Arts/Entertainment

It was pandemonium. Unsuspecting locals in the British city of Birmingham would have been forgiven for thinking a member of One Direction was making an impromptu visit earlier this month – such was the sudden rush of hundreds of screaming teenagers who flocked, after a Twitter post, to swamp a rather shocked young man who … Continued

Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri is sometimes dubbed the Brad Pitt of Palestine. He was also once voted the “sexiest man” of the year by Israeli women’s magazine Motek – a title he says he doesn’t take too seriously. Now Australia has been introduced to the popular Middle Eastern actor who is in Sydney as a … Continued

The Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated authority for culture, arts, and heritage, will host an array of workshops in the runup to the eighth edition of the Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre, the Authority’s flagship initiative dedicated to preserving the age-old art form of theatre. To be held from Aug.17-Sept.30, … Continued

Dawud Walid remembers when Al Jazeera America came to Detroit. Network employees invited Walid, executive director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations in Dearborn, and other community leaders from the Arab-American community to get to know them and explain coverage plans. The network’s message for Walid and others? “They said, ‘We won’t be covering you,’ … Continued

The fighting video game Tekken 7 producer Katsuhiro Harada revealed early concept art for a potential new character appearing in the game. He’s hoping for fan feedback from the Arab community on the mystery fighter. “Today, I wanted to ask about ‘one of the ideas within the several new character ideas,’” Harada said on Facebook. … Continued

Actress Penelope Cruz and her husband Javier Bardem have roused the fury of Hollywood producers, with pledges made to snub the Spanish couple. Oscar-winner Bardem and Cruz signed an open letter speaking against “the genocide perpetrated by the Israeli occupation army”. The letter accused Israel of “advancing on Palestinian territories instead of withdrawing to the … Continued

Freedom fighters, football and female artists are among the diverse range of topics explored on screen through this year’s Arab Film Festival. Fairfield resident Mouna Zaylah is co-director of the festival and finds it hard to pick a highlight among so many gems in the festival’s line-up. “The program reflects the diversity of Arab culture,: … Continued

Many Palestinians are enraged by comedian and “Fashion Police” host Joan Rivers. An email was circulated calling on people to demand that she be fired after she yelled controversial statements regarding the Palestinians in Gaza and the people who support them to paparazzi. The letter stated: “Please write to the president of E! Entertainment and … Continued

Actor George Clooney and Lebanese human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin will be married Sept. 20. A public notice now posted at the Chelsea Town Hall in London has announced the marriage of “Amal Ramzi Alamuddin,” 37, to “George Timothy Clooney,” 53, according to a photograph of the official document, which began circulating the Internet early … Continued