Grim reality spawns reality TV.Laborers were busy hammering planks, Laying bricks, and pouring concrete. Al Sharqiya Al Sharqiya ("The Eastern One") is Iraq's first privately owned satellite channel owned by the London-based Iraqi media tycoon Saad Bazzaz, a former head of radio and television under the Saddam Hussein regime until he defected in 1992. , an Iraqi TV Iraqi TV was the primary TV station in Iraq during the Saddam Hussein era. Until the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime in April 2003, its' main coverage was patriotic music, government news and propaganda. It was bombed off air in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. network, had contracted them to rebuild the Baghdad home of Amal Ramzi Ismail, whose house was destroyed when U.S. troops blew up a munitions mu·ni·tion n. War materiel, especially weapons and ammunition. Often used in the plural. tr.v. mu·ni·tioned, mu·ni·tion·ing, mu·ni·tions To supply with munitions. cache nearby. TV crews were taping an episode of Materials and Labor, a reality show inspired by ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It offers Baghdad residents the chance to have homes destroyed by the war rebuilt at no cost to them. Reality TV could turn out to be Iraq's most durable Western import. Since spring 2004, when Materials and Labor premiered, a constellation of reality shows has burst onto TV screens across Iraq. Al Sharqiya also broadcasts a show called Congratulations! which helps young, poor couples get married. A rival, network boasts Iraq Star, an amateur-singing contest that resembles American Idol American Idol is an annual American televised singing competition, which began its first season on June 11, 2002. Part of the Idol franchise, it originated from the British reality program Pop Idol. . Since its start, Materials and Labor has financed the repair of six homes. Majid al-Samarraie, the show's writer, says each episode, by showing the ravages rav·age v. rav·aged, rav·ag·ing, rav·ages v.tr. 1. To bring heavy destruction on; devastate: A tornado ravaged the town. 2. of war and the callousness of politicians, serves as a critique of the U.S. and of the Iraqi government. Advertising revenue helps fund the reconstructions, which cost at least $30,000. "There's a kind of drama in the completion of these houses," says al-Samarraie. "I've cried, I've wept." |
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