Conspicuous consumerism is just so 2007, which explains why Confessions of a Shopaholic feels dated. Released in America and Britain in February, it prompted furious words from critics all frothing at the film's indelicate topic - that of needless extravagance. Shot before the recession hit and lacking any reference to the crisis, the film's endless shots of shopping bags, designer stores and credit cards were, for some, too much to bear. In an attempt to end the carping, the film's producer and financial backer, Jerry Bruckheimer, swore that there had never been a better time for such a parable.
Were the film any good, that might be true. But as it is, the 94 minutes we spend watching the film's lead character, Rebecca Bloomwood (Fisher), feel approximately 93 minutes too long. Fisher is a flame-haired actress who used to be known as Shannon in the Australian soap Home And Away, and is now more commmonly referred to as the other half of Sacha Baron Cohen, or as he is currently known, Bruno.
Here she plays a financially-incontinent journalist, the sort of woman who just can't pass a shoe shop without busting out her American Express. "Isn't that the best feeling in the world," muses our heroine at one point, discussing the point at which one of her 12 credit cards is swiped and approved in a store.
"A store can awaken a lust for things you didn't even know you needed," she says at another. Trouble is, her spending has landed her in $9,000 (Dh33,000) worth of debt, thanks to all the whispering, moving mannequins that seem to inhabit the shops she visits.
At this point, like a thirsty desert camel, we gratefully stumble on an amusing scene. Cue laughter. Here, Rebecca and her best friend, Suze (Krysten Ritter) go through the bills late one night and work out a fuzzy action plan. Even though Rebecca has lost her job at a gardening magazine, she will write a letter to the editor of the Vogue-like Alette magazine comparing financial good health to a stiletto shoe. But in a quirky twist of fate, of the kind that this film is heavily reliant on, the letter ends up in the hands of the editor from another magazine in the Alette stable: Successful Saving.
The end. Rebecca works there for years and finally pays off her debt.
If only that were true. The rest is almost too tedious to relate, but here goes. Upon landing a trial at this financial magazine, Rebecca writes a piece comparing a store card to a cashmere coat. Brilliant. See what Rebecca did again there? She fuses fashion and finance because that seems to be the only way that this halfwit can understand anything that's not "Prada-speak", as she terms it later. (Just one of many product placements throughout the film - be on your guard.) For some reason, there ensues the meteoric rise of Rebecca's financial journalism career. Through her absurd analogies, she becomes an internationally famous columnist. Take that, Financial Times. All you need is a dizzy redhead spouting nonsense, none of that careful analysis needed; get rid of all that actual data.
Along the way there is a tenuous love story that develops between Rebecca and her editor, Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy). And a eye-wateringly embarrassing role from Kristin Scott-Thomas, who must have had a lobotomy before signing up for the role as the frosty editor of Alette. She seems to have been aiming for something like Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada.
Rebecca gets one or two points for finishing the film marginally less irritating than she is when you start on the one-and-a-half hour wreck of a movie. By the end, she can walk past a department-store window without venturing in and Fisher's hammed-up slapstick comedy - scrambling across tables and into objects - has tapered off.
One peculiarity which might strike you, however, is over her sense of style. Elmo meets Big Bird is about right, with fluffy coats in almost every scene. For one so devoted to shopping, it seems odd that she can't dig out anything less furry. But then you learn that her character was styled by Patricia Field of Sex and the City fame, and all becomes horribly clear.
The film, directed by PJ Hogan (Muriel's Wedding, My Best Friend's Wedding), was bludgeoned together from two of the five books in the Shopaholic series, by the British writer Sophie Kinsella. Bruckheimer has previously threatened to make something of the final three. Here's hoping that the recession has sufficiently curbed his own spending power.
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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MATCH INFO
Bangla Tigers 108-5 (10 ovs)
Ingram 37, Rossouw 26, Pretorius 2-10
Deccan Gladiators 109-4 (9.5 ovs)
Watson 41, Devcich 27, Wiese 2-15
Gladiators win by six wickets
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
'Project Power'
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Rating: 3.5/5
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.