The Best Me Deal

Al Roker has returned to the Today show after a life-threatening healthbattle.

The weather anchor, who has been off the air for more than two months as herecovered from to back-to-back hospitalizations as he coped with blood clotsand internal bleeding that necessitated major surgery, was greeted by hiscolleagues Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie as soon as he arrived at NBC’sStudio 1A at 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Friday.

“Yes!” shouted Kotb in the clip as Roker, 68, stepped off the elevator in afull suit and hat accompanied by his wife, ABC News’s Deborah Roberts. “Youare home,” Guthrie told him.

At the top of the show, Guthrie said, “It is a really special Friday morning.I’m sorry but the tears are already flowing. Al Roker is back! … To say wehave missed you doesn’t begin even describe it. It’s nothing without youhere.”

Hotb said the crew was “weepy” and the crowd outside has “been bummed everyday we’ve walked out there” without him. “They’re like, ‘Where is Al?'”Outside, fans held up a sign spelling out, “Welcome back Al” and held posterswith his smiling face on them.

Roker called everyone behind the show his “second family” and said “it’s greatto be back — and wearing pants” after a month-long hospitalization followed byrecovery at home. He said his heart was “just bursting” as his colleaguespulled out all the stops, including welcoming him with his hype music, the ATeam theme song.

Roker’s sense of humor, a constant since he joined the show in 1996, wasturned on even if he admitted he was running on adrenaline. Later in the show,when Carson Daly made a joke about Kotb using Roker’s dressing room asadditional closet space while he was gone, Roker shot back, “Actually, they’dalready cleared them out. [But] I am wearing her Spanx right now. These arefantastic!”

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Roker’s health journey was discussed in detail in later segments. He firstsuffered from stomach pains but it escalated and, among issues, he had bloodclots in his lungs, which doctors suspect stemmed from him having COVID inSeptember. However, that was coupled with the complication of mysteriousinternal bleeding which necessitated surgery and revealed two bleeding ulcers.He also had colon resection surgery, when part or all of the colon is removed,and had his gallbladder removed.

Roker said, “I lost half my blood” amid the illness and recovered in asurgical ICU.

Roker’s gastroenterologist, Felice H. Schnoll-Sussman, described herself as”extraordinarily concerned. He had a life-threatening experience. There is nodoubt about that.” Roker credited her, his internal medicine specialist JayRaman and the rest of his medical team for “saving his life.”

As far as his health going forward, Schnoll-Sussman said at this point heneeds needs TLC — through time, good food, rest and being with loved ones.

Roker’s family, including his wife and three children, were by his side as herecovered. Roberts, from rival ABC News, joined them on the show to talk abouthelping Roker get back on his feet.

When Kotb pointed out that people probably didn’t realize how dire Roker’ssituation was and that he had to be “saved,” Roberts said, “It’s not lost onus that this is a major, major thing for Al to be here. He is a living,breathing miracle. He really is. I’m not overstating it, I don’t think. Al wasa very, very, very sick man and I think most people did not know that.”

Roberts revealed that Roker’s condition was “a medical mystery for a couple ofweeks,” going through tests, scopes before the “major, major surgery.”

“It was the most tumultuous, frightening journey we have ever been on,” sheadmitted.

Roberts said her first sign that things would be OK was when a “gaunt andexhausted” Roker, who barely had any voice, whispered to her her from hishospital bed, “I’m going to make a spatchcock turkey for Christmas,” sherecalled with a laugh.

“That was the moment for me… I’m sitting here hoping he’s going to make it toChristmas and he wants to make a turkey,” she laughed. “I just knew at thatpoint — that will, that drive.”

Roker praised his wife and family for helping him get through it. “I had noidea how bad off I was,” he admitted, saying Roberts shielded him from that.

Al Roker’s wife Deborah Roberts joined him for to talk about his healthbattle. “Al was a very, very, very sick man and I think most people didn’tknow that,” she admitted. (Photo: Today)

“I’m grateful to have this woman by my side, all of you and you folks athome,” he said. “The prayer, you could feel it.”

Roker added his doctors told him if that he wasn’t in the shape that he wasin, as he documents his daily walks on the show’s Start Today, “this mighthave been a different outcome.”

Smoker hasn’t been on air since November. He missed his first Macy’sThanksgiving Day parade in two decades as well as the lighting of theChristmas tree at Rockefeller Center. A sweet moment was the Today showanchors and staff going to his home to serenade him with Christmas music.

Roker was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020. He had his prostate removedas well as surgeries to fix issues with his hip and knees. He also had gastricbypass surgery in 2002.

Music never quite reveals its secret. That’s why the most loved pieces can belistened to endlessly. Viewing a beloved painting over and over again in amuseum or re-reading a favorite novel thirty or forty times still remainsquite an exceptional activity. But listening to a Mozart piano concerto or aBruckner symphony is never-ending for admirers. The music is never ‘off’ or’on.

That is both a blessing and a curse. As a result, classical music fans aregenerally slightly more conservative in nature than audiences for other artforms. Every art form has a canon: artists and artists from the past who areregarded as normative and directional. But the canon of classical music isvery narrow. Only a small number of composers attract all the attention, oftenwith the same works.

Few musicians have done more to break through such beaten musical paths thanconductor and pianist Reinbert de Leeuw (1938-2020). His concerts andrecordings with the greats of contemporary music such as György Ligeti, LouisAndriessen, Sofia Goebaidoelina, Mauricio Kagel, György Kurtág and GalinaUstvolskaja are of great importance if only because he worked closely with thecomposers. De Leeuw contributed to the music history of his own time.

His passion and perfectionism have been extensively documented over the years– including in the biography Thea Derks wrote about him and the musicaldocumentaries Cherry Duyns made about and with De Leeuw (including the famousseries ‘Toonmeesters’). Is there anything else to add? Anyway.

Passionate storyteller

In Across the border. Classical music after 1900 De Leeuw will speak onemore time about the composers who have determined his musical life. Althoughauthor Dap Hartmann is an avid music lover, he is not a professional himself.He therefore set the condition for the conversations on which his book isbased that De Leeuw should avoid musical jargon as much as possible.

This resulted in a book that offers an incomplete, but very catchyintroduction to the music of the twentieth century, which assumes little priorknowledge. De Leeuw is a passionate storyteller, who is never shy about anopinion, which he often stretches to an absolute standard. There is oftensomething to be said about this, but De Leeuw’s surrender certainlycontributes enormously to the liveliness of the book.

Ironically enough, the music of the twentieth century, which wanted to befreed from as many precepts and rules as possible, soon found itself trappedin all kinds of new dogmas, which the musical revolutionaries imposed onthemselves. Anyone who wanted to count in the first decades after the SecondWorld War had to compose in the manner of Karlheinz Stockhausen and PierreBoulez. In retrospect, De Leeuw considered this effort to arrive at a newgenerally applicable musical language as a mistake. De Leeuw’s discovery ofthe music of the American composer Charles Ives, a loner who imperturbablywent his own way, freed him from that straitjacket in the mid-1960s.

Yet De Leeuw has never completely abandoned the idea that musical history hasan inherent logic, which must inevitably lead to a certain way of composing.He was fascinated by this – especially by the musical life in Vienna around1900 in which Arnold Schönberg crossed the heavily charged border intoatonality.

In this way, certain musical developments remain central and absorb most ofthe attention – music that does not fit well into the grand story of theorigin of modern music is inevitably dropped.

Canon exclusive

It is also possible to look less linearly (and less hierarchically) at themusic history of the twentieth century. British music journalist Kate Mollesonshows this beautifully in her innovative book Sound Within Sound. Opening OurEars to the Twentieth Century.

Molleson decided not to repeat the sharp polemics about the exclusivecharacter of the classical music canon (white, male, European). Her agenda ispositive: she went in search of important ‘innovative figures’ that aremissing from most history books, regardless of country of origin, gender orcolor.

In this way she wants to remove the ‘false contradiction’ that she believesexists between an emphasis on diversity and quality as a guiding criterion.That contradiction does not have to be there at all. She also abandons thesharp hierarchical distinction between center and periphery: in thetraditional way of thinking, the (Western) music of the center is alwaysleading; music from other parts of the world can only have the followingcharacter.

Her approach resulted in ten portraits of very different composers, such asthe Mexican composer Julián Carillo, who mastered European traditions as amusic student in Leipzig, but went his own way in the 1920s with a musicsystem he developed himself that he called the ‘ Revolución del Sonido 13’.

A somewhat similar development went through the Filipino composer José Maceda,who was classically trained in Paris, gave up his career as a concert pianist,retrained as an ethnomusicologist and started composing from his country’sindigenous musical traditions. His career peaked with the work Ugnayan , acomposition for 37 radio stations, which was played for an hour on New Year’sDay 1974 in the Philippine capital Manila. Only the support of Imelda Marcos,the wife of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, gave him the opportunity to realizesuch a grand and ambitious project.

Countless cross connections

Closer to the European mainstream is the work of the Danish composer ElseMarie Pade. Molleson writes intriguingly about her sound collage compositions,which reflected her traumatic wartime experiences. The French Éliane Radiquewas involved in the famous Studio d’Essai of composer Pierre Schaeffer, apioneer of composing with sounds (‘musique concrete’.)

Radique mainly made a name for herself with her electronic music for earlysynthesizers. She is still musically active at an advanced age – Mollesonvisits Radigue in her Paris apartment and beautifully describes the momentwhen Radique turns the tables and the composer begins to ask her questions.

Between the famous music that has made it into the history books and thecomposers Sound Within Sound there are numerous cross-links. None of thecomposers in Molleson’s book developed in isolation. The question is whetherit is really possible to uncover completely new types of music by composerswho are as yet far too little known. But such pure innovation need not be theultimate criterion. In any case, what is certain is that there is much moregood music to be found than in the narrow canon of Western classical music.

Yesterday there was an article on FilmTotaal about five actors who arehardly seen in Hollywood anymore, despite the fact that they were big stars inthe early 2000s. If you missed this list, you can still view it here. Below isthe second half.

Mary Bello Bello had her big break with the musical Coyote Ugly. From then on she hadthe roles for the taking and knew how to throw high eyes with The Cooler, AHistory of Violence and even tried out the blockbuster genre once with TheMummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

From 2010, however, it became less… Bello was offered few roles and went forsmaller roles in forgettable television series. Fortunately, there were alsosome gems in between, such as Prisoners. Bello also contributed to thescript of the highly acclaimed The Woman King. So we might see her less, butshe doesn’t sit still.

Renee Zellweger Zellweger broke through in the late 1990s with Jerry Maguire. From thatmoment on, just about everyone wanted to work with her. She stayed in thespotlight thanks to the Bridgette Jones movies as well Chicago and ColdMountain. She even won an Oscar for the latter.

Around 2010, however, it became eerily quiet. Zellweger was not even seen atall for six years. However, she made a big comeback. She returned as BridgetJones and even won her second Oscar in 2019 thanks to her star role in Judy.Now, however, she seems to have ‘disappeared’ again.

Catherine Zeta Jones Not only one of the best actresses of the 2000s, but also one of the mostbeautiful women on the planet at the time. Jones broke through The Mask ofZorro and was requested by just about every major director; Steven Soderberg,Steven Spielberg and the Coen brothers, just to name a few. In the late 2000s,she even won a Tony for her role in A Little Night Music.

Just like her Chicago colleague Zellweger suddenly got Zeta-Jones less to doand she was also not seen for a very long time. Yet she recently managed toget a major role again, namely in the series Wednesday on Netflix.

Aaron Eckhart Eckhart rose to fame when he faced Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich. Then heimpressed again Thank You For Smoking and played Harvey Dent/Two-Face in theiconic film The Dark Knight. Then he played again Rabbithole with yetanother famous actress, namely Nicole Kidman.

Unfortunately, Eckhart never really became a ‘leading actor’ and he mainly hadto settle for supporting roles. Still, he gave it a try I, Frankenstein ,but this turned out to be a big flop. Since then his career went downhill. Theactor appears more and more in B-movies, such as the Has Fallen franchise.

Hillary Swank Swank got off to a great start in the 2000s when she won an Oscar for BoysDon ‘t Cry. She continued this series with Million Dollar Baby , becauseshe was allowed to take home another of the coveted golden statuettes. Swankwas indispensable in Hollywood.

Yet this happened. Although she occasionally appeared in films, none could becalled a real success. Her father was also quite ill for years and she decidedto put her career on the back burner to help him. In 2022 she managed to getthe lead role again in Alaska Daily for which she was even nominated for aGolden Globe.

From Monday it will be that time again: then unknown Dutch and Flemish peoplewill be locked up together in the restyled ‘Big Brother’ house. But who arethe actual candidates?

Ali

Ali (35) is a teacher of Dutch for people with a language deficiency. Hemainly wants to help people who feel excluded in society because they do notspeak the language. Ali is always looking for the positive in life. TheLimburger is a real mood maker and will therefore ensure that his time in the_Big Brother_ house becomes a real party. Ali isn’t afraid to play tacticallyand fool the other candidates. He wants to reach the finish line at all costsand win the race.

Ali Big Brother

Image © Wesley de Wit

Bart

49-year-old Bart is a soldier and is therefore used to being away from homefor several months. Thanks to his profession, he also possesses skills thatother residents will not have. He really wants to go through life withouttelephone, computer and other technology. Bart’s great hobby is motorcyclingand he has a special pet: a snake that is no less than two meters long. If heis annoyed by something or someone, you will notice it immediately. He willlook away twice, but the third time he will certainly let himself be heard:”If it doesn’t click, it will collide.”

Bart Big Brother

Image © Wesley de Wit

Read also:

Lots of twists in the new season of Big Brother

Charlotte

Charlotte of 27 has a nice energy around her. She likes a party or festivalevery now and then, but keeps her life in balance by doing yoga at least threetimes a week. Charlotte is not made for a standard life and quickly findseverything a bit boring. She always had a certain love for America andtherefore went to work as a nanny for various Hollywood stars for five years.She currently works as a private tutor high-profile families. Charlotte issomeone who first has to observe a situation in order to determine hertactics.

charlotte big brother

Image © Wesley de Wit

Charron

The 33-year-old Chayron is an interesting man in several ways: he is anoutspoken, social man who has not fallen on his Rotterdam mouth. He is proudof his family of three children. They have not always had it easy, becausethey are victims of the benefits affair. He has seen the past few seasons andlearned a lot from this for his own participation. His tactics? First watchthe cat out of the tree, make lots of friends and ensure a good atmosphere.

Charron Big Brother

Image © Wesley de Wit

Read also:

Andrew Tate from Big Brother arrested on suspicion of human trafficking

Chelsea

Chelsea’s (22) prophetic dreams finally come true: she has already seenherself walking around the house and that is now becoming reality. Inside thehouse, Chelsea is eager to learn to let go of control and seek out theunknown. She has recently completely changed her lifestyle and so theexperiment comes at the right time. Chelsea will not shy away from thenecessary associations and will do everything to win. She will be missed athome, because she always knows how to provide everyone with good advice andsometimes feels a bit like the mother of her group of friends.

Chelsea Big Brother

Image © Wesley de Wit

Danny

Muscle bundle Danny, aged 28, is sporty, competitive and loves the gameelement Big Brother. He has been a fanatical sportsman all his life, withhighlights including a rugby time in Australia and his time with the Dutchunder-18 team. He is now active as a crossfit specialist and personal trainer.He hopes to be able to motivate his fellow residents to keep moving and thinkshe can become indispensable to the group.

Danny Big Brother

Image © Wesley de Wit

Read also:

Big Brother gets a new presenter: ‘Urge to pop’

Jason

The 22-year-old Jason may be the benjamin of the group, but that does not meanthat he will be fooled. He comes for one purpose: to win! The element of playis more important to him than cosiness in the house. He actually hopes thatthere are fellow residents with whom he clicks less, so that interestingsituations and conversations can arise. Jason isn’t about to play the sweetboy and is certainly willing to play tricks here and there and make alliances.

Jason Big Brother

Image © Wesley de Wit

Judy

Judy (34) was born in Antwerp and grew up in the picturesque village ofBurcht, where she still lives with her boyfriend and their son. She worked asa hairdresser for a while, after which she started working in various clothingstores. She is currently a beautician and specializes mainly in eyebrows. Judycomes across as a calculating, calm woman, but is above all very competitive.So Judy will certainly not hold back from taking risks and completely windingher fellow residents around her finger and then sending them home one by one.

Judy Big Brother

Image © Wesley de Wit

Read also:

Big Brother candidate Liese gives health update on MS

Lindsey

For Lindsey, born and raised in Limburg, aged 32, the best tactic is to beyourself, according to Lindsey you will achieve the most. She has a realwinner’s mentality, can’t stand losing so there is no other option for herthan to win. She is full of positive energy, has an infectious laugh and knowshow to blow people away with her sparkling presence. Lindsey has a passion formusic and may be able to add a musical touch to it Big Brother -house.

Lindsay Big Brother

Image © Wesley de Wit

Michelangelo

22-year-old Michelangelo, a sympathetic Genk resident with Sicilian roots,works in his father’s tire centre. In addition, he is also active inmotorsport, where he has already had the opportunity to taste life as aFormula 3 driver. Michelangelo is a true leader by nature, although he comesacross as quite shy at first. Once he feels at home in the house, he will takethe lead in various challenges and his fellow residents will have to resisthis puppy eyes.

Michelangelo Big Brother

Image © Wesley de Wit

Rob

Rob of 66 is at a crossroads in his life. He has recently retired and has thedesire and time to do something adventurous with his life. He used to look at_Big Brother_ and watched every season. Now that Rob has time and peace in hislife, he would love it if a 60+ person reached the final of _Big Brother_fetches. He can already see himself standing there. Despite his age, he isstill very fit and thinks he can handle the adventure both physically and

Which song do you want to play at your own goodbye anyway?

“Child of the Devil of Jebroer.”

Why this particular number?

“For years this song has been on my list for my funeral and it still hasn’tmade room for another. And not because I actually think I’m a child of thedevil, but the beat, the lyrics, all together makes me see how my funeral isgoing. I want people to dance on the chairs and the music on 100.

I work in the funeral and hear a lot of songs passing by. Andrea Bocelli isbeautiful, but the beat and energy of this song immediately set the tone forhow I want my goodbye to go, so this is the song to play when I enter. He alsosings, “Mama you don’t have to cry” and “party like every day is the last.”That’s how I am in life, so I think it’s a nice message.”

And what does it say about your life?

“I don’t like to be in the spotlight, but I do want a grand funeral. I’mdisappointed that I can’t be there myself, because I think it will be verycool. As a child I already had a fascination with death , and I already knew Iwanted to be a funeral director at the age of 15. At 21 I became a mother andhad an administrative job, but now I have succeeded.

I think details are important at a funeral, there must be something personalin it. I myself sometimes get emotional during a service, but I consciouslyput that aside. Later in the car I put on a nice whine record. Last year myuncle and my aunt passed away six weeks apart, that was tough. When I playGray by Jaap Reesema, or Today by Baas B. it brings me back to that loss andthen it flows naturally. The latter contains the sentence: ‘If love could healyou, you were better yesterday’. Beautiful.

People often don’t know where to start thinking about and telling what theirgoodbye should look like. That’s why I made a funeral planner. This bookcovers everything. Buried or cremated? What music and what people? Where andwhat do we serve? There is so much that people can get lost in it, so I’mhappy to lend a hand.”

Where do you prefer to listen to music?

“In the car, because I’m often alone there and then I don’t have to takeanyone into account. Volume full and sing along, wonderful!”

How many lists do you have on Spotify?

“I have a list ‘for ever’, that is my funeral music. There are two songs onit, Child of the Devil anyway and a song by Maan. The rest can be supplementedby my family. In the end, it is mainly their farewell, of course, so I thinkit is important that they can shape this themselves. At our house we talk alot about death. Last week my son asked if I would also arrange his funeral,but of course that is not possible. I can talk about death with everyone, butwith your own child it is a bit different. The idea alone.”

What is your guilty pleasure?

“Bar numbers. I love Dutch sing-alongs. If I want to sing along, I always puton Mart Hoogkamer, or Hazes.”

You can find Danielle ‘s booklet on Instagram as @ Just plain Dan .

After fourteen years as a funny sidekick, Rámon Verkoeijen (36) has a soloprogram on 3FM from next weekend. Incidentally, he and Jan Versteegh – thanksto their podcast – are also a TikTok sensation. “I am very happy that 3FM isabout music again.”

Twelve years ago, Rámon Verkoeijen also experienced it. People approached himon the street. That had everything to do with The Handymen the TV program hemade together with Sander Lantinga and even earned him a nomination for theTelevizier Talent Award in 2011.

Now passers-by on the street address him again, but only about culinarymatters. That has everything to do with the podcast The best taste in theNetherlands, which the cheerful radio DJ makes on the Podimo platform with TVpresenter Jan Versteegh . The conversations about snacks are in great demandon social media. “After a few episodes, we heard that we were on TikTok andthat a video had been viewed a million times. We thought it was a joke. Itreally feels like that Handymen period again. Only now they ask for winetips.”

Read on under one of the TikTok video that has been viewed more than amillion times.

Verkoeijen’s radio career also takes a new turn. From next weekend he can beheard solo on Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. For the pastfourteen years he always sat next to Timur Perlin or Mark van der Molen. Theidea came about last summer. Because his radio buddy Van der Molen filled infor the morning show with Mai Verbij (from January they are even a permanentcouple), he ended up alone in the weekend. “Make sure I don’t go off, I toldmy producer.”

Great successes and deep valleys

But soon there were positive reactions from colleagues in the field and fromthe management of 3FM, who asked Verkoeijen if he had ever thought about goingsolo. “I had actually put that aside for a bit. I was comfortable in my rolenext to someone. But Mark had had a good time with Mai and space opened up.Everything suddenly fell into place.”

Quote >>> New people like Barend van Deelen arrived. And then you doubt. Will it still> be 3FM enough?>> Ramon Verkoeijen

That space was created because quite a few DJs left 3FM, which comes from adifficult period. In the past fourteen years, Verkoeijen experienced greatsuccesses, but also the deep downturns from 2016, the period after successfulDJs such as Gerard Ekdom, Giel Beelen and Coen Swijnenberg and SanderLantinga. He likes the new course that the channel embarked on this year,which led to a slight increase in listening figures over the past threemonths. “I gained a lot of confidence from the conversations with channel bossMenno de Boer (who started in May 2022, ed.) About his plans with the channel.Everything revolves around the basics again and that is radio. It no longerfeels like a political party with all kinds of views that we have to shout onthe channel. It’s another station you listen to to hear great music. It ismuch more accessible, positive and cheerful. That is why I turn on the radiomyself.”

Verkoeijen is even a bit in love with his own channel again. “New people likeBarend van Deelen arrived. And then you doubt. Will it still be 3FM enough?But honestly it’s more 3FM than ever before. The afternoon show Bernard andBenner has really become my afternoon show, although that might be crazy tosay about your own channel. I have been here for about fifteen years now andit is super special to have this feeling.”

Quote >>> I’ve always thought we should do what’s best for the channel>> Ramon Verkoeijen

‘Personality hit radio’

He did not fear for his own place. “People with a big ego always say they areimportant to the channel. I do not have that. I’ve always thought we should dowhat’s best for the channel. If it’s at my expense, so be it. But I quicklygained the trust of the new boss.”

And so he can be heard solo on 3FM from this weekend. With a program that hehimself calls ‘personality hit radio’. The music is the most important, butVerkoeijen’s jokes and jokes remain. He just wants to talk less on the radio,so everything has to go faster. He takes one item with him. “De Sloomste Mens,we slow down people from the news. Then you have to guess who we’re lookingfor. And then you win a bag of prawn crackers.” With a nod to his successfulpodcast: “The circle is round again in terms of food.”

Opera singer Chu Lanlan (39), director Wang Jingguang (54) and actor FuZucheng (82). They all died suddenly last month. Corona, many suspect, but acause of death is not mentioned in their obituaries. For example, the familyof soprano Chu Lanlan, singing at the Beijing Opera, said she was only “deeplysaddened by her abrupt departure.” At Wang Jingguang – known in China formovies like Never Look Back and Lawless – reported to his wife that hefell ill and that medical intervention had no effect.

They are not the only Chinese celebrities who suddenly succumbed since theremarkable turnaround in Beijing’s corona policy. Actor Gong Jintang alsodied, again without the cause being disclosed. The 83-year-old Jintang was inthe series thanks to his character ‘Father Kang’ In Laws, Out Laws wellknown to many Chinese TV viewers for almost twenty years.

In addition to celebrities, quite a few prominent scientists and businesspeople died last month. Sixteen scientists from well-known universities andinstitutes died between December 21 and 26. Business newspaper ‘FinancialTimes’ reported on several Chinese business executives who met the same fate.Only one scientist and a businessman mentioned corona as the cause.

Suspicion

The deaths of so many prominent compatriots are therefore arousing suspicionamong more and more Chinese. On Weibo, the country’s largest social medium,users speculate wildly. After Beijing radically overturned the zero-covidpolicy that leader Xi Jinping had maintained for so long last month, hospitalsare overcrowded with corona patients. The same would apply to morgues.

A long, but still incomplete list of celebrities in the Chinese arts &> culture circles who died recently. Celebrities’ deaths are more difficult to> hide, as their workplaces or families usually publish the news to show> respect. > Photo: Chu Lanlan, 39> y/o#chinacovid> pic.twitter.com/sN9QXwbYnO>> — Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng 曾錚真言 (@jenniferzeng97) December 26,> 2022

Many Chinese assume that the celebrities have succumbed to Covid-19. Theyquestion the official state figures, which refer to only a few dozen Chinesecorona deaths. Beijing uses strict criteria to count as a corona death.Moreover, figures on the daily number of new cases have not been shared sincethe policy change.

The suspicion of ordinary Chinese is heightened now that their own deceasedfamily and friends are also given a cause of death other than Covid-19 in theofficial death documents.

WHO: not a representative picture

Ordinary illnesses can also lead to death, says a Weibo user. “But now theyall die at the same time.” Another responds under the post in which FuZucheng’s son Fu Jia announces his father’s death: “Peace to the dead. Thisepidemic is serious. Mr. Fu Jia needs to take care of himself.”

Various Chinese respond to the obituary of 83-year-old actor Gong Jintang withdisguised criticism. “Rest in peace, Father Kang’” someone writes. “This wavehas already taken so many lives of the elderly, let’s make sure we protect theelderly in our families.”

The World Health Organization WHO stated on Wednesday that the impact of theepidemic, and in particular the number of deaths, is much more serious thanChina wants to appear. Experts think there could be a million corona deathsthis year. Partly due to the zero-covid policy, the 1.4 billion Chinese arerelatively poorly protected. The Chinese vaccines also protect less well thanthe Western ones, and relatively few Chinese have also obtained a booster.

Playing, making music, performing; that’s what you do it all for as amusician, but Henk Koorn, singer of rock band Hallo Venray, dares to say:“Driving away after a performance is always one of the highlights. You comeout of a room where everything is busy and loud. Then you get on the bus,close the door and pfff… That enormous peace. The privacy of your own club.”

And then drive back to The Hague at night, with three band members and a soundengineer. No music on, just the hum of the diesel engine. It’s been that wayfor about 35 years. Henk Jonkers drums again on his towel that he puts on hislap. That’s what he does. They talk about the evening some more. Sometimeswith a beer and an extra stopover.

Photo Michael Bles

The orange Volkswagen T5 is bus number nine in the glorious history of theband. The previous one was still fine, but was no longer allowed to enter thecity center of The Hague because of the environmental zone. In corona time,Henk bought this replacement from a bassist from Nijmegen. It is certainly notflawless, but after all these years on the road Henk knows what criteria agood tire bus must meet: economical driving, everything must fit, you must beable to understand each other and he must continue to drive.

Many of the predecessors, in particular, failed to meet those last tworequirements. How many times he has bent over the hood of their first biscuittin, a Citroën HY. That was still in the period when they sometimes drovethrough the night with fourteen men, a mattress and all equipment. Theycelebrated their greatest successes in the early nineties in the Dodge, an oldarmy ambulance. For a short time there was also a limousine. It gave up theghost along the highway, white smoke came out of the tire box. Later, the morereliable Volkswagens, such as ‘the Alexander’, came from a gardening companyfor the ‘regal gardens’. He left the lettering on it. This is also the casewith ‘de Huisarts’, a play on words of a contracting company.

This one is faded orange, with no print. The spanners and handy gloves stillgo on tour, but he hardly needs them anymore. That the window cannot be closedafter opening, well, then you open the whole door when you arrive at afestival to hear where you can park. You do not actually need the broken rearwipers and there are missing caps at the seat belt attachment and theadjustment knob of the seat. But he drives and you can understand each other.

It is spacious in the back. Over the years they have started playing withsmaller amps. Saves lugging and those little ones are at least as good. Butthe massive 1960s London City bass amp remains. There are hardly any rules.There are empty candy wrappers on the dashboard and bottles of water under theseats. Sometimes a beer can, but the days of booze and drugs are over.

Henk bought the orange bus with two seats in the front. When he took a ridewith his girlfriend, singer / songwriter Elke van Zevenbergen, and dog Pien,the animal turned out to be completely upset because she couldn’t sit betweenthem, like in the previous bus. Now the co-driver’s seat has been replaced bya two-seater. As Koorn and Van Zevenbergen as the duo The Gray Pants Pienregularly joins the performance. She sits quietly between them in the bandbus, and then eats the playlist backstage.

UpdateIt Married at first sight couple Nicole and Martijn appear to sharethe same group of friends, as 924,000 people saw last night in the secondepisode of the new season of the RTL 4 show. “I thought when I entered theroom: they put your friends with mine.”

The concept of Married at first sight is known: the participants marry eachother, without ever having seen each other. But with Martijn and Nicole, thereis a very good chance that they crossed paths during a holiday in Ibiza – justa week before the television wedding – because they appear to have a number ofthe same friends.

,,This feels very familiar, of course I know a number of people”, BrabanderMartijn (50) stammered against Nicole from Amsterdam in front of the altar.,,I thought: hey, I was also in Ibiza last week.”

Three friends of Nicole (47) naturally received an invitation to the weddingfrom her, but also mail from Martijn. “We were like, ‘What do we do now? Fromthat moment on we thought: we’ll keep this a secret, it’s their day.”

Bizarre

Nicole wondered in front of the wedding official last night whether she andMartijn ‘did the same parties’. ,,It is a bizarre coincidence that you were inIbiza at the same time last week”, Babs Mariëlle concluded at Slot Zeist.

Once on the champagne, the subject was broached again. “This is bizarre. Ithought when I entered the venue, they mixed it. They put your friends withmine,” says Martijn. He turned out to have met Nicole’s girlfriends at aSpanish nightclub, but didn’t make a long evening of it. ,,I went home ontime, because I was tired from travelling.” For Nicole, who visited the sameestablishment on the same evening, ‘the circle has come full circle’. “It allcomes together, very crazy!”

The eighth season of the popular dating program has three episodes this week.Starting next week, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings will be ‘MAFS evenings’.The experts managed to make a match between two men and two women this year.

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Cuando Gennaro Gattuso recibió a Justin Dean Kluivert (Zaandam, Países Bajos;23 años) en la ciudad deportiva de Paterna el 2 de septiembre se sorprendió deque el futbolista no hablara un italiano fluido tras vivir en Roma. En eltrayecto entre su despacho y el vestuario del primer equipo, Gattuso le dijoal holandés que hablaba muy poco italiano. Justin lo admitió y la respuestadel entrenador después de regañarlo fue carcajearse y pegarle una de susclásicas collejas. “Sí… Me dijo: ‘Joder, me ha dado bastante fuerte’. Perobueno, se ha recuperado. Está contento con Gattuso. Espero que pueda lograrcosas allí”, contó luego el padre del jugador, Patrick Kluivert, sobre elmanotazo de bienvenida de Rino a Justin. El legendario Patrick, campeón dela Champions con el Ajax en 1995, jugó en el Valencia en la temporada 2005-06.