TUESDAY, MAY 28, 2013
lifestyle F e a t u r e s
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ngelina Jolie’s aunt has died of breast cancer; it was reported Sunday, less than two weeks after the Oscarwinning actress announced that she had undergone a preventative double mastectomy. The Hollywood entertainment website E! News cited Jolie’s uncle, Ron Martin, as saying that his wife, Debbie-the younger sister of Jolie’s late motherdied early on Sunday at Palomar Hospital in Escondido, California. “Angelina has been in touch throughout the week and her brother Jamie has been with us, giving his support day by day,” Martin was quoted as saying on E!’s website. “They both loved Debbie very much and although Angie is not able to come right now she has sent her love and support which was very nice.” Jolie, 37, revealed in an article in the May 14 edition of The New York Times that she chose to undergo surgery to minimize the risk she might develop breast cancer due to the inheritance of a “faulty gene.” The actress’s partner and fellow screen star Brad Pitt led worldwide praise, declaring Jolie heroic, followed by her doctors, other stars and thou-
sands of supporters, who took to social media to praise her openness. Jolie and Pitt have six children-three adopted and three biological. The actress’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer at the age of 56 and passed on the gene, BRCA1, that put Jolie at higher risk. Jolie’s doctors estimated she had an 87 percent risk of developing breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, prompting her to take action to cut the chances that she might die at a young age. The actress said in the newspaper article that her likelihood of developing breast cancer is now just five percent, though she still runs a relatively high risk of contracting ovarian cancer. Jolie, respected for her humanitarian work overseas with the UN, said she was speaking out to help other women understand their options, and also to urge governments in lower-income countries to provide the health care women need. “I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more
complex,” she wrote. “I can tell my children they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer.” Cancer campaigners cheered Jolie but warned women against rushing out to be tested for the gene mutation that threatened the actress’s life. Not only is the BRCA1 mutation rare in the female population, they said, but it is also expensive to test for-Jolie paid $3,000 — at a US laboratory that controversially claims patent rights on the gene. — AP
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The Massachusetts native directed, produced and starred in “Argo,” which won this year’s Oscar for Best Picture. Others getting honorary doctorates were author and MIT Professor Junot Diaz; retired Stanford University bacteriologist Stanley Falkow; Tougaloo College President Beverly Wade Hogan; medical doctor and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
cademy Award-winning actor and director Ben Affleck has received one of six honorary doctorate degrees from Brown University. Affleck was among artists, writers, scientists and educators to receive the degrees from the Ivy League school at commencement exercises Sunday. He received a doctor of fine arts degree.
File photo shows actress Angelina Jolie arrives at the Mathaeser cinema in Munich, Southern Germany, to attend the German premiere of her latest movie ‘Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.’—AP
President Risa Lavizzo-Mourey; and Miami Dade College President Eduardo Padron. The university conferred more than 2,400 degrees Sunday. — AP
In this photograph taken on March 22, 2013 Indian Bollywood film directors Zoya Akhtar and Karan Johar pose in creations by designer Manish Malhotra on the first day of the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Summer/Resort 2013 show in Mumbai. — AFP
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ew Bollywood film “Bombay Talkies” is billed as a milestone not only for marking 100 years of Indian cinema-it is also one of the country’s few mainstream movies ever to have shown a gay kiss. The centenary film, which had a special screening at Cannes, comprises four self-contained short stories by leading directors looking at the impact of Indian cinema on people’s lives. The short film from director Karan Johar features a kiss between a young man and his best friend’s husband as part of an exploration of sexual identity and marital discord. While such scenes in the past may have elicited catcalls in India’s populist single-screen theatres, this time the kiss has been winning applause from audiences, according to gay rights advocate Nitin Karani. “That’s a positive reaction, which may indicate that society is more ready than film producers when it comes to gay stories,” he said. And with one of the characters in the kiss played by ‘sex symbol’ actor Randeep Hooda, the film “shatters stereotypes faster”, Karani believes. In another of the short stories, director Zoya Akhtar shows a young boy exploring his feminine side by emulating and dressing up as Katrina Kaif, his Bollywood heroine. “Bombay Talkies was an important film for Karan and Zoya as it was projected as a movie celebrating 100 years of cinema,” said Karani. “So for them to take up issues of sexuality and gender was commendable.” The tales in “Bombay Talkies” have sparked debate over such issues in Bollywood, where homosexuality has long been kept in the closet-or portrayed in stereotypical roles. “Mainstream Hindi cinema has portrayed gay characters as feminine, over the top, obsessed with sex, and to be laughed at,” said director Onir, who only uses his first name. “When they are not stereotyped like this, they are shown as boyfriend stealers or home-breakers,” he said, pointing out than even “Bombay Talkies” shows “the gay boy hitting on his best friend’s husband”. —AFP
Indian Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda poses for a photo during the special screening of the upcoming film ‘Bombay Talkies’ in Mumbai.
Ben Affleck speaks after receiving an honorary degree at Brown Universityís 245th commencement in Providence, RI. — AP photos
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rmanno Marzorati has rarely been so busy. He is currently fixing a 1930 Underwood typewriter for Tom Hanks. But there are plenty more ancient writing machines awaiting his tender care. While the modern world taps away in an ever-increasing frenzy online, the Italian senses a new trend, from his calm Beverly Hills studio: the return of the art of slow writing. Marzorati has restored typewriters belonging to Ian Fleming, Tennessee Williams, Jack London, Ray Bradbury, Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles, as well as celebrities like Julie Andrews, Greta Garbo and John Lennon. He proudly shows photos of some of his best work, including an orange-colored Underwood machine dating from 1926, on which Orson Welles wrote “Citizen Kane.” It was totally destroyed when he got it. “To me the typewriter is better than the computer, not because I’m old fashioned, but because it slows you down. You have to choose the words carefully because you cannot correct,” he told AFP. “It takes a long time to press the key.” Collector Steve Soboroff says typewriters, unlike computer keyboards, have an intimate relationship with their owners. “I just love the idea of authors, famous people, would spend hours of their lives on these typewriters, so they are very personal. And there’s only one of them, is not like there are hundreds of them. “There’s only one for each,” added the biggest customer of Marzorati, whose studio is full of old printing machines, typewriters and mechanical calculators. Occasionally Hanks tweets photos of the vintage typewriters that Marzorati restored in his own collection. Marzorati has a shelf dedicated to his most famous client, and he currently holds 12 machines belonging to the “Forrest Gump” star. In all, the talkative Italian has some 60 machines waiting to be fixed-an enormous numbers compared to a few years ago. “I’m booked up for six months,” said the 68-year-old, who started repairing typewriters in 2003. “Collectors are the exception. Most of the people I fix typewriters for are people who are going to use it,” said Marzorati, who was born in Italy in 1945 and moved to Los Angeles in 1969. “I feel people, honestly, are getting fed up because all these iPhones, all these electronics, they like to get back to the basics,” he said. ‘Writing on an computer is very distracting, you get stuck’ But the obvious question is, why would someone in the 21st century want to type on a heavy and difficult-to-use mechanical device, without the possibility of cutting, pasting, erasing or copying? Marzorati said the advantages of computers are over-rated. “Writing on a computer is very distracting, because you get email coming in, you type a word, you delete it, you change it, you get stuck,” he said. His view is echoed by Christopher Lockett, who regularly takes his 1950 Hermes Baby typewriter with him to write in the open air in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park, next to the hipster Los Feliz district.
Ben Affleck reacts as he receives an honorary degree.
“There are no text windows in blue popping up, you can’t play music on it,” he said. “I shut off my iPhone, I take my typewriter and sit and I don’t worry about the typos, I keep moving forward, and I go dah dah dah dah ding!” He compares the experience of using a typewriter to riding a bicycle. “It’s an alternative to the most efficient way of doing something, it’s about enjoying the ride, and nobody gets angry about the notion of a bicycle. But people are like ‘typewriters are impractical.’ “Well, so is a bicycle and people are still making bicycles and it’s not an issue,” he said. Lockett, a cameraman and documentary-maker, made a film on the subject last year called “The Typewriter in the 21st Century,” which is currently showing on the independent movie circuit in Los Angeles. “I thought: if the typewriter is going away, and is in part responsible for every great novel from the 20th century, they deserve a proper send-off,” he told AFP. When he set about making the film he was surprised to find that, not only are typewriters not disappearing, but there is a surge of demand for old machines to be repaired and brought back to life.—AFP
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rrfan is no stranger to Hollywood. The Indian actor, who uses only his first name, has played roles in acclaimed films such as “Life of Pi”, “Slumdog Millionaire” and “A Mighty Heart”. His new film “The Lunchbox”, an Indian-FrenchGerman co-production, won the Grand Rail d’Or at Critics’ Week at the 66th Cannes film festival and the North American movie rights were acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. Director Ritesh Batra’s debut feature film is about a wrongly delivered lunchbox that connects a young Hindu housewife to a Catholic man played by Irrfan. Irrfan, 46, told Reuters about his latest film and how he sees Indian cinema changing to become more international: Q: Tell us about “The Lunchbox”. A: It’s a sweet love story, it’s a feelgood film, it makes you feel nice but the narrative is very simple. The strength of the film is that it says so much without talking. It is the things which the characters are not saying that are the most powerful in the film. That’s the uniqueness of the film. Q: “The Lunchbox” is directed by a first timer director, Ritesh Batra. What were your expectations and why did you agree to be part of it? A: The story, the writing, it was special. The story was unique. I saw he hadn’t made full-length features but he had made some short films and that gave me a clue. He is one of the directors who capture actors, their performances, and that is a great combination. I had full faith in him. There was an international team around him. The editing happened in America then there was the music which I think happened in France. I knew the producers involved in the film ... were experienced producers and they know how to arrange a team.
Ermanno Marzorati, owner of Star Office Machines is working on an old typewriter in his shop in Los Angeles. — AFP
Q: Since most big studios are averse to making films like “The Lunchbox”, do you think that collaboration with international studios is the way forward? A: It is. I think it’s a new thing which will erupt in the Indian market and I have been telling this to producers for many years - collaborate with other countries, collaborate with producers from other countries and we will have our international product. Somehow this has started happening and this will keep going on and this will help our directors and our
producers to find new markets, to find new languages of cinema, to find an Indian universal language of cinema. Q: At Cannes was Indian cinema being taken more seriously? A: We still need to come up with strong films to really make our mark. Although people know about India, we still need to make films one after the other to be talked about as a filmmaking country. We make films for our audience, we are not making films for international audience. Q: What is the general view of Indian filmmakers? A: Indian cinema has to come of age. They are still waiting. There are elements in Indian commercial cinema which are excellent, which are original, but we need to find a story telling language which is relatable to anybody, everybody. That’s the language “ The Lunchbox” could strike. Q: Are we only making films for our own audiences? A: We have a diverse generation of filmmakers coming up and they should diversify our filmmaking. If we go on making similar kinds of films they will have a limited appeal. We need to experiment, we need to come out with a different language, we need to come out with different cinema. Q: India is celebrating 100 years of cinema this year. How do you see things changing in the next 100? A: I can’t see 100 years ahead but I can definitely tell you that in five years the industry is going to change. You will have great cinema coming up. The pattern of cinema is such that every 10-15 years it changes because of the generation of filmmakers, the generation of the audience. I believe cinema will evolve very drastically and very quickly. — Reuters