Tom Jones leads Honors

Tom Jones has been made a knight in the New Year's Honours list, leading a host of names from the entertainment world. The 65-year-old, whose hits include Delilah and It's Not Unusual, has been honoured for services to music. Playwright Arnold Wesker and jazz musician John Dankworth are also knighted, while former BBC Radio head Liz Forgan is made a Dame. TV star Bruce Forsyth, 77, is made a CBE, and actors Imelda Staunton, Robbie Coltrane and Sanjeev Bhaskar OBEs. Broadcaster and former Newsnight presenter Peter Snow becomes a CBE along with sculptor Rachel Whiteread, while the OBE roll-call includes writer Jeanette Winterson and television chef Gordon Ramsay. MBEs go to Coronation Street actor Roy Barraclough, singer/songwriter Eddi Reader and 1950s singing trio the Beverley Sisters - Babette, Joy and Teddie. Jones, from Pontypridd in Wales, is one of the most famous pop singers of the past four decades.

Photo: Imelda Staunton

He began his musical career in 1963 as vocalist in the group Tommy Scott And The Senators and has gone on to sell millions of records around the world. Dankworth, whose career in jazz spans more than 50 years, is also honoured for his services to music. The performer, composer and conductor has also served as musical director for such greats as Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Sophie Tucker and many others. Forsyth, who recently presented the BBC's Saturday-night hit show Strictly Come Dancing, said he was "quick-stepping with delight" at his CBE for services to entertainment. The veteran entertainer, who rose to fame presenting games shows like The Price is Right and Play Your Cards Right, made a comeback on Have I Got News For You in 2003. He said: "I'm very happy to receive the CBE.

Photo: Beverly Sisters

I'm delighted and I can put this all down to having done Have I Got News for You. "It proved to everybody that I'm still a performer and still reasonably funny. "I wish I could wear it [the CBE] when I'll be with all my family to see in the New Year. It will be a double celebration because a couple of months ago I was made a great-grandfather." Staunton's OBE follows a hugely successful year for the actress, who won a Bafta for her role as Vera Drake in Mike Leigh's Oscar-nominated film in February. Coltrane, who stars as Hagrid in the Harry Potter films and played Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald, in the TV drama hit Cracker, said he was "absolutely delighted" to be honoured for his services to drama. Actor and writer Bhaskar first came to public attention when he starred in the BBC ensemble comedy sketch show Goodness Gracious Me, which ran to three series on radio and TV. He followed it up with The Kumars at No 42, in which he plays the role of Sanjeev Kumar, who tries to host and broadcast a chat show from his parents' living room.

The Beverley Sisters, who were the first UK female group to break into the US top 10 charts, are all appointed MBEs. They were best known for close-harmony hits like Sisters, I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus and Drummer Boy. Barraclough, who has had numerous stints in Coronation Street, becomes an MBE. He is also well-known for his Cissie and Ada double act with the late Les Dawson.

Hind Rostom reclaims her throne as Queen of World Cinema.

By Rima Sags

In Cairo, where she lives, Hind Rostom is still a huge presence, and she has been the Egyptian super diva for decades, but now, and all of a sudden an immense interest in Rostom is bursting like a tsunami. Times Square Press has just published a book by Maximillien de Lafayette, Hind Rostom, The World Greatest Actress. That's fine, but it could astonish many here in New York if they are fans of Elizabeth Taylor or even Julia Roberts. But according to de Lafayette, Rostom is the real deal! And to millions in the Middle East, Hind Rostom is the first lady of Egyptian Cinema, Faten Hamama might be infuriated, but the public gave its verdict: Rostom is the super diva of the Egyptian silver screen!

De Lafayette said, "This is not the biography of Lady Hind Rostom; it is simply a modest synopsis of chosen events, important blurbs, and what international stars have said about her throughout the years. This is a first attempt to shed some lights on the illustrious career of the Queen of the Egyptian cinema. In a forthcoming book, I will be writing an in-depth study and critiques of her films, and the impact she had upon the Egyptian silver screen, and Egyptian stars and starlets. I followed up the career of Lady Hind Rostom for approximately fifty years. I was deeply impressed by the wide range of styles, genres and roles she played; no other Egyptian actress has ever accomplished this. On the international level, yes, Bette Davis, Simone Signoret and Ida Lupino did. Thus, this extraordinary talent transmutes Lady Rostom into an international star and an unmatched diva of the golden years of cinema, both Egyptian and foreign.

On her European looks, the author added, "Those who – and especially Egyptian actresses – felt threatened by her talent and ascension to fame and popularity claimed that Hind Rostom looks too foreign, not Egyptian enough to either be recognized an authentic Egyptian actress, or qualified to project on the screen the core, fabric and essence of Egyptian themes and every daily life. They based their claim upon her European physical appearance. At the very beginning of her career, and a few days before she took her first screen test, directors and producers could not believe that she could read Arabic; they were fully convinced that she was European, and hesitated to give her a chance. One of them even asked her to read two lines from an Egyptian newspaper, to make sure that indeed she could read Arabic! Her competitors held this against her, but of course they failed, and Lady Hind Rostom took the Arab world by storm. Having a European flair could be a plus for a Middle Eastern artist, and those who claim that an Egyptian artist should look 100% Egyptian, and a Syrian painter should only paint Syrian landscapes and themes, and a Lebanese singer should only sing Majals and Ataaba and songs from the remote Lebanese villages are deadly wrong! For art and talents have no looks, and no ethnicity.

Art is universal, and belongs to nations of the world and to people from all walks of life. It is not limited by regional barriers.  As a matter of fact, a deeply rooted and shaped artistic ethnicity could kill the career of an artist, or a least limit his/her audience and the sphere of global success. The Rahbani and Fairooz became well-known world-wide (To a certain degree), because their music transcended regional and geographical borders. Marie Ataya, a superb Lebanese singer with a magnificent voice did not make it on an international scale, because she was too Lebanese in her singing. Mohammad Abdel Mottaleb did not reach universal fame, because he was too Egyptian. Mohammad Abdel Wahab and Farid Al Atrash did attain world fame because their music was both Egyptian and international. At one time, and in order to discredit Abdel Wahab, his foes claimed that he stole his best compositions and Alhaan (Songs, Compositions) from Bach, Beethoven and Chopin, especially in his introductions and overtures. And those who hated the guts of Farid Al Atrash claimed that Farid stole his best work and particularly his Oud Takasim from Spanish composers. Yes, at one time in the history of Egyptian cinema and arts, foreign culture and appearance and their ramifications/influence on Arab artists were consider an intrusion, and a distortion of the national art. Veteran of the early days of Egyptian cinema, Bishara Wakeem did not reach a global fame, despite his loveable and fabulous performances, because he was too Lebanese in a “too Egyptian” pictures. He is remembered by few in a very limited area, and frozen time and space.

Ironically, the “very much” Italian Sophia Loren made it big time in Hollywood. The “very much” European Hedy Lamarr, Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo took Hollywood and the universe by storm. This leads me to a very striking and enlightening event that happened in early seventies in Beirut, while I was asked occasionally to sit on the panel of Arab and Lebanese beauty pageants, and participate in the election of beauty queens in the Middle East.

The book was published this week, and it is anticipated that it will make a big buzz, and without doubt, it will create waves of controversies and he says she says. Nevertheless, it will remain a great addition to your library.