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Rock the Bloc

Friday, November 6 is set to be the biggest day of the three-day music festival Dubai Sound City. International acts from genres as diverse as hip hop, indie, rock, pop, electro and drum and bass are set to descend on the city. The Irish Village, in Garhoud, will host indie legends Happy Mondays, Ocean Colour Scene,  The Automatic and rappers De La Soul. The Lodge nightclub, in Oud Metha, will hand over DJ duties to the boys from Bloc Party and drum and bass big wig Doc Scott. Not to be left out, Alpha Club, also in Garhoud, will host a live set by Ladytron, supported by Dubai favourite, DJ Da:Funct, while a specially-erected stage at Festival City will see a performance by Sound of Guns and Bicycle Thieves. Tickets to this huge event are a snip at Dh295 for the day. The problems begin when you try to decide which act to go and see as you zig zag across the city from one music venue to another. Just make sure you keep plenty of change for taxis. 

www.dubaisoundcity.com

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Couples Retreat

Four couples from midwest America embark on the trip of lifetime to a luxury island paradise. While one of the couples is there to work on their marriage, the others set out to jet ski, enjoy the spa and have some fun in the sun.  However, they soon discover that participation in the resort’s unconventional couples therapy is anything but optional.  Suddenly, their group-rate vacation comes at a price. Dave (Vince Vaughn) and Ronnie (Malin Akerman) are the social epicentre of their group of friends. Over the years, they’ve built a full life through commitment to their kids, friends and work. Unlike their friends Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell), who after eight seemingly blissful years together, are at a crossroads.  What follows is a hilarious and heartfelt look at real-world problems faced by couples all over the world. Couples Retreat is another outing for the limited talents of Vaughn and his gang of friends. You know what to expect with this movie.

Couples Retreat is out now

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Asterix & Obelix’s Birthday: The Golden Book

The jolly, Roman soldier-bashing Gauls, Asterix and Obelix, are back, and this time it’s their birthday — their 50^th, to be exact. For the last five decades, these two cartoon characters have been running wild and generally causing havoc while winning fans all over the world. 
Created in 1959, a total of 33 books have been released starring the pals, with The Golden Book being their latest installment. The two characters were created by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Goscinny was born in Paris in 1926 and spent most of his childhood in Argentina, before eventually returning to the French capital in 1951. Uderzo was born in 1927 in a small village in Marne, France. He met Goscinny in 1951 and on October 29, 1959, Asterix and his pal Obelix made their first appearance on page 20 of the French comic Pilote as Asterix the Gaul. Their first album was published in 1961 and went on to gain fame around the world.

Asterix & Obelix’s Birthday: The Golden Book is out now

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Cheryl Cole — 3 Words

Say what you will about Girls Aloud and their domination of the charts over the past few years, but the fact is: these ladies can sing. Yes, yes, yes, we know, they were put together after a TV talent show — a show they didn’t even win to make things worse — but they have made it big on the world’s stage. The leading light in the group, in both the voice and looks department, is without doubt Cheryl Cole. She has beauty, talent and a footballer husband, surely the ultimate dream of every one of her fans. But now Cole has stepped out on her own and gone solo with her long-awaited debut, 3 Words.  Called everything from sexpot and style icon to superstar, Cole delivers a pop treat of an album with shades of modern R&B thanks to production work from big hitters will.i.am and Taio Cruz. Tracks such as Fight For This Love and Happy Hour should cement her place as the UK’s, and the world’s, next big pop princess for many years to come.

Cheryl Cole — 3 Words is out now