It looks like we should be very careful what we ask for. On Tuesday night, CNN did this - or at least said it was doing this. The network teamed up with the video site YouTube to host a debate of the Democratic contenders and pretenders in South Carolina. This time the primary questioners were amateur video-makers who submitted their questions to YouTube, competing for CNN air time like a political version of "American Idol." CNN puffed itself up as "groundbreaking" for this effort, suggesting it was offering "real questions from real people." The questioners CNN presented may have given... continue reading
The annual summer Hollywood talkathon known as the Television Critics Association tour goes on for three weeks. The nation's TV critics being demanding apostles for "edginess" in programming, their tour is offering an eye-opening preview of how TV producers are eternally seeking to smash through the next frontier of sex and violence for the latest brief moment of shock and awe. HBO, long honored as the leading grenade-launcher in TV's culture wars, is now lowering itself into pornography in a show called "Tell Me You Love Me." The series deals with the personal relationships and sex lives of four committed... continue reading
Let's be blunt: Michael Moore is one ungrateful leftist hack. CNN had showered him with three hours and ten minutes of face time (repeats included) on "Larry King Live" and "The Situation Room," helping him sell his latest socialist film "Sicko." That kind of attention would make a conservative drool. But when CNN aired a "fact check" piece on his documentary, adding a fraction of balance, he declared jihad, promising in a letter to be CNN's "worst nightmare." CNN medical reporter Dr. Sanjay Gupta put together a fairly mild report taking issue with some of Moore's cinematic claims. For example,... continue reading
The condom makers at Trojan have come up with a new ad. It shows a bar full of human-sized pigs attempting to gain women's attention. The women look bored. Only when one pig wanders into the bathroom, buys a condom, and -voila! - is transformed into a human male hunk, are the women suddenly attracted. "Evolve" is the word on screen at the ad's end. Trojan sought to buy airtime for this commercial on CBS and Fox, both of which have accepted Trojan ads in the past, but this time - voila! - the unexpected happened. The broadcasters rejected the... continue reading
The 2008 presidential campaign could be one of the most critical in recent history. As things now stand, it could also be one of the most tiresome. Nowhere is media snobbishness more evident than when the big picture begins with the snide liberal elitist take on America: is the country "ready" to elect a black like Barack Obama or a woman like Hillary Clinton? If Americans reject the icons of liberalism and vote Republican, apparently they will be proving the country is stuffed with benighted bigots who refuse to "expand America's sense of possibility." Those gauzy words came from Newsweek... continue reading
Now that the legal analysts are done assessing the judicial ramifications of the Supreme Court case of an Alaskan prankster named Joseph Frederick, one thing must be said. It is incorrect to honor Mr. Frederick as the hero of a "landmark" student free-speech case. He is more correctly described as one of the silliest plaintiffs ever to be heard at the Supreme Court. The "speech" at issue in this case was the infamous 14-foot-long "BONG HITS 4 JESUS" banner, flown as a prank outside Juneau-Douglas High School as the official Olympic torch ceremoniously passed through the capital city of Alaska... continue reading
So there was Elizabeth Edwards, wife of the Blow-Dried One, berating Ann Coulter on the art of civil discourse last week. After her phone-in appearance on the Chris Matthews show, St. Elizabeth was the toast of the media town, making the rounds from one network to the next, with rose petals strewn in her path to guide her to her seat, denouncing the "hatefulness" and "ugliness" of conservative commentators. "We can't have a debate about issues if you're using this kind of language," she lectured. It's a good thing none of her interviewers pretended to be objective. It's a good... continue reading
By L. Brent Bozell III In the eyes of most political observers, the Democratic takeover of Congress signaled tougher federal scrutiny of business interests, but those same pundits might make an exception for the entertainment industry given that Hollywood is a major financial base for Democrats. But when the Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on children and TV violence on June 26, the roles seemed to be reversed: it was the Democrats taking the entertainment industry to task as socially irresponsible, while Republicans in general favored the do-nothing approach. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) began with a strong call... continue reading
Bill Dedman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for MSNBC, recently filed a report on the MSNBC website that won't win him any Pulitzers. He investigated political donations made by journalists, and found a resounding liberal tilt: 125 journalists gave to Democrats and liberal causes, and only 16 gave to Republicans. Two gave to both parties. Does this prove cause and effect, a subsequent tilt in the liberal media's coverage of the news? No, but to believe there is no causation at play here is ludicrous: if a survey of journalists found that 86 percent were donors to the National Right... continue reading
Webster's defines "conservatism" as meaning "marked by or relating to traditional norms of taste, elegance, style, or manners." Sadly, today there are those who call themselves "conservative" who have no interest in preserving tradition, who uphold no standards on the question of taste, and who have no appetite for appearing the slightest bit fuddy-duddy on the question of manners. This kind of conservative has embraced the anarchical libertarian worldview which on matters of traditional manners and tastes throws caution to the winds, embracing the notion that the "market" - society's lowest common denominator on cultural issues - should decide. And... continue reading