Carly Rae Jepsen. Stuart Wilson / Getty Images
Carly Rae Jepsen. Stuart Wilson / Getty Images

The year in pop culture



? february

The death of Whitney Houston
Happily, 2012 will be characterised by the effervescent jollity of Gangnam Style and Carly Rae Jepson's Call Me Maybe. But the year began soberly with the news of Whitney Houston's death at the age of just 48 in the bath of her Beverly Hills hotel room. Despite the warning signs – and there were many – it somehow seemed inconceivable that a singer synonymous with the carefree pop of I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) and the lung-busting ballad I Will Always Love You was struggling so terribly in her private life. Depressing.

? february
Carly Rae Jepsen
makes perfect pop song... maybe

There's one easy way to measure the cultural currency of a song; how quickly it spawns YouTube covers. This year, everyone wanted a piece of Carly Rae Jepsen's perfect pop tune, from lip-synced videos by Justin Bieber to versions by the US Military in Afghanistan and, er, the Cookie Monster. Number 1 in 19 x thanks to the nagging staccato strings of the chorus and its sheer happy-go-lucky evocation of teen infatuation, as a pop song, Call Me Maybe was flawless in its simplicity.

? june

Karl Lagerfeld’s savvy cat

"I'm a famous beauty who refuses to eat on the floor and my maids pamper my every need. I am Choupette Lagerfeld and I am a spoiled pussy." As ways of introducing yourself on Twitter this year, Chanel's head designer Karl Lagerfeld's cat took some beating. We learnt that little Choupette flies by private jet, is an iPad fan and sleeps in Chanel cast-offs. Sounds ridiculous? The joke is actually rather amusing – 'If i wear red lipstick does that make me an alley cat?' –  and as Lagerfeld himself said, tongue firmly out of cheek, Choupette has become the most famous cat in the world, not least because she often disagrees with her owner. Catty indeed. Next!

? october

Kim Kardashian is properly in love... for now

You will forgive us for suggesting, in this very same column last year, that Kim Kardashian's approach to relationships was entirely based on the US$17.9 million she made from celebrity magazines eager to cover her 72-day marriage to basketball player Kris Humphries. What cynics we were, because Kardashian and Kanye West are the real deal, as proved by, er, a romantic trip to Rome for her birthday in October where, rather than gaze into each other's eyes over pasta, she performed a wardrobe change in between courses. Still, after causing a near-riot in Bahrain outside a Millions of Milkshakes shop, it pays to be prepared – and she does have a lot of new clothes to get through. West bought her a whole new wardrobe last month. Celebrity lurve, huh?

? november

One Direction

When the British boy band One Direction – who, let's remember, finished third in The X Factor in 2010 – released their second album Take Me Home in November, the frantic reaction sparked scenes not witnessed since Beatlemania. Well, maybe since New Kids on the Block. There were 1D hair straighteners, a 1D fragrance, and Morgan Spurlock began filming a documentary. Oh, and there was the small matter of Take Me Home topping the charts in a frankly ridiculous 35 different countries, including the US, and selling more than one million records in its first week. Why is this? They're cheeky chaps without being too threatening (which means lads think they're all right, mums would like to ruffle their hair and girls can imagine dating them), their pop-rock is the defining sound of the charts and they've worked ridiculously hard. The UAE date is surely (hopefully) a matter of months away.

? march

Pussy Riot shock Russia

It was cast as President Putin vs Punk, and sadly, in the end, nobody really won. Russian headlines said that the Russian feminist band Pussy Riot had incited "religious hatred" by recording a performance of Punk Prayer – Mother of God, Chase Putin Away! in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Really, it had been a political act of defiance and in March, to global uproar, they were arrested for "hooliganism". And while the support of Madonna, Lady Gaga, Green Day, Paul McCartney and many more actually embarrassed the trio – they're all part of the capitalist system they despise, apparently – no amount of pressure helped. In August, they were sentenced to two years in a penal colony.

? may
Jennifer Lopez becomes all powerful

We do like a good list at The National. So when Forbes released its countdown of the most powerful celebrities on the planet in 2012, we expected to see Steven Spielberg, or Oprah Winfrey. Maybe even Justin Bieber. You know, people who make a contribution to the important business of distracting us from the drudgery of daily life. But no. Jennifer Lopez, who has neither released a good album or been in a good film since about 2001, apparently lords it over all pop culture. How this has come to pass, nobody appears to know. She was a judge on American Idol and crops up on L'Oreal adverts now and then, but when she performed in Dubai months later, the November 22 gig was sold out.

? april

Pippa Middleton and the British Royal Family

Of course, Pippa is only the sister of the future queen of Britain. So she probably thought – despite essentially featuring on the internet behemoth Mail Online every day –  that going to a risqué fancy dress party dressed as Marie Antoinette was fine. It wasn't fine, however, for her to be snapped in a car the next morning with a guy waving a gun – even if it was an imitation one. Maybe that's why poor Pippa's guidebook to planning a party was a complete flop (but spawned a fantastic parody Twitter account, @pippatips). Still, at least such larks didn't put off her brother-in-law Harry, whose Las Vegas holiday snaps were, shall we say, revealing. The paparazzi are controversial. But the royal family don't half make it easy for them.

? july

Psy does Gangnam Style

Eh... sexy lady! In July, a stocky, 34-year-old South Korean uploaded his latest single to YouTube. He may not have had huge hopes for it; after all, it somehow juxtaposed a critique of a posh area of Seoul with a dance move involving riding a pretend horse – and was almost entirely in Korean. Five months later, however, Psy's Gangnam Style is the most watched video ever on YouTube and was enjoyed by a staggering one billion people. There are parody versions by the students of Eton, even Christmas lights on English houses have been set to the music. No wonder, then, that Psy was hailed by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, as a "force for world peace". Warring factions solving their problems by pretending to ride horses to a dance beat? We'd like to see it.

? september

Chris Brown and Rihanna:
the saga continues

In September, Rihanna released Diamonds. In the video, she hangs on to the arm of a man clearly meant to be Chris Brown – who would later appear on her seventh album, Unapologetic. This, if anyone needs reminding, is the man with whom, as Rihanna told police three years ago, she was engaged in an "ongoing and escalating abusive relationship". As she broke down on Oprah Winfrey's show, telling the world he was still the love of her life, Brown and Rihanna's will-they, won't-they love was certainly the most compelling love affair of the year. If, indeed, you can call dating a man who is on probation for beating you up a romance. At least Rihanna remained in charge. After seeing that Brown had stepped out with his ex-girlfriend, Karrueche Tran, she seemed ready to move on, tweeting: "Examine what you tolerate. Goodbye." Although the wording may have been slightly stronger than that.

? august

Tig Notaro makes fun of cancer

When the US comedian Tig Notaro walked on to a West Hollywood stage in August, she wasn't really in the mood. Two days before, the 41-year-old found out she had breast cancer. In the previous four months she'd had pneumonia, nearly died from a gut infection, split up from her partner and buried her mother. Reckoning that things couldn't get much worse, her opening line was: "Good evening, hello! I have cancer, how are you?" and she then proceeded to improvise a brilliantly hilarious, life-affirming set. Fired by word of mouth – and the fact her performance was recorded and swiftly available for download on the Emmy-winning Louis CK's website – Notaro became hot property almost overnight, signing a book deal and hammering the chat show circuit. But best of all, the cancer is now in remission.

? december

Winner of The Voice, Mourad Barouki

When The National spoke to the rising Dubai hip-hop star Fadl recently, talk immediately turned to The Voice. "It's all my parents watch," he laughed. "I'm beginning to think they're obsessed with it." It was an experience matched in homes across the Emirates and the Middle East, as the Moroccan singer Mourad Barouki swept to victory last week. It wasn't a complete surprise – as The National noted before the final, he had the looks and the voice and really only needed a few rough edges knocked off. The chance to record with Lady Gaga's producer RedOne is quite a prize, but the real winners were the audience: this was great television, showcasing some fantastic talent from the Arab world. And as One Direction prove, you don't have to win a contest such as this to be successful.

SCORES

Multiply Titans 81-2 in 12.1 overs
(Tony de Zorzi, 34)

bt Auckland Aces 80 all out in 16 overs
(Shawn von Borg 4-15, Alfred Mothoa 2-11, Tshepo Moreki 2-16).

India team for Sri Lanka series

Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.

T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan

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'Brazen'

Director: Monika Mitchell

Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler

Rating: 3/5

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Teachers' pay - what you need to know

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

Result

6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)

7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby

7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby

8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m; Winner: Volcanic Sky, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor

8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Zainhom, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Price: from Dh155,000

On sale: now

Profile of Udrive

Date started: March 2016

Founder: Hasib Khan

Based: Dubai

Employees: 40

Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.

England World Cup squad

Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

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The Penguin

Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz

Creator: Lauren LeFranc

Rating: 4/5

Racecard

6.35pm: American Business Council – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m 

7.10pm: British Business Group – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,200m 

7.45pm: CCI France UAE – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m 

8.20pm: Czech Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,400m 

8.55pm: Netherlands Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m 

9.30pm: Indian Business and Professional Council – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m  

Baftas 2020 winners

BEST FILM

  • 1917 - Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jayne-Ann Tenggren
  • THE IRISHMAN - Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Martin Scorsese, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
  • JOKER - Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
  • ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
  • PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho, Kwak Sin-ae

DIRECTOR

  • 1917 - Sam Mendes
  • THE IRISHMAN - Martin Scorsese
  • JOKER - Todd Phillips
  • ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
  • PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

  • 1917 - Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
  • BAIT - Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite
  • FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
  • ROCKETMAN - Dexter Fletcher, Adam Bohling, David Furnish, David Reid, Matthew Vaughn, Lee Hall
  • SORRY WE MISSED YOU  - Ken Loach, Rebecca O’Brien, Paul Laverty
  • THE TWO POPES - Fernando Meirelles, Jonathan Eirich, Dan Lin, Tracey Seaward, Anthony McCarten

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

  • THE FAREWELL - Lulu Wang, Daniele Melia
  • FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
  • PAIN AND GLORY - Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
  • PARASITE - Bong Joon-ho
  • PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE - Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur

LEADING ACTRESS

  • JESSIE BUCKLEY - Wild Rose
  • SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Marriage Story
  • SAOIRSE RONAN - Little Women
  • CHARLIZE THERON - Bombshell
  • RENÉE ZELLWEGER - Judy

LEADING ACTOR

  • LEONARDO DICAPRIO - Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
  • ADAM DRIVER - Marriage Story
  • TARON EGERTON - Rocketman
  • JOAQUIN PHOENIX - Joker
  • JONATHAN PRYCE - The Two Popes

SUPPORTING ACTOR

  • TOM HANKS - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
  • ANTHONY HOPKINS - The Two Popes
  • AL PACINO - The Irishman
  • JOE PESCI - The Irishman
  • BRAD PITT - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • LAURA DERN - Marriage Story
  • SCARLETT JOHANSSON - Jojo Rabbit
  • FLORENCE PUGH - Little Women
  • MARGOT ROBBIE - Bombshell
  • MARGOT ROBBIE - Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  • THE IRISHMAN - Steven Zaillian
  • JOJO RABBIT - Taika Waititi
  • JOKER - Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
  • LITTLE WOMEN - Greta Gerwig
  • THE TWO POPES - Anthony McCarten

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

  • BOOKSMART - Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman
  • KNIVES OUT - Rian Johnson
  • MARRIAGE STORY - Noah Baumbach
  • ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino
  • PARASITE - Han Jin Won, Bong Joon ho

DOCUMENTARY

  • AMERICAN FACTORY - Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
  • APOLLO 11 - Todd Douglas Miller
  • DIEGO MARADONA - Asif Kapadia
  • FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
  • THE GREAT HACK - Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaime

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

  • BAIT - Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)
  • FOR SAMA - Waad al-Kateab (Director/Producer), Edward Watts (Director)
  • MAIDEN - Alex Holmes (Director)
  • ONLY YOU - Harry Wootliff (Writer/Director)
  • RETABLO - Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio (Writer/Director)

ANIMATED FILM

  • FROZEN 2 - Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho
  • KLAUS - Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh
  • A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON - Will Becher, Richard Phelan, Paul Kewley
  • TOY STORY 4 - Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen

CASTING

  • JOKER - Shayna Markowitz
  • MARRIAGE STORY - Douglas Aibel, Francine Maisler
  • ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Victoria Thomas
  • THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD - Sarah Crowe
  • THE TWO POPES - Nina Gold

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)

  • AWKWAFINA
  • JACK LOWDEN
  • KAITLYN DEVER
  • KELVIN HARRISON JR.
  • MICHEAL WARD

CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • 1917 - Roger Deakins
  • THE IRISHMAN - Rodrigo Prieto
  • JOKER - Lawrence Sher
  • LE MANS ’66 - Phedon Papamichael
  • THE LIGHTHOUSE - Jarin Blaschke

EDITING

  • THE IRISHMAN - Thelma Schoonmaker
  • JOJO RABBIT - Tom Eagles
  • JOKER - Jeff Groth
  • LE MANS ’66 - Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker
  • ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Fred Raskin

COSTUME DESIGN

  • THE IRISHMAN - Christopher Peterson, Sandy Powell
  • JOJO RABBIT - Mayes C. Rubeo
  • JUDY - Jany Temime
  • LITTLE WOMEN - Jacqueline Durran
  • ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Arianne Phillips

PRODUCTION DESIGN

  • 1917 - Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales
  • THE IRISHMAN - Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
  • JOJO RABBIT - Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
  • JOKER - Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran
  • ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD - Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh

SOUND

  • 1917 - Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson
  • JOKER - Tod Maitland, Alan Robert Murray, Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic
  • LE MANS ’66 - David Giammarco, Paul Massey, Steven A. Morrow, Donald Sylvester
  • ROCKETMAN - Matthew Collinge, John Hayes, Mike Prestwood Smith, Danny Sheehan
  • STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - David Acord, Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood

ORIGINAL SCORE

  • 1917 - Thomas Newman
  • JOJO RABBIT - Michael Giacchino
  • JOKER - Hildur Guđnadóttir
  • LITTLE WOMEN - Alexandre Desplat
  • STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - John Williams

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

  • 1917 - Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron, Dominic Tuohy
  • AVENGERS: ENDGAME - Dan Deleeuw, Dan Sudick
  • THE IRISHMAN - Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli, Pablo Helman
  • THE LION KING - Andrew R. Jones, Robert Legato, Elliot Newman, Adam Valdez
  • STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER - Roger Guyett, Paul Kavanagh, Neal Scanlan, Dominic Tuohy

MAKE UP & HAIR

  • 1917 - Naomi Donne
  • BOMBSHELL - Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan
  • JOKER - Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
  • JUDY - Jeremy Woodhead
  • ROCKETMAN - Lizzie Yianni Georgiou

BRITISH SHORT FILM

  • AZAAR - Myriam Raja, Nathanael Baring
  • GOLDFISH - Hector Dockrill, Harri Kamalanathan, Benedict Turnbull, Laura Dockrill
  • KAMALI - Sasha Rainbow, Rosalind Croad
  • LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL) - Carol Dysinger, Elena Andreicheva
  • THE TRAP - Lena Headey, Anthony Fitzgerald

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

  • GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC - Maryam Mohajer
  • IN HER BOOTS - Kathrin Steinbacher
  • THE MAGIC BOAT  - Naaman Azh
Results

4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Emblem Storm, Oisin Murphy (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).

4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.

5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Wildman Jack, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill.

5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.

6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.

6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Matterhorn, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.

7.30pm: Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Loxley, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

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