lifestyle SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016

NOVI, MICHIGAN: Fans at the 27th annual Motor City Comic Con on Friday. — AP photos ‘Sharknado’ meets ‘Walking Dead’ at Motor City Comic Con

he stars of “The Walking Dead” and “Sharknado” have that people put into these costumes,” said Davis, a 29-year- done battle with zombies and, well, sharks. They’re old from Troy, Michigan, who was attending her second Tfacing a different kind of horde this weekend. Motor City Comic Con. Tens of thousands of fans are expected at the 27th Davis wasn’t the only person being asked for photos. Ian annual Motor City Comic Con, which got underway Ziering and Tara Reid, who star in July’s fourth installment Friday in suburban Detroit. The three-day pop-culture of the campy smash “Sharknado” franchise on SyFy, were extravaganza welcomes dozens of celebrities from TV among the celebrities who mingled with fans. and film as well as hundreds of comic book creators, writ- “It’s Comic Con. They’re always fun,” said Reid, also ers and artists. known for her roles in “American Pie” and “The Big Michael Goldman, owner of Motor City Comic Con, pre- Lebowski.” “You have so many different actors and people dicted this would be the biggest event yet with more than and vendors. It’s just a fun thing to be a part of. It’s kind of 55,000 attendees expected at the Suburban Collection like a carnival.” Showplace in Novi, up from last year’s record of 50,000. Ziering set up shop next to Reid, and nearby were “If you’d have told me 10 years ago” that the attendance Alexandra Breckenridge and Michael Cudlitz, two of the would be this high, “I would have told you that you were stars of AMC’s zombie apocalypse thriller “The Walking crazy,” said Goldman, who added, “the marketplace for Dead.” And over the weekend, visitors can expect to see comic cons has grown everywhere.” It’s a place where fans’ Adam West and Burt Ward, who will be celebrating the “inner geek can come out,” he said. 50th anniversary of the “Batman” TV show. Jordan Davis, who came dressed as “Batman” villain Motor City Comic Con also offers plenty of pop-culture Harley Quinn, said she was stopped 15 times to pose for merchandise, including comics, art, T-shirts, movie memo- pictures within the first 20 minutes of the show on Friday. rabilia and posters.—AP “People go all out. . It’s amazing to see some of the artistry

In Woody Allen, media & movie Dionne Warwick film will not star Lady goers again confront ambiguity Gaga as her ‘nemesis’ op diva Lady Gaga has denied she will appear in a much-publicized upcoming film about he latest explosion of allegations against Woody it “a sterling example of how not to talk about sexual on either side, given that there’s no action pending for Psinger Dionne Warwick in which she was said Allen has returned moviegoers to a familiar place: assault” and warned of the powerful public relations any of the individuals involved. Allen has steadfastly to be set to play the soul legend’s British “nemesis” TDebating the ethics of watching — and possibly apparatus around figures like Allen that discourages denied the allegations and in 2014 penned a lengthy Cilla Black. loving — Allen’s films. This time, much of the soul discussion of such issues. His arguments have resonated response that he said would be his final word on the Warwick appeared at the Cannes film festival searching is being done by film critics and reporters. for many in the media. matter. When asked by reporters Thursday about Ronan Friday to promote the biopic, “Dionne”, revealing The column by Allen’s son Ronan Farrow, posted Melissa Silverstein, founder of the Women in Farrow’s column, Allen said he hadn’t read it and had that former Destiny’s Child member LeToya Luckett Wednesday hours ahead of the premiere of Allen’s “Cafe Hollywood blog, wrote a column in the Guardian titled nothing further to say. would play her while Gaga would be Black, who Society” in Cannes wasn’t just a reiteration of the “Why I won’t be seeing Woody Allen’s new film.” “I would Some of Allen’s cast members, including Kristen died last year. But Gaga’s publicist immediately shot decades-old claim that Allen molested his daughter, like to counter society’s seeming determination to dis- Stewart, have been asked about whether they weighed the idea down, telling the film industry bible Variety Dylan when she was seven. It was an argument for the believe victims. And I wish the film industry would too,” the accusations in joining “Cafe Society,” a light and in comments published Saturday that she is “not entertainment industry, where pursuit of celebrity wrote Silverstein. “Refuse to buy tickets to films made comic 1930s Hollywood romance due out in July. At a attached to this project”. access often trumps journalistic duty, to reevaluate how by people with assault accusations against them. Make press conference in Cannes shortly after Farrow’s col- The casting had promoted much online specula- tion-and hilarity-over how the American singer it handles lingering allegations of sexual abuse that lack that behavior and worldview unacceptable. I will start umn was posted, journalists who asked the 80-year-old would replicated Black’s strong Liverpool “Scouse” the clarity of a legal judgment. by not seeing ‘Cafe Society’ and urge others to do like- filmmaker questions chose not to broach the subject. accent. The feud between the two 1960s stars dates “Confronting a subject with allegations from women wise.” It’s an unquestionably thorny question to navigate, back five decades to Warwick’s fury at the way she or children, not backed by a simple, dispositive legal rul- Nina Metz for the Chicago Tribune also said she rife with irresoluble ambiguity. Considering Allen’s non- claimed Black “copied” her vocal inflections on ing is hard,” wrote Farrow. “It means having those tough would boycott Allen’s films and his upcoming series for stop output, it’s not one that’s going away. “Anyone Who Had A Heart”. newsroom conversations, making the case for burning Amazon despite it being “a dicey position to be in when Matt Zoller Seitz, editor-in-chief for RogerEbert.com, Warwick’s great standard also became a huge hit bridges with powerful public figures. It means going up you cover TV and film.” wrote movingly and intelligently of his balancing act as for Black in 1964. Black “stole my music, and I was against angry fans and angry publicists.” “Collectively we have shunned the work of Bill Cosby, a critic. “I believe Woody Allen is one of the great not a very happy camper about that”, Warwick told Farrow’s column followed an in-depth interview with and I wonder, is it because so far 60 women have come American filmmakers. I believe Dylan Farrow when she reporters. But the two did finally manage to bury Allen conducted by The Hollywood Reporter — one of forward with stories of rape at his hands?” wrote Metz . says Allen molested her as a child,” Seitz wrote . “The the hatchet, Warwick said. “We grew up and under- the first Allen has granted since Dylan Farrow renewed “Does Allen get different treatment from us because two thoughts are not mutually exclusive. But they are stood each other. It all got cleared away.” the allegations in a 2014 New York Times op-ed — in just a single person — his child — came forward?” painful to reconcile.” Producers WW Film Company said it has already which the allegations weren’t brought up. Farrow called There is a question of how much more there is to say Seitz acknowledged he may not be watching Allen’s taken them 10 years to get the story-based on older films anymore, and that indelible moments in his Warwick’s autobiography-this far, and that shooting films — like the nighttime park bench scene of would begin in October. It is not unusual for stars to “Manhattan” — now have “a mental asterisk” attached be “attached” to projects launched at Cannes the to them. “He’s a major artist. I’m a critic. I need to keep world’s most important film festival and market- track of what he does on film,” wrote Seitz. “It’s a profes- before final contracts are signed. — AFP sional obligation, and if I ruled out the work of directors, actors and writers I disapprove of personally, I’d be blacking out a fair chunk of cinema history.” Farrow pleaded foremost that alleged abuse victims like his sister, Dylan, should not be forgotten and her allegations should not go unnoted when Allen is feted at Cannes or sits down with a reporter to discuss his life and career — essentially that the asterisk remains attached to Allen. In a battle that has always been waged in the press, it has prompted self-analysis for those who usually ask the questions and do the analyzing.—AP

CANNES: Actress Blake Lively, left, director Woody Allen and actress Kristen Stewart arrive on the red carpet for the screening of NEWARK, NEW JERSY: Dionne Warwick pre- the film Cafe Society and the Opening senting an award during the Black Girls Rock! Ceremony at the 69th international film fes- 2016 show at New Jersey Performing Arts tival on Wednesday. — AP Center. — AP