Adam Saleh to perform solo show in Dubai
YouTube sensation Adam Saleh will host a solo show in Dubai this September. The American funnyman will take to the stage at Ductac on Tuesday, September 22. Saleh rose to fame as one-half of spoof duo True Story ASA, who previously announced plans to perform in the UAE, a month before the team split for unknown reasons in May last year. Since then Saleh has rebranded himself as a solo performer, promising a mix of live pranks, skits and jokes. He has more than 1.4 million followers on YouTube, and proved his regional popularity with a speaking role at Dubai’s Arab Media Forum in 2014. – The National Staff
Dishoom stars appear in spoof action-movie advice video
The makers of Bollywood action-adventure film Dishoom have come up with an innovative way to promote the film. On Thursday, two weeks ahead of the film's cinema release, a spoof video called The Action Hero Guide was posted on YouTube by Eros Now. The video, featuring Dishoom stars Varun Dhawan and Jacqueline Fernandez sharing three hilarious tips for people who want to be action heroes: Do everything in slow motion no matter what the situation, wear dark glasses at all times and don't say much, while looking intense and never smiling. Dishoom, which shot extensively in Abu Dhabi, with the help of twofour54, is due for release on July 28. – Sonali Kokra
Sultan on course to be top Indian box office charts
The film Sultan, starring Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma, has already grossed more than Rs320 crores (Dh175million) in India in 10 days and is still going strong, making it Khan's second-biggest hit after Bajrangi Bhaijaan. With almost Rs230crores in net profit, if the film crosses the Rs300 crore profit mark, it will surpass Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Aamir Khan's PK, which is India's reigning box office-chart topper. Meanwhile Khan has finally broken his silence over the controversy sparked by a comment he made when he said filming of a taxing scene in Sultan left him feeling like a "raped woman". At a press conference to celebrate the success of Sultan, he accused the media of twisting his words and sensationalising them to stir up a controversy. Khan also confirmed his Marathi film, a period drama based on the life of Maratha ruler Shivaji starring Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh in the lead role. Khan said he would be playing a small but interesting role in the film. Several leading Indian dailies have also reported that Khan has signed a record-breaking Rs1000 crore-deal with a TV channel for the satellite rights of his next 10 films and appearances on the channel's shows over the next several years. Khan has had a deal worth Rs500 crores with Star India Network since 2013. The deal, the biggest of its kind at the time it was signed, earned him Rs 50 crore a film in satellite rights. – Sonali Kokra
Priyanka Chopra’s brother faces illegal-tobacco charges
Hollywood and Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra's brother, Siddharth Chopra, is facing legal action for serving shisha and tobacco illegally at The Mug Shot Lounge, his Pune restaurant. The 26-year-old and the restaurant manager have been booked under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act after shisha apparatus and flavoured tobacco were seized from the premises after a tip-off to police. In May, 10 people were arrested there for betting during an IPL cricket match between Hyderabad and Kolkata. While brother Siddharth deals with his legal issues, Priyanka Chopra – star of US TV crime thriller Quantico and the upcoming Baywatch movie – will soon be heading to Canada as a jury member at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Quantico star will help to judge the best short film competition in the festival, which runs from September 8-18. – Sonali Kokra
David Bowie’s modern-art collection to be sold at auction
Hundreds of items from late rock legend David Bowie's art collection, which includes pieces by modern masters and more eclectic fare, are set to be sold. Sotheby's auction house said that about 400 items from the singer's private collection would be included in a three-part sale on November 10 and 11. Among the most valuable is the 1984 painting Air Power by Jean-Michel Basquiat, which is expected to fetch up to £3.5million (Dh17m). About half of Bowie's collection consists of pieces from some of Britain's most acclaimed 20th century artists including Damien Hirst, Frank Auerbach and Graham Sutherland. Sotheby's plans to display the Bowie collection in London from July 20 until August 9, before it goes on tour to Los Angeles, New York and Hong Kong ahead of the auction. The auction house said that the collection showed Bowie's "famously inquisitive mind" and also featured some carefully chosen obscure pieces. - AFP
Paltrow and Martin finalise their ‘conscious uncoupling’
Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin are officially "uncoupled" after a judge finalised their divorce. The papers, signed by a Los Angeles judge on Thursday, provide few details but states neither party will pay spousal support. The actress and the Coldplay frontman married in December 2003 and have two children together, ages 12 and 10. In March 2014, the pair announced they were separating and undergoing a process they described as "conscious uncoupling". The announcement on Paltrow's lifestyle website, goop, drew attention to the term coined by Los Angeles therapist and author Katherine Woodward Thomas, who has created a five-step "Conscious Uncoupling" online process. Paltrow filed for divorce the following month, citing irreconcilable differences. She won an Oscar in 1998 for her role in Shakespeare in Love. Martin and his band Coldplay have won six Grammy Awards. – AP
Star Trek cast talk J-Law’s influence
In less than a decade, she has become the most influential woman in Hollywood, and such is Jennifer Lawrence's reach that her presence is now felt in films she's not even part of. Star Trek Beyond co-writer Simon Pegg revealed on Thursday that the 25-year-old actress was the inspiration behind Jaylah, a new alien character that appears in the film, played by Sofia Boutella. "In the writing room [we] wanted to create this very independent female, very resourceful character... and we didn't have a name for her so we used to call her 'Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone,'" said the 46-year-old Brit, who also plays Scotty in the film. "So then we started calling her 'J-Law' and then she became Jaylah – so Jaylah is basically named after Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone." Star Trek Beyond, which was partly filmed in Dubai, will be released on Thursday. – AFP
Classic Nintendo Entertainment System back on sale
If you have fond memories of battling King Koopa or trying to defeat Donkey Kong, you will soon be able to relive them. Nintendo is leaping onto the nostalgia bandwagon by bringing back the classic Nintendo Entertainment System. The smaller, more compact NES Classic edition comes with 30 built-in games pre-loaded, including all three Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda and Punch-Out. Nintendo says it is bringing back the wildly popular system that launched in the 1980s so that those who grew up with it can pass their gaming memories onto the next generation. The device looks very similar to the original NES, only smaller and can connect to high-definition TVs. The system goes on sale on the USA on November 11, and cost $59.99 (Dh220). A UAE release has yet to be announced. – AP