Current Events

She’s Just Being Riley: The Sexual Politics of Girl Meets World

July 3, 2014
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She’s Just Being Riley: The Sexual Politics of <i>Girl Meets World</i>

The transition from Boy Meets World to Girl Meets World reflects changes in both the children's television landscape and cultural attitudes toward sexual harassment and girls' sexual autonomy.
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Beyond the Nominations: The Emmys and Representation

July 1, 2014
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Beyond the Nominations: The Emmys and Representation

While we typically judge Emmy diversity through the nominees, campaigns and ballots offer other spaces to explore politics of representation.
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Posted in Award Winning, TV | 1 Comment »

The Many Faces of Tatiana: The Orphan Black Finale

June 23, 2014
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The Many Faces of Tatiana: The Orphan Black Finale

The season 2 finale of Orphan Black effectively showcased Tatiana Maslany's acting abilities, especially in its impromptu dance scene that featured the four clones.
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Casey Kasem Signs Off (1932-2014)

June 17, 2014
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Casey Kasem Signs Off (1932-2014)

Casey Kasem helped put pop music in a context. In so doing, he provided a resource for listeners to recontextualize that music for themselves.
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Posted in Celebrity/Stardom, Current Events, Music, Radio | 1 Comment »

On Radio: Live Music Festivals as Satellite Radio’s Premium Content?

June 10, 2014
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On Radio: Live Music Festivals as Satellite Radio’s Premium Content?

Sirius XM's recent live broadcast of the Governors Ball highlights the persistence of place, of musical “hotspots,” within the satellite radio universe.
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Posted in Columns, Current Events, Music, Music, On Radio, Perspectives, Radio, Radio | 1 Comment »

Popular Culture and Politics: The Hunger Games 3-Finger Salute in Thai Protests

June 4, 2014
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Popular Culture and Politics: The Hunger Games 3-Finger Salute in Thai Protests

Thai protesters' appropriation of the three-finger salute articulates the relationship between popular culture and politics and places the protests within a history of fan-based civic engagement.
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Posted in Global, Internet, Perspectives, Politics, Politics, Print, Technology, Technology | 2 Comments »

There Are Worse Things Fox Could Do: Grease Live and TV’s Sad Affair with the Live Musical

May 29, 2014
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There Are Worse Things Fox Could Do: Grease Live and TV’s Sad Affair with the Live Musical

In the era of multiple platform viewing and increased time-shifting, television turns to the musical. But Fox's selection of Grease seems to ignore a string of warning signs.
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Posted in Current Events, Industry, Perspectives, TV | 2 Comments »

On Kale, Transmedia, and Winning GISHWHES

May 23, 2014
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On Kale, Transmedia, and Winning GISHWHES

On winning GISHWHES (Greatest Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen), which enacts the fannish/digital ethos of playful creativity, experimentation, and community awareness in the world.
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Posted in Celebrity/Stardom, Celebrity/Stardom, Current Events, Perspectives | 7 Comments »

Why Kickstarter?: Corner Gas and Crowdfunding as Promotion

May 21, 2014
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Why Kickstarter?: Corner Gas and Crowdfunding as Promotion

When fans are asked to crowdfund the marketing of a film that will exist without their support, the meanings of Kickstarter shift considerably.
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Posted in Industry, TV | 3 Comments »

Exploding Trains! Coming to a city near you!

May 16, 2014
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Exploding Trains! Coming to a city near you!

The consolidation of radio ownership in the largely rural state of North Dakota is especially acute. In moments of disaster, do citizens have access to local and timely broadcasts of the Emergency Alert System?
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Only Marginally More Unreal: Reconsidering CNN’s Coverage of Malaysia Airlines 370

May 12, 2014
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Only Marginally More Unreal: Reconsidering CNN’s Coverage of Malaysia Airlines 370

With its reliance on speculation, dependence on simulation, and occasional swerves into absurdity, CNN's coverage of Malaysia Airlines 370 indexes the incomprehensibility of this disaster, marked by the failures of so many systems that seemed to promise safety, visibility, and order.
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Pre-Prime: HBO’s Off-Channel Revenue Legacy

April 23, 2014
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Pre-Prime: HBO’s Off-Channel Revenue Legacy

How HBO's deal with Amazon Prime reflects its history of embracing new forms of distribution in the interest of connecting with and monetizing audiences unable or unwilling to subscribe to the channel.
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Posted in Industry, TV | 1 Comment »

Bro-Friendly Fandom: The Blue Mountain State Kickstarter

April 16, 2014
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Bro-Friendly Fandom: The Blue Mountain State Kickstarter

By leveraging Kickstarter as a safe space for masculinized fandom, Blue Mountain State has the potential to live on despite lacking its progenitor's coverage, prestige, and formalized fan engagement.
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Colbert’s Move to the Late Show

April 11, 2014
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Colbert’s Move to the Late Show

Risks, rewards, and a pair of empty shoes; how much can his political edge can he retain?
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Posted in Celebrity/Stardom, Columns, Current Events, TV | 3 Comments »

Johnny Weir’s Divorce and the Burden of Representation

April 7, 2014
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Johnny Weir’s Divorce and the Burden of Representation

Johnny Weir's divorce challenges his status as one of the few openly gay American athletes, as well as the popular image of gay marriage and divorce in America.
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