Stars turn out to push for relief donations
Pittsburgh running back Le’Veon Bell tweeted during his preseason contract holdout that he might have to apply for a job at Dairy Queen and the store obliged. The Associated Press
LONDON — A late Picasso portrait of his paramour Jacqueline Roque is going up for auction for the first time, with an estimated price of up to $30 million, Christie’s auction house said. Christie’s will offer “Femme accroupie ( Jacqueline)” — Crouching Woman (Jacqueline) — at a Nov. 13 sale in New York.
Painted in October 1954, the portrait hung for years in Picasso’s private collection and has rarely been seen in public. Christie’s global president, Jussi Pylkkanen, says it is “a museum- quality painting” of “one of Picasso’s most elegant muses.” Roque was married to the artist from 1961 until his death in 1973.
The painting is one three portraits Picasso painted of Roque in his studio in the south of France on Oct. 8, 1954, all showing her crouched with arms around her knees. The boldly colored painting shows the influence of the colorful Ed Rieker / AP Images for Dairy Queen cutouts of Henri Matisse, who died later that year.
It is being sold from a private collection, and Christie’s estimates it will fetch $ 20 million to $ 30 million. The painting will be on public display at Christie’s London showroom from Saturday until Tuesday.
Picasso was one of the most acclaimed, and prolific, artists of the 20th century. His 1955 work “Les femmes d’Alger” sold in 2015 for $179 million — a record for a painting at auction.
— Urged on by dozens of stars who turned out to sing, tell stories and plead for support for hurricane victims in a onehour televised benefit, organizers said more than $ 44 million was raised Tuesday and donations are still being accepted.
With Stevie Wonder singing “Lean on Me” and Usher and Blake Shelton joining for “Stand By Me,” the message was clear: Americans were being asked to help those whose lives were upended by wind and rain.
Justin Bieber, George Clooney, Barbra Streisand, Al Pacino, Lupita Nyong’o, Jay Leno and dozens of others sat at phone banks to accept donations. Beyonce, Will Smith and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson sent in taped pleas for support during the event, shown on more than a dozen television networks and online simultaneously.
Originally conceived as a benefit for victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, the “Hand in Hand” telethon was expanded to help people in Florida and the Caribbean devastated in recent days by Irma.
“We’re here to raise money, lift some spirits,” said Jamie Foxx, standing with actor Leonardo DiCaprio. “When tough times hit, this is who we are. We’re compassionate. We’re unstoppable.”
Hollywood talent manager Scooter Braun, who organized the event with Houston rap artist Bun B, said that after the show, all the celebrities manning the phone banks stayed to take more calls. “No one left,” he said. “Everyone just kept answering phones and answering phones and answering phones. People want to give. Like, people want to help. And you don’t have to be a celebrity to do it.”
For many of the stars, the storms hit close to home.
“I have family in Puerto Rico. I have family in Miami. I’ve been on the road. I haven’t been able to be there. So you can imagine how it’s been,” “Despacito” singer Luis Fonsi said after the show, adding that all his family, including his wife and young children in Miami, survived the storm and are safe.
“Helpless — helpless is an understatement,” Fonsi said of being on tour and unable to be with his family. He noted that his experience paled in comparison to the pain the storms have caused for many.
“You can imagine how frustrating it is to not be able to sort of protect your own family,” he said. “Imagine all of these people that have nothing to do. The videos that you see online. So as an artist, as a singer, I think it’s part of our job, it’s part of our resume, to take time off and come together and do these kind of things.”
The quick-moving show took a form familiar to viewers since a sad template was set in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Celebrities requested donations, told heartwarming survival stories involving people caught in the storm and sang songs. Several organizations will benefit, including the United Way and Save the Children.
Stages in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville, Tennessee, were filled simultaneously, although the night’s final performance — a tribute to Texans by George Strait, Robert Earl Keen, Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert and Lyle Lovett — originated from San Antonio.
MEDFORD, N. J. — Engine problems caused a helicopter crash last week that killed Montgomery Gentry singer Troy Gentry and the pilot, according to a preliminary report issued by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The pilot, James Evan Robinson, reported shortly after takeoff Friday that the aircraft was experiencing mechanical problems.
After discussing the issue with experts on the ground, Robinson decided to stop the engine and perform an autorotation — a familiar procedure he had performed numerous times in the past — that would glide the helicopter down to a runway at the Flying W Airport in Medford.
The helicopter, though, soon went down and crashed in a wooded area near the airport.
The 50-year-old Gentry was half of the awardwinning country music duo Montgomery Gentry. The crash occurred hours before they were due to perform at a resort housed at the airport, and the NTSB report said Gentry had taken the flight for pleasure before the show.
Members of the band including the other half of the duo, Eddie Montgomery, were at the airport when the crash occurred.
Gentry was born in Lexington, Kentucky, where he met Montgomery and they formed an act based off their surnames.
Montgomery Gentry had success on the country charts and country radio in the 2000s, scoring No. 1 hits with “Roll With Me,” “Back When I Knew It All,” “Lucky Man,” “Something to Be Proud Of” and “If You Ever Stop Loving Me.” Some of the songs even cracked the Top 40 on the pop charts.
The band mixed country music with Southern rock. It was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2009. It released its debut album, “Tattoos & Scars,” in 1999.
Gentry is survived by his wife, Angie, and daughters Taylor and Kaylee.
A public memorial ceremony for him was planned at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.