ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the third series of Superstar, the pan-Arab version of Idols, broadcast in 2005–2006 by Lebanon-based Future Television. The main focus of this chapter is the tangled interrelationship of the production strategies used in this television contest, its audience reception and political identities in the Middle East, further complicated by the events on the Lebanese political scene preceding the airing of the show, namely the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. Superstar is the Arab adaptation of the Idols format. Within the Middle East and North African states (MENA), Superstar has been among the most popular talent game shows to air. Produced in Lebanon by Future Television, the show airs annually across the MENA states and is transmitted via satellite (Arab Sat I & II, Nilesat and Intelsat), making it available to Arab audiences globally. Superstar participants are selected from a variety of MENA nations, such as Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Morocco and Algeria. Auditions are held in countries and locations both within MENA states and beyond.
