Film critic David Thomson, author of “A Biographical Dictionary of Film” and “How to Watch a Movie,” has a new book coming out this month, “Television: A Biography,” which examines the medium and its six-decade history. In the book, Thomson addresses the medium in two sections: “The Medium,” which explores the social and political climate of the television age, the move from novel craze to complacent habit and more; and “The Messages,” which considers the evolution of TV shows, the relationship between Americans and television and more. “The sacred fixed altar (the set) has given up its central place of worship and is now just one screen among so many, like the dinner table kept for state occasions in a life of snacking,” says Thomson.
Read More: Interview: David Thomson Talks New Edition Of ‘Dictionary Of Film,’ Roger Ebert, Future Of Cinema And Much More
In the excerpt below, read...
Read More: Interview: David Thomson Talks New Edition Of ‘Dictionary Of Film,’ Roger Ebert, Future Of Cinema And Much More
In the excerpt below, read...
- 10/14/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
John McLaughlin, the conservative talk-show host and pop-culture lightning rod who helmed the long-running roundtable TV show The McLaughlin Group, has died. He was 89.
The McLaughlin Group Facebook page reported the news. "Earlier this morning, a beloved friend and mentor, Dr. John McLaughlin, passed away peacefully at the age of 89," the statement read. "As a former Jesuit priest, teacher, pundit and news host, John touched many lives. For 34 years, The McLaughlin Group informed millions of Americans. Now he has said bye bye for the last time, to rejoin his beloved dog,...
The McLaughlin Group Facebook page reported the news. "Earlier this morning, a beloved friend and mentor, Dr. John McLaughlin, passed away peacefully at the age of 89," the statement read. "As a former Jesuit priest, teacher, pundit and news host, John touched many lives. For 34 years, The McLaughlin Group informed millions of Americans. Now he has said bye bye for the last time, to rejoin his beloved dog,...
- 8/16/2016
- Rollingstone.com
In deciding not to run in 2012, Mitch Daniels took the sane route when confronted with a crazy presidential campaign process. Jack Germond on why candidates no longer are willing to subject their families to sometimes vicious intrusions by political enemies and the media.
Mitch Daniels' decision against seeking the Republican nomination for president speaks volumes about the sorry state of American politics today. It is a de facto judgment by a serious politician that the game may no longer be worth the personal cost.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Why Obama's Still Untouchable in 2012
The Indiana governor never made any secret of his interest in running. The rule about those things has always been that anyone who has a chance to be president ends up running for it, or at least flirting with the idea.
But Daniels said "the interests and wishes of my family" -meaning his wife...
Mitch Daniels' decision against seeking the Republican nomination for president speaks volumes about the sorry state of American politics today. It is a de facto judgment by a serious politician that the game may no longer be worth the personal cost.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Why Obama's Still Untouchable in 2012
The Indiana governor never made any secret of his interest in running. The rule about those things has always been that anyone who has a chance to be president ends up running for it, or at least flirting with the idea.
But Daniels said "the interests and wishes of my family" -meaning his wife...
- 5/24/2011
- by Jack W. Germond
- The Daily Beast
The budget-slashing congressman seems to think he's beyond the normal rules of politics. Jack Germond on why he's crazy to take on Medicare.
A lot of us thought Newt Gingrich retired the cup for Egregious Political Hubris a generation ago. When he led the Republicans in capturing control of the House in 1994, you would have thought he invented the game. It was hard to take.
Today, however, we have Paul Ryan and his cohorts who seem to think they have rewritten the laws of politics and, more to the point, behave as if they control the government, not just their own bailiwick. Their message is that they were elected for a purpose so sacred it is beyond moral challenge. We shall see.
Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, has won plaudits for coming forward with a comprehensive plan for putting the nation on the road to fiscal sanity.
A lot of us thought Newt Gingrich retired the cup for Egregious Political Hubris a generation ago. When he led the Republicans in capturing control of the House in 1994, you would have thought he invented the game. It was hard to take.
Today, however, we have Paul Ryan and his cohorts who seem to think they have rewritten the laws of politics and, more to the point, behave as if they control the government, not just their own bailiwick. Their message is that they were elected for a purpose so sacred it is beyond moral challenge. We shall see.
Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, has won plaudits for coming forward with a comprehensive plan for putting the nation on the road to fiscal sanity.
- 4/28/2011
- by Jack W. Germond
- The Daily Beast
Another poll seems to confirm it: Donald Trump is the Gop's 2012 frontrunner. But Jack Germond says it doesn't mean much-the people surveyed don't know the issues.
This is high season for the poll-takers. In the 19 months leading up to the 2012 election, they will be reporting to us daily, sometimes hourly, on the temperature of the electorate. The dirty little secret is that too often they are passing on misinformation from potential voters who have little or no idea what they are talking about.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Should We Hit Gaddafi Next?
There is nothing venal in this. Most Americans seem willing to answer questions from reporters and pollsters when asked. They are flattered to be asked their opinions, and understandably they don't want to plead ignorance.
So a lot of people are saying, for example, that they are against "Obamacare," the term applied by the president's critics.
This is high season for the poll-takers. In the 19 months leading up to the 2012 election, they will be reporting to us daily, sometimes hourly, on the temperature of the electorate. The dirty little secret is that too often they are passing on misinformation from potential voters who have little or no idea what they are talking about.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Should We Hit Gaddafi Next?
There is nothing venal in this. Most Americans seem willing to answer questions from reporters and pollsters when asked. They are flattered to be asked their opinions, and understandably they don't want to plead ignorance.
So a lot of people are saying, for example, that they are against "Obamacare," the term applied by the president's critics.
- 4/16/2011
- by Jack W. Germond
- The Daily Beast
Why do pols like Rick Santorum with no real shot at the White House keep running? The lure of TV celebrity makes even the most unlikely prospect press ahead for a while, writes Jack W. Germond.
You may or may not have noticed that Rick Santorum is running for president. He has been to New Hampshire 12 times in the last few months and has been similarly attentive to Iowa and South Carolina. He is telling his fellow Republicans he is the real goods if they want a true believer on issues like abortion and gay marriage.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Palin Kills It in Gun Country
So far, however, the most you can say about Santorum is that he is a contributor to the candidate clutter that now seems to plague presidential campaigns every four years-an abundance of self-motivated candidates with no visible rationale for their ambitions or constituency for their campaign.
You may or may not have noticed that Rick Santorum is running for president. He has been to New Hampshire 12 times in the last few months and has been similarly attentive to Iowa and South Carolina. He is telling his fellow Republicans he is the real goods if they want a true believer on issues like abortion and gay marriage.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Palin Kills It in Gun Country
So far, however, the most you can say about Santorum is that he is a contributor to the candidate clutter that now seems to plague presidential campaigns every four years-an abundance of self-motivated candidates with no visible rationale for their ambitions or constituency for their campaign.
- 3/30/2011
- by Jack W. Germond
- The Daily Beast
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