In Larry Hagman's memoir, he remembers the difficulties he had constructing one of the most famous small-screen villains of all time. "My concern was just how bad could I make this bad boy and still keep him lovable," he said of the archetypal anti-hero JR Ewing. As the world mourns his death at 81 from cancer on Friday, it's clear that it was a job well done.
Hagman, as JR Ewing, became a genuine cultural phenomenon. He appears in academic treatises such as The Handbook Of Psychopathy, Christopher J Patrick calling JR "a covetous, egocentric, manipulative and amoral oil baron with psychopathic tendencies". And yet, the same character was so well loved - worldwide - that in Romania there were still massive billboards of Hagman in the streets years after Dallas had left their screens. As the writer Jon Ronson - who knows a thing or two about psychopaths himself - tweeted last night: "[former dictator Nicolae] Ceausescu showed Dallas in Romania to demonstrate how evil capitalism was, but they loved it so much they shot Ceausescu".
All of which was a little nod to Who Shot JR, which, 32 years on, remains the most watched episode of a television drama ever. An incredible 360 million viewers tuned in to see the biggest television baddie of all time finally get his comeuppance - at least half of whom were surely cursing the perpetrator for potentially ruining their fun (in brilliantly typical American soap style, it ended up being his sister-in-law, who just happened to be carrying his love child).
The point was, Hagman had helped to create a character so compelling, it would have been commercial suicide to actually kill him off. But while the world waited with bated breath to find out who did it, the dramatic assassination attempt created something else - the notion of the cliffhanger in television.
It's easy, now, to mock the clothes and the scripts. But at the time, Hagman wasn't an ironic, so-bad-it's-good star. He was the real deal. When Dallas returned this year - after many false starts in the decades since it finally left our screens in 1991 - Hagman had to be cast for the show to have any continuity whatsoever. The sight of an octogenarian oil baron still causing trouble was slightly odd, but Hagman certainly still had it.
Did returning to Dallas mean he was typecast? Yes, but he appeared not to care in the slightest. He would travel the world handing out fake dollar bills with his face on them, in pantomime villain style. He wore a Stetson whenever possible. When the 2012 series was mooted, he told the LA Times that "I said yes before I'd ever even seen a script". There was the slightly worrying sense that he really thought he was JR Ewing.
Perhaps some of this came from the sheer gratitude that he was still working; Hagman was from the old school - a tough, peripatetic childhood meant that he was brought up by his grandmother and hired help while his teenage mother, the actor Mary Martin, tried to cement her career on Broadway. He cut his teeth on touring musicals, was drafted in the United States Air Force during the Korean war and afterwards scratched a living off Broadway. There were incidental parts in television dramas and films of little consequence until he landed a role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie (see 3 things you dind't know about Larry Hagman). Post-Dallas, almost nothing came his way, although there was the sense that he didn't chase satisfying roles.
After all, why would he need to? When Dallas ended, he was 60. He spent the rest of his life enjoying the acclaim for the role he made his own. A role in a show that, as he said in his memoir, "made greed, treachery and blackmail seem like good, sexy, all-American fun".
Or, as JR once noted in typically noxious style: "Once you get rid of integrity, the rest is a piece of cake."
3 things you didn’t know about Larry Hagman
- He may have portrayed the archetypal gas-guzzling, Stetson-wearing oil baron, but in real life Hagman owned the largest residential solar-power system in the US and even became the poster boy for SolarWorld... wearing that Stetson. Asked if it was a slightly bizarre career move, his typical reply was “I’m an enigma”.
- He had already been typecast, before Dallas, as a sitcom actor in I Dream of Jeannie, playing the Air Force Captain Anthony Nelson. The chance to play J?R actually came as a surprise for this comic actor – but one he felt he couldn't pass up. There are little hints of comedy in Hagman's portrayal of J?R's nastiness though.
- He may have played a lascivious womaniser in Dallas and battled his own demons with drink and drug problems, but Hagman remained faithful to his Swedish wife Maj since meeting her in 1954. Not that it had much affect on their children, he once joked – his son has been married three times and his daughter twice. Maybe they watched too much Dallas...
3 best JR moments
Who shot JR
The classic Dallas scene. After an episode where J?R has already told his wife: "you're a drunk and an unfit mother and the sooner you get put away in a sanitarium the better it's going to be", he is in his office, alone. JR looks at the picture of Sue Ellen in a rare moment of tenderness and is then shot twice. Cue that famous music...
Showing his vulnerabilities
J?R was the classic villain, but as this once-powerful man struggled to walk again after his shooting, he is both pitied and vilified. Hagman plays these scenes in the hospital with impressive subtlety and range – and a nod to the wild character that lies underneath. "You're just not man enough anymore," taunts his attempted murderer, Kristin. J?R's response? It may have been suitable for an adult television drama, but not for this newspaper. Catty!
Embodying the scarily calm psychopath
"I'm amazed you're not a better loser... after all the experience you've had," sneers J?R to his nemesis Cliff Barnes. The response from Barnes is swift and predictable. "I just want you to know, J?R, I'm going to nail you." But J?R calmly shrugs it off with a frankly scary smile. "But haven't you noticed?" he shoots back "You've got to be a man to play in my league."
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')
Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
ABU%20DHABI%20CARD
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How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
Defending champions
World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
SPECS
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England 12-man squad for second Test
v West Indies which starts Thursday: Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root (captain), Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson, Jack Leach
COPA DEL REY
Semi-final, first leg
Barcelona 1 (Malcom 57')
Real Madrid (Vazquez 6')
Second leg, February 27
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
