Oscar-winning animated smash hit Frozen will debut in Hindi on the Disney Channel next month, with singer Sunidhi Chauhan providing the voice of Elsa. "After a lot of research and watching the movie at least three times, Sunidhi will bring to life the magic of the Kingdom of Arendelle by playing the iconic role of Elsa," a source said, "which will include singing Fanaa Ho, an Indian adaptation of Let It Go, the hugely successful song from the English version of the film." The movie will premiere on the Disney Channel on December 12. – IANS
BeIN signs deal with Front Row
BeIN Media Group, the leading regional Pay TV Network, has signed a five-year first-run deal with independent movie distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment. The broadcaster, which has previously focused on sports, recently moved into entertainment, include movies. Deputy chief executive Yousef Al-Obaidly said: "We feel that Front Row is a great fit for beIN. Their enthusiasm, love and knowledge of the film industry is remarkable. We are confident that this partnership will be a major asset to the network's expansion." Films that will be screened as part of the deal include acclaimed horror movie It Follows, Oliver Stone's Snowden, the Cannes Film Festival Winner Deephan, fantasy film Tale of Tales, Ben Wheatley's Free Fire and High-Rise, and Charlie Kaufman's Anomalisa. – The National staff
Kapur aims to get inside Buddha’s mind
Bollywood director Shekhar Kapur is planning to make a short film about what was going on in Buddha's mind when he attained enlightenment. This awakening in a more virtual and immersive space started when he distanced himself from material things and the luxuries of life as a king, and tried to find the true meaning of life. Kapur says: "I'm trying to make a 13- to 14-minute film on it. I'm trying to give the audience a feeling of what could have happened in his mind, how he saw the world, how the world changed when he was going through enlightenment." – IANS
Wizard of Oz dress sells for $1.56m
A dress worn by Hollywood legend Judy Garland as Dorothy in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz sold for US$1.56 million (Dh5.73m) in New York. It was the highlight in an auction of nearly 400 pieces of Hollywood memorabilia that fetched a total of more than $4 million. The dress is one of only two surviving complete Dorothy costumes. – AFP
Kidman wins best stage actress award
Actress Nicole Kidman has been awarded the best actress prize at London's Evening Standard Theater Awards for her role in the play Photograph 51 as Rosalind Franklin, one of the team who discovered the double-helix structure of DNA. The part the scientist played in the discovery went largely unrecorded for decades. X-Men star James McAvoy won the best actor award for The Ruling Class, and Harry Potter star Imelda Staunton won the prize for best performance in a musical for Gypsy. – AP
Foo Fighters release free album
Foo Fighters have released a free mini-album, called Saint Cecilia, dedicated to the victims of the Paris attacks, voicing their hope that music can offer joy amid tragedy. The title is thought to refer to the patron saint of music. Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl said the EP was originally intended as "a celebration of life and music" to mark the end of the band's global tour. "Now, there is a new, hopeful intention that, even in the smallest way, perhaps these songs can bring a little light into this sometimes dark world," he said. Grohl also encouraged fans to make donations to help survivors and families of the Paris victims, posting a link to do so on the band's website. Foo Fighters had planned to play Paris last week as one of the final dates on the tour, but ended it early after the attacks. – AFP
Jon Snow lives! Maybe...
The latest teaser for the new season of Game of Thrones fuelled rumours that one of the fantasy epic's young heroes, Jon Snow, is still alive and will be back when season six begins in April. Played by 28-year-old British actor Kit Harington, Snow was apparently stabbed to death by his Night's Watch comrades at the end of season five. Fans have speculated that Snow would somehow be resuscitated. A poster released by HBO on Twitter seemed to keep their hopes alive: it shows Snow, albeit with his eyes downcast and blood spattering his face. Carrying a single word, April. – AFP
Rihanna announces global tour
R&B superstar Rihanna announced she will kick off a global tour next year, beginning in San Diego on February 26. She will perform 70 shows around North America and Europe before ending on August 12 in Zurich. The Barbados-born singer has sold 54 million albums since her 2005 debut but has not released a full-length work since 2012. Rihanna has said that the new album and tour will be called Anti. She has not confirmed a release date for the album. – AFP
The Cure to tour through Europe
Rock legends The Cure have announced their first major tour of Europe since 2008, following dates across North America. The English band, whose 56-year-old frontman Robert Smith is famous for his onstage stamina, will open the European leg on October 7 next year in Helsinki. They will play 30 shows across Europe, culminating on December 1 with a show at London’s Wembley Arena. The Cure earlier announced a North American tour that will start on May 10 in New Orleans. – AFP
U2 reveals new dates for Paris shows
Irish rockers U2 have announced new dates for two shows postponed following the attacks in Paris, including a tour-capping performance that will be broadcast on US TV. The Irish rock legends will play at Bercy, the largest covered music venue in Paris, on December 6 and 7. The second show will be broadcast on HBO, a live performance that was originally set for November 14, the day after the attacks. U2, whose 2009-2011 concerts marked the top-grossing tour in musical history, had designed the Paris performances to cap a half year of shows that began in May in Vancouver. – AFP
Motown the Musical on Broadway
Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and producer Kevin McCollum has revealed that Motown the Musical, which tells the story of how the record label rose and fell and then rose again, will return to New York in July for an 18-week run. McCollum said the show had been improved since opening on Broadway two years ago and Gordy had polished the story. The story begins and ends in 1983 – Motown's 25th anniversary – travelling back in time to show how Gordy helped launch the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye and many more. – AP
The Very Hungry Caterpillar crawls onto stage
Beloved creatures created by children's book author Eric Carle – including The Very Hungry Caterpillar – are headed to a New York stage next year. Jonathan Rockefeller's The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show will make its US premiere with 75 puppets acting out four stories by Carle: The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse; Mister Seahorse; The Very Lonely Firefly; and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Aimed at children between the ages of three and seven, performances will begin on January 30. The show debuted at the Sydney Festival in Australia in January. – AP
Chopra’s Broken Horses to get France release
Indian director Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Hollywood debut Broken Horses will be released in France in January. Set in the shadows of the US-Mexico border gang wars, Broken Horses is an epic thriller about the bonds of brotherhood, the laws of loyalty and the futility of violence. The film, which stars Vincent D'Onofrio, Anton Yelchin, Chris Marquette, Maria Valverde and Thomas Jane received a look-warm reception when it was released in India this year. – IANS
Hasselbeck leaving Fox & Friends
Elisabeth Hasselbeck announced she is leaving Fox & Friends so she can spend more time with her three children. Hasselbeck was the conservative voice on The View before joining the Fox News Channel in September 2013. Her co-hosts, Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade, have been on the morning chat show, the top-rated morning news show on cable, since it launched in 1998. Hasselbeck and her husband, former professional American football quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, have two sons and a daughter. Her final show will be next month. – AP
