Concert review: OMM raises roof with Holst and Stravinsky
PHOTO: YONG JUNYI
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Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
White House lashes out at US sitcom South Park's Trump parody
Find out what's new on ST website and app. South Park creators Matt Stone (left) and Trey Parker have been criticised by The White House after the bawdy satire skewered Mr Donald Trump. LOS ANGELES - The White House has lashed out at the creators of American animated sitcom South Park (1997 to present), after the bawdy satire skewered Mr Donald Trump in an episode featuring an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated version of the United States president crawling naked through a desert. In a no-holds-barred season premiere on July 23, the animated Trump character is also seen begging Satan for sex, only to be rebuffed – in part because his penis is too small. The White House was not amused. 'This show hasn't been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention,' spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said on July 24. 'President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country's history – and no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump's hot streak.' The adult animated series, which frequently touches on hot-button issues in American life, is now in its 27th season and remains one of the world's most valuable TV shows. The season premiere begins with the foul-mouthed character Cartman appalled that American broadcaster NPR has been taken off the air by the president, while Randy, a parent, is disturbed by the presence of Jesus in public elementary school. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore HDB resale price growth moderates in Q2, more flats sold Singapore Etomidate found in blood of 2 people involved in fatal Punggol Road accident in May: HSA Asia Live: Thailand-Cambodia border clashes continue for second day Business Microsoft Singapore managing director Lee Hui Li dies while on sabbatical Singapore Private residential home prices up 1 per cent in Q2: URA Business Singapore factory output grows at faster pace of 8% in June, better than expected Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly Complaints to the fictional White House receive only a threat from Trump to sue the mountain town of South Park for billions of dollars. Meanwhile, animated Trump is threatening to bomb Canada 'like I did Iraq'. 'I thought you just bombed Iran,' the Canadian prime minister replies. 'Iran, Iraq, what the hell's the difference?' replies Trump. The episode, which sees the fictional Trump ride rough-shod over many aspects of American life, ends after the town of South Park makes a financial deal with the president that includes an agreement to make public service announcements. The AI-generated short that follows – ostensibly one of those announcements – shows an overweight Trump staggering through a desert as a narrator casts him as a latter-day Jesus. The short ends with a naked Trump as the narrator says: 'Trump. His penis is teeny-tiny, but his love for us is large.' Merger The episode aired days after creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone reportedly penned a US$1.5 billion (S$1.9 billion) streaming deal with Paramount that gives the company global rights. The deal comes at a sensitive time for Paramount, which is trying to secure government approval for a multi-billion-dollar merger with entertainment company Skydance. The CBS parent caused a furore earlier in July when it agreed to pay US$16 million to settle a lawsuit Mr Trump had brought over an interview which 60 Minutes, the storied current affairs programme, aired with his Democratic challenger Kamala Harris ahead of the presidential election in November 2024. The payment was criticised by Democrats as little more than a bribe to help smooth the merger, with Paramount initially dismissing Mr Trump's lawsuit as meritless. Last week, CBS sparked fury after it cancelled The Late Show With Stephen Colbert whose host is a pointed critic of the US president. The network insisted it was a financial decision, but opponents have painted the move as the latest example of American institutions bowing to Mr Trump. AFP
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Astronomer chief people officer Kristin Cabot resigns following viral Coldplay concert video
American tech company Astronomer has confirmed to numerous media outlets, including People, the BBC and CNBC, that Kristin Cabot, the executive caught in an embrace with former CEO Andy Byron at a Coldplay concert, has resigned from her role as its chief people officer. Cabot's resignation comes days after Byron stepped down as CEO, with Pete DeJoy, Astronomer's cofounder and chief product officer, taking over as interim CEO. The viral "Coldplay camera" incident, which has since sparked numerous memes and parodies, happened on Jul 16 at British rock band Coldplay's concert in Massachusetts, USA. During a segment that saw Coldplay frontman Chris Martin interacting with concert attendees, the camera panned to Byron embracing Cabot. Upon realising that they were on screen, the two immediately separated and avoided the camera, causing Martin to quip: "Either they're having an affair or they're very shy." According to reports, Cabot and Byron are married to other people. In a statement on LinkedIn on Monday (Jul 21), Pete DeJoy addressed the attention received by Astronomer since the incident, writing: "The events of the past few days have received a level of media attention that few companies – let alone startups in our small corner of the data and AI world – ever encounter. The spotlight has been unusual and surreal for our team and, while I would never have wished for it to happen like this, Astronomer is now a household name. "At Astronomer, we have never shied away from challenges; a near-decade of building this business has tested us time and time again, and each time we've emerged stronger."
AsiaOne
7 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Grammy-winning jazz musician Chuck Mangione dies at 84, Entertainment News
American two-time Grammy-winning jazz flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione, best known for his 1970s cross-over hit Feels So Good, died this week at age 84 at his home in Rochester, New York. The prolific musician and composer — whose career spanned five decades and 30 albums — died in his sleep on Tuesday (July 22), a local funeral home said. "Chuck's love affair with music has been characterised by his boundless energy, unabashed enthusiasm, and pure joy that radiated from the stage," his family said in a statement to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle newspaper. Mangione showed his appreciation for his audiences by sitting at the edge of the stage after his concerts, signing autographs for fans who stayed to meet him and the band, it said. Born Charles Frank Mangione in 1940 in Rochester, he was a virtuoso flugelhorn and trumpet player. He grew up in a household where his father exposed him to the jazz greats of the 1950s, including Dizzy Gillespie, a family friend who dined with them frequently. He began taking music lessons at age 8, and by the time he was a teenager, Gillespie was so impressed by his musical prowess that he gave Mangione one of his trademark "upswept" trumpets. His composition Chase The Clouds Away was featured at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, while his Give It All You Got was the theme music for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. Mangione's biggest hit was his 1977 single Feels So Good, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammys. His album by the same name is a staple on smooth jazz radio stations. Mangione won two Grammys out of 14 nominations — the first in 1977 for best instrumental composition for Bellavia, named in honour of his mother. In 1979 he won in the best pop instrumental performance category for The Children of Sanchez. The latter, a soundtrack for the movie of the same name, also won a Golden Globe. In the late 1990s, Mangione's music attracted new fans after he played himself on the Fox TV cartoon show King of the Hill as a celebrity spokesman for the fictional Mega-lo-mart, with the slogan "shopping feels so good." He also scored the music for the 1998 Valentine's Day episode. [[nid:720589]]
