http://www.inthesetimes.com/archives/tags/television/ In These Times features award-winning investigative reporting about corporate malfeasance and government wrongdoing, insightful analysis of national and international affairs, and sharp cultural criticism about events and ideas that matter. en-us Expression Engine jessica@inthesetimes.com seamus@inthesetimes.com Fri, 02 Jun 2006 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2666/pow_shazaam_it_inoriteam/ Dr. Wang is the epitome of nearly every Asian stereotype etched into American consciousness. His skin has a bright yellow cast; his eyes are set in an exaggerated slant. He owns a laundromat, speaks with a ludicrous accent, drives poorly and is incredibly good at math. But Dr. Wang is more than just your garden-variety racial caricature. On "Minoriteam," he is a crusading, wheelchair-bound superhero with a 40-pound brain, who uses profits from his laundromat to head up an equally preposterous group of ethnic superheroes devoted to overthrowing their nemesis: the omnipresent White Shadow. "We use power of racial stereotype to destroy White Shadow," he cries out during one of the episodes. It's Dr. Wang's way of saying, perhaps, that… art and culture television race Susan Maas Fri, 09 Jun 2006 05:00:01 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2671/veronica_mars_class_warrior/ Progressives have an annoying habit when it comes to pop culture. Anytime they fall for a particular TV show, movie or Top 40 hit, they proceed to spend inordinate amounts of time and mental energy convincing themselves that while most of what the corporate media produces is reactionary crap, this particular product is actually subversive, laced with a cutting critique of capitalism, patriarchy or the Bush administration.  I mention this only because I'm about to do the exact same thing. But of course, in this case, it's really, really true: My current television obsession, UPN's "Veronica Mars" (Tuesdays at 8 p.m. CST), is the single most compelling exploration of class anxiety and class friction on the little or big screen… television economy Susan Maas Thu, 06 Jul 2006 05:06:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2721/what_not_to_watch/ Everyone knows fashion is pain, but on television it also involves a generous dose of emotional abuse. Not content with tormenting women with double-zero-sized clothing, arthritis-inducing stilettos, and the self-inflicted wedgie that is the thong, fashion experts have found a way to increase the level of violence: The makeover show. On cable, shows that transform the average ugly duckling into a well-coiffed swan have become ubiquitous: "How Do I Look?" and "Look for Less" on Style Network, "Style by Jury" on Women's Entertainment Network, and the over-hyped metrosexual sensation, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" on Bravo. And that doesn't even include the innumerable makeover segments on talk shows hosted by the likes of Tyra or Oprah. With the exception… Television Gender Susan Maas Fri, 04 Aug 2006 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2745/in_politics_comedy_is_central/ Lewis Black is irate. "The last year and a half is by far the toughest time I've ever spent as a comedian," he confides to the audience in his HBO special, "Red, White and Screwed." "It used to be easy--one or two things might happen in a week. And now, something will happen, and I'll read about something and I go 'I'm going to make that funny,' and then"--here he starts to yell and pace--"the next day, 30 other things would fucking happen! Who can keep track of this shit? I don't even have a ports of Dubai joke, and we're on to immigration." The audience hoots in sympathy. Perhaps this abundance of absurdities helps explain the recent boom in… Media Elections Television Politics Susan Maas Fri, 29 Sep 2006 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/2836/youtube_in_meworld/ Americans are hams. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? The country's motto should be "look at me, look at me!" It's too easy to dismiss such behavior as exhibitionism or acting out. Today large swaths of the populace feel nonexistent without an audience. This tendency to seek attention has accelerated with the recent explosion of social networking and video sharing Web sites. Ostensibly, these sites help us to connect with friends, families and the like-minded, but their names belie this. On MySpace and YouTube, making friends is secondary to generating a virtual fanbase, an online altar to yourself. Why has this compulsion to see and be seen overtaken so many of us? Anthropologist Thomas de Zengotita explores this question… technology television art and culture Susan Maas Mon, 12 Mar 2007 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3067/is_wikipedia_the_new_town_hall/ Public broadcasting everywhere is in crisis, and in part it's because technology seems to be turning pubcasters into dinosaurs. In fact, not just them, but all broadcasters. Consider the business leaders: NBC formally declared itself an "Internet company" and is slashing its analog TV investments. Mega-media mogul Rupert Murdoch bought MySpace last year and is now considering dumping his satellite assets because he's looking forward to wireless digital TV. Pubcasters used to be providers of trusted information. But when bloggers are so busy linking to each other that they hardly have time to watch television or read newspapers, is the mainstream media--even the PBSes and NPRs--becoming irrelevant? No wonder pubcasters are suffering heartburn these days. But why should the rest… media television Susan Maas Thu, 22 Mar 2007 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3082/why_does_cnn_suck/ As the news media struggle to find equilibrium in an era of increased competition and decreased trust, we have some lessons that defy current conventional wisdom. The most important is that newspapers--yes, old, print-based, non-digital, non-instantaneous, so-1950s newspapers--still matter enormously. The other is that the outlet best equipped to provide instant 24-7 news, the cable channel--and CNN in particular--has become a massive failure, especially under the control of Time-Warner. Does CNN really have no shame anymore? The day that Britney Spears shaved her head, the story seemed to be in a 6-minute rotation, lest inquiring minds somehow missed this irrelevant flotsam. The following day it was still a top story, CNN reminding us that her head was, yes, indeed still… media television Susan Maas Sun, 14 Sep 2008 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3906/the_70_billion_spectrum_rip_off/ Digital television -- or DTV for short -- is being hailed for its pristine picture, sound quality and explosion of new channels. Judging from the graphic of a flower and a nearly cloudless sky on the FCC's digital television Web site, sunny days are ahead for TV viewers. Now, it's never nice to rain on someone's parade, but bad news is bad news. Because when it comes to the DTV transition, the forecast looks gloomy. On February 17, just five months from now, all U.S. analog TV stations will switch to digital broadcasting, creating thousands of new channels. (Digital broadcast technology allows several separate TV channels to be compressed into subchannels for what is called "multicasting.") Broadcasters may go from… television Susan Maas