Popular Culture

25 August 2003


Arab "Superstar" Program -- Just Like Us
The biggest hit on TV in the Arab world has not been Al-Jazeera's tapes of Usama bin Laden but rather a talent contest that most of the west would recognize as "American Idol." Some 55 singers from across the Arabic speaking world participated on Future Television International out of Beirut, Lebanon. Passions ran high, the people voted, and in the end, a young lady from Jordan, Diana Karazoun, became the latest star in the musical sky. If anything, this proved that the Arabs and the west aren't all that different after all, and that maybe the problems arise from being too much alike. For more, click here.

"Queer Eye" -- Missed Opportunity
Bravo-TV has an unlikely hit on its hands with "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." The show consists of a heterosexual man having various aspects of his life made over by 5 gay men with emphasis on dress, grooming, and decorating. And it strikes a blow for gay rights in a way. It seems that gays possess the same right to be as shallow as the rest of the society. Click here to read on.

Studios Playing Oscar Politics
The Oscars are well-known to be a political as well as an artistic contest. It is not always true that the best film, actor, director etc. walks off with the statue, but this year, something even more astonishing may happen. The "best" in many categories may not get nominated because the studio that produced the film will not even submit the work for consideration. Click here to read more.