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

The appeal of "The King's Speech"

With the Oscar season upon us, critics are trying to read a public/nation/culture's psyche through the films that they love. Jonathan Freedland (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/18/kings-speech-republican-challenge-war-queen) reveals his own ambivalence toward his British heritage in his reading of "The King's Speech" as a study in reverence for class and British Royalty. Have a look at his interesting analysis of the film, and of those who like it.

Politics and prizes

Here's an interesting interpretation for the "kinder, gentler" route that American Idol's judges are taking:

"And the horrific shooting in Arizona earlier this month raised our collective consciousness about the power of aggressive speech, and whether taking the overall tone of conversation down a notch might not be such a bad idea. Even when it comes to telling people they can't sing."

Prizes reflective of the mood of the times?

According to the article found at
http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/2011/01/20/kinder_gentler_american_idol/index.html
the selection of judges for this reality show was informed by the need to recreate an image, not just of a show, but of a country.