Perspectives

Hit Girl Could Be Your New Favorite Tween

March 9, 2010
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Hit Girl Could Be Your New Favorite Tween

She's Hit Girl, a foul-mouthed tween assassin in Kick-Ass, a comic book adaptation hitting theaters April 15. But after watching the trailer, I'm conflicted about her character.
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Posted in Current Events, Film, Perspectives | 12 Comments »

Over-Seasoning Buffy

March 6, 2010
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Over-Seasoning Buffy

The concept of "the season" simply doesn't translate from TV to comic books.
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Posted in Perspectives, Print, TV | 14 Comments »

Quirks, Viewers, Commerce are the Real QVC

March 4, 2010
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Quirks, Viewers, Commerce are the Real QVC

There's so much more to QVC than chirpy hosts, costume jewelry, and the bloopers you see on The Soup. One fan and scholar attempts to explain and redeem the oft-mocked shopping channel.
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Posted in Industry, Perspectives, TV | 7 Comments »

Undercover Boss: Making CEOs More Palatable?

March 2, 2010
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Undercover Boss: Making CEOs More Palatable?

Positioned against bad press about extravagant executive compensation in the midst of a financial meltdown and growing national unemployment, Undercover Boss is a makeover show that aims to humanize executives in the eyes of the masses disillusioned with corporate America and teaches them to be humble in the presence of their employees.
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Posted in Perspectives, TV | 5 Comments »

5 Thoughts On: The Marriage Ref

March 1, 2010
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5 Thoughts On: <em>The Marriage Ref</em>

"I think we're wasting a lot of valuable network time here." --Alec Baldwin
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Posted in Perspectives, TV | 2 Comments »

In Defense of Curling

March 1, 2010
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In Defense of Curling

It’s not a sport drowning in testosterone, but that’s its charm
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Posted in Perspectives, TV | 3 Comments »

The Place Race

February 26, 2010
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The Place Race

Location is the frontier du jour. The explosion of geolocation apps and the eagerness of people to use them, has prompted services like Twitter to get into the game. People want to know where you are and maybe already do. Welcome to the place race
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Posted in Industry, Internet, Perspectives, Technology | 4 Comments »

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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Posted in Celebrity/Stardom, Internet, Music, Perspectives | 6 Comments »

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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Posted in Perspectives, TV | 5 Comments »

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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Posted in Film, Perspectives, TV | 12 Comments »

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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Posted in Games, Perspectives | 4 Comments »

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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Posted in Celebrity/Stardom, Music, Perspectives | 6 Comments »

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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Posted in Perspectives, Politics, TV | 8 Comments »

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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Posted in Internet, Perspectives | 4 Comments »

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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Posted in Celebrity/Stardom, Perspectives | 13 Comments »