Prince Harry ‘saved gay soldier from homophobic attack’

Prince Harry rescued a gay soldier who feared he was going to be murdered in a homophobic attack by troops from a rival regiment, it has been claimed.

The prince stepped in to save Trooper James Wharton after he was confronted by six soldiers who were threatening to ‘batter’ him

The third-in-line to the throne confronted the men and told them they would face severe disciplinary action if they continued to make threats, he said.

Trooper Wharton describes Prince Harry as ‘one of my greatest protectors’, and claims the royal’s acceptance of his homosexuality made him realise that he was right to be open about it, despite another attack which left him hospitalised.

He revealed he had gone to find the prince – who was his tank commander in the Blues and Royals – and tearfully told him what had happened after being confronted by the  soldiers.

‘I told him: “I think I’m going to be murdered by the infantry.” He had a complete look of bewilderment on his face. ‘I couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in my eyes. He said: “Right I’m going to sort this s*** out once and for all”.

‘He climbed out of the tank and I poked my head out of  the turret a few moments later to see him having a go,’  Trooper Wharton said.

After taking on the gang, Prince Harry briefed a senior officer before returning to assure Trooper Wharton the situation had been ‘sorted’.

The soldier, who quit the Army earlier this year, said: ‘I will always be grateful to Harry and I will never forget what happened. Until he went over and dealt with everything I was on track for a battering.’

Details of the incident, which happened during a training exercise in Canada in 2008,  have emerged after Trooper Wharton wrote about his experiences during his ten-year military career, called Out In The Army, which is being serialised by the Mail on Sunday.

News of the 28-year-old prince’s actions have been met with widespread approval.

Conservative MP Colonel Bob Stewart, who led British troops in Bosnia, said: ‘Well done Harry. It’s typical of him and of young officers in the British Army today, really superb.’

Ben Summerskill, of the gay and lesbian charity Stonewall, added: ‘I take my hat off to him  for protecting James Wharton.’

nparts:

Exhibition curated from David Bowie’s personal archive to make first touring stop at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto this fall

“David Bowie is” will feature more than 300 objects from Bowie’s own personal archive, according to a press release issued by the AGO, including diary entries, more than 50 costumes and pictures of Bowie taken by star photographer Helmut Newton.

More here.

nparts:

‘I thought he was a doctor’: John Malkovich helps save man’s life on a Toronto street

[trigger warning: blood]

On the final day of a cross-Canada train trip, Ohio’s Marilyn Walpole was walking down King St. East with fellow travellers, when, behind her, she heard a slight moan and turned around to see her 77-year-old husband awash in his own blood.

“There was blood everywhere on the sidewalk; his face was full of blood, his clothes were soaked in blood … and he was moaning,” said Ms. Walpole, speaking from her home in Defiance, Ohio.

Within moments, a bystander had thrown down his cigarette, rushed into the blood-soaked scene and administered the emergency First Aid that may have saved Mr. Walpole’s life. Only later would the couple discover that the bystander was Academy Award-nominated actor John Malkovich.

“He really knew what he was doing; that’s why I thought he was a doctor,” said Ms. Walpole. “He had no qualms about getting blood all over him; that would be a real concern for some people.”

(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Galit Rodan)

Actor David Gulpilil has won this year’s Red Ochre Award, Australia’s highest peer-assessed award for an Indigenous artist.

The $50,000 prize was presented at the Australia Council’s 6^th National Indigenous Art Awards at the Sydney Opera House earlier this week.

South Australian photographer Rhonda Dick received the $20,000 Dreaming Award, for a young and emerging Indigenous artist. And $45,000 fellowships were awarded to visual artist Jennifer Kemarre Martiniello, and writer, activist and musician Richard Frankland.

“These awards and fellowships are a significant recognition of the unique and important work of each of the recipients,” said Lee-Ann Buckskin, Chair of the Australia Council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board.

“The Red Ochre Award for David Gulpilil is wonderful acknowledgement from his peers of David’s continual efforts to bring the experiences and wishes of his people to national and international attention.

“He is unquestionably one of the most respected Australian actors on the international film stage and a major contributor to the voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders”.

David Gulpilil was first cast in the 1971 film Walkabout because of his talents as a dancer. He was just 15 and had never acted before.

Since then he has appeared in films that have been milestones in Australian cinema, including Storm Boy, Mad Dog Morgan, The Last Wave, Crocodile Dundee, Two Hands, Rabbit Proof Fence, The Tracker, Ten Canoes and Australia.

David’s latest completed film, Satellite Boy, directed by Aboriginal director Catriona McKenzie, is set in Western Australia and will open in Australian cinemas on June 20.

“Beyond his work on screen, David’s contribution to our people is astounding,” Lee-Ann said.

“He has been, and continues to be, an inspiration to many people, opening doorways and creating career pathways where there were previously none.”

Tyler Perry surprises Ohio schoolkids with much-needed moolah

On Friday, actor/director Tyler Perry surprised a bunch of psyched Columbus, Ohio, middle-school kids by showing up unannounced at a concert. He then donated $100,000 to help boost athletics and after-school programs in the city’s struggling South-Western schools.

Perry was moved to action after watching a TV segment about teacher Mary Mulvany starting a foundation to raise scholarship money for athletics and extracurriculars after they were eliminated in 2009. The programs were later brought back, but only for a pay-to-participate fee, which many families can’t afford to pay.

Perry told the excited students, “I just wanted to see your faces and say hi to you because you all inspire me so much.”

‘Arise, Sir Oliver’: Dame Helen Mirren ‘knights’ dying boy, 10, after making his wish for the Queen to come to tea come true

Helen Mirren has treated a 10-year-old boy like royalty.

Oliver Burton, who was born with Down’s syndrome and has been diagnosed with cancer, had a wish to meet Queen Elizabeth II. However, when a visit with her proved unattainable, the Oscar winner was more than happy to help make that wish come true.

Mirren, who earned an Academy Award for playing the royal matriarch in The Queen, invited Oliver and his family to see a West End performance of the play The Audience, in which the actress portrays, yep, the queen.

After the show Oliver was brought backstage, where Mirren remained dressed in character. The two proceeded to have tea together, and Oliver got to play with the two corgis used in the play.

Later, Mirren even knighted the young man.

“She stayed in character for the whole thing,” Oliver’s father, James Browne, told the Daily Mail. “Oliver thought she was the real queen, and well, that’s good enough for us.”

guardian:

Actor Morgan Freeman received the Doctor of Humane Letters award on graduation day at Boston University this weekend.

From picture desk live: the day’s news in pictures

Photograph: Nicolaus Czarnecki/ZUMA Press/Corbis

Read more.

racemash:

In positive news, actress Eva Longoria recently graduated with a Master’s degree in Chicano Studies from Cal State Northridge.

from the LATimes:

She titled her thesis “Success STEMS From Diversity: The Value of Latinas in STEM Careers.” “STEM” is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math. The petite actress also has a bachelor’s of science degree in kinesiology from Texas A&M University, according to IMDB.

Longoria celebrated the happy occasion with none other than her parents, friends and family.

“In my cap and gown with mom and dad! I look like Harry Potter!” she wrote, posting another pic. And friends in the Twitterverse and online were quick to send her congrats.

Great job!
In case anyone is interested, here are a few extra resources on STEM and diversity:

• Latinas in Stem (twitter link)
• Fact sheet on Latinas in STEM (published in Dec 2008)
• The Center for STEM Diversity at Tufts University

nbcnews:

Dwyane Wade grants girl’s wish, shows up at her senior prom

(Photo via NBCMiami.com)

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade granted a South Florida teen’s wish and showed up at her senior prom on Friday.

Read the complete story.

DiCaprio’s wildlife charity auction brings in $38.8 million

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Christie’s auction house raised $38.8 million through a charity art auction and donations, Christie’s said on Tuesday, with proceeds to benefit environmental and conservation causes.

The 33 works in The 11th Hour Auction organized by the star of the new film “The Great Gatsby” sold for $31.74 million on Monday evening and set 13 records for artists including Carol Bove, Joe Bradley, Mark Grotjahn, Raymond Pettibon and Mark Ryden among others.

A $5 million matching donation for three of the lots and additional gifts from donors brought the overall total to $38.8 million for The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, according to Christie’s.

“All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you,” DiCaprio told the audience at the end of the auction.

Read more.

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and his foundation have teamed up with Christie’s for a charity auction next week to benefit environmental causes.

Thirty-three works, many created for and donated to the auction by some of the world’s top artists, will go under the hammer on Monday in New York at The 11th Hour Auction, which aims to raise as much as $18 million to protect the last wild places on Earth and their endangered species.

“A lot of the works of this quality have never been at auction. We have what we believe are conservative estimates,” Loic Gouzer, international specialist at Christie’s and the head of the sale, said in an interview.

“It is going to be the biggest one-time environmental fundraiser ever,” he added.

Read more.

UK designers Westwood, Hamnett join campaign to save bees

Top British fashion designers Vivienne Westwood and Katharine Hamnett joined bee campaigners outside the Houses of Parliament in London on Friday to urge the government to support a proposed European Union (EU) ban on pesticides which harm bees.

Britain is currently one of a group of countries blocking attempts to introduce a Europe-wide ban on the world’s most widely used insecticides, neonicotinoids, arguing their impact on bees is unclear.

A vote takes place in Brussels on April 29 on whether to ban the poisons on flowering crops.

Read more.

guardian:

Fundraising manager Lauren Vincent with four out of the seventy Gromit sculptures which have been painted by celebrity artists, left to right, Paul Smith, Cath Kidston, Richard Williams and Simon Tofield, before they are placed around Bristol for public view as part of a charity initiative arts trail. After being displayed the sculptures will be auctioned off to raise funds for the Bristol Children’s Hospital charity.

Photograph: Matt Cardy/Getty Images

The Beastie Boys’ Mike D is fighting for more than the right to party — he’s been helping serve Hurricane Sandy victims warm meals from a food truck.

The musician, whose full name is Michael Diamond, spoke to GOOD Magazine on Tuesday about the project. Since the storm, more than 19,000 free meals have been served.

Seeing the damage to Rockaway Beach, he launched the Rockaway Plate Lunch truck with restaurateur and friend Robert McKinley.

The cooking expertise come from Sam Talbot of ‘Top Chef’ fame, who is working with teams at New York’s Spotted Pig and Fat Radish restaurants, to serve up rice, beans, chicken and vegetables.

In the Vimeo video above, Mike D explains that a food truck allowed easy navigation through the changing post-Sandy landscape. The team feeds anywhere from 200 to 500 people daily.

“The willingness to get involved has been amazing,” McKinley says in the video. “There’s been no egos and everyone is working really hard.”