Like the United States, the Middle East has increased in its production and viewing of reality shows in the past 10 years. One of the most popular reality television shows is Star Academy, a pop music competition in which viewers vote for their favorite singers. Though it is not affiliated with American Idol or Pop Idol, the format of the show has many similarities. In Star Academy, in addition to singing, contestants live in a building together called “The Academy” where they are coached and directed by experts in the field. Each week, the show provides viewers a summary of what happened in the home during the past week, and contestants each perform one song in front of an audience. Several judges give comments, and then the viewers vote to remove one contestant per week. This continues until only the best contestant remains – who receives a recording contract and a large sum of money. Star Academy has many variations in different countries, but those in the Middle East have been very successful. The most popular of these is Star Academy Arab World. This variation features contestants from all over the Arab world (Arabic speaking countries the Middle East and Northern Africa). The format of the show is like any other Star Academy, but the show itself is individually produced and publicized. For this reason, it has made its own changes over the years based on the opinions of its viewers (which are mainly comprised of, but not limited to, people in Arab countries). When the show began in 2003, it featured a few guest performers of Arab notoriety, but this aspect of the show has grown leaps and bounds. Over its seven seasons, the show has featured such famous artists as Diana Haddad, Haifa Wahbe, Elissa, Angham, Abdallah Al Rowaished, Asalah, Ramy Ayach, Myriam Fares, Sherine, Fares, Kazem Al Saher Karam, and others. In a unique reinvention of the series, after season three the show began featuring international, non-Arab artists like Julio Iglesias, Karl Wolf, Tina Arena, Chris De Burgh and Massari. The show has gained so much popularity that it has continued for seven seasons in many different Middle Eastern countries (each season has a different country as a host). Star Academy Arab World was recently renewed for its eighth season, which just launched on April 1st, 2011. The newest season is hosted by Lebanon and will feature 20 contestants from Morocco, Tunisia, Bahrain, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon itself.
In addition to its popularity and success in bringing international guests to the screen, Star Academy Arab World has been innovative in its challenges and lessons for contestants. Every season has seen changes and additions to these lessons - such as the addition of swimming and basketball lessons, and the addition performances of songs in languages other than Arabic. The show constantly makes upgrades to the Academy itself – such as the additions of a spa, basketball court, swimming pool, and DJ booth. Additionally, the show is well known for its success in having winning contestants from many different regions and countries. Season 4 even saw the first major success of female participants with the first and second place winners being women. The official winner of Season 4 was Shatha Hassoun. Not only was Shatha the first woman to win, she was also the first Iraqi. It is said that her success brought unity and celebration to her country, despite being at war (this occurred in 2007).
No comments:
Post a Comment