"I'm looking at my country, and it's not my country any longer. I feel like an alien here."

This isn't a quote about the US, but about Egypt. As rich, conservative-minded Saudis buy more entertainment and art companies, the culture in Egypt is enduring a makeover.

When I say say "makeover," I mean

He [Aly Mourad, chairman of Studio Masr, the country's oldest film outfit] says Saudis—who don't even have movie theaters in their own country—now finance 95 percent of the films made in Egypt. "They say, here, you can have our money, but there are just a few little conditions." More than a few, actually; the 35 Rules, as moviemakers call them, go far beyond predictable bans against on-screen hugging, kissing or drinking. Even to show an empty bed is forbidden, lest it hint that someone might do something on it. Saudi-owned satellite channels are buying up Egyptian film libraries, heavily censoring some old movies while keeping others off the air entirely.