George Michael on Sunday became the first pop singer to play a gig at the Paris Opera, with a special gala concert backed by a symphony orchestra for the AIDS-related charity Sidaction.
The British star, on top form and fully recovered from a bout of pneumonia which forced him to postpone his Symphonica tour of the UK and Europe last year, filled the majestic 2,000-seat Palais Garnier, management said.
He performed a selection of his biggest hits and American standards before the swaying crowd, winding up with an explosive finale of Freedom and White Light.
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透。
Tickets for the concert went at up to 1,300 euros (NT$50,000) with a special dinner thrown in. An auction raised 68,000 euros, with a dinner for six with George Michael at his London home bringing in 31,000 euros.
After the show some 250 celebrities met George Michael at the invitation of organizers Line Renaud and Pierre Berge.
Berge, the companion of late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and co-founder of Sidaction, declared: “The only vaccine against AIDS is the condom” while singer and entertainer Renaud praised George Michael as having always promoted “sex without risks.”
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透。
The concert and dinner swelled the coffers of Sidaction by some 289,000 euros.
(AFP)
喬治‧麥可週日在一場為慈善團體「愛滋防治行動」募款,並有交響樂團加持的一場特別演出中開唱,讓他成為首位以搖滾樂登上巴黎歌劇院演出的流行歌手。
經紀公司表示,這位身體狀況佳且已從去年大病中痊癒的英國巨星,擠滿建築雄偉的加尼葉歌劇院(巴黎歌劇院的別名),其內有兩千個座位的觀眾席。麥可去年因罹患肺炎,致使他不得不將英國與歐洲名為的「Symphonica」巡迴演唱延期。
他在搖擺著的群眾面前,演出他選出的幾首最暢銷歌曲與美國標準歌曲,並以「自由」與「白光」成為爆炸性的壓軸曲目作結束。
這場演唱會最高票價為一千三百歐元(約新台幣五萬元),包括一份特別的晚餐。一場拍賣會募得六萬八千歐元,其中募得的三萬一千歐元,則是有六人可與喬治‧麥可在其倫敦住處共進晚餐。
演出結束後,大約有兩百五十位名流在主辦人皮埃爾‧貝爾傑與麗娜‧雷諾的邀請下,與喬治‧麥可見面。
「愛滋防治行動」共同創始人貝爾傑聲明表示:「防治愛滋病的唯一疫苗就是保險套。」貝爾傑也是已故時裝設計師伊夫‧聖羅蘭的伴侶。而歌手兼藝人的雷諾則對於喬治‧麥可一貫提倡「安全性行為」的做法,表示讚揚。
這場演唱會與餐會讓「愛滋防治行動」募得二十八萬九千歐元的大筆款項。
(法新社/翻譯:林亞蒂)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too