elitistacademic
Archive for September 2011
Friday’s Feature: Myth #2
Myth #2 Elitist Academics Don’t Bother to Work During the Summer Why should we? The majority of us have nine-month contracts, which means, unless we opt to stretch out our paychecks over the year, three months out of the year we don’t get paid. Who works for free? I mean who would continue to direct … Continue reading
“Anonymous” Poetry, Plays, and Sex
“I am [. . .] haunted by the conviction that the divine William is the biggest and most successful fraud ever practiced on a patient world.” ~Henry James Apparently Henry James is not alone. Tuesday night, I had the opportunity to attend an advance screening of Roland Emmerich’s new film Anonymous, a “political thriller” that … Continue reading
Bake Sale for Bigots?
Maybe. As an elitist academic, I believe in free speech. Mine is protected, and yours should be, too. So while university officials meet to decide what to do and news outlets travel to Berkeley to cover what’s brewing (or should I say baking?), let’s take a CheatNotes’ look at what has everyone so upset. UC … Continue reading
Friday’s Feature: Dear EA
Dear EA, Have you ever seen that episode of Friends where Joey admits that he doesn’t understand when people use “air quotes”? My professor uses these quite a bit in class, and when he does, I kind of feel like Joey. I don’t get it. I mean, sometimes I do, like the other day when … Continue reading
Of Barbarians, Beasts, and Bikers or Why I Love Ron Perlman
Conan the Barbarian (2011) was an insufferable, ultraviolent, gory mess. On the whole, it wasn’t even fun or campy. [I’m looking at you, Rose McGowan.] Unquestionably, the best part was the first third, which featured an amazing performance by Leo Howard, who, as the young Conan, seemed to understand completely what the role called for … Continue reading
M-M-M My Missoni
As an elitist academic who professes to know a thing or two about popular culture, it is a bit embarrassing to find oneself in the middle of a popular culture moment and wonder what in the “H-E-double hockey sticks” is going on. At approximately 8:10 Tuesday morning on September 13, my mother and I walked … Continue reading
Friday’s Feature: Elitist’s “Peculiar” Choice
I am an elitist academic, and I read young-adult fiction (also known as YA). [Crowd of one replies: Hello, elitist academic!] The mock confessional tone here has little to do with the category itself and everything to do with how one is perceived by other adults when spotted reading or even carrying YA, while not … Continue reading
Ringer and the Return of SMG
Brimstone, GvsE, Firefly, Threshold, Hex, Moonlight, Journeyman, and Jericho. For some of you, these may represent unknown or abandoned way stations in the TV landscape, but for me, they are wounds that open anew at the start of each fall television season, reminders that I tend to make bad small screen choices. Like so many … Continue reading
“Winter is Coming for True Blood”
Back in 2005, Stephen King, a then contributing writer for Entertainment Weekly, expressed concern about the future of the ABC drama Lost (2004-2010). Even though we had only begun to imagine the dazzling possibilities that awaited Sayid, Hurley, and Sun on the island and beyond, King expressed the hope that the show, for the sake … Continue reading
Friday’s Feature
Myth #1 Elitist Academics Think They are Better Than Everyone This is absolutely not true. We only think we are better than most people, not everyone, and we resent the generalization. In all seriousness, where does this idea come from? Better how? More educated? Define “education.” Smarter? Define “smart.” The reality is that as … Continue reading
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