The Daily Loper – March 31, 2006

Todays links of interest:

• Reality Bites Back: Some at ESPN Assail Bonds Show
  Who knew that Barry was a divider, not an uniter?
• What iHate About iTunes
  Television spoilers, laughable censorship, and addiction to .99 cent songs
• Courtney & Nirvana: Smells Like a Sellout
  Courtney Love sells off part of her stake in the Nirvana catalog. "We’re going to remain very tasteful, and we’re going to [retain] the spirit of Nirvana and take Nirvana places it’s never been before," Love told the magazine.
• Al Franken . . . in Fresno?!?!!! (flash)
  Al Franken did one of his live broadcasts from one of the most conservative places in the entire country. Jim’s Mom was there, and she was stoked!! We wonder: is it safe for all of Fresno’s progressives to be in the same place at the same time?
• The Media’s War on the "War on Christians" Conference
  Hey!! You two guys over there!! Stop persecuting the other ten of us!! Or we’re gonna tell Jesus!!
• Stan Lee And Sci Fi Channel Want To Find a Superhero
  This . . . looks . . . like . . . a . . . job . . . for . . . Lopy!!!
• Finally, A Reason to Watch Spike TV! Wait…
  New logo. Yep, that’s the ticket. ‘Cause men really notice stuff like, uh, logos (note to male ‘lopers: the logo is often the thing in the lower corner reminding you what channel you’re watching. It has no bearing on the outcome of the programming).
• Smithsonian-Showtime TV Deal Raises Concerns
  In which the museum sees the future while possibly alienating documentary filmmakers. Right of first refusal goes to Smithsonian-Showtime. And forget it if you’re talking about a subject that they might be covering. Someday. Maybe.
• The Sound of A Newspaper: Post Radio Hits the Air
  WaPo radio – like NPR only AM.
• U.S. Demands Files From ISPs, Tech Firms
  And the beat goes on — still, nobody knows what these subpoenas hope to accomplish. Or, rather, what the government hopes to accomplish.
• E3 Through the Eyes of a Booth Babe
  Turns out there are four types of Booth Babes. Why this is important will become more clear as we reveal more about the upcoming Medialoper Fantasy League.
• Redstone Sees A Window Of Opportunity Closing For Hollywood
  Not Sumner, but Shari, Vice Chairman of Viacom who sez: "We need to protect our windows and bring back the ‘wow’ of going to the movies." Right, because nothing says "wow" like that Larry The Cable Guy movie.
• TV downloads break new barrier with "Scrubs" deal
  It’s the first time that two rival networks — ABC produces the show and NBC broadcasts it — have teamed up to make a show available for downloading on iTunes. And it’s "Scrubs," which rules anyway.