After a competition that lasted for four months, Iraqi contestant Shatha Hassoun has won the title of Star Academy 2007, which has been airing on the Lebanese Broadcasting Company ‘LBC’. The program is considered to be one of the most popular Reality TV shows that is watched by people all around the Arab world.
Shatha is born to an Iraqi father and a Moroccan mother and resides in France. She had received 40 percent of total votes on the final episode of the program the highest score among the remaining three contestants from Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia.
The amount of votes Shatha had received from Iraq alone was almost seven million totaling a cost of five million dollars, reported the London based daily, Elaph.
With her victory Shatha has broken two records the first being the first female to win the title of the program in its three years of running, the second was her ability to bring Iraqis together and vote on a common thing regardless of their religious and beliefs.
Shatha had occupied the thinking of most Iraqis, and she was transformed in the past weeks to the main talk of the town. Her posters were hung everywhere and updates about her progress was the focus of most Iraqis.
Iraqi local television clearly displayed its full support for Shatha throughout the program and kept stressing the importance of voting for her.
The final episode featured special guests’ Lebanese singer Assi Hilani and Moroccan singer Samira Saeed.
© 2007 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
