DVR Saving TV
Television executives have figured out that people watching their shows via TiVo-delay is a good thing. Against almost every expectation, nearly half of all people watching delayed shows are still slouching on their couches watching messages about movies, cars and beer. According to Nielsen, 46 percent of viewers 18 to 49 years old for all four networks taken together are watching ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 2, 2009 08:57
Late Night Sexual Harrassment
Nell Scovell, one of a handful of women who has ever worked as a comedy writer for David Letterman -- or any of the late night comic talk shows -- contends that an atmosphere of sexual harassment routinely exists on those shows: Without naming names or digging up decades-old dirt, let’s address the pertinent questions. Did Dave hit on me? No. ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on October 28, 2009 09:00
Caption Contest
Time for the Monday OTB Caption ContestTM (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) Winners will be announced Thursday PM Last Thursday Contest winners will be announced Tuesday PMPosted in Outside The Beltway on September 7, 2009 09:03
Manly Thoughts
What you've missed the past week if you're not reading Manzine: Features: Mad About Mad Men (James Joyner) - “Mad Men” is the hottest show on TV, having somehow captured the zeitgeist with its meticulous portrayal of early 1960s Manhattan. Guide to Homebrewing Beer (Tim F) - Brewing your own beer is pretty easy. Here are answers to questions would-be homebrewers often ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 15, 2009 08:55
Writing for Money
Harlan Ellison's rant "Pay the Writer" is getting some favorable linkage, notably from Max Boot and Michael Totten. He vows that "I don't take a piss without getting paid." Which, I suppose, is good work if you can get it. Ellison is an all-time great and he's been getting paid to write -- and been famous -- since before I was born. ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 6, 2009 08:18
Fox Says No to Obama 100 Day Stunt
Friday, noting that President Obama was costing the television networks millions by constantly demanding prime time for news conferences, I mused, "given the availability of a half dozen cable news channels, I’m not sure why the networks don’t just go with original programming." Someone must be reading because Fox will be running "Lie to Me" instead. Now there's an opportunity for ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on April 28, 2009 06:17
Susan Boyle Gets Makeover
This was inevitable: Singing sensation Susan Boyle — whose dowdy image contrasted so greatly with her angelic voice that she became an instant Internet celebrity — has gone in for a makeover. Boyle, 47, had her graying, frizzy hair dyed chestnut brown and styled in what The Sun tabloid says was a 35-pound ($50) makeover. And instead of the old-fashioned dress she ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on April 24, 2009 08:54
Obama TV Appearances Take Toll on Networks
News photographers surround the teleprompter as US President Barack Obama delivers opening remarks during his primetime press conference in the East Room of the White House on March 24, 2009 in Washington. Obama told his crisis-weary nation he sees signs of economic progress but pleaded for "patience" as he battles to overcome the worst financial maelstrom in decades. (Getty Images) President ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on April 24, 2009 06:48
One of These Is Not Like the Other
Timothy Sandefur is embarrassed: So I was watching this insane video of Christopher Hitchens and Salman Rushdie discussing the War on Terrorism with Mos Def. And it’s amusing to laugh at the utterly hapless ignorance of "Mr. Def," as he is repeatedly called—until you stop and wonder. Why is the black community not outraged by this? Bill Maher hosts a talk ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on March 31, 2009 11:38
17 Hours of News: 15 Too Many
Justin Fox gets it just right on the current flap between Comedy Central's Jon Stewart and CNBC's Jim Cramer: Even with the best of intentions, you can't be on the air live for 17 hours a day and only broadcast intelligent things. And CNBC's intention is not to do good, but to get as many affluent people as possible to ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on March 14, 2009 05:23
Reality TV Politics
Steven Donegal has achieved what I'm pretty sure is an OTB first: An InstaLink to a comment, for this entry in yesterday's Obama as Jackie Robinson discussion. There's only one way to resolve this 3 am thing: reality TV. Set up a TV program where each candidate is called unexpectedly at 3am and tell them of some impending crisis in ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 28, 2008 09:29
Americans Want Government Speech Control
A plurality of Americans want "government [to] require all radio and television stations to offer equal amounts of conservative and liberal political commentary" and nearly a third believe even privately owned blogs should have that requirement, Rasmussen reports. Nearly half of Americans (47%) believe the government should require all radio and television stations to offer equal amounts of conservative and liberal ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 15, 2008 07:48
Google Search Moving Web 2.0
Michael Arrington previews what purports to be a prototype of a new Google search experience, incorporating user commenting and voting such as we see on Digg and other social media sites: The video above shows a user interface being bucket tested by Google to select (probably randomly determined) users. Earlier today we showed a screen shot of the interface and a ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 17, 2008 09:09
‘World’s Greatest Dad’ Arrested in Internet Sex Sting
Not our standard fare but a hard one to resist: A man from Oakland County [Michigan] has been arrested and charged in an Internet sex sting. Daniel Everett, 33, of Clarkston was talking online with a 14-year-old girl who he met in a chat room. The two had graphic sexual conversations and Everett propositioned the teen to meet him for sex. But ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 16, 2008 09:56
Bloggers and Journalism: False Dichotomy
Stilgherrian has attended one too many Future of Media conferences and he has a long tirade for Old Media journalists whining about bloggers and professional standards. What’s tiring about this false dichotomy is that it compares the highest ideal of journalism with the lowest grade of personal blogging about what the cat did yesterday and — lo and behold! — they’re ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 16, 2008 07:09
