Today's entertaiment news: Sheikh Zayed Book Award shortlist announced

The Sheikh Zayed Book Award announced yesterday its shortlist of book titles for its literature and children's categories.

Vying for the literature prize are The Tea of the Bride by Maysaloon Hadi from Iraq, Yahya by Samiha Ali Khrais from Jordan and Arabic Reading by Abderrahim Ouhabi from Morocco.

The books under the children's literature category are Hanji Banji by Ahmad Suleiman from Egypt, Da'wa al-Haywan dhid al Insan Ind Malik al-Jan (Animals' Case Against Humans) by Huda Al Shawwa Qaddoumi from Kuwait and The Boy Who Saw the Color of Air by Abdo Wazen from Lebanon.

The winners are scheduled to be announced next month.

Over the coming weeks, the shortlists for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award's seven other categories will be released.

The award, established in memory of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, is an independent cultural prize set up under the patronage of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.

30 Rock Star Tracy Morgan OK after collapse in Utah

The comedian Tracy Morgan has been released from hospital and is heading back to work, the Associated Press reported.

Morgan passed out shortly after giving a speech at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah on Monday. Taking to Twitter, he said the city's altitude "shook up this kid from Brooklyn".

Although there were reports that Morgan had been acting strangely before collapsing, and may have been drinking, a spokesman for the Park City Medical Centre, where he was taken, later told TMZ.com that no drugs or alcohol were found in his system.

Morgan, the recipient of a kidney transplant two years ago, was at Sundance with co-stars Jesse Eisenberg and Melissa Leo for their new film Predisposed.

A forthcoming episode of 30 Rock will borrow a controversial incident from Morgan's real life last June, by portraying his character as having to apologise for telling homophobic jokes.

Rahul Bose plays football with Ruud Gullit

The Bollywood actor Rahul Bose had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play with Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit, who recently presented the "Ballon d'Or" to Argentine Lionel Messi, in an exhibition match in Gangtok (the Sikkim capital) on Sunday for Sikkim earthquake relief.

Bose was part of the Super Stars XI captained by Gullit, and played against Indian football captain Baichung Bhutia. Bose's other teammates included the French World Cup star Christian Karembu and Dutch international Regi Blinker.

"Played to send out a signal - Sikkim's ready for tourism post the earthquake & to pay tribute to a legend ... Sikkim United beat (us) the All Stars XI, 8-4," Bose tweeted.

* Associated Press

Simon Cowell reported in rehab to quit smoking

Trust celebrities to take something most regular folk face armed with nicotine patches, gum and willpower to a much, much higher level.

Simon Cowell, who reportedly has a 15-a-day habit and was once photographed smoking while jet-skiing, has entered a treatment programme to beat his addiction, the Daily Mail reports.

The paper wrote that Cowell, who is 52 and has a family history of lung cancer, started smoking when he was eight.

Segel gets Hasty Pudding nod

Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest undergraduate drama troupe in the US, has named the comic actor and writer Jason Segel its Man of the Year.

Segel got his start in the short-lived but critically acclaimed television series Freaks and Geeks and currently plays Marshall Eriksen on the long-running CBS comedy How I Met Your Mother. He wrote and starred in the successful 2008 movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall, then spent four years reviving The Muppets franchise, co-writing and starring in last year's feature film.

The actress Claire Danes was previously named Woman of the Year.

Abu Dhabi Festival schedule announced

Early-bird tickets for the ninth edition of the Abu Dhabi Festival, organised by the Abu Dhabi Music and Art Foundation (Admaf), are on sale now. The schedule has also been released.

A 25 per cent discount offer on diamond, pearl and student tickets is available until January 31. After that, tickets can be purchased at full price only.

The festival will begin on March 19 with sitar player Anoushka Shankar, and end on April 6 with Lebanese singer Fadel Shaker in concert. Grammy-award winner and jazz great Natalie Cole is scheduled to perform on April 4.

There are three ways to purchase tickets: online at www.timeouttickets.com/abudhabifestival; through the Abu Dhabi Festival ticket hotline number 050 907 6158 and in person at the Emirates Palace box office.

Follow us on Twitter and keep up to date with the latest in arts and lifestyle news at twitter.com/LifeNationalUAE

Today's entertaiment news: Sheikh Zayed Book Award shortlist announced

Plus: 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan OK after collapse; Rahul Bose plays football with Ruud Gullit; Jason Segel gets Hasty Pudding nod; Abu Dhabi Festival schedule announced and Simon Cowell goes to rehab to quit smoking?