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Saturday, June 21, 2003
The Duke-New Jersey-point guard curse
Considering he was my high school's highest-profile athletic alumnus, it would be very sad if Jay Williams' career is done after breaking his leg in a motorcycle accident. What he was doing with a motorcycle, I'm not sure, especially since Ron Gant and Jeff Kent suffered similar injuries, and they were in supposed violations of their contracts. If I were a Duke point guard with NBA ambitions, I'd be afraid of all motor vehicles. Remember that Bobby Hurley's NBA career was never the same after a near-fatal car accident. But extend it further, and maybe it's just Duke point guards who came from New Jersey Catholic schools. I guess Coach K will be staying from St. Joe's, St. Anthony's, St. Patrick's, Immaculata, Christian Brothers, etc. for the time being.
posted at 1:31 AM
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
Short attention span theater
When did whole music videos become too much for viewers to digest? I've been mildly disappointed while watching VH-1's countdown of the 100 greatest songs of the past 25 years. I have some quibbles with what's on there (no surprise there), but I'm more upset that the shows have offered little more than token video clips and bits and pieces of the song. Instead, each entry features a bunch of talking heads yammering about how great/influential/whatever the song is. The nostalgic interview nuggets work for the addictive I Love the '80s, but I want something more substantial if you're going to be counting down the "greatest" songs.
There is a saving grace to the countdown, thanks to VH-1 Classic's accompanying show that shows all of the videos in their entirety right after the regular VH-1 show ends. It's both fun and a little jarring to see Missy Elliott's "Work It" followed immediately by "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," or the great 1-2-3 combo of "Tempted", "Hot in Herre" and "My Sharona", but then again, a random shuffle of my MP3s would yield the same results. The only thing missing to VH-1 Classic's coverage was a number attached to the start of the video, but that's what the Internet is for (or at least taking notes during the actual countdown.)
The whole process made me nostalgic for days when countdown shows actually showed the whole video with little adornment other than the place on the chart. VH-1's Top 20 Countdown, usually buried early Sunday mornings now, goes in and out of songs quickly, especially those not in the top 10. TRL is even worse, inserting insipid comments from its viewers and cutting much of the videos short to boot. I could be wrong, but didn't those kids vote to see all three or four minutes of a video? I guess that's what the digital-tier channels like MTV Hits are for now. In an ever-expanding cable/satellite universe, I guess the "mother" channel is just a gateway for full or niche coverage on other channels. I guess it's a matter of time before ESPN Outdoors becomes a full channel. No wonder no channel or show will get a big rating anymore.
posted at 12:09 AM
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
In praise of crap
Not surprisingly, JD has his review of some of Game Show Network's newest offerings. Funny Money was OK, but nothing spectacular. Take a few pop-culture questions, mix in some half-rate stand-up comics and Kathy Griffin (who must be contractually obligated to work every game or reality show featuring celebrities), and you've got this fine mess of a show. It could get interesting if they add in more curiosities as stand-up acts like the guy who replaced Anne Robinson.
Thanks to GSN, I can also inflict this song either in trash questions or a future audio round. The show needs a lot of work, but for some reason I found it mildly compelling. OK, so his grown daughters are pretty cute, that's a plus. As for not including Scrabble in the show, I'd imagine it was a rights issue since it's not in the current rotation. So there was much creative history being written.
posted at 12:25 AM
In support of Brandon Inge
This is what you get when you let me take the reins of something substantial when someone is on vacation. It's always been my pet project when I have a bunch of All-Star ballots in front of me, it just helps to have a wide outlet to inflict it on the general public.
posted at 12:02 AM
Monday, June 16, 2003
Goodbye, Poopsie
It was sad to hear about the recent passing of Dick Schwarzlose, one of my favorite professors at Medill. He combined the best aspects of a career newspaperman and a seasoned lecturer -- a perfect blend for someone teaching a class on the history of journalism. Schwarzlose always had very interesting lectures and was an excellent storyteller. He was also able to get students involved without forcing anyone into the discussion. The ideas just seemed to flow both from him and the students, which made him one of the most popular professors in the school.
One other interesting bit about him was that he cared about both the professional and academic aspects of journalism and journalism school. That's a difficult combination to find in any school, especially one that is likened to a upscale trade school. I'm glad I got one last chance to hear one of his lectures last fall as part of homecoming/reunion festivities. Other than being in a souped-up new building, it was classic Schwarzlose discussin recent war coverage -- definitely well-thought out, but not reeking of the ivory tower. He was a legend and he will be missed.
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