The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| Russian film director Alexei German dies at 74 Posted: 21 Feb 2013 05:26 AM PST  Russian director Alexei German. — AFP pic "Today my father died without regaining consciousness... his heart simply stopped," the director's son, also a film director, Alexei German Jr wrote in a statement posted on the Moscow Echo radio station's website. German was born in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg, and made his films at the city's Lenfilm studio. He completed just four films as a sole director, but his sombre, brutally honest style was hugely influential on the current generation of directors. "He was unique. What else could I say about the artistic talent of such a man?" said fellow Saint Petersburg director Alexander Sokurov, quoted by the Interfax news agency. German's drama about WWII partisans, "Trial on the Road" was censored by the Soviets and though made in 1971 not released until 1985 during Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika era because of its unvarnished portrayal of the partisans and Soviet POWs. "My father lived his life in a worthy way. He did not betray his ideals. He did not sell himself. He did not waste himself on nonsense," his son said. At the time of his death, he was completing a film based on a science-fiction novel called "It's Hard to be a God," a project that he had begun in 1999 but struggled to finish due to financial, technical and health problems. "I've got serious heart problems and it has become difficult to work actively. Before I always worked extra hours, doing 12-hour days, now I can't do this," German said in a 2011 interview with Saint Petersburg news website 812 Online. His son vowed Thursday that the film based on the novel by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky would be finished in the "foreseeable future." "The film 'It's Hard to be a God' is practically finished. All that's left is re-recording the sound. The rest is ready. My father shot this film when he was already seriously ill, sacrificing his life for it." — AFP-Relaxnews |
| UK’s BRIT Awards slammed as celebration of bland Posted: 21 Feb 2013 05:13 AM PST  Emeli Sande reacts after being awarded the best British Album award during the BRIT Awards, celebrating British pop music, at the O2 Arena in London February 20, 2013. – Reuters pic Viewing figures for commercial broadcaster ITV1, which aired British pop's biggest night live, were the highest for a decade, so organisers, advertisers and the acts who performed were unlikely to care too much about what experts thought. Gordon Smart, showbusiness editor at the Sun tabloid, summed up the mood, writing: "Well, rock'n'roll is officially dead. Where have all the rock stars gone?" The big winner on the night, one that was widely predicted, was Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sande, who picked up the coveted British album award for "Our Version of Events", her debut which was the UK's top seller of 2012. She also won the best British female honour, and English singer Ben Howard was the only other multiple winner, claiming the male solo artist and breakthrough categories. "Welcome to the new boring," said Daily Telegraph music critic Neil McCormick, describing Howard, Sande and other winners Mumford & Sons (best group) and One Direction (BRITs Global Success Award). "All - to different degrees - extremely talented, vibrant, emotional, committed, entertaining musical performers beloved of enormous audiences," he wrote. "And all as dull as dishwater." He concluded his review with a rallying cry: "I just hope there is some young punk out there, watching that, thinking the music business needs a right royal kick up the posterior." Cash before cutting edge The BRITs have long had a reputation for putting commercial success above artistic originality, and 2013 was no exception. Will Hodgkinson of The Times newspaper said the lack of spark at the glitzy ceremony perhaps reflected broader economic and social concerns in Britain. "When times are hard people behave well and hang on to their jobs, which is why the high jinks and chaos of the past, like Jarvis Cocker wiggling his bum at Michael Jackson, was sadly absent," he said. In one of the most frequently recalled moments of BRITs history, Cocker invaded the stage while Jackson was performing in 1996 before being escorted away by security. Even last year had a frisson of controversy, when Adele's speech was cut short to make way for Blur to perform, prompting her to raise her middle finger. Adele picked up another award in 2013 - best single for Bond theme tune "Skyfall" - but she did not attend, preferring to rehearse for her upcoming performance at the more widely viewed Oscars ceremony on Sunday. Nick Hasted, writing in the Independent, said what was most "depressing" about the BRITs was how they were dovetailing with other awards like the Mercury Prize and the BBC's "Sound of..." poll identifying up-and-coming talent. "As it shrinks, the music industry is becoming ever more adept at controlling what enters the mainstream," Hasted said. "The moribund album charts, lacking inspiration and challenge, show how well they've succeeded." Critics did have more positive things to say about many of the performances, which included Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift from the United States and Sande, Howard, Mumford & Sons, One Direction, Muse and Robbie Williams from Britain. And there was good news on the TV viewing front. According to the Guardian, the average audience was just over 6.5 million, a 27.8 percent share and the highest since 2003. — Reuters |
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