Citizen journalist. Citizen journalist? How does that adjective modify journalist? What is a citizen journalist? How does a citizen journalist differ from a plain, ink-stained (or digitally adept), adjective-unfettered journalist? CJs (let’s call them that; it sounds cool) are in demand. MSNBC wants them. It asks, “Be part of the dialogue of the issues affecting […]
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Is CNN’s Howard Kurtz still credible? We’ll see.
How much credence should I place, beginning now, in whatever media reporter and critic Howard Kurtz says or writes? First came his ill-considered contretemps regarding NBA player Jason Collins’ announcement that he is gay. That led to this morning’s mea culpa on Kurtz’s “Reliable Sources” program on CNN, quizzed on his credibility by two other […]
I’m trying to take Tim Brando at his word, but he isn’t making it easy
Earlier today my colleague Otherwise uncorked on sports broadcaster Tim Brando for his reaction to the Jason Collins story. If you somehow missed it, NBA journeyman and free agent Collins publicly acknowledged on Monday that he is gay, making him the first active player in a US major sport to do so. Brando brought a […]
Tim Brando is an embarrassment to old white males everywhere
Tim Brando, the sportscaster, tweeted this yesterday. Tim Brando ✔@TimBrando @CallMeG_Unit Simple Being a a Christian White male over 50 that’s raised a family means nothing in today’s culture. The sad truth. Period. He got the most flak for arguing that Collins isn’t a hero. Obviously, he feels disrespected and undervalued. But why? Tim graduated with […]
Is the Danny Evans/Planet Hiltron celebrity make under project promoting classism or combating it?
When I first saw this story on NY artist Danny Evans’s Celebrities Make Under project, my first reaction was…well, let me quote my Facebook comment directly: Oh, this…I mean…gods, no. They…WTF?! To summarize, Evans has used the magic of Photoshop to “normalize” (my word, not his) some of our artificially beautiful celebrities. “It was a reaction […]
Tuesday Morning RAW: Last night’s Izod Center crowd could spell trouble for WWE’s creative team
First off, if you were among the crazies at the Izod Center for Monday Night Raw last evening, we salute you. Sweet baby Jesus on a pogo stick, what were you people on? For those who missed the goings on in East Rutherford, this was the Raw on the night after WrestleMania, and what showed up […]
The papal conclave IS a political event
As the cardinals and priests filed into the Vatican for the impending conclave and new Pope-picking, a few things caught my attention in MSNBC’s coverage of the event: The organ music that they use in their commercial bumpers sounds a lot like Percy Sledge’s “When A Man Loves a Woman.” Which, if you think about […]
ESPN FC asks: Can you call yourself a soccer fan if you don’t support MLS? Yes I can.
The American soccer sphere has been abuzz these last couple of days thanks to a question that first popped up on Alexi Lalas’s Twitter feed: Last night this was discussed: If you live in the U.S., can you call yourself a “soccer fan” even if you don’t support @MLS? The question gets a thorough working […]
Alvin Lee
By now most of you have heard the news reports: the incendiary guitarist Alvin Lee of Ten Years After died unexpectedly of complications following routine surgery. He was 68. It’s fashionable now to dismiss the classic rock musicians – they’re old now, some have retired and, truth be told, others should have long ago. Ten Years After flared like […]
Tuesday Morning RAW: What is WWE up to with this Zeb Colter/Tea Party angle?
This is hardly the first time pro wrestling has come at the audience with a blatantly racist angle, and WWE has, through the years, perfected the arts of cheap stereotyping and jingoism. So their latest gimmick – the anti-immigration “real American” Jack Swagger and his mentor, thinly veiled Tea Partier Zeb Colter – are hardly […]
GOP waving white flag on gay marriage: V-LGBT Day is a landmark triumph in the culture wars
It’s been an interesting few days. The American Benefits Council and 278 employers, organizations and municipalities have filed a friend of the court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in a case regarding the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Earlier today the far right Drudge Report was linking to a story outlining a new study […]
Game of Thrones: When “gratuitous sex” scenes aren’t
Somewhat resistant to fantasy, but intrigued by the viewer loyalty it generated, I finally began watching Game of Thrones. The first two episodes of the first season have convinced me to continue watching. But I’m not writing a review; instead, I’m reacting to my initial impulse to take the producers of Game of Thrones to […]
Tesla vs. The Times: Elon Musk dusts up with the doubters
Elon Musk takes on the Grey Lady to defend his genius and honor while attempting to prove that someday soon, very rich people will be able to make very short trips with limited inconvenience in his electric cars. The point of the charging system and reviews, as i understand it, was to prove that you can use your new $100,000 Model S (base price is $60,000) like any other $100,000 car. The failure of the Times review was that it attempted to do so, and took notes like a car review rather than a technology review.
The short, useful life of Downton Abbey’s Matthew Crawley
[Spoiler alert] Poor Matthew Crawley. He survives World War I, early 2oth Century medicine, and plows into a milk truck just after becoming a father. How very British. How very Lawrence of Arabia. Americans were (are) furious. I realize that I should not admit my love of Downton Abbey. But it is the only show […]
God, Dodge score big with Super Bowl ad; competitors scramble to catch up
The first ad resulting from the long-rumored partnership between Chrysler’s Dodge Ram truck division and God was unveiled at the Superbowl on Sunday. Critics applauded the commercial. The spot was voted the “Best Ad” by the New York Times, Adweek, Ad Age, Ad Hd, and others. It scored a 96 likeability rating on the Dreyfus […]
Super Bowl farmer ad sucks, and the idea behind it sucks, too
Well, the votes are in on the best ads from the Super Bowl, and everyone it seems, loves a schmaltzy ad sponsored by Dodge Ram which celebrates American farmers as true heroes, exemplars of all that is right and good with our country. To put this in terms a farmer would understand: Bullshit. If this […]
S&R Honors
Click here to learn more about past honorees...- Profiling the Tea Party: In defense of the IRS. Sorta. Or not.
- Saturday Video Roundup: “Imagine the Band,” by John Lennon and Wings
- The Rest is Noise (6)—Descent into the Maelstrom
- I hate handguns, but I have still considered owning one
- Redneck jokes are racist
- Mystery Unraveled: How a white, moderate, married, churchgoing, middle-class, middle-aged woman could vote for Obama
- An open letter to Burt Rutan, regarding his WSJ commentary on human-caused climate disruption
- Meet the men of Match.com: Really, guys, are you serious?
- Climate scientists still besieged
- Pelosi on Bush: “He’s not worth impeaching”
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wufnik: Thanks Jim. I haven't read the Danto book, but I s…
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Lex: I'm glad i'm not a Progressive, because not being …
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Jim Booth: Wonderful piece, Wufnik. I'm currently reading Art…
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Fnay: Having recently put three kids through college (tw…
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satanicpanic: I've thought about this myself. Other than needin…
