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PEOPLE & ARTS Saturday 13 OctOber 2018
Roberta Flack ready to sing again

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY “Now that’s hard to do. To
Associated Press be moved, to be moved
NEW YORK (AP) — Once a constantly by your own
week, Roberta Flack gives songs. You need it to be in
a musical performance for tune with them, and I don’t
an exclusive group. mean in tune musically, but
The lucky audience con- I mean in tune with the lyrics
sists of a musical director, of the songs, with the words
who works with the legend of the songs, and with the
to keep her instrument — meaning. You need to be
her voice — in top form. in tune with all of that, and
It would be an important that takes a little bit of do-
exercise for any singer, but ing.” Her work with the mu-
even more critical given sical director from the Jazz
that the 81-year-old singer Foundation is part of that
had a stroke more than two keeping in tune. Flack’s
years ago and suffered a connection to the group
collapse that led to a brief started years ago, when
hospitalization earlier this they enlisted her to perform
year. “I know what it is to at a benefit for the late folk
go over the same songs great Odetta, who had fall-
over and over again, and en on hard times.
to try to make them per- “Ten years ago, she came
fect. It’s interesting and it’s In this Oct. 10, 2018 photo, singer Roberta Flack poses for a portrait in New York. out to help us when we
hard and it’s difficult at the Associated Press were helping Odetta, who
same time,” Flack said in an The Jazz Foundation of Flack again, and Flack is was bright-eyed and articu- was one of her idols,” said
exclusive interview with The America provides assis- expected to sing — her first late during a nearly 30-min- Wendy Oxenhorn, the foun-
Associated Press this week. tance of all types to musi- public performance in at ute conversation, though dation’s executive direc-
“You have to stay on top of cians who have suffered least a year. Participants she occasionally relied on tor. “Roberta has been all
things.” setbacks, whether they’re include another music leg- her manager to provide of our idols. And now, since
The public will get a chance medical, financial or both. end and friend, Valerie her with information about her stroke, we’ve been
to hear the result of those It was set to give Flack Simpson, along with Macy the weekend event, to also able to give back and help
musical tuneups, courtesy its lifetime achievement Gray. feature actors Rosie Perez her, which is so beautiful.”
of the Jazz Foundation of award at the Apollo The- “I’m very excited that they and Michael Imperioli. Oxenhorn said the founda-
America, when it honors ater at a concert featur- want to give me an award, When asked if she’d sing tion is glad it has another
her Saturday. ing Cassandra Wilson, Ala- and I’m excited about the one of her old hits, she opportunity to honor Flack.
“I am very excited about bama Shakes lead singer cause of the award, and quickly retorted: “There’s “We didn’t want her to
the event, to sing, and to Brittany Howard, Nona the whole thing. I’m hyped no such thing as an old hit,” miss this because she is
perform. I’m just hoping Hendryx and more. But about it,” Flack said. preferring the term “clas- loved around the world,
that I can find the right Flack collapsed backstage Flack spoke to the AP at sic” instead. and she’s kept so many of
song,” said Flack, whose and was rushed to the hos- her assisted living facility “I could sing any number us going through our hard
long list of hits include “The pital. The concert went on in Manhattan. Sitting in a of songs that I’ve recorded times with her music, and
First Time Ever I Saw Your without her. wheelchair and looking through the years, easily, she’s been such an icon
Face,” ‘’Killing Me Softly On Saturday, the founda- glamorous with curly hair I could sing them, but I’m and pioneer in her genre,”
with His Song” and “Feel tion holds its annual loft cascading down her shoul- going to pick those songs she said. “We want her to
Like Makin’ Love.” party, where they will honor ders, the Grammy winner that move me,” Flack said. know how loved she is.”q

No live Barb, many Demogorgons at Universal haunted house

By MIKE SCHNEIDER Hollywood and Singapore, you.
Associated Press running from mid-Septem- Actually, there are multi-
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — ber to the beginning of No- ple performers playing the
There may be no “Justice vember. looming monster at any
for Barb” at Universal Orlan- Patrons walking through the given time in the house.
do’s haunted house based “Stranger Things” haunted Adult, female performers
on the Netflix hit, “Stranger house follow the plot con- play the four Bar Mitzvah-
Things,” but the beloved, ill- tours of the first season. aged-boy leads.
fated character does ap- There’s the shed where Other performers play
pear in grand, gory style. Will disappears, the Byers Nancy, Steve, Sheriff Hop-
The “Stranger Things” house home where letters on the per and Joyce. Different
is one of 10 haunted hous- walls and Christmas lights characters populate the
es built for this year’s Hal- help Joyce communicate house at different times of
loween Horror Nights, the with her missing son, the the night so patrons walk-
most haunted houses ever hellish Upside Down world, ing through it get different
in 28 years of celebrating the lab where the malfea- experiences.
all things horror at the Or- sance begins and even Netflix and the show’s ven-
lando theme park resort. Eleven’s frozen waffles. Oh dors worked with Univer-
“Stranger Things” haunted yeah, there’s a monstrous sal to make sure the bed In this Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 photo, the character Barb
appears in grand, gory style in the Stranger Things haunted
houses also are at Hallow- Demogorgon seemingly sheets and the wallpaper house during Halloween Horror nights at Universal Studios in
een Horror Nights celebra- around every corner, ready in the Byers house was the Orlando, Fla.
tions at Universal parks in to scare the bejesus out of same as in the TV show.q Associated Press