I suppose it was bound to come to this. The German artist Gregor Schneider is looking for someone terminally ill who would be willing to die in public, in something like a gallery setting. The next sound you hear will be critics and columnists, including me, chewing over the ethical implications, reminding you of art’s long …
Tuned InUncategorized
The Morning After, Robo-Edition: American Idol
This is Robo-James. The Morning After is the thread in which all humans may discuss recent television transmissions in the absence of Flesh James.
Today’s suggestion: American Idol! Which human’s cacophonous expulsion of air through its flesh-larynx did you find least objectionable? Robo-James believes season has gone downhill since …
Tuned InUncategorized
Vacation Robo-Post: Who Should Replace Katie Couric?
This one’s pretty straightforward. Assume the reports are true, and Katie will be leaving CBS before her contract is up. Who should take her place?
Yes, “the test pattern” and “Futurama reruns” are acceptable answers.
In Reality
Sink and Mirror, Lopez, 1967. /Image: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
An added attraction of the new Boston MFA show about Spanish art during the reign of Philip III is that you can slide from there to an almost literally mesmerizing little exhibition a few galleries away. This one is devoted to the contemporary Spanish realist Antonio …
Tuned InUncategorized
The Morning After, Robo-Edition: HIMYM
This is Robo-James. The Morning After is the thread in which all humans may discuss recent television transmissions in the absence of Flesh James.
Today’s suggestion: How I Met Your Mother! Who loved new video by Robin Sparkles’ robot?
Tuned InUncategorized
Vacation Robo-Post: What Show Would You Remake?
There’s no such thing as a second chance, sang the Lemonheads, but they didn’t work in television. Second chances abound in TV nowadays. NBC is bringing back Knight Rider; it’s already brought back American Gladiators; CBS is remaking Password; we’re in the middle of a new run of Battlestar Galactica; and ABC is going to take a second shot …
Tuned InUncategorized
The Morning After, Robo-Edition: BSG
This is Robo-James. The Morning After is the thread in which all humans may discuss recent television transmissions in the absence of Flesh-James.
This morning Robo-James recommends discussion of Battlestar Galactica! Suggested topic: why not more destruction of humans by their mechanical superiors this season?
Also: are Centurions a …
Back in the Saddle
Okay, I’m back from Venice. Having spent a week there last summer for the Biennale, I decided recently to do another week without the hassles of non-stop exhibition-going and blogging two or three times a day. I was still looking at art all day — it’s a hard life — but it was nice not to have to do a thing with it other than take it …
Tuned InUncategorized
Programming Note
Robo-James (artist’s rendering). / Photo by kreg.steppe.
I’m on vacation next week. I’ve preloaded Robo-James, who denies being the last remaining model of the Final Five, with some robo-posts during my absence. And since I’ll be in town most of my vacation—keeping the Tuned In Jrs. out of trouble during their school break—I’ll …
Tuned InUncategorized
TV Poll: Who Among Us Should Judge?
I’m on deadline for a couple different pieces, and that means: time to outsource! Today’s TV Poll question comes from someone you know as regular Tuned In commenter Lulu: What system of having reality contestants voted off is the best?
There are almost as many different systems of reality-show democracy as there are systems of …
Tuned InUncategorized
You Can Be Funny, or You Can Be President
As Al Gore discovered, your political loss can be your media career’s gain. John Edwards appeared on The Colbert Report—along with current candidates Clinton and Obama—and he absolutely killed. (At last, the voice of the white man is heard!) There is a limit to how laugh-out-loud funny an active candidate can be: you can be wry, or …
Tuned InUncategorized
The Morning After: Catalog Shopping
NBC Photo: Chris Haston
SPOILER ALERT: Before you read this post, put down that chair catalog and watch last night’s Office.
A ring? A ring? “Parking” was not just a funny and sweet episode of The Office—giving a nice character moment to a sideline player like Kevin, for instance—but it certainly moved the Pam and Jim ball …
Tuned In
Lost Discussion Group: Finale Thoughts
SPOILER ALERT: Not that there’s any bombshell information in this post, but if you like having your Lost experience unspoiled by even the teensiest hints of the future, you may want to sit this one out.
For the final LDG before the show itself returns next week—what’s it been, a year?—I thought I’d circle back to the teaser-heavy …