The former Beatle Paul Mc-Cartney performed a nearly two-hour Valentine's Day concert at New York City's Irving Plaza on Saturday night. "Tonight is about love," McCartney told his star-studded audience as rose petals fell. The singer – who also appeared in the 40th anniversary edition of TV comedy Saturday Night Live the same evening (see right story) – entertained admirers including Peyton Manning, Eddie Murphy, Emma Stone, Tom Hanks, Jim Carrey, Billy Crystal and US Secretary of State John Kerry. McCartney's set list included The Beatles classics such as Hey Jude, Drive My Car and Let It Be. Earlier in the day, Prince performed a star-studded gig in the city at Wall Street. – AP
Dubai band to support Thirty Seconds to Mars
Dubai-based alternative-rock band Juliana Down will support the American rockers Thirty Seconds to Mars, fronted by Hollywood actor Jared Leto, at their concert at Dubai World Trade Centre Arena on April 10. The pre-show entertainment for the gig, which is being hosted in collaboration with the Middle East Film and Comic Con 2015, will also feature Virgin Radio's Kris Fade, Rossi and the Virgin team. Veterans of the Dubai rock scene for more than a decade, Juliana Down in 2011 became the first band from the UAE to be signed to a major record label, Sony Music Middle East. They have opened for a string of big-name bands, including Maroon 5, Muse and Guns N' Roses. "It's an honour to open for Thirty Seconds to Mars and represent the UAE," says lead singer Dia Hassan. "This event is going to be one of our greatest performances to date and fans should get ready to rock out at DWTC." Tickets start at Dh295 from www.ticketmaster.ae. Meet-and-greet tickets are available from www.adventuresinwonderland.com. Visit www.MARSinDubai.com for more information. – The National staff
Spacey says he can’t be content
Hollywood star Kevin Spacey says there is still so much he wants to achieve in life, he will never be content and those who are happy to rest on their laurels are missing out. The actor, who was the artistic director of the Old Vic theatre in London for 10 years and who last month spent two weeks mentoring theatre students in Sharjah, told the British edition of GQ magazine: "People who are really happy with themselves are ... boring. The worst word in the world is 'content'. When I went to London, people thought I was ... crazy. Why not sit around a Beverly Hills pool collecting residual cheques? That is not the kind of life I want. I am not content because I have purpose.'' He also revealed that after struggling financially in his younger years, he is very careful with money: "I still worry about money. I came from a modest middle-class family. My mother was the main breadwinner, my father was unemployed a lot, and I saw how difficult that was and I saw what it did to him. I was determined I was not going to be like that." Spacey will next be seen in season three of TV drama House of Cards, which will be released on Netflix on February 27 and begins on OSN on March 1.– The National staff
Ranaut denies rumours of role in Dangal
Rumours that Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut would be playing Aamir Khan's daughter in the film Dangal are not true, the actress has revealed. There had been reports that she had been in talks to star as Geeta Phogat, the daughter of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, in the film, directed by Nitesh Tiwari. But Queen star Ranaut, who will next be seen in Tanu Weds Manu 2, told dnaindia.com: "Dangal was never offered to me. I'd love to work with Mr Khan sometime soon, but we aren't working on Dangal together." – The National staff
Bond villain star Jourdan dies
Veteran French actor Louis Jourdan, who starred in Gigi and as a Bond villain in Octopussy, died of natural causes on Saturday at his Beverly Hills home in Los Angeles at the age of 93. "He embodied French elegance and Hollywood offered him the parts to go with that," said his official biographer, Olivier Minne. In a long career, he starred in dozens of films and TV shows, acting alongside greats such as Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly and Shirley MacLaine. In one of his most memorable performances, he played a leading role in the Oscar-winning 1958 musical Gigi. He also notably starred opposite Roger Moore in the 1983 007 film Octopussy. Born in Marseille in 1921, Jourdan made his screen debut in France in 1939, acting in a string of romantic comedies before he put his career on hold during the Second World War to join the Resistance. He was lured to Hollywood by the producer David O Selznick and made his American debut in the 1947 Alfred Hitchcock drama The Paradine Case. His final appearance on the big screen was in the 1992 film Year of the Comet. – AFP
Pulitzer-winning poet laureate loses cancer battle
Philip Levine, a former poet laureate who won the Pulitzer Prize in writing that celebrates the lives of the working class, died at his home in Fresno, California, his wife said on Sunday. He was 87. Born and raised in industrial Detroit, Levine was known for books such as What Work Is and News of the World. He won the Pulitzer for poetry in 1995 for a collection called The Simple Truth, and served as the country's poet-in-chief from 2011 to 2012. Before becoming a full-time writer, Levine worked in factories and driving lorries – experiences that fuelled his poetry. His wife, Frances Levine, said that her husband's second passion after writing was mentoring the next generation of poets. "He loved teaching," she said. "Out of his classes came a lot of really good poets." Levine had been diagnosed with pancreatic and liver cancer less than a month ago, Frances said. The couple had been married for 60 years and have three sons. – AP
