Scrivener's Error: Head Games

05 October 2004

Head Games

at 07:24 [UTC–8]

As proof that the MPAA is morally bankrupt, consider the most-recent (and, at this writing, ongoing) controversy over the ratings system. It really should surprise nobody that the creators of South Park are involved. Consider this pairing:

In Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, one finds actual news footage of an actual beheading. This is not Hollywood special effects. MPAA rating: R.
In the forthcoming Team America: World Police, one finds footage of a wooden marionette dealing with head of a different kind. As one of the producers notes, "If the puppets did to each other what we show them doing, all they'd get is splinters." MPAA rating: NC–17.

Combine this with another "ratings" scandal—Kirkus's decision that now publishers can openly pay $350 to get a review, instead of the long-rumored under-the-table system, and even Sam the Eagle should begin to wonder whether there's something dishonest about the ratings and reviews systems. Or, perhaps, just that the people who assess the ratings are scared by things they've never seen before…

On the other hand, space cadets clearly have reason to be happy, after the successful trip of SpaceShipOne yesterday. Furry mammals have extra reason to be happy, as they're $10 million richer.

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Other Blawgs, Blogs, and Journals

These may be of interest; I do not necessarily agree with opinions expressed in them, although the reasoning and writing are almost always first-rate (and represent a standard seldom, if ever, achieved in "mainstream" journalism). I'm picky, and have eclectic tastes, so don't expect a comprehensive listing.

How Appealing is aimed at appellate lawyers and legal news in general. If you care about the state of the law, start here — Howard's commentary is far better balanced, better informed, and better considered than any of the media outlets. To concentrate on the US Supreme Court, don't forget SCOTUSBlog.
Some academics' blawgs with a variety of political (and doctrinal) viewpoints:
- Professor Stephen Bainbridge (UCLA Law) (aka "The Perfesser")
- Professor Jack Balkin (Yale Law)
- Professor Dennis Crouch (Missouri Law) (better known as Patently-O)
- Dorf on Law is a limited-group academic blawg among Professors Michael Dorf (Cornell Law), Neil Buchanan (Florida Law, transitioning to Toronto Law), and Eric Segall (Georgia State Law)
- Professor Michael Froomkin (University of Miami Law)
- Professor Eric Goldman (Santa Clara University Law)
- Professor James Grimmelmann (Cornell Law)
- Professor Rick Hasen (UCLA)
- Professor Brian Leiter (U of Chicago Law/Philosophy)
- Professor Rebecca Tushnet (Harvard Law)
The main European IP blawg of interest remains the UK-based IPKat