Topic: Robert Thompson

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Top Super Bowl commercials 2011: six winners and losers

Super Bowl commercials have become a mini-film festival, keeping the less-than-diehard football fans in front of the tube. But this year’s top spots are singled out for their misses as much as their hits.

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Iconic ‘The Scream’ to be sold at auction. How Munch will it fetch?

A Norwegian businessman, whose father knew Edvard Munch, is selling the last privately held version of ‘The Scream.’ Some speculate the much-reproduced work could bring $80 million.
Dick Clark: how a tax-accountant look-alike changed American music

Dick Clark understood how to introduce African-American performers and their music to a post-civil rights society still fraught with racial tensions. Basically, Dick Clark brought rock 'n' roll to America's living rooms.
How 'Caine's Arcade' raised $164,000 for a boy from East L.A. (+video)

The Internet short film 'Caine's Arcade' has touched an emotional chord among viewers, who have donated to a college fund for Caine Monroy. It shows how social media are reshaping fundraising.
Why ‘Caine’s Arcade’ moves grown men to tears (+video)

The short film about Caine Monroy, an East Los Angeles boy who spent his summer constructing a cardboard game arcade in his father’s auto parts shop, has won millions of fans.
Mike Wallace: the legendary '60 Minutes' career that almost wasn't (+video)

Mike Wallace, who died this weekend, considered another path after covering the 1968 presidential campaign. But in the end, he set a high standard for serious long-form investigative journalism.
Ordinary heroes: Two extraordinary rescues from burning cars (+videos)

A Good Samaritan in Richmond, Va., pulls a man from a burning car. In Florida, two teenage boys rescue a couple after a car crash.
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Katie Couric vs. Sarah Palin: why battle for morning show supremacy is so hot

ABC called in a.m. TV queen Katie Couric to trump NBC's 'Today' show. NBC called in Sarah Palin. When it comes to morning shows, networks are defending valuable turf. 
Obama's March Madness? Why he's taking British PM to hoops extravaganza.

British Prime Minister David Cameron is in the US, so why not hold the press conference at a March Madness basketball game? What do you think of Iran, Mr. Cameron ... and please pass the corn dogs.
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'Game Change': How accurate is the movie about Sarah Palin?

Words have been flying between supporters of Sarah Palin, who charge the ‘Game Change’ filmmakers with a smear job, and the producers, who insist they’re committed to accuracy.
Is bias-free news coverage coming back into vogue?

After years in which news outlets became associated with one political slant or another, there are some signs that a course correction is under way in the media. So far, the shift is a subtle one.
Davy Jones, cast as lead singer for 'The Monkees,' was heartthrob for millions

Davy Jones, who died at his home in Florida at the age of 66, was best known for his lead role with 'The Monkees,' which pioneered techniques exploited by other TV shows for years.
At 2012 Academy Awards, 'The Help' appeals across party lines (+trailer)

Sometimes Republicans and Democrats have different film tastes. Last year, it was "True Grit" vs. "The King's Speech." But this year, Americans across party lines are enjoying "The Help," the film about African-American maids during the civil rights era, a Christian Science Monitor/TIPP poll shows.
Academy Awards 2012: why Oscar winners are often head-scratchers

Academy Award winners aren't always the ones the viewing public expects – or wants. But the secretive Academy likes it that way. Don't forget, you're not in the Oscar club
Whitney Houston death: a moment of national mourning, shared on Twitter

Some 2.5 million tweets about the passing of Whitney Houston had filled the digisphere within an hour, making it the most-tweeted breaking-news event in Twitter's history.
Why some musicians are protesting this year’s Grammy Awards show

The Recording Academy has eliminated 31 categories of Grammy Awards, many of which are often won by minorities. A protest rally and alternative concert will be held on Sunday.
'Soul Train' icon Don Cornelius changed the beat of the nation

'Soul Train' creator, Don Cornelius, took the pulse of black culture and broadcast it into living rooms across the nation. Before Facebook and Twitter, he connected a generation of teens.
Lowe's stores face protests for pulling ads from 'All American Muslim'

Lowe’s Home Improvement stores pulled its ads from the TV show 'All American Muslim' when the obscure Florida Family Association objected to a positive portrayal of Muslims in the US. Protesters are expected to picket Lowe's stores around the country Saturday.
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President Obama on 'The Tonight Show': A good move?

President Obama will appear on 'The Tonight Show' Tuesday for the fourth time. The show will give the president a wider audience but might have limited benefits, experts say.
Unveiling of Pottermore and J.K. Rowling's secrets: worth the wait?

Saturday's launch of J.K. Rowling's Pottermore, the new website about all things Harry Potter, comes after an extended test drive. Some see crass commercialism. Others see 'amazing' world.
How Netflix went wrong: Qwikster was good for company, not the customer.

Netflix pulled the plug Monday on its DVD rental spin-off division Qwikster. Creation of the division was supposed to help Netflix prepare for the cyberfuture, but the move just angered its customers.
Does America really need 'X-Factor'? In two words, 'heck yes.'

'The X-Factor,' another singing reality competition, debuts Wednesday. At what point will the US public hit singing TV saturation? Not yet, suggest experts and critics.
The reality of fall TV

An upstart genre shows its influence as reality TV dominates the fall lineup and finds its techniques adopted across the TV landscape.
Will Rupert Murdoch's woes cross the Atlantic?

Rupert Murdoch's troubles in the UK could spread throughout his global media empire, say experts. A lawsuit filed Monday in Delaware may be just the beginning.
Vox News
Mark Halperin suspended indefinitely from MSNBC: When language bites

After referring to President Obama with a term that can't appear in a family newspaper, MSNBC commentator Mark Halperin was suspended from the network and issued a warning by Time Magazine, where he is an editor-at-large.
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Tempest in a Twitterpot: Why Keith Olbermann generated such a fuss

Keith Olbermann transported his signature show from MSNBC to the little-watched Current TV, almost quadrupling their ratings – and setting off a twitterstorm by running long.