Comic Max Amini brings two shows to Dubai

Also, Minions score big at North America box office; Shahid-Mira’s starry Mumbai reception; and Scream Queens star Jamie Lee Curtis reigns at Comic-Con.

The American-Iranian comic Max Amini will perform two back-to-back shows at Ductac. Courtesy Max Amini
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American-Iranian stand-up comedian Max Amini will be back in Dubai this month with his much-awaited world tour Authentically Absurd, which is directed by Hollywood actor and comedian Rob Schneider. Amini, who has also done film and television, most notably an appearance in NBC's Heroes and as the lead in the movie How Beer Pong Saved My Life, will bring his brand of observational comedy of Iranian culture – being second-generation immigrants, social issues and the absurdities of daily life – on July 24. Two back-to-back shows will take place at Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre in Mall of the Emirates. The show opened at the Wallis Annenberg Centre for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills last year and all the proceeds from it went towards funding ALS research. Tickets are priced from Dh250 and are available on www.ductac.org. – The National staff

Minions score big at North America box office

Animated comedy Minions, a prequel to the Despicable Me movies, featuring three tiny, villainous creatures, scored big at the North America box office over the weekend, according to industry estimates. The film, which tells the story of lozenge-shaped, yellow characters whose goal is to serve the most despicable master they can, debuted in the top spot with a haul of US$115.2 million (Dh423.14m), according to box-officer tracker Exhibitor Relations. The Universal film's opening was big enough to push last week's top performer, the animated film Inside Out, down to third place with $17.1m. Inside Out features the voice of comedian Amy Poehler and follows young Riley whose emotions of joy, fear, anger, disgust and sadness battle it out internally as she copes with a move to a new city. Jurassic World held it's spot in second place and pulled in another $18.1m, bringing the dinosaur movie's overall total to $590.7m. Taking the fourth spot was the action-packed sci-fi fantasy Terminator Genisys, which brought in $13.7m in its second weekend. Debuting in fifth place was Hollywood producer Jason Blum's latest spine-tingler, The Gallows, which earned $10m. – AFP

Shahid-Mira’s starry Mumbai reception

Newly weds Mira Rajput and Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor enjoyed a star-studded wedding reception at Mumbai’s Palladium Hotel. A-listers from Amitabh Bachchan, Anurag Kashyap and Anil Kapoor to Kangana Ranaut, Sonam Kapoor and Preity Zinta were on the guest list, which also included Arjun Kapoor, Dia Mirza, Genelia Deshmukh, Sajid Nadiadwala, Shraddha Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Alia Bhatt, Sonu Sood, Abbas-Mustan, Vishal Bhardwaj, Siddharth Roy Kapur and Vikas Bahl. Rajput looked elegant in a Manish Malhotra creation, which she paired with jewellery from designer Nirav Modi’s Luminance Collection. The couple got married in New Delhi on July 7. – IANS

Scream Queens star Jamie Lee Curtis reigns at Comic-Con

The veteran actress Jamie Lee Curtis made her debut Comic-Con appearance on Sunday. She was on a panel for FX's American Horror Story and Fox's Scream Queens, the upcoming horror whodunit starring Curtis as the cut-throat dean of a college where a serial killer is on the loose. Ryan Murphy, the mastermind behind both the series, told the 6,500 fans gathered inside the San Diego Convention Center that he didn't want to make Scream Queens if Curtis didn't agree to play Cathy Munsch. "If you're going to hire Jamie Lee Curtis, you want to see her kicking [expletive] and fighting back," Murphy said. "We're actually writing a scene now where she's fighting three killers." Curtis, who portrayed survivor Laurie Strode in several Halloween films, said she's including a nod to the character. "In episode two, there is a wordless homage I threw in – just as my tipping of the hat to all the Laurie Strode fans out there," she said. Murphy noted that the show's actors don't know the exact identity of the killer and are filming different takes of cast members acting as if they are behind the murders. – AP