Archive for April, 2012

Is It a Camel? Is It a Turban? No, It’s The 99! Marketing Islamic Superheroes as Global Cultural Commodities

April 30, 2012
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Is It a Camel? Is It a Turban? No, It’s The 99! Marketing Islamic Superheroes as Global Cultural Commodities

This post identifies a couple of key tensions that emerge in trying to reposition Islam as a global brand through marketing Islamic superheroes The 99 as global cultural commodities.
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What Are You Missing? April 15-28

April 29, 2012
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What Are You Missing? April 15-28

Ten (or more) media industry news items you might have missed recently.
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“I Transcend Race, Hombre”: Hegemonic Masculine Whiteness in Eastbound and Down

April 26, 2012
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“I Transcend Race, Hombre”: Hegemonic Masculine Whiteness in Eastbound and Down

Eastbound and Down’s primary character Kenny Powers is the ultimate in camp masculinity. Kenny’s character reeks of white masculine power, and as cultural critics, we need to ask how this type of supremacist rhetoric functions in America’s “postracial” political climate.
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Posted in Perspectives | 2 Comments »

Why Public Media Matters for Media Studies

April 25, 2012
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Why Public Media Matters for Media Studies

Do public spaces increase democratic participation through public discourse and visibility? Does a mediated non-profit ‘public forum’ help to promote the ‘promise’ of American democracy? These questions still provide grounds for healthy debate over the purpose of media studies, as well as a coherent logic for media research.
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Posted in Industry, Perspectives | 5 Comments »

Who (does HBO hope) is watching Girls?

April 24, 2012
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Who (does HBO hope) is watching Girls?

After two episodes of trying to decide how I feel about the show, I started to wonder: Who does HBO hope will watch Girls? Girls’ small initial audience suggests that its audience “isn’t easily defined.”
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Posted in Perspectives | 14 Comments »

Which Direction?: The Homoerotic Masculinities of the Modern Boy Band

April 20, 2012
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Which Direction?: The Homoerotic Masculinities of the Modern Boy Band

Whether you saw their performance on Saturday Night Live, heard the insanely catchy “What Makes You Beautiful” playing over a mall sound system, or just happen to know a 12-year-old girl, it’s possible you’ve already encountered One Direction, the first truly viable boy band of the current musical era.
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Posted in Celebrity/Stardom | 10 Comments »

What Are You Missing? April 1-14

April 15, 2012
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What Are You Missing? April 1-14

Ten (or more) media industry news items you might have missed recently.
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Mediating the Past: Mad Men’s Sophisticated Weekly Get Together

April 13, 2012
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Mediating the Past: Mad Men’s Sophisticated Weekly Get Together

While this media surge contributed to this season’s premiere becoming Mad Men’s highest rated episode ever, ratings are not really the point. Mad Men sustains AMC's brand, providing a specific and prestigious visibility that extends beyond those who actually watch. Mad Men also offers viewers the opportunity to feel simultaneously nostalgic for and superior...
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Posted in Mediating the Past | 2 Comments »

Jewpacabra

April 11, 2012
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Jewpacabra

Last week’s South Park episode, “Jewpacabra,” is just the latest in the program’s intermittent efforts to use their medium to introduce otherwise silenced elements of society and culture into the public sphere. Though packaged in exactly the sort of silliness and Jew jokiness that the title implies, the episode actually features one...
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Posted in Perspectives, TV | 2 Comments »

On Radio: Ira Glass, Radio Star

April 9, 2012
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On Radio: Ira Glass, Radio Star

Ira Glass' iconic voice seems to be everywhere, and offers insight into contemporary radio culture and stardom.
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Posted in Columns, On Radio | 2 Comments »

The Google+ Assignment—Evaluation

April 7, 2012
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The Google+ Assignment—Evaluation

Using Google+ for student assignments in a TV genre class would, ideally, link learning with social technologies students are already using, and spur students to consume social media more critically. As with all experiments there was some success and some failure.
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Posted in School/Work | 2 Comments »

Imported by Justin Bieber: Carly Rae Jepsen and Transnational Stardom

April 5, 2012
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Imported by Justin Bieber: Carly Rae Jepsen and Transnational Stardom

Carly Rae Jepsen's Justin Bieber-supported breakthrough offers a case study for how difficult it is for stardom to remain transnational when moving into the U.S. market.
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Posted in Celebrity/Stardom, Global, Music | 4 Comments »

What Are You Missing? March 18-31

April 1, 2012
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What Are You Missing? March 18-31

Ten (or more) media industry news items you might have missed recently.
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