Author Archive
Psychic TV
Oh My God. I just watched the classic Bond movie From Russia With Love which finished just before half-past midnight. At the end of a satisfying, anachronistic and nostalgic motion picture experience, and as Matt Monroe started to croon through the theme song (er, no thanks Matt), I flicked around the other channels and came […]
Do journalists have a franchise on ‘news’? Nope.
I rate journalist Jack Shafer. He’s smart, he’s bold, he’s plain spoken. He shows you how he reaches his sometimes very tough conclusions. Here he is on CNN with Howard Kurtz discussing the way news, journalism and media criticism has changed and is changing — under pressure from economics, the explosion of internet media, and […]
Cactus Kate: ACT Hollow Man or Black Widow?
ThePaepae.com ISN’T a political blog. There are plenty of those, and this year being election year in NZ, we will all be swimming (drowning?) in political commentary soon enough. (God help us.) Nevertheless, I want to share some thoughts and attempt to put a punctuation mark at the end of Cathy Odgers’ (Cactus Kate‘s) supposed […]
Misinformation experts
Not a ‘Vast Right Wing Conspiracy’ This in-depth investigation conducted by the Center for American Progress Action Fund reveals not a vast right-wing conspiracy behind the rise of Islamophobia in our nation but rather a small, tightly networked group of misinformation experts guiding an effort that reaches millions of Americans through effective advocates, media partners, […]
How to channel frustration – Anne Hathaway raps on paparazzi
Here’s an example of identifying with your ‘enemy’ … Well worth a watch. Good skills. Who knew? (via The Next Web) Yo I’m a paparazzi I don’t play no yahtzee I go pop pop pop pop pop pop pop! My camera’s up your crotch See I tell the truth from what I see and sell […]
Write no early obituaries for Steve Jobs
Following up on the medical leave Steve Jobs took from Apple in January, this, today, while of course not unpredicted, is still a bit of a psychic bang. August 24, 2011 Letter from Steve Jobs To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community: I have always said if there ever came a day […]
Where Samsung says Apple copied the iPad from …
Apple’s patent infringement case against Samsung for ‘slavish copying’ of the iPhone and iPad and their trade dress, packaging etc is interesting for all sorts of reasons. What seems unquestionable is that there was no consumer product available in the past that resembled Apple’s iPad and that manufacturers like Samsung, HTC etc (ha!) were ‘inspired’ […]
Renting ‘The Mentalist’. For credibility?
ANZ Bank has just started running some TV spots featuring Australian actor Simon Baker in his fabulous Patrick Jane/The Mentalist role. (Tag: “I know what you’re thinking…”) It’s kinda odd, seeing and hearing him spruiking for the bank in character, but oh well. There’s been a small amount of backlash to the ads in Australia […]
Polygamy Porter. Why have just one!
My pal Ross brought this beer back from the US for me, following a discussion we had about the multiple marriages of certain church elders. It’s a dark beer called Polygamy Porter … and as well as the Rubens-esque label it carries the tagline: ‘Why have just one!’ (sic — no question mark.) Why indeed? […]
Trevor Mallard demolishes Cameron Slater*
Congratulations to Labour MP Trevor Mallard for good-naturedly wiping the smirk off Cameron Slater’s face. Well, temporarily. The result of the much-hyped (on Cameron’s part) 60 km bike race held this afternoon around Bucklands Beach was: Mallard won easily … by more than 20 minutes. I dropped over to Musick Point this afternoon and met Cam’s […]
Nice work – How to speak New Zillund at the Rugby
Source: Mediaworks
A departing editor’s kamikaze attack on his crappy publisher
I’d never heard of Valley City, nor the happy sounding Horizon Publications, but heroic Lee Morris, outgoing editor of the Valley City Times-Record, somehow managed to slip this parting shot into the paper, detailing his very reasonble and well-written account of changes he sees as very negative (ahem) at the Valley City Times-Record. Morris had […]
A cynical definition of ‘journalistic balance’
This double-headed response to my musings reminded me of a conversation I had with Richard Long, then The Dominion’s Parliamentary bureau chief, later the paper’s editor, and even later Spin Doctor for two under-achieving National Party Opposition leaders, Bill English and Don Brash. Richard, a Press Gallery veteran if ever there was one (20 years? […]
School girl exorcists. Modelling on Buffy the Vampire-slayer?
Reads like a story from The Twilight Zone … Oh boy. ‘We’re not like normal teenagers’: Meet the exorcist schoolgirls who spend their time casting out DEMONS around the world By JEFF MAYSH Mail Online 11th August 2011 Brynne Larson, 16, is one of many newly-qualified teenage demon slayers Reverend Bob Larson of Spiritual Freedom […]
Reverse product placement? Or hoax?
If this Associated Press report is true (that’s a big IF. It reeks of a publicity stunt) then: HILARIOUS!! Stigma fallout! (Adidas, get your best PR team on this right away.) Abercrombie & Fitch is offering to pay Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino and his fellow Jersey Shore cast members so they’ll stop wearing the brand on […]
