Celebrity Net Worth: Jared Leto invests in AI video start-up
In our fortnightly celebrity investment and wealth round-up, Sony Music is reported to be in talks to buy Queen’s music catalogue for $1 billion and Shahid Kapoor buys sea-facing apartment worth $7 million in Mumbai
The funding round was led by US venture capital firm Spark Capital, according to a statement from Pika.
Other investors in the series B round include VC firms Greycroft and Lightspeed Venture Partners. In total, the company has now raised $135 million, Pika said.
Co-founders Demi Guo and Chenlin Meng left their graduate studies at Stanford University’s AI doctoral programme to focus on Pika full time and unveiled its first AI video-making software in late 2023.
The programme lets users generate short video clips from written prompts, still images or other videos.
Designers for Leto’s rock band, Thirty Seconds to Mars, have experimented with Pika and incorporated its videos into some of the footage shown on stage at concerts, Bloomberg reported.
Leto, who has starred in films such as Fight Club, Girl, Interrupted, Dallas Buyers Club and Suicide Squad, has a personal fortune estimated at $90 million, according to celebrity wealth tracking website Celebrity Net Worth.
Outside of his acting career, Leto, 52, is also the frontman and primary songwriter for Thirty Seconds to Mars, which he started with brother Shannon in 1998. They released their debut album, 30 Seconds to Mars, in 2002.
The band has sold more than 15 million albums.
Leto is also the founder of social media management company The Hive, concert ticket company The One and Only Golden Tickets (which was renamed Adventures In Wonderland in 2013) and live-streaming video service VyRT, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
He was also an investor in the website Reddit, private jet airline Surf Air and financial services company Robinhood.
In 2015, Leto purchased a home in Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, for $5 million. The home, which was once the Lookout Mountain Air Force Station, contains eight bedrooms and 12 bathrooms, the website reported.
Queen in 1977. From left, John Deacon, Freddie Mercury, Brian May and Roger Talyor.
Queen
US music label Sony Music is in talks to acquire rock band Queen’s music catalogue, which includes hits such as Bohemian Rhapsody, in what could be one of the biggest deals in this area, Bloomberg reported citing sources.
Sony is working with another investor on a purchase that could potentially total $1 billion.
The talks, which also cover merchandising and other business opportunities, may not result in an agreement, the sources said.
In recent years, there has been a frenzy to acquire music catalogues, which have attracted billions of dollars in investment from specialist investment funds and private equity companies such as KKR and Blackstone, competing for deals against traditional music companies.
Artists have been selling their catalogues to investors for increasing sums in recent years.
Songwriting catalogues are seen as attractive investments because they can be used for decades in films, played on the radio or used for advertisements – all producing royalties for the owners of the rights.
Queen’s back catalogue includes some of the biggest selling hits, including Don’t Stop Me Now, Another One Bites the Dust and We Will Rock You.
Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon and the estate of Freddie Mercury are equal shareholders in Queen Productions, which produced revenue of £40.9 million ($52 million) for the year ended September 30, 2022, according to the latest available filings.
Universal Music Group this year bought a minority stake in Chord Music Partners, a company that owns more than 60,000 songs, including ones written by artists such as the Weeknd, John Legend and Lorde.
However, not all music catalogue deals have been a success. In 2022, members of the band Pink Floyd decided to sell their catalogue for at least $500 million but bids failed to materialise.
Companies that have focused on buying up music rights have also struggled. Founded in 2018 in London, Hipgnosis bought up song catalogues with the goal of turning music into an asset class, but the fund struggled to recoup its investment in music rights and is currently being sold to private equity firm Blackstone.
It owns song catalogues from Blondie, the Kaiser Chiefs and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Shahid Kapoor, 43, has a personal fortune of $70 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Leslie Pableo for The National
Shahid Kapoor
Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor and his wife Mira have purchased a sea-facing apartment in Mumbai’s upscale Worli district for 604 million Indian rupees ($7.2 million), according to Indian media reports.
The apartment, situated on the 24th floor of the building, spans 6,176 square feet and is the actor’s second investment in the high-rise residential tower.
In 2018, the couple bought a duplex on the 42nd and 43rd floors of the same tower for 585.7 million rupees.
The project, Three Sixty West, is a mixed-use development that features two towers – one housing The Ritz-Carlton hotel and the other comprising luxury residences managed by The Ritz-Carlton, according to reports.
Kapoor, 43, has a personal fortune of $70 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
He made his Bollywood debut as a background dancer in the 1999 film Taal, which was directed by Subhash Ghai.
He made his acting debut with the 2003 film Ishq Vishk and other movies include Vivah, Jab We Met, Kaminey and Kabir Singh.
His monthly income is reported to be about 30 million rupees from brand endorsements, movies and other businesses.
The actor has endorsed several brands, including Colgate, Dulux Paint and Tommy Hilfiger, and athleisure brands such as Reebok and his own clothing line Skult.
Kapoor and his wife invested an undisclosed amount in an Indian yoga and wellness start-up called Sarva, also backed by celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez and Malaika Arora, the Economic Times reported in 2019.
He has 46.8 million followers on Instagram and is reported to charge up to four million rupees a post.
Rapper Drake is consistently one of the highest-paid entertainers in the world. AFP
Drake
Canadian actor, producer and rapper Drake was revealed as the buyer of a $15 million, 313-acre resort in rural Texas.
He made the investment through a limited liability company, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
“The property isn’t a single-family estate. It’s a former five-star resort, which was known as The Inn at Dos Brisas,” the website said.
“It was an upscale vacation destination between 2004 and 2022, when it closed after struggling through the Covid-19 pandemic. In the early 2000s, the estate was a private compound for a wealthy family. That family converted the property into a resort in 2004.”
There are other smaller houses on the property ranging between 800 square feet and 1,800 square feet, with amenities such as stone fireplaces and plunge pools between them, Celebrity Net Worth reported.
The ranch is located in a quiet rural stretch between Houston and Austin.
Drake, 37, has a net worth of $250 million. Over the years, the rapper has endorsed major brands, including Sprite, Burger King, Nike and Apple.
Drake's Dubai concert - in pictures
Arriving on stage in white baggy jeans and matching shirt to the sound of the triumphant horns of Trophies, Drake’s UAE debut was a storming performance. Duncan Chard for the National
Drake’s superb gig also stood out as a rare chance for UAE fans to see a hip-hop artist at the peak of his powers. Duncan Chard for the National
An interesting aspect of Drake’s performance was how well the songs sound in a stadium. Where on album the plaintive beats can come across as too minimal or watery, they take on a deeply evocative tone on a big stage. Duncan Chard for the National
The set closer was Started From The Bottom. Drake pretty much acknowledged it as his unofficial anthem as he paired the tracks with a video montage of memorable moments from his career. Duncan Chard for the National
Always one to promote sincerity rather than boasting, Drake’s acknowledgement that his Dubai show was a “dream come true” and his intention to return on the back of his next world tour capped off a great evening. Duncan Chard for the National
When Apple Music launched, Drake signed a $19 million exclusivity deal. This deal allowed Apple to be the exclusive initial home of all of Drake's future solo releases.
In 2012, Drake formed his own record label, Ovo Sound, which is distributed by Warner Bros Records.
He is consistently one of the highest-paid entertainers in the world. Since first gaining mainstream success, Drake has earned more than $430 million in his career, before taxes and lifestyle costs, according to Celebrity Net Worth estimates.
He is one of the most successful forces in hip-hop and the music industry at large. He has worked with the biggest stars in the music industry including Kanye West, Eminem, Jay-Z and Travis Scott.
Drake grosses about $1 million a concert and has sold more digital singles than any artist in history. His digital single sales stand at 163 million, 40 million more than the second-placed person, Rihanna.
In May 2019, Drake released a video on Instagram that revealed his newly acquired Boeing 767 private jet, which he has named Air Drake.
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11 What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time. TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
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
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
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.
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes. Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
