ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, MAY 30, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

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Italy’s Carla Fracci dies Classic ‘Caterpillar’ author Carle dead

NEW YORK, May 29, (AP): Eric Carle, the beloved children’s author and illustrator whose classic “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and other works gave mil- lions of kids some of their earliest and most cherished literary memories, has died at age 91. Carle’s family says he died last Sunday at his sum- mer studio in Northampton, Massachusetts, with fam- ily members at his side. The family’s announcement was issued by Penguin Young Leaders. Through books like “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” “Do You Want to Be My Friend?” and “From Head to Toe,” Carle introduced universal themes in simple words and bright colors. “The unknown often brings fear with it,” he once observed. “In my books I try to counteract this fear, to replace it with a positive message. I be- lieve that children are naturally creative and eager to learn. I want to show them that learn- ing is really both fascinating and fun.” “The Very Hungry Caterpil- lar,” published in 1969, was welcomed by parents and de- lighted kids with its story of the metamorphosis of a green and Carle red caterpillar with a touch of blue and brown to a proudly multi-colored butterfl y. Originally conceived as a book about a bookworm - called “A Week with Willi the Worm” - the hero, who eats through 26 different foods, was changed to a caterpillar on the advice of his editor. It has sold some 40 million copies and has been translated into 60 lan- guages, spawned stuffed animal caterpillars and has been turned into a stage play. “I remember that as a child, I always felt I would never grow up and be big and articulate and intelli- gent,” Carle told The New York Times in 1994. ”`Cat- erpillar’ is a book of hope: you, too, can grow up and grow wings.” This image provided by HBO Max shows Jennifer Aniston, (from left), Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc in a Expressionist scene from the ‘Friends’ reunion special. (AP) Politicians like George W. Bush and Hillary Clin- ton were known to read the book to children on the campaign trail. The American Academy of Pediatrics sent more than 17,000 pediatricians special copies of the book, along with growth charts and parent hand- Television outs on healthy eating. Fellow writer and illustrator Ted Dewan called the book one of the pillars of chil- dren’s culture. “It’s almost talking about how great the Beatles were. It’s beyond reproach,” he said. Oprah, Prince Harry host discussion with Gaga, Close Carle wrote and-or illustrated more than 75 books, sometimes partnering with Bill Martin Jr. or other au- thors, but most with Carle working alone. One of his last books was 2015s “The Nonsense Show,” which A tear-fi lled reunion for ‘Friends’ actors centered on a parade of fl ying fi sh, cat-taming mice and circus animals. NEW YORK, May 29, (AP): Toward reruns available on, yes, HBO Max. and Rachel,” she said. Born to German immigrant parents in Syracuse, the end of HBO Max’s “Friends” re- The streamed reunion was delayed In an inspired way, the show inter- New York, Carle and his family returned to Germany union special, host James Corden asks for a year due to the COVID-19 pan- sperses the present-day actors reading — Nazi Germany, at the time — when he was 6. Un- the six actors to imagine what their demic. Each of the actors reportedly their lines from the coffee shop scene der the Nazis, modern, expressionistic and abstract art characters’ lives would be like today. received $2.5 million to appear in the where that kiss happened, with what was banned and only realistic and naturalistic art was Chandler and Monica would be special, according to Variety. Viewers was seen on the air at the time. permitted. married. So would Ross and Rachel. were told it was only the second time Corden is, predictably, a little too When Carle was 12 or 13, a high school art teacher With kids, of course. Same with Phoe- that Kudrow, LeBlanc, Jennifer Anis- enthusiastic, a little too reverent. would change his life by inviting him to his home, be. The only mystery was Joey, which ton, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry “I can’t tell you how incredible it where he secretly showed his expressionist art, includ- actor Matt LeBlanc answered with a and David Schwimmer had been in a is to be here with all of you now,” he ing Franz Marc’s “Blue Horse.” Author Eric Carle reads his classic joke. room together since fi lming the series said. “We are shooting here in front of “I was used to pretty paintings with a mountain “He probably opened up a sandwich fi nale. the iconic fountain where you shot the in the background. Although I was shocked, I al- children’s book ‘The Very Hungry Cat- erpillar’ on the NBC ‘Today’ television shop in Venice Beach,” he said. It has an enormously effective open- opening credits.” ways carried that day in my heart,” Carle told NPR program in New York on Oct. 8, 2009, That’s when the disappointment of ing. A door opens at an empty Warner No jumping in the water this time, in 2011. As an illustrator, he said he chose to por- as part of Jumpstart’s 4th annual Na- “Friends: The Reunion,” which pre- tray animals in unconventional colors to show his Brothers soundstage where the old though. tional Read for the Record Day. The miered Thursday on the streaming ser- “Friends” set was in place. Schwim- While the show offers some laughs, young readers that in art, there is no wrong color. beloved children’s author and illustra- vice, hits you. How cool would it have He thanked Marc in the pages of “The Artist Who mer walks in alone, shaking his head smiles and warm, fuzzy feelings, that tor whose classic works gave millions been to take that journey? at what he sees. ultimately grows tedious. By the time Painted a Blue Horse.” of kids some of their earliest and most His signature illustration technique was done by It is what ultimately matters when He’s followed, one at a time, by Justin Bieber walks out wearing the cherished literary memories, has died. anybody reunites with friends so close Kudrow, Aniston, LeBlanc, Cox and, potato costume that Schwimmer had piecing pictures together chiefl y from tissue paper that Eric Carle was 91. (AP) he had painted with various colors and textures. “It they felt like family during the early fi nally, Perry. Tissue is produced for a Halloween episode, the nadir is sounds corny, but I think I connect with the child in adult years. How has everyone turned for Aniston and Cox’s tears, and it reached. out? Were dreams fulfi lled? Did life’s wouldn’t be the last time. me, and I think others do, too,” he told The Associated Also: Press in 2003. inevitable disappointments cut you “Does Courteney still have her lines LOS ANGELES: Oprah Winfrey and ❑ ❑ ❑ down or make you stronger? Can you written on the table?” LeBlanc said, still be friends? revealing a co-star’s secret. Prince Harry are continuing their Carla Fracci, an Italian cultural icon and former There are probably many reasons Thus begins nearly two hours of mental health series with a virtual La Scala prima ballerina renowned for romantic why the people involved didn’t try to reminiscences, helped along by gener- town hall featuring Lady Gaga, Glenn roles alongside such greats as Rudolf Nureyev and advance those stories. It would have ous clips and appearances by some of Close and others. Mikhail Baryshnikov, died Thursday at her home in been hard. Surely not everyone would the people who had been on the show. Apple TV+ announced Wednesday Milan. She was 84. have been on the same page. There’s Maggie Wheeler, who played Janice, that it will release on Friday “The Me Milan’s Teatro alla Scala announced her death always the possibility of failure. still has that grating laugh and explains You Can’t See: A Path Forward.” The without giving a cause. Italian news reports said she You want to remember the magic of how Perry inspired it. free town hall arrives a week after the had been fi ghting cancer. “Friends,” not the slog of the spinoff mental health series co-created by The Milan theater recalled the “fairytale rise” of Beyonce Clark “Joey.” Adoration Winfrey and the Duke of Sussex, “The the daughter of a tram driver who. It said that through Actress Lisa Kudrow noted the Corden asked whether any of the Me You Can’t See,” was released on “talent, obstinance and work (she) became the most show’s creators, Marta Kauffman and young, attractive actors had carried the streaming platform. famous ballerina in the world” and inspired genera- Variety David Crane, have said they worked a fl ame for one another. Aniston ex- The series features a mix of stories tions of young people. hard to give every character a satisfy- plained how she and Schwimmer had of celebrities and everyday people “Carla Fracci was a cardinal fi gure in the history ing ending when the NBC sitcom went a mutual crush in the fi rst season that and their mental health struggles and of dance and that of La Scala, but also a point of ref- CHICAGO: Kevin Clark, who played off the air in 2004. She hasn’t consid- wasn’t consummated. She feared that breakthroughs. In one episode, Gaga erence for the city of Milan and Italian culture,” the drummer Freddy “Spazzy McGee” Jones ered revisiting Phoebe. their fi rst kiss would be onstage in a revealed the trauma of a rape she said theater said in a statement. in the 2003 movie “School of Rock” with “I don’t want anyone’s happy end- scene — and that’s exactly what hap- left her pregnant at age 19. Jack Black, was killed when he was ing to be unraveled,” she said. pened. Harry discussed his own anxiety, Grace struck by a car while riding his bicycle Instead, the characters remain fro- “We just channeled all of our adora- therapy and coping techniques for the “She leaves us in amazement, on tiptoe like Giselle, along a Chicago street. zen in time, forever as they appear on tion and love for each other into Ross series, which debuted last week. a spirit that remains with us, fi lling the ballrooms, the Police said Clark, 32, was struck after stage and our hearts,” said La Scala’s ballet director, running a red light in the city’s Avondale Manuel Legris neighborhood. Clark was riding east on . “We feel a great void that, at the same ried it might take away from the social unhide the like counts, which didn’t sit nounced last month, users will be able time, makes us feel full and rich in all her history — Logan Boulevard when he was struck by a vehicle heading south on Western media experience. At the time, the plat- well with some users. to fl ip a switch that hides public like which is the history of ballet — and privileged to have form didn’t give users a choice to hide or Now, after a test the company an- counts. Instead of a number telling you shared her art.” Avenue, a witness and the driver both told responding offi cers, according to a how many people liked your latest puppy Fracci was born in Milan on Aug. 20, 1936, and Chicago Police Department crash report. photo, you’ll see “liked by Beyoncé and spent World War II with relatives in the countryside Authorities say emergency respond- others” (if Beyoncé and others did, in to escape the frequent bombardment of the industrial- ers found Clark partially under the car. fact, like your photo). (AP) ized Lombardy capital. In a recent interview with Sky Clark was taken in critical condition ❑ ❑ ❑ TG24, Fracci described her younger self as a “farm- to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical er,” who knew nothing of the theater or the world of Center, where he was pronounced dead MIAMI: Attorney and Harvard law pro- dance “much less those little shoes.” a short time later. Authorities say the fessor Alan Dershowitz is suing Netfl ix But after the war, an observer remarked on her 20-year-old woman driving the car was for $80 million over his portrayal in the “grace and musicality,” recommending she try out for issued several citations, but didn’t give streaming service’s “Filthy Rich” series La Scala’s academy. additional information. about sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. She was accepted at age 10, riding her father’s tram After starring in “School of Rock” The lawsuit, fi led in Miami federal court, with Black, Clark continued pursuing contends that Netfl ix intentionally misled each day to the academy, and graduated in 1954, at Dershowitz, one of the lawyers once age 18. Her fi rst stage appearance was in 1955 with drumming. Most recently, he played in the band Jess Bess & The Intentions, representing Epstein, regarding his appear- other graduating ballet students at the close of a stag- ance in the series. Dershowitz, now mainly ing of Bellini’s “La sonnambula” conducted by Leon- which made its debut performance Satur- day at Legendary Wooden Nickel in the retired in Miami Beach, says in the lawsuit ard Bernstein, directed by Luchino Visconti and that accusations by Virginia Giuffre are starting Maria Callas. Chicago suburb of Highwood. (AP) ❑ ❑ ❑ false and that Netfl ix knew it. Giuffre has She got her fi rst break substituting for French danc- been one of Epstein’s most vocal victims. er Violette Verdy in “Cinderella” the same year, and LOS ANGELES: If you post a photo to so- Dershowitz was one of the lawyers who by 1958 had risen to the role of prima ballerina. cial media and you don’t know how many negotiated a deal allowing the wealthy Her global fame soon spread, with invitations to the people liked it, did you really post it? fi nancier to escape a federal indictment in Royal Festival Hall, followed by doors opening in the Instagram and Facebook users can return for a guilty plea to state prostitution United States, even while remaining a central fi gure now fi nd out. Those on both services will charges in Florida in connection to the at La Scala. She was most identifi ed with the role of be able to hide the numbers that show dozens of teenage girls authorities say he “Giselle,” which she danced with Nureyev and Bary- how many people liked their posts and molested over the years. shnikov as well as Danish star Erik Bruhn. photos. “Giuffre’s accusations with Professor Later partners included La Scala’s own Roberto Instagram began hiding likes in 2019 In this Dec 13, 2007 file photo, Carla Fracci waves as she arrives at a ceremo- Dershowitz are categorically false, and Bolle, who remembered Fracci for her “human gen- as part of an effort to make people’s time ny where American actors George Clooney and Don Cheadle received a peace Professor Dershowitz has denied and erosity.” on the app less stressful and depressing. award, at a summit of Nobel Peace Prize winners, in Rome. Carla Fracci, an Ital- disproved the accusations — including While many users welcomed the feature, ian cultural icon and former La Scala prima ballerina who formed a memorable under oath subject to the penalties of others, including some infl uencers, wor- partnership with Rudolf Nureyev, has died at her home in Milan. She was 84. (AP) perjury,” the lawsuit says. (AP)