Autumn Sky

Recently, 20th Century Fox TV picked up the rights for the Canadian Muslim comedy Little Mosque On The Prairie. Little Mosque On The Prairie aired in Canada last year and it was this year the Fox grabbed the rights to produce the American version.

Little Mosque is a show that centers around a group of families, their Mosque, and town members. It deals with everyday situations that Muslims deal with in a comedic way.

“Mosque” has garnered extensive U.S. interest in the media and within the TV industry since its premiere on pubcaster CBC in January 2007.

Darling said that Westwind and CAA were close to a U.S. deal just before the WGA strike but took a break in negotiations when Hollywood writers took to the picket lines.

Ultimately, 20th TV, led by head of comedy development Jonathan Davis, beat out rival U.S. studios and cable channels for the format rights.

“Fox got the creative vision of the show, that it has to be funny while it treads sensitively on certain Muslim issues,” Darling said.

The U.S. format deal will not preclude a separate deal to air the original Canadian comedy south of the border, she added. “Mosque” already has been sold widely internationally, including to Canal Plus in France.

20th TV has been active in the foreign scripted format arena, recently landing “The Ex List,” an adaptation of the Israeli show “Mythological X,” on the CBS schedule. Meanwhile, aspects of the Muslim culture were showcased on the CW’s praised but short-lived comedy “Aliens in America.”

_{Quote: Hollywood Reporter}

I’m interested in seeing how the American public will react to this. I’ve watched three or four of the Canadian show, and it really isn’t that bad. In fact, it’s worth watching. It shows interesting (and relate-able) people and situations. It’s a cute show. What I feel is just… a complete slap in the face, is that it’s the FOX network (which has spread so much hate for the Muslim community) wants to show it.

Have you seen this show? How do you think Americans will react to it if Fox airs it? How do you feel about it?

I’m also interested in how Muslims see this show. Is it a correct interpretation of Muslim life?

Here is the first seven minutes of Ben Stein’s documentary on Intelligent Design. Most of you don’t know this, but for the majority of my high school life I went to a private Christian school. I was taught about Creationism, Intelligent Design, and Darwinism; but we spend the majority of our time in Life Science and Biology on Intelligent Design. I’ll be watching the full version of this documentary sometime this week.

I already have some problems with the first seven minutes, mostly with the presentation. It’s no secret that Ben Stein is an active Republican, maybe that’s why the first seven minutes felt more like propaganda. Stein seems to be taking the martyr’s route (which, I guess, some Christians are good at). He’s speaking as if scientists don’t have a right to be weary of Creationism or Intelligent Design, as if they are willfully being ignorant and trying to squash his freedom of speech. I think scientists have a very real reason to be angry at anything that even smells like dogma, not that I think they shouldn’t tell ID into consideration. But, it was religious dogma that ostracized Science and caused this massive break between Science and Religion.

Full thoughts later this week.

Contains some spoilers, but this is the kind of movie you should be warned about.

I’m not the biggest fan of Stephen King, simply because he can go a little too far in some of his novels. And although I don’t like how twisted he can get; I do have to say the man can capture humanity and personality. You either love or hate his characters, no in betweens. I was first interested in his work when I saw Kingdom Hospital, a television series well worth the time and money to view.

After reading several good reviews on this film, I decided to see it. Every blog and every review I’ve read did not have me prepared for what this movie is really about. From beginning to end, every review stated, “A good thriller” or “a must see” or “if you like twist endings, you’ll love this movie”. For anyone who is considering seeing this film simply from hearsay, I urge you to watch the trailer first. The summary of the film doesn’t even express its true nature or message.

After a violent storm attacks a town in Maine, an approaching cloud of mist appears the next morning. As the mist quickly envelops the area, a group of people get trapped in a local grocery store -among them, artist David Drayton and his five-year-old son. The people soon discover that within the mist lives numerous species of horrific, unworldly creatures that entered through an inter-dimensional rift, which may or may not have been caused by a nearby military base. As the world around them manifests into a literal hell-on-earth, the horrified citizens try desperately to survive this apocalyptic disaster.

This isn’t about inter-dimensional creatures, nor is it a thriller I have ever seen. Most movies like Night of the Living Dead convey their message through vague metaphors. The thrillers I’ve seen are on subjects that have already been scrutinized and reheard. Creatures such as zombies, werewolfs, or vampires don’t come close to the intense creativity in The Mist. I would dare to say, I’m as frightened or even more frightened than I was after seeing War of the Worlds. Read the rest of this entry »

Waaah, I don’t know who Wafa Sultan is!

Yes, this is Linda Belle once again. I would like to take a moment to thank Meli so much for posting an update of my situation so quickly. (I know she was itching to post on her old site again!) I’d also like to plug her site, Melilyn.com. I must say, the pros of having a car wreck are seeing how many people love you to pieces, and also having your best friend redesign your website to look friggin’ awesome; be looking for the redesign soon.

I thought I would take this blog entry to share my experience the past three weeks (pre and post) my car wreck. Some of it has been written in the hospital, some in a cabin in the woods, and some right before it’s published. So, this is a lengthy blog entry. I also want to discuss some modifications the wreck has made on what I want for the future. It’s hard to even imagine that I’m describing what potentially could have been my last day on Earth in this blog; a site that so few people that are actually involved in my life read. I hope this entry isn’t completely painful for you to read. I hope that you do read all of it, just so you may be able to take a look at your own life.

First, I’d like to remind you that I was diagnosed in May with bipolar disorder type I. A disorder that has made me question very aspect of reality, human emotion, and time. In May I seriously attempted suicide, but failed. This led to a change in religious belief, outlook, and also ended with a tattoo. Read the rest of this entry »