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Behind the ‘Maestro’ biopic are a raft of theater stars supporting the story of Leonard Bernstein

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:18 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Leonard Bernstein was a towering figure on Broadway. So it seems only fitting that the new biopic of him leans on the Great White Way to get the story right.Bradley Cooper’s movie “Maestro” is studded with theater stars — 29 of the 38 principal cast members have a background in the theater, including Gideon Glick, Michael Urie, Greg Hildreth, Nick Blaemire, Ryan Steele, Zachary Booth and Gaby Diaz.Look closely and you’ll find actor-turned-director Scott Ellis playing Bernstein’s manager, Harry Kraut, and rising stage star Jordan Dobson — whose credits include “Bad Cinderella,” “Hadestown” and, significantly, “West Side Story” — playing a young conductor.Casting director Shayna Markowitz said she didn’t necessarily set out to land theater pros but it came naturally when she was trying to populate Bernstein’s world authentically.“There’s kind of this amazing synergy between casting theater actors to portray people of the theater world and of Lenny’s world,” Markowitz s...

Raptors’ forward Precious Achiuwa turns ‘what if’ into why not?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:18 GMT

“What if?” is a question most people ask themselves at least once a day. “What if I didn’t take this job?” “What if Kawhi didn’t make that shot?”For Toronto Raptors forward Precious Achiuwa that question is the motivation and inspiration behind his non-profit foundation ‘What If Unlimited.’“The message and idea of what we do is empowerment,” Achiuwa told CityNews. “Whether it’s kids, young boys and girls, women, people in all aspects of life. We try to do it through education, athletic scholarships, or through business building. Whatever aspect of life people are focused on, especially in areas like that where there is not a lot of opportunity, just being able to create as many opportunities as possible for us is really what we prioritize ourselves with.”Over the weekend the foundation hosted its first ‘What If Women’s Program’ in his hometown of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The event was inspired by a previous camp ...

Serbia’s populist leader relies on his tested playbook to mastermind another election victory

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:18 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Aleksandar Vucic likes nothing more than to win. Critics say he cheats, but Serbia’s president shows he just knows the job of remaining in power.The populist leader has ruled the Balkan nation for more than a decade as both prime minister and president. After his populists won a weekend snap parliamentary election, Vucic seems set to tighten his already autocratic rule still further.During a political career that spans more than 30 years, Vucic has morphed from being an extreme nationalist who supported an aggression against non-Serbs, to a regional player lauded by Western officials for keeping the Balkans relatively stable.The 53-year-old comes across as both pro-European and pro-Russian. He says Serbia should join the European Union but then bashes the EU at every opportunity. He appointed Serbia’s first-ever gay prime minister but later banned a pride march.“This was an absolute victory and I am extremely happy about it,” Vucic said late on Sunday after d...

Your autograph, Mr. Caro? Ahead of 50th anniversary, ‘Power Broker’ author feels like a movie star

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:18 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Since the release a year ago of the acclaimed documentary “Turn Every Page,” Robert Caro has been feeling a bit like a movie star. “I walk up Broadway and kids recognize me,” the historian and author of “The Power Broker” says. “If I linger a bit, they start talking about a chapter that they like. It’s so wonderful.”The 88-year-old Caro, winner of virtually every literary prize, has long held at least semi-celebrity status. His better known admirers range from Conan O’Brien to former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and impatient readers regularly send emails to his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, asking for an update on his fifth and final Lyndon Johnson book. (Still no release date in sight, Caro says.)On this December morning, he’s seated at a small table in the gift shop of the New-York Historical Society, engaged in another kind of ritual for public figures: autographs, available to anyone who buys one of his books from the society’s...

Russia adds popular author Akunin to register of ‘extremists and terrorists,’ opens criminal case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:18 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities on Monday added popular detective novelist and dissident Grigory Chkhartishvili – known under the pen name Boris Akunin – to its register of “extremists and terrorists.”On the same day that Russia’s financial watchdog, Rosfinmonitoring, added the Russian-Georgian writer to the register, state media reported that a criminal case had been opened last week against Akunin for “discrediting the army.”Discrediting the Russian military is a criminal offense under a law adopted after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The law is regularly used against Kremlin critics.Akunin’s placement on the register comes after one of Russia’s leading book publishers, AST, last week announced that it was suspending the printing and sale of books by Akunin and another popular author, Dmitry Bykov, following their criticism of Russia’s military action in Ukraine.The decision by AST followed the release of a prank call earlier in December in which ...

Ontario releases top baby names of 2022. Here’s which ones cracked the list

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:18 GMT

Ontario released the top baby names of 2022, and once again, the most popular of the year prior reign supreme.Olivia and Noah were ranked as the most prevalent girl and boy names in 2022, and more impressively, Olivia has held the top spot for girls for over a decade, with 14 consecutive years as number one.Noah is in the top spot for the fourth year in a row, with Liam following closely behind as the second-most popular name. Here is how both top 10s look.GirlsOliviaCharlotteAmeliaEmma SophiaAvaChloe/IslaEvelynLilyMiaBoysNoahLiamOliverTheodoreJackBenjaminLucasWilliamEthanLeoChloe was on the top 10 list for girl names for the first time, tied with Isla, while Theodore inched up two spots this year.The United States Social Security Administration also released its top baby names of 2022, and Olivia landed number one on their rendition. For boys, Liam took the top spot in the U.S., with the names Elijah and James cracking their top 10.Todd McCarthy, Ontario’s Minister of Pu...

Klarna CEO Siemiatkowski says buy now, pay later is used by shoppers who otherwise avoid credit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:18 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Sebastian Siemiatkowski is a co-founder and CEO of Klarna, the Sweden-based company that’s one of the world’s biggest providers of buy now, pay later services to customers. Klarna started off in Europe and entered the U.S. market in 2015.Buy now, pay later has become an increasingly popular option for consumers for purchases: its usage is up 10-fold since the pandemic and U.S. regulators see it as potentially a more sustainable way for borrowers to pay for purchases instead of using credit cards.Siemiatkowski spoke to the AP about how popular buy now, pay later has gotten since the pandemic, why consumers are choosing it and how the company is using artificial intelligence software in how it hires. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.Q: You operated in Europe for several years before coming to the U.S. What made you come here?A: As we were considering coming to the US, we identified that there was a fairly large group of U.S. consumers that they cal...

Kishida says Japan is ready to lead Asia in achieving decarbonization and energy security

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:18 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged to lead efforts to simultaneously achieve decarbonization, economic growth and energy security in Asia, an ambitious goal he set Monday at a regional climate summit attended by Southeast Asian leaders. Kishida told the summit of the Asia Zero Emission Community, or AZEC, that the initiative will create “a new, huge decarbonization market in Asia that will attract global capital.” Decarbonization in Asia will require 4,000 trillion yen ($28 trillion), Kishida said, and promised to establish a new organization to support AZEC countries in their effort to implement policies needed to achieve carbon neutrality. Leaders of nine member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations except Myanmar, in addition to Australia, expressed commitment to cooperate toward achieving carbon neutrality. The summit was held one day after Japan hosted a special summit Sunday commemorating 50 years of ties with ASEAN. As part...

Amid accusations, French actor Gerard Depardieu’s figure is removed from a Paris wax museum

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:18 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The wax figure of actor Gerard Depardieu has been removed from Paris’ most famous wax museum, following negative reactions from visitors over allegations about his conduct with women, the museum said Monday. The decision to remove the figure from the Grevin Museum, the so-called “Pantheon of wax celebrities,” followed a recent report on the actor on French television that has dented his reputation in France and around the world. The France 2 documentary showed him repeatedly making obscene remarks and gestures during a 2018 trip to North Korea. Depardieu has also been under investigation for rape since 2020. He denies all charges.Depardieu, 74, has starred in hundreds of movies over more than half a century, including French classics like “The Last Metro,” “Jean de Florette” and “Cyrano de Bergerac,” and English-language movies including “Green Card” and “Life of Pi.”This waxwork’s disappearance coincides with France’s culture minister announcing a dis...

5-year-old child living at migrant shelter in Pilsen dies: Mayor's office

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:18 GMT

CHICAGO -- A five-year-old child living at a temporary migrant shelter in Pilsen has died after falling ill, the mayor's office said.According to a statement released by the mayor's office, the child was identified as 5-year-old Carlos Martinez who was living in the temporary shelter located in the 2200 block of South Halsted Street. COPA investigating shooting involving off-duty officer Reports said the child was suffering from a medical emergency and transported to Comer Children's Hospital where he passed away shortly after. The mayor's office said officials are providing support to the family and are still gathering information on the incident. WGN is actively following the incident and will update as more information is recovered.