Led Zeppelin band members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant will appear in court tomorrow to defend Stairway to Heaven, one of the most recognisable songs in rock history, from accusations of plagiarism. Spirit, a band from Los Angeles, claim the iconic melancholic guitar that opens the song was lifted from its instrumental track, Taurus. Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe, who went by the nickname Randy California, did not take legal action and died in 1997, but a lawsuit has been filed by his trustee, Michael Skidmore. Shortly before his death, California said: "Well, if you listen to the two songs, you can make your own judgment. It's an exact – I'd say it was a rip-off. And the guys made millions of bucks on it and never said 'Thank you,' never said, 'can we pay you some money for it?' It's kind of a sore point with me." After two years of legal proceedings, a judge stopped short of agreeing that the song was copied but said there was enough of a case for a jury trial. Led Zeppelin was the opening act for Spirit when they made their United States debut in Denver in 1968. Skidmore has not specified the damages he is seeking but reports in the music press have suggested a possible settlement of anywhere between a symbolic US$1 (Dh3) plus a writing credit to as much as $40 million. – AFP
Taylor Swift to say it with greeting cards
Singer Taylor Swift has created a line of greeting cards with the company Papyrus. According to a post on the business's Instagram account, the handful of colourful, bejewelled cards available in US stores is "just the beginning" of a potentially larger project. The 26-year-old, who recently broke up with boyfriend Calvin Harris after more than a year of dating, says she will donate the proceeds from the cards to charity. According to Elle magazine, this is not Swift's first time writing greeting cards – she worked with the company American Greetings in 2009. At the time, she said: "My idea of a great song is a song that says how I feel better than I could. I feel the same way about greeting cards. I've always been fascinated by feelings and how we express them to each other." – The National
Angelina Jolie considers role in Orient Express movie
Angelina Jolie is in talks to star in Kenneth Branagh's upcoming big-screen adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express. Filming is due to start in November in London, followed by shooting in Malta. Jolie would play Harriet Hubbard in the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Based on British author Agatha Christie's classic mystery, published in 1934, the whodunnit centres around a murder on a train and Belgian detective Hercule Poirot's attempt to solve the case, in which several of the passengers could be the culprit. A 1974 film version of the story was directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Albert Finney as Poirot, along with an all-star cast that included Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall, Anthony Perkins, Richard Widmark and John Gielgud. The new version is scheduled for release in November next year. – The National
Indian short wins at Seoul film festival
The Indian short film Leeches, starring Sayani Gupta, has won the Audience Choice Award at the Seoul International Women's Film Festival (Siwff). Leeches is about two Hyderabadi sisters living in the interior of the city where many orthodox practices are still prevalent. The older sister hatches a dangerous and improbable plan to save her younger sister from becoming a bride and fights against the prevalent culture and its practices. The film had its debut in April and is screening at film festivals around the world. Gupta says: "The audience reaction at Seoul was fantastic. This film, directed by Payal Sethi, is very close to my heart. It's such a gripping story of a girl trying to fight the harsh realities of life in a lower-middle-class ghetto Muslim household in Hyderabad and trying to save her mute sister from being sold off. It's a relevant film and it's always insightful to see how audiences across the world react to our stories." Leeches will also be screened at a film festival in the south Indian state of Kerala. – IANS
