The New York Giants may have beaten the New England Patriots at Sunday's Super Bowl, but neither could outmuscle Madonna – at least where TV audiences were concerned.
A record 111.3 million US viewers watched the championship, but 114 million watched Madonna's halftime performance which drew a firestorm of controversy over a rude gesture by the rapper MIA.
The ratings tracker Nielsen said Madonna's glitzy, Cleopatra-themed performance of her new single Give Me All Your Luvin was the most-watched halftime show in US history.
Meanwhile, NBC and the NFL were forced to apologise publicly for a finger gesture flipped at the audience by MIA, who joined Madonna in the performance.
Sean "P Diddy" Combs tweeted that Madonna "had the best half-time performance of all time".
"She does less, and yet she's so much more," wrote the singer Pink. According to Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas: "Madonna rocked."
The Chicago Tribune was less enthused and wrote that the Super Bowl "has become the biggest stage for shills of all kinds, pop stars included".
* Reuters
Stars gather for Oscar lunch
George Clooney says the best thing about Academy Awards nominations is not necessarily the prizes. It's hanging with old and new friends at the annual Oscar nominee luncheon held on Monday.
"It's fun to see people I like and haven't seen in a long time," said Clooney, who added he also has had fun getting to know his fellow best actor contenders Gary Oldman, Jean Dujardin and Demian Bichir.
Brad Pitt joked that like Clooney, awards season has allowed him to make new acquaintances. "I met this guy named George," he said, stumbling over the pronunciation of the name, "G-g-George, Jorge Clooney. Very nice guy."
Among the 150 nominees at the luncheon was the best supporting actress nominee Melissa McCarthy, a rare contender for her comedy Bridesmaids.
"It's been a pretty surreal year," she said. "I keep pinching myself, and I really hope I don't get the call where someone says, 'Kidding, kidding'."
But before the Oscars is this Sunday's Baftas, where Miss Piggy has challenged Clooney to a wresting match. The outspoken Muppet, the official red carpet host of the film awards, says the actor she looks forward to meeting is The Descendants star, who's dating the former WWE wrestler Stacey Kleiber.
"I don't wrestle girlfriends. However, if George wants to wrestle, bring it on. Winner gets a dinner?" Miss Piggy told contactmusic.com.
Amazing Spider-Man footage teases fans
The Amazing Spider-Man dropped in on hundreds of fans on Monday, at preview events in 13 cities spanning the globe including Mexico City, Berlin, Rome and Moscow.
The event began with the debut of the 3D full-length trailer, which goes online today. It featured footage of Andrew Garfield as a charmingly awkward Peter Parker being bullied at school, testing out his new web-slinging gadgets and battling the villainous Lizard. Garfield, who appeared in the New York preview event, said Spider-Man is more than just a character, but a symbol once portrayed by Tobey Maguire and now by himself, and he hoped the next person to play the superhero would be a "half-Hispanic, half African-American actor", referencing the latest incarnation of the character in the comic books.
* Associated Press
Bollywood prays for cancer-struck Yuvraj
The Mumbai film industry came out to support the Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who is undergoing chemotherapy for a malignant tumour in his chest at a Boston hospital.
Amitabh Bachchan was the first to react after yesterday morning's newspapers carried the lead story on Singh's sickness. Big B tweeted: "Shocked ... Yuvraj if you read this, know that we all pray for you ... Yuvraj, get up in the morning and say it out loud: 'Everyday in every way I am getting better and better!' You will."
Indian star lectures on viral hit
The performer Dhanush lectured yesterday at the Indian Institute of Management, one of the world's leading business schools, on the phenomenon of his song that went viral on the internet.
Dhanush, the son-in-law of the Indian superstar Rajnikanth, became an overnight sensation when his song Kolaveri Di hit the web in November. Multiple versions in several Indian languages also mushroomed within no time. The song is part of the soundtrack of the Tamil romance film 3, set for release this April.
Dhanush recently signed on for his own debut Hindi film, titled Raanjhana. The actor has also been working on a music video with the Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, to be released this month.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Belong%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Askew%20and%20Matthew%20Gaziano%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%243.5%20million%20from%20crowd%20funding%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Scotland's team:
15-Sean Maitland, 14-Darcy Graham, 13-Nick Grigg, 12-Sam Johnson, 11-Byron McGuigan, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ali Price, 8-Magnus Bradbury, 7-Hamish Watson, 6-Sam Skinner, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 4-Ben Toolis, 3-Willem Nel, 2-Stuart McInally (captain), 1-Allan Dell
Replacements: 16-Fraser Brown, 17-Gordon Reid, 18-Simon Berghan, 19-Jonny Gray, 20-Josh Strauss, 21-Greig Laidlaw, 22-Adam Hastings, 23-Chris Harris
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1
Calvin Harris
Columbia
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
