Thank You for a Great Class

Grades are in. I hope you survived finals. Thank you again for a great class.

Enjoy your break. And please keep in touch!

End Transmission.

-D

Week 17: The Sopranos

Week 17: The Sopranos 
Meet on We 12.17 from 8:00-9:30 AM
Class: Class review
Due: EDITORIAL (FINAL DRAFT; ATTACH DRAFT 1 TO BACK)

Week 16: Sex and the City

Week 16: Sex and the City
Tu 12.09/Th 12.11—NO CLASS
Readings: REALITY—Chapters 7-9
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: EDITORIAL (ESSAY OUTLINE; BRING 1 COPY)

Upcoming:

Week 17: The Sopranos
Meet on We 12.17 from 7:15-930 AM
Class: Class review
Due: EDITORIAL (FINAL DRAFT; ATTACH DRAFT 1 TO BACK)

TV News 12.06.14

• Seth Rogan and James Franco are Naked and Afraid on Discovery on December 7th (Time)
• Did you (hate-)watch NBC's Peter Pan Live? (Salon)
• Former Laguna Beach cast member felt "used and manipulated" by MTV (Us)
• 7th Heaven reruns temporarily return to TV (E!)
• Former Biggest Loser contestant dies of rare autoimmune disease (NBC News)
• "Femvertising" helping corporations wooing female customers (NBC News)

Editorial Essay: The Realities of Reality TV

On the surface, reality TV is a seemingly harmless form of entertainment. Many a laugh can be had at delusional auditions on American Idol or cat fights on The Real Housewives, but what have been the unintended consequences of these types of shows? For example, what is often the aftermath for reality TV participants? What price is to be paid for participation on a reality TV show? And what has been the effect of twenty-plus decades this programing on not only American television, but American society? In a concise editorial, share your view of reality TV and its impact.

Remember, an editorial expresses an opinion on a current issue. It may take a formal or informal tone, but its primary goal is always to persuade readers. Because editorials were born in newspapers, they are traditionally succinct in form and can often carry the "voice" of the author. Below are a series of recent editorials from around the country.

• "Drought Not Just a California Problem" (USA Today)
• "Congress Needs to Raise the Minimum Wage" (Dallas Morning News)
• "NFL Fumbled Domestic Abuse, but Public Can Still Advance the Issue" (Oregonian)
• "More Than Pictures Stolen in Celeb Phone-Hacking Case" (Seattle Times)
• "The Sluggish Fight Against Ebola" (New York Times)

Citing these articles in your editorial is optional.

Requirements:

• Two full pages
• MLA Style
• Parenthetical citation
• Works cited page

Due: Tu 12. 09⸺Essay outline (Bring 1 copy); We 12. 17⸺Final draft

Week 15: Leave It to Beaver

Week 15: Leave It to Beaver
Tu 12.02/Th 12.04
Readings: REALITY—Chapters 3-6
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: REFLECTIONS 07 & 08

Upcoming:

Week 16: Sex and the City
Tu 12.09/Th 12.11—NO CLASS
Readings: REALITY—Chapters 7-9
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: EDITORIAL (DRAFT 1; BRING 2 COPIES)

Week 17: The Sopranos
Meet on We 12.17 from 7:15-930 AM
Class: Class review
Due: EDITORIAL (FINAL DRAFT; ATTACH DRAFT 1 TO BACK)

TV News 11.29.14

• Will The CW's Arrow and The Flash cross with CBS' upcoming Supergirl series? (Dark Horizons)
• Netflix CEO: Broadcast TV will be dead by 2030 (Business Insider)
• Ryan Knight, Real World alum, dies at 29 (Fox News)
• Coming to Netflix in December: American Horror Story: Coven, Marco Polo, Broadchurch (Indiewire)
• ABC to celebrate 20 years of Disney on Broadway with new special  (ABC News)
• HBO to enter Chinese market (Wall Street Journal)

Reflection 08: The Invisible Sell—Product Placement on TV

You may not realize it, but that episode of American Idol or How I Met Your Mother or The Vampire Diaries you just watched may have contained subtly embedded ads for a variety of products. The practice is called product placement, the intentionally seamless integration of commercial products into the narrative of a film or television program. Carrie Bradshaw's Jimmy Choo shoes, Dr. House's Macbook Pro, and Sue Sylvester's Adidas track suits are all examples of the subtle (or not so subtle) placements we've seen in recent years. In fact, the practice dates back to the beginning of television, when programs were openly sponsored by major companies (e.g. Texaco Star Theater, Hallmark Hall of Fame). Today, the practice is more covert, with many shows aiming to integrate products as naturally as possible. As a result, you may not even be aware of the presence of these products. How do you feel about this? Should programmers be mandated to inform viewers of product placements or should a viewer be savvy enough to identify those instances on his or her own? Finally, are you more bothered by the most blatant or the most subtle of product placements?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "'Smallville' Product Placement Hits New Low (About.com)
• "As Seen on TV: Why Product Placement is Bigger than Ever" (Guardian)
• "Synergy or Interference? How Product Placement in TV Shows Affects the Commercial-Break Audience" (Forbes)
• "'Big Bang Theory' Has the Most Remembered Product Placement Among Dramas/Sitcoms; 'American Idol' Had Most Placement Overall" (TVbyTheNumbers)
• "Product Placement: Is TV Selling Out?" (TV Guide)
• "TV Shows With the Most Product Placements" (Businessweek)

Required:

• MLA Style
• Must be exactly one page in length

Due: Tue 12. 02

Reflection 07: Do-It-Yourself—Learning from How-To Reality Shows

The promise of how-to reality shows is simple: You can do this! Be it building a cedar deck or cooking a French meal, these shows present viewers with a world of possibility. In reality, a kitchen renovation takes longer than 30 minutes and a simple wardrobe makeover may not the key to a happy life. Nonetheless, anything is possible on a how-to reality show. But if the big ratings of these shows are any indication, people want to be made to feel like anything is possible. What is your experience with how-to reality shows? Do you watch them and have you ever been inspired to try something they feature? For this reflection, watch, then write about, one of the following how-to segments. Would you attempt the task demonstrated in the clip? Why or why not? What do you believe is the appeal of this particular how-to for viewers? Ultimately, what does the clip promise viewers?

• "Dramatic Living Room Makeover" from HGTV's Designed to Sell 
• "Veggie Penne with Pesto" from Food Network's 30 Minute Meals
• "Indoor Pulled Pork" from PBS' America's Test Kitchen 
• "Tin Tiles Ceiling" from HGTV's Don't Sweat It
• "Sour Cream Cheesecake" from Food Network's Good Eats
• "Seal-Skin Wetsuit" from Discovery Channel's Man v.s Wild (Warning: Graphic)
• "Curb Appeal Crackdown" from HGTV's Rehab Addict
• "Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins" from Food Network's Barefoot Contessa
• "Worldly Color" from HGTV's Design on a Dime 
• "DIY Water Wall" from DIY Network's Yard Crashers
• "Sloppy Sweaters and Giant Jeans" from TLC's What Not to Wear
• "Homemade Biscuits" from Hallmark Channel's The Martha Stewart Show

Required:

• MLA Style
• Must be exactly one page in length

Due: Tue 12. 02

Week 14: The X-Files

Week 14: The X-Files
Tu 11.25/Th 11.27—NO CLASS: Thanksgiving
Readings: REALITY—Chapters 1-2
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations

Upcoming:

Week 15: Leave It to Beaver
Tu 12.02/Th 12.04
Readings: REALITY—Chapters 3-6
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: REFLECTIONS 07 & 08

Week 16: Sex and the City
Tu 12.09/Th 12.11—NO CLASS
Readings: REALITY—Chapters 7-9
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: EDITORIAL (DRAFT 1; BRING 2 COPIES)

Week 17: The Sopranos
Meet on We 12.17 from 7:15-930 AM
Class: Class review
Due: EDITORIAL (FINAL DRAFT; ATTACH DRAFT 1 TO BACK)

TV News 11.19.14

• TV Land pulls Cosby Show reruns amid mounting rape allegations (Entertainment Weekly)
• Netflix coming to Australia in '15 (Dark Horizons)
• Chris Pratt open to appearance on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ScreenRant)
• Watch Job Stewart mancrush on Benedict Cumberbatch (Time)
• Diem Brown, MTV reality TV star, dies at 23 (IBT)
• Parents Television Council call Sons of Anarchy sex montage "pornography" (Entertainment Weekly)

Week 13: I Love Lucy

Week 13: I Love Lucy

Tu 11.18/Th 11.20

Class: Multimedia presentations

Due: REFLECTION 6

Upcoming:

Week 14: The X-Files
Tu 11.25/Th 11.27—NO CLASS: Thanksgiving
Readings: REALITY—Chapters 1-2
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations
Due: REFLECTION 7 

Reflection 06: Time with the Electronic Babysitter—Children and Television Watching

According to a recent study by the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the average child watches three to four hours of television a day. Not surprisingly, the study ties excessive television watching by kids to lower grades, weight gain, a lack of reading, and less exercise. While the consequences of watching too much television may not be surprising, the fact remains that many American families rely on TV to babysit the kids. In an era when both parents must work, its tempting to let the kids sit in front of the television as dinner gets cooked or the laundry gets folded. To what extent do you believe this is okay? Should parents strive to severely limit television watching or do kids who watch a lot of TV basically turn out okay? And what will be the place of emerging technologies, such as tablets and mobile phones? Finally, what was your experience watching TV as a kid. Was your TV viewing monitored?

Include at least two of the following in your discussion: 

• "Kids and Television" (University of Michigan) 
• "Brain Development: How Much TV Should Children Watch?" (Huffington Post)
• "Why You Need to Teach Your Child Media Mindfulness" (Forbes)
• "A One-Eyed Invader in the Bedroom" (New York Times) 
• "FYI, Parents: Your Kids Watch a Full-Time Job’s Worth of TV Each Week" (Time)
• "Here's the Real Way to Curb Kids' TV Watching—But it Might Hurt a Bit!" (CNN)

  Required:

• MLA Style
• Must be exactly two-full pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: We 11.19

TV News 11.12.14

• Jovian, the lemur star of PBS' Zoboomafoo, has died (USA Today)
• Carol Ann Susi, Big Bang Theory's Mrs. Wolowitz, dies at 62 (Entertainment Weekly)
• FOX previews Harvey Dent's debut on Gotham (Dark Horizon)
• After 13 seasons, Randy Jackson exits American Idol (Huffington Post)
• NYC restaurant plans Game of Thrones-inspired dinner (DNAinfo)
  
• NBC revives 80's Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous (Hollywood Reporter)

 

Cause and Effect Essay: The Sesame Street Revolution

What were the circumstances under which the Children's Television Network (CTW) was created? How did the landscape of children's television in the late 60s influence the design of Sesame Street? Specifically, who was the focus of this new program and how did they differ from that of earlier children's shows? And what was the immediate impact of Sesame Street's debut? How did CTW alter subsequent programs and how does it continue to influence television today, here and around the world? Cite extensively (and exclusively) from Michael Davis' Street Gang to support your thesis.

Requirements:

• 2.5 pages minimum
• MLA Style, including parenthetical citation
• Works cited page

Due: Email to dhdelao@gmail.com by midnight on Sa 11.15

Week 12: Cheers

Week 12: Cheers

Tu 11.11—No Class: Veteran’s Day/Th 11.13

Class: Multimedia presentations

DUE: CAUSE AND EFFECT (email to dhdelao@gmail.com by midnight on Sa 11.15)

Upcoming:

Week 13: I Love Lucy

Tu 11.18/Th 11.20

Class: Multimedia presentations

Due: REFLECTION 6

TV News 11.06.14

• Parents angered by Scandal sex scene airing directly after It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Washington Post)
• American Horror Story creator says all seasons are connected (Entertainment Weekly)
• Nine years later, Lisa Kudrow's The Comeback comes back (Slate)
• Dancing with Stars goes live with 33-city tour (CBS News)
• Now you can own a Star Trek-like communicator (Engadget)
• Lemony Snicket series coming to Netflix (Dark Horizons)

Week 11: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Week 11: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Tu 11.04/Th 11.06

Readings: STREET—Ch. 16-18

Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations

Due: REFLECTION 05

Upcoming:

Week 12: Cheers

Tu 11.11—No Class: Veteran’s Day/Th 11.13

Class: CAUSE AND EFFECT; Multimedia presentations