Culture Bites: Mariah Carey in Abu Dhabi, Golden Globes memes and a royal wedding


  • English
  • Arabic

In this week’s episode of Culture Bites podcast, hosts Enas Refaei and Farah Andrews discuss their recent trip to watch Mariah Carey's performance on the first night of the Saadiyat Nights concert series. Enas and Farah were blown away by the American singer's voice and the intimate venue's atmosphere.

The hosts also talk about the Golden Globes, the fallout from Jo Koy's Barbenheimer jokes and the inevitable memes that come from awards ceremonies.

The focus then turns to the Brunei royal wedding of Prince Abdul Mateen, 32, the son of the Sultan of Brunei, and his longtime girlfriend Anisha Rosnah. They discuss the cultural traditions followed during the 10-day event and speculate over which international royals will attend the final banquet.

Arts and culture reporter Maan Jalal joins the hosts to talk about Syrian artist Tammam Azzam and his digital art that is being showcased at Alserkal Avenue in Dubai. Maan also gives his top three tips for movies and books of 2024, before chatting about Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize winner Luke Leafgren.

Essentials

The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September. 
 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

Updated: January 11, 2024, 1:11 PM
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