Celebrities ... they're self-isolating just like you amid the coronavirus pandemic. From home concerts, to to-do-list tasks and quick Covid-19 PSAs, here is what a few of Hollywood's finest have been doing as the world takes to social distancing:
Sir Patrick Stewart reading Shakespeare
Veteran actor Sir Patrick Stewart is trying to soothe fans with some words from the Bard. He will be reading a sonnet a day to fans, and so far has read Shakespeare's Sonnet 116, Sonnet 1 and Sonnet 2.
"I was delighted by the response to my posting of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116, the actor wrote on Instagram.
"It has led me to undertake what follows. When I was a child in the 1940s, my mother would cut up slices of fruit for me (there wasn't much) and as she put it in front of me she would say: 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away.' How about, 'A sonnet a day keeps the doctor away'? So ... here we go: Sonnet 1."
Josh Gad's book club
The Frozen star is a kids' favourite, having played snowman Olaf in the animated adventure. During lockdowns around the world, the actor is offering parents a helping hand by reading a children's book every night in the #GadBookClub. He goes live with his club each night on Instagram and Twitter at 7.30pm EST, (3.30am in the UAE). Luckily you can catch up on Twitter at a more appropriate bedtime for little ones as he is saving them on his social media page.
One of the books he has read so far is The Pea Patch Jig by Thacher Hurd.
Deepika Padukone is being productive
Deepika Padukone has started a 'Productivity in the time of Covid-19' series on her Instagram, which, essentially, is just a series of photos of the actress doing fairly classic daily jobs, like face rolling, eating and drinking fruit, hitting the treadmill and eating an indulgent dessert.
Face masks with Jessica Alba
Honey actress Jessica Alba has been practicing self-care with her daughters. The mother-of-three posted a video with her two daughters, Honor, 11, and Haven, 8, along with the caption: "I stay home for my three babies, hubby and all my family members - especially my grandparents."
Steve Martin on the banjo
Father of the Bride star Steve Martin has provided followers with the smooth tunes of his banjo, while self-isolating from a forest.
Naturally, fans love it.
"That’s all I need. I don’t need anything else," wrote one of Martin's Twitter followers. Another added: "You're just such a little ray of sunshine."
Oprah and Michelle Obama partying on a virtual night out
Oprah, Jennifer Lopez and Michelle Obama were three of the attendees at D-Nice's social distancing dance party on March 22.
The American DJ organised Homeschool, a quarantine night club, writing of the event: "I never would’ve imagined that the best party I would create and DJ would be from the comfort of my own home. Homeschool is a thing! Yesterday was absolutely insane. The amount of artists and friends that virtually partied with me far exceeded my expectations. I’m feeling nothing but gratitude."
He had over 100,000 attendees, and listed a few of the famous names on Instagram, including Drake, Naomi Campbell, H.E.R., Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, T.I., Kelly Rowland, Common, Lance Gross, Queen Latifah, Swizz Beatz and Vanessa Williams.
Oprah tweeted that it was the "best party of 1 and 100k I ever been to".
Model Naomi Campbell also Instagrammed the event, scroll through to see:
Ellen 'Do It' DeGeneres
The talk show host has been very busy in isolation. A flick through her Instagram feed is well worth it. She has been FaceTiming famous friends, including John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Adam Levine and Tiffany Haddish to hilarious effect, working on impossible puzzles and photoshopping herself into news stories with some impressive fake piano skills.
Most relatable, perhaps, is the TV star trying her hand at some Lego Architecture of the Guggenheim Museum, which she admits is “little trickier than [she] thought.” Lego chimed in with some Instagram advice, saying: “Try sorting by colour and size before you dive in! You got this Ellen and we’re always here for tips!”
Sam Neill’s to-do list
Jurassic Park star Sam Neill has been ticking off the odd useful job, while self-isolating. One such job is washing his shoes. He admits that he won't be going far in them anytime soon, opting for a slipper at the moment, but adds: "Boy, do they smell good!"
He’s also been keeping the content pure with love poems, ukulele renditions and teaching himself random facts, like how to land a falling jet with an encyclopedia.
Liam Gallagher is washing his hands
If the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it's that few of us were washing our hands enough, or for long enough, before the outbreak. A great way to make sure you're doing it for the recommended amount of time – 20 seconds – is to sing a song. Happy Birthday twice is a popular go-to.
Oasis's Liam Gallagher is also here to help. Over on his Twitter he's been adapting the band's songs with soapy puns, think Champange Soapernova, Soapersonic and Wanderwash.
Now, most of the videos have a few too many four-letter words in the videos, but you can click though at your own risk here.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s petting zoo
The Terminator actor and Former Governor of California has been playing smart and staying in, with his adorable animals, Whiskey and Lulu, inside his house.
He posted his first video with the on March 16, and they have been coming almost daily since then.
"See that's what we do, we don't go out, we don't go to restaurants, we don't do anything like that anymore here," he says. "We just eat with Whisky and with Lulu, we have a good time."
They have also shared salad at lunchtime:
John Legend’s live home concert
The All of Me singer took requests during an Instagram live concert that lasted more than 53 minutes, and can be caught up with here:
In the true spirit of working from home, he is in his pyjamas, and there are cameos from wife Chrissy Teigen and their kids.
A follow up will be coming from Miguel, check here for more:
Judi Dench’s stress management
A quick PSA was posted by Dame Judi Dench’s daughter Finty Williams on Twitter.
“Just keep laughing,” she says, in truly British style, “It’s all we can do”.
Since then, performer Jade Anouka has pulled together her creative collective to recite some Shakespeare, with Dench naturally involved:
Akshay Kumar's isolation competition
Bollywood star Akshay Kumar is urging fans to stay at home.
He has been posting about social distancing, turning in into a competition, with the winner "staying put".
Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern’s safe space walk
"Friendship with social distancing," Big Little Lies star Reese Witherspoon captioned this snap of a walk at a safe distance away from her co-star Laura Dern.
She was sure to clarify that the walk was "a few days ago ... before we were told to #stayhome [in California]".
The TikTokers
Is there a celebrity that hasn’t joined TikTok to dance for and then re-post to Instagram or Twitter? No, I didn’t think so.
A few favourites are Justin and Hailey Bieber, Ciara and family and Little Mix's Perrie Edwards, and they all get a special mention.
The winner, however, is probably Ashley Tisdale with her feel-good High School Musical throwback:
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
AS%20WE%20EXIST
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Kaoutar%20Harchi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20Other%20Press%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20176%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
'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.”
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Alnamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMicrofinance%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E16%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFamily%20offices%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5