LIFESTYLE37 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2014 Music & Movies Filipino singer captures Israeli hearts in TV show

47-year-old Filipino caregiv- Israeli singer Shiri Maimon, a er has emerged as the judge on the show and former real- Anewest star of Israeli reality ity TV contestant herself, has television, putting a human face on served as Fontanes’ “mentor” the thousands of foreign workers throughout the season. After a who toil away in menial, back- recent rendition of Christina breaking jobs in this country. Israeli Aguilera’s “Beautiful,” Maimon viewers of the country’s myriad of could barely contain her excite- reality shows have grown accus- ment. “It was so moving. I am so tomed to successful candidates proud of you. We will have an from various backgrounds, includ- amazing journey together,” she ing black-clad ultra-Orthodox Jews, said. “I’m speechless. It was more This image released by Disney shows, from left, Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell, Ethiopian immigrants and a than perfect.” Olaf, voiced by Josh Gad, and Kristoff, voiced by Jonathan Groff in a scene German convert to Judaism who Fostanes said she has dreamed became a celebrity chef. But of singing since she was a child, but from the animated feature ‘Frozen.’ —AP they’ve never seen someone like suffered discrimination because of Rose Fostanes before. her appearance. She said she still The diminutive woman with a can’t believe how far she has come. ‘Frozen’ tops North booming voice has taken “X-Factor “Sometimes I am telling myself, ‘Is it Israel” by storm and emerged as a Rose Fostanes speaks to the Associated Press before a rehearsal true that it happened to me?” she national phenomenon. Known sim- of the X-Factor Israel in Tel Aviv. —AP photos said. “At least I can express and ply as “Rose,” she is mobbed by fans show the people that I have also American box office wherever she goes. “It’s a big talents and it’s not too late for me change in my life because before to shine.” Fostanes said she has nobody recognized me, nobody been a caregiver since the age of isney animated musical “Frozen” lifestyle. Critically acclaimed comedy knew me. But now everybody, I 23, working in Egypt and Lebanon claimed top spot at the North “American Hustle”-starring Christian Bale think everybody in Israel knows my before coming to Israel. She is DAmerican box office this weekend, and Amy Adams as grifters who team up name. And it is very funny,” she said. among the roughly 10 million dethroning the latest installment of “The with an FBI agent, played by Bradley Fostanes arrived six years ago to Filipinos, or 10 percent of the over- Hobbit” fantasy trilogy, final figures showed Cooper, to bring down other con artists- work as a caregiver so, like millions all population, who work abroad. Monday. A loosely based retelling of a Hans was fifth with $12.4 million. of other Filipino workers around Israel’s estimated 40,000 Christian Andersen fairytale, “Frozen” added In sixth place was “Anchorman 2,” the the world, she could send money Filipinos enjoy relative freedom, as another $19.6 million in earnings, taking its Will Ferrell comedy which sees him reprise back home to her family. She long as they have work permits. seven-week haul in the United States and his role as screwball newsman Ron spends her days caring and clean- Most remain for an agreed-upon Canada to just under $297 million. In sec- Burgundy. The sequel took $10.6 million in ing for an ailing woman in her 50s. period of time before returning ond was horror film “Paranormal Activity: its third week. Seventh was “Saving Mr To save money, Fostanes lives in a home. Fostanes said Filipinos The Marked Ones,” the fifth movie of the Banks,” a drama about Walt Disney’s quest crowded apartment in south Tel around the world have heard about hugely successful franchise which opened to make a film adaptation of Mary Poppins, Aviv, a downtrodden area inhabited her and frequently send her text with $18.3 million, box office tracker with $8.7 million. Its stars-Tom Hanks as by foreign laborers, with seven oth- messages of support. But her suc- Exhibitor Relations confirmed. Disney and Emma Thompson as Poppins’ ers. cess has been tempered by the dis- The “Paranormal Activity” franchise has anti-Hollywood author-have both been Until recently, Fostanes was tance from her loved ones. She last earned more than $750 million worldwide nominated for Golden Globes. among the thousands of Filipinos Rose Fostanes sings during a rehearsal of the X-Factor. visited the Philippines two years since the original low-budget film, made In eighth was Ben Stiller’s romantic com- who work in similar positions in ago. “Really I miss them, my family for just $15,000, took the box office by edy “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” an Israel. The site of Filippino workers enter the “X-Factor” competition, a strong and soulful voice, belting especially because this is the time I storm in 2009. Last week’s top dog, “The updated adaptation of James Thurber’s wheeling elderly Israelis in public popular show hosted by Israeli out such hits as Queen’s “Bohemian really need them beside me,” she Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”, fell to famous 1939 short story about a strait- places is so common that the word supermodel Bar Refaeli. Standing Rhapsody” and Lady Gaga’s “You said, with tears in her eyes. “I need third spot with $15.7 million. The second laced office worker who loses himself in “Filipini” has become synonymous just 1.50 meters-tall (4-foot-11), and I.” She is among the final five their support not only because part of director Peter Jackson’s trilogy of heroic daydreams. The film, which stars with “caregiver.” Several months Fostanes has captured her audi- contestants and widely seen as a they are in the Philippines, I want films, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved clas- Stiller in the lead role, took $8 million. In ago, a friend encouraged her to ences’ hearts with a surprisingly favorite. them to be by my side.” —AP sic, has earned $229 million to date in ninth place was the second film in the North America. blockbuster “Hunger Games” franchise with In fourth spot was Martin Scorsese’s lat- $7 million, taking its overall earnings to est collaboration with actor Leonardo $407.1 million in North America alone. DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” earning In 10th was “Grudge Match,” a comedy Run Run Shaw, father $13.2 million in its second weekend. The seeing Sylvester Stallone and Robert De movie is based on the debauched rise and Niro play geriatric former boxers who agree of the kung fu film, fall of disgraced Wall Street financier Jordan to climb into the ring one last time to settle Belfort (DiCaprio), who conned his way to a feud. The movie-nicknamed “Aging Bull” dies aged 106 hundreds of millions in the 1990s while by one critic-took $5.3 million. —AFP un Run Shaw, the billionaire film pioneer hailed as the maintaining a notoriously drug-fuelled inventor of the kung fu genre and who launched a media Rempire that stretched from Hong Kong to Hollywood, died yesterday at the age of 106. The colourful mogul, whose flagship Shaw Brothers Studio helped shape Asian cinema in the 20th century and influenced the films of directors such as Quentin Tarantino, passed away at his home in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s chief executive Leung Chun-ying, leader of the city of seven million people, praised Shaw’s legacy. “Sir Run Run Shaw has for a long time promoted the enter- tainment industry in Hong Kong, his philanthropy also has spread from Hong Kong to China and beyond. He is an elder that we very much respect,” Leung told reporters. Shaw, listed by Forbes as a billionaire, was also a generous philanthropist who was knighted by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in 1977 for his public service as a long-time backer of the Red Cross. He co-pro- Aamir Khan thriller breaks duced Ridley Scott’s 1982 cult hit “Blade Runner”, and his stu- dio’s kung fu films became genre-defining-but he famously missed out on signing Bruce Lee following failed talks over Bollywood records remuneration. Lee instead joined Golden Harvest, a Hong Kong-based pro- ollywood action thriller “Dhoom 3”, lead to a discrepancy in figures. duction house founded by Shaw’s former employee Raymond starring Aamir Khan, has smashed Single screen ticket sales remain uncom- Musicians Bono and The Edge of U2 arrive at the 25th Annual Palm Springs Chow, which propelled the martial arts icon to international Bbox office records to become the puterised and while multiplex collections International Film Festival Awards Gala at Palm Springs Convention Center stardom. Shaw and his older brother Runme first founded a film highest grossing Indian film of all time, are computerised, they are not linked on on January 4, 2014 in Palm Springs. —AFP according to industry experts yesterday. one network, so gross collection figures are The third film in the Dhoom franchise, usually supplied by the distributor. Singh which has been likened to Hollywood’s attributed the success of the “Dhoom 3” Why U2’s Bono considered Nelson “Fast and Furious”, is the first Indian film to partly to the “star appeal” of Aamir Khan, cross the five-billion rupee mark ($80 mil- whose earlier 2010 film “3 Idiots” held the lion) in gross revenues around the world, highest-grossing record for more than Mandela his ‘Bandleader’ according to its production house Yash Raj three years. Films. “Dhoom 3”, directed by Vijay Krishna hey may have been rock ‘n’ roll interlopers an amazing movie to come out right at this The group said late Monday that the Acharya and also starring Abhishek at a swanky movie-business event, but moment. So we’re just happy to help in what- cop caper had grossed 5.01 billion rupees, Bachchan and Katrina Kaif, is set largely in TU2’s Bono and the Edge turned more ever small way we can to shine more light on and trade experts confirmed it had sur- Chicago and tells the story of an Indian heads than Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Sandra what he represents and what he did as a leader passed the previous highest-grossing cop, his sidekick and their latest adversary, Bullock and Tom Hanks at Saturday night’s - an international leader, an example to every Bollywood film, a title recently clinched by an illusionist played by Khan. “It’s huge and Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards politician. Shah Rukh Khan’s “Chennai Express”. this record won’t be easy to break anytime Gala. The group was honored with the Sonny Bono: An example of how to lead by serv- “Dhoom 3 is the number one Bollywood soon,” said trade analyst Komal Nahta of the Bono Visionary Award for its activism, but it ing, and by putting away the sort of partisan- film worldwide,” said Vajir Singh, editor of success of the film, which was released on was also on hand for writing “Ordinary Love,” ship that has brought this country to a halt. This file picture taken on May 28, 2008 shows Box Office India. Unlike in Hollywood, there December 20 and has been shown at more the end-credits song in the Justin Chadwick Very pertinent now, those lessons. Reaching Run Run Shaw at the AGM of TVB in Hong is no central data management service for than 4,400 screens in India and 750 screens film “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” released across the aisle. Those are all things he was Kong. —AFP box office collections in India, which can abroad. —AFP only days before Mandela’s death on Dec 5. famous for. The idea of U2 writing a song for a production house in Shanghai in 1927, before moving in to At Saturday night’s gala, Bono and the Edge Mandela movie could make people think Hong Kong and Singapore. Shaw Brothers Studio has since pro- sat down to talk about the song in TheWrap’s they’re going to get a big political song. But Jane Campion to head duced around 1,000 titles, including “The 36th Chamber of photo studio at the Palm Springs Convention “Ordinary Love” isn’t that at all. Shaolin” and “Five Fingers of Death”. The studio, which mostly Center. Incidentally, we figured out that it was Bono: Maybe they were thinking we should Cannes film festival jury produced Chinese-language films, dominated Hong Kong’s almost exactly 25 years to the day since I sat write a big anthem, a “Pride (In the Name of “Movie Town”, and bred local directors-some of whom would with them in a Dublin pub on Jan 3, 1989 for a Love).” But we were more focused on the eros ew Zealand filmmaker Jane later reach the top of their industry in Hollywood, such as John Rolling Stone cover story. and the agape. A complicated love story, which Campion, the only woman to win the Woo. Hong Kong actor Gordon Liu, who appeared in multiple How did you get involved with the is this film, deserves a complicated love song. Ncoveted Palme d’Or, will head the Shaw films, played the stereotypical Shaw-esque kung fu mas- movie? And that’s kind of our specialty. ‘Cause when jury at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the ter Pai Mei in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill: Volume 2”. Kung fu Bono: I had a conversation with Anant things get too straight, in terms of writing a organizers announced yesterday. “It’s a great film fans took to Twitter to pay their respects yesterday. Singh - we were trying to make this movie for love song, we start getting embarrassed. We honor for me to be chosen as the president “Without Run Run Shaw there would be no Quentin Tarantino 10 years. And he kept saying, though I wasn’t come from that Roy Orbison school of dark of the jury,” the 59-year-old director said in a or Wu Tang Clan,” New York City-based user LenRoQ tweeted. sure whether to believe him, that he wanted love songs. Anant sent us the love letters statement. “To tell the truth I can’t wait,” “RIP Sir Run Run Shaw. Thank you for all those Saturday U2 to be part of it. I kept pointing out that we between Nelson and Winnie Mandela, and they added Campion who succeeds last year’s afternoons of Kung fu,” Victor DeAnda from Philadelphia tweet- weren’t actually African, and he kept remind- were the key to the lyrics. They’re just beautiful jury head Steven Spielberg. The 67th Cannes ed. In 1967 Shaw helped found Hong Kong broadcaster TVB, ing me that Mandela was owned by a much letters. He loved language. film festival will run from May 14-25 in the whose sitcoms, variety shows and soap operas became wider community than Africa. Edge: One of the strengths of the movie is southern France resort town. Campion who immensely popular among the Chinese diaspora in Southeast We had been working for since we were in also that it shows the character of Mandela in won the Palme d’Or for “The Piano” in 1993 Asia, putting the former British colony on the global entertain- our teens in the ‘70s. U2 did its first anti- all his different phases. He started off as a also holds the distinction as the only double ment map. Silver screen mega-stars such as Chow Yuen-fat, Jane Campion apartheid show in 1979. And really, throughout troubled man who showed all the frailties of winner, her short “Peel” having picked up Tony Leung, Stephen Chow and Andy Lau all had their big heading the jury in 2001 — the Norwegian that the years following - from the “Make somebody who’s trying to wrestle with the the Palme d’or in that category in 1986. breaks on TVB television dramas in the 1980s before switching actress has herself directed a handful of Poverty History” movement, debt cancellation, big questions. And the great arc of the story is “The Piano” was also a big winner at the to movies. Shaw was born in Ningbo, in Zhejiang province in films. Cannes “is a mythical place and sur- universal access to antiretroviral drugs - he was to see how he emerged after his captivity as 1993 Academy wards across the Atlantic, China, in 1907. He was nicknamed “Uncle Six” as he was the prising place where actors reveal them- our bandleader. He is no longer around, and this wise sage who had incredible judgment with Campion winning an Oscar for Best sixth of seven siblings. selves, films find their producers and careers that’s a hole we’re never going to be able to fill. and incredible ability to forgive and to move Screenplay while Holly Hunter and Anna He had an affection for Rolls Royce vehicles, and was often are made. I know, it happened to me,” said But at least, when it came to writing a song for a forward into the future. A visionary. But I don’t Paquin won Best Actress and Best pictured accompanied by glamorous actresses at glittering Campion. Born into an artistic family, movie about his life, we could try to feel useful. think he always had those powers. Those were Supporting Actress respectively. “A major social events. He was famously reported as saying that he and Campion studied anthropology then paint- Edge: It almost feels like Madiba [Mandela’s powers that he attained through his life. So it’s filmmaker and a tireless pioneer,” was how his brother had buried up to $4 million in gold, jewelry and cash ing before turning her attentions to cinema. clan name] stage-managed his own exit, you a very encouraging story, in many ways, to see the Cannes organizers described Campion. in their garden before the Japanese invaded Singapore during Last year she came to Cannes as head of the know what I mean? If he were to to try and a man with those vicissitudes and failings She is not the first woman to head the the Second World War. “After the war we were still rich,” he said. short-film jury. She has also won critical and plan it so he would get the most attention and come through and become the guy he even- Cannes festival jury. Shaw was also the backer of the $1 million Shaw Prize, often popular acclaim for writing the 2013 televi- focus on his great work and on his values, he tually did. —Reuters Actresses Isabelle Huppert did so in 2009 referred to as the Nobel Prize of Asia. —AFP sion mini-series “Top of the Lake” which was couldn’t have done a better job [than to have] and Isabelle Adjani in 1997, with Ingmar Bergman’s cinematic muse Liv Ullmann also shot in New Zealand. —AFP