Canada's Denis Villeneuve to compete in Cannes film festival with Sicario

Acclaimed Quebec director Denis Villeneuve will compete at the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival next month with his star-studded English-language project Sicario.

The drug-trafficking drama stars Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin and Emily Blunt as members of a government task force trying to take down the brutal head of a Mexican drug cartel.

The Canadian Oscar-nominated filmmaker will vie for the Palme d'Or against 16 other films, including Todd Haynes's Carol, Paolo Sorrentino's Youth, and Gus Van Sant's The Sea of Trees.

Festival director Thierry Fremaux announced all 17 films in the running at the prestigious French festival on Thursday.

The full list includes:

• The Assassin, Hou Hsiao-hsien
• Carol, Todd Haynes
• ​Erran, Jaques Audiard
• ​The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos
• ​Our Little Sister, Kore-Eda Hirokazu, Umimachi Diary 
• Louder Than Bombs, Joachim Trier 
• Macbeth, Justin Kurzel
• ​Marguerite and Julien, Valerie Donzelli
• Mountains May Depart, Jia Zhang-Ke, Shan He Gu Ren
• Mon roi, Maïwenn 
• My Mother, Nanni Moretti
• The Sea of Trees, Gus Van Sant 
• Sicario, Denis Villeneuve 
• A Simple Man, Stephane Brize
• ​Son of Saul, Laszlo Nemes
• The Tale of Tales, Matteo Garrone​​
• Youth, Paolo Sorrentino

Actors Emily Blunt, left, and Benicio del Toro star in Denis Villeneuve's narco-drama Sicario which is competing for the Palme d'or at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. (Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

Villeneuve is the only Canadian director on the list. Last year, fellow Quebec filmmaker Xavier Dolan competed for the coveted Palme d'Or with his film Mommy.

Films screening out-of-competition at the festival include George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road, Woody Allen's Irrational Man and Asif Kapadia's documentary about the late singer Amy Winehouse.

Hundreds of film stars and camera crews flock to the French Riviera city each spring for the glitzy festival, but there won't be any selfies on the red carpet if festival organizers have their way.

Fremaux expresed his disgust for the self-styled snapshots, calling them "ridiculous and grotesque."

"We're not going to ban selfies. We don't have police powers," Fremaux said. But he strongly urged festivalgoers to keep the red carpet a selfie-free zone.

Cannes organizers have faced criticism for not selecting more films by female directors. For the first time in more than 25 years, this year's festival will be opened by a film by a woman, French director Emmanuelle Bercot's drama La Tete Haute.

Two more female filmmakers are in competition: Valerie Donzelli with Marguerite and Julien and Maiwenn with Mon Roi. Both directors are French.

The festival runs May 13-24. Winners will be chosen by a jury led by Joel and Ethan Coen.

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William Shatner, Trailer Park Boys denounce cut to film tax credit

William Shatner lent his support to Nova Scotia's film industry on Wednesday, as thousands of people protested planned cuts to a tax credit outside of Province House in downtown Halifax.

The Canadian actor's tweet to Premier Stephen McNeil and Finance Minister Diana Whalen has been retweeted almost 1,000 times and favourited nearly 700 times.

Actor Cathy Jones took to the stage — made specifically for the protest — on Granville Street. She said she's lived and worked in the province for 20 years, performing in CODCO and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

Jones praised the industry for telling Nova Scotia's stories.

Trailer Park Boys cast Mike Smith, Patrick Roach, Robb Wells and John Dunsworth, left to right, joined other members of Nova Scotia's film and television industry in a protest outside the legislature in Halifax on Wednesday. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)

"It's a lot of people working quietly and working diligently and keeping our culture alive," she told the crowd. "What do they think they're doing destroying that?"

Jones hopes the big turnout will convince the Liberal government to change course.

"This film industry is massive and beautiful and to mess with it is a major mistake," she said.

'Instant and devastating impact'

Actor Jonathan Torrens, who co-hosted Street Cents and has starred as the character J-Roc on the Trailer Park Boys, also spoke and called on the Liberal government to change course.

"Rumours are that there are close to 5,000 people here — film industry professionals, local business owners and local citizens who just know this is not the course of action," he said.

"Let's be very clear folks. The moment this was announced last Thursday, there was an instant and devastating impact from this suggested course of action."

The taxpayer is paying 65 per cent of people's wages. And people think that's OK? It's nuts. - John Risley

The rally was put on by Screen Nova Scotia, the industry's advocacy group. A large crew set up a stage and several Jumbotrons early this morning.

The crowd protested the proposed cuts to the film tax credit. In last week's spring budget, the province announced it was slashing the credit from 100 per cent refundable to 25 per cent refundable.

"The pain from this decision will be felt from Louisbourg to Lunenburg, from Halifax to Hammonds Plains. This is not a big city issue. This is not a Hollywood issue. Not even a Hali-wood issue; it's a province-wide issue," Torrens said.

Minister met with industry members

Whalen met with members of the film industry Tuesday for the first time since the cuts were announced.

Marc Almon, with Screen Nova Scotia, thought the meeting was productive. "They have agreed what they put forward is not workable," he told reporters Tuesday.

Whalen took away a different message from the meeting.

"What I was acknowledging is they have a problem with this — we do not. It works for government," she said.

At issue is a tax credit that is really a subsidy worth up to 65 percent of salaries on the film set. Prominent businessman John Risely finds it laughable people are defending such a generous allowance.

"We're paying 65 percent of people's wages. The taxpayer is paying 65 percent of people's wages. And people thinks that's ok? It's nuts, it's crazy," he said.

Premier Stephen McNeil doesn't think the success of the industry rests on what he calls the richest film tax credit in the country. He said the credit was previously increased from 50 to 65 per cent, but Nova Scotia's share of the country's film work dropped from 2.8 per cent to 2 per cent over that period. 

"As that tax credit has been going up our percentage of the business in Canada is going down. That's a sign that the incentive is not what's driving this," he said.

McNeil said the credit is effectively a grant, and that didn't make sense for a province with a struggling economy. 

"It's simply something the taxpayers of Nova Scotia can't afford," he said. 

He invited industry members to present a better solution that fit the "fiscal envelope."

"We can't afford to subsidize every job in Nova Scotia at 50 to 64 per cent of the labour cost," he said. 

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Cirque du Soleil to be sold to American, Chinese private equity firms

The owner of Cirque du Soleil will not confirm multiple media reports that the sale of the entertainment company has been finalized.

Co-founder Guy Laliberté sent an email to staff on Thursday saying that he had not yet wrapped up the company sale, after CBC/Radio-Canada and other media outlets reported American private equity firm TPG Capital and China's Fosun will buy majority shares in Cirque du Soleil.

CBC/Radio-Canada previously reported that the sale of Cirque du Soleil was pending final approval.

It was also reported thatCirque du Soleil's global headquarters will remain in Montreal even though the entertainment company is being sold to American and Chinese investors.

Laliberté, who founded Cirque du Soleil with Gilles Ste-Croix and Daniel Gauthier in 1984, is expected to retain a minority stake.

Rumours that Quebec pension fund manager Caisse de dépôt has a hand in the sale have not yet been confirmed.

Three weeks ago, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard made a personal appeal to Laliberté, asking him to keep the company in the province.

"I want to tell him that for Quebecers, for the government and for all political parties represented here, it is very important not only that the headquarters remain in Montreal, but that the creative activities should also remain in Montreal," Couillard said on March 26.

Cirque du Soleil is expected to make an official announcement in the coming days.

Laliberté said his employees would be the first to know if and when the company changed hands.

"I will not hide the fact that there are a lot of discussions going on," he wrote.

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Royal Winnipeg Ballet worker let go, accused of taking photos of students undressing

A longtime employee of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet is no longer working at the school, after allegations arose that the worker was photographing students inappropriately.

According to the ballet company, the employee was placed on paid leave after the school learned the worker was under investigation by authorities.

The employee isn't immediately being identified by CBC.

Maclean's magazine alleges the investigation was the result of the employee photographing students at various stages of undress.

He was subsequently let go from his role at the school.

The RWB says its priority is the safety and well-being of students, staff and patrons. 

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As ISIS smashes history, curators battle to save threatened antiquities

Using hammers, bulldozers and explosives, Islamic State militants can be seen smashing thousands of years of history in a purported ISIS video posted online earlier this week.

After standing for more than 3,000 years, the ancient Iraqi Assyrian city of Nimrud, including its priceless stone friezes and archaeological riches, appear to have fallen to the hands of militants and the ideology of ISIS.

Its just the latest historical site ravaged by the group, which now holds a third of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in its self-declared caliphate.

ISIS says the relics promote idolatry and violate Islamic law.

Clemens Reichel, Canadian archeologist and associate curator at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, calls the destruction a cultural genocide.

"You can kill people on the ground, but if you destroy their heritage, you also kill their soul, and I just think that's something that we really need to come to terms with."

But not all of Reichel's contemporaries agree on what needs to be done in the face of the evisceration of UNESCO heritage sites in Iraq and Syria.

In fact, the fighting has re-ignited a battle among Western museum curators and archaeologists over whether museums should be returning antiquities to their countries of origin.

The push for repatriation

Decades ago, museums kept whatever they acquired even if it had been looted or bought from dubious sources. But that practice is now largely seen as shameful and colonialist.

Britain and Greece are currently locked in a battle over the Parthenon Marbles. Athens argues that the artefacts, which have been displayed in London's British Museum since 1816, were taken from Greece illegally and must be returned.

More recently, there has been a growing acceptance that artifacts should be repatriated to their countries of origin. 

That shift in thinking has seen the return of many historical artifacts, including the repatriation of a Turkish bust of Hercules, and the the return of Nazi-looted artworks to their rightful owners.

The idea is also central to a dispute between Britain and Greece over the Parthenon Marbles, which Athens maintains were illegally removed while the country was under Turkish occupation.

Preserving the past

James Cuno, an American art historian and curator, is an outspoken critic of repatriation. He believes that important artifacts should be considered the property of all humanity and shared across the globe.

"I'm concerned about preserving the past for the future and sharing that with the world," said Cuno, who currently serves as president of the J. Paul Getty Trust, which runs the Getty Museum and Getty Centre in California.

"It doesn't matter to me where they're preserved if they're preserved for the world."

Despite arguing that museums should be allowed reasonable ways to acquire undocumented antiquities, Cuno doesn't think the world's cultural riches should all be brought to Europe and North America.

In fact, he suggests that the more widely important pieces are distributed can help protect them from conflict in the long run. 

No museum is safe

"Calamity can happen anywhere" said Cuno in an interview from Los Angeles, "but it's not likely to happen everywhere simultaneously. So the more you distribute the risk the more likelihood there is that things will survive the calamity that necessarily will happen at some point."

Militants take sledgehammers to an ancient artifact in the Ninevah Museum in Mosul, Iraq in an image distributed in February. (AP file photo)

But for Reichel, who has travelled to Iraq several times to assess the damage to artifacts caused by fighting and looting, the acquisition of goods from conflict zones by Western collectors and museums is far from simple.

"The minute that these events in Iraq started," says Reichel, "voices came about again saying that we should open up acquisition policies of museums, making it easier to purchase artifacts, just to get them out of the area of conflict."

"But what these people do not discuss,"  Reichel adds, "is that these artifacts that you can buy on the market now ... they have been looted."

Reichel argues, the goodwill of collectors can help stock the armouries of ISIS fighters.

He also points out that no museum in the world is safe. "World War II was a great example," said Reichel. "You had artifacts from the Middle East being brought to Europe, to Berlin in particular, and these museums were bombed in the war, and a lot of it was lost."

From the Islamic State to Nazi occupied Europe, one thing history makes clear is that the loss of art and cultural heritage is an ugly fact of conflict — whether looted from nations, individual collectors or the presumed safety of museums.

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Spoiler alert! Now Google can keep you spoiler-free

Spoiler alert! Google can now stop your favourite movies and TV shows being spoiled before you watch them, using a system which recognizes, processes and blurs out any spoilers you might not want to see, before you see them.

Google was awarded a patent for the system last week. Google hasn't yet released any details of the system, but there are many similar spoiler blocker tools already on the market. 

Spoiler Shield is a smartphone app and Google Chrome extension that offers 'shields,' which you can turn on and off on a show-by-show basis. For example, there is a shield for shows like Mad Men and Modern Family.

Friends of Thrones is specifically geared towards fans of Game of Thrones. Ramin Bahari, one of the creators, explains that it replaces any reference to Game of Thrones with a reference to 90s sitcom Friends. 

The makers of Friends of Thrones say that so many people have watched every episode of 'Friends', that the show is 'unspoilable.' (AP, Warner Bros., Danny Feld/The Canadian Press)

"When you read about for example Tyrion and Ned Stark having a fight, it just changes it to Ross and Rachel had a fight, pretty simple."

Bahari says they chose Friends, because they believe everybody has seen every episode of the hugely popular sitcom, essentially making it "unspoilable."

CBC technology columnist Dan Misener tried both apps and says they works some of the time — but not all the time.  

"Though I have to say, when it did work, it was really fun to see 'Westeros' replaced with 'Chandler and Joey's apartment' as a location," said Misener.

Beyond blocking spoilers, Misener says the underlying technology has huge implications for things like translation systems, speech recognition and voice control systems.

"But when it does comes to avoiding spoilers, I'm going to stick to my tried and true method of sticking my fingers in my ears and saying, 'La la la la la...'"

---

To hear the full interview with CBC technology columnist Dan Misener, listen to the audio labelled Spoiler Alert Averted

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Rita Wilson reveals breast cancer battle, mastectomy surgery

Wilson says 2nd opinion was critical in her case

The Associated Press Posted: Apr 14, 2015 11:24 PM ET Last Updated: Apr 15, 2015 6:50 AM ET

Rita Wilson is recovering after undergoing a bilateral mastectomy for breast cancer.

The 58-year-old actress and singer, who had been appearing in Larry David's play Fish in the Dark on Broadway, will return May 5, according to her publicist, Heidi Schaeffer.

Wilson, in a statement to People magazine, said Tuesday that she is expected to make a full recovery and credited getting a doctor's second opinion after initial breast biopsies found no cancer.

"You have nothing to lose if both opinions match up for the good, and everything to gain if something that was missed is found, which does happen. Early diagnosis is key," she said.

Wilson made her Broadway debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago in 2006 and has been in Dinner With Friends in Los Angeles and Boston.

Wilson is mother to two children with husband Tom Hanks.

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q relaunches on CBC Radio with live show, new host, Shad, and new look

Shadrach Kabango, the Juno award winning hip-hop artist better known as Shad, kicks off his role as the new host of CBC Radio's revamped arts and culture program next week with a live show under the program's refreshed banner.

Q, is relaunching on April 20 with a special two-hour broadcast in front of a live audience at Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, the broadcaster announced Wednesday.

Shad's first day behind the mic will feature a number of live performances and a diverse line-up of guests, including:

• American comedian and WTF podcast host Marc Maron
• Juno Award-winning Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq
• Canadian pianist Chilly Gonzalez
• Canadian singer/songwriter Afie Jurvanen, better known as Bahamas

Canadian singer/songwriter Afie Jurvanen — better known as Bahamas — will also perform an acoustic tune and talk about an exciting new project he's been working on for q, says CBC.

The show is already sold out, but there will be a rush line for those who didn't get advance tickets.

Fans in Toronto who couldn't get tickets also are invited to watch it at a live public screening in CBC's atrium, starting at 8:45 a.m. ET.

Ticket holders must be in their seats by 8:45 a.m. ET with the doors opening a half-hour before.

Listeners across the country can catch the livestream on CBC.ca/q from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET. The broadcast will also air in its traditional slot on CBC Radio One starting at 10 a.m. (10:30 NT). 

Shadrach Kabango, the Juno Award-winning hip-hop artist better known as Shad, takes his spot behind the mic on q, CBC Radio's daily arts and culture show, for the first time with a live show on April 20. Guests include American comedian Marc Maron and Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq. (CBC)

Q fans will notice a number of changes as CBC producers attempt to spruce up the popular radio program. For one, instead of show's upper case "Q," the show's brand will now use a lower case version of the letter.

Other visual changes to come include a redesigned studio space using a new colour palette. Listeners can also expect to hear new sounds on the broadcast, including new audio signatures and a new opening theme song.

"We can't reveal the artist yet, but suffice it to say we're big fans," says the show's official blog.

Shad, 32, was chosen to replace Jian Ghomeshi who was dismissed in October after managers said they viewed "graphic evidence" that Ghomeshi had physically injured a woman. The former host is currently facing sexual assault charges.

Cindy Witten, interim executive director of CBC Radio and Audio, said Shad fulfilled their desire to have an "original thinker" and "a good conversationalist" behind the mic.

Born in Kenya to Rwandan parents, Shad was raised in London, Ont., and went on to earn a business degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a master's degree in liberal studies from Simon Fraser University.

q airs weekdays on CBC Radio One at 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. (10:30 NT), on Sirius XM at 10 a.m., 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. (ET) each day. 

In the U.S., q is broadcast in 165 cities through PRI and reaches a weekly audience of over 1 million people, the broadcaster said.

For more information about the show, or to listen to past episodes, see the official q website.

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Reluctant witness won't ID Suge Knight as driver who ran over, killed man

Former rap mogul Marion (Suge) Knight appears in court in Los Angeles on April 8. (Irfan Khan/Pool/Reuters)

A man who Marion (Suge) Knight ran over told authorities he was mad at the former rap music mogul and punched him through the window of the truck before an encounter that left his friend dead.

Cle (Bone) Sloan testified Monday about the day he and friend Terry Carter were hit by a pickup truck driven by Knight, the co-founder of Death Row Records.

But Sloan refused to identify Knight as the man behind the wheel when he was struck outside a Compton burger stand on Jan. 29. He said he didn't remember specifics of the fight and does not want to be a "snitch."

"I will not be used to send Suge Knight to prison," Sloan, an adviser on the upcoming film Straight Outta Compton, said, adding that he was only on the stand because he was subpoenaed.

Knight, 49, was a key player in the gangsta rap scene that flourished in the 1990s, and his label once listed Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg among its artists. Knight lost control of the company after it was forced into bankruptcy. He has prior felony convictions for armed robbery and assault with a gun. He pleaded no contest in 1995 and was sentenced to five years' probation for assaulting two rap entertainers at a Hollywood recording studio in 1992.

Sloan's testimony was offered during a preliminary hearing Monday during which a judge will determine whether there's enough evidence for Knight to stand trial on murder, attempted murder, and hit-and-run charges. Authorities contend Knight intentionally hit Sloan and Carter. But Knight's attorney Matt Fletcher says his client was ambushed and was trying to escape an attack when he hit the men.

Superior Court Judge Ronald Coen recessed the hearing and said it would resume Thursday morning, when he will rule on whether the case should go to trial.

Sloan suffered two fractured ankles, a serious cut to his head, two torn ligaments in his knees and a shoulder injury.

"Every day, I try to forget it," Sloan said. "I just know, I screwed up, and Terry's dead."

Sloan's memory troubles prompted Coen to comment at one point on his testimony, "I find that this witness is being deceptive."

Sloan's faltering memory on the witness stand was contrasted by a lucid account of the events that led to his injuries with detectives on Jan. 29. In an hour-long recorded interview, Sloan quickly recalled details and told detectives how he attacked Knight twice in the burger stand parking lot. He told detectives that Knight told him he was going to kill him after he Sloan landed a blow, and said he responded, "Not today."

He told detectives he wanted justice and would testify, but that he didn't want to "be the guy who says [Knight] killed Terry," according to audio of the interviewed played in court.

Sloan's conflicting statements show the difficulty of prosecuting Knight, who was once of the music industry's most feared names and who prosecutors say has a history of witness intimidation.

Coen also watched several minutes of surveillance video from outside the burger stand, including the moments when Knight's truck ran over Sloan and Carter.

Sloan agreed when Knight's attorney asked him whether he attacked Knight, who hadn't been violent toward him.

The former gang member-turned-film consultant planned to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during part of his testimony, but a prosecutor granted him limited immunity. Afterward, Sloan said he still did not remember what occurred before his confrontation with Knight.

He denied he brought a gun to the fight, as Fletcher and one of Knight's previous attorneys have suggested.

He was sentenced in February 1997 to prison for violating terms of that probation by taking part in a fight at a Las Vegas hotel hours before Shakur was fatally wounded in a drive-by attack as he rode in Knight's car just east of the Las Vegas Strip. Shakur's slaying remains unsolved.

Knight faces up to life in prison if convicted of killing Carter. Knight is being held on $25 million US bail, an amount Fletcher has argued is excessive.

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'I feel beautiful,' says Pink, shutting down critics 'concerned' about her weight

Pink arrives for the John Wayne 30th Annual Odyssey Ball at Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel on April 11, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California. The Stupid Girls singer has taken to Twitter to tell critics that she's beautiful despite their "concern" about her weight. (Gabriel Olsen/Getty)

Pink has posted an open letter for so-called fans who seemed "concerned" about the singer's weight after she appeared at a cancer benefit this weekend in Beverly Hills.

The 35-year-old American pop star, whose 2006 song Stupid Girls poked fun at celebrity beauties, received less than flattering comments after she was photographed Saturday in a black cocktail dress at the John Wayne 30th Annual Odyssey Ball.

But the mother of one refused to take the fat shaming comments in silence, telling critics "While I admit that that dress didn't photograph as well as it did in my kitchen, I will also admit that I felt very pretty. In fact, I feel beautiful."

Can't see the tweet? See it here.

"I'm perfectly fine, perfectly happy and my healthy, voluptuous and crazy strong body is having some much deserved time off," Pink tweeted Sunday.

"Thanks for your concern," she wrote, signing the note "Love, cheesecake."

Pink's self-love missive inspired an outpouring of support from her fans, who shared pictures of their bodies with the pop star.

The singer, who is married to professional motocross racer Carey Hart, took time to respond to their messages, re-posting some of them to her 26 million followers.

She also shared a photo of herself in the black dress, posing with her daughter Willow, adding the caption:

"Willow said to me the other day whilst grabbing my belly-"mama-why r u so squishy?"And I said.."b/cuz I'm happy baby"

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