Online Narnia Featurette Whets Appetite

If you're excited about the December release of the live-action version of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," a new online featurette will certainly heighten your anticipation.

Check it out here. (It's a Quicktime file.)

You get an interview with director Andrew Adamson, as well as some terrific shots of various sets and characters.

Love it ...

Oscar Telecast Not Bad

The Oscars aired on ABC last night, and the show wasn't bad. It clocked in around 3 hours 15 minutes, which I appreciated. Please, no more 4-hour marathon viewings ...

Most of the speeches were short and sweet. I thought host Chris Rock was so-so. His opening was flat and his digs at various actors went nowhere, as they should have.

My vote for next year's host: Mike Myers.

Pay-Per-View Lie Detector Test for Slugger Canseco?

Former baseball slugger (and MVP) Jose Canseco appeared on "The Today Show" this morning, where he was interviewed by Matt Lauer about his new book, Juiced. The book is an autobiography from this minority athlete, but its biggest bombshell is Canseco's allegations of steroid use by some of the MLB's biggest stars.

Many have questioned Canseco's credibility, simply dismissing the message on account of the messenger. Canseco probably didn't help his case this morning by deflecting Lauer's pointed questions about whether Canseco is trying to earn more money to pay off debts.

Lauer also mentioned the "story" that Canseco is considering taking a lie detector test about his allegations--on pay-per-view. Canseco at first said he couldn't talk about it, then he apparently referred to the fact that such an event was being set up, presumably within the next month. Lauer's point, of course, was that Canseco is still trying to milk his allegations for money.

No doubt Canseco isn't making friends. Some of his former teammates, opponents and even his one-time manager Tony Larusso have dismissed Canseco in no uncertain terms.

Because of Canseco's "credibility problem," the issue--steroid use--is being bumped aside in favor of questions about Canseco himself.

I haven't read Juiced, but I hope to soon. Meanwhile, the media circus continues ...

Watergate Still Fascinating

I showed "All the President's Men," the 1976 film starring Redford and Hoffman as Woodward and Bernstein, to my mass media class last night. Most of them weren't alive during Watergate; I was only a few months old when the break-in occurred.

It's still a fascinating story, and one that has renewed media attention for several reasons. One reason is that Woodward and Bernstein recently sold their materials about the investigation to a center at the University of Texas. Check out some of the stuff that's there.

Another is the recent documentary "Inside Deep Throat," which looks at the porn film from 1972. That film in fact is responsible for the name given to Woodward's anonymous source from the executive branch. The source, still unknown, talked to Woodward on "deep background" as the young journalist tried to make heads-or-tails of the convoluted ties emanating from the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover-up efforts.

Another reason is the recent speculation that Deep Throat himself is in ill health. Woodward has said he will divulge Deep Throat's identity once the (assumed) man dies. Woodward, though, has said Deep Throat isn't necessarily on his death bed.

I think it's just fascinating that Deep Throat's identity is still unknown. In a day and age where so many people can no longer keep a secret--because of the lures to tell, because of our technological ability to track information--Woodward and Bernstein (and their then Post editor Ben Bradlee) have kept their word and retained the confidentiality of their source.

To learn more about or review some of Watergate, check out the Washington Post's section on it. It has a chronology, key players, original coverage and much more. Very nice.

Jose Canseco, Baseball and Steroids

Jose Canseco, former star of the Oakland A's, has a new book out called Juiced. It's his autobiography. He was an all-star multiple times and one-time MVP. He was a slugger.

In his book he accuses several big-name players of steroid use (he admits to using steroids as well). Problem is, Canseco isn't viewed as a credible source. He's had problems with the law, and some critics view his allegations as jealousy. Of course, if you take a look at contemporary baseball, I'm not sure you need Jose Canseco to consider the possibility that some cheating has taken hold in dugouts.

I got Canseco's autograph years ago when he was playing in the A's farm system. He was with the AA Huntsville Stars--Huntsville being my hometown. He was there along with other future stars--like Mark Maguire (one of the guys he accuses).

I'm not sure I'd ever heard of steroids then. I'm not saying they weren't around; they just weren't on my radar. As a little leaguer, I don't remember blanket accusations about sports stars. What I remember is reading about Hank Aaron in one of my favorite books about sports heroes.

Baseball is still my favorite professional sport, but probably more for what it was and what I remember it being than for what it has become ...

Brilliant Blogging

My best friend is Andrew Rudd. We met in graduate school at Bowling Green State University. It was quickly obvious we had a lot in common.

He's brilliant--and he blogs. And of course his blogging is brilliant. It should be collected and published. He tackles EVERYTHING.

It's called Andrew's Back Burner, and I highly recommend it.

Seeing the world through Andrew's heart, soul and mind is a gift for the rest of us ...

Leasing Your Forehead

I teach a mass media class at Belmont University, and last night we spent some time talking about ads, seeing as how the biggest ad day of the year had just occurred.

Conversation turned to some more unorthodox advertising techniques, and we talked about the man who recently "leased" his forehead, if you will, to the highest bidder on eBay--so the winner could put a temporary tattoo on this guy's forehead to advertise whatever.

Take a look at the guy's eBay page at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5950507719.

It's a gimmick and in that sense is nothing new (there's also a woman who's leasing the skin on her pregnant belly for ad space).

As if we didn't see enough ads already ...

Super Bowl Ads

It's the day after the Super Bowl and "The Today Show" on NBC just finished its Super Bowl ad roundup, wherein it "analyzes" the ads and gets opinions on the best ones from various folks.

I actually didn't watch the Super Bowl. Instead I've looked at ads on such roundup segments and seen various ones online--including versions of the ads that didn't make the cut for broadcast.

Probably one of the most talked about of these was the GoDaddy.com ad, which features a young woman in front of a congressional committee. She has a "wardrobe malfunction" a la Janet Jackson at last year's Super Bowl halftime show.

The ad commentators on NBC sized up this year's ads as almost boring. One said advertisers swung the pendulum back too far on safe ground and the result was a lackluster group of ads.

I have to be honest: My not watching the Super Bowl was part of a recent trend in my life: Less TV. That also means fewer ads for me.

My wife and I were just commenting on this last night and noticing how much we like not being bombarded by the ads one gets on TV.

I realize this may make me sound like a fuddy-duddy, and perhaps it's dangerous for a culture editor. I'm not sure this trend of less TV will continue, but it may. And I DO think it's valuable for a culture editor to carve out the space to evaluate his own reactions to varied levels of media consumption.

I also have to add that, in keeping with what studies reveal, less TV for me corresponds to more time online. I read more global newspapers online, I consume more "alternative" media online, and I spend more time producing something (e.g. writing, updating sites) online.

Documentaries in the Spotlight

I don't agree with everything Michael Moore puts out there, but he certainly has raised the profile for documentary filmmaking.

His "Bowling for Columbine" and "Fahrenheit 9/11" helped give pieces like "Super Size Me" more recognition.

Less well known, but no less worthy, are other documentary films like "Born Into Brothels," which is up for an Academy Award. It's about the children of prostitutes in Calcutta who were given cameras to document their lives.

There's also "Stolen Childhoods," about child labor, which we're going to cover at ED (EthicsDaily.com) soon.

And "Paper Clips" is opening this weekend in Tennessee from Miramax. I screened it last April at the Nashville Film Festival. It's about a school in Tennessee that started to collect paper clips in memory of Holocaust victims. Really a fascinating story.

Just a reminder that some of the best stuff out there isn't what's most heavily advertised.