What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?

I’ve been trying to think of something to say about Dan Rather’s final broadcast from the anchor’s chair of The CBS Evening News, but I can’t find the right approach. The problem is that I’m really not sure anyone cares about Rather’s departure, aside from political right-wingers who see him as the embodiment of their hated “liberal media” and so are thrilled to see him go. While professional observers view Rather’s choice to step down — as well as Tom Brokaw’s recent retirement — as “the end of an era,” the public seems to be yawning with indifference.

It wasn’t like this when Rather’s predecessor, Walter Cronkite, stepped down. I think it’s fair to say (based, of course, on my readings into media history and not personal memory) that Cronkite’s departure produced a near-universal sense of warmth and fond regret to see him go. I can remember my parents tuning in to Cronkite’s final show with an air almost of apprehension, like they were about to lose a member of their family. No one I know feels that way today about Rather or Brokaw. But then, to use an oft-repeated phrase, it was a different world in Cronkite’s day.

Mar042005

Blog Envy

[Sunday Night Update: I’ve changed the title of this entry and pulled up some text from “below the fold” — i.e., the dividing line between what you see here on the page and the “Read More” section — because I realized that this entry really isn’t so much about finding a new blogger as it is about my reaction to him, and my three loyal readers might not have been getting that point. Or maybe they were and didn’t care. Whatever. The point is, I made a couple of changes…]

I’ve run across something that may interest fans of the TV series Lost: the show’s supervising producer, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, maintains his very own LiveJournal. You won’t find much in the way of insider info or spoilers on upcoming episodes — he doesn’t seem to write about the show at all, at least not in the half-dozen entries I’ve skimmed — but he is an articulate fellow with some interesting opinions.

I’m actually rather envious of his abilities. Take his entry on the demise of Star Trek, in which he says pretty much the same things I did, but with a bit more flair and precision than I think I managed to summon. For example, I loved his description of the depressing opening night for the final Trek film, Nemesis, when “manns chinese theater theater [was] only half-full with the last remaining faithful who, like brezhnev-era muscovites, dragged themselves out into the cold to vote in yet another meaningless election.”

Mar042005

How Many of the AFI 100 Have You Seen?

Here’s another of those interminable list-entries in which I show off my vast experience with popular culture. This time we’re looking at the American Film Institute’s Top 100, a list of the greatest American movies of all time as determined by “a blue-ribbon panel of leaders from across the film community.” Whoever they might be.

Mar032005

Architecture Out of Context

You may recall that a while back I was lamenting how our public architecture has evolved into “post-postmodern” monstrosities that may function as individual works of art but fail to integrate with their more prosaic surroundings. Here’s an extreme illustration of what I was talking about: the Frank Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall in LA is undergoing some renovations because its reflective surface is focusing ordinary sunlight into high-temperature heat-rays that are frying pedestrians and annoying residents of nearby condos.

And this isn’t the only Gehry building that has issues with its neighbors. The Peter B. Lewis Building in Cleveland has a nasty tendency to drop ice and snow on pedestrians as well as producing the same kinds of heat and light effects as the Disney Hall. It appears that it’s not only aesthetically unsettling to be in the vicinity of a Gehry building, it’s also downright dangerous.

Mar012005

How Many Banned Books Have You Read?

Uh-oh, it’s another LiveJournal meme. Surf on if you’re not interested in gaining further insight into my questionable tastes and interests…

Still here? Oh, good, then let’s talk about banned books. What follows is a list of the 110 all-time banned books. Exactly what the term “all-time” means is open to interpretation, since the LiveJournaller I appropriated this from wasn’t sure who compiled the list or what criteria were used in choosing items for it. Nevertheless, these are books that at some point have gotten somebody’s ruffles in a bunch. The idea of this meme (presumably) is to demonstrate to all the world how enlightened, literate, countercultural, or just plain contrary you may be by showing how many of these you’ve read.

Feb282005

So How Did I Do?

I’m glad I didn’t have any money riding on my Oscar predictions, as I only nailed two out of the five categories I considered, namely Best Picture (Million Dollar Baby) and Best Actor (Jamie Foxx for Ray). These two were, of course, the safest bets there were in the major categories, at least according to what little pre-Oscar buzz I heard. However, I think I can salvage a little of my credibility by pointing out that in the remaining three categories, I did narrow the field down to two choices, and, in each case, it was my second choice that took home a statue. Also, my last-second thought that Sideways would grab the Best Adapted Screenplay award was correct. For whatever that’s worth.

Feb242005

Pointless Blather About An Insignificant Industry’s Night of Self-Congratulation

Oscar predictions usually fall from the trees this time of year like overripe fruit, but this year seems to be curiously lacking in buzz. I haven’t really heard or read much speculation at all, possibly because there isn’t a single big film sucking all the oxygen out of the room the way Return of the King did last year. That’s too bad in a way, because it makes the whole event seem a little less compelling — there’s no inexorable pull toward an inevitable finish — but it also makes for more unpredictability in who actually takes home a gold statuette, and that’s always more interesting to talk about than a foregone conclusion.

In any event, here are my highly biased and quite possibly wrongheaded predictions for the major categories at the 77th Academy Awards, which are being presented this coming Sunday night.

Feb232005

Ten Things

A few days ago, John Scalzi posted an entry on his blog called 10 Things I’ve Done You Probably Haven’t. As he explained, this is another of those LiveJournal triggers, or “memes,” that are supposed to get you thinking about your life. In this case, you’re supposed to list ten experiences or accomplishments that are unique to you. Presumably this exercise is intended to help you realize how cool you really are, or at least give you something to write about.

Since I’m always on the lookout for new blogging inspirations — that is, I’m a copycat — I figured I’d take a stab at this one myself. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. It turns out that a lot of the cool things I’ve done aren’t so very different from things I know my friends have done themselves. For example, most of my really memorable experiences are somehow related to travelling, and I know that several of the folks who read this blog have travelled to the same or similar places that I have. In some cases, my friends were actually with me and shared my most memorable experiences, so I can’t really say that all of the things on my list are unique to me. But I gave it my best effort and I think I came up with a few items that most of my readers probably haven’t experienced. In any event, here’s my list, presented in no particular order:

Feb232005

The Essence of Gonzo

Back in college I shared a couple of classes with a minor-league campus celebrity by the name of John Pecorelli. Unlike most of the people who distinguish themselves enough to stand out from a student body of 25,000, Pecorelli was not an athlete. He gained his notoriety the old-fashioned way, by having a big mouth.

Feb212005

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You…

When I was pondering the other day what purposes this blog serves for me, I forgot one very important function: it gives me a place to publicly voice my frustration at the knuckleheaded, market-driven, focus-grouped, pre-packaged mediocrity that festers in the heart of our culture, draining the passion from anything new, leeching the originality out of anything cool, and digesting everything into a soft, flavorless gruel of miserable disappointment.

What, you may be asking, has Bennion’s knickers tied into such a painful little knot this afternoon? Why, it’s nothing more than a glimpse I caught yesterday of a poster for an upcoming movie, a little summertime trifle called Sahara.

Archives

What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?

Blog Envy

How Many of the AFI 100 Have You Seen?

Architecture Out of Context

How Many Banned Books Have You Read?

So How Did I Do?

Pointless Blather About An Insignificant Industry’s Night of Self-Congratulation

Ten Things

The Essence of Gonzo

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You…

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