May
They’re shooting Boardwalk Empire outside my apartment today. Fun!
Mar
Feb
Christopher Hitchens debates William F. Buckley on Firing Line
Hitchens was really in top form here. He and Buckley spar on George McGovern, Richard Nixon, and the successes and failures of American liberalism.
Also, why are there so few respectable political talk shows nowadays? Buckley is so superior to Hannity, O’Reilly, et al. I almost feel embarrassed for today’s conservative pundits.
Nov
Brief, Shameless Self-Promotion
Unraveled, a documentary I worked on a while back, is on CNBC at 9pm tonight. It’s also available on iTunes and airs periodically on Showtime.
Described by The Hollywood Reporter as “one of the most incisive documentaries about the financial crisis,” it’s the story of Manhattan attorney Marc Dreier, who stole hundreds of millions in an elaborate Ponzi scheme. The film features interviews with Dreier while he is under house arrest in his $10 million penthouse awaiting sentencing.
Here’s a 60 Minutes piece on Dreier for those who might be interested.
Oct
Happy Halloween!
Oct
The original U.K. series was superb. Excited.
Oct
Richard Nixon debating John F. Kennedy
Sep
A fake subway entrance for Law & Order SVU…or as I call it, the subway to nowhere
Aug
Better get on this, Morley Safer
May
Study: Fox News, CNN, MSNBC are "least informative" news sources
1,185 respondents nationwide were asked about what news sources they consumed in the past week and then were asked a variety of questions about current political and economic events in the U.S. and abroad. On average, people were able to answer correctly 1.8 of 4 questions about international news, and 1.6 of 5 questions about domestic affairs.
…the study concludes that media sources have a significant impact on the number of questions that people were able to answer correctly. The largest effect is that of Fox News: all else being equal, someone who watched only Fox News would be expected to answer just 1.04 domestic questions correctly — a figure which is significantly worse than if they had reported watching no media at all. On the other hand, if they listened only to NPR, they would be expected to answer 1.51 questions correctly; viewers of Sunday morning talk shows fare similarly well. And people watching only The Daily Show with Jon Stewart could answer about 1.42 questions correctly.
“These differences may be small, but even small differences are important when we’re talking about millions of people,” said Cassino. “We expect that watching the news should help people learn, but the most popular of the national media sources – Fox, CNN, MSNBC – seem to be the least informative.”
Apr
Republicans Love Golf and Michelob Ultra, Democrats Love “30 Rock” and Heineken
This Atlantic article contains some pretty interesting data. Some of it is not surprising. Republicans like Fox News, Democrats like MSNBC. But why do Republicans adore Michaelob Ultra and men’s golf? Why do Democrats go crazy for 60 Minutes and women’s basketball?
