LONDON: Thanks to the near-universal acclaim for “The Office” and “Extras,” few people tend to question Ricky Gervais when the British comedian embarks on a second series. So, although many critics felt that the first season of “After Life” left its protagonist, widower Tony Johnson, at the perfect point in his post-bereavement journey, Gervais (who writes, directs and stars as Tony) brings his embittered journalist back to Netflix for a second series.
On the surface, Tony is doing better. Though he’s still devastated by the death of his wife, he’s been dating nurse Emma (played by “Extras” co-star Ashley Jensen), tolerating his friends (including postman Pat, played by Joe Wilkinson, and sex worker Daphne, portrayed by Rosin Conaty) and making a living writing for a local newspaper. Though he’s more recently become a Hollywood mainstay, Gervais remains one of the best in the business at mining small-town rural English life for laughs, treading that line between saccharine schmaltz and genuinely touching humor with aplomb.
The first season of “After Life” worked so well because of the delicate balance between Tony’s rage-fueled screams into the void and the surprisingly earnest glimpses into the grieving process that made the show so relatable. And while the second series is still very funny on a regular basis, the ever-so-slightly improved version of Tony is a little too quick to slip into a tear-filled recollection of things he misses about his wife. These monologues are all beautifully written, and well performed by Gervais (an actor perhaps not famed for his more-serious side), but they tend to make the episodes a little formulaic. The appeal of Tony in the first season was how tough it was for him to open up to the people who loved him. Second time around, his struggle to process the various stages of grief are undermined by a tendency to conspicuously tug on the audience’s heartstrings.
On balance, however, “After Life” remains one of the better-written and -acted comedies of recent years. Supporting characters (such as Penelope Wilton’s Anne and Diane Morgan’s Kath) are excellent and fill in the gaps between the Gervais-heavy narrative. And just when you think you know where the series is heading, Gervais throws a curveball in there to remind you that when he’s at his best there are few better.
BEIRUT: “I was immediately fascinated with the image of my father fronting a band,” admits Sama’an Ashrawi, a young podcaster and director from Texas. “But I never thought there would be any recordings, and I wouldn’t find out for several years that there was original music.”
Ashrawi’s father Ibrahim and all but one of his aunts and uncles were founding members of Al-Bara’em (The Blooms), a cover-band-turned-psychedelic-rock-group that played to packed venues across Palestine during the 1960s and ’70s — a fact of which he was unaware for most of his life.
“At a family gathering — either Thanksgiving or Christmas — one of my uncles told me that recordings of the band existed,” says Ashrawi, who is perhaps best-known as the founder of The Nostalgia Mixtape podcast. “In that moment it became something very sacred to me. It was bigger than our family history; it became immediately clear that it was Palestinian cultural history. People needed to know about this.”
Al-Bara’em onstage in the 1970s. (Image supplied)
So Ashrawi has been on a journey of discovery — tracking down recordings and photographs, digging up old compositions, and rummaging through newspaper cuttings in a bid to find out as much information about the band as possible. Much of the material he has so far unearthed, including a letter from the UN asking the band to perform at its headquarters in Jerusalem, was discovered during his first trip to Palestine in April last year.
During that trip Ashrawi travelled across the West Bank with his uncle Emile, who still lives in Palestine and had heightened his nephew’s interest in Al-Bara’em by sharing old photographs. Together they visited roughly a dozen venues the band had once performed in, including a 900-seat theatre in Bethlehem, and uncovered photographs of a sold-out performance at the Jerusalem YMCA in December 1973.
“Walking around Ramallah, I felt at home in a way I’ve never felt in America, even though I was born and raised here,” admits Ashrawi, who also works as a music writer. “That trip was very soul-confirming to me. So many of us spend years searching for our true calling, and on that trip I fully realized that this project is one of mine. Just an incredible moment of self-actualization for me.”
Originally one of a handful of homegrown Palestinian rock & roll cover bands, Al-Bara’em’s line-up consisted of five of the six Ashrawi siblings: Alexandra (vocals), Emile (drums and vocals), Ibrahim (lead vocals), Samir (lead guitar and vocals), and Samira (vocals). The sixth sibling, Naifeh, was the eldest and was married before the band took off. A rotating line-up of friends, including Ayleen Rizeq, David Sa’adeh, Francois Farah and George Qurmuz, shared the stage, with the band eventually progressing to rock-infused covers of Fayrouz and ultimately to writing and producing their own songs in Arabic.
“The precise ‘when’ isn’t quite clear, but it was certainly after the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967,” says Ashrawi of the band’s switch to Arabic. “After Black September in 1970, it is my understanding that Al-Bara’em became fully committed to performing original Arabic compositions and were the first to do so. I think that dancing to The Monkees just wasn’t cutting it any more. As Nina Simone once said, ‘An artist’s duty is to reflect the times.’”
So, were Al-Bara’em political?
“Their lyrics were absolutely political,” replies Ashrawi. “But rather than chanting slogans, they preferred the imagery that poems conjured.”
Poetry looms large in the music of Al-Bara’em. The first song to be released, “Tareeq,” which hit Spotify and other streaming channels in January, was inspired by the poet Jibreel Al-Sheikh. The second, “Tha’er,” released in late April, sets Mahmoud Darwish’s “On Wishes” to a psychedelic rock & roll track.
“’Tha’er’ has an interesting history,” explains Ashrawi. “Samir and Emile were the main songwriters of the group. Samir left for the States around 1974, and, without either of them knowing, Samir and Emile both wrote music to the same poem. Emile wrote his version in a minor key — and we do have a live recording of Al-Bara’em performing Emile’s take, which will be released when the time is right — and Samir left for the States, writing his in a major key, and that version is the one you hear in this release. It’s so cool to know they both had the same idea without the other knowing. Another Palestinian band, Sabreen, put the same poem to music in the 1980s, albeit in a more traditional Arabic style.”
However, not all of the band’s songs were influenced by poetry. Some were entirely original, although no studio recordings of those songs exist. In fact, one of the only reasons Ashrawi has access to “Tareeq” and a handful of other songs is because Samir was able to record them in the US some time in the early 1980s.
“I like to compare their music to Eric Clapton’s band Cream because it’s poetry set to psychedelic rock & roll,” says Ashrawi, who was gifted the psychedelic-rock compilation “Waking Up Scheherazade” by his cousin at roughly the same time he first learned of his father’s band. “Just like Cream, Al-Bara’em understood the importance of the guitar solo and had epic movements in their songs. In other words, the songs aren’t just verse-chorus-verse-chorus, there’s a higher concept to their music that is absolutely fascinating to me. The difference between Cream and Al-Bara’em is that Al-Bara’em’s music was a window into their reality rather than an escape from it.”
Originally from Nazareth, Ashrawi’s grandparents had moved to West Jerusalem after their marriage but were forced to flee to East Jerusalem during the Nakba. It was there that Ashrawi’s father was born in a church basement. The family would eventually move to Ramallah, where the siblings would also become founding members of one of Palestine’s first youth theater troupes, Al-Balalin.
What became of Al-Bara’em? The band remained active until 1976 but four of the six siblings would eventually emigrate, bringing Al-Bara’em’s contribution to Palestinian cultural life to an end. “It is sweet to dream about what they might have become had they not lived under occupation,” admits Ashrawi, who is also filming a documentary charting the band’s history and his own journey of discovery.
“There are also a number of original Al-Bara’em compositions that were never recorded because of the situation. My understanding is that many of the recordings on the compilation my cousin gifted me were made in Lebanon or Egypt, but because Palestinians lived under an illegal military occupation there simply was no record industry. We are hoping to raise enough money to hire young musicians to record their music, under the supervision of my uncles, and release those recordings as an album,” Ashrawi says. “I’m so grateful, mashallah, that all the members of the band are still alive, and that’s what makes it even more urgent to get the full story of the band out as soon as possible.”
DUBAI: American actress Lindsey Lohan, who has been living in Dubai since 2008, took to Instagram to thank the UAE government for keeping the country safe during the ongoing worldwide coronavirus pandemic.
The “Mean Girls” star posted a series of pictures on Wednesday of herself standing next to members of the Dubai police while wearing a face mask and gloves.
“I wanted to thank the government of the UAE and the Dubai police for their continued support during these uncertain times and keeping this country safe. Wishing everyone a blessed month,” the star wrote to her 8.3 million followers.
The 33-year-old singer recently appeared on the chat show “Lights Out With David Spade” to promote her new single, “Back To Me”. During her conversation with Spade, Lohan talked about her experience of living in Dubai.
“It’s a city built on desert,” she said in her 17-minute video chat. “I came here in 2008 when they’d just finished building the Atlantis Hotel and there was none of this here. There was no DIFC, Downtown, Dubai Mall… anything that there is now.”
The star also spoke about the rules that Dubai has imposed on residents during the COVID-19 lockdown. “They are very strict here… You are not allowed outside. They take it very seriously,” she said.
MUMBAI: Indian actor Rishi Kapoor, who starred in celebrated Bollywood movies such as “Bobby” and “Mera Naam Joker,” died on Thursday after a two-year battle with leukemia, his family said.
Kapoor, 67, the scion of a famed film industry family, is survived by his wife and two children, and had been diagnosed with cancer in 2018.
“He remained jovial and determined to live to the fullest right through two years of treatment across two continents,” the family said in a statement.
The actor had moved to New York for treatment soon after the cancer was detected, returning to his hometown of Mumbai last September.
Kapoor’s death followed that on Wednesday of another Indian actor, Irrfan Khan, 54, who had roles in films such as “Life of Pi” and “Jurassic World,” and who also suffered from cancer.
Bollywood actors Rishi Kapoor (L) and Amitabh Bachchan (R) during the song launch for their comedy-drama Hindi film “102 Not Out” in Mumbai. (AFP)
Kapoor’s family urged his fans, who under normal circumstances would have been expected to pour onto the streets to mourn him, to follow novel coronavirus social-distancing rules.
“There are numerous restrictions around movement and gathering in public. We would like to request all his fans and well-wishers and friends of the family to please respect the laws that are in force,” the family said.
Kapoor came from a family of actors.
His grandfather, Prithviraj Kapoor, father Raj Kapoor, brothers Randhir and Rajeev, and his son, nieces and nephews have all played roles in films.
He made his debut at the age of 16, playing a younger version of his father’s character in the 1970 film “Mera Naam Joker” (My Name is Joker), and later made a name for himself as a fresh-faced romantic hero.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was anguished by Kapoor’s death.
Multifaceted, endearing and lively...this was Rishi Kapoor Ji. He was a powerhouse of talent. I will always recall our interactions, even on social media. He was passionate about films and India’s progress. Anguished by his demise. Condolences to his family and fans. Om Shanti.
Ricky Gervais’ black comedy about a man dealing with his wife’s death from breast cancer returns for a second season. Tony is still struggling to deal with his grief, but is also trying harder to curb his ‘superpower’ of saying exactly what he thinks to everyone.
Extraction
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Randeep Hooda, Pankaj Tripathi
Where: Netflix
Action thriller about a former Australian SAS soldier-turned-mercenary called Tyler Rake, who is recruited to rescue the son of an Indian drug lord from Bangladesh, where he is being held for ransom by a Bangladeshi drug lord. He is double-crossed. An unwise move.
The Midnight Gospel
The show stars Phil Hendrie and Stephen Root. (Supplied)
Starring: Phil Hendrie, Stephen Root
Where: Netflix Animated series for adults.
Spacecaster (a podcaster in space, of course) Clancy is able to travel to different universes, where he interviews beings for his spacecast. The interviews are based on co-creator Duncan Trussell’s real-life podcast.
Extra-curricular
Starring: Kim Dong-hee, Jung Da-bin, Park Ju-hyun
Where: Netflix
South Korean drama series set in a high school where model student Jisoo is actually a criminal mastermind. When Jisoo gets mixed up with troublemaker Minhee and rich girl Gyuri, his smooth-running scheme begins to fall apart.
The Willoughbys
Starring: Will Forte, Maya Rudolph, Alessia Cara
Where: Netflix
Animated movie about parents who are too self-absorbed to properly raise their four children, leaving eldest son Tom to look out for his younger siblings, including his slightly creepy twin brothers, who are both called Barnaby.
DUBAI: American-Palestinian model Gigi Hadid and Pakistani-British singer Zayn Malik are reportedly expecting a baby girl, a family source told US entertainment daily TMZ.
Shortly after TMZ broke the pregnancy news on Wednesday, Entertainment Tonight revealed further details from a family source who said that Gigi had “kept the secret close to her family and friends for a while, as she’s only a few months along.”
The stars are yet to make a public announcement. (AFP)
The reports claimed that the model – who has yet to make a public announcement – was 20 weeks pregnant.
“Once Gigi and Zayn got back together at the end of last year, it was like they never skipped a beat and knew what they had was special. The couple and their families are overjoyed,” the source added.
DUBAI: The holy month is upon us, and if you are fasting then iftar has become the most important part of your day. But do not dive straight into high-fat, high-sugar foods — make the meal really count.
Start with a drink
Water is key, so start with a glass or two. (Shutterstock)
Hydration should be your No. 1 priority as soon as you are allowed to eat and drink again. Water is key, so start with a glass or two. Think about adding fruit or vegetables for a smoothie, or a scoop of protein powder, to add flavor and get some much-needed quick and healthy calories.
Choose a variety of fruits
Change the fruit every few days to reap the benefits of some diverse nutrients. (Shutterstock)
Stay away from high-sugar treats. Opt for fruits for a much-needed boost of energy and hydration. Dates are the traditional option to break one’s fast because of their high natural sugar and nutrient content, but feel free to swap for mangoes, lychees, cherries, pears or grapes for the same affect. Change the fruit every few days to reap the benefits of some diverse nutrients.
Soup is your friend
Choose from vegetable soups, chicken, beef and bone broths, or miso for a nutrient-dense starter. (Shutterstock)
Start with something simple to avoid dealing with the indigestion of a heavy meal on an empty stomach. As well as being easy on the digestive system, they are another great way to get hydrated. Choose from vegetable soups, chicken, beef and bone broths, or miso for a nutrient-dense starter.
Balance is key
Choose protein-rich foods such as tofu, beans or lean meat to maintain muscle mass. (Shutterstock)
It is important to remember that you are not on a free pass to fill up non-stop on food every night as you will definitely gain weight. Stay away from high-fat fast foods such as cheeseburgers and chips. Choose protein-rich foods such as tofu, beans or lean meat to maintain muscle mass. Fat intake should come from healthy options such as nuts, fish and avocado.
Have some carbs
Add plenty of vegetables to your meal. (Shutterstock)
During the fasting period, the body will use glycogen (stored carbohydrates) for energy and brain activity, so it is important to replace depleted stores. Add plenty of vegetables to your meal as well as a healthy side of slow-release carbs such as brown rice, quinoa, wholegrain pasta or sweet potatoes.
CHENNAI: Education has often attracted financial scandals, especially in countries such as India, where teachers are underpaid and overworked. And America, despite being a top first-world state is no exception – as it would appear in director Cory Finley’s “Bad Education,” now streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar.
Shockingly, the corruption runs deep, and Finley bases his work on a real 2002 incident in which the very foundations of education are questioned.
School superintendent Frank Tassone (Hugh Jackman) and his assistant, Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney), have been entirely responsible in taking Roslyn School High in Long Island to the fourth position.
Finley bases his work on a real 2002 incident in which the very foundations of education are questioned. (YouTube)
This had helped Roslyn students to clinch seats in some of the most renowned universities and also up property prices in the district. But Tassone and Gluckin are hand-in-glove in embezzling millions of dollars from school funds, paid by taxpayers. That is until a Skywalk proposal lets the cat out of the bag.
Student, Rachel Bhargava (an impressively calm and collected Geraldine Viswanathan), doing the usual descriptive piece for the school’s in-house paper, The Hilltop Beacon, stumbles upon irregular expense accounts – her curiosity having been aroused by Roslyn’s undue interest in the Skywalk construction while paying no heed to the school’s leaking roof.
She is also egged on by an unsuspecting Tassone – who views Rachel as a kid excited about seeing her byline in the paper. He tells her in their first meeting that anything can be turned into a good story. And she goes beyond the puff taking audiences along with her.
Cory Finley’s “Bad Education” is now streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar. (YouTube)
Finley, who came on the scene with his debut “Thoroughbreds,” showed promise, and raised expectations that here was a director worth looking out for. He does not disappoint in his latest outing, although he has a step or two to go before he can be called someone who has truly arrived.
He narrates an actual school scandal that happened in a very subtle sort of way, and though the movie is largely dialogue-driven, he manages to keep our attention riveted until the end.
Jackman is superb, hiding behind a veneer of sophistication, charisma and charm in his not-so-noble mission to pay for his lavish lifestyle that includes designer suits and exotic holidays.
Janney is as sinister, pushed by greed and her family’s never-ending demands. And completing the triangle is Viswanathan, who in her school-girlish innocence and excitement stumbles upon a dark secret, while keeping her anger in check.
BEIRUT: Arab modernism remains a much-underrated genre in the art world. Dubai-based independent arts consultant Myrna Ayad believes that Arab modernists have not received the recognition they deserve — although she points out that there have been recent positive changes implemented by auction houses, art professionals, and academics to showcase their artistry on the international stage.
“In the past, there was a preconception that there’s only a modern period in the West. People did not know that there was actually a very robust, solid, and incredible modern period in the Arab world,” Ayad — who oversaw the development of the Modern section as former director of Art Dubai — tells Arab News.
Beirut was famously known as a cosmopolitan powerhouse where ideas were exchanged and artistic life flourished from the 1950s to 1970s, and even to some extent in midst of the horrific civil war that rocked the country between 1975 and 1990. “A lot of people say that the Lebanese are resilient, and we have to consider that, ultimately, art is a form of expression. These people had to express themselves,” Ayad says.
Here, we recognize some of Lebanon’s leading female modernists, all of whom were contemporaries, and all of whom — in the face of political, social and economic obstacles — continued to pursue art for decades. As Ayad notes: “Nothing stopped them. I think that’s what’s amazing about our modernists; they were relentless and perseverant.”
Helen Khal (1923-2009) — ‘The Gallerist’
An untitled piece by Helen Khal from 1968. (Courtesy of Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah)
Born in Pennsylvania into a Lebanese family, Helen Khal wore many hats — wife, mother, teacher, artist, writer, and critic. In 1963, along with her husband, the poet Yusuf Khal, she co-founded Beirut’s first permanent art gallery, “Gallery One,” presenting talent from the Middle East and North Africa.
Khal also illustrated the covers of a literary journal called “Shi’r” (‘poetry’ in Arabic), established by her husband. In 1976, she was commissioned to write what was to become her best-known literary work, “The Woman Artist in Lebanon,” profiling the trajectories of Lebanese female artists.
As a painter, Khal was known for her color field painting style. Possessing a pure and intimate nature, her compositions show a dedication to exploring the simplicity of form and color. “Khal’s work is aesthetically beautiful and universal. Her use of color was happy and positive,” says Ayad.
"Poem," a sculpture created by Saloua Raouda Choucair between 1963-5. (Image supplied)
“My mother wasn’t sick of modern times, she wasn’t nostalgic – she believed in the future,” claimed the daughter of Saloua Raouda Choucair, who spent most of her life in Beirut and became internationally known late in life. Through Choucair’s works — manifested in wood, clay, metal, fiberglass, and painting — one can sense a deeply curious mind at play.
“Saloua’s very entry into the art world was defined by defiance,” says Ayad. “Her philosophy professor once said, ‘There’s no art except Greek art.’ She asked him, ‘What about Islamic art?’ And he said, ‘That’s just ornamentation.’ So, she spent her life disproving him.”
Saloua Raouda Choucair in Beirut. (Image supplied)
In 1948, Choucair went to Paris to study under the tutelage of the renowned French artist Fernand Léger. Choucair’s geometrical artworks were ahead of her time, combining elements of Islamic art, science, mathematics, and abstraction. In 2013, Choucair — then in her late nineties and battling Alzheimer’s — made history by becoming the first Arab woman to have a solo retrospective at London’s Tate Modern.
Etel Adnan (1925-present) — ‘The Colorist’
An untitled painting by Etel Adnan from the late Eighties. (Image courtesy of Sothebys)
The prolific artist Etel Adnan is now 95, but still painting her singular landscapes that burst with color and life. It is through color that she expresses how she contemplates the world and all its beauty: “The purpose of art-making, for me, is a certain hunger for color. Once the color comes out of the tube, it’s at its most beautiful. So this love for color keeps me painting,” she once said.
Although Adnan was born and raised in Beirut, she has traveled widely, and has lived in California and in Paris, where she currently resides. But Adnan remained attached to Lebanon through her publications and paintings, as one can see in her simple yet poetic 1973 landscape, “Mount Lebanon.”
As Ayad points out, Adnan is also a respected and important writer, poet, and playwright, delving into the themes of nature, politics, and gender. Indeed, for most of her early life, she focused on writing, coming to painting much later on.
Today, her bouquets of color can be found in the collections of the Centre Pompidou, British Museum, MOMA, and the Barjeel Art Foundation.
A kaftan designed for Pierre Cardin by Huguette Caland in 1979. (Image supplied)
Playful and sensual are words commonly used to describe Huguette Caland’s imagery, which often celebrates the female figure. The daughter of Bechara El-Khoury — Lebanon’s first post-independence president — Caland pushed boundaries with her life choices and the art she produced, from minimalist canvases to hand-painted abayas.
When Caland was 21, she married a French-Lebanese man called Paul Caland in Beirut, and gave birth to three children. But, longing to pursue an artistic career, Caland left her family behind and made her way to Paris in 1970, where she struggled to be taken seriously by the art world. She nevertheless managed to catch the eye of the French designer Pierre Cardin when she stepped into his boutique wearing one of her unique robes. Cardin eventually invited her to design a clothing line for him.
Like so many of her female contemporaries, Caland’s work only began to gain appreciation later in her career, when her works were featured in exhibitions held in Beirut, Paris, California, and Cornwall. Despite the hardships Caland faced — notably dealing with body-image issues — she retained a sense of humor and joie de vivre. “Life shouldn’t be a punishment, and it is for many people,” she once said. “I admit that I’m privileged, but I think that my character is my biggest privilege because I’m born happy.”
Huguette Caland in Lebanon in the 1960s. (Image supplied)
DUBAI: The world’s most famous supermodels are joining forces to take part in a virtual fashion show on May 1 in support of COVID-19 research.
US-Somali Halima Aden and part-Saudi Shanina Shaik will join Kim Kardashian West, Ashley Graham, Hailey Bieber, Winnie Harlow, Irina Shayk and many more for French fashion editor Carine Roitfeld’s CR Runway in collaboration with amfAR, a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of AIDS research.
The at-home fashion show will be styled from the wardrobe of each model by Roitfeld and her team.
Hosted by Derek Blasberg, head of YouTube Fashion and Beauty, the event will also feature at-home musical performances, tributes and messages from designers and contributors for front line workers.
“The industry’s most powerful names will come together to bring an uplifting moment for everyone doing their part to stay home and to raise awareness for an important cause,” amfAR wrote on Instagram about the 30-minute steaming-event.
DUBAI: Chi Shevket, senior regional makeup trainer for Hourglass Middle East, reveals how to get a simple, sophisticated beauty look in minutes for your next video call.
Prep the skin
“You need to prep your skin, whether you’re going for a natural makeup look or full glam,” states Shevket. The makeup artist suggests cleansing your skin thoroughly and moisturizing before applying the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer to clean skin. “Primers not only create a smooth canvas for makeup, but they also conceal redness, minimize the appearance of pores, fine lines and wrinkles and provide sun protection,” she explains.
Camouflage carefully
Minimize shadows under the eyes, around the nose and under the lips with a concealer. “Apply a few dots of concealer in each area of the face and buff it in with a blending brush or sponge,” says the makeup artist. Shevket likes the Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer. The highly-pigmented formula not only conceals dark spots and blemishes, but also creates an undetectable, creaseless finish.
Contour subtly
“The lighting on a Zoom call isn’t the most forgiving, and having been stuck inside for weeks, you can easily look washed out on screen,” notes Shevket. “Adding a touch of bronzer will give your skin a natural, sun-kissed look.” Her go-to: Hourglass’ The Ambient Lighting Bronzer, which provides a warm bronze shade that rivals a summer glow. You can apply it all over the face to create a healthy glow, or use it to carve out your features by applying the formula along the temples, hollows of the cheeks and jawline.
Define eyes and boost brows
Shevket says “there’s no need to spend hours on our eyebrows for a Zoom call, so a brow gel is the perfect go-to.” She suggests using a smudge-proof formula like the Hourglass Arch Brow Microfiber on the arches. Then, adding a few coats of mascara to amplify the eyes. “This will help you look wide awake on the call,” the makeup artist explains.
Add the finishing touches
Add a pop of color to your lips and cheeks to complete your look. Shevket prefers a moisturizing formula for the lips, such as the Hourglass Girl Lip Stylo, to leave the pout hydrated and smooth. “The hybrid formula also doubles as a perfect creamy blush,” notes the makeup artist. “Simply dab onto your fingers and apply onto the apples of your cheeks,” she suggests.
DUBAI: People’s criticism can sometimes hold you back, but this wasn’t the case for Dubai-based calligraphy artist Majid Al-Yousef.
Al-Yousef’s journey started in elementary school, when his teacher “triggered” him because his handwriting “wasn’t the best,” he said in an interview with Arab News.
It was then that Al-Yousef chose to develop his skills and “enter the world of calligraphy.”
“I used to do drawings and pattern making and design, even before that, as a hobby,” he said. “And I think that helped me a lot in understanding the correlation between the hand and the eye and how to do visual art in general.”
According to the artist, calligraphy depends on the “anatomy” of the letters, the words and their compositions, along with other design related disciplines. “And I think tolerating that to express a specific message or a specific mood… needs a lot of study and experience,” he explained.
Al-Yousef received his bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Iraq. He then pursued his master’s degree in the US and that gave him “a bigger chance to learn more about both the history of art and design.”
“That opened up so many horizons to me, especially studying bauhaus, cubism, analytical cubism and futurism, and these movements,” the calligrapher said. “And I think my main interest at that time was trying to apply these philosophies (to) calligraphy or calligraphy forms.”
Because of his background, the talent thinks one should learn the basics of calligraphy before pursuing a career in this art. “Because otherwise we end up — like the situation now — with a lot of practice, but very low-quality outwork,” he explained.
“And that is a serious issue in the long term. First, we’re going to have so many people who practice something that no one can even evaluate. So, it’s going to lose its value,” the artist added.
But, he believes it is a good practice to use calligraphy in different forms and applications, like in calligraffiti and other digital forms.
DHARAN: Social curbs introduced in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic have led to a surge in online gaming, with global revenues exceeding $10 billion in March, making it the most profitable month on record, according to estimates.
US-based telecommunications company Verizon Wireless reported a 75 percent surge in web traffic for video game use after social distancing measures were announced, while news portal Telecom.com said video and mobile gaming had skyrocketed to unprecedented levels.
In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that if digital or video gaming takes over daily activities and impairs physical or psychological health, it should be classified as a disorder.
However, in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, WHO has shifted its stance and launched the #PlayApartTogether campaign with gaming industry leaders to support those in self-isolation or home quarantine.
People forced to spend more time indoors are seeking varied entertainment, but also turning to video games to help connect with friends and the wider community as the popularity of multiplayer games such as League of Legends and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reveals.
People forced to spend more time indoors are seeking varied entertainment, but also turning to video games to help connect with friends. (Supplied)
Video games are also used by people struggling cope with difficult emotions. Before the coronavirus pandemic, Internet forums such as Reddit and Quora were rife with gamers who claimed video games offered a source of escapism when dealing with post-traumatic stress (PTSD), grief and depression.
Dr. Upasana Gala, a neurofeedback specialist and founder of Evolve Brain Training, a Dubai-based wellness center that treats mental health issues, said: “With COVID-19, people cannot anticipate what is coming next. They might be struggling with job security, additional responsibilities such as childcare, or financial troubles.
“When an individual cannot control what is happening around them, completing a specific task and controlling the outcome in a game offers a dopamine hit,” she said. “It makes us feel good about accomplishing something.”
Gala said that if a person lacked the physical energy to complete daily tasks, gaming could activate the under-stimulated part of the brain, providing motivation to reach a specific goal, encouraging a sense of self, and improving learning and memory.
Benefits of gaming may also include improvement in problem-solving, concentration and social skills. (Shutterstock)
“In fact, a reasonable amount of gaming is usually recommended in therapy for clinical depression,” she said.
A 2017 study by the University of California, Davis found that video games improved cognitive control and could potentially be used to treat depression.
Additional benefits of gaming may also include improvement in problem-solving, concentration and social skills.
Gala suggests that gamers who find themselves spending an inordinate amount of time playing video games during lockdown should analyze whether it is a form of stress relief or escapism.
“If you find yourself using video games to escape reality and avoid confronting your problems, it creates a vicious cycle,” she said. “The key is to use video games in balance, as a stress reliever.”
DUBAI: A period drama about the trials of a Jewish midwife airing on MBC for Ramadan has drawn both criticism as an attempt to promote Arab “normalisation” with Israel and praise for a rare exploration of the Gulf’s social history.
“Umm Haroun,” a fictional series about a multi-religious community in an unspecified Gulf Arab state in the 1930s to 1950s, began airing on Friday as part of MBC’s lineup for the Muslim holy month, when viewership typically spikes.
It comes at a time when several Gulf states have broken with the recent past and made overtures to Israel, with which they have found common ground in confronting Iran.
Some have also backed a US Middle East peace plan to move on from a conflict they say holds back the Arab world. Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab states that have peace deals with Israel.
An official from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Basim Naeem, condemned the series before it aired and told Reuters that portraying Jewish people in a sympathetic light was “cultural aggression and brain washing.”
Hamas, like other Palestinian groups, is vehemently opposed to the peace plan laid out by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.
A group of regional organisations against normalising ties with Israel circulated a poster on social media urging viewers to boycott “the wicked drama,” which was produced by Kuwait- and United Arab Emirates-based companies.
The show’s writers, Bahraini brothers Muhammad and Ali Abdel Halim Shams, told Reuters that it had no political message.
“People have spoken and judged before seeing it,” said Muhammad. “The message focuses on the ways of Muslims centred on showing love, good intention and peace to non-Muslims.”
MBC, the Arab world’s largest private broadcaster, said that according to its data the show is the top-rated Gulf drama in Saudi Arabia for Ramadan and among the top five dramas across genres.
MBC spokesman Mazen Hayek said Umm Haroun’s main message was a human one - a nurse who heals people “irrespective of any consideration.”
“It also focuses on tolerance, moderation and openness, showcasing that the Middle East was once a region where acceptance of one another was the norm versus the twisted interpretation and stereotyping of the region by hardliners and extremists, over the last decades.”
MUMBAI: Irrfan Khan, an Indian filmstar who brought a modern sensibility to recent hit movies and featured in several Hollywood films such as “Life of Pi” and “The Namesake,” died on Wednesday.
Khan’s death, after a prolonged battle with cancer, was confirmed by a spokesman for the actor in a brief statement.
Khan was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Mumbai with a colon infection a few days ago.
The actor was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018.
Khan, 53, was among the first Indian actors to make a consistent mark in western cinema, following earlier crossover pioneers like Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth and Om Puri.
DUBAI: American-Palestinian model Gigi Hadid is expecting her first child with on-again flame Zayn Malik, according to US entertainment daily TMZ.
Shortly after TMZ broke the news, Entertainment Tonight revelled further details from a family source who said that Gigi had “kept the secret close to her family and friends for a while, as she’s only a few months along.”
The reports claimed that the model – who has yet to make a public announcement – was 20 weeks pregnant.
“Once Gigi and Zayn got back together at the end of last year, it was like they never skipped a beat and knew what they had was special. The couple and their families are overjoyed,” the source added.
Just last week, Hadid celebrated her 25th birthday with the Pakistani-British singer in her family’s Pennsylvania farm where they have been quarantining together.
Among the collage of birthday images shared with her 52.7 million followers was a snap of her and the former One Direction star in a joyful embrace.
