Perspectives

The “Down with Democrats” Mood and Our Presentist Media

January 20, 2010
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The “Down with Democrats” Mood and Our Presentist Media

Although the public is notoriously ahistorical about contemporary politics, the news media do little to remind them of how we got here. Political reporting looks more and more like entertainment/celebrity reporting, and Obama will need to return to campaign mode to capitalize on that.
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Posted in Perspectives | 5 Comments »

Important Games of the 00s

January 18, 2010
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Important Games of the 00s

What makes a game important? Is it commercial sales, the ways a game showcases how skilled a designer or studio is at their craft, the visceral response a game gives you, the player communities spawned by a game, the ways designers construct character/story/space, or the ways that games open up new genres, new...
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Posted in Columns, Games, Perspectives, What Do You Think? | 9 Comments »

Smells Like an Ethnically Divided Teen Star System

January 15, 2010
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Smells Like an Ethnically Divided Teen Star System

The photos of the six actresses, all trumpeted as stars on the verge, were displayed in such a way that Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, who is of partial Filipino, Chinese, and Native American descent, and Zoë Kravitz, daughter of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz, were positioned opposite “white” actresses Lily Collins, Isabel Lucas, and...
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Posted in Celebrity/Stardom, Industry, Perspectives, Print | 6 Comments »

Could the New Black Box be White?

January 14, 2010
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Could the New Black Box be White?

When the New York Times reported that Netflix’s instant streaming video would soon be available on the Wii the feeling of inevitability was palpable, but not for the reasons you’d think. Netflix, the article explained, is already on Wii’s competing consoles the PS3 and XBOX and a reflection of the fact that most consoles...
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Posted in Perspectives | 2 Comments »

What Do You Think? Most Important Music of the Decade

January 14, 2010
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What Do You Think? Most Important Music of the Decade

Continuing with our series, what musical recordings (i.e. albums, singles) would you nominate as the most important of the decade?
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Posted in Music, Perspectives, What Do You Think? | 14 Comments »

THWIP!+CTRL+DEL

January 12, 2010
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THWIP!+CTRL+DEL

Only 8 years into the Spider-Man film franchise, Sony's decision to start from scratch seems a little hasty. Why reboot Spider-Man?
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Posted in Current Events, Film, Film, Industry, Industry | 7 Comments »

Why Palin Going to Fox News Makes No Sense

January 12, 2010
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Why Palin Going to Fox News Makes No Sense

While Palin's contract with Fox News seems natural and inevitable, television is actually her worst medium.
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Posted in Celebrity/Stardom, Perspectives, Politics, TV | 14 Comments »

What Do You Think? Most Important Websites of the Decade

January 11, 2010
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What Do You Think? Most Important Websites of the Decade

Continuing with our series, what websites would you nominate as the most important of the decade?
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Posted in Internet, Perspectives, What Do You Think? | 15 Comments »

Beyond I Told You So: NBC Could Have Saved Network TV

January 10, 2010
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Beyond I Told You So: NBC Could Have Saved Network TV

NBC deserves an A- for taking a bold move with The Jay Leno Show, although a D for deployment.
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Posted in Perspectives, TV | 12 Comments »

The NBC Late-Night Train Wreck

January 8, 2010
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The NBC Late-Night Train Wreck

What NBC failed to understand in the Leno/O'Brien debacle is what it itself had created--late-night audiences.
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Posted in Perspectives | 4 Comments »

What Do You Think? Most Important TV Shows of the Decade

January 8, 2010
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What Do You Think? Most Important TV Shows of the Decade

What shows would you nominate as the most important of the decade? We’re not asking for the “best” per se, and we’re leaving it open with regards to what constitutes “importance,” but humor us and play along.
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Posted in Perspectives, TV, What Do You Think? | 25 Comments »

The Return of the Family Sitcom

January 7, 2010
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The Return of the Family Sitcom

I have a long tradition of disliking family sitcoms, reaching all the way back to my adolescence. But this season on TV, I have fallen in love with two “traditional” family sitcoms, both on ABC on Wednesday nights: The Middle and Modern Family.
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Posted in Perspectives, TV | 2 Comments »

On “Great Moments in Tailgating History”

January 5, 2010
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On “Great Moments in Tailgating History”

The fact that these spots are part of each week’s broadcast gives them a certain ‘event’ quality. To miss the spot is to effectively miss part of the program.
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Posted in Perspectives, TV | Comments Off on On “Great Moments in Tailgating History”

Television and the 2000s: Notes on Cable Drama

December 15, 2009
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Television and the 2000s: Notes on Cable Drama

The early arrival of the obligatory “this year’s best” lists and even some that note this as the end of the first decade of the 21st century left me thinking about what can be said of television programming of the past ten years.
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Posted in Perspectives, TV | 3 Comments »