At Staples Center, the home of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team, the most comfortable seats are high above the action in “sky boxes”.
That’s where the very rich, very powerful, but mostly unrecognisable people sit. That’s where corporate titans and politically connected lawyers lounge on cushioned club chairs, feast on exotic snacks and watch the game far, far below. Often they don’t even bother to sit on the open-sided balcony to watch the game in person. Mostly, they stay inside the sky box and watch the game – which is being played about 100 metres away in vibrant, noisy, three-dimensional real life – on giant television screens.
The least comfortable seat in the house are courtside, on folding metal chairs. This is where the actually famous people sit and watch the game unfold at eye-level, often just a few metres from the sweaty action.
Two days ago, two of the most famous married couples in the world – maybe even the two most famous – sat courtside at Barclay Center in Brooklyn, New York and watched the Nets play the Cavaliers.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (that’s Will and Kate to you and me) and the Duke and Duchess of Pop Music (otherwise known as Jay-Z and Beyoncé) sat courtside together for most of the game and even though I was watching the game on television I have no idea who won.
The whole time I was riveted to the peculiar sight of the pinnacle of British aristocracy chatting amiably with a woman with a made-up first name and a man whose rap lyrics are mostly unprintable in a newspaper.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” I asked my friend who was watching with me.
“Being famous, probably,” he said. “And how cool it is.”
“But they’re acting so natural,” I said. “Like they’ve known each other for years.”
“Of course they know each other,” my friend said. “All famous people know each other.”
I’ve heard that before. It’s the same logic people use when they assume that everyone in Hollywood knows everyone else.
“Can you please tell Martin Scorsese,” someone once asked me, “when you see him next, that I want to see more movies like The Departed?” As if he and I wave merrily to each other at the local Hollywood clubhouse.
“I don’t think all famous people know each other,” I told my friend.
“Then who do you think they know? Famous people don’t have anything in common with anyone else. I’ll bet Beyoncé and Kate are going to get together tomorrow in some amazing penthouse with Diddy and Hillary Clinton.”
“That’s not the way it works,” I said.
“How would you know?” he asked. “You’re not part of their crowd. If you were, you wouldn’t be watching this with me.”
Which is, unfortunately, true.
The snob in me still clings to the idea that there’s a difference between the heirs to the British throne and a couple of pop stars.
The next-in-line of a proud lineage really shouldn’t be just another celebrity nestling somewhere between Neymar and the composer of Big Pimpin’. But the courtside seating chart doesn’t lie, and there they were, the two most talked-about married couples on earth, chatting amiably. I now have to accept how cool it is to be famous.
And it’s true: at any gathering I’ve ever been to – an awards show, a Hollywood premiere, a swanky entertainment industry party – the famous people tend to cluster together, like doves in a covey.
Maybe it’s safety in numbers, maybe it’s because they really do know each other. But at any Hollywood gathering, the celebrities are together, walking the red carpet in a blizzard of camera flashes, greeting each other like old friends.
There are always exceptions, though. There are, of course, some very famous people who prefer to sit courtside because they are deeply fanatical basketball fans – Jack Nicholson, the most famous Los Angeles Lakers fan, is often seen there, following the action with a crazy, transported look.
And three days ago, when Kate and Will double-dated with Jay-Z and Beyoncé, there was a fifth celebrity next to them. Larry David, the famously dyspeptic and cranky executive producer of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm was stuck between the quartet, trying to take in the game, and looking about as miserable as a person can be who also has $100 million in the bank.
On one side of him, Jay-Z and Beyoncé looking glamorous and trendy. On the other, the future King and Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In the middle, Larry David, glum and irritated and utterly unimpressed by the royalty on either side.
I pointed this out to my friend. He shrugged.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” he replied.
“Courtside is no place for true fans of the game. If you really want to watch some live basketball, you should head to one of the sky boxes and watch it on TV.”
For the record, the Nets lost. Not that anyone was keeping score.
Rob Long is a writer and producer based in Hollywood
Twitter: @rcbl
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
'Tell the Machine Goodnight' by Katie Williams
Penguin Randomhouse
Apple product price list
iPad Pro
11" - $799 (64GB)
12.9" - $999 (64GB)
MacBook Air
$1,199
Mac Mini
$799
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.