In age of drive-bys, sage advice worth reading

Amid the sea of non-stop, quick-hit media criticism, I’ve always enjoyed Bob Wyman’s insights. Bob is a “member of the technical staff at Google” who is always thoughtful in his observations, most of which I’ve read over the years on the Online-News listserv.

Most recently, Bob’s insights are in a loooooooong two-part post titled “Five Key Reasons Why Newspapers are Failing … and Why They Don’t Get Talked About Much.” It’s loooooong and I don’t agree with everything in it, but it’s well worth the read.

I can’t do it justice with a summary, nor would that benefit anyone. But if you’re in the print-journalism business, I strongly encourage you to read it. Unless you’re a genius who has it all figured out, by the time you’re finished you should have a to-do list full of worthy challenges.

"Mad Men" is great, but it's no "Wire"

 With "Mad Men" returning for its third season, the media is all atwitter about how its "the best show on television." Perhaps. I sure like it.But I'm a strong proponent of "The Wire" as the "best show in television history." Yeah, I know, bold statement, blah, blah, blah.

But never has a show been so consistently smart and well-written -- with an intense expectation that its viewers be engaged. There's no casual watching "The Wire." It's complex plot lines required constant vigilance because the directors demanded the show's viewers pay attention. No flashbacks or cheap tricks for lazy viewers to catch up.

Watching "The Wire" was hard work, and perhaps why it never had huge ratings on HBO. Some say it was because of the mostly black cast, but I think that's being too simplistic.

The great folks at Paste magazine too are fans, and posted this list of "Five Classic Scenes from 'The Wire.' " My five would have a few different scenes but these offer a great sampling of the show's power, diversity and grace. The one included above features two of my favorite characters: Brother Mouzone, a Harper's reading hitman from New York; and Omar, a gay gangster who brazenly steals from other gangsters. It's sacrilegious that no "Wire" actor won an Emmy (only one was ever nominated) but it's near criminal given my belief Michael K. Williams' portrayal of Omar is among the greatest roles in TV history.

Update on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at 9:08 PM by Logan Molen

This video below came out of nowhere but is absolutely brilliant. 

"The Wire" as a musical? Nah. .... really? 

It's not quite as smart as the original but seeing familiar faces poking fun at their very serious roles is something to applaud.

The Wire: The Musical with Michael Kenneth Williams from Michael Kenneth Williams

50,000 views = proud papa

I regularly remind myself that I'm blessed to have three beautiful, intelligent and funny women in my life: my wife and two daughters. They inspire me, keep me grounded, and otherwise make me proud.

I was reminded of that when I saw that a video my oldest daughter Allie co-created with her seventh-grade Fruitvale Junior High classmate Ali Castellanos had surpassed 50,000 views on YouTube. Amid millions of videos on the site, that's an amazing accomplishment.

Their "Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired" video, a 10-minute look at the life of civil-rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, was created as part of the 2007 National History Day competition.  They conducted a variety of phone interviews for the shoot, including celebrated politicians John Lewis and Andrew Young.

The message of the video is powerful enough, but even after dozens of viewings I get teary-eyed knowing it was created by two seventh-grade amateurs using ancient school multimedia technology.

And with more than 50,000 views, 70 positive ratings and more than 40 appreciative comments, it's wonderful to know others feel the same way.