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The official ceremony of the opening Charles Aznavour’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has kicked off.
Guest speakers at the event are California State Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León and director Peter Bogdanovich.
Legendary entertainer will be honored with the 2,618th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
AFP agency presented a video of preparations for the opening of Charles Aznavour star on Walk of Fame in Hollywood.
Ana Martinez, Producer of the Walk of Fame ceremonies, said Aznavour performed hundreds of songs and got numerous awards and is still performing at his age “which is wonderful”.
The local Armenians are incredibly proud to share Aznavour with the world, said Baydsar Thomasian.
Legendary singer-songwriter Charles Aznavour, 93, has already left for Los Angeles where he will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, August 24, 2017.
Aznavour to Receive a Star
HOLLYWOOD—Legendary singer and performer Charles Aznavour is among several entertainment professionals in the categories of Motion Pictures, Television, Live Theatre/Live Performance, Radio and Recording who have been selected to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it was announced Thursday by the Walk of Fame Selection Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
Aznavour will join Lin Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton” in the Live Theatre/Live Performance category.
These honorees were chosen from among hundreds of nominations to the committee at a meeting held in June and ratified by the Hollywood Chamber’s Board of Directors. Television Producer and Walk of Famer Vin Di Bona, Chair of the Walk of Fame Selection Committee for 2017, announced the new honorees with Leron Gubler, President & CEO for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce who is also the emcee of the Walk of Fame ceremonies.
“The Walk of Fame Selection Committee is pleased to announce our newest honorees to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Committee looked carefully at each nominee and we feel that we have selected an eclectic group of talent that will appeal to the tastes of many fans around the world,” said Di Bona. “As a Walk of Famer myself, I know these honorees will remember the dedication of their stars with great memories and will be proud that they are part of Hollywood’s history now and forever. We look forward to their big day as the Walk of Fame Class of 2018 becomes cemented one by one on the most famous sidewalk in the world!”
Last October, Aznavour was awarded an honorary Walk of Fame plaque for his contributions to the Arts and the global Armenian community.
The plaque was presented by Senator Kevin de León, who represents Little Armenia in Hollywood, in honor of the world-renowned artist’s arrival to the United States and his upcoming performance at the Pantages Theatre on October 28.
“Humbled and elated, we welcomed world renowned Charles Aznavour to Hollywood and presented him with honorary Walk of Fame plaque as well as the historic 101 Hollywood Freeway Little Armenia sign,” said de Leon. “The plaque and welcome ceremony launched what will be Aznavour’s permanent recognition and presence in Hollywood in months to come.”
The 92-year old Aznavour has written over 800 songs and recorded over 1,200, selling more than 180 million records worldwide. He is often referred to as the “French Frank Sinatra” and is considered to be one of France’s most popular singers, and is considered to be one of the most popular Armenians of modern time.
Among those receiving the a star on the Walk of Fame are Kirsten Dunst, Jeff Goldblum, F. Gary Gray, Mark Hamill, Jennifer Lawrence, Gina Lollobrigida, Minnie Mouse, Gillian Anderson, Lynda Carter, Simon Cowell, Taraji P. Henson, Eric McCormack, Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhimes, Mary J. Blige and Sir Richard Branson.
The Walk of Fame is a tribute to all of those who worked diligently to develop the concept and to maintain this world-class tourist attraction. The Walk of Fame is open to the public. No paid admission or assigned seating at star ceremonies.
No date has been set for the Aznavour’s award ceremony.
After surviving a targeted effort by Turkish lobbies to derail its success, the Armenian Genocide film The Promise will open in American theaters next week. And Hollywood celebs are getting the word out, a feature published by NewsBuster MRC said.
“Because the Turkish government still denies waging genocide against Armenians a century later, films about the conflict have encountered resistance. The most recent movie to tackle the topic – The Promise – stars A-lister Christian Bale, yet even that did not preclude pushback.
However, two months after the film’s Toronto Film Festival debut, Open Road Films obtained distribution rights, celebrities joined in promotional efforts and the producers announced that all of the film’s proceeds would go toward charities. After screenings in London and the Vatican last month, The Promise will open April 21 in theaters across America,” the feature said.
Here are the big name stars who have joined in the effort to #keepthepromise.
Cher
Cher, born Cherilyn Sarkisian, is part Armenian herself. After screening The Promise, the “goddess of pop” tweeted: “This film broke my heart, & NOT JUST 4 ARMENIANS, BUT 4 ALL PPL WHO’VE SUFFERED & LOST LOVED ONES. We’re all beautiful flowers We look best in a bouquet.”
George & Amal Clooney
Hollywood actor George Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, attended the London screening of the film. Mrs. Clooney represented the country before the European Court of Human Rights in a 2015 case against a denialist Turkish politician.
Leonardo DiCaprio
“Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale and Charlotte Le Bon, under the direction of Terry George, provide extraordinary performances in the upcoming film The Promise,” actor DiCaprio wrote on his Facebook page. “I applaud the entire team, together with my good friend the legendary producer Mike Medavoy, whose enduring talent, dedication and commitment brought this important project and subject to life.”
Dean Cain
In March, actor/director Dean Cain traveled to Yerevan, Armenia to speak with the Syrian refugees of Armenian heritage who are currently living there. “Armenians have been persecuted for centuries, they were the first bastion of Christianity,” he told Fox & Friends on March 21. “And they are the only bastion of Christianity in the Middle East, in that area.”
Naturally, Cain has also supported The Promise. “In college I studied history, I learned about genocides, like the Armenian Genocide, and the Holocaust,” the actor commented in a video posted on Twitter. “There’s genocides going on right now, here, today. I’m talking about Syria, Iraq, Sudan. I vow to keep the promise to relegate Genocide to the history books.”
Barbra Streisand
“I am joining @esrailian & @thepromisefilm to #KeepThePromise to never forget,” the singing star posted to her Instagram account.
Elton John
“I am thrilled to announce @thepromisefilm’s release, a story about the Armenian Genocide, on Apr. 21. In the spirit of this film, I join the movement to #KeepThePromise to champion human rights, dignity & equality & an end to #AIDS through @ejafdn,” the self-titled “flamboyant superstar” wrote on Instagram. “In a wonderful display of the human spirit, all of the film’s proceeds will be donated to charity because, in a belief that I share, no one should be left behind. Thank you to @esrailian & everyone for your support throughout the years!”
Sylvester Stallone
“This extraordinary film is opening April 21,” Stallone wrote of The Promise. “It is a subject that I have been fascinated with for decades and it has taken many years for someone to finally have the guts to make it and finally bring it to the screen for all to see…” The actor continued, “It is true and incredibly important historical drama That has all the extraordinary ingredients that can make a movie Oscar quality. It’s amazing lead actors Christian Bale, and Oscar Isaac, Play their parts to perfection! And a special shout out to it’s a legendary producer, Mike Medavoy, Who finally brought this epic story to the screen.”
Don Cheadle
“Hi, I’m Don Cheadle and I’ve seen the effects of genocide up close and personal in Darfur,” the comedian announced in a Twitter video. “I vow to keep the promise, and raise awareness and fight genocide around the world wherever it may occur.”
Andre Agassi
Famed Armenian-American tennis champ Andre Agassi also publicized his support. “Hi, I’m Andre Agassi and I’m so proud to see that Kirk Kerkorian’s vision has become a reality,” the sports star commented over Twitter. “Help me keep Kirk’s promise.”
Tony Goldwyn
Scandal star Tony Goldwyn posted a video on Twitter with the comment: “@MPTF we #KeepThePromise every day to take care of our own. @thepromisefilm opening April 21 with ALL proceeds going to charities.”
Charles Aznavour honored with Hollywood star
Charles Aznavour, 92, honored with Hollywood star presented by California’s Armenians, lapresse.ca reported.
Aznavour, often dubbed France’s Frank Sinatra, said he was “deeply moved” by the recognition, which is not on Hollywood Boulevard’s main Walk of Fame but rather consists of a symbolic star dedicated by the Armenian community.
“I’ve been coming to Hollywood for years and I’ve worked a lot in the United States,” Aznavour told AFP. “America is the land of show business.”
Aznavour was born in France to Armenian parents. Some 1.5 million Armenians died in 1915-17 in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire in what Armenia, several foreign parliaments and many historians describe as genocide.
“What I find very funny is that Turkey lost something. They don’t have a single great singer and I could have been a Turkish singer, while today I’m a French singer,” Aznavour said.
“Which goes to show that there’s no purpose to genocide as there are always survivors,” he said.
Aznavour has written hundreds of songs in a career that spans more than 80 years, with more than 100 million records sold worldwide.
Renowned musician Charles Aznavour, who has written over 800 songs and recorded over 1,200, will receive a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 27. Aznavour’s star will be in front of the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, where French singer of Armenian descent will give a concert on October 28.
Kevin de León, President pro tempore of the California Senate will take part in the ceremony, Asbarez reports.
The trial of the former star of Turkish football Hakan Sükür for “insulting” the President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a controversial count for which he faces up to four years in prison, opened Thursday in Istanbul, reported news agency Dogan.
The prosecutor of the Istanbul Bakirkoy district claims against the author of the fastest goal in the history of the World Cup in 2002 in South Korea, one to four years in prison for “insulting” Mr. Erdogan in a series of tweets since erased, Dogan said, without specifying the content.
According to the daily Hürriyet, Hakan would Sükür refers to a corruption scandal in 2013 for the Erdogan’s entourage and launched without naming him: “Is this how you become a politician, impudent?” Absent when first hearing, the former player now lives in the US, according to his lawyer Ali Onur güncel quoted by Dogan. The trial was adjourned to give time to the defense to disclose the new address of the player to the court, the agency said.
Since his election to the presidency in August 2014, Erdogan accused by his critics of wanting stifle all dissent, has multiplied the proceedings for “insult” to both artists and journalists as individuals.
After a rich sports career, especially with the club Galatasaray Sükür had entered politics to Erdogan sides and had been elected in 2011 on a list of his Justice and Development Party (AKP), in power since 2002.
But hostile to Erdogan’s decision to launch a war on his former ally became his enemy number 1, the influential preacher Fethullah Gulen who lives in the United States which is deemed to be a follower, he had resigned from the AKP in 2013.
Hakan Sükür had denied it a few months ago have moved to the United States, ensuring that he went to “learn English”.
Aged 44, Hakan Sükür spent most of his career at Galatasaray Istanbul club with which he won 8 times the championship of Turkey and the UEFA Cup in 2000. In the national team he has 112 caps and scored 51 goals between 1992 and 2008 with a 3rd place at the 2002 World Cup.
ISTANBUL
Journalist Mustafa Akyol (L) and Foreign Policy Analyst Sedat Laçiner (Photo: Today’s Zaman)
Star, a pro-government daily, has fired two of its critical columnists, Sedat Laçiner and Mustafa Akyol. Both columnists were known to be liberal supporters of the government in the past.
Akyol and Laçiner announced on their Twitter accounts on Saturday that the newspaper had asked them to suspend writing for the daily for a period of time. Akyol, who is also a contributor to the International New York Times, thanked the newspaper and said he will continue to write what he believes. Although known for their pro-government stances, both columnists did not refrain from criticizing many of the government’s policies they deemed flawed.
Akyol, a liberal democrat and author of “Islam without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty,” said the daily censored one of his columns several months ago. He shared the censored piece with his readers via Twitter.
Laçiner, a prominent foreign policy analyst who headed a well-known think tank, the International Strategic Research Organization (USAK), vehemently criticizes the government’s recent policies, which many observers argue has deepened societal polarization.
Star, along with other fellow pro-government newspapers, has fired dozens of columnists and journalists in the past year as the government stepped up its measures to restrict freedom of the media. Freedom House ranked Turkey in the category of “Not Free” this year with regard to press freedom, while other press advocacy bodies have described Turkey as one of the worst places to do journalism.
Firing critical figures has turned to a worrying pattern that makes it harder for reporters to practice journalism in an increasingly authoritarian environment. The authenticity of a number of wiretapped phone conversations revealing the enormous scale of government meddling in media has been confirmed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan; this runs against the basic tenets of liberal democracy, in which press freedom is a key feature of a free and democratic society.
Among other worrying signs that plunge journalism into an unfavorable terrain in Turkey, economic hardships have also taken a toll on some media outlets, with the venerable Radikal daily saying it will continue online after suspending its print edition. The announcement has been met with mixed responses, with loyal readers rushing to express their fury against what they describe as the existence of an unhealthy economic environment fed by patronage ties between government authorities and media executives.
While some newspapers manage to survive economic challenges thanks to generous funding from business tycoons who have cultivated strong and close ties with the government, several media outlets have had to throw in the towel by either scaling down their size and personnel or by saying good-bye to journalism.