Frothy, film-inspired funfest "Legally Blonde: The Musical" won three big prizes at London’s Laurence Olivier theater awards Sunday, while Andrew Lloyd Webber’s "Love Never Dies" went home empty-handed despite seven nominations. "Legally Blonde" was named best new musical at Britain’s equivalent of Broadway’s Tonys. Star Sheridan Smith was crowned best actress in a musical, and …

Hello, I am trying to be an Egyptian revolutionary from abroad. I am aggravated at the fear of changing Egyptian dishes from their agreed upon state. We’re all watching as our food culture dies a slow death and we’re doing nothing about it. So I ask you, as an Egyptian, if I change something Egyptians …

Ron Sexsmith doesn’t want your pity. He wants your attention. The Canadian singer-songwriter hired producer Bob Rock, known for his work with hard rock bands Metallica and Motley Crue, to give his delicate voice and melodies a beefier sound that might be more attractive to radio stations. His latest album, "Long Player Late Bloomer," released …

Charlie Sheen was fired Monday from "Two and a Half Men" by Warner Bros. Television following the hard-living actor’s bouts of wild partying, repeated hospitalizations and a bitter media campaign against his studio bosses. The action was taken after "careful consideration" and was effective immediately, the studio said in a statement. No decision has been …

Rio’s two nights of famously extravagant Carnival parades began late Sunday in a burst of fireworks and to the cheers of festival goers who have been partying on the streets for days. The processions, featuring near-naked dancing queens, spectacularly imaginative floats and thousands of extras, were being held Sunday and Monday before a stadium crowd …

CAIRO: US television talk show star Oprah Winfrey is to host a live show from Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of a revolution that ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, a report said Friday. Egypt’s new tourism minister Munir Fakhri Abdelnur was quoted by the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper as saying Winfrey had accepted an invitation "without …

Martial arts fantasy flick "The Last Airbender" swept the board at the pre-Oscar Razzie awards for worst movies of 2010 Saturday, while "Sex and the City 2" also won one of the dubious honors. "Airbender," a box office hit but a critical miss, took the Golden Raspberry for worst movie, worst director, worst screenplay and …

T hough not all Egyptians participated directly in the revolution from day one of protests, many individuals and companies have quickly mobilized to continue the effort of reform and change by creating initiatives to encourage civic involvement across communities in Egypt. Nile Radio Productions is one such company, leading two separate campaigns on their Arabic-language and …

PARIS: Orangutans are far more genetically diverse than thought, a finding that could help their survival, say scientists delivering their first full DNA analysis of the critically-endangered ape. The study, published Thursday in the science journal Nature, also reveals that the orangutan — "the man of the forest" — has hardly evolved over the last …

By Denis D. Gray/ AP BANGKOK – Many Asians believe the Year of the Rabbit means good luck for those born under that zodiac sign, but conservationists warn that the furry creatures themselves are being loved to death in Asia and some species are dying away altogether. As the Lunar New Year approaches, rabbits are …

Vampires, werewolves and airbenders lead the pack at the Razzies, an Academy Awards spoof that hands out prizes for the year’s worst films. The blockbuster supernatural tale "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" and the action fantasy "The Last Airbender" tied for the most nominations Monday with nine each, including worst picture. Also nominated for worst picture …

The British furniture brand Andrew Martin has opened its first store in Egypt at Designopolis. Previously, a small selection of the brand had been stocked at Artissimo, a furniture gallery located in Garden City. The success of the brand in Egypt was due to several factors: modern designs that hint at vintage points of inspiration, …

Who else can one rely on in Egypt to remind us of our fashionable and nationalistic inclinations other than Azza Fahmy? The woman who defined “Bedouin chic” made local jewelry something to covet, be inspired by and take pride in; reminding us season after season what’s special about being Egyptian. Within days of the unfortunate …

Grays and blacks dominated the catwalks Tuesday as Giorgio Armani, DSquared2 and Neil Barrett wound up the fourth and last day of the Milan’s men fashion shows for autumn-winter 2011-2012. Armani presented grey in all its incarnations — stone coal, blue-grey, grayish-green, with jackets with strong shoulders and clean silhouettes. Overcoats and fur-lined leather coats, …

When the hustle and bustle of Cairo traffic seems too much to bear, and your body is aching with the stress of hard work, long hours of commuting and poor sleeping patterns, get thee to a spa. In the heart of Mohandiseen on Aswan Square, Manuela Thai Spa is located just round the corner from …

NEW YORK – Libraries have been lending e-books for longer than there’s been a Kindle, but until recently only a few devices worked with them. That’s changed in the past few months with the arrival of software for reading library e-books on some popular devices: iPhones, iPads and Android-powered smart phones. However, I’m sad to …

WASHINGTON – There’s new hope for an overlooked epidemic: Two powerful drugs are nearing the market that promise to help cure many more people of liver-attacking hepatitis C — even though most who have the simmering infection don’t know it yet. Surprisingly, two-thirds of hepatitis C sufferers are thought to be baby boomers who’ve harbored …

A chance introduction to Buttered Up, a food blog run by 26-year-old Sarah Khanna currently based in Kuala Lumpur, gave me thoughts that perhaps, the kitchen isn’t too daunting a cave in one’s house to step into. Buttered Up has been causing quite a stir in Egypt as people pass on by word of mouth …

"Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes From the Modern Middle East,” edited by Reza Aslan: The West’s perception of the Middle East as mysterious, exotic and savage has changed little since the days of Napoleon more than 200 years ago. The new anthology "Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes From the Modern Middle East," edited by University …

How do you get a long-suffering but little-known slice of Africa on the White House agenda and onto American TV screens? George Clooney knows how. Humble, self-effacing and dressed for safari, the Hollywood star and former Sexiest Man Alive was in the scruffy, straw-hut capital of Southern Sudan on Saturday to draw attention to the …

Annie Hemmesch knew there was a market for high-tech winter gloves when she saw her mother answer an iPhone call from her father. "She brought it to her face and slid her nose on it," Hemmesch, of Chicago, said. "She said it was too cold to take her gloves off." Last February, Hemmesch, her mother …

Instead of unveiling an elegant response to the iPad, Microsoft came to the tech industry’s premier gadget show with a collection of exposed computer guts. Microsoft’s biggest news was that the next version of Windows would run on the style of mobile phone chips that power the iPad and other tablets today. It proved it …

  Seemingly overnight, a home grown frozen youghurt franchise Maybe Two has opened a small yet charming outlet in Zamalek, next door to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf café.   The opening of the new store seems to be following the rising trend of frozen yoghurt in the food industry abroad. It isn’t clear …

Beirut’s iconic Glass Cafe, which dates back to Ottoman times, shuts its doors this week, taking with it a slice of the Lebanese capital’s cultural and political heritage. "The history of this cafe is closely intertwined with the history of Beirut," said Angele Abi Haidar, 50, whose family has operated the Glass Cafe — which …

Long before Virgin Megastore opened its doors to the Egyptian public, there was Game Valley; a shop that catered to every geek’s and gamer’s needs. Game Valley was the talk of the town when the gamer culture was still new in Egypt. The shop usually stocked wicked posters to make any geek green with envy, …

Bustling marketplaces always add a particular flair to any city in Egypt, and Alexandria’s markets are no exception. In addition to its Mediterranean spirit, soothing sea view of the Corniche and laidback atmosphere, the city of Alexandria possesses one of the most interesting and popular markets known to date: Zan’et El-Sittat. Loosely translated as ‘women’s …

When it comes to exercise and workout spots in Cairo, the city has a lot to offer in different areas and for diverse budgets. WOW is a low-key yet warm and cosy workout studio in Zamalek that has relied on word of mouth from satisfied clients to gain popularity. WOW stands for workout women, but …

A new Bollywood film comes out this week based on the real-life murder of a fashion model by the son of a leading lawmaker, in a case that cast a spotlight on the corrupt nexus of police and politics. "No One Killed Jessica" tracks the fight for justice for Jessica Lal, who was working as …

CAIRO: Egypt witnessed a partial solar eclipse on Tuesday that lasted for almost two hours. It was observed throughout the Middle East and a portion of Europe. Many tourists observed the event at the Giza Pyramids. The American University in Cairo (AUC) hosted a public event at its downtown campus to give people a chance …

Nearly half of North America’s independent book stores have closed in the past decade. Book store chains are struggling. E-books are all the rage. Even so, Brett Wickard is defying logic by adding books to the inventory at his Bull Moose record shop, devoting 3,500 square feet of space, aisles of shelves and 22,000 books …