Beyoncé and her husband Jay-Z spared no expense to prevent images or reports of the hotly anticipated birth on Saturday night of their first child, a daughter they named Blue Ivy Carter, from being leaked to the press.
The couple reportedly spent US$1.3 million (Dh4.8m) to rent out an entire floor of New York's Lenox Hill Hospital, covering the hospital's security cameras, demanding that hospital staff turn off their mobile phones and hiring their own security to ensure the floor was sealed.
The measures angered one father of twins, who were born prematurely last week and being cared for in the hospital's sixth-floor neonatal unit when the music royalty baby brigade rolled in. Neil Coulon, a 38-year-old contractor from Brooklyn, told reporters he was repeatedly kept from seeing his babies - and that several of his family members had been removed from the waiting room - by headset-wearing private guards. "They just used the hospital like it was their own and nobody else mattered," Coulon told The New York Post.
Blue Ivy Carter, who takes her last name from her father, born Shawn Carter, has already taken the web by storm, soon becoming a Twitter trend as fans, family and celebrity friends sent out online greetings. "The most beautiful girl in the world," Beyoncé's sister, Solange Knowles, tweeted of her newborn niece. Rihanna tweeted: "Welcome to the world princess Carter! Love Aunty Rih." Hollywood A-lister and close friend Gwyneth Paltrow wrote: "Welcome to the world Blue! We love you already."
The New York Daily News reported that a fake Twitter account for Blue Ivy drew more than 12,000 followers before it was taken down. After weeks of false rumours claiming she had already given birth, the Grammy-winning artist checked into the Upper East Side hospital under the alias Ingrid Jackson. She famously announced her pregnancy at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.
Indian soap star wins big on Bigg Boss
Juhi Parmar, who often plays the daughter-in-law role on Indian television soap operas, has won the fifth season of the reality show Bigg Boss, anchored by two of Bollywood's biggest stars, Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khan.
Khan and Dutt presented a trophy and the prize money of Rs10 million (Dh696,538) to an overjoyed Parmar during the grand finale of the show on Saturday night.
Modelled on the UK reality show Big Brother, Bigg Boss started with 13 female contestants, including Parmar, Pooja Bedi, Vida Samadzai and Shakti Kapoor. The producer-director Karan Johar and actor Imran Khan also appeared on the show to promote their new film, Ek Main aur Ekk Tu, which pairs Khan with Kareena Kapoor for the first time.
Kardashian glad Humphries didn't come to Dubai
Sunday's episode of Kourtney and Kim Take New York featured Kim Kardashian's October 12 visit to Dubai to launch the Millions of Milkshakes store at the Dubai Mall - and insight into her 72-day marriage as it unravelled.
The 31-year-old reality star travelled with her mother Kris Jenner, while husband Kris Humphries was left behind in New York. Kardashian described being away from Humphries as a "huge relief", a red flag that her marriage was already crumbling barely two months after their wedding.
"Married life just isn't what I thought it would be with him," she told her mother in Dubai. "I keep thinking something is off."
While in Dubai, Kardashian barely mentioned her husband's name. When asked if she would like to bring Humphries to Dubai, she froze and didn't respond.
Kardashian filed for divorce from the New Jersey Nets star two weeks after returning from her UAE trip.
- Visit thenational.ae/arts-culture for a recap of the Dubai episode of Kourtney and Kim Take New York
The Straits to send off Volvo Ocean Race fleet
A one-off performance by The Straits, featuring two original members of the British rock band Dire Straits, will round off Abu Dhabi's Volvo Ocean Race stopover.
The free-to-attend concert will be held at the event's Destination Village on the capital's Corniche Breakwater this Friday. The Straits are scheduled to take to the stage at 9pm for a 90-minute set.
Formed on the back of unrelenting global demand for live performances of Dire Straits' much-loved catalogue, The Straits' show will see rock royals Alan Clark and Chris White belt out classics such as Telegraph Road, Sultans of Swing and Money for Nothing.
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