Comic-Con 2016: Big Bang Theory and Sharknado 4

Comic-Con 2016: Big Bang Theory and Sharknado 4

Posted on July 23, 2016 at 10:40 am

On Day 2 of San Diego Comic-Con, I:

Attended a panel of writers and producers for one of my favorite television shows, “The Big Bang Theory,” moderated by Melissa Rauch, who plays Bernadette. The writers are genuine fanboys — and one fangirl — and spoke about how some of their own experiences and obsessions become a part of the show. And they revealed a new guest star, who came out on stage to greet us: “30 Rock’s” Jack McBrayer, who will play Penny’s brother. Katey Sagal will be returning as her mother.

Spoke to the very handsome and charming Jason Matthew Smith, who performed in three “Star Trek” movies but ended up on screen in just one,

Copyright Media Home Entertainment 1986
Copyright Media Home Entertainment 1986

Spoke to the lovely and warm-hearted Caroline Williams, who starred in “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” and got a part in “Sharknado 4” (airing July 31, 2016) via Facebook. Yes, she is Stretch again and has a chainsaw.

Attended a panel on diversity in animation with some of the greatest animators of all time, people who worked on everything from Disney classics to Hanna-Barbera, Bob Clampett, Charlie Brown specials and “The Simpsons,”

Heard a presentation about a new streaming service called Shudder, specializing in horror, with categories like demonic possession, child murderers, and zombies. In a very typical Comic-Con experience, it was held in one of the smaller rooms, without a line and some seats left over, and on the panel was the star of three of the biggest films of all time, Elijah Wood.

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Understanding Media and Pop Culture

Now That’s Funny: The Paley Center Visits Top TV Comedies

Posted on December 27, 2014 at 9:36 am

In case you missed the Paley Center special on TV comedy shows, you can watch it online. It is a lot of fun to go behind the scenes to hear the creators of “The Big Bang Theory,” “Mom,” “Modern Family,” “New Girl,” “Episodes,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Key and Peele,” and “The Mindy Project” talk about how the shows come together. I loved hearing the “Modern Family” writers talk about the episodes that come from their own lives. And it is very impressive to see how hard they work, from the initial idea to the last-minute changes during taping and how complicated each episode has to be.

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Comedy Television

Big Bang Theory en Francais est Magnifique!

Posted on January 3, 2014 at 8:00 am

big-bang-theory-posterSalon has an article about the success of American television series in France.

It’s hard to underestimate the impact of “Friends” in paving the way for “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother,” not just in terms of structure but international appeal. Throughout the ’90s, the show was so popular with viewers abroad that foreign policy advisers felt it was helping warm foreigners’ views toward Americans, furthering American global influence. Harvard scholar Joseph Nye coined the term “soft power” in 1989, arguing that American culture and values “remain attractive,” even when our governments prove internationally unpopular.

“Friends” has been key to the changing marketplace of global television. Research from Kaplan International in 2012 showed that “Friends” was the most popular show in helping foreigners learn English, with 26% of English students saying that watching episodes of the program helped them pick up on American idioms.

The program is so embedded in how foreigners understand English that Kaplan’s Martin Hofschroer claimed he once heard his Arab cab driver use Chandler Bing’s famous catchphrase. While stuck in New York’s infamous auto congestion, his cabbie shouted, “Could there be any more traffic?”

Because “The Big Bang Theory” is similarly popular with French speakers, some professors are even integrating it into the classroom.

I like to think that the idea of brilliant characters who understand the mysteries of the universe but struggle with relationships has universal appeal.  And I like even better the idea that it is what we laugh at that brings us together.

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Television
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