The chief of the FX network says he still hasn't seen a script for Charlie Sheen's new TV comedy Anger Management, scheduled to debut in June.
FX's John Landgraf said on Sunday that it's a little unusual for the cable network. FX almost never orders series without seeing a pilot episode, much less a script, in advance. But it still decided to take a risk with the actor who Landgraf said had "probably the most epic meltdown in the history of television".
But the network president said he believes FX is catching Sheen at the right time, when the actor is hungry for redemption. There's also the chance for a big payday, if it all works out.
* AP
Trailer for postponed Djinn now online
Amid the speculation surrounding Djinn, the UAE's first horror film directed by Tobe Hooper, a trailer has been doing the rounds online.
Whatever the reasons for Djinn's delay (it's now due out in the summer), the four-minute film reveals a rather eerie thriller set mainly in a sparse luxury apartment block filled with those haunted house favourites: long corridors. Shortly after moving in, a young couple start having a bit of a nightmare with supernatural spirits, something to do with the former fishing village the building is located in. There's a fair amount of shouting, a whole lot of dark shapes and plenty of lights that turn on and off at inopportune moments.
In all, it doesn't look too bad, with numerous jump-in-your-seat moments and reasons for neck hairs to be standing to attention. Hopefully we'll get the full hide-behind-the-popcorn experience before too long.
Lady Gaga gives Beyoncé baby a 'Little Monster'
The pop sensation Lady Gaga has reportedly presented a pink one-piece baby suit to Beyoncé's baby with the words "Little Monster" written on it.
According to friends, she included a note instructing the baby, Blue Ivy Carter, to wear it to her first Lady Gaga concert, The Sun online reported.
"Gaga and Beyoncé have remained close since they worked together on Telephone," a source said. "While they don't speak often, they are always in touch via email and text. She knew Beyoncé would find the present hilarious."
Ronan Keating to release pop album
The singer Ronan Keating says he is working on new solo material and is "nervous" about its release.
The When You Say Nothing at All singer is back in the studio to work on solo material following a stint touring with his group Boyzone last year.
"It's not folk. It's a mix! It's a pop album. Gregg Alexander and I are working together again," contactmusic.com quoted the 34-year-old as saying. "It's got that Life Is a Rollercoaster feel again. I'm having fun with it again, it's been five years since I've done a studio album. I'm a little bit nervous."
Egyptian singer's tomb found
Swiss archaeologists have discovered the tomb of a female singer dating back almost 3,000 years in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, the antiquities minister Mohammed Ibrahim said on Sunday in Cairo. The rare find was made accidentally by a team from Switzerland's Basel University in Karnak, near Luxor in upper Egypt. The woman, Nehmes Bastet, was a singer for the supreme deity Amon Ra during the 22nd Dynasty (945-712BC), according to an inscription on a wooden plaque found in the tomb. She was the daughter of the High Priest of Amon.
The discovery is important because "it shows that the Valley of the Kings was also used for the burial of ordinary individuals and priests of the 22nd Dynasty," Ibrahim said. Until now, the only tombs found in the historic valley were those linked to ancient Egyptian royal families.
* AFP
Ayyam Gallery holds auction
Want to bag an original artwork at a price that is, relatively, realistic? The Young Collectors Auction returns to Ayyam Gallery in Al Quoz this evening - a diverse selection of prints, collage and canvases by some of the foremost names in art from the Middle East.
There are signed editions by the big-hitting likes of Safwan Dahoul and Shadi Ghadirian, but look out for works by Ala Ebtekar (whose show at The Third Line also opens this week), landscape paintings from the 1970s by Fateh Moudarres and a skull-orientated piece, reminiscent of Damien Hirst's spot paintings, by Alfred Tarazi.
Auctioneering is Ayyam's Dubai-based director Hisham Samawi. These events tend to have a good momentum of sales and buzz - perfect for those looking for a first-time buy. Doors open at 10am for viewings of the works in the sale, with the auction starting at 7pm. Visit www.ayyamgallery.com.
