Red carpets halted after Vegas shooting
In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting, Warner Bros. cancelled Tuesday’s red carpet for the gala Hollywood premiere of Blade Runner 2049, starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford.
“We join the rest of the country in sending heartfelt thoughts and prayers to all those affected by this tragedy,” said a statement from the film company.
The screening of the film was to go ahead Tuesday night.
Open Road films also cancelled red carpet festivities for Marshall, starring Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad and Kate Hudson, on Monday night, changing the event to a private screening for the cast, filmmakers and invited guests.
On Monday, Dancing With the Stars opened its live show with a message remembering the victims of the shooting. And the CW pushed the iHeartRadio Music Festival off its schedule this week, postponing the broadcast to a later date.
Meanwhile, organizers of the Route 91Harvest festival issued a statement Tuesday saying they are “completely devastated” by Sunday night’s shooting at the outdoor concert, which left 59 people dead and 527 wounded.
In a statement, Live Nation expressed sympathy and vowed not to let the events be forgotten.
The festival, held near the Mandalay Bay hotel, drew about 22,000 people for headliner Jason Aldean, who was performing as shots began Sunday at about 10 p.m. local time.
Aldean, like several other celebrities, has taken to social media to reflect on and mourn the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
“Something has changed in this country and in this world lately that is scary to see,” Aldean wrote.
“This world is becoming the kind of place I am afraid to raise my children in. At the end of the day, we aren’t Democrats or Republicans, whites or blacks, men or women. We are all humans and we are all Americans and it’s time to start acting like it and stand together as ONE!” USA Today
Refugee rock group cancels T.O. show
Songhoy Blues, a rock quartet from Timbuktu, Mali riding a wave of critical praise through their first two albums, has been forced to cancel its Toronto show on Tuesday night and the band says visa troubles are to blame.
The four-piece was slated to play the Mod Club on Oct. 3, but on Monday an update was posted on the event’s Facebook page:
“Songhoy Blues are sorry to announce the cancellation of our scheduled performance in Toronto on Tuesday 3rd October due to visa issues.
“Over the last week, our team has worked ceaselessly to try and resolve the issues threatening our entry to Canada but unfortunately on this occasion we’ve been unable to find a solution.”
Promoter Collective Concerts said refunds are available at point of purchase. The band, whose members met in refugee camps, had recently played New York and will play Chicago on Thursday.
Its latest album, Résistance, features guest vocals by Iggy Pop on one track. Garnet Fraser
Quebec artists diss Netflix deal
Canada’s French-language artist union says Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly’s funding deal with Netflix is becoming increasingly difficult to defend.
Union president Sophie Prégent said Tuesday after a meeting with the minister that Joly underestimated the anger her government’s new cultural policy would create among art- ists across the country.
Prégent says that Joly has favoured U.S. streaming giant Netflix over the country’s artistic communities.
She adds the government should modify current laws to ensure proper long-term funding for artistic productions in Canada.
The deal with Netflix sees the company investing $500 million over five years on Canadian productions, including $25 million in Canada’s francophone market.
Joly says she has the power to ensure the company fulfils its end of the bargain.
Netflix could reportedly face fines under the Finance Act of up to $10,000 per day if it doesn’t follow through.
Artists say the federal government is giving Netflix an unwarranted subsidy by not forcing the company to pay taxes like it does in many other countries around the world.