20 Friday Lifestyle | Features Friday, April 26, 2019

‘’ TV star Ken Kercheval dies ctor Ken Kercheval, who played the role of Texas oilman opposite ’s devious J.R. Ewing Aon the hit TV series “Dallas,” has died at age 83. A spokeswoman at Frist Funeral Home in Kercheval’s hometown of Clinton, Indiana, confirmed the death to AFP and said his burial will be private. She did not provide further details. Local news reports said Kercheval died on Sunday at his home after a long illness. The actor played the role of a belea- guered oil tycoon on “Dallas,” constantly having to defend him- self from the scheming J.R. Ewing. He said in an in- terview in 2012 that he liked his character who constantly tried-with- out success-to outwit J.R. “J.R. was coming after my ass all the time, so I always had to defend myself,” he said in a 2012 interview. “If I did something that A movie theatre displaying a poster of the latest Avengers movie in Mumbai yesterday. — AFP File photos shows Actor Ken Kercheval wasn’t quite right, it’s attends the Television Academy 70th because I had to.” Both Anniversary Celebration, in Los Ange- actors were the only les, California. — AFP stars who stayed with ‘Avengers: Endgame’ the series throughout its 14-year run from 1978 to 1991. Kercheval was also part of a revival of the drama-which revolved around a wealthy feuding Texas family-from 2012 to 2014. Actress Audrey Landers, who breaks India booking records played Barnes’ girlfriend, Afton Cooper, for several seasons on “Dallas,” paid tribute to him in an Instagram post, saying he he latest Marvel movie “Avengers: Endgame” has smashed and releases in India, the United States and Canada on Friday. would always be in her heart. “Thank you for being a great Indian box office records for a foreign film ahead of its Fri- The movie is releasing in multiple languages across India in- friend, scene partner, and for making history on #Dallas,” she Tday release by selling more than 2.5 million advance tickets, cluding English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. Trade pundits have wrote. Born in 1935 in Wolcottville, Indiana, Kercheval studied the country’s main ticket trader said. Demand for the 22nd film said the three-hour epic could become the first billion-dollar art and drama and began his career as a stage actor. “He was in the Marvel series has been so high that some cinemas are opening weekend in history. The first part of the saga, “Avengers: one of those guys who was going to be the next James Dean,” planning round the clock screenings, said Ashish Saksena, chief Infinity War”, was the previous record holder, with less than two David Jacobs, the creator of “Dallas,” told the Hollywood Re- operating officer of BookMyShow, an online booking platform million advanced tickets sold. The previous 21 Marvel films have porter. He appeared with Dustin Hoffman in an off-Broadway which announced the sales figures. earned about $19 billion globally. “Anticipation for Avengers is production of “Dead End” and had roles in several Broadway With a ticket sold every 18 seconds, cinemas across the usu- extremely high and it will record unprecedented numbers in musicals in the 1960s including “The Young Abe Lincoln” and ally Bollywood-mad country “are doing everything possible to India,” Akshaye Rathi, a Mumbai-based trade analyst told AFP. “.” His big-screen credits include “Network,” “The Se- match fans’ demand for the film,” Saksena said. And with one “Craze for the movie is at par with Baahubali 2 and it will break cret Storm,” and “The Lincoln Conspiracy.” Beyond “Dallas,” he day to go, the film could be on track to break the record set by records set by other Hollywood and Bollywood films by a long had roles in dozens of TV series including “Murder, She Wrote,” the 2017 Indian film “Bahubali 2”, which notched up 3.3 million mile,” Rathi added. — AFP “,” “L.A. Law” and “ER.” —AFP advance sales and went on to become the highest-grossing In- dian movie, earning $156 million worldwide. “Avengers: Endgame” opened in parts of Asia and Europe on Wednesday

in 10 years that Madsen has been arrested for gun-toting child fighters. Due to Russia’s strict drunk driving. The actor, who is scheduled to Russia state TV laws on terrorism, however, the organization is US actor be arraigned on May 20, appears in Taran- not referred to by its name on screen. tino’s latest hotly anticipated film “Once Upon Lavrentyev told AFP that, while he backed a Time in Hollywood.” The film is set to be re- drama follows fate these laws, they had created fear among the Michael Madsen leased in July. — AFP public and media of open discussion. “It’s easy of IS women for these radical Islamists to present themselves as some kind of romantic heroes and tell a lot of young woman in a headscarf speaks lies about themselves because no one really charged with calmly in Russian to the camera, describ- knows anything about them and people don’t Aing herself as a student from Moscow want to talk about this.” who now serves in a radical Islamist group in drunk driving Syria. “What are you first and foremost: Russian ‘Should go to jail’ or Muslim? What is in your heart: Allah or fear?” Thousands of people from the former USSR S actor Michael Madsen, best known for she asks the viewer. The Russian drama series have travelled to Syria to fight with Islamists, ac- his roles in Quentin Tarantino films in- “On The Edge” is a far cry from state television’s cording to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ucluding “Kill Bill” and “Reservoir Dogs,” often bland romantic or period dramas. since Moscow intervened on the side of the has been charged with drunk driving, authori- Following the fates of three fictional women Damascus regime in 2015. As in Europe and the ties said Wednesday. The veteran 61-year-old who travel to Syria after a seductive young man US, the country is now grappling with how to actor was charged with two misdemeanors in recruits them to join Islamist fighters, the drama reintegrate the families of those Islamist fighters connection with a DUI arrest last month in Mal- In this file photo US actor Michael Madsen poses is among the first in Russia to tackle the hot but- who want to return home. Russia’s foreign min- ibu, where he crashed his Land Rover into a as he arrives for the screening of the film ton issue. Director Yevgeny Lavrentyev said it is istry warned in March that fighters’ family mem- pole, the County District Attor- “BlacKkKlansman” at the 71st edition of the “absolutely clear” the program is about the Is- bers may also have been radicalized and present ney’s Office said in a statement. Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern lamic State group-depicting slick multi-lingual a risk if they return to Russia. —AFP It said the incident marked the second time France. — AFP recruitment videos, black-and-white flags and