Archaeologist at Large: Media

The Queen and reality TV!

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:10:01 GMT

Is the Queen the new Sharon Osborne?

Most reality TV distorts the facts, and now we've turned our monarch into Sha

Most reality TV distorts the facts, and now we've turned our monarch into Sharon Osbourne

Sarfraz Manzoor
The Guardian

The clamour that has engulfed the BBC after last week's misleading sequence featuring the Queen has focused on the damage suffered to the corporation. In an effort to convince the public that it still retains its integrity, the BBC has engaged in another round of self-flagellation: the director general has sent a stern email to employees warning of the dangers of losing the trust of the audience and an inquiry has been mounted into the affair. True, the bosses bear some responsibility, but the underlying reasons lie in how television has changed in the past decade.

Having worked on both sides of the camera as well as in the boardroom, I have concluded that most television is like an impatient child - noisy, easily bored and desperately seeking attention. This need to be noticed is driven by a desire for ratings, which prompts programme-makers to do everything and anything to lure viewers to stay tuned. You can see it everywhere, in eye-wateringly blunt programme titles, current affairs programmes which promise more than they deliver and the use of celebrities or dramatised reconstructions. The manic fear that the fickle viewer might turn over is largely driven by a sense that if a programme is not talked about, it has somehow failed.ron Osbourne

Sarfraz Manzoor
Tuesday July 17, 2007
The Guardian

continues @ http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,,2128191,00.html

News from the new Indiana Jones film

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 08:58:14 GMT

The first picture from the set of Indiana Jones has been released, as filming on the fourth adventure begins.

Shot by director Steven Spielberg, the photo shows star Harrison Ford wearing his character's trademark fedora hat for the first time in 18 years.

The original Indiana Jones trilogy, a tribute to Saturday morning B-movies, made more than $1.1bn (£560m) at the box office in the 1980s.

The fourth film, co-starring John Hurt, is due for release on 22 May 2008.

Other names lined up for the action blockbuster include Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent and Shia LaBeouf, who is rumoured to be playing Indiana's son.

Little else is known about the film.

More @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6229544.stm

The Movie Trailer of The Lost Tomb of Jesus

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:15:52 GMT

The History Team

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:08:18 GMT

More media research!

Monty Python - Archaeology Today

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:04:09 GMT

Exclusive Interview: Josh Bernstein, Host of Digging for the Truth

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 16:09:07 GMT

Not that exclusive, does not mention his recent career move!

Josh Bernstein, a native New Yorker, is a real-life Indiana Jones. As the host of The History Channel's Digging for the Truth, Bernstein travels the world, looking to uncover the greatest archaeological mysteries the planet has to offer. Digging for the Truth, which premiered in 2005, has since become the highest rated program of The History Channel's existence. Josh graciously stopped by to answer a few questions for us.
Continues @ http://www.buddytv.com/articles/digging-for-the-truth/exclusive-interview-josh-berns-4501.aspx

A Replacement for Josj Bernstein??

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:47:14 GMT

I think I have found him!!

Extreme Archaeology

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:30:30 GMT

Ok I know I have just discovered how to post video!

Viewers Take Aim at Discovery Shows

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 17:56:25 GMT

Spoof shows are all the range it would seem!

Ever wanted to film a spoof of American Chopper? Discovery Channel is inviting you to do so, and the network might even put it on the air.

Discovery will air user-generated parodies of such shows as American Chopper, Dirty Jobs and MythBusters as part of Feb. 25 special You Spoof Discovery.

The one-hour special is the first of what the network hopes will be more projects steeped in viewer-created content, according to president and general manager Jane Root

The special, which will feature approximately 20 user-generated videos, came about after network executives late last year saw two videos on YouTube http://www.youtube.com that spoofed American Chopper. The network decided to invite viewers to take their best shots at Discovery shows. Over the past 10 weeks, more than 600 entries were submitted, according to Root.

continues @ http://www.broadcastnewsroom.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=108086

Remember the Time!

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 16:43:17 GMT

The start of my video collection

Michael Jackson - Remember The Time
Uploaded by hushhush112

From Aladdin to Lost Ark, Muslims get angry at 'bad guy' film images

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:06:38 GMT

Crude and exaggerated stereotypes are fuelling Islamophobia, says study

By Lucy Ward

Stereotyped shorthand... Raiders of the Lost Ark

Popular films ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to children's cartoons are depicting "crude and exaggerated" stereotypes of Muslims and perpetuating Islamophobia, according to a study published today.

A report by the Islamic Human Rights Commission argues that films as diverse as The Siege, a portrayal of a terrorist attack on New York starring Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis, the Disney film Aladdin and the British comedy East is East have helped demonise Muslims as violent, dangerous and threatening, and reinforce prejudices.

Continues @ http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1997959,00.html

Indiana Jones 'to return in 2008'

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 12:55:18 GMT

Great News

Director George Lucas says the fourth instalment in the Indiana Jones film series will start next year.

Lucas said he and Steven Spielberg had recently finalised the script, and promised it was "the best one yet".

More @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6219025.stm

and film website http://www.indianajones.com/

Discovery Channel Canada Nets New Audience Record With King Tut's Mystery Tomb Opened

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 17:23:44 GMT

This is why The Discovery Channel is willimh to pay $150,000 for exclusive filmimg rights

Even billing the event as Tut's tomb when it is KV63!

Last night's 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT broadcast of the new one-hour special, King Tut's Mystery Tomb Opened was a huge success for Discovery Channel Canada, drawing a record-setting 407,000 viewers A25-54 and 314,000 viewers A18-49 in the Sunday night "Discovery Presents" timeslot. This hour is the highest ever A25-54 "Discovery Presents" audience in the channel's 11 year history. King Tut's Mystery Tomb Opened surpassed previous record holder, Nefertiti Resurrected, which attracted 371,000 viewers in that demo when it premiered in August 2003.
More @ http://www.channelcanada.com/Article1606.html

Director posits proof of biblical Exodus

Sat, 15 Apr 2006 13:06:36 GMT

A provocative $4-million documentary by Toronto filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici claims to have found archeological evidence verifying the story of the biblical Exodus from Egypt, 3,500 years ago.

Now, in Exodus Decoded, Mr. Jacobovici says he has found almost a dozen overlooked relics that confirm the biblical story.

Mr. Jacobovici, who recently sold the film to the History Channel in the United States, concedes that many scholars will "scoff at my evidence. It's a closed club, after all. But they can't just dismiss it. There's a cluster of evidence here. If it walks like an Exodus and quacks like an Exodus, it is an Exodus. That's not Egyptology. That's logic."

Read the whole story @ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060414.DOCU14/TPStory/Entertainmen

What do you thing?

Discovery Commits $20 Million to Quest Programming

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 20:32:52 GMT

SILVER SPRING, April 7: Discovery Channel is setting aside $20 million over five years to fund Discovery Channel Quest scientists and explorers, supporting productions like KV63: Egypt’s New Tomb Revealed.

John Hendricks, the founder and chairman of Discovery Communications, said of the fund, "From the moment the Discovery Channel was launched, our mission has been to inspire people to discover all the wonders of their world, to provide them with the knowledge that will satisfy their curiosity. Discovery Channel Quest celebrates the work of true heroes. These men and women are relentless in their pursuit of the truth and their dedication to solving the world's greatest mysteries. Discovery is proud to support them in their mission to unearth the next great find."

More @ http://www.worldscreen.com/newscurrent.php?filename=quest040706.htm

Archaeology really is big bucks!!