Jim Connelly

The Release Window is Closing, But Not Fast Enough

March 12, 2007 by Jim Connelly

According to the L.A. Times, the release window between the time a film is released in theatres and the time it is released has shrunk another 10 days in the past year.

And while that’s enough to make the National Association of Theatre Owners very nervous, that’s still not nearly fast enough. The fact that there is any time at all between the time a film is released in theatres and the time it is available for DVD, pay cable and downloading is swiftly becoming an anachronism.

The Weekly ‘Loper – March 11, 2007

March 11, 2007 by Jim Connelly

While you were busy packing up for SXSW, here’s what we were looking at:

Could Microsoft or Apple Be the Future of EMI? – The question is, of course, would being bought by actual technology companies mean the end of technophobia in the music industry? And is Sony’s purchase of Columbia Records an object lesson in either direction?
The 2008 Presidential Campaign: The Best Reality TV Show Ever? – Possibly, though probably not.
Publishing, Search, and Consumers — The Weird Triangle – Will the publishing industry embrace the book search technology that might just bring them more customers?
Austin Or Bust – As I write this, Kirk & Kassia are hanging out in Austin. And I’m not. I hate when people have more fun than I do.
Juan In A Million – A little-known California State Law passed in the wake of the rolling blackouts caused by Enron requires native Californians like your ‘Lopers to hate everything about Texas. With Juan exception.

The 2008 Presidential Campaign: The Best Reality TV Show Ever?

March 6, 2007 by Jim Connelly

As you probably know, the 2008 Presidential Election cycle has kicked into full gear, nearly two years before the next President will be sworn in. You’re already paying attention to how much Giuliani has opened up his lead over McCain; wondering if Rommey can make nice with the Christian Conservatives; waiting for Obama’s charisma bubble to burst; taking odds on when Bill Clinton might embarass his wife; mourning the death of the “Vilsack / Aflac” running joke on The Daily Show.

What you might not know is how much everybody else is paying attention to it, as well. On Sunday, George Stephanopoulos reported on an ABC poll that said that nearly two-thirds of the nation is already paying attention to the race.

The Weekly ‘Loper – March 4, 2007

March 4, 2007 by Jim Connelly

While you were busy ordering steroids from the web, here’s what we were looking at:

What I Learned From The Oscars Last Night – For some reason, it seems like The Oscars were weeks ago. Or did they just seem to last that long?
EMI Is Right, But For The Wrong Reasons – Does adding DRM to music files lessen their value? Put it this way: does putting four spare tires that have a max speed of 50MPH on a car lessen its value?
Are TV Show Promos Mostly Evil or Pure Evil? – Hell, I try not to even look at the listings in the TiVo guide. Nothing like seeing a listing like “In the aftermath of Baltar’s destruction of the Colonial One, Roslin is forced to bunk with Adama” to totally ruin your day.
One Giant Leap Forward For Book Publishing: A Look At HarperColllins’ Browse Inside Feature – Kassia deconstructs Harper Collins’ latest marketing device, and wonders why their target audience would actually put it on their sites.
207 Of The Greatest Indie Rock Songs Of All Time – As it turns out, 207 wasn’t nearly enough . . .

207 Of The Greatest Indie Rock Songs Of All Time

March 2, 2007 by Jim Connelly

I will acknowledge up front that this is a total ~~rip-off of~~ homage to a post that I saw last week at HearYa which listed their Top 100 Indie Songs of All Time. It’s a pretty great list, and inspired me to do one of my own.

While I’m not a total indie snob — artists I totally love like Bob Dylan, The Clash, Neil Young & The Who have spent their entire careers on major labels — I find that “mostly indie rock” is the best shorthand answer to the “what kind of music do you like?” question. That’s what I like: Indie Rock.

But what is this “Indie Rock?”

Are TV Show Promos Mostly Evil or Pure Evil?

February 28, 2007 by Jim Connelly

Great story about angry Lost fans (though to be sure, is there any other type of Lost fan these days?) pissed off at ABC’s marketing department for what they are calling “false advertising.” Hee.

Apparently ABC had a promo before last weeks ep that promised that “answers to three of Lost’s biggest mysteries are finally revealed.” The angry fans have decided that decided that the mysteries that were revealed by that episode weren’t big enough. So they are claiming that ABC’s marketing department are a bunch of lying liars who lie.

Not to put too fine of a point on it, but these people are idiots.

What I Learned From The Oscars Last Night

February 26, 2007 by Jim Connelly

I usually watch TV for one of two reasons: to be entertained or to be educated. Last night’s telecast of the 79th Annual Academy Awards certainly couldn’t qualify as entertainment, so therefore, it must have been educational.

Therefore, I present what I learned from watching the Oscars with some of my fellow ‘Lopers last night:

See Ya Later, Studio 60

February 19, 2007 by Jim Connelly

From the beginning of this TV season, Rox had planned to write a review of Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip. See, she went into it as a pretty big fan of Aaron Sorkin’s TV shows. She loved Sports Night, and I would guess that the Sorkin years of The West Wing would make her short list of favorite shows ever. So she was really looking forward to it.

But I don’t think that she could ever figure out what to say about Studio 60. Every single week, we watched, waiting for what shoulda been an unbeatable combination of premise, writers and actors to coalesce into the great show we pictured in our heads. Instead, the best that we could consistently come up with was that Matthew Perry was awesome (because he — and yeah, OK, Steven Weber — has been the one great thing on this show), and after that . . . bupkis.

So, unlike a lot of people who are writing Studio 60 obits right now, I came in liking both of Sorkin’s previous shows — even if I would occasionally yell “stop beating me around the head with my own beliefs!!” at them — and really wanting it to succeed.

Well, after tonight’s episode, it’s going on hiatus — quite possibly forever — in favor of a show about those crazy Irish-Americans mobsters with the wrong consonant in their last name and I have some thoughts about what happened. While I still haven’t figured out exactly what went wrong, I can pinpoint a moment that epitomizes the difference between kind of the show that Studio 60 should have been and the show that it ended up being.

The Weekly ‘Loper – February 18, 2007

February 18, 2007 by Jim Connelly

While you were getting ready to report for Spring Training, here’s what we were looking at:

Viacom vs. YouTube – Guess Who Lost? – Right now, that would seem to be Viacom.
I Was An Adult-Aged Arbitron Diarist, Part 1 – Next week, on “I Was An Adult-Aged Arbitron Diarist,” the diaries arrive, and are used!
Exclusive: The Story of My Night of Passion With Anna Nicole Smith – I mean, why not try to get into the sweepstakes?
How Would You Deal With A Global Bandwidth Shortage? – We’re still trying to figure this one out, actually.
That’s What I Like: Remastered Analog Music – Sherilyn learns to trade warmth for clarity. But she really should give Presence a spin. For some of us, that may be the best Zep of all.

Exclusive: The Story of My Night of Passion With Anna Nicole Smith

February 14, 2007 by Jim Connelly

It’s a special Valentines Day exclusive from Medialoper! There is nowhere else in the world where you can read this exact story!

Coming up later in this post, the story of my night of passion with Anna Nicole Smith!