NEWS

Leading media representatives of the Islamic world will visit Shusha this year, according to the Action Plan regarding the declaration of the city of Shusha as the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World for 2024, Report informs.

According to the plan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Committee on Work with Diaspora, the Media Development Agency, and the Shusha City State Reserve Department have been identified as executive bodies.

The official opening ceremony of 'Shusha - the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World 2024' will be held in May this year, according to the 'Action Plan for Declaring the City of Shusha as the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World for 2024' approved by Prime Minister Ali Asadov, Report informs.

In this regard, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the special representation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Shusha district, and the Department of the State Reserve of Shusha city have been given instructions.

The official closing ceremony of 'Shusha - the cultural capital of the Islamic World 2024' will be held in December.

In the coming months, the opening ceremony of the regional office of ICESCO will be held in Baku.

According to Report, the discussions on the issue were held on the sidelines of the meetings of the 44th session of the Executive Council of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and the second consultative meeting of the Organization.

In the discussion, it was noted that the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) will be held in Baku in 2024, in which ICESCO and other international organizations are partners, emphasizing that the participation of ICESCO and its member countries in those international events will be important.

As part of her official visit to Türkiye, President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Aktoty Raimkulova has met with President of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) Serkan Kayalar.

President of the Foundation Aktoty Raimkulova hailed TİKA`s efforts in preserving the common Turkic cultural heritage. Noting the existing cooperation between the Foundation and TİKA, Aktoty Raimkulova stressed the significance of expanding this partnership.

President of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) Serkan Kayalar assessed the promotion and popularization at the international level of the common heritage uniting the Turkic peoples as a requirement of today's time. Serkan Kayalar noted that TİKA is always ready to further strengthen cooperation with the Foundation.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA). The document was signed by President of the Foundation Aktoty Raimkulova and President of TİKA Serkan Kayalar.

The Memorandum is aimed at strengthening joint cooperation in order to promote, preserve and transfer the common Turkic cultural heritage to future generations.

The desire among Russians to spend their summer vacations in Azerbaijan has seen a significant increase of 79 percent, as reported by "Ostravok.ru".

Russian tourists, known for their tendency to book in advance, showed a remarkable surge in early bookings, marking a 79 percent rise this year. Azerbaijan has surpassed Armenia, Kazakhstan and France in terms of initial reservations this year.

The year before he died of AIDS-related complications, the artist Keith Haring created a unique work known only as Unfinished Painting (1989). In its upper-left quadrant, black and white lines form stylized patterns on a purple background. Streaks of purple paint trickle down onto the otherwise empty lower-left quadrant; the right half of the canvas is also blank. Haring intentionally left the work unfinished as a commentary on the AIDS crisis, according to Smithsonian magazine.

Now, a newly “completed” version of the work—made with the help of artificial intelligence—is generating controversy: A social media user employed an A.I. image generator to expand Haring’s designs across the blank sections of the canvas, ultimately posting the altered image on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“The story behind this painting is so sad!” writes the user, who goes by Donnel. “Now using A.I. we can complete what he couldn’t finish!”

The image was met with intense backlash.

“It’s very disrespectful to not only anyone who was around during the AIDS epidemic, but particularly those who died from it or who lost friends and loved ones during it,” Tina Tallon, a researcher of A.I. and the arts at the University of Florida, tells NBC News’ Kalhan Rosenblatt.

Born in 1958, Haring rose to fame through the graffiti art he drew inside the New York subways. In the early ’80s, “Haring produced hundreds of these public drawings in rapid rhythmic lines, sometimes creating as many as 40 ‘subway drawings’ in one day,” according to the Keith Haring Foundation. “This seamless flow of images became familiar to New York commuters.” He began exhibiting his art in cities around the world.

While Haring is perhaps best known for his colorful, playful designs, he also used his art to help raise awareness of the AIDS crisis. In 1988, he was diagnosed with the disease, which he died from in 1990, when he was 31.

“I find the ‘completed’ version of the artwork to be abhorrent,” artist Brooke Peachley, whose post honoring Haring’s work prompted Donnel’s, tells Hyperallergic’s Elaine Velie and Rhea Nayyar, using a pseudonym for her last name. “Not only does ‘completing’ the painting completely negate it of its original meaning, but spits on the tens of thousands of queer individuals who lost their lives to the AIDS epidemic in the ’80s and ’90s.”

She adds: “To do so using generative A.I., a computer program that cannot feel the weight of what it is doing nor create with any sort of human intention, only adds to the disrespect.”

What’s more, the A.I.-generated image doesn’t appear to be faithful to Haring’s style, which often included images of human figures. These kinds of figures are visible in Haring’s original piece, but the image generator wasn’t able to replicate them.

“The once deeply intentional curves and shapes eerily lose their form as the program moves farther and farther away from the original source,” Peachley tells Hyperallergic.

Ever since A.I. image generators became publicly available, their role in the art world has been a matter of debate. Many artists worry that these models are trained on copyrighted works by living artists—who didn’t consent for their art to be used in this manner. Just last month, a list of thousands of artists allegedly used to train Midjourney started circulating, intensifying concerns about how A.I. art interacts with copyright law.

“Right now, we don’t really have structures or frameworks for engaging with A.I.,” Tallon tells NBC News. “Or engaging with generative AI in a way that I think fully respects artists and the agency of artists and their agency over their own creative work, whether living or dead.”

Michael Jackson’s story is coming to the big screen next year, according to People.

Lionsgate announced that the upcoming biopic Michael will hit theaters on April 18, 2025. The studio is releasing the movie domestically, and Universal is releasing the film internationally. The film will begin production on Jan. 22.

“Michael will bring audiences a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became the King of Pop,” reads the movie’s official synopsis. “The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, exemplified by his most iconic performances. As never before, audiences will experience an inside look into one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known.”

Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua is directing the upcoming production, and Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will star as the “Thriller” singer. Jaafar is the son of Michael's older brother Jermaine Jackson. The screenplay was written by Gladiator’s John Logan.

"It's uncanny how much [Jaafar is] like Michael," Fuqua told Entertainment Weekly. "Sounds like him, dances like him, sings. It's really uncanny. Graham King, who is a fantastic producer, found him, and introduced him to me, and I was blown away."

Graham King will produce alongside John Branca and John McClain, the co-executors of Jackson‘s estate. The biographical movie is set to cover all aspects of the singer’s life. It is currently unknown whether the film will address Jackson's controversies.

Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50.

In 2003, he was arrested on charges of child molestation, though he was acquitted of those charges in 2005. Jackson was accused of sexual abuse by two individuals after he died in 2013. The 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland revisited the allegations.

More recently, Jackson’s life has been adapted for the stage. On Feb. 1, 2022, MJ: The Musical premiered on Broadway and chronicles the Bad singer’s creative process, focusing on the singer's preparation for his 1992 Dangerous World Tour. The show was written by Lynn Nottage, and directed and choreographed by Tony winner, Christopher Wheeldon.

The show scored four Tony Awards in 2022 — including best leading actor in a musical to Myles Frost, best choreography to Wheeldon, best lighting design and best sound design.

Organized by the Azerbaijan Association of Travel Agencies (ATAA), the Forum entitled “Results of the year of tourism industry entities and challenges on the eve of the COP29” has today kicked off at the Baku Convention Center.

The event, bringing together around 1000 participants, started with the performance of the national anthem, as the participants honored the memory of the Azerbaijani martyrs, who gave their lives for the country’s territorial integrity.

Addressing the event, ATAA Chairman of Board Goydaniz Gahramanov described the year 2023 as successful period in terms of development of Azerbaijan’s tourism industry. He also highlighted National Leader Heydar Aliyev’s special attention and care to the sphere of tourism, underscoring Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s efforts for further enhancement of the relevant field.

Other speakers included Chairman of Board of the Azerbaijan Hotel Association Eldar Alimuradov, Secretary General of the Azerbaijan Tourist Guides Association Tural Musayev, and Chairman of Board of the Azerbaijan Travel Bloggers Association Azer Garibov.

The speakers pointed out the importance of choosing Azerbaijan as the host country for the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29).

The event also featured the adoption of the declaration.

Mel Brooks received his second Oscar Tuesday night at a private dinner in the heart of Hollywood, according to AP.

The event, the 14th Governors Awards, was untelevised but the crowd was as starry as they come with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Penélope Cruz, Natalie Portman, Bradley Cooper and Jon Batiste in the audience.

Hollywood’s awards season can start to feel a little gratuitously self-congratulatory, but the Governors Awards is a bit of a respite from the horse race and a chance to celebrate some of the industry’s living legends, including Brooks, Angela Bassett and film editor Carol Littleton, who all collected honorary Oscars at the Ray Dolby Auditorium, just steps from where the Academy Awards will be broadcast in March. Michelle Satter, a founding director of the Sundance Institute, also received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

The annual event is put on by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize contributions to the industry and a life’s achievement. It used to be part of the Oscars telecast but shifted to a separate occasion in 2009, where there would be no time constraints on the speeches.

The event, which was delayed from its original November date because of the actors strike, is also a de facto campaign stop for the current season’s awards hopefuls. Voting for the 96th Oscars begins on Thursday and nominations will be announced on Jan. 23 for the March 10 ceremony.

Before the tributes started, actors and filmmakers from the top movies of the year, including “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” “Poor Things” and “The Color Purple,” mingled.

Bassett gave an impassioned speech, talking about acting as not just a career but a calling. She said the honorary Oscar is not just another award but “a testament to my legacy.” In the audience, Barrino stood while Bassett spoke, cheering her on at key moments. After the event, “The Color Purple” director Blitz Bazawule said it was “like church.”

The 65-year-old received her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and her second last year for playing the grieving queen in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She noted that she’s only the second Black actress to receive the honorary Oscar, following in the footsteps of the late Cicely Tyson who she considered a mentor.

Martin Scorsese has completed his screenplay for the film about Jesus he first teased in May, the director told Los Angeles Times in a story that published Monday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Scorsese said his project will film later this year and is expected to be only 80 minutes long.

“I’m trying to find a new way to make it more accessible and take away the negative onus of what has been associated with organized religion,” Scorsese said. The film does not yet appear to have a distributor.

Scorsese co-wrote the new project with critic and filmmaker Kent Jones. It is based on Shūsaku Endō’s book A Life of Jesus — Endo also wrote Silence, which Scorsese adapted for the screen in 2016 with actors Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson.

Should Scorsese’s 80-minute prediction prove true, the new film could be his shortest ever (Killers of a Flower Moon, released last November and now heading into the Oscars race, clocked in at an impressive 206 minutes).

The Jesus film will take place mostly in present day and focus on the principles of Jesus’ core teachings rather than a specific religious doctrine.

“Right now, ‘religion,’ you say that word and everyone is up in arms because it’s failed in so many ways,” Scorsese said. “But that doesn’t mean necessarily that the initial impulse was wrong. Let’s get back. Let’s just think about it. You may reject it. But it might make a difference in how you live your life — even in rejecting it. Don’t dismiss it offhand. That’s all I’m talking about. And I’m saying that as a person who’s going to be 81 in a couple of days.”

For Scorsese, the project is a cumulation of what many of his films have pursued throughout his career.