The next episode of smash-hit American sitcom Modern Family's sixth season plays out entirely on computers, smartphones, tablets and social media. Connection Lost, which will be broadcast in the United States on Wednesday, revolves around Claire Dunphy's (Julie Bowen) frantic efforts to locate her daughter Haley (Sarah Hyland) after they squabble. Other than a few scenes shot with a MacBook Pro, the entire episode was filmed using iPhone 6s and iPads. The series co-creator and executive producer Steven Levitan said there had been no product-placement payment to Apple – instead the idea came during an online experience with one of his college-age daughters. "I had emails open, some websites... then my daughter showed up" on FaceTime, he said. "I could not only see her, but I could see me, and there was something going on behind me, my wife or somebody. I realised on that screen, you could tell so much about my life." It then occurred to him that format would be fitting for the show. Levitan credited a 17-minute Canadian film, Noah, which also plays out fully on a computer, with giving him the "proof of concept" that such an idea could work and tell a complicated story. – AP
John Oliver staying at HBO
HBO has picked up two more seasons of John Oliver's satirical news comedy Last Week Tonight, putting to rest any possibility that he might return to Comedy Central to replace Jon Stewart on The Daily Show later this year. The second season of Oliver's critically acclaimed show has just started and HBO said it had agreed to broadcast 35 episodes in both 2016 and 2017. Michael Lombardo, president of HBO programming, said Oliver's "unique ability to deliver socially significant commentary week after week, along with his innate comedic brilliance, puts John in a class by himself". Oliver came to HBO's attention when he temporarily took over hosting The Daily Show in 2013 while Stewart directed the movie Rosewater. Stewart announced last week that he would be leaving The Daily Show this year – AP
Drake’s surprise album sets records on Spotify
Music streaming service Spotifysays the rapper Drake's new release, If You're Reading This It's Too Late, set the record for most streams from an album in its first week in the United States. Released without any publicityon Friday, February 13, it was streamed more than 17.3 million times in three days. Drake's 2013 album Nothing Was the Same previously held the record for most streams in a debut week, with 15.8 million. The new album also set a record for most streams in a single day for an album in the US – 6.8 million streams on Saturday. Billboard said the album was expected to sell about 500,000 copies in its first week. – AP
US first lady dances with Big Bird
Michelle Obama danced with Sesame Street's Big Bird, answered bizarre questions and pushed a man through a supermarket in a shopping trolley as she joined zany quizmaster Billy Eichner for a special edition of his Billy on the Street comedy game show on the Funny or Die website. The US first lady was appearing to raise awareness of her Eat Brighter campaign, which encourages parents and children to eat healthier by adding fruit and vegetables to their diets. The excitable Eichner welcomed Obama to a Washington supermarket, where she competed with Big Bird and regular guest Elena in a contest he called Ariana Grande or Eating a Carrot? In a special bonus round, Eichner directed Obama to "slow dance with Big Bird while I sing I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." Then she gamely pushed Eichner through the shop in a trolley while he recited Gwyneth Paltrow's Oscar acceptance speech for Shakespeare in Love. Obama's prize was a huge photo of the pop singer Ariana Grande's ponytail. – AP
Andy Warhol's 'Factory' is going digital
Open Road Integrated Media has launched Factory Books, a line of e-books about Andy Warhol and the other artists and bohemians he worked with from the 1960s onward. Releases will include Stephen Koch's Stargazer: The Life, World and Films of Andy Warhol, Ultra Violet's Famous for 15 Minutes: My Years With Andy Warhol and Candy Darling's Candy Darling: Memoirs of an Andy Warhol Superstar. Jane Friedman, the chief executive of Open Road, a digital publisher founded in 2009, said that the Warhol imprint would focus on an "influential time and place that continues to resonate today". – AP
Emirati pupils invited to NY film school
Emirati pupils have a chance to travel to New York for a summer programme at one of the world's top film schools. Sponsored by Image Nation Abu Dhabi (a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media, owners of The National) in association with NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, the new initiative is part of efforts to boost the UAE film industry. The Young Filmmakers Workshop is a two-week programme open to Emiratis between 16 and 18 years old and will begin at the end of July. Traditional classes will be combined with practical workshops and by the end of the intensive programme, participants will have made a short film under the guidance of the industry-leading faculty. Potential participants should apply online at www.imagenationabudhabi.com/nyfilm by March 15. Email nyfilm@imagenation.ae for more details. – The National staff
El Beit TV poetry contest concludes
The popular television Nabati poetry competition, El Beit, concluded its second season this week with a special final episode that was attended by dignitaries including Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, whose heritage foundation produces the show. He recited a poem on air praising this year's finalists. This year's Chata competition was won by Saudi's Mishal Al Harbi, while fellow Saudi national Muteb Al Shahari won the audience vote in the Nabd Al Soura (Imagery Pulse) competition. Each winner took home a Dh1 million prize. – The National staff
Sheikh Zayed Book Award shortlists
The first three shortlists of nominations have been announced for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. The contenders in the Literature category are: Hona al Qahira (This is Cairo) a novel by Ibrahim Abdelmaguid from Egypt; La Shama Tadoll Ummi 'Alai (No Moles To Lead My Mother To Me), a poetry collection by Ghassan Zaqtan from Palestine; and Majaneen Bait Lahem (The Fools of Bethlehem), a novel by the Palestinian Osama Alaysa. The nominees in the Children's Literature category are: Sitt el Koll (Against the Tide) by Taghreed Al Najjar from Jordan; Al fatat Allati Iqtafat Aathar Shakhsyyat Ibn Al Muqaffa (The Girl Who Traced the Characters of Ibn Al Muqaffa) by Nabiha Mheidli from Lebanon; and Al Samaka al Mufakkira (The Thinking Fish) by the Lebanese Hassan Abdallah. Nominated in the Young Author category are: Harakyyet al Badee' Fil Khitab al Shi'ri (Aesthetics of Poetic Discourse) by Said Laouadi from Morocco; Manzilat al Tamtheel fi Falsafat Ibn Rushd (Representation in Ibn Rushd's Philosophy) by the Moroccan Fouad Ben Ahmed; and Sharq al Da'iri (East Ring Road), a novel by Khaled Ahmed from Egypt. – The National staff