Despite decades spent playing sober commanders and serious captains, Leslie Nielsen insisted that he was always made for comedy. He proved it in his career’s second act. "Surely you can’t be serious," an airline passenger says to Nielsen in "Airplane!" the 1980 hit that turned the actor from dramatic leading man to comic star. "I …

By Chris Talbott/ AP Growing up, Laura and Lydia Rogers always felt like outsiders, country music-loving wallflowers in a world that had forgotten its musical roots. Today they’re known as The Secret Sisters and they’re suddenly cool. Thanks to the help of two of music’s most influential tastemakers — T Bone Burnett and Jack White — …

Alicia Keys and Lady Gaga take charity work seriously, and they’re going offline to prove it. Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Usher and other celebrities have joined a new campaign called Digital Life Sacrifice on behalf of Keys’ charity, Keep a Child Alive. The entertainers plan to sign off of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter …

There may be no item of clothing quite as controversial as the fur. And yet fur is everywhere this season, in ways that designers hope will take some of the edge away from its usual critics. Some top labels, including Chanel and Nina Ricci, put faux fur on the runway that was indistinguishable even by …

Fashionistas swarmed H&M’s Champs Elysees flagship store Tuesday, after queuing through the night to get their hands on a party dress from Lanvin’s limited edition collection for the budget chain. The line by Lanvin’s Israeli designer Alber Elbaz went on sale in 200 H&M stores worldwide after a pre-launch Saturday in North America, the latest …

If in Lebanon, you might spot a woman or two wearing necklaces made with old pendants, ribbon and chains and wish you could be bold enough to ask where it’s from. Or perhaps, you might inquisitively wonder to yourself, whether that small bag embroidered with colorful beaded threads and pearls she’s carrying has been passed …

Launching earlier this week was CairoScene.com, a new website that along with others launched earlier this year (Cairo360, yala7wy, Cairozoom) highlight several things about new social habits: Cairo residents want to be constantly kept up to speed about what events and parties are happening in town and where. They want a forum to gossip about …

Alexandrians love their seafood and everyone has their favorite restaurants when it comes to feasting on fresh fish. With a picturesque view of the Mediterranean Sea and a reputation for fresh fish, Fish Market is a popular choice for Alexandrians and tourists alike. Perched on the second floor, with an unobstructed view of the sea, …

With its hectic traffic and heavy pollution, Cairo is definitely not easy on your nerves or mental health. Even if you sweat it out on a treadmill, a lot of pent-up stress can manifest itself in your tense joints, your hips and your glands. Vinyasa yoga is a principle of Ashtanga yoga that focuses on …

For all that Cairo’s nightlife has to offer in terms of swanky clubs, jazz bars, pubs and baladi bars as well as cabarets, Egypt’s wines have long been unappreciated. Sure, you can order a glass of wine at many of the city’s nightspots, but the selection is usually small, the bottles are often not stored …

The makers of the latest Disney animated blockbuster "Tangled" say one of the biggest challenges was making Princess Rapunzel’s long flowing hair seem realistic, including in 3D. Disney’s 50th animated feature is based on the Brothers Grimm fairytale and fits into the long tradition of a studio that brought children’s classics "Dumbo" and "Cinderella" to …

Skinner Sweet’s his name, but the long, lean drifter is anything but. The titular character in Vertigo’s ongoing "American Vampire" series, the former outlaw turned bloodsucker is charting a course of decadent evil, pacing the expansion of growing United States as Hollywood moves from silents to talkies and Las Vegas begins its bloom of avarice, …

Colombian pop star Shakira said Wednesday she had taped a Christmas television ad for a Spanish sparkling wine in exchange for a donation of €500,000 ($660,000) to her charitable foundation. The spot was filmed on Saturday in Barcelona and the money paid by the company Freixenet will be used to build two schools, one in …

CAIRO: El Sawy Culturewheel hosted the first international event for Open Show on Wednesday night, drawing an estimated 60-70 people eager to see what was being shown. Open Show, an event that started in San Francisco two years ago, is an outlet that provides photographers, filmmakers and multimedia producers the opportunity to present their work …

Forget killing them with kindness — Cee Lo Green wants to kill you with music. The singer-rapper-producer’s new CD is titled "The Lady Killer," and while it has some romantic tunes on it, the title more reflects his approach to connecting with his audience: He’s looking to do it with lethal precision. "Instead of random …

A pair of oil paintings by German Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer depicting Adam and Eve at human scale went back on display at Madrid’s Prado Museum Wednesday after a two-year restoration. In a statement posted on its website, the museum said the two works would be featured in a special exhibition display in order to …

WASHINGTON: The US government designated "critical habitat" for polar bears who live on Alaska’s disappearing sea ice, a move that could impact new oil and gas drilling projects in the Arctic. The Fish and Wildlife Service set aside 187,000 square miles (484,000 square kilometers) off Alaska as the threatened bears’ habitat, which means any project …

GENEVA: Greenhouse gas concentrations reached record levels in 2009, the UN’s weather agency said Wednesday, warning that global warming could set off even greater methane emissions from the Arctic. "Greenhouse gas concentrations have reached record levels despite the economic slowdown. They would have been even higher without the international action taken to reduce them," said …

DRESDEN: It sounded like a better, lighter way to pack for a trip to Germany: a Kindle with a Lonely Planet travel guide in lieu of an 844-page brick of a book. Yet to my surprise, the 10-day visit to Munich, Dresden and Berlin turned into a lesson about the pitfalls of cramming an old …

CAPE CANAVERAL: Baffled by fuel tank cracks, NASA announced another prolonged launch delay for space shuttle Discovery on Wednesday and raised the prospect of a Christmastime flight. Shuttle managers refused to set a new launch date for Discovery’s final flight, on hold since the beginning of November. The next launch opportunity would be Dec. 17. …

HELSINKI: Emissions cuts pledged by countries in a nonbinding climate accord last year fall short of what’s needed to avoid the worst consequences of global warming, the UN’s environment agency said Tuesday. The sobering report by the UN Environmental Program comes as climate negotiators prepare for another round of talks next week in Cancun, Mexico. …

Ingrid Pitt, who survived a Nazi concentration camp and dodged Communist police to become one of Britain’s best-known horror stars, died Tuesday, her daughter said. She was 73. Steffanie Pitt said her mother collapsed while on her way to a birthday dinner due to be held in her honor over the weekend. The cause of …

The Beatles sold more than 450,000 albums and over two million individual songs in the week since their music appeared on Apple’s iTunes, Billboard said Tuesday. Billboard said the best-selling album in the United States was "Abbey Road" and the best-selling song was "Here Comes the Sun." "Here Comes the Sun" was number 54 on …

WASHINGTON: The Earth’s largest lakes have warmed up over the past 25 years in response to climate change, the US space agency said Tuesday, announcing the first such global study of its kind. Scientists Philipp Schneider and Simon Hook of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California used satellite data to measure the surface temperature …

CAIRO: Freedom to Create, a renowned international organization, has announced that it will host its 2010 award ceremony — in addition to various other noteworthy events related to the awards — in Cairo. The Freedom to Create organization was established in 2006 in an effort to harness the power of art and culture in order …

LOS ANGELES: Harry Potter has cast his biggest box-office spell yet with a franchise record $125.1 million domestically over opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" also added $205 million in 54 overseas countries, bringing the film’s worldwide total to $330.1 million. In terms of domestic revenue, …

Justin Bieber’s first American Music Awards was perfection. The 16-year-old teen heartthrob went four-for-four on Sunday night, capturing every award he was nominated for, including the top award of the night, favorite artist. He beat a list that featured veterans Eminem and Usher, as well as Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. Bieber became the youngest …

  The Blue restaurant is the first of its kind in Egypt: A “no-menu menu” restaurant that serves whatever you wish to eat, whatever strikes your fancy (pardon the delicious yet appropriate pun) out of the blue. The new Kempinski Nile Hotel has been very good to Cairo recently, giving us Osmanly restaurant — the …

  Warner Brothers said Thursday it was "working actively" to remove a section of the latest Harry Potter movie which has been "stolen" and illegally posted online, even before the film opened. The studio giant said it would vigorously pursue those who posted the reportedly 36-minute clip of the movie’s start on the Internet, a …

SINGAPORE: Facebook’s new online messaging service makes users of the social networking site more vulnerable to identity theft by cyber criminals, computer security firm Sophos warned Thursday. It urged users to be aware of the security risks before signing up for Facebook’s next-generation online messaging service that blends online chat, text messages and other real-time …