lifestyle MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2016 Obama meets MUSIC & MOVIES with musicians on My Brother’s Keeper

usicians Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, plex Friday afternoon was not announced Busta Rhymes, Common, Janelle by the administration, but was confirmed MMonae and others met Friday with to The Associated Press. Obama was joined President Barack Obama to discuss ways to at the meeting by Broderick Johnson, chair continue the administration’s “My Brother’s of the My Brother’s Keeper Task Force, and Keeper” initiative and spur criminal justice senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. Under the My reform in the United States. The musicians Brother’s Keeper initiative, businesses, who met with Obama have been working foundations and community groups coor- dinate investments to come up with or support programs that help keep young people out of the criminal justice system and improve their access to higher educa- tion. The president initiated the program in February 2014 to try to help reverse some of the challenges facing black, Hispanic and Native American boys and young men. So far, private investors including foun- dations and businesses have committed Indian Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor (left) poses with actresses Alia Bhatt (center) and Kareena Kapoor Khan (second right) and producer more than $500 million in grants and in- Ekta Kapoor (right) during the trailer launch of the forthcoming Hindi film ‘Udta Punjab’ written and directed by Abhishek Chaubey in kind resources and $1 billion in financing Mumbai yesterday. — AFP through community banks, including investments in schools, mentoring pro- grams, juvenile justice reforms and school redesign. — AP Axl Rose, back with Guns N’ Roses, to front AC/DC Musician Nicki Minaj is seen in Philadelphia. — AP xl Rose fired up a reunited Guns N’ Roses save his hearing,” it said. Johnson, however, has with the classic lineup calling it quits after a on efforts to help younger generations of at the Coachella festival on Saturday as he been quiet in public and has reportedly voiced 1993 show in Buenos Aires. A reunion had long blacks and other minorities stay on the Awas announced as the new frontman of dismay at his swift exit. US comedian and radio been thought impossible, with Rose a few years right path. The roster also included an even more veteran hard rock group-AC/DC. In host Jim Breuer said he spoke to Johnson, who ago calling Slash “a cancer” and refusing to join Ludacris, Chance the Rapper, J Cole, Wale one of rock’s most long discussed reunions, Rose felt “kicked to the curb” by his bandmates and did him at the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and DJ Khaled. performed on the festival stage in the California not believe his hearing problems were as serious induction. Keys in February pushed for House desert with guitarist Slash, who until this month as described by the group. Johnson was not an But Slash and Rose-who are expected to earn Speaker Paul Ryan to have the House move had not joined his former bandmate and on-off original member of AC/DC, joining after singer millions of dollars for the reunion-briefly locked on criminal justice overhaul through a flirty nemesis for more than two decades. Guns N’ Bon Scott died in 1980 after a night of heavy arms as they bid farewell to fans after their Valentine video. Monae has pushed for vot- Roses added a fresh surprise as Angus Young, drinking. The loss of Johnson is the latest major encore, which culminated in flames on stage er registration; Common has publicly sup- the lead guitarist of AC/DC, suddenly appeared ported the private-sector efforts of My on stage late in the set, hours after the Brother’s Keeper; and Ludacris has started a Australian rockers named Rose as their at least foundation to foster economic develop- temporary new singer. ment and teach leadership and education In a preview of the new AC/DC, Rose brought skills to young people. In this March 23, 2016 file photo, singer out his classic intense scream for the Australians’ The meeting at the White House com- Alicia Keys performs in Seattle. “Whole Lotta Rosie” as Young pranced on stage in his trademark school uniform and let loose with rapid-fire guitar in coordination with Slash. Yet Rose on his day of triumph projected an Hosting Clinton fundraisers, awkward image: a recent injury confined him to a chair, with his left leg in a cast. The singer Clooney decries political cash famous for his emotional intensity and races across stage fidgeted in a sort of sedentary, agi- eorge Clooney would like to get recounted in an interview airing on NBC’s tated dancing. big money out of politics - so he “Meet the Press.” When he went to talk AC/DC broke off a North American tour last Gdoesn’t have to raise it. Clooney with them, he said, they called him a cor- month after saying that singer Brian Johnson, hosted two weekend fundraisers in porate shill. “That’s one of the funnier 68, risked permanent loss of hearing if he kept California on behalf of Democratic presi- things you could say about me,” the performing with the notoriously loud band. The dential candidate Hillary Clinton. Oscar-winner said, though he conceded band said Rose would front AC/DC on a 12-show that some of the protesters had a valid European leg starting on May 7 in Lisbon. Rose point regarding a different matter. “Their will then return to North America for the arena T-shirts said, you know, ‘You sucked as tour of the reformed Guns N’ Roses, with the 10 Batman,’” said Clooney, the star of 1997’s postponed AC/DC dates in the United States to “Batman & Robin,” one of the least mem- be rescheduled later. Rose, like Johnson, can orable films in the superhero franchise. bring out a punishing grittiness on high notes, This file photo shows Axl Rose of US hard rock band Guns N’ Roses performs during a concert “And I was like, ‘Well, you kind of got me but the Guns N’ Roses frontman enjoys a much in Bangalore. — AFP on that one.’” more versatile vocal range. Clooney said he likes many of change for AC/DC. Malcolm Young, the rhythm and fireworks above. Guns N’ Roses played their Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ ideas and Sudden change for AC/DC guitarist and brother of Angus, retired before best-known hits, from deviant “Appetite for would gladly raise money for him if he AC/DC kept open whether Rose would stay “Rock or Bust” as he suffers dementia. Drummer Destruction” anthems to the mega-ballad became the Democratic nominee. But permanently. The band had planned shows only Phil Rudd was pushed out after he was arrested “November Rain,” but also “Chinese Democracy,” the actor said he is supporting Clinton until June at the end of a marathon global tour on charges of ordering a murder in New Zealand, with Slash performing the 1998 title track of the because of his admiration of her work as for its 2014 album “Rock or Bust.” But the band where he lives. infamously delayed album that came out after secretary of state, and he praised her for made clear that Johnson was out, issuing a state- his departure. While the reunion was announced her efforts to avert a humanitarian crisis ment thanking him “for his contributions and Long-awaited reunion for Coachella, the band played a surprise show ahead of South Sudan’s independence. dedication to the band throughout the years.” Guns N’ Roses became global sensations with on April 1 at the Troubadour, a small Los Angeles Clooney faulted Clinton for not better “We wish him all the best with his hearing issues 1987’s “Appetite For Destruction,” which remains club where the group was discovered, and then In this file photo, actor George Clooney explaining where the money she is rais- and future ventures. As much as we want this the best-selling debut album ever. But the rough two shows at a new arena in Las Vegas. In a attends a news conference for the film ing goes. Most of it, he said, would end tour to end as it started, we understand, respect living described in the songs was not far from noticeable break from the past, the band “Hail Caesar” at the 2016 Berlinale Film up being spent on down-ballot races and support Brian’s decision to stop touring and reality and the band suffered frequent friction, opened its Coachella set on time. — AFP Festival in Berlin. — AP including those for the Senate, which will confirm the next president’s picks for the Donations for attendees at an event in Supreme Court. If the right justice is con- This file photo taken San Francisco topped out at $353,000 per firmed for the spot now open on the on April 12, 2014 couple, which Clooney acknowledges is court, Clooney said, political campaigns shows a giant moving an “obscene amount of money.” could “get this obscene, ridiculous inflated astronaut art The event even drew pro-Bernie amount of money out so I never have to piece, Escape Sanders demonstrators, Clooney do a fundraiser again.” — AP Velocity, surrounded by music fans at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival Hollywood mogul blasts at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Obama, Google over piracy California. —AFP ovie mogul Avi Lerner branded US “Expendables” movies and “London Has Fallen.” President Barack Obama “a coward” on The veteran financier told AFP at a gala MSaturday, berating him for not taking Beverly Hills dinner in his honor that piracy on Google over piracy. The 68-year-old had cost his production companies Nu Image American-Israeli producer told AFP that the and Millennium Films $250 million on action White House’s failure to force the search engine sequel “The Expendables 3.” “The government, giant to improve its anti-piracy measures was the president, is such a coward. He’s scared of costing Hollywood millions of dollars a year. Google so we are losing millions,” he told AFP. “It’s a major problem and it’s something that I “They should tell Google to stop piracy. They don’t know if anyone can stop, because the should make a law that anyone helping pira- government, the president, Congress are all cy-and not helping to stop piracy-should go scared of Google,” said Lerner, who was behind to jail or get penalized or whatever.” Surprises galore including Bernie a string of blockbusters including the A near perfect copy of “The Expendables 3” leaked onto file-sharing sites in July 2014, Sanders at Coachella festival three weeks before its theatrical release date. It was downloaded around 100,000 times he Coachella music festival is famous for its hoping to use Coachella, which brings 180,000 Notably absent was N.W.A. member Dr. Dre, within hours and Nu Image said more than 10 surprises, and the latest edition included one people over two consecutive weekends, to register who has gone on to become a multimillionaire million copies were made before its release. Tof the more uncommon-an appearance, voters and otherwise rally support. Sanders sup- Apple executive. He appeared with his bandmates Lerner believes that since a portion of although remotely, of a presidential candidate. porters waved signs and pictures, including one of for an induction this month into the Rock and Roll Google’s advertising revenue is coming from Senator Bernie Sanders showed up late Saturday the senator cuddling a kitten, as Run the Jewels Hall of Fame, but Dr Dre has hesitated to join piracy-related sources, the company has no on the screen of the main stage in the California put on a set that included “Early,” a powerful cri- reunion performances. Guns N’ Roses, the headlin- incentive stop it without being forced. desert of the leading US music festival, bringing tique of police brutality. er Saturday at Coachella amid a reunion between Google, which was not immediately avail- cheers to the mostly young crowd-the left-wing Fellow rapper Ice Cube later performed sepa- singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash, invited onto able for comment, modified its algorithms in candidate’s main support base. Sanders was offer- rately to a packed Coachella crowd, inviting the rev- stage AC/DC guitarist Angus Young for his 2014 to damage the search engine ranking of ing a brief introduction to the set by Run the elers to all raise their middle fingers in the air as he Australian band’s hit “Whole Lotta Rosie.” piracy websites, but many studio executives Jewels, a project of Atlanta rapper Killer Mike who performed the rock song “F**k tha Police.” Ice Cube’s The appearance came hours after AC/DC believe the tech giant has not gone far is a prominent supporter of the candidate. former group N.W.A. sent shockwaves through announced that Rose would become the band’s enough. Hollywood lobbied intensively in The senator, who has defied predictions by much of white America when it released the song in singer, at least temporarily, after frontman Brian 2012 for the creation of two pieces of legisla- waging a tough challenge to Democratic presiden- 1988 and the rapper suggested that an officer at Johnson developed hearing problems. The British Producer Avi Lerner (left) and actor tion-the Protect Intellectual Property Act and tial candidate Hillary Clinton, said that Killer Mike’s Coachella asked him not to play it, leading to his electronic duo Disclosure brought out two promi- Gerard Butler (right) attend A Gala To the Stop Online Piracy Act-which would hold “depth of passion-his knowledge and commitment defiance. Ice Cube during his set brought out fellow nent guests, Sam Smith and Lorde, who won Honor Avi Lerner And Millennium Films non-US websites to the same standards as to community-is an inspiration to me and I value Los Angeles-area rapper Snoop Dogg as well as fel- Grammys for their respective breakthrough songs in Beverly Hills, California. — AFP those in the United States. —AFP his friendship immensely.” Sanders backers are low N.W.A. members DJ Yella and MC Ren. “Stay With Me” and “Royals.” — AFP