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Pop Culture Hijabi: It just makes me happy

Nadia Malik — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 06:00:29 +0000

I’m very late to the Glee bandwagon, but I just rented the DVDs for the first half of the first season and devoured them in just a few days.

That was just in time, too, since the season starts up again in April.

My brother and sister kept making fun of me while I was watching because they said the show’s been done already as High School Musical.

Although I’ve never seen the Disney version, Glee seems less sugar-coated and a lot more fun.

The show revolves around high school Spanish teacher Will Schuester, who wants to bring his old Glee Club back to its former glory. He recruits the usual crop of lovable losers for the club, but he also goes after football players and cheerleaders to try to make the club more popular. Of course, there’s the normal high school drama, plus fake pregnancies, real pregnancies and devastating crushes.

I’m actually not a big fan of any show connected to singing. I’ve never seen American Idol, and I have no desire to. I hate karaoke. But Glee uses a mix of old and new songs (I especially loved their version of Kanye’s “Gold Digger”), and the actors are really talented. It takes a lot of work to sing, dance and act every week.

It doesn’t hurt that there’s some nice eye candy on the show, too.

But, I think the idea of outsiders in high school is so universal that everyone can relate to it. That’s why so many shows have used that theme and done well. It never really gets old.

On top of that, I like any show that promotes people who are “weird” or different in some way. The characters can seem archetypal, but they’re hilarious and fun, as well.

I’ll definitely be tuning in when the show returns in April.

Pop Culture Hijabi is a weekly column by Nadia Malik. Malik is a former newspaper reporter based in Chicago who’s now making her way as a freelancer. She spends entirely too much time watching TV and reading pop culture, fashion and TV blogs. She also occasionally consumes serious books and news. No, really. You can reach her at info@hijabtrendz.com with “pop culture hijabi” in the subject line, follow her at www.twitter.com/nadiamalik or simply leave a comment below.

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Pop Culture Hijabi: Olympic fever

Nadia Malik — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:00:10 +0000

This week has all been about the Olympics for me.

I know people tend not to like the Winter Olympics as much as the Summer Olympics, but I absolutely love both.

This has been a crazy week for the American competitors, too. (I apologize to international readers; I have to take a moment to brag about our medals.) I don’t even know what my favorite event has been so far. The week started out strong with a win for speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno. If you caught that race, you know it was insane when two Koreans took each other out, putting two Americans in place to win silver and bronze.

Snowboarding has been intense as well. Shaun White makes halfpipe look incredibly easy (which, of course, it’s not). And Naperville, Ill. native Evan Lysacek won gold in figure skating. That’s especially exciting since I live right near Naperville.

The Winter Olympics just has that element of danger in all its events that makes it so exciting to watch. Plus, I think NBC does an amazing job of providing back stories and giving us a real reason to care about these competitors. I had no idea who Chinese pairs skaters Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue were, but I was definitely excited for them when they won gold. That’s the beauty of journalism: You’re not just watching someone run a race or compete in an event. The moment becomes more real once you know the person competing.

It continually amazes me how much time and effort these athletes put into their sports. It’s pretty motivating to help me do the same in my own activities.

I just love everything about the Olympics. I love the little tidbits I pick up about other countries. Who knew Kazakhstan had a Korean minority? Now I know.

I even get really pulled into curling. You know, that sport with the brooms. I’ve met so many people who agree that once you start watching curling, it just sucks you in. There’s something about it.

Plus, it’s great that, this year, figure skater Johnny Weir has his own reality show on the Sundance Channel. “Be Good Johnny Weir” gives you a look into the life of the always-entertaining skater who’s known for his outrageous costumes and very interesting sound bites.

I’m glad there’s still a week to go of Olympic fun. It definitely shapes my evening TV viewing for two weeks.

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Pop Culture Hijabi: Boss from Kell?

Nadia Malik — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 06:00:08 +0000

I don’t know how many of you have been watching the newest reality series, Kell on Earth. The show, which is on Bravo, follows Kelly Cutrone, who runs People’s Revolution, a fashion PR company.

I was interested because Cutrone had made appearances on The Hills as Lauren Conrad’s boss and, most recently, as Whitney Port’s boss and mentor on The City.

Although she works in fashion, she’s not what comes to mind when you think of PR. She doesn’t mince words, and I’ve generally liked the way she handles herself. She’s also very intimidating to people, which is kind of nice to see in a female boss.

I’ve read mixed reviews of the show, which has aired two episodes so far. The season started off with Fashion Week, which is pretty stressful for any PR company. People’s Revolution basically has to handle seating and press for a number of designers showing in Bryant Park.

Some of the footage is of really nitty-gritty background stuff, like Cutrone freaking out at interns or the computer system not working properly right before a big show. But that’s also what makes the show interesting because anyone who has worked in an office can relate to that kind of stuff. That is what stresses you out on a day-to-day basis. The question is: Do you want to see that on TV?

I’ve also read reviews that have said Kell on Earth gives you a very real work into the world of fashion and the not-so-glamorous stuff people in the background have to do. For anyone who wants to go into PR, it’s a great way to get insight into the personalities and work you’ll be dealing with. I also find it interesting because Kelly has a daughter she’s raising on her own. That’s hard for any working mother, but especially for someone who works as many hours as she does. Luckily for her, the building for People’s Revolution also houses her apartment. But it’s interesting to see how she handles both lives.

One thing that has somewhat annoyed me is that while she seems competent at her job, she doesn’t seem like the best manager. She freaks out a lot, and there’s sometimes no boundaries with employees. I think she wants to be friends with her employees, but then that falls apart when something goes wrong.
There was a nice moment, though, when she yelled at an intern and then later talked to his parents on the phone because they were worried they hadn’t heard from him in a few days because of his busy schedule. She definitely cares about her employees.

It’ll be interesting to see where the show goes. But it’s nice to see a reality show that seems pretty realistic and where people are actually doing work.

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Pop Culture Literature: How to Be Famous

Nadia Malik — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:00:24 +0000

I finally got around to reading Speidi’s book, but before I discuss that, we HAVE to talk about Heidi’s plastic surgery.
For those who don’t know, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are two reality “stars” from the MTV show The Hills. They gained fame by basically being the most repulsive couple on TV. And that’s being nice.

As far as Heidi goes, she recently elected to have 10 surgeries to “improve” her looks. This is the second time she’s gone under the knife, and she’s only 23.
Since all the talk shows have been discussing this for the past few weeks, I won’t rehash what’s been said. But I do think she knows exactly what she’s doing.

The book, “How to be Famous: Our Guide to Looking the Part, Playing the Press and Becoming a Tabloid Fixture” is all about how to gain fame and wealth by doing nothing.

Heidi and Spencer are pretty upfront with what they’ve done and who they are. “We’re SUPERfamous — and for what? We’re on a reality show … on cable for that matter … and we’re not even allowed to acknowledge on the show that our real jobs are, well, being on a reality show!”

The pair gives advice — admittedly, it’s tongue-in-cheek — on how to get on a reality show, mirroring the journeys their lives took. Spencer also gives a guide on being a villain, which he knows all too well. There’s also a pictorial (yes, that means several illustrated steps ) by Heidi on “How to Say ‘I Hate You’ Without Saying a Word.”
Plus, there’s plenty of information on how to use the paparazzi to your advantage, the goal being to be in as many magazines as possible, no matter what the content.

Back to the plastic surgery, though. There’s a whole chapter on looking the part of a star. And there’s a section on plastic surgery. Heidi says, “I can’t for the life of me think of a single reason why a person shouldn’t be able to look exactly the way they want to. Sure, there are healthier ways to lose weight than stapling your stomach, but you can’t diet or exercise your way into bigger boobs or a smaller nose.”

Later on, she says, “Not only will you look better and feel better about yourself, there is no better way to get instant attention than to completely change your look.”
And that just about says it all, doesn’t it?

The book does what it sets out to do. Obviously, the only reason I picked it up is because I loathe this “celebrity” couple, but I can’t wait to see what they’ve said. And just like that, I’ve fallen right into their trap. That’s what they want: To get paid to live their lives. So I guess they are good at what they do.

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Pop Culture Hijabi: In the world of Lost

Nadia Malik — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 06:00:52 +0000

I’m beyond excited that Lost is back next month for its final season.

I started watching the show when the first episode aired. I remember ABC promoting the show like crazy and thinking that it looked pretty stupid. I guess at the time it seemed like a dramatized version of Gilligan’s Islan.
But, the day the first episode aired, nothing else was on TV, and I was bored. So I watched the premiere, and I was hooked.

Not that many people I knew watched the first season. But the buzz from the show was huge, and pretty much everyone
I know was watching when the second season premiered.

It was great when that happened because I had people to talk to about theories and discuss the crazy things that happened. I still spend a substantial amount of my time the day after a Lost episode airs reading blogs and theories about the show. That, along with discussing episodes with friends, is also a good way to catch all those things you may have missed while watching.

I equate the show to reading Harry Potter. If you’re a fan of the books then you know half the fun of reading them was the anticipation of the next installment and running through theories with your friends.

It’s a bit bittersweet that this is the last season of Lost, but I can’t wait to see how things end.
For those who haven’t watched the show or who have fallen behind, I’d highly recommend getting the DVD’s for the first five seasons and catching up. You’ll be hooked.

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