Page 31 - Aruba Today

PEOPLE & ARTS A31
Charleston a
focus of 40th
Spoleto Fest
BRUCE SMITH
Associated Press
CHARLESTON, South Caroli-
na (AP) — Historic Charles-
ton is a large focus of next
spring’s 40th edition of the
Spoleto Festival USA, from
glimpses of the city in the
iconic opera “Porgy and
Bess” to the tragedy of
the Emanuel AME Church
shootings. The lineup for
the internationally known
arts festival that runs from
May 27 through June 12
was unveiled on Sunday.
It features Spoleto’s first
production of George Ger-
shwin’s “Porgy and Bess,”
the famed opera about
Charleston and its people
based on the novel by
Charleston native DuBose
Heyward. The production
is being designed by Jona-
than Green, the local art-
ist known worldwide for his
colorful paintings of black
residents of the sea islands
on the southeast coast.
The opera will be Spoleto’s
first production in the Gail-
lard Center, the city’s new
$142 million performing arts
center that opened last
fall. The center is the single said. “Once she was in the
most expensive municipal
project in the city’s almost
350-year history.
The festival also features
a multimedia project by
artist Carrie Mae Weems
entitled “Grace Notes:
Reflections for Now.” The
production incudes songs,
texts, spoken words and
video projections raising
questions about the role of
grace in a democracy.
It was inspired in part by
President Barack Obama
singing “Amazing Grace”
during his eulogy for the
Rev. Clementa Pinckney,
one of nine people shot
and killed at Emanuel AME
Church in Charleston last
June. A white man has
been charged with mur-
der and other counts in the
case. Jazz singer Rene Ma-
rie will also include a song,
“Be the Change,” during
her May 29 concert at the
Gaillard Center. The song
was commissioned by the
festival and inspired by the
community’s show of uni-
ty in the aftermath of the
shootings.q
Vegas: Chris Brown investigated for alleged battery
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Ve-
gas police are investigat-
ing an allegation of bat-
tery against R&B singer
Chris Brown. Authorities
received a call shortly be-
fore 10:30 a.m. Saturday
about the alleged bat-
tery at the Palms Casino
Resort, Lt. Jeff Goodwin
said. A police statement
Saturday evening said an
altercation took place in
a room at the resort when
the woman went to take a
picture of Brown.
The woman said she was
struck by Brown and that
he had taken her cell-
phone, police said. Detec-
tives tried to speak with
Brown at his hotel room,
but the singer left before
police had arrived.
A crime report has been
taken for misdemeanor
theft and misdemeanor
battery listing Brown as a
suspect, police said.
Nicole Perna, publicist for
Brown, issued a statement
Saturday night calling the
woman’s charges “un-
equivocally untrue.”
The woman “was escort-
ed out of the private after
party at the Palms Casino
Resort for being disruptive
and out of control,” Perna
hallway, while waiting for
Motion to block subpoena of Cosby’s wife denied
Bill Cosby arrives at court to face a felony charge of aggravated
indecent assault in Elkins Park, Pa. Cosby’s wife will be forced to
testify in a defamation lawsuit filed by seven women who ac-
cuse the comedian of sexually assaulting them decades ago.
BOSTON (AP) — Bill Cosby’s
wife will be forced to tes-
tify in a defamation lawsuit lawsuit. She is scheduled
filed by seven women who
accuse the comedian of
sexually assaulting them
decades ago.
A federal judge on Thurs-
day denied a motion by
Camille Cosby to throw out
Monday 4 January 2016

Chris Brown performs in Los Angeles. Las Vegas police are investigating an allegation of battery
against R&B singer Chris Brown. Lt. Jeff Goodwin said authorities received a call Saturday, Jan. 2,
2016, about the alleged battery at the Palms Casino Resort.
(Rich Fury/Invision/AP)
Chris Brown’s security to behavior via hotel security Brown performed Friday
bring out her phone, she cameras and immediately at Drai’s nightclub at The
had a total meltdown -- came up to the hallway to Cromwell Las Vegas, where
throwing her purse to the escort her out of the hotel.” he appears regularly.
ground and claiming that “Her claim that she had Brown was freed from fel-
she ‘could buy everyone her phone in her possession ony probation last year,
in the hotel’ -- as witnessed inside the after party and more than six years after he
by numerous people wait- was able to take a photo attacked then-girlfriend Ri-
ing to get into the party. causing an altercation with hanna. The singer pleaded
The Palms Casino Resort Chris Brown is a complete guilty to felony assault in
security also saw her wild fabrication,” Perna said. that case.q

prove that she and her hus- Camille Cosby because he
band were protected by believed she had “informa-
the state’s marital disquali- tion that’s relevant to the
fication law. He also reject- litigation in this matter.”
ed claims that the value In a motion filed Dec. 18
(AP Photo/Matt Rourke) of the testimony would be to quash the subpoena,
outweighed by the “undue Bill Cosby’s lawyers said
a subpoena requiring her burden” the deposition his wife does not have any
to give a deposition in the would cause. information about the ac-
The arguments “do not out- curacy of the women’s al-
to be deposed by lawyers weigh the potential signifi- legations, and argued that
for the women on Wednes- cance of Mrs. Cosby’s tes- subjecting his wife to a de-
day. timony, nor has Mrs. Cosby position was “nothing more
U.S. Judge Magistrate Da- provided any authority that than a thinly veiled attempt
vid Hennessey in Spring- they do,” Hennessey wrote to pressure defendant in
field, Massachusetts, said in a 12-page ruling. the face of subjecting his
Camille Cosby failed to The couple has been mar- wife to the shame and em-
ried for more than 50 years barrassment of responding
and Camille Cosby is her to questions about his al-
husband’s business part- leged infidelities and sexual
ner. She is not a defendant misconduct.”
in the lawsuit against Bill The women claim Cosby
Cosby. allowed representatives to
A lawyer for the women, portray them as liars after
Joseph Cammarata, ar- they went public with their
gued last month that he allegations against the en-
should be able to question tertainer. q