Monday, March 15 2010
Chronic ‘Lost’ Sickness
The Lost Syndrome has consumed me for five years running, and I'm growing weaker. It’s like X-Filesioma all over again.
Thursday, March 11 2010
‘Girls’ Gone Wild
While following a storyline about the trials of a mother and daughter may not be demographically the most masculine thing in the world, neither is my unabashed enjoyment of ABC Family original movies.
Friday, February 26 2010
Does Late Night Still Matter? Jay V. Conan and the Death of Network Television
The Rockist celebrates the demise of The Jay Leno Show. The Rockist shakes his head at the return of The Jay Leno Show.
Thursday, February 25 2010
Ghost Hunters: Paranormal Pop Culture for Normal People
Amongst the familiar mythologies in all of reality television, Ghost Hunters ranks in the top 10. Love the show or loathe it, it is popular culture and has earned a spot in the reality TV pantheon.
Monday, February 15 2010
The Simpsons, ‘Radio Bart’ Part 2: ‘Ace in the Hole’ and Jessica McCllure
'Radio Bart' may not offer any solutions, but it manages to compress an extraordinary amount of media history, compassion, manipulation and cynicism into a sharp, quick and funny 20-minutes or so.
Thursday, February 4 2010
The Simpsons, ‘Radio Bart’ Part 1: Floyd Collins and Kathy Fiscus
'Radio Bart' draws on 70 years of media history to position itself in that uneasy mix of altruism, morbid curiosity and callous self-interest.
Thursday, January 28 2010
A Little Human Magic in Recent DVDs
Either by coincidence or because I just happened to watch these all on a cold day when I needed a little warmth, the magic of the human condition emerged as a trend in these new DVD releases.
Friday, January 15 2010
Does Late Night Still Matter? Heeere’s Stephen!
Stephen Colbert's The Colbert Report is a comedic game-changer as culturally significant right now as Letterman or SNL were at their peak.
Thursday, January 14 2010
The Burden of Being Pop Psychic
Based on the shock and awe the media is exhibiting over recent entertainment events, my predictions must involve supernatural psychic powers since I saw it all coming.
Monday, January 4 2010
This New Year’s Eve Really Did End with a Bang
Nothing like spending New Year's Eve with couple of white guys pretending to be black guys during a war-time year worthy of blowing its own brains out.
Friday, December 18 2009
Does Late Night Still Matter? Jon Stewart
What does Jon Stewart have to do with Will Rogers and Mark Twain? The Rockist answers that, thanks to what he learns from a week of watching 'The Daily Show'.
Thursday, December 17 2009
The Best of Slugging Santas and Fightin’ Father Christmases
Sliding down chimneys in the middle of the night is not without its risks, which is why Santa needs to be one tough elf with survival tactics and fighting skills.
Monday, December 14 2009
Kathy ‘Oprah’ Griffin?
We don’t need Oprah Lite or Oprah 2.0, we need someone who’s a true Oprah-in-Training. And the only person who can claim that title is... Kathy Griffin.
Friday, November 20 2009
We All Know the Way to Sesame Street
In the 2008 presidential election, America crossed the Henson Point -- the point where we are a post-Baby Boomer society. The Rockist calls for a champagne toast.
Friday, November 13 2009
Does Late Night TV Still Matter? Jimmy Kimmel
In the third part of his never-ending odyssey of late-night talkers, the Rockist endures Kimmel and bits.
Thursday, November 12 2009
The Prisoner: ‘Fall Out’
The Prisoner's unapologetic payoff of surrealism and absurdism heads into that artistic realm where meaning is defined more by resonance than by immediately identifiable relevance.
Wednesday, November 11 2009
So You Think You Can Make Me Like Dance?
Rubenstein views dance much like his girlfriend watches a baseball game; the subtleties are lost on him.
Wednesday, October 28 2009
A Ghost Story of Dubious Origins
No matter the vercity of the tale, The Haunting in Connecticut has just enough creep quotient to keep me engaged, especially since I grew up a few miles from the house.
Friday, October 9 2009
Does Late Night TV Still Matter? Jimmy Fallon
Jimmy Fallon's Late Night will be a much more goofy, pop-culture centric, spontaneous affair than either his predecessors.
Wednesday, September 23 2009
The Frontier Doctor’s Fancy ‘Queen of the Cimarron’
Frontier Doctor's church-prescribing gumdrop-toting hero comes face to face with the unthinkable: a tough-talkin' hard-done bad-girl with money on her mind (gulp).
