Showbiz Arabia

Patricia Khoder brings you all the gossip about Arab celebs.

Screen time for Haifa

Lebanese star Haifa Wehbe is preparing herself to Egyptian cinema. After starring in the movie Bahr el-Noujoum (produced by Pepsi Cola), Wehbe is going to appear in her first drama in Dukan Shehata (Shehata's grocery).

The movie is directed by Khaled Youssef who surprised everybody in a press conference when he announced that Wehbe is playing the main role. It is produced by Misr Lil cinema, a company owned by Egyptian billionaire Negib Sawiris.

The movie will be distributed by the Al Arabiya lil Intag wal Tawzih, an enterprise owned by famous Egyptian actress Issaad Younes.

The movie is written by Nasser Abdelrahman and the actors who will co-star with Wehbe are Amr Saad, Amr Abdelgalil, Ghada Abdelrazzak, and Mohammad Karim.

As its name indicates, the movie tells the story of simple and modest Egyptians who are confronted to the rough city's life and who fight to preserve their values.

"Haifa plays a role very different from the image that she usually conveys; she will surprise the audience," said Kamel Abu Ali, Negib Sawiris's partner.

The Lebanese star will be playing the role of a traditional Egyptian girl who falls in love with a modest man from the countryside. Their fairy tale turns sour when they move to the unwelcoming city.

‘The best Arab singer'

A great honour has come Elissa's way.

The president of the Egyptian actors' guild, Mounir Wassimi, has crowned Lebanese artist Elissa the best Arab singer.

She received the trophy at a ceremony where several prizes were distributed. The Committee of Musical Prizes in the Middle East organised the event, the first of its kind in Egypt.

Producer Tamer Abdelmoneim received the trophy on behalf of Elissa who couldn't be present; the Lebanese singer had engagements elsewhere.

Other contenders for Elissa's honour included Nancy Ajram and Sherine Abdelwahab. But Elissa was awarded the honour after she garnered the most votes during the four months that fans were allowed to cast their virtual ballots on the internet.

Elissa has had a very busy summer so far. She performed recently in Egypt, a few days after the trophy ceremony. The concert was held near the Pyramids. The Lebanese artist also sang in Jordan and in Tunisia.


No rest for Laura Khalil

Singer, Laura Khalil, launched her new restaurant Rust in Awkar, a northern Beirut suburb, last week. The opening of the cozy restaurant was a first step; Khalil intends to launch a ballroom with a capacity of 400 people before the end of the year.

The Lebanese singer was hyperactive lately; in a week, she spent six nights on stage. Khalil sang in several concerts in Jordan, then flew to Paris where she performed at a private party. Next whe went to Morocco where she sang in two concerts.

This month Khalil will sing in Amman and in Jezzine, a town of South Lebanon.