After its triumph at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, where it became the first Emirati film to open the event and played to packed houses at three screenings, director Ali F Mostafa's From A to B will also screen as part of the Dubai International Film Festival's Arabian Nights programme. Long established as one of DIFF's most popular strands, Arabian Nights is a celebration of Arab cinema. In addition to From A to B, audiences will get a chance to see Jan-Willem van Ewijk's film Atlantic, Nadine Naous's Home Sweet Home, On the Bride's Side, by Khaled Soliman Al Nassiry, Gabriele Del Grande and Antonio Augugliaro, Liwaa Yazji's documentary Haunted, Suspended Time, nine short films by Palestinians, Mardan by Batin Ghobadi, Unknown Soldiers, eight short films by young first-time directors from Palestine, Shariff Korver's The Intruder, and Wafa Jamil's Coffee for All Nations. DIFF runs from December 10 to 17. – The National staff
Lulu Project to perform at VOR
Fans of Arabic music are in for a treat during the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Abu Dhabi next month – a live performance of Lulu Project, a collaboration between the renowned Jordanian composer and fusion artist Kamal Musallam and the Emirati folkloric group Sokoor Al Magabeel. It reveals the story of a tribe crossing vast deserts, told in music and dance, featuring a melodic fusion of Emirati music and poetry with jazz, rock and other Arabian musical influences. Musallam, a pioneer of Arabic fusion who has lived in the UAE for 12 years, merged local music and poetry culture to create a beautiful, world-class musical work that has received international critical acclaim. The free concert – in the purpose-built Destination Village on Abu Dhabi's Corniche Breakwater, overlooking Lulu Island – will mark the climax of the Emirati Festival at the village on December 27. The three-week VOR stopover begins on December 12. Visit www.volvooceanraceabudhabi.com for more details. – The National staff
Beyoncé’s sister ties the knot
Beyoncé’s sister Solange Knowles got married to the video director Alan Ferguson in New Orleans at the weekend. The 28-year-old singer and her 51-year-old groom both wore ivory, as did many of the main guests, including the bride’s mother, Tina, her brother-in-law Jay Z and niece Blue Ivy. It is the second marriage for Solange, who also has a 10-year-old son, Daniel. This year, leaked video footage showed Solange attacking Jay Z as his wife Beyoncé stood nearby. –AP
Fame takes a toll on Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence knew that being a movie star would bring with it a certain loss of privacy. What she didn’t know, she says, was the deep emotional and even physical toll it would take. “I knew the paparazzi were going to be a reality in my life,” the 24-year-old Oscar winner said. “But I didn’t know that I would feel anxiety every time I open my front door, or that being chased by 10 men you don’t know, or being surrounded, feels invasive and makes me feel scared and gets my adrenalin going every day.” Another recent ordeal for the actress was when private nude photos of her were copied from an online storage account and then posted online. She took the forceful position then that the hacking was not a scandal but “a sex crime”. “You can say, `This (invasion of privacy) is part of my job and this is going to be a reality of my life’”, Lawrence said, “but what you don’t expect is how your body and how your emotions are going to react to it.” – AP
Bono hurt in bike crash
U2 frontman Bono has injured his arm while riding a bicycle in New York City. A message posted on the band's website said the singer "injured his arm in a cycling spill in Central Park" and would require surgery to repair it. The post by guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen did not say when or how the accident happened. They said they would have to reschedule their planned week-long appearance on NBC's Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon as a result. – AP
Actor Patrick Dempsey honoured for cancer-charity work
Actor Patrick Dempsey returned home to the American state of Maine to accept an award for his work helping cancer patients. The star, best known for his role as Dr Derek Shepherd in the TV drama Grey's Anatomy, and the Jackson Laboratory were awarded the Maine Creative Industries Award on Saturday in Portland. Dempsey, 48, was inspired by his mother's battle with ovarian cancer to help found the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. Amanda Dempsey died in March. The Jackson Lab is a genetics research facility in Bar Harbor. The award is presented by the non-profit Maine Center for Creativity, which said both recipients had been honoured for their "visionary thinking and persistence in helping cancer patients" in the state. – AP
Dropkick Murphys cancel gig after tour-bus tragedy
The Dropkick Murphys have cancelled a concert after a tour bus carrying the band hit and killed a pedestrian near Austin, Texas. The Massachusetts-based Celtic punk rockers said on their Facebook page that a man stepped in front of the bus on Sunday as it was going to the Dallas airport to drop off a member of the group. The band had performed on Saturday night in San Antonio, and the rest of the group had planned to travel by bus to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a concert on Sunday. That concert was cancelled because the driver was “severely shaken up” and the bus was damaged. – AP