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Beloved Star Trek and Marvel star passes away at age 49

<p>The entertainment world is mourning the loss of a talented actor and beloved individual, Kenneth Mitchell, who passed away at the age of 49 after bravely battling ALS for five years.</p> <p>Mitchell, recognised for his roles in notable productions such as <em>Star Trek: Discovery</em> and <em>Captain Marvel</em>, leaves behind a legacy that extends far beyond the screen.</p> <p>In a heartfelt statement shared through X and Instagram, Mitchell's family announced his passing, remembering him as a cherished father, husband, brother, uncle, son and dear friend.</p> <p>“With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Kenneth Alexander Mitchell, beloved father, husband, brother, uncle, son and dear friend,” his family wrote. “Ken was widely known as an actor in many films and television shows. He’s portrayed an Olympic hopeful, an apocalypse survivor, an astronaut, a superhero’s dad, and four unique Star Trekkers.</p> <p>“For five and a half years Ken faced a series of awful challenges from ALS. And in truest Ken fashion, he managed to rise above each one with grace and commitment to living a full and joyous life in each moment.</p> <p>“He lived by the principles that each day is a gift and that we never walk alone. His life is a shining example of how full one can be when you live with love, compassion, humour, inclusion, and community.” </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3wkUg9tOmj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C3wkUg9tOmj/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Kenneth Mitchell (@mr_kenneth_mitchell)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Mitchell's journey with ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, began in 2018 when he received the diagnosis. Despite the challenges it presented, he faced his condition with courage and resilience. By 2019, Mitchell had transitioned to using a wheelchair, and in 2020, he chose to share his health struggles publicly, shedding light on the realities of living with ALS.</p> <p>In an interview he gave during that time, Mitchell expressed the profound impact of his diagnosis on both himself and his wife, emphasising the strength they found in facing adversity together. He spoke of the initial shock and uncertainty surrounding his condition, highlighting the process of grieving and adjusting to a new reality marked by unknown challenges.</p> <p>For fans of <em>Star Trek</em>, Mitchell's portrayal of Klingon characters Kol, Kol-Sha, Tenavik, and Aurellio in <em>Star Trek: Discovery</em> resonated deeply, showcasing his talent and versatility as an actor. Additionally, his voice acting contributions to <em>Star Trek: Lower Decks</em> further solidified his place within the cherished franchise.</p> <p>The outpouring of tributes from the Star Trek community, as well as from his colleagues and fans worldwide, speaks volumes about Mitchell's impact both on and off the screen. A statement from StarTrek.com conveys condolences to Mitchell's family, friends, and loved ones, underscoring the profound loss felt by all who were touched by his work.</p> <p>Mitchell is survived by his wife Susan May Pratt and their two children, and has requested any gifts be directed towards ALS research or in support of his children.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

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"What a life I’ve had": Author announces own death after years of battling dementia

<p>Wendy Mitchell has died aged 68 after documenting her brave battle with dementia. </p> <p>The author from Walkington, East Yorkshire, became the best-selling writer after she was diagnosed with early onset vascular dementia and Alzheimer's in July 2014. </p> <p>She shared her philosophical outlook on living with the condition in her acclaimed 2018 memoir <em>Somebody I Used To Know </em>and in her 2022 book <em>What I Wish I Knew About Dementia</em>.</p> <p>In an <a href="https://whichmeamitoday.wordpress.com/2024/02/22/my-final-hug-in-a-mug/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open letter</a> shared online, the author announced her death and revealed that she had refused to eat or drink towards the end of her battle. </p> <p>"If you’re reading this, it means this has probably been posted by my daughters as I’ve sadly died," she began. </p> <p>"Sorry to break the news to you this way, but if I hadn’t, my inbox would eventually have been full of emails asking if I’m OK, which would have been hard for my daughters to answer… </p> <p>"In the end I died simply by deciding not to eat or drink any more," she wrote. </p> <p>She added that the last cup of tea she had, her "final hug in a mug" was "the hardest thing to let go of". </p> <p>"Dementia is a cruel disease that plays tricks on your very existence. I’ve always been a glass half full person, trying to turn the negatives of life around and creating positives, because that’s how I cope." </p> <p>Mitchell said that the language used by doctors can "make or break" how someone copes with dementia, and instead of saying there's "nothing they can do" it is better to tell them they will have to "adapt to a new way of living". </p> <p>"Well I suppose dementia was the ultimate challenge. Yes, dementia is a bummer, but oh what a life I’ve had playing games with this adversary of mine to try and stay one step ahead," she wrote in her final blog post. </p> <p>She also said that she had always been resilient, which has helped her cope with whatever life throws in her way. </p> <p>Mitchell has been an advocate for assisted dying in the UK, and said that "the only legal choice we shouldn’t have in life is when to be born; for everything else, we, as humans, should have a choice; a choice of how we live and a choice of how we die." </p> <p>She added that the way she died was an active choice as she doesn't want "to be an inpatient in a hospital, or a resident in a Care Home," as "it’s just not the place I want to end my years."</p> <p>"My girls have always been the two most important people in my life. I didn’t take this decision lightly, without countless conversations. They were the hardest conversations I’ve ever had to put them through. </p> <p>"This was all MY CHOICE, my decision. So please respect my daughters' privacy, as they didn’t choose the life I chose, of standing up to and speaking out against dementia." </p> <p>She then thanked everyone for their support and left with a touching final message. </p> <p>"So, enjoy this knowing that dementia didn’t play the winning card – I did."</p> <p><em>Images: Daily Mail</em></p> <p> </p>

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With the strokes of a guitar solo, Joni Mitchell showed us how our female music elders are super punks

<p>The iconic Joni Mitchell’s recent surprise performance at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxiluPSmAF8&amp;feature=youtu.be">2022 Newport Folk Festival</a> prompted a world-wide outpouring of love and respect. </p> <p>This was her first musical performance since suffering from a brain aneurysm in 2015 that left her unable to walk and talk. Last year, she spoke of having <a href="https://www.nme.com/en_au/news/music/joni-mitchell-addresses-health-issues-in-rare-speech-at-2021-kennedy-center-honors-3112447">polio as a child</a> as “a rehearsal for the rest of my life”. </p> <p>The tributes for Mitchell celebrated her triumph from illness to recovery, but they also paid homage to Mitchell’s career that has pivoted on protest. </p> <p>Mitchell is largely associated with folk scenes of the 60s and 70s. She has produced a prolific body of work, advocating for social change. As a committed activist she has spoken against environmental degradation, war, LGBTQI+ discrimination, and most recently, removed <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/29/22907696/joni-mitchell-spotify-joe-rogan-podcast-misinformation-covid-19">her music catalogue</a> from Spotify in a protest against anti-vaccine propaganda. </p> <p>Now, with the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7wOdpxGctc">strokes of a guitar solo</a> she repositioned herself from folk hero to punk provocateur, defying the “permissible” ways older women “should” behave. </p> <p>In commanding public space and using one of the most traditionally masculinised expressions of popular music practice, she directly challenged the sorts of expectations many people have around gendered norms, particularly what women in their elder years look and sound like.</p> <h2>Not everyone gets to age on stage</h2> <p>Some of the most persistent social restrictions placed on women and gender diverse musicians are in relation to age. </p> <p>Ongoing expectations of older women are to be passive, quiet and very much in the background. They are rarely asked, or expected, to “take up space” in the same ways their male counterparts do. </p> <p>Whereas men step through phases of youthful experimentation into established music legends, there are tiresome obstacles for female and gender diverse people to do the same. </p> <p>And while exceptions are often exceptional, they are not plentiful.</p> <p>It’s not just age. Women have long been sidelined when it comes to acknowledging their skills on the electric guitar. Much like Mitchell.</p> <p>The electric guitar has been an important part of rock and punk genres. There is a symbiotic relationship between how these genres – and the instrumentation that defines them – have unwittingly become gendered. The electric guitar solo in particular has come to be associated with machismo: fast, loud, expert, brave. </p> <p>If you like to imagine a world where women don’t exist, google “best guitar solos ever”. </p> <p>A recent <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/02/opinion/grammys-rock-guitar-solo.html">New York Times article</a> suggested things are starting to change. Citing guitarists like Taja Cheek and Adrianne Lenker, the Times suggested the guitar solo has shifted from a macho institution into a display of vulnerability, a moment (perhaps many) of connectivity. </p> <p>Mitchell’s performance sits somewhere in this domain. </p> <p>For the hundreds of thousands of women and gender diverse guitarists world-wide, myself included, the electric guitar and the genres it is entwined with offer a cool, optional extra: to test the cultural norms of gender with other markers of identity like class, culture, sexuality and age, to blur ideas of what we should and shouldn’t do.</p> <h2>Australian women to the front</h2> <p>Australian women and gender diverse rock and punk musicians are often subject to a double act of erasure – missing from localised histories, and also from broader canons of contemporary music, which often remain persistently rooted in the traditions of the UK and the US.</p> <p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/55669013-my-rock-n-roll-friend">Tracey Thorn’s brilliant biography</a> of the Go-Between’s drummer Lindy Morrison is a love lettered homage that steps out the complex local, emotional, personal and structural ways that Australian women and gender diverse people are often omitted from cultural spaces. </p> <p>“We are patronised and then we vanish,” writes Thorn.</p> <p>The work of women and gender diverse artists is often compared to the glossy pedestal of the male creative genius.</p> <p>In this light, we don’t play right, we don’t look right, we don’t sound right. </p> <p>And then, somehow, we don’t age right. </p> <p>Other reasons are far more mundane. Women contribute around <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/blog/economics-blog/2019/Value-unpaid-work-care.html">13 hours more unpaid work</a> than men each week. </p> <p>Carrying plates overflowing with generous gifts of labour, the maintenance of a music practice – a largely underpaid endeavour – is often the first to fall by the wayside. </p> <p>Add to the mix ingrained social networks of knowledge sharing, and the dominance of men making decisions higher up the chain, and it is easy to see how women and gender diverse musicians stay submerged as men rise to the limited real estate of music elders. </p> <p>The problem isn’t so much about starting up. It’s about finding the time to keep up.</p> <h2>Our female and gender diverse music elders</h2> <p>There are so many Australian female and gender diverse music elders. Some are visible, but many ripple beneath the surface. </p> <p>Regardless of genre, in maintaining decades-long practice, they are the super punks whose legacy can be heard in venues across the country. </p> <p>The challenge now is to support the current crop of excellent musicians beyond the flushes of youth so that we have a more sustainable, textured and diverse Australian music culture. One where Mitchell’s defiance of expectations represents the status quo of how older women should and can be.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/with-the-strokes-of-a-guitar-solo-joni-mitchell-showed-us-how-our-female-music-elders-are-super-punks-188075" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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James Bond star found dead in hotel

<p>Kenneth Tsang, a veteran Hong Kong actor who starred in ground-breaking martial arts movies, has died at age 87.</p> <p>Tsang, who was also known as Tsang Kong, was staying in a Hong Kong hotel when he was found dead in his hotel room. </p> <p>The hotel was being used as a venue for passenger quarantine after overseas travel according to Covid-19 restrictions, but no immediate cause of death has been given by Hong Kong authorities. </p> <p>Tsang had travelled home on Monday after a visit to Singapore, when his rapid Covid-19 test had tested negative for the disease.</p> <p>Tsang has over 220 film credits after a career spanning more than 65 years, playing mostly bad guys in movies, as well as a handful of TV shows. </p> <p>In the 1980s and 1990s, he appeared in several influential titles by John Woo including <em>A Better Tomorrow</em> and <em>A Better Tomorrow 2</em> followed by <em>The Killer</em> and <em>Once a Thief</em>. </p> <p>His first Hollywood movie was the Antoine Fuqua-directed <em>The Replacement Killers</em>, alongside Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat. Tsang notably appeared opposite Pierce Brosnan's James Bond in <em>Die Another Day</em> in 2002.</p> <p>The actor was born in Shanghai in 1934, before he moved to the United States for his education. </p> <p>Tsang continued working as an actor until last year. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

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How Kenneth Branagh brought child-like magic to Belfast

<p dir="ltr">It’s one of the most low-key films of the 2022 Oscar season, but Kenneth Branagh’s black and white drama <em>Belfast</em> is not to be underestimated. </p> <p dir="ltr">The film, which is loosely based on Branagh’s own childhood, explores the “troubles” in Northern Ireland in 1969 through the eyes of nine-year-old Buddy. </p> <p dir="ltr">The acclaimed movie picked up seven Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress for Judi Dench and Best Supporting Actor for Ciarán Hinds, while Kenneth Branagh is up for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director.</p> <p dir="ltr">When filming began for <em>Belfast</em>, young star Jude Hill, who plays Buddy, said he felt an instant connection with the director. </p> <p dir="ltr">“When I first read the script, I immediately felt related to Buddy because we can relate on a lot of different topics,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We’re both massive football fans, and we’re massive movie fans as well.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“I just loved playing a young version of Kenneth and he didn’t put me under any pressure at all.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Belfast native Ciarán Hinds, who plays Buddy’s grandfather, says Kenneth’s film tells the more human story of the civil war in Ireland, rather than the political side. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Because Ken has written the script through the eyes of a nine-year-old child, there are no political agendas,” Hinds says.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Ken doesn’t shy away from the violence and the bitterness, it’s all on the television, it’s on in the street, but it is seen through the eyes of a nine-year-old.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“To see that innocence was deeply moving, reading the script, and then when I saw it fulfilled for the first time on the screen, I thought, ‘this has actually got to the heart of the soul and the people of Belfast’.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Check out the trailer for the film below. </p> <p><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ja3PPOnJQ2k" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Rob Youngson / Focus Features</em></p>

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Woman murdered by husband during murder mystery dinner cruise

<p>39-year-old Kristy Manzanares was killed by her husband Kenneth Manzanares during a week-long cruise.</p> <p>Kristy was on a holiday with her husband of 17 years and their three daughters, when she was found murdered in her cabin on Tuesday night.</p> <p>A statement from her loved ones described her as “a devoted mother, daughter, sister and friend”.</p> <p>It said, “Kristy led by example with her giving heart and we are inspired by the legacy of kindness and optimism she has instilled in her children.”</p> <p>Her husband, Kenneth Manzanares, was arrested and charged with her murder. Authorities say that he killed his wife on board the Emerald Princess because she “wouldn’t stop laughing at him”.</p> <p>The ship’s security found Kristy in her cabin at 9 pm with a severe head wound and she was pronounced dead 20 minutes later.</p> <p>Ship staff have said that Kenneth had attempted to throw her body overboard.</p> <p>The cruise’s theme was murder mystery and staff initially believed the scene had been staged to fit in with the theme.</p> <p>At 9 pm on Tuesday night, the captain sent a message on the intercom ordering security to go to the ninth floor, where the couple were staying.</p> <p>Once security reached the couple’s cabin, they found a bloody scene and Kristy’s body.</p> <p>Kenneth Manzanares was charged on Thursday after being taken in to the custody of Alaskan authorities on Wednesday morning after the ship docked in Alaska.</p> <p>According to police, during questioning he said, “My life is over.”</p> <p>Cruise passengers who were on the same floor as the family explained that they saw a child sitting on an older woman’s lap sobbing.</p> <p>“I see this little girl sitting on – I assume – her grandma or somebody, sitting on her lap wrapped in a blanket. And she's just sobbing,” Brian Eckstorm told KTUU.</p> <p>“A man came walking out from the hallway where it happened and he had, like, a white tank top on, and some jeans.”</p> <p>“His jeans were completely covered in blood and he came out saying, 'It's not good, it's not good',” he added. </p> <p>Kristy worked as a real estate agent with Sotheby’s in St George, Utah.</p> <p>Her profile on the Summit Sotheby’s International realty site reads, “In her spare time, Kristy enjoys volunteering at local schools and is involved in the Jubilee of Trees as Tree Designer each year.”</p> <p>“She loves cheering on her daughters at soccer games, spending time with extended family and is currently learning how to play golf with her husband.”</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="500" height="630" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/40288/ship1_500x630.jpg" alt="Ship1"/></p> <p>Passengers were kept aboard the ship for eight hours after being diverted to Juneau because of the investigation.</p> <p>Travellers in rooms on the post side of decks 8, 9 and 10 were instructed to return to their cabins during the day so they could be interviewed by investigators.</p> <p>Other passengers were able to move around the ship during lockdown.</p> <p>No further schedule changes were expected for the cruise ship. </p>

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