Author Archives: Ralph Hanson

Amazing Media Quotes

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Ralph Hanson

A round up of unexpected things I’ve read recently.  None of these are from The Onion! NPR Station Urges Listeners to Have Sex and Make More Listeners “Chicago’s NPR station, WBEZ, is making a more intimate appeal than usual during … Continue reading →

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Free Kindle download on book about Disney’s John Carter of Mars misfire

Posted on February 6, 2013 by Ralph Hanson

“John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood” about what went wrong with the Disney/Andrew Stanton adaptation of John Carter of Mars is free on Kindle through Thursday, February 7th. Thanks to BoingBoing for the story on this.  

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Why I’m Bored With Super Bowl Ads

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Ralph Hanson

It pains me to say this, but I’m bored with Super Bowl advertising. Instead of being innovative, exciting, new and different, they mostly have a predictable sameness to them. This supercut of Super Bowl ads posted over at Deadspin highlights … Continue reading →

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Oreo’s social media blackout ad was hit of 2013 Super Bowl

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Ralph Hanson

When the lights went out on the Super Bowl Sunday, Raven’s coach John Harbaugh looked a bit upset about his team losing its momentum.  And the big advertisers like Coke and and Pepsi didn’t like having their carefully planned series … Continue reading →

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When Super Bowls Turn Naughty – Do We Care?

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Ralph Hanson

During the 2004 Super Bowl, singer Janet Jackson exposed her nipple for 9/16ths of a second, resulting in 8 years of litigation over whether CBS would have to pay a $500,000 fine for the “fleeting nudity.”  In the end, courts … Continue reading →

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AV Club on why Mr. Rogers was greatest TV show ever

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Ralph Hanson

“In its low-rent production values and matter-of-fact delivery, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood got at something simple, yet surprisingly profound: People just want to be loved.” – Todd VanDerWerff Couldn’t agree more!  Mr. Rogers always had the joy of simple things in everything … Continue reading →

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Questions Worth Asking (Maybe)

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Ralph Hanson

How did LucasFilm (Disney) exec Kathleen Kennedy get JJ Abrams to agree to direct Star Wars VII? That question is answered, along with a great look at how Kennedy went from being a PA to one of the most powerful … Continue reading →

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Link Ch. 3 – Revisiting Re-imagined Disney Princesses

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Ralph Hanson

Several years ago, illustrator Jeffrey Thomas posted several incredibly twisted re-imagined Disney princesses/heroines that immediately went viral on the Interwebs.  I’ve loved his images, especially the zombie Little Mermaid and the evil-eyes Snow White. Now Thomas has released a series … Continue reading →

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Watching the Inauguration

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Ralph Hanson

In my book, Mass Communication: Living in a Media World, I present “The seven truths ‘they’ don’t want you to know about the media.” These are essentially the seven thesis statements of the book, but that sounds so boring, so … Continue reading →

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Glee covers Jonathan Coulton’s version of Baby Got Back without any credit to him

Posted on January 18, 2013 by Ralph Hanson

About seven years ago, singer/songwriter Jonathan Coulton recorded a brilliant acoustic version of Sir Mix A Lot’s “Baby Got Back,” turning the rap into a sweet ballad. Take a listen: Lots of fun, and a very distinctive cover.  No way … Continue reading →

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