New Spider-Man is half black, half Latino nerd

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1 of 4. The new Spider-Man for the Obama-age -- a half-black, half-Latino nerd named Miles Morales, as unveiled by Marvel Comics, is shown in this handout image released to Reuters on August 3, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Marvel Comics/Handout

By Ray Sanchez

New York | Wed Aug 3, 2011 4:20pm EDT

New York (Reuters) - Marvel Comics on Wednesday unveiled a new Spider-Man for the Obama-age -- a half-black, half-Latino nerd named Miles Morales.

The new Spidey, who lives in Brooklyn, was revealed in Marvel Comics' Ultimate Fallout Issue 4. He replaces longtime comic-book favorite Peter Parker, who was white, hailed from Queens and was killed in Ultimate Spider-Man Issue 160 in June.

"Going into this we knew we wanted to make a statement about the 21st century," said Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso.

"I'm mixed race. My mom is from England; my dad is from Mexico. When Obama was elected I cried -- partly because he was African American but largely because of the fact that he was mixed race," Alonso said.

"I remember what it was like to grow up mixed race. This is more and more prevalent in the United States and it speaks to our rich cultural heritage."

Like Parker, Miles is a nerdy, awkward working-class kid from the outer boroughs of New York. But Parker was an orphan raised by his aunt and uncle in a traditionally white section of Queens.

Miles' parents -- his mother is black, his father Latino -- are still alive, live in more racially diverse Brooklyn and play key roles in his story.

"Spider-Man is arguably the most recognizable superhero on the planet and little kids like my son Tito can relate to him because of the red-and-blue tights," Alonso said.

"But when he peels off his mask now, he's going to have a very different look and he's going to resonate emotionally with all sorts of new readers.".

The new Ultimate Spider-Man series and Wednesday's Ultimate Fallout issue are available digitally and in stores.

"I have no doubt that people will fall in love with Miles the way they did with Peter Parker regardless of what race or class or creed they are," Alonso said.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Jerry Norton)

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Author Hargreaves tickled pink as Mr. Men turns 40

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By Alice Baghdjian

LONDON | Wed Aug 10, 2011 1:41pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Monsieur Chatouille, Don Cosquillas, Unser Herr Killekille all tickled the butcher and the policeman and no matter what language you speak, Mr Tickle's extraordinarily long arms continue to delight young readers all around the world.

The bright orange character celebrated his 40th birthday on Wednesday.

Mr. Tickle, created by Roger Hargreaves as an answer to his six-year-old son's question "what does a tickle look like?", along with Messrs Greedy, Nosey, Happy, Bump and Sneeze, formed the foundation of the Mr. Men children's books when they were first published in 1971.

The series of 49 Mr. Men and 36 Little Miss books has sold 120 million books worldwide since their first appearance -- an average of one copy sold every 2.5 seconds.

"It is truly incredible that something so personal to my father went on to become such a global phenomenon," Adam Hargreaves, son of creator Roger Hargreaves and now the face of the Mr. Men empire, said in a statement.

"If he were alive today, I think he would be ecstatic to see how popular his creations have become. My dad managed to capture basic human characteristics that can be recognised as part of each and every one of us. We've all been a Mr. Happy, Mr. Funny and even a Little Miss Naughty at times," he said.

In the last decade Roger Hargreaves became one of best-selling British authors, alongside Harry Potter creator J.K Rowling.

Adam Hargreaves took over the Mr. Men series after his father's death in 1988 and has continued to create characters, even special editions based on real people.

The latest Little Miss character, Little Miss Princess, was published in March this year to coincide the British royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William, while British designer Stella McCartney was the inspiration for Little Miss Stella in 2006.

The brand has spawned two television series across the globe, beginning with the 1970s series in Britain, narrated by Arthur Lowe. A modern-day Mr. Men Show, produced by entertainment group Chorion, who now own the rights to the Mr. Men characters, airs in Britain, the United States, France and Australia.

(Edited by Paul Casciato)

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Philip Levine named 18th poet laureate

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NEW YORK | Wed Aug 10, 2011 1:05pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Urban poet Philip Levine was named on Wednesday as the 18th poet laureate by the Library of Congress, which praised his writing for plain-spoken lyricism about working class Americans in Detroit.

Levine, 83, who was born and grew up in Detroit but now lives in Fresno, California where he taught English and writing at California State University, will take up his one-year term this fall, opening the Library's annual literary series in October, Librarian of Congress James Billington said in a statement.

"Philip Levine is one of America's great narrative poets," Billington said. He "championed the art of telling 'The Simple Truth' about working in a Detroit auto factory, as he has, and about the hard work we do to make sense of our lives."

Levine, an author of 20 collections, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1995 for "The Simple Truth" and National Book Awards for "What Work Is" (1991) and "Ashes: Poems New and Old." (1980)

As a young man he worked in car factories in Detroit, and the industrial heartland became one of the main subjects of his work.

Levine told the New York Times in an interview he thought he had begun to do his best work in the early 1990s, but added: "I find more energy in my earlier work. More dash, more anger. Anger was a major engine in my poetry then. It's been replaced by irony, I guess, and by love."

The title poem of his collection, "The Simple Truth," was less tender than some of his later poems:

"Some things

you know all your life. They are so simple and true

they must be said without elegance, meter and rhyme,

they must be laid on the table beside the salt shaker,

the glass of water, the absence of light gathering

in the shadows of picture frames, they must be

naked and alone, they must stand for themselves."

Levine, who will take on the duty of bringing poetry to the wider public, joins a list of distinguished poets who have served in the position of U.S. poet laureate, including Ted Kooser, Louise Gluck, Billy Collins, Robert Pinsky, Rita Dove and Robert Penn Warren. He succeeds the poet W.S. Merwin.

(Reporting by Christine Kearney, editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Trash becomes treasure for one Thai artist

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BANGKOK | Wed Aug 10, 2011 1:37pm EDT

BANGKOK (Reuters) - From custom-built motorcycles to statues of Yoda, one Thai artist is building works of art using scrap metal from Bangkok's garbage heaps, recycling trash to create his very own treasure.

A former woodcarver, Rungroja Saengwongpaisarn began working with metal in 1996 at the request of a patron, soon fusing his passion for conservation with his art and creating a distinctive style.

"It's using metal that was discarded. We are giving the material a new life by using it to create art," the 54-year-old Rungroja said.

Where some see junk, he sees raw material, salvaging discarded car parts and household goods such as woks with his team everyday. The items are then used to craft statues, models and even robots.

An ancient Asian warrior snarls on one side of his gallery, which also contains a toothy dinosaur, elephants and a pensive Yoda.

Recycling has paid off for the sculptor, whose works range in price from $60 to $40,000 and can take anywhere from 3 days to up to one year to complete. One of the more challenging pieces was a three-meter (yard) high robot that weighed about 450 kg (990 pounds).

Finding parts that match his vision can be a challenge.

"The difficult thing is to make the scale of each model, like this one," Rungroja said, displaying a small motorcycle.

"The face of the model is quite meticulous... Different models will require different types of details."

His latest work, a motorcycle dubbed "Pre-Alien," is the third motorcycle he's built. Each takes him about three months to complete and sold his last one to a Japanese collector for more than $10,000.

Rungroja expects "Pre-Alien" to sell for more than $15,000. The motorcycle weighs about 180 kg and can hit speeds of up to 100 kilometres an hour -- not bad for a pile of junk.

(Reporting by Noppawan Bunluesilp; editing by Elaine Lies)

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Buskers, stars and tourists crowd Edinburgh Festival

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Model Christina Kernohan poses for photographers during a media launch for the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme, Edinburgh, Scotland June 10, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/David Moir

By Ian Mackenzie

EDINBURGH | Fri Aug 5, 2011 12:50pm EDT

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - The Edinburgh Fringe Festival swung into exuberant action on Friday as 21,000 performers ranging from street buskers and mimes to top-class singers, actors and cabaret stars set out to entertain in a city whose population doubles in size over the coming month.

The free-spirited Fringe, the Edinburgh International Festival, the International Book Festival, the military tattoo and major art exhibitions combine in the world's biggest annual arts festival.

The Scottish capital, with a population of around 470,000, virtually doubles in size over the coming weeks. The hoteliers association said its 40 members reported that most of the available 145,000 rooms were taken. A report commissioned by Scotland's festivals said they brought some 250 million pounds ($410 million) to the country's economy annually.

Buskers, magicians, acrobats and brightly clad actors promoting their shows crowded Edinburgh's historic Royal Mile in bright sunshine on Friday, after heavy rain the previous day.

The military tattoo, whose pipe bands and military performances expect to attract 220,000 spectators for its three-week run from Friday through to August 27, has spent 16 million pounds on revamping its seating and facilities on the esplanade of the Castle, which dominates the city's skyline.

The 2,542 shows scheduled for this year's Fringe range from one-person events tucked away in back alleys to world-class comedy, theater and song.

Cabaret has returned this year to feature in the programme. There is also a "free Fringe" in which more than 500 shows can be seen without charge.

The Fringe, which started as an adjunct to the International Festival founded in 1947 as an antidote to the austere days after World War Two, has also given many stars of comedy and theater their first break over the years.

Fringe director Kath Mainland said one reason performers flocked to the city was for the chance of catching the eye of impresarios, talent scouts and agents who gather from around the world in the search of new talent and acts.

The International Festival, with a strong Asian theme this year, runs from August 12 to September 4, and the book festival from August 13 to 29.

(Edited by Paul Casciato)

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New memoir navigates rural China's social minefields

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Author Michael Levy poses for a picture in Songpan City in Sichuan Province, in this handout picture taken in July 2006.

Credit: Reuters/Dylan Madenski/Handout

By Chelsea Emery

NEW YORK | Thu Aug 4, 2011 4:40pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Galvanized by the September 11 attacks on the United States, Michael Levy joined the Peace Corps and found himself on a plane for central China.

His misconceptions about Chinese people, and his vegetarianism, fell by the wayside as he labored to learn the local dialect and stay open-minded when asked to try unusual foods such as millipedes.

Levy also struggled to navigate the region's tricky politics, which affected every aspect of life from singing contests to basketball games.

In the new memoir, "Kosher Chinese", he explores the lighter side of his years in Guiyang, such as eating dog and fighting his way onto crowded buses. On a more serious note, he examines disturbing stereotypes and some reasons behind China's patriotism and national pride.

Now a history teacher in Brooklyn, Levy spoke with Reuters about being the only Jewish person in the province, some embarrassing language mistakes and what he learned about his assumed Chinese name.

Q: Why did you name your book Kosher Chinese?

A: "Boy, was that a process. The title is trying to express all the strange juxtapositions that I experienced -- a tall white guy in western China ... a Jewish guy in a place where they've only met missionary Christians ...

"The place these conversations took place was the dinner table. And often (these discussions centered around) food. So the title is about bringing all that together."

Q: When you returned to the States, did you begin keeping Kosher again?

A: "I'm such a lapsed Jew. Food is such an important part of life and it's a journey. Right now, I'm in this state of flux. People get so freaked out by some of the stuff that is eaten in China, and to me it's not that big a deal."

Q: Except for a dog-meat incident -- didn't you have a fainting spell?

A: "Right now, I could say it doesn't faze me, and that is so horrible to my mom. She really gets uncomfortable when I say that. She has three dogs. I have a dog. I'm a dog lover. I guess I'm also a chicken lover or a pig lover. I love animals and I still eat them. I haven't figured out what I should do with my diet, but I really do think it matters."

Q: What other issues did you face in China?

A: "China was a real challenge as a Jew. Many of the most important Jewish prayers need 10 people, or 10 men if you're Orthodox. I was the only Jew in the province, so it was spiritually lonely. Coming back to the States I've been happy to be back in places where there is a Jewish community. And yet I'm still going to Chinese restaurants and eating pork ... I'm having an identity crisis."

Q: Your students took English names like Jennifer. Did you take a Chinese name?

A: "Levy pretty easily becomes Li in Chinese (and I thought,) 'I know a Li because I've studied a little Chinese history.' So, I said to my Chinese teacher, 'Would you name me Li Lisan?'

"I was very proud of that name. Finally I started to learn more about this person whose name I had adopted. And I learned that he was verboten. He was thrown out of the party. He was a radical. Chairman Mao hated him. And that was my name!

"It was like naming yourself Benedict Arnold in English. But everyone was forgiving. They were just happy that I was trying to immerse myself in Chinese culture."

A: Were there other funny language mix-ups?

Q: "I really wanted to learn the slang. I didn't learn perfect Mandarin. I learned the dialect. That made for great conversations with every type of person - 'Oh, you know the local dialect! That's so cool!' But I would screw it up sometimes.

"One time I was eating hot pot with a bunch of my friends and I tried to order meat balls. I took the word for 'meat' from one sentence that I knew and 'ball' from another sentence and put them together and created the slang for breasts.

"And, you know, that's a little awkward, especially when you're sitting around with colleagues and they're laughing and the waitress is running away red in the face."

(Reporting by Chelsea Emery; editing by Patricia Reaney)

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Bolshoi celebrates Cuba's peerless ballerina Alonso

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Alicia Alonso (L), Cuba's prima ballerina assoluta and director of the Cuban National Ballet talks backstage to her ballerinas before the Cuban National Ballet Gala concert at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, August 2, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Denis Sinyakov

By Nastassia Astrasheuskaya

MOSCOW | Thu Aug 4, 2011 2:54pm EDT

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Bolshoi Theater celebrated the 90th birthday of Cuban dancer Alicia Alonso with a gala performance this week of Russian classics performed by her pupils and countrymen.

The Havana-native, who turned 90 years-old last December, received a standing ovation at the packed theater on Tuesday night where she was honored alongside Russian dancers -- such as Vladimir Vasiliev and Azari Plisetsky -- who have worked with her over a career that has spanned more than six decades.

"I really feel like Alicia in Wonderland," Alonso gushed on stage after the performance.

In her youth, Alonso studied ballet with choreographers Michel Fokine, George Balanchine and Leonide Massine, and later brought their ballets to the Cuban National Ballet company, which she founded in 1948.

On her 17th visit to Russia since 1958, Alonso praised the country's dancers for innovating partnered ballets, with lifts and acrobatics for male dancers, which she said did not exist in the United States or Cuba when she graced the stage in the 1940s.

Scenes from Swan Lake, Don Quixote and Coppelia are among the classics adapted by Alonso and danced for her during the gala show by eight Cuban dancers from her troupe.

"What's different about the performance is that it's done by Cubans. The school of dance is always the same, but the troupes are different," Alonso said proudly.

Joining the Cuban dancers on stage, the Bolshoi's principal dancers Svetlana Zakharova and Andrey Uvarov gave a passionate rendition of Carmen Suite, choreographed by Alicia Alonso's husband Alberto, who accompanied her to the gala evening.

Alonso, who suffers from life-long visual problems watched the performance bleary eyed, glowed with proud joy when former Bolshoi star Vasiliev praised her company as a "troupe with immense potential."

It was with Vasiliev at her side in her role as Giselle that Alonso caused a stir in the ballet world in the 1980s, dancing a title role written for a much younger woman and combining her old world elegant style with Vasiliev's brash, youthful power.

"It is we, who need to learn male ballet dancing from the Cubans now. All thanks to Alicia, who founded classical ballet in Cuba, where it was previously non-existent before," Vasiliev said on stage, presenting Alonso with a huge bouquet of flowers.

The Cuban ballet's gala performance marked the close of the Russian Bolshoi season until October.

(Reporting by Nastassia Astrasheuskaya; Editing by Alissa de Carbonnel)

(Created by Paul Casciato)

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