Elton John receives elite royal honor from Prince Charles
LONDON — Singer Elton John received a rare royal honor from Prince Charles in a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday in recognition of a music career lasting more than five decades and his charity work centered on AIDS.
Mr. John, aged 74, was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honor, an award restricted to the sovereign and a maximum of 65 members.
The musician, who last month scored his first number one for 16 years with Dua Lipa collaboration “Cold Heart (PNAU remix),” joins the likes of artist David Hockney, actress Judi Dench, musician Paul McCartney, and author J.K. Rowling in the order.
One of the best-selling artists of all time, with hits such as “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Rocket Man,” and “Your Song,” John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1998.
Mr. John, accompanied by his husband David Furnish at the ceremony, walked with the aid of a cane. In September he announced his European tour would be delayed due to hip problems.
Mr. John has raised millions of pounds for the fight against AIDs, including establishing the Elton John AIDS Foundation in the 1990s. — Reuters
Rust armorer being framed over fatal shooting — lawyer
LOS ANGELES — The attorney for the woman in charge of weapons on the Rust movie on Wednesday said he was convinced that someone deliberately put a live bullet into the gun that fatally shot a cinematographer. But the Santa Fe District Attorney said there was no proof of sabotage concerning the gun used by Mr. Alec Baldwin in the shooting last month.
District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies told Good Morning America in an interview that investigators still had no idea how live rounds had made their way to the Rust set in October, and that the probe could take months to complete.
“How they got there, I think will be one of the most important factors going into a charging decision,” she said. The possibility of sabotage was raised last week by the attorney for Hannah Gutierrez, the armorer on the set of the Western movie Rust in New Mexico.
“I know that some defense attorneys have come up with conspiracy theories and have used the word sabotage. We do not have any proof,” Ms. Carmack-Altwies said. Asked whether she thought sabotage was a possibility, she said “No.”
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on Oct. 21, and director Joel Souza was wounded when a gun Mr. Baldwin had been told was safe fired off a live bullet, investigators have said. Other live rounds have also been found on the set.
Jason Bowles, the lawyer for Ms. Gutierrez, said on Wednesday that his team was convinced that this was sabotage and Ms. Gutierrez was being framed. “We believe that the scene was tampered with as well before the police arrived,” Mr. Bowles said in a statement. He added that Ms. Gutierrez continues to co-operate with the investigation. — Reuters
Song featuring George Harrison and Ringo Starr found in British attic
LONDON — A previously unheard song featuring Beatles members George Harrison and Ringo Starr was unveiled at the Liverpool Beatles Museum on Wednesday after it was found in an attic last year.
Written and produced by journalist and broadcaster Suresh Joshi, “Radhe Shaam” was recorded at London’s Trident Studios in 1968, with vocals from Indian musician Aashish Khan, Mr. Harrison playing the guitar and Mr. Starr on the drums.
“People were tapping their feet, nobody could believe that it was so old,” Mr. Joshi told Reuters after playing the recording to an audience at the museum in the Beatles’ home town. “It was an absolutely wonderful moment and relief at the same time that I have delivered it in my humble way.”
Mr. Joshi said he was recording music with Khan for the film East Meets West at Trident Studios when Mr. Harrison walked in and they started talking. The Beatles were recording “Hey Jude” at the time. Both Mr. Harrison and Mr. Starr later offered to play on his track.
Mr. Joshi found the recording last year, stored away among other belongings in his attic at home, after a friend, checking in on him during lockdown, was intrigued by his stories of the past. He then worked with a producer to restore the tape.
“We rescued it, put the whole thing together, took nearly a month to bring it back to its originality … and digitized it,” Mr. Joshi said, adding the song would be released with all proceeds going to charity.
In a press release, Mr. Joshi described the 53-year-old song as relevant today. “The song itself revolves around the concept that we are all one, and that the world is our oyster — something that we have all realized during this pandemic,” he said. — Reuters
