Joy Awards in Riyadh Celebrate 2024's Top Entertainment Achievements

The fifth edition of the Joy Awards took place at ANB Arena in Riyadh on Saturday, honoring top Arab and international stars. (SPA)
The fifth edition of the Joy Awards took place at ANB Arena in Riyadh on Saturday, honoring top Arab and international stars. (SPA)
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Joy Awards in Riyadh Celebrate 2024's Top Entertainment Achievements

The fifth edition of the Joy Awards took place at ANB Arena in Riyadh on Saturday, honoring top Arab and international stars. (SPA)
The fifth edition of the Joy Awards took place at ANB Arena in Riyadh on Saturday, honoring top Arab and international stars. (SPA)

The fifth edition of the Joy Awards took place at ANB Arena in Riyadh on Saturday, honoring top Arab and international stars. Hosted by the General Entertainment Authority (GEA) under the chairmanship of Turki Al Al Sheikh, the event brought together prominent figures, celebrities, and guests from around the globe.

The ceremony kicked off with artistic performances, followed by the awards presentation. Notable winners included Syrian actor Samer Ismail, who received the award for Favorite Actor in the TV Series category, and Saudi actress Al Anoud Abdulhakim, honored as Favorite New Face in the Series category. The Favorite Egyptian Series award went to “Ne’mat El-Afokado", while the Favorite Gulf Series award was presented to “Shabab Al-Bomb 12”, accepted by Faisal Al-Issa.

Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to Syrian artist Yaser Al-Azmeh, American actor Morgan Freeman, Italian musician Andrea Bocelli, Saudi filmmaker Abdullah Al-Muheisen, Kuwaiti singer Abdullah Al Ruwaished, and international composer Hans Zimmer.

The Favorite Actress in the Series category award went to Huda Hussein, while Hana Al-Zahed won Favorite Actress in Cinema. Egyptian actor Hesham Maged was named Favorite Actor in Cinema.

Sports awards recognized Salem Al-Dawsari as Favorite Athlete and Saudi mixed martial artist Hattan Al-Saif as Favorite Female Athlete.

A highlight of the evening was the Diamond Entertainment Industry Award, presented to the late Prince Badr bin Abdulmohsen in honor of his poetic contributions. His son Prince Khaled bin Badr accepted the award on his behalf.

For the first time, the Most Popular Song award was shared by Egyptian singers Angham and Tamer Ashour. Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad was recognized for his outstanding contributions to fashion.

Other notable awards included Favorite Song for Majid Al-Mohandis and Favorite Influencer awards for Ahmad Al-Qahtani and Narin Beauty. Emerging Musical Talent was awarded to Saudi artist Rakan Al Sa’ed, while Matthew McConaughey was honored as the Personality of the Year.

The Joy Awards also celebrated industry veterans such as Mariam Al-Saleh, Ibrahim Al-Sallal, and several Gulf icons, recognizing their pioneering roles in entertainment.



Paul McCartney Charts Childhood Streets in First Album in Five Years

Musician Paul McCartney attends the British premiere of ''If These Walls Could Sing" in London, Britain December 12, 2022. (Reuters)
Musician Paul McCartney attends the British premiere of ''If These Walls Could Sing" in London, Britain December 12, 2022. (Reuters)
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Paul McCartney Charts Childhood Streets in First Album in Five Years

Musician Paul McCartney attends the British premiere of ''If These Walls Could Sing" in London, Britain December 12, 2022. (Reuters)
Musician Paul McCartney attends the British premiere of ''If These Walls Could Sing" in London, Britain December 12, 2022. (Reuters)

Paul McCartney ‌takes fans down the streets of his Liverpool childhood in his first solo album in more than five years due out in May.

The title "The Boys of Dungeon Lane" comes from a lyric in the album's first single "Days We Left Behind", released on Thursday - "a memory song for me," McCartney said in a statement.

"I was thinking just that, about the ‌days I ‌left behind and I do often ‌wonder ⁠if I’m just ⁠writing about the past but then I think how can you write about anything else? It’s just a lot of memories of Liverpool," the 83-year-old said.

The tracks evoke his childhood in post-war Liverpool, his parents ⁠and adventures shared with band mates ‌George Harrison and John ‌Lennon before the world had woken up ‌to the Beatles, according to a statement on ‌his website.

"It involves a bit in the middle about John and Forthlin Road which is the street I used to live in. Dungeon ‌Lane is near there," McCartney said about "Days We Left Behind".

"I used to ⁠live ⁠in a place called Speke which is quite working class. We didn’t have much at all, but it didn’t matter because all the people were great and you didn’t notice you didn’t have much.”

McCartney worked with producer Andrew Watt and recorded the album, which also includes new love songs, in Los Angeles and Sussex, between legs of his global tour.

"The Boys of Dungeon Lane" is McCartney's 18th solo studio album.


Taylor Swift and 'Showgirl' Dominate iHeartRadio Music Awards

Taylor Swift arrives at the IHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP)
Taylor Swift arrives at the IHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP)
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Taylor Swift and 'Showgirl' Dominate iHeartRadio Music Awards

Taylor Swift arrives at the IHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP)
Taylor Swift arrives at the IHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP)

Music superstar Taylor Swift scored a leading seven trophies at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday including artist of the year and best pop album for the upbeat record "The Life of a Showgirl."

In one of her moments on stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Swift encouraged artists to give themselves ‌time to learn a ‌craft without seeking immediate feedback on ‌the Internet. ⁠

The singer said ⁠she had spent "thousands of hours" as a teenager playing her guitar, writing songs, making mistakes and learning from them - in private.

"I'm a firm believer that anything you feed your mind, it will internalize, and anything you feed the Internet it will attempt to kill," she said as ⁠she held the album of the ‌year trophy. "And I don't want that ‌for your dreams."

Swift, who wore a seafoam green velvet ‌corset and matching miniskirt with light pink bead accents, ‌also took home awards including song of the year and best music video for "The Fate of Ophelia."

Olympic figure skating gold medalist Alysa Liu presented the artist of the year award to Swift, ‌who gushed about Liu's Olympic performance. "You brought me so much happiness," Swift said.

Earlier, Swift told ⁠the crowd ⁠that "Showgirl" was inspired by the positivity she felt from fans on her record-breaking Eras Tour.

"The album came out with this energy of just feeling really happy and strong and confident and free. And so I want to say thank you to the fans for giving me that feeling," Swift said.

Her daily life with fiance Travis Kelce provides similar energy, Swift said. "So thanks for all the vibes," she said to the NFL star, who was seated in the front row wearing a brown leather jacket. The pair announced their engagement in August.


Singer Rosalia Quits Milan Concert with Food Poisoning

Rosalia is shown after winning the best international artist at the Brit Awards in February. Adrian Dennis / AFP/File
Rosalia is shown after winning the best international artist at the Brit Awards in February. Adrian Dennis / AFP/File
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Singer Rosalia Quits Milan Concert with Food Poisoning

Rosalia is shown after winning the best international artist at the Brit Awards in February. Adrian Dennis / AFP/File
Rosalia is shown after winning the best international artist at the Brit Awards in February. Adrian Dennis / AFP/File

Spanish singer Rosalia was forced to interrupt a concert in Italy halfway through due to food poisoning, according to fan footage posted on social media.

The 33-year-old Grammy-winning singer was performing at the Unipol Forum in Milan on Wednesday, when she stopped to tell the crowds she was feeling unwell, said AFP.

"I've tried to do this show. Since the beginning I've been sick. I've had big time food poisoning," she said in English in a video posted on X.

"I've tried to push it until the end, but I'm feeling extremely sick. I'm puking out there. I really want to give the best show, and I'm like in (on) the floor," she said.

After saying she would try to carry on if physically possible, a sad-looking Rosalia eventually blew a kiss to the crowds and -- with a hand on her stomach -- walked off stage.

Rosalia, hailed for her genre-defying versatility, was in Milan as part of a tour which began in France earlier this month and will end in Puerto Rico in September.

The singer, who won best international artist at the Brit Awards this month, has earned widespread praise for her fourth album "Lux".

The sweeping, spiritual work, released at the end of last year, marks a departure from her previous flamenco and R&B rhythms.

The album features lyrics sung in 13 languages including German, English and Sicilian in addition to her native Spanish.