Egypt bars Arabic version of ‘SNL’ over ethical violations
Wade-Chance docu sets premiere date
CAIRO, Feb 13, (Agencies): Egypt has banned the Arabic version of US comedy “Saturday Night Live” from television for violating ethical standards, the country’s media regulator said.
“Saturday Night Live bil Arabi” began broadcasting on television two years ago, with episodes shot in Cairo.
It was being aired by both the ON TV network and the Dubai-based satellite service Orbit Showtime Network.
“The Supreme Council for Media Regulation has decided to stop the SNL in Arabic programme starting from today,” the council said in a statement issued late Sunday.
“The programme consistently used sexual expressions, phrases, and gestures which are not suitable for viewers and which violate ethical and professional standards.”
Unlike the popular US version of SNL, the Egyptian edition kept clear of harsh political satire.
That used to be the focus of Bassem Youssef, a comedian known as Egypt’s Jon Stewart whose show was cancelled in June 2014, days after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected.
Youssef says he had come under pressure to end the show, and was concerned over the safety of his family at the time.
Instead of politics, it tried to focus its jokes on other aspects of life in the country.
Artists say censorship has gradually expanded since Sisi — then defence minister — led the military ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, a year before he himself was elected.
Several movies have been banned, including “In The Last Days of the City”, although it has been screened in 60 countries and at 91 festivals, winning more than 10 prizes since 2016.
Another award-winning film, “The Nile Hilton Incident” directed by Tarik Saleh, a Swede of Egyptian origin, takes place in Egypt but could not be shot in the country. It was released in 2017 but cannot be shown in Egypt.
“Shot in the Dark,” is scheduled to air on Fox on Feb. 24 at approximately 4:30 pm ET/1:30 pm PT following Villanova vs. Creighton basketball. Executive produced by Dwyane Wade and Chance the Rapper, the documentary film follows Orr Academy’s high school basketball team as they aspire for greatness under head coach Lou Adams, facing systemic inequities that threaten to claim their future.
The CW’s musical comedy “Crazy ExGirlfriend” will have an eight-city live tour of the show beginning on March 31 that will include Portland, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles. Rachel Bloom, Vincent Rodriguez III, Scott Michael Foster, Pete Gardner, Aline Brosh McKenna, Adam Schlesinger, and Jack Dolgen have been confirmed to participate in the live shows. Tickets go on sale Feb 14.
TLC’s new reality dating show “Hear Me, Love Me, See Me” will premiere on March 3 at 10 pm Hosted by actress Christine Lakin, the show takes physical attraction out of dating and over the course of just one day, an eligible bachelorette will meet three bachelors, using only POV cameras strapped to the men’s chests, neither party able see what the other person looks like. Watch a first-look trailer of the show below.
US Ski & Snowboard Olympic gold medalist Red Gerard will make his first TV appearance since his big victory on the Feb 13 episode of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Additional guests on Tuesday night’s show include actor Oscar Isaac and chef Massimo Bottura.
“Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant” will premiere on MTV on March 12 at 10 pm ET/ PT. The 14-episode docu-series will introduce the diverse stories and backgrounds of five new young women as they navigate the complexities of being a Gen Z mother. This announcement comes on the heels of MTV’s second consecutive quarter of YoY growth - its best streak in six years. The series will begin premiering internationally in April across Viacom’s international network of MTV channels in nearly 180 countries.
CBS has dropped another clip of Omarosa Manigault-Newman on “Celebrity Big Brother” in which she again offers a few warnings about what is going on in the White House.
This time, the recently departed aide to President Donald Trump sets her sights on Vice President Mike Pence.
Sitting on the sofa with other contestants, including Ross Mathews and Mark McGrath, Manigault-Newman tells them that “as bad as you think Trump is, you would be worried about Pence.”
“Everyone wishing for impeachment might want to reconsider,” she says, adding that they would be “begging for days of Trump if Pence became president.”
The White House fired off a zinger in responding to a clip from the show released last week, in which Manigault-Newman said that she tried to temper Trump’s tweeting but other advisers stopped her.
“Omarosa was fired three times on ‘The Apprentice,’ and this is the fourth time we’ve let her go,” spokesman Raj Shah told reporters. Manigault-Newman appeared on “The Apprentice,” and parlayed her association with Trump into a stint on his presidential campaign and later a position at the White House. She announced her departure in December.
In the “Big Brother” clip, Manigault-Newman also warns that Trump is planning more extreme illegal immigration crackdowns. “The roundup plan is getting more and more aggressive,” she said.
Mary J. Blige has signed onto the upcoming Netflix series “The Umbrella Academy,” Variety has confirmed.
The live action series follows the estranged members of a dysfunctional family of superheroes (The Umbrella Academy) - Luther (Tom Hopper), Diego (David Castaneda), Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), Vanya (Ellen Page), Klaus (Robert Sheehan), and Number Five (Aidan Gallagher) - as they work together to solve their father’s mysterious death while coming apart at the seams due to their divergent personalities and abilities.
Blige will play Cha-Cha, a ruthless and unorthodox hitwoman who travels through time to kill assigned targets. Even though she has a few gripes about the bureaucracy of her employers, this job is her life.