AMC's Show "The Prisoner" Delivers

"Nobody thought that dreaming would be such hard work," says the wife of Number Two in the AMC-produced remake of the old UK production of The Prisoner. The Prisoner is a very well-made remake of the original UK series from the 60's. Ian McKellen is simply stellar in it and the plot development is done cohesively.

You may view the first episode of this three-part series on the official AMC site. Tip of the hat to AMC for continuing to produce solid programming.

 Subscribe to HetPer

 Subscribe to Gendering the Media Podcast

Jon Stewart, Town Hall Meetings, and Health Care Reform

If you've been watching/reading the news lately, you've undoubtedly informed yourselves yourself about the town hall rhetoric.
Here's Jon Stewart bit on it:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Healther Skelter
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Spinal Tap Performance

 Subscribe to HetPer

 Subscribe to Gendering the Media Podcast

Dignity and, um, Tory Burch?

Let me see if I can start on the right foot here.

Generally, the writing of NY Times David Brooks is, to me, like a Tory Burch outfit. It's all fine and dandy when it's out there but I wouldn't quite go out of my way to pursue it, if you catch my drift.
Brooks' today piece on the Times, however, begged for my attention this morning. His summary of some of the recent events made me think about how quickly lexemes shift and acquire new meanings in order to adapt to new cultural modifications.
In today's piece Brooks wonders about the philosophical and social meanings of the term dignity. 'Whatever happened to it, eh?'-wonders Brooks along with a litany of other voices.
A paragraph of note:
" First, there was Mark Sanford’s press conference. Here was a guy utterly lacking in any sense of reticence, who was given to rambling self-exposure even in his moment of disgrace. Then there was the death of Michael Jackson and the discussion of his life. Here was a guy who was apparently untouched by any pressure to live according to the rules and restraints of adulthood. Then there was Sarah Palin’s press conference. Here was a woman who aspires to a high public role but is unfamiliar with the traits of equipoise and constancy, which are the sources of authority and trust.

In each of these events, one sees people who simply have no social norms to guide them as they try to navigate the currents of their own passions.

Americans still admire dignity. But the word has become unmoored from any larger set of rules or ethical system."

Read it all here.


graph per tory burch

 Subscribe to HetPer

 Subscribe to Gendering the Media Podcast

Sarah Barracuda Leaves Alaska for the Big Time

When John McCain announced last August in Ohio that Sarah Palin would be his running mate for '08, I remember thinking, 'Wow. The cameras love her.'
I still maintain that the reason why Palin gets so much media attention is largely due to her aesthetics and how it is captured and translated via the lens. And yet she keeps bashing the media for being unfair to her not seemingly realizing that her refusal to engage them (the media) in a substantial way might perhaps be the main reason for the occasional, ok, not-so-occasional ridicule.

While Palin is seriously uninformed about a lot of issues, she oozes a kind of stamina and tenacity that is rare to see. Now that she's announced that she is resigning as Alaska's governor, she's signaled her actual interest in entering national politics. Vanity Fair has a gripping peace on her. A paragraph of note says:

"In dozens of conversations during a recent visit to Alaska, it was easy to learn that there has always been a counter-narrative about Palin, and indeed it has become the dominant one. It is the story of a political novice with an intuitive feel for the temper of her times, a woman who saw her opportunities and coolly seized them. In every job, she surrounded herself with an insular coterie of trusted friends, took disagreements personally, discarded people who were no longer useful, and swiftly dealt vengeance on enemies, real or perceived. “Remember,” says Lyda Green, a former Republican state senator who once represented Palin’s home district, and who over the years went from being a supporter of Palin’s to a bitter foe, “her nickname in high school was ‘Barracuda.’ I was never called Barracuda. Were you? There’s a certain instinct there that you go for the jugular.”

Read it all here.

 Subscribe to HetPer

 Subscribe to Gendering the Media Podcast

Is a Dining Room Just a Dining Room?

This was Nixon's dining room.
The gripping article is here.

 Subscribe to HetPer

 Subscribe to Gendering the Media Podcast

Joe the Plumber an Author? Mais Oui!

Some of us spend torturous days, nights, and years when working on a new book.
Joe the Plumber is, luckily for him, impervious to writer's block and a number of other things that plague an author while researching, writing, and editing.
Why do I say this?
Well, because he has apparently finished his first book with super hero-like speed. The book is called: Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream.
No, this is not a joke. He is one of the two authors of the book. Apparently one can buy his magnum opus by way of a pre-order.
No, I have not made an effort to read it.
Check with me after I read the Twilight series.
Genau....

Also, Here is a list of Joe the Plumber's favorite books. Only one of them is not plumbing-related. His first authorial debut, however, is not a plumber's manual. Or so says its premise.

 Subscribe to HetPer

 Subscribe to Gendering the Media Podcast

graph per economist.
Tip of the hat to MR for the pointer

Team of Rivals

Those of you who follow political commentary will have heard the frequent mentioning of Doris Kearns Goodwin's 2005 book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.
This is a good read for basically anyone who works with others. Lincoln's model of gaining much needed experience and valuable insights from those who think and operate differently is worth an examination.
What I especially appreciate is the sound historical context that the book contains.
Plus, I happen to enjoy Doris Kearns Goodwin's rhetoric for the most part.
In short, I recommend.

From the News

This is the best news commentary paragraph I read this morning. It comes from Maureen Dowd and that's not a shocker.

"If you have a president who’s willing to open up his universe to other smart, strong people, if you have a big dog who shares his food dish, the Bill Clinton era is truly over."

Read full text here.

Real Time Concludes Season

Last night was Real Time With Bill Maher's last episode for the season.
Here is the New Rule segment from the end of the episode whether Bill Maher's rhetoric is your cup of tea or not.

Maddow on Colbert

We quite enjoy Rachel Maddow around here. Check her political commentary show, The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. This week she was on the Colbert Report.

Oh No, You Didn't, Berlusconi

It's gaffe after gaffe with the 72-year-old Italian premier. This one, however, screams: "Mamma mia!"

Meet Rahm

Rahm Emanuel has a very impressive resume.
He is also the man Obama wants as his chief of staff.
Emanuel is on all the papers this mornings. Most cable political commentary cable shows are talking about the Illinois congressman as well. What I find interesting, however, is that, quite often, some commentators mention his connection to ballet.
Apparently, Emanuel is starkly intensive and very tough. After mentioning these things about his nature, many are also saying that he was trained to be a ballet dancer and that he was offered a scholarship to the reputable Joffrey Ballet. Emanuel ended up attending Sarah Lawrence College which is also well-known for its strong Dance Program.

Here are some articles about Rahm Emanuel who apparently is so tough many would refer to him as Rahmbo.
LA Times reports:
"Along the way, Emanuel earned a reputation for a colorful intensity unusual even in the hard-hitting world of politics. His profanity is legendary and seems designed in part to throw his interlocutors off-balance.
Emanuel excelled at fundraising, sometimes screaming and shouting at donors until they agreed to contribute -- generously -- to his candidate. He threatened to tear up checks if he considered them too small.
"Congressional Republicans respect what he has been able to do," Feehery said. "They think he's a formidable opponent. They think he works his butt off. They won't particularly love him, but if he's smart, they will respect him.""

The full article is here.

The NY Times has another here. A bit says:
"He earned the nickname Rahmbo for his determination and take-no-prisoners approach — an advantage when trying to bring a thorny issue to resolution, but a style that can be off-putting to those accustomed to gentility. Mr. Obama might also decide to keep Mr. Emanuel on Capitol Hill to protect his flank, and the Democratic House majority. Should he resign his seat, Mr. Emanuel would be relinquishing a promising House career and aspirations to become speaker."
graph per la times

Palin-to-logy

Most of us who occasionally listen to pundits discussing pre- and post-election texts, suspected that after the results of the election were announced, one of the next topics would be 'What about Palin?'

Palin is receiving a lot of scrutiny post-election. The following clip comes from Fox News.

Hollywood's Message Re: Voting

The Spielberg-directed ad is called Don't Vote.
It's called an exercise in satire.
What do you think?

Fruit Flies in France

I was informed by different friends of mine who are in the medical research field and French Studies to check out the following:


I actually managed to see this on my own when Rachel Maddow first commented on it on Friday and my instinct was to ask my scientist and French Studies friends what they thought of it.

The thing is, research money is indispensable to progress. Without innovation, we cannot make any progress in any field, be it autism or literary scholarship. And innovation and progress need to be funded.

Tip of the hat to HDC and Alan for the pointer.

What's an Elitist?

Liam and I came up with a lexically different outcome when discussing the notion of elitism as it relates to identity.
Brian Williams of NBC just asked Sarah Palin who she thought a member of the elite was and she replied:

PALIN: Oh, I guess just people who think that they're better than anyone else. And-- John McCain and I are so committed to serving every American. Hard-working, middle-class Americans who are so desiring of this economy getting put back on the right track. And winning these wars. And America's starting to reach her potential. And that is opportunity and hope provided everyone equally. So anyone who thinks that they are-- I guess-- better than anyone else, that's-- that's my definition of elitism. Look for the elitism discussion circa minute 4:05
Here is the McCain/Palin discussion of the term elite as seen on tonight's segment on the NBC Nightly News:
How do you define the term elitism?

Enter: Joe the Plumber

Those of you who saw the debates last night will have undoubtedly been informed of Joe the plumber. Joe, aka Joe Wurzelbacher of Ohio met with Obama briefly before the latter (not that one) got to NY's Hofstra University for the debate. Wurzelbacher asked him if he would be too taxed by Obama's plan.
Now, under Obama's plan only those who make $250.000 and/or more will see their taxes get higher.

Here's the video:

My question is, if Joe the plumber actually an average Joe? Incidentally, Joe, the plumber can now be found on wikipedia.
...
Just in......
Things surely move fast on the internet.
Also, here is a brand-new link with Joe the plumber merchandise. Indeed. Here is a t-shirt logo:
ps
Incidentally, this just in

"Palin and McCain Administration"

Who is the GOP nominee again?

Paris and Sheen: Loves It?

Paris Hilton is channeling current political and pop discourse for her current 'Paris for Fake President' campaign. She uses phrases like 'Fo Po', which by the way stands for 'foreign policy', as well as a slew of few other pop culture references.
And a fake past president joins her.
Loves it?

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

SNL's Take on the VP Debate

Since I missed the vice-presidential debates due to travel, I went to the one place where I thought I could get informed about what transpired. And Tina produces yet another linguistically compelling piece....