Latest news with #26th
Gulf Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Alan Bergman, Oscar-winning lyricist who helped write 'The Way We Were,' dies at 99
Alan Bergman, the Oscar-winning lyricist who teamed with his wife, Marilyn, for an enduring and loving partnership that produced such old-fashioned hits as "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?,' "It Might Be You' and the classic "The Way We Were,' has died at 99. Bergman died late on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles, family spokesperson Ken Sunshine said in a statement on Friday. The statement said Bergman had, in recent months, suffered from respiratory issues "but continued to write songs till the very end.' The Bergmans married in 1958 and remained together until her death, in 2022. With collaborators ranging from Marvin Hamlisch and Quincy Jones to Michel Legrand and Cy Coleman, they were among the most successful and prolific partnerships of their time, providing words and occasional music for hundreds of songs, including movie themes that became as famous as the films themselves. Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Tony Bennett and many other artists performed their material, and Barbra Streisand became a frequent collaborator and close friend. Alan and Marilyn Bergman arrive at the 26th annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards in Hollywood, California April 22, 2009. File/Reuters Sunshine said that there will still be a centennial celebration of Alan Bergman as planned at Santa Monica's Broad Stage, with guests including Michael Feinstein, Jackson Browne and Patti Austin. Feinstein, among the many artists who posted tributes Friday, wrote that the Bergmans were "kind, talented and principled artists' who "lived from a place called Love.' Blending Tin Pan Alley sentiment and contemporary pop, the Bergmans crafted lyrics known by millions, many of whom would not have recognized the writers had they walked right past them. Among their most famous works: the Streisand-Neil Diamond duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers,' the well-named Sinatra favorite "Nice 'n' Easy' and the topical themes to the 1970s sitcoms "Maude' and "Good Times.' Their film compositions included Ray Charles' "In the Heat of the Night' from the movie of the same name; Noel Harrison's "The Windmills of Your Mind,' from "The Thomas Crown Affair'; and Stephen Bishop's "It Might Be You,' from "Tootsie.' The whole world seemed to sing and cry along to "The Way We Were,' an instant favorite recorded by Streisand for the 1973 romantic drama of the same name that co-starred Streisand and Robert Redford. Set to Hamlisch's tender, bittersweet melody, it was essentially a song about itself - a nostalgic ballad about nostalgia, an indelible ode to the uncertainty of the past, starting with one of history's most famous opening stanzas: "Memories / light the corners of my mind / misty watercolor memories / of the way we were.' Associated Press
Express Tribune
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
JCP to review tenure of CB
A crucial meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), chaired by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, will be held on June 19 in the Supreme Court building. The meeting will discuss extending the tenure of constitutional benches. The matter was last addressed in the commission's session on December 21, 2024, where a majority approved a six-month extension for the nominated judges of the Supreme Court's constitutional benches. At present, 15 judges have been working for the constitutional benches. Among them, a committee led by Justice Aminuddin Khan and comprising Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Ali Mazahar selects judges for the particular constitutional benches. Performance of CB The present CB led by Justice Aminuddin Khan has been able to issue only three reported judgement since it's creation through 26th constitutional amendment. The CB had issued first reported judgement in January. This two-page decision was related to the jurisdiction of CB itself. The order had held that regular benches could not hear matters related to the interpretation of law and constitution. Secondly, reported short order has been passed in military courts case. Likewise, another reported judgement was authored by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail. Lawyers are wondering as who will judge the performance of the constitutional bench. They are also raising question that why Justice Mandokhail is not being given independent CB. A lawyer says that the CB started by spending two months studiously avoiding the 26th Amendment case in favour of hearing cases of no importance which had already become infructuous. "It followed that by spending four months almost exclusively on the military courts case before passing a verdict which must surely have pleased the establishment. The only other order of note it passed in that period was to ensure that no regular bench of the Supreme Court could hear any case of importance. "Next, it took up the reserved seats review case in which most of the original judges were excluded and the few who were included seemed to have suddenly, and inexplicably, become of the opposite view from day one", says the lawyer. He said that when the idea of a CB elected by politicians was first floated; many said such a bench was fundamentally against the idea of judicial independence and predicted it would reduce the credibility of the SC to nothing. Nonetheless, judges in Pakistan have sometimes defied predictions. "Unfortunately, the CB's performance thus far has proved this is not one of those times." He also said that the stated rationale of the CB at the time of the 26th Amendment was to improve the constitutional jurisprudence of the SC. In its first six months, the number of detailed judgments it has issued can be counted on the fingers of one hand. And all of them have tended to take out jurisprudence backwards and closer to the desires of the establishment," he adds.
Express Tribune
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
JCP to review tenure of constitutional benches
A crucial meeting of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP), chaired by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, will be held on June 19 in the Supreme Court building. The meeting will discuss extending the tenure of constitutional benches. The matter was last addressed in the commission's session on December 21, 2024, where a majority approved a six-month extension for the nominated judges of the Supreme Court's constitutional benches. At present, 15 judges have been working for the constitutional benches. Among them, a committee led by Justice Aminuddin Khan and comprising Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazahar selects judges for the particular constitutional benches. Extension of constitutional benches has been proposed for the second time. The federal government on December 21 managed to get its way at the JCP which had rejected a suggestion to nominate all Supreme Court judges to its Constitutional Bench (CB) by a majority vote of 7 to 6. Except Justice Aminuddin, all JCP's judicial members namely CJP Yahya Afridi, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail had voted for all the Supreme Court judges to be part of the CB. Two PTI members Barrister Gahar Ali Khan and Barrister Ali Zafar supported their view. However, the government as well as the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) representatives in JCP did not support their suggestion. The judicial members had faced embarrassment, when their own fellow judge, Justice Aminuddin Khan, did not support their suggestion. The JCP by majority 7 to 6 endorsed the extension of the CB led by Justice Aminuddin Khan for six months. Once again it is being expected that the government will be successful to get majority votes for the extension of present CB, which performance is under question. There is no objective criteria for the selection of judges for CB. Performance of CB The present CB led by Justice Aminuddin Khan has been able to issue only three reported judgement since it's creation through 26th constitutional amendment. The CB had issued first reported judgement in January. This two-page decision was related to the jurisdiction of CB itself. The order had held that regular benches could not hear matters related to the interpretation of law and constitution. Secondly, reported short order has been passed in military courts case. Likewise, another reported judgement was authored by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail. Lawyers are wondering as who will judge the performance of the constitutional bench. They are also raising question that why Justice Mandokhail is not being given independent CB. A lawyer says that the CB started by spending two months studiously avoiding the 26th Amendment case in favour of hearing cases of no importance which had already become infructuous. "It followed that by spending four months almost exclusively on the military courts case before passing a verdict which must surely have pleased the establishment. The only other order of note it passed in that period was to ensure that no regular bench of the Supreme Court could hear any case of importance. "Next, it took up the reserved seats review case in which most of the original judges were excluded and the few who were included seemed to have suddenly, and inexplicably, become of the opposite view from day one", says the lawyer. He said that when the idea of a CB elected by politicians was first floated; many said such a bench was fundamentally against the idea of judicial independence and predicted it would reduce the credibility of the SC to nothing. Nonetheless, judges in Pakistan have sometimes defied predictions. 'Unfortunately, the CB's performance thus far has proved this is not one of those times.' He also said that the stated rationale of the CB at the time of the 26th Amendment was to improve the constitutional jurisprudence of the SC. In its first six months, the number of detailed judgments it has issued can be counted on the fingers of one hand. And all of them have tended to take out jurisprudence backwards and closer to the desires of the establishment,' he adds.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Popular Enterprise festival canceled
ENTERPRISE, Ala (WDHN) — A popular yearly festival in Enterprise set for this weekend has been canceled due to possible severe weather. 'Safety is our top priority, and we deeply regret having to cancel this event for ourcommunity,' said Blake Moore, Director of Community Services and Recreation. The 26th annual Festival in the Park was set to take place on Saturday, May 3 at Johnny Henderson Family Park. The festival will not be rescheduled, but the fireworks planned for the festival will be used at an upcoming city event. 'We know how much this event means to our community, and canceling it was not an easy decision,' said Mayor William E. Cooper. 'But the safety of our citizens, vendors, and city staff must come first. We appreciate everyone's understanding and continued support as we look ahead to future events.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Coachella looks from Lady Gaga to Sabrina Carpenter and the costumes that can make or break careers
Behind the creation of the festival's most iconic and outrageous costumes – from wardrobe malfunctions to insider tips and viral sensations. Lisa recently had a broken corset strap. The K-Pop superstar and White Lotus cast member was waiting to greet fans at her Los Angeles hotel, but one wrong step outside her suite, and suddenly it wouldn't have been a photo opportunity – it would have been a serious wardrobe malfunction. "I always put a back-up corset in the Uber with me," Genesis Webb, the fashion director for pop star Chappell Roan and one of Lisa's main style advisors, tells the BBC. "It's the number one rule of styling a music artist: anything can happen." As artists like Lisa, Lady Gaga and Charli XCX descend on the Palm Springs desert for Coachella's 26th annual Music and Arts Festival, they bring with them an elite team of creative directors and fashion experts whose visual creations can make or break their performances. "How an artist dresses at Coachella can be a monumental tool for establishing their identity, or reinventing themselves," says Tomás Mier, a Rolling Stone music critic and staff writer. "Look at what Sabrina Carpenter was achieving last year onstage. The babydoll dresses, the big blonde hair, the pastels — using that iconography onstage was impactful in creating a global hit, which created her career as a pop star." Meanwhile, says Mier, an unfocused or "chaotic" outfit can lead to online mockery, or worse: "If people don't want to look at you onstage, they'll just stop paying attention. That's the kiss of death for a pop star's career." For emerging artists aiming for stardom, getting fashion right can have immediate benefits. Witness Chappell Roan, who arrived at last year's Coachella festival as an underground indie singer and left a newly crowned star. "She had a cult following, but she wasn't mainstream by any means," says Webb. "We knew audiences still had to 'meet' her, and we knew that style could help define her to the world." Webb commissioned the California costume shop Jackalope Land to make a giant beaded butterfly suit for the singer, which soon became a viral sensation. "Everybody knew who she was after that. People still wear the butterfly outfit as a Halloween costume. That's how you know you've done your job." Despite the high stakes of an artist's signature concert look, time to make it is often short. "By the time you get through creative inspirations, logistics and budget, you're looking at three weeks from final idea to performance," longtime creative director for Missy Elliott, June Ambrose, tells the BBC. The costume designer and fashion director is responsible for some of music's most indelible imagery, from Elliott's 1997 inflatable suit for the video of The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) to her couture-tailored tracksuit at the 2003 Grammy Awards. Elliott's 2024 Out of This World tour featured more than 250 costumes covered in half a million rhinestones, many of which will make an appearance this weekend at Coachella. Ambrose is also creating an extra three looks for the hip-hop star. All of the elaborate looks will be towed into the desert by a tractor-trailer before the show, along with new looks for the dancers and special-effect fabric that makes the entire show cast appear soaking wet, even in the bone-dry Coachella Valley. More like this:• The candid street photos showcasing amazing looks• How Scandinavian dressing can make us happier• How one surprising Kate Moss image kickstarted the 90s Why so much investment in the clothes themselves? "From inception, Missy's always been an individual type of artist," says Ambrose. "She's remade hip-hop culture, and been brazen about redefining what women in the space look like." Ambrose says Elliott sees her concerts as "full experiences" that align with Broadway musicals or blockbuster films. "We develop the show with a three-act structure. We have a narrative; we have characters. The costumes translate Missy's songs into visuals. They express the same energy and emotion as the music, and help Missy get into character on-stage." They also serve as memory markers for the audience, giving them simultaneous visual and audio cues that can embed more deeply in the brain, allowing Elliott's musical canon to hang out in their heads rent-free. "We consider it a real challenge because Missy's been an iconic performer for so long," says Ambrose. "Now, we keep asking ourselves, 'How do we raise the game? What else can we try?' The goal is to show them something they've never seen before." Cultural moments Like Elliott, Beyoncé used style to help convey a narrative, during her famous Coachella set in 2018. Instead of her usual arsenal of stunning couture gowns and crystal-studded leotards, she teamed with stylist Marni Senofonte to present more unexpected archetypes — the Egyptian queen Nefertiti, historically Black collegiate sorority members, and even Tibetan monks. To create the show-stopping numbers, Senofonte worked with Olivier Rousteing from Balmain, who is currently the only black womenswear designer at a major luxury fashion house. In combining the heavy and elaborate costumes with the masterful, lighter-than-air choreography, Beyoncé admitted in the 2019 Netflix documentary Homecoming, "I definitely pushed myself further than I knew I could." "She raised the bar in a way no other artist has come close to reaching," says Mier. "And she did it through the visuals. That's the epitome of using Coachella for your artistry through fashion." Sometimes, an artist uses their concert style to get personal with her audience. Take Megan Thee Stallion, whose 2025 Coachella set traced her trek from aspiring Texas rapper to global superstar, using fashion as signposts along the way. To represent her early years on the Houston rap scene, stylist Eric Archibald found pieces from the artists youth, like "old-school Citizens of Humanity denim" in bright colours that pop on stage. As the show progressed into Megan Thee Stallion's later albums, her outfits changed to reflect her success, with leather, faux fur and custom couture pieces from Paris ateliers like DSquared and Off-White. "It's such a big moment that we have everything custom-made," Archibald tells the BBC. "The clothes really help the audience go on the journey with her during the show. They see where she came from and where she's going. It's truly like nothing you've ever seen before. It's gorgeous, and very moving." Physical movement counts as much as emotional whirlwinds. During a performance, artists are on-stage for up to three hours, often performing full dance routines and powerhouse vocals while navigating moving light rigs, constant set changes, and costume swaps timed to the millisecond. When hair artist Danielle Priano created the beachy waves for Sabrina Carpenter on Saturday Night Live, she brought more than a dozen cans of the right hair product to ensure the pop star's hair had enough movement to look natural, but enough shape that even in high-contrast video Carpenter's signature bombshell style was unmistakable. "They say TV adds 10lbs (4.5kg), but TV screens and concert jumbotrons [large, hi-res video screens] actually thin out the look of hair. That's why 90% of pop stars use hair extensions," says Priano, who also creates hair looks for Rosé, Mariah Carey and Lisa. Priano says artists like Carpenter request to wear their hair down during concerts because "it becomes part of the act – they toss it around, they use it to accentuate the choreography. It completes their character on-stage". At least a month of prep time is required to order, dye and curl the hair extensions so they're an exact match for the celebrity. Then Priano arrives between three and six hours before showtime to ensure they're perfectly placed. "I had a celebrity call me once, asking if I could work with her. She told me that during her last big tour, her hair extensions began to fall out of her head. She pulled it into a ponytail herself between songs and made it look like a costume change. She needed someone who could handle that type of craziness, because things always go wrong." "My motto is, 'always have a solution before there's a problem,'" says Ambrose of Missy Elliott's elaborate costumes. "For quick changes, we've done drills, and the wardrobe crew, they're superheroes. They can pull it off in under a minute." To make movement around the stage easier, Ambrose enlisted Timberland designer Tadd Smith to create super-high work boots made with eight layers of stacked soles. "We cored out the interior of the leatherboard and inserted foam to reduce weight," says Smith. To help shield Megan Thee Stallion's face from Coachella's notorious gusts of wind, Archibald commissioned a custom-made cowboy hat from Stetson that recalls her cowgirl roots, along with hand-carved leather boots that allowed the artist to navigate the desert's dust and sand. But sometimes, says Webb, "the costume is more important than the comfort. They know what they're getting into. They're pop stars. This is what they train for." She cites Lisa and her former bandmates in the K-Pop sensation Blackpink as a prime example. "The discipline and the knowledge needed to work in that world is militant. It's incredible. You ask Lisa how she wants to look, and she can tell you exactly what she wants already. I just bring in my own feelings about the clothes, and that's when we get to have fun." She also brings in an extra corset – just in case. -- For more Culture stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
