Established 1961 13 Lifestyle Features Thursday, November 12, 2020

op superstar Beyonce has joined forces with home exercise compa- Pny Peloton in a deal to create work- out classes featuring her music, geared especially to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), the company announced on Tuesday. The multi-year deal with the award-winning performer will focus initially on creating themed An undated handout picture obtained from Netflix shows the cast and crew of the Arabic TV series ‘Paranormal’ produced by Netflix. — AFP photos workouts around HBCU fall homecoming festivities, which are mostly being held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic, the company said. “Peloton and I both believe that the power of music can help uplift, motivate and inspire those on their fitness journeys,” BeyoncÈ said in a statement.

ith killer mummies, a house of spirit of the work,” said director Amr middle class of entertainment consumers horrors, slick special effects Salama, a mainstay of international film with sophisticated tastes. “The major Wand a melancholic soundtrack, festivals with art-house films such as change... is the obliteration of the rhythm streaming giant Netflix is banking on Sheikh Jackson, as well as episodes of of television consumption and the frag- new blockbuster Egyptian series Saturday Night Live Arabia. “We didn’t mentation of the watching unit from the “Paranormal” achieving worldwide suc- want it to turn out like an American family to the individual,” he added. In this file photo a woman rides her Peloton cess. Billed as a mystery and thriller pro- series that’s dubbed in Arabic. Even “Now everyone watches what they exercise bike at her home in San Anselmo, duction based on the best-selling young with the special effects and myths and want, when they want... on a bunch of California. — AFP photos adult fiction novellas of Egyptian author spooky tales, we wanted them to be devices.” The critical acclaim of Arab- Ahmed Khaled Tawfik, Paranormal was authentically Egyptian”. On social American actors and storytellers in “I’ve been a Peloton member for sever- released last week in nine languages to media, Egyptian reception of Hollywood recently has also been a con- al years, and I’m excited to partner with a audiences in around 190 countries. Paranormal has been mixed, with tributing factor. Egyptian-American actor company that helps people, young and “With such a huge fanbase, it was a logi- many lampooning the show’s use of Rami Malek won an Oscar for best actor old, be the best versions of themselves, in cal project for us to come on board,” An undated handout picture obtained from special effects, while others praised last year for his portrayal of Freddie an innovative and adaptable way.” She Ahmed Sharkawi, Netflix’s head of Netflix shows actors Razane Jammal (left) the subtle acting of lead actor Amin. Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody”. and the company also will donating two- Arabic and African original content, told and Ahmed Amin during a scene from the The bespectacled, softly spoken actor, Comedian Ramy Youssef’s Hulu series year memberships to students at 10 AFP. “We’re excited for the fans to see Arabic TV series “Paranormal” produced by who shot to fame in Egypt with his “Ramy”, following the struggles of a HBCUs, including Howard University, their favorite characters-monsters and Netflix. online comedy sketches, spoke eager- young Muslim-American keeping his alma mater of Vice President-elect Kamala ghosts-coming to life.” ly about showcasing Egyptian talent. faith in a hedonistic environment, also Harris. Beyonce is the most requested But Paranormal, Netflix’s first Egyptian structures of financing, and go straight to “My starring in Paranormal comes with won a Golden Globe award this year. artist among 3.6 million users of Peloton’s series, also marks a shift in the entertain- Netflix,” said Marwan Kraidy, an authority the challenge of conveying Egyptian Netflix’s subscriber base in the region is interactive fitness bikes and other workout ment industry in Egypt, and the wider on Arab media and dean of drama to an international stage,” he just under five million, but the streaming equipment, and news of the deal send the Arab world. Egypt has traditionally been Northwestern University in Qatar. “This told AFP. “It’s a test of seeing whether site hopes to double that by 2025 with a company’s share price soaring prior to the a cultural powerhouse in the region, pro- model appears to be gaining steam in we can compete and draw audiences slew of Arabic content offerings, includ- market open.—AFP ducing dozens of movies as well as grip- the Arab world.” The new six-episode beyond the Arab world.” ing a musical by legendary Egyptian ping drama and comedy series every series of Paranormal, set in the 1960s, singer Amr Diab later this year. Breakout year. But after its golden age in the follows the adventures of Refaat Ismail, a ‘Bridge the gap’ actress Jammal hopes Paranormal can 1940s to 1960s, critics say the film pro- haematologist played by Ahmed Amin, Kraidy likens Netflix’s entry into the expose international viewers to stories ductions had in recent years lost its who encounters supernatural occur- Arab market to how the HBO television beyond typically reductive Hollywood touch. Many hope the growth of online rences. Along with his trusty sidekick network in the United States gained trac- stereotypes of Arab characters. “I hope television services could inject new life Scottish scientist Maggie Mackillop, tion in households for nuanced stories in it puts a spotlight on the talents that we into the industry-and bring Egypt’s acting played by British-Lebanese actress landmark shows such as The Sopranos have here,” she said. “I hope that we to a far larger audience. Razane Jammal, they solve occult mys- and The Wire. “Streaming devices have have more of a chance to bridge the teries, taking them beyond the splendor further blurred the boundaries of what gap between East and West.”— AFP Model gaining steam’ of Cairo and deep into the Libyan desert. ‘Egyptian’ television drama means,” “We are beginning to see some film- “We wanted to create high-quality Kraidy said. Kraidy explained how makers bypassing state and private content without losing the Egyptian streaming services have created a savvy

In this file photo US singer/songwriter Beyonce arrives for the world premiere of A portrait of the first United Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ at the Dolby theatre States secretary of the in Hollywood. treasury, Alexander Hamilton.

n a rare find, scientists have identified a new species of primate, a lithe tree- Idweller living in the forests of central Myanmar with a mask-like face framed by a shock of unruly grey hair. The Popa langur-named for an extinct volcano home to its largest population, some 100 individuals-has been around for at least a million years, according to a study detailing the find, published yesterday in ran has chosen director Majid Majidi’s Zoological Research. But with only 200 latest film “Sun Children” (“Khorshid” in to 250 left in the wild today, experts will Persian) to represent the country at the recommend that the leaf-eating species I Oscars, the official body in charge of the children of African descent was part of be classified as “critically endangered”. selection said in a statement. The film, both Hamilton’s professional and person- “Just described, the Popa langur is which had its world premiere at the 77th Did Hamilton al life,” she wrote. “Primary sources prove already facing extinction,” said senior Venice Film Festival in September, fol- Hamilton purchased enslaved people for author Frank Momberg, a researcher at In this picture actress Sarwat Gilani, one of lows several street children who help himself.” Flora & Fauna International (FFI), in the casts of the drama serial “Churails”, or own slaves? New support their families through odd jobs. She said they were referred to in Yangon. “Witches” poses for photos during an inter- One day, they are told a hidden treasure Hamilton’s accounts as “servants” but Throughout its range, the lithe mon- view with AFP in Karachi. is buried underneath a school for street were in fact slaves. “It is vital that the key with chalk-white rings around its research paper belly, with black hands and wrists that children and to dig for it, they must enrol. myth of Hamilton as the ‘Abolitionist eyes is threatened by hunting and habi- look a bit like gloves. Its agile tail-at near- The decision to nominate “Khorshid” for Founding Father’ end,” Serfilippi wrote. tat loss, he said in a statement. The first ly a metre-is longer than its body, with the 2021 Academy Awards was “These documents... make it evident that evidence of the new species was found says he did the creature weighing about eight kilo- announced on Sunday in a statement Alexander Hamilton was an enslaver. Ron not in the wild but the backrooms of the grams (18 pounds). “Additional field sur- from the Farabi Cinema Foundation. Chernow, whose 2004 best-selling biog- London Natural History Museum, where veys and protection measures are In a September interview with AFP, lexander Hamilton, a Founding raphy of Hamilton describes him as an genetic analysis revealed that speci- urgently required and will be conducted Majidi said he chose his actors from Father of the United States cele- “uncompromising abolitionist” and was mens gathered more than a century ago by FFI and others to save the langurs street children to “show their abilities and Abrated as an abolitionist in the the inspiration for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s when Burma was a British colony were from extinction,” said Ngwe Lwin, a pri- their humanity”. It took the director four eponymous hit Broadway musical, was a musical, told The New York Times that something new. Samples of Popa poop matologist with FFI’s Myanmar program. months and nearly 4,000 auditions to slaveowner, according to a new research Serfilippi’s paper was a “terrific research collected by Momberg and his col- Scientists at the German Primate cast the children who starred in the film. paper. The paper by Jessie Serfilippi of job that broadens our sense of Hamilton’s leagues in the forest matched those Centre in Goettingen, Germany co-led Majidi’s “Children of Heaven” was the the Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site involvement in slavery in a number of from the museum, and showed that the the research. There are more than 20 first Iranian film nominated by the in Albany, New York, was written last year ways.” But he took issue with what he previously unknown langur was still species of langur in the world, several Academy of Motion Picture Arts and but only recently published online. The called several “bald conclusions,” partic- roaming the wild. of them critically endangered. The best Sciences for the Best International Schuylers were Hamilton’s in-laws. In the ularly her claim that slavery was “essen- The reclusive monkeys were finally paper, “As Odious and Immoral a Thing: tial to (Hamilton’s)identity.” known among them is the grey or Feature Film Oscar, in 1999. —AFP captured on film in 2018, revealing their Hanuman langur, named for the wan- Alexander Hamilton’s Hidden History as Praising her “tough scrutiny,” Chernow distinctive fur colouration and markings. an Enslaver,” Serfilippi wrote that “there is told the newspaper: “But she omits all dering monkey god prominent in the Trachypithecus popa, or T. popa for Hindu epic Ramayana. At least two little room in modern discourse for ques- information that would contradict her con- short, has a grey-brownish and white tioning the founder’s thoughts and feel- clusions.” In her paper, Serfilippi says dozen primates have been discovered ings on slavery.” However, she said: “Not “occasionally, Hamilton did express abo- since the beginning of the century, only did Alexander Hamilton enslave litionist sympathies.” “However, some of many through genetic analysis reveal- people, but his involvement in the institu- Hamilton’s writings often believed to ing that species similar in appearance tion of slavery was essential to his identi- express abolitionist sympathies or the were in fact distinct. Primates are divid- ty, both personally and professionally.” evolution of such feelings are more in line ed into two suborders. Strepsirrhines- That Hamilton worked as a middleman with his politics than his morals,” she from the Greek for twisted-nose- in the buying and selling of slaves for said. She also wrote: “The truth revealed includes lemurs and lorisids. The sec- family and friends has been acknowl- in Hamilton’s cash books and letters must ond suborder, haplorhines, or “dry- edged by historians. But whether he per- be acknowledged in order to honor the nosed” primates, includes the tarsier, sonally owned slaves has been a matter people he enslaved.” Hamilton, who apes and langurs. There are more than of scholarly debate. Serfilippi studied served as an aide to General George 20 critically endangered species of pri- Hamilton’s “cash books,” his personal Washington during the Revolutionary War mate in the world today. — AFP accounts, along with letters and other and went on to become the first US Photo provided by the 77th Venice International documents. “(These) make it evident that Treasury Secretary, was killed in a duel Film Festival shows Shamila Shirzad and the enslavement of men, women, and with Aaron Burr in 1804. — AFP Roohollah Zamani in Sun Children.