50 Cent draws in celebrity friends’ star ‘Power’ to his show
50 Cent will continue as the show's producer despite his character being killed off
The rapper has plans to bring in some of his other celebrity friends into the show
Updated 10 September 2018
William Mullally
DUBAI: 50 Cent’s character was killed in the latest episode of his hit television show “Power,” airing in the Middle East on Starz Play Arabia, but that does not mean that he will be stepping away.
Before becoming a ratings winner and the flagship show of the network, “Power” attracted viewers through 50 Cent being heavily promoted as its executive producer. The rapper brought a sense of realism to the African-American-led crime drama, a role he will continue to hold.
As a producer, 50 Cent has assisted the show in more ways than one. In a recent episode, he brought in Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar for his acting debut on the show, a performance that garnered positive reviews from fans and critics.
“His response, just the general public’s response to his performance, was more encouraging than me. It was a huge response,” 50 Cent told Arab News.
50 Cent has plans to bring in some of his other celebrity friends as well. After their successful collaboration in the 2018 film “Den of Thieves,” 50 Cent and Gerard Butler have spoken about Butler potentially coming on the program. According to 50 Cent, “Den of Thieves” outperformed expectations because of how well the two of them got along, both on screen and off.
“With ‘Den of Thieves,’ we came in seven million over what they projected and they accounted that to my involvement and the things that we were doing marketing-wise during the promo. Me and Gerard, I think that also opened his interest and having the audience coming out to see him and me,” said 50 Cent.
Power’s audience overlaps strongly with Butler’s, 50 Cent said. “They love Gerard Butler, the same audience watching ‘Power,’ but they love when he’s playing aggressive characters like in ‘300’ or in ‘Law Abiding Citizen.’”
Who would be his dream guest star? 50 Cent did not hesitate to answer.
“Oh, De Niro. I’d bring De Niro. And he’s in New York! He’s always the dream guy to get.”
Co-founder of digital platform The Open Crate shares Art Basel top picks
Updated 21 June 2025
Arab News
BASEL: Tunisian art expert Amina Debbiche, who co-founded digital art platform The Open Crate alongside Nora Mansour, shares her top artworks from Switzerland’s Art Basel contemporary art fair, which wraps up on Sunday.
Amina Debbiche. (Supplied)
The Open Crate allows clients to digitalize their entire collection, whether it be artwork, design objects or luxury items.
Yto Barrada at Sfeir-Semler Gallery
“I first discovered Yto Barrada’s work at the Arsenale during the 2011 Venice Biennale and was instantly captivated by her poetic and political approach. Since then, I’ve followed her brilliant trajectory across film, photography, textiles, and installation. Born in Paris and raised in Tangier, her practice explores themes of memory, displacement, and resistance. We’ve now come full circle - she will represent France at the upcoming Venice Biennale, curated by Myriam Ben Salah.”
Yto Barrada’s work at Art Basel. (Supplied)
Alia Farid’s ‘Elsewhere’ at Art Basel Unlimited
Alia Farid’s ‘Elsewhere’ at Art Basel Unlimited. (Supplied)
“Alia Farid’s ‘Elsewhere’ deeply moved me with its layered storytelling and political tenderness. The work maps Arab and South Asian migration to Latin America and the Caribbean through handwoven rugs made with Iraqi weavers. It documents hybrid identities, memory, and solidarity across geographies. I’ve long admired how Alia reclaims overlooked narratives with such poetic clarity. Her voice feels both urgent and timeless.”
Eunnam Hong’s ‘Safeway’ at Mendes Wood DM booth
“Eunnam Hong’s painting … stopped me in my tracks — cinematic, hyper-stylized, and effortlessly cool. With nods to Cindy Sherman and K-drama aesthetics, the Korean artist explores identity and performance through staged, uncanny tableaus. Her figures- drenched in soft light, wrapped in curlers and headscarves, clutching vitamin D and Safeway bags - feel both retro and unmistakably now. It’s suburban surrealism meets generational moodboard, complete with Converse and quiet rebellion. Hong is one of the most compelling contemporary voices out there - sharp, relatable, and iconic in the making.
Eunnam Hong’s ‘Safeway’ at Mendes Wood DM booth. (Supplied)
Simone Fattal’s ‘Music On My Mind’ (2024)
“Simone Fattal is a Syrian Lebanese artist whose sculptural practice draws from archaeology, poetry, and mythology to explore themes of memory, exile, and resilience. Born in Damascus and raised in Beirut, she has created only a few large-scale sculptures, making each one rare and significant. Her works are held in major collections including MoMA, Centre Pompidou, and the Sharjah Art Foundation … I was drawn to “Music On My Mind” for its quiet power — the naive, totemic form and subtle reference to sound felt deeply poetic.”
Simone Fattal’s ‘Music On My Mind’ (2024). (Supplied)
M'barek Bouhchichi’s ‘Terr
M'barek Bouhchichi’s ‘Terra’ series (2024)
Noah Davis’s ‘The Goat from Grayson’ (2008) at David Zwirner
“I love this work for its quiet intensity and material poetry and Selma Feriani, who presents it, is one of the few truly independent voices from the region to make it to Art Basel with a consistently bold program. M’barek Bouhchichi, born in southeastern Morocco, lives and works in Tahanaout, Morocco. The artist collaborates with women artisans to create henna-dyed wool works that evoke both landscape and memory. His ‘Terra’ series explores cultural links between Morocco and Mali through ancestral weaving techniques. These minimal, earthy compositions blur the line between textile and painting. A major solo show in Tunis is coming this September.”
Noah Davis’s ‘The Goat from Grayson’ (2008) at David Zwirner
“I’ve always been drawn to Noah Davis’s ability to create scenes that feel both dreamlike and grounded in Black lived experience. “The Goat from Grayson” (2008), shown here at David Zwirner, captures his signature blend of poetic realism, rich symbolism and painterly tenderness. The glowing tree, the quiet tension, and the spiritual undertone pull you in. Davis, who passed away tragically young at 32, was not only a brilliant painter but also the founder of The Underground Museum in Los Angeles, a vital space for Black art and community. His work was the subject of a major retrospective at the Hammer Museum in 2020, cementing his legacy as one of the most influential artists of his generation.”
Eric Fischl’s ‘After the Funeral’ (2017)
“Eric Fischl’s paintings often feel like paused movie scenes, loaded with tension, memory, and unspoken drama. I was instantly drawn to these two women, something about the cigarette, the ice cube, the gaze, it felt like I’d stumbled into a Woody Allen film mid-conversation. Fischl captures that strange mix of intimacy and detachment with uncanny precision. A key figure of American figurative painting since the 1980s, his work explores suburban psychology and social dynamics. He is represented by Skarstedt, a gallery known for championing major contemporary artists like David Salle, Cindy Sherman, and George Condo.”
Eric Fischl’s ‘After the Funeral’ (2017)
Sheila Hicks’s ‘Lianes Etoiles’ (2020)
“Sheila Hicks’s ‘Lianes Etoiles’ is pure visual rhythm. Its vibrant threads, soft textures, and sculptural layering instantly drew me in. There is something meditative and sensual about the way the colors pulse across the surface. Hicks, a pioneer of textile art, has redefined fiber as a sculptural and painterly medium for over six decades. This piece feels both contemporary and ancestral, like a coded language of color and craft. It is shown by Alison Jacques, a gallery that consistently champions strong, visionary practices.”
Wael Shawky’s ‘I Am Hymns of The New Temples: Pompeii glass amphora (#06)’ (2023) at the booth of Lia Rumma
“Wael Shawky’s amphora sculptures are a masterclass in historical layering and contemporary wit. Representing the Egyptian Pavilion at the last Venice Biennale, his work was among the most celebrated and nearly won the Golden Lion. The video “Drama 1882” retelling of the ’Urabi revolution that was co‑funded through support from Mai Eldib, who organised key patronage, was later acquired by a major institution in the Middle East. These Murano glass forms, draped in ornate textiles, are as subtle as they are rich in reference. Shawky continues to expand the visual language of Arab myth, ritual, and storytelling with quiet force.”
Wael Shawky’s ‘I Am Hymns of The New Temples: Pompeii glass amphora (#06)’ (2023) at the booth of Lia Rumma
Amoako Boafo’s ‘Floral One Piece’ (2025) at Gagosian Gallery’s booth
“This striking portrait by Amoako Boafo was exhibited at the Gagosian booth, where the brilliant Rola Wazni, director of Gagosian Paris, walked me through a presentation curated by Francesco Bonami. Boafo, originally from Ghana and based in Vienna, is known for his lush finger-painted figures and bold exploration of Black identity and presence. His textured brushwork and floral detailing here are both tender and defiant. The composition radiates quiet power, dignity, and individuality. Rolla’s sharp eye and grace made the experience even more memorable.”
Amoako Boafo’s ‘Floral One Piece’ (2025) at Gagosian Gallery’s booth
Maurizio Cattelan and Rudofl Stingel at Gagosian Gallery’s booth
“Gagosian’s booth at Art Basel 2025, curated by Francesco Bonami, offered a brilliantly irreverent pairing of Maurizio Cattelan’s ‘No’ (2021) and Rudolf Stingel’s ‘Untitled’ (2012). Cattelan’s kneeling figure in a suit, head covered by a paper bag, delivers a biting satire of modern-day capitalism and mental health collapse — a man caught between denial and trauma, refusing to face symbolic castration or mortality. Stingel’s silvery abstraction provided a haunting, meditative counterpoint, echoing themes of absence and ego. Together, the works reflected on visibility, repression, and the absurd rituals of the art world. The result was a sharp, minimalist statement that lingered long after.”
Gigi Hadid’s latest cashmere launch inspired by New York
Updated 21 June 2025
Arab News
DUBAI: US Palestinian Dutch supermodel and brand founder Gigi Hadid has released her latest collection — and a new summer campaign — under her cashmere label Guest in Residence.
The new line was inspired by New York, according to Hadid, who founded her brand in 2022.
“I’m endlessly inspired by New York City — a place I’ve called home for many years — and the notion that we’re all guests here. For our collection, we embrace the great duality every New Yorker faces in Summer: the thrill of a busy day in the city, paired with the urge to hop in a car with friends and escape to somewhere quiet and laid-back. No matter where you find yourself, our cashmere pieces embrace a spirit of timelessness that always works,” Hadid is quoted as saying on the Guest in Residence Instagram page.
The launch was complemented by a video campaign shared on social media, in which Hadid is joined by fellow models as they explore New York in the summer.
Paolo Santosuosso acted as the campaign’s art director, while the looks were styled by Elizabeth Fraser-Bell.
Hadid launched her clothing label, which features soft, colorful knitwear, in September 2022.
“Over the last handful of years, I didn’t want to be backed into starting my own line just because there was an offer on the table or a deal to be made,” she wrote to her followers on Instagram at the time.
“The earliest days of Guest in Residence came about when I started to question the cashmere market, and those answers gave me a path,” she added.
“I believe that because of its sustainable qualities — natural and made to cherish and to pass down — cashmere is a luxury that should be more accessible.”
Celebrities including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Swift and Bradley Cooper have been spotted wearing the label’s designs.
In June, Hadid also unveiled a new campaign with Brazilian footwear brand Havaianas.
The model, who launched a line with the flip flop label, starred in a vintage-inspired series of photographs. In the shots, she shows off slippers from her collection with the brand and is seen wearing retro outfits on a beach.
Post Malone to headline 2025 Esports World Cup opening ceremony in Riyadh
Updated 20 June 2025
Arab News
DUBAI: US rapper Post Malone – known for tracks like “Rockstar,” “I Had Some Help” and “Sunflower” – will perform will headline the opening ceremony of the 2025 Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The rap and country music artist will hit the stage in Riyadh on July 10.
In August 2020, the singer became part of Envy Gaming‘s ownership group, taking an undisclosed stake in the company, Esports Insider reporter of the North American organization that has since merged with Native Gaming.
The singer will return to the region to perform at the 2025 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Friday Dec. 5.
Malone previously performed at the 2018 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He then returned in 2022, taking to the stage at Etihad Park.
Two Dubai restaurants make World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list
Updated 21 June 2025
Arab News
DUBAI: Two restaurants in Dubai made the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list, which was unveiled on Thursday.
Orfali Bros placed 37th, while Trèsind Studio came in at 27.
“The Orfali brothers from Aleppo, Syria, have created a genuinely unique dining experience in multi-cultural Dubai,” the guide read.
“There are three brothers: Mohamad (head chef), Wassim and Omar, pastry chefs. They mix traditional Syrian staples with pan-regional favorites, and European culinary tropes with Asian ingredients to create a menu that defies categorization.”
The restaurant also has one Michelin star.
Meanwhile, Indian eatery Trèsind Studio, which has three Michelin stars, was awarded No. 27 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list.
In a released statement, head chef Himanshu Saini said: “Being named #27 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is a celebration of the team, our culture, and the flavors that inspire everything we do. This honor reinforces our belief that modern Indian cuisine belongs on the world stage while staying true to our heritage.”
The restaurant was also awarded The Best Restaurant in the Middle East 2025 top spot.
“Dining at Trèsind Studio, now located on The Palm Jumeirah, can be a dramatic experience, with just 20 seats available. As you progress through the tasting menu, expect to be relocated to different areas of the restaurant, each carefully curated to match the plates in front of you, cooked by chef Himanshu Saini,” the Best Restaurant guide read.
The World's 50 Best Restaurants list is annually created by William Reed Business Media. It collates the opinion of more than 1,000 international restaurant industry experts, including chefs and food writers who vote for their favorite dining experiences.
DUBAI: Make your summer travel plans with music in mind
Glastonbury
Where: Wiltshire, England
When: June 25-29
What: Glastonbury has a convincing claim to being the world’s most famous festival, and regularly attracts more than 200,000 people to the Somerset countryside to see a diverse lineup that — apart from music megastars — includes stand-up comedy, circus acts, theater performances and more. This year’s Pyramid Stage headliners are English pop-rock outfit The 1975, US veteran Neil Young, and US singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, while top of the bill on The Other Stage are UK hip-hop star Loyle Carner, the inspiration behind last year’s ‘Brat Summer’ Charli XCX, and seminal electronic-music act The Prodigy. Elsewhere, there really is something for all tastes.
Other must-see acts: Raye, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Rod Stewart, Biffy Clyro, Noah Kahan, The Big Moon, Wolf Alice, Doechii, Wet Leg
What: A regular award-winner, Tomorrowland is one of the world’s best electronic dance music festivals. A reported 400,000 people attended last year’s event in De Schorre recreational park, which also accommodates the festival’s official campsite, DreamVille. This year’s Mainstage headliners include Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, and Swedish House Mafia, but there’s also plenty of less-mainstream acts performing over the festival’s two weekends on its 14 stages.
Other must-see acts: Steve Aoki, Afrojack, Charlotte De Witte (pictured), Alok, ANNA, Amelie Lens, Eric Prydz
What: It may no longer be seen as quite the cultural thermometer it once was, but Lollapalooza is still an eclectic feast for music lovers — booking acts from genres including alt-rock, metal, punk, pop, hip-hop and EDM — and attracts around 400,000 people every year to its home in Chicago. This year’s headliners include Australian alt-dance group Rüfüs Du Sol; US rap star Tyler, The Creator; Olivia Rodrigo; and US singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter.
Other must-see acts: A$AP Rocky, Twice, Luke Combs, Gracie Abrams, Cage The Elephant, Bleachers, Doechii, Martin Garrix
All Together Now
Where: Waterford, Ireland
When: July 31-Aug. 3
What: The great joy of Irish festival All Together Now is the hidden gems further down the lineup, as well as the ‘sideshows’ of art, spoken word, comedy, theater and wellness in a gorgeous setting. Since its inception, All Together Now has built a reputation for having a deep bench full of quality. So while the headliners — who this year include Fontaines D.C., Nelly Furtado, and London Grammar — aren’t on the megastar scale of the world’s major festivals, this festival is still well worth a visit.
Other must-see acts: Wet Leg, Leftfield, Michael Kiwanuka, Infinity Song, Gurriers, Glasshouse
Osheaga
Where: Montreal, Canada
When: Aug. 1-3
What: Spread over six stages in Montreal’s beautiful Parc Jean-Drapeau, Osheaga focuses on up-and-coming acts as well as major names and incorporates a variety of genres. Other attractions apart from the music include volleypong, a Ferris wheel, and art exhibitions. This year’s headliners on the main Bell River Stage are US pop-rock giants The Killers; Tyler, The Creator; and Olivia Rodrigo.
Other must-see acts: Doechii, Glass Animals, Lucy Dacus, The Chainsmokers, Gracie Abrams, Jamie xx, The Beaches, FINNEAS
What: Sometimes called “Europe’s Burning Man,” both because of its size (around 1,000 performances each year) and its weird side attractions — including a very odd amusement park — Sziget takes place on the breathtaking Old Buda Island on the River Danube. Headliners on the main stage this year include Charli XCX (pictured), Canadian singer Shawn Mendes, US rapper A$AP Rocky, American rapper and singer Post Malone, and US singer-songwriter Chappell Roan.
Other must-see acts: FKA Twigs, The Last Dinner Party, Mother, Empire of the Sun, Justice, Amelie Lens, Caribou, Armin van Buuren
Reading & Leeds
Where: Reading and Leeds, England
When: Aug. 21-24
What: With the same lineup performing on different nights in two different venues a couple hundred miles apart, Reading & Leeds usually attracts a total of more than 200,000 people to shows that tend to focus on indie and alternative music as well as hip-hop. This year’s headliners are Irish rocker Hozier (pictured), Chappell Roan, English rock band Bring Me The Horizon, and US rapper Travis Scott.
Other must-see acts: Limp Bizkit, Becky Hill, The Kooks, D-Block Europe, Amyl and the Sniffers, Rudim3ntal, Red Rum Club