jimblr.com

Posted on: Thursday, 22 May 2008, 03:00 CDT
Abstract: The author examines key films from the millennium’s end: 12 Monkeys (1995), Dark City (1998), Fight Club (1999), and The Matrix (1999). Although these films cover the gamut in terms of genre from science fiction and cyberpunk to urban drama, they all converge on anxieties of identity that result from technological hypermediations of self and reality. These cinematic lamentations for a secure and stable masculinity lost in the wake of a postindustrial capitalist society mark a reversal in the fantasy constructions of nature. Played out in these films is the shift from a masculinity that transcends the natural-maternal realm into the cultural-social realm to a masculinity constructed via (the illusion of) unmediated access to the natural-maternal world. This shift points to an increasing anxiety over the disappearance of, and a desire to (re)connect with, the natural world. Keywords: feminism, masculinity, nature, ontological awakening, popular film, psychoanalysis
“The barricaded gunman is a lyrical fixture of our time. He is what remains of the wilderness and he feels a pulse in his brain that beats for desolation. Bring it all down. Down with complex systems, centralization, the whole scheming technocracy of welfare and banking.”
At the closing of the millennium, Hollywood seemed utterly preoccupied with ontological crises sparked by the hypermediacy of everyday life. Ironically, reality itself had come under the scrutinizing lamp of cinematic interrogators who relied on savvy, specialeffected, computer-graphed representations of an ontological dilemma symptomatic of living in an age of intensified media saturation. A host of late-twentieth-century films, including Terry Gilliam’s sciencefiction masterpiece 12 Monkeys (1995), Dark City (1998), Fight Club (1999), and The Matrix (1999), stage in various ways escapist fantasies of ontological awakenings unto “real” realities. Films about artificial intelligence-controlled digital matrices; extraterrestrial spatial “tuning”; schizoid, masochistic vigilantes; and apocalyptic virologists: have all the workings of moneymaking box-office smashes, all ripe with disdain for a technocratic, postindustrial supercivilization. With the explosion of digital media technologies and a postindustrial commodification of everything, including identity itself, the anxiety of an unstable masculinity seems to have reached a critical stage. Surprisingly, nature has become man’s biggest ally in this rage against the cultural machine. By invoking antistate vigilantism and fantasies of future-primitivism, these films posit a return to a “primitive” nature as the only remedy for the current hypermediated, supercivilized realities. Ironically, these antimodern narratives are posited through the medium of highbudget films, most of which rely heavily on computer-generated imagery and state-of-the-art special effects to deliver their critiques of the hypermediacy of everyday reality.

redorbit.com

Microsoft has struck deals with EMI and Channel 4 to provide a range of content, including music videos from Kylie and Robbie Williams and clips from TV shows Skins and Shameless, to drive the launch of a TV offering on MSN’s instant messenger service.
The software giant is today launching the service, called Messenger TV, across Europe in a bid to bring online video to the millions of users of its instant messenger service.
Microsoft, which has around 14 million monthly unique users of its Windows Live Messenger service in Britain, has struck UK-specific deals with Channel 4 and EMI to boost content on the fledgling service.
Channel 4 will provide a range of “best of Channel 4″ clips of up to four minutes in length from more than 20 shows.
Content will include clips of Channel 4 programmes including Peep Show, How to Look Good Naked, Bremner Bird and Fortune, Property Ladder, Father Ted, Shipwrecked, Skins, Shameless and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.
Jon Gisby, Channel 4 director of new media and technology, said: “Our core audience is spending increasing amounts of time online and expect to be able to watch their favourite Channel 4 shows this way.
“We are building relationships with premier brands, such as MSN, to ensure easy access to this high quality content across the internet. We know our viewers enjoy sharing clips with friends and linking back to Channel4.com where they can catch up on full episodes online, and adding this additional social element will I’m sure be of great appeal.”
MSN instant messenger users will be able to select and share clips with friends.
“We see Windows Live Messenger as media in its own right, one that has been somewhat untapped as an opportunity,” said Peter Bale, the executive producer at MSN UK.
Bale added that this will make Messenger TV a “powerful additional sharing experience” that will be a major draw for advertisers looking to tap into the huge youth market that uses instant messaging.

guardian.co.uk

He lifts off. No - he blasts off.
The overhead video from the blimp on NBC-TV will become a classic for the shock-and-awe effect of Big Brown sprinting off from the field to win the Preakness by 5 \ lengths.
“I just let him go - bye-bye,” said jockey Kent Desormeaux, describing the rocket launch in the homestretch at Pimlico here Saturday when Big Brown won for owners IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr.
Macho Again and Icabad Crane came in second and third, only half a length separating those two, with Racecar Rhapsody finishing three-quarters of a length farther behind them in the field of 12.
The other nuts-and-bolts details from the race were the final time of 1:54.80 and Big Brown’s $2.40 win mutuel as 1-5 favorite. The crowd of 112,222 and $73,457,510 in betting were the fifth-highest ever at Pimlico.
People aren’t talking nuts-and-bolts about Big Brown, however. They’re speaking in superlatives. This son of Boundary, whose stud deal announced Saturday will send him eventually to Three Chimneys Farm, does things the average horse could never do.
The only thing Big Brown has not experienced in his five-race career is a worthy foe. That’s because no horse can get close to him when Desormeaux tells him it’s time to go. Desormeaux pushes a button, and Big Brown is gone.
Many believe he will encounter a worthy challenger June 7 in the third Triple Crown race, the Belmont Stakes, when Casino Drive races against him.
Casino Drive shipped from Japan specifically to run in the Belmont. He prepped by winning the Peter Pan Stakes a week ago.
Dutrow to Casino Drive: bring it on, baby.
“All those Japanese people are going to come here thinking Godzilla is dead,” remarked Big Brown’s trainer, Rick Dutrow. “They’re going to find out he is not dead.”

adn.com

For a man who wrote at least 800 words nearly every day of his life, Miles Kington was always reluctant to write anything about himself. He boasted that one of his hobbies was laying false trails for nosy biographers; and his only attempt at autobiography had evolved of its own accord into a marvellous fiction – the book, Someone Like Me, which was published in 2005 and caused real confusion to booksellers, who didn’t know where to put it.
So it was his wife Caroline’s initiative, just before last Christmas, to invite me to bring my tape recorder to their home near Bath, and persuade Miles to talk into it about the main events of his own life. He was already very ill with pancreatic cancer, and there were things he needed to do, while he still could. Creating the structure for a bona fide biography was one of them, and talking to me would be easier than typing. I’d known Miles for nearly 20 years. We worked on many radio programmes together: he – a witty and knowledgeable writer/presenter, me – a pedantic, old-school producer, who didn’t share Miles’s penchant for spontaneity and last-minute deadlines. It took me a while to recognise that Miles couldn’t deliver, unless he was really up against it. Was this to be one of those times?
Our first session was 11 January, in the afternoon. He gave me a hug when I arrived, but I was shocked to see how frail my friend had become, and my eyes will have hinted at my dismay. Anyway, I set up my microphone and tape machine in the snug parlour of Lower Hayes (a house where Nelson once slept) and we went to work. Caroline had suggested some topics for our conversation, but she’d gone to the shops, and we’d forgotten what they were. A train buzzing along the branch line at the bottom of the garden gave an appropriate starting cue for our first session.

independent.co.uk

Distinguishing itself further from other content portals, AOL has secured rights to carry ESPN video directly on AOL Video and AOL Sports.
AOL is the first portal to carry ESPN content, which will include highlights from games and major sporting events as well as ESPN original programming clips.
For ESPN, an expanded reach online equals the potential for greater ad revenue.”Our advertisers benefit from a larger online video audience,” said Matt Murphy, senior vice president, digital video distribution at ESPN. “The potential is tremendous.”
ESPN already has quite an impressive following online. In 2007, sports fans viewed ESPN.com videos more than 1.2 billion times, a 54% increase over 2006. Also, on average, fans viewed more than 105 million videos per month for the year–growing to an average of more than 127 million for Sept. through Dec., according to ESPN.
In a similar deal, AOL Video became the first portal to carry ABC prime-time programming late last year.
Disney, the parent company of both ESPN and ABC, sees itself as a pioneer in the digital world of media. Yet each has sought to protect the quality of–and the business terms under which–their content is distributed online.
To protect the viewing experience on AOL Video, both ESPN and ABC programming is streamed over proprietary video players.
Content available through ESPN’s embedded video player on AOL will include “SportsCenter Right Now,” a twice-daily capsule of top sports stories, highlights and breaking news; clips from ESPN programs such as “Mike and Mike in the Morning,” “Pardon the Interruption” and “Around the Horn;” and breaking news and game clips from major professional and college teams and sporting events.
The multi-sport video player will also offer links to ESPN.com content related to the video topics.
Users will be able to access the ESPN content through AOL Video’s channel tab located on the home page. In addition, ESPN’s videos will easily be found through AOL’s video search, which is powered by its video search engine, Truveo.

publications.mediapost.com

April 24, 2008 - Got the urge to load up your iWhatever ™ with some newjams? Well, Apple’s iTunes music storehas posted a fresh batch of sonic stuff for your perusal. It’s a long list ofreleases this week, but we’ve done the hard work for you. Here’s what’s new andhot oniTunes:
Emo rockers Alkaline Trio drop a new EP, Agony & Irony this week. Theirnew full-length comes out June 1.
Ashlee Simpson’s latest, Bittersweet World, is out now onGeffen Records.
Minneapolis-hailing hip-hop duo Atmosphere released their smooth new joint, Life Gives You Lemons,You Paint That S**t Gold, this week. Apple is offering a bonus video versionwith two live performances.
English musician Billy Bragg has made what could be his best album to date with Mr.Love & Justice.
Bizzy Bone, of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony fame, comes correct on his thirdsolo album, A Song for You. The hot new album features guest apperancesby DMX and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte.
The triumphant return of Blind Melon, with new lead singer Travis Warren (who replaced latefront man Shannon Hoon), is official. The band’s new album, For My Friends,was released this week.
Aussie band The Cat Empire’s So Many Nights gets an American release.Players of EA Sports’ FIFA 08 may recognize the band from their song "Sly," thatwas featured on the soundtrack.
R&B sensation Chris Brown’s catchy new single, "Forever," is out now.
The offbeat hilarity of Flight of the Conchords comes to iTunes this week with the debut of the NewZealand comedy duo’s self-titled album.
G-Unit, 50 Cent & Whoo Kid drop Return of the Body Snatchers thisweek. P. Diddy fans be warned!

music.ign.com

Lately I have been obsessed with two things: 80’s movies and anime. I won’t be talking about anime now, but hopefully when we hear more about the Ninja Assassin film being made, it will give me a chance to go into the exciting world of anime. For now I want to talk about the films from the 1980’s and how extremely rad most of them are.
Until recently if someone had asked me my opinion of the 80’s it wouldn’t have been a positive response. I would even go as far as to say that until a few weeks ago, I hated everything about that decade. I guess I hadn’t given it that much thought and was basing my opinion solely on the music and clothing styles. I will never forgive my mom for making me wear bright neon yellow shirts and shorts with knee socks rolled down to my Velcro shoes. It turns out that the 80’s actually produced the best cartoons and toys ever! But what originally sparked my interest in reevaluating the 80’s was a conversation I had in Austin during SXSW and the realization that most of my favorite films and series found their beginning in the 80’s.
One night in Austin I found myself engrossed in a conversation about 80’s horror films. Movies like The Stuff, Cat’s Eye, The Evil Dead, Maximum Overdrive, Child’s Play, and House came rushing back to my memory and made me smile. It made me think about some of the films that are either coming out soon or that were released over the last few years. Movies or series that got their start in the 80’s and have been revived like Rambo, Indiana Jones, The Lost Boys, Short Circuit, Terminator, RoboCop, Wargames and Die Hard. All of these have either just had another film made to continue their legacy or they have one in the works. I couldn’t be more excited.

firstshowing.net

What I expected to see this morning was fine political stagecraft from a fine performer.
I read the text of the speech, first, since it was available, first. I was very impressed — it was masterfully constructed — but in a couple of places the nuances of tone and lilt, of rhythm and restraint, would be critical. I had to see his delivery.
When the video came out, I listened once in the morning, then again in the afternoon.
He nailed it. A near-perfect performance. There hasn't been one of these people before. Not in reliably-recorded history.
Gentle readers, we didn't just witness a man standing on the shoulders of giants, grand-standing in front of the footlights or aping some long-dead icon we've woven into larger-than-life status. What I saw this morning and all day today was the enfoldment and evolution of a miraculous human individual the likes of which we neither deserve, nor has anyone made plans to accomodate, in the present political environment.
He wasn't just good. He wasn't just understated. He was astonishly understated and amazingly cool under an incredible pressure to perform.
So much so that Hillary couldn't resist her dismissing the speech with faint praise. "I'm glad he gave it," or words to that effect. Whatever. Tomorrow one of the Clintons will find a way to martyr themselves with victimization and sad tales of derry-do gone awry. Been there, done that. Still paying for the teeshirt…and the interest rate just tripled.
Ladies and gentlemen, the story is this speech in the context of a campaign against a machine hell-bent to win or scorch the Earth trying. And, as everyone by now realizes, if Hillary does try to win, it will cause an extinction-level event in the Democratic party. The woman is driven to destroy herself and the country that made her possible in the first place. The low self esteem alluded to ever-so-delicately by Obama during his speech painted Hillary as the sad, pathetic victim she has always strived to be. And, as a President, she would work very, very hard at being a victim on the grandest of all possible scales.

opednews.com

Some cynics suggested Clinton was exaggerating the danger and importance of her travels in order to bulk up her credentials of experience to be able to answer the White House phone at 3 a.m. And last night Jay Leno joked that Clinton was supposed to be his guest, but she got pinned down by sniper fire and couldn’t make it.
But now we know that peaceful video, which also showed Sinbad trying to be funny in the face of imminent death and Sheryl Crow fearlessly strumming a guitar, had to have been doctored to mask the gunfire and excise the bloody carnage surrounding the brave Mrs. Clinton.
The Ticket has now obtained two videos of the actual visit — one just above here and another awaiting after you click the Read more line down below.
These film clips obviously show the real wartime conditions that the future Democratic presidential candidate endured on her road toward the nomination. And you have to hand it to the one-time Cubs-now-forever Yankees fan. Not once, does she flinch amid the explosions.
View second video below by clicking on the Read more line.
Now, here’s another taped version of the same 1996 visit to Bosnia with the actual sound of gunfire. How the Secret Service allowed a First Lady to go into such a dangerous place, we’ll never know. But we’re certain Rep. Henry Waxman will conduct a full televised investigation as soon as he can find a Republican involved.

latimesblogs.latimes.com

It’s New York versus New Jersey in the scandal business. All sorts of new reports are emerging across the board for Eliot Spitzer’s alleged Mayflower Hotel tryst partner Ashley Dupre. The latest is she was a part of a cheerleader dressed call girl trio that joined in with Hollywood actor Charlie Sheen. No comment yet from anyone on the truth of the claims of that and the report comes from an Australian newspaper.
But if it is true, at least that was her job. A shocking new report claims that Dina Matos McGreevey, the woman that stood by her “gay American” husband Jim McGreevey when he went down in New Jersey (as Governor) and was removed from office for his own scandalous behavior was involved in threesomes with her husband and their driver.
According to a report from the New York Post the claims come from the driver, a man named Teddy Pedersen. He says the three were regularly involved in the trysts and he is now speaking out because he doesn’t like the way Dina Matos McGreevey has handled her role as the “victim” in interviews after the whole Spitzer and Ashley Alexandra Dupre scandal was uncovered by the Feds.
He says she was a willing participant in the threesomes and he believes that is ridiculous that she is trying to now cash in. He claims that the relationship between the three went on for years and they went at it together many times. It’s unclear if Pedersen is gay bisexual but he says he is living with a woman now. He claims that Dina Matos McGreevey knew Jim McGreevey was gay all along (she has denied this in her book) and they all went at it at their condo and also in hotel suites when they all traveled together.

nationalledger.com