The Oscar winner Cate Blanchett will head the jury for the IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Award at the Dubai International Film Festival, to be held from December 9 to 16. The four projects vying for the US$100,000 (Dh367,000) prize are Nothing Doing in Baghdad by Maysoon Pachachi, The Sleeping Tree by Mohammed Rashed Buali, Girls in the Know by Abdullah Al Kaabi and From A to B by Ali F Mostafa.
Aerosmith plays free Boston concert
Thousands filled a Boston street on Monday to watch Aerosmith play a concert in front of the building where the band lived in the 1970s. People hung out of windows, crowded fire escapes and stood on roofs to watch a show meant to promote the band's new album, which came out yesterday. Aerosmith played their best hits and some from their new album. The Boston University student Becca Emmetts, who lives in Aerosmith's former building, sent a friend from her physics class this message explaining her tardiness: "Aerosmith was playing on my front stoop." - AP
Bell and Shepard expecting first baby
Kristen Bell and her fiancé, Dax Shepard, are expecting their first child in June. Shepard, 37, and Bell, 32, co-starred in the film Hit and Run, which Shepard also wrote and directed, this summer. Earlier this year, Bell joked that she and Shepard "had no problem working together because we are severely co-dependent". The couple have been engaged for three years. - AP
Guns N' Roses promo being modified
A Las Vegas resort criticised for an ad campaign promoting Guns N' Roses concerts is apologising and changing the artwork. Ads for the band's four-week run at the Hard Rock Hotel depicted a woman who appeared to be being assaulted beneath the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign. Women's rights groups decried the campaign, saying it glorified domestic violence. - AP
Composer Carter dies at age 103
The classical composer Elliott Carter died in New York on Monday at age 103. Carter's rhythmically complex works earned him widespread admiration and two Pulitzer Prizes. His work had different instruments interacting in complex ways, which made it dramatic for listeners to hear but complicated for orchestras to learn. He is survived by his son. - AP
Nicolas Ghesquière leaving Balenciaga
The French fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquière is leaving the Balenciaga fashion house that he helped turn into one of the industry's hottest properties. Ghesquière and Balenciaga said in a statement they have come to a "joint decision" to end their partnership after 15 years. No details on a replacement or Ghesquière's next move were provided. - AP