The DreamWorks sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2 topped the 42nd Annie Awards, taking Best Feature at the annual honours for animation. In the Saturday night ceremony hosted at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles, How to Train Your Dragon 2 won five awards in all. It also took Best Director for Dean DeBlois, as well as prizes for feature character design, storyboarding and music. Dragon bested Disney's top contender, the superhero tale Big Hero 6. The film that preceded Hero in theatres, Feast, won Best Short Film. Warner Bros' acclaimed but Oscar-snubbed The Lego Movie won the Annie for Best Feature Writing. How to Train Your Dragon 2 will head to the Oscars on February 22 as the Best Animated Feature Film favourite. – AP
Sniper shoots down Super Bowl weekend record
American Sniper shot down another box-office record: its US$31.9 million (Dh1.17 billion) is the biggest Super Bowl weekend gross ever. According to studio estimates on Sunday, the Clint Eastwood film narrowly surpassed the previous top Super Bowl weekend draw at the North American box office. The concert film Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour opened with $31.1m against the NFL's big game in 2008. Hollywood often avoids competing with the Super Bowl as moviegoing falls dramatically on that day, but American Sniper has proven an unlikely sensation. It has now made $248.9m in six weeks, making it the most lucrative war movie without adjusting for inflation. The competition was thin, as Hollywood held off any high-profile releases, effectively ceding the weekend to the Super Bowl. – AP
Big B signs up for cricket World Cup commentary stint
Amitabh Bachchan will step into the commentator’s box with Harsha Bhogle and the ex-cricketer Kapil Dev at an India-Pakistan game on February 15 during the Cricket World Cup 2015 in Adelaide, Australia (the match begins at 6am on OSN Cricket). The 72-year-old actor was in Dubai last week along with the Tamil star Dhanush and the debutante Akshara Haasan to promote his new drama Shamitabh, out on Thursday. – The National staff
World of Women film fair at Vox Cinemas in Dubai
Celebrate International Women's Day with a visit to the World of Women Film Fair Middle East at Vox Cinemas at Mall of the Emirates and Mercato Mall on March 7 and 8. The films are divided into three categories: Health in Focus, Gender Issues and Cultural Diversity. On March 8, the Wow Women's Awards will recognise women of outstanding talent in sports, media and business, all nominated by the public. Visit www.wowmiddleeast.com for the full schedule. – The National staff
Celebrities offer support for Whitney Houston’s daughter
Celebrities are offering their support and prayers for Whitney Houston’s daughter, who authorities say was recently found face down and unresponsive in a bathtub in a suburban Atlanta home. Bobbi Kristina Brown, 21, was taken on Saturday to a hospital in the northern Atlanta suburb of Roswell, Georgia. La Toya Jackson is one of several celebrities who used Twitter to express her support Sunday. “Let’s All Send Love Light & Prayers to Bobbi Kristina Brown!” Jackson tweeted. “Wishing Her A Healthy & Speedy Recovery!” Singer-songwriter Missy Elliott said on Twitter that she’s also throwing her support behind Brown. “Still Praying 4 Bobbi Kristina,” Elliott tweeted in part. Brown is the only child of Houston and R&B singer Bobby Brown. Lindsey Harber, a spokeswoman at North Fulton Hospital, where police say Houston’s daughter was taken, declined to comment. “I can’t confirm she’s even there,” Harber said on Sunday. – AP
