Young worker time

Child grooming is a tough subject to tackle, but Belgian director Emmanuelle Nicot takes a sensitive approach in her Critics Week feature Love According To Dalva . The key here is perspective: almost everything is shown from the point of view of a victim who has been taken into care, and who doesn’t realize she has been abused. Watching the truth slowly dawn upon her gives this film real tension, while also providing the possibility of recovery and enlightenment. Dalva (Zelda Samson) is a 12-year-old girl who dresses like a grown woman, wears make up and does not expect to be treated like a child. She’s horrified when she’s taken from her father and into a temporary facility for teenagers with problems. She’s even more dismayed when she learns that her father has been arrested. Slowly, it transpires that Dalva believes that the “love” he has shown her is perfectly normal — she has been hidden from the world and immersed in a relationship that she thought was consensual. … [Read more...] about Cannes Review: Emmanuelle Nicot’s ‘Love According To Dalva’

D ‘Angelo is a morning person, of sorts. When he’s working in the studio, as was often the case in the 14-year interregnum between 2000’s Voodoo and 2014’s Black Messiah, he quits his all-night recording sessions just in time to greet each day’s sunrise. “I’m definitely on the night shift,” he says, drawing deep on one of a series of Newport cigarettes, not long after midnight in the midtown Manhattan studio where he recorded much of Black Messiah. He’s wearing a denim shirt unbuttoned over a white undershirt, dark jeans and leather boots. Dog tags bearing the names of his three children hang from a chain around his neck. He looks weary, though he woke up not long ago. It’s his first interview since he released one of the most universally acclaimed albums in years, an album that seemed as if it might never come out at all. D’Angelo could well be the most singular, visionary star to emerge from R&B since Prince. His music, stuffed with live instrumentation and harmonic … [Read more...] about The Second Coming of D’Angelo

‘D ear heavenly Father,” someone is saying to the silent room, “please give us the ability to touch this crowd.” All thirty-six members of D’Angelo ‘s touring band and crew are stuffed into his dressing room, hands linked, heads bowed in a large prayer circle. “And when our ability fails, Lord. Please. Take over.” The room answers with a loud “ mm-hmm. “ Prayer ends, and the entire group collapses into a giant moving hug, all yelling at once in a joyous din – “ Soultronic force! My re-deeeeem-er !” It seems they’re gearing up for some high-energy smash-mouth football. Or a musical mission. As the scrum disperses, D’Angelo turns to you and slaps you five. And nearly breaks your hand. D, as they call him, gives pounds with injurious intent – stiff-handed smacks that make a firecracker pop and then meld into a tight clamp, a finger snap, two fist bumps and another clamp, or some such combination. The more he likes you, the more he uses the strength in his bulky shoulders and … [Read more...] about D’Angelo Is Holding Your Hand

The Notorious B.I.G.’s verses from “I Love the Dough” has been flipped into a new song, “G.O.A.T.,” which arrives one day before what would’ve been the late rapper’s 50th birthday, May 21. The original “I Love the Dough” is, of course, vintage Biggie, the Life After Death track featuring a bouncing beat from Easy Mo Bee, verses from Jay-Z, and a hook from Angela Winbush. “G.O.A.T.”, meanwhile, boasts a contemporary Afrobeats vibe, and finds Biggie trading verses this time with Ty Dolla $ign , while Nigerian R&B star Bella Alubo sings the hook. The track was co-produced by Nigerian producer, Kayomusiq. “Being on a song with Biggie has been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” Ty Dolla $ign said in a statement. “The song title is fitting of him…the G.O.A.T. Happy Birthday, Big. We miss you.” Voletta Wallace, the late rapper’s mother, added, “It’s wonderful to witness my son’s music reimagined for his fans and today’s generation of young men and women to embrace his … [Read more...] about A Notorious B.I.G. Classic Gets Flipped Into a New Song Featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Bella Alubo

Mel Gibson knows what women want ... or at least 10-year-old girls ... because he recently went on a play date with two young ladies as part of the charity he works for -- and bought them expensive custom dolls!!! The charity's called Mending Kids International -- an organization that performs life-saving surgeries for children around the world ... in this case, a 10- and an 11-year-old girl from Honduras who required serious reconstructive face surgeries. The surgeries were a success -- and Mel celebrated with the girls by taking them out for a stroll around The Grove in L.A., eating lunch, ice cream, window shopping ... and finally, taking them on a trip to the American Girl doll store, where Mel helped them assemble their own look-alike dolls. FYI -- the store ain't cheap. Mel -- who's also participating in the Mending Kids celeb poker tournament this weekend in West Hollywood at the London -- tells us, "It was really fun spending time with Karol and Sara ... They … [Read more...] about Mel Gibson Dolls Up Little Girls … For Charity

EXCLUSIVE : Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo ( Harriet ) will lead cast alongside Being The Ricardos and Arrested Development star Alia Shawkat in Anthony Chen’s ( Ilo Ilo ) English-language debut Drift . The film reunites Call Me By Your Name producers Emilie Georges and Peter Spears and exec producer Naima Abed. Spears won the Best Picture Oscar last year for Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland . Drift follows a young Liberian refugee named Jacqueline (Erivo) who has barely escaped her war-torn country to a Greek island. She offers massages to tourists in exchange for one or two euros to battle her hunger, while her daily struggle for survival keeps the memories that haunt her at bay. She meets an unmoored tour guide (Shawkat) and the two become close as they each find hope in the other. Ibrahima Ba, who has a supporting role in Cannes 2022 title Father & Soldier , is also among cast. Filming is currently underway in Greece on the under-the-radar … [Read more...] about Cynthia Erivo & Alia Shawkat Lead Anthony Chen’s ‘Drift’ For ‘Call Me By Your Name’ & ‘Nomadland’ Producers — Cannes