Heather Hendershot
As contributor
As commenter
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zombies and positive apocalypse?
In Hollywood from Vietnam to Reagan, Robin Wood celebrated Romero's vision of a positive (or perhaps he called it regenerative?) apocalypse. The idea was that much of the progressive potential of the zombie film rested in the fact that Romero was int ... -
pro-nerd/anti-nerd
Yes, this show makes fun of nerds a lot. It is worth noting, however, that in the first two seasons its approach to nerds, fandom, etc. was more thoughtful--the show seemed sometimes to be laughing AT nerds and sometimes WITH nerds. It seems to me that BB ... -
foreign policy and educational TV
Thanks for your note, Allison. Smoot and his extremist compatriots (JBS and others--my favorite organization name is "The National Indignation Convention"!) were hardcore isolationists. They wanted to stop communism, but thought others should ... -
JBS
Amazingly, the JBS has been showing up at some Tea Party events. It's hard to tell if its the sign of renewal, or just their last gasp. Their board of directors is dominated by octogenarians! One thing I think the JBS and Tea Partiers have in comm ... -
Schlafly legacy?!
This is so crazy! It's amazing to think that in 1964 Phyllis Schlafly did not have to hide that she was smart, but that over 40 years later a right-wing commentator would claim to have to look up "ignoramus"--and not even in a dictionary ( ... -
indecency vs. obscenity
Yes, as per Allison's comment, it never ceases to amaze me how the antiregulation, free market crowd nonetheless argues that certain things that make lots of money (e.g. porn) should be regulated. I think part of the reason indecency has become such ... -
Buckley the conversationalist?
I certainly agree with Jeff that Buckley was committed to engaging in conversation--very different from today's shouting matches. What is really interesting, though, is that Buckley fails not infrequently. He's got everything sorted out, with ... -
cold war liberalism
Thanks for drawing our attention to this Stevenson ad, Jenna. When I watch this ad, it is not its "universalism" that strikes me as particularly unique (insofar as Stephenson was not the only one talking this way--the idea of "Judeo-Christ ... -
dirty but clean
Yes, the Kimmel clip operates by simple reversals. It seems almost TOO simple...but it is so funny! I think it's "dirty but clean" insofar as the sexy bits are for fun, not to hurt anyone's feelings or to offend. Back to Michael� ... -
a mise-en-abime of parody!
Yes, Avenue Q! Check out this clip, which, as the intro states, brings Avenue Q full circle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqcYJzc6lKw. I may just be out of the loop here, but I haven't seen Guy Smiley in quite some time. As an adult, empty game ...