The worlds of entertainment and film, music and art have been through countless highs and lows this year.
Alongside the triumph of superhero reboot The Batman, there was Morbius, which rather impressively flopped twice in a mere three months. And, alongside the countless underdog stories at Qatar's World Cup, there was Tom Brady's fall from grace, as the American football hero's NFL career, marriage and even cryptocurrency investments collapsed.
Here are some of the best and worst moments of pop culture in 2022.
Good year for…
Eddie Munson from Stranger Things
When you become one of the year’s most popular Halloween costumes, you know you’re doing something right.
Joining season four of Netflix’s monster hit Stranger Things, British actor Joseph Quinn ensured Eddie Munson, the bad boy with a golden heart, became the internet’s hero when he not only took Mike, Dustin and Lucas under his wing in the Hellfire Club, but then (spoiler alert!) died a valiant death battling Demobats in the Upside Down to save his friends.
Bad year for…
Don’t Worry Darling
It was supposed to be the film that put Harry Styles on the map as a serious actor and Olivia Wilde as a commendable director.
However, the movie, which flopped at the box office, imploded under the weight of its own terrible PR. It included an online battle between Wilde and Shia LeBeouf, with the actor claiming she hadn't "fired" him from the film as she previously asserted, Wilde referring to her female star Florence Pugh as “Miss Flo”, Styles and co-star Chris Pine being forced to dismiss rumours of "spit gate" and Pugh’s apparent unhappiness with Styles and Wilde’s on-set romance.
Good year for…
Deepika Padukone
The Bollywood actress’s profile soared on social media when it was revealed she would become the first Indian brand ambassador of Louis Vuitton in May. The impact of the partnership led her husband Ranveer Singh to tweet: “Serious flex, baby.”
Bad year for…
Balenciaga
The cutting-edge brand was hauled over the coals on social media for its controversial winter advertisement campaign featuring children cuddling teddy bears, which were dressed inappropriately. Kim Kardashian was one of the lead voices who criticised the fashion maison.
The brand soon pulled the campaign and creative designer Demna Gvasalia apologised.
“I want to personally apologise for the wrong artistic choice of concept for the gifting campaign with the kids and I take my responsibility,” he wrote.
Good year for…
Mastodon
Elon Musk’s messy takeover of Twitter was the best thing to happen to the social media platform, Mastodon.
Graphs shared online showed the non-profit, advertisement-free platform gained users with every misstep by Musk. Business of Apps reported that downloads of Mastodon soared more than 6,000 per cent globally after the Tesla chief executive took over Twitter.
Bad year for…
Justin Bieber’s NFT
Along with a whole host of vocal celebrities, Justin Bieber invested in a Bored Ape NFT in January, shelling out $1.3 million for a digital artwork of a cartoon monkey.
Cut to December and his investment is estimated to be worth around $70,000 in the wake of the industry-wide collapse of cryptocurrencies, exchanges and NFTs. “Out of 10,000 Bored Apes in existence, Bieber’s January acquisition ranks the 9,810th most rare,” wrote Artnet News.
Good year for…
Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise returned to his place at the top of the box office with the critical and commercial hit Top Gun: Maverick.
Earning $1.48 billion at the global box office, the film not only introduced Goose’s son Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw and Admiral’s daughter Penny Benjamin, but fan favourite Val Kilmer returned to the big screen as Ice Man. Kilmer's battle with throat cancer made his and Mav’s scene all the more poignant.
Bad year for…
Kanye West
The rapper’s very public downward spiral has continued with his divorce from Kim Kardashian being finalised and West being ordered to pay $200,000 a month in child support for their four children.
In addition to his myriad legal and business woes, such as the termination of his lucrative Yeezy partnership with adidas, he was also suspended from Twitter, with Elon Musk tweeting: “He again violated our rule against incitement to violence.”
Good year for…
MrBeast
The American content creator unseated gamer PewDiePie as the YouTuber with the most subscribers — a title he has held for almost 10 years.
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has 115 million subscribers thanks to stunt videos such as “Last To Take Hand Off Jet, Keeps It!”
Bad year for…
Tom Brady
American football’s golden boy lost a lot of his shine this year.
The sporting legend came out of retirement with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, only to lose five out of six games for the first time in his career. He also became the NFL's most-sacked quarterback. In the NFL, "sacked" is when the quarterback is tackled before he has the chance to throw the ball.
Not to mention his equity deal with cryptocurrency exchange FTX, which crumbled at remarkable speed losing an estimated $14.6 billion of customers' holdings overnight last month.
Brady, his ex-wife and nine other FTX celebrity endorsers are being sued by investors, who claimed they only put money into the failed crypto exchange on the back of advertisements by leading public figures.
According to Forbes, Brady owned 0.15 per cent of FTX, which was worth $45 million at the peak before its collapse.
Good year for…
Underdogs at the World Cup
Everyone loves a global sporting upset, unless it’s your team on the receiving end, of course.
The World Cup in Qatar served up some jaw-dropping results as the underdogs took on the best in the world ... and won. Saudi Arabia’s 2-1 victory over Argentina, Japan beating both Germany and Spain 2-1, South Korea’s last-minute 2-1 win over Portugal and Morocco's historic run to the semi-finals had the world sitting up and taking notice of these footballing minnows.
Bad year for…
Ned Fulmer of The Try Guys
Ned Fulmer, from the popular YouTube group The Try Guys, was known for being the family-orientated member of the four as he often posted videos with his wife and children. However, he was forced to issue a public apology and was kicked out of the lucrative business after being photographed with another woman.
Good year for…
Britney Spears
The singer had big things to celebrate this year.
In June, she married Sam Asghari. And, in November, her 13-year conservatorship ended following a lengthy court battle.
The icing on the cake was Hold Me Closer, a duet with Elton John, as it became yet another top 10 hit in the US for her.
Bad year for…
Rebekah Vardy
An online spat between footballer's wives Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy captured global headlines thanks to the former's social media detective work, which coined the term "Wagatha Christie" by the British tabloids.
After Rooney went public accusing Vardy of selling stories about her to The Sun in 2019, the battle went to court as Vardy cried foul and sued her rival for defamation.
However, Vardy lost the dramatic case and was ordered to pay up to £3 million ($3.6 million) in legal fees for her and Rooney.
Good year for…
The Batman
When The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz and directed by Cloverfield’s Matt Reeves, was announced, there was a collective sigh of bat-fatigue across social media, given how Ben Affleck had previously underwhelmed in the role since 2016.
Raking in $770.8 million globally, The Batman achieved commercial and critical success, offering a fresh take on the Caped Crusader, who has been around for 83 years, and propelled Nirvana's album track Something in the Way to the top of the charts.
Bad year for…
Morbius
The film failed to impress audiences when it was released in April. It features Jared Leto in the title role of Dr Michael Morbius, who splices his blood with that of vampire bats in a bid to cure himself of a blood disorder.
Morbius’s flop meant Leto and the movie were ridiculed in one of the most widespread memes of the year, featuring the fictional phrase: “It’s morbin’ time.”
The popularity of the meme was misinterpreted by the studio as renewed interest in the movie and it was re-released in June, only to fall flat all over again.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
'Young girls thinking of big ideas'
Words come easy for aspiring writer Afra Al Muhairb. The business side of books, on the other hand, is entirely foreign to the 16-year-old Emirati. So, she followed her father’s advice and enroled in the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s summer entrepreneurship course at Abu Dhabi University hoping to pick up a few new skills.
“Most of us have this dream of opening a business,” said Afra, referring to her peers are “young girls thinking of big ideas.”
In the three-week class, pupils are challenged to come up with a business and develop an operational and marketing plan to support their idea. But, the learning goes far beyond sales and branding, said teacher Sonia Elhaj.
“It’s not only about starting up a business, it’s all the meta skills that goes with it -- building self confidence, communication,” said Ms Elhaj. “It’s a way to coach them and to harness ideas and to allow them to be creative. They are really hungry to do this and be heard. They are so happy to be actually doing something, to be engaged in creating something new, not only sitting and listening and getting new information and new knowledge. Now they are applying that knowledge.”
Afra’s team decided to focus their business idea on a restaurant modelled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each level would have a different international cuisine and all the meat would be halal. The pupils thought of this after discussing a common problem they face when travelling abroad.
“Sometimes we find the struggle of finding halal food, so we just eat fish and cheese, so it’s hard for us to spend 20 days with fish and cheese,” said Afra. “So we made this tower so every person who comes – from Africa, from America – they will find the right food to eat.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
Scorecard:
England 458 & 119/1 (51.0 ov)
South Africa 361
England lead by 216 runs with 9 wickets remaining
The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
Company%20profile
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Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Company%C2%A0profile
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ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Company%20profile
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
FIXTURES (all times UAE)
Sunday
Brescia v Lazio (3.30pm)
SPAL v Verona (6pm)
Genoa v Sassuolo (9pm)
AS Roma v Torino (11.45pm)
Monday
Bologna v Fiorentina (3.30pm)
AC Milan v Sampdoria (6pm)
Juventus v Cagliari (6pm)
Atalanta v Parma (6pm)
Lecce v Udinese (9pm)
Napoli v Inter Milan (11.45pm)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)