Beyonce Goes Beyond

Beyonce is dropping her new double album tomorrow titled I Am...Shasha Fierce. The album will showcase 2 sides of Beyonce - her soft & sensitive raw side, and her booty shakin' sista side. I'm assuming we'll get hit with double single releases, as we have already. If I Were a Boy has Beyonce pouring her heart out in a solid ballad about heart break, wishing the ex knew how it felt to be in her shoes. The flip side All the Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) is an all out foot-stomper. I defy you not to shake your ass as she celebrates new found freedom and being seen out after the breakup. 2 sides to the same situation. 

Supporting these singles are amazing, old school music videos. YouTube has them viewed at well over the 5 million mark. And All The Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) is such a cool fosse tribute, and it will bend your mind as you try to decide if Beyonce's moves are sexy or a full body seizure.

But it's sad the Beyonce is falling into this alternate persona gimmick like others before her. The one that comes to mind is Chris Gaines. Who? I bet you forgot too, just like Beyonce did. Chris Gaines was Garth Brooks' alternative rocker persona, complete with self-titled CD (the Garth Brooks official site won't even acknowledge it in his discography) and fictional biography. The character just served to confuse & frustrate fans with fake appearances on SNL & Behind the Music, and quickly died out. 

Sasha Fierce may suffer the same fate if Beyonce takes herself too seriously with it. And, by the publicity shots of her, I think she is. B has been seen rockin' her metal glove on the red carpet. Which means she's selling it...hard. 

At worst, Beyonce will need to bounce back from Sasha like Mr. Brooks. At best, she's just expanding on Mariah's success with Mimi.

SNL: So Not Laughing

While Tina Fey provided a much-needed boost for Saturday Night Live, she also left them with their pants down. The spotlight is so hot on SNL these days. They're riding some nice Thursday night Weekend Update time, and NBC even gave them a 9:30 slot on Saturday night. Confusing? Yes. But still a good opportunity. 

More confusing? The SNL writers couldn't capitalize on the attention and actually break out some funny sketches. Even with Paul Rudd, one of the best comedic actors out there, SNL fell seriously flat last week. The highlight was the answer to the question "How do we fill 3 minutes of Weekend Update without Amy?": Get Justin Timberlake to do anything. Maybe JT should moonlight as a writer? 

Check out one of the more flat sketches (one that 'could' have been funny). 

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The opinion of this aspiring sketch writer? Utilize Bill Heder & Will Forts more. Don't put Andy in a supporting role, let him do a character! When he's given a supporting role, we're all just watching to see what he's going to do. When it's nothing, he's just wallpaper. 

TV is Back...with a Vengence!

I've been on vacation, and now, I'm on a catch-up media binge. As soon as I'm through the most recent premieres, I'll get some reviews out. Until then, check out the Fall TV premier schedule that the good people at TV Addict put together.

What are my hopes pinned on?

- The Office (NBC)

- Fringe (Fox - and it's a JJ Abrhams joint)

- How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

- Big Bang Theory (CBS)

- 30 Rock (NBC)

- Heroes (NBC)

...plus I'll be pining for LOST (ABC) until February

Just When You Thought You Got Your TV Back...

You thought, "phew, the Olympics are over! Phelps, we'll see you in 4...now back to my regularly scheduled programming."

But you were wrong.

Your viewing pleasures will be interrupted - this time on every network, not just NBC - for National Convention Craziness. The buzz has started already. This morning's Today Show featured the complete rundown of security in Denver (snipers included) for the Democratic National Convention (where the stars come out to play politics). Next week, we'll see the same insanity for the Republicans.

After it's all over, we'll be treated to new episodes of Heroes (9/22), 30 Rock (not until 10/30? Blurg!), and How I Met Your Mother (9/22, where teen stars get reborn). Until then, NBC has been kind enough to keep you away from their advertisers with gems like 'America's Got Talent' and 'Deal or No Deal'. At least CBS and ABC are kind enough to serve up reruns and bizarre Japanese game show rip offs.

Best Title to a Blog Post...Ever

No, really.
http://thesuperficial.com/2008/08/kerri_walsh_wants_aids_to_butt.php

Unfamiliar with The Superficial? Put down your copy of the Wall Street Journal, ya square!

Damn You Musical Theater...This Time You've Gone Too Far!!

First there were musicals. I enjoy the catchy tunes and the fact that everyone knows all the words in seemingly spontaneous outbursts of song.

Then, there were "Juke Box" musicals. I cringe at the thought of which band will whore themselves out to Broadway - I'm thinking we're probably going to see a Rolling Stones musical sometime soon. (exception: I have hope that the Flaming Lips will blow our collective minds when they turn Yoshimi into a musical. That said, I think it will be unlike anything yet to hit the stage.)

Now, the Athleti-bio musical. David Beckham's life (so far) is going to transformed into an all-singing, all-dancing Broadway spectacular. Move over Godspell, David Beckham: The Theater of Dreams is going to be fueled by "gospel like rock" and will chronicle his rise to stardom and his spicy (get it?! yay) romance with Posh. I'm sure it will include his move to LA (backed by the song "You say soccer, I say football") and his ever changing hairstyles ("I feel pretty").

Mark Archer (of In the Company of Men fame) is in pitch mode to get this steaming pile of musical on the stage in London's West End. I imagine every fame-seeking stage hopeful will be doing sit ups and bleaching their hair from now until casting is announced.

What happened to original stories and music again? I guess if it's dead in Hollywood (thanks, remake of Miami Vice) it's dead on the stage too....

What if They Made It: Beyonce & Gwyneth Paltrow?

The new, highly controversial Feria (from Loreal Paris) ad has Beyonce roots lightened - and obviously I don't just mean her hair. Not only is she Michael Jackson-ized, but is that even her nose? None of Beyonce's people have issued a comment, and I doubt we should even expect one. Unfortunately, her picture is essentially Loreal's to manipulate (as is usual for these kind of contracts). If they weren't paying her $4.7 Million for about 10 days of work, she might be a little more vocal about it. For that much cash I'd let them make me look like this.

But how did this get through the art department? Didn't the creative director say "hey, isn't this supposed to be super star soul sister Beyonce - not the newest cast member of Desperate Housewhites?" Loreal denies changing the color. Is it a case of bad photoshop skills (like when you start fiddling with the color values so much that you think it looks great - but in reality you and all your friends look bright red)? Doubtful. Loreal is kidding themselves if they expect us to think they don't manipulate their advertising. By now, we've all seen the Dove video, we know how these things go down.

Socialized Television -or- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Olympics

The Olympics are underway - don't miss the opening ceremonies, it's the one thing on TV that doesn't get a rerun. While I typically don't like my regularly scheduled programming to be preempted, I do love me some Olympics. Operative word here being 'some.' However, Olympic coverage will be shoved down our throats, as if we were being raised for fois gras.

While I am excited to see some of the events, I am a little disappointed in the American news channels glazing over the atrocities being committed in the name of Olympic peace and love (about 1 million people displaced). Even so, I have a feeling the controversies will increase and the threat of 'bad things' happening is pretty high. I feel like this is the part where the bully gets the lead in the high school play, and the drama kids use it as an opportunity to get their revenge. So Matt Lauer and Bob Costas better be prepared to switch their fluff-mode reporting off pretty quickly.
Me? I’ll be watching some movies and trying to catch the “off” sports (ping pong? I’m there)…all while nervously awaiting a special report to preempt my preempted programming.

Get Your LOST fix!

The latest LOST ARG has officially gotten underway! As you'll soon learn, I live for LOST, and I, like many fans get totally "lost" (get it?) in the story and pseudo universe that it takes place within. Given this obsession, I get withdrawal from the series. It's like my friends all left me, and aren't coming back until February - and even then, they're only hanging out for a few weeks! Al Rocker never leaves me for months at a time (yes, I count Al as a TV friend, we're not as tight as me and Hurly, but we're buds).
LOST, in addition to being a killer show that always delivers, they help cure the no-new-episode shakes of their loyal (freaky obsessive) fans. TPTB come through with an ARG - in layman's terms: Alternative Reality Game - almost every year. The first one, in 2006, was "The Lost Experience" was high budget, high in product placement, and with a high involvement factor. I started off strong, but alas, work, home, and social life got in the way. Not only did it serve to bring it network-friendly sponsors, but developed the stories behind the Dharma Initiative and enigmatic Alvar Hanso (who, I believe, will become a key figure to the end game of this show). 2007/08 brought us the less time-intensive (and less immersive) Find 815. It was more of a story; lots of sweet interactive video, puzzles to solve, and hidden pictures to find. Find 815 helped to jolt us out of the fantasy island realm, and reminded viewers that time is continuing, with or without them. That, and introducing the idea of the rescue boat (aka Frieghties if you're a fan).
This year - Dharma Wants You! It was announced as Octagon Global Recruiting -a faux ad that aired during the season finale. The dates mentioned? Comicon in San Diego. From that event, it grew to involve more recruiting videos, quizzes, and enigmatic behind the scenes info.
The game is in the early stages, but promises to give some more info about the fall of Dharma, and the purpose behind it to begin with. I think we'll find out if the Dharma Initiative is good guys, bad guys, or an innocent victim in the Others' quest to keep control of the island (or the Ben vs Widmore debacle...which I won't confuse non-fans with). But I guess we'll have to wait and see how this one measures up (both in entertainment value, and marketing value).

The Next Food Network Flop

Just a quick commentary on the finale of the Next Food Network Star that aired on Sunday. WHAT A RIP! I won't watch Aaron's show...he should've been kicked off weeks ago! I hate the phony forced smile that is him "showing personality." Sorry FN programming board - the entertaining personalities will bring you ratings, not the ones that do exactly what you decide is "the right kind of show." I'd have taken either Adam or Lisa's shows over Aaron's phony hospitality any day!

Sigur Ros: Believe the Hype

Who is this band you keep hearing about from your friends in dark-rimmed glasses? Sigur Ros...hmmm...are they German?



No - they're from Iceland, where indie rock apparently grows really well. But to call Sigur Ros rock is a little bit of a stretch. They fall into my category of "fuckin' good" (to be super eloquent). They're one of those bands where language doesn't matter, in fact, this band takes it to the next level, often crossing the barrier to a nonsensical language referred to as "Vonlenska." So, no, don't be intimidated because they're not exclusively English (neither is Beyonce anymore). In fact, if you've seen The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, CSI, or Vanilla Sky (I long for the days when Tom Cruise was just insanely hot, not insane) you've probably heard them. They have an ethereal sound (not like Enya ethereal, I promise). Their latest release Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust is my latest morning music. I mean, don't go nuts and wear a scarf in July, but gorge on some indie sounds.

Achey-Breaky Baby

Yowzas! Kids love Miley Cirus - breaking news right? I chow on media, but am sans kids, so the tween trends are on the fringe. I dove into the High School Musical mania a few months back for a project my agency did with Ashely Tisdale (check it out...it's super cute), and I was a teenager during the NKOTB insanity, so I'm well aware of the younger set's tendency to latch on to things and scream loudly. Usually, the appeal is limited and kids move on, and the pattern repeats. Well, the teen queen crown has been passed from Gibson to Spears, and now...to Cirus.

Seeing her perform live on the Today Show today (to an extraordinary number of kids - they even had to close down 48th street) was impressive. I'm a pop cynic, and figure most "musicians" are produced pretty heavily. She actually sounded excellent live, given that many acts have difficulty on the Today stage (ugh...remember Debbie Harry last year). And her stage presence was really admirable.

But, will she make it past the screaming? She absolutely has the talent and training by Disney. Cirus has the tools, and even was smart enough to rock a decent stage name - if you didn't know, her real name is Destiny (who knew Billy Ray was a hippy). She's doing well now, and with smart management she should rocket through to at least 2010 (Hannah Montana the movie drops in 09). Then, she'll be a little overexposed to the non-tweeners. Then what? Drugs, suggestive pictures? Yes, she'll be in her late teens, it's inevitable, but she should keep it recreational, and not get caught!

Miley needs to look to her fellow Disney alum Christina Aguilera. No, she doesn't have the same powerhouse voice, but she can have a powerhouse career. Take your pan off the stove once it gets hot! Sit back, focus on the important thing - making good music. Xtina did some weird stuff, then took 4 years in between releases to collect herself. What happened? She set herself up for a lasting career with another new sound. Miley is already evolving her sound past the "school is so lame" songs - See You Again has even made it into my workout mix (and I'm a complete music snob). As long as she follows the patterns of those who've successfully become adults not just stars (yeah Spears, I'm talkin' 'bout you) I might just buy her next CD...and I won't be alone.

Oh...and that means keeping her shirt on for pics until she's at least 21.

The Spark Just Ain't There

I, like most women, struggle with my weight. And, like most women, I could use to lose a pound or two. I'm pretty devout when it comes to my weight loss program of choice, but my attention span leaves something to be desired (hey - I'm media addict...what did you expect?).
So in the past few months, I've been exploring SparkPeople.com - a fitness site geared toward...everyone? I'm not really sure. While I've found some information and exercises intriguing, I never got hooked by Spark People. The site is tough to get used to...there's almost too much going on. I find the illustrations of the exercise moves limited.
On the flip side, the community seems pretty strong, up to date. Not quite as active as say, theknot.com, but active yes.
The part that really gets me, was Spark Points. It's designed to be another way to track progress (code for: "get off the scale, you're making yourself crazy"). However, there's no payoff in the points. I get virtual trophies? I'd rather have them converted to MyPoints so I can get some cold hard gift cards to buy clothes for my newly svelte ass.

Project Runway - Will it work?

Season 5 of Project Runway premiered on Bravo last week. But is this basic cable hit losing its flair? I hope for truly original personalities to emerge, but so far we have the usual: flamboyant, catty, rocker, overconfident, wacky hair, takes-self-to-seriously, etc. etc...



On my early hateradar is Blayne, the self-tanning junkie who wishes to become the next Christian "Fierce" Siriano. My first impression of him is that he lacks the authenticity and personality of Siriano, who won season 4 (and a bonus of being impersonated on SNL). Blayne already turned me off by forcing his "licious" verbiage on everything. Is it really possible to come across as "trying to hard" on a reality show? I assume most reality TV participants to be a little over-the-top in order to get screen time, but lots gets edited out, and it makes for good watchin'.


However, is PR waning because of behind the scenes network squabbles? As of next season, PR will be moving from the increasingly hip, NBC-owned Bravo network, to the decidedly unfashionable, Movie of the Week graveyard that is Lifetime. (who, even though they're a media company, failed to secure the URL lifetime.com). The Weinstein Company seems to want to do this, presumably to fill his bathtub with jewels and wipe his ass with c-notes. Lifetime needs a hit so badly, I'm sure they give him carte blanche on the sponsorship angle. I expect to see contestants sporting brands like NASCAR cars come season 6.

ABBAlanche!!

In 1972, the world became enamored with the Swedish pop stylings of ABBA. With irresistible little gems like Waterloo, Fernando, and of course Dancing Queen. Just try to go to a wedding, high school dance, or karaoke bar without being trapped by an ABBA song. Of course, their tasty little hooks will keep you elated, but you'll feel guilty in the morning.

We're in the middle of an ABBAlanch. We were treated with the indie hit Muriel's Wedding in 1994. Muriel (played by Toni Collette) has an insatiable desire to have a wedding - paired with an incurable ABBA obsession. It is awkward, funny, sweet...and fueled by ABBA.

Muriel's Wedding was a source of inspiration (per IMDB's trivia section) for the theater equivalent of The Titanic - Mama Mia. The plot was adapted from Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell - set to the ABBA catalog - and needless to say - was a GIANT success. Worldwide obsession-level success. Successful enough to spur...yet another movie.

Opening tomorrow (July 18th) here in the US, the Meryl-Streep-led cast of beautiful people (Colin Firth....aw yeah) enjoy the ultimate Karaoke party in the movie adaptation of Mama Mia. Yes, we've come full circle. And, after watching the trailer to research this - it does look like a fun chick flick. Why? You already know the songs! If you were born between 1975 and 1982, there's a good chance these songs are implanted in your soul (you're not to blame...it's the media!). Plus, I have to trust that Ms. Streep would have the judgement (although, she did take part in She-Devil).

I expect this will be the "Batman was sold out, so we had to see this" movie. Remember Phenomenon with John Travolta (it's like Powder...but, ya know, with Scientology)? You probably only saw that in the theater because you couldn't find a parking place before your showing of Independence Day was full. But will it have the cult draw of Muriel's Wedding? Will it be the next great musical (Chicago) or the next overrated music video (Dreamgirls)?

But, ABBA keeps going strong. They're appearing on more movie soundtracks, including this summer's Get Smart remake, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry last year. I expect this trend to continue. Now that ABBA has past from the "This song takes me back to..." crowd to the kitsch-zone, it is on the way to becoming "classic." (I'll cover more about disco and other music becoming 'classic' in another post).

The bigger question: what will fall next in the ABBAlanche? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a first person shooter...

Keep it Light: Vote Spraychel

Yup, it's only August and I'm already exhausted of politics. However, we're in a bit of a political media slump thanks to Hillary finally saying 'uncle' and letting Obama do his thing (although the press due to the heated battle can't be beat). Since the Daily Show and Colbert Report is only on like 7 times a day, you probably have a few minutes to feed your brain with politically driven comedy.

Take a magical trip to VoteSpraychel.com and travel inside the refrigerator to watch your favorite fruits and vegetables try to choose between the fat slinging Maxwell Butterman (Butter) or the zero calorie sweetheart, Spraychel (the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray). The animated webisodes are accompanied by fantabulously addictive games too. My fav way to binge an hour away.

Oh - did I mention there's fat cash associated with it - $400k (that's how much we pay the president every year - yet another reason I wish I could pull a Wesley Snipes and not pay taxes).

The clever agency behind this one? Story Worldwide*

*If I cooked it, I can still binge on it

Those Boys of Mine

My Boys TBS Thursdays @ 9:30

Thanks to my DVR, I've been able to enjoy My Boys on TBS. For some reason, cable series don't register in my head as being aired on regular days/times. I think it's a self-preservation thing since the 'seasons' are not in line with the major networks and there seems to be a "let's see how it does here...no here...no here!" programming mentality on cable. Not to mention the basic cable standard of replaying the prime time lineup again after midnight (an insomniac staple).

My Boys is a cable series I hate to miss, but love to at the same time. I like to store episodes for a few weeks and then gorge on them. It's one of those shows that speeds up time - like early-era ER or Sex and the City. The quick witted banter, the running jokes (throughout an episode - so you still get it if you miss one), and easy humor makes the 22 minutes go by in a flash.

The writing is extremely clever, and flawlessly natural. The genius lies in writing to the ensemble. Lines don't necessarily stand alone - but the exchanges between characters flows perfectly. Characters stay true to their quirks, the women are strong (without being overbearing bitches) and hold their own without wielding their knockers as weapons. As a girl who is "one of the guys" I appreciate the way they don't make too much out of PJ's issues as "girl things."

My Boys also benefits from great casting. The gal in the group is played by Jordana Spiro who pulls off Tom Boy perfectly (if you saw her in Must Love Dogs - you know ditzy blond ain't her strong suit) and is at home among the wise-assery of the likes of Jim Gaffigan, Jamie Kaler, and Michael Bunin (why does he look familiar? tons of TV bit parts and commercial - yay exposure). The writers are really featuring Gaffigan this year - his comedic style fits in very well with the tone of the show (if you haven't seen his stand up watch this immediately)

Check out full episodes online, or set your season pass to record it. My Boys gets a Media Binge rating of 'Gorge Yourself'.

Queen Latifah: Officially Bored with Premieres

Apparently it's SO good to be the Queen, you don't even need to try. Groundbreaking female rapper turned Hollywood fancy-pants forgot to call her stylist for the premiere of Hancock. She sported a sweat suit for the evening event! And not even a Sopranos-esque "going to the deli and/or nudie bar" sweat suit. She looked like a college student at an 8AM anthropology lecture! Her personal assistant and/or stylist should be banned from all Juicy Couture stores.



The Queen isn't in Hancock, and according to her IMDB profile she has no part in the production. Was she on her way home from the gym and said, "Hey is that Will Smith across the street?" and ran over only to find herself mistakenly in the midst of a blockbuster movie launch? How embarrassing!

Your Legal Matter is Entertainment to CNN

Sorry Christie Brinkley - your divorce proceedings are officially filed under "Entertainment" per CNN.com. Yup, your crumbling personal life is right there nestled on the same page as Madonna's second duet with Britney (cough-deflecting A-Rod news-cough) and TMZ's latest victory (if you call possessing a Mini-Me sex tape a win).

What's worse? A big feature on Billy Joel's breakthrough hit record. Ouch. But don't worry, Christie will be fine - as long as no one finds the picture of her aging in an attic somewhere.

Food Network - Kinda Tastes Like Chicken

Over the past five years or so - I've had a passionate affair with the Food Network. I fell head over heals one summer that I lived alone. Emeril seduced me with his flashy food antics, and Alton sealed the deal by feeding the trivia centers of my brain. Admittedly, the relationship started as a rebound romance - I was dieting hard in preparation for a beach vacation. The Food Network was there to provide hard core food porn that satisfied my needs (I love diet food, but I'm not in love with it).

Since I got hooked (in the heyday of Emeril) the network has churned out household name stars on the first-name-basis level: Rachel, Mario, Bobby, Giada.

Over the last couple years, I've become enamored with the show The Next Food Network Star. I'm a sucker for a cooking competition show, and this came perfectly timed at the heals of the Top Chef finale. However, I'm starting to question the wisdom of judges Susie Fogelson (VP Marketing) and Bob Tuschman (SVP Programming & Production). Why? Because only one of three TNFNS winners have graduated from their awarded six episode commitment to become FN stars. Guy Fieri now has a total of three hot FN series. AND, the entire Food Network lineup is starting to meld into one (more on that later).

This season, the judges seem intent on homogenizing the network. Telling contestants to both bring out their personalities, yet tone them down. Young Kelsey Nixon gets chastised for sparkling on air, while Aaron McCargo gets applauded for finally getting to her level of personality. It seems like they're looking for the contestants to meld into one person.

This homogenization process seems to be happening network-wide. All the new shows seem to be the same: well-coiffed woman, cooking at her kitchen island (almost always the 2nd stove in the room), telling stories about her kids/mom/holiday/last party, extreme closeup of food, a few tips on plating, then tasting her creation and loving it.

This year's TNFNS contestants are being forced into this mold as well. Not too exciting, not too boring, just enough to zonk out to during the day. The standouts have funky formats (Barfoot Contessa's tales from the Hamptons) good hooks (Sandra Lee promises that you too can cut corners to perfection) or giant personalities (I would hang with anyone on Ace of Cakes). I won't even get into the competition shows that are taking over (that's another post). Even the Neelys, with their food innuendos and constant flirtation, seem to be watered down for general consumption.

I just hope that whoever walks away with the title of Next Food Network Star is able to capitalize on it by getting a say in their show. They need to be allowed to carry a show on more than personality/culinary point of view. Don't Disnify the network - let the stars do their thing!

Samuel Israel Drama Fizzles

Samuel Israel, the hedge fund manager who was convicted of relieving his investors of $450 million, then defined the term “flight risk,” turned himself in today. His surrender was anti-climactic compared to his getaway; which included a faux suicide, indicated by the writing the words “suicide is painless” with his finger in the dirt on the windshield of his SUV (I prefer “wash me,” but then again, I’m not a financial super villain – or an avid fan of MASH). Right away, I was convinced it was fake. But then again, I thought he would be hiding out in a Vegas penthouse, a la Buddy Israel in Smokin’ Aces. Or at the very least getting a completely new face in Rio de Janeiro.

Not so. He was hiding out in the wilds of…Massachusetts?? Come on! It didn’t work on the Sopranos when Vito hid out in New Hampshire indulging in Johnny cakes and mustachioed restaurateurs! When Krusty faked his own death to live the gruff life of a fisherman, he was right back in Springfield the next week. I can’t imagine Israel not seeing these episodes. Did he learn nothing?!

“Suicide is Painless” is the title of the theme song from MASH (yep, that song will be stuck with you for a few hours, sorry), so this man was not immune to pop culture. Even if it wasn’t a TV reference (note: he could also be a Family Guy freak), the phrase is one that’s imbedded in media. The song has been covered many times over (Marilyn Manson, Matt Costa, even sampled by Kelis).

According to the New York Times, Israel surrendered by showing up at the police station in Southwick, MA. He was sporting a Billy Joel beard and riding a Yamaha scooter. After hiding out in an RV, not more than 150 miles from where he left his SUV at the Bear Mountain Bridge, he just gave up. In doing so, I think he demoted himself from future feature film (Stephen Glass probably already has a draft with a better ending) right down to ripped-from-the-headlines Law & Order.

Just Let Go of Your Self Control

Welcome.
I'm not just an "avid consumer of media" - I'm an addict. Like all addicts, I binge on my drug of choice frequently and without abandon. Luckily for me, my family, friends, and employers, my drug is not a society-eroding chemical compound, but many forms of communication.

That's what media is, in its basic form: communication. That was the intent from the get-go. Luckily for me, the basics of communication were thrown out in favor of entertainment and advertising (if we were still just linking up universities and army bases, I'd be out of a job....and very, very bored).

Enter Media-Binge.

This blog will focus on all aspects of media. I'll relay my experiences, feelings, and deepest thoughts that occur during my lifelong binge.

Enjoy.