A concert held at the American University in Cairo last week gave rise to a dispute between prominent Egyptian pop star Amr Diab and rising singer Mohammad Hamaqi.

Hamaqi was supposed to join Amr in his annual performance on campus, a tradition of Amr to motivate students.

Advertisements were made for the concert that announced Hamaqi’s participation, but he refused to sing according to Amr's conditions. Rumors claim that Amr requested Hamaqi lip sync without a band, and he decided to withdraw shortly before the concert.

Event sponsor, Shady Majdi claims Amr never placed any conditions upon Hamaqi’s performance.

Ten years after his last appearance on the big screen, Diab signed a contract with scenarist Midhat Al Adel to write a new film especially for him, and has now broken the contract.

Diab requested that the film revolve around his personal journey throughout his career and how he overcame numerous obstacles to reach stardom.

Al Adel wrote the script, but instead of having Amr take the role, it was given to young actor Ahmad Al Sakka.  Sources claim disputes over Diab’s payment arose.

Amr claims that he was the one who rejected the film because it did not suit him or reflect his real journey, describing the script as “weak.”

Amr stated that he is seeking a respectful and dignified film that is well written and reflects his personality and his actual struggle to fame in a realistic manner.

He wants to act in a film that matches his stardom and history, and will mark a major milestone in his career, he added.

On a different note, Diab decided to screen his latest music video for the song “Wi Malo” (What If) in cinema houses across Egypt, a precedent for an Arab music video.
 
Amr filmed the clip in London with a budget of over 2 million Egyptian pounds under the direction of two international directors, who directed clips for Sting, also a first for an Arab music video. Critics have described the clip as one of the best in Arabic music history.

 

© 2006 Al Bawaba