Blogcritics

Announcement: Short-content feeds

Phillip Winn — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT

Sunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding.

Blogcritics On the Pulse: Torino Olympic Games, Face Transplants, and Janet Jones

Craig Lyndall — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 13:48:18 EST

Here are the biggest searches in the Zeitgeist for the week ending February 13, 2006. 1. Torino GamesI certainly don't care about the Winter Olympics. I know a lot of people do, but at the same time, consider that NBC pays a ton of cash ($613 million) for the broadcasting rights and has had minimal results so far, according to this article in the Washington Post:The first six nights of prime-time Olympics coverage on NBC have averaged 21 million viewers, down significantly from the 32.7 million who watched the first six nights in 2002. The Tuesday and Wednesday prime-time telecasts, which garnered audiences of 18.6 and 17.2 million respectively, became the two least-watched nights of Winter Olympics competition since at least 1988.Unfortunately for NBC this is just not the blockbuster television event that it used to be. At the same time, this Google rank shows that there are a ton of people interested in the events. Maybe when they don't have all these time zone difficulties, the TV audiences will get back on track.2. Janet JonesWith the hockey world ablaze in speculation over this multi-million dollar gambling ring and an assistant coach named Tocchet, the really sexy names in the case are Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet Jones. Even if, according to reports, they aren't going to be charged with anything. "The Great One" doesn't need this kind of publicity and neither does the sport that had to sit out last year in a strike/lockout. 3. GrammysThe Grammys took place this week, and Blogcritics was on fire with music coverage:Grammy Reaction: U2 Drops a Bomb It's all spectacle and fashion before the actual awards. So who thought U2, Green Day and Kelly Clarkson would shock everyone more than Madonna? Posted to Music by Chip Ross on February 9, 2006 06:09 AMCD Review: 2006 Grammy Nominees 21 Grammy nominated songs all in one CD. Posted to Music by Connie Phillips on January 27, 2006 05:30 PM4. Vanity FairI think this was probably more of a search for the cover pictures of Scarlett Johannson. Call me crazy.5. Super Bowl CommercialsI talked about these last week. They still stink this week, too.6. Michelle KwanMichelle Kwan was a quitter this week. Well, I guess to be fair, she did sustain an injury. See the Winter Olympics above or see this article from Blogcritic trinket:Michelle Kwan Fights An Uphill Battle To Skate In Turin 7. Teri HatcherTeri Hatcher has been in the news a lot lately with her career resurgence on Desperate Housewives. I have been in love with Teri Hatcher ever since she played Lois Lane, so it is no surprise to me.8. ZillowZillow is a new real estate value estimating site. I played with it, and it seems like they have a lot of work to do outside of larger metropolitan areas.9. Sasha CohenSasha is chasing medals in the Winter Olympics.10. HaitiHaiti was embroiled in political struggles over their Presidential elections.11. Face TransplantFace transplants: a great new surgery or an ethical nightmare waiting to happen?12. Sly StoneSly Stone made an appearance at the Grammys, which is especially interesting because he hasn't been seen in a long time.13. Bode MillerBode Miller, despite huge amounts of hype, is 0 - 4 in the Olympics thus far. He might very well turn into the male version of Anna Kournikova. All hype. No substance.14. Arrested DevelopmentThe days finally ran out on Arrested Development, the most popular TV show of all time that not nearly enough people watched to make it a success.15. Valentine's DayValentine's Day was on February 14th. FTD rejoiced, and the men of the world wished diamonds and roses had never been invented.

Craig Lyndall rants, raves and writes other stuff at FilteringCraig.com and at The Cleveland Sports Curse

Blogcritics On the Pulse - The Superbowl, Coretta Scott King and More

Craig Lyndall — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 15:56:36 EST

Here are the stories that dominated the Google Zeitgeist this week ending February 6, 2006.1. Superbowl CommercialsAlthough the Super Bowl commercials have really dropped off in recent years in my opinion, people still like to talk about them every year. Which one will be the best? Which one will be the worst? Unfortunately for us all, we don't get any more farting horses or busty GoDaddy chicks in action. Thanks so much Janet Jackson. Thanks for taking away our edgy commercials.2. Coretta Scott KingUnderstandably, Coretta Scott King was in the news this week as she died from the effects of stroke and ovarian cancer. Blogcritics were vocal about King's life.Bird of Paradise had this to say."I suspect that deep in her heart, gifted though she was, Coretta Scott King's personal dream would have been to simply be a Baptist pastor's wife, mother to her children and, perhaps, one day stepping out into some vocation of her own choosing when the children had grown. Instead of choosing her own destiny, however, destiny chose her."3. Groundhog DayThat stupid Groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of mild winter. If only Bill Murray could make his way through the weather and the repeated playings of The Pennsylvania Polka to drive that overgrown hampster off a cliff, we might be able to avoid flee-bitten predictions of blizzards.4. SuperbowlThe Super Bowl was a nightmare for me because I am a Cleveland Browns fan. No matter how bad my team is, I still feel the pain when a rival ends up winning big.5. Mohammed CartoonFor fear of starting trouble, I report just the facts. A cartoon was printed. People are upset. Violence ensued.6. Jodie SweetinThe cute little girl who played Stephanie Tanner on Full House admits to having a meth problem on Good Morning America. I guess all the pressure of not making billions like the Olsen twins is getting to her. If only she, too, could have had a couple thousand countdowns to her 18th birthday all over the web, she might be able to have survived child stardom into full on dirty adulthood.7. Oscar NominationsThe Oscars are supposedly like the Super Bowl for females. If that is the case, then is Joan Rivers like John Madden? Which NFL team was Brokeback Mountain and which one was Capote?8. Heather LocklearHeather Locklear goes through another rocker. After casting aside Tommy Lee in the past, and now Richie Sambora, who will Heather Locklear hook up with next? I think I just heard Scott Stapp cheering in the distance. Sorry Scott, have you seen the Pam and Tommy video? Maybe you are underqualified for this job?9. UfcSo. People like to watch other people get their de-brained on TV? I blame video games and rock music.10. When a Stranger CallsI am sure the only reason that this movie wasn't linked to any Oscar news is because it is eligible for NEXT year's awards. That must be it.11. Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones got the honor of playing the Superbowl halftime show in the second year of the post-Janet era. You can't get a bigger name than the Rolling Stones without a shovel and some smelling salts.12. Timothy TreadwellCheck out all the reviews on Blogcritics.13. State of the UnionRight side stands. Left side stands. Both sides stand. If Bush's speechwriters had thought about it, they could have created a better dance routine than anything on Dancing with the Stars.14. SteelersI am a Browns fan, remember? Blech.15. Nikki CoxShe is reportedly engaged to Jay Mohr. I heard him on the Opie and Anthony show last week and he said that they had planned some of the party and reserved a room, but he hadn't purchased a ring yet. He made jokes about marrying her for the money. After the "Brown and Bubbly" Pepsi campaign during the Super Bowl, he was probably only half kidding.

Craig Lyndall rants, raves and writes other stuff at FilteringCraig.com and at The Cleveland Sports Curse

Blogcritics On the Pulse - Joe Pichler, The Golden Globes, Sasha Cohen, The NFL

Craig Lyndall — Sun, 22 Jan 2006 00:24:47 EST

This week's Google Zeitgeist is out. Here is the list. 1. joe pichler 2. golden globes 3. james franco 4. james frey 5. angelina jolie pregnant 6. martin luther king 7. kim mathers 8. sasha cohen 9. smoking gun 10. denver broncos 11. naked news 12. hoodwinked 13. michelle wie 14. seahawks 15. friday the 13thI am not especially interested in the things on the list this week. Martin Luther King is a carry-over from last week's list. More than a few people seem to still be chasing James Frey and other than that there is a lot of interest in Angelina Jolie and her apparent pregnancy. 1. joe pichlerWhile Blogcritics doesn't even have a mention of Joe Pichler on the site, I found the reason for his entry to be quite interesting. It is kind of like being a voyeur of a bunch of voyeurs. Nobody was really intersted in Joe Pichler until he became "that former child actor from the Beethoven movies that disappeared and might be dead." I haven't really been following this story until I read about it here, but it is a sad story. And not to be crass, but look at this picture that was released by his family.2. golden globesNow this is a topic that the Blogcritics have really taken hold of. This is a topic which resides in the site wheelhouse if you will.Ray Wong discusses the apparent link between awards success and movies based on literary works.If you don't feel like reading, you can listen to Eric Berlin discuss the Golden Globes on the SUBJECT2DISCUSSION radio show available via podcast.Or, if you want to play Monday Morning QB, you can go look at Chris Beaumont's predictions and make fun of all the things that he got wrong. Just kidding folks. Be nice!8. sasha cohenSasha Cohen makes an appearance on the list for a couple of reasons and programmers of Project Runway should be especially happy. There was apparently a competition amongst the designers of the show to design an ice skating outfit for skater Sasha Cohen. I don't know anything about the show, but apparently I am in the minority.On Blogcritics there isn't a single mention of Sasha Cohen, but there is a single mention of Project Runway with Don Baiocchi discussing the debut of the second season of the hit show.10. denver broncos, 14. seahawksObviously the NFL playoffs are in full swing and the world is looking for information about all the teams involved. Maybe there are a lot of gamblers looking for an edge for their bets. Maybe people just can't wait to watch.For all of the Blogcritics news about the NFL playoffs, you can go to the NFL Playoffs master post for all the latest.So, that's it for the second week of the analysis of the Google Zeitgeist. I have included a link to the post over on Google and welcome any more feedback on how to make this feature even better.

Craig Lyndall rants, raves and writes other stuff at FilteringCraig.com and at The Cleveland Sports Curse

Blogcritics On the Pulse - Martin Luther King, Vince Young, Lindsay Lohan

Craig Lyndall — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 22:38:44 EST

Who ever would have thought you would hear those three names grouped together?Every week Google details the most popular searches that go through their site. In this column, I will be detailing the correlations between the Google Zeitgeist and Blogcritics stories. I find the waves of popularity in search terms to be fascinating and I think the correlations to Blogcritics material will be interesting. Sometimes the correlations will be obvious like when the Janet Jackson thing happened, and I had just happened to write a story about that Super Bowl halftime show before it happened and a traffic landslide ensued. Other times we have stories that pre-date the appearance of a search item on the list and it will be interesting to look at an old Blogcritics story through the lens of more recent developments.On with the list for the week ending January 9, 20061. vince young 2. texas longhorns 3. emily stern 4. dancing with the stars 5. marcus vick 6. CES 7. lindsay lohan 8. wedding crashers 9. martin luther king 10. bird flu 11. USC 12. isla fisher 13. detroit auto show 14. lou rawls 15. drake bell And now for the Blogcritics stories on Vince Young, Lindsay Lohan, and Martin Luther King 1. Vince Young The breakout performance in the national championship football game has led to this entry.Hype Machine Breaks Down in Rose BowlIf there is one lesson that needs to be learned by the national pundits after Texas' "shocking" win over Southern California in the Rose Bowl, it is this: No one knows anything.The back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners couldn't save the Trojans Wednesday...Posted to Sports by Zach Baker on January 5, 2006 09:19 AM (Relevance: 1) A Dynasty Falls - Longhorns Win TitleIt didn't take quite as long as the ten years Homer described, but the result was the same. The walls of Troy crumbled and one is left standing. In this case they hail from Austin, Texas. For a second consecutive...Posted to Sports by Dan McGowan on January 5, 2006 03:37 AM (Relevance: 2) Bevo's Back in Beverly HillsGranted, while I was in school we lost to OU every year and had our share of heartbreaking games, I am still proud to be a Texas Longhorn. While most in my family were Sooners or Razorbacks, I stood...Posted to Sports by Erin McMaster on December 4, 2005 12:57 AM (Relevance: 2) College Football Week in Review - Week 4, 2005It's over! They did it. Finally someone took up the challenge and did it. No, USC still won despite an early scare. And Vanderbilt won too to continue undefeated into October. I am talking about Marshall...Posted to Sports by Ben Miraski on September 27, 2005 02:25 AM (Relevance: 1) Week In Review - Week 3, 2005If you like defense in your college football, this was not a week to be watching. Point totals were consistently upwards of 60, with Texas Tech throwing up an 80 spot on Sam Houston before mercifully stopping the scoring...Posted to Sports by Ben Miraski on September 20, 2005 06:20 PM (Relevance: 1) College Football Week in Review, Week 2, 2005The game of the season? Possible Rose Bowl preview? Well, the speculation can be ended as Texas and Ohio State played an amazing game of football to serve as a major high point of a wild weekend of...Posted to Sports by Ben Miraski on September 13, 2005 02:57 AM (Relevance: 2) Blogcritics: Get Your Football Gaming OnIt's football season again (thank thy Lords of the Pigskin!) which means tailgating with chunks of seared flesh, the fleshy jowls of John Madden waxing rhapsodic about America's new national pastime, and lots and lots of flying bodies, aerial assaults,...Posted to Sports by Eric Berlin on September 12, 2005 12:45 AM (Relevance: 2) Hail Longhorns= Hail Satan?Well, at least if you are a Norwegian it does. Of course, to the metal world, he is just doing the long live heavy metal sign. Can't wait to see what the tin-foil hat brigade have to say about...Posted to Music by Marty Dodge on January 22, 2005 10:12 AM (Relevance: 1)7. Lindsay Lohan With the interview with Vanity Fair coming out and reports of bulimia combined with reports out of New York of a substance fueled trip to Scores Gentleman's club with Kate Moss and that equals Google success.Lindsay Lohan Admits Battling BulimiaFinally one of the young and hip, "It" girls is coming clean. Posted to Culture by trinket on January 6, 2006 04:53 AM (Relevance: 2) New Justin Timberlake in 2006 and The Daily Music and Tech NewsJustin Timberlake, Lindsay Lohan and The New PornographersPosted to Music by Katharine Donelson on January 5, 2006 10:57 PM (Relevance: 2) The Lindsay Lohan LabyrinthI wasn't planning to write anything about Lindsay Lohan today (or any other day for that matter)Posted to Video by Victor Lana on January 4, 2006 01:39 PM (Relevance: 4) Single Review: Lindsay Lohan "Confessions Of A Broken Heart (Daughter To Father)"Lindsay Lohan grapples with her dad abandoning her in the soapy "Confessions Of A Broken Heart (Daughter To Father)." Posted to Music by Pam Avoledo on December 20, 2005 01:47 PM (Relevance: 4) Single Review: Lindsay Lohan - "First"Lindsay Lohan badgers her boyfriend and demands his full attention in the overbearing "First."Posted to Music by Pam Avoledo on July 29, 2005 11:43 AM (Relevance: 4) 2004's Top 10 Most OverhypedThis is a list of the most overhyped people, trends, events and happenings of 2004. Most of the fault lies with the media. 1. Janet Jackson Superbowl controversy 2. Lindsay Lohan Posted to Culture by Chip Ross on December 15, 2004 02:41 AM (Relevance: 2) Mean Girls: When Tweeners AttackI like Lindsay Lohan in this movie. I think its because she has chunky knees. Posted to Video by CrazyEngineer on June 24, 2004 11:50 PM (Relevance: 2)9. Martin Luther King Obviously with Martin Luther King day occurring on 1/16/2006 the world and Internet searchers are looking for information on my fellow Boston University alumnus, Martin Luther King.The Death Of Martin Luther King, Jr. And The Civil Rights MovementHis eyesight must have been damned good, because almost forty years after that speech we're no closer to getting there now than we were on that April night in Memphis, Tennessee.Posted to Politics by gypsyman on January 17, 2006 06:48 PM (Relevance: 3) Recalling Rosa Parks On Martin Luther King DayWe often look to the holders of power to make changes for our society. Perhaps we need to look in the mirror and reflect on what we can do.Posted to Politics by allendrury on January 17, 2006 02:37 AM (Relevance: 3) The Failure of a Dream and the New ApartheidMartin Luther King dreamed of one America, but today we have two Americas living in an economic apartheid which is in many ways a legacy of King's era.Posted to Politics by Dave Nalle on January 16, 2006 05:10 PM (Relevance: 4) HONORING MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.Today's national holiday marks the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., who would have been 76 on Saturday. King's legacy more than three decades after his assassination in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968, at the...Posted to Straight Up by Jan Herman on January 17, 2005 11:09 AM (Relevance: 3) Racial Inequlity vs. Economic InequalityLani Guinier visited the University of Michigan on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. She gave a speech in which she emphasized that poverty is an issue that must be dealt with alongside of the issue of racism.Posted to Politics by Dirtgrain on February 3, 2004 09:25 PM (Relevance: 3) Martin Luther King DayMany of you may know that when it comes to holidays, etc... I really don't care one way or another. Nothing is sacred in my world. I do know that most everyone enjoys as day off and as...Posted to Culture by Ms. Tek on January 19, 2004 12:06 PM (Relevance: 3) The Dream Lives for 40 Years and CountingForty years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered an oration on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, and ended up making history. The words the civil-rights leader spoke that day continue to touch the minds and hearts of good people around the world who share his dream of a planet free from bigotry, of a day where we are judged by nothing more than the content of our character.Posted to Books by Natalie Davis on August 28, 2003 05:15 PM (Relevance: 3) Henry Ford, the greatest benefactor in human historyHenry Ford may not have given a good goddam about a black man. However, he did black Americans far more good than even the sainted Martin Luther King.Posted to Culture by Al Barger on July 30, 2003 04:23 AM (Relevance: 3) Don't Act Like 'This' KingMartin Luther King was an inspiration to millions around the world, but Rodney King just made people riot. Let's face it, Rodney King is an idiot. Don't get me wrong, he didn't deserve to get his ass kicked by the LAPD. However, some would argue that he needs an ass-kicking now more than ever.Posted to Culture by Fabian Gonzalez on April 16, 2003 01:14 PM (Relevance: 6)

Craig Lyndall rants, raves and writes other stuff at FilteringCraig.com and at The Cleveland Sports Curse