The State of Reality TV: When in the World is Project Runway?

February 5, 2011
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The State of Reality TV: When in the World is <i>Project Runway</i>?

While the basic format of Project Runway has made its way to other countries, its scheduling model has been lost in translation.
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America Needs Historical Comedies Now

February 4, 2011
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America Needs Historical Comedies Now

It's Like Mad Men, Only Funny!
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Egyptian State TV and the Challenge Posed by Reality

February 3, 2011
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Egyptian State TV and the Challenge Posed by Reality

Trying to watch itself, Egyptian state TV has lost its collective mind. They have slid into a self-comforting psychosis. They don’t reject reality as much as they simply create a whole new one.
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The State of Reality TV: The Pain of Watching The Bachelor

February 2, 2011
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The State of Reality TV: The Pain of Watching The Bachelor

This season is painful to watch, but not in a fun, carnivalesque way. Rather, the pain seems to be much more serious and reveals the emotional trauma that we can experience when we blindly submit ourselves to normative ideas of patriarchy and the nuclear family.
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What Do You Think: Protests in Egypt

February 1, 2011
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What Do You Think: Protests in Egypt

Antenna asks for your take on the place of media in the events in Egypt.
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“You’ll always be young, you’ll always be beautiful”

January 31, 2011
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“You’ll always be young, you’ll always be beautiful”

Returning to the subject of failed adaptations--and those we might fear will fail--I suggest that we not only look at place but also time as a central category whose uniqueness impacts a show's success.
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What Are You Missing? January 16-29

January 30, 2011
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What Are You Missing? January 16-29

Ten (or more) media industry stories you might have missed recently.
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From Veronica Mars to Pretty Little Liars

January 29, 2011
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From Veronica Mars to Pretty Little Liars

This post explores social power and millennial television. Where have we come from Veronica Mars’ Lily to Pretty Little Liars’ Alison? What do we make of this fascinatingly repeated trope of the dead, sexually-promiscuous girl who haunts the narrative in potent flashback?
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Reflections on the Challenger Disaster 25 Years Later

January 28, 2011
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Reflections on the Challenger Disaster 25 Years Later

25 years ago today, one of the most significant tragedy-induced media events of the twentieth century took place: the Challenger Disaster.
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The State of Reality TV: Kidding Around with Reality

January 26, 2011
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The State of Reality TV: Kidding Around with Reality

Though not the most popular or influential entry in the genre, Kid Nation appropriately offers an elementary school primer both on the conventions of reality competitions and their negotiation of social structures taken for granted in the "real" world.
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Late to the Party: Dirty Dancing

January 25, 2011
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Late to the Party: Dirty Dancing

With a title like that, it was bound to either be more dirty or less dirty than I expected.
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Harry Potter Takes Fans from Apathy to Activism

January 24, 2011
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Harry Potter Takes Fans from Apathy to Activism

Ulaby’s story of how Harry Potter fans were becoming activists demonstrates how surprising it is for most people that fans are not loners, hiding away from the world, but rather are productive and rational- and can create real political change.
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MTV Gets Some Skin in the Game

January 21, 2011
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MTV Gets Some Skin in the Game

MTV’s adaptation of the British TV teen Drama Skins just may be one of those rare shows where what happens on screen is second in precedence to the responses surrounding the show.
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Late to the Party: Let’s Get Small and A Wild and Crazy Guy

January 20, 2011
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Late to the Party: <i>Let’s Get Small</i> and <i>A Wild and Crazy Guy</i>

In the latest installment of Late to the Party, I familiarize myself with Steve Martin's classic stand-up comedy albums.
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Steve Wiebe: Donkey Kong Master, Rock Star

January 18, 2011
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Steve Wiebe: Donkey Kong Master, Rock Star

On the spectacle of watching King of Kong hero Steve Wiebe play Donkey Kong at Logan's Hardware, January 15, 2011.
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The Gilded Globes: Legitimacy Amidst Controversy

January 17, 2011
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The Gilded Globes: Legitimacy Amidst Controversy

While some may have found Ricky Gervais' pointed remarks as host of this year's Golden Globes tough to swallow, it's hard to argue with his attack on the awards' legitimacy in light of recent controversy.
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