Is T.V. Really Garbage?

I had a conversation with my dad about the "brain rotting" power of television. The image of a slovenly, overweight, pathetic, Americans didn't come by accident; there's little denying that television has a stupefying effect. Psychologists claim it's robbing our generation of creativity since it does the job for you. Fair everything is true thus far. However, what about the redeeming quality of television? In the past turbulent 60 years, would people have believed their ears if television cameras weren't there to capture what radio can't even aspire to touch and what pictures are far to inadequate to convey. I came across a piece a art by happenstance on YouTube today. This is a snippet of a film that was a part of what was a multi-sensory theatrical multi-media experience from director Adam Curtis.

(Caution: Contains Disturbing Images)
It shows how television and motion pictures, for better or worse have brought us some of the most important moments of the last half century. It scares us, scars us, and yet rivets us. It takes those unforgettable moments and intersperses them with seeming random scenes that convey subtle themes. The clever editing coupled with music that seems to perfectly suit each moment.

Avatar A Bit Of A Disappointment?

An interesting article from the New York Times about the success of Avatar, which both exceeded and failed to meet expectations

MOVIES
‘Avatar’ Is No. 1 but Without a Record
By BROOKS BARNES
Published: December 21, 2009
James Cameron’s colossal space adventure opened No. 1 in North American theaters with about $73 million in tickets but fell short of industry expectations.


Read the full story here

Fever Pitch?

AMC's Mad is one of the best shows on Tv (don't believe me check the amount of Emmy's, and for a cable show at that). For those out of the loop, Mad Men tells the story of the creation of the "American Dream", that is the myth created by Madison Avenue ad men. The story focuses on amoral hard drinking businessman Don Draper. While Draper cheats on his wife and is a liar, he is an enigmatic man who loves his children, has an intense work ethic, prefers the old-fashioned way of doing business and puts the clients before profit. The show, now in its third season, has steadily increased in popularity as it cleaned up at the Golden Globes and Emmy the last two years. It has been a critic's favorite since the beginning now it is inspiring pop culture and has partially brought about return of mid-century fashion and mid-century inspired ads. It has been spoofed on SNL and even Sesame Street ha spoofed it.

Catch it Sundays on AMC at 9.