Michelle memoir to be called Becoming
Former US first lady Michelle Obama has announced the name of her anticipated memoir. Becoming will be published globally in 24 languages on November 13 by Penguin Random House, which acquired world publishing rights to both Michelle and Barack Obama’s memoirs in a deal rumoured to be worth $65m.
Obama described writing her memoir as a “deeply personal experience”, and said she hoped her story would encourage others to become who they want to be. The memoir will chronicle her life from a childhood on the south side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, as well as her time in the White House.
In a statement, she said: “Writing Becoming has been a deeply personal experience. It has allowed me, for the very first time, the space to honestly reflect on the unexpected trajectory of my life. In this book, I talk about my roots and how a little girl from the south side of Chicago found her voice and developed the strength to use it to empower others. I hope my journey inspires readers to find the courage to become whoever they aspire to be. I can’t wait to share my story.”
The book will be released in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa in print and digital formats by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Books at Penguin Random House UK. In the US and Canada, it will be released by Crown Publishing Group.
‘Number of female leads fell in 2017’
The number of female protagonists on the big screen was down five percentage points in 2017, according to a new study. The annual report on gender representation in film, from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, showed that out of the 100 highest-grossing films of the year, just 24 per cent were led by women, down from 29 per cent in 2016.
The year saw the three biggest films in the US all led by female characters: Star Wars: The last Jedi, Beauty and the Beast, and Wonder Woman. But the study showed independent films were still more likely to provide women with bigger parts. They account for 65 per cent of films with female leads.
The study shows that women accounted for 37 per cent of major characters, unchanged from the year before. Women also represented 34 per cent of all speaking characters, up from 32 per cent in 2016. There was minor improvement in the representation of women of color. The share of black female characters rose two percentage points to 16 per cent, thanks to hits like Girls Trip, and latinas increased from 3 per cent to 7 per cent. The share of Asian women rose from 6 per cent to 7 per cent. But there remains an age disparity. Men over 40 accounted for 46 per cent of all male characters compared to just 29 per cent for women.
Rolling Stones reveal UK tour dates
The Rolling Stones will play their first UK concerts in five years this spring. Starting at the london Stadium in Stratford on May 22, the dates make up the second leg of the No Filter tour that the four-piece began in Europe in autumn 2017. The Stones initially intended to combine their UK dates with the European run, but were unable to due to a “lack of available venues because of sporting fixtures”. The last time the Stones performed in their home country was summer 2013, when they headlined Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage and gave two concerts at london’s Hyde Park. The pioneering British rock group have been touring for 55 years, after earning their live chops on the prosaically named British tour of 1963. Nevertheless, guitarist Keith Richards offered a characteristically tireless statement on the tour announcement: “It’s such a joy to play with this band. There’s no stopping us — we’re just getting started really.”
The Rolling Stones will perform at the london Stadium (May 22), Manchester Old Trafford (June 5), Edinburgh Murrayfield (June 9), Cardiff Principality Stadium (June 15) and london Twickenham (June 19).