Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 10 July 2018
Seigner, Polanski's wife, refuses film academy invitation

By JAKE COYLE a fugitive from the United
Associated Press States. Last year, the former
NEW YORK (AP) — In a seeth- German actress Renate
ing open letter, French ac- Langer told the Swiss police
tress Emmanuelle Seigner that Polanski raped her in
refused the invitation of the 1972 when she was 15.
Academy of Motion Pic- Seigner strongly took issue
ture Arts and Sciences and with critics of her husband,
voiced her support for her who she said has "been
expelled husband, director falsely slandered as a per-
Roman Polanski. vert" since he fled the U.S.
Seigner called the film "The Academy probably
academy's invitation "in- thinks I am enough of a
sufferable hypocrisy" in a spineless, social climbing
letter published Sunday in actress that I would forget
the French newspaper Le that I have been married
Journal du Dimanche . Po- for the past 29 years to one
lanski was kicked out of the of the world's greatest di-
organization in May, along rectors," wrote Seigner. "I
with Bill Cosby, for violating love him, he is my husband
its newly instituted code of and the father of my chil-
conduct. dren. He has been cast
Seigner was last month in- out like a pariah. Yet these
vited to join the academy, same nameless academi-
which is striving to diversify cians think that I should
the membership that votes In this Oct. 30, 2017 file photo, French actress Emmanuelle Seigner and French-Polish director 'mount the steps of glory'
on the Academy Awards. Roman Polanski appear during the screening of "Based on a true story" in Paris. behind his back? The insuf-
The academy invited 928 Associated Press ferable hypocrisy!
entertainment industry pro- She added: "This proposal is
fessionals, 49 percent of Academy expelled my hus- adopted a code of con- has long been more divi- one insult too many. I can-
whom are women. band, Roman Polanski, in duct following the Harvey sive in Hollywood. not remain silent any lon-
"I have always been a an attempt to appease the Weinstein scandal, which The "Rosemary's Baby" and ger. You offend me whilst
feminist," wrote Seigner, the zeitgeist — the very same gave the organization's "Chinatown" filmmaker claiming to want to protect
52-year-old actress of "The Academy which (in 2003) board of governors the pleaded guilty in 1977 to women!"
Diving Bell and the Butter- awarded him an Oscar for power to vote out mem- unlawful sex with a 13-year- The academy did not
fly" and "Venus in Fur." ''But The Pianist! A curious case bers. While the expulsion of old girl. He fled the country immediately return an
how can I ignore the fact of amnesia!" Weinstein and Cosby were while awaiting sentencing email message seeking
that a few weeks ago the The film academy last year expected, Polanski's case in 1978 and has since been comment.q

Walmart yodel kid of viral video fame

announces debut album

made Mason an over-
night Internet sensation,
"Lovesick Blues."
Raised in the small town
of Golconda, Illinois,
Ramsey said his grand-
father taught him to sing
when he was 3 years old
and he started perform-
ing at nursing homes, res-
taurants and fairs. "When I
started to sing, I guess you
could say it was good for
a 3-year-old," Ramsey said
In this June 6, 2018, file photo, Mason Ramsey arrives at the in a telephone interview.
CMT Music Awards at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville,
Tenn. Associated Press But it took him weeks
to discover that his im-
By KRISTIN HALL version of a Hank Williams promptu Walmart perfor-
Associated Press classic has been watched mance had gone viral
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — It more than 50 million times because his family didn't
was only a matter of time, on YouTube and spawned have Internet access at
just a couple of months multiple remixes, will put their home. They got a
actually, before a pre- out his first album on July call from producers with
teen boy captured in a 20. "The Ellen Show," and he
viral video yodeling in a Titled "Famous," the EP in- was flown to Los Angeles
Walmart put out a record. cludes a mix of new songs — his first-ever plane ride
Mason Ramsey, the ador- and country classics, in- — to be a guest on the
able 11-year-old whose cluding the song that show.q