Recent TV Columns

Page 2 of 2      Go to:  <  1 2

Monday, March 2 2009

“Gone Country” and Hoping to Make It Back Alive

By Bob Proehl

Going to Nashville to become country at this point is a little like going to New York City to become the Velvet Underground.

(more Pickin' Down the Line)

Friday, February 20 2009

The Oscar Expert Eyes This Year’s Pageantry

By Matt Mazur

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.

(more Suffragette City)

Wednesday, February 11 2009

Beyond the Bubble of the Grammys

By Derek Beres

The Grammys suffer from the same problem as the rest of the recording industry: thinking America defines culture.

(more Global Beat Fusion)

Sunday, February 8 2009

Shirt Happens

By Bill Reagan

Are CNN journalists writing news headlines these days, or t-shirt slogans?

(more Rabble Without a Cause)

Friday, January 16 2009

Slumdog Millionaire: All Eyes East

By Chris Barsanti

Slumdog Millionaire's Golden Globe win for Best Motion Picture/Drama is like a flare warning Hollywood about its future in cinema.

(more The Screener)

Wednesday, January 14 2009

TV Egos Unbound

By Meta Wagner

The small screen is no longer for small personalities or those without ambition or washed up has-beens.

(more Vox Pop)

Tuesday, January 13 2009

Three Icons and the Worlds They Left Behind

By Mark Reynolds

Miriam Makeba, Odetta and Eartha Kitt both fully represented and completely transcended their moments in time

(more Negritude 2.0)

Tuesday, December 9 2008

CMAs and the End of Genre or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Kid Rock

By Bob Proehl

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.

(more Pickin' Down the Line)

Tuesday, November 18 2008

Hip-Haute Couture

By Quentin B. Huff

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".

(more Busted Headphones)

Tuesday, November 11 2008

You’re Gonna Get a Lot More Girl Talk

By Meta Wagner

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.

(more Vox Pop)

Friday, October 31 2008

Robot Roll Call: Mystery Science Theater 3000

By Chris Barsanti

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.

(more The Screener)

Wednesday, September 3 2008

Galaxy Rangers: No Guts, No Glory, No Clue

By Monte Williams

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.

(more Lowbrow Literati)

Tuesday, August 19 2008

Me, Myself & BBCi: Who’s Watching Whom

By Raphaël Costambeys-Kempczynski

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.

(more Channel Crossings)

Wednesday, July 16 2008

George W. and J. Peterman, Philosophically Speaking

By George Reisch and Norah Martin

It takes guts to look squarely at the paradox of subjectivity, as former White House press secretary Scott McClellan can attest.

(more Pop Goes Philosophy)

Friday, June 13 2008

The Incredible Hulk: Madly in Anger with You

By Monte Williams

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.

(more Lowbrow Literati)

Thursday, June 5 2008

Yes We Can Can

By Dan Nishimoto

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?

(more Call and Response)

Monday, April 7 2008

Nuke the Kiss

By Michael Abernethy

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.

(more Queer, Isn't It?)

Tuesday, March 25 2008

TV Commercials: the New, Nonstop Playlist

By Ben Rubenstein

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.

(more Mixtape Confessions)

Page 2 of 2      Go to:  <  1 2