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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 9 May 2018
'Rise' star Rosie Perez believes in the power of the arts

By LYNN ELBER, a writer." We asked him to
AP Television Writer write us something, and this
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rosie kid wrote the most disturb-
Perez has found a TV se- ing and beautiful poem.
ries close to her heart In it, he revealed he was
with "Rise," about a high in a homeless shelter and
school theater program there were times he wasn't
that's more than song and in a shelter, and his mother
dance. was gone and he had to
The Oscar-nominated ac- fend for himself. ... This kid
tress ("Fearless") plays a now travels the world do-
teacher passionate about ing spoken word. This kid
using the stage to help now is trying to write his
youngsters discover them- first novel. This is a kid who
selves and their place in should have fallen through
the world on the NBC dra- the cracks, and because of
ma, which airs 9 p.m. EDT the arts he did not.
Tuesday. That's long been Q: How did acting and the
Perez's cause and was a arts enter your life?
key to her own path. Perez: I was a ward of the
In the early 1990s, she co- state, initially, and then
founded the New York- in the foster care system
based Urban Arts Part- This image released by NBC shows Rosie Perez as Tracey Wolfe in a scene from "Rise," about a for quite some time, even
nership, which works to high school theater program in a struggling Pennsylvania town. though I did live part-time
bring arts education to Associated Press with my aunt in Brooklyn.
underprivileged communi- When I was in the system,
ties. Perez, who chairs the means to her in an inter- sion." ... I believe in the arts. valuable and are absent in in the Catholic home, they
group's artists board, said view with The Associated It's sad that arts are not part our school systems. kept putting me on the
she's seen first-hand how a Press. of the curriculum across the Q: Can you share the sto- stage (even though) I kept
student can be inspired by AP: Your interests and the nation. ... United Arts Part- ry of a student who was saying no. "You're gonna
writing, acting and other themes of "Rise" are so simi- nership is arts education, changed by exposure to be the lead bunny in the
creative endeavors to do lar. What was your reac- and we use the arts to help the arts? Easter production." I said
better in school and in life tion when you were asked kids comprehend aca- Perez: Honey, there's so no. "You're gonna be in it."
and, in some cases, learn by executive producer Ja- demics and to help build a many stories. There was this There was always some-
they belong in the arts. son Katims ("Friday Night sense of civic-minded duty young man, he was always thing in me that kept resist-
That's what happened to Lights") to join the cast? and their self-esteem. With absent, always late for ing it, and they kept tell-
the Brooklyn-born Perez, Perez: The intersection has "Rise," it's not about arts school, a very dark, moody ing me how good I was at
who discussed the partner- me gobsmacked. Read- education per se, and yet individual who was close to it. But I really didn't take it
ship, her roots and what ing the script, I said, "This is it is. It's teaching students getting kicked out of high in because of the circum-
"The Wiz," the 1970s stage what I've been doing for 25 about life, about stepping school. ... After he came stance of my reality.
musical inspired by "The years, and now I'm going to outside of yourself, and and sat through a few of And that's the beauty of
Wonderful Wizard of Oz," be able to play it on televi- those are lessons that are our programs, he said, "I'm the arts.q

Pop singers compete for top

prize at CMT Music Awards

By KRISTIN M. HALL Florida Georgia Line are Brown and Lauren Alaina's
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — both nominated in the cat- duet "What Ifs."
Carrie Underwood, Florida egory, alongside artists like Grammy-winning group Lit-
Georgia Line and Jason Blake Shelton, Kelsea Bal- tle Big Town are taking over
Aldean are the leading lerini, Brothers Osborne and the helm as hosts for the first
nominees for the CMT Mu- Thomas Rhett. time when the show pre-
sic Awards with four each, Although non-country acts mieres on June 6 at 8 p.m. Tyler Hubbard, right, and Brian Kelley, of Florida Georgia Line,
but it's the pop artists who have often been nomi- Eastern/Pacific on CMT. perform "Meant to Be" at the 53rd annual Academy of Country
might steal the big prize at nated in other categories, "The CMT Awards is such a Music Awards in Las Vegas.
this year's awards show. such as collaborative video special night and always Associated Press
CMT announced Tuesday or CMT performance of the has the most insane col-
that for the first time, pop year, the top award has laborations and perfor- sic Awards with 17 and is male video of the year and
artists who have collabo- been reserved for country mances," the band said in also nominated in female has two nominations in the
rated with country artists artists. a statement. "We look for- video, collaborative video CMT performance of the
are nominated for video A dozen songs are nomi- ward to it all year long. We and CMT performance of year category.
of the year. Justin Timber- nated for the video of the are excited and honored the year. Florida Georgia Fan voting starts Tuesday
lake's "Say Something" year, which include Under- not just to be nominees, but Line are also nominated for at CMT.com. The final five
featuring Chris Stapleton wood's duet with rapper to also host the show and duo video of the year, col- nominees in the video of
and the country chart-top- Ludacris, "The Champion," keep the party going." laborative video and CMT the year category will be
ping song "Meant To Be," Aldean's chart-topper "You Underwood is the record performance of the year. announced on the morn-
by Bebe Rexha featuring Make It Easy," and Kane holder for most CMT Mu- Aldean is nominated for ing of the show.q