Page 14 - aruba-today-20231004

a14 people & arts
Wednesday 4 OctOber 2023

Selma Blair helps White House salute landmark disability legislation

By Will Weissert emony, “Although I’d had
Associated Press symptoms since the age of
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ac- 7, it took a lifetime of self-
tor and disability rights advocacy to finally lead
advocate Selma Blair on me to a diagnosis at age
Monday helped President 46, after living most of my
Joe Biden mark the legacy life in pain and self-doubt."
of the Americans with Dis- The Rehabilitation Act of
abilities Act and the Reha- 1973 prohibits discrimina-
bilitation Act, displaying a tion on the basis of disabil-
touch of the comedic tim- ity in programs conducted
ing that made her a star in by federal agencies, and
Hollywood hits like “Legally the Americans with Disabili-
Blonde” and “Cruel Inten- ties Act of 1990 prevents
tions.” discrimination against dis-
Blair, who was diagnosed abled people on every-
with multiple sclerosis in thing from employment to
2018, walked together with parking to voting.
Biden to a ceremony on October is National Disabil-
the White House's south ity Employment Awareness
lawn with her cane and Month, and Biden noted
her service dog, an English both bills received biparti-
Labrador named Scout. san support when clearing
When she reached the President Joe Biden walks with actress Selma Blair and Blair's service dog Scout as they arrive for Congress.
stage, she told Scout, an event to celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act on the South Lawn of the White House, “These laws are a source
Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, in Washington.
“down” and “good boy.” (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) of opportunity, meaning-
As he lay near Biden's feet, ful inclusion, participation,
the president started to a sudden,” laughed Blair. rect?” “It's for me,” Biden In recent years she's be- respect, and, as my dad
bend down to pet Scout, Then, indicating a hand- said, prompting Blair to re- come a leading face of would say, the most impor-
but Blair looked over and held microphone in addi- spond, “OK, the real guy.” disability rights, calling her- tant of all, dignity,” Biden
said, “yeah, stay.” That tion to the one she was us- Blair, 51, is known for a self Monday "a proud dis- said. “Be treated with digni-
caused Biden to straighten ing affixed to the podium, number of memorable late abled woman.” ty. Ensuring that the Ameri-
up to full attention. she said, “I don’t need this. ’90s/early ’00’s movie roles Blair told a crowd of advo- can dream is for all of us,
“I feel so powerful all of This is for someone else, cor- and her modeling career. cates attending the cer- not just for some of us.”q

U2 concert uses stunning visuals to open

massive Sphere venue in Las Vegas

more than 18,000 attend- U2 made their presence felt Bloom and Mario Lopez.
ees on U2’s epic musical at the $2.3 billion Sphere, After wrapping up The
journey. which stands 366-feet (111 Beatles’ jam “Love Me Do,”
“What a fancy pad,” said meters) high and 516-feet Bono recognized Paul Mc-
Bono, who was accompa- (157 meters) wide. With Cartney, who was in atten-
nied onstage with guitar- superb visual effects, the dance, saying “Macca is in
ists The Edge and Adam band’s 25-show residency the house tonight.” He ac-
Clayton along with drum- opened with a splash per- knowledged Sphere owner
mer Bram van den Berg. forming a slew of hits in- James Dolan’s efforts for
He then stared at the high- cluding “Mysterious Ways,” spearheading a venue
Members of the media wait for celebrities to arrive during the resolution LED screen that “Zoo Station,” “All I Want is that’s pushing forward the
opening night of the Sphere, Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, in Las Vegas. projected a larger version You," “Desire" and new sin- live concert audio land-
(AP Photo/John Locher) of himself along with a few gle “Atomic City.” scape with 160,000 high-
By Jonathan Landrum Jr. sive moments during U2’s praying hands and bells. On many occasions, the quality speakers and 260
Associated Press “UV Achtung Baby” resi- Bono then paid homage to U2 band members were so million video pixels.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — It looked dency launch show at the the late Elvis Presley, who large on screen that it felt The Sphere is the brainchild
like a typical U2 outdoor high-tech, globe-shaped was a Las Vegas entertain- like Bono intimately sang to of Dolan, the executive
concert: Two helicopters venue, which opened for ment staple. The band has the audience on one side chair of Madison Square
zoomed through the star- the first time Friday night. rocked in the city as far while The Edge strummed Garden and owner of the
lit sky before producing The legendary rock band, back as 1987 when they his guitar to others on a dif- New York Knicks and Rang-
spotlights over a Las Vegas which has won 22 Gram- filmed the music video for ferent side. The crowd in- ers. He sketched the first
desert and frontman Bono, mys, performed for two “I Still Haven't Found What cluded many entertainers drawing of the venue on
who kneeled to the ground hours inside the massive, I'm Looking For” on the Strip and athletes: Oprah, LeB- notebook paper.
while singing the band's state-of-the-art spherical during a tour in 1987. ron James, Matt Damon, “I’m thinking the that the
2004 hit “Vertigo.” venue with crystal-clear au- “Look at all this stuff. … El- Andre Agassi, Ava DuVer- Sphere may have come
This scene may seem cus- dio. Throughout the night, vis has definitely not left this nay, Josh Duhamel, Jason into existence because of
tomary, but the visuals there were a plethora of building,” he continued. Bateman, Jon Hamm, Bry- Jim Dolan trying to solve
were created by floor-to- attractive visuals — includ- “It’s an Elvis chapel. It’s an an Cranston, Aaron Paul, the problem that The
ceiling graphics inside the ing kaleidoscope images, Elvis cathedral. Tonight, the Oscar de la Hoya, Henrik Beatles started when they
immersive Sphere. It was a burning flag and Las entry into this cathedral is a Lundqvist, Flava Flav, Diplo, played Shea Stadium,”
one of the several impres- Vegas’ skyline, taking the password: flirtation.” Dakota Fanning, Orlando Bono said.q