Holly to Bolly: Bill Paxton death was as a result of stroke, rapper Future makes US chart history, and more



Bill Paxton death was as a result of stroke

Actor Bill Paxton's death certificate states the 61-year-old died last month from a stroke 11 days after surgery to replace a heart valve and repair damage to his aorta - the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. The prolific actor died late on February 25. The document was first reported on Monday by celebrity website TMZ. It states Paxton was cremated and his remains interred at Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills, which is the final resting place of many of Hollywood's greats. Paxton starred in films such as Twister, Titanic and Aliens and the HBO series Big Love. His death was announced hours before this year's Oscars ceremony. - Associated Press

Rapper Future makes US chart history

Atlanta rapper Future became the first artist to score two consecutive chart-topping albums in as many weeks on the United States Billboard 200 album chart, as his latest release debuted at No. 1 on Monday, a week after his last chart-topping album.

Future's HNDRXX (pronounced Hendrix) sold 121,000 units across album and song sales and streaming activity since its February 24 release, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan. It follows the rapper's self-titled album, released February 17, which topped the Billboard 200 chart last week and dropped to No. 2 this week with another 64,000 units sold. Billboard magazine described HNDRXX as exploring "the softer, vulnerable side" of the rapper compared with his Future album. The publication also said the rapper was the first artist not only to achieve two back-to-back No. 1 albums but also to succeed himself at the top of the chart. The Billboard 200 album chart tallies units from album sales, song sales (10 songs equal one album) and streaming activity (1,500 streams equal one album). - Reuters

Stella McCartney livens up Paris catwalk

Stella McCartney livened up the catwalk at Paris Fashion Week this week with dancing models wearing her signature over-sized clothes in trademark neutral shades with splashes of unusual colors. The British fashion designer, known for her sharp tailoring and for mixing luxury and sporty looks, unveiled her autumn/winter 2017-2018 women’s collection which mixed in burgundy, bottle green, sky blue, white and silver.

Her models gave the penultimate day of the show a relaxed but effortlessly elegant vibe in trench-coats and jackets, ultra-wide, high-waisted trousers, all-in-one jumpsuits and overalls, and turtle-neck mini-dresses with super-sized sleeves. The show, held at the Paris Opera, was inspired by "faith. love. energy", McCartney's Twitter feed said, with dancing to Faith by the late singer George Michael included in the finale. - Reuters

Logan slashes box office records

Logan, Hugh Jackman's last stand as the adamaniutm-clawed Wolverine, did even better than expected at the box office on its opening weekend. According to final box-office figures released on Monday, its weekend debut totalled $88.4 million (D324 million) in North American ticket sales, $3 million more than was estimated on Sunday. The smash hit X-Men spinoff ranks as the fourth best March opening (not adjusting for inflation), as well as one of the best R-rated debuts. Logan, a 20th Century Fox film, took in $247 million globally over the weekend.

Last week's top film, Jordan Peele's horror sensation Get Out, slid just 22 percent in its second week. It has now grossed $78.1 million in 10 days. - Associated Press

David Letterman labels Donald Trump ‘crazy’

Former talk show host David Letterman has tagged US President Donald Trump as "crazy", saying he would feel "exhausted" if he had to interview him. "If I still had a show, people would have to come and take me off the stage. 'Dave, that's enough about Trump. We've run out of tape.' It's all I'd be talking about. I'd be exhausted," Letterman told New York Magazine, according to a report from variety.com. When asked how the interview would go, Letterman said he would not begin the conversation by listing off his grievances; but instead would go right into a lecture. "I think I would be in the position to give him a bit of a scolding and he would have to sit there and take it. Yeah, I would like an hour with Donald Trump; an hour and a half," he said. In terms of dealing with Trump now, Letterman said citizens "need to figure out ways to protect ourselves from him. We know he's crazy. We gotta take care of ourselves here". - IANS

Apache Indian biopic on cards

British-Indian rapper Apache Indian, best known for hits such as Boom Shakalak, has revealed he is in talks with "someone in Bollywood" regarding a movie about his life. Steven Kapur, aka Apache Indian, is in India to promote his new album In Ja, and says he is looking forward to working on Bollywood projects, including his own biopic. Kapoor told Hungama.com: "I am especially excited as I am in talks with someone in Bollywood again regarding a movie on my life and I am simultaneously working on some Bollywood projects and songs for movies. Hopefully, people will see more of Apache Indian in India soon." Talking about the Indian music industry, he said: "Seeing the Indian music industry opening up to new sounds and genres in the past few years, thanks to the internet and digital revolution, has been great. India has a great reggae vibe."

“I have been caught up with projects around the world and I am glad to have made time for an India visit since it is special for me.” - IANS

Company Profile

Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8

Company Profile

Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government

How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars

Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.

Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.

After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.

Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.

It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.

 

'Operation Mincemeat'

Director: John Madden

Cast: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald and Penelope Wilton

Rating: 4/5

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Five famous companies founded by teens

There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:

  1. Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate. 
  2. Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc. 
  3. Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway. 
  4. Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
  5. Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The specs: Macan Turbo

Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October

Company profile

Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices

Confirmed bouts (more to be added)

Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez

Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.

Indika

Developer: 11 Bit Studios
Publisher: Odd Meter
Console: PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox series X/S
Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)

57 Seconds

Director: Rusty Cundieff
Stars: Josh Hutcherson, Morgan Freeman, Greg Germann, Lovie Simone
Rating: 2/5

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888