Vox Clamantis

Broadband Emmy Nominees

I meant to highlight this article a while back but got busy. So here you go, from the DC Examiner:

TV programming created especially for cell phones, handheld computers and the Internet has officially arrived as its own medium. Six broadband-specific shows have been nominated in a new category of the Emmy Awards to be given out later this month.

With the rise of a diverse range of programming for computers and mobile devices, the The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences decided last year to recognize the field with the new award. Officially, it's for "original entertainment programming created specifically for nontraditional viewing platforms."

...

The winner is to be announced April 22 along with the Daytime Emmys in New York.

The nominated shows are:

• "24: Conspiracy"
• "It's JerryTime!"
• Live 8 on AOL
• "mtvU Stand In"
• "Sophie Chase"
• "Stranger Adventures: Helen Beaumont"

Entourage

Entourage will return in June. That is all.

Simpsons to Air Live Introduction

Tonight at 8 the Simpsons will air a live introduction to the show commissioned by British network Sky One. The video has been making the rounds online and you should watch it here if you haven't seen it and don't plan on watching tonight's episode, or in the off chance you miss the show.

Yahoo news has more.

Dr. 90210

The NYT has a long article on Roberto M. Rey Jr, Dr. Rey, or Dr. 90210. I think the point of the article is to show that the good Dr. is a hack:

One thing is clear: "Dr. 90210" is the show that traditional plastic surgeons love to hate. Critics including Dr. Mark L. Jewell, the president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, say that Dr. Rey is a skilled surgeon, but his informal way with patients is inappropriate, even undignified, and the reality show gives viewers the impression that plastic surgery is a casual beauty treatment rather than a serious surgical procedure.

Even worse, Dr. Rey is not board certified as a plastic surgeon. Now why would doctors be upset about that? What's clear is that he is an ambitious person:

Many patients and faithful viewers are familiar with Dr. Rey's life story as he has presented it: how he was raised by a single mother in São Paolo, Brazil, and how he spent his youth running with a crowd of teenage hoodlums and committing petty crimes. During his childhood he slept on sleeping bags on a broken dining room table, he said. But even then, he had dreams.

"Walking through the ghetto I was raised in, I knew I was going to go to the United States, go to Harvard, be a plastic surgeon, move to Beverly Hills, become a member of Congress and then become surgeon general," he said.

Okay, sometimes it gets to be a bit much:

"Look, I got my S.A.G. card before I got my medical license," Dr. Rey said, pulling from his wallet his Screen Actors Guild membership card (1980) and his California medical license (1993).

I have just a few thoughts. First, my one worry about Dr. Rey is that his practice will turn ugly. One of the most disturbing chapters in Complications addressed why good doctors go bad. Gawande spent a long section of that chapter discussing one doctor who became negligent. The doctor was way overbooked, rushed through his operations and his visits, and slowly became too overworked and overstressed to do a decent job. Sound familiar? If you've watched the show at all, you'll know that Dr. Rey is working from 8 am till 10 pm and just bought a giant 8,000 sf mansion. He's also paying two mortgages since his other house hasn't sold. His free time is spent juggling his family and his Tae Kwon Do. It's not a healthy life and will turn into a disaster if he continues on this path.

Apparently he has other plans though:

Dr. Rey still harbors his boyhood dreams of "going to Congress and changing things" and hopes eventually to become surgeon general so that "even poor migrant workers will have access to heath care," he said. But in the meantime he is concentrating on changing the face of cosmetic surgery.

"We have pioneered the idea of doctor as entertainer," Dr. Rey said. "I like to think I helped the marriage of plastic surgery and show business."

The Real Project Runway Winner

And the winner is... Santino, by a landslide [Pandagon should be happy!]. Then Daniel, Chloe, and Kara. Of course, in the real show, Chloe won. However, in the auction, which I blogged about earlier, Santino's clothes were by far the favorites. This is ironic becauce Chloe prided herself on her business sense. She even said that while her clothes didn't have the flash of Santino's, she knew women's fashion and knew how to be a successful businesswoman. Five of Santino's outfits were worth more than all of Chloe's. Ouch.

Here are the total values of each contestants collection, plus their most valued item:

1. Santino Rice, Total value: $15,694.99
   1. most valuable item: $2,990
2. Daniel Vosovic, $10,991.99
   1. $2,525 (my favorite piece)
3. Chloe Dao, $8,903
   1. $1,475 (bleh)
4. Kara Janx, $4,993.50
   1. $923

The market chose Santino. As did the Manolo. I think this was the correct decision, though I would have been perfectly happy if Daniel was ahead of Santino. Either way, I prefer the market outcome to the command and control verdict imposed on us by Heidi, our German Dictatoress.

Upcoming

March 15 is shaping up to be quite the day. First Coffee and meat, and now we can add fashion to the list. If you've been following Project Runway, you will know that Chloe's victory was controversial. However, the market now gets its say. Bravo is auctioning off the clothes from the designers' final collection (Chloe's collection, Daniel, Santino, and let's add Kara for good measure.) Coincidentally, the auction ends March 15. Then we can add up the values and see who's collection was the most highly valued. Will it be Chloe? stay tuned...

Scarlett and Isaac

I wrote about this event earlier, but now we have Scarlett's reaction to Isaac's antics at January's Golden Globe Awards:

"It was definitely in poor taste," Johansson said in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times. "I'd been prepping for two hours with hair and makeup and getting dressed. And the first interview I do, someone who I have never met before fondles me for his own satisfaction."

Mizrahi, who was doing pre-show interviews for the E! cable channel, created a flap when he groped Johansson's breast, asked Eva Longoria about her pubic hair and peeked down Teri Hatcher's dress.

From CNN. If you want to skip my earlier post, here's the video. Thankfully, Isaac promises not to change.

Where's Andrae?

I've been watching Project Runway with Andrea and it is getting addicting. The characters are fantastic. Santino is a riot, as is Tim Gunn, though not always intentionally. This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite shows. The tragic part is that it's ending. The third episode of their laborious three episode finale airs next week. Then we'll have to wait for another season.

Virginia Postrel also likes the show and compares it to another classic, Junkyard Wars, in which really ingenious groups of people have to assemble a working vehicle in less than 10 hours. It's pretty remarkable. The NYT has an article today on Project Runway, here that is worth a read.

What I like about the show is that it gives the viewer a glimpse into another life. Most 20 somethings switch jobs every 1-2 years, searching for the proper fit. Shows like this, while not representative of the life of a fashion designer, do give a sense of the struggle, talent, and determination of some of the best and brightest of the upcoming crop. Bravo's next show, Top Chef, promises to do the same. To the degree students and 20 somethings are able to find or narrow down their calling because of shows like this, I think they are a valuable public good.

For expert commentary on the show, check out The Manolo Blog, especially this post. He's been blogging each episode, and the recaps are usually better than the shows themselves. The manolo loves the writing. There is even a whole blog dedicated to the show.

Since I started this post talking about Tim, it's only fair to end with him. Here's a little blurb about him from the NYT article:

The biggest surprise is that the breakout personality is the show's least flamboyant or neurasthenic: Tim Gunn, the affable chairman of the fashion design department at the Parsons School, who like a father hen guides contestants through their weekly challenge.

With his top-drawer drawl, Banana Republic blazers and one-liners — "Make it work" — Mr. Gunn has turned into an unlikely heartthrob.

This is certainly a more noble catchphrase than the Donald's. For more on fashion, try these posts over at Marginal Revolution.

Also, via the Project Runway blog, CNBC will be airing a "Project Runway" special on "The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch."

Make it work.

4-Year-Old Trumpet Prodigy

Most young kids that are really good at something are precosious little brats. But not Geoffrey Gallante, now 5. He's rad. He learned to play the trumpet one day. His older brother played in high school and little Geoffrey just picked up the trumpet, asked his mom if he could play and blew his first note. He can also read music. I played violin for three years without ever learning to read music and my music teacher will certainly swear that I never played a note correctly. He'll be on Jay Leno next Tuesday, if you can stay up late enough to watch. CBS news did a segment on him earlier, which you can watch here. I only know this because his mom works on the hill as a stenoghrapher, tirelessly preparing our hearing transcripts. She's one of the nicest people I've met, and that's in general, not just amongst Hill staff. Hopefully the media blitz won't be too much for Geoffrey.

And for those that know, he looks just like Max.

Update: I haven't found a video of Geoffrey on Leno, but here's a picture and brief story on Leno's site.

Awards Season

The Hollywood awards season is one of the most amazing spectacles to watch. Never has one group been so successful at getting such huge audiences to watch them congratulate themselves. Hollywood loves itself and it shows. Like all other sheep, I'm guilty of watching these shows as well. Last night's Golden Globes were by far the best. By that I mean that Isaac Mizrahi stole the show. Never has a pre-show red carpet fashion parade been so fascinating to watch. Isaac apparently has no internal filters or self control and it makes for fantastic television. I'm sure I'll never see another interviewer with the pluck to grope Scarlett Johansson. Or to ask inappropriate questions about women's underwear and where they store their condoms. Fascinating. He should host everything. As for the show itself, it was mostly the same predictable blah we've come to expect, aside from the occasional shining light, like Steve Carell thanking his wife, repeatedly.

[Update: Here is the video of Isaac groping Scarlett (I mean, touching in a loving, non-sexual way?). Ifim comes to the rescue. Here's more commentary.]