Devo Now, More than Ever

February 23, 2010
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Devo Now, More than Ever

Devo's forthcoming studio, long play release is their first in twenty years and return as a working act comes in a new era where "de-evolution is real and Devo is normal".
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In Praise of Dwangela

February 22, 2010
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In Praise of Dwangela

Where Pam and Jim (a couple whose sweetness is wonderfully conveyed by the fused appellation “Jam”) are associated with mild and often toothless critiques of the corporate regime, pulling pranks and expressing symbolic (and frequently non-verbal) opposition to or incredulity about the absurdities of corporate life, Dwangela perform a more substantive critical function.
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Vancouver’s (finally) Ready for its Close-up, Mr. DeMille

February 21, 2010
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Vancouver’s (finally) Ready for its Close-up, Mr. DeMille

After years of starring in more films and television than any city other than Los Angeles or New York, with the Olympics, Vancouver finally gets to play itself on television.
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New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Video Game Nostalgia

February 20, 2010
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New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Video Game Nostalgia

Like much about video game culture, New Super Mario Bros. Wii is profoundly nostalgic.
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Dear John: On The Meta-Celebrity’s Misguided Attempt to be Clever

February 19, 2010
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Dear John: On The Meta-Celebrity’s Misguided Attempt to be Clever

In a sense, Mayer has become his own cultural intermediary. He is a meta-star text sustained in large part by his own mediatory endeavors. This has its benefits, but also poses problems for the many John Mayers jockeying for control over the text.
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Our Intractable Ideological Moment: Surnow, The History Channel, and the Kennedys

February 18, 2010
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Our Intractable Ideological Moment: Surnow, The History Channel, and the Kennedys

The latest ideological skirmish will be played out through a History Channel mini-series on the Kennedys by conservative producer Joel Surnow. The problem, though, runs much deeper than shoddy history. It is rooted in a fundamental epistemological divide between left and right over what constitutes truth and how we arrive at it.
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Lost Wednesday: Substitute Fanboy

February 17, 2010
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Lost Wednesday: Substitute Fanboy

Is Jacob the mystical SysOp of Lostpedia? Or is he just a teacher looking for a substitute?
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What Google’s Experimental Fiber Network Means for Broadband

February 16, 2010
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What Google’s Experimental Fiber Network Means for Broadband

Despite all the other Buzz around Google lately, its other announcement last week is the real big deal: Google's plan to build an experimental 1 Gbps, fiber-to-the-home broadband network will have a big impact on net neutrality and broadband stimulus policies.
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Network Branding, Convergence, and Hasbro/Discovery’s New Kids Channel

February 15, 2010
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Network Branding, Convergence, and Hasbro/Discovery’s New Kids Channel

What's in a name? Hasbro and Discovery begin branding efforts for their new joint venture cable network debuting later this year.
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What Are You Missing? February 1-13

February 14, 2010
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What Are You Missing? February 1-13

Ten (or more) media industry stories you might have missed recently
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Is it all Downhill from here for Winter Olympics?

February 13, 2010
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Is it all Downhill from here for Winter Olympics?

Olympic winter games are a rudiment of a bygone modern era of (television) culture. Whereas summer games have adopted to changing viewing habits, Winter Olympics have essentially remained fifteen ways of sliding.
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Celebrity Doppelgängers, Vanity Fair’s “New Hollywood” issue, and Visibility

February 12, 2010
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Celebrity Doppelgängers, Vanity Fair’s “New Hollywood” issue, and Visibility

Celebrity Doppelgänger Week on Facebook and the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair have raised questions about the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in Hollywood and US celebrity culture and remind us that visibility still matters.
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Vampire Diaries: The Best Genre Television You’re Not Watching

February 11, 2010
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<em>Vampire Diaries</em>: The Best Genre Television You’re Not Watching

A defense and explanation of teen melodrama Vampire Diaries.
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Lost Wednesday: Table Setting

February 10, 2010
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Lost Wednesday: Table Setting

One of my favorite television critics, Alan Sepinwall, ended his review of this week’s Lost with this spot-on reflection: Mainly, though, “What Kate Does” was a table-setting episode. I can see lots of things introduced here paying off interestingly down the road, maybe even as soon as next week, but there wasn’t enough meat...
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The Hogwarts Express Goes to Orlando

February 9, 2010
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The Hogwarts Express Goes to Orlando

Universal Studios announced the arrival of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Super Bowl-watching muggles. What does this mean for the Harry Potter franchise?
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About the (w)hoopla: A few pedagogical thoughts about the Super Bowl ritual.

February 8, 2010
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About the (w)hoopla: A few pedagogical thoughts about the Super Bowl ritual.

In an era of fragmentation it's the only media program left that has any kind of mass ritual component. Which, of course, is not only why so many debate its contents but why and how we , as scholars, should approach the program.
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