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the next field of dReams
In fact,
Some suggestions for a place for a game include Egypt, the cradle of baseball. >AP Photo/Nariman
Where could the next ‘Field of Dreams’ be?
Major League Baseball is considering future game sites
Jay Cohen – The Associated Press
DYERSVILLE, Iowa (AP) – Egypt. Australia. A hot dog place in Pennsylvania. A junior college in Chicago.
If Major League Baseball is looking for another place for a game, oh man, do we have some fun ideas.
The second “Field of Dreams” game is Thursday night in the cornfields of eastern Iowa, near the site of the beloved 1989 movie. The Chicago Cubs play the Cincinnati Reds after the 2021 game – a wild 9-8 victory for the Chicago White Sox against the New York Yankees – was a smashing success.
But Major League Baseball wants to wait before making a decision on a third “Field of Dreams” date. It has been in contact with multiple cities about future games – including Evansville, Indiana, about Bosse Field, where parts of the 1992 movie
“A League of Their Own” were filmed – and it has an internal working group examining the possibilities.
In the meantime, The Associated Press asked several sports and entertainment figures where they would take a major league game if they had a choice, and they responded with sites all over the world. John Thorn, Major League Baseball’s official historian, wants to return to Egypt. Not only did major leaguers play a February 1889 game near the pyramids, but the earliest record of a batand-ball game – seker-hemat, played by Egyptian pharaohs – is from a wall relief in an Egyptian temple.
“Such a game played today would be doubly important as Egypt is not only the cradle of civilization but also the cradle of baseball,” Thorn said in an email.
Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks wanted to play a game in his native Australia.
“Ideally, I’d like to take it to Baseball Park in Perth because that’s where I grew up playing,” Hendriks said. “Especially in Perth, we don’t really get anyone on that coast very often, so being able to take it there would be a treat for everybody involved.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks opened the 2014 season in Australia, with the Dodgers sweeping a pair of games at Sydney Cricket Ground.
The connection to home was a recurring theme.
Bonnie Hunt, an actor and lifelong Cubs fan, suggested Wilbur Wright College near where she grew up in her hometown of Chicago.
“I would do it there because I remember my dad hitting the ball out for us seven kids out in the outfield, me and my six siblings, and we’d run and get the ball,” said Hunt, the writer, director and showrunner for “ Amber Brown,” a new series on Apple TV+.
“My dad would throw the ball up in the air and hit it himself. And that would be my ‘Field of Dreams’ ... to go back to the old neighborhood and be with all the kids I grew up with.”
Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona had a similar thought, but with a twist. Francona and his father, Tito, another former major leaguer, both grew up in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh.
Terry Francona, 63, wants to play in his hometown — because of Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe.
“Hot dogs after the game,” a grinning Francona said. “Before and after.”
Like Francona, Phoenix Mercury guard Diamond DeShields also has strong family ties to baseball. DeShields’ father, Delino, spent 13 years in the majors, and her brother, Delino Jr., has appeared in 601 games with three teams over seven seasons.
Bob Kendrick, the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, hit on a couple more possibilities that very well could be under consideration.
“I’m partisan to those few remaining places that the Negro Leagues called home,” Kendrick said in an email, “Rickwood Field as a tribute to Willie Mays and the Birmingham Black Barons or Paterson, (New Jersey) at Hinchliffe when it’s restored as a tribute to Monte Irvin, Larry Doby and teams like the (New York) Black Yankees and others that played on that historic site.”
According to ancient hieroglyphs, of a bat-and-ball game – seker-hemat – was played by Egyptian pharaohs.
In fact,
Big changes were made to root “Laal Singh Chaddha” in Indian history and culture.
This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Aamir Khan in a scene from “Laal Singh Chaddha.” >Paramount via AP
Run, Laal, run: Aamir Khan stars in Indian ‘Forrest Gump’
Hilary Fox – The Associated Press
Indian actor Aamir Khan enjoyed “Forrest Gump” so much that he’s starring in a Hindi remake. Released in 1994, the original film went on to sweep the Oscars, taking six trophies including best picture and best actor for Tom Hanks. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth based on Winston Groom’s novel, “Forrest Gump,” is the tale of a slow-witted but mathematically gifted man who witnesses key points and figures of U.S. history, like the Vietnam War, presidents and Elvis Presley.
Nearly 30 years later, the story has been given an Indian makeover – with Khan taking on the role of the titular character “Laal Singh Chaddha’’ – including converting the line “Run, Forrest, run” into “Run, Laal, run.”
“I just remember seeing it a couple of times in a short span, and it had a deep impact on me,” Khan says. “I loved the character of Forrest. I loved the way Tom played the part as well. And it’s a film that stayed with me.”
It took a decade for Khan to get the movie rights. But big changes were made to root “Laal
Singh Chaddha” in Indian history and culture, with both the Kargil war and superstar Shah Rukh Khan appearing.
Laal does not think life is like a box of chocolates, he instead likes to quote his mother talking about Golgappas - small circles of filled, deep-fried flatbread enjoyed with spiced water, which has a slightly different meaning than the original motto.
Tom Hanks in “Forrest Gump.”
“(Forrest says) ‘my momma used to say life is like a box of chocolates: you never know which one you would get.’ And in this one, the English translation is, ‘My mama used to say that life is like a Golgappa: your stomach gets full, but your heart desires more,’” explains Khan.
He says writer Atul Kulkarni was adapting what was “essentially American” into something “quintessentially Indian and very relevant to us culturally.” Directed by Advait Chandan, “Laal Singh Chaddha” also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, Mona Singh and Naga Chaitanya.
Khan says he asked Kapoor Khan, who’s had a successful career for more than two decades, to try out for the pivotal role of Laal’s friend, Rupa D’souza. “She’s such a huge star and she’s never auditioned for a part in her life. But for me, doing an audition for the part is perfectly natural because even I want to see how close I am to the character. So we’re not really testing to see that a person can act or not, but really how suitable the person is for the part. But that’s something which is very unusual in India.”
Aamir Khan, Indian actor
Another huge star who makes a small but important appearance in the movie is legendary Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan. No audition needed, as he’s portraying himself.
“We were trying to look for an equivalent to Elvis Presley in America. And I think for us, it was an obvious choice to go for Shah Rukh, because he’s such a huge star and everyone loves him so much,” Khan says. “He was really sporting and generous and said, yes, I’d love to do that.” “Laal Singh Chaddha” is releasing around the world this month – including on 350 screens in the U.K., which is a new record for an Indian movie.
“I’m really nervous,” Khan admits. “It’s a film that we’ve made with so much love and care and it’s been such a challenging film to make. The whole journey has been difficult but exciting and fun.”
A lot of that journey was spent sprinting towards the finish line – and he “ran a lot,’’ Khan says.
“For a month and a half we were traveling across the country, and each place we went to I just was running, and Advait as a director was quite heartless. He would start a shot and he would be in the car, and there would be a camera in the car, and I would be running and the car would be just driving, and it would be a few kilometers by the time he said cut.” “Laal Singh Chaddha” premiered in India, Germany, France, Singapore, the U.K. and the U.S. last week.
Film academy apologizes to Littlefeather for 1973 Oscars
The Native American denounced the treatment of American Indians by the film industry
Jake Coyle – The Associated Press
NEW YORK – Nearly 50 years after Sacheen Littlefeather stood on the Academy Awards stage on behalf of Marlon Brando to speak about the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood films, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences apologized to her for the abuse she endured.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Monday said that it will host Littlefeather, now 75, for an evening of “conversation, healing and celebration” on Sept. 17. When Brando won best actor for “The Godfather,” Littlefeather, wearing buckskin dress and moccasins, took the stage, becoming the first Native American woman ever to do so at the Academy Awards. In a 60-second speech, she explained that Brando could not accept the award due to “the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry.”
Some in the audience booed her. John Wayne, who was backstage at the time, was reportedly furious. The 1973 Oscars were held during the American Indian Movement’s twomonth occupation of Wounded Knee in South Dakota. In the years since, Littlefeather has said she’s been mocked, discriminated against and personally attacked for her brief Academy Awards appearance. In making the announcement, the Academy Museum shared a letter sent June 18 to Littlefeather by David Rubin, academy president,
about the iconic Oscar moment. Rubin called Littlefeather’s speech “a powerful statement that continues to remind us of the necessity of respect and the importance of human dignity.” “The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified,” wrote Rubin. “The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration.” Littlefeather, in a statement, said it is “profoundly heartening to see how much has changed since I did not accept the Academy Award 50 years ago.” “Regarding the Academy’s apology to me, we
In fact,
Sacheen Littlefeather appears at the Academy Awards ceremony to announce that Marlon Brando was declining his Oscar as best actor for his role in “The Godfather,” on March 27, 1973. The move was meant to protest Hollywood’s treatment of American Indians. >AP Photo, File
Indians are very patient people — it’s only been 50 years!” said Littlefeather. “We need to keep our sense of humor about this at all times. It’s our method of survival.” At the Academy Museum event in Los Angeles, Littlefeather will sit for a conversation with producer Bird Runningwater, co-chair of the academy’s Indigenous Alliance.
In a podcast earlier this year with Jacqueline Stewart, a film scholar and director of the Academy Museum, Littlefeather reflected on what compelled her to speak out in 1973. “I felt that there should be Native people, Black people, Asian people, Chicano people — I felt there should be an inclusion of everyone,” said Littlefeather. “A rainbow of people that should be involved in creating their own image.”
