The National staff with agencies
The cast of Furious 7, which filmed key scenes in Abu Dhabi last year, are taking over late-night TV talk shows in the United States in the run-up to the film's release there on Friday. Jimmy Kimmel Live has the main attractions, welcoming one of the film's stars – Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham and Kurt Russell – as a guest each night from last night until Thursday, Deadline reports. Meanwhile, Jordana Brewster will appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday and Ludacris is on Late Night With Seth Meyers on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Johnson hosted the comedy institution Saturday Night Live for the fourth time at the weekend. He performed in several sketches, including one in which he played a vigilante Bambi in a parody trailer for a fictional live-action movie based on the classic Disney animation. Furious 7, which was produced with local partners Abu Dhabi Film Commission and twofour54, opens in the UAE on Thursday, April 2 a day before the US release, and there are special early screenings at many local cinemas on Wednesday, April 1 from 11pm. Check cinema websites for details. – The National staff
Destiny’s Child surprise fans with reunion
Destiny's Child reunited at the Stellar Gospel Music Awards on Saturday night. Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland joined Michelle Williams for a surprise performance of Williams' single, Say Yes, which won the award for Music Video of the Year. Singer Erica Campbell took home six awards from the ceremony at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, including the night's top honour, Artist of the Year, as well as Female Vocalist and CD of the Year for Help. Tiffany Joy McGhee's Amazing was named Song of the Year and Deitrick Haddon took male vocalist honours. Haddon's LXW also won in the contemporary choir category. – AP
Spirit in the Sky singer hurt in car crash
Singer-songwriter Norman Greenbaum, best known for the 1969 hit Spirit in the Sky was critically injured on Sunday in a car accident that killed a motorcyclist. The 72-year-old was the passenger in a Subaru Outback that collided with a motorcycle at an intersection near Santa Rosa in California, police said. Motorcyclist Ihab Usama Halaweh, 20, died at the scene. A passenger he was carrying and Greenbaum were taken to the hospital. A spokeswoman for Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital declined give any details of Greenbaum's condition on Sunday, saying that his family had requested privacy, but the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat quoted a nursing supervisor at the hospital who said he was in critical condition. The newspaper said the Subaru driver was not injured, and that it is not thought alcohol or drugs were factors in the accident. "There's no stop [sign at the intersection], but the Subaru driver was supposed to yield to oncoming traffic and they didn't," said California Highway Patrol Officer Matt Pinheiro. – AP
Oscar-nominated Czech filmmaker dies
The filmmaker Miroslav Ondricek, the Czech director of photography who was twice nominated for an Academy Award, has died at the age of 80. Ondricek, who was behind the camera in about 40 movies, was best-known internationally for his work with his friend, director Milos Forman, who moved to the United States after the 1968 Soviet-led invasion crushed the Prague Spring's liberal reforms in Czechoslovakia. Ondricek's work on Forman's Ragtime and Amadeus earned him Oscar nominations. No cause of death was given. –AP