Point to be noted
You can always rely on Samo Zein to give an entertaining, no-holds barred interview. The singer, who is enjoying success with his latest album, Dayman (Always) is never one to shy away from controversy.
The Syrian singer is clearly not pleased after it emerged that Lebanese singer Elissa claimed in a recent newspaper interview that she did not know who Zein was.
Secondly, he hates being compared to the likes of Tamer Hosny and Mohammad Hamaky.
And finally, the star landed himself in hot water a couple of months ago when his latest music video, Malaksh Da3wa Beya (Leave Me Alone) outraged Arabic media and fans, with the majority slating it for being too sexy, and deeming it "inappropriate" for viewers in the region.
Zein tells tabloid! about a rumoured duet with Elissa, defends his video, and dishes the dirt on "rival" Hosny.
So are you ever going to duet with Elissa?
Sorry, Elissa who? I have never heard of a singer called Elissa. To be honest, I am quite annoyed with the fact that she said in the press she has never heard of me. She previously said she did not know who Mohammad Hamaky was — even though he is incredibly successful in the Arab world — and before that, she claimed she did not know who [composer] Mohammad Raheem was. Seriously, if she really doesn't know, perhaps she should ask her former mentor Ragheb Alama, who knows me very well. Needless to say, I have no plans for a duet.
Tell us about your album Dayman.
I spent about a year preparing and recording it, and am very happy with the result. There are 10 songs, plus a remix of Dayman, and I am looking forward to performing the new material across the region.
You already caused a bit of trouble with the video of the CD.
I honestly don't know what the fuss is about. It has been branded as overly sexual, but the ladies in the video are not revealing too much. I am beginning to think people are making a fuss, because of my appearance in the video and how they're not used to seeing me like that. Back to the sexy thing, this video isn't even one per cent as sexy as some of the Arabic music videos out there at the moment.
You've also made the transition into acting in recent years, but your movie, Shaqa (Broken), never released.
Until now, I still don't know anything about this movie. I filmed it three years ago, but then shooting stopped before finishing the final three scenes. I think there was a problem going on behind the scenes, but I just didn't want to know what was going on. So, I just let it go and never asked about it.
Do you have more films coming up?
I am very excited about my new project, as it is a film with Lebanese director Said Al Marouk. Although I cannot reveal any details about the film, I think it is something that fans will really enjoy.
Finally, you tend to be compared a lot to Egyptian superstar Tamer Hosny, and there have been stories about rivalry between you two. Tell us about it?
I refuse to compare myself with Tamer Hosny, because at the end of the day, my career has been longer than his. Plus, there are no problems between us and no rivalry. Any newspaper that states otherwise is just making a story up. You cannot compare me to Tamer or even Mohammad Hamaky, because I am not from their generation. I have been singing for more than 12 years.
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"I am okay! I think it is really sad when people decide to spread a false rumour about your death online. I don't care, but I worry that my family would believe it."
Speak up, Latifa
Latifa has been criticised for her silence over the current political situation in her home country, Tunisia.
Since the crisis, the singer, who is usually known for speaking out about politics and Arab unity, has made no public appearances. Instead, she left a short statement on her official website, saying: "Tunisia is in my heart and may God protect Tunisia and its people".
However, fans and critics have hit out at the star fuelling speculation that she is scared of speaking out. Additionally, she has been compared to other Tunisian stars, such as Hend Sabry, who have spoken out publicly since the fall of Tunisia's former president.
Omar turns down Gaddafi's offer
It has emerged that Omar Al Sharif turned down an offer worth $20 million (Dh73 million)) from Libyan President Muammar Al Gaddafi to play the role of the late Libyan hero Omar Al Mukhtar in a new TV drama.
Sharif stated that he turned down the offer due to the fact that he is unable to take on such an intense role at his age — despite the fact he is in need of money.
Additionally, the actor said that Arabs outside of Libya were not very familiar with Al Mukhtar, and that his only knowledge of him was from the film where he was portrayed by Anthony Quinn.
Amar banned from TV
A Lebanese court has banned the airing of an interview with singer Amar on the show Hadeeth el Balad (Talk of the Town) on MTV, due to the controversial content of the interview.
According to Arabic media reports, the programme has been banned due to the fact that the Lebanese singer talked about her pregnancy, which was out of wedlock, as well as claiming that the father of her child, Jimmy, is Melody TV owner Gamal Marawan.
This is not the first time Amar has been banned from TV. Earlier, Amar appeared in an interview alongside Abbas Shu'aib, who claimed he was the real father of Amar's child.
worried Sabry
Hend Sabry has reportedly demanded the prosecution of those responsible for killing protesters during the demonstrations over inflation and the deteriorating financial situation in Tunisia.
According to reports, Sabry is worried about the safety of her family, and called on Tunisian government officials to take a stand against those that shot innocent people, who were only expressing themselves by demonstrating.
The actress also sent her condolences to the families that lost their loved ones.
Wehbe's memory loss
Haifa Wehbe has told reporters she doesn't remember anything from her wedding ceremony as she was on medication.
The Lebanese singer, who married Egyptian businessman Ahmad Abou Hashema nearly two years ago, admitted she was taking cortisone shots after her infamous plane accident while shooting her music video Hassa Ma Bina Fi Haga.
Wehbe went on to say that she was embarrassed to tell anyone at the time, and was depressed as the medication made her body and face extremely swollen.
Wehbe and her husband plan to celebrate their second wedding anniversary this year with friends who were unable to attend the wedding.
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