Arab stars and Hollywood celebrities walked the red carpet for the annual Joy Awards, one of the region's biggest entertainment events, at Riyadh's Kingdom Arena on Saturday.
Hollywood A-listers Matthew McConaughey, Amanda Seyfried, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, Cuba Gooding Jr and Martin Lawrence joined football star Thierry Henry and a host of regional celebrities, from veteran Egyptian actress Yousra to Saudi actress Mila Alzahrani on the red carpet.
The event also featured top-notch performers on the night, including pop star Christina Aguilera, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Canadian crooner Michael Buble – fresh off his Abu Dhabi show last week – Lebanese singer Wael Kfoury and Saudi superstar Mohammed Abdu.
Now in its fifth year, Joy Awards honours talents across film, TV, sports and even social media. It is organised by Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and broadcast live on MBC channels and streaming platform Shahid.
Aguilera was accompanied on the red carpet or, more accurately, lavender carpet, by her fiance, Matthew Rutler. Wearing a white shirt paired with shimmering maxi skirt, the singer accessorised her look with dark sunglasses.
Opening the show with her rousing 20O2 hit The Voice Within, Aguilera later changed to a striking red gown by Elie Saab, followed by an all-black leather ensemble for her biggest hit Genie in a Bottle.
As if channeling her Red Riding Hood character from 2011, Seyfried walked the red carpet in a dreamy red ruffled dress by Valentino, accentuated by a black bow on the waist.
Meanwhile, McConaughey was accompanied by his wife, model Camila Alves, who chose a striking one shoulder yellow dress with gold sequins by Oscar de la Renta.
The Arab world was also glamorously represented by stars from the Gulf as well as the wider Middle East, with Lebanese designers dominating the red carpet.
Saudi actress Mila Alzahrani chose a dramatic gown by Lebanese designer Sara Mrad. The corseted sapphire dress featured a voluminous sleeve while the midi skirt is adorned by organza feathers and a bouquet of embroidered flowers. The look is finished off with a pleated puffy train.
Lebanese couturier Zuhair Murad, who was honoured at the event, also dressed a number of regional stars on the night, including Lebanese singer and actress Cyrine Abdelnour, Egyptian actress Enjy Kiwan, Moroccan actress Miryam Labiad and Lebanese actress Aimee Sayah.
Egyptian actress Nelly Karim chose a stunning red gown by Lebanese designer Tony Ward while Syrian singer Assala Nasri chose a creation by Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran.
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War by Thomas J. Brennan and Finbarr O’Reilly
