The TV Zone

Don't know about you, but I now know what I'LL be doing this summer: Writing about Dina Lohan's new reality show, which will hit the air on E! during the warm months. (Watching? That too...oh yes, that too.)

E! earlier announced that this alarming and doubtless intriguing new show - following Dina and 14-year-old Lindsay kid sister, Ali, around North Merrick to CVS and the like - will finally get an air date this summer. The exact date/time is TBA, and the working title is "Living Lohan."

"Alarming?" Must I spell it out?

I spoke with "Real World" co-creator Jonathan Murray and the man behind "Living" a little while ago, and he got the usual "stage mother" and "parenting issue" questions and so forth. He also had a few other details, including the fact that this will start taping in a couple weeks (a "presentation" tape was shot just before Halloween; none of that'll make the air.)

"I think Dina's a somewhat remarkable woman [who] got married at a young age, raised four kids and her marriage came apart," he says. "She's sort of like in this period where she's coming into her own - the divorce is being put behind her and she's sort of figuring out the next part of her life."

"I'm a strong believer that you've gotta like people on television and if you want viewers to come back, a viewer has to like the subject of the show. I came away liking this family [and] I think they're misunderstood to some extent. We all know what the tabloids have said about them [and] that's not an accurate representation of peoples' lives."

Here's outtakes from the E! press release, in all their understated glory:

"Dina has faced intense scrutiny over the past year due to daughter Lindsay's (21) highly publicized mishaps and her long-simmering divorce from her ex-husband. But the Lohan family has demonstrated great resiliency and, with Dina at the helm, they are moving on with their lives. Dina is determined to help each of her four kids fulfill their dreams and refuses to live in fear of what others may think, despite being under the paparazzi microscope.

"E!'s cameras will follow the single mom every step of the way as she manages Lindsay's hectic schedule, while helping Ali jump start her music and acting career. This takes the family to the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, where Ali will record tracks for the Maloof's Iterscope-based record label.

Maloof? That'd be Phil Maloof, chief of Maloof Productions, which is a co-producer along with Bunim-Murray of "Real World" fame.

And more:

"The series will also feature Dina keeping track of her son Cody (11) whose sports teams, homework and endless energy are enough to keep any soccer mom busy, as well as her older son, on-the-go college student Michael (20). Viewers will get to know the Lohan's close-knit extended family as well. "

No official word on potential Lindsay or Michael cameos, though Murray says there's "no agreement" for L to show up.

(Above, Dina and Ali, but who's that in the middle?)