February 24th, 2005
I reviewed Edward Jay Epstein’s The Big Picture last week and wanted to plug the book again. If you are interested in the movie industry, The Big Picture is absolutely essential reading. It’s Hollywood’s Moneyball.
Also, check out Epstein’s excellent site and blog.
0 commentsSlate's Blogwatch
February 24th, 2005
Following in the proud tradition of Judy Woodruff, Slate now has a feature to follow blogs. (This new “Where the blogs are at”-style feature will be useful for about 24 months, until everyone on the planet is using RSS feeds.)
In today’s installment, Slate calls Markos Moulitsas (Daily Kos) “reliably Democratic.” Wow. That’s a pretty soft touch, no?
0 commentsMore Lax
February 24th, 2005
It turns out that lacrosse is also being brought to Playstation. The new lax video game is being made by Activision and looks to be an indirect result of EA’s purchase of exclusive rights to NFL video games. Now other studios will look to lesser-known sports. Perhaps more good news for the NLL.
0 comments"Thank you Hollywood!"
February 24th, 2005
The group Citizens United has put up three billboards in Los Angeles that they hope will be seen during the Oscars. This would be gloating.
Still funny, though.
0 commentsAndrew Sullivan, uncredited
February 24th, 2005
In his most recent Sunday Times column, Andrew Sullivan pontificates about the spread of iPods and how they have allowed people to retreat from civil society into little personal bubbles. It’s a very good piece.
The only problem is that Christine Rosen wrote a bigger, better version of this piece several weeks ago in the New Atlantis. Her essay, “The Age of Egocasting,” covered the social and societal effects of the remote control, TiVo, and the iPod. It is crackerjack stuff. And it is hard to imagine that her piece was not the inspiration for Sullivan’s newspaper column. Yet Sullivan does not mention Rosen’s piece even once.
This is no great journalistic sin. It isn’t plagiarism. In fact you could make an argument that cannibalizing the work of your betters without giving them proper credit is one of the founding precepts of journalism. Indeed, this sort of thing happens all the time.
But it is unfair and ungracious nonetheless. Andrew Sullivan, who once edited the august New Republic, should know better.
0 commentsLacrosse on Network TV!
February 24th, 2005
Galley Brother (and lax phenom) B.J. emails with news that the National Lacrosse League’s all-star game will be on network television for the first time. This Saturday and 2:00 p.m. est, NBC will air the all-star game and on May 14, they’ll air the league championship game. It’s a huge step for the sport.
This moment is brought to you by the NHL.
0 commentsMadness in Philadelphia
February 24th, 2005
Toni Kukoc, Keith Van Horn, Glenn Robinson, and now Chris Webber. The Sixers make another blockbuster deal for another aging, past-his-prime malcontent.
0 commentsKinsley-Estrich: No Way Out
February 23rd, 2005
The Washington Examiner has already delivered a major contribution to journalism by publishing this astonishing exchange between Michael Kinsley and Susan Estrich.
It’s not clear who’s the good guy in this fight (or if there is a good guy), but it’s awfully satisfying to see what happens when someone refuses to be cowed by Kinsley’s smug, hyper-intellectual snootyness.
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