Archive for May, 2010

Losing SOAPnet

May 31, 2010
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Losing SOAPnet

Disney’s announcement that it will be replacing cable channel Soapnet with a new preschool channel has generated serious concerns for U.S. soap viewers.
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Posted in Current Events, Industry, TV | Comments Off on Losing SOAPnet

Being Gary Coleman

May 30, 2010
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Being Gary Coleman

Friday, Gary Coleman passed away after what appeared to be, by most accounts, an incredibly difficult 42 years, many of which were spent in an unsuccessful attempt to stay out of the spotlight and live as normal a life as humanly possible.
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Posted in Celebrity/Stardom, Current Events, TV | 4 Comments »

Egregious Product Placement: Sex & the City & HP

May 30, 2010
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Egregious Product Placement: <em>Sex & the City</em> & HP

What does it mean to have a beloved character's tastes change in favor of product placement opportunities? Fan backlash to product placement might disrupt the narrative, but it's probably not a bad thing for the advertiser.
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Posted in Film, Industry, Perspectives | Comments Off on Egregious Product Placement: Sex & the City & HP

DVR vs. Twitter

May 29, 2010
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DVR vs. Twitter

Is the virtual watercooler making timeshifting impossible? Can you have your DVR and Twitter too?
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Posted in Perspectives, Technology, TV | 6 Comments »

The New Reality of The Hills

May 28, 2010
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The New Reality of <i>The Hills</i>

It appears that in season six the world inside The Hills has effectively merged with the world outside The Hills. For this jaded fan, The Hills is once again must-see TV.
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Posted in Celebrity/Stardom, Current Events, Perspectives, TV | 2 Comments »

Blame Your HVAC

May 28, 2010
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Blame Your HVAC

How often this season have we seen ‘tween girls, and their forty-something moms, blamed for the sorry state of American Idol?
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Posted in Current Events, Music, TV | 7 Comments »

Glee’s Theatrical Identities and Other Bad Romances

May 27, 2010
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<em>Glee</em>’s Theatrical Identities and Other Bad Romances

The themed episodes often bury narrative and character development, but this week saw a powerful blending of Lady Gaga’s music and persona and the storyline. Her promotion of both over-the-top performance and being a “freak” allowed the show to return to one of its favorite themes.
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Posted in Columns, Current Events, Glee Club, TV | 20 Comments »

Some Thoughts on the Upfronts

May 26, 2010
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Some Thoughts on the Upfronts

It is not that I harbor ill will toward the television industry—far from it. Rather, I’d hoped that some of the desperation of recent years might be enough to create the momentum needed for some real change. This remains a seriously strange way to allocate billions of dollars.
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Posted in Current Events, Perspectives, TV | 4 Comments »

That Other Jack

May 25, 2010
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That Other Jack

24 crosses the finish line with a return to form - and further resources to question and negotiate its assumed reactionary politics.
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Posted in Current Events, Perspectives, TV | 15 Comments »

The Empire Strikes Back?: NBC at the 2010 Upfronts

May 23, 2010
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The Empire Strikes Back?: NBC at the 2010 Upfronts

The upfronts may seem like a vestige of a dying regime. However, given that this is also an era of brands - i.e., hot shows, and in theory, hot networks - the upfronts also serve to launch anticipation on multiple fronts. Derek Kompare takes a look at the NBC upfronts in this media context.
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Posted in Current Events, Perspectives, TV | 1 Comment »

Official Eclipse Trailer: For the Boys

Official <em>Eclipse</em> Trailer: For the Boys

What Summit Entertainment fails to see is that by courting male viewers, they are devaluing Twilight’s devoted female fans and missing an incredible opportunity to develop the terms for future female franchises.
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Posted in Current Events, Film, Industry | 3 Comments »

Media Studies, Have We Lost Our Feminism?

May 21, 2010
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Media Studies, Have We Lost Our Feminism?

I came away from Console-ing Passions with ongoing questions regarding why feminism seems lost at times in contemporary media scholarship and the place of feminism in my own work and life.
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Posted in Perspectives | 15 Comments »

Using Its Voice: Glee Shows Us What Kind of Musical(s) It’s Made of

May 20, 2010
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Using Its Voice: <em>Glee</em> Shows Us What Kind of Musical(s) It’s Made of

Joss Whedon and Neil Patrick Harris come to Glee; the results may not be what you think. Last week the glee club found its voice; this week Glee shows us its own.
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Posted in Columns, Glee Club, Perspectives, TV | 19 Comments »