Holly to Bolly: Huge new Arabic sitcom Tough Luck begins shooting in Cairo, John Cena proposes to Nikki Bella and more

AP

AP

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AFP

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Huge new Arabic sitcom begins shooting in Cairo

Dubai-based Front Row Filmed Entertainment, the Kuwait National Cinema Company and Ehab Sergany and Ahmad Helmy's Shadows Communication have entered into a partnership to produce the sitcom Tough Luck.

The show is currently shooting in Cairo and will consist of two seasons of 30 x 30 minute episodes, to be shot back to back. The trio are looking to launch the first season of Tough Luck this coming May 2017 which will coincide with the month of Ramadan, where viewership in the region reaches its yearly peak.

In the show, a comedy of errors befalls residents in a dilapidated tenement of Cairo’s renowned 5th District, as a series of handymen, labourers and nannies attempt to fix the crumbling building to no avail. The show will feature over 40 Arab A-List guest stars such as Ahmad Sakka, Mona Zaki, Mai Kassab, Ahmad Fahmi, Shiko, Nicole Saba, Hisham Majed, Baoiomy Fouad, Hassan Al Radad among many others including appearances Ahmad Helmy himself. Singing sensations such as Mohammed Fouad, Bousi, Hisham Abbas, Mustapha Qamar, belly-dancing legend Fify Abdo and others will also fill the roles of “the workforce”. More cast members will be gradually added, and the producers promise plenty more surprises.

* The National Staff

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John Cena proposes to Nikki Bella and more

Wrestlers John Cena and Nikki Bella finished off their opponents at WrestleMania and then decided to take on what could be their biggest challenge yet: Marriage.

Cena got down on one knee after the pair defeated The Miz and Marse in a tag team match Sunday at WrestleMania 33. A tweet from WWE showed Cena proposing with a diamond ring. He said he had been waiting “so long” to ask her to marry him. She said yes and planted a kiss on him.

* AP

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Doris Day age mystery finally solved

To Doris Day's many admirers, the pert and fresh-faced charmer who starred in Pillow Talk and Move Over Darling is ageless.

But Day turns 95 on Monday - which is a birthday surprise to even the star herself, who has long pegged her age to a 1924 birthdate that would make her 93. Media outlets have variously reported her as between 93 and 95.

A copy of Day’s birth certificate, obtained by The Associated Press from Ohio’s Office of Vital Statistics, settles the issue: Doris Mary Kappelhoff, her pre-fame name, was born on April 3, 1922, making her 95. Her parents were Alma and William Kappelhoff of Cincinnati.

“I’ve always said that age is just a number and I have never paid much attention to birthdays, but it’s great to finally know how old I really am!” Day said in a statement Sunday.

* AP

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Amitabh Bachchan and SRK congratulate badminton star Sindhu

Megastars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan have congratulated India’s Olympic 2016 silver medallist P V Sindhu, who defeated Spanish top seed Carolina Marin in the final of the India Open World Superseries badminton championship.

Bachchan tweeted on Sunday night: “P.V. Sindhu wins India SS title. Huge congratulations! Sweet revenge, after the Olympic loss but this one more convincing!” Shah Rukh Khan, who is currently busy filming Imtiaz Ali’s latest film, tentatively titled The Ring, thanked Sindhu for making the country proud. “Super performance by P.V. Sindhu. Congratulations and thanks for making us proud,” SRK wrote.

Sindhu overcame her Rio Games conqueror Carolina Marin of Spain in straight games to win her maiden India Open Superseries badminton title at a packed Siri Fort Sports Complex, in New Delhi on Sunday.

The match-up between Sindhu and Marin was a repeat of the 2016 Rio Olympic final which saw the Spaniard taking away the gold medal in a hard-fought encounter.

But in front of her home fans, third seed Sindhu posted a 21-19, 21-16 triumph in 46 minutes to give another display of her fast-rising career.

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* IANS

Selena Gomez refreshed after break

Selena Gomez's three-month break from the spotlight last year helped her reconnect with "real" life, says the singer-actress' mother Mandy Teefey. Gomez looked radiant as she flaunted her orange dress by fashion designer Oscar De La Renta at the premiere of series 13 Reasons Why last week.

When asked about Gomez, Teefey said her hiatus helped her to be more focused on her career. "She looks like the sun. I was like, '(You're) a little sun'. I think it was actually (from) taking a break," Teefey told etonline.com

Teefey shared that Gomez’s break from the pressure of fame let her reconnect with her roots and “the real world”.

“You asked what it is (like) to feel like you’re in this world. We’re in a bubble. It’s not a real world. You don’t really realise it until you go out of this bubble and you’re like, ‘Oh, OK’,” she added.

* IANS