ROME — US actress Annette Bening will preside the jury for this year’s Venice International Film Festival, organizers said Wednesday.

“It was time to break with a long list of male presidents and invite a brilliant, talented, and inspiring woman to chair our international competition jury,” the prestigious festival’s artistic director, Alberto Barbera, said in a statement.

“A sophisticated and instinctive actress, able to portray complex shadings of character, Annette Bening brings to her roles an understatement, a warmth and a natural elegance that makes watching her films a wonderful and ever-enriching experience,” enthused Barbera of the American Beauty star and two-time Golden Globe winner.

In a statement, Bening, who will be the first woman to preside Venice since French actress Catherine Deneuve in 2006, said she was “honored to be asked to serve as the president of the jury for this year’s event.

“I look forward to seeing the movies and working with my fellow jury members to celebrate the best of this year’s cinema from all over the world.”

Bening won her Globes in 2005 for Adorable Julia and in 2011 for The Kids Are All Right while she has received four Oscar nominations, including for best actress in 2000 for American Beauty.

Her predecessor presiding the Venice jury was British director Sam Mendes, who landed an Oscar for American Beauty.

ADRIEN BRODY HONORED
Meanwhile, US actor Adrien Brody will receive the prestigious Leopard Club Award when the Locarno Film Festival kicks off in Switzerland next month, organizers said Tuesday.

The 44-year-old, best known for his haunting role in the 2002 Oscar-winning Holocaust film The Pianist, will receive the award on Aug. 4 at the festival on the picturesque shores of Lake Maggiore.

The prize is awarded to actors “whose work has left a mark on the collective imagination” and has previously gone to stars including Faye Dunaway, Mia Farrow and Andy Garcia.

“Brody gained a lasting place in the collective imagination of the movie-going public when he played composer Wladyslaw Szpilman in The Pianist,” directed by Roman Polanski, festival organizers said.

The actor, who won an Oscar for that role, “has since demonstrated his status as one of the most versatile of actors, appreciated by filmmakers in Hollywood and beyond,” they added.

Brody started his film career in 1989 in the Francis Ford Coppola-directed segment of New York Stories. He has since worked with many of the world’s top directors, including Steven Soderbergh, Oliver Stone, Ken Loach, Spike Lee, Wes Anderson, and Woody Allen.

The 70^th edition of the Locarno Film Festival will run from Aug. 2-12. — AFP

NEW YORK — Even A-list celebrities can be hurt by the venom on Twitter.

Lady Gaga has rallied to support Ed Sheeran after the English songwriter revealed he is avoiding Twitter due to abusive comments — some from Gaga’s “Little Monster” fan base.

“I wish all people on the Internet would be positive and loving and a part of creating an online community that is kind and empowering, not hateful and mean,” Lady Gaga wrote late Tuesday on Instagram as she posted a picture of herself with Sheeran.

“No reason to tear down an artist simply because they are on top,” she wrote.

Sheeran — whose Divide is the top-selling album so far this year in the United States — said earlier in the week that he was no longer reading Twitter. His account in recent weeks consists mostly of tour photos reposted from his Instagram feed.

“I go on it and there’s nothing but people saying mean things. Twitter’s a platform for that,” Sheeran told the British tabloid The Sun.

“One comment ruins your day. But that’s why I’ve come off it,” he said.

The ginger-bearded 26-year-old insisted he had not targeted Gaga, whose die-hard fans took him to task over a recent interview.

Speaking on Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio, Sheeran said he was open to outside advice as he did not want to feel “invincible” after his successes.

“I do not want to do the Super Bowl years later, after my biggest success, just to prove I’m still relevant,” he said.

Gaga put on a widely praised show in February during halftime of the latest Super Bowl, the title match of American football which is the top-watched event each year in the United States.

Gaga has been outspoken in fighting bullying, in part through her Born This Way Foundation.

Cyberbullying has drawn growing attention amid the rise of social media, with critics accusing President Donald Trump of crossing the line with recent posts. — AFP

NEW YORK — Iggy Azalea and Azealia Banks — two leading women in hip-hop who were embroiled in a bitter, racially tinged row — have patched up with plans in the works for a collaboration.

Azalea unveiled over social media that Banks will appear on a track of Digital Distortion, the 27-year-old Australian’s upcoming second album, and said she wanted to move on from the feud. “I don’t expect you guys to understand why I would collaborate with someone who has publicly said they hope I die,” Azalea wrote on Twitter Tuesday, saying she wanted to “turn YEARS worth of negativity into a positive interaction.”

“Also I think females in rap need to really be unified to prosper. We need more collaborations to happen,” she tweeted.

Banks was a vociferous critic when Azalea found overwhelming commercial success with her debut album, The New Classic, in 2014. Azalea caused a stir by rapping in the dialect of an African American from the southern United States, despite being white and speaking in an Australian accent off-stage. Banks, who is African American, accused Azalea of profiting through racial appropriation in a series of Twitter posts that became increasingly heated. — AFP

GROOVE TO the music of the 1980s as the English pop/rock band, China Crisis and Lotus Eaters vocalist, Peter Coyle come to Manila on July 8. Have a chance to “Meet and Greet” these artists at 2 p.m. at Level 2, Main hallway of Robinsons Galleria. Over at Robinsons Magnolia, shoppers and mallers will have a chance to catch their live performance at 6 p.m. in the Mall’s Atrium. China Crisis is a popular English band formed in 1979 led by vocalist/keyboardist Gary Daly and guitarist Eddie Lundon. The band was part of a wave of new Liverpool acts in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their song “Wishful Thinking” was their biggest and most well-known hit, and was included on numerous compilation albums. Peter Coyle is the vocalist for the Lotus Eaters who rocketed to fame with their first hit single “The First Picture of You” which sold more than 100,000 copies in England.

ALTERNATIVE rock icon Morrissey — seen here during his March 29 concert at Monterrey Nuevo Leon — said Wednesday that he was “terrorized” by a police officer in Rome who held him at gunpoint for half an hour on a busy street. The outspoken British singer, a longtime lover of Rome who has returned to the Italian capital to record an album, said the officer unlocked his gun and “screamed into my face” as a crowd of more than 100 people watched. Morrissey’s nephew Sam Esty Rayner, a photographer who often takes footage of the singer, posted a picture of the officer and wrote his motorbike’s license plate number on Facebook. “The Police Officer pictured below terrorized Morrissey for 35 minutes demanding ‘papers.’ Morrissey had no papers,” Rayner wrote. Morrissey in a statement accused the officer of a “deliberate act of terror” and said he had not broken any law. “I believe he recognized me and wanted to frighten me. I did not back down even though I believed he was about to shoot me,” Morrissey said. “I urge people to beware of this dangerously aggressive Officer. He might kill you,” he said. Morrissey has frequently criticized the police both in his music and off-stage. In 2015, he said he was “sexually assaulted” by an officer at San Francisco International Airport who touched him during a security check. The singer, who first found fame as the frontman of The Smiths in the 1980s, has won a fanatical fan base with his elegant and sardonic lyricism that often takes up life’s disappointments. Morrissey is a staunch opponent of the British monarchy and campaigner for animal rights, with the singer refusing to play in venues while meat is served. — AFP

Mosquito documentary on Discovery

DISCOVERY will use its global reach to focus the world’s attention on the single greatest agent of death in modern human history: the mosquito. The global crisis is highlighted in the worldwide premiere of the upcoming Discovery Impact film Mosquito, on July 6, 9:50 p.m., on Discovery Channel and Discovery networks around the world. Recent news coverage around the globe has highlighted individual outbreaks of diseases such as Zika, malaria, West Nile virus, yellow fever, chikungunya, and dengue. But there is a bigger story to be told, one that connects the dots between these diseases and reveals how a single force is driving them all: the unceasing, accelerating expansion of the mosquito around the globe, driven by factors such as increasing global travel and trade and a warmer world that is more hospitable to mosquitoes. Narrated by actor Jeremy Renner, the film chronicles the increasing global threat this tiny animal poses and the potential lethal ramifications without a worldwide coordinated effort. The film features interviews with leading experts including former CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation who points out that the resources required to fight an outbreak relative to the level of death that could result from a fatal pandemic makes this a clear global health priority.

Sandy Daza’s cooking show

LEARN Filipino, Japanese and Spanish recipes from chef Sandy Daza through new episodes of Casa Daza on Lifestyle TV this month. Casa Daza showcases recipes that are inspired by Mr. Daza’s own family favorites. He shares easy-to-follow steps, from preparation to plating, while revealing interesting stories behind each recipe. On July 10, he will feature Binondo staples such as noodle recipe pancit sotanghon guisado, popular meat entrée pata asado, and the classic Binondo fried chicken. Japanese cuisine takes center stage on July 17 with easy-to-cook Japanese restaurant best-sellers like chicken kara-age, sukiyaki and tonkatsu. July 24 focuses on classic Filipino recipes such as kare-kare with bagoong alamang guisado, bistek Tagalog, and his chicken and pork adobo. It is Spanish tapas on July 31. Casa Daza airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on Lifestyle TV, available on SkyCable and Destiny Cable channel 52, and Sky Direct channel 31.

New viral video series on AXN

VIRAL VIDEOS are the focus of the new reality series Rude(ish) Tube, which airs weeknights starting this July on AXN. The half-hour show features a compilation of the funniest, wildest, and most unbelievable clips that have been uploaded online. From epic fails to utter pranks, from extreme rides to badass stunts, not to mention lots of animals and cute kids, there’s everything weird and wonderful for everybody. Rude(ish) Tube premieres on July 11 and airs from Monday to Thursday at 8:50 p.m. with two episodes back to back on AXN. AXN is available on SkyCable Channel 49, Destiny Cable Channel 61, Cignal Channel 121, Dream Satellite TV Channel 20, G Sat Channel 51, and Cablelink Channel 38. AXN HD is available on SkyCable Channel 247.

New reality shows, seasons on Lifetime

LIFETIME airs new reality shows and seasons this month. Season 9 of MasterChef Australia is serving up a whole new batch of fresh talent, Mondays to Fridays at 8 and 11 p.m. In Lifetime’s new docu-series Bringing Up Ballers, six mothers are stopping at nothing to ensure their sons, the city’s most elite youth basketball players, get into the NBA. The show airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. Frontline Fashion features 10 emerging designers from Europe and Asia who set out to revamp the fashion industry into an eco-friendly one in the world’s biggest sustainable fashion design competition, The EcoChic Design Award. They tackle one challenge at a time on the road to Hong Kong Fashion Week runway starting July 13, Thursdays at 9 p.m. Divorcees get another shot at finding their soulmates in Married at First Sight: Second Chances. In this follow-up to Married at First Sight, season three viewer favorites David Norton and Vanessa Nelson are taking the plunge again as they seek out lifelong love. It airs Mondays at 9:30 p.m. Season 3 of My Haunted House offers a new set of blood-curling stories on Fridays, 9 p.m., starting July 21. The mysteries continue with new episodes of Zoo Season 3 where in the year 2027, the human population faces extinction following a global sterility crisis. The show premieres July 7, and airs Fridays at 10 p.m. Lifetime is available on SkyCable Ch 65 and Lifetime HD Ch 199; Cable Link Ch. 223; Dream Satellite Ch 28; Destiny Ch 44.

Celebrity Car Wars Season 2 in the works

FILIPINO MODEL, actress, and TV anchor Phoemela Baranda is joining other Asian stars in a race to win the 2^nd season of Celebrity Car Wars, which is shooting on-location in various parts of the Philippines. A+E Networks Asia has commenced production for the second season of the automotive series for HISTORY Asia. Celebrity Car Wars Season 2 assembles six new celebrities to embark on an eight-week road trip of automotive discovery. The regional celebrities getting behind the wheel include Malaysian actor and comedian Harith Iskander; Hong Kong-based model and TV personality Dominic Lau; Thai actor, model and singer Ratchanont Guy Suprakob; and Thai actress Aerin Yuktadatta. Jarrod Schulz, from the HISTORY series Storage Wars, also joins as the first celebrity from the US to feature in Celebrity Car Wars. Professional motor racing experts, Malaysia’s Alex Yoong, as well as the Philippine’s Gaby dela Merced and Michele Bumgarner return as mentors. Host Bobby Tonelli is back to put celebrity egos to the test in a newly introduced quiz segment. The eight-part one-hour series will air in the last quarter of 2017 on HISTORY Asia.

New shows, seasons at FYI

CONTEMPORARY lifestyle network FYI brings new series and brand-new episodes this month. Starting July 27, catch the second season of Food Porn at 9 p.m., followed at 9:30 p.m. with the new series Scraps which follows chef Joel Gamoran across America as he takes on the problem of excessive food waste by using it to create sumptuous feasts. Go on an adventure around the world every Thursday starting at 8 p.m. with Destination Flavour: Singapore, followed at 8:30 p.m. by Top Travel (photo)which shows how to journey in style with globe-trotters Jeannie D. and Janez Vermeiren exploring only the best hotels, restaurants, landmarks, art galleries and more. Season 4 of Tiny House Nation kicks off on July 10, with shows every Monday at 8:55 p.m. FYI is available on SkyCable Ch 79; Cable Link Ch. 44; Dream Satellite Ch 21.