The Times Sports Section is a shadow of its former self. Ditto for the Review, which is the successor to the News of the Week in Review, which was sharp, on-topic and entertaining. The successor is without direction, focus or much interest, a hodgepodge of articles that the editors can't figure out where to dump.
Now to the reconstituted Sunday Magazine: (1) The new mouse type is perfectly suited to eight-year-old eyes. The task force making that decision must have been made up of callow youth. They delivered a squintathon.
(2) Terrible decision to make The Ethicist an answer by committee exercise. Too much work figuring out what should be an understandable answer. Never give readers a puzzle to figure out, unless it's a puzzle. This is an opinion piece, not a debate, and you have too many opinions.
(3) The Articles continue to be obscure and off-subject. Where's the on-subject material? Middle East Chaos; Russia vs. the World; Japan-China scrapping; Rising Seas; Rich Nations-Poor Nations ongoing struggle over inequality; Nuclear Material loose in the world; Iran, the Bomb and war or peace; the concerted campaign to squelch minorities in America.
(4) Good stories on the 14th-Century Italian church-now a house. And runner Mary Cain, with yawning need to name a few of her competitors. But, a story on field jackets? The totally boring 'loser edit,' or 'chopped' food shows. Write about it? Even glimpsing it on TV is bad enough.
We're paying six bucks a pop for the Sunday Times. Stop avoiding the great issues of the day, and adopting a let's-not-be-like everybody-else mentality. This reader, and many more I talk to want more meat on the Times' old bones in all of your sections.
Monday, March 9, 2015
SPEEDING AND JUICING UP OSCAR
Oscar is plodding, formulaic and out of step with the times. The Academy voters may be old, but the show needn't be. Lady Gaga's show-stealing voice was thrilling while relying on a 50-year-old score. Where were the dance numbers? Why the long walks of presenters as they approach the spindly mic? Do something. Pop them up out of the floor with a ringing beep so that viewers think it's a text going off and they pay attention. Or at least make it a shorter hike.
Many of the presenters names are missed. Super the name over them with a one-sentence resume, as in Heather Rambler, star of "The Lives and Loves of Linda Lovely." (Thank you Bob and Ray.)
Show a little process: What goes into editing, screenwriting, scoring, producing, directing a film. Give us a taste, a few minutes of a few. Put some meat on Oscar's sleek bones.
Drop the President-of-Academy speech. It's been the same since Luise Rainer's double win. Make the President a two-minute-tops presenter of the Lifetime Achievement award.
Get the audience involved. Maybe some Q&A. Give the popular stars a voice from the seats, a quick back and forth with the winners or nominees. For example, Oprah to Michael Keaton: "Is it true each take was 10 minutes, and you averaged 10 takes per setup?" Keaton: "Yes, and I deserve combat pay."
Many of the presenters names are missed. Super the name over them with a one-sentence resume, as in Heather Rambler, star of "The Lives and Loves of Linda Lovely." (Thank you Bob and Ray.)
Show a little process: What goes into editing, screenwriting, scoring, producing, directing a film. Give us a taste, a few minutes of a few. Put some meat on Oscar's sleek bones.
Drop the President-of-Academy speech. It's been the same since Luise Rainer's double win. Make the President a two-minute-tops presenter of the Lifetime Achievement award.
Get the audience involved. Maybe some Q&A. Give the popular stars a voice from the seats, a quick back and forth with the winners or nominees. For example, Oprah to Michael Keaton: "Is it true each take was 10 minutes, and you averaged 10 takes per setup?" Keaton: "Yes, and I deserve combat pay."
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