New Star Trek series coming to CBS in 2017

Plus: Short plays at Dubai Festival of Youth Theatre, Tom Jones wants DNA test to confirm ancestry, Ajay Devgn’s Shivaay starts filming, and acts added to Beats on the Beach line-up.

The cast of the original Star Trek TV series. Paramount Pictures / AP Photo

New Star Trek series coming to CBS

CBS Television Studios has announced that the totally new series of Star Trek will arrive in January 2017, and will be available exclusively on CBS All Access, CBS's subscription streaming video service. Only a preview episode will be broadcast, free of charge, on the network. CBS All Access, which costs US$5.99 (Dh22) a month, already offers every episode of all previous Star Trek television series, along with series from its current and past broadcast schedule. The new Star Trek will be the first original series developed specifically for American audiences for the service and will introduce new characters in search of new worlds. Story or cast details were not disclosed. The executive producer is Alex Kurtzman, who co-wrote and produced 2009's Star Trek feature and Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013. He is also an executive producer for CBS series Scorpion, Limitless and Hawaii Five-O. – AP

Short plays at Dubai Festival of Youth Theatre

After successful outings at Madinat Theatre Dubai and Abu Dhabi Theatre earlier this year, Shorter+Sweeter – the Best of Short+Sweet Dubai Theatre Festival is coming to Dubai Festival of Youth Theatre on Friday for a free performance. Shorter+Sweeter features four 10-minute plays performed by a local cast, including stand-up star Salman Qureshi. In the line-up are the award-winning comedy Tagged, about the perils of social media and dating; No 22, a unique version of Romeo and Juliet; and Somewhere Between the Sky and the Sea by playwright Alex Broun. There will also be a bus for viewers attending the 9pm show. It leaves at 7pm from Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children at Madinat Jumeirah and returns at 10.30pm. Email [e-mail] for more information. – The National staff

Tom Jones wants DNA test to confirm ancestry

Welsh crooner Tom Jones says he is ready to take a DNA test to find out once and for all if he has black ancestry. The star, whose hits include It's Not Unusual and Delilah, is often thought to have black heritage thanks to his booming baritone voice, tight curly hair and olive complexion. "A lot of people still think I'm black. When I first came to America, people who had heard me sing on the radio would be surprised that I was white when they saw me," Jones was quoted as saying by The Times. "When I was born, my mother came out in big dark patches all over her body. They asked if she had any black blood and she said she didn't know. I'm going to get my DNA tested. I want to find out," he said. DNA tests claiming to track ancestral lineage are now easily accessible and affordable. Jones was born Thomas Jones Woodward in South Wales to a coal-mining family 75 years ago. The singer discovered his musical talent as a child and his career has spanned more than half a century with hundreds of records to his name. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. – AFP

Ajay Devgn’s Shivaay starts filming

The Hindi film Shivaay, starring Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn, husband of superstar Kajol, will begin filming this week in Mussoorie, in the northern Indian state of Uttarkhand. The much-awaited drama, about the Hindu deity Shiva, marks the debut of Sayesha Saigal, grandniece of veteran Bollywood star Dilip Kumar. Filming begins in Landour, a small cantonment town (military base) in Mussoorie, this weekend. The unit will then fly to Hyderabad and later to Bulgaria, where major portions of the film will be shot. – The National staff

Acts added to Beats on the Beach line-up

US soul songstress Jhené Aiko and DJ Trey "Ace" Smith – Will Smith's son – will perform at a free music festival in Abu Dhabi. Both artists have been added to the bill for Beats on the Beach, the huge three-day, free event that transforms the Corniche during F1 weekend. Aiko and Smith join previously named headliners including US urban name J Cole and Lebanese legend Wael Kfoury, to perform at the event's middle night, Friday, November 27. Rising R&B star Aiko is best known for last year's hit The Worst. Her debut album Souled Out was released on influential Def Jam Recordings. DJ Smith, 22, is Will's oldest son, and was spotted DJing at Dubai's VIP Room last year, during his father's extended stay in the Emirates. Beats on the Beach is over three nights during Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend. Filipino rocker Bamboo will headline the opening night on November 26, while UK dance veterans Faithless close on November 28. – The National staff