $708,000.

 

The founder of Van Eaton Galleries in Los Angeles says a private collector cast the winning bid Sunday. Mike Van Eaton says it is the most expensive Disneyland map ever sold.

 

Walt Disney commissioned an illustrator to create the map in 1953 to drum up interest and investments in his new amusement-park concept. Many of the ideas shown on the map became realities when Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, in 1955.

 

Utah resident and Disney collector Ron Clark owned the map for more than 40 years and dreamed of it being returned to Disneyland.

 

The name of the American collector who bought the map Sunday was not revealed.
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Twenty years to the day after the first book in the Harry Potter series was published, fans gathered online and in the real world to express their enduring love for J.K. Rowling’s magical creation.

Since Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone came out in 1997, with a first print run of just 500 copies, the series of seven novels has sold 450 million copies worldwide in 79 languages and spawned a blockbuster movie franchise.

The book appeared in the United States a year later as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

On Monday, some fans took the day off work to celebrate the anniversary, heading to significant locations such as King’s Cross train station in London, which in the stories is one of the gateways into the world of witches and wizards.

The real-life station features a mock-up of Platform 9-3/4, the departure point for trains to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The mock-up is a bustling spot where tourists and fans queue to pose for photos wearing Potter-themed scarves or costumes.

“Harry Potter, I think, still means so much to so many people even though it’s 20 years now,” said Clara Carson, whose job at the nearby souvenir shop involves taking photos of the fans and holding up the scarves to achieve a windswept effect.

“I’m a fan myself, so it’s really nice to come in and be with people that are all into the same things that you’re into,” she said. “Whether they’re kids or my age or even adults, they’re always just so excited.”

Childhood friends Charlotte Keyworth and Joanne Wylie, both 26, had come down to London from northern and eastern England for the occasion.

They were part of the first generation of Potter fans, having read the first volume as young girls and then endured the agonizing wait for each new episode as they were published over a period of 10 years.

“We’ve grown up with it, with Harry Potter,” said Keyworth, who was sporting a Hogwarts T-shirt. “We’re planning on going to the studio tour this afternoon and celebrating in our own little way,” she said, referring to the studios where the Potter movies were shot.

Wylie, who has a permanent tattoo on her forearm of the Deathly Hallows symbol, an important element in the story, said the Potter stories still bring her joy and comfort.

“It was always something that just sort of boosted your spirits and made you realize you could get past the dark points,” she said.

Her sentiments were widely echoed on social media, with legions of fans posting their favorite quotes or video clips, or just thanking Rowling for the happy memories.

“After all these years… Always!” wrote Twitter user Anu — a reference to a moving moment in the story when it is revealed that Harry’s nemesis Severus Snape had always loved Harry’s dead mother, Lily.

Rowling, who has 10.8 million followers on Twitter, also took to the medium to mark the anniversary.

“20 years ago today a world that I had lived in alone was suddenly open to others. It’s been wonderful. Thank you,” she wrote.
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After leaving the enchanting landscape of New Mexico, national parks traveler Mikah Meyer headed north into the state of Colorado, where he found more natural and manmade wonders.

Cliff Dwellings ‘on steroids’

His first stop was Mesa Verde National Park in the southwestern part of the state, which protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings built of sandstone and mud mortar. It is home to the largest, best-known and best-preserved cliff dwellings in North America.

Having visited the “impressive” Gila Cliff dwellings in New Mexico, Mikah said the ones at Mesa Verde were on a whole new level.

“They are 10 times bigger,” he said. “There are just so many ruins to look at, and hike to and from, and tour, that it’s basically a cliff dwelling site on steroids!”

Accompanied by a ranger, who was a family friend, he walked among the ancient structures, marveling at their beauty and architecture.

 

Ancient culture

Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, is not only a beautiful national park site, but historically significant as well. For seven centuries, starting around 1,500 years ago, the area was home to the Ancestral Pueblo people.

Their culture spanned the present-day “Four Corners” region of the United States – which is where four states – Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah – meet. Today, that notable spot is a popular tourist destination, where visitors can literally place a limb in every state.

Back at the park, visitors can visit cliff dwellings of different sizes.

 

Balcony house — a 13th century marvel

Tucked under a sandstone overhang, Mesa Verde’s Balcony House offers an ambitious tour. Accompanied by park rangers, visitors have to climb a 10-meter (32-foot) high ladder and squeeze through a tunnel to reach some of the main areas.

But their efforts are rewarded with close-up views of the massive structures — including 40 rooms and two ancient Kivas, circular structures that were typically used for religious and social gatherings.

In a National Park video about Mesa Verde, ranger Andrew Reagan says visitors to the sites can’t quite believe the existence of the dwellings.

 

“They come to this park and they first see the cliff dwellings and they think ‘that’s an impossible place to live.’ But as soon as you climb that ladder and you’re inside the North Plaza, it all makes sense. They look around at the beautiful walls and the balconies that still have their plasters on them and they think, ‘I could do this…this is a really comfortable space.’”

Also, as Mikah points out, because the dwellings are on the edge of a cliff, visitors get unprecedented views of the surrounding country. “You can go to the peak and have amazing 360-degree views of Shiprock [Mountain] in New Mexico and the Colorado valley and mountains and white capped mountains to your east.”

Long House

The second largest cliff dwelling in the park is Long House, and getting to it is another adventurous journey. A two-hour ranger-guided tour includes hiking for 3.6 kilometers (2.25 miles) and climbing two ladders.

During the tour, park rangers point out the nearby stream which provided fresh water for the people who lived here, and discuss their agricultural practices in the dry desert.

Cliff Palace

Another site, Cliff Palace, is the largest cliff dwelling, not only in Mesa Verde park but in all of North America. With 150 rooms and 21 kivas, people say it looks more like a city.

After visitors walk down a sandstone trail and climb up a 3-meter (10-foot) long ladder, they’re greeted with stunning examples of ancient architecture.

“And you get to look at each individually crafted block of sandstone that was crafted 800 years ago and realize how much time and energy the Pueblo Society invested in these sites,” according to ranger Reagan.

Mesa Verde was abandoned by 1300, and no one knows why. Some say it was due to a series of prolonged droughts, or possibly by over-farming, which hurt food production.

But the site remains an attractive destination for visitors seeking beauty and ancient history. “They built these sites so grand that they were drawing people in from all over, 800 years ago,” Reagan said.

And 800 years later, the UNESCO World Heritage Site continues to draw visitors from all over, like Mikah Meyer.

He invites you to learn more about his travels across America by visiting him on his website, Facebook and Instagram.
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This week, people took to the streets in nations around the world to celebrate gay pride, and to protest threats to LGBT rights.
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Opera has been popping up recently at the most unlikely New York places: a revamped garage, a dive bar, a basketball court and even an old aircraft carrier.

It’s part of a festival with an in-your-face goal – to bring this once grandiose art form to ordinary places where people hang out.

The New York Opera Fest 2017 that ends in late June has drawn casual, but curious, spectators, some of whom may never have gone to an expensive production in a plush theater.

On Saturday, composer Darius Milhaud’s “The Guilty Mother” got its U.S. premiere in the onetime garage on Manhattan’s West Side – a story rife with adultery and intrigue.

The more than 30 festival spectacles included a Brooklyn basketball court that hosted a hip-hop opera called “Bounce,” with a group of public school kids participating. Children also were invited, free of charge, to Public School 129 in Harlem for a playground performance last week of Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love.” The kids helped create the production, from designing the costumes to singing in the chorus.

Excerpts from Bizet’s “Carmen” were heard in a bar called Freddy’s in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood, under a beer-stained wall.

And Mozart melodies floated through a lush community garden on Manhattan’s Upper West Side for the composer’s “La Finta Giardiniera,” a free performance in which a noblewoman poses as a simple gardener while caught up in her own romantic twists and turns.

In Harlem, the Baylander, a decommissioned aircraft carrier, was the stage for Tom Cipullo’s “Glory Denied,” which dives into the struggles of an American prisoner of war in Vietnam.

The festival serves to counter the shrinking audiences for the formal grand opera tradition. Organizers say that experimenting with new ways of presenting it to spectators of all ages has pumped fresh blood into this still great musical theater.

The festival, starting in May, brought together a group of small, innovative companies experts say are the cutting-edge future of the classical arts.
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A North Korean Taekwondo demonstration team visiting South Korea could present a way forward to reduce tensions by using sports to reestablish a channel of dialogue and cooperation.

 

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was on hand for the opening of the World Taekwondo Championship being held in Muju, South Korea where he welcomed the first inter-Korean taekwondo exchange in a decade.

“I believe in power of sports which has been creating peace. I am pleased that the first sports exchange cooperation between two Koreas of this new government has been accomplished through this event,” said President Moon.

The recently elected progressive South Korean leader advocates balancing international economic sanctions imposed on the Kim Jong Un government in the North for its continued nuclear and missile provocations, with non-political outreach, including sports diplomacy, to build trust and facilitate communication.

Taekwondo divide

The World Taekwondo championship being held over the next several days is the largest competition of the sport to be held, with 973 athletes participating from 183 different countries.

Taekwondo is a relatively modern sport based on ancient Korean martial arts that gained prominence in the decades after the division of the Korean Peninsula at the end of World War II. Its development has been complicated by the bitter rivalry between the communist North and capitalist South.

The two Koreas support competing federations that teach different martial arts techniques and developed different competition rules.

The event in Muju is being organized by the South Korean dominated World Taekwondo (recently rebranded from the World Taekwondo Federation — WTF) that emphasizes fast kicks. The federation was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the official governing body for taekwondo after the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and became an official medal sport in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

The 32 North Korean athletes attending the competition in South Korea this week are affiliated with the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) that is combat training focused and allows more direct contact including punches to the head and face.  ITF athletes generally have not competed in the World Taekwondo Championship or the Olympics because their fighting styles are incompatible.

“It is quite different sports-wise because in ITF sparring lots of punching are allowed, including punches to the face, whereas in the World Taekwondo sparring punches to the face are not allowed and that is a very different strategy,” said Sanku Lewis one of the few ITF martial arts instructors living in Seoul.

At this time there are no plans for the two federations to merge according to World Taekwondo officials.

The 32 members of the North Korean team performed a taekwondo exhibition at the opening ceremony of the championship on Saturday, but the ITF canceled a press conference with North Korean officials.  

 

Choue Chung-won, director of the World Taekwondo, said the North Koreans will stay for the duration of the games.

“They are going to perform again in the closing ceremony so we are going to have a lot of time and chance to have a chat with them to learn more details about the future exchange programs,” he said.

Sports diplomacy

Pyongyang has so far rejected offers of humanitarian aid and request for a reunion of families separated by the division of Korea.

This inter-Korean sports exchange is a small breakthrough that analysts say could open the door to further cooperation.

“While North Korea is not (completely) ready, I think (the North Korean team) is coming to send a message that it is at least willing to try to improve inter-Korean relations,” said Ahn Chan-il, the head of World Institute for North Korean studies.

Chang Ung, a North Korean member of the IOC and Do Jong-hwan, the new South Korean Sports Minister both came to Muju for the opening of the taekwondo championships. They are expected to discuss North Korea’s possible participation in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The South Korean sports minister has proposed forming a joint women’s ice hockey team as a show of Korean unity.  

 

President Moon says he hopes North Korea will not only come to the Olympics next year but he also suggested the two Koreas jointly bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

“If the North Korean team participates in PyeongChang Winter Olympics, I think it will greatly contribute to realize the harmony of mankind and improvement of peace in the world which are the value of Olympics,” Moon said at the taekwondo championship.

In the United States, public anger at the repressive Kim Jong Un state has increased following the recent tragic death of Otto Warmbier, an American student who was arrested in North Korea and remained in custody for over a year, despite suffering a serious injury that sent him into a coma.

 

But in South Korea public support for engagement with North Korea is increasing.  

Over 70 percent of South Koreans support reestablishing dialogue channels with North Korea according to a recent survey by the National Unification Advisory Council.

Youmi Kim contributed to this report.
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Alt-country rocker Steve Earle and country star Miranda Lambert shared writing credit on one of Lambert’s biggest hits from her debut album in 2005, but the two never actually got into a writers’ room until more than a decade later.

 

Lambert wrote the song “Kerosene,” the album title track, which led to her first Grammy nomination. But she later decided it sounded too similar to a song penned by Earle, so she gave him credit.

 

“I hate telling her this, but I would have never done anything about it,” said the 62-year-old Grammy-winning songwriter known for songs like “Copperhead Road.” “It’s a gift from Miranda the way I see it.”

 

But that connection and a chance meeting between the two at a beauty salon lead Earle to decide it was finally time to do a proper co-write with one of country music’s biggest stars. Last year the two penned a twangy breakup duet featuring fiddle and guitar that melds the two voices, one weathered and the other weary.

The two later cut the song in Austin, Texas, for Earle’s new album, “So You Wannabe An Outlaw,” released last week.

 

“It was a really cool experience to write with him and he’s such an amazing songwriter,” Lambert said. “I was intimidated but I learned a lot.”

Earle has the same high opinion of Lambert, calling her last effort — the critically acclaimed double album “The Weight of These Wings” — stunning.

 

“The women are the strong singer-songwriters in Nashville as this point,” Earle said during a tour rehearsal in Nashville, Tennessee. “Chris Stapleton is an exception. Most of the guys, their stuff is all right, but they are mostly, largely just party songs. It’s kind of hip-hop for people who are afraid of black people, I guess, as far as I can tell.”

 

But he doesn’t blame country radio for largely ignoring female artists.

 

“I think the labels have an idea of what is selling and right now the common wisdom is guys under 30 is what’s selling in country music,” Earle said.

 

When Earle first arrived in Nashville from Austin in the ’70s, he was the young gun among a group of veteran singer-songwriters like Townes Van Zandt, Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, Waylon Jennings and more. It was the beginning of the outlaw movement, which Earle attempts to revisit on his new record.

 

Earle, who broke out with his 1986 debut “Guitar Town,” said he still runs into fans who believe the movement was all about booze, drugs and a freewheeling lifestyle, although Earle’s previous addictions have contributed to that lore.

“Part of the point of this record was to rehabilitate the term ‘outlaw,”’ he said.

“There was this moment when country music that was art was going on here and in Austin, and I was there.”

 

In writing the record, Earle swapped out his acoustic guitar for a Fender Telecaster and spent a lot of time listening to Jennings’ “Honky Tonk Heroes.” He growls on the title track with Willie Nelson that being an outlaw meant “you can’t ever go home.”

 

“I was always grateful and was very aware that I had just gotten here in time to be a part of a moment,” said Earle. “A lot of the things that I am able to do at this point in my life, I am able to do because I happened to be lucky and be in the right place at the right time.”
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Women have always been an essential component of Hollywood as lead actresses in the romance genre, in comedy and drama. But women have found it difficult to establish themselves in roles traditionally claimed by men in the film industry, such as filmmakers and leads of superhero films. This summer, that ceiling has finally been broken by talented women. VOA’s Penelope Poulou has more.
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On a recent summer night, the sun was still shining as people prepared to run a 5K race for charity. But they hadn’t had a drop to drink or eat since before dawn. Ariadne Budianto reports.
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A new exhibit in New York City enables visitors to experience Michelangelo’s masterpieces from as close as the Florentine master was when working on them in the early 16th century. Nearly 34 reproductions of his best pieces from the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican are at the Oculus art center and transit hub at the Westfield World Trade Center. VOA’s Zlatica Hoke reports the exhibit will move from New York to other U.S. cities.
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Peter Jok was set to find out Thursday night whether a long journey that began in war-torn Sudan and detoured through Ugandan and Kenyan refugee camps would end up with him landing on an NBA basketball court.

Jok, a University of Iowa standout for four years, was predicted to be chosen in the first two rounds of the National Basketball Association draft in New York.

The 198-centimeter-tall  (6 feet 6 inches) Jok told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus that his future once looked bleak, but since he began to play competitive basketball, he has set his sights on achieving a bright future.

“I have had a lot of ups and downs, but it has made me into a better man and a better player,” he said. “Everything I have been through has given me more edge, more motivation to go harder. The process is hard work, but you keep the faith and believe in God.”

From Lakes state

Jok, who is originally from South Sudan’s Lakes state, scored an average of 19.9 points per game in his senior year at Iowa. He was one of 62 players invited to the NBA Combine, a talent showcase for college players that’s held before the draft.

Jok made the All-America team and, on his 23rd birthday on March 30 this year, won the 3-point-shooting contest held as part of U.S. college basketball’s Final Four weekend festivities.

“In today’s game, every team needs a shooter,” Jok said. “I can shoot with the best of them. I feel my game fits the NBA better than college, because there’s more availability to do more things. My strength is shooting. And that’s what a lot of NBA teams need right now.”

Jok credits his mother, Amelia Ring Bol, for his leadership skills and work ethic.

“Growing up, I was always with my mom,” he said. “I would go everywhere with her. No matter what she went through, I was always with her. No matter what I am doing, I am doing it for her. I just knew from when I was growing up I was going to be a mama’s boy.”

His father was killed in the long war that resulted in South Sudan’s independence from Sudan in 2011. He and his mother fled Sudan when he was a young boy, eventually moving to the U.S. state of Iowa. He never played basketball until fourth grade, though his height and skills soon made him into a top prospect and one of the best players in the state.

Support of family, friends

Jok realized he easily could have ended up on the wrong path, but he believes the odds were more in his favor, thanks to family and friends.

“Moving to Iowa, I have always been surrounded by the right people. My background, coming from where I come from … if you have the right people around you and you have hard work in your system, I feel you can go anywhere,” said Jok.

If Jok is picked by an NBA team, he will be the third South Sudanese player active in the league, along with Luol Deng and Thon Maker.
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A Cartier wristwatch given to Jackie Kennedy and a painting she made in 1963 as a thank-you gift to reciprocate sold for $379,500 on Wednesday, more than three times pre-sale estimates, Christie’s auction house said.

Christie’s said the price was reached after three minutes of “spirited bidding” in its New York saleroom, online and by phone. It did not identify the buyer.

The auction house had estimated the watch and the painting, sold as one lot, would fetch up to $120,000, calling them “two of the most important historic artifacts to surface in recent years from the golden era of the Kennedy Presidency.”

The Cartier tank watch, engraved on the back, was given to the then-U.S. first lady by her brother-in-law Prince Stanislaw “Stas” Radziwill, and she was photographed many times wearing it.

The picture was painted by Kennedy to mark a 50-mile (80-km) hike in Palm Beach in 1963 that Radziwill and other friends of the Kennedys undertook to promote fitness.

Most of Jacqueline Kennedy’s personal belongings were auctioned in 1996 following her death from cancer in 1994 at age 64. The 1996 auction at Sotheby’s in New York raised some $34 million, more than seven times pre-sale expectations.

The seller of the watch wished to remain anonymous but has pledged to donate a portion of the auction proceeds to the National Endowment for the Arts.
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Intel said Wednesday it would become a major sponsor of the International Olympic Committee, making the computer chipmaker the latest technology company to put marketing dollars behind the global sporting event.

The new deal, which goes until 2024, comes a week after longtime Olympics sponsor McDonald’s Corp bowed out of its sponsorship deal three years early, citing a change in the company’s priorities as it tries to hold down costs.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but IOC sources have previously told Reuters that major sponsors pay about $100 million per four-year cycle, which includes one summer and one winter games. The IOC has been looking to increase the cost of those deals, sources previously said.

Intel joins about a dozen global Olympics sponsors such as Coca-Cola, Samsung and most recently, Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba, which signed on six months ago. The IOC has been trying to make the Olympics more technologically savvy and appeal to younger people through its internet-based TV network, the Olympic Channel.

IOC President Thomas Bach and Chief Executive Officer Brian Krzanich said Intel’s sponsorship will open up new experiences for athletes, fans and spectators in emerging areas such as virtual reality.

“We’ll allow people online to feel like they are there,” Krzanich said, speaking at a press conference in New York.

Intel said it would provide 5G wireless technology, virtual reality, artificial intelligence platforms, and drones that could be used in aerial filming or light shows.

Changes for Intel

Intel’s business has undergone big changes in recent years. In March, it agreed to buy autonomous vehicle technology firm Mobileye for $15 billion in a bid to expand its reach beyond its core microprocessor business, which has faced declines along with the personal computer market.

Intel may be seeking to expand its reach in Asia, which is preparing to host three consecutive Olympic Games. Pyeongchang in South Korea is staging the 2018 winter games, Tokyo the 2020 Summer Olympics and Beijing the 2022 Winter Olympics. The IOC is deciding between Paris and Los Angeles for the 2024 summer games.

The IOC is looking to sign pricier deals while brands are trying to figure out whether exclusive Olympics sponsorship rights offer the marketing impact they once did. Some companies find it is much cheaper to work directly with athletes or specific countries than the IOC.

More Olympic partners

Timo Lumme, managing director of IOC Television and Marketing Services, said in an interview that the IOC, with 13 top sponsors, has more partners than ever before, showing that brands see “tangible returns” from investing in the games.

As for the tensions in the Korean Peninsula, Lumme said the IOC is monitoring the situation daily to see if it could effect the 2018 games.

“We feel very sure and comfortable and that the Korean government will provide a safe environment for the world’s athletes to meet next February,” Lumme said.
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Global liquor behemoth Diageo said Wednesday it will pay up to $1 billion to buy a tequila brand co-founded by movie star George Clooney.

 

Clooney founded the Casamigos brand four years ago with partners Rande Gerber and Mike Meldma.

 

Diageo said it will pay $700 million for Casamigos at first, and then pay another $300 million over 10 years if the brand reaches certain performance milestones.

 

London-based Diageo’s other brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness and Captain Morgan.

 

Clooney and Gerber, an entrepreneur who is married to model Cindy Crawford, have appeared in ads for the brand. Diageo says the founders will continue to promote Casamigos and have a say in its future.

 

The deal is expected to close in the second half of this year.

 

 
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Hip hop artist Lil Wayne has sold his Miami Beach mansion for $10 million after putting it on the market more than two years ago.

 

The Miami Herald reported Tuesday that the 15,101 square-foot (1,400 square-meter) waterfront home was first listed in April 2015 for $18 million. A month earlier, police had swarmed the house following a hoax call claiming four people had been shot there.

 

The rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., purchased the home in 2011 for $11.6 million. The new buyer wasn’t identified.

 

The nine-bedroom, nine-bathroom house features a rooftop skate park, a professional recording studio and a shark lagoon.

 
 
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He left behind his notorious Beirut neighborhood of Ouzai to pursue success, but having made his money in finance Ayad Nasser is back – and he’s brought artists with him. ‘Ouzville’ is a new and fast-growing paint-splashed creative space in the heart of a densely packed neighborhood with a tough reputation where huge murals overlook crumbling buildings. John Owens reports from Beirut.
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Three-time Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis is retiring from acting, his spokeswoman said on Tuesday, ending a storied movie career that includes performances in “Lincoln” and “Gangs of New York.”

Day-Lewis, 60, the only man to have won three best actor Oscars, gave no reason for his decision, calling it private.

“Daniel Day-Lewis will no longer be working as an actor,” his publicist, Leslee Dart, said in a statement. “He is immensely grateful to all of his collaborators and audiences over the many years.”

The statement said there would be no further comment.

He has one more movie in the works — “Phantom Thread,” which is set in London’s 1950s fashion world and is due to be released in December.

Day-Lewis, who was born in Britain and holds dual Anglo-Irish citizenship, won his third best actor Oscar in 2013 for playing U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in “Lincoln.”

His win made him the first man to be awarded three best actor Oscars in the history of the Academy Awards.

He previously won Academy Awards for his roles as a paraplegic Irish writer in “My Left Foot” (1989) and a greedy early 20th-century oil baron in “There Will Be Blood” (2007).

The tall, intellectual actor keeps a low-key profile and is known for choosing his roles carefully and taking long breaks between films.

In the late 1990s, he took time off from acting to work as an apprentice shoe-maker in Italy. After his 2013 Oscar win for “Lincoln,” London’s Sunday Times reported that he planned to take a sabbatical at his farm in Ireland.

Day-Lewis is known for his meticulous preparation. For “Lincoln,” he spent months researching Lincoln’s political and personal life and before shooting began he was texting his screen wife, Sally Field, in 19th century vernacular.

“For My Left Foot,” he spent weeks living in a wheelchair, and while shooting “Gangs of New York” he was known for sharpening knives between takes to capture the menace of his character Bill “The Butcher” Cutting.

Day-Lewis has three children and is married to writer and director Rebecca Miller.
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Tony Bennett, the beloved and durable interpreter of American standards whose chart-topping career spans seven decades, has been honored with this year’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

 

The Library of Congress announced the award Tuesday. The lifetime achievement award named for the duo of George and Ira Gershwin was created by Congress to honor singers and songwriters who entertain, inform and inspire. Past recipients include Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder.

 

Bennett, 90, gained his first pop success in the early 1950s with a string of singles for Columbia Records, including “Because of You” and “Rags to Riches.” His 24 Top 40 hits included his signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (1962), which won two Grammy awards.

 

Bennett enjoyed a career revival in the 1990s and became popular with younger audiences in part because of an appearance on “MTV Unplugged.” He continued recording and touring constantly, and in 2014, his collaboration with Lady Gaga, “Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

 

“His staying power is a testament to the enduring appeal of the Great American Songbook the Gershwins helped write, and his ability to collaborate with new generations of music icons has been a gift to music lovers of all ages,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement.

 

Bennett recalled that one of his earliest recordings was “Fascinating Rhythm,” a song by the Gershwins.

 

“To be receiving an award named in their honor is one of the greatest thrills of my career, and I am deeply appreciative to the Library of Congress to be named this year’s recipient,” Bennett said in a statement.

 

Born Anthony Thomas Benedetto in Queens, New York, in 1926, Bennett served in World War II, where he fought in the Battle of the Bulge and participated in the liberation of a concentration camp. He marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. to support civil rights and has performed for 11 U.S. presidents.

 

He is also an accomplished painter whose work has been exhibited at galleries around the world.

 

Bennett is scheduled to accept the award in Washington in November.
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Tony DiCicco, one of the most popular figures and leaders in women’s soccer history in the United States, died late Monday at age 68.

U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said DiCicco was “one of the most influential coaches in U.S. Soccer history.” His teams posted a 103-8-8 record from 1994 to 1999, making him the winningest coach in U.S. Soccer history and the only coach to win more than 100 games.

DiCicco led the U.S. women to their first Olympic gold medal at the 1996 games in Atlanta. That victory changed the American public’s view of women’s soccer, and of women’s sports in general, and set the stage for the Women’s World Cup hosted in the U.S. in 1999.

The American women advanced through a series of high-pressure matches to wind up in the World Cup final in front of more than 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl in southern California — the largest crowd ever to watch a women’s sporting event.

The U.S. team defeated China in a penalty kick shootout that the U.S. Soccer Federation said “altered the course of women’s soccer in America and the world.”

‘One of the true legends’

“Tony is one of the true legends of women’s soccer in the United States, and the game would not be where it is today without his dedication and visionary work,” federation CEO Dan Flynn said. “We’ve lost a great man, but we all know that the impact he had at the beginning of our women’s national team program will be felt for generations to come.”

DiCicco was a star soccer player in his own right at the university level, for the U.S. national team and as a professional in the American Soccer League. He also played a leading role when women’s professional soccer play began in the U.S. in 2001, and he was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.

He leaves a wife and four sons. The family did not release a cause of death.
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U.S. actor Jack Black has some big comedic shoes to fill in his forthcoming project, which sees him take the lead role in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” a star-studded reboot of the hit 1995 comedy that starred the late Robin Williams.

Black said that he only watched the original film after being cast in the follow-up. He described Williams as a “genius” who was “at the peak of his powers” in the movie.

The original “Jumanji” saw Williams play a man who escapes from captivity inside a magical jungle-themed board game. The new film sees that premise reversed, with the lead characters journeying into the game’s fantastical world.

“In this one we actually travel with the characters into the jungle and it’s gorgeous and treacherous and exciting,” Black told Reuters.

In another twist away from the original, which saw Williams’ character enter the game as a child and emerge as an adult, this film sees child characters transform into adults when they get pulled into the game.

Black and co-star Nick Jonas were promoting the film at Cine Europe 2017, an annual cinema convention held in Barcelona.

In addition to Black and Jonas the film features screen muscleman Dwanye “The Rock” Johnson, and comedian Kevin Hart.

“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” is due out in cinemas in December.
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Ramadan is Islam’s holy month. It is a time of reflection honoring the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad. It is also a month of fasting during which able-bodied Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, which poses unique challenges for professional athletes. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi reports from Washington
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Carrie Fisher’s autopsy report shows the actress had cocaine in her system when she fell ill on a plane last year, but investigators could not determine what impact the cocaine and other drugs found in her system had on her death.

 

The report released Monday states Fisher may have taken cocaine three days before the Dec. 23 flight on which she became ill. She died four days later.

 

It also found traces of heroin, other opiates and MDMA, which is also known as ecstasy, but that they could not determine when Fisher had taken those drugs. The findings were based on toxicology screenings done on samples taken when the “Star Wars” actress arrived at a Los Angeles hospital.

 

Coroner’s officials ruled Fisher died from sleep apnea and a combination of other factors. A news release issued Friday mentioned drugs were found in Fisher’s system, but it did not provide details.

 

Monday’s full report contains a detailed explanation of the results, such as why investigators believe Fisher took cocaine at least three days before her flight.

 

“At this time the significance of cocaine cannot be established in this case,” the report states.

 

It also states that while heroin is detectable in the system for a briefer period of time, investigators could not determine when Fisher took it or the ecstasy. Toxicology tests also found other opiates in Fisher’s system, including morphine, although the report states the morphine could have been a byproduct of heroin.

 

“Ms. Fisher suffered what appeared to be a cardiac arrest on the airplane accompanied by vomiting and with a history of sleep apnea. Based on the available toxicological information, we cannot establish the significance of the multiple substances that were detected in Ms. Fisher’s blood and tissue, with regard to the cause of death,” the report states.

 

Among the factors that contributed to Fisher’s death was buildup of fatty tissue in the walls of her arteries, the coroner’s office said last week.

 

A phone message left for Fisher’s brother, Todd, was not immediately returned.

 

Todd Fisher said Friday he was not surprised that drugs may have contributed to his sister’s death.

 

“I would tell you, from my perspective that there’s certainly no news that Carrie did drugs,” Todd Fisher said. He noted that his sister wrote extensively about her drug use, and that many of the drugs she took were prescribed by doctors to try to treat her mental health conditions.

 

Fisher long battled drug addiction and mental illness. She said she smoked pot at 13, used LSD by 21 and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at 24. She was treated with electroshock therapy and medication.

 

“I am not shocked that part of her health was affected by drugs,” Todd Fisher said.

 

He said his sister’s heart condition was probably worsened by her smoking habit, as well as the medications she took.

“If you want to know what killed her, it’s all of it,” he said.
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Little-known American golfer Brooks Koepka won the 117th U.S. Open championship Sunday for his first major title at the age of 27. He’d only won one previous tournament on the PGA Tour.

Koepka tied for the best score in relation to par in the history of the U.S. Open with a 16-under 272 for the four rounds on the par 72 course. His margin of victory was four shots over two golfers who tied for second place — Brian Harman, also from the U.S., and Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama.

“It’s definitely a special moment,” Koepka said shortly after completing his final round of 5-under-par 67. “The way I putted this week was unbelievable. . . What I’ve done this week is amazing.”

Koepka pulled away on the closing holes by making a difficult save of par on the 13th hole, then sinking birdie putts on the 14th, 15th and 16th holes.

The Florida native said he received lots of encouragement and advice from friends and family Saturday night, ahead of the final round, and that he felt very confident in his game. And he said he knew where he stood throughout the final round because there were very clear leader boards at each hole.

“I just tried to get as low as I could (on each hole) and stay focused,” Koepka said.

This year’s tournament was played at Erin Hills, an 11-year-old course less than an hour’s drive from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A U.S. Open had never been held in that north central state before.

While more players than usual broke par at a U.S. Open, many of the world’s best golfers failed to make the halfway cut after Friday’s second round. In fact, it was the first time since the world rankings were created in 1986 that the top three ranked golfers in the world missed the cut.

They are defending champion and world No. 1 Dustin Johnson of the United States, No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and No. 3 Jason Day of Australia. It was McIlroy who also shot 16-under-par in winning his U.S. Open title at Congressional Country Club outside Washington in 2011.
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Hundreds of thousands of people are gathering in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo for one of the world’s largest gay pride parades.

 

The revelers have packed the city’s Paulista Avenue before Sunday’s parade. Some are helping hold up a gigantic rainbow-colored flag symbolizing LGBT rights.

 

Organizers say they expect 3 million people to participate in the city’s 21st annual gay pride parade.

The parade this year focuses on secularism and the idea that no religion is law regardless of people’s individual beliefs.

 

Claudia Regina is president of the gay rights group organizing the parade.

 

She says on the event’s official Facebook page that “our main enemies today are religious fundamentalists” and says some groups insist on condemning LGBT people and “removing rights that we have already obtained.”
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U.S. singer Beyonce has given birth to twins in Los Angeles, several celebrity news websites reported Saturday, citing unidentified sources.

Beyonce, 35, and rapper and music producer Jay Z, also have a 5-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy.

E! News, citing multiple unidentified sources, reported the birth and that Jay Z and Blue Ivy were seen at a Los Angeles area hospital Thursday. Us Weekly, also citing multiple unidentified sources, reported that the couple welcomed twins earlier this week.

“Bey and Jay are thrilled and have started sharing the news with their family and closest friends,” one unidentified source told PEOPLE.

Reuters could not verify the reports. A representative for Beyonce did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

The celebrity news websites did not provide additional details, such as the date and time the twins were born or the sex of the infants.

Pregnancy announced on Instagram

The “Lemonade” singer, one of the most powerful women in the music business, announced the pregnancy on her Instagram account in February along with an image of her posed in lingerie and caressing a noticeable baby bump.

The announcement got more than 8 million “likes” in the first 24 hours to become the “most-liked” Instagram ever.

The R&B singer performed live at the Grammy awards in Los Angeles two weeks later, proudly displaying her swelling belly in a motherhood-themed show. She has since posted numerous pictures of her bare baby bump on her social media accounts.

The birth of Blue Ivy caused a paparazzi storm in 2012, with New York’s Lenox Hill hospital shutting down part of its maternity wing to accommodate music’s royal couple.

Rumor of marital trouble

News of the pregnancy came less than a year after the release of Beyonce’s 2016 album “Lemonade,” in which she appeared to address long-standing rumors of trouble in her eight-year marriage.

The lyrics of several songs spoke about being cheated on, and regretting being married. But Beyonce made clear in the final tracks of the album and in music videos featuring Jay-Z that she had decided to stay in the relationship.

The couple have never addressed the rumors publicly.
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Stephen Furst, who played naive fraternity pledge Flounder in the hit movie Animal House, has died of complications from diabetes, his family said Saturday. Furst was 63.

Furst died Friday at his home in Moorpark, California, north of Los Angeles, said his son, Nathan Furst.

Furst played Kent “Flounder” Dorfman in the 1978 film that also starred John Belushi. It was Belushi’s character, Blutarsky, who drew Flounder into a prank that went terribly wrong and ended up with the frantic Flounder shooting a horse.

Furst’s long list of credits included the 1980s medical drama St. Elsewhere, on which he played Dr. Elliot Axelrod. He played Vir Coto and was an occasional director on the 1990s sci-fi series Babylon 5.

He also voiced characters on projects including TV’s Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and the video The Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea.

“He was proudest of his family, and he felt blessed and incredibly privileged to have the career that he had an enjoyed,” Nathan Furst said Saturday.

Stephen Furst also was a director and producer, working with his other son, Griff. Their Curmudgeon Film projects included the movies My Sister’s Keeper and Cold Moon, a suspense thriller set for release in October, Griff Furst said.

Stephen Furst’s survivors include his wife, Lorraine, and two grandchildren, his sons said.
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