PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
Viggo Mortensen to kick off film fest in his New York hometown
Viggo Mortensen will return to his northern New York hometown this month to kick off a film festival with a screening of his 2016 movie “Captain Fantastic.”
Organizers of the Snowtown Film Festival say the actor will be in Watertown on Jan. 27 for the screening, which will be preceded by a red carpet and followed by a panel session featuring Mortensen. Mortensen graduated from Watertown High School and St. Lawrence University in northern New York. His other films include “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “A History of Violence.”
He has been nominated for multiple awards for his starring role in “Captain Fantastic.” He plays the father of six children faced with suddenly coping with society after being raised off the grid in the Pacific Northwest forests.
BMI removes Kim Burrell from gospel event over remarks
The performing rights organization BMI is the latest group to distance itself from gospel singer Kim Burrell after video surfaced of her referring to gays and lesbians as perverted.
A statement from BMI released Friday said Burrell will no longer be honored and she was pulled from their annual BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music event scheduled for Jan. 14 in Atlanta.
The organization said it wanted the focus to remain on the songwriters and the music.
TV host Ellen DeGeneres also disinvited Burrell from appearing on her show, where she was scheduled to sing “I See Victory” with Pharrell Williams from the soundtrack of the new movie “Hidden Figures.”