Ubiquitous Marketing

I’ve admittedly fallen way behind on providing The Wire updates. Rather than flail three weeks behind, getting around to providing my thoughts on the final episode in 2009, I think I will just throw out some bullet points and consider us all square. Deal.
1) The newsroom scenes have improved. There’s still a bit high-mindedness that [...]

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Perhaps we journalists are too blame. A heightened expectation for Simon’s takedown of newspaper erosion was met with great enthusiasm, then disappointment. But — even if we are guilty of being too close to the source - the newspaper angle is, ultimately, of nugatory concern. Even if the last scene takes place in a gutted [...]

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The Internets provide mixed results from episode 2, and I have to concur. The Baltimore Sun storyline was a little more interesting than I had expected (and, perhaps I am merely influenced by my visitor last week), but I join the dissenters in fearing a heavy-handed fabulist storyline (so, it was intimated, the golden boy [...]

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UPDATE: The Wire creator David Simon responds in the comments. I’ve posted them after the jump.
UPDATE 2: Just so there’s no confusion, Simon clearly intended to respond to Plotz’s commentary, which is found in the below link at Slate. But his comments here are edifying, nonetheless.
I will tackle the first episode at length later in [...]

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Today, of course, includes the debut of The Wire: Season Five.
Some odds and ends to (foolishly) attempt to sate you until 9pm.
Baltimore Sun coverage:
The local reaction, the media piece about Simon’s experience at the Sun influencing this season, and the rest*
Jacob Weisberg’s (Slate) recycled analysis for Season Four.
Another Slate article (hot document) about an [...]

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Costly wager?
After internal debate, the Sun agreed to cooperate with the production and allow “The Wire” to use the newspaper’s name (although the paper has been fictionalized). In turn, producers agreed “that their portrayal will be a fair and nuanced depiction of a modern American newspaper,” according to Tim Thomas, the Sun’s vice president [...]

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I’ve been looking for a serial feature to ensure I’m slaving away at this here blog. The upcoming season of The Wire will serve such a purpose. I’ve finally caught up - having just completed Season Four (also, what he said) - and will be critiquing each episode after it runs. The best part? This [...]

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In a NYT article about NBC’s hilarious 30 Rock, reporter Edward Wyatt, reports on a six-second jump cut to a fake music video (f. Tracey Morgan) called “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah.” These quick takes are often the most integral part to the show’s humor, so it’s not terribly surprising that the Grey Lady devoted space to [...]

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Does anyone have an invite to Joost? Would like to try it out. So I can write about it? Sure, why not.
Keith . obrien @gmail.com

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Geico caveman ad campaign (which, virtually everyone loves), is being turned into a sitcom. Of course.
AdRants gets in a pretty good line.
Product placement is for losers. Getting your ad campaign turned into a TV show is the new new thing. Just think. Now, we can expect TV shows about a fast food worker who dreams [...]

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