Pulling back the curtain on NPR

I'm catching up on podcasts and caught a very illuminating piece on NPR's "On the Media" titled "Pulling Back the Curtain."

"Pulling Back the Curtain" was played in tribute to NPR contributor John Solomon, who had died after a long illness. Solomon originally recorded the segment back in 2004 to explain "how our show, and public radio, is edited."

I had never heard Solomon's piece before but even six years later, "Pulling Back the Curtain" packs a wallop in questioning NPR editing practices. Those include the simple matter of editing out distractions ("um," "uh," "ya know") to more thought-provoking questions of whether hosts should use active voice in trying to make recorded bits come across as live interviews.

BBC's "Sherlock" is a winner

I am a longtime fan of Sherlock Holmes, be it books, movies or TV series so could easily turn my nose up at BBC's "Sherlock" series, which sets the famed detective smack dab in the 21st century. 

PBS has broadcast three episodes in recent weeks, and a Season 1 DVD set was released in the States on Tuesday. I haven't seen all the episodes -- yet -- but love what I've seen so far. Even though a strong tech theme pervades "Sherlock," the show's wit and attention to detail respect the original. 

Benedict Cumberbatch (not making that up) brings a new flavor to Holmes, building on the earlier Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett portrayals just enough to give the character a confident edge without offending hardcore fans. 

The tech references -- among them a great texting scene that opens Episode 1, Watson's stillborn blog, mobile web searches at crime scenes -- are invigorating, not forced. "Sherlock" makes clear from the beginning that this isn't your father's Holmes.

Indeed. 

Woodward, Bradlee guest star in WaPo iPad spot

The gorgeous splash screen of the Washington Post iPad app. ExxonMobil is the debut sponsor. Bob Woodward and Ben Bradlee come out from the rest home, so to speak, to guest star in a delightful commercial Washington Post produced to tout its new iPad app. 

Both newspaper veterans play their roles perfectly, with the 89-year-old Bradlee mentoring Woodward on needing to stay up with reader trends. 

As for the WaPo app itself? I've just downloaded it so can only comment based on about 15 minutes of usage but first impressions are that I'll be using it often. Love the social-media integration, especially.