Digital Islamic
Studies Curriculum
Unraveling the
Arab Spring
Egypt since 2011
Panelists: Samer Ali, CMENAS director, U-M; Juan Cole, Richard P. Mitchell
Collegiate Professor of History, U-M; Jean Lachapelle, Weiser Emerging
Democracies Postdoctoral Fellow, U-M; Bassem Youssef, satirist
Moderator: Pauline Jones, DISC director
Free and open to the public
Co-sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern & North African Studies,
Islamic Studies Program, and University Musical Society
digitalislam.umich.edu
Panel
Tuesday, November 7, 4 pm
1010 Weiser Hall
“Blocking a tank in Tahrir,” By Sherif9282
THE CW
The case for ‘Riverdale’
and other ‘trash television’
When I watch the CW’s
“Riverdale,”
two
thoughts
come to mind: One, this show
is horrible and two, I can’t stop
watching it. As an updated,
mystery-filled adaptation of
the Archie comics, “Riverdale”
makes for equally fantastic and
absurd entertainment. Coming
to terms with this paradox
made me want to explore how
“Riverdale” became such a
phenomenon and why it’s an
example of modern day trash
TV.
Trash TV, by definition,
refers
to
a
subgenre
of
television with a focus on
controversy and confrontation.
The term is often associated
with tabloid talk shows that
play on miniature TV sets in
doctor’s offices or at the DMV:
“Dr. Phil,” “Judge Judy,” “The
Jerry Springer Show,” you get
the idea. But more recently,
the connotation of trash TV
has
broadened
to
include
any show, tabloid or not, that
sensationalizes and exploits
violence, profanity and nudity
as spectacle. Essentially, a
trash TV show is considered so
awful, you can’t look away.
This definition has found
its way into more reality-
based shows like ABC’s “The
Bachelor” and its spinoff, “The
Bachelorette.” Both programs
illuminate the worst parts of
human relationships through
a dating competition show,
where one lucky hot person
must decide whom to marry
among a selection of 25 other
hot people. Despite critical
ire, “The Bachelor” and “The
Bachelorette” have been met
with commercial success since
their premieres in 2002 and
2003, respectively. Other iconic
trash TV shows like MTV’s
“Jersey
Shore”
and
“Teen
Mom” have also encountered
similar
prosperity
during
their runs, attracting loads
of viewers for their tasteless
portrayals of American life.
Even though they weren’t the
most
sympathetic
subjects,
douchey club-goers from New
Jersey and pregnant teenagers
from rural American towns
made for great television.
How, then, does “Riverdale”
fit into the trash TV mold? For
starters, “Riverdale” is a hot
mess. It has the melodramatic,
mawkish appeal of a daytime
soap and the contrived acting
of a teen after-school special.
The show also lacks compelling
writing,
with
characters
mustering up excessive pop
cultural references that are
way too obscure, cheesy and
confusing for its own good.
“Can’t we, in this post-James
Franco
world,
just
be
all
things?” was a legitimate line
of dialogue from the pilot — let
that sink in. The characters
themselves,
unfortunately,
don’t do any justice for the
script either, resembling far-
fetched,
one-dimensional
caricatures straight out of
a campy musical about high
school (no disrespect to “High
School Musical”). Even though
“Riverdale” may not embody
the typical traits of a trash TV
show, it certainly embodies a
trashy, cringe-inducing ethos.
Along
with
exemplifying
the spirit of the trash TV
show, “Riverdale” also gets
an extra boost from its online
popularity. According to a
Vulture article, the streaming
platform may have had a role
in
“Riverdale”’s
continuing
success when the first season
was made available on the
streaming platform. There is
plausibility to that argument:
“Riverdale”’s second season,
which
premiered
on
Oct.
11, reached a ratings high,
peaking at 2.34 million in the
first episode.
And “Riverdale” isn’t the
only serialized TV show that
has capitalized on their trashy
appeal
through
an
online
presence. Back in 2012, Spike
TV’s “Blue Mountain State”
drew a heavy cult following
once its first three seasons
made its way to Netflix. The
show
depicted
a
fictitious
college
football
team
that
indulged
heavily
in
the
stereotypical,
over-stylized
luxuries of American college
life. For devoted fans, the
insane binge drinking, toxic
masculinity
and
objectified
female
characters
inherent
in “BMS” made the show
both
relentlessly
amusing
and
wildly
idiotic.
The
show’s growing, post-mortem
fanbase was enough to ignite
a Kickstarter campaign for a
“BMS” movie that reached its
goal of $1.5 million. Perhaps
trash TV deserves more merit
than we give it.
Of
course,
“Riverdale”
isn’t
without
its
perks.
Underneath its flashy murder
mystery plot, the show has a
charming, diverse cast, stylish
production values and tight
structuring. Like other teen
dramas, “Riverdale” discusses
topical themes, such as mental
illness, sexuality, the strains
of
friendship
and
family
dynamics,
with
surprising
nuance. Though most of the
characters
aren’t
exactly
A-level complex, “Riverdale”
makes a concerted effort to
develop their arcs. And during
some of its most climactic
moments,
“Riverdale”
understands how laughable the
drama can get.
Cole Sprouse (“Suite Life
on Deck”) exemplifies some of
“Riverdale”’s best and worst
traits
as
the
introspective
Jughead Jones, playing his
role with an equal amount
of
grating
self-seriousness
and sly self-awareness. One
of his most infamous scenes,
which involves telling Betty
(Lili Reinhart, “The Kings of
Summer”) that he’s a weirdo,
has
spawned
numerous
scathing responses. At the same
time, it has also become one of
the most memorable, defining
moments
in
“Riverdale”’s
first season, enough to spark
momentum and conversation
among fans and non-fans of
the show.
To be clear, “trash TV” isn’t
just bad TV that gets good
ratings (looking at you, “The
Big Bang Theory”). It’s the type
of “so-bad-it’s-good” show that
breeds its own intense, devoted
fandom,
whose
presence
becomes so powerful that it
develops into a cult following.
People watch trash TV not
just because it is so ineffably
entertaining, but also because
it inadvertently forms its
own community. Watching
a crappy TV show like “The
Bachelor” with a group of
people seems just as common
nowadays as watching an
acclaimed
TV
show
like
“Games of Thrones.” Trash
TV remains a relevant staple
in modern day entertainment,
even in the age of so-called
prestige television. Whether
you love to hate “Riverdale”
or hate to love it, it’s a show
that subverts the dominant
standard
of
quality
TV.
Depending on your taste,
maybe that’s something we
can all get behind.
SAM ROSENBERG
Daily Arts Writer
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CBS
‘Mom’ season premiere
brings comedy, advocacy
In a world where laptops
take the place of television
sets and cellphone companies
produce
well-founded
and
popular entertainment (yes,
really, just look at AT&T), it
is easy to forget that quality
television is still available on
the classic broadcast networks
we all used to love so dearly.
Entering its fifth season,
“Mom” continues
to stay true to
its
foundation,
delivering sharp,
if not sometimes
slapstick,
comedy
while
also confronting
difficult
questions
about
relationships, addiction and
moving forward after hitting
rock bottom. The fourth season
ended with Christy (Anna
Faris, “The Emoji Movie”)
representing
her
mother
Bonnie (Allison Janney, “Sun
Dogs”) after she was tracked
down by the IRS for $18,000
worth of unpaid taxes. Now
in the fifth season opener,
Christy is studying for the
LSATs as her mother struggles
with a fear of commitment
after her boyfriend, Adam
(William
Fichtner,
“Hot
Summer Nights”), proposes.
Within just this episode,
both
main
and
secondary
characters
demonstrate
the
difficulty of putting your life
back together after a misstep
or two. Bonnie wonders if she’ll
be able to handle a marriage
the way she has learned to
handle her alcoholism. Christy
prepares for law school after
years of wrestling self-doubt
and addiction. Her friend,
Natasha (Missi Pyle, “Highly
Functional”), looks for a job
so she can get her child out of
foster care, even though the
only thing she’s ever done for
money is strip and sell drugs.
These are storylines that you
wouldn’t expect to go hand-
in-hand with a laughing studio
audience
and
jokes
about
G-spots, but after five seasons,
“Mom”’s methods continue to
be effective.
One
particular
stand-out
moment in the premiere was
when Adam first proposed
to Bonnie. In a span of thirty
seconds,
you
watch
Bonnie
spiral
from
complete
joy
to
utter
panic,
ultimately
sprinting
away
from her lover.
In between the comedic banter
and a joke about Bonnie’s
inability to make meatloaf, the
classic housewife dish, viewers
are shown a woman still facing
the mistakes of her past and
grappling with the idea that
she may not be good enough to
truly be loved.
It is work that is clearly
Emmy-worthy, and in fact the
show has won quite a few of
the golden statues, but this
year something changed. Back
in May, the producers and
stars of “Mom” announced
that they would be donating
the show’s $250,000 Emmy
campaign budget to Planned
Parenthood. Allison Janney
and series co-creator Chuck
Lorre announced the effort
amid President Trump and
the Republican’s plan to push
the American Health Care Act
through Congress, a bill which
would have detrimental effects
on the work of the women’s
health organization.
The move was reminiscent
of a similar act by the United
Talent
Agency,
which
canceled
its
traditional
Oscar party in February to
protest Trump’s views and
policy on immigration. While
deeply
political
in
nature,
both “Mom”’s donation and
UTA’s
cancellation
send
a
clear message not just to our
elected officials but to the
entertainment industry as a
whole: It has a responsibility to
speak up against injustice.
Movies,
music,
television
shows and everything else we
consume through screens and
earbuds are meant to serve
as distractions from reality.
But in a culture where so
many Americans and others
worldwide are feeling targeted
and unsafe, to ignore the
problem is to submit to it. There
are things in this world more
important than praise and
recognition, and it’s about time
more people in entertainment
learn that. If a television show
wants to remain relevant and
beloved, the people involved in
making it should be ensuring
their viewers that they care
about them and are willing to
use their platform to fight for
them.
“Mom” has fallen on the
good side of the fight, not just
exploiting the story of a young
mother for entertainment, but
actually providing funds to an
organization that will fight for
that young mother once the TV
is turned off. It’s a shame that
we must rely on pop culture
to act in the humane way our
president fails to, but as group
after group is marginalized by
the people this country has put
into power, somebody has to
start making sacrifices so that
we as a society can get better.
And who better for that job
than a mom?
SAMANTHA DELA FERA
Daily Arts Writer
“Mom”
Season 5 premiere
Thursdays 9 p.m.
CBS
COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW
UMS’s CrossCurrents and
its display of fusion music
Growing up in an Indian
household,
Zakir
Hussain
has always been a household
name for me. I’ve listened to
his music crackle out from the
boombox in our kitchen, the
sounds of the tabla resounding
off the walls. I’ve danced
Kathak, a traditional form of
Indian classical dance, to his
compositions and have been
astounded with the speed that
is necessary to keep up with
his
tempo.
Understandably,
when I heard Zakir Hussain
was coming to Ann Arbor with
his band CrossCurrents, I was
stoked.
Hussain is widely recognized
as one of the most influential
musicians of our time. Born
in Mumbai, India, Hussain
is
treasured
worldwide
as
a maestro player of tabla, a
traditional
type
of
Indian
drum played with the hands.
CrossCurrents,
Hussain’s
latest endeavour, is a blend
between classical Indian music
and Western jazz. His band is
composed of a stunning array
of musicians: the revered bass
player Dave Holland, known
for his large contribution to
jazz, and Shankar Mahadevan,
one of the top vocalists to
come out of India in the last
two decades. Others include
leading saxophone player Chris
Potter, the “Godfather of Indian
Jazz” Louiz Banks on keyboard,
Sanjay Divecha on guitar and
Gino Banks on drums.
CrossCurrents capitalizes on
the high level of improvisation
in both Indian classical music
and jazz, blending the two
styles together to create a new
and unique sound. To all those
who are skeptical, rest assured,
CrossCurrents
seamlessly
switched from Indian classical
to jazz in a way that was fresh
and exhilarating.
The band walked out to a
full audience in the Michigan
Theater on Wednesday evening,
and everyone whooped and
hollered when Hussain entered
and bowed to the audience with
his palms pressed together, an
Indian gesture of greeting and
respect. Dave Holland dressed
in
a
kurtha,
a
traditional
Indian garment worn by males,
and the audience chuckled in
admiration. With full smiles on
their faces, they started to play.
The first piece started with
the tabla and sax, a contrast
that jarred the audience at first
but slowly won their awe. The
sharp, ringing sound of the
sax contrasted greatly with
the mellow, deep tabla, yet
both complimented each other
perfectly. Hussain fed off the
sax’s leads, maintaining eye
contact and following his pace
the whole time. Gradually, the
other instruments joined in,
some tentatively and others
loudly. CrossCurrents’ sound
could be described as intervals
of all the instruments playing
together with random breaks
for a rapid tabla sequence or
sax solo. The effect was nothing
short of beautiful.
TRINA PAL
For the Daily
Read more online at
michigandaily.com
TV NOTEBOOK
TV REVIEW
6A — Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com