The National staff and agencies
A UAE-based food photographer is celebrating success at the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition. Drina Cabral, from Dubai, won in the Politics of Food category with her entry The Hunter and The Hunted: an image of a squid snaring a mackerel, which we featured in The National last week. The award includes a cash prize of £5,000 (Dh28,350). Her image is one 99 entries on display at London's The Mall Galleries. "Food is about more than being something you eat," she told The National during our interview last week. "It can be an art form – food can tell a story." – The National staff
Stars queue up for Letterman
Former United States president Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Howard Stern, George Clooney and Julia Roberts will be among the guests during the final full week of David Letterman's reign as a late-night TV host. Stern and comic Don Rickles will be on Monday's show. On Tuesday, Clinton will make his 10th appearance on the Late Show. Adam Sandler will also appear on Tuesday; Roberts and musical guest Ryan Adams will be on Wednesday, Clooney and musician Tom Waits on Thursday and Winfrey will be on Friday. Letterman will also interview his long-time bandleader and sidekick, Paul Shaffer, on Wednesday's show. Letterman's final show is on May 20. Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel has opted not to broadcast a new episode of his talk show opposite David Letterman's final Late Show. He said that his May 20 edition will be a repeat out of respect. Conan O'Brien isn't following suit – he will be on air with a new episode as normal, as will The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. – AP
Furious 7 trailer named best of the year
An emotional trailer for the Hollywood blockbuster Furious 7, which was partly filmed in Abu Dhabi, focusing on family and set to Wiz Khalifa's song See You Again was named the best trailer of the year at the 16th annual Golden Trailer Awards. American Sniper and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 tied for most wins with five awards each. The awards were presented during a ceremony at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California. The awards recognise the creative teams behind movie trailers. – AP
Sam Smith to have throat surgery
Singer Sam Smith is to have surgery on his vocal cords, forcing him to cancel several weeks of shows. After flying to Los Angeles to see a specialist for a haemorrhage on his vocal cords, the 22-year-old Briton said that doctors told him he needed an operation. “I’m so gutted to be missing all the shows and events I was meant to be playing at,” he wrote on Instagram. “The doctors say I will be back in six to eight weeks and I cannot wait to sing for you all soon.” Smith said he was told that after the operation, “I’m gonna be able to sing like never before, so it’s worth it.” – AFP
Lohan warned over community service
Lindsay Lohan has been warned by a judge that she could face jail time if she fails to complete 125 hours of community service, imposed for a reckless-driving offence, within the next three weeks. The American actress, who is living in London, has only completed about nine hours so far. Judge Mark Young said there would be “consequences” if she failed to complete the sentence by May 28. Lohan’s lawyer, Shawn Holley, said the actress was having trouble completing it due to travel and costs, and limits on the number of hours she can perform each day. The judge agreed to allow the 28-year-old to travel to New York to do the community service at the Brooklyn Community Center, working with children, but said it must be completed by the next hearing. Prosecutor Melanie Skehar said the star could face about 18 months behind bars if she fails to complete the service. – AFP
We Shall Overcome singer dies at 87
Guy Carawan, a scholarly folk singer who helped turn the song We Shall Overcome into the anthem for the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, has died at the age of 87. The Highlander Research and Education Center – a hub for activism in the South, with which Carawan was affiliated for decades – said he died on May 2 after several years of declining health. Born in southern California to white, Southern parents, Carawan initially was drawn to folk music as an academic and headed to Highlander to explore the genre. He quickly saw the power of folk music to galvanise the Civil Rights movement, later saying, "I don't want to be just an entertainer." We Shall Overcome has a long history in the African-American community with an early version – I'll Be Alright Someday – sung as a spiritual by slaves. The song was turned more formally into a hymn at the start of the early 20th century by Charles Tindley, a minister who helped create modern Gospel music. It enjoyed a rebirth among striking tobacco workers in South Carolina in the 1940s and found its way to folk legend Pete Seeger, who standardised the title as We Shall Overcome. But Carawan turned the song into a social force. He taught it to activists at the 1960 meeting that founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which became instrumental in leading sit-ins and other peaceful protests against the Jim Crow laws of racial segregation. – AFP
Woman charged with breaking into Chris Brown’s home
Prosecutors have charged a woman with felony burglary, stalking and vandalism, saying she broke into the Los Angeles-area home of Chris Brown and spent several days there before the singer returned to his house. Amira Kodcia Ayeb, 21, was arraigned on Friday and pleaded not guilty. A judge ordered her to stay at least 90 metres from Brown, though she was being held on US$220,000 (Dh808,000) bail, according to a court spokeswoman. Brown called the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department around 8.30pm on Wednesday to report that he found an intruder at his home in the city of Agoura Hills. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said in a news release that prosecutors believe Ayeb broke in on May 2 and over the next four days vandalised Brown’s house and cars. She was represented by a public defender, who did not return a call seeking comment. A representative for Brown also did not return requests for comment. Ayeb’s next hearing is scheduled for May 21. – AP
ABBA bassist Rutger Gunnarsson dies at 69
The Swedish musician Rutger Gunnarsson, known for his bass playing on ABBA records and tours, has died at the age of 69, Universal records announced on Friday. He died at his home in Stockholm, but the cause and date of his death were not revealed. "Rutger was most known for his long and close collaboration with Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and ABBA, having worked on all their albums, singles, tours, films and musicals," Universal said in a statement. Bass fans are particularly fond of his contributions to hits such as Dancing Queen, Knowing Me Knowing You and Money, Money, Money. The four members of ABBA, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, 69, Agnetha Faltskog, 65, Ulvaeus, 70, Andersson, 68, have not played music together since 1986. – AFP
Anthony Geary to leave General Hospital
Actor Anthony Geary, whose character Luke Spencer's marriage to Laura in 1981 on General Hospital was the biggest moment in daytime television history, is leaving the soap opera after nearly three decades in the role. It was Geary's decision to leave and he'll be written out of the ABC show for an episode that will be broadcast later this summer, said executive producer Frank Valentini. "Anthony is our friend and a part of our television family, but, as difficult as this may be, we understand and respect that this is his choice," Valentini said. More than 30 million people tuned in to watch Luke marry Laura, considered a storybook event despite the creepy backstory of Laura falling in love with her rapist. Actress Genie Francis, who played Laura but hasn't been on General Hospital since 2013, will return this summer to participate in the story of Luke's exit, ABC said. Geary, 67, began playing Luke in 1978 but left the show in 1984. He returned in 1991 but, tired of the character, played Luke's lookalike cousin. Audiences didn't like it, however, so the cousin was killed off and Geary resumed playing Luke in 1993, and has remained with the show since then. Geary told TVInsider.com that he was "weary of the grind and has been for 20 years. "There was a point after my back surgery last year where it became clear to me that my time is not infinite," he said. "And I really don't want to die, collapsing in a heap, on the `GH' set one day." Geary said he wasn't retiring, however. He spends much of his nonworking time in a second home in Amsterdam, and said he's looking forward to spending more time there. ABC wasn't saying how Geary's unsavory character will be written out of the show. Geary said he thought suicide was an option, but didn't think the audience or network would stand for it. "If I were in his place, I'd go to Tibet or Nepal on some kind of spiritual journey, even though he's an atheist," Geary told TVInsider.com. "He needs to be at peace." – AP