This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Logan Lerman, left, and Russell Crowe in a scene from "Noah." (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures, Niko Tavernise, File)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) --
Officials say censors in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar will ban the release of "Noah," the upcoming big-budget Hollywood film featuring Russell Crowe as the ark-building prophet.
Director of media content at the National Media Center in the UAE, Juma Al-Leem, told The Associated Press on Thursday that the movie will not be allowed in cinemas because it contradicts a generally agreed upon taboo in Islam of depicting a prophet.
Paramount Pictures told the AP that along with the UAE, censors in Qatar and Bahrain also have confirmed they will not release the film because it contradicts the teachings of Islam.
Officials in Pakistan and Tunisia say they doubt censors will approve the movie.
The film, directed by Darren Aronofsky, will open March 28 in the U.S.
Timothee Chalamet arrives at the 82nd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Timothée Chalamet will return to "Saturday Night Live" for his third stint as a host — but this time, he'll be pulling double duty.
NBC announced Friday that comedian Dave Chappelle will host the sketch show Jan. 18, with musical guest GloRilla, while Chalamet will be the host and musical guest on Jan. 25.
It's Chappelle's fourth time hosting. The trio of announced performers are all in the thick of awards season. Chappelle and GloRilla, one of The Associated Press' Breakthrough Entertainers of 2024, are each nominated for Grammys at the Feb. 2 show. Chalamet has been nominated for a slew of acting awards for "A Complete Unknown" and is considered a contender for the Oscars, whose nominations will be announced Jan. 19.
For "A Complete Unknown," Chalamet sang and learned to play the guitar and harmonica to embody Bob Dylan. It's not clear what the actor will sing during the live show (he also sang in "Wonka" and dedicated fans may be hoping for a "Statistics" reprise), but he did previously identify to which Dylan songs he was drawn.
"I like the more intimate songs like 'Girl From the North Country' or 'Boots of Spanish Leather' or 'One Too Many Mornings' or 'Tomorrow Is a Long Time,'" he told the AP late last year. "But then I also liked 'North Country Blues' and 'Rocks and Gravel' or 'Ballad of Hollis Brown' — things where you hear the iron ore in Bob's voice, the North Country in Minnesota, the Hibbing."
Dylan himself has appeared on "SNL" — once, as the musical guest, in 1979. Current cast member James Austin Johnson, who portrayed Dylan in a skit earlier this season, briefly appears in "A Complete Unknown."
"SNL" is in the midst of celebrating its 50th season. The show will return in the middle of February to... Read More
