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Captain James T. Kirk — Why Is He Known And Loved By So Many?
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Captain James T. Kirk — Why Is He Known And Loved By So Many?

Why is Captain James T. Kirk Known and Loved by So Many? Among science fiction's fictitious characters, Captain James T. Kirk is without a doubt among the most well-known. Fans all across the world were won over by Kirk's charisma, leadership, and bravery aboard the Starship Enterprise in the original Star Trek series. If Kirk's popularity and impact are as great now as they were when the show first aired, what accounts for that? Kirk's character is renowned for his resolute dedication to his duties and his exemplary leadership skills. He held the fate of his crew and their missions on the Enterprise in his hands, and he consistently motivated his team to surmount any challenge they faced. One of the show's prominent themes was Kirk's profound sense of duty and responsibility, as eviden...
SAG-AFTRA Flexing Their Labor Power
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SAG-AFTRA Flexing Their Labor Power

From Picket Lines to Plot Lines Hundreds of thousands of creative workers in the film and television industry are currently flexing their labor power. For the first time in more than 60 years, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild (which merged with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists in 2012 to become SAG-AFTRA) are striking simultaneously. Filming has halted midproduction and press junkets are on hold. Negotiations are reportedly poised to resume on August 4. At the heart of the unions’ conflict with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents all the major entertainment media corporations, are the issues of royalty payments—known as residuals—and the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The former is an ...
The Center Of The Miami Housewife Universe
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The Center Of The Miami Housewife Universe

The Real Housewives Of Miami. This entry in the "Real Housewives" franchise sticks to the tried-and-true formula that has made other incarnations a staple on the Bravo schedule. The women featured on the series are at the center of the Miami housewife universe, though not all are actually wives at the time of the show's filming. Among the women are Adriana De Moura, known as the Brazilian bombshell of Miami's art scene, and Texas native Lea Black, a committed philanthropist who is married to one of America's top criminal defense attorneys.
Even As Her Books Are Being Banned From Schools — The Judy Blume Renaissance Is Upon Us
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Even As Her Books Are Being Banned From Schools — The Judy Blume Renaissance Is Upon Us

Judy Blume is having a moment. A staple of backpacks of elementary, middle grade and young adult readers since the 1970s, Blume, 85, is about to see her stories on the big screen. The new documentary “Judy Blume Forever” debuts on Amazon Prime on Friday after premiering to rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival in January. And on April 28, the first-ever film adaptation of Blume’s 1970 classic “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” releases in theaters, bringing “We must! We must! We must increase our bust!” to a whole new generation. Blume’s work is beloved by children and teens — and the adults they one day become — for its frank depictions of the day-to-day realities of growing up. They grapple with puberty, masturbation and sex on top of the emotional journey, subjects glossed o...
The History Of That Jerry Springer [Bleeping] Bleep Sound
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The History Of That Jerry Springer [Bleeping] Bleep Sound

Jerry Springer and the history of that [bleeping] bleep sound. Since Jerry Springer’s death on April 27, 2023, writers have been working through the cultural significance of his eponymous daytime talk show. For 27 years, Springer’s circus of sensationalism was a remarkably durable and bankable commodity. Helping to normalize outrageousness in culture, it taught content creators that shamelessness is a lucrative industry. It’s been framed as a harbinger of “‘anything goes’ reality television” or “trash TV” and decried for setting a “new standard for tawdriness” and for providing audiences with the “guilty pleasure” of “chair-throwing.” But as a media historian interested in the ways that sound structures our experience of TV shows and films, when I think of “The Jerry Springer Show,” I t...
A Look At ‘Swarm’ Murder, Sex, Music  — This Is Not A Work Of Fiction
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A Look At ‘Swarm’ Murder, Sex, Music — This Is Not A Work Of Fiction

‘Swarm’ is a dark, satirical look at how the absence of meaningful relationships can spawn a serial killer. “Swarm,” the new streaming series created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, centers on a deranged superfan named Dre who becomes a serial killer. Dre longs to meet a global pop star named Ni’Jah, who’s based on Beyoncé, and Dre’s obsession with the singer sparks a multistate murder spree that begins after the death of her only friend, Marissa. As a criminologist, I look to understand what causes people to commit crimes, and I see more driving Dre than her extreme fixation on a celebrity. As the story unfolds, viewers learn about Dre’s childhood. To me, these early experiences explain a lot more about her crimes than her fandom does. Social isolation and criminal behavior In 196...
Family Guy And The Parent Television Council
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Family Guy And The Parent Television Council

Family Guy released an episode entitled "Quagmire's Mom." In the episode, the sex-addicted reoccurring character, Glen Quagmire, is arrested for having sex with a high school girl. After claiming that his mom is the reason that he grew up to be a sexual deviant, Quagmire is still sentenced to twenty years in prison. However, his mom then enters the episode and finds a way to get her son acquitted of his charges. While I am a huge fan of Family Guy, I personally thought this episode was mediocre. However, I apparently loved this episode compared to the Parent Television Council. The Parent Television Council is probably more active in attacking Family Guy than any other major organization. Family Guy has made their yearly list of "worst prime-time shows for family viewing" three times a...
‘House Of The Dragon’ Inspired By A True Medieval Struggle Over A Female Ruler
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‘House Of The Dragon’ Inspired By A True Medieval Struggle Over A Female Ruler

In three decades of teaching medieval European history, I’ve noticed my students are especially curious about the intersection of the stories told in class and the depictions of the Middle Ages they see in movies and television. Judged by their historical accuracy, cinematic portrayals are a mixed bag. However, popular fantasy, unencumbered by the competing priority of “getting it right,” can, in broad strokes, reflect the values of the medieval society that inspires it. “House of the Dragon” is one of those TV shows. A king, lacking a male heir to his throne, elevates his teenage daughter to be his named successor, and a complex dynastic drama ensues. This storyline reflects the real obstacles facing women who aspired to exercise royal authority in medieval society. The queen as a c...
Love Island And eBay: How The Reality Show Could Model A Radically Sustainable Future For Its Young Viewers
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Love Island And eBay: How The Reality Show Could Model A Radically Sustainable Future For Its Young Viewers

A recently announced partnership between ITV reality show Love Island and secondhand e-commerce giant eBay sends a strong positive signal about prioritizing sustainability over fast fashion. After receiving a strong backlash against Love Island’s promotion of fast fashion brands such as I Saw It First and Missguided, the show’s executive producer, Mike Spencer, has announced it’ll be working with eBay in 2022 to clothe participants in its current series with “preloved” garments. Love Island boasts huge audience ratings among young people. Some 43% of Love Island viewers are under 30, and 16-34 year-olds made up one-third of viewers of the series premiere on June 6. So the show has the power to influence young people’s shopping habits, largely through the official Love Island app where vi...
What Makes The Show ‘Love Island’ So Successful?
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What Makes The Show ‘Love Island’ So Successful?

Audiences can’t get enough of reality dating TV shows, including First Dates and Married at First Sight. But few programmes have been able to drum up the same level of excitement as Love Island, which returned this week after an 18-month break. You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, here. With viewing figures usually in the millions, Love Island, in particular, has become ubiquitous in British pop culture since its arrival in 2015. But beyond the apparent appeal of watching people go through the up and downs of finding love, what is the enduring attraction of this genre of reality TV? The gimmicks of shows like Love is Blind and the upcoming Netflix dating show Sexy Beasts, (in which participants wear animal prosthetics to mask their true appearanc...