Apache Indian is returning to Dubai. After a successful sell-out show last year, the British reggae artist will again take the stage at The Music Room in Bur Dubai, on October 8, to perform his hits including Boom Shack-A-Lak, Arranged Marriage and Raggamuffin Girl. This time around, he will be joined by a performer who has been dubbed his protégé – Kay Vado. Tickets start at Dh100 from www.platinumlist.net. – The National staff
Ahmed launches Comedy Oasis
An industry veteran is bringing a new comedy venue to Dubai. The Comedy Oasis, at the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa, will launch on September 10 with a headline performance by its organiser, Ahmed Ahmed. The Egyptian-American comedian will be joined on the bill by American comic and actor Vincent Oshana. Ahmed, who was part of the renowned Axis of Evil Comedy Your, is also set to perform at Abu Dhabi's Al Raha Beach Theatre on Friday alongside Eddie Griffin. His Comedy Oasis show is set to be the first of many at the venue, with more acts to be announced soon. For more details, call 04 399 5000. – The National staff
Emirati film to debut at US film festival
Zinzana, a psychological thriller produced by Image Nation Abu Dhabi, will have its world premiere next month at Fantastic Fest, a genre film festival in Austin, Texas, that specialises in horror, thriller and sci-fi movies. The film, the directorial debut of Emirati filmmaker Majid Al Ansari, stars Ali Suliman (Paradise Now) and Saleh Bakri (Salvo, The Time Remains), and tells the story of a man trapped in a prison cell who is forced to play a madman's games to save his family. Al Ansari, 28, who began his career in 2011 as an intern at Image Nation, said: "To have my first thriller debut at a festival which specialises in genre films is amazing. This is an achievement for the entire Emirati film community ... it's incredible that we are now receiving worldwide recognition for our work." Zinzana is due to be released in the UAE this year. – The National staff
Django star sentenced in ‘profiling’ case
Django Unchained actress Danièle Watts has been ordered to perform community service after a judge was unimpressed with her apologies to Los Angeles police officers she had accused of using racial profiling. Watts and her boyfriend, Brian Lucas, were sentenced to 15 hours of community labour. Police questioned the couple last September while investigating reports of inappropriate behaviour in a car. Watts, who is black, and Lucas, who is white, claimed they had been profiled. They later pleaded no contest to disturbing the peace and were told to write apology letters. The Los Angeles Times says that in her initial letter, Watts called a police sergeant sarcastic and dismissive. The judge told her to try again and this week, Watts apologised for what she called lack of emotional control. – AP
Russian anger at Norway invasion Television drama
In a move that has angered Russian authorities, a Norwegian TV channel says it will broadcast a fictional drama depicting a Russian invasion of Norway. The plot involves radical environmentalists seizing power and freezing the Scandinavian country's oil and gas industry. TV2 drama chief Christopher Haug said Occupy, a 10-episode drama beginning on October 4, is "foremost about Norway and Norwegians, not Russia or Russians". Vyacheslav Pavlovsky, the Russian ambassador in Oslo, told Russia's Tass agency that "Russia, regrettably, has the role of the aggressor" and that the TV series would scare Norwegians "with a non-existent threat from the East". – AP
Phantom is a big hit at the Indian box office
Director Kabir Khan's latest film, Phantom, which stars Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif, grossed 8,45,00,000 rupees (Dh4.6 million) on its opening day in India on Friday. "We are overwhelmed with the response," said producer Sajid Nadiadwala. The action thriller, which revolves around global terrorism, is an adaptation of the novel Mumbai Avengers. Phantom is out now in the UAE. Visit https://www.thenationalnews.com to read our review. – IANS
History-making Broadway star killed in fall
Kyle Jean-Baptiste, the first African-American and youngest person to play the role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables on Broadway has died after falling from a fire escape. He was 21. The accident happened on Friday night after the show's evening performance at the Imperial Theatre. "The entire Les Misérables family is shocked and devastated by the sudden and tragic loss of Kyle, a remarkable young talent and tremendous person who made magic – and history – in his Broadway debut," a spokesman for the production said. "We send our deepest condolences to his family and ask that you respect their privacy in this unimaginably difficult time." The actor was an ensemble member of the company and an understudy for Valjean, who took to the stage as the ex-convict in a history-making appearance July 23. His last performance in the role was on Thursday. A spokeswoman for the New York Police Department said investigators believe the death was accidental. He was reportedly sitting on a fourth-floor fire escape in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood of Brooklyn with a 23-year-old woman when he stood up, slipped and then fell backward to the ground. – AP
