Monday, May 21 2012
Tea with ‘Sherlock’: Investigating the Investigators
BBC's Sherlock has crossed the pond for the second time to find a lively, if not exactly raging, fanbase waiting. Why is it now that the idea of a reinventing Sherlock Holmes is suddenly so alluring?
Monday, May 14 2012
Watch It for the Clothes: The Class and Gender Warfare of ‘Gossip Girl’
The past few seasons of Gossip Girl have sent a consistent message to the series' largely female audience: women who attempt to climb the social ladder won't get a happy ending. Even ladies born wearing Prada diapers can expect their share of misery.
Thursday, May 10 2012
Why Isn’t HBO’s ‘Girls’ Called ‘Rich Losers’?
Despite its intentions, Girls simply can't be a reflection of creator Lena Dunham's multicultural, multiracial, downwardly mobile generation -- the characters are too white, too wealthy, and most damningly, too insular and incurious about the world beyond them.
Monday, March 26 2012
The Best Twitter Comic on the Planet?: An Interview with Rob Delaney
He looks like a regular dad. What you don't know about him, however, is how he is one of the funniest (and dirtiest) comedians alive, and owner of one of the funniest Twitter accounts of all time. Rob Delaney talks about the roots of his comedy, his pending lawsuit against Kim Kardashian, and more.
Tuesday, March 20 2012
‘Arrested Development’ Returns, Semioticians Rejoice!
The misuse of communication theory drives much of Arrested Development's humor.
Tuesday, March 6 2012
Gender and Corruption in ‘Boss’
The women of Boss are strong, smart and strategic, but can powerful women be happy too? How can they be mothers and leaders? Do they have to be cold and calculating?
Monday, February 27 2012
Learning From Vampires: High Stakes Vampire Literature
What does society's fascination with vampire tales tell us about men, women and relationships? It's time to take one more look.
20 Questions: Miriam Shor
Miriam Shor plays Cricket Caruth-Reilly, a hot powerful real estate agent in Dallas whose husband, Blake, is gay, in ABC’s new comedy, GCB, airing this Sunday, 4 March.
Monday, February 20 2012
20 Questions: Gail Simmons
Eat. Write. Travel. Cook. Four little words, an amuse-bouche in the great feast that is food for thought, if you will, that would lead Gail Simmons to her prestigious roles with Food & Wine Magazine, Top Chef and Top Chef: Just Desserts.
Thursday, February 16 2012
No Formula for Funny: An Interview with Nick Kroll
Given the sheer number of hit films and TV shows he's been in, Nick Kroll could be listed as one of the most successful comedians of his generation -- yet there are some who don't know who he is. In speaking to PopMatters, he reveals how he creates his celebrated characters.
Monday, February 13 2012
Bored This Way: The 54th Annual Grammy Awards
In the wake of a tragic loss within the music industry, the Grammy Awards actually went on a surprisingly respectful, understated route... before turning into the vapid technicolor circus that has become hallmark for the very worst of Grammy broadcasts.
Wednesday, February 8 2012
A Look to the Past, An Insight Into the Present: The Use of Gender in ‘Mad Men’
Looking beyond the aesthetic surface of the series, what is the true motivation behind Mad Men’s frank depictions of these troubled social times? Is sexism being used as some sort of nostalgic trope, or does Mad Men actually delve deeper and explore these issues?
Tuesday, February 7 2012
Mitt Romney Can Reside at Today’s Proverbial ‘Downton Abbey’... Newt Gingrich Cannot
Downton Abbey reveals not only the play of chance that often confounds choice, but the power of social class to confine choice within established boundaries -- and we're comfortable with that.
Thursday, January 19 2012
TV 2011: Survivalist Crime Solvers
Recent US crime shows claim not only that the law does not provide justice to ordinary Americans, but also that it cannot do so.
Thursday, January 12 2012
The Best TV Performances of 2011
For all the high points on TV in 2011, there were also things that bothered me, and not all of them were named Kardashian.
The Guilty Pleasure TV Shows of 2011
Anthropomorphized food... insane soap opera creeepshows... and at least one example of the 'Unhappy Englander" on holiday. Must be time for the guiltiest of TV fare.
Wednesday, January 11 2012
The Best Television Shows of 2011
The small screen offers up the usual suspects, proving once again that, with a few exceptions, what's good on today's prime time schedule will stay that way until the next best-of list.
Wednesday, November 23 2011
And Nothing but the Truthiness: The Rise (and Further Rise) of Stephen Colbert
A funny and personal portrait of the comedian who became the headline-making, ground-breaking star of The Colbert Report.
Tuesday, November 22 2011
Mothers, Killers and Vampires: The Post-Familial Society in “True Blood”
True Blood suggests that a change in family structure within a society doesn't necessarily entail a downfall of traditional concepts of morals and values.
Friday, November 18 2011
A Truly Grand Finalé: The Final Six Minutes of ‘Six Feet Under’
Six Feet Under cements its legacy with a send off that is so sublime, so simple and so perfectly obvious you can't help but laugh... through buckets of tears.
