12 Established 1961 Lifestyle Features Wednesday, February 24, 2021 scar-winning director Woody Allen sexually assaulted her in August 1992 they spent years surreptitiously collabo- described a new documentary that when she was seven years old. The 84- rating with the Farrows and their enablers Odetails his alleged sexual abuse of year-old director of “Annie Hall” and to put together a hatchet job riddled with his young adoptive daughter Dylan “Manhattan” has always denied the falsehoods. “As has been known for Farrow as “a hatchet job riddled with abuse and has been cleared of the decades, these allegations are categori- falsehoods.” HBO broadcast the first charges after two separate months-long cally false. Multiple agencies investigated episode of the four-part series “Allen v. investigations. them at the time and found that, whatever Farrow” on Sunday. In it, Farrow, Allen’s “These documentarians had no inter- Dylan Farrow may have been led to adopted daughter with actress Mia est in the truth,” Allen and his wife Soon- believe, absolutely no abuse had ever Farrow, repeats her allegation that Allen Yi Previn said in a statement. “Instead, taken place,” they added. The statement said that Allen and Previn “were approached less than two In this file photo former US President Barack Obama looks on after presenting musician Bruce months ago and given only a matter of Springsteen with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. — AFP days ‘to respond,’” which they declined to do. “While this shoddy hit piece may reflection on the state of America and gain attention, it does not change the Two bosses, one ways to “unify” a nation rife with political facts,” the statement said. Many actors and socioeconomic divisions. “What we have distanced themselves from Allen discovered during this conversation was since the #MeToo movement in 2017 and ‘American ideal’: that we still share a fundamental belief in the publication of a column by Dylan the American ideal, not as an act of nos- Farrow. In 2019, Allen settled a multimil- Bruce and Barack talgia, but as a compass for the hard lion dollar breach of contract lawsuit work that lies before us,” the 59-year-old against Amazon, which cancelled a four- Obama says. “We found some answers, movie deal with him over the long-stand- make a podcast learned a few things, had some laughs, ing allegations. — AFP and a few drinks.” The former president’s foray into pod- treaming giant Spotify on Monday casting follows that of his wife Michelle, In this file photo US director Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi Previn pose as they arrive for the unveiled a new show featuring two who found success in the medium last screening of the film “Cafe Society” during the opening ceremony of the 69th Cannes Film SAmerican cultural heavyweights: year, notably with an episode that brought Festival. — AFP rock star Bruce Springsteen and former the pair together on air. The new show is US president Barack Obama. Two produced by Higher Ground Productions, in the history of movies that had an all- episodes of the eight-show audio series the company the Obamas founded in Black cast that was successful all around “Renegades: Born in the USA” are now 2018 that has also worked with Netflix on Black kings, but the world.” But since then you can count available online. It’s a marketing coup for television and film projects. In December, “on one hand” the Hollywood films that Spotify, which has focused on podcast- Spotify also announced a partnership with have repeated that international success- no politics: Murphy ing as a growth driver since 2019, pour- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who will ”and you’ll have fingers left over,” said ing hundreds of millions of dollars into produce a podcast series for the platform. the 59-year-old star. “The legacy of this acquisitions. “On the surface, Bruce and I Also on Monday, the powerful streaming returns in ‘Coming movie is that it’s accessible to all audi- don’t have a lot in common,” Obama company announced it was expanding its ences,” Murphy added. “The reason why says in a promotional clip for the series. services to more than 80 new markets our movies don’t go around the world is 2 America’ “He’s a white guy from a small town in worldwide, nearly doubling its reach. New because our story is provocative (only) to Jersey. I’m a Black guy of mixed race, countries where both the free and paid- us. Around the world they don’t give a born in Hawaii. He’s a rock’n’roll icon. subscription options will be available shit about our stuff.” hirty years before “Black Panther,” I’m... not as cool.” The pair met for the include large population centers like Eddie Murphy’s 1980s comedy first time during Obama’s 2008 presiden- Nigeria, Pakistan and Bangladesh. — AFP ‘It was magical’ Tclassic “Coming to America” dis- tial campaign and have since become Set decades after Murphy’s pampered proved the stubborn Hollywood myth that friends. They recently spent several days prince hit New York in search of true love, films with Black casts flop overseas; it in New Jersey recording the show togeth- “Coming 2 America” sees the veteran earned nearly $300 million worldwide. er, creating what they hope to be a Now that Marvel’s African superhero comic play an elder monarch seeking a blockbuster has smashed that misbelief long-lost male heir to save his fictional for good with its billion-dollar box office African kingdom. Murphy said his new haul, Murphy has decided it’s time for a film shares royal DNA with 2018 smash Chinese man sequel: “Coming 2 America” is out on hit “Black Panther,” which starred the late Chadwick Boseman and was praised for March 5. But according to Murphy, the In this file photo US rap artist Jay-Z performs its message of pan-African unity. “These global success of the two predominantly at the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in causes outage amazing images of Black kings and Black franchises has nothing to do with Glastonbury. — AFP any growing interest in racial politics and queens and princesses... ‘Black Panther’ history, or in movements like today’s did it,” said Murphy. “The very first one after sit-ups atop Black Lives Matter-but instead in old- was ‘Coming to America,’” he added. fashioned, universal storytelling. The sequel is packed with real-life Black showbiz royalty, from actors power pole Wesley Snipes, Tracy Morgan and James Earl Jones to a number of extremely high- profile, surprise musical guests. “Let me man in China scaled a utility pole This picture shows the Queen’s theatre of the just say that there is not a Black actor- to do sit-ups off the top of it, stun- Chateau de Versailles, in Versailles. — AFP older, middle-aged or younger-in this Aning onlookers and causing a town, or any town, that didn’t want to power cut to thousands of homes, media have just a little piece of this movie,” said said yesterday. The unnamed man was comedian Luenell, who also stars. VMH, the world’s biggest luxury taken away by police following his antics Adding to the sense of dynasty, Eddie’s goods company, said on Monday it on Sunday evening on the outskirts of daughter Bella appears as one of the Lhad agreed to buy 50 percent of the southwestern city of Chengdu, the young Amazonian princesses. Armand de Brignac, the champagne People’s Daily said. It published a video In this file photo actor Eddie Murphy arrives The 19-year-old admitted to journalists brand owned by rapper Jay-Z. The com- on the Twitter-like Weibo showing the for the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards at she was nervous when she had to hit pany said the purchase-for an undis- man suspended about 10 metres (30 The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, “Wesley Snipes in the head” during a closed sum and made through its Moet feet) in the air as he did a stomach California. — AFP memorable fight scene with the “Blade” Hennessy drinks division-also involved a crunch off the top of the pylon. distribution deal and would kick off a “The local power company initiated “Most of our movies, they shine a light action-movie legend, but was desperate partnership reflecting a “shared vision” an emergency power cut... affecting on some social injustice or some civil to take part after re-watching her father in andemic or not, it’s a theatre space between the singer and the company. tens of thousands of households,” the unrest... (but) around the world they don’t the original. “It was cool to see my dad that very rarely sees an audience: Jay-Z’s champagne brand, known infor- People’s Daily said. Emergency servic- give a shit about that,” said Murphy. like that, because that was the first time I PMarie-Antoinette’s personal play- mally as Ace of Spades, had been “a es, including medical personnel, rushed “‘Coming 2 America’ is not about any of saw images of Black royalty on screen... house in the grounds of Versailles is a fantastic success”, Moet Hennessy CEO to the scene, The Paper in Shanghai those things. It’s just about family and and even cooler that it was my dad,” she fragile historical gem in need of delicate Philippe Schaus said in a joint statement said. It was not clear why the man love and doing the right thing and tradi- said.