Latest news with #NationalMedalofArts
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jon Voight on Trump tariffs: ‘He wants us to be the Hollywood of old'
Jon Voight is speaking out about the tariff plan he said he presented to President Trump, saying the commander in chief is aiming to return Hollywood to a previous era through levies on international films. 'He wants us to be the Hollywood of old,' the 'Midnight Cowboy' star said of Trump in an interview with Variety published Wednesday. 'This shouldn't be political,' added Voight, 86. 'I don't know the political identities of the people we've talked to. We've talked to a lot of people here. I don't distinguish them on their party affiliation. And if we can come up with [a plan that can be executed], he'll back us,' the Academy Award winner said. Voight's remarks came on the heels of Trump's call on Sunday for a 100 percent tariff on foreign films. 'Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States,' Trump said on Truth Social, describing the issue as a 'national security threat.' Voight previously said that he and producer Steven Paul suggested the idea of tariffs on films made in other countries and presented it to Trump, before the president publicly floated the proposal this week. While many in both Hollywood and Washington expressed skepticism and criticism of Trump's tariff push, Voight told Variety he and Paul have 'gotten a lot of good responses from people.' Voight, one of the president's most prominent supporters in the entertainment industry who was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Trump in 2019, said, 'It's come to a point where we really do need help, and thank God the president cares about Hollywood and movies.' 'He has a great love for Hollywood in that way. We've got to roll up our sleeves here. We can't let it go down the drain like Detroit,' he said. Trump has repeatedly described a desire to return the arts and film and TV business to its 'golden age.' In January, Trump announced he was naming Voight and actors Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone to serve as 'special ambassadors' to Hollywood. 'These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!' he said at the time. Trump also utilized the term after, in an unprecedented move, he named himself chair of the Kennedy Center's board. 'I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,' he said in February. 'THE BEST IS YET TO COME!' Trump said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Hill
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
Jon Voight on Trump tariffs: ‘He wants us to be the Hollywood of old'
Jon Voight is speaking out about the tariff plan he said he presented to President Trump, saying the commander in chief is aiming to return Hollywood to a previous era with the levies on international films. 'He wants us to be the Hollywood of old,' the 'Midnight Cowboy' star said of Trump in an interview with Variety published Wednesday. 'This shouldn't be political,' added Voight, 86. 'I don't know the political identities of the people we've talked to. We've talked to a lot of people here. I don't distinguish them on their party affiliation. And If we can come up with [a plan that can be executed], he'll back us,' the Academy Award winner said. Voight's remarks came on the heels of Trump's call on Sunday for a 100 percent tariff on foreign films. 'Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States,' Trump said on Truth Social, describing the issue as a 'national security threat.' Voight had previously said that he and producer Steven Paul suggested the idea for tariffs on films made in other countries and presented it to Trump, before the president publicly floated the proposal this week. While many in both Hollywood and Washington expressed skepticism and criticism about Trump's tariff push, Voight told Variety he and Paul have 'gotten a lot of good response from people.' Voight, one of the president's most prominent supporters in the entertainment industry who was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Trump in 2019, said, 'It's come to a point where we really do need help, and thank God the president cares about Hollywood and movies.' 'He has a great love for Hollywood in that way. We've got to roll up our sleeves here. We can't let it go down the drain like Detroit,' he said. Trump has repeatedly described a desire to return the arts and film and TV business to its 'golden age.' In January, Trump announced he was naming Voight and actors Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone to serve as 'special ambassadors' to Hollywood. 'These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!' he said at the time. Trump also utilized the term after, in an unprecedented move, he named himself chairman of the Kennedy Center's board. 'I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture,' he said in February. 'THE BEST IS YET TO COME!' Trump said.
Daily Mail
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Angelina Jolie's father Jon Voight pitches wild plan to Trump to turn Hollywood MAGA after he was named 'special ambassador'
Hollywood royalty Jon Voight has already got to work on bringing MAGA to to liberal Los Angeles in his role as a 'special ambassador' to Tinseltown for Donald Trump. The Oscar-winner and father to starlet Angelina Jolie is part of a triumvirate of titans from the silver screen tasked with saving the film industry, alongside Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone. Voight has been an outspoken Trump backer. Trump awarded him the National Medal of Arts during his first term. After The LA Times reported Tuesday that they're still 'waiting for a call' from the three screen legends, Bloomberg discovered that Voight and manager Steven Paul are set to present their master plan to Trump as soon as next week. What they're working on goes beyond telling studios to cut down on ' woke ' content and more offering packages of tax breaks to film things in Hollywood again. 'It's important that we compete with what's going on around the world so there needs to be some sort of federal tax incentives,' Paul said. They want to incentivize improvements made all over Hollywood, including improvements to existing infrastructure and job training as well. Paul has noticed that states have begun to compete with one another to get things filmed in their territory so they may ask for a national program to keep production in America. 'It's been very, very difficult here. We're feeling the cries of people in town,' Paul added. A specific idea they may pitch to Trump, who has made several cameos in Hollywood films prior to his time in politics, is to adjust a part of the US tax code to allow faster deductions for Hollywood studios beyond the current $15million limit. Voight and Paul have met with studio executives, unions and state officials to add to their ides, SP Media Group President Scott Karol said. They're also likely to ask Trump to reward studios that build new infrastructure for filming with tax breaks. The group has pointed to New Jersey, which gave a 40 percent rebate to Netflix to build a massive sound stage in the Garden State. Paul is taking the effort seriously on his own part, moving productions of three upcoming films from overseas back to Los Angeles. Trump announced in January the movie legends will serve as 'Special Ambassadors' to Hollywood, an apparently new post for outreach. 'It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,' he wrote on Truth Social. 'They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE! 'These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!' All have been seen in Trump's orbit recently. Stallone introduced Trump at Mar-a-Lago for his first speech after winning the election in November. Gibson revealed his support for Trump in a video days before the election – while also going negative and unloading on VP Kamala Harris. 'I know what it'll be like if we let her in. And that ain't good. Miserable track record. No policies to speak of. She's got the IQ of a fence post,' Gibson said. The 'Road Warrior' and 'The Passion of the Christ' star said he was 'ashamed' of his comments after he was caught on tape giving an antisemitic rant in 2006 during a DUI arrest following a traffic stop. All three provided vital Hollywood support to Trump during an election campaign where Harris was mopping up celebrity endorsements and campaign contributions. Although he called Hollywood a 'troubled place,' Trump's statement did not directly refer to the fires ravaging parts of Los Angeles and forcing mass evacuations. In addition to the human toll and massive property loss, the destruction has drawn cost estimates as high as $250 million, and even the Oscars are in doubt this season. The L.A. film industry has been losing job share to other parts of the U.S., amid competing film incentive programs and high living costs there. The industry has also contended with the COVID pandemic, strikes, and foreign competition. Production in the Greater L.A. area dropped 5 percent in the third quarter of last year in a 'lackluster' performance, according to Film L.A. The box office take last year dropped to $8.7 billion, down 3 percent from the year before, Variety reported.
Miami Herald
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Woman celebrates her 100th birthday with family she lovingly guided to success
This year's Women's History Month brought me an email about a determined woman who recently celebrated her 100th birthday. It's always uplifting to hear the stories of people in our community who have persevered through it all. And especially when they reach 100 years old. Andrea Tai lovingly told me about her mother-in-law, Isemenia Tai. 'I am writing to share the story of a remarkable woman,' she said before gratefully acknowledging the accomplishments of a life. Isemenia was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in February 1925 and was a small business owner there until she came to this country as an immigrant in 1978, Andrea Tai said. 'Against any number of odds, Isemenia raised six children and four stepchildren and cared for numerous grandchildren, guiding them all with a firm but loving hand with second husband Michael Tai. 'Although she never finished high school herself, she doggedly secured excellent educations for her children, many of whom became professionals. 'One son, Lloyd Tai, was the chief operating officer of now-defunct Air Jamaica. My husband is director of artists and repertory at New World Records. Another son, Karl Tai-Loy, runs a martial arts school in Jamaica, while other children and grandchildren have become doctors, nurses and professionals in an array of technical and artistic fields,' she said. Andrea Tai said her mother-in-law was tragically widowed in July 2000, when a hit-and-run accident took her husband's life. 'But she remains undaunted. At the age of 100, my mother-in-law still lives independently in the same home she's lived in since first coming to Miami, rising each morning at 6 a.m. to tend her garden, where she raises flowers, fruits and vegetables.' On Feb. 8, friends and family from Jamaica and around the country gathered to honor her. 'Her life and achievements are a testimony to her resilience, faith and devotion to her family,' Andrea Tai said. Happy 100th Birthday, Isemenia! SUPPORT THE EVERGLADES APRIL 4 'River of Grass' author Marjory Stoneman Douglas founded Friends of the Everglades in 1969 when she was 79. Although her eyesight was failing, she was determined to create awareness about the potential destruction of a large portion of the Everglades. Construction on a huge jetport had begun, but Stoneman Douglas and others were able to stop it after just one runway was built in the fragile wetlands. It's still there in the Big Cypress. Friends of the Everglades continues to fight on and will host its fourth annual Marjory Stoneman Douglas Legacy Celebration luncheon at 11 a.m. April 4, at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. The theme is 'Our Two National Treasures: Clyde Butcher and America's Everglades.' Butcher, the renowned photographer famous for his large-scale black & white pictures, will serve as keynote speaker. He is also an acclaimed humanitarian, environmentalist and recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Butcher's wife, Nikki Butcher, and daughter Jackie will also attend. Additionally, the group will present the prestigious Marjory Stoneman Douglas Defender of the Everglades Award to an environmental advocate who exemplifies her legacy and fighting spirit. This year's recipient is public interest environmental and land use lawyer Richard Grosso. His practice is dedicated to supporting environmental sustainability and restoration and the protection of ecosystems and communities. The emcee will be Ron Magill, conservation and international wildlife ambassador. Co-chairs of the luncheon event are Christian Armstrong and Milda Vaivada. Sponsorships and table reservations are available. Contact Scott Brown, director of development, at 305-669-0858 or 804-461-8830 or visit MUSIC CLUB HOSTS AWARDS RECITAL Coral Gables Music Club members have been joyfully promoting interest in music and supporting talented young artists in their careers for 86 years. At its annual scholarship recital in February, the club honored 18 students in elementary through high school with its prestigious award. The 2025 recipients are: Daniel Acosta, Zoe Aldana, Marcus Bautista, Alexander Brown, Anabelle Calles, Aleksandra Deshevaia, Nicolas Marin Fumero, Luka Gekic, Valentina Gomez, Sophie Habashi, Raphael Hablich, Shanming He, Alexandra Larios, Christopher Rocha, Joshua Safont, Marianne Rose Villar-Cordova Scott, Marc Usatenko and Christopher Yang. The club's artistic director and scholarship chair, Angelica Sganga, was a scholarship recipient when she was in high school. She has a Masters in Music and Piano Performance from Florida International University and is currently a piano instructor at the University of Miami Frost Preparatory Program. Many generous benefactors contributed to the scholarship fund. Winning the Coral Gables Music Club award increases a young musician's confidence and self-esteem. Former winners are working in every field of music. There are more than two dozen on university music school faculties, and many others teach privately. Many more are members of large, first-rate symphony orchestras around the globe. Some are working in Broadway Musical Theater, while others are jazz artists, composers, arrangers, and opera singers. There is a Tony Award winner among this elite group, and another received a Duke Ellington award as the finest young pianist of jazz in the nation. For more on how to be involved, or for student eligibility, visit Write to ChristinaMMayo@ with news for this column.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump Takes Over the Kennedy Center
Artists embarrassed Donald Trump when he first came to Washington. Now that Trump is back in power, he is determined not to let that happen again. Trump plans to announce the dismissal of multiple members of the Kennedy Center board as soon as today, a group likely to include recent appointees of former President Joe Biden; among those on the current board are Democratic political strategist Mike Donilon, former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and Democratic National Committee finance chair Chris Korge. The White House has also had discussions about having Trump himself installed as chair of the board, according to two people familiar with the purge, who requested anonymity to describe plans that are not yet public. A White House spokesperson declined to comment. Trump never attended the Kennedy Center's annual gala event during his first term, as artists protested his administration and threatened to boycott Kennedy Center events at the White House. Now, Trump is making clear that he will not be sidelined again from the most celebrated cultural institution in Washington. 'The attitude is different this time. The attitude is go fuck yourself,' said one of the people familiar with the planning. 'It's ridiculous for four years for Trump and Melania to say, 'We're not going to the Kennedy Center because Robert De Niro doesn't like us.'' (De Niro was an Kennedy Center honoree in 2009 and spoke at the 2024 event.) Trump's relationship with the arts world has long been strained. During his first year in office, all 17 members of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, a nonpartisan advisory body whose members at the time had been appointed by President Barack Obama, resigned over what they called Trump's 'hateful rhetoric' following the white nationalist demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia. Trump later disbanded the group, rather than replace the committee, which was established by Ronald Reagan. Later that year, three of the five artists recognized at the annual Kennedy Center Honors said they would not attend or were considering a boycott of the traditional White House reception before the gala, citing various objections to Trump's leadership. Trump, in response, canceled the reception and became the first sitting president not to attend the gala at any point in his term since its inception in 1978. Trump showed a similar lack of interest in the National Medal of Arts, the government's highest award for artists and arts patrons, which the president oversees. In his first term, Trump distributed just nine medals, including an award to the musicians of the U.S. military. Obama had awarded 76 medals over eight years, and Biden gave out 33 during his four-year term. Trump was more circumspect about the Kennedy Center, alternately praising and criticizing federal funding for the institution. 'They do need some funding. And I said, 'Look, that was a Democrat request. That was not my request. But you got to give them something,' Trump said in 2020, when asked about a proposed $25 million in additional funding as part of a COVID relief bill. 'The Kennedy Center, they do a beautiful job—an incredible job.' Weeks later, he changed his position. 'I hated putting it in the bill because it's just not appropriate,' he said of the funding. If Trump became chair of the Kennedy Center board, he would replace the philanthropist David Rubenstein, who has held the post for 14 years but signaled that he will move on after September 2026. A week after Trump's second inauguration, Kennedy Center president Deborah Rutter announced her own plans to step down at the end of the year. For his second term, Trump is taking a more assertive approach to a range of cultural institutions. Within hours of his inauguration, he abolished the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, which Biden had revived in 2022, preempting any possibility of another mass resignation. He then moved to impose his own views on government-funded cultural projects. Nine days into his second term, he signed an executive order restarting planning for an idea from his first term: a national 'Garden of American Heroes,' location to be determined. Trump had previously named 244 honorees—52 of them women—who would get statues, including figures from science, sports, entertainment, politics, and business, as well as some of the nation's founders. (The family of at least one would-be honoree, the anti-communist Whittaker Chambers, later asked that he not be included.) Trump also moved quickly to impose his vision on plans for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence—July 4, 2026, also known as the Semiquincentennial. He created a new advisory panel, called Task Force 250, that he will chair to support a congressionally funded organization that has already begun planning events. During the presidential campaign, Trump said he wanted the Semiquincentennial celebrations to last more than a year, from Memorial Day 2025—just 15 weeks away—until July 4, 2026. He proposed a 'Great American State Fair' in Iowa as one component, an homage to the state's own summer fair tradition but featuring pavilions from each state. He also promised the creation of a new national high school sporting contest, called The Patriot Games, to take place alongside the fair. 'Together we will build it, and they will come,' he said in 2023. Trump's newfound interest in the arts represents a departure of sorts. In his first term, Trump repeatedly tried to pull funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, two major sources of support for arts and cultural programs around the country. But appropriators in Congress overruled him, and by the end of his term, annual funding was up slightly from the beginning of his term, sitting at more than $167 million for each agency. (The number rose to $207 million during Biden's presidency.) This time around, Trump has asked the chairs of both the arts and humanities endowments to join Task Force 250. Nina Ozlu Tunceli, the top lobbyist at the nonprofit Arts Action Fund, who has worked for decades with Congress to secure arts funding, told us she is hopeful that Trump's interest in the 250th celebration will provide 'a very good lifeline' for the endowments' funding. Still, Trump's executive order calling for the 'termination' of all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the federal government will become a source of tension—and another way for him to assert his will on the arts. In recent budgets under Biden, House appropriators praised the endowments for 'addressing equity through the arts' and 'diversity at the national endowment.' 'The [Appropriations] Committee directs the NEA to continue prioritizing diversity in its work,' read a section of the fiscal year 2023 budget. Given the changes that have already begun under Trump 'those programs will definitely be removed,' Ozlu Tunceli said. Article originally published at The Atlantic
