Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly in Grace of Monaco, which will open the 67th Cannes International Film Festival on May 14. EPA / Stone Angel / Gaumont
Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly in Grace of Monaco, which will open the 67th Cannes International Film Festival on May 14. EPA / Stone Angel / Gaumont

Grace of Monaco to open Cannes Film Festival



The big-budget biopic Grace of Monaco will hold its world premiere at the opening of the Cannes Film Festival in May, after its original release date was twice delayed. Landing in the prestigious opening slot of the festival is a dramatic change of fortune for a film that had seemingly been relegated to an after-thought release. Originally scheduled for November with presumed Oscar aspirations, Grace of Monaco was booted to March amid claims of an editing dispute. But with stars Nicole Kidman and Tim Roth, the film assures Cannes of a glitzy opening night with a film fittingly set just along the coast of the French Riviera. The film about Grace Kelly, directed by the Frenchman Olivier Dahan, will open the May 14-25 event. The film stars Kidman as Grace, who went from Oscar-winning actress to princess of the Mediterranean principality and died after a car accident in 1982. – AP

Daughter may write book about Suchitra Sen

The actress Moon Moon Sen is contemplating the idea of writing a coffee-table book about her late mother, Suchitra Sen. But the book won't reveal anything about the reclusive Bengali film star's private life. "She kept urging me to do a few more films and to write. I suppose now I will write again. Maybe a coffee-table book about my mother," said Moon Moon. "You know, I promised her I'd never write about her personal life. Keeping out her personal details, it'd be very easy for me to write a book on my mother," she added. Suchitra died on January 17 at the age of 82. – IANS

Dhawan father and son team up

The Indian actor Varun Dhawan will soon be seen in Main Tera Hero (I Am Your Hero), directed by his father, the veteran filmmaker David Dhawan. This is Varun's second film after his 2012 debut, Student of the Year. The first-look posters and the first theatrical trailer are out now. The film, which also features Nargis Fakhri, Ileana D'Cruz, Arunoday Singh and Anupam Kher, is scheduled for an April release. – The National staff

Leno says no return to late-night

Jay Leno says he doesn't plan to tackle another late-night show after leaving NBC's Tonight next month. In an interview with the CBS programme 60 Minutes to be shown tomorrow in the US, Leno said he can't recreate what he had as Tonight host with another show. Leno called his 22-year run "fantastic". The comedian steps down as Tonight host on February 6. Billy Crystal will join Leno for his farewell broadcast from Los Angeles. Jimmy Fallon takes over as host on February 17 in the new home city for Tonight: New York. Leno praised his successor, comparing him to a young Johnny Carson. Asked if he'd prefer to stay with Tonight, Leno said that it's "nice to keep working". – AP

Madonna to perform at Grammys

It's official: Madonna will perform at the Grammy Awards. A news release on Friday from The Recording Academy had no other details about the seven-time Grammy winner's appearance, however, which has been a rumour for some time. Also added to the performance line-up are Miranda Lambert and Billie Joe Armstrong, who will sing a tribute to the late Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers. They'll join a star-studded line-up that includes Jay Z, Pharrell Williams and Kendrick Lamar. The 56th Grammys, hosted by LL Cool J, will be held tomorrow night in Los Angeles. – AP

Dean McDermott enters rehab

Tori Spelling's husband, Dean ­McDermott, has entered rehab, his publicist confirmed this weekend. The 47-year-old actor said he's being treated for "some health and personal issues". He said in a statement to ­People magazine that he's "truly sorry for the mistakes I have made and for the pain I've caused my family". Spelling, 40, is an actress, author and reality star. The couple have four children. – AP

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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Water waste

In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.

The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.

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