Jennifer Lawrence gives $2m to children’s hospital

Joe Lederer / Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. via AP

Tim P Whitby / Getty Images

Yves Herman / Reuters

Chirag Wakaskar / WireImage

Eduardo Munoz / Reuters

Jennifer Lawrence gives $2m to hospital

After visiting patients at Kosair Children’s Hospital in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, Jennifer Lawrence donated US$2 million (Dh 7.34m) to the facility.

The Hunger Games and X-Men star said the money will establish the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Entertainment Weekly reported.

In a video message on social media, the star said that as part of her efforts to help the children and their caregivers, she challenged the entire community to get behind the cause and match her gift by raising an additional $2 million to support the youngsters.

Lawrence said she found the children’s strength and courage inspiring. – The National staff

Deadpool star’s treat for ill fan

X-Men spin-off movie Deadpool is shattering box-office expectations during its opening weekend in North America – and star Ryan Reynolds gave a young cancer patient the chance to see it before anyone else, according to Hollywood Reporter.

Reynolds revealed on his Facebook account that six weeks ago, he screened his film for Connor McGrath, a youngster in hospital in Edmonton, Alberta.

He is a big fan of Wade Wilson, the Marvel character also known as Deadpool, who is diagnosed with cancer in the film and undergoes an experimental treatment that leaves him with healing powers.

Reynolds posted a photo and wrote: “This is my friend, Connor McGrath. He’s quite possibly the biggest #Deadpool fan on earth. He was also the first person ever to see the Deadpool film. Like Wade Wilson, Connor’s trying to put cancer in his rear-view mirror.”

Deadpool will be in UAE cinemas from Thursday. – The National staff

Benedict Cumberbatch to narrate war tale

Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch has signed on to narrate the documentary Naples '44.

Helmed by Italian director Francesco Patierno, the film is based on the diary of the same name by British travel writer Norman Lewis, about his experience as a British intelligence officer in the southern Italian port city following its liberation from Nazi forces, variety.com reports.

Cumberbatch will provide the voice of Lewis, who wrote his memoir while a sergeant in the Field Security Service of the British Army Intelligence Corps in Italy. He recorded the desperate lives of Neapolitan civilians who survived by relying on subterfuges, many of them illegal, and a belief in miracles and cures. – The National staff

Sarbjit strife at Golden Temple

Filming of actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's latest movie, Sarbjit, came to a sudden halt at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Friday after the film's security staff confronted news photographers trying to get pictures of the stars.

The media crews reported the incident to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the administrators of the temple, who suspended the shoot and told the filmmakers to leave. They were also rebuked for intervening in security when a task force had been provided by the SGPC to handle it.

SGPC secretary Daljit Singh Bedi said the crew’s behaviour was “uncalled for” and would not be tolerated inside the shrine.

Sarbjit is a biopic about Sarabjit Singh, an Indian farmer who was convicted of terrorism and spying in Pakistan and sentenced to death. He was attacked in a Lahore prison in April 2013 and died a few days later. The film is due out in India in May. – Sonali Kokra

Juhi Chawla teases TV role

Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla says she is likely to sign up for a TV show soon.

She has hosted numerous TV award shows. Her most notable work on TV was as a judge on the third season of the dance-reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, with choreographers Saroj Khan and Vaibhavi Merchant.

Chawla was recently seen on the big screen in Chalk N Duster, a film about teachers. – IANS

Rihanna hits the runway as a designer

Pop star Rihanna let her fashion line take the spotlight at New York Fashion Week on Friday.

The singer presented her Fenty Puma by Rihanna collection, heavy on Japanese-inspired streetwear almost exclusively in black and white, with, she said, “a Gothic undertone.” As befitting a collection for Puma, it of course featured training shoes, many with high-stacked platforms.

Before the show – staged in a dark, mirrored, forest-like setting filled with stage smoke – Rihanna said she enjoyed creating and expressing her thoughts. She said, while not easy, fashion came to her naturally and she had fun discovering different styles, finishes, fabrics and silhouettes.

“I think design is a part of being creative,” she said. “I enjoy creating and expressing the crazy things going on in my mind through something that people can see and that is tangible. That is the best part, being able to express yourself.”

At the show’s end, in front of a crowd that included comedian Chris Rock, supermodel Naomi Campbell, singers Ne-Yo and Pete Wentz, designer Jeremy Scott, and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Rihanna took a bow, wearing a gray-and-white patterned jacket with a huge hood. – AP