The Emmy Award-winner Sam Simon, who co-created The Simpsons and wrote episodes of Taxi and Cheers, has died at the age of 59. Simon, who developed The Simpsons in the late 1980s with Matt Groening and James L Brooks, died of colorectal cancer on Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. "A great man; I owe him everything," tweeted The Simpsons showrunner Al Jean. Simon left The Simpsons in 1993, but continued to be credited as an executive producer and his leaving deal meant he could spend time and money on philanthropy, according to Variety. He shared seven Primetime Emmy Awards for The Simpsons and two for his writing on The Tracey Ullman Show. – AFP
Reel Dubai contest shortlist announced
Six UAE-based filmmakers have been shortlisted for the final stage of The Reel Dubai contest, a joint initiative between Samsung, Dubai International Film Festival and the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. Mohammed Mamdouh, Juleus Dmello, Roozbeh Kafi, Hala Makhlouf, Kamil Roxas and Mohammed Njati will compete to have their film showcased at The Short Film Corner at the 68th Cannes Film Festival in May. They will each receive a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and US$5,000 (Dh18,360) to fund their film. They will work with Emirati filmmakers Ali F Mostafa, Nayla Al Khaja and Mohammed Saeed Harib to create stories in line with #MyDubai, the initiative launched by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai. The films will be screened and the winner announced at a dedicated public screening later this month. Visit www.diff.ae/reeldubai for more details. – The National staff
Sonakshi to star with her dad
The Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha and her father, the veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, will star in A R Murugadoss's new Hindi action thriller, a remake of the Tamil sleeper hit Mounaguru. The yet-untitled film goes into production on Saturday and is being produced by Fox Star Studios. The filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has been roped in to play the baddy in the film, which marks Murugadoss's third Hindi-language project after Ghajini and Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty. The rest of the cast will be announced at a later date. – IANS