lifestyle MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 Features

Centrepoint celebrates 100th store opening, announces expansion plans entrepoint, a unique retail format cater- geared to enter new markets and explore fur- ing to families across the region with ther opportunities.” Cfour leading brands from the Landmark Centrepoint has enjoyed significant suc- Group under one roof, has unveiled aggres- cess particularly in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait sive expansion plans across the Middle East, where the concept has evolved into a popular Asia and Africa. With 100 stores in its retail fashion destination for families. Saudi Arabia, portfolio, Centrepoint is set to launch 20 top among the brand’s markets has 56 stores this year and 15 stores next year across Centrepoint stores, followed by the UAE mar- existing territories as well as new markets ket that has 15 stores. Simon Cooper, Head of including Iraq, Libya and other African coun- Centrepoint, said: “Based on our exhaustive tries. consumer research conducted in 2013 across The announcement was made during a our key markets in the GCC region, it is appar- press meet to celebrate the launch of the ent that shoppers closely connect with the brand’s store at Al- Ghurair Centre, Dubai - brand that Centrepoint represents. Centrepoint’s 100th outlet in the region. The We process 35 million transactions annual- brand that was launched in 2005 in Kuwait ly. The average customer visits Centrepoint at and had reached a total of 9 stores today cov- least nine times in a year and shops for at least ering an area of over 56000 square meters. three of the four brands with their families. Centrepoint currently retails four great brands These trends are strong indicators of under one roof - Juniors, Splash, Shoe Mart Centrepoint’s viability as a successful retail for- and Lifestyle - across Saudi Arabia, UAE, mat.” Enjoying unparalleled customer accept- Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon ance, Centrepoint is poised for phenomenal and Jordan that collectively span an aggre- growth driven by a workforce of over 10,000 gate retail footprint of over five million square trained personnel. The next five years look feet. crucial for the brand as it consolidates existing Vinod Talreja, Director, Centrepoint, said: operations and explores newer markets to “As an innovative, one-stop shopping con- widen its presence. cept, Centrepoint has received tremendous acceptance across all territories where it has a presence. Our success is a testimony not only Howard Stern arrives for an ‘Americaís Got Talent’ taping at Madison Square Garden on Friday, April 4, 2014, in New York.—AP to the quality of products and services we offer, but also to the practicality of having a single destination that meets the shopping Stern on ‘Late Show’ job: needs of the entire family. With our experi- ence of almost a decade, Centrepoint is well ‘My plate is full’

oward Stern is just one of the names saying he’s sad to see Letterman leave. Stern Letterman, saying he’d be perfect. industry spectators are floating around said he enjoyed his appearances on the “Late “Howard is very special, you know? He gets Has a possible replacement for David Show with David Letterman.” right to the chase. He’s not scared of anything, Letterman. At least for now though, the long- “I’ve been doing the show for years and and I like that about him. He gets things out of time radio personality says of the idea, “My years and I’ve had so many funny, great times people. Sometimes people don’t even want to plate is full.” Stern addressed the late-night TV with him that, you know, it’ll be weird not to like say certain things, and he gets it out of talk show host’s retirement announcement have him there.” Stern also said there are few them.” Letterman announced Thursday he while arriving in New York on Friday for people in show biz whose opinion matters to plans to retire next year. “America’s Got Talent” “America’s Got Talent” auditions. Stern is one him, and Letterman is one. One of Stern’s fel- returns in May.—AP of the judges on the show. The 60-year-old low “America’s Got Talent” judges, Heidi Klum, stressed Letterman’s impact on late-night TV, supports the idea of Stern taking over for Q&A: keeping it real in latest roles

ith several films set to debut this year, including such disparate turns as a taxidermist villainess, mysterious amnesiac and an Wactress-turned-princess, Nicole Kidman will again become a familiar face in theaters. While maintaining a steady presence in In this April 7, 2013 file photo, singer George Strait performs at the 48th Annual Academy of Hollywood for more than two decades, the 46-year-old Academy Award Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.—AFP photos winner has been focusing more in recent years on raising her two daugh- ters with husband and country star Keith Urban - away from the spotlight in Nashville, Tenn. Will fans give George For her latest role in “The Railway Man,” out April 11, the “Moulin Rouge” and “The Hours” star plays a supportive wife to World War II veter- an Eric Lomax (). In the autobiographical adaptation, Patti and Strait ACM’s top honor? Eric Lomax confront his past as a prisoner of war in , where he worked on the “death railway,” a 258-mile stretch of treacherous train here’s no question George Strait is the sure show circuit’s true surprises when he won the track running into Burma. Upcoming this year, Kidman will also play a vil- bet in the entertainer of the year category at award at the ACMs last year during his first stint as lainess in “Paddington,” amnesiac in “Before I Go to Sleep,” leading lady Tthe Academy of Country Music Awards, Shelton’s co-host. Grace Kelly in “Grace of Monaco” and Middle East pioneer Gertrude Bell in right? Not so fast, says Blake Shelton. Sure, the Shelton said he predicted the victory in the sec- “Queen of the Desert.” In an interview with The Associated Press, Kidman beloved star is on something of a victory lap after onds before it was announced and provides a discussed tackling portrayals of realer-than-real women like former nurse winning the same trophy at the rival Country measuring stick for Bryan’s rapidly growing popu- Patti Lomax, Gertrude Bell and her highly anticipated role in “Grace of Music Association Awards five months ago. But larity. “When that happened it’s like, oh, my god, Monaco,” which is opening this year’s Cannes Film Festival. (“Grace” was Sunday’s night’s ACM Awards are held in Las Vegas it’s not just a matter of selling a bunch of records In this Sept 6, 2013 file photo, Nicole Kidman poses for a photo- delayed from release last year following creative differences between the graph on the red carpet at the gala for the new movie ‘The where there’s no safe bet, after all, and the acade- and having some hits on the radio,” Shelton said. film’s director and distributor.) my’s once-controversial decision to open its top “He’s developed an enormous fan base. To beat out Railway Man’ during the 2013 Toronto International Film AP: You’ve played so many characters over the years, but how do you Festival in Toronto. —AP photos honor to fan voting makes the category enjoyably the people that he beat out last year, there’s noth- approach the ones based on actual people, like Virginia Woolf, Grace unpredictable. ing you can do but just respect that. That’s once in Kelly and Patti Lomax? tor Werner Herzog for “Queen of the Desert”? “I think George Strait probably has the biggest a lifetime and they’re there forever. To see him to Kidman: Patti is different because she’s still alive and was able to give Kidman: I call it Werner World. Werner World is just a different realm. overall fan base of any of us, but will they take time get to that place, I love it. I was just as excited - well me information about herself. I didn’t meet her until I started filming. It’s glorious. I said to him, “Werner, I feel like I’ve been in a dream with you to vote?” Shelton said. “That’s what we’ll find out, I not as excited because I didn’t cry - but I was hap- Everyone kept saying, “Do you want to meet her?” I was like, “No, I’d really for the past two-and-a-half months, and now I’ve got my feet back on guess.” “It’s an interesting thing,” said Luke Bryan, py for him.” like to be able to watch her in an interview.” Actually, the producer sat earth.” I’m at a place where I’m so interested in exploring things and Shelton’s ACMs co-host. “You never know when Bryan and Shelton figure in two of the night’s with her for hours - he’s a very good friend of hers - and taped her and going places that I haven’t been. I want my life to be full, so that means all those fans go online and vote. They have the com- other top categories. They’re both up for male sent me the tapes. I basically had access to her whole life, stories about of us - my family - up and moving to Morocco and doing this so we can plete power. It’s really neat when they do. It’s a vocalist of the year with Jason Aldean, Lee Brice her, her mannerisms and behavior, like I was a fly on the wall. have the experience. pretty crazy validation system when the fans are and Keith Urban, who has six overall nominations. AP: You have three films coming out with Colin Firth (“The Railway AP: Between your schedule and Keith’s schedule, how do you balance allowed to vote.” Bryan and Shelton could be 1989 And Bryan’s “Crash My Party” and Shelton’s “Based Man,” “Before I Go to Sleep,” “Paddington”). What is it about him that com- everything? winner Strait’s top challengers during the awards, on a True Story ... “ are up for album of the year pels you to continue to work with him? Kidman: Every time when we’re not working, we spend together. which air live at 8 pm EDT (0000 GMT) from the with Florida Georgia Line’s “Here’s to the Good Kidman: I just enjoy him. I really enjoy his brain and his talent, but he That’s it. It’s that simple. We’re not off. We have a very simple life but an MGM Grand on CBS. Rounding out the nominees Times,” Kacey Musgrave’s Grammy Award album of has a really great sense of humor. Me and millions of other women in the extraordinary creative life, if that makes sense. I’m lucky that I’ve got a for entertainer of the year are two-time winner the year winner “Same Trailer Different Park” and world go, “Wow! Colin Firth!” My mom adores him. My sister adores him. partner that’s totally committed to making it work. We have two little Taylor Swift and mainstream country darling McGraw’s “Two Lanes of Freedom.” Swift and I’ve just got so many friends who go, “Oh my gosh. Colin Firth.” I now girls that we adore, and we’re very blessed, in the sense of having a fami- Miranda Lambert, who is Shelton’s wife. Lambert are up for female vocalist of the year with know him in a different way, but I have such respect for him as an actor. ly. We certainly talk about everything. We make the decisions together. Swift is one of pop music’s top stars with a Musgraves, Carrie Underwood and Sheryl Crow. AP: Tell me what it was like to play Grace Kelly. Have you seen the film AP: Where are you most happy these days? Is it in Nashville or on a set motivated fan base and Lambert is one of the And Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart,” co-written yet? somewhere or back in Australia? academy’s favorites with 15 trophies so far. by Musgraves, is up for single record and song of Kidman: I have not seen the version that’s showing at Cannes, but Kidman: Happiness, that’s obviously different for everybody, but Lambert and Tim McGraw lead all nominees with the year.—AP obviously I will. I may be seeing it opening night at Cannes. It was the what I call my joy, the thing that makes me feel incredibly satiated, is my seven apiece. Bryan and Shelton, however, are as chance of a lifetime to play her. I really admire her, and I think she has family, and then I get to go and play out all of my ideas and feelings popular as anyone in the genre now. Shelton is a such otherworldly qualities. I think she has an aura about her. I don’t through all these different characters. Then, I come back to just being television star thanks to the singing competition know if I’m able to capture that, but I was honored to have the chance to. mama. “The Voice” and won his first entertainer trophy at We’ll see. It’s only a six-month period of her life that we depict. It’s a fairy- the CMAs. And Bryan provided one of the award tale. It’s not a heavy drama. It’s got beautiful costumes. It’s sumptuous. AP: You’ve had the chance to work with some incredible filmmakers throughout your career. What was it like teaming up recently with direc-

This photo released by The Weinstein Company shows Colin Firth, left, as Eric and Nicole Kidman as Patti in the French tightrope walker Denis Josselin performs over the Seine River in Paris, yesterday.—AFP film, ‘The Railway Man.’ The film releases in theaters Friday, April 11, 2014.