Starr elected to Hall of Fame yet again
HOLLYWOOD star Ben Affleck requested that the PBS documentary series Finding Your Roots not reveal he had a slave- owning ancestor, according to emails published online by WikiLeaks.
PBS and Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, host of the show that traces the ancestry of well- known guests, said in separate statements that they didn’t censor the slave- owner details.
Instead, more interesting ancestors of the US actor emerged and Gates chose to highlight them in October’s segment featuring Affleck, they said.
“For any guest, we always find far more stories about ancestors on their family trees than we ever possibly could use,” Gates said in an emailed statement.
He said finding slave- owning ancestors was very common. In Affleck’s case, “we decided to go with the story we used about his fascinating ancestor who became an occultist following the Civil War. This guy’s story was totally unusual.”
The email chain between Gates and Sony Pictures cochairman and chief executive Michael Lynton was part of a trove of hundreds of thousands of emails and documents from last year’s Sony hack that WikiLeaks put into a searchable online archive on Thursday.
In their email exchange, Gates asks Lynton for advice on how to handle Affleck’s request.
The two seem to decide that censoring the information was a bad idea. If it became public, Gates wrote, “it would embarrass him and compromise our integrity. I think he is getting very bad advice.” THE Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is welcoming its newest class, featuring a Beatle, three punks from California and a guitar god from Texas.
Ringo Starr, who found unexpected stardom as a frontman after the Beatles broke up, was honoured on Saturday night as the hall inducted an eclectic group of musicians who have influenced generations.
Starr, previously enshrined with the Beatles in 1988, was inducted along with pop punks Green Day, soul singersongwriter Bill Withers, underground- rock icon Lou Reed, bluesy guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and The “5” Royales.
Adored by fans, Starr was the steady beat behind the world’s most celebrated group and the 74- year- old is the last of the Beatles to have his work outside the band recognised. Starr is being inducted by Paul McCartney, whose influence helped get his former drummer enshrined. Starr put out a string of pop hits, including It Don’t Come Easy, Photograph and You’re Sixteen.
He may not have had the musical chops or artistry of the other Beatles, but Starr managed to stay in the limelight and still tours with his All- Star Band.
McCartney told Rolling Stone magazine that he and Lennon wrote songs that featured Starr to keep their fans happy.
“We wrote the line, ‘ What would you do if I sang out of tune?’ for him,” said McCartney, referencing the opening line to With A Little Help From My Friends.
‘‘ When you think about it, how many people in rock and roll can sing? But Ringo can deliver a song.”
The ceremony was held at Cleveland’s legendary Public Hall, where thousands of fans screamed I Love Rock and Roll along with Jett.
Jett helped found The Runaways, a band who broke down barriers for women in rock. With The Blackhearts she did even more with a loud, unapologetic style that empowered both girls and boys.