In Iraq, Singing for a Chance at Hope and Glory

"Previously, shows were directed toward the path of war," he said. "Now, with the clashes and the terrorism, they are devoted to reforming the human being and creating love and tranquillity."

That's an enormous task in a nation where blood spills daily. And the strife has taken a toll on many of Iraq's reality shows. For example, the first reality show to take Iraq by storm, in the spring of 2004, was "Labor and Materials," inspired by ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." On the show, houses destroyed by the war are rebuilt at no cost to the victims. By the end of 2005, six houses had been rebuilt.

This year, the show has rebuilt only one house, in Sadr City, the sprawling Shiite Muslim sector of Baghdad. In the middle of the filming, clashes broke out between Iraqi security forces and Shiite militiamen loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. So the show's director, Ali Hanoon, handed a camera to the contractor and asked him to film some episodes.

"They were not very good," Hanoon said, forcing a weak smile. "We are still facing serious security challenges.

Baghdad's curfew and maze of checkpoints, he said, have cut short crews' time to film. And now, with sectarian tensions rising, he has to make sure he's not playing favorites. "When we rebuild a house of a Sunni, the show makes sure the next house to rebuild belongs to a Shia," said Hanoon. "Labor and Materials" runs on al-Sharqiya, a private satellite television network that broadcasts around the Middle East.

Even with the rising violence, reality shows continue to attract contestants. In one new show on which loans are handed out to poor Iraqis who want to become entrepreneurs, 10,000 people sent in applications from across the country. Only 45 were selected for the year-long season.

"We're always trying to find a solution for Iraqi citizens to live and survive," said Mustafa Khadum, director of programming at al-Sharqiya.

Another popular program, "The Light," revolves around flying teachers with poor eyesight to neighboring Jordan for corrective surgery.

"Teachers are the leaders of people," said Alla a-Salih, the show's director. "So if they have good eyesight, they can lead a whole new generation of Iraqis."

This season, more than 1,200 contestants participated in "Iraq Star," more than double the number in the previous season, said Jassim al-Lami, an executive at al-Sumaria, the satellite channel that produces the show. There are six stages, and eventually contestants are whittled down by judges and the audience voting on the Internet.

The dozen contestants who make it to the final round are flown to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, where viewers from around the Middle East vote for their favorite crooner. The winner and runner-up get record deals.

Back at the Babylon Hotel, everyone has heard the story of Bilal, a 12-year-old boy from Mosul, one of Iraq's most violent cities. He sang a ditty called "Ya Iraq," about the suffering of Iraqi children. He started to cry during his performance. So did the judges.

Days later, al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based satellite network, offered Bilal a contract to sing on its children's network. Now, he and his family are safely out of Iraq, living in the Persian Gulf.

Raghad Laith is one step closer to her own dream. She's into the second round. "I was good," she said with determination, as her mother smiled proudly. "The next stage, I must sing better than this one."

Ali Fadhil Abbas, 24, doesn't care about fame or fortune. He's simply happy to be doing what he loves: filmmaking. He's reached the semifinals of "The Young Men's Project," a show inspired by CBS's "Big Brother" on which eight aspiring filmmakers learn the business of making a movie. Each week, viewers vote one contestant off the show.

"My success as an artist is more important than winning a prize," Abbas said. "Before I joined this program, I had already given up on life."