More details have been revealed about a major new regionally produced film that producers say will raise the bar for animation in the region. In December, we told you that Dubai's Barajoun Entertainment had signed up Game of Thrones and Lost star Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje to voice the lead role in the unnamed film being made by an international crew of animators who had worked on films such as Shrek and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The producers told us at the time that the movie would tell the story of an African slave in Arabia, but didn't give much else away about the plot. Now, they have revealed that the film will be called Bilal, and based on the story of Bilal Ibn Rabah, a slave who fought for his freedom, converted to Islam, eventually becoming a companion of the Prophet Mohammed and Islam's very first muezzin, hand-picked by the Prophet on account of his beautiful voice. The film, meanwhile, will focus on Bilal's fight for freedom from slavery. Several stills from the film have been released, along with a trailer which can be viewed on The National's Scene & Heard blog or at www.bilalmovie.com. Bilal is due for release towards the end of this year. – The National staff
Gerard Butler follows his nose to Dubai
Scottish actor Gerard Butler is coming to Dubai. The star of Hollywood films such as 300 and Olymus Has Fallen will be at the Dubai Mall's Paris Gallery on Friday to promote the newly launched fragrance, Boss Bottled Intense. Fans can meet the star, and if you buy a large-size Boss fragrance, you will also have the chance to get his autograph and have a professional-quality photograph with him. – The National staff
Baby boy for singer Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood is celebrating the arrival of her first child and has been showing him off on social media. The multiplatinum-selling country singer gave birth to Isaiah Michael Fisher on Friday, and on Tuesday, she announced it to the world on Twitter, complete with a photo of Isaiah. He is the first child for Underwood, 31, and her husband, Mike Fisher, who plays for the National Hockey League’s Nashville Predators. – AP
Pretenders singer writing memoir
Singer Chrissie Hynde is writing a book that will tell the story of her life, with all its ups and downs. Penguin Random House said that the Pretenders frontwoman's "incredibly frank" memoir, which is as yet untitled, will be published on September 8. Hynde will write about her childhood in Akron, Ohio, offer a "strikingly intimate portrayal" of the punk-rock scene of the 1970s and a "bittersweet" look back at the Pretenders, who had such hits as Brass in Pocket and Talk of the Town, but lost two band members to drug-related deaths. Hynde, 63, said that she hoped her book would make people dance, have fun, possibly cry and maybe reach for a guitar. – AP
Tributes paid to author Mal Peet
Mal Peet, an irreverent, award-winning British writer of books for children and young adults, has died at the age of 67. His agent, Peter Cox, said the writer died on Monday. He had been diagnosed with cancer several months ago. Peet wrote young-adult novels, and educational children's books co-authored with his wife Elspeth Graham. He won the 2005 Carnegie Medal for Tamar, a historical novel set during Second World War. His first novel for adults, The Murdstone Trilogy, was published last year. Cox said the world had lost "an author of exceptional genius." The Fault in Our Stars author John Green tweeted that Peet was "one of the greatest young-adult writers and a man I greatly admired [even when we disagreed!]." – AP
First details of Tribeca Film Festival slate
The 14th-annual Tribeca Film Festival will feature documentaries on Cuban muscle cars, New Yorker cartoonists and police stun guns. The downtown New York festival announced half of its line-up on Tuesday, previewing the films that will play in competition. The festival will feature documentaries across a wide spectrum of subjects, including Indian Point, on the New York nuclear facility; Havana Motor Club, on muscle cars in Cuba; Tom Swift and his Electric Rifle, on the police use of stun guns; and Very Semi-Serious, about New Yorker cartoons. Among the dramatic entries are The Adderall Diaries, an adaptation of Stephen Elliott's memoir starring James Franco; Franny, a drama about an eccentric older man (Richard Gere) drawn to the daughter (Dakota Fanning) of a dead friend; and Meadowland, a relationship drama with Olivia Wilde and Luke Wilson. Documentaries have become known as Tribeca's strongest offerings and are increasingly occupying the festival's top showcase slots. This year's festival, which runs from April 15 to April 26, will open with Live From New York!, a documentary about Saturday Night Live, the TV comedy sketch show that celebrated its 40th anniversary last month. Other documentaries coming to Tribeca this year focus on the Japanese drink sake (The Birth of Sake), romance among the autistic (Autism in Love) and the most-gored bullfighter in history (Gored). Albert Maysles will also present In Transit, a documentary he co-directed about the longest train route in America. – AP
Murder charge over stabbing of Nicki Minaj crew members
A Philadelphia man already facing an attempted murder charge in the stabbings of two members of Nicki Minaj’s tour has now been charged with murder. Homicide captain James Clark says 31-year-old Pierce Boykin was charged on Tuesday with murder in connection with the stabbing death of 29-year-old Devon Pickett. The double stabbing outside a bar last month left Pickett dead and a second member of Minaj’s tour badly wounded. Minaj says the crew members had arrived in Philadelphia to rehearse for a tour. Boykin was originally charged with attempted murder in the stabbing of the man who was wounded. Boykin is in custody. – AP
