Several cast members of the 'Pitch Perfect' trilogy recorded a video for their cover of Beyonce's 'Love on Top' via Zoom. Instagram
Several cast members of the 'Pitch Perfect' trilogy recorded a video for their cover of Beyonce's 'Love on Top' via Zoom. Instagram
Several cast members of the 'Pitch Perfect' trilogy recorded a video for their cover of Beyonce's 'Love on Top' via Zoom. Instagram
Several cast members of the 'Pitch Perfect' trilogy recorded a video for their cover of Beyonce's 'Love on Top' via Zoom. Instagram

'Pitch Perfect' cast reunite for cover of Beyonce song to raise funds for Lebanon


Emma Day
  • English
  • Arabic

This might be the best performance by the Barden Bellas yet.

The cast of the Pitch Perfect film series have reunited to record a new song, with money raised by the track donated to children in Lebanon and beyond.

Actresses including Hailee Steinfeld, Rebel Wilson and Anna Kendrick took part in an a capella cover of Beyonce's hit track, Love on Top, which was released on Monday.

The stars also featured in a video recorded to accompany the cover, with each actress performing remotely via Zoom.

Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee, Kelley Alice Jakle, Wanetah Walmsley and Shelley Regner also feature in the video and track.

"Families around the globe are suffering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially those in Lebanon who are facing crisis after crisis. But we can all pitch in and help," Australian star Wilson captioned the video, uploaded to her Instagram page.

"The proceeds from the downloads and streams of our rendition of Love on Top will go to Unicef to help children in Lebanon and around the world who need our support right now."

Money raised will go towards the children's charity's coronavirus relief fund. Unicef is currently working on the ground in Beirut, following the devastating explosion in the city's port on Tuesday, August 4, killing at least 177 people.

The cover marks the first time the cast have reunited in almost three years, following the release of Pitch Perfect 3 in November 2017. The trilogy of films are centred around the Barden Bellas, an all-female a capella group at Barden University, who compete in a number of competitions around the globe.

The films also star Elizabeth Banks, who recorded an introduction for the Love on Top video, together with John Michael Higgins. The two play quick-witted competition announcers and commentators in the series.

"Buckle up kids, the Bellas are back … for a good cause!" Banks, who also directed Pitch Perfect 2, wrote on Instagram.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news. The Barden Bellas have gotten back together again," Higgins says in the clip. "It seems like not even a quarantine can prevent them from harassing us with another musical performance."

"John, you have a cold, dead heart. But that’s right, the Bellas are back with a reimagined classic to support Unicef, who are on the ground in 192 countries doing whatever it takes to protect kids from the coronavirus pandemic," replies Banks.

The Barden Bellas' cover can be downloaded from streaming platforms such as iTunes, Apple Music and Spotify.

The Transfiguration

Director: Michael O’Shea

Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine

Three stars

UAE players with central contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.

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Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
Section 375

Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat

Director: Ajay Bahl

Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL

Rating: 3.5/5

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali

Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000

Engine 6.2L V8

Transmission Eight-speed automatic

Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm

Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm

Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Fund-raising tips for start-ups

Develop an innovative business concept

Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors

Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19

Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.) 

Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months

Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses

Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business

* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna

How has net migration to UK changed?

The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.

It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.

The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.

The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.

Zombieland: Double Tap

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone

Four out of five stars 

The specs

Engine 60kwh FWD

Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry

Power 204hp Torque 360Nm

Price, base / as tested Dh174,500 

The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

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The currency conundrum

Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”

Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.

This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.