Culture Lane

Cate to head Cannes film fest jury

Cate Blanchett, a two-time Oscar-winning actor who is prominent in a Hollywood campaign to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace, will head the jury at this year’s Cannes film festival, organisers said on Thursday. Blanchett was one of 300 influential women in Hollywood who launched the Time’s Up initiative this week, in response to a string of sexual assault accusations against prominent men in the film industry. The Australian actor will become the 12th woman to lead the prestigious panel at Cannes, which kicks off on May 8.

“We’re very pleased to welcome a rare and unique artist with talent and conviction,” Cannes president Pierre Lescure and delegate general Thierry Fremaux said in a joint statement. “Our conversations this autumn convince us she will be a committed president, and a passionate and generous spectator.”

The choice of Blanchett, who was named best actress at the 2014 Academy Awards for her role in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, will be seen as politically charged after a year in which the sexual harassment scandal surrounding Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein sparked a deluge of allegations against powerful men in entertainment, politics and the media.

Shortly after the Harvey Weinstein story broke in October, she lent her public support to his accusers; he now faces claims of a string of sexual assaults and rapes from more than one hundred accusers.

Removing Spacey a ‘business decision’

Ridley Scott’s removal of Kevin Spacey from his new movie All the Money in the World was a business decision, he has told the Guardian. In an exclusive interview, the 80-year-old director explains how he acted as soon as allegations of Spacey’s sexual misconduct came to light, last October. “My decision was almost immediate. I said, ‘We need to redo this,’” he recalls. “I didn’t agonise. I never dwell on a problem, only the solution.”

Scott said the commercial impact the revelations against Spacey could have had on the $40m film were uppermost in his mind. The film had been completed and was set for release in December, and Scott was happy with Spacey’s performance, he says: “I got on very well with him. He’s a very good actor, great fun to work with.” But when other actors came forward with allegations of sexual abuse and inappropriate behaviour by the Oscar winner, Scott feared toxic publicity could kill the film. “At some point, somebody will say, ‘Let’s not put the film out,’” Scott says. “It would infect the movie to the extent that we’d eventually decide not to sell it.”

Spacey has not denied the accusations, two of which are being investigated by UK police, though he has apologised for some claims not to remember others, and is seeking “evaluation and treatment”, according to a statement he made in November.

Coachella 2018 lineup announced

Coachella, the two-weekend Californian event that traditionally kicks off the summer’s festival season, has announced the lineup for its 2018 edition. Beyoncé will headline on April 14 and 21, in her first live shows since her Formation world tour in 2016. The R&B star took 2017 off from live performance after giving birth to her twins Rumi and Sir, and the Coachella announcement will further fuel rumours she is gearing up to release new material.

The other two headliners are Eminem, performing in the wake of his comeback album Revival reaching No 1 in both the US and UK, and the Weeknd, who may also have new material incoming following his successful 2016 album Starboy.

Chart-dominating rappers such as Cardi B, Migos and Post Malone will also appear at Coachella, as will buzz bands Portugal. The Man, Haim and the War on Drugs; electronic acts include Odesza, Kygo and Jamiroquai. The lineup skews towards hipster-friendly contemporary artists, but there are some heritage acts in the form of David Byrne, Chic and Jean-Michel Jarre.