Stephen Colbert does the reductio ad absurdum.
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Feb 15, 2011
Feb 8, 2011
the greatest television audience that wasn't
Was Super Bowl XLV the most-watched television event in U.S. history?
Sure.
You see, there's this little thing called "population growth." M*A*S*H's finale had a remarkable 105.9 million viewers in 1983--back when the U.S. held about 233 million residents--meaning that over 45% of the U.S. watched that episode. In contrast, only 36% saw yesterday's surrealist hootenanny.
Now, to be fair, it's possible that the Nielsen ratings system in 1983 lacked today's sophistication and nuance, so the estimate is overgenerous. Furthermore, in today's fragmented media landscape--where we have 500 channels instead of 5, plus an Internet that didn't even exist in 1983--simultaneously capturing a hundred million Americans' attention for longer than 15 seconds is an achievement worth celebrating.
Just not with a Fergie / Slash duet.
Sure.
The Nielsen Co. said Monday that an estimated 111 million people watched the Green Bay Packers outlast the Pittsburgh Steelers in professional football's ultimate game. That tops the 106.5 million who watched the 2010 game between New Orleans and Indianapolis.On the other hand, not really.
The series finale of "M*A*S*H" had held the title of the most-watched TV show in the United States for 27 years. It is now No. 3.
You see, there's this little thing called "population growth." M*A*S*H's finale had a remarkable 105.9 million viewers in 1983--back when the U.S. held about 233 million residents--meaning that over 45% of the U.S. watched that episode. In contrast, only 36% saw yesterday's surrealist hootenanny.
Now, to be fair, it's possible that the Nielsen ratings system in 1983 lacked today's sophistication and nuance, so the estimate is overgenerous. Furthermore, in today's fragmented media landscape--where we have 500 channels instead of 5, plus an Internet that didn't even exist in 1983--simultaneously capturing a hundred million Americans' attention for longer than 15 seconds is an achievement worth celebrating.
Just not with a Fergie / Slash duet.
Apr 25, 2010
things I will recommend to you
Because I am your arbiter of taste.
In no particular order.
1. Life on Mars (the British import). Snappy humor mixed with non-sappy drama. And incredible polyester ties. My favorite period pieces are always from the 70s--for good reason.
2. Xinh's Clam and Oyster House. Shelton's best restaurant, perhaps, and some of the best seafood in the area. The one thing I can't figure out: why it took me two decades to try the place. Melissa had the swordfish with peanut sauce, and I had pan-fried geoduck. My recommendation: pass on the bread (it's lackluster, bland and dry) and save room for dessert. Pick any bivalve; you can't go wrong.
3. Wye Oak, The Knot.
4. PDE Auto Body in Olympia. Heaven forfend that your automobile need a facelift, but if it does, trust it to PDE.
5. Twister Donuts. Great doughnuts at fair prices. The fritters are particularly good. Weak spots: the coffee is subpar (and Olympia is a coffee town, so what gives?), and the bacon maple bar pales in comparison to the famed treat from Portland's Voodoo Doughnut. You can't go cheap on the bacon.
In no particular order.
1. Life on Mars (the British import). Snappy humor mixed with non-sappy drama. And incredible polyester ties. My favorite period pieces are always from the 70s--for good reason.
2. Xinh's Clam and Oyster House. Shelton's best restaurant, perhaps, and some of the best seafood in the area. The one thing I can't figure out: why it took me two decades to try the place. Melissa had the swordfish with peanut sauce, and I had pan-fried geoduck. My recommendation: pass on the bread (it's lackluster, bland and dry) and save room for dessert. Pick any bivalve; you can't go wrong.
3. Wye Oak, The Knot.
4. PDE Auto Body in Olympia. Heaven forfend that your automobile need a facelift, but if it does, trust it to PDE.
5. Twister Donuts. Great doughnuts at fair prices. The fritters are particularly good. Weak spots: the coffee is subpar (and Olympia is a coffee town, so what gives?), and the bacon maple bar pales in comparison to the famed treat from Portland's Voodoo Doughnut. You can't go cheap on the bacon.
Dec 17, 2009
an offer you should probably refuse
In a current commercial, James Patterson, crime novelist ordinaire, urges readers to purchase his latest novel (at least I think it's his), I, Alex Cross. If they refuse? He'll kill off the character.
It's a ploy that's equal parts clever and desperate. I'm sure Patterson has no real plans to ax one of his major breadwinners, but at least it gets attention. And it just might work.
Now, let's find a frail, pulp-loving soul who has already fallen for the scheme, and get 'em to press charges for literary extortion.
It's a ploy that's equal parts clever and desperate. I'm sure Patterson has no real plans to ax one of his major breadwinners, but at least it gets attention. And it just might work.
Now, let's find a frail, pulp-loving soul who has already fallen for the scheme, and get 'em to press charges for literary extortion.
Dec 13, 2009
the eye of--and on--the storm
Peter Gammons recaps 20 years with ESPN.
Enjoy your retirement, Mr. Gammons. You will be missed. See below.
ESPN sent me to every World Series in those 20 years. In 1991, when I got out onto the field at the Metrodome six hours before Game 6 between the Braves and Twins, Kirby Puckett was coming out to take early BP before the lights were fully turned on. "Petey," he yelled at me. "When you go on 'SportsCenter' before the game, tell 'em Puck's gonna put the Twins on his back. I ain't done [----]. This is going to be Puck's night. Tell everyone in ESPN land." Four hits, a game-saving catch and a game-winning homer later, there was a seventh game, perhaps the best game I've ever seen. Jack Morris-John Smoltz. Morris outlasted the great Smoltz; the Twins won in the 10th, 1-0; and at 5:30 a.m., Morris came back to the field to do a Sunday Conversation for "SportsCenter."Twenty years of triumph and turmoil that changed the face of the sport--of all sports--and Mr. Gammons was a level-headed, supremely professional reporter, a voice of reason and sanity in the middle of it all.
Nov 12, 2009
best television of the Oughts
The AV Club, steadily unveiling its best of the '00s, has generated a massive list for the best TV series. There are no runners-up, only winners.
I note with pride and a little sadness that I have seen, in their entirety, half of the acclaimed shows, including 8 of the top 10. (I let my wife carry the Lost burden, and The Shield is on my queue.)
Of course, there's no spoiler in noting that The Wire is #1.
I note with pride and a little sadness that I have seen, in their entirety, half of the acclaimed shows, including 8 of the top 10. (I let my wife carry the Lost burden, and The Shield is on my queue.)
Of course, there's no spoiler in noting that The Wire is #1.
Sep 24, 2009
the cruelest blackout
In my swine flu funk, I'm sitting on the sofa, watching ESPN360, as USC (the other USC) takes on Ole Miss. During commercial, the site jumps over to ESPN radio, displaying a list of upcoming games and TV blackout maps.
This one cracked me up:
For the upcoming, certain-to-be-a-barnstormer contest between Idaho's Vandals and the Northern Illinois Huskies, ESPN360 has blacked out the roughly eight counties that might care about the game. (And not one is in Idaho.)
Nice work, ESPN.
This one cracked me up:
For the upcoming, certain-to-be-a-barnstormer contest between Idaho's Vandals and the Northern Illinois Huskies, ESPN360 has blacked out the roughly eight counties that might care about the game. (And not one is in Idaho.)
Nice work, ESPN.
Jul 15, 2009
why we love Ichiro, part XXIV
Ichiro meets Obama at the All-Star Game, July 14, 2009.
Guess which one doesn't have the weight of the free world on his shoulders?
Added 7/16 U.S.S. Mariner has the official, hi-res, solemn shot.
Jun 30, 2009
why you should telecommute
Son: "Daddy's home!"
Mom: "Thank goodness. I thought he had died at work again."
May 6, 2009
rarefied airtime
Apparently my education blog got noticed by a Spokane TV station.
That's right: the DNR, a circuit-driving dentist, Gene Simmons, and me.
Mar 27, 2009
an open letter to CBS
Dear CBS:
63-62 with :26 left > 85-66 with 6:52 left.
So what's with the manic back-and-forth?
Regards,
Me
63-62 with :26 left > 85-66 with 6:52 left.
So what's with the manic back-and-forth?
Regards,
Me
Mar 18, 2009
it's not a debate if you don't invite actual debaters
This sounds like quality television--which is to say, horrifyingly, shockingly bad debate:
The debate over whether Satan exists is hardly going to be settled in a 30-minute television show.This is why the word "stultifying" was invented. Says the producer:
But that's not stopping a rather curious lineup from debating that question for ABC's "Nightline."
The debaters: megachurch Pastor Mark Driscoll of Seattle; alternative-medicine author Deepak Chopra; a former Las Vegas escort who founded Hookers for Jesus; and a former Pentecostal preacher who was branded a heretic for saying everyone — not just Christians — could go to heaven.
"We went for the most interesting voices we could find," Goldston said.Really? Hugo Chavez wasn't available?
Mar 15, 2009
last stop on Jim Cramer's media circuit
Word is, Jim Cramer is going to be appearing on this blog sometime soon to offer perfunctory apologies, unctuous self-pity, and a few stock tips.
Mar 11, 2009
your lying shoulders
I've been teaching my students about the value of posture, eye contact, gestures, and other nonverbal signals. About four minutes into this hilariously tragic segment by Jon Stewart and the crack research team* at The Daily Show, Jim Cramer (he of "Mad Money") begs viewers to buy Bear Stearns. Watch his body language. Cramer's slumping shoulders and wayward irises are hallmark symptoms of a bullshitter dubious of his own bullshit.
*You've been warned.
*You've been warned.
Mar 8, 2009
today's counterintuitive links
1. Investing in tourism in Afghanistan.
2. Banking on banking television... comedies.
3. Facebook might be good for you.
4. Texting might not be bad for kids.
5. Even in a recession, game consoles keep selling.
6. The Economist argues that the way to win the War on Drugs is to surrender. [via Mark Frauenfelder]
2. Banking on banking television... comedies.
3. Facebook might be good for you.
4. Texting might not be bad for kids.
5. Even in a recession, game consoles keep selling.
6. The Economist argues that the way to win the War on Drugs is to surrender. [via Mark Frauenfelder]
Feb 25, 2009
Feb 23, 2009
Feb 16, 2009
Kaplan University: pretentious twaddle
Some people like the ad. (The ad, mind you, not the company behind it).
Me, I can't get past the overwhelming aura of vapid pretentiousness. Compare Billy Madison.
The response is eternally appropriate. "May God have mercy on your soul," Kaplan U.
Me, I can't get past the overwhelming aura of vapid pretentiousness. Compare Billy Madison.
The response is eternally appropriate. "May God have mercy on your soul," Kaplan U.
Jan 20, 2009
rating the inauguration
Dianne Feinstein, emcee
Energetic and smiling, she gets in the best line of the day: "This was the moment when the dream that once echoed across history from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial finally reached the walls of the White House." 8/10
Rick Warren, invocation
This was the guy? Really? 4/10
Itzhak Perlman / Yo-Yo Ma / Gabriela Montero / Anthony McGill, classical quartet
Why was the music by John Williams? That second rate hack cribbed from the same notes as Aaron Copland, when not stealing outright from the quintessential American composer. If you're going to use "Simple Gifts," might as well play "Appalachian Spring" instead. 6/10
Aretha Franklin, singer
Mediocre arrangement of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" can't keep the Queen of Soul from reigning. 8/10.
The Cold, weather
Bracing but not a deterrent to a million-plus. 8/10
John Roberts, chief swearer-inner
Where's that paper? Not in this pocket.... Not in that pocket... Musta blown away in the wind... Oh, well, I remember how it goes.... 3/10
Barack Obama, president-electric
Duly rhetorical, somber, and uplifting. 9/10
Elizabeth Alexander, poet
I. Learned. To. Read. Poetry. In. An. Echo. Chamber. 2/10
Joseph Lowery, benediction
Finally, a reason to really smile. 10/10
Energetic and smiling, she gets in the best line of the day: "This was the moment when the dream that once echoed across history from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial finally reached the walls of the White House." 8/10
Rick Warren, invocation
This was the guy? Really? 4/10
Itzhak Perlman / Yo-Yo Ma / Gabriela Montero / Anthony McGill, classical quartet
Why was the music by John Williams? That second rate hack cribbed from the same notes as Aaron Copland, when not stealing outright from the quintessential American composer. If you're going to use "Simple Gifts," might as well play "Appalachian Spring" instead. 6/10
Aretha Franklin, singer
Mediocre arrangement of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" can't keep the Queen of Soul from reigning. 8/10.
The Cold, weather
Bracing but not a deterrent to a million-plus. 8/10
John Roberts, chief swearer-inner
Where's that paper? Not in this pocket.... Not in that pocket... Musta blown away in the wind... Oh, well, I remember how it goes.... 3/10
Barack Obama, president-electric
Duly rhetorical, somber, and uplifting. 9/10
Elizabeth Alexander, poet
I. Learned. To. Read. Poetry. In. An. Echo. Chamber. 2/10
Joseph Lowery, benediction
Finally, a reason to really smile. 10/10
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