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Doin' it in Dubai people
Hollywood hits Dubai
blowin' smoke
 Cigar smoking is trendy, especially in America. The United States' fascination with this habit probably has something to do with the fact that it is actually illegal for the US to trade with Cuba, home to the world's finest cigars. President Kennedy slapped an embargo on Cuba in the early 60s, making it illegal for Americans to do even the smallest amount of business with Cubans. As with all trends, the harder it is to take part, the more popualr it will become. But while Americans are risking jail by smuggling cigars into the US, you can freely buy a fine Cuban cigar at the Havana Club. This joint is definitely a cool place to hang out. An intimate little venue tucked away in a basement, you reach it by descending what appears to be a secret staircase and entering through a non-descript door. The Havana Club's exclusivity will be maintained with a Dhs1200-per-year membership fee and a dress code. ("Smart, but we will allow jeans as some peoples' cost more than a suit" said manager Melanie Stuart). Potential punters wearing grubby Che Guevara t-shirts or Castro-style combat fatigues will not be welcome. If you cannot afford their Dhs2,800 bottle of Chateau Margaux a beer is only Dhs16. But by far the coolest thing about this place is the chance to have your own private and inscribed humidour. That is, of course, assuming you have been accepted as a member. The Havana Club at the Metropolitan Hotel, telephone +971-4-440000.
Doin' it in Dubai events
The Dubai Shopping Festival rolls around again this month and as in the past it is being billed as the biggest and best ever. Last year's festival drew in sales of more than Dhs3 billion and this year's is sure to top that. All kinds of traders will be excitedly anticipating the start, on 19 March, to welcome the 1.5 million-plus people who are expected to attend and spend. If you have been undecided all year about that big-screen television now is the time to buy. If it is not cheaper, you are sure to get something up to the same value thrown in for free. But for the residents of Dubai, who get to take advantage of great prices all year around, the 1998 Dubai Shopping Festival won't be about bargain buys and best prices. An incredibly diverse choice of events, from kite flying to muppet shows and desert marathons to bungee jumps, will be the real attraction. This year's theme, Children of the World, will mean that anyone with a family will not be short of somewhere to take the kids at the weekend. For the slightly more mature there will be plenty of things happening to get your adrenalin going. The best things to do, and the best bargains, however, will be spread by word-of-mouth. So for visitors to Dubai looking for the hottest places to go and the coolest things to do, have a chat to one of Dubai's residents. They might just let you in on a best-kept secret.
Check out www.dubaisf.com for more information.
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Could these two men be bringing the glamour and glitz of Hollywood to Dubai? In town to discuss joint movie projects with Mohammed Al Habtoor , action star Jean Claude Van Damme , is convinced that the Emirates would provide the perfect location for blockbuster movies. "Dubai is an excellent place to shoot and we are confident of developing projects in the near future," said Van Damme after informal negotiations. 
The Belgian action-movie hero, who now lives in Los Angeles, is about to begin shooting his latest extravaganza Inferno in the Arizona desert. With a budget of $40-45 million dollars, Inferno will be directed by Irving Kirschner, who directed Empire Strikes Back. "If I had known about Dubai I would have shot it here. It has everything I need, the weather and the locations." Al Habtoor Group's Chairman, Khalaf Al Habtoor, is keen to promote Dubai as a centre for film-making and as a location for the international film industry. After Hollywood and Bollywood, could the Al Habtoor Group be about to create a Dubaiwood? Only time will tell, but if you bump into Sylvester Stallone at the Metroplex cinema sometime in the near future don't say we didn't warn you.
buy, buy, bye