This volume considers the numerous philosophical ideas and arguments found in and inspired by the critically acclaimed series Breaking Bad. This show garnered both critical and popular attention for its portrayal of a cancer-stricken, middle-aged, middle-class, high school chemistry teacher's drift into the dark world of selling methamphetamine to support his family. Its characters, situations, and aesthetic raise serious and familiar philosophical issues, especially related to ethics and morality. The show provokes a bevy of rich questions and discussion points, such as: What are the ethical issues surrounding drugs? What lessons about existentialism and fatalism does the show present? How does the show grapple with the concept of the end 'justifying' the means? Is Walt really free not to 'break bad'? Can he be redeemed? What is the definition and nature of badness (or evil) itself? Contributors address these and other questions as they dissect the legacy of the show and discuss its contributions to philosophical conversations.

"A timely intervention into debates on the representation of feminist and feminine identities in contemporary visual culture. The essays in this collection interrogate how and why certain formulations of feminism and femininity are currently prevalent in mainstream cinema and television, offering new insights into postfeminist media phenomena"--

How does culture articulate, frame, organise and produce stories about social class and class difference? What do these stories tell us about contemporary models of success, failure, struggle and aspiration? How have class-based labels been revived or newly-minted to categorise the insiders and outsiders of the new 'age of austerity'? Drawing on examples from the 1980s to the present day this book investigates the changing landscape of class and reveals how it has become populated by a host of classed figures including Essex Man and Essex Girl, the 'squeezed middle', the 'sharp-elbowed middle class', the 'feral underclass', the 'white working class', the 'undeserving poor', 'selfish baby boomers' and others. Overall, the book argues that social class, although complicated and highly contested, remains a valid and fruitful route into understanding how contemporary British culture articulates social distinction and social difference and the significant costs and investments at stake for all involved.

"Rose presents a comprehensive historical explanation of the related changes in television and in the four performing arts. . . . Highly recommended for both culture students and enthusiasts of the performing arts." Library Journal

The high-pressured, fast-paced environment of television production leaves little time for producers to reflect on how the potentialities of texts and images will be interpreted outside of the immediate broadcast imperatives. This volume brings together the producers and analysts of television in a formal and productive way.

This book offers a detailed analysis of the Islamic Republic of Iran's approach towards human rights in the media. It looks at the state-owned and state-controlled Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), employing content analysis and multimodal critical discourse analysis to explore its underlying strategies in portraying the international rights norms. The book also features analysis of surveys and interviews of recent Iranian migrants to determine the extent to which the Iranian public is aware of human rights principles and their views on whether and how the international rights norms are portrayed on IRIB.

Americans have been watching and enjoying British television programming since the mid-1950s, but the information on the personalities involved is difficult, if not impossible, to find in the United States. This guide provides biographical essays, complete with bibliographies, on 100 of the best known and loved actors and actresses from Richard Greene (Robin Hood) and William Russell (Sir Lancelot) in the 1950s through stars of Masterpiece Theatre, including Robin Ellis and Jean Marsh, to the new generation of British comedy performers such as Alexei Sayle and Jennifer Saunders. Not only are serious dramatic actors and actresses, such as Joan Hickson and Roy Marsden to be found here, but also the great comedy stars, including Benny Hill and John Inman. Among the many shows discussed in the text are Absolutely Fabulous; Are You Being Served?; Dad's Army; Doctor Who; EastEnders; Fawlty Towers; The Good Life; The Jewel in the Crown; Poldark; Rumpole of the Bailey; Upstairs, Downstairs; and Yes, Minister. The guide offers not only factual information but also samplings of contemporary critical commentary and in-depth interviews with Terence Alexander, Richard Briers, Benny Hill, Wendy Richard, Prunella Scales, and Moray Watson. This is a reference source that also serves as a fascinating entree into the wonderful world of British television, one that is as fun to browse as it is to use for factual documentation.

The existence of commercial television in Europe is relatively new compared to the United States and was 'officialised' only in 1989 with the adoption of the Television without Frontiers Directive. The introduction of private television - to some extent coordinated at the European level, but to a large extent shaped by the EU Member States - was fiercely commented upon in the 1980s. Nevertheless, most assertions on the phenomenon of private television are based not so much on empirical findings but rather on ideological arguments in favour or against commercial television. More often than not, arguments are entrenched in 'boom' and 'doom' perspectives on the commercialisation of media. In addition, academic research on private television remains scarce to date: the limited attention from scholars in Europe stands in sharp contrast with the extensive research in the field on public service broadcasting. Clustered around three themes, European and national experiences, content and markets, and policies, Private Television in Western Europe: Content, Markets, Policies aims to fill this gap, transcending the 'boom' and 'doom' scenarios that seem so dominant in media studies research.

Providing new and challenging ways of understanding the medieval in the modern and vice versa, The Medieval Motion Picture: The Politics of Adaptation highlights how medieval aesthetic experience breathes life into contemporary cinema. Engaging with the subject of time and temporality, the essays examine the politics of adaptation and our contemporary entanglement with the medieval: not only in overtly medieval-themed films but also in such diverse genres as thrillers, horror films, performance animation, and even science fiction. Among the films and TV shows discussed are productions such as HBO's award winning series Game of Thrones, Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula, Akira Kurosawa's Ran, and M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense.

This book makes a case for the synergetic union between reality TV and the music industry. It delves into technological change in popular music, and the role of music reality TV and social media in the pop production process. It challenges the current scholarship which does not adequately distinguish the economic significance of these developments.

This biography profiles Jon Stewart, television's most incisive deliverer of the fake news. As the host of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he has attracted a vast audience that sees him as one of the few credible sources of cultural critique TV. As comfortable and adept at interviewing Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, U.S. President Barack Obama, activist Al Sharpton, or political commentator Bill O'Reilly as he is chatting with Angelina Jolie, Bill Gates, or Denis Leary, Jon Stewart has emerged as one of the hottest television personalities and most powerful media icons of the 21st century. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, currently Comedy Central's longest running show, has launched the successful careers of Stephen Colbert (host of The Colbert Report) and Steve Carell (star of The 40 Year Old Virgin and the popular television series The Office), and an appearance on Stewart's half-hour segment is coveted by both political figures and Hollywood celebrities as one of the most important places to be seen. Well-read, impossibly well-versed in current events, charismatic, and self-deprecating, Stewart has successfully garnered a broad-based following of viewers, from teens to senior citizens. Ideal for students and general readers alike, this biography profiles the always controversial, always prepared Stewart, including his early life, his first break in comedy, and his meteoric rise to joining an elite group of well-known and often-quoted media personalities.

This book argues that Doctor Who, the world's longest-running science fiction series often considered to be about distant planets and monsters, is in reality just as much about Britain and Britishness. Danny Nicol explores how the show, through science fiction allegory and metaphor, constructs national identity in an era in which identities are precarious, ambivalent, transient and elusive. It argues that Doctor Who's projection of Britishness is not merely descriptive but normative-putting forward a vision of what the British ought to be. The book interrogates the substance of Doctor Who's Britishness in terms of individualism, entrepreneurship, public service, class, gender, race and sexuality. It analyses the show's response to the pressures on British identity wrought by devolution and separatist currents in Scotland and Wales, globalisation, foreign policy adventures and the unrelenting rise of the transnational corporation.

With the popularity of crime dramas like CSI focusing on forensic science, and increasing numbers of police and prosecutors making wide-spread use of DNA, high-tech science seems to have become the handmaiden of law enforcement. But this is a myth,asserts law professor and nationally known expert on police profiling David A. Harris. In fact, most of law enforcement does not embrace science-it rejects it instead, resisting it vigorously. The question at the heart of this book is why. "" Eyewitness identifications procedures using simultaneous lineups-showing the witness six persons together,as police have traditionally done-produces a significant number of incorrect identifications. "" Interrogations that include threats of harsh penalties and untruths about the existence of evidence proving the suspect's guilt significantly increase the prospect of an innocent person confessing falsely. "" Fingerprint matching does not use probability calculations based on collected and standardized data to generate conclusions, but rather human interpretation and judgment.Examiners generally claim a zero rate of error - an untenable claim in the face of publicly known errors by the best examiners in the U.S. Failed Evidence explores the real reasons that police and prosecutors resist scientific change, and it lays out a concrete plan to bring law enforcement into the scientific present. Written in a crisp and engaging style, free of legal and scientific jargon, Failed Evidence will explain to police and prosecutors, political leaders and policy makers, as well as other experts and anyone else who cares about how law enforcement does its job, where we should go from here. Because only if we understand why law enforcement resists science will we be able to break through this resistance and convince police and prosecutors to rely on the best that science has to offer. Justice demands no less. Visit the author's blog here.

This biography examines the life of a person raised in poverty and a single mother at 14, who is now one of the richest and most influential people in the world-Oprah Winfrey. Oprah's life is a bonafide rags-to-riches story that is much more compelling because of her empathy, sense of humor, and ability to communicate and connect with people. Beyond the estimated 30 million American viewers who tune into her television show each week, there are devoted fans in 140 countries where Oprah's show is broadcast. Her life and businesses continue to expand, now encompassing a radio channel, two magazines, and the forthcoming OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network television channel. This book documents the different aspects of Oprah's life, incorporating the details of her public, private, and philanthropic personas. The seven chapters of Oprah Winfrey: A Biography, Second Edition span the time period from her childhood in rural Mississippi to her present-day status as a global superstar and philanthropist. Provides a chronological list of important dates in Oprah's life Contains new information about Oprah's efforts to reach out to poor and poorly educated girls in America and Africa This revised edition includes current information about Oprah's ongoing career and life

This book focuses on the significantly under-explored relationship between televisual culture and adaptation studies in what is now commonly regarded as the 'Golden Age' of contemporary TV drama. Adaptable TV: Rewiring the Text does not simply concentrate on traditional types of adaptation, such as reboots, remakes and sequels, but broadens the scope of enquiry to examine a diverse range of experimental adaptive types that are emerging within an ever-changing TV landscape. With a particular focus on the serial narrative form, and with case studies that include Penny Dreadful, Fargo, The Night Of and Orange is the New Black, this study is essential reading for anyone who is interested in the complex interplay between television studies and adaptation studies.

This volume explores how television has been a significant conduit for the changing ideas about children and childhood in the United States. Each chapter connects relevant events, attitudes, or anxieties in American culture to an analysis of children or childhood in select American television programs. The essays in this collection explore historical intersections of the family with expectations of childhood, particularly innocence, economic and material conditions, and emerging political and social realities that, at times, present unique challenges to America's children and the collective expectation of what childhood should be.