The New Year Lists

I love reading through the multiple lists that act as retrospectives on the year that has passed. These include both "Best of ..." and "Worst of ..." and invariably evoke strong reactions. Given the vast choice of books, films and television programmes we are all exposed to, I am excited to at least recognise works referred to. These lists also provide a blueprint for books and videos I will look out for in the new year to rent and borrow. I know they are subjective, but they function as a good starting point in a world that contains too much choice for me to effectively select from myself.
Here is a link to one of my favourite online sources. Recognise any of the films? http://www.salon.com/topic/best_of_2011/

Super Girls

Speculation has it that this equivalent of American Idol has proven too popular for the CCP. The show's mass appeal has been evident by the millions who voted for their favourite contender. Authorities responded by restricting voting to only those physically present in the performance hall. The increasingly androgynous looks and fiery individualism of the participants also contributed toward the discomfort of the authorities who supported more stereotypical feminine looks in state-run shows. Read more about the termination of this talent show:

Super Girl Cancelled Too Subversive for
China Perhaps Too Democratic

Shanghai : China Sep 19, 2011

BY BMcPherson

A popular talent show in China has been given the boot for being too subversive,
unhealthy and sloppy about time limits. The show called Super Girl was originally
launched in 2004 and quickly became a winner with the Chinese, at one time the
audience was estimated at 400 million viewers. The premise of the TV program was
to find top female talent by having the audience vote on their favorites. The show ran
into difficulties in the past with the government censors and was pulled for a time, but
was successfully re-launched in 2009. It's been pulled again.
Hunan Satellite TV has stated that the official reason for cancelling the show was
that there were sometimes overruns in the time allotted. However, much vitriol has
been directed towards the show by government officials who have condemned it for
corrupting the youth and offering a low sort of entertainment.
Li Hao, speaking for Hunan Satellite TV is quoted:
"Hunan Satellite Television obeys the state watchdog's decision and will not hold
similar talent shows next year," he was quoted as saying.
"Instead, the channel will air programmes that promote moral ethics, public safety
and provide practical information for housework."Yahoo News
Other programing around China has been hit by new restrictions from the censors
who seem to be tightening up on sitcoms and shows that appeal to youthful
audiences.
In the complicated world of Chinese governance something that is promoted and
praised might be quickly made illegal and pronounced subversive. It looks as if the
American Idol knockoff Super Girl was a hit until the authorities realized that it was a
training ground for the practice of popular democracy. Indeed, the idea of people
practising voting to choose a winner is a creeping threat to any dictatorial
government.
China has been tightening control of its population in the wake of the Arab Spring
which saw revolution brought to many countries in the Near and Middle East.
BMcPherson is based in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, and is an Anchor for
Allvoices

How do you recognise genius?

A thoughtful consideration of taste, good artists, great artists and genius, as recognised in The Turner prize: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/artblog/2007/oct/02/theturnerisnotaboutbeauty

The Biggest Loser

Vinod's post brought to mind an article in which the writer makes a case for "The Biggest Loser" as being the archetypal American show. Vinod refers to this show to illustrate the fallaciousness of assuming that popularity (i.e. viewership numbers) translate into the popularity of the concept celebrated in the show (losing weight). Read Vinod's post and this article for some thoughtful, but also entertaining ideas: http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/feature/2010/05/25/biggest_loser_most_american_show

J-Horror: pop culture and a nation's history

Andrew O'Hehir claims that Japan's obsession with disaster (through its pop culture) seems to have been anticipating Apocalyptic events. If you are not too horrified by the main claim of this fascinating article, read on ....

http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/andrew_ohehir/index.html?story=/ent/movies/andrew_ohehir/2011/03/15/japan_disaster&source=newsletter&utm_source=contactology&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Salon_Daily%2520Newsletter%2520%2528Not%2520Premium%2529_7_30_110

Here is a taste from O'Hehir's article:

Japan's cinema of disaster, from Godzilla to J-horror
The island nation's great and strange pop culture has been preparing for apocalypse ever since Hiroshima

I don't imagine this offers much comfort to the Japanese people right now, but no culture in the world has been so shaped by disaster, or so obsessed with it. It is beyond words like "irony" or "coincidence" to express the fact that the only nation ever to suffer the effects of nuclear war now faces a nuclear catastrophe of unknown scope and unforeseeable consequences, following one of the biggest earthquakes in history and the resulting tsunami. Furthermore, I recognize that it borders on profanity to start talking about movies after thousands of people have died, and many thousands more face a dangerous and unstable situation. Culture cannot "heal" those kinds of wounds, and cannot make the dead live again. But it represents the collective means for the survivors, over time, to come to terms with what happened. One can argue that Japanese pop culture, in the years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, has become an extended course in post-traumatic psychology and disaster preparedness.

Sometimes the connection is obvious, as in the first "Godzilla" film of the mid-1950s, whose undisguised anger at nuclear-armed Yankee imperialism had to be concealed in a bastardized, American-friendly version. But it's striking that so many areas of Japanese pop culture that have nothing to do, at least officially, with World War II or the Bomb, are so concerned with violence, war, disaster and nightmarish transformation, from yakuza films to apocalyptic science fiction and gruesome horror flicks. All that becomes even stranger when you consider that postwar Japan may well be the least violent society in human history: While 21st-century America has averaged five or six murders a year per 100,000 population (which is fairly low by our standards), Japan averages much less than one murder per 100,000, with other violent crimes also barely registering.

Interactive Oscars

So, we were all invited to the new awesomely interactive Oscar Award ceremony. Cameras would allow us access to the red carpet, backstage and on stage, making our vantage point better than guests attending in the conventional way. Sadly, my entry was denied; mine and all those outside of the USA. Not fair! Check out http://oscar.go.com/ for a disappointing no-go.

the Oscar Bloopers

http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/film_salon/2011/01/28/oscar_controversies_revisited/slideshow.html