Posted on July 29, 2015 at 8:50 am
Many thanks to Betty Jo Tucker and her co-host A.J. Hakari for inviting me back to Movie Addict Headquarters to talk about Comic-Con and “Minions.”
Posted on July 22, 2015 at 5:00 am
Twenty years ago this week, when there were only a few thousand websites and not one from a corporation or publication, I decided to publish movie reviews online from a parent’s point of view. In honor of that anniversary two of my ebooks will be free from today through Sunday. Check out 101 Must-See Movie Moments
Enjoy!
In 1995, just about every site on the Web was put there by a college student or someone in the military or was part of a university’s in-house system for publishing notices of meetings and conferences and trading papers and data. I had been online since 1986, when it was just pre-Web bulletin boards and listservs. I was very interested in the technology, but I didn’t want to create a the typical “Here is a picture of my dog and my coffee pot and here are my ten favorite links” website. And I wanted to write movie reviews. So I decided to combine the two. I still remember that first URL: http://www.prodigy.com/rcpj55a/moviemom
It is hard to remember now how new and exotic and primitive the web was in those days. I did all my own code for the first four or five years, and was very proud of myself for figuring out how to post pictures of movie posters and embedded links. And I watched the Web grow up all around me. When I began, there was no Yahoo and no Google. AOL was Macs only. I had to use dial-up. There were no cable modems, either. My first site even pre-dates the Internet Archive and the Wayback application. It was via Prodigy.
Five years later, Yahoo asked me to become its film critic, around the time that I began reviewing movies on radio station across the country (thank you, Froggy in Fargo for getting me started) and seven years after that, I got a call from Beliefnet, where I am living happily ever after.
As I typed away on that little computer in the study off our bedroom, the desktop that had less power than I currently have in my iPhone, I could never have imagined where it would take me. I am blessed by this journey and by all of you who are kind enough to visit me here. On to the next 20!
Posted on April 11, 2015 at 3:37 pm
In February of this year, Google launched the YouTube Kids app, specially designed for “little thumbs” to get kids hooked on devices and videos as soon as they can hold an iPhone. They assured parents that the app was completely safe to use and that all content was family-friendly.
I support the policy of the pediatricians’ association of no screen time of any kind under age two and strictly limiting it thereafter, but I recognize that there are times when it can be handy to have a way to distract and entertain a child. And I can appreciate how important it is for parents to have some way to allow kids to get what’s best on the internet without the risk that a search for say, “dolls” or “spanking” will bring up something disturbing or inappropriate.
Unfortunately, Google and YouTube Kids have saturated the app with commercials, including channels devoted to brands like McDonalds, Barbie, Fisher Price, and LEGO. A detailed complaint filed by a coalition of public interest groups representing children and consumers calls on the Federal Trade Commission to give parents the same kinds of protections that they have imposed on television programming directed at children, requiring a bright line demarcation between advertising and programming, for example.
YouTube Kids is a long way from that now. Much of the advertising is “native” and completely integrated with the other content. While some ads on the app have disclaimers noting, for example “compensation provided by McDonald’s,” this is a problem in an app for kids, who are (1) too young to understand what “compensation provided” means, (2) too young to comprehend the difference between sponsored and un-sponsored content, and (3) TOO YOUNG TO READ.
I was quoted in this SFGate article about advertising on YouTube Kids. “Google has said they are curating material they guarantee is OK for children, so they have to do better than this.”
Google says that they need advertising in order to keep the app free for all families. I appreciate that. But, as they say, on the internet, if you’re not the paying customer, you’re the product. We should not be selling our children to advertisers, and Google should not be acting as broker. Visit the FTC’s website to file a complaint.
Posted on April 7, 2015 at 8:32 pm
I had a blast talking all things Cinderella on Movie Addict Headquarters with Betty Jo Tucker, Mack Bates, and A.J. Hakari. Who’s the best evil stepmother? What little-known versions of the story should you be sure to see? And who’s right about Cinderfella
Posted on February 14, 2015 at 12:00 pm
I’m delighted that the Washington Post printed my letter about the costumes in the terrific Fox series “Empire.” Robin Givhan’s article about the way the show’s costumes define the characters was outstanding, but it omitted one important detail:
I was delighted to read Robin Givhan’s insightful comments on the brilliant use of costume to illuminate character and context in the TV show “Empire” . But I’m sorry that she left out the names of the brilliant costume designers who selected those iconic looks.
Every choice, from Hakeem Lyon’s gold chain to Lucious Lyon’s pocket square to Cookie Lyon’s leopard-print, skin-tight minidress, was made by Rita McGhee and Paolo Nieddu. Costume designers play an essential role in defining characters and telling the story. When their work is recognized, their names should be included.
And thanks, as always, to the Mac Greer and Motley Fool Money for inviting me on their terrific podcast. We even managed to make some Oscar predictions.
