Michael Newman
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mznewman.bsky.social
Michael Newman
@mznewman.bsky.social
1.5K followers 350 following 110 posts
Milwaukee, WI
Media Studies
Posts Replies Media Videos
mznewman.bsky.social
I just sent in the proofs and index to the 2nd ed. of The Media Studies Toolkit, coming soon.

Added index entries for 2e include: Beyoncé, Carpenter, S., The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Spielberg, S., Swift, T., Wednesday, X (social media).
mznewman.bsky.social Michael Newman @mznewman.bsky.social · Sep 9
New Toolkit edition coming in February 2026
www.routledge.com/The-Media-St...
Book cover of The Media Studies Toolkit Second Edition (Routledge)
November 10, 2025 at 8:43 PM
mznewman.bsky.social
Shorewood, WI
#NoKings
Protesters demonstrating at a No Kings rally Protesters demonstrating at a No Kings rally, including a unicorn and chicken with a RESIST sign Protesters demonstrating at a No Kings rally as seen from a bridge over the street Protesters demonstrating at a No Kings rally.
October 18, 2025 at 8:28 PM
mznewman.bsky.social
Walter Bernstein, Inside Out: A Memoir of the Blacklist (172). Where do we find ourselves now?

(This is from next week's course readings in my Media and Society class.)
excerpt about the blacklist and red scare from Bernstein's book. "They were really after the New Deal and the welfare state and panty-waist liberals and the civil rights movement and militant unions and the traitors in the State Department..."
September 18, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Michael Newman
mznewman.bsky.social
New Toolkit edition coming in February 2026
www.routledge.com/The-Media-St...
Book cover of The Media Studies Toolkit Second Edition (Routledge)
September 9, 2025 at 3:20 PM
mznewman.bsky.social
New Toolkit edition coming in February 2026
www.routledge.com/The-Media-St...
Book cover of The Media Studies Toolkit Second Edition (Routledge)
September 9, 2025 at 3:20 PM
mznewman.bsky.social
Book recs: all four of Alison Bechdel's memoir/essay/novels (Fun Home, Are You My Mother?, The Secret to Superhuman Strength, and Spent) which I read over the past few weeks. I would take your recs of more books like these but I guess there will be none until Alison writes another.
August 8, 2025 at 2:29 PM
mznewman.bsky.social
RIP Cleo Laine, very special guest star of The Muppet Show ep 219 with an Irving Berlin/salad prep Swedish Chef duet www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIuo...
Muppet Show. Swedish Chef, Cleo Laine - You're Just In Love
YouTube video by aarnis
www.youtube.com
July 25, 2025 at 9:13 PM
mznewman.bsky.social
The banality of wrongness when using Google seeking basic information -- of course there isn't a BFI classics book on this film even though the AI says there is. You know you're talking to a bullshit engine.
google result incorrectly stating that there is a Film Classics book about The Jazz Singer
June 5, 2025 at 2:59 PM
mznewman.bsky.social
RIP Loretta Swit, very special guest star of Muppet Show episode 502 (Muppets+Sondheim!) www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVkl...
Muppet Songs: Loretta Swit - Side by Side
YouTube video by Muppet Songs
www.youtube.com
May 30, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Michael Newman
atpost45.bsky.social
New cluster!! post45.org/contemporari... ❣️ 📺 ⌨️ 🥰 Edited by @dfmorgan.bsky.social ! "My So-Called Life at 30" features essays on intimacy, literacy, fan studies, mobility, migration, dance, beauty culture, teen dramas, Winnie Holzman, diaspora and fandom, narratology, over-analysis, & more!
Contemporaries - Post45
Post45 seeks to reinvigorate the erstwhile convention of academic critics not only describing past traditions but also actively intervening in current tastes. It provides a forum for writers to conver...
post45.org
May 29, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Reposted by Michael Newman
ehl.bsky.social
Such a thrill to write about My So-Called Life and Winnie Holzman for @atpost45.bsky.social!
atpost45.bsky.social Contemporaries at Post45 @atpost45.bsky.social · May 29
For @ehl.bsky.social, the voice of MSCL's creator, Winnie Holzman (who would go on to write the musical and film adaptation of Wicked), stands out. Holzman’s style has had an enormous & largely unrecognized effect on popular culture, especially on depictions of girlhood. post45.org/2025/05/the-...
The Voice of Winnie Holzman - Post45
My So-Called Life is full of Angela Chase’s voice. As the protagonist, the young teen’s thoughts — unfiltered, emotional, hilarious, self-involved — are threaded in voice-over throughout the series. T...
post45.org
May 29, 2025 at 3:55 PM
mznewman.bsky.social
Binge convergence
Shelves of Netflix popcorn at Metro Market
May 11, 2025 at 1:56 PM
mznewman.bsky.social
[Bracket City]
May 11, 2025

www.theatlantic.com/games/bracke...

Rank: 🔮 (Puppet Master)
🎹 Total Keystrokes: 70
🎯 Minimum Required: 70

Total Score: 100.0
🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪
Bracket City
The Atlantic covers news, politics, culture, technology, health, and more, through its articles, podcasts, videos, and flagship magazine.
www.theatlantic.com
May 11, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Reposted by Michael Newman
ehl.bsky.social
Strong final episode (before a bonus ep!) of Making: Stories Without End. So happy I got to explain my beef with the "OJ killed the soaps" narrative, one of my pet peeves
www.wbez.org/making/2025/...
TV wouldn’t be TV without soap operas
Soaps once brought in 75% of a TV network’s revenue, says author Elana Levine. “Soaps were a legitimate kind of pop culture sensation.”
www.wbez.org
May 7, 2025 at 6:15 PM
mznewman.bsky.social
What a 🧵
dukepress.bsky.social Duke University Press @dukepress.bsky.social · May 6
Who Wore It Better, Met Gala 2025 celebrities or Duke University Press book covers?
Ava DuVernay or Work! by Elspeth H. Brown? #MetGala
Ava DuVernay poses on a blue floral carpet at a formal event, wearing a dramatic black-and-white gown with a full skirt and horizontal silver stripes, a white blouse-style bodice with puffed sleeves, a black wide-brimmed hat, and a netted veil. Her hands are on her hips as she stands confidently in front of a floral backdrop and photographers. Overlaid on the image is the book cover for Work! A Queer History of Modeling by Elspeth H. Brown, featuring a black-and-white photo of a poised Black model in a sheer, striped gown with outstretched arms. Ayo Edebiri stands smiling on a floral blue carpet at a formal event, wearing a striking black-and-white gown with a dramatic deep V neckline and an eye-catching red beaded design that loops around her neck and drapes down the front in a large U-shape. She pairs the look with a black floor-length coat with wide lapels and extended train-like sleeves. Behind her, photographers and onlookers are gathered near a wall of white flowers. Overlaid on the image is the book cover for Good Night the Pleasure Was Ours by David Grubbs, featuring a bold, abstract image of concentric black and red arcs on a white background above a stylized cityscape with train cars. Cardi B poses on a floral blue carpet at a high-profile event, wearing an opulent green velvet coat dress with intricate textures, beaded details, and ruffled trim in a slightly lighter green. The coat is open at the front to reveal black trousers or a skirt underneath, and she accessorizes with a dramatic afro hairstyle and a white flower brooch. She stands confidently against a backdrop of cameras and floral arrangements. Overlaid on the image is the book cover for Black Gathering: Art, Ecology, Ungiven Life by Sarah Jane Cervenak, featuring a ser ene photo of a Black woman standing in a shallow stream surrounded by lush greenery, wearing a green-and-white patterned dress and casting a fishing line, with forested hills rising in the background. Chappell Roan poses on a floral-patterned blue carpet at a formal event, wearing a vibrant, hot pink sequined pantsuit with a bold zigzag pattern. The flared pants have dramatic slits at the bottom, and the fitted jacket features a plunging neckline. Her voluminous red hair and theatrical eye makeup complete the striking look. Behind her, other attendees and photographers can be seen. Overlaid on the image is the book cover for The Queer Games Avant-Garde: How LGBTQ Game Makers Are Reimagining the Medium of Video Games by Bonnie Ruberg, featuring bold yellow and pink typography and an illustrated anthropomorphic figure in a dress with a snarling wolf head held aloft, dripping blood, in a surreal, graphic art style.
May 7, 2025 at 1:09 AM
mznewman.bsky.social
Longtime Fresh Air listeners, if you have tears prepare to shed them.
nprfreshair.bsky.social Fresh Air with Terry Gross & Tonya Mosley @nprfreshair.bsky.social · May 1
Today on Fresh Air, a special remembrance of Terry's husband, Francis Davis. They were together for 47 years. He died April 14.
Listen to Terry's piece: tinyurl.com/29udnvz3
May 2, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by Michael Newman
lookatthecamera.bsky.social
Harold and Maude (1971)
Harold's conspiratorial glance at the camera.
May 2, 2025 at 3:47 PM
mznewman.bsky.social
RIP Ruth Buzzi, very special guest star of Muppet Show episode 104 www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zdu...
The Muppet Show: Ruth Buzzi & Sweetums - "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"
YouTube video by dorcm1973
www.youtube.com
May 2, 2025 at 12:32 PM
mznewman.bsky.social
Several Wisconsin universities are represented here including Madison, but I see no other UW System school.
jfallows.bsky.social James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · Apr 25
Very useful interactive spreadsheet of the college/univ prez who have signed this declaration of academic independence.

Up to 480 signers now, up from 180 three days ago.

Thanks to @ejgoldstick.bsky.social for putting it together.

For reference, his doc is here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
April 25, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Michael Newman
flowtv.bsky.social
Dr. Newman explores the use of camera looks in sitcoms like Abbott Elementary as a comedic device. Establishing direct connection with the audience, blending traditions of comedic performance that invite viewer participation & emotional response. Read it here: tinyurl.com/4vp8uakv
April 25, 2025 at 3:33 PM
mznewman.bsky.social
Two hypothetical higher ed AI uses I learned about today: tracking students' locations and cross-referencing with course schedules to identify frequent absentees and direct advising interventions to them; and feeding course contents into an AI to produce a custom chatbot to answer student Qs 24/7.
April 24, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by Michael Newman
lookatthecamera.bsky.social
Three's Company (1977)
Mr. Roper grin and camera look
April 24, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Reposted by Michael Newman
flowtv.bsky.social
🥳New Flow?! With Michael Z. Newman, @geraldsim.bsky.social ,
@matthewcrain.bsky.social , Roderik Smits, & Andrew Stubbs-Lacy! Topics include: camera looks in sitcoms, advertising’s integration of AI, Big Tech’s lobbying efforts, "fair pay” in media industries, & Welcome to Wrexham! flowjournal.org
a group of minions wearing hard hats and goggles are standing together
ALT: a group of minions wearing hard hats and goggles are standing together
media.tenor.com
April 24, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Reposted by Michael Newman
mznewman.bsky.social
For Flow, I wrote this essay about the camera looks in Abbott Elementary and other comedies, and camera looks more generally going back to film comedian comedies and musicals. I connect these looks to the sitcom laugh track. www.flowjournal.org/2025/04/came...
April 23, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Reposted by Michael Newman
rsark.bsky.social
Great FLOW piece quoted below… reinvigorates my desire to think more/write about the Once & Again confessionals (rarity in drama) where they also use shorter cutaways and looks (though in confessional) to achieve winks and humor.
April 23, 2025 at 1:58 PM