El-Wad Tata Sayea El-Abata (Tata Playing the Fool) is the title of the new comedy serial currently being shot by Karim Diaa El-Din. The serial stars temptress Poussy Samir (in the role of a psychiatrist), Sherif Negm (son of veteran comedian Mohammed Negm), Inas El-Naggar and Shaaban Abdel Rehim. Pictured (L-R): Poussy Samir, Inas El-Naggar and Negm, Jr., in interesting attire.

The JW Marriott Cairo won two MENA Excellence Awards at the MENA Hotels and Tourism Awards celebration in Dubai last month. The JW Marriott Cairo won the platinum award for best conference and convention center and a gold award for best golf club (Mirage City Golf Club). Pictured (L-R): Sam Saker (president of the Consultants of Hospitality Administrators International) and Magdy Naguib (general manager, JW Marriott Cairo).

The Egyptian-American Friendship Society, headed by former Minister of Industry Ibrahim Fawzy, recently organized a gala dinner at the Conrad Cairo’s Nile Ballroom to honor US Ambassador to Cairo Francis Ricciardone. Pictured: Ricciardone (center) with Fawzy and Said Aly, director of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.

Four Seasons First Residence and Four Seasons Nile Plaza were delighted to sponsor this year’s Dreamland Golf Classics. Held at the Dreamland Resort, the 18-hole tournament drew 120 participants. Randi Shimabuku (general manager Four Seasons First Residence) and Cesare Rouchdy (right, senior director of Four Seasons Hotels Egypt) handed out the prizes.

Businessman Mahmoud Gaballah, owner of the Sunset restaurant, recently celebrated the wedding of his daughter May to Ahmed Mady at the Grand Hyatt Cairo. Belly dancer Dina, Hakeem, Shereen and Moroccan singers Jawhara and Kareema performed at the wedding party. Pictured: Dina (in one of those outfits) with the bride and groom.

Actor Hany Salama recently participated in the Pro-Celebrity Race at the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix held in Manama. Other A-list competitors included Jay Kay of Jamiroquai, John Legend, Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, Rick Parfitt of Status Quo and Lebanese singer Ragheb Alama. Pictured: Hany Salama, ready to roll.

In a spectacular party at the Grand Hyatt Cairo, young singer Hamada Hilal celebrated his sister’s wedding. The festivities were led by singers Rico, Mohammed Fouad and Shereen. Pictured: Mohammed Fouad (center) serenades Hamada Hilal and sister (left and far left) at the wedding.

The final hearing in the now infamous case of pop star Tamer Hosny — in which he was convicted of forging military service certificates needed to obtain a passport and received a one-year suspended sentence — turned into a near-riot last month. Fans, artists and public figures alike gathered in the thousands outside the courthouse to blow the situation way out of proportion. Pictured (L-R): Actress Zeina, producer Nasr Mahrous and Tamer Hosny’s lawyer at the hearing.

Mövenpick Cairo Hotel Heliopolis recently hosted a lunch at the Azure Fine Dining Restaurant in honor of a delegation of French journalists. They were welcomed by the hotel’s assistant director of sales.

The Grand Hyatt Cairo hosted Major General Michael Jeffery, Governer-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, during his recent visit to Egypt. Pictured (L-R): Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Maged George, Jeffery and Grand Hyatt General Manager Garry Friend.

The InterContinental Hurghada was recently awarded the 2005 InterContinental Guest Satisfaction Award, surpassing more than 600 other hotels in the InterContinental Group. Philippe de Vizcaya (area general manager, Red Sea Hotels, and general manager of the InterContinental Hurghada) is to attend a special ceremony at InterContinental Carlton in Cannes this month to receive the award.

Mohammed El-Maghrabi, manager of CIB’s Port Said branch, recently celebrated the wedding of his son Moataz to Rana Salem at the InterContinental CityStars Hotel. Attendees danced the night away to live tunes delivered by stunning all-Lebanese acts that included singers Elissa, Jad Choueri and Dolly Shaheen. Pictured: Choueri with the bride and groom.

The InterContinental CityStars Cairo recently hosted a delegation of top French investors led by French President Jacques Chirac. Pictured: Michel Tourniaire (director of operations, Egypt) and Thierry Perrot (general manager) welcoming Chirac and his wife upon their arrival.

Film director Ramy Imam chose the Concorde El-Salam Hotel Sharm El-Sheikh as a shooting location for his latest movie Tomn Dastet Ashrar (An Eighth of a Dozen Villains). The film stars Lebanese singer-actress Nicole Saba, Yasmine Abd El-Aziz, Khaled Saleh and Mohamed Ragab. Concorde General Manager Samir Rashwan and Soha Nassif (regional director of PR and advertising, Egypt) held a reception for cast and crew at L’Italiano restaurant

Hala Sheeha returns to the big screen for the first time since taking the veil in a tailor-made role: the currently shooting Kamel El-Awsaf (Picture Perfect). The cast includes Ola Ghanem, singers Emmy and Amer Mounib, Ahmed Saeed and Khaled Sarhan and is directed by Ahmed Yehia. Pictured (L-R): Emmy, Amer Mounib and Hala Sheeha.

Last month the Nile Hilton hosted the Holland Culinair Festival in association with the Royal Netherlands Embassy’s Office of the Agricultural Counselor. This is the second year for the festival, which was attended by several hundred delighted guests who dined on classic Dutch dishes. Pictured: Dutch chefs Rudolph van Veen and Jan Willem Jansen with Dutch Ambassador to Egypt Tjeerd de Zwaan and Nile Hilton General Manager Jean-Pierre Mainardi.

The much-anticipated TV series based on the life and times of late actress Soad Hosny is finally coming together. El-Cinderella (The Cinderella) — written by Atef Bishay, directed by Samir Seif and budgeted at a staggering LE 12 million — stars Mona Zaki in the role of Soad Hosny, Medhat Saleh as Abdel Halim Hafez, and Abdel Aziz Makhyoun as Mohamed Abdel-Wahab. Pictured (L-R): Zaki, Saleh and Seif.

The cast and crew of the film Ashraf Haramy (The Honorable Thief) marked the start of shooting last month. Budgeted at LE 4 million, the script was written by Essam Helmy, directed by Fakhr El-Din Negeida and stars Sherine Reda, Tamer Abdel Moniem, Rico, Wahid Seif and Shaaban Abdel Rehim. Pictured (L-R): Abdel Moniem, Reda and Abdel Rehim relax for a moment and enjoy the press!

Mervat Amin will be taking part in a new TV serial scheduled to air next Ramadan. The social drama titled Ahzan Mariam (The Miseries of Mariam) is written by Samah El-Hariry and directed by Omar Abdel Aziz. Pictured: Mervat Amin (center) celebrating the occasion with newcomers Karim Mohmoud Abdel Aziz (left) and Donia Samir Ghanem (far left), who will also take part in the series.

Executives and senior staff at the Cairo Sheraton, led by General Manager Ibrahim Fahmy, recently held an exclusive celebration in honor of the banquet team. Pictured: Maha Koussa and Saied Elwan (directors of catering), Emad El-Boohy, Alaa Amin and Salah Salem (assistant catering managers) with the catering team during the celebration.

The Egyptian-Tunisian Friendship Society recently held their annual charity ball at the Cairo Opera House. Egyptian singer Ghada Ragab and Tunisian singer Saber El-Robaei delivered the evening’s performances. Pictured (L-R): Fatma Barada, Abdel Aleem Nawara (chairman of the Egyptian-Tunisian Chamber of Commerce), Saber El-Robaei and TV personality Shafky El-Monayeri.

Cairo Marriott Hotel and Casino General Manager Ulrich Huth recently announced the appointment of Vicky Varfis as the luxury property’s director of sales and marketing. Varfis has 20 years experience in the area of sales and a decade of marketing experience at luxury properties in Athens. Pictured: Huth and Varfis.

Accor Group founder and Chairman Gerard Pelisson recently visited Cairo as part of a high-level delegation led by French President Jacques Chirac. Pelisson is a member of the Egyptian-French Presidential Business Council, which marked its official launch at the Smart Village under the patronage of Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif. The group aims to enhance trade ties between the two countries. Pictured: Pelisson with the management team and general managers of Accor hotels in Egypt.

European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner visited Egypt last month for high-level talks in both Alexandria and in Cairo. In Alexandria, she visited the Anna Lindh Foundation and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, while Cairo she met President Hosni Mubarak, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit. Pictured (L-R): Abul Gheit, Ferrero-Waldner and Alexandria Governor Abdel Salam El-Mahgoub at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Gillette recently organized a six-day sports and culture festival for the students of Menoufiya University. The festival included a sports quiz, football tournament and table tennis competition. The annual festival was held last year at Mansoura University. Pictured: Students in front of the Faculty of Arts at Menoufiya University.

Retired actress Sabrine recently visited the Fish Market at the Sheraton Montazah Hotel, where she was greeted by a group of women from the Sheraton Ladies Club. Sabrine currently hosts her own program, Tallet Amar (Moon Watching Over), on the recently launched satellite channel Resala. Pictured: Sabrine and Azza El-Dessouky (Sheraton Montazah public relations director) with the Sheraton Ladies Club.

Tourism guru Mahmoud Abdel Wahab threw an elegant party at the Nile Hilton celebrate the wedding of his son Mamdouh to Engy Seif. Pictured: Former Prime Minister Atef Ebeid with the bride and groom.

Talented musician and rising pop star Mahmoud El-Esseily recently delivered a show-stopping performance at the Cairo University Faculty of Commerce’s English Section’s graduation gala at the Grand Hyatt Cairo. Boy band WAMA also performed. Pictured: Mahmoud El-Esseily doing his thing on stage.

Vodafone Egypt recently selected Lebanese diva Elissa to sing at their annual staff party. Elissa didn’t disappoint — except for that dress, maybe — and treated attendees to a memorable performance at the Four Seasons Nile Plaza. Rumor has it Vodafone recently presented Elissa with an ‘unlimited gratis calls for life’ SIM card.

Director Ahmed Yehia recently began shooting a new TV drama entitled Wa Lam Tansa Ennaha Emra’ah (And She Didn’t Forget She Was a Woman). The serial, based on the novel of the same name by literary icon Ihssan Abdel Qudoos, boasts a star-studded cast that includes Samir Sabry, Mahmoud Qabil, Nermine El-Fiqqi and Ahmed Wafik. Pictured: El-Fiqqi between the late author’s two sons, Mohammed and Ahmed Abdel Qudoos.

British director Christopher Miles is about to start work on a movie about the late King Farouk entitled The Last Pharaoh. A Pyramedia production, the film is set to co-star only two Egyptian players: Ezzat El-Alayli and Youssra. Pictured: Pyramedia CEO Nashwa El-Roweiny with Christopher Miles at the press conference announcing the film.

Belly dancer-turned-actress Fifi Abdo plays the lead role in Souq El-Khodar (The Vegetable Market), the latest TV serial from director Mohammed El-Noqaly. The series is budgeted at LE 8 million and co-stars Ahmed Abdel Aziz, Mohammed Wafik, Samy El-Adl and Aida Riyadh. Pictured: Abdo at the press conference announcing the serial, which was followed by a small party to celebrate her birthday.

The Deutsche Evangelische Oberschule (DEO) recently hosted its annual prom at the Grand Hyatt Cairo. Singer Karim Abou Zeid and popular boy-band WAMA delivered blistering performances for the party, which lasted to the wee hours of the following morning. Pictured: Karim Abou Zeid with his legions of fans.

Austrian Airlines officially opened its new sales office at Cairo International Airport’s Terminal 2 Departure Hall. Pictured: Gerhard Aigner (Austrian Airlines area manager Middle East, Southeastern Europe and Africa), Christian Schmidt (executive vice president, Austrian Airlines), Kurt Spallinger (Austrian ambassador to Cairo) and Maged Shenouda (Austrian Airlines country manager, Egypt).

The Semiramis InterContinental Hotel recently hosted a press conference organized by the Egyptian-Chinese Foundation’s First Forum to celebrate 50 years of relations between the two countries. The forum’s delegates discussed issues ranging from trade and investment to small- and medium-sized enterprises, culture and tourism.

It seems that TV personality Tarek Allam has mustered enough courage for this, his third attempt at breaking into the movie business. After two previous flops, Allam is still adamant on pursuing the action-thriller-spy theme that has failed him twice before. The new movie is entitled Mahama Sa’ba (Tough Mission) and is directed by Ihab Rady. Sounds exciting. Pictured (L-R): Magdy Kamel, Amr Mahdy, Ola Ghanim and Allam.