Archives for February 2008

ABC Fights the FCC and Cultural Correctness

February 13, 2008 by Jim Connelly

ABC, which was hit a couple of weeks ago with a $1.4 million fine by the FCC, has decided to fight back.

The fine was imposed because of a scene in a 2003 episode of NYPD Blue that showed a woman’s buttocks and a bit of what the Celeb gossip sites all call “side boob.”

Just like NYPD Blue had been doing for 10 years. This time, however, it was different. I guess. And five years after the actual episode was broadcast — three years after NYPD Blue went off the air — the FCC came down with their oh-so-timely fine.

And the children, once again, are saved from the gruesome horrors of the naked female human body! Thank God. Or thank Wholly His Official Representatives on Earth, the children-loving, naked-woman hating Parents Television Council, who, as usual, decided to be offended so that the rest of us didn’t have to.

The Daily Loper – February 12, 2008

February 12, 2008 by Lopy

Yes, We Have a Soul, But It’s Made of Lots of Tiny Robots Edition

Todays links of interest:

Doctor’s Outrage: Asked to Rat on Patients?
You know what would end this type of shit? Universal health coverage.
Paris Hilton’s Little Brother Arrested for DUI
Apparently, he was a producer on "The Hottie and The Nottie," and was trying to forget the Box Office receipts.
Too early to know cause of BlackBerry outage
We’re going to bet on "God hates you."

The Daily Loper – February 11, 2008

February 11, 2008 by Lopy

A Bigger Boat Edition

Todays links of interest:

Trust of ‘Rings’ creator Tolkien sues New Line
For $150,000,000.
BlackBerry email service goes down
So if you see people around weeping openly, you’ll know why.
Jaws Star Roy Scheider Dies
You can say all you like about what happened in Hollywood after "Jaws," but you’ll never be able to convince us that "Jaws" itself was anything but first-rate entertainment, and Roy Scheider’s everyman portrayal as Chief Brody, who just wants to do the right thing in, er, uncharted waters, went a long way towards making it so great.

DRM’s Not Dead, It’s Just Resting

February 11, 2008 by Kirk Biglione

It would be all too easy to declare the DRM wars over. With the recent addition of the Sony BMG catalog to the Amazon MP3 store, all of the major labels have finally given in to consumer demands by allowing their music to be sold in an unrestricted digital format.

Unfortunately, DRM is anything but dead. There remains a pervasive belief among media executives that DRM can somehow protect content and intellectual property rights in the digital marketplace. This despite all evidence to the contrary. A quick glance at the leading online sources for legal downloads will confirm that DRM is still very much a part of the digital media landscape.

Both Amazon and Apple continue to use DRM to restrict access to video content. That’s no surprise considering film studios and television networks have long required DRM on all digital media products — a requirement that has done nothing to curb piracy.

Amazon also uses DRM to restrict Kindle eBook downloads. Given Amazon’s relationship with the major publishing houses, you might expect the company to use its influence to convince publishers that DRM actually limits consumer choice, thereby inhibiting the marketplace for digital content. After all, Amazon advertises DRM-free as a feature in its MP3 store — why not encourage publishers to follow suit?

The Daily Loper – February 8, 2008

February 8, 2008 by Lopy

Let The World Turn Without You Tonight Edition

Todays links of interest:

Anna Nicole: One Year On
Still dead. Still not missed.
Clemens’ wife accused of using HGH
Aha! That explains why she got that extra 5 feet on her fastball.
Winehouse granted visa after all
However, she still won’t be flying in to perform at the Grammys — instead, performing via satellite. Because the visa decision came too late for her to make it over and not need crack in order to deal with the jet lag? Because, after all of the publicity surrounding her breakdown, her camp was gambling on her not being allowed in the U.S. in the first place, and were caught by surprise by this passive-aggressive decision? BTW, after all of the hype, she’d better be awesome.

The Daily Loper – February 7, 2008

February 7, 2008 by Lopy

Take This Nation Back For Christ Edition

Todays links of interest:

Amy Winehouse Denied Entry to U.S.
Apparently, we’ve already reached our yearly quota of drugged-up, crazy-ass entertainers. The part of this that hasn’t gotten a lot of publicity is the back-door negotiations to trade her straight up for Britney. It almost went through, too, except that the U.K. also wanted to throw Pete Doherty as the addict to be named later.
Kirsten Dunst latest starlet to enter rehab; checks herself into Cirque Clinic
Figure after "Spiderman 3," this is the best way not to have to make another one.
Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Finds Its Way To Torrent Sites
However, nobody is actually downloading it.

The Daily Loper – February 6, 2008

February 6, 2008 by Lopy

Strange and Unknown Edition

Todays links of interest:

White House Defends CIA’s Use of ‘Waterboarding’ Interrogation Technique
Of course, there is always this reason, too.
Obama campaign song a viral video hit
Another reason to vote for Obama: the latest unauthorized viral video hit is a total mash-up mess. Kinda reminds us of "The Murder Mystery," which is ironic, considering the musicians involved.
Time Warner’s Bewkes to Break AOL in Two
In order to accomplish strategic goals…which is probably a polite way of putting up a "For Sale" sign.

The Daily Loper – February 5, 2008

February 5, 2008 by Lopy

Mediocre Tuesday Edition

Todays links of interest:

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, guru to Beatles, dies
The tipping point: that whole "Across The Universe" fiasco.
Apple doubles iPhone, iPod Touch capacity
Ho-hum: call us when they make the iPhone 3G and they stop crippling the 3rd-party apps ever couple of months.
‘Doctor Who’ Season Four Travels to Sci Fi
In April, which is good news as "The Wire" and "Lost" will both be done with their current runs and unless the strike ends soon, there really won’t be much else. What will suck, of course, is the editing of the individual episodes for American TV. So we might wait for the DVDs again.

The Daily Loper – February 4, 2008

February 4, 2008 by Lopy

There’s Some Sad Things Known To Man Edition

Todays links of interest:

Most-Watched Super Bowl Ever
Just as long as FOX doesn’t think that this had anything to do with the horrific Ryan Seacrest-hosted pre-game show.
Reinventing ’24’
An interesting look at the crisis of direction that the makers of "24" had after their ratings declined last season. The writer of the piece seems to tie it in with the declining fortunes of the Bush Administration, but we have a simpler explanation: it just wasn’t a very good season.
Obama expands lead on Clinton in California
Even bigger news – yesterday Obama trounced Clinton in the Medialoper Super Bowl straw poll.

A Daily Loper – February 1, 2008

February 1, 2008 by Lopy

Cheesecake Left To Rot in The Sun Edition

Todays links of interest:

Is my Super Bowl party against the law?
Because that would be awesome if it was!!
Bidding reaches $18.55 bln in U.S. wireless auction
Damn! We only had $17 bln to spend.
Beck’s Odelay Reissue Contains Wrong Lyrics
Oops. Also, has an album that seemed to be aging badly done such a turnaround? In 2001, it seemed like "Odelay" was yesterday’s news. Now, it sounds fantastic again. Beck continues to do great work, but this is always going to be near the top of the list of his best albums.