tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311802702011-11-27T19:04:59.154-06:00Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.comBlogger1051100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-18910987876560189132011-04-10T23:55:00.000-05:002011-04-10T23:55:55.450-05:00

When Harry Met Sally 2 with Billy Crystal & Helen Mirren from Billy Crystal

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-37340021853769949552010-07-13T10:56:00.000-05:002010-07-13T10:56:08.814-05:00

This minute-long NBC promo highlights the network's fall 1967 weekday programming.  These, of course, were the now long-lost days when networks programmed this time period themselves (rather than allowing affiliates to run syndicated fare, as happens now), and for the most part the networks filled the mornings with game shows and occasional light variety. Featured in this promo are "Snap

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-48306121602930275662010-06-21T15:05:00.001-05:002010-06-21T15:05:21.140-05:00

This fascinating clip comes courtesy of the National Archives (via its YouTube page).  Seven men--including Marlon Brando, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Charlton Heston, and James Baldwin--conduct a round table discussion regarding Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington in August 1963.  The clip is only a couple of minutes in length, consisting of the introduction of the participants,

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-7248139637442453452009-11-14T13:20:00.002-06:002009-11-14T13:31:45.372-06:00

The basketball documentary Hoop Dreams, which was released in 1994, is this year celebrating its 15th anniversary. A couple of new essays available online recognize the milestone, and discuss the film's legacy, including the fact that it is about so much more than just basketball.Roger Ebert, in his amazingly insightful "Roger Ebert's Journal" (which is often about so much more than just movies)

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-76856807566219266742009-09-11T10:47:00.003-05:002009-09-11T11:05:53.040-05:00

The movie blog Movies from Every Angle posted a sort of state-of-the-movies manifesto earlier this summer that is worth taking a look at. Here it is, in four (or should I say, IV) parts: Part I; Part II; Part III; Part IV. It has some interesting insights about the current (as well as past instances of) trends towards remaking movies. For instance, there's a particularly astute observation

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-37738735587894517922009-05-15T14:59:00.002-05:002009-05-15T15:18:18.102-05:00

New York Times movie critic A.O. Scott, in the paper's online "Critic's Picks" video series, offers a perspective this week on the landmark 1967 film "The Graduate" (a favorite of the MediaLog). Scott doesn't really make any new observations about the film, but he does reiterate well three of the biggest reasons for the film's historical importance: (1) the ways in which Dustin Hoffman's

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-70564193252546719542009-03-20T23:05:00.000-05:002009-03-20T23:07:01.182-05:00

In honor of the now-annual cultural and sports ritual known as March Madness, the MediaLog presents this pair of video clips from the 1983 NCAA men's basketball championship. Until the early-1980s, the NCAA tournament was a much smaller affair than it has become in the decades since. The 1979 championship game between Magic Johnson's Michigan State Spartans and Larry Bird's Indiana State

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-77608754757802680852009-03-18T20:22:00.004-05:002009-03-18T20:50:18.525-05:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More filmA magnificent new resource for film historians and researchers--or for anyone interested in learning about old movies and the history of the American film industry--is the website Issuu, specifically the collection of "Boxoffice" magazines hosted there. "Boxoffice" (which is still publishing) is a trade publication for movie distributors and

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-90282539313465540882009-03-16T13:15:00.001-05:002009-03-16T13:19:56.918-05:00

Making the media news rounds today are plans by NBC Universal to change the name of Sci Fi Channel to Syfy. (Articles reporting said name change are here, here, and here.) The new name, while retaining identification with the genre of science fiction (it's pronounced the same as "sci fi"), is meant to broaden the appeal and scope of the network, with programming related to additional topics

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-78039280406561899922009-03-14T08:52:00.001-05:002009-03-14T08:52:44.388-05:00

A Hard Days LegoOriginally uploaded by Digger Digger DogstarHere's a great confluence of the cult popularity of Legos, popular music, and the Web: Lego versions of Beatles album covers. Flickr has a whole pool of photos that are Lego versions of different (and not just Beatles) album covers. Things like this make me wonder what we all wasted time on before the Web. They also fill me with

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-75965144023094095662009-03-12T14:37:00.000-05:002009-03-12T14:37:58.565-05:00

An interesting blog post by Wayne Friedman on MediaPost's TV Watch blog asks whether DVR viewing of a TV show means that a show is less urgent, by implication less important, and thus its advertising less potent, to viewers who choose to watch programs in this fashion. Friedman seems to think that the answer to these interrelated questions is yes, but I would argue that he misunderstands how DVR

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-68008766536559270472009-03-10T10:34:00.005-05:002009-03-10T11:30:25.711-05:00

Today's MediaFix is a 1963 monologue by the great television humorist Jack Paar, who occupied the host's chair of "The Tonight Show" after Steve Allen and before Johnny Carson, from 1957 to 1962. Paar was unlike the other "Tonight Show" hosts in that he relied less on the kind of (sometimes wacky) sketch comedy and topical monologues of Allen, Carson, and Jay Leno, and more on a sort of gentle

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-61005366500255018172009-02-04T16:47:00.004-06:002009-02-04T20:56:55.173-06:00

For the past few days, the MediaLog has been following an interesting new development in liveblogging and political coverage. Ana Marie Cox, formerly of the political blogs Wonkette and Time magazine's Swampland, and now a columnist for The Daily Beast and a commentator for Air America radio and for MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show, has been liveblogging White House daily press briefings using a

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-15896530156697835512008-12-31T21:15:00.002-06:002008-12-31T21:36:10.552-06:00

It seems like an eternity has passed since the world rang in the new millennium on Dec. 31, 1999. (Let's just say that a lot has happened in the world since then.) But it has only been eight years. Nonetheless, the news coverage from that night is something that has already become an interesting historical account of what the world was going through at that time. These three video clips

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-17202777325010195292008-12-23T14:54:00.002-06:002008-12-23T15:00:34.046-06:00

For your yuletide pleasure, a clip of the famous WPIX-TV (New York) yule log. Back in the '70s, WPIX put an image like this on the air on Christmas Day and just let it run, so it would seem as if viewers had a real yule log in their living room. It caught on and became sort of a local institution, and ran every Christmas for many years (don't know if they still do it today). Enjoy a little

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-86473905220927648202008-12-10T21:43:00.003-06:002008-12-10T21:58:24.615-06:00

This week's post on "Dateline: 1971" is a really interesting Flickr gallery of a mail-order catalog from 1970. Filled with knick-knacks and other '70s-era household objects, it triggered nostalgic memories on my part, and will likely do the same for anyone who grew up in the 1970s.

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-9025390154741154562008-12-08T08:24:00.000-06:002008-12-08T20:36:55.227-06:00

The first film of the rebooted Batman franchise, 2005's "Batman Begins," was leisurely, methodical, and exacting in its establishment and exploration of the origins of its nocturnal hero--and it is a masterpiece. The sequel, last summer's "The Dark Knight" (out on DVD this week) is cacophonous, convoluted, and scattershot in its advancement of Batman's story and its attempt to establish Batman

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-73855753517668393532008-12-04T07:30:00.001-06:002008-12-04T07:45:14.649-06:00

The Muppets are some of the best known and most beloved characters ever created. They have appeared in countless TV programs, films, and other forms of media for over forty years (for a listing showing just how extensive these appearances have been, click here). This MediaFix is a very early, pre-"Sesame Street" look at some Muppets, including Kermit the Frog, from Jim Henson's local Washington

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-42814816123082842482008-12-02T13:39:00.000-06:002008-12-02T13:39:47.879-06:00

In addition to "Chris' MediaLog" I have another blog called "Dateline: 1971." "D:71" features items related to the year 1971, the year of my birth. My general fascination with history, especially cultural and pop cultural history, finds more specific form in looking for things connected to 1971, to better understand the world and the culture I was born into. "Dateline: 1971" has (and will have

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-32167095787574197752008-12-01T09:29:00.001-06:002008-12-01T13:23:00.872-06:00

Television and rock and roll rose to national prominence at about the same time in the 1950s, and so the two have always had a sort of symbiotic development. That history of rock and roll music on TV is traced with great detail and skill in the book "TV a Go Go: Rock on TV from 'American Bandstand' to 'American Idol'" by Jake Austen. Austen offers an exhaustive account of rock music on

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-12413338501110324602008-11-26T19:58:00.003-06:002008-11-26T20:03:40.733-06:00

Chris' MediaLog, in the form of this vintage Thanksgiving newspaper ad (courtesy of the blog "Held Over! Newspaper Movie Ads"), would like to wish the blogosphere a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-66226108711111117312008-11-24T08:11:00.001-06:002008-11-24T09:26:44.587-06:00

By 1983, a couple of years into the MTV era, movie studio executives apparently began to wonder what would happen if the principles and forms of the music video were applied to a full-length feature film. "Flashdance" is what happened.I could say that "Flashdance" is the story of an aspiring dancer who works as a welder by day but calling what happens in the film a story is being a bit generous.

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-21574305170721385252008-11-21T14:51:00.005-06:002008-11-21T15:37:29.987-06:00

Retrolounge is a voluminous compendium of pop culture nostalgia links on subjects ranging from advertising and television to architecture and transportation. The sheer number of items in this directory is staggering: over 230 links for photography, a similar number for paperback books, almost 200 links for music, and almost 100 transportation links. Interestingly, the site has comparatively

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-70221716446497332032008-11-18T13:42:00.001-06:002008-11-18T13:43:56.688-06:00

As I (sort of) promised last week, this MediaFix is the final installment of the great 1970s trilogy of kids shows with the word "hot" in the title and having something to do with food. (See also, "Hot Dog" from 1970 and "Hot Fudge" from c. 1976.) "Hot Hero Sandwich" was, in the words of YouTube user 70sKidVid (who posted the clip), "a kind of Saturday Morning Live, it was taped at the same

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1263398684265517382008-11-17T11:15:00.006-06:002008-11-17T12:51:59.062-06:00

"The Sweeps" is another in the genre of TV books that I like to call "industry snapshots." These are books that provide an inside (or as the subtitle here indicates, "behind the scenes") look at the state of the TV industry at the time of their writing, offering a variety of perspectives from executives, creative personnel, and contemporary press accounts. Other books in this journalistic "

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-48569323920062340902008-11-14T08:00:00.000-06:002008-11-14T08:00:02.035-06:00

Earlier this week, the MediaFix featured a quirky early-1970s kids' show called "Hot Dog." Here's a dessert serving of the same kind of show, from a little later in the '70s, called "Hot Fudge." "Hot Fudge" was a somewhat different show, perhaps even more in the "Laugh-In," quick cuts, non sequitur style I mentioned in the "Hot Dog" post. "Hot Fudge," which was syndicated from 1976-1980, also

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-43097619285950901742008-11-13T08:26:00.007-06:002008-11-13T12:38:42.953-06:00

Cinerama, the original widescreen motion picture format, has made something of an encore this year. This is largely due to the special-edition DVD release in September of one of only two narrative feature films made in Cinerama, "How the West Was Won" (1963). In the wake of this release, Rebecca Paller, a curator at the Paley Center for Media (a major media archive), blogged about Cinerama; and

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-55290335547349722822008-11-10T12:04:00.004-06:002008-11-10T13:16:12.918-06:00

Much of the TV programming from the late-1960s and early-1970s looks very strange to us now, and the children's show "Hot Dog" certainly qualifies. There was a wave of kids' programs during this period that featured short (often comic) bits, animation, non sequiturs, and other "Laugh-In"-inspired segments. ("Sesame Street" is perhaps the most influential such show.) "Hot Dog" was a program

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-30583696223766708302008-11-06T16:23:00.005-06:002008-11-10T13:09:15.971-06:00

"Maybe This One Will Stick" Dept.-- The New York Times' TV Decoder blog is reporting today that cable network GSN is about to undergo another revamping of its image. The network will soon have a new logo (nine small squares in a variety of shades of orange and red, with the initials G, S, N in the middle three squares), under which is a new slogan, "Play Everyday." This will replace the current

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-85789746682581415562008-10-03T10:26:00.002-05:002008-10-03T13:41:38.913-05:00

Recently I took the opportunity to view for the first time some segments of the 1950s celebrity interview program "Person to Person" with renowned newsman Edward R. Murrow. One of Murrow's several endeavors for CBS in the 1950s, "Person to Person" was on the air from 1953 to 1961 (hosted until 1959 by Murrow, then by Charles Collingwood). Although the show never cracked the season-end top 20,

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-87286654869162276202008-09-29T12:43:00.002-05:002008-09-29T13:00:01.790-05:00

One of the MediaLog's favorite current TV shows is the brilliant "Mad Men." From the meticulous (and meticulously analyzed) early-1960s period atmosphere to the exquisitely drawn characters--both by the show's writers and directors, as well as the actors--"Mad Men" might just be the best show on television right now. (According to the TV academy it's the best drama of this past season.)At a

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-36440648376433398332008-09-18T07:46:00.004-05:002008-09-18T08:41:11.368-05:00

Rick Porter on Zap2It offers a perspective on how the demise of MTV's "TRL" ("Total Request Live") represents the final abandonment by the network of any connection to music. (MTV announced this week that the venerable weekday-afternoon music request show will leave the air before the end of the year.)Like Porter, I am not going to further lament the fact that the "M" in MTV no longer has any

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-47626588674038427032008-09-17T14:50:00.001-05:002008-09-17T15:12:10.553-05:00

Today's MediaFix is a portion of an episode of the 1960s variety show "The Hollywood Palace." A stalwart of '60s TV, "Palace" premiered in January of 1964 and lasted slightly over six years, ending in February of 1970. It's interesting how these dates correspond so neatly with the career of those icons of 1960s culture, the Beatles, who first appeared in America and on American TV a month after

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-16686918147802378042008-07-16T16:47:00.001-05:002008-07-16T16:47:46.157-05:00

Fisher Price Movie Viewer ad, 1980Originally uploaded by kerrytoonzThe MediaLog was the proud owner (still is, actually) of one of these Fisher Price Movie Viewers from circa 1980. This is one of those items that when I encounter it--say, happenstance in an image on Flickr--strong, warm feelings from childhood are evoked. Such is the definition of nostalgia, I reckon.I did not have the more

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-29057921048049335212008-06-23T22:28:00.002-05:002008-06-23T23:52:03.627-05:00

Rather than post links to tribute articles on George Carlin, who died Sunday at age 71, I thought that perhaps it would be better to post several of his performances--since his legacy is so completely wrapped up in his presence as a stand-up comic and in his unique style and comic delivery.This first piece will be a bit disorienting to those that only know Carlin as the bearded hipster that he

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-68471585209206371792008-06-16T14:55:00.002-05:002008-06-16T15:51:18.451-05:00

On Friday afternoon, when I saw the headline "Tim Russert dies at 58" on the website MetaFilter I thought it was facetious. I quickly found out that I was sadly wrong. Russert, considered by many within politics and the media to be the "king of Washington" due to his vast political knowledge and analytical skills, was the longtime host of NBC's "Meet the Press." At 17 years the longest-tenured

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-64891683240928333772008-06-10T08:32:00.002-05:002008-06-10T10:43:31.111-05:00

Yesterday Apple unveiled its next-generation iPhone (dubbed the iPhone 3G, after the faster 3G cellular network that will replace the slower EDGE network used for the original iPhone). The device represents a substantial improvement over last summer's original iPhone, not only in the upgrade to 3G but also in the addition of GPS capability, the ability for third-party applications, and,

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-60114168834687011852008-06-07T15:27:00.007-05:002008-06-16T15:52:57.952-05:00

ABC Sports met its death a couple of years ago (as the MediaLog remarked upon at the time). Now, the man who personified ABC Sports more than any other, Jim McKay, has also met his death at age 86. For a couple of generations of viewers, McKay was the voice and face of ABC's pioneering Olympics coverage. The high point of McKay's Olympic hosting career (even if it was a low point for the

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-5065830566474807732008-06-05T15:04:00.009-05:002008-06-05T16:10:46.635-05:00

Edward Baig, USA Today's tech columnist, today reviews the new Netflix set top streaming video box the web DVD rental firm will soon be offering through manufacturer Roku. As Baig says, the box has some deficiencies but is already attractive enough to interest diehard Netflix subscribers (such as the MediaLog!).Pros: pretty darn good streaming quality (although not yet in HD), relative ease of

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-19685056136603328602008-06-04T17:03:00.004-05:002008-06-04T19:11:52.141-05:00

Following last night's clinching of the Democratic presidential nomination by Barack Obama, the MediaLog introduces the MediaLog History of Presidential Political Ads, a regular series of video posts highlighting political ads from presidential campaigns since the dawn of television. Through periodic postings over the summer and fall the series will progress from what is considered to be the

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-51046624888748224982008-06-01T13:38:00.005-05:002008-06-02T14:13:11.456-05:00

The MediaLog has an affinity for books that when they were originally written and published were meant to be up-to-date overviews of their respective media industries (i.e. TV or film), but when read now are woefully and sometimes comically out of date. Of course, the reason why such books are interesting now is because they provide an excellent historical "snapshot" of the industry as of the

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-80006342191567463532008-05-30T09:26:00.003-05:002008-05-30T09:39:38.407-05:00

Appreciations and appraisals of film director Sydney Pollock are appearing regularly after his death earlier this week. I cannot say that I have ever been a particular fan of Pollock's, but as these items suggest, his career was marked with a respectable--and probably underappreciated (while he was alive)--consistency (in terms of reliably entertaining work) and diversity (in terms of the

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-15546824896038540812008-05-29T08:53:00.010-05:002008-05-30T09:42:01.776-05:00

Time's James Poniewozik, in his Tuned In blog, observes that Discovery Home becomes Planet Green this week. Discovery Home is one of those cable networks that most people probably didn't even realize they have, up there in the upper reaches of their digital cable tier.  And this is part of the point Poniewozik tries to make: Discovery Home never established an identity for itself, trying to be "a

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-2106265816883903172007-10-06T23:08:00.001-05:002007-10-06T23:08:22.819-05:00

Hefty Lawn & Leaf Bags, 1973 Originally uploaded by Roadsidepictures.This picture (from Flickr) of a box of Hefty bags from the 1970s encapsulates everything I love about this kind of ephemera. This kind of everyday item is something that (almost) no one would ever think of saving or even of now considering seriously as an item of interest. But I find it fascinating for a number of reasons: as

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-57792436519707122172007-07-11T08:58:00.000-05:002007-07-11T09:30:52.135-05:00

The concept of television "flow" is one that has gained great currency within academic television studies. Basically, flow is the idea that TV is constituted by a constant flow of images and sounds that take the form of different televisual elements (such as segments of programs, interstitial items such as promos and stations IDs, and commercials). It is this flow, much more than any programs

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-19898405479631485942007-06-21T23:11:00.000-05:002007-06-21T23:29:23.852-05:00

The three clips in this MediaFix, viewed in order (top to bottom), comprise the entire late-evening local newscast from Cleveland television station WJKW for September 2, 1977. Quite apart from its news content, the newscast is a fascinating example of how local news was presented in the late-1970s, sort of the media equivalent of a prehistoric insect preserved in amber. From the hairstyles and

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-80775312936645082922007-06-20T13:15:00.000-05:002007-06-20T14:01:01.931-05:00

Much has been made in the last week or so about Rosie O'Donnell, newly unemployed due to her hasty exit from "The View" in May, having interest--and longtime host Bob Barker's endorsement--in being the new host for "The Price is Right." James Poniewozik, "Time" magazine's TV critic, commented on O'Donnell's prospects today on his blog "Tuned In." "USA Today" also featured a short piece in

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-30926729324383118052007-05-23T11:26:00.000-05:002007-05-24T09:13:16.400-05:00

"On the Lot," the new TV show from realitymeister Mark Burnett and Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg, is the latest attempt to translate the ambition and skills of a particular group of individuals into reality television. The result is entertaining in a rubbernecking, trainwreck sort of way, not so much as a legitimate view into the creative processes of filmmaking.The premiere episode (which

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1163695709582407442007-05-13T10:48:00.000-05:002007-08-26T22:47:30.560-05:00

Feeling Retro -- Vintage toys, '60s & '70s TV and pop music, food & drink, novelties, and links to other retro sites are all available here if you are "feeling retro." www.feelingretro.comRetrocrush -- An irreverant retro site with features, interviews, reviews, and photos on all variety of pop culture subjects, with a companion podcast to boot. www.retrocrush.comThe Retroist -- Video clips of

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-91512602661116903662007-03-01T15:33:00.000-06:002007-03-02T15:13:50.038-06:00

Recently released on DVD is Sesame Street - Old School, Vol. 1 (1969-1974), a compilation of old episodes and segments from the first five years of the venerable and historic children's TV program. Rather than marketing it to current tots, the show's producer (the former Children's Television Workshop, now called Sesame Workshop) and distributor (Sony Wonder, the children's video imprint of

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-81708282021358766642007-02-26T09:08:00.000-06:002007-02-26T11:44:50.078-06:00

Last night was the 79th Academy Awards, in which Hollywood goes ga-ga over itself and the rest of us watch curiously as if witnessing a train wreck. This year's awards reached, I think, a new high in terms of indulgence, cluelessness, and uselessness. From the best picture winner and the hosting to the interminable length and utterly pointless non-awards segments, the Oscars were a spectacle,

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-53430724527961284112007-02-19T10:55:00.000-06:002007-02-19T14:18:03.875-06:00

A sampling of current items from the MediaLog's Digital Video Recorder...• USFL Football: San Antonio @ Houston (1984) from ESPN Classic--For anyone interested in classic sports either for the sporting content (e.g. vintage sports aficionados) or (like the MediaLog) for their historical value as vintage TV broadcasts, ESPN Classic is a treasure trove. This item is an old ESPN broadcast of the

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-22507951372732367562007-01-16T14:26:00.001-06:002007-01-16T14:26:45.347-06:00

Kellogg's Company w/ Characters Postcard Originally uploaded by Neato Coolville.This interesting Kellogg's postcard features a photo of the cereal maker's corporate headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan, in addition to several of the cartoon characters that graced Kellogg's cereal boxes at the time (which is not given but would seem to be in the 1960s based on the look of the building, the card,

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-57000656705001672802007-01-09T21:12:00.000-06:002007-01-09T23:14:08.032-06:00

"Captain Kangaroo" was one of the longest-running and most beloved children's television programs in history. It was a mainstay on CBS weekday mornings from the mid-1950s until the early-1980s. Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan) was an avuncular, kindly, and gentle host second only to Fred Rogers. "Captain Kangaroo," although similar in some ways to Rogers' "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," had its own

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1160081457632377072006-10-05T16:08:00.000-05:002006-10-05T17:46:45.950-05:00

One of the prevailing interests of the MediaLog is television history. Here is a MediaFix that is the intro for one of the landmark early television programs, "Puppet Playhouse," better known by the name of its puppet protagonist, Howdy Doody. Host "Buffalo" Bob Smith joined Howdy for a show that was a pioneer in children's television and paved the way for all the great kids' shows that

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1157123390510327602006-10-03T14:58:00.000-05:002006-10-03T15:03:31.773-05:00

Twenty years ago, a persistent if not widespread public outcry arose over the colorization of old black and white movies. Although Ted Turner (at the time having just purchased MGM for the sole purpose of exploiting its film library) was the most prominent perpetrator of this heresy, he was not the only one that tried to "update" what colorizers thought everyone else would think were musty old

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1156368670294422232006-09-29T17:05:00.000-05:002006-09-30T14:07:49.136-05:00

Little attention has been paid to the recent news that the Walt Disney Company has shut down ABC Sports in favor of utlizing the ESPN sports operation (announcers, production facilities, identity, etc.) for any and all sports broadcast on ABC. From a strictly business standpoint the move makes a lot of sense: with common ownership of ABC and ESPN by Disney (which has owned the two since it

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1159399558711988252006-09-27T18:21:00.000-05:002006-09-27T18:25:58.753-05:00

This edition of the MediaFix is a final nod to Game Show Network's "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time," the countdown for which I posted numerous commmentaries--and MediaFixes. Featured are two clips of "The Price is Right," which came in at #4 on the countdown, but probably should have been higher, maybe even #1 (in my opinion).This first clip is the opening sequence for what was at the

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1158639981698237682006-09-25T08:30:00.000-05:002006-09-25T08:35:15.646-05:00

Tonight will be the second episode of the highly anticipated new Aaron Sorkin-created TV series "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." If last week's pilot episode is any guide, the show is fast becoming as exhilirating as a ride down the title strip itself.The new ensemble drama/comedy/show-within-a-show stars (above, from left to right) D.L. Hughley, Nathan Corddry, Sarah Paulson, Timothy Busfield,

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1154486238947478092006-09-22T19:51:00.000-05:002006-09-22T19:55:33.526-05:00

A few weeks ago, Game Show Network concluded its special series "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time," and last week I finished my commentaries on the countdown here on the MediaLog. I would like now to make some final comments on the GSN rankings and on the television genre of game shows in general.To start off, let me just reiterate (briefly) the remarks I made over the course of the

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1156182260369477532006-09-20T15:28:00.000-05:002006-09-20T15:32:51.523-05:00

"The MediaLog Movies 100" finally returns after an extended absence to finish the countdown. This installment takes the countdown through the 20s, that is, the films ranked #21-30. The "Movies 100" is not a film by film ranking in precise order, though, but rather groupings of ten films which have no additional breakdown within each group. The films are listed in alphabetical order, with the

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1156879444718065762006-09-15T12:45:00.000-05:002006-09-18T14:05:51.920-05:00

The #1 game show of all time according to Game Show Network's "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time" is.... Since the top game was announced two weeks ago, if you care you likely know already by now. The MediaLog has been on hiatus since then, so I'm only now getting around to commenting on the top six game shows.Prior to the final week of GSN's countdown, I made a prediction as to what the

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1157938937753514932006-09-12T21:51:00.000-05:002006-09-12T21:55:27.536-05:00

This article is dedicated to the victims of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks of September 11, 2001.Everyone copes with tragedy in their own way. I am a student of media history and popular culture, and so part of how I cope with tragedy (as well as many other things) is by attempting to understand it through the prisms of media history and popular culture. And so, as we recognize the

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1154200374461606472006-09-11T01:22:00.000-05:002006-09-11T12:53:03.120-05:00

This article is dedicated to the victims of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks of September 11, 2001.Everyone copes with tragedy in their own way. I am a student of media history and popular culture, and so part of how I cope with tragedy (as well as many other things) is by attempting to understand it through the prisms of media history and popular culture. And so, as we recognize the

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1154199229477642382006-08-31T23:50:00.000-05:002006-08-31T23:54:19.080-05:00

MediaLoggers need a vacation, too! The MediaLog is taking a week-long break for Labor Day. There will be no new postings between today and Monday, September 11. On that day, regular postings will resume. As a result, the final commentaries on Game Show Network's "50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time" as well as the final tiers of the MediaLog Movies 100 will not appear until after Sept. 11. Of

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1156980629081193502006-08-30T22:51:00.000-05:002006-08-30T22:54:59.213-05:00

"Not Your Father's Television" Dept.--Today the website for "USA Today" featured a tech article entitled "If you wanted to watch 'Superman,' which media would you choose now?" Written by Kevin Maney, one of the newspaper's tech writers who has a pretty good regular column, the article wonders which new forms of media are gaining favor in the hearts and minds of audiences."The movie industry is

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1156868126494368032006-08-29T14:08:00.000-05:002006-08-30T16:47:10.970-05:00

Game Show Network's "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time" cracked the Top Ten last week with the #10 through #7 game shows. The remainder of the countdown, including what GSN thinks is the greatest game show of all time, can be seen tonight, tomorrow night, and Thursday night, at 10 pm EST/9 pm CST.Number ten is the venerable and pathbreaking "The Dating Game." The granddaddy of all dating

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1156182241703324592006-08-25T16:43:00.000-05:002006-08-28T12:48:38.363-05:00

Welcome to the latest installment of "The MediaLog Movies 100," my countdown of the hundred most influential movies in my life. These are not my favorite movies (necessarily) or what I think are the "greatest" movies of all time. They are movies that made an impact on me and my cinematic sensibilities, tempered by considerations of the traditional film "canon" and the conventional wisdom

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1156182223400747002006-08-23T23:46:00.000-05:002006-08-24T13:09:37.253-05:00

The legendary countdown known as "The MediaLog Movies 100" tiptoes through the forties in this installment. As anyone who has been following the "Movies 100" knows, it is not a film by film ranking in precise order, but a set of ten ranked film groupings which have no additional breakdown within each grouping (and if you didn't know, now you do). Films are listed in alphabetical order, with the

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1156364914794643942006-08-23T15:24:00.000-05:002006-08-23T15:34:51.973-05:00

Keeping with my practice throughout the Game Show Network's "50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time," here is a clip from one of the game shows featured last week. "What's My Line?" was one of the most venerable game shows in TV history, running from 1950-67 on Sunday evenings on CBS, then for eight more years in syndication. This longish segment (about nine minutes) is from 1965, towards the end

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1156264115487765012006-08-22T14:24:00.000-05:002006-08-22T14:28:35.316-05:00

Game Show Network's "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time"--airing Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights at 10 pm EST/9 pm CST still this week and next week--came to the cusp of the Top Ten last week. All of the entries leading up to the Top Ten seem to be good solid picks that are placed well. "Password" is at #15, "What's My Line?" is at #14, "Press Your Luck" at #13, "The Gong Show" at

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1155653549647951292006-08-21T21:49:00.000-05:002006-08-23T22:14:11.283-05:00

"The MediaLog Movies 100" reaches the halfway point with this installment, featuring the #51-60 films. The "Movies 100" is not a film by film ranking in precise order, though, but a set of ten ranked film groupings which have no additional breakdown within each grouping. Films are listed in alphabetical order, with the year of release, country of origin (if not American), and director listed

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1155915334464021082006-08-18T10:34:00.000-05:002006-08-18T10:37:38.493-05:00

"The MediaLog Movies 100" saunters through the 60s with this installment; not the 1960s, but the films ranked #61-70. You see, the "Movies 100" is not a film by film ranking in precise order but a set of ten ranked film groupings which have no additional breakdown within each grouping. Films are listed in alphabetical order, with the year of release, country of origin (if not American), and

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1155847799787784952006-08-17T15:49:00.000-05:002006-08-21T14:27:39.013-05:00

This installment of "The MediaLog Movies 100" takes the countdown through the 70s, that is, the films ranked #71-80. The "Movies 100" is not a film by film ranking in precise order, though, but rather groupings of ten films which have no additional breakdown within each group. The films are listed in alphabetical order, with the year of release, and in the case of foreign films, the country of

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1155786154872327262006-08-16T22:42:00.000-05:002006-08-16T23:18:23.830-05:00

Welcome to the next installment of "The MediaLog Movies 100," my countdown of the hundred most influential movies in my life. These are not my favorite movies (necessarily) or what I think are the "greatest" movies of all time. They are movies that made an impact on me and my cinematic sensibilities, tempered by considerations of the traditional film "canon" and the conventional wisdom regarding

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1155071431469541142006-08-15T20:40:00.000-05:002006-08-15T21:17:24.683-05:00

Game Show Network's game show countdown, "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time," broke the Top Twenty last week. Unfortunately, a few of the choices they make for games they think deserve to rank that high are complete jokes.It begins with #22, "Weakest Link." This show was a brief fad that popped up in the wake of the huge renewed popularity of game shows created by "Who Wants to Be a

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1155227534059159382006-08-14T20:51:00.000-05:002006-08-14T20:55:10.793-05:00

This is the first installment of "The MediaLog Movies 100," my countdown of the hundred most influential movies in my life. These are not my favorite movies (necessarily) or what I think are the "greatest" movies of all time. They are movies that made an impact on me and my cinematic sensibilities, tempered by considerations of the traditional film "canon" and the conventional wisdom regarding

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153360211127382492006-08-10T11:32:00.000-05:002006-08-10T11:36:02.580-05:00

On Monday, the MediaLog will begin "The MediaLog Movies 100." The "Movies 100" is a countdown of sorts of my top 100 movies. The countdown will be posted in several installments, one installment for each group of ten movies, starting with the 90s and proceeding through the Top Ten. "The MediaLog Movies 100" is not a strict countdown per se, though, as I do not believe in ranking things in

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1155146289279759172006-08-09T14:40:00.000-05:002006-08-09T15:30:56.756-05:00

In my posts on Game Show Network's "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time" I have been complaining about how the network has not been showing episodes of (or much respect for) the pioneering game shows of the 1950s. I thought I would do something about it, and offer a couple of clips from these shows as a double-shot MediaLog MediaFix."Twenty-One"This is the opening from "Twenty-One," the

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1155077341385486042006-08-09T08:37:00.000-05:002006-08-09T08:58:20.053-05:00

"We All Live in TV Land, Don't We?" Dept.-A recent news release announced TV Land's relaunch of TVLand.com, the network's companion website. The move is designed to improve and expand the site, turning it into more of a portal that will appeal to the boomer generation that constitutes one of TV Land's key audiences. According to the release, the new site will be an "entertainment resource" and

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1154485930514360382006-08-08T15:14:00.000-05:002006-08-08T16:00:38.706-05:00

"The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time," airing Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights on Game Show Network at 10 pm EST/9 pm CST for a couple more weeks, marched from the low-30s into the low-20s in last week's episodes. Number 32 was "Tic Tac Dough," the late-1970s/1980s version of a late-1950s game, moderated by the man with the greatest game show host name since Guy Smiley, Wink Martindale

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1154841675093634232006-08-07T10:50:00.000-05:002006-08-07T11:07:06.806-05:00

One of the great unresolved issues of American history involves the meaning and legacy of the Civil War. Although it is now almost a century and a half in the past, the conflict and its causes are still argued amongst historians and citizens, and racial divisions continue to be a dynamic that shapes American society. The independent film "CSA: Confederate States of America," having appeared in

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153253674434256042006-08-04T10:37:00.000-05:002006-08-04T11:08:07.316-05:00

Decent music video networks are few and far between these days. MTV and VH1 long ago ceased even being music video networks by any reasonable sense of the term. The only time either network still plays videos is in the middle of the night. One music video network that still dedicates most of its airtime to music videos is VH1's sister network VH1 Classic. This network's emphasis on music

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1154547051514292712006-08-03T09:44:00.000-05:002006-08-03T09:55:55.866-05:00

Unless you have been living in a cave for the past several days, you have likely heard or read all about movie star-director Mel Gibson's drunk-driving arrest and subsequent anti-Semitic tirade. And unless you have been living in a cave for weeks, you've probably also heard and read all about the expletive President George W. Bush uttered at the G8 summit last month ("shit," if you didn't already

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1154486847846787262006-08-02T11:05:00.000-05:002006-08-02T20:52:46.080-05:00

In honor of yesterday's 25th anniversary of the launch of MTV on August 1, 1981, here are several special video clips of early MTV moments. For those of you interested in seeing more, VH1 Classic will be replaying the first 24 hours of MTV programming again this Saturday, August 5 (after playing it yesterday on the actual anniversary).Meet the MTV VJs: First Day Broadcast, August 1, 1981The

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153578302211377252006-08-01T10:44:00.000-05:002006-08-01T10:53:31.190-05:00

Last week's three episodes of Game Show Network's "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time" took the countdown from #41 through #33. It's become evident at this point that the game shows originally produced by Chuck Barris in the 1970s and those that are original shows on GSN or currently airing on GSN are two of the groups of game shows that the network was able to secure the rights to, as four

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1154199151174660982006-07-31T08:59:00.000-05:002006-07-31T09:03:48.596-05:00

"I'm Surprised Sales Are That High" Dept.--Over the weekend, reports were that U.S. record album sales for the week ending July 23, including digital downloads, hit a ten-year low. Sales that week were down to 8.9 million; the last time weekly record sales were as low was in February 1996. I have to think that this month's sales low is more grave than the '96 low. That one came in the middle

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1154115926768383962006-07-28T15:53:00.000-05:002006-07-28T15:59:44.790-05:00

"What Ever Happened to the Music in Music Television" Dept.--This coming Tuesday, August 1, marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of MTV on August 1, 1981. The "M" in MTV originally stood for "music"; today it stands for "mediocre," or maybe "muddled." The network has long since (like, at least ten or fifteen years ago) abandoned any serious focus on music in an attempt to pander to teenage

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153103285675000322006-07-28T08:38:00.000-05:002006-07-28T08:43:11.970-05:00

For several years now, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has been the go-to website for anyone seeking information on movie credits, filmography details for directors or actors, or data on current and upcoming movie releases or older films. Recently, IMDb also expanded and enhanced its television credits, so it now is a better source for that information as well.For readers that might not be

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1154025123694828042006-07-27T13:32:00.000-05:002006-07-27T13:38:43.496-05:00

This is another early VCR commercial from the 1970s, which, like an earlier such commercial that I posted, is interesting now in how it serves as a tutorial to viewers in what a VCR can do, and why people might want one in their home.

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153191201995037042006-07-26T09:58:00.000-05:002006-07-26T09:03:07.740-05:00

(This is the third and final part of a three-part article; Part 1; Part 2.)"Rolling Stone" magazine was a mainstay in my life throughout high school and college. I read every issue virtually cover to cover, used the content of the magazine to guide my music and reading tastes, and even clipped some of the images to decorate my walls. By the mid-1990s, though, after I began graduate school and

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153882674375788112006-07-25T21:53:00.000-05:002006-07-25T21:57:54.513-05:00

It seems my previous post lambasting "Jeopardy" game show champion Ken Jennings for being ungrateful was based on a poorly researched and inaccurately written AP article. In a more candid and thorough article posted after the AP article by E! Online, a fuller explanation of Jennings' comments is offered.In a rebuttal to a "New York Post" article criticizing him, Jennings said about his original

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153859800884332862006-07-25T15:32:00.000-05:002006-07-25T22:23:34.353-05:00

A follow-up post to this article, in which I address some problems in the AP article upon which it is based, can be found here."Not Just Looking, but Kicking, a Gift Horse in the Mouth" Dept.--The Associated Press reports that legendary $2.5 million-dollar winner "Jeopardy" contestant Ken Jennings has issued a statement totally trashing the show and host Alex Trebek. Regarding Trebek, Jennings

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153103362255482832006-07-25T09:14:00.000-05:002006-07-25T09:17:19.430-05:00

Although the summer stunt program "Game Show Marathon" has ended its run on CBS--and probably won't be back--I hadn't started this blog when it was airing, so I'm briefly commenting on it now."Game Show Marathon" capitalized on America's longtime obsession with game shows by combining several of TV history's most popular games with America's current obsession with D-list celebrities in the form

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153092919110940672006-07-24T08:41:00.000-05:002006-07-24T08:50:04.963-05:00

I've been a podcast fan for about a year now, listening to them mainly in my car with my iPod shuffle plugged into the sound system through a cassette adapter normally used to hook up Discman CD players. In fact, I hardly ever use my iPod for music anymore. I've sampled a variety of podcasts and settled on several that I really enjoy and would like to recommend.Most of the podcasts I listen to

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153519190011934022006-07-21T16:59:00.000-05:002006-07-24T08:52:22.663-05:00

Again, I've found a clip from one of the game shows featured in GSN's "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time." This "Tattletales" clip from 1974 is pretty funny. I'll just say that it involves a prediction and answer that features a prominent public figure from that year. It also is a pretty good example of the "Tattletales" game play for those that may not be familiar with it.(1 min. 57 secs

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153368602620484162006-07-21T10:30:00.000-05:002006-07-21T10:35:11.596-05:00

In a previous post, I reviewed the first episode of the new Game Show Network limited-series "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time." That first episode featured #50 "Three's a Crowd" and #49 "The New Treasure Hunt." The next two episodes of the series--which airs on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights at 10 pm EST/9 pm CST for the duration--have taken the countdown through #42.The #48

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153114152892158242006-07-20T08:17:00.000-05:002006-07-26T09:18:12.063-05:00

(This is Part 2 of a three-part article; Part 1; Part 3)All through high school, meaning the late-1980s, I was one of the most avid readers of "Rolling Stone" you could have found. Still the only regular and desired piece of mail I received, I eagerly anticipated the bi-monthly arrivals of the latest issues, anticipating who or what would be on the cover each time. I attacked each new issue

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153349988251114562006-07-19T17:59:00.000-05:002006-07-19T18:03:22.490-05:00

Here is a video clip from the 1970s game show "The New Treasure Hunt" which I discussed in my earlier post on the Game Show Network program "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time." The clip is a pretty good example of the game play: the contestant has to pick a gift-wrapped box out of the many that decorate the set; attached to the box is an envelope with a relatively small amount of cash in

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31180270.post-1153328093663738312006-07-19T11:17:00.000-05:002006-07-19T12:29:21.633-05:00

Last night was the premiere of a new limited-edition series on Game Show Network (I still call it that despite the net's lame attempt to redefine its identity as "GSN"). "The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time" will chronicle, as the name indicates, what someone (the producers I presume, and/or the network's executives) considers TV's greatest game shows. If the first episode is any indication,

Chris the MediaLoggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04975714109446049049noreply@blogger.com0