lifestyle TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2016 MUSIC & MOVIES Bob Dylan sends speech for Nobel ceremony usic icon Bob Dylan won't be at the Nobel prize cere- in a letter on November 16 that he would not attend the cere- "Absolutely. If it's at all possible." mony this week to accept his award, but he has sent mony because he had "pre-existing commitments", in an Academy member Swedish writer Per Wastberg accused Malong a speech to be read aloud, the Nobel founda- announcement that did not come as a surprise to observers. Dylan of being "impolite and arrogant", and said it was tion said yesterday. The 75-year-old, whose lyrics have influ- Several other prize winners have skipped the Nobel ceremony "unprecedented" that the academy did not know if Dylan enced generations of fans, has had a subdued response to the in the past for various reasons-Doris Lessing, who was too old; intended to pick up his award. But the first songwriter to win honor, remaining silent for weeks following the news in Harold Pinter, because he was hospitalized, and Elfriede the prestigious award in literature is expected to come to October he had won the prize for literature. "This year's Jelinek, who has social phobia. Stockholm early next year. Nobel laureates are honored every Laureate in Literature, Bob Dylan, will not be participating in Dylan did not say a word about his prize on the day it was year on December 10 -- the anniversary of the death of prize's the Nobel Week but he has provided a speech which will be announced, October 13, when he was performing in Las founder Alfred Nobel, a Swedish industrialist, inventor and read at the banquet," the foundation said in a statement. Vegas. The writer of "Blowin' In The Wind", "Like A Rolling philanthropist. The value of the prestigious award this year Sending along the speech does not exempt the American Stone", and "Mr Tambourine Man" confined himself to his amounts to 8 million kronor ($870,000). — AFP songwriter from holding a lecture at a place and a type of his songs. The Swedish Academy said it respected Dylan's deci- choosing, the only requirement by the Nobel foundation. sion, but that it was "unusual" for a Nobel laureate not to In this file photo, Bob Dylan accepts the Rock legend Patti Smith will perform a version of Dylan's "A come to Stockholm to accept the award in person. Asked on 2015 MusiCares Person of the Year award Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" at the ceremony on December 10 in October 28 by Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper if he would at the 2015 MusiCares Person of the Year Stockholm, which is the same day as the banquet. Dylan said attend the Nobel prize winners' banquet, Dylan said: show in Los Angeles. —AP Members of the band Kings of Leon, from left, Matthew Followill, Caleb Followill, Nathan Kennedy Center Honoree Timothy Schmit, center, of the Eagles Kennedy Center Honoree Joe Walsh, third from left, of the Eagles Followill and Jared Followill arrive at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors arrives with his family, from left, Ben Schmit, Jeddrah Leiterding, arrives with from left, Christian Quilici, Lucy Walsh, Marjorie Bach, gala dinner. Owen Schmit, and Jean Schmit at the State Department for the Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach. Kennedy Center Honors gala dinner on Saturday. Bittersweet gala honors Pacino, Eagles, Taylor l Pacino, The Eagles, James Taylor, gospel ty deposit" back. Founding member Glenn Frey sang at Kennedy's inauguration. Argerich, 75, is and blues singer Mavis Staples and died in January, and his prior illness caused The widely considered one of the world's best, if AArgentine pianist Martha Argerich were Eagles to postpone their awards last year. So Don reclusive, living pianists. celebrated Sunday for their lifetime achievements Henley, Timothy Schmit and Joe Walsh received For nearly two decades, she largely shunned at the last major arts gala attended by President the medallions and rainbow-colored ribbons, as solo performances, playing almost exclusively Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. It was a bit- did Frey's widow Cindy over the weekend. Band with orchestras and chamber ensembles, until a tersweet moment, with Obama making one of his manager Irving Azoff couldn't hold back tears as sold-out recital at Carnegie Hall in New York in final goodbyes to celebrated artists as president. he raised a glass to Frey during Saturday's State 2000. "I was surprised. I didn't think I was enti- The first couple received a long standing ovation Department reception. "For our Eagles family, tled," Argerich, who is famously wary of publicity, as they entered the Opera House of the Kennedy 2016 couldn't have had a harder beginning or a said of learning she had won the award. Academy Center, a monument to the late president John F more appropriate ending," he said. Award nominee Don Cheadle hailed Pacino's Kennedy. As he kicked off the evening, host Grammy Award-winner Juanes gave a stun- humility despite a long and storied career that Stephen Colbert said America was lucky to have a ning performance of "Hotel California" with gui- has seen him perform in some 100 films and "passionate, intelligent and dignified" president. That brought applause and by far the longest standing ovation from the sold-out crowd in the Opera House, paneled in dark red woven fabric under a massive Lobmeyr crystal chandelier gift- ed by Austria. Colbert then joked: "Sir, I don't know why you stood up. I was talking about Michelle." "This is a joyous day. It's the best Christmas present!" Staples told AFP on the red carpet about receiving what is considered the nation's highest honor for lifetime achievements in the performing arts. At 77, Staples lives up to the maxim that age is only a number. "People ask President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive for a reception to me, 'Mavis, when are you going to retire?' Retire honor recipients of the 2016 Kennedy Center Honors in the East Room of the White for what? I love what I'm doing and I intend to House in Washington. sing until I can't sing no more, forever," she said. Aretha Franklin, Sean Penn, Kevin Spacey and Ringo Starr were among a series of surprise A-lis- ters-the awardees are notoriously kept in the black about who will pay tribute to them prior to the event-who serenaded and hailed the legacy of the award recipients. Virtuoso Israeli-American violinist Itzhak Perlman, now wheelchair-bound, and 29-year-old Chinese pianist Yuja Wang played on the huge stage in honor of Argerich, with Perlman saying he felt lucky to have been alive during her time. Teresa Heinz Kerry, front row, from left, Kennedy Center Honorees Al Pacino, Mavis Staples, Martha Argerich, James Taylor, and Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter; rear row, from Obamas celebrated left, Secretary of State John Kerry, Kennedy Center Honorees Joe Walsh, Don Henley, and At an earlier reception at the White House, Timothy Schmit, and David Rubinstein are photographed following the State Department for Obama called the awards "one of the perks of the the Kennedy Center Honors gala dinner, Saturday in Washington. — AP photos job that I will miss." Kennedy Center chairman David Rubenstein thanked the Obamas, who tarist Steve Vai, who spoke of the "surreal" experi- plays, including "The Godfather," "Scarface, "Sea have hosted a reception for the honorees and ence of playing the piece's famed guitar riff in of Love," "Heat" and "Scent of a Woman." Kevin attended the gala for eight years, and offered front of the musicians. Garth Brooks, Sheryl Crow Spacey said Pacino "immerses us in his characters them a "golden ticket" for free admission to any and Darius Rucker played some of Taylor's best so we can experience the humanness in monsters event at the national arts center. But there's a hits, including "Carolina in my Mind" and "Sweet and the monstrosities in humans."— AFP catch. "Parking is extra," he quipped. Obama jok- Baby James." Taylor, 68, performed "America the ingly asked Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, a notorious Beautiful" at Obama's second inauguration in President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, with recipient of the 2016 troublemaker, not to trash the White House January 2013, while Staples, who like none other Kennedy Center Honor award blues singer Mavis Staples, applaud during the because he is leaving soon and wants his "securi- provided the music of the civil rights movement, Kennedy Center Honors gala. Disney touts French-speaking African market with 'Moana' he Walt Disney Company is set to expand its footprint releases in French-speaking Africa (spanning Abidjan, Ivory across French-speaking Africa. The company is hosting Coast, Gabon Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia), anticipat- Tthe screening of "Moana" - dubbed in Arabic — at the ing the growth of the theatrical landscape. France's largest cine- Marrakech Film Festival today. "Moana" marks the first Disney ma circuit, the Gaumont-Pathe theater chain, is expected to movie to be shown at the festival and the first Disney film to be launch in the region next year. dubbed in Arabic in the Magrehb, which includes Morocco, Just last week, The Walt Disney Company inked a multi-deal Tunisia and Algeria. Disney has traditionally limited Arabic dub- with Canal Plus to distribute its films and TV series (from Marvel bing to Middle-Eastern countries. Audiences in former French Studios, Disney Pixar, Lucas Film and Studio Ghibli) on Canal colonies - Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria — only had access to Plus channels in Africa and well as to distribute Disney's four Disney movies dubbed in French up until now, even though channels, in exclusivity.