Episodios

  • Arabish, Englic or Englabic: Bilinguality in Music with Zaina Berri

    Arabish, Englic or Englabic: Bilinguality in Music with Zaina Berri
    Jun 1 2023
    For today’s episode, I have a very special guest and our first singer-songwriter on the podcast, my musically talented friend, ZAINA BERRI. Zaina is a Lebanese-American artist, raised by a single, first-generation immigrant Lebanese mother, has been writing songs since she was nine years old. It was something that came naturally to her. The 90s baby would write lyrics in her composition notebook decorated with doodles of cats and Britney Spears songs. Zaina’s unique blend of East and West, soulful voice, confessional, honest lyricism, bilingual flair, and powerful, unapologetic passion is what makes her stand out in a sea of “the next (insert female pop star here)”. She was recently featured by Sceene as an artist in the 120 Artists to Watch in 2023. We talked about her Fave 4 Albums in a NEW Segment with Singer-Songwriters we'll be having on the Chai which included: Stripped by Christina Aguilera, Familia by Camila Cabello, In the Meantime by Alessia Cara, and No Strings Attached by *NSYNC. She has a lot to share about her journeys through the music industry so, let’s let Zaina spill her own chai! --- Lists & Links for Our Guest: Her official Instagram, TikTok & Twitter: @zainaberri Her official Streaming Artist Pages: Zaina Berri Official Spotify Page and Zaina Berri Official Apple Music Page where you can find her entire discography. Check out Zaina Berri's official website here and check out her latest single, and first bilingual single: "MAMA". Several of her other singles mentioned in this episode include: "Little Man", "New Skin", "Release", "Home", and "Stop (하지마)". Zaina also mentioned this article that she was featured in and we discussed the response post-publishing on the episode: "Dearborn's Zaina Berri drops new single" by John Zadikian of Press & Guide and her official performance on LIVE IN THE D. --- Official The Hollywood Chai Info: Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.comThe Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors Credits: This episode was recorded in San Francisco, CA and Dearborn, MI, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production.
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    1 h y 21 m
  • Oscars Breakdown on the 2022 Front (Oscar Special - Pt 2)

    Oscars Breakdown on the 2022 Front (Oscar Special - Pt 2)
    May 18 2023

    As promised, we are finally delivering our Part 2 Oscar Special – Oscars Breakdown on the 2022 Front. Yes a pun for a film that was nominated heavily and sweeped some of the technical categories and name dropped quite a bit in today’s episode. We bring back ELIA NINO, aka the Hollywood Chai’s Arab Godfather of Cinema! Just as a reminder, in part one, we talked about everything from this year’s telecast, adding new categories to the Oscars, to the new diversity and inclusivity rules that AMPAS is putting into effect soon, and this part, part two, is our commentary as we go through and dissect every category’s nominee and winner and what artists were snubbed in specific categories! Let's dive right in!

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    Lists & Links for Our Guest:

    His official Letterboxd: @Eclectic_EG

    Check out on of our favorite museums in LA: The Official Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to learn more about memberships and visiting. And check out this Rotten Tomatoes article about where to watch all the nominees for the 2023 Academy Awards. Some of the records that were broken and mentioned in this year's ceremony can be found in this BuzzFeed article.

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    Official The Hollywood Chai Info:

    Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood

    Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com

    Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab

    Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment

    ---

    This episode is sponsored by:

    • Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/
    • ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.com
    • The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors

    Credits:

    This episode was recorded in San Francisco, CA; produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production.
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    1 h y 20 m
  • Breaking the Hollywood Stereotypes with Dina Najjar

    Breaking the Hollywood Stereotypes with Dina Najjar
    May 11 2023
    Another week, another special guest! The wonderfully talented DINA NAJJAR joins us to talk about Breaking Hollywood Stereotypes of Arab and Middle Eastern characters and stories. Dina is a first generation Palestinian-Jordanian award-winning actor and filmmaker whose mission is to bring diversity without stereotypes to the screen and stage and to tell important stories that inspire, empower, and include. Some of the roles she’s proudest of include: playing Maya, a Syrian refugee searching for her place in America, in the short film MAYA which earned her the Best Actress Award at the 2018 University of Miami Canes Film Festival; recurring as alluring assassin Nadja Shah in season 2 of The Family Business on BET; and portraying troubled, rideshare passenger, Raven, in The Christmas Ride on Prime Video which she won Best Supporting Actress at the 2020 Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival. Her comedy, pilot, “Casting Josie”, was selected as a Semi-Finalist for the 2020 Screencraft TV Pilot Competition and she currently has two feature scripts in the works. I mean her talent is incredible, but let’s let Dina spill her own chai! --- Lists & Links for Our Guest: Her official Instagram: @createwithdina Her Production Company's official Instagram: @filmsbytnproductions Check out Dina's personal website here and check out her initiative UNITED COLORS OF FEMME that juxtaposes media stereotypes of different races vs the reality. You can find some of her various projects online such as short films: "Grape Leaves" and "Sasha & Clark" and her feature film "The Christmas Ride" on Amazon Prime Video. BET+'s "The Family Business" is now streaming on BET+. Dina also mentioned the wonderful organization of MENA ARTS ADVOCACY COUNCIL which is an important tool for up and coming MENA artists and those that champion amplifying the voices of such artists. --- Official The Hollywood Chai Info: Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.comThe Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors Credits: This episode was recorded in San Francisco, CA and Florida, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production.
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    1 h y 18 m
  • Ye Plays & Ye Off-Broadway Debut with Steven Conroy

    Ye Plays & Ye Off-Broadway Debut with Steven Conroy
    May 4 2023
    Just in time for this week's Tony Award nominations announcement, we have a very special guest, the iconic STEVEN CONROY. He is an award-winning Brooklyn-based actor, writer and producer. He portrayed Elias Appleby in a recurring guest star role on the third season of AMC’s TURN: Washington’s Spies; and some of his national commercials include BDO and Mastercard, among others. He co-wrote, produced and starred in "18 Grand: A Personal Space Odyssey", which won the top prize at the NYC Web Fest, and went on to showcase at several festivals across the country. His theater ensemble, No.11 Productions, wrote and performed their new play Ye Bear & Ye Cubb Off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters, where they are a company in residence for the next several years. He is a Boston College alum, and a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA. Let's let Steven spill his Hollywood (and Broadway) Chai! --- Lists & Links for Our Guest: Check out his Steven's personal website here. And his award-winning web series, "18 Grand: A Personal Space Odyssey" can be found here. The official website for his theater ensemble, No. 11 Productions, can be found here. And the official page for his Off-Broadway debut, "Ye Bear & Ye Cubb" can be found here on the official 59E59 Theaters website. AMC's "TURN: Washington's Spies" is now streaming on AMC+ and on the Roku Channel. --- Official The Hollywood Chai Info: Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.comThe Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors Credits: This episode was recorded in San Francisco, CA and New York City, NY, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production.
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    1 h y 35 m
  • The JOYs of Short Filmmaking with Salim Laham

    The JOYs of Short Filmmaking with Salim Laham
    Apr 27 2023

    Continuing with Arab-American Heritage Month, we have another special Arab guest today. Today's special guest is SALIM LAHAM, a filmmaker andmusician from Lebanon that calls Dearborn home now. A storyteller by his own right, he fell in love with movies from a young age when his father used to take him to a movie rental store in Detroit, yeah remember those? As he started memorizing his favorite films and his love grew for cinema, so did his love for music…which is prevalent in his recent short film “Joy” which has been enjoying an amazing run on the Festival Circuit, playing across many festivals in Michigan and nationwide, picking up several Best Short Film accolades along the way. In fact, today’s episode is the audio pulled from an Instagram live interview I did with the acclaimed emerging filmmaker and specifically talked about his start and journey and the “Joys” of filmmaking in Hollywood as an Arab artist. But don’t let me spill the chai, let’s let Salim spill his own chai.

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    Lists & Links for Our Guest:

    His official Instagrams: @samthecritic & @samthefilmmaker and His official YouTube channel for "What the Flop".

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    Official The Hollywood Chai Info:

    Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood

    Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com

    Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab

    Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment

    ---

    This episode is sponsored by:

    • Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/
    • ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.com
    • The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors

    Credits:

    This episode was recorded in San Francisco, CA and Dearborn, MI, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production.
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    1 h y 14 m
  • Every Oscar Everywhere All at Once with Elia Nino (Oscar Special - Pt 1)

    Every Oscar Everywhere All at Once with Elia Nino (Oscar Special - Pt 1)
    Apr 18 2023

    We're breaking from our interview episodes for Arab American Heritage Month and bringing you a special conversation with none other than the Arab Godfather of Cinema, writer-director ELIA NINO, about all things Oscars and the 95th Academy Awards. In part one of this talk, we discuss everything from this year's telecast, about adding new categories to the ceremony and about the new diversity and inclusivity rules that AMPAS is putting into effect real soon. Part Two will feature our commentary as a bonus episode about each category's nominees and winners.

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    Lists & Links for Our Guest:

    His official Letterboxd: @Eclectic_EG

    Check out on of our favorite museums in LA: The Official Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to learn more about memberships and visiting. And check out this Rotten Tomatoes article about where to watch all the nominees for the 2023 Academy Awards.

    ---

    Official The Hollywood Chai Info:

    Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood

    Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com

    Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab

    Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment

    ---

    This episode is sponsored by:

    • Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/
    • ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.com
    • The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors

    Credits:

    This episode was recorded in San Francisco, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production.
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    52 m
  • The Wormhole(s) of Hollywood with Gamal ElSawah

    The Wormhole(s) of Hollywood with Gamal ElSawah
    Apr 9 2023

    Continuing with Arab-American Heritage Month, we have another special Arab guest today. Today's special guest is GAMAL ELSAWAH, a queer Arab-American writer, actor, and comedian, born and based in New York City. He is the co-founder of Showdogs, a New York based independent film and theatre production that is committed to the creation of work that is provocative, diverse and accessible to all.

    Gamal’s plays have been workshopped and presented in New York by Fail Better NYC, The Bechdel Group, The Fresh Fruit Festival, Make/Shift, and Showdogs Theater Collective. He was Head Writer of the 'Theater By Default' Sketch Comedy Series from 2015-2017, and has written for the sketch comedy podcast show 'Only Sketches About…', as well as the sci-fi comedy web series, 'Wormholes,' which he co-created and both seasons are currently available to watch now on YouTube. He occasionally writes poetry and editorial features for Show-score.com. His Short Play, 'Do You Speak My Language?' was awarded the Fresh Fruit Festival’s 2019 Award for Best Short Play, the second season of his web-series 'Wormholes’' received the award for Best Web Series at the 2022 Astoria Film Festival. He’s funny, he’s witty, he’s the mother of his own house and before I go off and make several Drag Race references, why don’t we just bathe in the tea and let Gamal spill the Hollywood Chai!

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    Lists & Links for Our Guest:

    His official Instagram: @thegamal

    His official Letterboxd: @thegamal

    Check out Gamal ElSawah's Official Website for more information on him and his work. Check out both seasons of 'Wormholes' on the Official 'Wormholes' YouTube Show page. His production company Showdogs has upcoming shows and projects in the NYC area! Check out their official website!

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    Official The Hollywood Chai Info:

    Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood

    Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com

    Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab

    Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment

    ---

    This episode is sponsored by:

    • Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/
    • ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.com
    • The Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors

    Credits:

    This episode was recorded in San Francisco and NYC, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production.
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    1 h y 12 m
  • MENASA Artists Breaking Hollywood with Walid Chaya

    MENASA Artists Breaking Hollywood with Walid Chaya
    Apr 2 2023
    We are back with Season 3! A new look, new sound, new style! All in the name of Independent Artists Breaking Hollywood in their own right! Today's special guest is WALID CHAYA, a Middle Eastern actor, director and writer based in Los Angeles. He is known for his breakout film “Driving Ms. Saudi” for which he won “Best Comedy Short” from Dubai’s prestigious WOW Middle East Film Fair and numerous festivals worldwide, incuding a special presentation at the World Expo in 2022. He can also be seen on television in various shows like "Madame Secretary" on CBS, NBC’s "Blacklist: Redemption" and even Hulu’s “The Looming Tower” based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book of the same name. He has featured in several feature films such as Oscar-winner Guy Nattiv’s A24 feature “Skin”, and even performed alongside Tony-nominee Suzanne Bertish in the feature “Mad?”. Born in Lebanon and raised in the US, Walid speaks both Arabic and English, earning a BFA in Performance with honors from VCUarts and worked on award-winning productions in NYC and DC for several years before relocating to LA. Walid has directed New York and regional shows including the Off-Broadway premieres of "Law & Order: NRU", "We Are Monsters the Musical", and the DC premiere of Disney’s “High School Musical Live on Stage". He founded Moonlit Wings Productions in 2008, which was recently voted the Best Arts Program by Washington Family Magazine, and the company continues to produce new works for the stage and screen that champion multicultural, gender-diverse and musical stories and an educational performing arts programs for all ages, which he expanded into LA, launching the Studio for Performing Arts LA, which won the 2021 BroadwayWorld Regional Award for “Best Special Event” recognizing the “MENASA Diversity Showcase” that Walid directed in partnership with the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition. So, as you can see, he is the perfect guest to kick off this season! Let's let Walid spill his own Hollywood chai! --- Lists & Links for Our Guest: His official Instagram: @walid.chaya Check out Walid Chaya's Official Website for more information on him as well as the Studio for Performing Arts LA Website for more information and when the next Showcase is. His official YouTube channel. His production company Moonlit Wings Productions has some excellent information on up and coming productions and classes for Theater. Some of the projects Walid has been featured in can be found in the links above. --- Official The Hollywood Chai Info: Follow us on Instagram: @thehollywoodchai and Twitter: @ChaiHollywood Questions or Topics you want covered? Email us: thehollywoodchai@gmail.com Follow our host on Instagram: @thejakkawiarab Follow our production company on Instagram: @bougiearabsentertainment --- This episode is sponsored by: Dalia Web Design - for all your website designing needs and maintenance: http://www.daliawebdesign.com/ZENA Events - for all your event planning needs, especially weddings!: www.zenaweddingsandevents.comThe Script Doctors - a sister podcast where we fix scripts on air! Follow on instagram @thescriptdoctors Credits: This episode was recorded in San Francisco and LA, produced and edited by Jon Akkawi. DOP: Mera Nino. Art Direction: Rosy Nino. Logo Design: Christina Raie. Theme Music: "Arab Trap" by Chef Elon. The Hollywood Chai is a BOUGIE ARABS ENTERTAINMENT production.
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    1 h y 15 m