Haifa Wahbe isn’t the only Arab celebrity to master the art of divadom. After waiting a number of years for Adel Imam’s performance of his hit play Bodyguard in Jordan, his fans were disappointed by the actor’s alleged rude behavior. According to news reports, Imam’s attitude problem began at a press conference held a few days before the scheduled performance.

El-Zaeem (The Leader, as the Egyptian entertainment industry has crowned him) repeatedly interrupted the reporters, telling them what questions to ask and responding in a very-not-amused tone and attitude. He went so far as to give them a tutorial on journalism skills, instructing them on how to ask questions and providing them with a short soliloquy on the art of questioning. And breaking the “there’s no such thing as a stupid question” adage, he decided to ignore the questions he didn’t see fit to answer. Thankfully, he had a bodyguard, so no fights ensued. (HH)

Arab celebrities seem to be giving themselves way too much importance these days. The latest celebrity with a diva-esque axe to grind is Lebanese singer (Crooner? Moaner? Singing seems to be a bit of a stretch) Haifa Wahbe, who is threatening to press charges of public insult against a company that is importing an article of clothing from China emblazoned with her image.

One would think her videos were enough of a public insult, but Wahbe plans to take action, pressing charges against the company for using her image and name — essentially her brand — to gain profits without her knowledge or gain. She is also worried about the quality of the brand and won’t put her name on something she does not support.

What is most baffling is the article of clothing in question. Socks? Would anyone even see her pictures? I wouldn’t worry Haifa, socks aren’t exactly the height of fashion these days. (HH)

Two senior officials at the Ministry of Culture were arrested and charged in early August with accepting bribes: Ayman Abdel-Moneim, supervisor of the Old Cairo project and director of the Cultural Development Fund, the second most important man in the ministry, and his colleague Hussein Ahmed Hussein, director of Nuba Antiquities Fund.

Local media reports allege the pair took advantage of their posts while overseeing renovation projects, pocketing kick-backs from the construction companies restoring the nation’s antiquities. Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni announced to the local press that, “Bribery and corruption are everywhere in this world, and if an employee [behaves criminally], then legal procedures should be taken against him.”

Local news reports also quoted Hosni emphasizing his belief that if Abdel-Moneim is guilty, then it is a good thing to have caught him because it shows that the ministry is weeding out bad seeds. Hosni also announced his hope that Abdel-Moneim would be found innocent. The local press was also wagging non-stop about whether the case would affect Hosni’s nomination by President Hosni Mubarak for the post of director-general of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (EK)

Director Osman Abou-Laban launched his career as a music video pioneer but has made a name for himself in the action film industry. His third action outing, Amaliat Khasa (Special Operations), is modeled after the Mission Impossible film series. The movie focuses on four young men with dark pasts, played by Khaled Selim, Tamer Hagrass, Amir Karara and Nabil Eissa who are recruited by a cryptic mastermind (Mustafa Fahmy) and his sexy assistant (Nicole Saba) to become special agents for a mysterious organization. The film is produced by a new company by the name of M3, run by first-time producers Mona Kotb and Mohamed Abdel-Halim. At least the LE 9 million budget means we don’t have to worry about the car chase scenes being sponsored by Daewoo. (SA)

We’re back in the fashion food chain, apparently. Egyptian actress and former model Ragaa El-Gedawy, most famous for her roles alongside Adel Imam and most recently as Mohamed Saad’s mother in the movie Karkar (you know the one ­— she plays almost every mother in Egyptian film and television) was chosen to be the honorary president of the First Cairo Fashion Festival, founded and organized by a slew of fashion designers in Egypt.

Showcasing up-and-coming Egyptian talents, the festival will exclusively tout the designs of Egyptian fashion gurus and all the dresses (Attack of the Sequins, anyone?) will only be modeled by the highest caliber of Egyptian ‘modelz’ as they are known in the industry. Don’t mock until you see. (HH)

In the run up to the Ramadan TV deluge, a number of new channels are expected to hit the satellite market.

After launching Modern TV a few months ago, Modern Group, which owns broadcast rights for the Egyptian Football League on NileSat, has plans this month to unveil Modern Sport. According to its announced profile, Saada (Happiness TV), promises to become a “free-to-air sports, social and competition channel that targets the whole Egyptian family.” On ArabSat, Arousty (My Bride TV) is a new matchmaking channel that hopes to compete with the already launched Zawag (Marriage TV) on NileSat. Sadly, it seems viewers will not be seeing an Arab version of Animal Planet in the near future, but let’s keep our fingers crossed. (SA)

Very few celebrities in Egypt enjoy international success, but one artist that is getting quite a bit of international playtime is Hakim, with his particular blend of Egyptian music now reaching the four corners of the globe. His hit song ‘Al-Salamu Alaikum’ was even featured in Reese Witherspoon’s 2005 film Vanity Fair.

Now Hakim is taking his new album Tigi, Tigi (Come, Come) on a tour around Europe. The popular singer is making his music heard through various shows in the European capitals as well as music festivals in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. (HH)

In other news of Arab stars breaking into the international scene, Khaled Hosseini’s Kite Runner, the runaway New York Times Bestseller, has recently finished production.

The film, directed by Marc Forster (who has also directed Stranger Than Fiction and Finding Neverland), tells the story of a young boy growing up in Afghanistan before the war and his subsequent life and journey of discovery in California and Afghanistan. There is no set international release date, but the film is scheduled to hit American screens in November of this year. The film stars a slew of Iranian and Arab artists, with newcomer Khalid Abdalla, previously seen in United 93, taking on the lead role as Amir, and Atossa Leoni, an Iranian-German actress, playing the role of Soraya.

Singer Sami Yusuf has recorded a song for the soundtrack. The track, titled “A Thousand Times,” was recorded specifically for the film and Forster reportedly also asked to use Yusuf’s song “Supplication” in the movie. Yusuf is also preparing another song to be played with the closing credits of the film. (HH)

Renowned comedian Mohamed Saad, whose big break came when he debuted as El-Limby in the movie El-Nazer Salah Eddin (Headmaster Salah Eddin), is being sued along with the director of his latest movie, Ali Rageb. Saad, who stars in the summer comedy film Karkar, is being sued by lawyer Wahed Niazi for mimicking and poking fun at televangelist Amr Khaled.

Niazi has called for the movie to be removed from theaters and that the mocking scene in question be cut from the film. Although audiences seem to lap up Saad’s unique brand of humor, many felt that he crossed the line by taking on an Islamic preacher. According to the local press, several friends have told Khaled about the scene, but how he feels about it remains a mystery and it is unclear if Khaled himself hired the lawyer. Saad was unavailable for comment, but really, the impersonation is so bad Saad should be thrown behind bars just for turning in such an appalling performance. No court date has yet been announced. (YM)

Algeria will become the guest of honor at the twenty-third Alexandria Film Festival (September 7-11). A special Algerian night will feature the screening of Gillo Pontecorvo’s Battle of Algiers (1966), the classic recounting of the 1957 Algerian revolution.

The festival will also screen Barbet Schroeder’s documentary Terror’s Advocate, which explores the life of Jacques Vergès, the controversial lawyer and former Free French Forces guerrilla who defended unpopular figures such as Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie and Algerian rebel Djamila Bouhired (who later became his wife).

Four new Algerian films will also be shown, including Bachir Drais’ Ten Million Centimes, Nasser Bakhti’s On the Borders of Night, Okasha Touita’s Morituri and Mohamed Chouikh’s Hamlet of Women. Three fantastic films by Tunisian filmmaker Nouri Bouzid — who will head the International Competition jury — will be screened, among them his latest award-winning Making off, le dernier film (The Last Film). The movie tackles the tale of a teenage suicide bomber in Tunisia in an experimental storyline, going behind the scenes to explore the challenges actor Lotfi Abdelli faces playing the emotional role, as well as his struggle with Bouzid as a director.

Among other Arabic films, the festival will screen the acclaimed, award-winning Lebanese film Falafel by writer-director Michel Kammoun, and four Moroccan dramas, including WWW: What a Wonderful World by Faouzi Bensaïdi and Two Women on the Road by Farida Bourkia.

Turkish cinema also has a high-profile presence, with Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Climates, which won the FIPRESCI Prize in this year’s Cannes Festival.

The twenty-third edition will give special tributes to Egyptian filmmaker Nader Galal and Egyptian star Leila Elwi for their contributions to cinema, and as a ‘thank you’ to all film crews, the festival will pay tribute to 75-year-old camera technician Dakrory “Ruby” Abdel-Rahman whose first salary at Studio Al-Ahram in 1954 was 15pt.

For the first time, the festival will hold a competition for digital and documentary films. Film critic Raouf Tawfik will head the Digital Competition jury with director Saad Hendawy and film editor Mona Rabei. Twenty films will compete for three prizes worth a total of LE 14,000. Digital films will include Utopia by Samir Ismael, National Number by Mohamed Mohsen and Drugs Are Lovely by Amr Salama. Among the documentaries are Six Girls by Sherif El-Bendary, Another World by Iman El-Naguar and El-Darawish by Aida El-Kashef. (SA)

Youssra, a UN Goodwill Ambassador and Environmental Ambassador (a title shared by Angelina Jolie and Geri Halliwell) and Khaled Abol Naga, also a UN Goodwill Ambassador, were awarded Actor and Actress of 2007 at a charity event held at the Rotary Marine Club in Alexandria last month.

President Mostafa Makram honored the two stars, who both took the stage to explain to the audience what their role in the UN means and shared their opinions about various global concerns. The honorees talked about the UN’s work on eradicating environmental hazards, sexually transmitted diseases, poverty and female circumcision here in Egypt. (HH)

After his summer outing Esabet El-Doctor Omar (Dr. Omar’s Gang) followed by the success of the film’s theme track “Howwa Da Eibo” (That’s the Disadvantage), singer-turned-actor Mostafa Qamar has begun production of his most recent film Mafish Fayda (It’s No Use).

Co-starring Basma, Menna Fedaly, Edward and Hassan Hosny, the movie is written by Loay El-Sayed and directed by Hatem Farid.

Shot in an apartment in Heliopolis, the romantic comedy sees Qamar attempt to overcome a series of obstacles that come between him and his fiancée. Qamar is recording the song “Ana Eih Elly Amalto Fe Nafsy?” (What Have I Done to Myself?) as the film’s theme track. (HO)

After a stellar year in film and television roles — and major weight loss — Leila Elwy, the famously unattached actress, has finally tied the knot. In a secret affair that shocked the industry, the notoriously single actress married prominent Egyptian businessman Mansour El-Gammal at her home in Cairo. And yes, there is a relation between him and the new first daughter, Khadija El-Gammal. The private ceremony was attended by close friends and family.

The other much-talked-about private celebrity wedding last month was that of actress Hala Sidki, most famous for her comedic and quirky roles, and lawyer Sameh Zakaria, who have been romantically linked for the past two years. Their simple beach wedding at Sidki’s luxury villa in Marina was attended by only close friends and family. The newlyweds are set to honeymoon in Monte Carlo, as far away from the hounding press as possible. (HH)

After shooting her newest music video, “Karmalak,” Lebanese singer Elisa attended the latest Paris Fashion Week featuring famous Lebanese-born costume designer Elie Saab, who held a cocktail reception for the opening of his new boutique in Les Champs-Elysées. Saab is renowned dressing international celebrities including Halle Berry, Vanessa Williams, Beyoncé and Helen Mirren. (SA)

After shooting her newest music video Rasak Ala Rassy (Your Head on Mine) in Syria, Lebanese singer Darine Hadchiti will embark on an Arab-world tour covering Beirut, Dubai and finally, Cairo.

Darine cemented her success as an artist after winning the bronze medal on Studio El-Fan TV Show. With her talent, charisma and good looks, most of the world probably won’t mind resting their head on hers. (SA)

Melody’s new 30-second commercials are the talk of the town. Produced by Leo Burnett, each commercial depicts Egyptian society combined with Western music in a hilarious manner.

One ad shows us an Egyptian woman in the slums wearing a fluorescent pink dress with ruffles standing in a balcony hanging out the washing. She picks up a pair of men’s briefs and starts singing, “You naw my hibs dun lie ze friction, ze attraction, you know bayby zis is barfection.”

A passing man on a donkey cart looks up at her and says, “Shakyra! Shakyra!”

The commercial then morphs into a brief clip of Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” video clip, followed by the woman telling us “MelodyAll Engalishall za time.”

From Britney Spear’s “Oops I did it again,” to 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop,” the hilarious new six-ad campaign will have you laughing until your sides simply burst. (EK) et