Fresh Politics, New Media

Well the semester is FINALLY over and I'm happy to report that we had A LOT of fun in my new seminar, Popular Culture & Politics. While the 2012 election didn't provide quite as much entertainment as the 2008 Sarah Palin fest, we spent some quality time talking about SNL's new Barack Obama (Jay Pharoah), Mitt Romney style , and Stephen Colbert's Super PAC - Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow . We tried to keep up with the various viral videos and comedy appearances that popped up during the election cycle. Here are some highlights: Lena Dunham's First Time: This one's not political but it did help us talk about Saturday Night Live: Barack Obama's appearance on The Daily Show: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c Barack Obama Pt. 1 www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook And last but not least, here's some more Lena Dunham: "You Don't

Last night, in a historic move, voters in Maryland and Maine approved the extension of marriage benefits to same-sex couples via ballot initiatives . After 32 failed attempts, same-sex marriage was finally approved by voters at the ballot box. At present, it looks like Washington voters will be supporting same-sex marriage as well, and in Minnesota, voters said no to an effort to amend the state constitution to solely define marriage as the union between one man and one woman. It was a great night for marriage equality supporters, with concrete evidence that public opinion has truly shifted in their direction -- at least in some states. What's responsible for the shift? As my own research has suggested, increasing rates of social contact with gay and lesbian friends, family members, and even co-workers and acquaintances has had a profound effect on the opinions of voters -- both young and old. Endorsements by Barack Obama and the NAACP made a difference on Question 6 in Maryla

I wrote a piece for the October 2012 Faculty Voice (The University System of Maryland's faculty newspaper) entitled, "No Laughing Matter: Researching and Teaching about Comedy, Popular Culture, and Politics" Here's the intro: I watch The Daily Show and The Colbert Report for “homework.” At least that’s what I tell my students. In truth, as an academic researcher who studies the impact of popular culture and entertainment on political behavior and attitudes, I do consume more than my fair share of comedy content — the thing is, I’m not the only one tuning in. You can access the full piece here

Towson University has been posting "TU in 2 videos" for a couple of semesters now. In these short videos, Towson faculty give a mini-lecture on their area of research expertise. In my video I talk about why academics study political comedy and the finding that not all comedy forms are created equal. Hostile humor, or traditional satire in which a comedian like Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart pokes fun of a politician, results in viewers exhibiting more negative attitudes toward the comic target. Viewing self-directed humor, on the other hand, encourages viewers evaluate the politician more favorably. The lesson for politicians -- be able to both make and take a good joke. The full video is here: For more TU in 2 videos, check out some greats from Spring 2012 and Fall 2011

Ready for tonight's final presidential debate? Having trouble with the fact that Election Day is just two weeks away? Wondering whether this final debate will make a difference in the poll results? Last week I spoke with WBAL-TV about the second debate and the social media response to Mitt Romney's #bindersfullofwomen comment. The full video of the interview is available here . In the interview, I discussed the democratizing potential of social media -- with sites like Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook anyone can get involved in the political discussion. You can share your thoughts in 140 characters, create your own picture and caption on Tumblr, or share your views on who won the debate with members of your Facebook social network. We also talked about one of America's favorite Sesame Street characters -- Big Bird. While all eyes are on the third debate, new binders full of women photos still keep appearing on Tumblr . Some old and new favorites are included below. Enj

There was another debate this week, "The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium" between Bill O'Reilly of FOX News and Jon Stewart of Comedy Central fame. For those who had trouble streaming the event live after paying their $4.95, The Washington Post offers a synopsis and five key take-aways . They also made a pretty comprehensive list of the best one-liners from the rumble. For those who watched the event the next day (like me), #rumble2012 was more deliberative than combative and serious than funny. Both O'Reilly and Stewart offered their perspectives on the current state of the economy, foreign policy, and their own personal views on the role of entitlements and government involvement in everyday life. For those who weren't able to get that streaming working, Slate offers a good summary here . And you can still purchase and now download a copy of the event on the now less-trafficked Rumble 2012 web site .

There's a great article in today's New York Times about the influence of SNL during a competitive election season. As we've been learning in my TSEM class(Popular Culture and Politics: Comedy, Entertainment, Celebrity, and Democracy) this semester, journalists and the public alike look to the cast of SNL to offer their parody version of each general election debate. Parody is a reinterpretation of an original text -- a mockery that is easier to understand if you're familiar with the original event or script. According to the SNL writing team, this past Wednesday's debate failed to offer genuine comic inspiration. From the NYT article: "But the debate itself turned out to be a challenge. There were no big gaffes or obvious springboards for comedy. Instead, the first debate of this election offered up a blizzard of policy details and a lackluster performance from President Obama. At home Wednesday night, Seth Meyers, one of the show’s head writers, watch

It's hard to believe that the third week of classes is almost over at Towson University. We've been having a lot of fun in my Towson Seminar ( Popular Culture and Politics: Comedy, Entertainment, Celebrity, and Democracy ) and we've been reviewing some interesting video content In fact, I'm struck by how much material the 2012 campaign has already provided. We spent some time talking about Clint Eastwood's Invisible Chair debacle at the Republican National Convention -- what a great example of celebrity politics gone wrong! If you don't believe me, see for yourself: We've been giving equal treatment to the Democrats too -- a great gem from this past week was this New York Times article about Joe Biden's get together with a group of bikers in Ohio. The NYT journalist penning the piece, Sarah Wheaton, offers some spot on commentary regarding the picture featured in the article. Even she can't believe it's not ripped from the pages of The Oni

The fall semester begins tomorrow at Towson University and I'm very excited to begin teaching my new Towson Seminar -- Popular Culture and Politics: Comedy, Entertainment, Celebrity, and Democracy . In anticipation of the semester, I spoke with The Towerlight , the Towson Campus newspaper about what we'll be doing in the course . In getting ready for the course, it seems that new items are popping up daily. Just today, David Brooks offered his humorous version of the Romney narrative over at The New York Times . As the parent of a young one myself, I found the following portion most funny: Romney was a precocious and gifted child. He uttered his first words (“I like to fire people”) at age 14 months, made his first gaffe at 15 months and purchased his first nursery school at 24 months. The school, highly leveraged, went under, but Romney made 24 million Jujubes on the deal. Usually uber serious in his commentary, it seems that even Brooks has decided to jump on the com

Last week, I spoke with Washington Post journalist Paul Farhi about my research on the effects of political comedy programs and the freshman seminar on popular culture and politics that I'll be teaching at Towson University this fall. Farhi's article published in The Washington Post and reprinted on the web sites of a variety of regional papers ( Pittsburgh Post Gazette , Chicago Tribune, New Orleans Times Picayune to name just a few) quickly attracted attention. John Hudson offered his take on studying Colbert at the college and university level for The Atlantic Wire and Sophia McClennen offered a rebuttal over at the Huffington Post with student Remy M. Maisel. I too agree that John Hudson could use some help picking the right statistics to compare. He's welcome to enroll in my MCOM490 class: Mass Communication Research where we devote a few weeks to statistical principles. I'd also be happy to have Hudson visit my upcoming seminar. The full title

It's been a while since I've posted, but it's been a busy summer. I've spent a lot of time preparing for my upcoming Towson Seminar -- Popular Culture and Politics: Comedy, Entertainment, Celebrity, and Democracy. I'm excited to bring my research interests into the classroom. As I discuss in a recent article in The Washington Post , academic interest in studying political comedy and Stephen Colbert in particular is growing at a rapid pace. In preparing for the seminar, I'm revisiting some political comedy "gems" from the 2008 election. Here's my favorite piece: Tina Fey actually offers a great summary of the clip and its significance in Bossypants . Stay tuned for more political comedy gems as course prep continues.

I'm happy to report that I've published a new piece of research in the latest issue of the British Journal, Celebrity Studies . The article, originally a part of my dissertation, examines the influence of celebrity issue advocacy messages (both video and text) on political engagement at the issue level. This new research emphasis on celebrity politics represents a new direction for my research on the impact of political entertainment. The case study for the research is Angelina Jolie's involvement with the global refugee crisis and the impact of exposure to her celebrity advocacy efforts vs. exposure to advocacy efforts of an expert on situational involvement, complacency, and apathy toward the refugee issue. The experiment discussed in the article presents some interesting findings about the relationships between receptivity toward celebrity politics and apathy and complacency, and the relationships between situational involvement on the issue and political disaffection.

Last week, President Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage in a highly watched interview with ABC News'  Robin Roberts. The news media and political pundits have spent the past week or so discussing the implications of President Obama's statement , focusing on consequences for public opinion and the likely outcome of the November 2012 election. Some, myself included , have speculated about the political implications for states like Maryland that are currently embroiled in the debate. Others have spent considerable time reacting to North Carolina's vote to pass Amendment One banning same-sex unions -- here's just one example of how celebrity politics can coalesce around an issue debate. Beyond the polls and the speculation, some journalists have chosen to focus on the personal nature of the issue , a theme that dominates my own recent research on public opinion toward same-sex marriage. As I show in a new article in The International Journal of Public

Jimmy Kimmel performed at the 2012 White House Correspondents' Dinner over the weekend. The routine is actually quite funny, unless you're Chris Christie, Rupert Murdoch, or Sofia Vergara. How many more jokes can we take about Chris Christie's weight, Murdoch's ill-fated MySpace purchase, or Sofia Vergara's Colombian heritage? Seriously though, Jimmy Kimmel did a pretty good job and the event was a big hit in Washington . As is custom, the President also delivered his own comic routine. Following on the heels of his appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Obama scored some good laughs with the crowd and both Kimmel and Obama got some jabs in at Mitt Romney. Here's the president's speech.     So who stole the show?

Apologies for the lack of recent posts, but here's a really great political comedy clip. Check out Barack Obama slow jamming the news on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (from Tuesday's broadcast). The Barack Obama slow jam was followed by an interview with Jimmy Fallon. The interview focused a bit on politics but primarily allowed Obama to appear as the cooler candidate for President (at least when compared with Mitt Romney). Jon Stewart rehashed the Obama slow jam on last night's episode of The Daily Show. In fact, Obama's appearance has drawn a considerable amount of attention from traditional and new media outlets -- it serves as the latest political comedy moment. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c Endless Suffrage 2012 - The End of the Beginning's Middle www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook The general consensus is that Obama did a  pretty good job

I published two research articles on public opinion toward same-sex marriage this week. The two solo-authored research articles extend my previous research on attitudes toward this controversial issue . The first piece,  What’s marriage (and family) got to do with it? Support for same-sex marriage, legal unions, and gay and lesbian couples raising children   was published by Social Science Quarterly . The article examines the impact of marital and family status and views on the purpose of marriage on support for gay marriage, legal unions, and gay and lesbian couples raising children. The bottom line: while ideological and religious values still matter most when it comes to predicting opinions on gay civil rights issues, it's also important to look at the role that marriage, family, and views on the purpose of marriage have in shaping the debate. The second piece,  Determinants of public support for same-sex marriage: Generational cohorts, social contact, and shifting attitud

Jon Stewart offered his own commentary on the latest Rush Limbaugh incident on Tuesday's broadcast. In the clip, Stewart mentions that Limbaugh is criticizing a private citizen but doesn't capitalize on this distinction. Instead he focuses on how the Right responded to Limbaugh's comments. Their answer: criticize Bill Maher, a liberal comedian with his own show on HBO, for calling Sarah Palin the "c" and "t" word. Do note that Sarah Palin is a very, very public person but Sandra Fluke is simply a Georgetown University law student. The clip continues by discussing Fox News' targeting of comedians. Did you know that comedians wear helmets according to Fox? By the end of the clip, Stewart tells the network to "Shut the F@#k Up!" The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , The Daily Show on Facebook Regardless of the helmet fiasco (mocked nicely during the Will Ferrell interv

We've been hearing a lot more about Iran these days -- whether it's during the Republican presidential debates, in the wide range of  reporting on the speeches of Barack Obama and the 2012 GOP hopefuls at this year's AIPAC conference, or the coverage of Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with Barack Obama. Even  The Daily Show weighed in this past Tuesday with a carefully constructed, graphically pleasing, and incredibly poignant discussion of the current controversy and the influence that the 2012 election season has had on the rhetoric surrounding the debate over what to do about Iran. I used to write a column for The Baltimore Sun  pointing out the best political comedy clips each month. I can honestly say that this clip would have made my list for March and perhaps for the entire winter season. Check it out for yourself: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , The Daily Show on Facebook Stewart

Stuck in an elevator? Sixty-three percent of young men surveyed said they would choose to be there with Jon Stewart (or some other favorite comic), and only 15 percent said they would prefer that time with Eli Manning (or some other idolized athlete). At least that's what The New York Times  is reporting today with a review of a new Comedy Central study about young men and humor.  Turns out that comedy and absurdity (not irony) is more important to young men, specifically Millennials, than previously thought.  While Millennials are watching less television that older counterparts -- preferring YouTube and brief Internet content to traditional television -- they're a ripe market for Comedy Central and their marketing partners. Ever wonder about those ads you're seeing during The Colbert Report  and The Daily Show ? 

The lead story in the National section of today's New York Times  focuses on the debate over same-sex marriage in Maryland. The controversy is starting to heat up this week as legislators in Annapolis consider possible legislation. The story focuses on the concerns of African-American churchgoers in particular, highlighting a cultural dynamic that is particularly relevant given Maryland's demographic make-up. According to the article: Maryland’s Democrats are sharply divided by race on the issue. A Washington Post poll published on Jan. 30 found that 71 percent of white respondents supported it, while 24 percent did not. Among blacks, 41 percent were supportive, while 53 percent were opposed. African-Americans are an important constituency here: their share of the population — 29 percent — is greater than in many Southern states, including Alabama and South Carolina, according to the Brookings Institution. Those backing the bill hope the religious accommodations proposed

Here's a great "picture of the day." It was featured in the print edition of today's New York Times  in the National section. Look at Obama's excitement over the marshmallow launcher. What a cool science fair project! If only I could have made a marshmallow launcher back in my day. And for more on the Obama administration's plan to promote STEM education, check out this post on the NYT's blog, The Caucus.

My last post was about Mitt Romney's "oops" moment -- his statement on CNN that he does not care about the very poor . As it turns out, both comedians and the Democrats really did seize on the opportunity to chastise Romney over the remarks. Here's The Daily Show's take on the incident: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , The Daily Show on Facebook The Obama team had a strong response -- particularly online with emails, advertising, and through the use of Twitter posts. As it turns out and according to an article in today's NY Times , they're on the lookout for Romney's gaffes, collecting more juicy content each time the candidate slips up. So, who will Mitt Romney choose not to care about next?

With his victory in Florida, Mitt Romney seems to be the presumptive GOP nominee. Luckily for us, but not for Mitt Romney, he's the type of candidate who keeps entertaining with his many gaffes. Does he think he's running against Joe Biden, not Barack Obama? In any event, Mitt Romney's latest oops moment is that he doesn't care about the very poor. Here's the original commentary so you can see for yourself. The New York Times  covered the reaction to the gaffe in an article this morning. In a thoughtful piece, Gail Collins dissects Romney's commentary . While the reaction to Romney's original comments may have been a bit overblown, the substance of what he did say is not good for a candidate who is already perceived as out-of-touch with the experience of average Americans. As a scholar of political comedy and culture, Romney's latest gaffe is noteworthy -- as is the media's reaction. Just how awkward are these comments? How much will they

Want to share your views on the pressing issues of the day? Want to see your face and views up in the lights of Times Square? According to an article in today's New York Times , Facebook users will have the opportunity to vote on key political issues using the new app 2012Matters. The non-partisan polling app will touch on nine issues during the course of the election cycle including:  the economy, health care,  immigration , social issues, energy,  Social Security , debt, national security and the environment.  After users rank what they see as the personal importance of these nine issues, they'll have the option of sharing their poll rankings (and their Facebook photo) on the Nasdaq billboard in Times Square. The billboards will highlight how the importance of these key issues varies by state. The 2012 Matters app represents an interesting bridging of political sentiment with new technology and allows users to express their political viewpoints in one of the most pub

While the interplay between Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on campaign finance reform and who should control the Super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow is receiving a lot of attention and is a recent focal point of the two shows, sometimes it's nice to pause and appreciate the comic abilities of the show hosts. This past week Stephen Colbert broadcast a series of interviews with legendary children's book author Maurice Sendak. The dialogue in the clips is particularly amusing and helps to showcase Colbert's ability to do what he does best -- comedy. So often academic researchers, myself included, focus on the political implications of everything Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart say and do on their shows. Sometimes it's important to just appreciate their work as comedians and be entertained -- just for fun's sake. In the spirit of focusing on comedy and a good laugh, here are the two interview clips. Enjoy for a good weekend laugh! The Colbert Re

If you're a fan of The Wire, it's quite possible that Omar is one of your favorite characters and Michael K. Williams is therefore one of your favorite actors on the series. Whether good or bad, for those outside Maryland, Omar and The Wire  drive impressions of Baltimore. As it turns out, Michael K. Williams is the latest in a string of of folks who are speaking out for marriage equality in Maryland. Check out the PSA below:

Both Washington state and Maryland will be considering the same-sex marriage issue yet again this winter. A report in today's New York Times  suggests that the Washington legislature now has enough votes to pass the measure, making Washington the seventh state to legalize gay marriage. Can Maryland be the 8th state? A new report in today's Baltimore Sun  outlines the specifics of the bill Governor O'Malley submitted to the state legislature last night. Included are greater protections for both religious leaders and institutions that oppose same-sex marriage. While there was strong support for an alternate bill in the Senate last year, the bill fell short of the votes needed to pass in the House of Delegates. This year O'Malley plans to be more active in the debate, leading the push to see the measure passed. Stay tuned as both sides gear up for a battle in Maryland. For more, check out coverage of the effort in The Washington Post .

One of the best things about Jon Stewart taking over the Colbert Super PAC, now aptly dubbed The Definitely Not Coordinating with Stephen Colbert Super PAC , is that the two comedians get to push the legal boundaries of what it means to not coordinate. Here's just one example of non-coordination that aired on last night's episode of The Daily Show: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , The Daily Show on Facebook Seems as non-coordinated as Gingrich's call to the Super PAC supporting his candidacy -- Winning Our Future -- to correct any inaccuracies in the attack videos airing against Mitt Romney. The Colbert/Stewart effort also seems as non-coordinated as Mitt Romney's connections with those running Restore Our Future which has already spent $2.3 million dollars on ads in South Carolina . I don't know about you, but I'm eager to see some more non-coordination between Stewart and Colbe

Feel persuaded to vote for Stephen Colbert in the upcoming South Carolina primary on January 21st? The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , Video Archive The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , Video Archive I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying the ads even if I can't vote in South Carolina.

If you subscribe to emails from the  Colbert Super PAC  like I do or if you're just a frequent viewer of The Colbert Report  or even someone who spends time on social networking sites, you'll by now know that Stephen Colbert has turned over the leadership of his Super PAC (Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow) to Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show . Colbert is taking a step back from the Super PAC so that he can be considered as a candidate for president in the upcoming South Carolina primary on January 21st. Here's Stephen's take on his electability in South Carolina and his popularity as a Mitt-ternative. The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , Video Archive Since candidates are technically not allowed to coordinate with super PACs, it makes sense that Stephen Colbert can't remain as the director of Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow. Trevor Potter, Colbert's lawyer explained the p

All eyes are on New Hampshire this evening as the GOP primary there draws to a close. It seems that Rick Santorum has continued to ruffle feathers -- this time his comments aren't directly tied to the gay and lesbian community -- now he's making controversial comments about members of the African-American community and entitlement programs. Specifically, Santorum is reported to have commented on January 1 in Sioux City, Iowa: Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum singled out blacks as being recipients of assistance through federal benefit programs, telling a mostly-white audience he doesn't want to "make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. Of course, like any skillful politician, Santorum is trying to deny that he really made the controversial remarks directed at African-Americans. In fact,  Santorum said that he wasn't really saying the word "black," -- just a simple twist of the tongue.  Here's S

This weekend's NYT  Magazine section has a great cover story on the many "faces" of Stephen Colbert . Comedian, family man, and now chairman of his own Super PAC (Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow), Colbert is living proof that late night comedy can truly influence American politics. And of course there's Colbert's ability to influence everyday American life: There is a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor named after Colbert (Colbert’s Americone Dream) and a NASA exercise device (the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Elliptical Trainer, or Colbert) and a minor-league hockey team mascot (Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle) in Saginaw, Mich. I'm a bit partial to the NASA device -- here's an illustration: Of course, it's Colbert's performance at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2006 that really started to help the comedian capture the attention of mainstream news outlets and political junkies alike. For a flashba

While Mitt Romney is technically the winner of the spoils of Iowa -- by a mere 8 votes -- it seems that Rick Santorum is the media's new darling. For late night political comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, Santorum's surge and his infamous "Google Problem" provided some rich material for the start of the new year. The Stewart clip below is laugh-out-loud funny and will make you think twice about digging into that leftover holiday box of chocolates. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , The Daily Show on Facebook The Colbert clip offers a nice primer on Santorum's "Google Problem" for those in need of a refresher on the alternative definition of "santorum." The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes , Political Humor & Satire Blog , Video Archive