Monday, March 2 2009
“Gone Country” and Hoping to Make It Back Alive
Going to Nashville to become country at this point is a little like going to New York City to become the Velvet Underground.
Friday, February 20 2009
The Oscar Expert Eyes This Year’s Pageantry
My qualifications for discussing actresses and the Oscars? I’m gay and have watched the awards for more than 25 years now. If that doesn’t make me an Oscar expert, clearly nothing does.
Thursday, February 12 2009
Beyond the Bubble of the Grammys
The Grammys suffer from the same problem as the rest of the recording industry: thinking America defines culture.
Monday, February 9 2009
Friday, January 16 2009
Slumdog Millionaire: All Eyes East
Slumdog Millionaire's Golden Globe win for Best Motion Picture/Drama is like a flare warning Hollywood about its future in cinema.
Wednesday, January 14 2009
TV Egos Unbound
The small screen is no longer for small personalities or those without ambition or washed up has-beens.
Tuesday, January 13 2009
Three Icons and the Worlds They Left Behind
Miriam Makeba, Odetta and Eartha Kitt both fully represented and completely transcended their moments in time
Tuesday, December 9 2008
CMAs and the End of Genre or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Kid Rock
This year's CMA winners point to a future where the only thing necessary to be classified as country is a desire to join in and sing.
Tuesday, November 18 2008
Hip-Haute Couture
Although "hip-hop" means different things to different people, everyone seems to be confident that they know what "it" is. Through this subjective lens, there is also a unique brand of investment and ownership in the meaning of "hip-hop".
Tuesday, November 11 2008
You’re Gonna Get a Lot More Girl Talk
Even though the presidential and vice-presidential candidates didn't win the posts they were gunning for, Americans have a lot of women winners, this election.
Friday, October 31 2008
Robot Roll Call: Mystery Science Theater 3000
The 20th anniversary DVD release of Mystery Science Theater 3000 is less a greatest-hits package than a reminder of simple joys, like mocking lousy movies.
Wednesday, September 3 2008
Galaxy Rangers: No Guts, No Glory, No Clue
Having missed out on the show in its '80s heyday, a hapless Monte Williams shares his thoughts during his baffled first look at The Galaxy Rangers.
Tuesday, August 19 2008
Me, Myself & BBCi: Who’s Watching Whom
The extensive use of mirrors in the Big Brother house behind which many of the cameras are hidden means that when the contestants hear the voice of authority, it is their own reflexion that they see back.
Wednesday, July 16 2008
George W. and J. Peterman, Philosophically Speaking
It takes guts to look squarely at the paradox of subjectivity, as former White House press secretary Scott McClellan can attest.
Friday, June 13 2008
The Incredible Hulk: Madly in Anger with You
With The Incredible Hulk ripping through movie screens in mind, Williams hunkers down on the couch with two silly, strangely stirring seasons of the TV show.
Thursday, June 5 2008
Yes We Can Can
The recent "censure" of The Boondocks demonstrates the difficulty art faces in raising a critical converation in a corporate setting. Considering hip-hop's deep embedding into corporate culture, how can radical change happen?
Monday, April 7 2008
Nuke the Kiss
For some TV viewers, storylines of adultery, murder, war, rape, etc. are not reprehensible enough to prompt a channel change; two men kissing, however, is another matter.
Tuesday, March 25 2008
TV Commercials: the New, Nonstop Playlist
TV commercials have become a legitimate source for discovering new music -- from Wilco on the Volkswagen ads, to Cat Power hawking DeBeers diamonds, to any number of artists pimping Apple.
