Third Blog Post: MDIA 3110: Advanced Media Criticism!

Critic 1: Alasdair Wilkins
http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-deep-end,93611/

A critic for the AV Club, Mr. Wilkins primarily reviews science fiction and animated comedy shows such as Doctor Who, Farscape, Arrow, Regular Show, and Gravity Falls. His reviews often involve a sort of analysis of the characters, not only as they function for the plot of that particular episode, but also for the show overall. He is also very professional not using slang, and giving a clear explination for his critiques.  He doesn't see things in his critiques as good or bad, but rather what works and what doesn't in an episode. That said he is cleary a fan of the show he reviews, or at least he watches them enough to be very familiar with them. He knows what the characters are like and what to expect, a special mention goes to Gravity Falls a show which premired last summer and which Mr. Wilkins is the sole critic for as of this writing; his writing betrays an affection for these characters, not a cool detachment. This works in his favor, in shows he likes the show he critiques and is not a snob. In any form of media:book, film, radio, television, the audience's love for a good character is usually what keeps them coming back for more. One nice feature is at the end of each critique he gives his thoughts on certain parts of the episode that would not fit in with the main review, but deserve a mention.

Critic 2: Mike Hale
http://tv.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/arts/television/22sherlock.html?pagewanted=all

A New York Times Critic, Mr. Hale reviews a wide variety of TV shows from PBS's Sherlock to NBC's The Office. Each review is tailor-made to the show. He knows that someone reading his review of Sherlock, will likley be a fan of other British TV shows, he even uses the phrase "Anglophilic television fans", and makes refrences to Doctor Who, a show that isn't exactly mainstream in American culture. But at the same time he notes similarities to the leads of American crime dramas like Monk and The Mentalist (both of which were inspired by Holmes himself), as a way to draw in viewers who normally don't watch British shows. Hale notes that the key elements of the talented actors and the scripts made for great television that's fun to watch, which ultimatley the best television is at the end; most television today is watched out of boredom, not entertainment which is something Mr. Hale like myself values.

Critic 3: Mac Rogers
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/tv_club/features/2013/doctor_who_season_7_recaps/week_2/doctor_who_season_7_the_rings_of_akhaten_recap.html

Mac Rogers is the critic for Doctor Who (the only show he reviews for the site) on Slate.com. Unlike most critics, Rogers' reviews are unconventional: they are on a weekly basis and take the form of an informal (but intelligent conversation not the stuff of YouTube comments) IM conversation with a fan or blogger. This form has it's merit as it offers two different viewpoints on an episode, but unless you've actually seen the episode for yourself they can be hard to follow. But in a way this what television is suppose to do: provoke discussion whether on social topics, or just on the quality on the episode. The first thing I wanna do after watching a film, show, or reading a book is to talk about it with someone esle. Media brings people together not isolate them, and that is what Mr. Roger's reviews do.

Second Media Blog post for MDIA 3110: Advanced Media Criticism!

I found it interesting on how modern TV criticism is done. I had assumed that detailed analysis and week-by-week recaps was only the work of diehard fans of the show. I never thought that professional criticism was written like this, such dedication I assumed would only come from a die-hard fan. But then I realized that such dedication makes sense, why else would one be a critic in the first place. However there are drawbacks to this form of criticism: its main appeal is not going to be the casual viewer, but rather the aforementioned die-hard fans. Also such criticism has a limited appeal because after a new episode airs, no one cares about last week. Also it never occurred to me that their peers might consider critics, who are active fans, might be labeled bias if they make cameos or do their best to save a show from the can.

Of the two hot links, I clicked on within the articles one was from the AV Club, about modern TV criticism has been changed by the new types of programs found in the new millennium, specifically serialized dramas like Mad Men, and The Sopranos which by nature demand more attention be spent on them, then your average sitcom, or legal drama. Such dramas are a product of the new millennium, and as such viewing habits and criticism have changed accordingly: recaps are the norms for viewers who enter a show midseason and wish to get a general idea of who the characters are and what has happened. I chose that hyperlink, because it seemed to offer a more in-depth view of modern TV criticism. The second hyperlink I clicked on was from Time Entertainment, and offered more light on the subject of critical objectivity. The opinions offered there suggest that critics should be above the fans, they note that Mr. Sepinwall stopped reviewing Modern Family, because of the anger the fans got from his reviews. Those who wrote this article argue that critics should remain above the fans and not let them influence them in any way. This is a recurring problem amongst critics whose reviews are read by a fan base, how to be impartial without losing your readership. These are not the views of amateurs, but of professional critics, who are under stress. There are concerns that recaps are counter-productive: you might find yourself frustrated over an episode that turns out to pay off in the long run, or may simply be disappointed with the results of a finale such as Lost.

First Blog post for MDIA 3110: Advanced Media Criticism!

What I've been watching since school's been out

• The Daily Show
• The Colbert Report
• Doctor Who
• Once Upon a Time
• Seinfeld

Peripheral Shows

• How I Met Your Mother
• Supernatural
• Community
• Seinfeld
• Castle
• Parks and Rec
• The Office
• American Restoration
• Jeopardy
• Wheel of Fortune

Guilty No-Gos

• Hannibal
• Grimm
• Mr. Selfridge
• Smash
• Arrow
• Being Human (UK)
• My Little Pony: Frienship is Magic
• Game of Thrones
• The Borgias
• DaVinci's Demons

Guilty Pleasures 

• Elementary (I'm a huge Sherlock fan and feel the show is just piggybacking off Sherlock's sucess, but I was highly impressed by Jonny Lee Miller's Holmes).
• Once Upon a Time (I feel this show was aimed primary at a female audience because of the fairy tale aspect, but I love the fantasy genre and became impressed with the characterization of the fairy tale characters who previously had been one dimensional, but sometimes the scripts aren't exactly the best)

All-Time Favorites

• Doctor Who (During the 2000's I became disgusted with the glut of reality TV shows in the market, and Doctor Who came up alot on various Wikipedia articles I was browsing through. On a whim I recorded a marathon off SyFy channel. After seeing the first few episodes of Series 3, I became convinced that David Tennant was the best actor I had ever seen. I was also impressed with both the range and imagation of the show, the time travelling aspect opens a lot of story possibilites. It seemed to stand out in a sea of reality TV, that Americans have come to love).
• Sherlock (I read the original Sherlock Holmes Book in high school, but I had my doubts of reworking it to contempoary times. But after seeing the teaser my appetie was wetted. After seeing the first episode I was very impressed on how true it was to the original stories, and the epic scope of it, and the witty and impressive scripts from Mark Gatis and Steven Moffat. Also Martin Freeman best known for being in comic parts, impressed me as a very serious Dr. Watson. Of course let's not Benedict Cumberbatch's flawless performance as Sherlock Holmes. He could've played the role in traditonal adaption and he would've still nailed the role.)
• Merlin (NBC aired the first season during the summer of 2009. I have always been a fan of Arthurian legend, and fell in love with this new reimaging of the legend. Again it was also standing out from the reality shows, cop and medical dramas, and sitcoms that usually fill the prime time schedule. Ultimately it wasn't a ratings hit so it moved to the SyFy channel in 2010 where it fits in much better with the niche network.)
• Murder, She Wrote
• Law & Order
• Law & Order:UK
• Golden Girls
• Frasier
• American Pickers
• Cajun Pawn Stars
• Pawn Stars
• Top Gear (UK)
• Phineas and Ferb
• Gravity Falls
• Adventure Time

Shows I Used to Like, But Not So Much Anymore

• Downton Abbey (During the third season, some of the actors contract ran up. These actors then decided they wanted to move on to other projects.  The head writer and producer Julian Fellowes decided to kill off the characters (who were much beloved by fans) in a very dramatic and unxpected fashion with little or no warning. The end results were highly unsatsifactory
• House M.D. (The constant cast changes after Season 3, become annoyning and in regards with the character of House himself, the writers toyed with giving him character development that never really stuck, and his actions went from being amusing to highly dangerous, driving his car into Dr. Cuddy's living room was when he crossed the line).

Shows I  Resisted for a Long Time, But Now I’m a Fan!

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Bones

 I Would Rather Eat Charcoal Than Watch These Shows

• Jershey Shore
• Vampire Diaries
• American Idol
• So You Think You Can Dance?
• Dancing With the Stars
• Ice Road Truckers
• Duck Hunters
• The X Factor
• The Voice

Odds and Ends: Childhood treasures, Online and DVD Favorites

• House of Cards (USA Remake)
• Duck Tales
• Wishbone
• Redwall
• Lambchop's Play Along
• Reading Rainbow
• Dexter's Lab
• Samurai Jack
• Muppet Babies
• Fraggle Rock
• The Muppet Show
• Firefly
• Ed, Edd,'n Eddy
• CatDog
• Hey Arnold
• Rugrats
• Doug
• Kingdom
• Powerpuff Girls
• Camp Lazlo
• Rocko's Modern Life
• Gargoyles
• Inspector Gadget
• Rocky and Bullwinkle
• Last of the Summer Wine
• Agatha Christie's Poirot
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
• Rumpole of the Bailey
• The Catherine Tate Show
• A Bit of Fry and Laurie
• Blackadder
• Monarch of the Glen