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The importance of contemporary television broadcasting for the shaping and development of national cultures and identities is increasingly evident. Television as the privileged medium for the dissemination of information and for mass entertainment has irreversibly altered the manner in which nations perceive themselves and each other. This volume explores the multiple and complex ways in which audiovisual developments in two important European states have impacted on the life styles and attitu...

Karina Kirsten diskutiert in diesem Open-Access-Buch die diskursive und historische Verfasstheit von Genres. Mit ‚Genresignaturen‘ entwickelt sie einen neuen analytischen Zugang, um die vielfältigen inter- und transmedialen Dynamiken und soziohistorischen Veränderungen von Genres beschreibbar zu machen. Am Beispiel des Psycho-Franchise veranschaulicht die Autorin, dass die wirkungsvolle und anhaltende Prägnanz von Genresignaturen aus komplexen Semantisierungs- und Differenzierungsprozessen resul...

Smallville, the hit series which follows the adventures of a teenage Clark Kent and his friends -- including Lana Lang and a certain Lex Luthor -- is one of the hottest shows on TV. This authorised companion tells you everything you need to know about the first season, and is packed with exclusive interviews, unseen photos, behind-the-scenes secrets and a complete episode guide. Plus insights into the world of Smallville, with excerpts from the town newspaper and even a look at the mysterious Le...

The cinema has often showcased the muscular male body, most notably in genres invoking classical Greco-Roman culture, whether peplum, epic or sword-and-sorcery. This book reassesses the classically-inflected action film as a significant cinematic form, often marginalized in media studies, that transcends such reductive labels as camp or kitsch. The focus is on the depiction of heroic masculinity, often characterized as reactionary or fascist, yet far more varied and contradictory, especially in...

This text argues for the usefulness of fictional realities for criminological theorizing and analysis. It illustrates that a creative and critical social scientific practice requires craft norms rather than commercial norms that threaten to completely colonize higher education.

Road Movies engages with two foundational twentieth century technologies: cinematic and automotive.  It is a book about road movies, a genre burdened by its own seductiveness. It is also, however, a book about images of human mobility more generally and the social function those images have served.

The intention of this project is to argue theoretically for, and exemplify through critical and historical analysis, the interrelatedness of discourses on scale, distance, identification and doubling in the cinema. The link between the first two terms (scale and distance) and the latter two (identification and doubling) is implicit in the title, and its unfolding constitutes the project: for instance, the closer one comes, the deeper identification is likely to be, and the greater the likelihood...

By the end of the twentieth century, Mexican multimedia conglomerate Televisa stood as one of the most powerful media companies in the world. Most scholars have concluded that the company’s success was owed in large part to its executives who walked in lockstep with the government and the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), which ruled for seventy-one years. At the same time, government decisions regulating communications infrastructure aided the development of the television industry. I...

The quirky British television series Doctor Who is a classic both of science fiction and television drama. First broadcast in 1963, it has remained an influential TV presence ever since, with an eagerly anticipated new series airing in 2005. As a vehicle for satire, social commentary, or sheer fantasy adventure, Doctor Who is unparalleled. It was a show created for children, but it was immediately usurped by adults. Arriving at a time of upheaval in the popular arts in Britain, Doctor Who was bo...

Sinophone Cinemas considers a range of multilingual, multidialect and multi-accented cinemas produced in Chinese-language locations outside mainland China. Showcasing a variety of new and fascinating case studies from Britain, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Australia, and canvassing a range of formats including commercial co-productions, short films, documentaries and independent films, the book highlights the contemporary screen cultures of Chinese-language communities situated on the margins...

In this pathfinding book, based on original archival research, Marsha F. Cassidy offers the first thorough analysis of daytime television's earliest and most significant women's genres, appraising from a feminist perspective what women watched before soap opera rose to prominence. After providing a comprehensive history of the early days of women's programming across the nation, Cassidy offers a critical discussion of the formats, programs, and celebrities that launched daytime TV in America--Ka...

Frequently described by creator David Simon as a novel for television, The Wire redefined the police serial format by unfolding its narrative across many episodes, constructing themes for each of its seasons, and refusing to portray individual crimes outside of their social context. While it never achieved spectacular ratings or won an Emmy during its 2002-2008 run on HBO, the show was honored with several awards and has been described by critics as the best show on television. In this volume, a...

Now, for Lucy fans everywhere, comes a long-awaited tribute to the most popular series in television history. Created by a real insider who, as the son of Desilu's publicity director, literally grew up on the "I Love Lucy" lot, this is the only book of its kind authorized by the Lucille Ball estate. The only book with an introduction by Lucie Arnaz, the daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The only book that's a complete pictorial history of every Lucy episode. The only book to draw from doz...

Since the Caped Crusader first made the leap from comics to silver screen in the early 1940s, generations of audiences have been captivated by the screen adventures of Batman, establishing the celebrated comic book hero as a true icon of popular culture. Now, Gary Collinson traces the entire screen history of Bob Kane's Dark Knight Detective, providing a fascinating insight into one of the most successful media franchises of all time. Beginning with the early movie serials of the 1940s, Holy Fra...

This major new reference work, produced in association with the Australian Film Commission, covers the last quarter of a century of Australian film-making for television. It included 414 films made specifically for television, some of which have to date appeared only on video. 150 mini-series - as opposed to long-running drama series - are also covered, including famous mini-series such as Bodyline, A Town Like Alice, and The Cowra Breakout. Australia on the Small Screen, with an introduction by...

The story of an elite team of scientists and soldiers who travel to other worlds through an alien-built portal, Stargate SG-1 gave its viewers a weekly dose of spectacle and high adventure. Over its ten-season run (1997-2007), the series explored the interactions of the scientific and military cultures represented by its characters, as well as the place of science in society. The initial airing of Stargate SG-1 coincided with the "Science Wars," a highly public clash among scholars and public in...

Their names are Walter White, Birgitte Nyborg and Don Draper and they are the stars of a cultural revolution. In the last decade, shows like Breaking Bad, Borgen and Mad Men have toppled cinema from its leading position in the popular culture universe and ushered in a whole new level of small screen excellence and appreciation. With ambition to tear down the barriers around commercial television, networks such as HBO, AMC, and ABC have launched a new era of cinematic narrative, while cable TV n...

The popularity of soap operas on radio made them a natural for the new medium of television, where soaps quickly became an audience favourite. As television soap operas developed, so did the level of sophistication in delivery, writing and production. Even with technical difficulties, clashing actor egos, and hurried production schedules, television managed to corral a massive audience for the continuing narrative, which combined the excitement of the new visual medium with the old-fashioned ple...

Since the early days of television, well before most households had a set, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has been handing out honors for the industry's best efforts. Now fans can read about their favorites--and perhaps rediscover some forgotten pleasures--in this reference to prime time and nighttime Emmy winners. Beginning with the heated charade contest known as Pantomime Quiz, which won Most Popular Program of 1948 in the first Emmy Awards ceremony (held in 1949), each of...

In February 2000, a new band exploded onto the pop music scene, forever changing the face of boy bands as we know them. Five unlikely boys were discovered by star-making genius Bob Buss and combined their talent to create 2gether...the phenomenon that has inspired a hit movie, a TV series, and two chart-topping albums. Now, for the first time ever, follow Jerry, Chad, Doug, Mickey, and Q.T.'s rise to the top (rise to the middle, anyway) and get a behind-the-scenes look at the group behind such...