Entertainment

Burning Man Ravers Begin Exodus After Flooding Left Tens Of Thousands Stranded In Nevada Desert

Published

8 months ago

2023-09-05

(AP) — BLACK ROCK DESERT, Nev. Muddy roadways inundated by a summer storm that stranded tens of thousands of Burning Man counterculture festival attendees for days had dried up enough by Monday afternoon to let them begin their evacuation from the northern Nevada desert.

Event organizers claimed they began allowing traffic to exit the main road around 2 p.m. local time, although continuing to urge attendees to delay their departure to assist in easing traffic on Monday. Organizers projected a five-hour wait period approximately two hours after the mass departure began.

Organizers also requested that guests refrain from walking out of the Black Rock Desert, located approximately 110 miles (177 kilometers) north of Reno, as others had done throughout the weekend, including star DJ Diplo and comedian Chris Rock. They didn’t say why.

After more than a half-inch (1.3 centimeters) of rain poured Friday, triggering flooding and foot-deep mud, the festival was closed to automobiles.

The road closures occurred just as the first two ceremonial flames signaled that the festival’s finale would commence Saturday night. Normally, the celebration concludes with the burning of a big wooden effigy shaped like a man and a wood temple structure during the final two nights, but the burns were postponed as authorities sought to reopen escape routes before the conclusion of Labour Day weekend.

Weather allowing, “the Man” will be burned at 9 p.m. Monday, while the temple will be burned at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

According to the National Weather Service in Reno, the festival location should remain generally clear and dry on Monday, with some light rain showers possible into Tuesday morning. The event started on August 27 and was supposed to end on Monday morning, with attendees packing and tidying up after themselves.

“We’re a little muddy and dirty, but spirits are high.” “The party is still going on,” said Scott London, a photographer from Southern California, adding that the travel restrictions provided “a view of Burning Man that a lot of us don’t get to see.”

The yearly event, which began on a San Francisco beach in 1986, draws roughly 80,000 artists, musicians, and activists for a weekend of wilderness camping and avant-garde performances. Disruptions have occurred: dust storms forced organizers to briefly close festival doors in 2018, and the event was canceled twice during the pandemic.

At least one death has been reported, but organizers said the weather did not cause the death of a man in his 40s. The sheriff of neighboring Pershing County said he was investigating but had not recognized the guy or determined the cause of death.

President Joe Biden told reporters in Delaware on Sunday that the White House was in contact with local authorities and was aware of the situation at Burning Man, including the death.

On the best of days, the event is distant and emphasizes self-sufficiency. Amid the flooding, revelers were instructed to save food and water, and the majority remained hunkered down at the venue.

On the other hand, some guests could walk several miles to the next town or hitch a ride there.

On Saturday evening, Diplo, real name Thomas Wesley Pentz, shared a video to Instagram of him and Rock riding in the back of a fan’s pickup truck. He claimed they had walked six miles through the mud before hopping in the car.

“I legit walked the side of the road for hours with my thumb out,” Diplo explained.

According to Bishop, Cindy Bishop and three friends could drive their leased RV out of the event early Monday because the main road was not monitored.

She said they were relieved to get out after driving towards the exit — and being stopped multiple times — for two days.

Bishop, who traveled from Boston for her second Burning Man, said the festival’s spirits were still strong when they departed. Most of those she spoke with claimed they intended to stay for the ceremonial fires.

“The spirit in there,” she explained, “was really like, ‘We’re going to take care of each other and make the best of it.'”

Rebecca Barger, a photographer from Philadelphia, arrived at her first Burning Man on August 26 to stay until the end.

“Everyone has just adapted, sharing RVs for sleeping, offering food and coffee,” added Barger. “I danced for hours in foot-deep clay to incredible DJs.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Celebrity

2024 Cannes Kicks Off With Greta Gerwig’s Jury And A Palme D’Or For Meryl Streep

Published

21 hours ago

2024-05-14

Kiara Grace

AP News - VOR News Image

CANNES, France — The Cannes Film Festival began Tuesday with the announcement of Greta Gerwig’s jury and the giving of an honorary Palme d’Or to Meryl Streep, as the French Riviera spectacle started its possibly tumultuous 77th edition.

The opening night picture, “The Second Act,” a French comedy starring Lea Seydoux, Vincent Lindon, Louis Garrel, and Raphaël Quenard, will usher in a 10-day parade of stars down Cannes’ iconic red carpet. During the opening ceremony, Streep will get her honorary Palme.

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Cannes Kicks Off With Greta Gerwig’s Jury And A Palme D’Or For Meryl Streep

In the coming days, Cannes will debut George Miller’s “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed “Megalopolis,” and anticipated new films from Paolo Sorrentino, Yorgos Lanthimos, Andrea Arnold, and Kevin Costner.

However, much of this year’s Cannes controversy has occurred off-screen.

French actor Judith Godrèche accused two film directors of rape and sexual assault when she was a teenager earlier this year, and the French film industry has been grappling with probably its defining #MeToo moment since. Godrèche’s short film “Moi Aussi” will premiere on Wednesday.

When asked about #MeToo’s expansion in France, Gerwig told reporters in Cannes on Tuesday that it is progressing.

“I think people in the community of movies telling us stories and trying to change things for the better is only good,” Gerwig stated. “I’ve witnessed significant shift in the American cinema scene, and I believe it’s critical that we continue to broaden that conversation. So I believe it’s only advancing things in the right direction. Keep the lines of communication open.”

Gerwig, fresh off the success of “Barbie,” is president of the jury that will decide Cannes’ top prize, the Palme d’Or. Thierry Fremaux commended her on Monday as “the ideal director” for Cannes, citing her ability to work in both arthouse and studio films and her passion for movie history. And, “We very much liked ‘Barbie.'”

Gerwig is joined on the jury by Lily Gladstone, star of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” French actor Eva Green, Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona, French actor Omar Sy, Lebanese actor and director Nadine Labaki, Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, Turkish screenwriter Ebru Ceylan, and Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino.

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Cannes Kicks Off With Greta Gerwig’s Jury And A Palme D’Or For Meryl Streep

“I thought I just got over my imposter syndrome last year,” admitted the Oscar-nominated Gladstone. “But I’ll start all over again.”

The jurors were asked how the numerous real-world concerns outside the festival would influence their decision-making. One film in competition, Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” portrays Sebastian Stan as a youthful Donald Trump. And Labaki was asked if she was thinking about the war in Gaza.

“I truly believe that one of the tools to really change something in the situation we all live in right now, which is a situation I think is not that great, is really through art and through cinema,” Labaki stated. “It may propose a more tolerant way of seeing things and seeing each other as human beings.”

According to Favino, filmmakers have a vital role in reminding the world of where beauty can be found.

“This is why I decided that I could be here without feeling guilty as a human being,” stated Favino. “Because if we look for beauty, then we might look for peace.”

Other fears are circulating this year’s Cannes. Festival workers, frustrated with short-term contracts that make them ineligible for unemployment benefits between events, have threatened to strike.

On Monday, Iranian filmmaker Mohammed Rasoulof, whose film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” will be shown in competition at Cannes next week, said that he had escaped Iran after being sentenced to eight years in prison and flogging. The film is described as a scathing depiction of the Iranian regime.

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Cannes Kicks Off With Greta Gerwig’s Jury And A Palme D’Or For Meryl Streep

As Cannes continues, many will be fixated on the celebs who walk the festival’s iconic red carpet. Emma Stone, Anya Taylor-Joy, Demi Moore, Selena Gomez, Nicolas Cage, and Barry Keoghan will be among the cast. George Lucas will be presented with an honorary Palme d’Or during the closing ceremony on May 25.

Regardless, the 77th Cannes Film Festival will have many expectations to meet. Last year’s festival, which was universally praised for its impressive roster, yielded three Oscar best picture nominees: “Anatomy of a Fall,” “The Zone of Interest,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” To help reignite last year’s spirit, Messi, the canine hero of “Anatomy of a Fall,” has returned to Cannes for a series of quick French TV advertisements.

A successful Cannes will help France maintain the global spotlight throughout the summer. The French Open, Tour de France, and Summer Olympics in Paris will all take place after the festival. On May 21, the Olympic flame will be carried to the Palais des Festivals, the festival’s focal point.

SOURCE – (AP)

Business

Roku Will Stream Weekly MLB Game On Sundays. Viewers Won’t Need One Of The Service’s Devices

Published

21 hours ago

2024-05-14

Kiara Grace

AP News - VOR News Image

The streaming service announced Monday that Roku will begin broadcasting Major League Baseball games on Sundays this week, and fans will be able to watch for free without needing a device.

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Roku Will Stream Weekly MLB Game On Sundays. Viewers Won’t Need One Of The Service’s Devices

The company has secured multiyear rights to MLB Sunday Leadoff games, beginning this Sunday with the Boston Red Sox versus the St. Louis Cardinals. The telecasts will be created in partnership with local broadcasting teams. They were originally available via the subscription service Peacock.

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Roku Will Stream Weekly MLB Game On Sundays. Viewers Won’t Need One Of The Service’s Devices

Viewers without Roku can watch the games via the free Roku Channel app, available on Amazon Fire devices, Samsung TVs, and Google TVs. The app is also available at therokuchannel.com, and no login is necessary.

The games will also be available to MLB.TV subscribers.

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Roku Will Stream Weekly MLB Game On Sundays. Viewers Won’t Need One Of The Service’s Devices

“With free games available to anyone, MLB games on Roku will be widely accessible to fans,” said Noah Garden, MLB deputy commissioner for business and media. “Since Roku serves as an entertainment gateway for millions, this partnership offers a valuable new promotional and distribution platform for MLB games and content.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Computer

Jason Aldean Will Honor Toby Keith With A Performance At The 2024 ACM Awards

Published

21 hours ago

2024-05-14

Kiara Grace

AP News - VOR News Image

The time has arrived to lift the red Solo cup. Jason Aldean will honor the late Toby Keith at the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards.

The 59th ACM Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire, will be held Thursday at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, just north of Dallas.

Keith has won 14 ACM Awards in his career, including the title of Entertainer of the Year twice. He died in February at the age of 62 after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.

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Jason Aldean Will Honor Toby Keith With A Performance At The 2024 ACM Awards

“I’ve been a fan of his since the beginning, and his songs are some of the first songs I played back in clubs early in my career, including the one I’ll be performing on the show,” Aldean stated. “I was fortunate to share the stage with Toby in Oklahoma last year, and it means a lot to commemorate him and properly appreciate his great career and legacy. He was one of a kind.

ACM CEO Damon Whiteside said it made sense for Aldean, the most recent artist of the decade, to honor Keith.

“The popularity, influence, and love for Toby Keith has been infinite since his passing earlier this year,” Whiteside said, adding that the academy was looking forward to meeting Keith’s family.Luke Combs leads the 2024 nominees with eight nods. For the fifth year in a row, he is nominated for both Male Artist and Entertainer of the Year.

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Jason Aldean Will Honor Toby Keith With A Performance At The 2024 ACM Awards

Megan Moroney and Morgan Wallen are next with six each, followed by Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, and Lainey Wilson, who all have five.

Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett, Post Malone, Parker McCollum, McEntire, Wilson, and Stapleton will all perform during the telecast. Fans can also expect unusual collaborations, such as Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, and Nate Smith and Avril Lavigne.