LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In the new film drama 'Arbitrage,' Richard Gere brings shady Wall Street dealings to the big screen as a hedge fund titan trying to cover up huge losses from a risky copper investment.
The scheming recalls real-life scandals and high-flying bankers who made headlines and brought populist scorn to Wall Street during the recent financial crisis. While the public may be hungry to watch the downfall of a greedy banker, Gere's character in the movie that opens in U.S. theaters on Friday isn't an all-around bad guy.
Fictional billionaire Robert Miller 'is not an evil person,' insists the 63-year-old star of 'Pretty Woman' and 'Chicago.' But, Gere admits, the chief executive officer does 'spend his life believing his own hubris' and, along the way, 'makes very bad decisions.'
Despite Miller's illegal misdeeds and immense wealth, audiences see a humanness they relate to, Gere said. 'I've been delighted by how many people came up to me and said they felt bad because they identified with him so much and wanted him to get out of his problems,' the actor told Reuters.
Writer and director Nicholas Jarecki, who grew up in the world of high finance as the son of two New York commodities traders, said the character of Miller sprung from the 2008 financial crisis.
'Guys were being so vilified at that moment,' Jarecki said, and he wanted to explore how they made decisions within a system that tempts people with great rewards but bears immense risk. He describes 'Arbitrage' as 'the classic tragic tale of a good man gone wrong.'
PICTURE-PERFECT LIFE
The charming and ever-confident Miller in 'Arbitrage' basks in the spoils of his success - a fancy Manhattan home, beautiful wife (Susan Sarandon), loving children, young French mistress, and more money than a person needs.
The picture-perfect life is threatened after Miller loses $400 million of his client's money through an investment in a Russian copper mine. Used to always prevailing, he schemes to hide the losses with phony books and quickly sell his firm before the fraud comes to light.
Even worse, Miller is covering up another crime that leaves real blood on his hands, fearing it will threaten the sale of his company. To outwit a detective on his trail, he needs help from a young man at the opposite end of the economic ladder. Miller is so out-of-touch with his accomplice's world that he has to ask him, 'What's an Applebee's?'
When he created the financial-genius side of Miller's character, Jarecki said he drew on tycoons Warren Buffett, Richard Branson, and legendary hedge fund managers John Paulson and James Simons. But the investor closest to Miller, Gere said, is Jamie Dimon, the once-unimpeachable JP Morgan Chase chief executive who recently disclosed a $5.8 billion trading loss at his firm.
Like Dimon, Miller is 'someone who is known for always winning,' until one big bet goes wrong.
PLOT RINGS TRUE FOR TRADERS
Jarecki said he aimed to make an entertaining thriller rather than send any message about Wall Street. But if there were any lesson to be learned, he had concluded 'there is something in our blood that makes us go for (financial) bubbles,' he said.
'I think that's what this character personifies, this belief that the sky is the limit, and that it can go on forever,' Jarecki said. 'I think it can't.'
'Arbitrage' opens Friday in about 180 U.S. theaters. It also will be available through video-on-demand the same day, a strategy used last by distributors Lions Gate and Roadside Attractions that helped lift financial crimes movie 'Margin Call.'
Jarecki said his story resonated with a group of hedge fund managers who got an early look at the film in East Hampton, New York - a wealthy resort popular with the Wall Street crowd. One of the investors who had lost money on a copper trade told Jarecki: 'Your film has been a re-enactment of my personal nightmare.'
Others viewed it as a cautionary tale of what could go wrong. 'As a group, they said 'This film made me uneasy from beginning to end,'' Jarecki said. 'For me, that was incredibly fulfilling.'
(Reporting By Lisa Richwine, editing by Jill Serjeant and Philip Barbara)
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Friday, September 14, 2012
Boxing great Ali honored for fights outside the ring
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali was honored on Thursday for his humanitarian efforts and civil rights work at an awards ceremony in Philadelphia.
The $100,000 award called the Liberty Medal, sponsored by the nonprofit National Constitution Center, was presented to Ali by his daughter, Laila Ali, a former boxer herself.
Ali, 70, who has been silenced by a long battle with Parkinson's disease, was honored as an icon of constitutional ideals and the American dream, the center said.
He 'has been an outspoken fighter for religious and civil rights; a conscientious objector who took his battle to the Supreme Court and won; an ambassador for peace and justice worldwide, and a tireless humanitarian and philanthropist,' the center said in a statement.
'Muhammad Ali continues to this day to inspire young people throughout the world,' Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter told the ceremony.
Since he retired from boxing in 1981, Ali has worked on philanthropic and social causes around the world. He has made goodwill missions to Afghanistan and North Korea, delivered medical aid to Cuba, traveled to Iraq to secure release of 15 U.S. hostages during the first Gulf War, and most recently, worked for the eventual release of the three American hikers held captive in Iran, the center said in its statement.
'We are here today to honor a true champion of freedom,' David Eisner, the center's president and chief executive, told the audience.
Ali did not speak at the ceremony, held in the hometown of his bitter former rival Joe Frazier, who died of liver cancer last November. But his wife, Lonnie Ali, said he was 'deeply honored ... to be a beacon of liberty.'
(Writing by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Tom Brown and Philip Barbara)
This news article is brought to you by MOVIE CRITIC NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
The $100,000 award called the Liberty Medal, sponsored by the nonprofit National Constitution Center, was presented to Ali by his daughter, Laila Ali, a former boxer herself.
Ali, 70, who has been silenced by a long battle with Parkinson's disease, was honored as an icon of constitutional ideals and the American dream, the center said.
He 'has been an outspoken fighter for religious and civil rights; a conscientious objector who took his battle to the Supreme Court and won; an ambassador for peace and justice worldwide, and a tireless humanitarian and philanthropist,' the center said in a statement.
'Muhammad Ali continues to this day to inspire young people throughout the world,' Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter told the ceremony.
Since he retired from boxing in 1981, Ali has worked on philanthropic and social causes around the world. He has made goodwill missions to Afghanistan and North Korea, delivered medical aid to Cuba, traveled to Iraq to secure release of 15 U.S. hostages during the first Gulf War, and most recently, worked for the eventual release of the three American hikers held captive in Iran, the center said in its statement.
'We are here today to honor a true champion of freedom,' David Eisner, the center's president and chief executive, told the audience.
Ali did not speak at the ceremony, held in the hometown of his bitter former rival Joe Frazier, who died of liver cancer last November. But his wife, Lonnie Ali, said he was 'deeply honored ... to be a beacon of liberty.'
(Writing by Barbara Goldberg; Editing by Tom Brown and Philip Barbara)
This news article is brought to you by MOVIE CRITIC NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Neil Armstrong memorial packs Washington cathedral
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first person to set foot on the moon, was praised in a NASA memorial service at the National Cathedral on Thursday as a humble hero who led mankind into space.
Mourners who filled the vast Episcopal cathedral to mark Armstrong's death last month heard him eulogized as a dedicated team player who shunned the limelight for decades after piloting the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing.
'He embodied all that is good and all that is great about America. Neil, wherever you are, you again have shown us a way to the stars,' Eugene Cernan, the last man on the moon as the commander of the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, said in a tribute from the pulpit.
'As you soar through the heavens where even eagles dare not go, you can now truly put out your hand and touch the face of God.'
Armstrong, a former Navy flyer and test pilot, died at age 82 following complications from cardiovascular procedures. He is to be buried at sea on Friday at an undisclosed site.
Charles Bolden, the head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, said although Armstrong had been the first human to step on the moon, it was his courage and grace under pressure that had made him exceptional.
'We are standing on the shoulders of giants as we get ready to take the next steps into space,' said Bolden, a former astronaut.
At the close of the service, Bolden presented Armstrong's wife, Carol, the flag that had flown at half staff over the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on August 25, the day he died.
FLY ME TO THE MOON
The memorial service included the Navy hymn 'Eternal Father Strong To Save' sung by a white-clad Navy choir, a bagpiper playing 'Mist Covered Mountains' and a prayer read by Michael Collins, who was part of the Apollo 11 crew with Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
Accompanying herself on the piano, Grammy-winning jazz artist Diana Krall also sang the Frank Sinatra standard 'Fly Me to the Moon.'
'Fly me to the moon, let me swing among those stars, let me see what spring is like, on Jupiter and Mars,' Krall sang.
Cernan said Armstrong had always described himself as only the 'tip of the arrow' for 400,000 dedicated NASA workers involved in the space program.
As an example of Armstrong's low-key heroism, Cernan told of his response to a man who asked how he had felt when he was landing on the moon with only seconds of fuel remaining.
Armstrong had put a finger to his chin and replied, ''Well, when the gauge says empty we all know there is a gallon or two left over,'' Cernan said, drawing laughter from the audience.
The National Cathedral contains something of a memorial to Armstrong. One of its stained-glass windows, the Space Window, has a piece of moon rock presented by Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins in 1974.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Bill Trott)
This article is brought to you by MATCH.
Mourners who filled the vast Episcopal cathedral to mark Armstrong's death last month heard him eulogized as a dedicated team player who shunned the limelight for decades after piloting the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing.
'He embodied all that is good and all that is great about America. Neil, wherever you are, you again have shown us a way to the stars,' Eugene Cernan, the last man on the moon as the commander of the 1972 Apollo 17 mission, said in a tribute from the pulpit.
'As you soar through the heavens where even eagles dare not go, you can now truly put out your hand and touch the face of God.'
Armstrong, a former Navy flyer and test pilot, died at age 82 following complications from cardiovascular procedures. He is to be buried at sea on Friday at an undisclosed site.
Charles Bolden, the head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, said although Armstrong had been the first human to step on the moon, it was his courage and grace under pressure that had made him exceptional.
'We are standing on the shoulders of giants as we get ready to take the next steps into space,' said Bolden, a former astronaut.
At the close of the service, Bolden presented Armstrong's wife, Carol, the flag that had flown at half staff over the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston on August 25, the day he died.
FLY ME TO THE MOON
The memorial service included the Navy hymn 'Eternal Father Strong To Save' sung by a white-clad Navy choir, a bagpiper playing 'Mist Covered Mountains' and a prayer read by Michael Collins, who was part of the Apollo 11 crew with Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
Accompanying herself on the piano, Grammy-winning jazz artist Diana Krall also sang the Frank Sinatra standard 'Fly Me to the Moon.'
'Fly me to the moon, let me swing among those stars, let me see what spring is like, on Jupiter and Mars,' Krall sang.
Cernan said Armstrong had always described himself as only the 'tip of the arrow' for 400,000 dedicated NASA workers involved in the space program.
As an example of Armstrong's low-key heroism, Cernan told of his response to a man who asked how he had felt when he was landing on the moon with only seconds of fuel remaining.
Armstrong had put a finger to his chin and replied, ''Well, when the gauge says empty we all know there is a gallon or two left over,'' Cernan said, drawing laughter from the audience.
The National Cathedral contains something of a memorial to Armstrong. One of its stained-glass windows, the Space Window, has a piece of moon rock presented by Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins in 1974.
(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Bill Trott)
This article is brought to you by MATCH.
Eric Clapton to sell painting worth up to $19 million
LONDON (Reuters) - Should Eric Clapton ever decide to hang up the guitar, he might try his hand at art dealing.
The 67-year-old British rocker is selling an abstract painting by German artist Gerhard Richter at Sotheby's next month which is expected to fetch $14-19 million.
The price itself may raise barely an eyebrow in auction house circles, where Richter has long been one of the world's most sought after living painters with an auction record of $21.8 million set in New York in May.
But even amid soaring prices for top contemporary art, Clapton has done exceptionally well - the canvas on offer is one of three the former Cream musician acquired at Sotheby's in 2001 for a total cost of $3.4 million.
The work, more than two meters square and called 'Abstraktes Bild (809-4)', 'ranks alongside the very highest tier of Richter Abstracts housed in museums internationally,' said Sotheby's, which is selling it.
Clapton is no stranger to the auction room.
Only last year he sold more than 70 of his guitars at a charity auction in New York, raising $2.15 million for the Crossroads Centre drug and alcohol rehabilitation center founded by Clapton in Antigua.
The Richter will be among the top lots at the contemporary art evening auction in London on October 12, coinciding with the Frieze Art Fair which has become one of the biggest weeks in the global art market calendar.
Abstraktes Bild was one of four in the series created by Richter in the mid-1990s. Three were sold to Clapton 11 years ago and a fourth belongs to the joint collection of the Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland.
A year ago, Richter, who is now 80, called the art market 'daft', 'absurd' and 'impossible to understand'.
Nevertheless, values of rare works have risen sharply for much of the last five years, in spite of broader economic concerns, as collectors from emerging markets like the Middle East, Russia and China help drive prices higher.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)
This news article is brought to you by ECONOMY BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
The 67-year-old British rocker is selling an abstract painting by German artist Gerhard Richter at Sotheby's next month which is expected to fetch $14-19 million.
The price itself may raise barely an eyebrow in auction house circles, where Richter has long been one of the world's most sought after living painters with an auction record of $21.8 million set in New York in May.
But even amid soaring prices for top contemporary art, Clapton has done exceptionally well - the canvas on offer is one of three the former Cream musician acquired at Sotheby's in 2001 for a total cost of $3.4 million.
The work, more than two meters square and called 'Abstraktes Bild (809-4)', 'ranks alongside the very highest tier of Richter Abstracts housed in museums internationally,' said Sotheby's, which is selling it.
Clapton is no stranger to the auction room.
Only last year he sold more than 70 of his guitars at a charity auction in New York, raising $2.15 million for the Crossroads Centre drug and alcohol rehabilitation center founded by Clapton in Antigua.
The Richter will be among the top lots at the contemporary art evening auction in London on October 12, coinciding with the Frieze Art Fair which has become one of the biggest weeks in the global art market calendar.
Abstraktes Bild was one of four in the series created by Richter in the mid-1990s. Three were sold to Clapton 11 years ago and a fourth belongs to the joint collection of the Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland.
A year ago, Richter, who is now 80, called the art market 'daft', 'absurd' and 'impossible to understand'.
Nevertheless, values of rare works have risen sharply for much of the last five years, in spite of broader economic concerns, as collectors from emerging markets like the Middle East, Russia and China help drive prices higher.
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)
This news article is brought to you by ECONOMY BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Olympic skater Kristi Yamaguchi launches fashion line
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Olympic figure skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi, 41, has launched a fashion line called Tsu.ya, featuring t-shirts, leggings, jackets and other active wear.
Yamaguchi spoke to Reuters about her post-skating career and life with her two daughters and her husband, retired professional hockey player Bret Hedican.
Q: What's behind the name Tsu.ya?
A: 'It's actually my middle name, and it was my grand-mother's name. I liked it because it's a nod to my Japanese heritage. We put the period in there because we thought it would break it up and make it easier to pronounce. And it looks good too.'
Q: Have you always been interested in fashion?
A: 'I'd always been interested in developing some type of line. Now as an active mom, I was looking for clothes that fit into my current lifestyle and could accommodate other busy women out there.'
Q: What makes your line of active wear different from others?
A: 'I wanted to infuse fashion into the active wear ... I wanted to do something feminine, something that could go from the gym to other areas of your life, whether you're running errands or carpooling the kids.
'I also wanted to create a brand that gave back to the community. A portion of the proceeds of Tsu.ya go back to my foundation, Always Dream Foundation, which supports childhood literacy.'
Q: Do you have a favorite item in the line?
A: 'There's this one jacket - part of the line is called Flirt and it has ruffles for the accents. I find myself wearing that jacket quite a bit. It's comfortable, lightweight and has a nice silhouette. The ruffles make it fun.'
Q: Do any of your girls exhibit your talent on the ice?
A: 'The younger one has been skating since last November and loves it. But I don't see a lot of me in her - she's just not very focused! (laughs) Also, she has a different body type and a different cadence on the ice than I did. But I could care less whether she ends up competing or not. I just like to see her smiling out there.'
Q: Do you find yourself resisting the urge to correct her?
A: 'Oh yeah, all the time! (laughs) And I do correct, but I'm not sure she listens!'
Q: When was the last time you were on the ice?
A: 'I haven't performed in almost three years. I never officially retired from the ice and don't want to because who knows what can happen? I would really have to change my lifestyle to spend more time in the rink and train if I wanted to perform again. As of now, I'm happy with the path I'm on.'
Q: You've teamed up with Smucker's Uncrustables sandwiches for a photo contest. What is that about?
A: 'People can submit photos to www.uncrustables.com of their family doing something fun with their sandwiches. Then they are eligible to win a $15,000 check towards a family vacation. ... It's all about being an 'unstoppable' family, which my husband and I consider ourselves to be, having kids and running from place to place.'
(Reporting By Zorianna Kit)
Yamaguchi spoke to Reuters about her post-skating career and life with her two daughters and her husband, retired professional hockey player Bret Hedican.
Q: What's behind the name Tsu.ya?
A: 'It's actually my middle name, and it was my grand-mother's name. I liked it because it's a nod to my Japanese heritage. We put the period in there because we thought it would break it up and make it easier to pronounce. And it looks good too.'
Q: Have you always been interested in fashion?
A: 'I'd always been interested in developing some type of line. Now as an active mom, I was looking for clothes that fit into my current lifestyle and could accommodate other busy women out there.'
Q: What makes your line of active wear different from others?
A: 'I wanted to infuse fashion into the active wear ... I wanted to do something feminine, something that could go from the gym to other areas of your life, whether you're running errands or carpooling the kids.
'I also wanted to create a brand that gave back to the community. A portion of the proceeds of Tsu.ya go back to my foundation, Always Dream Foundation, which supports childhood literacy.'
Q: Do you have a favorite item in the line?
A: 'There's this one jacket - part of the line is called Flirt and it has ruffles for the accents. I find myself wearing that jacket quite a bit. It's comfortable, lightweight and has a nice silhouette. The ruffles make it fun.'
Q: Do any of your girls exhibit your talent on the ice?
A: 'The younger one has been skating since last November and loves it. But I don't see a lot of me in her - she's just not very focused! (laughs) Also, she has a different body type and a different cadence on the ice than I did. But I could care less whether she ends up competing or not. I just like to see her smiling out there.'
Q: Do you find yourself resisting the urge to correct her?
A: 'Oh yeah, all the time! (laughs) And I do correct, but I'm not sure she listens!'
Q: When was the last time you were on the ice?
A: 'I haven't performed in almost three years. I never officially retired from the ice and don't want to because who knows what can happen? I would really have to change my lifestyle to spend more time in the rink and train if I wanted to perform again. As of now, I'm happy with the path I'm on.'
Q: You've teamed up with Smucker's Uncrustables sandwiches for a photo contest. What is that about?
A: 'People can submit photos to www.uncrustables.com of their family doing something fun with their sandwiches. Then they are eligible to win a $15,000 check towards a family vacation. ... It's all about being an 'unstoppable' family, which my husband and I consider ourselves to be, having kids and running from place to place.'
(Reporting By Zorianna Kit)
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Bob Dylan says plagiarism charges made by "wussies and pussies"
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bob Dylan has angrily responded to charges he plagiarized some of his lyrics, calling critics 'wussies and pussies' and saying musical appropriation is 'part of the folk tradition.'
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine for its Friday edition, the influential singer-songwriter made his first public comments on the accusations, saying that in folk and jazz music 'quotation is a rich and enriching tradition.'
'Everyone else can do it but not me,' he complained. 'There are different rules for me.'
Rolling Stone released excerpts of the interview on Wednesday and Reuters obtained a complete transcript.
In 2003, the Wall Street Journal reported that lyrics from Dylan's 2001 record 'Love and Theft' were remarkably similar to phrases in an obscure 1995 biography of a Japanese mobster.
A line from the biography, 'I'm not as cool or forgiving as I might have sounded' was compared to Dylan's 'I'm not quite as cool or forgiving as I sound.' Twelve such similar phrasings have been identified.
In 2006, the New York Times made similar claims about a Civil War era poet's phrasings and Dylan's 2006 record 'Modern Times.'
'I'm working within my art form,' the 71 year-old singer told Rolling Stone. 'It's that simple. ... It's called songwriting. It has to do with melody and rhythm, and then after that, anything goes. You make everything yours. We all do it.'
'These are the same people that tried to pin the name Judas on me,' Dylan added, referring to bitter 1960s folk fans who decried his move into electric guitar blues and famously compared the singer to the Biblical apostle who betrayed Jesus.
'Judas - the most hated name in human history!' he exclaimed. 'If you think you've been called a bad name, try to work your way out from under that. Yeah, and for what? For playing an electric guitar? As if that is in some kind of way equitable to betraying our Lord and delivering him up to be crucified. All those evil ... can rot in hell,' he said.
ART DIFFERENT FROM WRITING
Musical appropriation - using familiar cultural references or language in a new context - is different from non-fiction writing or journalism, said Sean Wilentz, a Princeton University professor of American history who has written extensively about Dylan.
'Of course it's legitimate,' Wilentz told Reuters on Wednesday of Dylan's use of others' material. 'Dylan's frame of reference is so much larger than most songwriters' - more literary, historical and philosophical.'
Wilentz said crediting bits and pieces of another's work is scholarly tradition, not an artistic tradition.
'Creating art is different, and always has been, especially the kind Dylan creates,' he said.
Dylan, who released 'Tempest,' his 35th studio album this week, has been scrutinized throughout his 50-year career, at least in part because he has proven so unpredictable and defied convention at virtually every turn.
In 2006, he stunned fans when he appeared in a sensuous Victoria's Secret commercial. In 1990, he released an album made up largely of children's nursery rhymes. In the late 1970s, the Jewish-raised Dylan embraced Christianity and sang only religious-themed music for several years.
In a 50-year career, he has won 11 Grammys, an Academy Award, a Pulitzer Prize, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and numerous other awards.
'I'm not like you,' he told the Rolling Stone interviewer at one point.
(Reporting By Chris Francescani; editing by Jill Serjeant and Todd Eastham)
This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine for its Friday edition, the influential singer-songwriter made his first public comments on the accusations, saying that in folk and jazz music 'quotation is a rich and enriching tradition.'
'Everyone else can do it but not me,' he complained. 'There are different rules for me.'
Rolling Stone released excerpts of the interview on Wednesday and Reuters obtained a complete transcript.
In 2003, the Wall Street Journal reported that lyrics from Dylan's 2001 record 'Love and Theft' were remarkably similar to phrases in an obscure 1995 biography of a Japanese mobster.
A line from the biography, 'I'm not as cool or forgiving as I might have sounded' was compared to Dylan's 'I'm not quite as cool or forgiving as I sound.' Twelve such similar phrasings have been identified.
In 2006, the New York Times made similar claims about a Civil War era poet's phrasings and Dylan's 2006 record 'Modern Times.'
'I'm working within my art form,' the 71 year-old singer told Rolling Stone. 'It's that simple. ... It's called songwriting. It has to do with melody and rhythm, and then after that, anything goes. You make everything yours. We all do it.'
'These are the same people that tried to pin the name Judas on me,' Dylan added, referring to bitter 1960s folk fans who decried his move into electric guitar blues and famously compared the singer to the Biblical apostle who betrayed Jesus.
'Judas - the most hated name in human history!' he exclaimed. 'If you think you've been called a bad name, try to work your way out from under that. Yeah, and for what? For playing an electric guitar? As if that is in some kind of way equitable to betraying our Lord and delivering him up to be crucified. All those evil ... can rot in hell,' he said.
ART DIFFERENT FROM WRITING
Musical appropriation - using familiar cultural references or language in a new context - is different from non-fiction writing or journalism, said Sean Wilentz, a Princeton University professor of American history who has written extensively about Dylan.
'Of course it's legitimate,' Wilentz told Reuters on Wednesday of Dylan's use of others' material. 'Dylan's frame of reference is so much larger than most songwriters' - more literary, historical and philosophical.'
Wilentz said crediting bits and pieces of another's work is scholarly tradition, not an artistic tradition.
'Creating art is different, and always has been, especially the kind Dylan creates,' he said.
Dylan, who released 'Tempest,' his 35th studio album this week, has been scrutinized throughout his 50-year career, at least in part because he has proven so unpredictable and defied convention at virtually every turn.
In 2006, he stunned fans when he appeared in a sensuous Victoria's Secret commercial. In 1990, he released an album made up largely of children's nursery rhymes. In the late 1970s, the Jewish-raised Dylan embraced Christianity and sang only religious-themed music for several years.
In a 50-year career, he has won 11 Grammys, an Academy Award, a Pulitzer Prize, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and numerous other awards.
'I'm not like you,' he told the Rolling Stone interviewer at one point.
(Reporting By Chris Francescani; editing by Jill Serjeant and Todd Eastham)
This news article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIPS ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Bill Murray as FDR? Yup, and the critics like it
TORONTO (Reuters) - Funnyman Bill Murray long ago mastered the ability to wring laughs by saying absurd things in a matter-of-fact tone, but even he was caught off guard when first approached to play Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the new film 'Hyde Park on Hudson.'
'I thought 'Oh God, I'm being asked to play Roosevelt?' ... How do you take this monster on?,' he said.
His decision to portray the 32nd U.S. president is looking like another shrewd move in a career that, at the age of 61, still may be on the upswing.
Premiering at the Toronto Film Festival this week, 'Hyde Park,' which will open in U.S. movie theaters on December 7 in the heat of the Oscar race, has earned Murray early awards buzz for his performance.
However, Murray, who admits to being disappointed at not winning the award in 2004 when he was nominated for 'Lost in Translation,' said he wasn't drawn to the role by the obvious Oscar-bait overtones of playing the polio-stricken president.
'There's an expression in Yiddish, schmuck bait,' he deadpanned.
'To me, an Oscar-type role, when I see those kinds of roles, I consider them schmuck bait. They're often sentimental, schmaltz. This one wasn't sentimental at all, because it's a sort of behind-the-curtain look.'
Named for the town in upstate New York where the Roosevelts kept their family home, the film takes place over the summer of 1939, as FDR prepares to host Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth for a visit that could set the stage for U.S.-British cooperation once war breaks out in Europe.
The story is told from the perspective of FDR's distant cousin Daisy, played by Laura Linney, who becomes a confidant and welcome distraction for the president.
The film covers similar ground to 'The King's Speech' two years ago, which also premiered in Toronto and went on to win Oscars for best picture and for Colin Firth's turn as the stuttering George VI.
While early reviews don't peg 'Hyde Park' to mirror that success, Murray's performance is being lauded as a possible contender for actor nods.
The Hollywood Reporter said Murray's take on FDR was 'credible and very entertaining', while Screen Daily said Murray's support could earn 'some awards season traction.'
ACT II
A win would be icing on the cake for an actor who has fashioned a remarkable second act of his career.
Once known for his success on 'Saturday Night Live' and movies such as 'Ghostbusters' and 'Groundhog Day,' Murray in the late 1990s starting taking on largely supporting roles in offbeat films, including several by indie favorite Wes Anderson.
He admits to taking a 'lazy' approach to his career these days, spending a liberal amount of time at home with his kids, and being happily difficult to access for producers eager to show him a screenplay.
'I fired my agent years ago and I got out of the grind of having someone throw a script at you every 40 days, lining them up,' he said.
'It's like people buying you drinks at the bar. You're always four behind and if you drink them all you're not even going to enjoy the prospect of doing it.'
But Murray still clearly loves the spotlight when he's in it, as evidenced by a news conference where he discussed the mix of British and U.S. perspectives on the film's set.
'I tried to behave as well as I could. We were working with English people, and that's a test,' he quipped.
'I still have a lot of revolutionary rage, and I just tried to put a damper on that. It was a difficult time for me, let's just leave it at that.'
In terms of any potential awards-season hardware, Murray said it isn't the trophy, but the chance to give a speech, that he would covet.
'The prize? You're the greatest actor? Not really. I know there are a lot of better actors than I am, but just getting up there to talk is fun. That's fun, that really is fun. To get up there and say this is your show for bit,' he said.
(Reporting By Cameron French, editing by Jill Serjeant and Leslie Gevirtz)
This news article is brought to you by MOVIE CRITIC NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
'I thought 'Oh God, I'm being asked to play Roosevelt?' ... How do you take this monster on?,' he said.
His decision to portray the 32nd U.S. president is looking like another shrewd move in a career that, at the age of 61, still may be on the upswing.
Premiering at the Toronto Film Festival this week, 'Hyde Park,' which will open in U.S. movie theaters on December 7 in the heat of the Oscar race, has earned Murray early awards buzz for his performance.
However, Murray, who admits to being disappointed at not winning the award in 2004 when he was nominated for 'Lost in Translation,' said he wasn't drawn to the role by the obvious Oscar-bait overtones of playing the polio-stricken president.
'There's an expression in Yiddish, schmuck bait,' he deadpanned.
'To me, an Oscar-type role, when I see those kinds of roles, I consider them schmuck bait. They're often sentimental, schmaltz. This one wasn't sentimental at all, because it's a sort of behind-the-curtain look.'
Named for the town in upstate New York where the Roosevelts kept their family home, the film takes place over the summer of 1939, as FDR prepares to host Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth for a visit that could set the stage for U.S.-British cooperation once war breaks out in Europe.
The story is told from the perspective of FDR's distant cousin Daisy, played by Laura Linney, who becomes a confidant and welcome distraction for the president.
The film covers similar ground to 'The King's Speech' two years ago, which also premiered in Toronto and went on to win Oscars for best picture and for Colin Firth's turn as the stuttering George VI.
While early reviews don't peg 'Hyde Park' to mirror that success, Murray's performance is being lauded as a possible contender for actor nods.
The Hollywood Reporter said Murray's take on FDR was 'credible and very entertaining', while Screen Daily said Murray's support could earn 'some awards season traction.'
ACT II
A win would be icing on the cake for an actor who has fashioned a remarkable second act of his career.
Once known for his success on 'Saturday Night Live' and movies such as 'Ghostbusters' and 'Groundhog Day,' Murray in the late 1990s starting taking on largely supporting roles in offbeat films, including several by indie favorite Wes Anderson.
He admits to taking a 'lazy' approach to his career these days, spending a liberal amount of time at home with his kids, and being happily difficult to access for producers eager to show him a screenplay.
'I fired my agent years ago and I got out of the grind of having someone throw a script at you every 40 days, lining them up,' he said.
'It's like people buying you drinks at the bar. You're always four behind and if you drink them all you're not even going to enjoy the prospect of doing it.'
But Murray still clearly loves the spotlight when he's in it, as evidenced by a news conference where he discussed the mix of British and U.S. perspectives on the film's set.
'I tried to behave as well as I could. We were working with English people, and that's a test,' he quipped.
'I still have a lot of revolutionary rage, and I just tried to put a damper on that. It was a difficult time for me, let's just leave it at that.'
In terms of any potential awards-season hardware, Murray said it isn't the trophy, but the chance to give a speech, that he would covet.
'The prize? You're the greatest actor? Not really. I know there are a lot of better actors than I am, but just getting up there to talk is fun. That's fun, that really is fun. To get up there and say this is your show for bit,' he said.
(Reporting By Cameron French, editing by Jill Serjeant and Leslie Gevirtz)
This news article is brought to you by MOVIE CRITIC NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
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