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weird blows – call for submissions

Feb 28, 2007, 4:46 am.

weird (wîrd) adj. weird·er, weird·est 1. Of, relating to, or suggestive of the preternatural or supernatural. 2. Of a strikingly odd or unusual character; strange. blow (blō) v. blew, blown, blow·ing, blows 1. To expel a current of air, as from the mouth or from a bellows. 2. slang. Sexual activity involving oral stimulation of one's partner's sex organs. Weird Blows is an ongoing art project where people anonymously submit their bizarre sexual experiences. These will eventually be archived on an upcoming website for viewing purposes and certain experiences will be adapted into short videos that will also be placed on the website, recontextualizing these accounts through the lens of the pornography they can owe so much to. You are invited to contribute your experiences to Weird Blows. Each experience can be fondly-remembered or otherwise and it can be based in reality or fantasy or somewhere in between. Possible themes for the experiences are not limited to accounts of oral sex or heteronormative relationships. There are also varying degrees of weirdness; one person's kink is another person's vanilla. What really matters is that the experience you submit is true. We have only one suggestion: Be descriptive! One or two-sentence experiences all tend to sound the same. Mail your experiences to weirdblows@gmail.com or send them, postal-style, to: Weird Blows 585 Gerrard St. E Toronto, ON M4M 1Y2 posted in Short Films - 0 replies... ...
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Remembering Fayza Ahmed

Feb 23, 2007, 4:42 am.

http://www.festival.com.eg/PRound_03/9th_FA.htm Great Artist Fayza Ahmed's life time * Fayza Ahmed was born in 1934 in Sayda, Lebanon from a Syrian father and a Lebanese mother. She brought up in Damascus Syria. * She started to sing when she was six years old, as she was not interested in studing and she was perfect in imitating both Laila Mourad and Asmahan. * Her mother was the first to discover her talent, she supported her to learn music and to play Lute which she learnt from the famous composer Mohamed El Naami, whom she married later. * As a start, Fayza Ahmed was singing for friends and neighbours in different occasions. * When she was 13 years old, she sang her first song " Leh Tekhony ba'd ma salemt kalby we Rohy" composed by Youssef Fadel who was a famous composer at that time, and written by Mohamed Ali Fattouh. * In 1946 the Lebanese radio approved Fayza Ahmed as a singer. * Her fame, success and popularity started in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and then Cairo which was her hope.That was in 1957 where she was stelled and started life as a singer. * She had more than 340 songs, included lyric poem, romantic, national and religious songs. Her songs were composed by great and famous composers: Riyad El Sonbaty, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Kamal El Tawyl, Mohamed El Mogey, Mohamed Sultn, Helmi Bakr and Mohamed El Sherif. She also sang for most of the poets and writers. * She sang famous songs composed by the great composer Mohamed Abd El Wahab like: Set El Habayb, Habibi Ya khoya, We Kedert Tohgor, We Tohgorny Be Hekaya….. etc and for Mohamed El Mogey: Ana Kalby Elek Mayal. * Fayza Ahmed paticipated in all national and Patriotic occasions and the most famous songs in these occasions as Misr Baladna opretta El Geel El sa'ed An them. . * Her love for Egypt was the main reason for her stay and success in Egypt till she became one of the greatest artists in the Arab Countries and the first meeting with composer Mohamed Sultan was Rosho El Ward, which she sang, in a big festival for the soldiers and officers after the war, and it was very succesful. * As she was so sick, she played only 6 movies: Ana We Banati, Tamr Henna, El Millionaire El Faker, Laila Bent El Shate', Amsk Haramy. And only one play in the theatre. * Fayza Ahmed continued to sing and lived for 25 years in all Egyptian and Arabs' hearts until she pmovie reviewsed away in 21st September 1983. posted in Egyptian Film, Past and Present - 1 reply... ...
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The Musical Legacies Of Sayyid Makkawi, Munir Bashir and Walid Akel

Feb 23, 2007, 4:04 am.

From: http://leb.net/~aljadid/music/0423makkawi.html By Sami Asmar The past few months witnessed the loss of three Arab musicians who were pioneering giants and history-makers - Sayyid Makkawi, Munir Bashir and Walid Akel - three different men on different paths: Makkawi, an Egyptian composer and singer who had reached a career peak and was nearing retirement; Bashir, an Iraqi oud player and composer with international acclaim; and Akel, a Lebanese pianist prodigy who performed Western clmovie reviewsical music with a vision to invigorate his art in Lebanon. Sayyid Makkawi's Five Thousand Tunes After 52 years of singing and composing, Sheikh Sayyid Makkawi died at age 70 in Cairo after a Ramadan trip to Beirut, where he fell sick. With thousands of compositions to his credit, Makkawi is, literally, the last of a group of Egyptian religiously-trained sheikhs who turned to music and became giants, including Sheikh Salamah Hijazi, Sheikh Imam, Zakariya Ahmad and the ever popular Sheikh Sayyid Darwish. Makkawi's primary contribution to Arabic music was in popularizing tarab songs. Tarab, the feeling of ecstasy movie reviewsociated with music appreciation, was in the domain of long art songs. Like Sayyid Darwish before him, Makkawi was more in touch with people at all levels, and performed for the people, often about themes of relevance to their daily lives. Popularizing the music, however, did not come at the expense of the quality of his work, and that brought him head and shoulders above a crowd of song-writers. As proof of his high quality, Makkawi was sought after by the best, including Umm Kulthum, for whom he wrote the hit song "Ya Msaharni," Layla Murad, Warda, Mayyada, Sabah, and Faiza Ahamad. He wrote the ever-so-cute song, "Is'al Marra -Allaya" [Ask for Me Once in a While] sung by Mohammad Abdul Muttaleb. He even surprised his colleagues by working with Shukuku, the folk comedian and singer. Few are aware that Sayyid Darwish composed popular songs, such as those for the hit comedy play "Madrast al-Mushaghibeen" [School of Trouble-Makers], starring the noted actor-comedian, Adel Imam. As demonstrated in his flagship song "Ya Msaharni," he maintained the rules of manipulating the Arabic modal structure (maqam) and percussion without compromise. He simply wrote good music the old-fashioned way and did not need to bend the rules to create something new-a controversial theme even today among contemporary composers. His work combined simplicity and depth in an unrivaled way, typically utilizing the "call and response" mechanism of composing. Blind from childhood due to medical mishandling in his poor community (the same conditions that led to the blindness of author Taha Hussain), Makkawi did not let that depress him. He often joked about the subject, telling reporters that his hobbies included bicycle racing. His best blindness story was once reported in "As Safir" magazine: He was once invited to perform the call to prayer at the prestigious Sit Zainab mosque in Cairo, and was led to a chair and handed a microphone. His host, however, asked to him to rest for a few minutes since it was still early for the call to prayer. The tired Makkawi fell asleep and did not wake up until it was past the prayer time. That was not the bad part; when he woke up, unable to see his surroundings and forgetting where he was, he felt a microphone in his hand. He cleared his throat and enthusiastically sang the latest song by Mohammad Abdulwahab, "al-Gundul." For miles around the mosque, the shocked neighborhood could not believe what they heard emanating from the mosque's loudspeakers. Surprisingly, people did not interrupt him until he finished the song, at which point the officials were reportedly ready to "kill him." He got away unharmed. Being a blind child quickened his family's decision to enroll him in an "al-kuttab" Quranic school, where he with his beautiful voice excelled as a child reader of the Quran. In secret, however, he listened to records on his father's gramophone and sang popular songs. Not wanting to offend his family or teachers, he kept his ambition to sing and compose to himself. He was 20, when after meeting two producers who encouraged him, he took his chances in the business. He quickly lost whatever income he was making from Quranic chanting and began the life style of a poor artist. He could not afford a tutor to learn the musical scales (the Arabic word for scale is the same as for ladder) and joked that his poverty made him "fall off the ladder." Makkawi's big break came when a known poet collaborated with him on a musical called "The Big Night," in which he composed all the tunes and sang most of the songs. The surprising success of the unknown musician placed him in high demand ever since. He ended up composing a dozen musicals as part of his works, which ultimately included a catalogue of 5,000 tunes. Makkawi succeeded because he had a natural tendency to produce music that everybody could relate to. Whereas some songs can only be enjoyed in a certain mood, Makkawi's work was, like his personality, never imposing, and could be accepted at any time. During a recent trip to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was honored by ethnomusicology Professor Jihad Racy, one could see first-hand that the man was humble and maintained a sense of humor, yet could move the spirit of all around him, as did his music. Munir Bashir The Improviser "Ironically, the West accepted him for his Eastern music while the Arab world favored musicians who adopted elements of Western music" Munir Bashir was universally considered the best soloist oud player alive and one of the greatest of all times, in the company of Mohamad Qasabgi, Farid al-Atrash and Sharif Haydar. Born in the Iraqi city of Mosul to an Assyrian father and Kurdish mother, Munir was only five when his father started teaching him and older brother Jamil the basics of oud playing. His father, who was also a poet, stressed the purist musical traditions in the spirit of living in Baghdad, the old capital of the Abbmovie reviewsid caliphs. During the Abbmovie reviewsid period, Mosul produced Ishaq and Ibrahim al-Mouseli, who, along with former student Ziryab, who had escaped Iraq and settled in Andalusia, are considered the fathers of Arabic music as we know it today. The Bashir children were compelled to live up to that honor and responsibility, and both became apprentices of master instructor Sharif Mohiedin Haydar. Jamil excelled beyond his father's expectations, later developing his own style on the oud, and also played the violin. It did not take long for Munir, however, to master the subtleties of playing the instrument. He became an unrivaled virtuoso, thus giving the oud the respect it once had in ancient Baghdad. He later followed in Haydar's footsteps as a professor at the Iraqi Academy of Art and also held the job of music director in the country's broadcasting company, where he cynically likened government officials in charge of making decisions on music to "barbers supervising a surgery." Dissatisfied with his musical progress, Bashir traveled to pursue higher education in Budapest. He married a Hungarian woman and, in 1965, obtained a doctorate and a quick appointment at the Hungarian Academy of Science as a lecturer in folk art. At various times in his life, he had maintained residences in Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan (where he was awarded a medal by the king), but spent most of his later years at his home in Budapest, where he died of a heart attack at the age of 68. Bashir's approach to performing was centered on respecting the oud. As a result, he "exploded" the instrument and played it in ways not fully appreciated before. Bashir even discovered a connection between his music and Sufi spiritual traditions. That was accidental and happened only, when, to his surprise, he was invited to a Sufi conference in the United States, since the organizers appreciated the spirituality of his work. He later reportedly came to believe in the music's power to heal sicknesses and physical handicaps. Despite the fact the he had hundreds of compositions recorded, he is known for his improvisations. He was indeed the king of improvisation (taqsim). And although with a higher education background, he learned the theory of Arabic modal structures (maqamat) in a non-academic way, in the traditional style of apprenticeship. Later in his career, some critics wrote that Bashir excelled in two particular maqams more than others: Shad Arban, because it was easier on the Western ear, and Rast, the fundamental Arabic maqam, implying that he solicited Western acceptance. Regardless of these insinuations, he had an intuitive feel for the art and the instrument of Ziryab. The latter had added the fifth string to the oud and was the first to use a feather for a pick; to this day even a plastic oud pick is called a feather (risha). Incidentally, a young contemporary Lebanese oud player called Charbel Rouhana added a sixth string to his instrument. While Ziryab's fifth string was a low one, for base resonance, Rouhana's is a high string for added range. Haydar also reportedly experimented with a sixth low string, but the standard instrument remains as left by Ziryab with only minor changes in the tuning. In mutual admiration, Bashir proclaimed young Rouhana to be his "son." Rouhana is the cousin of the Lebanese musician Marcel Khalife; Bashir's Lebanese connection also included important work with the Rahbani Brothers, and oud recordings of some famous Fairouz songs. In fact, Bashir was "discovered" in Beirut by Swiss ethnomusicologist Simon Jargy, who invited him to perform in Geneva, thus moving him to the international arena, in which he found recognition and comfort. Interestingly, later in his career, Bashir criticized the Rahbanis for their excessive Westernization. Bashir also criticized Mohammad Abdulwahab for adopting elements of Western music, and in doing so, he joins a list of purists who also criticized Abdulwahab in articles and interviews. This list includes Sayyed Makkawi, who called Abdulwahab a traitor, and Sabah Fakhri, who sings in purely traditional Arabic style to this day. The fantastic improvisational style of Bashir, which had earned him awards from heads of states on every continent, was clearly art music, not popular music. In fact, he is not particularly well known at a grmovie reviews-root level, and some of the musically uneducated mistake his work for Turkish music. "Alwasat" magazine reported that Bashir once commented that the Egyptian populace did not know of him because he did not sing while playing (probably making reference to Farid al-Atrash) and because he did not sit behind a singer, either (probably referring to Mohamad Qasabgi, Umm Kulthum's oudist). He was a little bitter that the West accepted him more than the Arab world and wondered why Arabs could not embrace an "independent musician!" Ironically, the West accepted him for his Eastern music while the Arab world seemed to favor musicians who adopted elements of fashionable Western music. The influence of Turkish style, which comes from Haydar, and Indian style (where he borrowed the idea of a brief silence from Indian improvisers, which was unsuccessful with Arabic audiences) as well as his physical playing technique and fingering, gave Bashir a unique and recognizable sound. He often spoke of the art of listening and listening to art, and stressed the purity of the music of the Arabs. Towards that end, he helped found several music schools to pmovie reviews the legacy on to future generations. Walid Akel - Without Music, Life Would be an Error Unlike Sayyid Makkawi, the sheikh who turned into a prolific composer of Arabic music for Arabs, or Munir Bashir, the instrumental specialist who improvised Eastern music for the whole world to enjoy, Walid Akel was an Arab who played clmovie reviewsical Western music on a Western instrument. Jihad Racy, professor of ethnomusicology at UCLA, saw parallels between Bashir and Akel: Bashir proved that an Arab musician could reach Western audiences through Arab art, and Akel proved that an Arab musician could reach Western audiences through Western art. They both gained international acclaim for these accomplishments. Noted similarities between the two instrumental specialists include the fact that they both lived and died in Europe, developed an interest in Sufism, and cared about educating the next generation in music. At age 14, while his friends played soccer on open fields, Walid Akel took up the piano, quickly realizing it was his calling. His family and community, recognizing the prodigy among them, encouraged him. At a concert in Baalbek, he once met a famous Russian composer named Richter who was amazed that the young man knew small details about his life and work. He spent time with his fan, encouraging him to pursue music without even hearing him play thus giving him the boost he needed. The Russian connection remained with Akel the rest of his career, as he later recorded the works of Russian greats such as Prokofiev, Rachmaninov and Scriabine. Akel moved to Paris to pursue a higher education, establishing a residence there. He lived with a cat and four pianos until his death at age 52 during heart surgery. With all his tours and busy recording schedule, however, he made time for frequent trips to Lebanon, where he performed at well-attended concerts, maintaining a connection to his heritage, and making a contribution to Lebanese music education. Akel, like Bashir, was aware that his culture favored singers and ensemble musicians over solo instrumentalists, but he succeeded in showing Arabs tarab of a different flavor. In the process, he inspired many Lebanese pianists who are gaining international acceptance in his footsteps; in fact, he was a trendsetter. The eccentric and intelligent pianist was known to have a hot temper as well as demanding strict accuracy and exactness in his music, typical characteristics of very highly sensitive musicians. His feelings showed in his music, and his interpretations often rivaled the intent of the original composers in their beauty. No wonder An-Nahar newspaper called him a Sufi; his music reflected his spiritual richness and emotional depth. Although he was highly selective in what he played, he did try many periods of Western music, and particularly the Baroque, producing recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach. It appeared that his favorite composer was Franz Joseph Haydn, whom he considered a genius. He played his works at every opportunity and is reported to be the only pianist to record his complete work, including previously unpublished compositions discovered by a Vienna museum-an effort that took seven years. Akel was very well coordinated, and sought out difficult pieces which emphasized the left hand to stress his skills, although he was by no means showing off; he had a philosophical interest in complex work. This philosophical angle on life led him to do something which surprised the music community: He found the musical compositions of European poet and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and recorded them. Only a few specialists knew that Nietzsche, one of the most provocative and influential thinkers of the 19th century, also composed music, and once Nietzsche wrote that without music, life would be an error. This little secret was of great interest to Akel, the thinker, the man who sought challenges and overcame them. This article appeared in Al Jadid, Vol. 4, No. 23 ( Winter 1998) Copyright © 1998 by Al Jadid posted in Egyptian Film, Past and Present - 0 replies... ...
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Mohamed Abd El Mottaleb

Feb 23, 2007, 4:03 am.

From: http://163.121.12.9/scripts/egymusic/subsubcat.asp?id=35&subid=7&catid=3 His full name is "Mohammed Abdel Mottaleb El Ahmar". He was born in "Beheira". He first joined "Dawoud Hosni's" group and then "El Mazhabia" group.The great composer, "Abdel Wahab" gave a good push to Abdel Mottaleb's career by writing the music for some of his songs. Abdel Mottaleb is renowned for his folk songs .He was granted the national order of merit in art in 1964 and an honor of appreciation in 1979. posted in Egyptian Film, Past and Present - 1 reply... ...
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Video opinion polls for Egyptian films

Feb 21, 2007, 3:11 pm.

On my web site, I have video opinion polls for 19 Arab-language movies. I invite the members of this tribe to vote in the polls for those movies which you have seen. The polls are at www.shira.net/videocenter.htm As for what criteria to use in voting, that's up to you. Could be well-developed plot and characters. Could be having a bunch of entertaining dance scenes. Whatever suits your biases. Although i don't vote in the polls myself, if I were to, I'd probably give Habib el Omr (Love of My Life, or Love of a Lifetime) "good but not special" because I felt the plot was kind of tedious and the character development one-dimensional, and I was frustrated with the dance scenes because the camera angles kept cutting away to show audience members, which made the experience of watching the dancing rather choppy. I would give "fantastic" to Afrita Hanem because I really enjoyed the plot and the light humorous touches, and the editing of camera angles is much friendlier to those of us who want to focus on the dancing. These are the movies for which polls are available: Ahebbak Inte (I Love You) Afrita Hanem (Genie Lady, She-Devil, Demon Woman) Akher Kedba (The Last Lie, The Final Lie) Bayaet el Garayed (The Newspaper Seller) Dananeer Fatma Gharam fi al-Karnak (Love in Karnak) Habib el Omr (Love of My Life, Love of a Lifetime) Hmovie reviewsan wa Naima (Hmovie reviewsan and Naima) Imm al Aroussa (Mother of the Bride) Khally Balak Men Zouzou (Pay Heed to Zouzou, Watch Out for Zouzou, Beware of Zouzou) Kommisseriate el Fatenate (Inspector General) Lahalibo (The Circus) Ma Takulshi La Hada (Don't Tell Anyone) Mawal Shatie el Hob (Shore of Love) Sigarah wa Kmovie reviews (Glmovie reviews and a Cigarette) Tamra Henna (Henna Flower) Zouqaq al-Midaaq (Al Madak Alley, Alley of the Pestle) posted in Egyptian Film, Past and Present - 4 replies... ...
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