News Roundup: Information Overload

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

So much has been announced in the past 12 days! I can hardly believe it! What news are you happiest about? For me, it's that we finally have return dates for Melissa & Joey and Falling Skies!!

Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
FOX's Terra Nova was cancelled, which I, among others, saw coming. Netflix is in talks about picking up the series, but, let's not lie... it is a might expensive undertaking...

TLC has canceled All-American Muslim, citing poor ratings (which is true), though some wonder if it wasn't the negative backlash that the show received from many sources, including some pulled advertising.

The Discovery Channel has cancelled Man vs. Wild, seemingly because star Bear Grylls won't participate in other projects.

A third horse died during the production of HBO's Luck, which ultimately led to the early cancellation of the show.

Bravo's Love Broker has been cancelled after two episodes.

OWN cancelled The Rosie Show, which will tape its final episode March 20th, to air March 30th (at 7pm ET/PT). We saw this coming, given the downgrades the show experienced throughout the season.

FX renewed Justified for a 13-episode fourth season.

CBS renewed The Talk for 2012-2013. They also renewed NCIS, NCIS: LA, Blue Bloods, Person of Interest, The Mentalist, Criminal Minds, The Good Wife, CSI, Hawaii Five-O, 60 Minutes, 48 Hours Mystery, The Amazing Race, Undercover Boss, 2 Broke Girls and Mike & Molly.

ABC renewed The Bachelor Pad for a third season.

NBC renewed Grimm for a second season

Lifetime has ordered another twenty episodes of America's Most Wanted, to continue airing Fridays at 9pm ET/PT.

TLC's My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding's second season will begin Friday, March 23rd, at 10pm ET/PT.

Showtime announced some return dates. Dexter will premiere its seventh season at 9pm ET/PT on Sunday, September 30th. Homeland's second season will follow at 10pm ET/PT.

CMT has a new series, Southern Nights, premiering Saturday, April 7th at 10pm ET/PT. It will bring together ten cast members from Sweet Home Alabama, and they'll live together in Georgia to create drama.

A&E's new series, Rambug, will debut on Saturday, April 28th at 10pm ET/PT. It will focus on a group of "hard-working, over-the-top Italian exterminators from Brooklyn who dress in camouflage and wage war on the city's nastiest critters."

ABCFamily's Melissa & Joey will be back for its second season on Wednesday, May 30th at 8pm ET/PT.

The History Channel's new half-hour auction show, Sold!, premieres Wednesday, April 11th at 9pm. It will be a ten-part series that goes behind the scenes, shows haggling, appraisals, and many other aspects of the business.

TLC's Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids, will be back for a second season, beginning Friday, April 13th, at 9pm ET/PT.

HBO's Game of Thrones is back Sunday, April 1st, at 9pm ET/PT.

E! has a new show coming on Sunday, May 20th, called Mrs. Eastwood & Company, chronicling the lives of the Clint Eastwood family.

Cartoon Network's Adventure Time will begin its fourth season on Monday, April 2nd at 7:30pm ET/PT.

Weeds and Episodes will both be back on Showtime on Sunday, July 1st.

TLC has Mama's Boys of the Bronx premiering on Monday, April 9th at 10pm ET/PT. It's an eight-part series about five Italian-American men in their 30s who still live with their mothers.

HBO has a new comedy, Girls, beginning Sunday, April 15th at 10:30pm ET/PT. It will be about four twentysomething girls in New York getting through life.

FOX is no longer moving I Hate My Teenage Daughter to Wednesday nights, but will finish the Tuesday airings April 3rd, after which point the remaining episodes will burn off in the summer.

TNT has announced a bunch of premiere dates... Rizzoli & Isles is back for its third season on Tuesday, June 5th at 9pm ET/PT, Franklin & Bash will be back for its second season on Tuesday, June 5th at 10pm ET/PT, Dallas will premiere on Wednesday, June 13th at 9pm ET/PT, Falling Skies will begins its second season on Sunday, June 17th at 9pm ET/PT, The Great Escape premieres Sunday, June 24th at 10pm ET/PT, The Closer is back on Monday, July 9th at 9pm ET/PT, Perception begins Monday, July 9th at 10pm ET/PT, Leverage is back Sunday, July 15th at 8pm ET/PT, and Major Crimes begins Monday, August 13th at 10pm ET/PT, though it will regularly air at 9pm ET/PT.

The Katie Couric talk show, Katie, will premiere on Monday, September 10th on ABC.

One of the former stars of Toddlers & Tiaras, Eden Wood, will have her own show starting Monday, April 16th, called Eden's World, where she and her mom will enter pageants as well as help coach new girls.

Cast & Plot Updates:
Freddie Prinze Jr. has signed onto an NBC comedy pilot (still untitled), to play a guy who dumps his fiance and now faces her revenge.

Martha Stewart will guest on 2 Broke Girls on May 7th.

Stockard Channing and Kurt Fuller will play the parents of Mandy Moore's character on the ABC untitled pilot where Mandy Moore and her new husband will run a restaurant.

Nick Jonas will return to Smash for the season finale on May 14th.

NBC's Smash will have a Bollywood dream sequence for the song, "A Thousand and One Nights" on the April 23rd episode.

Shows in Development & Other Fun Stuff:
Nickelodeon's Figure It Out is coming back for 40 new episodes.

CBS' drama pilot, Quean, was deemed to be too similar to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so they changed "the lead's employer from a PI to a law firm, her boss from a white male private investigator to a black female lawyer, and the protagonist herself from a loner to a girl with a boyfriend." But, it still wasn't enough, and the procedural has now been scrapped.

The CW has three new reality series this summer - The Star Next Door, which will be a nationwide music competition series, Breaking Pointe, which will be a behind-the-scenes look at competitive ballet companies, and The Catalina, which follows employees and guests at the Miami hotel by the same name.

A huge "Roseanne" dance party is schedule in Chicago on March 24th.

A&E is partnering with Mark Wahlberg, among others, on an unscripted pilot (tentatively called Teamsters) It will "give viewers a first-hand glimpse of the most legendary union in the most aggressive and territorial city in America: Boston."

Mob Wives' spinoff, Mob Wives Chicago will debut on VH1 this spring.

GCB has been under plenty of fire since it premiered, perhaps most notably that Kraft pulled its advertising from the series.

Al Roker's company is backing Coast Guard Florida, a new docuseries for The Weather Channel. It will debut this October and 13 hour-long episodes are planned.

The Bates family just had a one-hour special on TLC, and now they're going to have eight half-hour shows on TLC, starting in June.

Fun fact: have you ever thought about the audience for Univision? Well, in 2011, they had a larger age-18-to-34 audience than NBC did on 267 nights! AND, last month, they out-performed one or more of the big networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) on 26 out of 28 nights.

Logo is going to have an all-stars edition of RuPaul's Drag Race.

Wallace, a series that is a historical drama based on the life of Braveheart, is being developed.

In 2013, History will treat us to Vikings, a scripted drama chronicling the "extraordinary and ferocious world of the mighty Norsemen who raided, traded, and explored during medieval times."

Hallmark Channel now has the rights to syndication for The Middle, and will begin airing the first 88 episodes in March 2014.

The CW now has a mobile app (apple and android) that allows you to watch full episodes of primetime series at 6am ET the morning after broadcast.

TBS has green-lit eight episodes of King of the Nerds, which will invite "competitors spanning the full nerd spectrum to come together to face challenges that will test their intellect, ingenuity, skills and pop-culture prowess."

All-American Muslim Wraps Up

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

It's difficult for me to believe how fast this series came and went. Though it has not yet been canceled nor renewed, I wonder what the future could hold. Obviously there's future football games. There could be more on Shadia and Jeff and how their early marriage is doing. The same with Baby Naseem. And Samira's quest for a pregnancy. Suehaila and Nina both have potential career changes coming. I don't know that the Jaafars would be all that interesting to cover, but I've said multiple times that I feel like this show is just covering too many people. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see this show continue, but I would prefer to have more about several families than a tidbit or none every week on so many. You?

All-American Muslim "Crunch Time" (S01E08): Some general topics covered include the use of hookah in the culture, foods you can't eat (like pork), and the pressures to have children. [and, as per the usual, I'd love to get feedback from those not talking in these smaller sessions.] 

Aoude - [Nader (a federal agent) & Nawal (a respiratory therapist) are newlyweds in their mid-twenties with a newborn son, Naseem.] They have friends over. The guys head to the garage for hookah, and the ladies stay inside. Nader's friends tell him that he needs to make time with Nawal. Nawal feels fat - she hasn't even shopped, and that's one of her passions. So, one of her friends goes shopping with her, and they look for fashionable and chic modest things. They bring the baby in the stroller. She confides in her friend that she feels like a virgin with her insecurities. [interesting comparison. I wonder how this tends to factor into other relationships in this stage as well.] She does buy some things at Dolce. The couple decides to go to the big football game without Naseem. Nawal went to Dearborn High, and Nader went to Fordson, and they sit on the Fordson side. They have a great time on their first real "date night." [good for them!] 

Zaban - [Fouad (a HS football coach) and Zaynab (a part-time secretary) have been married 12 years and have four kids.] The big game against Dearborn is a focus of this episode. Fouad does ask God to make his team victorious. The game goes well, and they win in the end.  

Bazzy-Aliahmead - [Nina, first-generation Lebanese-American, is an event planner who doesn't wear the hijab. She wants to open a nightclub in Dearborn. She's married to Alex, a gasoline distributor, and they have a son, Andre.] Nina goes out with her friends, and she decides to have a test party to see how it goes. She wants to talk about the club with her mother, but her mother wants her to have more children. [hahahaha!] People are talking about Nina and there's already some possible backlash. It caught her off-guard a little bit that people who came out to the trial didn't support the idea. [agreed.]

Jaafar - [Angela (a maketer for an auto manufacturer) and Mike (Deputy Chief for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office) are high school sweethearts, have been married for 11 years, and have two boys and two girls.] Angela realizes that she's "late," and wonders if she's pregnant. Turns out, she's not. [they drag this out to be something and it's nothing. meh.]

Amen - [Mohsen and Lila have four grown children - Suehaila, Samira, Shadia, and Bilal. Samira and Shadia are married and appear with their spouses on the show. Suehaila is 32, unmarried, and works as a court clerk and in a PR/political realm as well; Bilal (also unmarried) works as an athletic director.] Bilal brings up the idea of someone moving to Washington, DC since they all travel there often. Mohsen doesn't want Suehaila to leave, and Lila won't be supportive if Sue leaves. Sue talks about wanting more out of life professionally, but to her parents it doesn't matter since she's not married. [poor girl. She needs some happiness!] The girls went to Dearborn for HS, but when Bilal was great at football and wanted to go to Fordson, Shadia had to switch over, too. [wow. Shadia couldn't finish out her last two years? It's not like they moved, right?]

McDermott - [Shadia (Amen) has a son, Adam, from a previous marriage and recently married Jeff. Shadia has piercings, tattoos, wears a lot of makeup, doesn't wear the hijab, and is a special education aide. She and Jeff would like to have one child, preferably a girl named Olivia.] Shadia makes corned beef and cabbage for a potluck at her mother's. [interesting. We don't hear how everyone liked it, though.]  

Fawaz - [Samira (Amen) is married to Ali, and they've been trying to conceive for several years. Samira recently returned to wearing the hijab, having removed it post-9/11. She is a medical receptionist] Samira makes taboule, since she was told to eat onion to help with infertility. [I hadn't heard that.]

All-American Muslim: More Tattoos for Shadia & Bilal

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

You kinda knew that they'd have an episode dedicated to how the All-American Muslim dealt with the tenth anniversary of 9/11. I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I would have guessed that we saw a family or two talk to their kids about it, and the adults having various reactions to memorials going on. Well, we see very little of any of the kids this episode, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, I feel like the show is just focusing on too many different people... this time we saw very little of the Zabans, Bazzy-Aliahmeads, Jaafars, and Aoudes, and none of the Fawaz couple. With one episode left to go, I'm not sure what the end result is going to be. There has not yet been any word as to whether we'll see more of this show in the future, but I hope we do. What are your thoughts?

All-American Muslim "The Day the World Changed" (S01E07): While the tenth anniversary week of 9/11 is the big focus of this episode, we also hear a bit about divorce in the Muslim culture. So, we hear about the Detroit Tigers stadium needing extra police officers for security as well as how divorce is a big stigma in the culture. But not everyone looks at it in the same way - some see divorced women as damaged goods, but Bilal says that he'd marry someone who was divorced. [where was Shadia for this conversation? and I would have liked to hear from Lila as well...]

Aoude - [Nader & Nawal are newlyweds in their mid-twenties with a newborn son, Naseem. Nader is a federal agent and Nawal is a respiratory therapist.] Nawal's father visits, and we learn that Nader met him less than two years ago, so the couple really hasn't been together all that long. Nawal's parents divorced when she was young, but remained pretty civil toward one another. 9/11 happened when she was in tenth grade, and she was headed to lunch when her mother called and told her she was getting picked up from school. [I was a little bothered that her mother was one of the many who picked up their children that day, but of course I was more upset that Nawal had a cell phone on during the school day...] What was more interesting, however, was how her mother found out about 9/11... she was passing out flyers for her daycare business and someone spit at her and kicked her off the porch, and she saw a bit of their television that pointed out what had happened. 

Zaban - [Fouad and Zaynab have been married about 12 years and have four kids. Fouad is the football coach at the local high school, and Zaynab is a part-time secretary.] Fouad and Zaynab went to a Methodist church in downtown Detroit for a 9/11 memorial of sorts. Everyone there is pretty thankful for the others there. 

Bazzy-Aliahmead - [Nina, first-generation Lebanese-American, is an event planner who doesn't wear the hijab. She wants to open a nightclub in Dearborn. She's married to Alex, a gasoline distributor, and they have a son, Andre.] She remembers 9/11 as a day when people bought gas, groceries, and water, and women wearing scarves were attacked because people were scared.

Jaafar - [Angela and Mike, high school sweethearts, have been married for 11 years. They have two boys and two girls. She's in marketing for an auto manufacturer and he is a Deputy Chief for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.] We see the family head to a baseball game, but that's about it.  

TLC

Amen - [Mohsen and Lila have four grown children - Suehaila, Samira, Shadia, and Bilal. Samira and Shadia are married and appear with their spouses on the show. Suehaila is 32, unmarried, and works as a court clerk and in a PR/political realm as well; Bilal (also unmarried) works as an athletic director. The Amen siblings often have dinner together.] Sue takes part in an interview about Muslims and how they've been impacted by 9/11. Lila talks about her experience on 9/11 - People from all over her building came to her that day and said that it wasn't her. [that's interesting.] She goes to a 9/11 memorial event, and wishes that her children would have joined. Bilal and Shadia head to new York for a trip and to meet a famous tattoo artist. Lila doesn't like tattoos, as she believes that bodies belong to God. [LoL at Jews and Muslims arguing over who makes the better falafal and hummus.] Sue asks about the high point of their trip, and Shadia says meeting Ami James, of New York Ink, another TLC show. Bilal also quotes Ami, "the sad thing is, we have to leave our countries so we can be friends."

TLC

McDermott - [Shadia (Amen) has a son, Adam, from a previous marriage and recently married Jeff. Shadia has piercings, tattooes, wears a lot of makeup, doesn't wear the hijab, and is a special education aide.] Shadia (as well as Bilal) doesn't want to go to a 9/11 event because she doesn't want to publicly confront their feelings and memories. While Shadia and Bilal are in New York, they go see the 9/11 Memorial and Ground Zero, and some girls came up and asked Shadia about her "I am Not a Terrorist" shirt. Shadia has tons of tattoos ideas, but it'll take time and thought before she does them. 

Fawaz - [Samira (Amen) is married to Ali, and they've been trying to conceive for several years. Samira recently returned to wearing the hijab, having removed it post-9/11. She is a medical receptionist] Not seen this episode.

News Roundup: Late December Edition

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Renewals, Cancellations, & Scheduling:
The Nate Berkus Show has been canceled. The final episode will air in May.

A fifth season of Ruby is not planned.

The League has been renewed for a fourth season.

CBS, FOX, and NBC all renew their NFL deals through 2022. Here's a little history if you're interested.

Psych returns with new episodes on Wednesday, February 29th at 10pm Eastern.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has been canceled as a regular series, but will still air specials from time to time. The final episode will air on January 13th. [Apparently many people are upset about this cancellation...]

House of Anubis, a Nickelodeon live-action mystery show, returns with its second season on Monday, January 9th at 7pm Eastern.

Enlightened has been renewed, but Hung, How to Make it in America, and Bored have all been canceled.

Hell on Wheels has been renewed for a second season. [bleh.]

Cast & Plot Updates:
On March 19th, "A" on Pretty Little Liars will be revealed.

Alicia Silverstone will have a recurring role on Suburgatory, playing a love interest for George.


Shows in Development & Other Fun Stuff:
Showtime is having a free weekend Friday, January 6th - Sunday, January 8th. Not all providers are participating, however, so take a look at the list on that site to see if you're lucky or not.

Lowe's and Kayak pulled (or "did not renew") their advertising from All-American Muslim. Since this is one of the bigger news stories lately, I imagine that you've heard all about it by now, but I still wanted to throw up some links, just in case.

President Obama's favorite shows include Homeland and Boardwalk Empire. Also, the Obama family enjoys Modern Family.

The average American watched 34.1 hours of television on average each week in 2011. It was 33.9 hours in 2010. And, 42% of all homes in America now have a DVR of one sort or another.

HBO is developing a drama series called Beat the Reaper, focusing on a young ER doctor. [I like the title!]

CBS has acquired the rights for broadcast distribution of Hot in Cleveland.

Speaking of Hot in Cleveland, Betty's White's 90th Birthday Bash will air on January 16th on NBC. Her birthday is January 17th.

If you have Time Warner Cable and subscribe to HBO, HBO Go is finally available for streaming. Expect to have the unlimited option within a month.

NBC.com is offering full-season free streaming of Up All Night, Whitney, and Grimm through January 15th, so if you want to pick up these shows, now is a good time. This season's episodes of Parenthood, The Voice, The Biggest Loser, and The Sing-Off are also available.

Similarly, all the episodes of Pan Am are available free on iTunes, Amazon, VUDU, CinemaNow, the PlayStation Store, and Sony Video Unlimited.

Next fall, Bloopers will return to the air.

Cougar Town is going to have viewing parties across the country to hype up the fading comedy. A star and a writer will be in attendance at each one (and they started a few days ago), and plenty of prizes will be available for attendees.

16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom star Amber is back in jail, and will be until at least January 27th, when she appears before a judge. She's in for probation violation, battery, and possession of a controlled substance. Regarding her probation violation, she failed to submit to some drug tests, didn't get her GED, didn't complete anger management classes, didn't put $10,000 into en educational fund for Leah, and she owes some fees. The battery is the same old charge from a while ago. The controlled substance is in regards to pills such as hydrocodone that she has without a prescription. Oh, and she wants to get out of Teen Mom ASAP.

Did you see Betty White talking about Monday Night Football? It's fun.

All-American Muslim: Ramadan's Over

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This was slightly more slice-of-life than some of the other episodes so far. Yes, they did celebrate Eid (the end of Ramadan), and someone in the community had a tragic death, but for the bulk of the people being featured, it was just another week. Shadia and Jeff got their dog back. Nawal started with a personal trainer to lose the rest of her baby weight. Nina gets her husband's support for her new business venture. Fouad coached another football game. I think that the series needed a simple episode like this, especially in light of all the issues that various businesses have been having with the show.

Some general information I learned this episode: You're not supposed to shake hands with someone you could marry because it could trigger sexy thoughts. As with many Muslim customs, not everyone feels this way, though. Nina thinks that there's no reason to avoid touching hands... you have a hand fetish if that does something for you. [hahaha!] Instead, you greet someone by putting your hand on your heart. [interesting. I'm going to watch for this...] The 23-year-old who was killed at a basketball court was known by many in the community. The shooter was immediately tackled. [why do people think that Sharia Law has overtaken Michigan? Aside from that Simpsons episode, I had never heard such nonsense!]

As I cover more of what took place in this episode, I'll give a little reminder as to who's-who.

All-American Muslim "A Chance at Redemption" (S01E06):

TLC

Aoudes - [Nader & Nawal are newlyweds in their mid-twenties with a newborn son, Naseem. Nader is a federal agent and Nawal is a respiratory therapist.] Nawal hasn't 15 of the 45 pounds she gained with the pregnancy, so she doesn't want to go out. She talks about not having time for the gym, but decides that it's time to leave the baby in the care of her sister's friend to go work out. She leaves a lot of direction for the babysitter, which makes sense when you remember that she considers herself a control freak. She goes to Planet Fitness and is caught off-guard and shakes the trainer's hand. She asks about the possibility of a female trainer, but one isn't available at that moment. I'm glad that the sweat issue was addressed, as I wondered how that worked... the answer is simple, though. Being fully covered and sweating is a nuisance, but you get used to it. [bummer.] Nawal is nervous to tell Nader that she shook someone's hand, but tells him to get it off her chest, and it almost seemed like an accountability thing as well. He knows it was a mistake and that her intentions weren't impure, so no harm done. [I didn't shake hands until high school, and it was very awkward for the first couple of years. For someone who doesn't normally shake hands, it must have been quite a strange moment.]

Zaban - [Fouad and Zaynab have been married about 12 years and have four kids. Fouad is the football coach at the local high school, and Zaynab is a part-time secretary.] The kids get gifts for the end of Ramadan, and it's very similar to Christmas when you consider that the kids ask for things like DS games and an iPad2. [LoL!] The football program is usually in the Top 10 Winningest Programs for the state, and they begin to show that merit when they win the next game 40-0.

Bazzy-Aliahmead - [Nina, first-generation Lebanese-American, is an event planner who doesn't wear the hijab. She wants to open a nightclub in Dearborn. She's married to Alx, a gasoline distributor, and they have a son, Andre.] Nina tells Alex that her mom and sister don't like the club idea, but he says he's okay with it and will support her in every way he can. [that's nice. it seems that he's pretty progressive... though you would need to be to be married to Nina!] Everyone's worrying that she won't be able to be there for Andre, but she knows that she'll do just fine with her husband's help. Nina knew the guy who was shot.


Jaafar - [Angela and Mike, high school sweethearts, have been married for 11 years. They have two boys and two girls. She's in marketing for an auto manufacturer and he is a Deputy Chief for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.] Mike is a big supporter of the football program. That's really all we get for their family this episode.  

Amen - [Mohsen and Lila have four grown children - Suehaila, Samira, Shadia, and Bilal. Samira and Shadia are married and appear with their spouses on the show. Suehaila is 32, unmarried, and works as a court clerk and in a PR/political realm as well; Bilal (also unmarried) works as an athletic director. The Amen siblings often have dinner together.] Bilal says that people are now doing elbow-bumps a lot and there's no issue with male-female touch there. [interesting...] Bilal was giving a lecture about living in peace when the boy was shot. Sue knew both the victim and the shooter, and at the event to help youth process what happened, she speaks. She even misses the burial to witness the arraignment.    

McDermott - [Shadia (Amen) has a son, Adam, from a previous marriage and recently married Jeff. Shadia has piercings, tattooes, wears a lot of makeup, doesn't wear the hijab, and is a special education aide.] They lived together for a couple years at his place and are moving to get a new start. Jeff has had a lot going on... conversion, marriage, moving, and giving up a pet. Shadia vents to her mom about Jeff being upset about the dog, and they decide to get  Wrigley back, though there are specific boundaries to stay off the carpet, etc.

Fawaz - [Samira (Amen) is married to Ali, and they've been trying to conceive for several years. Samira recently returned to wearing the hijab, having removed it post-9/11. She is a medical receptionist] Not seen this episode.

All-American Muslim: First Day of School

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This episode did a good job of paying attention to most of the families, especially those we haven't seen too much before. I learned about the dog hair thing... totally didn't know that dogs are "unclean." The hair of cats, however, is only unclean when it's wet, so it's not so much an issue to have a cat. You can't pray with dog hair on you, which is why many Muslim families don't have dogs. It was also interesting to see how Muslim families prepare for the first day of school... not that different from others, though I liked the scene with the hijab shopping and the parental concerns about peer pressure and bullying that go along with the choice to wear the headscarf.


As I cover what took place in this episode, I'll give a little reminder as to who's-who.

All-American Muslim "Muslims Moving On" (S01E05):
Aoudes - [Nader & Nawal are newlyweds in their mid-twenties with a newborn son, Naseem. Nader is a federal agent and Nawal is a respiratory therapist.] Nader feels like he's a natural father. [that's reassuring. I was sort of worried when he didn't want anything to do with other babies.] Nawal believes that, because babies are unpredictable, it is embarrassing to take him out places because they might cry. [fact of life. next!] Nawal thinks that taking care of a newborn is very difficult and it's not what she expected. [I wonder if there is anyone out there who really finds the experience of caring for a baby to be what they expected?] Nawal has been very contained in the house so they go to Nader's parents' for Iftar dinner, where the subject of more children is soon brought up. Nader is thinking he wants 3-5 total, but Nawal is struggling with just one. They are getting a lot of unsolicited advice, and although Nader tries to confront the problem, the words just keep coming. [that sucks.] Nader is worried that Nawal has lost her sense of self, and though she doesn't see herself as depressed, she is resentful of how things have changed. [hmmm... starting to worry about Nawal...]

Zaban - [Fouad and Zaynab have been married about 12 years and have four kids. Fouad is the football coach at the local high school, and Zaynab is a part-time secretary.] The family goes shopping for hijabs for the daughters, who each began wearing one in the third grade, when they were eight. (Zaynab was 21 when she began wearing the hijab.) Ayah is shy and wore a hoodie over her hijab when she first started. [this fascinates me... I wonder how accepted that is in schools... we certainly couldn't have hoodies up when I was in school!] Jamilah, 11, is in middle school now, and Zaynab is worried about peer pressure. Jamilah knows that there will be more girls not wearing the hijab than there were in elementary school. Fouad is worried that his daughters will choose not to wear the headscarf in their teen years. Zaynab wants to take Jamilah to school and pick her up, but settles for just picking her up and letting her take the bus to school. Fouad has no problem with their kids having non-Muslim friends, but hopes that the friends will understand that there are some differences, like when it comes to dancing, boys and girls mixing, etc. Fouad and some others go to scout out Dearborn High and see the competition. 

Bazzy-Aliahmead - [Nina, first-generation Lebanese-American, is an event planner who doesn't wear the hijab. She wants to open a nightclub in Dearborn. She has a husband and son whom we have not really seen yet.] We meet Diana, Nina's older sister, who also works in the same place and also doesn't wear the hijab. Nina talks to her about the night club situation, and Diana agrees with their mother - it's not a good idea. Nina gets a call that the owner of the building she wants to buy won't negotiate on the price, and Nina thinks that part of that may be because she's a woman. Also, Nina has a dog so her mom won't come over to her house. She also doesn't think a 9-year-old knows what they're doing in wearing the hijab. [I'm with her on that one. Being an outsider, I can't really understand everything, but nine does seem awfully young to make such a decision...

TLC

Jaafar - [Angela and Mike, high school sweethearts, have been married for 11 years. They have two boys and two girls. She's in marketing for an auto manufacturer and he is a Deputy Chief for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.] Ryan is starting preschool. [they have a giant bathroom!] Angela is very upset that she has to work and isn't able to pick up her kids on the first day of school. [I suppose that would bother me, too. But she seemed much more upset than I was expecting.] 

Amen - [Mohsen and Lila have four grown children - Suehaila, Samira, Shadia, and Bilal. Samira and Shadia are married and appear with their spouses on the show. Suehaila is 32, unmarried, and works as a court clerk and in a PR/political realm as well; Bilal (also unmarried) works as an athletic director. The Amen siblings often have dinner together.] Sue gets a call to take part on a 9/11 panel for a conference in Washington DC. Sue had negative remarks made about her on the plane, and she confronted them. While she's there she meets with some friends from Dearborn who now live in DC. When she mentions that she feels stuck in Dearborn, they tell her that there are so many more opportunities in DC and that she should consider relocating. [I'm really split on how I want this to play out... I like Suehaila a lot and want her to be happy. While I think that moving would help her out in a few ways, I certainly respect her cultural decision to stay at home.] Also: Bilal wants a dog but Sue does not - she doesn't like animals. 


McDermott - [Shadia (Amen) has a son, Adam, from a previous marriage and recently married Jeff. Shadia has piercings, tattooes, wears a lot of makeup, doesn't wear the hijab, and is a special education aide.] Shadia doesn't want to bring the dog to her new (carpeted) house that they will be renting from Lila, as she suffers from allergies and asthma. But, Jeff has had the dog for ten years. Shadia makes and posts flyers to find Wrigley a good home. Lila thinks that Shadia should just deal with the dog, as it is Jeff's baby. [Shadia's son has Bilal's big ears.] They end up taking the dog to a sanctuary/farm of sorts, and Jeff cries as he says goodbye to the dog, who had always been there for him when he had nobody else to come home to. He struggles to leave. [poor guy. I'm sad for him. But they should have seen this coming, as I imagine that Shadia brought it up more than once in the past.] Also, Mohsen won't come over because of the dog.

Fawaz - [Samira (Amen) is married to Ali, and they've been trying to conceive for several years. Samira recently returned to wearing the hijab, having removed it post-9/11. She is a medical receptionist] Not seen this episode.

Mid-Fall Check-In

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Well, the fall season is well underway. Some shows have been cancelled, others given a full season, and others are still waiting to hear their fates. I've fallen in love with some new stuff and dropped others like hot potatoes. I figured it would be good to take a look at the original list of things I had hoped would be promising this season.

At the Top:
2 Broke Girls: The premise and the title aren't exactly the same, which is throwing some people. It's doing well with everyone, myself included. While the ridiculous number of sex jokes tends to bother me every third episode, I can see past them to the other humorous bits... as dated as they'll be ten years down the road. My big gripe is that Max and Caroline aren't doing much to save toward their cupcake bakery, but maybe it'll come in spurts or something. CBS really has itself some great comedy. 

Last Man Standing: This has really been a breakout hit in my eyes. I initially tuned in to see Tim Allen in a Home Improvement-esque show, just with daughters. While it's not the funniest thing on television, I really enjoy the interactions between the characters and the personalities of the family members. It's getting plenty of marketing and isn't suffering in the ratings, so hopefully we've got ourselves a winner here!

All-American Muslim: Overall, I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I think that they've just got too many families on this show. On the other hand, so much has happened in the first four episodes. I think that the show is doing a good job of fitting the premise - the lives, communities, and customs of those adhering to various degrees of the Muslim faith. And, I think that Dearborn is a good place to film, and that the families chosen have different things to offer the viewers. Still, the show isn't perfect and I wonder if the participants would even agree to film a second season. TLC shows are especially difficult to judge (Table for 12 never got an official cancellation, and that was ages ago!), but I certainly hope that we're going to have more than just the original order for All-American Muslim.

So Far, So Good:
Pan Am: we're only nine episodes into this show, which is floundering. It hasn't had big ratings since the pilot, and only 14 episodes have been promised to the public. The show isn't on ABC's mid-season line-up, so even if it does get renewed, it likely won't be back until the fall. While I won't be happy if it gets cancelled, I won't be as heartbroken as I would if that fate struck some of the other shows I've come to love season. After a while I stopped noticing the fact that it's a period show, which is weird... I thought that would stand out forever. I think that the actors are doing a great job, but I wonder about some of the storylines and where they're going.

Terra Nova: I'm struggling a little bit with this one, which seems to be the general consensus amongst critics. There are only three episodes left in the first season, which will wrap up on the 19th. Terra Nova has not yet been renewed, but given its very long shooting and post-production time, if it does get a second season, we won't see it until at least next fall, if not later. My big problem with this show is that they opened up SO MANY plot lines, then ignored them in favor of single-episode, non-arcing stories, and now everything is tying together pretty darn quickly. I imagine that I'll start a second season if it materializes, but I can't say if I'll finish it...

Suburgatory: This is a show that I came so close to dumping in its opening episodes... but by the time Halloween came around, I really started to look forward to it. I can't stand most of the characters on the program, but the writing brings me happiness. I think it's weird that the premise has been thrown away for the most part... George and Tessa have such a close and open relationship, it's difficult to believe that he'd be so shocked and abrupt when he found condoms in her room. It's been doing pretty well, and reruns in primetime are catching more and more viewers as well. I'm still not 100% sold on this show, but right now it looks like I'll be giving it at least another half-dozen episodes.

The Exes: This is the most difficult program on this list to judge, since the second episode just ran a few nights ago. I was rather disappointed in the pilot, and haven't been struck by Mark Reisman's normal writing brilliance yet, either. The premise is good, the casting seems spot-on, but there's still something missing from having this show be a heavy hitter. I'm hoping that the show gets better, but maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up too high...

Below the Bottom:
Boss: I dropped this episode half-way through its short first season. At first I had a difficult time letting go, but then my mind cleared up... I wanted to love this show because I like Kelsey Grammer. But even your favorite actor can seem totally boring when you're not enthralled with the subject. And, for me, politics is one of those areas that is just better left alone. All of the corruption is what really forced me to turn away from what some people are truly enjoying. My husband, who has run for political office, has enjoyed the show somewhat, though he felt that the bulk of the season was tied up before the finale. Regardless, it's got a second season coming, which I won't be watching.

Hell on Wheels: I couldn't even hang in there for five episodes. The pilot was interesting enough, but the focus on interesting things just kept waning. I wanted to be really into this western drama, but it didn't happen. I struggled with it, as did the few people I know who were really anticipating a great show here. It's doing well in the ratings, however, so for those who are happy with where the show is going, it may end up with a long and healthy run. 

24 Hours in the ER: It was like I couldn't drop this one fast enough! Sadly, this was the most disappointing show for me. I like medical shows (with ER, House, and Miami Medical topping that list) quite a bit, and I also watch a fair amount of reality programs, so I thought that this would really be up my alley. But, it wasn't. It was so far from my alley, in fact, that I was almost miserable watching it. But, bad choices happen. No big deal. Hopefully I'll get into some other BBCAmerica show, as I'd like to give that channel more attention in some way.

All-American Muslim: Suehaila is Unhappy

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I like this show, really I do. But I think that there may be a few too many characters. We didn't see much of the Jaafar, Fawaz, or McDermott family this episode, since so much emphasis was placed on the Aoude and Zaban families. Now, I don't think that the choice to do so was bad... after all, there has been some lead-up to Fouad getting some major screen time, and the birth of the Aoude baby should have gotten some attention. But I think that the we-play-football-during-Ramadan thing is played out now, and it's time to move on. I know that we'll see coverage of at least one more game, but I hope that future episodes could spend a little more time on some of the other families.

Looking closer at what is actually in this episode, the group-interview segment really pushes two things. First, that some Muslims find Islam easier to follow than others. Non-Muslims seem to think that it's a strict and difficult-to-follow religion, but it's not that way to many of them. Second, there are certain medical conditions that allow you to be excepted from fasting during Ramadan (such as nursing a baby), but there are make-ups and penalties.

As I cover what took place in this episode, I'll give a little reminder as to who's-who.

All-American Muslim "Friday Night Bites" (S01E04):

TLC

Aoudes - [Nader & Nawal are in their mid-twenties and are newlyweds.] Nawal was in active labor at 6 centimeters when they got to the hospital. Naseem is born 7 pounds, 11 ounces, after only 20 minutes of pushing. [wow. good thing that they went to the hospital when they did!] Nawal breaks her fast to eat after delivery. [I liked that she and Nader joked about how she was able to eat and he wasn't, LoL. Why did Nader go to watch the football practice? I understand that he played basketball for the high school, but even that was years ago...] They host an Iftar dinner, where we learn a bit about Arab men and "garage culture." Nawal is very tired, pumping as well we breastfeeding, and has the event catered. [good move. Though I don't really understand why a woman with a newborn was hosting such an event anyway... must be a cultural difference.] Nader explains Arab time as typically casually late.[is it just me or is this not so much a cultural thing as an evolutionary thing? I find that many people, regardless of background, now find it acceptable to arrive at events well after they are supposed to being....]

Zaban - [Fouad and Zaynab have been married about 12 years and have four kids.] The day before the first game, they return to daytime practices. [I would have liked to hear about how many night practices there were...] School has started. The plan is to break the fast at halftime (it's a 7pm kickoff) with oranges. Catholic Central is a hard first game - Fordson has never beat them. [wow... never??] The team says a good luck prayer, even the non-Muslims. About 45 of the 50 players are fasting. It was 14-0 at the half. [what is considered "sundown"? just the official time that is stated by the local mosque?] They ended up losing 42-0. [which I found online since they didn't show the final scoreboard on the show.] 

Bazzy-Aliahmead - [Nina, first-generation Lebanese-American, is an event planner who doesn't wear the hijab. She wants to open a nightclub in Dearborn. She has a husband and son whom we have not really seen yet.] Nina doesn't usually fast during Ramadan, and rarely goes to the mosque. [I would have liked to hear how her husband and son feel about these same issues.] Nina feels like her mother doesn't accept her sexier wardrobe. [probably true.] She brings multiple option to wear to mosque, but her mother doesn't approve of any of them, mostly because of how much skin they show. Nina's mother is a haji, someone who has taken the pilgrimage to Mecca and doesn't miss prayers. Nina is bored at mosque and feels a little out of her element. She tells her mom that shes's bored at work, and her mom suggests opening a clothing shop or a nail salon. [a clothing shop is one thing, but how do you open a nail salon out of the blue??] She mentions that she wants to open a club and her mom thinks it's a bad idea... specifically because Nina is a woman. [...who wants to bet that Nina does it anyway?]

Jaafar - [Angela and Mike were high school sweethearts who have been married for 11 years. They have two boys and two girls. She's a liaison for an auto manufacturer and he is a Deputy Chief for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.] No mention this episode.

Amen - [Parents Mohsen and Lila have four grown children - Suehaila, Samira, Shadia, and Bilal. Samira and Shadia are married and appear with their spouses on the show. Suehaila is 32 and unmarried; Bilal is also unmarried.] Suehaila works in the political realm. She considers herself progressive, and she's not the only one - Nina (who has known Sue since high school) doesn't consider Sue to be conservative, even though she wears the hijab and lives at home. Some of Suehaila's friends discuss how she seems more conservative than she is, which isn't attracting the right men. [I could see that.] Bilal says that Suehaila complains often, and we learn that she isn't happy with her life. She talks about working elsewhere, but as a single Arab woman, it doesn't work the same way. She hopes to be married in five years, and admits to one of her best friends (Josephine, a Christian Arab) that she cries when she looks at herself in the mirror. [depression, anyone?] Suehaila tells Josephine that she wants someone to lean on, but many men tell her that she intimidates them. [who hasn't heard that before? :(] She considers herself a good Muslim and wants to know why she isn't given the same things as others. [if I had a dollar for every time someone said that they deserve great things because they are more faithful than others...] Other fun fact: Bilal played football for Fordson.

Fawaz - [Samira (Amen) is married to Ali, and they've been trying to conceive for several years. Samira recently returned to wearing the hijab, having removed it post-9/11.] This episode didn't have much going on for them, but we do see Samira wearing a ruffly hijab.


McDermott - [Shadia (Amen) has a son, Adam, from a previous marriage and recently married Jeff. Shadia has piercings, tattooes, wears a lot of makeup, and doesn't wear the hijab.]

All-American Muslim: 2 Ep Catch-Up

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I had a little bit of difficulty keeping the families straight, especially in the interview scenes. I am enjoying learning bits of "old" culture, like how a woman spends the first 40 days after delivery with her parents. It's also an interesting change of pace to see the non-provocative clothing that infiltrates so many television programs today, reality and scripted alike. I think my favorite thing about this show so far, however, is the "I'm different" factor. Between Nina wanting to open a club and Shadia shunning some traditions (like the hijab) but embracing others (like Ramadan), I'm pretty intrigued with watching where this show is going. It was nice to get a little more timing information (it's August 2011 here), and I look forward to future stories, especially the Zaban family besides Fouad. As a reminder, here's some information about the families before I get into the recaps.

Aoudes - Nader & Nawal (almost 25) have been married for ten months and she's expecting a baby soon.

Zaban - Fouad and Zaynab have been married about 12 years, and they have four kids, one of whom is Jamilah.

Bazzy-Aliahmead - Nina Bazzy is an event planner who doesn't wear the hijab. She's a first-generation woman from Lebanon who has a husband and son. She wants to open a club in Dearborn, but is being discouraged.

Jaafar - Angela and Mike were high school sweethearts who have been married for 11 years. They have four kids - two boys and two girls. She's a liaison for an auto manufacturer and he is a Deputy Chief for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.

TLC

Amen - Parents Mohsen and Lila have four grown children - Suehaila, Samira, Shadia, and Bilal. Suehaila is 32 and unmarried, considered an old maid in a way. Bilal is also unmarried. Pictured (L-R) is Bilal, Suehaila, Adam, Shadia, Jeff, Lila, Mohsen, Samira, Ali.

Fawaz - Samira (Amen) is married to Ali, and they've been trying to conceive for several years.

McDermott - Shadia (Amen) has a son, Adam, from a previous marriage and recently married Jeff. Shadia has piercings, tattooes, and wears a lot of makeup.

All-American Muslim "The Fast and the Furious" (S01E02): [Liked the opening.]
Aoudes: Nawal mentions that, when they're out of Dearborn, they are treated differently because there aren't as many Muslims in other areas. They receive poor service at a restaurant. Nader doesn't make as big a deal out of it, but it bothers Nawal. [that was a really weird scene.] They have friends over, plus Nawal's mom, Leila, who wants her to stay with them for 40 days, in bed, after she has the baby. This tradition ain't gonna work. [can't blame them! That sounds so outdated! And it can't be that common, otherwise Nawal would have at least heard of such a thing.]
Zaban: They're flipping the football schedule during Ramadan so that they can have energy. They're going to practice 10pm-5am. The superintendent and principal approve. Fouad says that it wouldn't be safe to not adjust. There are non-Muslim players, and one in particular teases the other guys about not being able to eat/drink in the daytime. That boy's parents come in to talk to the coach about the night practices and their son's schedule being thrown off by it. [it is a very rough thing to do. Luckily it's still summer! are they really practicing 7 hours a day?? this is only high school, after all...]
Bazzy-Aliahmeads: Nina oversees many weddings with her job, but she gets bored doing the same things all the time. [can't fault her there!] This is why she wants to do something else, like open a club.
Jaafars: At the American-Arab festival, there was some protesting, and hateful things were said. They need extra police presence at the mosques during Ramadan.
Amens: Suehaila explains that, at sunset, everyone comes together to break the fast. Bilal doesn't think it's too difficult to fast. [does he really feel that way, though? or is he just taking a shot at Jeff?] Mohsen says that he feels that he has his daughter back, now that Samira has restarted wearing the hijab. [wow. this was a loaded statement, and they knew it!]
Fawaz: Samira is a medical receptionist at an OBGYN office. She and her husband have been trying to have children for four years. They see a fertility specialist, and Mohsen comes along for support and to help with an explanation if necessary. The Shiite imam tells her that they can go thru IVF with her husband's sperm, but getting a donor is prohibited, as the child would belong to a man other than her husband. [that's not too difficult to follow...] She asks if the hijab is related to infertility and is told that the hijab gives you more blessings. Samira is interested in going back to the hijab, which she wore pre-9/11. She took it off because of discrimination. [that makes a lot of sense to me. If I'm in a situation where I don't think Christianity will be well-received, I don't wear a cross.] She learns some new scarf techniques and colors/shapes. [new shapes? what? I guess I don't understand. Maybe they'll teach this sort of thing at some point...] Wearing a hijab again scares Samira a little bit, because people may not understand. She does feel protected by God by wearing it. She and Ali take down photos of them on the walls where her hair shows. [wow. I didn't realize that you'd have to remove such things, but it makes sense!] Blood relatives, her husband, men she can't marry (like her husband's father, etc.) and other women can see her hair, but nobody else. [that's not actually all that bad. But a little confusing nonetheless. I hope that they cover the Muslim stance on divorce and remarriage...]
McDermott: Jeff & Shadia go to a Kenny Chesney concert in Detroit and tailgate ahead of time. [Detroit is known for tailgating?] This is Jeff's first Ramadan, and he's not looking forward to it - he gets irritated when he doesn't eat. [so does my husband, LoL.] Shadia wore the hijab from age 6 to 19. It didn't fit her style after that, and she doesn't feel it's proper for her to wear the scarf. [...why would she feel that it's not "proper"??] On the second day of Ramadan, Jeff isn't sure if he can make it the whole day without eating again, so he decides to eat chicken and drink water. Now that Samira has gone back to wearing the hijab, Shadia feels like "The Last of the Mohicans." [...wow. I wonder what Mohsen and Lila have to say about that....]

Some of the things that are brought up in the interviews... Can women have sperm donors in the Arab community? iffy. Adoption is rare. You shouldn't be near alcohol at all - not at the same table as drinking, etc. [not even being near it sounds like a tough situation!] Jeff gave up alcohol for the religion. Maybe one day he'll drink again, but not now. Women in charge aren't well-respected - people think they should be home raising kids or that things can be pulled over on them. [sad, but true.] Some men see the hijab as empowering to women, because it gives them control. Angela hasn't fasted the past few years because it's too difficult to work, handle her kids, etc.without eating. [interesting. and since most children don't fast until they're older, I wonder if it is a strange mix in her house during Ramadan?]


All-American Muslim "A Muslim Goes to Washington" (S01E03):
Aoudes: Nadar and Nawal attend a childbirth class at 35 weeks... even though it's a 5-week class. [I wonder how helpful that will be... since they likely won't get to attend the entire thing...] They learn about orgasmic births. She makes favors with chocolate. Nader is nervous around babies and has very little experience. Nawal has bloody discharge and some discomfort late one night. They don't want to be sent home with false labor, so they wait around another hour or so, but decide to head to the hospital, just to be on the safe side. Nader has to wait 45 minutes while Nawal is examined, but then learns that they broke Nawal's water and that things will be underway!
Zaban: The White House calls and invites Fouad to Iftar dinner. Zaynab thinks that her husband is a bit crazy for consiering missing the dinner because he'd miss a football practice - he hasn't missed one in 17 years. Fouad tells the team about the invitation, but says that he won't go unless they shape up. [dedication, yo!] They go to Zaynab's parents' house for an Iftar dinner, and Fouad reiterates that he won't go to Washington unless the team is doing well enough to miss him for a day. [wanting to do your job is one thing, but not having any assistants who can take your place once every 17 years is a problem...] Fouad decides to go, and brings President Obama a football jersey from the HS with the number 44, for the 44th President of the United States. [I thought that this was pretty cool. Also, I think that Ramadan being entirely in August is rough... dehydration sucks.]
Bazzy-Aliahmead: Nina thinks that a club with drinking and dancing would work in Dearborn. [I'm getting a bit skeptical...] Others take issue with modesty concerns. She goes to look at places with her real estate agent. She doesn't want to do lots of renovations. [that's reasonable, though I'm not in love with the place she chose in the end...]
Amen: Bilal flat-out asks Shadia if Jeff is fasting - and she says no. Bilal says it's mind over matter and that he needs to learn. Bilal worries that Jeff didn't convert for the right reasons. [well, yeah... he pretty much didn't....] Bilal talks to Jeff about his conversion and intentions.

Fawaz: Samira needs to buy more long-sleved clothing and has to get used to not having earrings show. [that's a big change!] There's mention of the burkini. [went and looked it up... cool stuff.] One of Samira's coworkers asks her about the hijab and about Muslims purchasing lingerie. [kinda weird, but glad that she feels comfortable talking about it.]

NEW SHOW: All-American Muslim

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

The first thing that stood out to me was the fact that the most concentrated community of Arabs outside the Middle East is in Dearborn, Michigan. Maybe it's because I've never been anywhere in the Great Lakes region, but I honestly had no idea that there were such condensed areas. I can't really fathom a public high school that's 95% Arab - there were three families where the girls wore hijabs at my middle/high school so we certainly didn't have a large population (though I confess I have no idea who else might have been Muslim and not been so outward about it). While I had a little trouble keeping the families separate, I really enjoyed being introduced to them while having just two stories going on. I imagine it won't always be like that, but it was a nice introduction. 

All-American Muslim "How to Marry a Muslim" (S01E01): Throughout the show, there was a panel of sorts of some of the folks on the show. They mention that, after 9/11, the environment was a bit more hostile. They disagree over whether a Muslim man can marry a non-converting Christian woman, but agree that a Muslim woman cannot marry a non-Muslim man. [No mention of same-sex marriage.] They seem to agree that pre-marital sex is a sin...  There's talk about the hijab is a choice, though some believe that it's required, to cover the ornaments, etc. Some women color and treat their hair, even though it's not really seen. [I actually thought that was really interesting. I never thought about it.] It would depress some parents if their children left the Muslim faith. [I think that's fairly universal.] The Islamic dowry goes to the woman's family - you offer the family something in return for giving up their daughter. [and this still seems to be in place, at least a little bit.]

Aoudes - Nader & Nawal (almost 25) talked on the phone for a long time prior to beginning courtship. Their families are from the same village in Lebanon. He met her dad and got his approval, then he sent a bunch of people (90 [haha]) to formally ask for her hand in marriage. He dared her if he won a basketball game, she'd have to marry him. [I thought this was funny.] They've been married for ten months and she's expecting in a few weeks. [haha on Nader not thinking he'd need a toothbrush at the hospital.] Nawal is happy that Nader will take on some parental responsibility, which doesn't happen in every Arab couple. She appreciates that he's making her life easier, and if he continues to be helpful, they may want six children. Nawal doesn't like belly dancers, because they flaunt like strippers. [...I guess that's true.]

Zabans - Fouad and Zaynab have been married about 12 years, and they have four kids. The girls (Jamilah is one of them) started wearing hijabs at 9. Fouad coaches high school football at the school previously mentioned. We learn that the players do hear rude things when they play outside of Dearborn. [that's a shame. You'd think there would be some sensitivity training at the schools that generally play them annually.] Since you can't drink from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, it's difficult to practice and play, and they have at least one game during Ramadan this year. [wow. things I never think of.]

Bazzy-Aliahmeads - Nina Bazzy is an event planner. She's a first-generation from Lebanon who has a husband and son. She doesn't wear a hijab, and some people don't know how to take that. She wants to open a club in Dearborn, but is being discouraged.

Jaafars - Angela and Mike were high school sweethearts who have been married for 11 years. They have four kids - two boys and two girls. Both parents work. She's a liaison for an auto manufacturer and he is a Deputy Chief for the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.

Amens - Parents Mohsen and Lila have four children - Suehaila, Samira (not really mentioned this episode), Shadia, and Bilal. Suehaila is 32 and unmarried, considered an old maid in a way. Bilal is sometimes mistaken as Hispanic. Shadia has piercings, tattooes, and wears a lot of makeup. She is the rebel of the family and has a ten-year-old son from her first marriage. This episode's title comes from the fact that she's going to marry Jeff, a Catholic man whom she met back when she worked at a bar. They were engaged for around a year, and Shadia wanted to marry a Muslim, for her family's sake, so Jeff knew he'd need to convert. Lila was softened with the news that Jeff would convert. Mohsen tells Jeff not to feel pressured, and Jeff says it isn't a rash decision, though he is nervous. [can ya blame him?] Mohsen took the time to write the conversion prayer/statement phonetically for Jeff. Jeff's parents arrive from Chicago a couple days before the wedding, and Jeff tells them that he's converting the following evening... they knew about it but seemed to believe it was further in the future. [after the wedding? what sense does that make?] Jeff's mom feels like things are crashing in on her.

Conversion is easy - you just say a statement. Jeff repeats after Mohsen and is now Muslim... he was surprised at how easy it was. [hey, so was I! And I took "Introduction to Islam" in undergrad!] The next day, they have the Islamic wedding. Husham Al-Husany, Shiite imam comes to perform the religious ceremony in the parents' home. He accidentally says Suehaila's name, which makes the family laugh. Jeff's mother wore a scarf for the occasion. The next day, they have their big wedding. Suehaila has her head wrap put on by a local businesswoman known for fabulous creations.

TLC

It's like a different way of getting your hair done. [wow. that's so neat! I kinda love looking at different head-wrap designs, but I didnt' know hoe fancy it could get!] Shadia wasn't happy that her veil covered the tattoes on her back. [...okay. I don't think Shadia is going to be my favorite character.] Islams don't drink, and the community halls owned by Muslims don't sell alcoholic beverages. They came in and danced in an Arabic style. Then, Jeff's cousin performs an Irish hard-shoe dance. They also had a professional belly dancer, who was mostly covered up. [interesting blend of cultures.] They also have slow dancing for the mother-son/father-daughter dances.

The New Fall Shows

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Any true television fan knows that deciding what to watch every fall is a big deal... and it gets more difficult with each passing year. Now that some networks are utilizing 7-11pm instead of 8-10pm, and there's some showing original programming every day instead of just weeknights, there is a LOT out there! And that's not even considering all of the new shows coming to cable networks that didn't used to feature their own programming!

So, today's post looks at the TEN shows that I'm planning to try out this fall. See if you agree and consider persuading me to check out what you're looking forward to!

Sundays:
Pan Am, starting Sunday, September 25th at 10pm on ABC. Set in the 1960s, this drama is based on real Pan Am stewardesses' experiences. The cast and guest star lineup looks pretty promising, plus Jack Orman (ER, folks!) is a writer on the show.

Hell on Wheels, starting Sunday, November 6th on AMC. Set in the 1860s, this western drama is centered around the transcontinental railroad. It will include slaves, Native Americans, and a single woman in the regular cast. Chinese laborers are avoided, as the present episodes focus on the east side of the railroad.

Mondays:
2 Broke Girls, starting Monday, September 19th at 9:30pm on CBS. It will normally hold the 8:30-9pm slot, right after How I Met Your Mother. The basic premise is that two young gals in New York City are living together (think Odd Couple) and working together (in odd jobs and as waitresses... like Laverne & Shirley) who have much larger dreams.

Photo: Michael Lavine/FOX

Terra Nova, starting Monday, September 26th at 8pm on FOX. I've already seen the bulk of the two-hour pilot, and the setting (both in 2149 and in 85 million BCE) certainly grabbed my attention. Dystopias and utopias are favorite genres of mine, so this show attempting to encompass both intrigues me greatly. Short season orders, however, are pet peeves of mine, so it may not work out in the end.

Tuesdays:
24 Hours in the ER, starting Tuesday, September 27th, at 9pm on BBC America. This is a 14-part documentary that was filmed over the course of four weeks in a London emergency room. It's a major trauma center that also deals with community issues, so I think it will be a nice mix. Plus, the clips I've seen show it being rather different than American hospitals, so I think that will be an educational experience.

Last Man Standing, starting Tuesday, October 11th, at 8pm on ABC. I'm drawn to this one solely because of the similarities and differences between it and Home Improvement, Tim Allen's last comedy. In this one he has three daughters instead of three sons. It probably has the worst outlook of the shows I'm trying, so let's see how it goes!

Wednesdays:
Suburgatory, starting Wednesday, September 28th at 8:30pm on ABC.This is another show that isn't getting the best press, but I think the basic idea is cool. After a single father finds condoms in his 16-year-old daughter's room, they move from Manhattan to the suburbs. The daughter must adjust to the new environment while her father takes a whole new perspective on parenting.

The Exes, starting Wednesday, November 30th at 10:30pm on TVLand. I'm already in love with the cast and the clips that I've seen so far (not to mention that Mark Reisman of Frasier fame is a writer for it!). The plot pusher (three recently-divorced men live together in an apartment owned by their attorney) isn't a total win, but I think this show has the potential to be another star for the network. 

Fridays:
Boss, starting Friday, October 21st at 10pm on Starz. Kelsey Grammer as the mayor of Chicago... sounds like a winner to me. While the short episode order is a bit annoying, the bit of mystery that seems inherent in this show just piques my interest enough. 

No Specified Day:
All-American Muslim, date and time TBA (probably starting in November) on TLC. Focusing on five Muslim families in the Detroit area, this show will look at the lives, communities, and customs of those adhering to various degrees of the Muslim faith. Listening to several of the "cast members" really sealed the deal on my interest in this series - I am very much looking forward to this show as bringing the "Learning" aspect back to TLC.

I am working full-force to catch up on The Middle episodes I've missed, as I've decided to pick that up full-time this season. I will also start covering Two and a Half Men, of which I've seen every episode since the Charlie Sheen scandal began early this year. I did consider joining the bandwagon fans on both Parks and Recreation and Mike and Molly, but I've ultimately decided to pass on those. The former is just a little too much like The Office for me, while I still think the latter just doesn't have the staying power to go beyond a few seasons of storylines. And I'm just too late to the game to start on Rules of Engagement, which I enjoyed random bits of here and there last season, and Border Wars, which I just recently found out existed.

There are a few things that won't premiere until mid-season (aka 2012), so I'll check in later with those! Also, stay tuned for my ultimate TV schedule for the fall, coming soon.

Casting News; New Shows Coming; Show Interaction

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Yes, I am going to write about everything I saw and did at Comic-Con. I know that's what you're all looking forward to! But, as luck would have it, I'm already away on travel again, this time to Los Angeles. The Television Critics Association Press Tour starts tomorrow, and I'll be attending the first part this year (it's long. it goes for 12 days!). All sorts of wonderful things are going to happen, but they also take up the majority of every day, leaving me with very little time to do things like process Comic-Con and prepare giveaways. (Yes! you heard right. I'll be doing several contests for some free swag that I got!) If you want to read my third article for TVTango, it's here. Otherwise, enjoy the highlights of television news from the past week...

I mentioned last week that Mike Vogel had been cast in the new series PanAm. Well, it looks like they're even writing the role larger now that he's in the show!

Franklin & Bash got renewed for a second season. South Park will keep making new episodes through 2013. Happily Divorced also got picked up for a second season. On the other hand, Love Bites has been canceled.

Looks like Kevin Smith may be developing his own talk show. And, if you want to watch Shannen Doherty plan her wedding, apparently that's an upcoming option, too.

Odette Annable will join House in the fall. It doesn't look like she's taking Cuddy's role. In other casting news, John Goodman will be joining Community.

Want to experience Terra Nova? It may be coming to a city near you! If interaction is your thing, maybe you wanna bet on how Charlie Harper will be written out of Two and a Half Men... you can!

Mad Men is about to be available on Netflix streaming.

In November, TLC will roll out All-American Muslim which will look at several young adult Muslims as they balance their background with American culture. Another new show in development is The Exes (working title) for TVLand... which seems kinda similar to The Big Bang Theory in my opinion... But the most intriguing new show coming out is Same Name, where a person with the same name as a celebrity (in the pilot, David Hasselhoff) switches lives with that person for four days.