Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull schooled the competition last weekend as the fourth appearance of Harrison Ford in the role of the adventuring archaeologist raked in nearly US$127 million at the North American box office, contributing to an estimated US$312 million worldwide. But the film, which takes place in Peru, has many Peruvians angry after seeing the movie’s many clumsy — and often insulting — mistakes about their country. Peruvians are also angry at seeing Maya warriors from Central America speaking Quechua in the Peruvian jungle, where hundreds of native languages, but not Quechua, are spoken. The movie also shows quicksand, man-eating ants and enormous Hawaiian waterfalls, all of which do not exist in the Peruvian Amazonia.
In what is perhaps the biggest insult, director Steven Spielberg and writer George Lucas place the Maya pyramid of Chichen Itza, located in Mexico, in the Peruvian jungle.
Historian Manuel Burga, the former head of the University of San Marcos, said that Spielberg and Lucas were given bad advice.
PHOTO : AP
“Even if it is fiction there are many incorrect facts,” Burga said. “This is going to be damaging to many people who do not know our country, because it shows a Peruvian landscape that is not real.
Historian Teodoro Hampe is scathing in his view of they way Americans view the geography of Latin America: “For them Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia or Peru are all the same.”
French fashion house Christian Dior said yesterday it has dropped Sharon Stone from its Chinese advertisements and released a statement from the actress apologizing for saying the earthquake that struck China may have been the result of bad “karma” over its treatment of Tibet. The 50-year-old actress said she was “deeply sorry” for causing anguish and anger among Chinese people with her remarks in an interview last week. Stone models for Christian Dior, and the company’s Shanghai office issued the statement. A public relations manager for Dior in Shanghai said Stone would no longer appear in the company’s advertisements in China.
“Due to my inappropriate words and acts during the interview, I feel deeply sorry and sad about hurting Chinese people,” Stone said in the statement. “I am willing to take part in the relief work of China’s earthquake, and wholly devote myself to helping affected Chinese people.”
On TV, the fate of brutal North Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano may have been unclear when hit TV series The Sopranos ended last year, but his wardrobe is headed for a certain ending: it’s being auctioned for charity.
James Gandolfini, who played Soprano for six seasons over eight-and-a-half years, is selling his personal costume wardrobe in a Christie’s pop culture auction in New York on June 25, with all proceeds going to a charity that helps wounded US troops.
The 24 lots include a bloody outfit worn when Soprano was shot at the beginning of season six by Uncle Junior in a fit of dementia, which is estimated to fetch up to US$3,000, and his signature white tank top, light blue striped boxer shorts, striped short robe and leather scuffs that could make US$1,500.
Also up for grabs are a selection of costumes worn by other Sopranos characters, including Junior Soprano, Paulie Walnuts and A.J. Soprano.
As for the movie Sex and the City, which will be released in Taiwan May 20, the big question is: Do Carrie and Mr. Big marry or don’t they? Despite the success of the TV series, Sarah Jessica Parker said it was still a struggle to get the movie made.
“To make a movie about four women over 40 is really not the way Hollywood likes to spend their money,” she said, adding that the studio was swayed by the devotion of the show’s fans.
But there was also the problem of signing up all the stars, especially Kim Cattrall, who plays Samantha and was initially unwilling to make a film — but not because of a supposed rift with Parker, which both women laughed off.
“What a difference four years makes,” said Cattrall, who blamed exhaustion, a divorce, the end of the series, and her father’s diagnosis with dementia for her initial reluctance.
Kristin Davis, who plays Charlotte, and Cynthia Nixon, who plays Miranda, both said the movie was a dream come true. “We thought we were dead and we were resurrected,” Nixon said.
In Taiwan’s politics the party chair is an extremely influential position. Typically this person is the presumed presidential candidate or serving president. In the last presidential election, two of the three candidates were also leaders of their party. Only one party chair race had been planned for this year, but with the Jan. 1 resignation by the currently indicted Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) two parties are now in play. If a challenger to acting Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) appears we will examine that race in more depth. Currently their election is set for Feb. 15. EXTREMELY
Last week saw the appearance of another odious screed full of lies from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian (肖千), in the Financial Review, a major Australian paper. Xiao’s piece was presented without challenge or caveat. His “Seven truths on why Taiwan always will be China’s” presented a “greatest hits” of the litany of PRC falsehoods. This includes: Taiwan’s indigenous peoples were descended from the people of China 30,000 years ago; a “Chinese” imperial government administrated Taiwan in the 14th century; Koxinga, also known as Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功), “recovered” Taiwan for China; the Qing owned
Jan. 20 to Jan. 26 Taipei was in a jubilant, patriotic mood on the morning of Jan. 25, 1954. Flags hung outside shops and residences, people chanted anti-communist slogans and rousing music blared from loudspeakers. The occasion was the arrival of about 14,000 Chinese prisoners from the Korean War, who had elected to head to Taiwan instead of being repatriated to China. The majority landed in Keelung over three days and were paraded through the capital to great fanfare. Air Force planes dropped colorful flyers, one of which read, “You’re back, you’re finally back. You finally overcame the evil communist bandits and
They increasingly own everything from access to space to how we get news on Earth and now outgoing President Joe Biden warns America’s new breed of Donald Trump-allied oligarchs could gobble up US democracy itself. Biden used his farewell speech to the nation to deliver a shockingly dark message: that a nation which has always revered its entrepreneurs may now be at their mercy. “An oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms,” Biden said. He named no names, but his targets were clear: men like Elon Musk
RSS