Palestinians wait for Mohammed Assaf, the first Palestinian winner of the Arab Idol contest, in front of his family home in the southern Gaza Strip last Tuesday. The cheering for Assaf crossed political and ideological divides. Adel Hana/AP hide caption

In Gideon's Army, Brandy Alexander defends a 17 year old on trial for armed robbery who she believes is innocent. He faces a 10 year mandatory minimum if convicted. Dawn Porter hide caption

Cheese might take on a whole new flavor when you use a plastic utensil. Elizabeth Willing/Courtesy Flavour hide caption

John Scofield's latest album is the genre-fluid, continent hopping Uberjam Deux. Frank Stefan Kimmel/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras speaks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during an EU summit in Brussels last week. Samaras began his term by refusing to negotiate with with EU leaders, but now calls Merkel an ally. Yves Logghe/AP hide caption

Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) and Walter White (Bryan Cranston) are plenty difficult themselves on AMC's Breaking Bad, one of many cable shows Brett Martin discusses in his book. Frank Ockenfels/AMC hide caption

Taj Mahal is credited with helping popularize American blues over the course of his five-decade career. Jay Blakesberg/Courtesy of the artist hide caption