Carrie Fisher’s death is being mourned by all sections of the arts and entertainment community, from fellow actors to rock stars and authors. Here, we reflect on five ways the actress and writer changed the face of popular culture.
She invented Girl Power
Fisher once self-deprecatingly characterised her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars as a lot of "running down corridors". Of course, she represented much more than that, not least because she was the only woman in a suffocatingly male cast.
Some of her appeal came from the screenplay, of course, but Fisher imbued Leia with a toughness, independence, strength and whip-smart humour that would later be evidenced in other strong female characters, from Sigourney Weaver's vigorous Ripley in Alien to Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy The Vampire Slayer – and even Elsa in Frozen.
Though Fisher might have protested otherwise, she knew it. “I am the beginning of girl power,” she said last year. “Deal with it.”
She trademarked style
In her recent autobiography, Fisher said that if she had known Star Wars was going to be anything other than a "cool little off-the-radar movie", she "definitely would have argued against that insane hair".
But the bagel bun was a calling card, and signature hairstyles have became shorthand for ethereal, intriguing characters: think Daenerys's ice blonde locks in Game Of Thrones or Effie Trinket in Hunger Games.
And then there was Leia's gold bikini in Return Of The Jedi, the object of teenage boys' wide-eyed obsession and feminist derision. Fisher hated it. But, as she pointed out, what redeemed that nearly naked look is that she got to kill the evil, slimy Jabba The Hutt wearing it. So Cool.
She took down Hollywood
These days it is the preserve of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Sarah Silverman or Lena Dunham to tear mercilessly into Hollywood’s foibles, iniquities and plain stupidity – and they have made very good careers out of it.
But Fisher really refused to play the game – brash, wisecracking and, thanks to an entire life lived in the Hollywood spotlight, unafraid to call out “the heartbreak of celebrity” for what it was, particularly in her writing.
It was a shtick that never left her – promoting last year's Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, she brought her dog to an interview on Good Morning America, got its opinion on various issues and then roasted the journalist when he brought up that she had lost weight to appear on screen.
She ended typecasting
OK, so everyone knew Fisher as Princess Leia. But for her own part, she refused to be defined by the role – and it is not a stretch to suggest it is thanks to her trailblazing that the likes of Jennifer Lawrence can now star in Hunger Games and then also write a comedy.
Admittedly, Fisher didn't have a stellar acting career post Star Wars – although she is brilliant in When Harry Met Sally – but the no-holds-barred style of her bravely honest "sort of memoirs" revealed her to be a fascinatingly adept self-chronicler, full of sardonic humour and wry amusement at her frankly madcap life.
This is a woman who wrote a comedy drama about mental health and addiction – 1990's Postcards From The Edge – that ended up being a multi award-winning film.
She meant something to real people
For all the effect Fisher has undoubtedly had on popular culture, it would be fitting if the Outstanding Achievement Award In Cultural Humanism she received this year from Harvard College was her lasting legacy.
The college said that “her forthright activism and outspokenness about addiction and mental illness ... have advanced public discourse with creativity and empathy”.
There was something remarkable in the way she was able to use her widely publicised personal battles to talk and write honestly, carefully and with humour, about why mental illness needn’t be a limitation.
“Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope,” was one of her most famous lines. But throughout her life, Fisher gave real hope and help to people from all walks of life.
artslife@thenational.ae
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HAJJAN
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Day 4, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Not much was expected – on Sunday or ever – of Hasan Ali as a batsman. And yet he lit up the late overs of the Pakistan innings with a happy cameo of 29 from 25 balls. The highlight was when he launched a six right on top of the netting above the Pakistan players’ viewing area. He was out next ball.
Stat of the day – 1,358 There were 1,358 days between Haris Sohail’s previous first-class match and his Test debut for Pakistan. The lack of practice in the multi-day format did not show, though, as the left-hander made an assured half-century to guide his side through a potentially damaging collapse.
The verdict As is the fashion of Test matches in this country, the draw feels like a dead-cert, before a clatter of wickets on the fourth afternoon puts either side on red alert. With Yasir Shah finding prodigious turn now, Pakistan will be confident of bowling Sri Lanka out. Whether they have enough time to do so and chase the runs required remains to be seen.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
