ABC’s Super Fun Night features Rebel Wilson as awkward, yet successful, New York City lawyer Kimmie Boubier (yes, it is a boob joke, pronounced like “boobie-yay!”)…
Melissa Zimdars
Melissa Zimdars is a doctoral student in Communication Studies at the University of Iowa, specializing in all things television.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The Tube: Television rut relief
Lately, I’ve been in a television rut. Few shows have been able to grab my attention enough to stop me from scrolling through imgur or reading Gawker posts while watching. I’ve even felt this way while viewing the most recent episodes of Breaking Bad (gasp!), and I’m not really sure where this boredom is coming […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
What TV teaches us about the college experience
For better or worse, television teaches us a lot about the world. Frequent watchers of the CSI franchise learn that DNA evidence is infallible. Those who watch the local nightly news understand the world around them to be comprised mostly of lurking criminals, and believe their chances of falling victim to violent crime are much […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The Next Generation of Academic Workers
This past weekend, most likely unbeknownst to a majority of Iowa Citians, COGS, the University of Iowa graduate employee union (also known as the Campaign to Organize Graduate Students), hosted the 22nd annual Coalition of Graduate Employee Unions and 9th annual Canadian Coalition of Graduate Employees conference, C/CGEU. Union delegates traveled from distances as nearby […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Beyond the rerun: A guide to Summer television
Not too long ago, the beginning of summer marked the end of the TV season. As a child this annoyed me because summer meant that I finally had free time to watch all the television I wanted, yet nothing was on besides reruns and episodes of Maury. I thought the explanation for this was that […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Your guide to the Firecracker 500 Festival
The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and that not only means grilling out, day drinking and illegally setting off fireworks in your yard, but also the return of the Firecracker 500 Festival. For the third consecutive year, Firecracker 500 will feature some of the coolest garage, psych and soul bands both from the midwest and beyond, including a ton of local favorites like The Ills, Lipstick Homicide, Good Habits and Autodramatics. Spanning four nights, the festival’s first half will take place at The Mill ($10 cover each night), but will move to Blue Moose Tap House for both Friday ($12) and Saturday ($15) evenings. Below are a few highlights that attempt to capture the diversity and awesomeness of this year’s line-up.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The Tube: Have we made a huge mistake?
Maybe it’s my pre-pubescent sense of humor, but the funniest aspect of the fourth season of Arrested Development is Tobias’ new license plate which reads “ANUSTART.” In his bizarro world, that’s supposed to be plate-speak for “A New Start.” The schtick pops up again in a later episode when Lucille 1 encounters Tobias in rehab, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The Tube: Neverending stories
For the last few years, Community has been one of my favorite shows on television. Cancellation threats and time slot changes made me anxious and inspired tweets with the hashtag #SixSeasonsAndAMovie (along with tons of other fans) to show support for the awesomely quirky show. However, something changed this season: Community’s creative force and showrunner, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The Tube: If it looks like quality?
Every mall in America has a kiosk full of bright colored, often gaudy purses, intended to mimic designer styles but sold for a fraction of the price. While some of them look quality at first glance, upon closer examination, the stitching usually isn’t quite right and the materials just feel cheaper. This knock-off purse example […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Your guide to Mission Creek: Sunday
Well, it’s the last day of Mission Creek! I’m both ready to get my life back to normal and sad for the week’s excitement to end. Hopefully this guide has helped you navigate and maximize your fun this week, and luckily, today the schedule is straightforward and free of conflicts.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Your guide to Mission Creek: Saturday
It’s Day five of Mission Creek, and hopefully everyone had the chance to sleep in a bit this morning and recharge. I know I feel better after logging a full eight hours, which is extra necessary considering today is quite the literary, food, and music puzzle.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Your Guide to Mission Creek: Friday
We are halfway through Mission Creek, and while our ears may be in a perpetual state of ringing, our livers may be hurting, and we are tired–it’s now the weekend, so we have no excuses to not take advantage of the almost overwhelming amount of sweet stuff happening the next couple days.
