The new series 04 premiered yesterday on MBC4. The half-hour drama follows four young men, each from different cultural backgrounds, who have moved to Dubai in search of a better life: Ziad, the Lebanese thrill seeker; Abdelaziz, the Kuwaiti athlete; Wissam, the Jordanian introvert and Hassan, the romantic Egyptian.
Headlined by pan-Arab actors, the series' name 04 is reflective of Dubai's city code.
04 is a joint production between MBC Group Content, 03 Productions and BPG Group. The show is broadcast every day at 4:45pm from Saturday to Wednesday.
Hollywood all set for Golden Globes
George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will all be attending tonight's 69th annual Golden Globe Awards. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced on Friday night that the trio are among the latest to join the list of presenters, as are Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Channing Tatum, Jane Fonda, Harrison Ford, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Dustin Hoffman, Emily Blunt, Johnny Depp and Colin Firth.
Aiding the British comic host Ricky Gervais, they join the growing roster of previously announced presenters that already includes Robert Downey Jr, Jimmy Fallon, Ashton Kutcher, Reese Witherspoon, Antonio Banderas, Jake Gyllenhaal, Salma Hayek, Clive Owen, Freida Pinto and Natalie Portman.
Visit https://www.thenationalnews.com tomorrow for a review of Gervais as the host and analysis of the films and performances that are gathering momentum heading to the Academy Awards. Oscar nominations will be announced on January 24.
Ban on DAM999 lifted
India's supreme court has decided to lift the ban on the movie DAM999 in the state of Tamil Nadu, clarifying that no state has the right to ban the release of a film that has been given the green signal from the censor board.
The film, which has been screening for more than 50 days now and is the first international 3D movie from the UAE, stirred up controversy within India but has since been entered in the contenders' list for this year's Oscars.
Its director, Sohan Roy, appealed to the supreme court to lift the ban.
"Finally we will get some justice," said Roy. "We urge and request the people of Tamil Nadu to see the movie first and then raise their voice, if they find the movie objectionable. We need their prayers too for the Oscar race."
Gene Hackman hospitalised
The Oscar-winner Gene Hackman, 81, was briefly hospitalised with bumps and bruises on Friday after a pickup truck hit him from behind while he was riding a bicycle in the Florida Keys, his publicist confirmed. He was airlifted to a Miami hospital and released several hours later after routine tests.
Hackman was riding without a helmet around 3pm when the truck hit him, throwing him on to the grassy shoulder, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report.
He's not the only Hollywood figure to have spent time in a hospital recently: the actress Heather Locklear, 50, was discharged on Friday afternoon after she was treated in the intensive care unit of a hospital in the Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks, for an unknown ailment.
Associated Press
David Guetta next big Yas Island act?
David Guetta fans now have the chance to enter a competition to see the French dance DJ's life on film. Nothing But The Beat, a documentary chronicling Guetta's rise from an underground house DJ to the current toast of the pop world, will be shown in a one-off screening at Ibn Battuta Mall's Grand Cinemas.
Those wishing to attend the screening must tune in to 104.8 Channel 4 FM from today for competition details.
Could this "special announcement" be due to rumours that Guetta is the next artist due to hit Yas Island for a show in March? An announcement about the next show is due from Flash this morning.
Tom Hanks to launch web series
The actor and producer Tom Hanks is currently working on an online series to be streamed on Yahoo.
Electric City is a 90-minute animated sci-fi show that will be broadcast online in 20 segments, each running for four minutes.
Hanks and his production company Playtone are aiming for a late March release.
The 55-year-old Oscar winner will write the series himself, as well as lend his voice to its lead character.
Goodfellas TV show in the works
The cable channel AMC is developing a TV series based on Martin Scorsese's 1990 film Goodfellas starring Robert De Niro, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film's producer Irwin Winkler will return as the executive producer, while Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote the film's screenplay and the non-fiction book it's based on, will adapt it for television. The AMC network is home to hits such as Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead.
