Page 29 - ARUBA TODAY

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PEOPLE & ARTS Thursday 11 april 2019

Reba McEntire: Female country stars being overlooked at ACMs

By MESFIN FEKADU in the United States (and) woman competing for
Associated Press North America, but she's song of the year thanks
Kacey Musgraves made very popular in Japan, so to the record-setting hit
history when she won the she's working hard touring "Meant to Be," featuring
2019 Grammy for album and getting country music Florida Georgia Line, while
of the year and swept the around the world," McEntire Maddie & Tae is the
country music categories, said in an interview with The sole female act up for duo
but there's one award she Associated Press. "It might of the year. No women
won't win: entertainer of be too early for Kacey, were nominated for song-
the year at the Academy but she's working hard. A writer of the year.
of Country Music Awards. lot of the girls are, so I think Luckily the performers at
That's because no wom- they're being overlooked ACM Awards, airing live at
en are nominated for the right now." 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS, in-
show's top award Sunday. Musgraves' critically ac- clude a good number of
Instead, men make up the claimed "Golden Hour" female musicians. Under-
nominees exclusively for won album of the year and wood, Brandi Carlile, Mar-
a second straight year — best country album at the en Morris, Kelly Clarkson,
Chris Stapleton, Keith Ur- Grammys in February. She Miranda Lambert, Ashley
ban, Kenny Chesney, Luke also won best country song McBryde and McEntire will
Bryan and Jason Aldean, for "Space Cowboy" and sing onstage. "This Is Us" ac-
who has held the title since best country solo perfor- tress Chrissy Metz, who stars
2015, will compete for the mance for "Butterflies." in the new movie "Break-
prize. Musgraves is the sole fe- through," will perform a
Reba McEntire, who is host- male artist in the album of song alongside Lauren Alai-
ing the show at the MGM the year category at the na, Mickey Guyton, Mad-
Grand Garden Arena in Las ACM Awards. Her compe- die & Tae and Under-
Vegas, said it is disappoint- tition includes Stapleton's In this Feb. 10, 2019 file photo, Kacey Musgraves, winner of the wood. Others set to perform
ing that a female act isn't in "From A Room: Volume awards for best country album for "Golden Hour", best country Sunday include Blake Shel-
contention for the coveted 2," Eric Church's "Desper- song for "Space Cowboy", best country solo performance for ton, George Strait, Brooks
ACM award. "Carrie Under- ate Man," Dierks Bentley's "Butterflies" and album of the year for "Golden Hour" poses at & Dunn, Kane Brown,
wood toured a lot this year. "The Mountain" and Dan + the 61st annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Luke Combs, Florida Geor-
Angeles.
Kacey Musgraves is doing Shay's self-titled release. Associated Press gia Line, Khalid, Little Big
a wonderful job, not only Bebe Rexha is the only Town and Thomas Rhett.q

John Oliver's parody book among most 'challenged' works

By HILLEL ITALIE the "Last Week Tonight" The ALA usually lists 10
Associated Press book, noting that proceeds books, but included 11 this
NEW YORK (AP) — Not ev- were going to charities for year because two tied for
eryone was amused by AIDS and suicide preven- 10th place: Gayle E. Pit-
the John Oliver send-up of tion for LGBTQ youth. man's and Kristyna Litten's
a picture book by the wife The library association an- "This Day in June," and Da-
and daughter of Vice Presi- nounced Monday that Alex vid Leviathan's "Two Boys
dent Mike Pence. Gino's "George," a middle- Kissing," both cited for LG-
"Last Week Tonight With grade novel about a trans- BTQIA+ content and both
John Oliver Presents A Day gender child, was No. 1 among those burned last
in the Life of Marlon Bundo," on its list. Others included October in Orange City,
in which the Pence's family Angie Thomas' best-seller Iowa, by the director of a
bunny turns out to be gay, about a teen girl whose "pro-family" group called
was among the books most friend is shot by police, "The Rescue the Perishing.
objected to in 2018 at the Hate U Give" (drug use, Deborah Caldwell Stone,
country's public libraries. profanity, "anti-cop" bias); interim director of the li-
The best-selling parody and Dav Pilkey's "Captain brary association's Office
ranked No. 2 on the list of Underpants" series (same- for Intellectual Freedom,
"challenged" books com- sex couple, "encouraging said the protests from par-
piled by the American disruptive behavior"). ents and other local resi-
Library Association, with The report also includes dents about gay content
some complaining about Raina Telgemeier's "Dra- reflected a "pushback" as
its gay-themed content ma," Jay Asher's "Thirteen "writers work to be more in-
and political viewpoint. Reasons Why," Sherman clusive of underrepresent-
Oliver's book, credited to Alexie's prize-winning ""The ed or marginalized com- This cover image released by Chronicle Books shows "Last
Week Tonight With John Oliver Presents A Day in the Life of Mar-
staff writer Jill Twiss, was a Absolutely True Diary of a munities." lon Bundo," written by Marlon Bundo with Jill Twiss and illustrated
response to the Pences' "A Part-Time Indian," Mariko The list is part of the asso- by EG Keller.
Day in the Life of Marlon and Jillian Tamaki's "This ciation's "State of Ameri- Associated Press
Bundo" and to the family's One Summer" and Judy ca's Libraries Report" and
conservative social view- Schachner's "Skippyjon comes at the start of Na- or school requesting that libraries, although the ALA
point. The Pences them- Jones" series. Books includ- tional Library Week, which materials be removed be- believes many challenges
selves did not publicly ob- ed on the list in previous begins Wednesday. The cause of content or appro- go unreported. The asso-
ject, and daughter Char- years range from "To Kill a ALA defines a "challenge" priateness." The list is based ciation tracked 347 chal-
lotte Pence has even said Mockingbird" to the "Harry as a "formal, written com- on news reports and on lenges last year, compared
she purchased a copy of Potter" series. plaint filed with a library accounts submitted from to 356 in 2017.q