Reza Aslan: "I'm waiting for a Muslim 'All in the Family' "

Discussion in 'Media & Commentators' started by Space_Time, Jan 6, 2016.

  1. Space_Time

    Space_Time Well-Known Member

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    Is an "All in the Family' type show viable today or is it's time past? Who would play the Archie Bunker-type family patriarch? Would this be similar to the Canadian series 'Little Mosque on the Prairie'?

    http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...in-the-family-tca-ovation-20160105-story.html

    Reza Aslan: "I'm waiting for a Muslim 'All in the Family' "
    Reza Aslan wants to see a Muslim 'All in the Family'
    Reza Aslan, left, host of "Rough Draft," speaks during the 2016 TCA Press Tour with writer Norman Lear alongside. (Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)
    Libby Hill Libby HillContact Reporter
    Reza Aslan is like family.

    That’s what legendary television writer and producer Norman Lear (“All in the Family,” “The Jeffersons”) assures the room at the Television Critics Assn. winter media tour Tuesday in Pasadena: “Spend three minutes with him and you’ll love him.”

    Lear is the first guest on Aslan’s new Ovation talk show “Rough Draft With Reza Aslan,” which features the author and religious scholar hosting writers of every stripe -- film, television, music or literature, as well as an accompanying musical guest, an audience in the round, and a dash of alcohol, in the hopes of loosening tongues.

    See more of Entertainment’s top stories on Facebook >>

    What Aslan is attempting to do is take a model that worked in a live version and translate it to the screen.

    In CNN's 'Believer,' Reza Aslan to aim for a window on world religions
    In CNN's 'Believer,' Reza Aslan to aim for a window on world religions
    “This started because producer David Andreone and I are huge fans of ‘Inside the Actor’s Studio’ but wanted to do that with writers and a live band and everyone’s drunk,” Aslan says of the impetus for the series, going on to clarify that the show originally took place in Silver Lake but interest grew so high that he was determined to begin taping it to reach a broader audience.

    The first-season lineup of “Rough Draft” makes it clear why Aslan was so interested in making the jump to television, featuring not just television luminaries like Lear and “Transparent” creator Jill Soloway in the first two episodes, but also Mike White (“Enlightened”), Damon Lindelof (“Lost,” “The Leftovers”), Tim Kring (“Heroes”) and Gideon Raff (“Homeland.”)

    Norman Lear's memoir looks back at family and 'Family'
    Norman Lear's memoir looks back at family and 'Family'
    “Television is where I learned what America was,” Aslan, an Iranian immigrant, says. “I learned English from ‘CHiPS,’ from ‘Sesame Street.’ I watched so much ‘CHiPS’ that I thought cars flipped over on ramps on the freeway every day.”
     
  2. Space_Time

    Space_Time Well-Known Member

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    Here's more:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...lim-modern-family_us_586d2ffee4b0eb58648b7f23

    RELIGION
    Reza Aslan On Why America Needs A Muslim ‘Modern Family’
    “The only way you’re going to dissipate ... fear is by getting people to know someone that they’re afraid of.”
    01/04/2017 04:19 pm ET
    Carol Kuruvilla
    Associate Religion Editor

    As an American Muslim living in a climate of Islamophobia, Reza Aslan has had to develop a thick skin when speaking about his faith in public. In an appearance on Vox’s series “The Secret Life of Muslims,” Aslan shared a few conclusions about what he thinks can challenge negative perceptions of Islam.

    As a scholar of religion and a New York Times bestselling author, Aslan is frequently called upon by the media to comment on issues surrounding Muslim life in America. Often, Aslan finds himself in the position of having to defend Islam, a faith practiced by roughly 1.6 billion people in the world, against the actions of a few political extremists. He’s also had his credentials as a New Testament scholar questioned on Fox News ― just because he’s a practicing Muslim.

    “The hardest part for me when I’m being interviewed is to tamp down my astonishment,” Aslan said in the recently published video. “The thing that’s mostly going through my mind is, ‘Calm down, calm down.’”

    What Aslan has learned from his experiences is that bigotry doesn’t stem from ignorance ― it stems from fear. Aslan believes that even truthful information doesn’t stand a chance against fear.

    “The only way you’re going to dissipate that fear is by getting people to know someone that they’re afraid of,” Aslan said.

    That’s why he believes it’s important for Americans to see examples of the average Muslim family in American pop culture, film, and television. In the same way television shows like “Will and Grace” and “Modern Family” helped audiences become familiar with same-sex families and relationships, Aslan thinks a series that showcases American Muslim life will help break through the negative perceptions and fear that some Americans have about Muslims.

    As part of that mission, Aslan has teamed up with former “Friends” executive producer Andrew Reich to create a comedy show about an Iranian-American family from San Jose, California. The untitled show was purchased by ABC last year, according to Deadline.

    “Stories have the power to break through the walls that separate us into different ethnicities, different cultures, different nationalities, different races, different religions, because they hit us at the human level,” Aslan said.

    Watch the clip above to see more of Reza Aslan’s appearance on Vox.
     

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