County Gulf Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Doja Cart will not be touring with The Weeknd this summer.

Naman Ramachandran Nayla Al Khaja, the first female filmmaker in the United Arab Emirates, is teaming with Oscar, BAFTA and Grammy winning Indian composer A.R. Rahman (“Slumdog Millionaire”) on her upcoming feature film “Baab.”Written by Al Khaja and Masoud Amralla Al Ali, the film follows Wahida, who is unable to make sense of her twin sister’s mysterious death and is plagued by a haunting rhythm in her ears.

EXCLUSIVE: A24 and AGBO’s fantasy hit Everything Everywhere All At Once has been banned in parts of the Middle East, we understand.

Zack Sharf Saudi Arabia’s cinema classification board is disputing reports that the upcoming Marvel tentpole “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” has been banned in the country due to a gay character played by Xochitl Gomez. The movie finds “The Baby-Sitters Club” actor making her debut as America Chavez in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nawaf Alsabhan, Saudi Arabia’s general supervisor of cinema classification, told AFP (via The Guardian) that Disney is unwilling to remove “barely 12 seconds” from the film in which Gomez’s character refers to her “two moms.”“It’s just her talking about her moms, because she has two moms,” Alsabhan said.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness has been banned in Saudi Arabia over the inclusion of a queer character in the film.The new Marvel sequel focused on Benedict Cumberbatch‘s titular character is due to roll out globally at the beginning of next month.However, following rumours of a ban, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the film now won’t be released in Saudi Arabia, with Kuwait reportedly also set to ban it. Advanced tickets are no longer available in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, though are still in the United Arab Emirates.The censorship appears to be over the inclusion of the character America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), who is gay in the comic source material.There is often strong censorship on films with LGBTQ+ content in the Gulf as homosexuality is still illegal across the region.Recent Marvel film Eternals was previously banned in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar over a same-sex kiss scene between married couple Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) and Ben (Haaz Sleiman), with Disney reportedly refusing to edit out the moment upon request from local censors.Star Angelina Jolie subsequently addressed the news, telling news.com.au: “I’m sad for [those audiences].

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has been banned from Saudi Arabia due to the film’s inclusion of a queer superhero.The queer character at the centre of this is Marvel’s America Chavez, a lesbian character played by Xochitl Gomez. Chavez is Marvel’s first Latin American character to star in an ongoing LGBTQI series.Prior to Marvel’s confirmation of an additional LGBTQI character to their universe, their officially licensed merch appeared on Amazon with prints of Chavez’s signature denim jacket, which featured a pride flag pin, a skull referencing the Mexican Day of the Dead, and her Latin American heritage.This is not the first time that Saudi Arabia has banned a film from the banner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Another Marvel movie has been banned in multiple Middle East states.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentMarvel’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” won’t be playing in Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries due to the inclusion of a gay character.Saudi Arabian censors did not issue a permit to release the film in the kingdom, since the changes they requested were not approved by Disney, according to a source.The new Sam Raimi-directed sequel stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character, and it also features the new hero America Chavez, played by “The Baby-Sitters Club” star Xochitl Gomez. Her character in the movie is reportedly gay, true to how she is portrayed in the Marvel comics.The “Doctor Strange” sequel, which will go on release in the U.S.

Deadline has confirmed that Disney/Marvel’s upcoming big global blockbuster Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is banned for theatrical release in Saudi Arabia.

Eternals,” which also featured a gay superhero in a same-sex relationship, and “West Side Story,” which has a character who identifies as trans. And in each case, the films had not been edited to remove the characters or plot lines in order to appease international censors.

You only need a quick glance at photos of Anantara five-star Bophut Koh Samui Resort in the Gulf of Thailand to see why it’s the idyllic spot for a dose of luxury and low-key leisure amid lush, verdant nature. It sits on the edge of a palm-fringed beach and is just minutes away on foot from Bophut, once home to a thriving fishing industry but now geared towards holidaymakers.The tropical playground of Samui is Thailand’s second largest island and renowned for its coconut groves and mountainous dense rainforest. It’s less touristy and much quieter than the neighbouring isle of Koh Phangan and for this reason attracts couples, especially newlyweds, wanting to get away from the crowds – and the notorious full moon parties of Phangan.

A police officer who fought in the Gulf War is building a café for former servicemen and women in Salford. Eccles local police officer Carl Blower has secured a unit at the Eccles Shopping Centre and plans to turn it into The Salford Veterans Community Centre.

Fox Sports, which will broadcast the 2022 World Cup in the U.S., has set the schedule for the 64 matches it will carry between November 21 and December 18.

Billie Faiers has made the most of the Easter holidays by jetting off to Dubai with her young family. The former The Only Way Is Essex star, who is in the middle of creating her dream home, has been keeping her 2.4million fans updated by sharing snaps of the sun-soaked holiday on Instagram. Billie, 32, is on the trip with her husband Greg and their two children Nelly, seven, and five year old Arthur, and it’s clear that they’ve wasted no time getting stuck in with the fun.

EXCLUSIVE: Noble Story Co., the Michigan-based development and production company founded by Andrew Teravskis and Adam Gregory, has signed with Zero Gravity Management for representation. Zero Gravity will work with Noble Story Co. to expand its presence in the global marketplace, and assist with talent packaging and sourcing new material for its slate of projects.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentSaudi Arabia is leading the way as streaming platforms continue to gain traction in top Arab markets, where revenues from the SVOD market in 2021 grew a yearly 29% to $453 million.New research from Media Partners Asia reveals that Saudi accounted for more than half of the revenues. However, the pay-TV sector in Gulf Arab states suffered a 10% drop in revenues to $631 million in 2021, compared with 2020.The pay-TV sector in the region is now expected to further contract to $436 million by 2026, according to the report, which looks at streamers, pay TV and free TV across the six oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.  By contrast, SVOD revenue in the Gulf is projected to grow from its current level of $453 million to reach $667 million by 2026, “driven by improvements in connectivity, elevated levels of pay-TV cord cutting and the launch of new global platforms,” the report said.While Saudi Arabia accounted for more than half of the Gulf’s $453 million SVOD intake, the UAE, despite having a much smaller population, generated $125 million, which is 28% of the region’s 2021 SVOD revenues.Nevertheless, profitability “remains a challenge,” noted Media Partners analyst Aravind Venugopal, since competition will soon be steeped with more streamers set to enter what will soon become a crowded Arab streaming field.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentLola Arabia, the United Arab Emirates label of Oscar-winning Spanish producer Andrés Vicente Gómez (“Belle Epoque”), has struck a 12-movie co-production deal with Dubai-based Charisma Group.The alliance will take in a range of titles, from $2 million-budgeted contemporary comedies to banner productions budgeted at $40 million, revolving around contemporary and historic stories of West Asia.The partners aim to produce an average of four films a year, said Charisma Group co-president Ayham Al Ziyoud.Development has begun on the whole slate. “Although in principle we plan projects with modest budgets, these will be increased in the following year once we find the rights partners outside the Gulf States,” Gómez said.

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United training early following his winter break in Dubai.

Editors note: When we think of Robert De Niro and Italy, it’s easiest to focus on the Sicilian town of Corleone, because of his Oscar-winning turn in The Godfather: Part II. But De Niro wanted to focus on Naples, which director Paolo Sorrentino brought to life in The Hand of God. De Niro was so moved, he wrote a guest column for Deadline on why the film touched him so dearly.

Manori Ravindran International EditorOne of the most controversial movies to emerge from this year’s Sundance Film Festival is a documentary called “Jihad Rehab,” which follows a group of former Guantanamo Bay detainees.Directed by American filmmaker Megan Smaker — a former California firefighter who spent five years in Yemen — the film follows several Yemeni men who were unlawfully detained for 15 years in the U.S.-run detention camp, before being relocated to Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Bin Nayef Centre for Counselling and Care — a so-called “rehabilitation center” for extremists who must graduate the program before they’re allowed to rejoin society.The film tracks Ali, Nadir and Mohammed’s turbulent journey over three years as they try to come to grips with their trauma and navigate an uneasy future in Saudi Arabia, where it’s illegal for them, as Yemenis, to leave. (A Saudi-led coalition of Gulf states infiltrated Yemen’s civil war in 2015, carrying out air raids that have devastated the nation.) While “Jihad Rehab” isn’t the first film in the grisly orbit of Guantanamo, its Sundance premiere has received heavy criticism from human rights advocates and other documentarians, many of them from Arab or Muslim backgrounds, who are concerned that the doc’s subjects are being framed as criminals (despite never standing trial in the U.S.

Prince Andrew was known for being "rude" and having unusual demands for staff according to a new report.

A Saudi-backed takeover of Newcastle is set to get the green light from the Premier League despite warnings from Amnesty International on Thursday that the deal represents "sportswashing" of the Gulf kingdom's human rights record.

Florida aquarium.Clearwater Marine Aquarium staff members released a Himalayan sea salt urn containing Winter's ashes into the Gulf of Mexico from the back of a U.S. Coast Guard response boat.“Being able to return Winter to her natural home was the best feeling in the world,” Kelly Martin, the aquarium’s vice president of animal care, said in a statement.

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- A Florida aquarium has created a legacy for its famed Winter the Dolphin following her recent death, including virtual reality encounters with the prosthetic-tailed star of the Dolphin Tale movies.The Clearwater Marine Aquarium announced Friday that Winter's legacy will include an ongoing memorial, a funding endowment, a special song and a plan to release the animal's cremated ashes in the Gulf of Mexico.Winter died on Nov.

Musical fans in the Gulf states won’t be getting to see the new “West Side Story”.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentMarvel’s “Eternals,” which features the first MCU gay superhero, has been banned in Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries ahead of its planned Nov. 11 rollout across the Gulf region.Sources have confirmed that despite the film being publicized across the region on the websites of local multiplex chains, such as top local exhibitor Vox Cinemas, “Eternals” won’t be playing in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The County Sheriff in the local Gulf Coast-area county of Florida where Brian Laundrie‘s remains were found earlier this month is opening up a bit about the investigation into the young man’s death.

The latest batch of police recruits in an Alabama beach town faced an interview board that included law enforcement experts and a civilian who was recognizable by his voice if not by his face: Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman.

Morgan Freeman is getting involved in the Gulf Shores Police Department. The 84-year-old actor sat on an interview board for Alabama police recruits last week.The board also included law enforcement experts.

GULF SHORES, Ala.