Hollywood star Terrence Howard, who plays Lucious Lyon in Lee Daniels' hit Fox TV drama Empire, took to the piano at Global Gift Foundation Gala dinner on December 12, hosted in association with the 2015 Dubai International Film Festival.
Joined by Palestinian singer Omar Kamal, Howard debuted a new song he wrote after arriving in Dubai.
Kamal, who also performed solo at the event, told The National: "I knew Terrence was going to play the piano tonight, but our performance wasn't planned. We just met each other for, like, 10 minutes during the soundcheck for tonight, and he told me he'd been working on a new song in his hotel room last night, so we just started singing together and playing around with it. It seemed to work so we ended up on stage together."
This was the third edition of the GGF Gala to be held on the sidelines of Diff. It took place at the Four Seasons Resort on Jumeirah Beach, and raised money for a number of charities, including Dubai Cares and the Eva Longoria Foundation. The former Desperate Housewives star co-hosted the event.
An public auction raised US$187,000 (Dh690,000). A silent auction also took place, with diners invited to bid for a range of items, including a signed story board from 1983’s Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi – which had a reserve price of $2,800. The winners of the silent auction will be informed in the next few days.
Other celebrities in attendance included English actor Rupert Everett and Creed star Michael B Jordan, as well as locals including Layne Redman, Nayla Al Khaja and the ubiquitous gala dinner host Tom Urquhart.
artslife@thenational.ae
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
