LIFESTYLE37 THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016 Music & Movies Cosby lawyers to ask Massachusetts judge to seal evidence in sex case ttorneys for Bill Cosby are due in court He faces several civil suits. Cosby’s attorneys yesterday to ask a federal judge in are scheduled to argue before US Magistrate AMassachusetts toseal all testimony Judge David Hennessy in Worcester, related to a defamation lawsuit brought by Massachusetts, that any testimony related to seven women who have accused the comedi- the lawsuits be kept under seal until trial. “The an of sexual assault. Tamara Green sued Cosby law is clear: trial - not discovery - is the ‘fact- in December 2014, accusing him of lying finding’ process in which the public has a com- when he publicly denied having sexually mon law and constitutional interest,” Cosby’s assaulted her, and six other women have since attorneys wrote in a filing this week. “Mr. joined in the lawsuit. Cosby, 78, filed a coun- Cosby’s undisputed privacy interest and his This file photo of the Indian chief of the religious sect tersuit in US District Court in Massachusetts need for protection from annoyance, embar- Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh last month, accusing the women of defaming rassment, and undue prejudice establish good shows him gesturing during a news conference. —AFP him. cause to enter the limited protective order he The seven are among more than 50 seeks.” women who have come forward to publicly Attorneys for the women have argued that accuse Cosby of sexually assaulting them after the request is unjustified. “Cosby himself has Indian TV comedian plying them with drugs or alcohol in alleged sought out publicity when it suits him - for attacks carried out over a number of decades. example, by defaming the plaintiffs as liars in The accusations toppled Cosby from his 2014,” lawyers for the seven women wrote. arrested for pedestal as one of America’s most-admired “That being so, the public should know all of comedians, who built a long career on family- the material facts surrounding this case, friendly humor. He was best known for his regarding whether defendant Cosby’s private ‘offensive’ guru act role as the dad Heathcliff Huxtable in the conduct comports with his public persona.” long-running 1980s television hit, “The Cosby Cosby testified in 2005 that he had obtained ndian police have arrested a popular comedian for Show.” Cosby has repeatedly denied wrongdo- the sedative drug Quaaludes, popular in the offending religious sentiments after he mimicked a con- ing. Last month prosecutors in Pennsylvania 1970s, intending to give them to young Itroversial spiritual guru on a television show, an official said yesterday. Kiku Sharda, 40, was sent to judicial custody charged him with a 2004 sexual assault days Bill Cosby arrives at court to face a felony charge of aggravated indecent women he desired to have sex with, according before the statute of limitations on that to court documents unsealed in July as part of for 14 days by a court in northern Haryana state after he alleged crime was to expire. assault, Wednesday, Dec 30, 2015, in Elkins Park, Pa. —AP a separate legal proceeding. —Reuters was arrested in Mumbai late Tuesday, a senior police officer told AFP. “A police team arrested the accused at a TV studio in Mumbai late last night following a complaint filed by one of the guru’s followers,” he said on the condition of anonymity. Sharda, who imitated guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a TV appearance on December 27, has apologized for his act, saying it was only aimed at entertaining audiences. “I was given a dress, a script to read and directed to act,” Japan boy band SMAP mulling breakup he was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency. Singh, who heads the Dera Sacha Sauda sect, is apanese pop fans were rocked by news yesterday known as the “guru in bling” for his penchant for garish that evergreen boy band SMAP is mulling a breakup, clothes and jewelry. Dera Sacha Sauda describes itself as a Jending the group’s 30-year reign at the top of the social welfare and spiritual organization with millions of music business that has won them legions of fans across followers in India and abroad. The 48-year-old guru is Asia. One of Japan’s most popular and longest enduring already under police investigation for allegedly encourag- bands, the heartthrobs soared to the top of the charts ing 400 followers to undergo castrations at his ashram so with sugary pop songs and choreographed dances, but they could get closer to God. may split following a feud within their agency, according On its website, the group describes Singh as a saint as to reports. well as an author, inventor, scientist, philosopher, philan- News of the quintet’s possible breakup emerged on thropist, peace activist and “the ultimate humanitarian”. the front pages of major Japanese “sports” newspapers- Singh has also featured in two action movies and many which also carry entertainment stories-yesterday and music videos. Many celebrities came out in support of quickly spread as mainstream national dailies and public Sharda on Twitter yesterday, calling his arrest “shocking” broadcaster NHK rushed to confirm the reports. SMAP and “absurd”. “I don’t see our leaders getting arrested for was established as just another ubiquitous teenage boy behaving like comedians every day,” tweeted fellow come- band, but backed by the powerful Johnny & Associates dian Vir Das. —AFP agency its members have flourished as a group and also in their solo careers as actors and fixtures on popular vari- ety shows. Reports said four members plan to leave Johnny & Associates. “It is true that such talks and negotiations are Herbie Hancock, ongoing,” the agency said in a statement, referring to the reports without providing further details. The wrangling was reportedly sparked by tensions between the agent in Jefferson Airplane charge of SMAP and other top Johnny & Associates man- This picture taken on December 30, 2015 shows Japanese boy band SMAP members (from left to right) agers. Speculation about the group’s future was top news Masahiro Nakai, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Shingo Katori, Goro Inagaki and Takuya Kimura in Tokyo. —AFP on social media as forlorn fans lamented the possible among Grammy split. “SMAP... say it’s not true,” posted Twitter user People”, started out as a fresh-faced boy band in 1988. various members of the quintet. @hyougatanaka. Another user wrote emphatically: “Can Despite sometimes obvious musical shortcomings, they Weekly magazine Shukan Shincho reported in its latest honorees never accept SMAP breaking up!!!” are still the top J-pop boy band-even though the mem- edition published yesterday that SMAP as a group pro- Takuya Kimura, the most popular member who starred bers now range in age from 38 to 43. They retain an enor- duces annual revenue of 25 billion yen ($212 million). azz legend Herbie Hancock and 1960s countercultural in the Wong Kar-wai film “2046”, is the only member mous fan base among women in their 40s who came of Their popularity has also reached diplomatic heights, icons Jefferson Airplane will be among the latest recipi- expected to stay with the agency, reports said. SMAP, age as the band hit the big time, and who remain the with the band meeting then Chinese premier Wen Jiabao Jents of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the which cryptically stands for “Sports Music Assemble core viewers for the formulaic television dramas starring in Tokyo in 2011. —AFP Recording Academy announced yesterday. The award is giv- en annually to artists who contributed significantly to the recording industry and the broader culture. The new winners will be honored with a concert sometime in early 2016 sepa- rate from the February 15 ceremony of the Grammy Awards, the US music industry’s most prestigious prize. Hancock, 75, is one of the most celebrated living jazz artists. A pianist as well as composer, he revitalized rhythm sections to bring a new sense of melody. Hancock has won 14 Grammy Awards over his five- decade career, which has included crossover hits into pop. Jefferson Airplane helped create the psychedelic sound of the 1960s, with lasting hits such as “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love.” Bringing a harder rock edge to folk music, Jefferson Airplane offered anthems for the 1967 “Summer in Love” in the band’s hometown San Francisco and performed at the era’s defining festivals of Monterey and Woodstock. Other recipients of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award include Celia Cruz, the late Cuban salsa singer who was one of the 20th century’s leading artists in Latin America, and Queen of R&B Ruth Brown, who brought a new audience to the genre with a string of hits in the 1950s. The other recip- ients are Earth, Wind and Fire, who became widely popular by bringing a wider pop audience to R&B; Run-D.M.C., who were among the pioneers of hip-hop in 1980s New York, and singer Linda Ronstadt, who has won 10 Grammys over a career that has taken her from pop to rock and across many other genres. The Recording Academy also named the latest recipients of its Trustee Award, which recognizes career In this Nov 26, 2014, photo, Geeling A tribute balloon is pictured in front of a mural of late British singer David Bowie, painted by Australian achievements outside of performance. This year’s winners Ching poses for a photo in Auckland, street artist James Cochran, aka Jimmy C, in Brixton, south London, two days after the announcement of will include the late John Cage, one of the leading US mod- New Zealand.