DUBAI: As Dubai prepares to celebrate the New Year with a range of cultural and entertainment shows, the city has attracted some of the world’s biggest sports stars to see in 2020.
Juventus and Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo is currently holidaying in the emirate with his family. The 2019 Serie A Player of the Year posted a picture on Instagram of him and his family posing with Santa Claus on a beach in Dubai.
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, who has won 16 grand slam singles titles and is ranked No.2 in the world is also holidaying in Dubai and met up with Ronaldo for a gym session in the city.
Instagram and Twitter posts of the work out have drawn huge interest from followers around the world.
Ronaldo has spent plenty of time in Dubai in the past, and had an extended New Year holiday there with his family last year.
He posted a picture of his meeting with the Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed. He also posted a video of his helicopter ride across the city and a family photograph with Burj Al-Arab’s New Year fireworks in the background.
Two other star footballers who are in Dubai to celebrate the New Year are Real Madrid teammates Dani Carvajal and Karim Benzema.
Pictures of their Dubai vacation posted on Instagram showed Benzema on a jet ski with the Dubai skyline in the background and Carvajal and his partner posing against the backdrop of the Burj Al-Arab.
Dubai is the fourth most visited city globally, according to Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index (GDCI) 2019, and is also considered by many to be one of the world’s best New Year’s eve holiday destinations.
Dubai’s Burj Khalifa promotes Dakar Saudi Arabia 2020Lazio return to heroes’ welcome as Ronaldo ends run in finals https://ift.tt/39mO44r December 28, 2019 at 07:00PM
DUBAI: A first edition of the King James Bible, published in 1611, is set to go on show at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) after the rare text was received on loan from a private Saudi collector.
The leather-bound edition of the Christian text was published by Robert Barker, a printer to King James I of England, in the 17th century and is known as the “He” Bible due to a printing error on one of the pages in which the phrase “and he went into the citie” is written, instead of the correct “she went.”
The work is notable for its decorative binding and use of calf leather with brass plates and clasps. (Supplied)
Experts say that this tiny error makes the copy more valuable due to its rarity, while the book is also notable for its decorative binding and use of calf leather with brass plates and clasps.
The copy of the Bible will go on show at KFCRIS in early 2020 alongside a collection of printed copies of the Qur’an in an exhibition that will explore how early printing technology impacted religious studies.
Early editions, such as the one on loan to the KFCRIS, also contain maps, genealogies and tables of psalms. (Supplied)
The King James Version of the Bible was commissioned by King James I in 1604, only a year after his accession to the throne. It was the first officially sanctioned translation of the Bible from Latin into common English, which caused controversy at the time.
Fast forward four centuries later and the text has become the standard Bible that unifies the English-speaking church — it was revised once in 1769 and has remained largely unchanged since then.
Early editions, such as the one on loan to the KFCRIS, also contain maps. (Supplied)
Early editions, such as the one on loan to the KFCRIS, also contain maps, genealogies and tables of psalms that no longer exist in modern editions.
This translation of the Bible inspired countless works of art and poetry by famous figures such as the composer George Frideric Handel, author Ernest Hemingway and trailblazing political figures like Martin Luther King Jr.
DUBAI: The 22nd edition of the Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival, which kicked off this month, is currently underway throughout the emirate, with thought-provoking exhibitions presented in three different locations: The Sharjah Art Museum, Al-Majaz Waterfront and Maraya Art Center.
Bringing together exhibitions, installations, talks and workshops scattered across the emirate, the event, which runs until Jan. 21, 2020, is not one to miss.
The month-long art festival is organized under the theme of “Prospect,” and features a mishmash of artworks that celebrate the splendor of Islamic art by 108 artists from 31 different countries.
Among the artists showcasing their works is Egyptian sculptor Ahmed Karaly, who is known for his architectural installations. He is presenting his work “The Spirit of The City” at the contemporary art space, the Maraya Art Center. For the installation, the artist used eight layers of chiffon in his reinterpretation of Islamic architecture.
The Egyptian sculptor’s work is presented alongside Chinese artist Li Hongbo’s paper sculptures that are inspired by the patterns prevalent in traditional Islamic art.
Other highlights include Emirati artist Moza Matter, who is showcasing work centered around the act of making du’aa — an Islamic supplication. The work portrays people raising their hands in du’aa during their Hajj pilgrimage.
Meanwhile, Syrian-American artist and architect Mohamad Hafez reconstructed the ancient city of Damascus’s streetscapes, replete with intricately carved wooden doors, clotheslines hanging from balconies and satellite dishes via a hyper-realistic diorama.
Another standout art piece on display is an immersive installation entitled “Infinitum.” The piece of work was designed by Italian architect and designer Antonio Pio Saracino, who drew inspiration from the distinctive arches of the region, which are a fixture in Islamic architecture.
Australian artist James Tapscott and Shozy, a Russian 3D artist, are also participating in the 22nd edition of the fair.
Established in 1998, the annual Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival aims to spotlight the different styles of Islamic art through various mediums.
DUBAI: Rumours first swirled earlier this month, but now it looks to have been confirmed: Kourtney Kardashian and Algerian model Younes Bendjima have rekindled their relationship.
The duo, who first split up in 2018 after just over one year together, have reunited according to a snap that the American television star shared with her 84.7 million Instagram followers this week. Kardashian uploaded a series of photographs from her Christmas Eve party over the weekend, and amidst all the family photos was a shot of Bendjima with his arm around her.
According to reports, the couple first reconciled during Art Basel in Miami, where they were pictured hanging out together. They were later spotted together at Disneyland in California.
Bendjima, 26, also gifted Kardashian’s son Reign a pair of sneakers on his fifth birthday on Dec. 14.
The on-again couple first met in Paris back in 2016, after the mother-of-three split with her longtime partner Scott Disick in 2015. Since then, they were practically inseparable, enjoying several far-flung vacations together, including a visit to Egypt.
On a previous episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” the 39-year-old revealed that the reason she had been taking so many trips with Bendjima is because she wasn’t ready to balance her relationship and her three kids.
“I’ve definitely learned from my past relationship, where I really wouldn’t travel without the kids and I think it is important to take time — especially because my relationship is important to me and those worlds aren’t colliding right now — just making sure that I make time for both,” she said. “I think going on a trip once in a while reminds me the importance of being present and in the moment when I’m at home, and I think it makes me the best mom that I can be.”
They split up after Bendjima was snapped in Mexico with several female friends. According to TMZ, Kardashian was the one who called it quits with the Algerian model.
DUBAI: On Friday, British singer Jorja Smith awed UAE fans with a soulful performance held at Dubai’s Burj Park against the sparkling backdrop of the world’s tallest building. The free concert, which also saw former One Direction star Liam Payne hit the stage, was Smith’s first time performing in the Middle East.
The 22-year-old crooner wowed audiences with her daydreamy vocals, belting out some of her biggest hits from her second studio album, 2018’s ballad-filled “Lost & Found.” She hit the stage wearing a silky, mint-green pantsuit to perform her deeply personal tunes, including “Goodbyes,” "The One," “Be Honest” and “Blue Lights.”
Hailing from Walsall in the UK’s West Midlands, the rising star began taking piano lessons when she was eight-years-old. By the time she was 15, she was uploading her own songs to YouTube.
Three years later, she would move to London, where she worked as a barista to support her singing career. Her rise to fame came in 2016 when she dropped her “Project 11” EP that grabbed the attention of Canadian superstar Drake, who enlisted Smith on two tracks on his 2017 mixtape “More Life” and gave her a supporting slot on his tour.
The singer, who has drawn comparisons to the late Amy Winehouse, went on to land a solo placement on Kendrick Lamar’s “Black Panther” soundtrack, a handful of collaborations, standalone singles and two Brit Awards, including Best British Female Solo Artist.
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the Grammy-nominated R&B star. Her performance in Dubai comes just days after she shut down the Global Citizen Prize at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Dec. 20.
Smith’s mini concert on Dec. 27 was among a string of performances that marked the start of the Dubai Shopping Festival, which kicked off on Dec. 26, with live shows from iconic Algerian musician Cheb Khaled, Egyptian crooner Sherine Abdel Wahab, Emirati singer Hussain Al-Jassmi and British artist Liam Payne, formerly of One Direction.
It was Payne’s second concert in the Emirati city. He previously performed in front of jam-packed audience at Global Village in 2018.
DUBAI: This was a year of transformation, both for film as a business and film as an artform. While the ascension of streaming services has been the prevailing narrative globally, streaming is not the only positive trend in our region. Cinema-going culture in the Middle East is stronger than ever before, and no one is fueling that rise more than the people of Saudi Arabia.
While the history books will always show 2018 as the year Saudi Arabia lifted the ban on cinemas, 2019 has a largely untold but more important story — one of astounding growth. Major cinema chains including VOX Cinemas and AMC have rushed to accommodate demand, opening world-class movie theaters across the country, with many more to come. With 113 screens currently, the Kingdom already has more screens than Bahrain’s and Kuwait’s 103 screens — although it is still dwarfed by the UAE (598) and Egypt (238). Most stunningly, box office in Saudi Arabia has grown more than 1000 percent over the last year, meaning it is now the second-largest market for film in the region in only its second year of cinema, eclipsed only by the UAE.
The Kingdom’s most-lauded filmmaker, Haifaa Al-Mansour, premiered her latest film, “The Perfect Candidate,” at the Venice Film Festival. (AFP)
Western blockbusters are still the main driver for cinemagoers, but Arab cinema — especially Saudi cinema — is poised for a new golden age after a stellar year for filmmakers and actors of Arab origin.
In February, Rami Malek became the first Arab man to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody,” while Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki became the first Arab woman to have her film nominated for best Foreign Language film with “Capernaum,” which also broke global box-office records for an Arab film. Not to be overshadowed, Syrian director, producer and screenwriter Talal Derki was nominated for Best Documentary Feature for his incredible film “Of Fathers and Sons.”
Both “Capernaum” and “Of Fathers and Sons,” released in Middle Eastern cinemas in 2019, found their extraordinary power in Arab children. (Supplied)
As the world watches the current events in the region, the Middle East’s films are the best place to discover its true soul, as well as to discover the real people caught up in the region’s struggles — from the most extreme circumstances to more-commonplace difficulties. Films from Saudi Arabia and the broader region, both fiction and documentary, captured the Arab world with an unflinching eye, a big heart, and a critical hand.
As pieces of art, both “Capernaum” and “Of Fathers and Sons,” released in Middle Eastern cinemas in 2019, found their extraordinary power in Arab children. Often so close to real life it hurts to watch, “Capernaum” exposed the world of the extreme poor and refugees in Lebanon, with a young Syrian refugee named Zain Al Rafeea starring as a poor Lebanese boy struggling to survive. “Of Fathers and Sons” was the more terrifying film, following a member of a militant extremist group and his young children who are slowly indoctrinated into becoming terrorists themselves. Both are harrowing to watch, yet empathetic and vivid, featuring some of the most resonant scenes in the history of Arab film.
“Capernaum” exposed the world of the extreme poor and refugees in Lebanon, with a young Syrian refugee named Zain Al Rafeea starring as a poor Lebanese boy struggling to survive. (Supplied)
As the year progressed, a number of the most notable Arab films kept the spotlight on children. “For Sama,” a documentary directed by Waad al-Kataeb, finds the director speaking directly to her infant daughter Sama, who was born during the collapse of Syria, recounting the story from the start of the conflict in Aleppo until she and Sama’s father were forced to flee. Its most haunting moment is an unflinching look at the birth of a child as bombs drop overhead, as the newborn goes from unresponsive to suddenly and miraculously full of life.
Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen’s fictional film “Scales” also follows a young girl, but rather than highlighting a regional conflict or extreme poverty, Ameen’s film is a metaphorical dark fantasy that elucidates the struggles of women in Arab society. In her gorgeously-shot film, co-produced between Saudi and the UAE, a young girl living in a fishing village struggles between life among the hunters who raised her and her sympathy for the creatures they hunt —mermaids who live in the dark waters beyond the village’s shores. It’s an unmistakable piece of both style and substance that shows Ameen is already one of Saudi Arabia’s most talented artists.
Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen’s fictional film “Scales” also follows a young girl. (Supplied)
The Kingdom’s most-lauded filmmaker, Haifaa Al-Mansour, premiered her latest film, “The Perfect Candidate,” at the Venice Film Festival (it is yet to appear in Middle Eastern cinemas). It also addresses the status of women in the Kingdom, following the trials and tribulations of an aspiring female politician navigating male-dominated society as she runs for office in her local city elections. And Raed Alsemari’s excellent short film “Dunya’s Day” won a major prize at the Sundance Film Festival for its brave portrayal of a young Saudi woman who is both unlikeable and worthy of sympathy, signaling that not only are women rising in prominence in Arab film, the characters they play are evolving too.
While it was undeniably an excellent year for the Arab film industry, there is, of course, a long way to go before it is even playing the same game as Hollywood or Bollywood — let alone in the same league. What dominated cinemas and the conversation around film in 2019 were blockbuster franchises — particularly the superhero genre.
Marvel continued to put out hit after hit, like “Spider-Man: Far from Home.” (Supplied)
Marvel continued to put out hit after hit, with “Captain Marvel,” “Avengers: Endgame,” and “Spider-Man: Far from Home,” while “Joker” shocked the world with a brutal R-rated tale that grossed over $1 billion. Disney dominated cinemas — in addition to its Marvel output, it also crossed $1 billion in grosses with “The Lion King,” “Toy Story 4,” “Frozen 2,” and “Aladdin.” (The just-released “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” will almost certainly join them, too.) In fact, “Joker” was the only film not released by Disney to pass that once-impossible milestone — while other once-golden franchises such as “Charlie’s Angels,” “Men in Black,” and “Godzilla” fell flat. It seems only Disney is currently immune to franchise fatigue.
“Aladdin,” a massive hit in the Middle East and across the world, was by far the most popular piece of entertainment with an Arab star this year, with Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud bringing the classic animated character to life. While the film in no way tried to show a realistic or modern portrayal of the Middle East, it was a deliberately multicultural and joyful movie that depicted the region as a world rich in beauty, art, and tradition. Since the film’s release, the real-world story has not been entirely positive, though; Massoud has since publicly complained that he has not gotten an audition since the film’s release, suggesting a still-steep hill to climb for young stars of Arab origin in Hollywood not named Rami Malek.
“Aladdin” was by far the most popular piece of entertainment with an Arab star this year, with Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud bringing the classic animated character to life. (Supplied)
Perhaps the most ironic (and far-reaching) revelation of the year for cinema was that if you wanted to see some of the best films by the best filmmakers working today, you had to stay at home. Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story,” and Fernando Meirelles’ “The Two Popes” all skipped Middle Eastern cinemas entirely and made their way directly to Netflix — and all have picked up Golden Globe nominations for Best Drama.
Even as cinema culture remains strong in the Middle East, for film-lovers and filmmakers the future, it seems, will be just as busy online as it will on the big screen.
AMMAN: You thought the “Games of Thrones” creators were under pressure when they had to come up with a satisfactory ending to the decade’s most-talked-about TV show? Try being JJ Abrams — charged with wrapping up “Star Wars,” the sci-fi phenomenon that has been at or near the forefront of pop-culture for the past 40-plus years.
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” aka “Episode IX,” is the last in the trilogy of trilogies that “Star Wars” creator George Lucas envisaged back in the late Seventies. The galaxy is threatened by the rise of the First Order, led by Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, a powerful ex-Jedi who turned to the Dark Side of the Force. The main threat to his ascension to total power is not the Rebellion — which was all but crushed last time out — but Rey, a Jedi apprentice with whom Ren has an unexplained paychic connection.
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” aka “Episode IX,” is the last in the trilogy of trilogies that “Star Wars” creator George Lucas envisaged back in the late Seventies. (Supplied)
Abrams provides plenty of nods to the old films — most notably a trip to the wreckage of the Death Star in a bid to find a device that will guide Rey to the hidden lair of the Jedis’ great enemies, the Sith, where she hopes to confront Emperor Palpatine (yes, that disembodied voice at the end of “Episode VIII” was him). There’s a touching farewell to Princess Leia (the late Carrie Fisher) thanks to some digital trickery, and the return of some other old favorites.
And of course, there’s the plot. Which is, it’s fair to say, almost a repeat of the past. For some, this lack of originality is a fault. For others, it’s just “Star Wars.” The ‘space opera’ has never had a complex narrative or thought-provoking message. It’s straight-up good versus evil. Usually with a redemptive moment and the odd twist. And “The Rise of Skywalker” is no different.
“Star Wars” is a the sci-fi phenomenon that has been at or near the forefront of pop-culture for the past 40-plus years. (Supplied)
So don’t examine the plot too closely. Just enjoy the spectacular action, the corny-but-still-heroic exploits of the rebels, and the wildly imaginative background that makes up this gargantuan galaxy.
The ninth installment does its job — it pays homage to the past, ties up (most of) the loose threads from episodes seven and eight, and gives fans plenty to get excited about. “Star Wars” has been a remarkable ride, and Abrams gets as close to nailing the landing as anyone could really have hoped.
