Winning both an Oscar and a Grammy during six decades in the spotlight, Cher, who turned 75 on May 19, has certainly fulfilled her childhood ambition of being 'grown up and famous'. Getty Images
Winning both an Oscar and a Grammy during six decades in the spotlight, Cher, who turned 75 on May 19, has certainly fulfilled her childhood ambition of being 'grown up and famous'. Getty Images
Winning both an Oscar and a Grammy during six decades in the spotlight, Cher, who turned 75 on May 19, has certainly fulfilled her childhood ambition of being 'grown up and famous'. Getty Images
Following in the footsteps of recent music biopics such as Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody, Cher is the latest star whose life will be given the big-screen treatment.
The singer and actress, who turned 75 on Wednesday, took to Twitter to reveal that Eric Roth, the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind Forrest Gump and A Star is Born will be writing the film that will focus on her colourful life and decades-long career.
The film is being produced by the team behind Mamma Mia!, in which Cher starred as Ruby Sheridan, the mother of Meryl Streep's character, Donna.
Having declared from the time she was in high school “I was always thinking about when I was grown up and famous”, the performer has seen her career enjoy skyscraper highs and fall to basement lows.
She's been married twice, surviving a controlling marriage to her singing partner and manager, Sonny Bono; Oscar-nominated twice, in 1984 for Best Supporting Actress for Silkwood, and again in 1988 for Moonstruck, for which she walked away with the Best Actress statuette. She was also almost one of the leads in Thelma & Louise.
Surprisingly, for a music career spanning 59 years and counting, she has only one Grammy, for the 2000 dance smash Believe.
The mother-of-two has reinvented her career over and over again, selling perfumes, dolls and fitness videos, and starring in infomercials, in a way which was derided in the 1980s and 1990s, but which nowadays would be lauded for the hustle.
She’s embarked on record-breaking tours and is the only artist to have had Billboard number ones in six consecutive decades, from the 1960s to 2010s.
In 1976, her Cher doll surpassed Barbie to become the highest-selling doll of the year, and her 1987 fragrance named Uninhibited raked in more than $15 million in its first year. In short, she was being a multi-hyphenate long before Paris, Kim, Selena, Jessica et al were even born.
From folk pop to disco, her music career has been as varied as her movie roles, and at 75 she's a prolific tweeter, with even her most mundane updates, such as, "have to take shower" garnering 17,000 likes.
One of those rarefied stars who are known by just one name, here are five moments from Cher’s life we hope are included in the film …
1. Winning the Oscar for 'Moonstruck'
Five years after she recalled seeing audiences snigger when her name appeared in the credits for the 1983 film Silkwood, Cher was to have the last laugh. Beating the likes of Meryl Streep and Glenn Close, she scooped the Best Actress Oscar for Moonstruck, in which she played a widow in love with her fiance's younger brother.
Losing a long dangly earring on her walk to the podium, her embellished Bob Mackie dress has achieved fashion legend status over the years.
“I don’t think that this means I am somebody,” she said of the win, “but I guess it means I’m on my way.”
2. Dating Tom Cruise
Cher dated Tom Cruise back in 1985 after they met at Madonna and Sean Penn's wedding. Shutterstock
Cher dated Tom Cruise, who was 16 years her junior, back in 1985 when he was 23 and she was 38. The pair first met at Madonna and Sean Penn's wedding in Malibu, but it wasn't until their next meeting at the White House when they really connected.
"A bunch of people who were dyslexic were invited to the White House, and Tom and I are both dyslexic," she told Event of the gathering at the Reagan-era White House. "We didn't go out until way later, but there definitely was a connection there." She later told Oprah Winfrey they might have enjoyed a "great big romance" had their busy schedules not kept them apart.
3. Creating the modern-day Met Gala
Cher's 1974 Met Gala look was credited by 'Vogue' magazine's Andre Leon Talley with 'changing everything' about the famous fashion event. Getty Images
The Met Gala wasn't always the star-packed, must-attend event on the A-list calendar that it is today.
Although Vogue editor Anna Wintour has been rightly credited with turning it from a dowdy fundraiser into the spectacular it is now, fashion insiders point to Cher herself for reinvigorating the event many years before.
Wearing a nude-coloured, feathered gown to the Gala in 1974 (she would don it again the following year for the cover of Time), former Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley said of Cher's fashion moment: "It was really the first time a Hollywood celebrity attended, and it changed everything. We are still seeing versions of that look on the Met red carpet 40 years later." Indeed, Kim Kardashian would pay homage in 2015.
4. Clashing with David Letterman on his talk show
Cher and US talk show host David Letterman clashed during an interview in 1986 in what became one of television's most talked-about moments. Courtesy CBS
As someone who isn’t afraid of a little confrontation, storming out of interviews has never been Cher’s style, which is how her now-infamous 1986 interview with US talk show host David Letterman came about.
Arms folded and leaning away from the host, who tries desperately to charm her, Letterman asks “Why?” when she tells him, “I never thought that I would want to do this show with you".
Her answer has become the stuff of legend and, as Rolling Stone's Andy Greene points out: "Had YouTube existed back then, this would have gone insanely viral."
5. Her relationship with husband and manager Sonny Bono
Cher's marriage to her manager and co-performer Sonny Bono was famously tumultuous and controlling. Reuters
While the chameleonic Cher has never been defined in terms of the men in her life, there’s no denying the impact her relationship with and marriage to Sonny Bono had on her life and career.
After Cher started out as his housekeeper, he was the one who launched her career by introducing her to producer Phil Spector. The pair married in 1969, and she later told Parade magazine: "He didn't want me to grow up or have any freedom. I wasn't allowed to do anything except work. We worked more than we lived."
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
Red flags
Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Salem Rashid, Mohammed Al Attas, Alhassan Saleh
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Yahya Nader, Ahmed Barman, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
Manifest cargo
Excess luggage in the hold
Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened. He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia. Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”. Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
