tv

A moment of silence, please...

Andi Zeisler — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:53:52 -0400

Factory Girl

Kyla — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Dora the Explorer, eponymous Latina star of the animated Nickelodeon series, is a bilingual problem solver who confidently traverses unknown territory in every episode. In “City of Lost Toys,” a typical episode, Dora sets out to find her missing teddy bear, Osito, and other toys her friends have lost. She’s helped along the way by her sidekick (a monkey named Boots), her trusty map, and a group of magical stars she and Boots catch. The first landmark Dora reaches on her journey is a Mesoamerican-style pyramid where she must complete basic counting and arithmetic problems.

TV Snit: The Return of Jezebel James

Andi Zeisler — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:27:54 -0400

I was amped for the premiere of the new Fox sitcom The Return of Jezebel James. First off, as someone whose relationship to TV normally mimics that of a wino and a big bottle of Night Train, the writer’s strike and its aftermath has been hard for me. Second, series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino was the brains (and something like 80% of the dialogue) behind Gilmore Girls, and I loved Gilmore Girls. And finally, if 2007 was the year of the unexpected-pregnancy film, 2008 is shaping up to be the year of the Odd Couple-esque gestational-surrogacy comedy—along with Jezebel James, there’s the upcoming Tina Fey-Amy Poehler film Baby Mama—and I was curious to see how a half-hour sitcom was going to tackle the tricky subject of assisted reproduction.

Is Christian Siriano making a hot mess of the term "tranny"?

Andi Zeisler — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:44:10 -0400

by Margaret Price

Project Runway 4: The Season of Love. And no designer was more lovable than the prancing, snapping, flat-iron–wielding Christian Siriano, who ended up winning it all—the final runway showdown, the spread in Elle, and the $10K Fan Favorite prize. Sassing and sewing with equal velocity, the diminuitive designer and self-described "big deal" introduced us to an array of hip, new-to-many-Americans phrases: Fierce! Ferosh! A hot mess up in here! A hot tranny mess up in here!

Wait. Tranny?

The A-word in popular media: A plea for help

Rachel Fudge — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:09:33 -0400

I feel sheepish asking for reader participation when my own contributions to this neglected blog have been so pathetic. I do hereby swear to post every day for the next week if you all help me out here, okay?

I'm looking for references to abortion or unplanned pregnancy on tv shows or in films over the past year or so. Knocked Up, Waitress, and Juno are, of course, already on the list. What else should be there?

The Modern Rabbit

Miriam Wolf — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 02:33:38 -0400

Peeing on a stick has become a rite of passage for both those struggling to get pregnant and those who would rather not find themselves with child at this time. Last year's two hot procreation films, Juno and Knocked Up both had scenes taking advantage of that universal feeling of anticipation and/or anxiety we feel when waiting for that little window to display its character.

Okay, America's Next Top Model fans...

Andi Zeisler — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:31:08 -0500

If you, like me, aren't sure you can stomach another season—'scuse me, "cycle"—of Tyra Banks, the two Jays, and a handful of hot messes who will never be models, but you still kind of want to keep up on the show, might I suggest reading the excellent recaps on SFGate.com's Culture Blog?

Has Lifetime built a better makeover show?

Leslie Bostick Wooten — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 20:11:30 -0500

Taking a break from its steady routine of made-for-TV women-in-peril movies, the Lifetime channel recently premiered How To Look Good Naked, a new series that joins makeover mainstays like TLC's What Not To Wear and Style’s How Do I Look? with a similar mix of fashion policing and talk therapy.

True Confessions: The Millionaire Matchmaker - WTF Am I Watching This?

Anna Breshears — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:48:00 -0500

On this Bravo reality show, Patti Stanger, the President and CEO of "The Millionaire's Club" finds and matches stereotypically attractive women to rich dudes who can't seem to find a "decent" woman to have a relationship with. Basically, she's a pimp. She has rules about the couple not having sex until they are "committed", a sort of bizarrely puritanical twist that doesn't make it any less creepy.

Crowned: Riches of Embarrassment

Andi Zeisler — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 19:55:00 -0500

I don't know if there's a clearer sign that the writer's strike is killing good television than the insanity broadcast last night on the CW.