Jon Stewart returned to his satirical news programme The Daily Show on Tuesday. He'd been off since June 6, directing his first film, the Iranian political drama Rosewater, in Amman, Jordan. Stewart wasted no time referencing some of the stories he missed - hitting upon Paula Deen, Anthony Weiner and Miley Cyrus before the first ad break. He beckoned the camera close to whisper to his audience: "I've missed you so much. You don't know what it's like in the real world. Nobody applauds every stupid thing that you do." His film Rosewater is an adaptation of the best-selling memoir Then They Came for Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity and Survival, about the BBC journalist Maziar Bahari's 2009 arrest by the Iranian government while covering an election protest. - AP
Will.i.am and Timbaland tickets on sale
Tickets for will.i.am and Timbaland's Dubai show are now on sale. The American music stars will take the stage with Quincy Jones at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Thursday, September 26, at 8.30pm, to discuss music production, followed by a 10pm concert. Dubai Music Week, held from September 24 to 29, features an eclectic series of events for music fans. Earlier this week it was announced that the pop star Selena Gomez will perform on September 27. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.ae. For more information, visit www.dubaimusicweek.com. - The National staff
Konkona Sen Sharma on Mumbai fest jury
The actress Konkona Sen Sharma will join a host of foreign film dignitaries, including the Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, the Australian director Bruce Beresford, the French actress Nathalie Baye and the Japanese actor-director Masato Harada on the jury of the 15th Mumbai Film Festival, to be held from October 17 to 24. Sharma is best known for her work in the films Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002), Omkara (2006) and Wake Up Sid (2009). - The National staff
Murray cast in Afghanistan-set comedy
Bill Murray has signed on to star in the forthcoming comedy movie Rock the Kasbah, directed by Barry Levinson. A production statement sent to The Hollywood Reporter said Murray will play "a burnt-out music manager who goes to Afghanistan, where he discovers a young girl with an extraordinary voice, who stows away with him back to Kabul to compete on Afghan Star, Afghanistan's equivalent of American Idol". The film is being introduced to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival. - The National staff
Prince releases new track
The artwork may have made people laugh, but Prince's new song is no joke. He released Breakfast Can Wait on Tuesday. It caused a stir when Prince released the cover art for the song - a photo of Dave Chappelle dressed as Prince - on YouTube. Prince has been raising his profile lately with worldwide performances with his new group, 3rdeyegirl. He also recently started tweeting from the group's account, surprising some, given his negative comments about the internet in the past. Prince is working on a new album that's set to be titled Plectrum Electrum. - AP
Shetty's husband Raj Kundra pens book
The actress Shilpa Shetty's businessman husband Raj Kundra has written his first novel, titled How Not to Make Money. The book is said to be a thriller that follows the lives of three childhood friends, Jai, Mike and Aziz, who decide to get rich quick. "So excited to announce my multifaceted husband's 1st book. So proud of you my darling. A must read," Shetty posted on Twitter. The actress married Kundra in 2009. The couple have a one-year-old son, Viaan. - The National staff
Miley Cyrus on VMAs: 'That's just me'
Miley Cyrus says in an MTV interview that she doesn't listen to the negative comments regarding her performance on the MTV Video Music Awards. The 20-year-old pop star says she felt she and Robin Thicke were making history with the controversial performance of their hits We Can't Stop and Blurred Lines. The comments were Cyrus's first since the August 25 show. She says she's surprised people are still talking about it: "You're thinking about it more than I thought about it when I did it. I didn't even think about it because that's just me." - AP
