Culturekiosque Nouveau: Television

Television in America and worldwide.

Most recent features:

A Tale of Two Englands: The Crimson Petal and the White / Downton Abbey

Melynda Nuss compares the ambitions of aristocrats at Downton Abbey to those of a young prostitute and her married client in the grime and grit of Victorian London.

The (Increasingly Familiar) Sound of Sondheim’s Music

Great Performances presents Sondheim! The Birthday Concert. In this latest, star-studded celebration, Sondheim’s music is caught making its entrance again, in its usual way. It’s all starting to seem very familiar.

"The Warning": Frontline Investigates the Roots of the Financial Crisis

Frontline sifts through the ashes of the economic meltdown for clues about why it happened, examining critical moments when it might have gone much differently by looking back into the 1990s to discover early warnings of the crash.

Reality TV as Bloodsport: Dutch Contestants Play for Kidney Transplant

In Holland, a terminally ill woman offers a kidney for donation to the winner of a reality TV game show, in memory of a network executive who died waiting for a kidney.

U.S. Midterm Elections: Opposition is Easy - Comedy is Hard.

C. Antonio Romero reviews post-election cable news coverage by The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report’s Stephen Colbert and Keith Olbermann on MSNBC.

A Queer Eye on Stereotypes and Ad Revenue: How Gay TV Breaks Ground on Main Street and Madison Avenue

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Review of Bravo TV television show. Gay men teach straight men about fashion, grooming, decorating, food, wine and culture.

Reality Bites (Back): Can "Survivor" Survive?

'I was shocked the week after the event when I looked at the video rentals. All the movies about terrorists were renting through the roof.'

Prime-Time Emmy Nominations: "Six Feet Under" Digs Deep Into American Taboos

On 18 July, after two seasons on the air, the American television drama series Six Feet Under on HBO was nominated for an astonishing 23 Prime-Time Emmy awards

Older editorial, sorted alphabetically:

"No Limits" on Mapplethorpe Film and Brit-inspired Gay TV Series on Showtime

In 'Dirty Pictures' and 'Queer as Folk' Showtime recounts one gay-cultural controversy and creates another.

VH1's Behind The Music: Cautionary Tales For a New Millenium

A new generation of teenagers wants its MTV, with its current crop of bikini-clad beach dancers and irreverent game shows. Meanwhile, their parents are interested in something of a more moralistic tenor. And Behind the Music is more than happy to supply it.

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