Media Stew

During the past few months the film industry has brought us a superhero (Iron Man) and an anti-hero (Hancock). Now we have a Dark Knight (Batman) who is not quite either.

If you are an avid sports fan, undoubtedly, you watch ESPN's SportsCenter. Reflecting its primary focus on entertainment, rather than sports, the folks at ESPN are conducting yet another unscientific and haphazard fan voting contest-Title Town, USA.

During this past weekend's (July 17-20) State Farm Classic LPGA Tournament, Michele Wie was disqualified for violating one of golf's inane rules governing when and where the players sign their scorecards. Upon finding out she had been disqualified, Sue Witters, the LPGA's director of tournament competition commented that "She (Wie) was like a little kid after you tell them there's no Santa Claus."

Will Smith remains as the hero of Fourth of July movie debuts with his most recent film, Hancock. However, in an interesting twist, the superhero Hancock, that Smith portrays, is actually an anti-hero.

Japanese game shows have been satirized by a variety of long-running American television shows such as "The Simpsons" and "Saturday Night Live." Americans found these parodies to be amusing despite little knowledge of actual Japanese game shows. Finally, ABC decided to take advantage of this form of popular culture by airing "I Survived a Japanese Game Show." So, what took so long?

Independence. What a wonderful word. In 1776, the colonies declared their independence from the British Empire. As time progressed, the United States would become a world power.

The paparazzi seem to always be in the media, and for good reason. They are a part of the media. Celebrities scorn their aggressive behavior, while celebrity worshippers rely on their every photograph to quench their thirst for personal tidbits of information.

George Carlin passed away early this morning. He was truly a pioneer in observational humor and many of his skits will live on for years to come.

Media

How Happy Was Your Friday?

Tim Delaney Ph.D. on June 22, 2008

For many people, Sunday evenings mark the end of the weekend and a time to start thinking about the week ahead. So, how was your weekend? In particular, how was your Friday (June 20)?

For many people, Sunday evenings mark the end of the weekend and a time to start thinking about the week ahead. So, how was your weekend? In particular, how was your Friday (June 20)?

Traditionally, a bride marries a groom, the bride has a female best friend serve as "Maid of Honor" and the groom has a male "Best Man." Wow! How many of these scenarios are no longer the norm of marriage?!

The American Drive-In movie theater celebrated its 75th anniversary last week. Well, "celebrate" might not be the right word to describe this event as far fewer people trek to the drive-in today compared to the past. During its peak, drive-in theaters were all the rage. In 1958, there were approximately 5,000 American drive-ins; whereas today, there are only about 400.

I read with amusement this morning an article in my local newspaper that had this title: "Upcoming ‘Survivor' off to a Bumpy Start." The article quoted "Survivor" host Jeff Probst complaining that the show has been plagued with several preproduction problems ranging from encroaching animals to slow shipments.

By now, fans of LOST have had a chance to watch the finale so let's look at one of the most fascinating aspects of the finale--the disappearance of the island. One minute it is there, and the next it is gone. Vanished! An entire island disappeared. How is this possible?

This column may not be relevant for many readers, but for "Baby Boomers" it should bring back a barrage of memories. Dick Martin, one-half of the co-hosting team of the wildly entertaining "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" has passed away.

The 2008 American Idol two-hour season finale begins with Ryan Seacrest proudly proclaiming that 97.5 million votes were cast to determine this year's winner. Seacrest adds, this is 23 million more votes than the previous high.

On May 14, 1998, the final original episode of Seinfeld aired. It was watched by more than 76 million viewers that evening-the third-highest figure for a series finale in the history of television. Only M*A*S*H (with 105.4 million viewers in 1983) and Cheers (80.4 million in 1993) attracted larger audiences.

Britney Spears reprised her guest role as "Abby," a bubbly secretary, on May 12th's How I Met Your Mother episode. During her first appearance on March 26, Spears was credited with increasing Mother's viewership by more than one million viewers. Britney also garnered positive reviews by TV critics as Abby.

Have you ever dreamed of being a superhero? Most of us have, I would suppose. Imagine how cool it would be to have superpowers. Who wouldn't want the ability to see through walls, bend steel, possess super strength, or best of all, have the capacity to fly?

Fans of comedies generally agree on a number of shows that they feel are flat-out funny. And, I certainly agree with Potts on many of her top selections; albeit, with a different ranking order. Thus, I have put together my “Top 10 TV Comedies of All Time” list. So, stew on this!