Category Archives: TV

2012 Year In Review: From the Royal Baby to “Call Me Maybe”

Posted on by
1

2012Was 2012 the year of Barack Obama, Usain Bolt, PSY, or Kony 2012? This past year’s headlines were filled with both uplifting and tragic news, but there are other reasons to celebrate: never in the history of the world has there been less hunger, disease, poverty, or inequality. The developing world’s economies are growing, global life expectancy is rising, and AIDS and malaria are declining. Thanks to globalization and relative global peace, 2012 can literally be measured as the best year ever – and not just because Jersey Shore ended. Now let’s turn back the clock and check out the headlines. Continue reading →

SCREEN: Top 10 Worst of 2012

Posted on by
Reply

Sometimes the best “Top 10 Lists” are made up of the ten worst. Here are the five worst television shows and the five worst movies made in 2012. Together they make up the ten worst productions to hit the screen last year. Continue reading →

EDITORS’ CHOICE: Top 10 TV Shows of 2011

Posted on by
1

TV

By: Jonathan Forani and Taylor Pearce

TV’s been called a vast wasteland, a mind numbing pastime and the bane of modern day society. So why do we still watch it? In 2011, it was because of shows like the ten featured below, which show how, despite J-Shore and reality television’s ratings reign, TV can also mean quality. Continue reading →

Top 10 TV Shows of 2011

Posted on by
4

TVTelevision often acts as a little slice of escapism in a hectic world. 2011 was a year of unrest in many ways, and so television, with its little vignettes of un-reality, was perhaps more important to some than ever before. TV is also often an arena for the exploration of hot-button issues and social taboos, and 2011 was no different.  Whether you seek escapist flights of fancy or something a little more stimulating, here’s the best TV 2011 had to offer. Continue reading →

TV Talks Religion, But Why?

Posted on by
Reply

Dexter/The Walking DeadIt’s that time of year again: when all our favourite television shows return to our screens and monitors. Two of the most anticipated returns to the small screen this year have been the newest seasons of Showtime’s Dexter and AMC’s The Walking Dead, and they share a striking similarity. Yes, these two dramas, one about a sociopathic cop-by-day-serial-killer-by-night and one about a ragtag group of survivors stuck in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, do have something in common. Apparently this season, religion is in vogue. But is there an ulterior motive for this invasion of piety on our TV screens, and does how each show deals with the subject paint a more revealing picture? Continue reading →

Blame it on Glee

Posted on by
3

We all did regretful things as teenagers. One too many drinks at a friend’s party lead to one too many drunken words. Heck, it still happens. And now the once-innocent glee-clubbers of Fox’s inanely popular show have now joined a new club: one that glorifies shots of Goose and Henny instead of singing the woes of teenhood in carousel horse sweaters.

In this week’s Glee ep (“Blame it on the Alcohol”), Rachel Berry threw a house party for her fellow glee members, all of whom, with the exception of Kurt and Finn, got drunk off of wine coolers. Despite the warnings of Mr. Schuester, the episode continued with some alcoholic hangover cures and some pre-performance jitter juice.

Although the episode was intended to show the negative effects of drinking, it presented two contrasting ideas.

Continue reading →

Gervais should be praised for subversive jabs

Posted on by
1

Kanye is right – the douchebags need a toast.

While there was some of the usual glass-clinking going on at the Golden Globe Awards last Sunday, the praise was mixed for sophomore host Ricky Gervais. Some applauded his wise-cracks with a hesitant clap while others criticized the comedian for his supposed “bad form,” begging the question: Should comedians hold back when celebs are the target?  The negative responses to Gervais were largely based on the warped belief that we should be nice to celebrities. And there’s nothing more offensive than that.  Continue reading →

TV: Top 10 of 2010

Posted on by
Reply
Good TV is the best kind of entertainment.
The characters last longer than a few hundred pages or a couple hours, making the commitment level required for TV one of the most interesting aspects of the medium. Why do we do it? Why do we sit on the couch (or at our desks) for houring consuming what has been called a “vast wasteland”? It’s because nothing beats good TV. When television is good, it’s damn good.
After the jump, check out our list of the best 2010 had to offer, from the culturally significant to the plain hilarious and the utterly captivating.

Continue reading →

Dexter is more violent than ever… and that’s fantastic.

Posted on by
Reply

DexterWhether it’s for excessive amounts of sexual content, swearing or violence, CBS’s Showtime television network has definitely been recognized for its controversial programming. Popular television series Dexter is perhaps the most talked-about in this regard (have you heard Debra’s mouth or seen Dexter work a knife?). The show’s notorious fifth season is certainly no exception.

For those viewers who haven’t been tuning in each week (fourth season spoiler alert!), last season’s finale was quite the blood bath — literally. Our favourite serial killer found his son, Harrison, sitting all alone in a pool of his mother’s blood. She had been murdered in the bathtub of their beautiful Miami home as the result of Dexter’s involvement with the “Trinity killer”. After a finale like that, it was no surprise that the premiere of the fifth season would bring in quite a few viewers — and it did: approximately 2 million tuned in giving Showtime its best premiere in over 15 years. Continue reading →

All I Want for Christmas is Glee: wait a second…

Posted on by
4

It can be controversial, hilarious, and informative. Those of us in MIT 2100 (Political Economy of Media) know that Professor Burston strongly believes that it could usher in a new era of a renewed public sphere.

It’s that ever-popular, never-endingly topical show called Glee, and it has gained a massive, worldwide following as well as critical praise for its representations of ethnic and sexual diversity. Several Glee characters are Jewish and the show often highlights its own diversity with episodes that deal with issues like sexual orientation, faith, and able-bodiedness. While it is extremely entertaining, Glee also sheds light on important issues that people deal with every day of their lives.

Today, the Glee cast released a Christmas album — wait, a Christmas album? Doesn’t this directly contradict the religious diversity that Glee is so often commended for?  Continue reading →