Abba star doesn't want Band to be associated with Partygate
LONDON: Abba musician Benny Andersson (75) does not want to see his band's name associated with the alleged lockdown parties in London's seat of government. The media had previously described an allegedly illegal party in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's official residence as an "Abba party" because songs by the Swedish group were allegedly played there at high volume.
"You can't call this an Abba party," Andersson told the British PA news agency, adding: "This is a Johnson party and they happened to have some Abba music playing. No Abba party." Bandmate Björn Ulvaeus was also surprised: «I mean, wow. Did they only play Abba's music? Are you kidding? They must have played something else, too," said the 76-year-old, according to Monday's PA report.
Johnson has been under pressure for weeks over alleged rule-breaking at the seat of government. The media dubbed the affair Partygate. The police are now investigating twelve of the controversial events. The Prime Minister has many critics in his own ranks and must fear that there could be a vote of no confidence against him in the coming weeks.
Oscar nominations to be announced
LOS ANGELES: The eagerly awaited nominations for this year's Oscars will be announced in Hollywood on Tuesday (from 14:18 CET). Favorites include films such as "West Side Story", "Belfast", "Dune", "King Richard" and "Licorice Pizza". Stars like Nicole Kidman, Lady Gaga, Andrew Garfield and Will Smith can hope for a nomination.
The German film «I am your human» by director Maria Schrader has a chance in the «International Feature Film» category. The tragic comedy made a shortlist of 15 candidates in December, with five making it to the finals. The star composer Hans Zimmer is given opportunities in the film music division with the compositions for the science fiction drama «Dune» and for the James Bond film «Keine Zeit zu dien».
The nominations were announced by fellow US actors Tracee Ellis Ross ("Black-ish") and Leslie Jordan ("The Help"). The 94th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood is scheduled for March 27th.
RTL wants to produce jungle camp again in Australia in 2023
BERLIN: Despite the successful jungle camp premiere in South Africa, RTL wants the TV show "I'm a star - get me out of here!" Produce in Australia again in 2023. "The jungle belongs to Australia and we will produce the show there again if that is possible," said RTL entertainment director Markus Küttner. The "Bild" newspaper and the industry service "DWDL.de" reported first.
Due to Corona, this time the show was produced in South Africa - instead of in Australia as in the previous seasons. Küttner was relieved that during this difficult time it was possible to bring the show "on the air in the usual quality".
The RTL entertainment boss spoke of "sometimes very difficult conditions". Due to the Corona case of singer Lucas Cordalis, for example, the jungle camp started with only eleven instead of twelve participants. In retrospect, however, Küttner said: "It could have been much worse." His conclusion was "very positive": South Africa was "much more than an emergency solution".
On Saturday evening, "Bachelorette" candidate Filip Pavlovic was named Jungle King of the 15th season. Actor Eric Stehfest ("Good Times, Bad Times") and reality contestant Manuel Flickinger ("Prince Charming") took second and third place.
"Pulli in the air": Chancellor flies to Washington in a casual outfit
WASHINGTON: Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) got people talking on the internet with a casual outfit on the flight to the inaugural visit to Washington. The 63-year-old came to the background discussion on the plane with the journalists traveling with him in jeans, a black T-shirt and a gray sweater. After pictures from the plane made the rounds on the Internet on Monday, the chancellor's dress quickly became the subject of comments.
In tweets there was talk of a "hardware store look", others made comparisons with Til Schweiger. The chancellor's own parliamentary group also took part in the discussion. The official Twitter account of the SPD parliamentary group said, based on the pop classic "San Francisco" by Scott McKenzie: "If you're going to Washington D.C. Be sure to wear some sweater in the air.»
The flight from Berlin to Washington took almost ten hours. The chancellor or minister and their delegation then sit at the front of the government aircraft. There is also a sleeping cabin for them. The journalists traveling with you have their seats further back. On such trips, German politicians have long had a different dress code than when they appear in public. The former chancellors Helmut Kohl (CDU) and Helmut Schmidt (SPD) liked to come to the press on such occasions in casual clothes - even if they often still wore a tie.
Johnson on the "Partygate" affair: "I will survive"
LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (57) tried a party classic in the "Partygate" affair to prove his fighting spirit. Johnson's new head of communications Guto Harri reported to the news portal Golwg360 on Monday that the first thing he asked the conservative head of government was: "Will you survive this, Boris?" ("Are you going to survive, Boris?"). The prime minister then started singing Gloria Gaynor's famous song: "I will survive". Then both supposedly sang the next two lines together.
Harri is tasked with improving the public image of the government, which has been badly damaged. When asked about the anecdote, Johnson just laughed. A government spokesman said the PM does not comment on private conversations. Anonsten Harri said about his new boss: "He's not a complete clown, he's a very lovable character. 90 percent of our discussion is very serious, but he's a character type and sometimes has fun. He's not the devil some have mischaracterized him as."
Johnson has been under pressure for weeks over the affair surrounding Downing Street lockdown parties during the coronavirus pandemic. Even several MPs from his Conservative Party are calling for his resignation. Johnson recently swapped out several advisors to show leadership.
No «Lohengrin» premiere by Katharina Wagner in Leipzig
BAYREUTH: The premiere of the new production of "Lohengrin" by Bayreuth Festival director Katharina Wagner in Leipzig burst shortly before rehearsals began. The artistic director and general music director Ulf Schirmer assessed the situation too optimistically, the necessary technical adjustments and further developments could no longer be implemented seriously due to the lack of time, the Leipzig Opera announced on Monday. Wagner reacted disappointed: "It is very unfortunate that the technical difficulties with the stage design were misjudged by Prof. Schirmer, despite early warnings from us," she wrote in a statement.
"We were all very much looking forward to the completion of the new production that had already been rehearsed in Barcelona," Wagner continued. Everyone was all the more looking forward to the premiere in Barcelona in 2025. The play was supposed to be performed there in March 2020, but it didn’t happen because of Corona. Leipzig, the birthplace of the famous composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883), whose great-granddaughter is Katharina Wagner, came up as a substitute. But here, too, everything was delayed because of Corona. On March 26th the time had finally come.
Schirmer still wants to show «Lohengrin», but under the direction of Patrick Bialdyga. "This date is important for us so that we can have all of Richard Wagner's stage works in our repertoire in time for the summer holidays - that's unique in the world," he said. Klaus Florian Vogt and Martin Muehle alternate in the title role, Gal James and Gabriela Scherer sing Elsa.
Joe Rogan on racism allegations: "I messed it up"
STOCKHOLM/LOS ANGELES: The controversy surrounding the US podcaster Joe Rogan continues: after he recently had to explain misleading information about the corona virus in his Spotify show, he now took a position on racist statements at the weekend. "I'm making this video to talk about the most unfortunate and shameful thing I've ever had to speak out about," the 54-year-old said in an Instagram video. Earlier on Friday, Grammy award winner India Arie published a video compilation in which Rogan used the "N-word" several times. The term "N-word" is used today to describe a racist term for black people that was used in the past. Rogan's statement followed on Saturday: These were clips from twelve years of his podcast. "And it looks bloody awful - even to me," he said. According to reports, more than a hundred episodes of Rogan's podcast have now been removed from the streaming platform as a result of the comments. In his video over the weekend, Rogan went on to say that he hadn't used the word in years. "But whenever you're in a situation where you have to say, 'I'm not racist,' you screwed it up. And I definitely screwed it up." Rogan recently hit the headlines after musicians like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell accused Spotify of tolerating misinformation about the corona virus in podcasts and thus endangering human lives.
Author Fitzek is happy about Ludwig-Gold: "Tiny little contribution"
YANQING: Bestselling author Sebastian Fitzek was enthusiastic about the Olympic victory of luger Johannes Ludwig. «I am incredibly happy that I was able to make a tiny contribution to this great achievement. It was worth writing "The Package" for that alone," said the 50-year-old of the German Press Agency on Monday. Ludwig had previously reported that he had read Fitzek's book "Das Paket" before the final on Sunday. "I'm not a bookworm, but I read a chapter further," reported Ludwig. "It was a very exciting chapter because the villain was revealed." The 2016 psychological thriller is about a serial rapist and his victim.
Sven Väth: Celebration culture will become "perhaps even more intense" after Corona
FRANKFURT: DJ legend Sven Väth (57) is convinced that the celebration culture after the Corona pandemic will be at least as excessive as before. “I think maybe it will be even more intense. The hunger is so great,” he told the German Press Agency. People's longing for the dance floor is enormous. He recently had individual opportunities to appear in different corners of the world: "Some people cried. It was so emotionally charged. I stood there as an old hand with goosebumps and thought what beautiful moments these are." Last year Väth had its 40th DJ anniversary - and there is no end in sight for the time being. His interest in music never ended. To this day, the Offenbach native is one of the most famous DJs in the world. On February 25 he will release his first solo album in almost 20 years, «Catharsis».
New 50p coin honors Queen's 70th Jubilee
LONDON: A new 50p coin honors Queen Elizabeth II (95) on her jubilee. The coin, whose value is the equivalent of 60 cents, has been in circulation since Monday. A maximum of 5,000 070 of these coins are to be minted - a nod to the 70 years that the Queen has been on the throne. The first to receive the money were post offices near the royal residences in Windsor near London and Sandringham in East England. Elizabeth has been King George VI since the death of her father. Queen of Britain on 6 February 1952. No monarch has been on the British throne longer than she. Celebrations are planned throughout the year.
Theatre and opera director Hans Neuenfels died
BERLIN: The renowned theater and opera director Hans Neuenfels is dead. He died in Berlin on Sunday evening at the age of 80, as his family announced on Monday through a lawyer. The director, who was born in Krefeld, began his acting and directing training in Vienna and has been directing there since the mid-1960s. He worked at the Theater Heidelberg, the Stuttgart State Theater and the Schauspiel Frankfurt, among others. At the end of the 1980s he was director of the Freie Volksbühne in Berlin.
Neuenfels also became known as an opera director with productions of Verdi and Mozart operas in Frankfurt, Berlin, Bayreuth and Vienna. In 2005 and 2008 he was named Opera Director of the Year, and in 2016 he received the German Theater Prize "Faust" for his life's work. In addition to his theater work, he made films about poets such as Kleist and Robert Musil.
Neuenfels was married to the Viennese actress Elisabeth Trissenaar. The couple lived in Berlin and have a son, cinematographer Benedict Neuenfels, who has won the German Camera Award multiple times and the German Film Award in 2019. A funeral service is to take place in Berlin, as the family lawyer announced.
Johnson's wife denies allegations: No influence on government
LONDON: In a rare public statement, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's wife, Carrie Johnson, has denied any interference in political decisions. The allegations that she was influencing the head of government were part of a "brutal defamation campaign by her husband's enemies," Carrie Johnson (33) announced on Sunday evening. Carrie Johnson has been accused of influencing her husband. Boris Johnson (57) has recently campaigned much more for animal rights. Carrie Johnson is known as a dedicated animal rights activist. The two have been in a relationship since 2018. They have two children - son Wilfred was born in April 2020, daughter Romy in December 2021.
Camilla and May support campaign to help victims of sexual violence
LONDON: With a new campaign, Duchess Camilla (74) and British ex-Prime Minister Theresa May (65) are calling on victims of sexual and domestic violence to come forward and get help. They want to draw attention to offers from the NHS health service, which operates dozens of aid centers and now wants to promote special offers with a further 20 million pounds (23.7 million euros). May said victims should know "the NHS is there for them". "Unfortunately, incidents of domestic violence and sexual assaults have increased during the lockdown and additional funds for victims of abuse and sexual violence are urgently needed."
Amy Adams and Bruce Willis nominated for "Razzie" taunt awards
LOS ANGELES: Action star Bruce Willis (66) and Amy Adams (47, "American Hustle"), who has been nominated for an Oscar six times, could be awarded Hollywood's ridiculous prizes at the end of March. The distributors of the "Golden Raspberries" or "Razzies" announced the nominations for the not-so-serious awards on Monday (local time). Traditionally, the contenders are named a day before the Oscar nominations are announced. Adams is nominated in two categories, for "worst leading actress" in the psychological thriller "The Woman in the Window" and for her supporting role in the film musical "Dear Evan Hansen". The distributors came up with a special division for Willis, on the grounds that he had eight bad roles in 2021, including in films such as "American Siege", "Deadlock" and "Cosmic Sin".
Halle Berry is a firm believer in intelligent extraterrestrial life
LOS ANGELES: Oscar winner Halle Berry (55, "Monster's Ball") is "very fascinated" by learning more about the universe. "I know that we are not the only intelligent life," said the actress in the dpa interview. In Roland Emmerich's new disaster film "Moonfall", Berry goes into space as an astronaut and NASA boss. A mysterious force has thrown the moon out of its orbit, now it threatens to impact the earth. Berry recommends the disaster spectacle "Moonfall" to cinema-goers as a "fun trip" out of everyday life in the pandemic.
Roland Emmerich trains for John Bradley
LOS ANGELES: For his new disaster film "Moonfall" (theatrical release February 10), Roland Emmerich was able to cast the two Hollywood stars Halle Berry (55, "Monster's Ball") and Patrick Wilson (48, "Aquaman") as heroic astronaut duo win. But her nerdy sidekick, played by John Bradley, makes the German Hollywood director go into raptures. "He's fantastic," Emmerich praised the 33-year-old Brit, who "Game of Thrones" fans know as plump, clumsy Samwell Tarly, in a dpa interview. "This is the actor I fell in love with the most," says Emmerich. Bradley plays the odd amateur astronomer K.C. Houseman, supporter of a fanciful conspiracy theory that the moon is a hollow, man-made object. It is Bradley's biggest screen role to date.
Kylie Jenner announces birth of second child
LOS ANGELES: TV star, model and young entrepreneur Kylie Jenner announced the birth of her second child on Sunday. On Instagram, the 24-year-old posted a black and white photo of a baby's hand being touched by another hand. Her date of birth was February 2 with a blue heart emoji. Jenner and her boyfriend, US rapper Travis Scott (30), already have daughter Stormi Webster, who turned four on February 1st. Under her post, Jenner received numerous congratulations, including from Scott, her mother Kris Jenner and her half-sister Kourtney Kardashian. Several celebrity portals, including "TMZ.com", interpreted the blue heart emoji as an indication that Jenner had a boy. She herself gave no further information.
Pope condemns bullying - "I have no explanation" for the children's suffering
ROME: Pope Francis considers gossip and bullying to be great dangers in our society. As an exclusive interview guest in an Italian TV show, the 85-year-old condemned the aggressiveness of our time, for example in children. "I think of the schools, of bullying," said the head of the Catholic Church. Sometimes the aggression comes from small things, such as gossip, which the Argentine has always sharply condemned. Defamation can divide families and communities. "Gossip destroys identity," Francis warned. When moderator Fabio Fazio asked why God would allow children to suffer, the pope said: "I have no explanation for that. I have my faith, try to love God my father. But why children suffer, I have no answer."
Pope Francis in a TV interview: wanted to be a butcher as a child
ROME: As a child, Pope Francis wanted to be a butcher. The Argentine said this in an interview on the Italian TV station Rai, which was broadcast on Sunday evening. In the partly personal conversation, he remembered his childhood when he went shopping with his mother and grandmother. "And then I saw a butcher putting the money in his pocket. Then I thought that I also wanted to be a butcher - because of the money, »said the pontiff and had to smile. The 85-year-old told this anecdote a few years ago - but at the time he pointed out that what he liked about the butcher's job was that you could cut up pieces of meat with a large knife. Francis was born as Jorge Bergoglio in Buenos Aires and was archbishop there until the papal elections in 2013.
