Goth-inspired pop innovator Billie Eilish cleaned up at Sunday s Grammys, winning all four major awards including the prestigious Album of the Year prize. The 18-year-old beat out stiff competition from viral hitmaker Lil Nas X and the year s most-nominated artist Lizzo. Eilish soared to mainstream stardom over the past year, after having won a fervent online following for her in-your-face pop sound that can get a little creepy at times, with haunting melodies and heavy bass. “Mainly I think the fans deserve everything. I feel like they have not been talked about enough tonight because they re the only reason any of us are here at all,” she said. “So thanks to the fans.” She shared her success with her older brother Finneas O Connell, her primary creative collaborator. “We just make music in a bedroom together,” said O Connell. “We still do that and they let us do that. (…) This is to all of the kids making music in your bedrooms today — you re going to get one of these.” Eilish also offered a shoutout to pop sensation Ariana Grande, saying she in fact deserved Album of the Year for “thank u, next.” The teen star was among the leading Grammy nominees at Sunday s gala — just 17 when the shortlists came out, she is the youngest person ever nominated in all of the top four categories. She scored a total of five awards on six nominations, including both Record and Song of the Year for “Bad Guy” — which made her the first musician born in the 2000s to top the Billboard Hot 100. In claiming the spot, she finally booted Lil Nas X, the country-trap sensation whose viral hit “Old Town Road” set a record of 19 weeks atop the US songs list. Eilish has been an outspoken advocate for action to tackle climate change, banning plastic straws at her shows and encouraging fans to bring their own refillable water bottles. The artist named Billboard s 2019 Woman of the Year has also written and will perform the theme song for the upcoming James Bond film “No Time To Die.” “I feel like I m not supposed to be here,” she told E! television on the red carpet before the gala. “Life is weird.”

The 46th Edition of the Egyptian Film Society Festival for Egyptian Cinema was inaugurated on January 25 at the Creativity Center in the Cairo Opera House, celebrating the January 25 revolution and the National Police Day. The opening ceremony, which started with the national anthem, was presented by critic Sherif Gad in the presence of a large number of media professionals, filmmakers, critics, and members of the film society. The festival began with director of cinematography Mahmoud Abdel Samea announcing the activities of this year s edition, dedicated to the late critic Youssef Sherif Rizkallah. One of the first members of the association since its inception, Rizkallah assumed the presidency of the Film Society in Cairo from 1980 until 1998, and was also the chairperson of the festival s sessions in that period as well. Samie said that he was happy with his presence among the jury, headed by critic Kamal Ramzy. The jury includes Hany Lashin, editor Rahma Montaser, director Mohamed Abu Saif, critics Osama Abdel Fattah, Magda Morris, Ola al-Shafie and Mohamed al-Rubi, interior design engineer Fawzy al-Awamry and photography director Mohamed Ossr. Actress Samiha Ayoub apologized for not joining the jury as she was busy filming a new series in Beirut. Artist Izzat al-Alayli also apologized for his inability to attend the committee due to unexpected commitments, as well as director Hala Khalil who apologized for not attending because of her travel outside of Egypt. Director Amr Abdel Aziz, head of the Art Syndicates Union, expressed his happiness at being present at the festival s opening, saying, “Today we celebrate a festival that has a long-established artistic value. I m happy to be present among the festival s body and filmmakers in this serious festival which seeks and deserves excellence“. Advisor to the Ministry of Culture Khaled Abdel Galil thanked all the attendees, specifically critic Kamal Ramzy, stressing that the Film Society was the reason generations knew about the cinema industry. The opening ceremony was attended by director Ashraf Tawfiq al-Deqn, producer Moataz Abdel Wahab, and other filmmakers. Certificates of appreciation were granted to eight filmmakers chosen through the 2019 Film Society poll on the 34 films produced in 2019. Samiha Ayoub will also be announced as honorary guest of the film festival. Eight filmmakers will compete for the festival s prizes, delivered through a referendum held by the festival s administration among the association s members, critics and specialists. Film screenings will be held daily at the the Artistic Creativity Center at the Opera House. The first film to be screened is “The Guest” by Hadi al-Bagoury, after which a discussion will be held by critic Rami al-Metwally in the presence of several filmmakers. On Sunday, “The Secret Men s Club” will be screened with discussions led by critic Ahmed Saad Eldin. Monday sees the screening of “The Passage”, with its discussion session to be run by critic Khaled Mahmoud. Tuesday is the screening of “The Blue Elephant 2”, with its discussion session headed by Ezzat Elbanna. “The Treasure 2” will be screened on Wednesday, with discussion headed by critic Mohammed Sayed Abdul Rahim. Next, on Thursday “Rizk s Sons 2” will be screened followed by a discussion session by critic Sayed Mahmoud. Friday will then feature the screening of “Scarecrow”, with discussions by critic Mohamed Abdel-Rahman. The festival concludes on Saturday, February 8 with the screening of “When We Are Born”, followed by a discussion session headed by critic Mohamed Nabil. The closing ceremony will be held at the Mohamed Farid cinema in City Center, where prizes will be distributed to the winners and a number of pioneers of Egyptian cinema will be honored – these include actors Ali al-Kassar and Tawfiq al-Daqin, scriptwriter Abu al-Saud al-Abyari and director Mamdouh Shoukry. Other names to be honored include director Dawood Abdel-Sayed, scriptwriter Waheed Hamid, musician Mounir Al-Wasimi, artist Lotfi Labib, interior designer Nihad Bahgat and critic Salah Hashem.

A new series based on the British royal family is coming to TV screens. And it s likely to be a world away from the stately realism of “The Crown Streaming service HBO Max said Tuesday that “Pirates of the Caribbean” star Orlando Bloom will voice the character of Prince Harry in “The Prince” — a new animated comedy series from “Family Guy” writer Gary Janetti. The series will be told from the point of view of the third in line to the throne, 6-year-old Prince George, as he navigates a very unusual childhood. The inspiration for “The Prince” comes from humorous posts on Janetti s Instagram page, which is filled with photos of George appearing to react to family and international news. News of the new show comes as the royal family is firmly in the spotlight following announcements that Harry and his wife, Meghan, would be standing down from their royal duties. “The Prince” will also feature George s parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, his little sister, Princess Charlotte, his Aunt Meghan and Uncle Harry, and his great-grandparents, Philip and Queen Elizabeth II. Written and executive produced by Janetti, the animation will be voiced by some of Hollywood s own royalty. In addition to Bloom as Prince Harry, the series will feature Tom Hollander as both Prince Philip and Prince Charles, Alan Cumming as George s butler Owen and Iwan Rheon as Prince William. “I m thrilled to be working at HBO and bringing them yet another series about a family ruthlessly fighting for the throne,” said Janetti. There is no release date yet for the series. HBO Max, which is due to launch in spring 2020, is owned by WarnerMedia, the parent company of CNN.

Egypt s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Culture Enas Abdel Dayem will open on Wednesday the 51st edition of the Cairo International Book Fair, under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, with representatives from seven ministries set to attend the opening ceremony and 40 countries to take part in the festival, the largest and oldest of its kind in the Middle East. Several ambassadors, including the Ambassador of Senegal, the “guest of honor” at the fair this year, will attend the opening of the festival as well. The General Egyptian Book Organization (GEPO) has increased the number of buses to 100 for transporting visitors from Cairo s main squares to the International Exhibition and Convention Center in the distant suburb of New Cairo, which first hosted the fair last year amid protests from some vendors. Entitled “Egypt-Africa, A Culture of Diversity,” the 51st edition of Cairo s world-renowned book fair has also increased the number of pavilions to 808, compared to 722 pavilions in 2019, and 900 Egyptian, Arab and global publishing houses are set to take part, in addition to 41 stalls affiliated with vendors from Cairo s historical used-book market Sour al-Azbakeya, which did not take part in the fair last year. The book fair will organize hundreds of various cultural and art activates, most of which will revolve around various African cultures.

The 26th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were presented Sunday, and it was a night that made history. “Parasite” became the first foreign language film to ever win the best ensemble award in a race that saw it competing against casts filled with Hollywood legends. Going into the night, the casts of “Bombshell,” “Marriage Story” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” lead film nominees with four each, while the “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” leads among television series. The awards are a peer honor, with actors honoring fellow performers. Robert De Niro received a Life Achievement Award for his work on screen and humanitarian accomplishments. The event airs live on TNT and TBS at Eight pm ET/Five pm. PT. A full list of winners follows below. Television Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries Mahershala Ali, “True Detective” Russell Crowe, “The Loudest Voice” Jared Harris, “Chernobyl” Jharrel Jerome, “When They See Us” Sam Rockwell, “Fosse/Verdon” *WINNER Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries Patricia Arquette, “The Act” Toni Collette, “Unbelievable” Joey King, “The Act” Emily Watson, “Chernobyl” Michelle Williams, “Fosse/Verdon” *WINNER Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us” Steve Carell, “The Morning Show” Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show” Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones” *WINNER David Harbour, “Stranger Things” Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show” *WINNER Helena Bonham Carter, “The Crown” Olivia Colman, “The Crown” Jodie Comer, “Killing Eve” Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid s Tale” Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Alan Arkin, “The Kominsky Method” Michael Douglas, “The Kominsky Method” Bill Hader, “Barry” Andrew Scott, “Fleabag” Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” *WINNER Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Christina Applegate, “Dead to Me” Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” Catherine O Hara, “Schitt s Creek” Phoebe Waller-Bridge, “Fleabag” *WINNER Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series “Big Little Lies” “The Crown” *WINNER “Game of Thrones” “The Handmaid s Tale” “Stranger Things” Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series “Barry” “Fleabag” “The Kominsky Method” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” *WINNER “Schitt s Creek” Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series “Game of Thrones“ *WINNER “GLOW” “Stranger Things” “The Walking Dead” “Watchmen” Motion Picture Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Christian Bale, “Ford v Ferrari” Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” Adam Driver, “Marriage Story” Taron Egerton, “Rocketman” Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” *WINNER Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet” Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story” Lupita Nyong o, “Us” Charlize Theron, “Bombshell” Renée Zellweger, “Judy” *WINNER Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Jamie Foxx, “Just Mercy” Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” Al Pacino, “The Irishman” Joe Pesci, “The Irishman” Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood” *WINNER Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Laura Dern, “Marriage Story” *WINNER Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit” Nicole Kidman, “Bombshell” Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers” Margot Robbie, “Bombshell” Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture “Bombshell” “The Irishman” “Jojo Rabbit” “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” “Parasite” *WINNER Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture “Avengers: Endgame” *WINNER “Ford v Ferrari” “The Irishman” “Joker” “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”

Prominent Italian Ballet Troupe “Balletto di Milano” is set to stage the Cairo Opera house, performing “Anna Karenina” on January 22, 23 and 24 at the Main Hall. The event s description lists the show s costume designer as Federico Veratti, visual artist Marco Triaca and music by the legendary P.I. Tchaikovsky. The theatrical performance is adopted from acclaimed novelist Leo Tolstoy s story of Anna, Karenin s wife, a classy woman who happens to meet the bachelor Vronksy, delving into a relationship through which Tolstoy highlights the imperialism of Russian society. Dozens of characters in the story demonstrate love, betrayal, faith, passion and more. Established in Italy and supported by the country s Ministry of Culture, the Balletto di Milano is renowned for introducing a new “cultural phenomena” to the Italian community through its collaborations with international renowned theaters as well as dance festivals across the world. Balletto di Milano was the first ballet troupe to stage the iconic Bolshoi stage, artistically reviving numerous classics including Cinderella, Romeo & Juliet and more.

Over the last few days, Egyptian entertainment channel DMC released a series of short documentaries presenting the variety of art institutes in Egypt. The videos, whose lengths vary between five and 10 minutes each, come three months ahead of the submissions to those schools by potential students. The short documentaries provide the students with insights on the academies missions, their curricula, possible career paths and successes in Egypt and internationally. The videos feature a series of interviews with the schools deans, professors as well as a few of the most successful graduates who already work in the field of their specialisation. The schools featured in each documentary are: the High Institute of Art Criticism, the High Institute of Cinema, the High Institute of Ballet, the Arab Music Institute, the Cairo Conservatory, the Institute for Folkloric Arts, and the High Institute of Theatrical Arts. Many of these are located in a large campus for arts in Cairo or in its close vicinity. An introductory video presents a overview of the schools and history in Egypt. To view all the videos, please visit DMC YouTube channel s documentary section. DMC channel is a general entertainment channel that airs news and talk shows in addition to drama series. It started broadcasting in January 2017.

Egyptian actress Magda Al-Sabahi, whose years of glory marked Egypt s 1950s and 1960, died in Cairo after struggling with illness, Al-Ahram Arabic revealed. Born on 5 May 1939 as Afaf Ali (or Afaf Kamel Al-Sabahi) in Tanta (Gharbia governorate), the Egyptian star was better known as Magda Al-Sabahi, or simply Magda. Throughout three decades of her career, and prior to her retirement from acting, Al-Sabahi appeared in over 60 films, with the most notable roles being those in El-Naseh (1949), Malish had (1954), Hegret El-Rasoul, Ayna Omry (1957), Banat El-Yom (1957), Al-Ragol Allazy Ohebo (1962), El-Omr Lahza (1978), among many others. She played the leading role in Youssef Chahine s historical film Djamila l Algérienne (1958), which tackles the life of Djamila, one of the most remarkable revolutionary women of Algeria.

Award winning Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek has been announced as the latest face of the French fashion brand Yves Saint Lauren, appearing in a newly released a black and white photoshoot boasting several bold looks all in black and white. Featured in the 2020 spring/summer collection by Anthony Vaccarello, Malek rocked pieces including sequined trousers and jackets. Malek was recently nominated a Golden Globe award for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Drama” for his leading role in the USA Network show “Mr. Robot.” The Egyptian-American star previously won the Oscar for Best Actor at the 91st Academy Awards for his acclaimed portrayal of Freddie Mercury, the legendary front man of the British rock band Queen, in the biopic film “Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018). Malek beat Christian Bale for the award, who portrayed former American Vice President Dick Cheney that year in “Vice,” as well as Bradley Cooper, who played musician Jack Maine in “A Star Is Born.” He also took the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role in “Bohemian Rhapsody,” as well as the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a leading role. The Egyptian-American actor first came to major attention for his role in “Mr. Robot,” which was created and produced by Egyptian Sam Esmail, who serves as head writer for the show. Malek stars as Elliot, a brilliant cyber-security engineer and computer hacker who suffers from an anxiety disorder. “Mr. Robot” was a life-changing experience Malek considers a turning point in his career. He described the opportunity to take on the leading role in a popular television series as the experience that put him on the map. Malek s next role is a highly-anticipated appearance in the next Jame s Bond adventure “No Time To Die” (2020). Malek will portray a villain armed with dangerous new technology, with Bond hot on his tail to protect the world from a mysterious new adversary – all in a day s work for 007.

When WWII was coming to an end in the mid-1940s, Egyptian cinema was about to usher in a new stage in which it soared by the use of two wings, comedy and singing, relying on new names in most cases. This explains the reason behind the Egyptian cinema welcoming, at the time, singers and songstresses, especially those coming from the Levant courting attention of the Arab audience. This was precisely what happened with Sabah and her companion and countrywoman Nour Al-Hoda. Nour Al-Hoda, whose real name was Alexandra Nicholas Badran, was born in Turkey on 24 December 1924. Her childhood years were spent in Lebanon where she received her primary education. Through her school activity, Nour Al-Hoda discovered she had a beautiful voice, to the extent that they dubbed her “Lebanon s Umm Kulthum,” with the encouragement of her father, who used to write poetry. Although she attained widespread fame in Lebanon at 17 years old, it didn t satisfy her artistic ambition. At the time, the director and actor Youssef Wahbi was visiting Beirut and one of his friends advised him to listen to this girl dubbed Lebanon s Umm Kulthum. Immediately after listening to her, he decided to take her with him on his return to Cairo along with her father Nicholas Badran. In Egypt, Wahbi provided his new discovery with all she needed to accomplish her training. It was agreed that she should change her name to Nour Al-Hoda instead of Alexandra Badran. Wahbi cast her as the leading lady in Jawhara (1943, Youssef Wahbi) and Berlanty the following year. In 1945, she was the leading lady in two films, Miss Bousa (Niazi Mostafa) and Princess of Dreams (Ahmed Galal). Yet, all these films did not satisfy her artistic ambition, which was attained the following year when she starred alongside the most famous Arab composer, Mohamed Abdel-Wahab, in his last film I am not an Angel (1946, Mohamed Karim). It was an acknowledgment from the cinematic and singing fields of Nour Al-Hoda s stardom and her ability to bring success to any film she starred in. Despite the fact that Nour Al-Hoda s artistic career was very brief, acting in only 25 films, she succeeded in becoming an integral part of Egyptian musical films at the time. This was established after she became one of the most capable songstresses by participating in duets with singers and performing musical dialogues on the silver screen. This was the reason behind Nour Al-Hoda s appearance alongside big names in musical films, the first of which was Mohamed Abdel-Wahab. It was followed by pairing with Mohamed Fawzi in Glory and Tears (1946, Ahmed Badrkhan), Nargess (1948, Abdel-Fattah Hassan), Farid Al-Atrash in I want to Marry (1952, Ahmed Badrkhan) and Tell No One (1952, Henri Barakat), Abdel-Aziz Mahmoud in My Lover s Window (1951, Abbas Kamel) and Mohamed El-Kahlawi in Congratulations to You (1949, Abdel Fattah Hassan). It seemed that Nour Al-Hoda was part and parcel of a guaranteed successful commercial formula. However, this approach did not prevent Nour Al-Hoda from simultaneously acting in some important tragedy films. She starred in Betrayal and Torment (1947, Hussein Sedki) and The Avenger (1947, Salah Abu-Seif), among others. Although Nour Al-Hoda did not have exceptional acting abilities, her keenness to choose the simple, helpless girl role made her occupy a special place in the hearts of the 40s audience. In addition, she enjoyed a singing voice that had a singular stamp and suited tragedies, melodramas and light musical comedies. After Nour Al-Hoda acted in Time s Verdict (Henri Barakat) and Qaraqoush s Rule (both 1953, Fateen Abdel-Wahab), her fans were shocked when she vanished from Egypt only to appear in Lebanon, announcing that the 10 years she had spent in Cairo were enough. Rumours began to circulate that she left Egypt due to a dispute with the Tax Authority, and another rumour suggested that her father, who entered the field of film production, was restricting her artistic choices. It was reportedly said that her yearning to go back to the Cairo limelight would drive her to return to Egypt once again. However, this did not materialise. It seemed that she had retired from acting altogether and confined herself to singing on Lebanese Radio. But in 1958 she returned to act in For Whom the Sun Rises (Youssef Fahda) starring Abdel-Hamid Rushdi and Gilda. The film failed spectacularly which pushed her back into retirement. Her retirement continued for 40 years except for a transient participation in the TV series Alhambra Palace (1971). She was keen to appear on TV talk shows in Beirut and Damascus until she was unable to do so due to illness and senility. She died on 9 July 1998 at the age of 74. It is astonishing that Nour Al-Hoda achieved all this fame and immortality in only 10 years. What she presented was original and unique amid a climate that inspired proficiency and perfection.

The administration for the 51st Session of Cairo International Book fair published the transportation routes for the fair, which will open on January 22 and run until February 4. The routes include seven lines with a total of 80 buses, increasing to 100 buses on weekends. The first route starts with Abdel Moneim Riad, passes through Ramses and ends at the book fair with a total number of 15 cars. The second route starts with Abbasiya, passes through the Sixth District in Nasr City and ends at the book fair with a total number of 10 cars. The third route starts with New Nozha, passes through the Seven Buildings and ends at the book fair with a total number of 10 cars. The fourth route starts with al-Amiriya, passes through al-Mataria and ends at the book fair with a total number of 10 cars. The fifth route starts with Giza Square, passes through al-Sayeda Aisha and ends at the book fair with a total number of 15 cars. The Sixth route starts with al-Salam city, passes through Autostrad and ends at the book fair with a total number of 10 cars. The seventh route starts with al-Mazalat, passing through Hadayek al-Qoba and ends at the book fair with a total number of 10 cars. The eighth route starts with May 15th city and ends at the book fair. Prices for every ticket is six Egyptian pounds, the administration said.

With Martin Scorsese s "The Irishman expected to battle "Once Upon a Time in. Hollywood and "1917 for the best picture Oscar in February, all eyes are on the special effects team that made the sprawling crime epic possible. "The Irishman unfolds over decades, with the 76-year-old Robert De Niro and his co-stars playing their characters from their 30s into retirement age, a feat that s made the film one of 2019 s most acclaimed movies. It s all possible through new digital de-aging techniques that in the past year in cinemas have shaved decades from Samuel L. Jackson s face and turned back the clock to the 1990s for Will Smith. When Monday s Academy Award nominations are announced, "Captain Marvel and "Gemini Man could see their names called along with "The Irishman in the visual effects category. Each film has arrived at its reverse aging trick through a different technique, leading some to call 2019 a monumental year for de-aging in film. To many, "The Irishman stands out from the field, thanks to its complete avoidance of "tracking markers _ dots painted onto actors faces which allow computers to mathematically replicate facial movements and manipulate them as the director sees fit. The youthful transitions of "The Irishman are the work of Pablo Helman, visual effects supervisor at Industrial Light and Magic, who s an Oscar nominee for his work on "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and "War of the Worlds. Helman says the decision to forgo tracking markers came directly from Scorsese and De Niro. "He s not going to wear a helmet with little cameras in there, says Helman. "He s going to want to be in the moment with Joe Pesci and Al Pacino on set, with no markers on him. So, if you re going to capture the performance, how are you going to do that? Enter the "three-headed monster, a unique camera rig that has a director camera in the center and two "witness cameras on either side shooting infrared footage. That allowed Helman to eliminate shadows created by on-set lighting. The shadows could potentially interfere with the geometric facial shapes constructed by de-aging software. "You re not interrupting the director s thread of thinking, explains Helman. "You re not changing the light on set, but the computer can see in a different spectrum. While the team at Industrial Light and Magic was working on "The Irishman, another group of technical wizards were experimenting with de-aging at director Peter Jackson s Weta Workshop in New Zealand, creating an entirely digital, 23-year-old version of Smith for the action movie "Gemini Man. "Since I started visual FX 25 years ago it s been the Holy Grail, says Bill Westenhofer, one of the film s VFX supervisors. "You have that many years of expertise of looking at a human face and knowing what s wrong. So, to try and get all the different things together and get it to pull off right, that s been the challenge. To create the character of Junior _ a younger clone of Smith s assassin Henry Brogan _ the superstar wore the traditional gray tracksuit, complimented by a head rig with two cameras capturing his facial expressions via tracking markers. "We decided (on) a ground up approach to build everything from scratch _ from the skull all the way to the skin pores, all the way to the animation and the final kind of oil in the eyes was really the best approach we could take, says Stu Adcock, head of facial motion at Weta. Before filming commenced on both "Gemini Man and "The Irishman, the teams at ILM and Weta drew up test footage to show the films directors that what they were suggesting was possible. For "Gemini Man it was a clip from the 1995 movie "Bad Boys into which they inserted two shots of their new, digital Will Smith and asked Ang Lee to spot the "fake. For "The Irishman, De Niro also returned to the 1990s, performing the Pink Cadillac scene from "Goodfellas before being de-aged in post-production _ convincing an initially skeptical Scorsese that he could bring the long-gestating project to life. Helman and his team then spent two years looking through old movies and cataloging the targeted ages that De Niro, Pacino and Pesci would appear in "The Irishman. They created a program _ similar to that used to create online "deepfake videos where one actor s face is swapped for another s _ which would check their work on the movie was heading in the right direction, with the system "spewing out hundreds of images for cross-referencing. Creating Junior required Smith to spend time in a photogrammetry booth where multiple cameras captured his likeness as numerous lights fired in different sequences, giving a base scan of the actor and analyzing the structure of his face from a skin pore level. Ironically, considering Scorsese s vocal criticism of Marvel movies as "not cinema, a similar system was used to de-age Jackson in "Captain Marvel." A young Nick Fury was created by comparing footage from old Jackson movies with the work the actor did on set _ again, using tracking markers. "I looked at that face as, you know, maybe The Negotiator face, says Jackson, referring to his 1998 movie of the same name, "Fortunately for them and for me, I had enough stuff from that period in my life that they could use a bunch of different facial expressions and films to put that face together that made sense to people who knew me from that time." Darren Hendler, director of the Digital Human Group at Digital Domain and the man responsible for turning Josh Brolin into "Avengers supervillain Thanos, was impressed by Jackson s appearance in the movie. "That s more of a 2D-image based approach where they re taking the actor s performance and then they re painting and tracking certain frames. They re still using some of the actor s performance directly, but they re modifying it. It was very believable. It may not have been exactly what the young Samuel Jackson looked like, but it definitely looked de-aged. "The de-aging of Samuel L. Jackson is absolutely fantastic, agrees Weta s Guy Williams, adding, "different approaches suit different requirements. It s not a one-size-fits-all kind of situation. That s a sentiment echoed by Helman, who believes that 2019 was a watershed year for VFX. "It s not by chance that we have several movies that have motion capture performance, facial performance, in three or four different ways. That shows that we re all thinking about digital humans. "I mean, we all stand on each other s shoulders, Helman says. "I can t wait for somebody to pick this up and do something else with it, you know?

A Lebanese court has ruled to release the Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram s husband Fady al-Hashem, but are preventing him from traveling abroad pending further investigation after Hashem killed an armed robber in the couple s home on Sunday. “The Public Prosecutor in Jabl Lebanon Judge Ghada Aoun decided to release Nancy Ajram s husband Fady al-Hashem following (review of) the files and watching (tapes from) surveillance cameras…Aoun ensured that Fady was acting in self-defense (when he killed the thief),” the court said, adding that Aoun would follow up with the ongoing investigation into the case. Aoun issued on Sunday a decision to arrest the Lebanese star s husband following an exchange of fire between him and Mohamed Hassan al-Mousa, who is originally from Syria, after Mousa allegedly entered the couple s villa in New Suhaila, Keserwan district at dawn with the intention of robbing them, according to the National Information Agency. Hashem alleges that the intruder pointed a pistol in his face and asked him to leave the house, threatening to kill the family if anyone attempted to stop him. When Mousa insisted on heading to a room where the couple s daughters slept, Hashem shot him dead. Pictures spread on social media appearing to show injuries Ajram allegedly sustained during the incident, while another photo showed the Mousa s body laying in a pool of blood.

An economic adviser at the World Tourism Organization and member of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, Saeed al-Batouti announced that the number of tourists expected to visit Egypt in 2020 will exceed 15 million, thanks to Egypt s current stability. In an interview with the MENA News Agency, Batouti said that Egypt s tourism sector has significantly recuperated with 13 million tourists having visited Egypt in 2019 due to efforts by the political leadership to support the tourism industry. Also a board member of the German Travel Association (DRV), Batouti added that the Italian and Spanish markets are particular targets for Egypt, with 422,000 Italian tourists having visited Egypt in 2018 while 66,000 from Spain did. He further suggested opening new types of tourism markets for Egypt, such as towards the religious. Batouti said there is global excitement for the launch of the Grand Egyptian Museum, with particular interest from the German market. The number of German visitors jumped from 707,000 in 2018 up to 2.5 million in 2019. Batouti stressed that campaigns designed to promote Egyptian tourism are not enough to attract tourists, and that creativity is the key for coming up with ways to attract people alongside collaboration with travel companies. He signified also the importance of hosting youth conferences in Egypt, as they have played a noticeable role in boosting the nation s tourism sector over the past few years. Praising the recent step of merging the ministries of Antiquities and Tourism together, Batouti said that this would help augment tourist flow into Egypt – especially with the inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum. Lexie Alford, who broke the Guinness World Record as the youngest traveler to visit all of the world s 196 countries at the age of 21, chose Egypt on the top of Forbes “Where to Go Next” 2020 list, referring to the highly-anticipated opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum. Constructed on approximately 500,000 square meters, the mega museum is located near the Giza Pyramids and is expected to be one of the largest museums in the world showcasing artifacts from a single civilization. The museum will break new ground and aims to impress with King Tutankhamun displays, exhibiting artifacts that have never been shown since they were unearthed in 1922. After several years of work on restoration and transportation, the GEM is expected to house around 100,000 artifacts from various periods of Egypt s rich history. Citing Intrepid Travel, AFAR magazine highlighted how Egypt s tourism sector recovered from the major drop in international tourists following the 2011 revolution and several years of unrest. Egypt witnessed a 177 percent increase in the number of North American visitors in 2018, according to Intrepid. A recent report by the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) revealed that the number of visitors to Egypt annually is expected to increase by 50 percent over the next few years from 1.49 million in 2018 to 2.23 million in 2022. The report predicts that travelers coming from Europe to Egypt will represent a major boost to the tourism sector, anticipating 9.1 million tourists in Egypt in 2022 compared to just 6.2 million in 2018.

The General Authority for Veterinary Services issued new conditions for obtaining a pet dog license, while also mulling an increase in the license s prices in coordination with veterinary directorates across the country. The conditions stipulate that dog owners must apply for a license to the veterinary department located in the area of their residence. The authority further requested a number of documents be submitted and steps be taken by the owner which include an animal registration card, immunization against rabies, examining the dog at a veterinary unit before proceeding to the licensing procedures, and paying the license fees. The license will be issued within three days at the latest from applying for it, it added. The owner is required to attach the license to the dog s neck and the license must clarify its validity period, which is one year from the date of applying for the license.

Lebanese pop superstar Nancy Ajram has said she is "fine" after her husband shot an intruder to death in her villa in New Sheileh, Lebanon. "I am fine," Ajram, who sustained a minor leg injury in the incident, told Lebanese TV channel MTV on Sunday, thanking all the people who called her. Early on Sunday, Ajram s husband Fadi Al-Hachem shot dead an intruder, identified by the prosecution as Mohamed Hassan Moussa, who allegedly broke into the home with the purpose of theft. The couple s children were in the house at the time of the incident. Al-Hachem has been detained by police for questioning. "I am fine, my family is fine. I can t talk right now," Ajram told a reporter at her home. Ajram shot to fame with the Akhasmak Ah video clip almost two decades ago, and has since become one of the most popular pop singers in the Arab region, producing a series of hit albums and starring in the most prestigious international talent shows.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi s new “Maternal Health Initiative” is set to launch in 5,300 health facilities across Egypt in the coming days, aiming to provide health screenings to pregnant women to detect and treat genetic and communicable diseases while raising awareness about maternal and reproductive health. An official source with the Health Ministry said that a doctor and a nurse in each clinic are set to follow up on health screenings for pregnant women across the country as part of the initiative. The initiative aims to detect genetic diseases likely to be transmitted from the mother to her unborn child, according to the source, who added that the program also hopes to raise awareness on the possible dangers of marriage between relatives and genetic diseases associated with the practice. Meanwhile, communicable diseases transmitted from the pregnant mother to her child include syphilis and Hepatitis C, the source from the Ministry said, adding that the initiative Includes screenings for Hepatitis B as well. An infection of Hepatitis B during pregnancy may lead to bleeding in the last trimester or a premature birth. He explained that syphilis can be transmitted from the pregnant mother to the fetus and has been linked to birth defects, which increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, or death of the child shortly after he or she is born. He added that the mother might be unaware that she had contracted syphilis, especially since the STD often does not show symptoms. Primary care, population and family planning sectors held a meeting on Wednesday and identified a package of services for pregnant women in primary care units and family planning centers, the source added. The Maternal Health Initiative also aims to raise awareness on reproductive health, hoping to educate on safe methods of contraception and family planning across the country, the Ministry source said. Early detection of adverse conditions associated with pregnancy and information on maternal health and nutrition are also cornerstones of the new program.

An announcement that will take certain e-cigarette flavors off the US market is coming soon, President Donald Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday. "We re going to protect our families, we re going to protect our children and we re going to protect the industry," Trump said, adding some products could "very quickly" return to the market. Multiple outlets reported Tuesday the US Food and Drug Administration plans to announce a ban on the sale of cartridge-based e-cigarette flavors other than tobacco and menthol later this week. The plan was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter. An FDA spokeswoman told CNN the agency had no comment or information to share. The White House did not respond to CNN s request for comment. Citing administration officials, the New York Times reported the sales ban would not apply to tank vaping systems common in vape shops. Cartridge-based e-cigarettes have been popular among underage users. Juul, the leading e-cigarette maker, has previously stopped selling flavors including mint, mango, creme and cucumber. Trump administration officials announced in September the FDA would try to curb a youth vaping epidemic by stripping all flavors except tobacco from the market. US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said at the time that flavored-product manufacturers would also have the opportunity to file for approval from the FDA, but their products would be off the market until approved. Questions and criticism have followed since then. Vaping advocates say a flavor sales ban would curtail some adult smokers efforts to quit, put small vaping companies out of business and eliminate jobs. A Trump campaign adviser previously told CNN that Trump s political aides have warned him that such a ban may not be helpful with his base and that he should reconsider. Health and anti-tobacco advocacy groups have urged the Trump administration to take all flavored products, including menthol, off the market. More than 5 million middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2019, according to data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey published in December. For the sixth year in a row, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among high school and middle school students. Studies published in the medical journal JAMA in November found that nearly 60% of high school students who vape use Juul, the market leader, and mint was the most popular flavor among US 10th and 12th graders. An estimated 2.4 million high school and middle school students use flavored e-cigarettes, one of the studies found. Fruit was the most commonly reported flavor category, at 66.1% for high school and 67.7% for middle school, followed by menthol or mint at 57.3% for high school and 31.1% for middle school. In a statement on Tuesday, Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said the reported Trump administration policy "falls woefully short of the bold action the Administration promised." "By leaving menthol flavored e-cigarettes widely available and totally exempting liquid flavored products, this policy will not stop the youth e-cigarette epidemic. It is a capitulation to both Juul and vape shops and gives a green light to the e-cigarette industry to continue to target and addict kids with flavored products," Myers statement said in part. CNN has reached out to Juul for comment. Juul has previously noted its action to prevent youth vaping, including halting sales of flavors, implementing age verification tools and supporting legislation to bring the legal age to use tobacco to 21. Stanton Glantz, director of University of California, San Francisco s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, said that the reported sales ban is "better than nothing" to curb youth vaping, but likely will have less of an impact than the outright flavor ban originally promised. "It is a step forward. Although menthol is by far and away the most important flavor and what the evidence is showing is when you get rid of the other flavors, kids just go to menthol," Glantz said. Additionally, "the fact that they are exempting the tank systems is very concerning because there is even less quality control on the tank systems than the closed systems," he said, noting that tank systems are currently a "relatively small" part of the vaping market. In December, the sweeping spending bill President Donald Trump signed into law included a measure that prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21. As of last week, the FDA said on its website, "it is now illegal for a retailer to sell any tobacco product -- including cigarettes, cigars and e-cigarettes -- to anyone under 21."

Egypt s Red Sea Governorate hosted tourists from more than 35 countries over the Christmas holidays, and occupancy rates at resorts at the popular vacation spot have increased to 90 percent, with some anticipating 100 percent occupancy for hotels on Christmas Day in Egypt, which is celebrated by Orthodox Christians on January 7th, according to a report from Egyptian newspaper al-Watan. The Red Sea beaches are a popular tourist destination for foreigners and Egyptians alike, and the area is home to 278 hotels and resorts. Hurghada International Airport and Marsa Alam International Airport have also received an increase in flights from various European countries, especially Germany, Italy and Poland. The airport officials greeted tourists with adornments, flowers and other gifts for the holiday. Tourists from all over the world visited the Red Sea Governorate, with a majority of foreign visitors coming from Germany, Britain, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Serbia, Croatia, and Scandinavian countries, according to al-Watan. Tourism sector expert Essam Ali said that Red Sea hotels witnessed high rates of occupancy compared to previous years, with a number of foreign and Egyptian tourists deciding to visit Egypt during the Christmas holidays. Head of Tour Guides in the Red Sea Bashar Abu Talib clarified that the area has hosted a diverse group of tourists from 35 different countries, following the opening of new tourist markets in Ukraine, Finland, Slovenia, Serbia and Scandinavian countries. The once-ailing tourism sector in Egypt appears to be on its way to recovery after years of instability. Earlier in November, AFAR, an award-winning travel magazine, ranked Egypt fourth among the world s 10 Fastest-Growing Tourist Destinations, with the country s tourism sector recording a 36.8 percent increase. It was not the first time the country was featured in the magazine — Egypt topped AFAR s rankings in 2018 when growth in the tourism sector reached 55.1 percent. Egypt also topped The Independent s new travel recommendations list for 2020 this month, with the newspaper urging people from around the world to pay a visit to Cairo s much-anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum. Egypt also made it to the top of the list of emerging or “off-the-beaten-path” destinations for Americans in 2020, according to the results of annual travel trends released by the United States Tour Operators Associations (USTOA). “Egypt topping the list is the epitome of a destination comeback story,” said Terry Dale, president and CEO for USTOA. “It reinforces a strong return in popularity and demand among travelers, after several challenging years,” resumed Dale. According to official figures provided by The Independent, 11 million people visited Egypt last year. Moreover, the English newspaper has predicted a remarkable comeback for the Egyptian tourism sector, especially given the resumption of flights to the South Sinai vacation spot Sharm el-Sheikh. The first UK flight to Sharm el-Sheikh since the 2015 ban landed two weeks ago at Sharm El-Sheikh International airport, following a four-year hiatus after a bomb exploded on a Russian plane flying over Egypt s Sinai, killing all 224 people on board. In its latest report “Egypt tourism fastest-growing in North Africa,” the UK s leading tourism publication Travel Weekly linked the noticeable growth in Egyptian tourism to improved security in the country.

French pianist Richard Clayderman will give a concert at Al Manara Inernational Convention Center on Friday 14 February 2020. The Prince of Romance , born Philippe Pagès, has had a career spanning 40 years of music. After studying at the Conservatoire de Paris, his career kicked off in 1976, when record producers Olivier Toussaint and Paul de Senneville selected him to record a gentle piano ballad for de Senneville s baby daughter. Ballade Pour Adeline (Ballad for Adeline) went on to sell 22 million copies in 38 countries, earning Clayderman international acclaim. He has since recorded over 1,300 melodies, and has established a signature style which combines his trademark originals with classics and pop standards. His record sales are over 150 million, with 267 gold and 70 platinum albums. Programme: Friday 14 February 2020, at 9pm Al Manara International Convention Center, New Cairo The tickets price ranges between LE 750 and LE 3000. Tickets can be purchased via Tickets Marche

Beatles tribute band Glass Onion is set to play at Al-Gomhoreya Theater on December 31, with the set list expected to include a diverse collection of cover songs from the legendary English pop band. “Glass Onion is a band that brings The Beatles music to life. Taking you on a Fab Four Journey from the early days of Love Me Do to the psychedelic era of Strawberry Fields Forever and the swansong of Let It Be,” the event s description on Facebook reads. Founded in 2010, the Beatle s cover band is made up of four musicians — guitarists Kareem Ghalid and Hany Mustafa, bassist Amir Shawky and drummer Magued Nagati. Glass Onion has played at diverse music venues across Egypt, including the BCA (British Community Association) in Mohandeseen and in Maadi, Cairo Jazz Club, Uptown Cairo, Biblotheqa Alexandrian Arts Center, Cairo Opera House and The British Embassy in Cairo. The band has also collaborated with other musicians like the Awtar String Quartet, performing songs outside of their traditional Beatles repertoire. The Beatles, with core members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, originally got their start playing in clubs in Liverpool in 1960. The English pop group has been celebrated around the world for its rock and pop hits and is considered by some to be one of the most influential bands of all time.