12 Established 1961

Thursday, July 2, 2020 Lifestyle Features

Czechs mark end of lockdown with bridge dinner

rowds gathered on Prague’s Charles Bridge Prague cafe owner and event organiser Ondrej sealed over a snack or a glass. “I found the event Con Tuesday to celebrate the end of the Kobza told AFP. on Facebook and thought it was interesting,” said Czech Republic’s coronavirus crisis with a “We want to celebrate the end of the coron- Galina Khomchenko-Krejcikova, a Russian Prague group dinner along a gigantic table set up on the avirus crisis with people meeting up and showing resident who came with a friend. “I just finished a historic landmark. The EU member of 10.7 million they’re no longer afraid to meet others. That they night shift so I didn’t have time to prepare any- people has by now eased most of the anti-virus aren’t afraid to accept a bite of a sandwich from thing. But we brought some wine and snacks we measures it introduced early on—thanks to which someone.” “Society mustn’t be afraid. Otherwise, found at home,” she told AFP.—AFP it has fared relatively well, registering fewer than we’ll have an economic crisis, a depression and that 12,000 coronavirus cases and under 350 deaths. will hit society harder than COVID-19,” said On the 14th-century bridge, merrymakers munched Kobza. The 41-year-old is known for having placed on snacks and sipped drinks they brought from pianos in the streets of Prague, set up chess tables home, sharing their fare with others at the table in a local square and made the roof of a palace spanning 500 metres (a third of a mile). “Everyone accessible to the public. Several improvised bands had to do something to be here, bring food or a played and sang along the curvy table adorned flower. The idea was for everyone to get involved,” with oxeye daisies and new friendships were

People walk past and sit at a half-kilometre long table set up on the Charles Bridge in Prague to celebrate the end of the restrictions linked to the new coronavirus pandemic. — AFP photos

Tom Hanks: ‘I have Kanye West drops new song, no idea when I will video from upcoming album go back to work’ ntertainment mogul Kanye West police shot dead after forcibly entering deal with Gap to design a new line Eon Tuesday released a new song, her home on a no-knock warrant—as inspired by his “Yeezy” brand—men- S actor Tom Hanks said Tuesday that “Wash Us In the Blood,” along well as scenes from recent protests over tioned his forthcoming album in an April UHollywood has “no idea” when it can return with an accompanying video including police brutality and the death of George 2020 interview with GQ, saying he “was to production, as he described his own imagery from recent anti-racism Floyd and West’s Sunday Service thinking of not rapping again, because I recovery after contracting the coronavirus, which protests. The new track, the first rehearsals. rapped for the devil so long that I didn’t has shut down the movie industry. The “Forrest released from the born-again rapper’s Rapper Travis Scott features on even know how to rap for God.” “Then Gump” and “Philadelphia” Oscar-winner in March planned 10th album “God’s Country,” “Wash Us In the Blood,” and legendary one of my pastors told me, ‘My son just became the first high-profile star to come down features lyrics with heavily biblical producer Dr. Dre mixed the track. The said that he would want a rap album with COVID-19, shortly before he was due to begin overtones, in line with his musical turn visual was directed by Arthur Jafa, who about Jesus from Kanye West.’ He didn’t shooting an Elvis Presley biopic in Australia. “As the to Christianity in recent years. The song has previously collaborated with West say, ‘Kanye West, you should do this,’ or canaries in the coal mine for the COVID-19 experi- appears to refer to recent civil unrest and shot videos for stars including Jay- ‘you need to do this.’ He just told me ence, we are fine—we had about 10 days of very over persistent police killings of black Z and Solange. The song is the mercurial something that a child said. And that one uncomfortable symptoms, not life-threatening, I’m In this file photo Kanye West attends the Americans, also mentioning mass incar- West’s follow-up to last year’s gospel thing made the difference.”—AFP happy to say,” he told a virtual press conference. 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party following the ceration and alluding to endemic pover- album “Jesus Is King” and his Sunday Hanks said that he and his wife Rita Wilson were 92nd annual Oscars.—AFP ty. The video includes footage of Service Choir’s companion LP, “Jesus is fortunate to be “model recoverers from COVID- Breonna Taylor—a black woman who Born.” West—who just announced a 19,” but noted that “any number of things” could have gone wrong. With the virus rampaging across the US—which has recorded more than 126,000 deaths and 2.6 million cases—many states have Hollywood French film been criticized for reopening too early. California gave the all-clear for filming to resume earlier this month, but most major Hollywood productions remain frozen—a situation Hanks does not expect festival postponed to 2021 to change soon. ollywood’s French film festival will progress by September—when this year’s Hnot take place this year due to the COLCOA was due to take place—the coronavirus pandemic, organizers statement added. Organizers said they had said Tuesday, as cases continue to surge in ruled out a “virtual” edition of the festival. the United States. COLCOA, which fea- Screenings in theatres are “fundamen- tures premieres and glitzy galas for Gallic tally and symbolically important for all offi- cinema in Los Angeles, will next take place cial premieres of a film in Hollywood,” said in September 2021 — a 25th anniversary festival director Francois Truffart, adding edition. The decision was taken due to “the that “this form of public event will remain continuing health situation in the United necessary and popular even after the cri- States, which is different from Europe at sis.” Last year’s COLCOA—which stands the moment,” COLCOA said in a statement for “City of Lights, City of Angels”— to AFP. opened with Ladj Ly’s gritty Oscar-nomi- In this file photo actors Tom Hanks (left) and his COVID-19 is still rampaging across the nated drama “Les Miserables.” It also fea- wife actress/singer Rita Wilson attend “JONI 75: A US, which has recorded more than tured Netflix’s “I Lost My Body,” a French Birthday Celebration” Live at the Dorothy Chandler 125,000 deaths and 2.5 million cases, and animation about a severed hand which also Pavilion in Los Angeles.—AFP theatres in Los Angeles remain shuttered. earned an Oscar nomination.—AFP In this file photo COLCOA Executive Producer and Programmer Francois Truffart and Uncertainties remain over how the situa- COLCOA Deputy Director Anouchka Van Riel attend the announcement of the 23rd “I have no idea when I will go back to work,” he tion, including travel restrictions, will Edition Program of COLCOA French Film Festival, in Beverly Hills, California. –AFP said. “Nobody has any idea of when they will go back to work. “But the time will come. We just don’t know when.” He added: “Everything comes into play—there’s financial concerns, there’s legal con- cerns, liabilities.” “There’s physical concerns about Awkwafina to Zendaya: Oscars Academy ‘how does everybody get to work and go into the same soundstage, and work in such close quar- ters?’” boosts female minority membership Now living in isolation under social distancing rules, Hanks has watched as blockbuster titles post- poned their launches, scrambling for dates later this oung actresses Awkwafina, Zendaya and The majority of actors invited to join this year were so than now,” said Academy President David Rubin. year and into 2021, when studios hope audiences YConstance were among those invited to join women, and more than half were from “underrepresented Comedian and rapper Awkwafina has become one of can return. On Monday, as Los Angeles County Hollywood’s Academy on Tuesday, as the ethnic/racial communities,” said an Academy statement. Hollywood’s most sought-after actresses, winning a experienced a new daily record number of cases, Oscars-awarding club opened its prestigious doors to Cynthia Erivo—the sole non-white acting nominee at Golden Globe for Chinese-American family drama “The Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a “hard pause” in a diverse crop of new members. Slammed again at the February’s Oscars, for “Harriet”—was on Tuesday’s list of Farewell” but snubbed at the Oscars. She was invited to the opening of businesses including movie theatres. Oscars this year for nominating just one non-white invitees, along with Eva Longoria, “Joker” star Zazie join Tuesday along with former Disney child star Zendaya Cinemas are also yet to reopen in New York and a actor, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Beetz and upcoming Bond girl Ana de Armas. “We have (“Spider-Man: Far from Home”) and Constance Wu, who number of other US cities. Sciences has boosted its efforts to increase female and always embraced extraordinary talent that reflects the earned praise for her performances in “Hustlers” and Hanks’ own World War II naval thriller ethnic minority membership in recent times. rich variety of our global film community, and never more “Crazy Rich Asians.” Seen as the apex body of the “Greyhound” will skip the big screen entirely, after Hollywood film industry, the Academy issues a single Sony agreed to sell the movie as an Apple TV+ round of invitations annually. exclusive. Hanks, who wrote the screenplay and The organization has grown vastly more international stars in the movie, admitted he is “heartbroken” the in recent years, tripling its non-US membership since film will not appear in theatres. But he described 2015. Only Academy members can vote for Oscar win- the deal to stream it online worldwide from July 10 ners, so this trend was seen as a factor in “Parasite” as a “savior” that “offers us the opportunity to have becoming the first-ever non-English language best pic- the movie out.” Movie productions have recently ture winner this year. A dozen cast and crew members resumed in some countries including Iceland, South from the South Korean black comedy were also invited to Korea and New Zealand, but Hanks said he has no join Tuesday. Its director Bong Joon-ho was already an timeline for returning to Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” Academy member. The board of governors vowed four “The answer is nobody knows. And me included,” years ago to double the number of women and non-white said Hanks. He added: “There is nothing but ques- members by 2020, following calls to boycott the glitzy tions as far as starting up physical production Oscars and an angry social media backlash under the again. That’s the terrible news.”—AFP hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. —AFP

US actress Awkwafina — AFP photos US actress Zendaya US actress Constance Wu