Gerd Anthoff, der scheue Atheist By Gerhard Fischer

Photo Credit: Catherina Hess

Ingmar Bergman hat Gerd Anthoff gelehrt, wie man Aggressionen spielt. Der Regisseur, der Schweden wegen Steuersorgen verlassen hatte, und der Schauspieler trafen sich in den Achtzigerjahren am Residenztheater in München. Anthoff spielte in Ibsens "Nora" den Erpresser Krogstad. "Und Bergman hat bestimmt, dass die Rolle vom Scheitel bis zur Sohle mit Aggressionen ausgefüllt sein musste", erzählt er. Das Problem war, dass Gerd Anthoff eher ein sanfter Mensch ist. "Bergman wusste das", sagt Anthoff, "und deshalb hat er bei der Probe unterschwellig eine ungeheure Aggression ausgestrahlt - gegen alles und jeden." Anthoff hat die Schwingungen aufgenommen. "Ich war plötzlich wie der Fisch im Wasser", sagt er. "Und seit dieser Zeit kann ich die Aggressionen auf der Bühne ausleben." Gerd Anthoff, 70, hat in seiner Fernseh-Karriere ein paar Kotzbrocken gespielt, etwa den rücksichtslosen Bauunternehmer Toni Rambold in "Der Bulle von Tölz" oder den korrupten Kommissar Dr. Claus Reiter in "Unter Verdacht". In der ersten Folge hat Reiter sogar einen Mordanschlag auf seine Kollegin Eva Prohacek (Senta Berger) initiiert. "Es kam nie heraus, ob er tatsächlich dahinter steckte", sagt Anthoff, "aber er steckte dahinter." Wenn das einer wissen muss, dann er. Gerd Anthoff sitzt im Stadtcafé und erzählt unentwegt Geschichten - von Berger, von Bergman oder vom Brandner Kaspar, wo er mehr als 950 mal den Nantwein spielen durfte. Dabei hatte der Spiegel einmal über Anthoff geschrieben, dieser entziehe sich "dem Mediengetümmel fundamentalistisch"."Ich gebe selten Interviews", sagt er dazu, "und mit roten Teppichen kann ich gar nichts anfangen." Warum? "Ich bin scheu." Auf die Anfrage der Süddeutschen Zeitung hatte er freundlich, aber zurückhaltend geantwortet: "Wir können gerne versuchen, miteinander ins Gespräch zu kommen." Die Scheu ist ein Charakterzug, aber sie kann auch damit zu tun haben, woher ein Mensch kommt. Gerd Anthoff ist nicht in einem reichen Akademiker-Haushalt aufgewachsen, in dem das Selbstbewusstsein zur inneren Einrichtung gehört. Anthoff stammt aus kleinen Verhältnissen im Münchner Westend. Als er 1946 zur Welt kam, wurden dort die Trümmer des Zweiten Weltkriegs weggeräumt. Die Kinder hat das nicht bekümmert, sie spielten zwischen dem Schutt in den Hinterhöfen. "Es war eine schöne Kindheit", sagt Anthoff. Aber es folgte "eine bedrückende Jugend". Er will nicht weiter ausführen, worin die Sorge bestand. Trost fand er im Theater. [... Page 2]/[... Page 3] SZ

Gerd Anthoff, the shy Atheist By Gerhard Fischer/Translation

"I always enjoy playing a role to discover: Humor, Despair, Chaos," says Gerd Anthoff. The actor learned from Ingmar Bergman, to play a truly unsympathetic person on stage. And later on TV.
From Gerhard Fischer
Ingmar Bergman taught Gerd Anthoff how to play aggression. The director, who left Sweden because of tax worries and the actor met in the '80s at the Residenztheater in Munich. Anthoff played the hijacker Korgstad in Ibsen's "Nora". "And Bergman advised that this role had to be played with aggression from head to toe," he said. The problem was that Gerd Anthoff tends to be more a gentle person. "Bergman knew that," said Anthoff, "and nevertheless he radiated an aura of subliminal, intense aggression at the rehearsals, against everything and everyone." Anthoff sensed it and was in sync. "I was suddenly like a fish in water," he said. "And since that time I can live out the aggression on stage." Gerd Anthoff, 70, had during his TV career many of these kinds of roles, unsympathetic and aggressive, like the reckless building contractor Toni Rambold in Der Bulle von Tölz or the corrupt detective Dr. Claus Reiter in Unter Verdacht. In the first show of the series, Reiter even initiated a murder attempt of his colleague Eva Prohacek (Senta Berger). "It was never found out whether or not he was really behind the murder," said Anthoff, "but he was the one behind the attempt." If anyone would know, it would be him. Gerd Anthoff sat in the Stadtcafe and told one story after another - about Berger, about Bergman and about the Bavarian Theater Play Brandner Kaspar, where he more than 950 times played the role of Nantwein. Spiegel wrote once about Anthoff that he tries to get fundamentally away from "the media frenzy." "I seldom give interviews," he also said, "and I can not do the red carpet." Why? "I am shy." A request from Süddeutschen Zeitung he answered friendly, but quietly answered: "We could try to talk to each other." Shyness is a characteristic, but it could be based on where someone comes from. Gerd Anthoff was not raised in a rich academic home in which inner confidence belongs. Anthoff was from blue collar roots in the Munich Westend. When he was born in 1946, rubble from the bombs of WWII was being cleared. The children didn't worry, they played between the rubble in the backyards. "It was a nice childhood," said Anthoff. But it was followed by a depressed youth. He did not want to go further into more detail about the reason for those worries. He found comfort in the Theater. [...] SZ

Monsieur Dior und seine Liebe zu Kleidern By Dennis Braatz

Christian Dior wollte nichts als Mode machen - doch dass alle seine Kreationen begehrten, quälte ihn. Zum 70-jährigen Bestehen des Hauses wird die Autobiografie des Designers neu aufgelegt. Kurz nachdem das letzte Mannequin den Laufsteg hinter sich gelassen hat, schiebt der Couturier den grauen Satinvorhang zur Seite und tritt in den Saal. Er schüttelt Hände, küsst parfümierte Wangen und erntet Bravorufe. Er wird rot. Am liebsten wäre Christian Dior jetzt allein mit seinen Kleidern, um sie in Ruhe anschauen und ihnen danken zu können."Ich möchte schreien, so überwältigend ist das Gefühl, dem Leben wiedergegeben zu sein. Und dennoch weiß ich, dass ich schon morgen eine grausame Leere verspüren werde", schreibt er in seiner Autobiografie über den Moment nach einer Show. Besser könnten zwei Sätze Diors Beziehung zur Mode nicht auf den Punkt bringen: Er hat sie verehrt und geliebt. Gleichzeitig empfand er sie als Last und fühlte sich von ihr erdrückt. Erstmals auf Deutsch ist seine Autobiografie "Dior" im Jahr 1957 erschienen. "Es gibt keine pikanten Histörchen über berühmte oder berüchtigte Kundinnen", schrieb damals mit leiser Enttäuschung die Zeit. Stattdessen habe Dior in seinem Lebensbericht dargestellt, wie er wurde, was er ist. Nahezu 60 Jahre lang war das Buch vergriffen. Nun, zum 70-jährigen Bestehen des Hauses, hat es Schirmer/Mosel unter dem Titel "Dior und ich" neu aufgelegt. Die 260 Seiten sind nicht nur deshalb lesenswert, weil heute jeder die Marke Dior kennt, aber kaum noch jemand etwas über ihren Gründer weiß. Das Buch ist auch ein lehrreicher Gegenschnitt zur aktuellen Situation der Branche. Es geht schon damit los, dass Christian Dior die Schlagzahl an Kollektionen zu hoch fand - dabei waren es damals nur zwei pro Jahr. Drei Monate arbeitete er mit seinem Personal an einer neuen Saison. Danach fuhr er auf sein Anwesen an der Kanalküste, nicht weit entfernt von seinem Elternhaus in Granville, um sich zu erholen: "Ich habe nie mehr als drei Monate Zeit, um über die vergangene Kollektion nachzusinnen, bevor ich schon wieder an die nächste denken muss."

Der Verkaufsdruck überschattet den kreativen Prozess

Auch einem anderen Dior-Designer war alles zu viel: Raf Simons kündigte 2015 seinen Job, weil er kaum noch Zeit für den kreativen Prozess fand und sich dem Verkaufsdruck ausgesetzt fühlte. Allerdings musste er auch mindestens sechs Kollektionen im Jahr entwerfen, zwei für das Prêt-à-porter, zwei für die Couture und zwei Zwischenkollektionen; zwischendurch jettete er noch zu Store-Eröffnungen (Monsieur Dior dagegen schipperte höchstens mal mit der Queen Mary nach New York). Das Label schmückt inzwischen eben auch Männer- und Kindermode, Schuhe und Taschen, Sonnenbrillen, Schmuck, Uhren, Parfums, Make-up, Nagellacke und Cremes. Es ist eine Zentrale des Luxus geworden, in Zahlen: mehr als 35 Milliarden Euro Umsatz im Jahr bei weltweit 122 000 Mitarbeitern. Als Christian Dior am 15. Dezember 1946 in der Pariser Avenue Montaigne seine Räume für handgemachte Kostüme und Kleider eröffnete, hatte er gerade mal zwei Handvoll Angestellte. Ein kleines Studio, einen Vorführsalon, ein Zimmer für die Models, ein Direktionsbüro, sechs Umkleideräume. Mehr war nicht. Bis kurz vor Unterzeichnung des Mietvertrags zweifelte er noch schwer daran, ob er als Couturier überhaupt geeignet sei. Tatsächlich explodierte der Name Dior in Europa dann innerhalb kürzester Zeit - wie heute #chanel auf Instagram, wenn Fashion Week ist.
1946 ist das Jahr, in dem sich Europa langsam wieder aufrappelt. Nach dem langen, grausamen Krieg sehnt man sich wieder nach Verschwendung und Schönheit. Das Zentrum kann nur Paris sein, weshalb die Vertreter der hohen Gesellschaft dort eine Lustbarkeit nach der anderen veranstalten. Zum "Ball der Vögel" des Künstlers Christian Bérard müssen die Gäste mit einer Halbmaske aus Federn kommen. Die Schriftstellerin Marie-Laure de Noailles lädt "Auf den Mond". Was der neuen Hoffnung fehlt, ist die richtige Tagesmode.

Entfremdung von der eigenen Kunst 

In seinem Atelier verbraucht Dior zu dieser Zeit für einen einzigen Rock so viel Stoff wie andere für zehn. Dazu komponiert er die streng taillierte "Bar"-Jacke (benannt nach der Bar im Hotel Plaza Athénée) mit kleinem Schößchen, das den voluminösen Rock einleiten soll. Vorbild ist die Wiener Hofmode, die Sisi-Silhouette, bloß eben nicht bodenlang, sondern bis übers Knie. Die Stoffauswahl und Schnittfindung ist für Dior ein Vorgang voller "Sorgen und Verwirrungen". Am Ende liebt er das Ergebnis so sehr, dass er es "Chérie" tauft: "Es verlieh der Trägerin die Brust einer Nymphe, die Taille einer Sylphide und entfaltete, einem riesenhaften Fächer gleich, seinen Rock, in den achtzig Meter weißen Taft eingearbeitet waren, in tausend Falten, deren wogende Weite fast bis an die Knöchel reichte." Diese Mode, die tonangebend für die nächsten zehn Jahren werden soll, wird von der Presse "New Look" getauft. Wochenlang muss die Schau wiederholt werden, weil der Strom an Kundinnen und Einkäufern nicht abreißen will. Es kommen so viele, dass der Aufgang zum großen Salon verbreitert wird. Der Couturier ist überglücklich und gleichzeitig betrübt. Er fühlt sich seiner Kleider beraubt, nennt sie "Beutestücke einer gewonnenen Schlacht". Er kann sie jetzt nicht mehr anschauen. Christian Dior ist ein Modemacher, der sich der Kreation von Kleidern völlig hingibt. Selbst die Abnahme ihrer Prototypen lässt er wie ein Theaterstück aussehen: Während er in einem Sessel sitzt, muss ein Assistent jedes Mal, wenn ein Mannequin zum Vorführen ins Zimmer kam, laut rufen: "Monsieur Dior, ein Modell!". Mit dem Geschäft, das um seine Kleider herum passiert, und ihrer Handhabe als Ware kommt er jedoch nicht klar. Er verabscheut auch das Spiel mit der Presse und beschreibt länglich, wie es ihn schmerzt, wenn seine Mode kopiert wird. Einmal habe man sogar einen Gast mit einer Fotokamera erwischt, die kaum größer als ein Knopf war!

Ein neuer, feministischer New Look

Zu einer "systematischen Plünderung" kommt es durch eine Amerikanerin, die Kundinnen in die Schauen einschleust und seine Kleider aufkaufen lässt. Später verleiht sie die Kleider für bis zu 500 Dollar an Frauen, damit die sich die Originale günstig nachnähen können. In Frankreich wird die "Modellverleiherin" später zu ein paar Millionen Francs verurteilt. In den USA ist ihr Gewerbe aber durch kein Gesetz verboten - sie darf weiter praktizieren. Heute gehört Dior zu den meist kopierten Modefirmen der Welt, nur läuft die Sache mit den Plagiaten inzwischen ein bisschen anders ab: Jede Show landet sofort im Internet, Fast-Fashion-Konzerne bieten die Looks für eine Handvoll Euro schon Wochen später in den Fußgängerzonen an. Was Monsieur Dior wohl dazu sagen würde? Gefallen dürfte ihm aber sicherlich, dass erstmals eine Frau an der kreativen Spitze seines Hauses steht: Die ehemalige Valentino-Designerin Maria Grazia Chiuri hat bei der Pariser Modewoche im September ihre erste Kollektion gezeigt, die sie explizit als feministisch verstanden haben wollte. Ein neuer New Look, sozusagen. Christian Dior führte sein eigenes Haus nur zehn Jahre lang: 1957 starb er bei einer Kur in Italien an einem Herzanfall. Die Ursache ist nie richtig aufgeklärt worden, aber es wird vermutet, dass er eine Tuberkulose nicht richtig auskuriert hatte. Wie seine Marke danach ständig vergrößert und auf immer mehr Umsatz getrimmt wurde, mit Mode als Stangenware und den ganzen Accessoires und Beauty-Produkten, davon hat er nichts mehr mitbekommen. Heute läuft das überall so, auch bei Chanel, Louis Vuitton oder Yves Saint Laurent. Christian Dior, dieser feinsinnige und überaus schüchterne Mann, der in jeder Kollektion Herzblut vergoss, hat an das Diktat des Kommerzes nie so recht glauben können: "Mögen alle, die da glauben, der Wechsel der Mode könne kaufmännischen Gesichtspunkten gehorchen, sich eines Besseren belehren lassen", schreibt er in seiner Autobiografie. "Ich versichere ihnen, dass so eine beeinflusste Mode keine Lebenskraft hat, keine Chance zu gefallen, keinerlei Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten haben würde."
In diesem Punkt hat er sich leider getäuscht. SZ Amazon.de (Deutsch) Wikipedia.de (Deutsch)
Wikipedia.de (Deutsch)

Maria Grazia Chiuri named first female director of Christian Dior By Elizabeth Schumacher

Photo Credit: www.stylish-news.com

(July 8, 2016) The House of Dior has named Maria Grazia Chiuri as its new creative director. The French fashion house hopes to replicate the sales success engineered by Chiuri for Italian label Valentino. Italian Maria Grazia Chiuri will be the first female creative director of Christian Dior, the famed French fashion house announced on Friday. This means Chiuri will leave her co-director position at Italian designer Valentino and end her artistic collaboration with Pierpaolo Piccioli. Chiuri and Piccioli took over the helm of Valentino from its founder Valentino Garavani in 2008 but the pair have worked together for over twenty years. Together they maintained the label's high reputation but also turned it into one of the industry's most profitable and fastest growing brands. According to industry insiders, it was this aspect of her career that gave Chiuri the biggest boost as Dior struggles with flagging sales. Christian Dior is controlled by French billionaire Bernard Arnault, who also controls luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE. "When you listen to a woman talk about a woman, whether it is her body or her lifestyle, her work, the way she travels, what she needs, it is not conceptual," said Sidney Toledano, CEO of Dior. "It is practical. Maria Grazia is very practical: very straightforward, very clear, and she has no fear." "It’s very important to have the eyes of a woman designing for women," he added. Chiuri, 52, follows in the footsteps of fashion giants Yves Saint Laurent and John Galliano. She said her appointment was a "great honor" but also a "tremendous responsiblity," to be the first woman to lead a brand "so deeply rooted in the pure expression of femininity." "I cannot wait to express my own vision," the designer said. Dior has been without a creative director since the unexpected departure of Belgian designer Raf Simons last October. He expressed a desire to focus on his own label after three and a half years at the French house. Simons, both at Dior and his previous position for Jil Sander, has repeatedly come under fire for refusing to use models of color in his catwalk shows.

New Look, new director
Founded by eponymous designer Christian Dior in 1946, the house became famous for its "New Look" suits and dresses which pinched in at the waist and employed voluminous fabric - shocking for a post-war France used to rationing. Dior's work is also credited with re-establishing Paris as the capital of fashion after World War II. In its seventy year history of producing womenswear, every creative director has been male. The reaction to Dior's announcement on Twitter was overwhelmingly positive. Chiuri does not have her own label and she will have more responsibility for other aspects of the brand than her predecessors. Not only will she design ready-to-wear and haute couture collections but will also be involved in advertising and store design, as well as the shoe and handbag branches of the company. Her first public foray for Dior will be a ready-to-wear collection to be presented at Paris fashion week in September. es/jm (AP, AFP) DW SZ Amazon.de (German) Amazon.com (English) Wikipedia Wikipedia Wikipedia Photo

Paris Hilton loves being single

Photo Credit: Bang Showbiz 2016

Photo Credit: Greg DeGuire June 2005

Paris Hilton doesn't need "anyone to validate her happiness". The 35-year-old socialite is currently single after splitting from Thomas Gross in April 2016 after a year of dating but insists she is "independent" and doesn't need a man. She said: "I love being single. Before, I could never be alone. I always needed a boyfriend. Now, I feel so independent and I am so happy with myself. I don't need anyone to validate my happiness." The blonde beauty rose to fame by starring on 'The Simple Life' alongside Nicole Richie but she is desperate to put her reality star past behind her. She added: "I want to be known as a businesswoman. I don't want to be known as a reality TV star. I don't like the way that sounds ... "I have really grown past that ... spoiled, materialistic, bratty [persona]. Now I mostly focus on my empire and my brand, rather than everything else that comes with the reality star kind of life ... I spend my time working rather than just enjoying myself and being on vacation." And Paris believes she was one of the first people to make money out of partying when she was just 20-years-old. The DJ told Harper's Bazaar magazine: "When I moved to New York as a teenager I would just party all the time, but now people think I am actually smart because I have parlayed that into a very lucrative business. "With partying, no one had ever been paid to go to a party. I was the first one to kind of invent that in Las Vegas at 20 years old. Back in the day, a DJ would maybe get $200 and they would be hidden in a DJ booth. "Now they are headliners, making millions of dollars - the whole attraction is them. I saw that coming before it was actually happening." MSN News

STING - A tribute to all the German fans !!

Message in a Bottle 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Concert

Jerry Vale

Photo Credit: pdxretro.com

Snowbird Jerry Vale (born Genaro Louis Vitaliano; July 8, 1930 – May 18, 2014) was an Italian-American singer and actor. During the 1950s and 1960s, Vale reached the top of the pop charts with his interpretations of romantic ballads, many of which he sang in Italian. Wikipedia Photo

No, Italy is not about to leave the euro By Pepe Escobar

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is no more. The temptation is inevitable to ascribe the end of this lucky opportunist’s thousand days in the limelight as a verdict on the euro and the EU. As with all things Italy, it’s way more complicated. The Italian referendum this Sunday was indeed a resounding No to Renzi and the constitutional amendments he proposed. The key takeaway is that Italians essentially voted not to change the constitution to the benefit of an autocratic Parliament. Inbuilt in the No, of course, there’s immense, potential collateral damage – which happens to involve the future of the EU. It’s no wonder the anti-elite Five Star Movement, led by Beppe Grillo, as well as the ultra-xenophobic Lega Nord (Northern League), led by Matteo Salvini, are spinning it as a rout. Voter turnout was particularly high in wealthy Lombardy and Veneto – where the League is quite popular. The League’s message, day in, day out, centers on ominous figures besetting Italy – from three million workers in the black market to eight families out of ten living in extremely precarious circumstances. Blame the government – Renzi’s Democratic Party – as well as immigration. Yet, in parallel, scores across the Left voted No exactly to block the path for the extreme Right to reach power. So the No victory may also be seen as a vote for democracy – as Renzi’s constitutional amendments would facilitate a major power grab for the next prime minister's seat in Rome’s Palazzo Chigi. A Yes vote would have meant the end of what in Italy is known as “perfect bicameralism,” created under the country’s 1948 constitution, where we have two chambers of Parliament filled with elected lawmakers. Both have equal power and must agree on all legislation to be approved. This being Italy, the name of the (perennial) game is gridlock. Renzi’s government proposed the number of senators be reduced from 315 to 100, on top of it elected indirectly, as in selected by regional assemblies, with some mayors thrown in. This Senate emasculation would mean most Italian laws including the crucial state budget – passing without a glitch, thus making the nation “easier to govern.” The Senate would only be effective on ruling about the prickly relationship between Rome and Brussels. No wonder most voters interpreted it as a power grab by Renzi’s Democratic Party.

Tickets for the opera, anyone?

The 'follow the money' scenario is once again preeminent in Italy. The EU banking ecosphere is agog the No victory will make it even harder to rescue Siena’s Monte dei Paschi – the oldest bank in the world and currently Italy’s third-largest; it badly needs to raise €5 billion of equity and sell off €28 billion in bad loans. In fact, virtually the whole Italian banking system is on the ropes, needing a rescue package of at least €40 billion. Italy is paying JP Morgan to come up with a solution. European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council member Ewald Nowotny, who’s also the head of Austria’s central bank, insists Italy might have to spend a lot of public money for the rescue. This will be considered toxic by most Italian voters. Couple the banking crisis with the fact Italy’s industrial output may be as much as 10 percent smaller than it was ten years ago. And unemployment – at a hefty 13 percent - is roughly double than it was before the 2008 financial crisis. What’s immediately ahead is, what else, a political crisis, although containable. President Sergio Mattarella, elected only last year, must oversee the formation of a new government. The Five Star Movement and the Lega Nord are already calling for immediate elections. A look at the major players jockeying for position in the new government sweepstakes is not exactly uplifting. They are: Renzi (Democratic Party); Silvio 'bunga bunga' Berlusconi (Forza Italia); Beppe Grillo (Five Star Movement); and Matteo Salvini (Lega Nord). If these signori don’t agree on anything, there could be a snap election soon. Grillo’s Five Star want an election so badly because it will be held under the new electoral laws before it’s all changed back to the good old proportionate system. Expect a lot of (figurative) blood on the Colosseum before any solution. As the EU observes, in thrall, the bottom line is that Italy is not anywhere near a referendum to leave the eurozone, not to mention the EU, as most Italians are Europhiles (except when it comes to the German domination of the ECB). The next elections, whenever they take place, will feature a battle of three political formations: the anti-elite Five Star Movement; Renzi’s Democratic Party – now in a shambles; and the center-right (Berlusconi) probably aligned with the Lega. Any of these three, but mostly the Five Star, stand a chance to win. So Italy is now firmly concentrated on trying to get a new – functional – government, not abandon the euro. But that still entails a fascinating sub-plot; none other than Angela Merkel will have to step up and lend a hand to “save” the EU by saving the future of Renzi’s Democratic Party. Now that’s what an opera buffa is all about.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

Pepe Escobar is an independent geopolitical analyst. He writes for RT, Sputnik and TomDispatch, and is a frequent contributor to websites and radio and TV shows ranging from the US to East Asia. He is the former roving correspondent for Asia Times Online. Born in Brazil, he's been a foreign correspondent since 1985, and has lived in London, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles, Washington, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Even before 9/11 he specialized in covering the arc from the Middle East to Central and East Asia, with an emphasis on Big Power geopolitics and energy wars. He is the author of "Globalistan" (2007), "Red Zone Blues" (2007), "Obama does Globalistan" (2009) and "Empire of Chaos" (2014), all published by Nimble Books. His latest book is "2030", also by Nimble Books, out in December 2015. RT

Sergei Polunin Lands Major Movie Roles By Jennifer Stahl

Photo Credit: Natalia Osipova and Sergei Polunin
www.criticaldance.org

It’s hard not to resent Sergei Polunin a little bit. After walking away from his principal position at The Royal Ballet at age 23, frustrated—as he later told Dance Magazine—by the lack of support, money and exposure he was getting as a ballet dancer, now it looks like he’s having his cake and eating it, too. Not only is Polunin dancing again—under Igor Zelensky in Munich’s Bayeriches Staatsballett, and with girlfriend Natalia Osipova in her program of contemporary works—but he’s also getting the Hollywood attention (and paycheck) he’s always wanted. In addition to starring in his own bio-doc, Dancer, Polunin recently confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that he’ll be appearing in two major upcoming movies: the spy thriller Red Sparrow, featuring Jennifer Lawrence (who plays a ballerina-turned-Russian spy who falls for a CIA officer) and the whodunit classic Murder on the Orient Express starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz and Judi Dench. For now, Polunin’s roles in both movies are unknown. But we’re keeping our fingers crossed they include some dancing. Don’t let yourself get too bitter. Sure, he’s landed numerous priceless opportunities in spite (or maybe because) of his “bad boy” reputation. But watching Dancer, you realize he’s struggled the same as every aspiring dancer. What’s more, he’s determined to give back: He says his new Project Polunin is designed to be a company to support other dancers by setting them up with resources like scholarship funds, lawyers looking out for their interests and agents who can connect them with other industries—like film. Dance Magazine Photo

Spanish Royal couple enjoy whirlwind trip to Portugal

Photo Credit: www.gettyimages.it

Spain’s King Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia this week conducted a three-day tour of Portugal to pay testament to the bond and diversity of the relationship between the two countries and their peoples. Monday’s itinerary saw the royal couple welcomed at Porto Town Hall, and also viewing the collection of artist Joan Miró at the Serralves Foundation. After visiting Porto and Guimarães, Felipe VI and Letizia, moved on to Lisbon, arriving on Tuesday afternoon where they were welcomed at the city chambers and offered a dinner by the Prime Minister, António Costa, at the Palácio das Necessidades. The King and Queen of Spain ended their visit on Wednesday with Felipe VI giving a speech to Portugal’s parliament and visiting the cutting-edge Champalimaud Foundation. The monarchs then went to the residence of the Spanish ambassador in Lisbon at the Palácio de Palhavã, in Praça de Espanha, for a reception with the Spanish community that lives in Portugal. The visit ended with Felipe VI and Letizia visiting the Champalimaud Foundation, where they were once again accompanied by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The Portugal News Photo

Richard Marx

Ready To Fly Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician and record producer who has sold over 30 million records. He had a stream of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights," "Right Here Waiting," "Now and Forever," "Hazard" and "At The Beginning" with Donna Lewis. Although some of his major hit songs were ballads, many of his songs have had a classic rock style, such as "Don't Mean Nothing," "Should've Known Better," "Satisfied," and "Too Late to Say Goodbye." Marx placed himself in the record books by being the first solo artist to have his first seven singles hit the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (3, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 4). His record sales worldwide exceed 30 million. Aside from songs that he has written, composed, and recorded for himself, he has written and/or composed, collaborated on the writing and/or the compositions of, and produced such successful selections for other artists as "This I Promise You" by NSYNC and "Dance With My Father" by Luther Vandross. The latter song won several Grammy Awards. His 14th and latest chart topper, "Long Hot Summer," performed by Keith Urban, gave Marx the distinction of having a song he wrote or co-wrote top the charts in four different decades. Marx was born in Chicago, Illinois, the only child of Ruth (née Guildoo), a former singer, and Dick Marx, a jazz musician and founder of a successful jingle company in the early 1960s. He has three half-siblings from his father's previous marriage. Wikipedia 

Steve Winwood

Back In The High Life Again