The Marvel Cinematic Universe is coming to Dubai. Organisers of the Middle East Film and Comic Convention yesterday announced that Hayley Atwell will be attending the three-day event, which begins at Dubai World Trade Centre on Thursday, April 9. Atwell starred as Peggy Carter in the Captain America movies and in the TV spin-off Agent Carter, which was broadcast this year. She will also reprise the role in the film Avengers: Age of Ultron, which will be released at the end of this month. MEFCC also announced that actor and sportsman Clive Standen will be a guest. An international Muay Thai boxer, medal-winning fencer and an ambidextrous swordsman, Standen is best known to genre fans for a string of roles in popular TV shows. He can currently be seen as the warrior Rollo in the historical action-drama Vikings. He also appeared in Doctor Who as Unit soldier Private Harris, and in the third season of the BBC's Robin Hood as Archer. On the big screen, he appeared in the Viking drama Hammer of the Gods and will next be seen starring alongside former Doctor Who star Matt Smith, Game of Thrones actress Natalie Dormer and Hollywood star Stanley Tucci in Patient Zero, a fantasy-horror film about a rabies pandemic that turns victims into highly intelligent zombies. The National staff
Teen Emirati hopeful out of The X Factor
The only remaining Emirati contestant in The X Factor was eliminated from the show at the weekend. Teenager Almaz had made it through from the audition phase to the second round of the fourth season, but will not be taking part in the live rounds of the talent show. Selected as one of 10 contestants in the Solo Arabic category mentored by the Lebanese judge Elissa, the 15-year-old failed to secure a spot in the top four that will continue to the next round. Almaz took to the stage looking visibly nervous and sang Sodfa, a popular tune by the Lebanese singer, Yara. A few seconds into her performance, however, Almaz forgot the words and froze. The Lebanese judge Ragheb Alama, who is mentoring the 10 contestants in the International Solo category, was quick to comfort and reassure her and said she would not be judged for forgetting the words, but for what she had sung so far. The Egyptian judge Donia Ghanem then reminded her that she had done well to get this far in the competition to such a young age and with little previous experience. The judges described her as a "young butterfly", as Elissa hugged her and told her not to be upset and take comfort from the fact that she had come so far. Almaz, however, was crestfallen and could not speak as she was sobbing so hard. – Hala Khalaf
Joni Mitchell improving in hospital
Folk music legend Joni Mitchell's condition was improving yesterday at a Los Angeles hospital, according to her website. The 71-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter was found unconscious on Tuesday afternoon in her home and has been in intensive care since then. "We are encouraged by her progress and she continues to improve and get stronger each day," the message said, adding that she remained under observation in the hospital. Mitchell, whose real name is Roberta Joan Anderson, is known for hits including Big Yellow Taxi, and The Circle Game, as well as her role as a leading light of the 1960s music scene. She has said she suffers from an ailment called Morgellon's disease, which is described as a crawling, biting or stinging sensation all over the body. The medical diagnosis of the disease is disputed by some doctors who call it a form of psychosis. – AFP
Crowd tears down Bollywood film barricades
Angry commuters on Saturday tore down barricades that were illegally placed on a busy main road in Panaji, the state capital of Goa, during filming of the movie Dilwale, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. The incident happened at midday after the crew of the film, directed by Rohit Shetty, blocked the road, on the banks of the Mandovi river, causing major traffic jams. Shetty and actor Varun Dhawan were present when the incident happened. Raman Satardekar, the chief executive of the Entertainment Society of Goa, a state-government funded body that regulates film shoots in the state, said that the filmmakers had no right to block roads. "Permission was not given to block any road. They cannot block the roads like that," he said. – IANS
Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer dies in car crash
Drummer Robert Burns Jr, a founding member of the Southern hard-rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, has died in a car crash in Georgia. Burns's vehicle went off a road just before midnight on Friday as it approached a curve near Cartersville, hitting a mailbox and a tree, Georgia State Patrol spokeswoman Tracey Watson said. Burns, 64, died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt. No other vehicles were involved. Burns was one of five musicians who founded Lynyrd Skynyrd in Jacksonville, Florida. While he was with the group, it recorded Sweet Home Alabama, Gimme Three Steps, and Free Bird. He left the group in 1974. He continued to play for fun or making guest appearances nationally, said his father, Robert Burns Sr. "He was a product of his mother, so far as manners is concerned," he said. "He had the manners that would suit the king of England. Very soft-spoken and extremely well-mannered person to come out of that kind of industry." – AP
Stars set to perform at IPL launch event
Bollywood stars Farhan Akhtar, Shahid Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Pritam and Hrithik Roshan are set to perform at the 2015 Indian Premier League opening ceremony at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Wednesday. The Board of Control for Cricket in India said the entertainers will appear to celebrate the start of the eighth season of the cash-rich Twenty20 league, with the evening's entertainment hosted by the actor Saif Ali Khan. All eight of the team captains will also be present to take the Marylebone Cricket Club Spirit of Cricket pledge. Gautam Gambhir, captain of defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, will return the trophy, signalling the start of the 2015 season. The two-hour show will start at 7.30pm. – IANS
