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 ...

Mathematics of Layla

Bernard Chazelle explains "the technical part" of Eric Clapton's classic "Layla." Played here with an assist from Mark Knopfler, for those in need of a reminder. The intro and chorus follow the progression of "All Along the Watchtower" (i-VII-VI-VII-i, ie here, Dm-C-Bb-C-Dm): one of the most common chord sequences in rock (0:27-1:10). The song is in Dm, but the verse ...

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. ...

Why is AC/DC Underrated?

Gene Ulm, a partner in my wife's firm,  points to some facts that I did not know and bet you didn't either: You would never know it by reading the rock-and-roll press: metal band AC/DC has sold more records in the U.S. than Michael Jackson or Bruce Springsteen. More than 200 million albums world-wide and trail only the Beatles as the ...

Google Wave Pulp Fiction

Megan McArdle points me to this amusing video about which  Gizmodo's John Herrmann gushes, "I've read the articles, watched the instructional videos, and gotten an invite, but nothing—nothing—has done more to explain to me how this mind-melting Internet Thing works than Pulp Fiction, spectacularly adapted for Google Wave. (Warning: Tarantino language ahead)" It's an entertaining illustration but, frankly, not one that ...

Drinking Like ‘Mad Men’

I'm getting the distinct sense that Slate's Double X spin-off is some sort of elaborate spoof rather than a smart, female-centric magazine.  Yesterday, via Julian Sanchez, I came across their insipid advice column saying it pushed the "limits of friendship" to expect one's friends to not leave you for dead after you'd been administered a date rape drug.  Today, via ...

Regulating Loud Commercials

Peter Suderman and Berin Szoka provide sane, libertarian arguments against the Nanny State regulating the volume of television commercials.  While they both find the longstanding practice where the ads are several decibels higher than the surrounding programming annoying, they nonetheless argue that it's not a matter where government should intervene. Says Suderman, It's easy enough to turn your TV ...

Letterman Reveals Affairs, Extortion Attempt

David Letterman was the victim of an extortion attempt and took a novel approach: going public. Michael Schneider for Variety: On the show, Letterman sat down behind his desk and asked his audience whether they wanted to hear a story -- and the crowd enthusiastically cheered, not knowing what they were about to hear. According to the host first received a package three ...

Wizard of Oz Turns 70

Glenn Reynolds' post noting "The Wizard of Oz turns 70 years old" was the latest of what is becoming for me an all-too-frequent occurrence: reading a completely different context and being momentarily confused.   My immediate reaction was "There's no way in hell Ozzie Smith is 70."   (He turns 55 the day after Christmas, making him older than I'd have guessed.) Of ...

Child Rape in Afghanistan and Hollywood

Joshua Foust continues to call attention to widespread and institutionalized child rape -- mostly man-on-boy -- in Afghanistan, this time with a report that Canadian soldiers had been quietly told to ignore the practice because we needed the cooperation of the leaders doing the raping. Steve Hynd, naturally, wonders why this isn't widely reported and why senior U.S. officials aren't ...

Star Trek Meets Monty Python

A well-done Star Trek - Monty Python mashup: via Glenn Reynolds

Roman Polanski Arrested, Fighting Extradition

Roman Polanski, who fled the United States in 1977 after conviction for raping a 13-year-old, has been arrested in Switzerland and is fighting extradition to Los Angeles. Polanski, who fled the United States in 1978, was detained Saturday after arriving to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival. It was not clear why U.S. authorities had chosen this ...

Jon Stewart on ACORN Scandal

I'm a couple days behind on my "Daily Show" viewing but Ed Morrissey points me to this clip of his reaction to the ACORN scandal, in which the community organizers offer helpful advice to a fake pimp-hooker combo in evading criminal detection and claiming their underage Central American sex slaves as dependents on their taxes. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon ...

What’s the Difference, Jed?

Steve Benen and DougJ give NewsBusters' Tim Graham a hard time for noting that the Washington Post obituary for Patrick Swayze, who died overnight from pancreatic cancer, fails to give "Red Dawn" its due, quipping, "There are clearly no fortysomething Reaganites working in the Washington Post newsroom." I was prepared to chide Benen and DJ for failing to get a self-deprecating joke, ...

Obama: Kanye West a ‘Jackass’

The big buzz on the blogs this morning is that ABC's Terry Moran -- best known as the brother of RWNH's Rick -- Tweeted "Pres. Obama just called Kanye West a "jackass" for his outburst at VMAs when Taylor Swift won. Now THAT'S presidential." The Tweet in question was soon removed with ABC providing this explanation to Politico: In the process of ...