R&B hitmaker Robin Thicke back in Dubai for gig

R&B hitmaker Robin Thicke is returning to Dubai on May 26 – little more than a year after his last concert in the Emirates. The Blurred Lines singer will perform an al fresco gig at Eden Beach Club – a markedly more intimate option than his headline slot at last year's Blended festival. That Media City Amphitheatre gig came in May 2015, just a few weeks after a judge ruled that Thicke and co-writer Pharrell Williams plagiarised the biggest song of 2013 from Marvin Gaye. But Thicke buckled expectations and still performed it anyway. And since the payout to the Gaye estate was later slashed – from US$7.4 million (Dh27.2m) to $5.3m – we remain hopeful about hearing the misogynistic masterpiece this time, too. Known for timely collaborations, last year Thicke worked with Nicki Minaj on the minor hit Back Together, and in 2014 collaborated with 2 Chainz and man-of-the-moment Kendrick Lamar for Give it 2 U. Eden Beach Club is at Rixos the Palm Dubai, ticket and other details are yet to be announced. Visit www.edenbeachclub.com for more details. – The National

Captain America soldiers on at box office

Disney and Marvel's Captain America: Civil War, the 13th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has strong-armed its way to become the fifth-­highest grossing film during its opening weekend in the United States, according to comScore estimates released on Sunday. The film grossed a massive US$181.8 million (Dh667.7m) at the weekend, bumping Iron Man 3 out of the top five all-time debuts. Civil War now ranks right below Marvel's The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, which are in third and fourth place. It's nearly double the opening of the previous Captain America film, The Winter Soldier, which opened to $95m in April 2014, but that is at least partially attributable to the fact that Civil War is basically an Avengers movie in disguise. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Civil War sees an ideological showdown between Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) and Captain America (Chris Evans) and is packed to the brim with Avengers old and new. It's been very well-­received by critics and, now, audiences, who gave the film a promising 'A' CinemaScore. After grossing $75m on the first day, comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian says the film is well on its way to becoming a $1 billion movie. He adds: "We've become so accustomed to these massive numbers, now we're putting up single-day numbers that would be very noteworthy opening weekends on their own." – AP

From A to B goes global

Emirati road-trip comedy From A to B is to be released in cinemas across Italy this month. Co-produced by Image Nation Abu Dhabi, the movie will become the first Emirati feature film to secure an international theatrical release when it opens in 20 Italian cinemas on Thursday. Emirati director Ali F Mostafa attended the premiere last Wednesday in Rome and will go on to travel to Milan, Bologna and Florence to host special screenings and question-and-answer sessions with audiences. The film has been dubbed in Italian. From A to B had its world premiere at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in 2014 and its European premiere at the prestigious BFI London Film Festival last year. – The National

Serena Williams serves ace in Beyoncé video

Tennis star Serena Williams has described how she came to have a part in Beyoncé's video of her latest album Lemonade. "I have known the director since I was, like, 9 years old," said Williams. "I know Beyoncé pretty well, so they were like: 'We would love for you to be in this particular song. It's about strength and it's about courage and that's what we see you as.' " Williams's appears in the song Sorry, which features Beyoncé showing her man the error of his cheating ways. "She told me that she just wants me to dance, like just be really free and just dance like nobody's looking and go all out," said Williams. "So that wasn't easy in the beginning, but then it got easier ... I thought that particular song on the visual album was really a strong song, and it was also really fun at the same time." – AP

Johnny Depp makes new dog apology

On Sunday, while promoting his new film Alice Through The Looking Glass, actor Johnny Depp said he was sorry for "not smuggling my dogs into England, because it would have been a bad thing to do", mocking an apology he made for bringing two dogs into Australia without going through quarantine. An Australian court let off his wife, actress Amber Heard, with a good behaviour bond last month after she pleaded guilty to falsifying travel documents to sneak their two Yorkshire Terriers, Pistol and Boo, into the country. The couple made an apology to Australia in a short video, which was widely mocked for its deadpan tone and the actors' odd manner, after Heard was cleared of charges of illegally importing animals and not putting the dogs through proper quarantine procedures. – Reuters

The Osbournes to split?

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, one of the enduring couples in the hard-living world of heavy metal, have split. E! News and Entertainment Tonight quoted unnamed sources as saying that the Osbournes were ending their marriage of more than 33 years. However, People magazine reported that while the 67-year-old singer was moving out of their Los Angeles-area mansion, the separation may be temporary. People said that the split was linked to Sharon's suspicions that her husband was having an affair. All three news outlets said that Ozzy, notorious for his drug and alcohol use, had not had a relapse from his recent sobriety. The couple met when Sharon's father was managing Black Sabbath, Ozzy's original band that emerged from Birmingham, England, and helped define heavy metal with thunderous blues-influenced guitar and a lyrical fascination with the occult. Sharon not only married Ozzy but took charge of his solo career, recruiting a string of talented guitarists and songwriters who kept him at the forefront of metal – and controversy – for years. She proved so successful that she branched out and became a manager for other hard rock acts. Sharon stepped out of the shadows in early 2000 when her life with Ozzy and two of their three children was turned into the MTV reality television show, The Osbournes. – AFP