The latest brouhaha facing the questionable practices of the MPAA when it hands out ratings has once again come to the fore. This time it’s with assigning an “R” rating to The King’s Speech mostly, if not entirely, based on one small section were curse words are uttered. Continue reading
Since 1968, the U.S. has had a rating system for theatrical movies. These ratings are of dubious value as they are vague and often tainted by politics or studio pressure. Given the forty years of experience we now have, I think it’s time that we re-examine how we rate our movies. Continue reading
It’s been interesting to watch this year’s round of Poll-ballot-stuffing a/k/a which bubble show should be saved surveys. Every season, the passionate fans of a series band together and do their level best to flood sites with just as many votes as possible. Continue reading
Ratings for the CBS drama, CSI, have plunged a bit since the exit of William Petersen as boss-man Gil Grissom. Since then, and coinciding with the introduction of Laurence Fishburne’s Ray Langston, viewers have opted for other diversions. Why? Continue reading
I love DVRs. They shame VCRs. Unfortunately, almost all DVRs come with shortcomings. That’s unfortunate since they could be, in the words of Barney Stinson, “Legen–wait for it–dary”. If I were able to get the one that I want, this is the one that I want. Continue reading
The time has come to stop depending on the statistical few to have the same tastes as the variety of viewers across the country. When they are picking from half-a-dozen choices, that might have had some merit, but when picking from about 1,000 choices, those 5,000 Nielsen families seem woefully under-representative. With just a new twist with available technology, there can be upwards of 200,000,000 votes as to what is worthy of being on the air and what isn’t. Whether watched live on DTV, or a week later off your laptop’s hard-drive, you can tell the powers that be that you are watching. Continue reading
Another season of American Idol is upon us. A ratings juggernaut that tends to leave havoc in its wake. Often, this havoc is mentioned in regards to what other networks have to do in order to lessen any damage that Idol will cause. I can’t help but wonder if Idol actually does more damage to all of the other shows on the FOX network. Continue reading
