The National staff with agencies
Comedian and actor Rob Schneider is bringing his solo stand-up show to Dubai. The American funnyman will perform at a yet-to-be-announced venue on Thursday, November 12, according to promoters Alchemy Project. Schneider found fame as a long-standing cast member on US TV comedy institution Saturday Night Live before branching out into Hollywood with starring roles in films including Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo and Grown Ups. This year Schneider, 51, began shopping around for a buyer for Real Rob, a self-funded reality-TV show about his day-to-day life and career. As well as producing, Schneider has moved into directing and was behind the camera for American-Iranian comedian Max Amini's recent TV special, Authentically Absurd. Amini performed at Dubai's Ductac in July. – The National staff
Morgan Freeman’s granddaughter stabbed to death
Police are investigating the death of actor Morgan Freeman’s granddaughter in New York’s Manhattan. Police responding to an emergency call at about 3am on Sunday found 33-year-old E’Dena Hines lying on the street with multiple stab wounds to the chest. She was pronounced dead at Harlem Hospital. A 30-year-old man, who police say was in a relationship with Hines, was taken into custody at the scene, in front of Hines’s apartment on West 162nd Street. No charges had been filed yesterday and he was undergoing a psychological evaluation at a hospital. Freeman said that “the world will never know her artistry and talent, and how much she had to offer”. Hines had studied acting and was involved with teaching urban youth. – AP
Van Doorn and Solveig set for Dubai Sensation
The headliners have been announced for the second annual Sensation electronic music festival in Dubai. French electro star Martin Solveig and Dutch heavyhitter Sander Van Doorn will top the bill when the event – which has an "Ocean of White" theme – returns to Meydan on October 30. The bill will be completed by Yves V, Quintino, East & Young and Mr White. Tickets, priced at Dh425, are on sale now from www.platinumlist.ae. Founded in 2000, international festival brand Sensation will also host events in Mexico, Canada and Japan this year. It first landed in the UAE in October last year, with an event headlined by Martin Garrix. – The National staff
Marvel unveils Civil War clips and Strange art
After giving Comic-Con a miss, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige debuted new footage and a trailer from Captain America: Civil War and revealed concept art from the Doctor Strange movie at Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, California at the weekend. Captain America actor Chris Evans appeared at the fan convention with co-star Anthony Mackie, who plays Falcon. They had flown in from Germany, where the film is in its final week of shooting, ahead of its release in May. The clip showed a battle in a crowded square with Evans, Mackie and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow taking on Crossbones, a formidable new foe with a powerful punch. The trailer teased the growing ideological rift between Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man and Captain America that ends up with the Avengers taking sides and fighting one another. Feige also presented concept art from Doctor Strange, which is set to shoot in November, and introduced a video greeting from star Benedict Cumberbatch. He said the film will have "girls, cars, explosions and a bit of astral-projecting into multiple dimensions ... the usual fare". It is due for release in November next year. "It's as weird as any movie that's ever been made," said Feige. – AP
Straight Outta Compton rules box office
The boys from Compton smashed opening-weekend expectations, while the stylish The Man From UNCLE struggled to find its footing at the North American box office over the weekend. Universal's biopic, Straight Outta Compton, earned an astonishing US$56.1 million (Dh206m), according to studio estimates on Sunday. Director F Gary Gray's well-received film, which cost only $29 million to produce, charts the formation and rise of influential rap group NWA. Universal had predicted a $25m to $30m opening. Meanwhile, the Warner Bros adaptation of 1960s TV series The Man From UNCLE debuted in third place – behind Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, which is on its third week of release – with a sluggish $13.5million. The film, set during the Cold War, stars Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer as an American and a Russian agent forced to work together. – AP
