The Television World of Pushing Daisies

The Television World of Pushing Daisies
Author: Alissa Burger
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2014-01-10
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0786485752

Pushing Daisies was a unique network television show. This collection of 10 essays addresses the quirky, off-beat elements that made the show a popular success, as well as fodder for scholarly inquiry. Divided into three main sections, the essays address the themes of difference, the placement of the series within a larger philosophical context, and the role of gender on the show. A consideration of Pushing Daisies' unique style and aesthetics is a consistent source of interest across these international and interdisciplinary scholarly critiques.

An Introvert in an Extrovert World

An Introvert in an Extrovert World
Author: Myrna Santos
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2015-01-12
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1443872962

An Introvert in an Extrovert World: Essays on the Quiet Ones is a multi-disciplinary anthology about introversion in the world of extroversion. Susan Cain’s book, Quiet, recently addressed the complexities of an issue that was initially raised by Carl Jung, and this anthology expands the analysis of the challenges faced by those who are considered to be introverts – those who prefer reading to partying, listening to speaking – living in a world of people who cannot understand their quieter ways. Introverts are innovative and make significant contributions, but dislike self-promotion. They derive their energy from quiet rejuvenation, as opposed to acquiring renewed energy from being surrounded by, and interacting with, multitudes of people. That they are typically labeled “quiet” often suggests negative connotations. However, from Van Gogh’s Sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer, the contributions of the “quiet ones” have made an immeasurable and invaluable impact on our society. An Introvert in an Extrovert World contains analyses of popular culture, literature, television, film, and social media, as well as poignant personal narrative examples of the lives of these two contrasting personality types. Examples of the pain, conflict, repression, and even humor related to introversion in everyday life are manifested in this collection of articles that span the spectrum of human nature. The volume looks at the unlikely professions that the populace would attribute to the introvert: from teacher/professor and actor to politician and even gladiator. The reader is given an understanding of different characters in literary works and their connection to introversion, visits the spectrum of social media and the pluses and minuses therein, and is provided with examples of how to promote one’s writing for publication whilst being an introvert. Within the pages of this book, there are many and varied topics and intuitive insights traversing several situations that relate to the “quiet” world of introversion.

Monsters, Monstrosities, and the Monstrous in Culture and Society

Monsters, Monstrosities, and the Monstrous in Culture and Society
Author: Diego Compagna
Publisher: Vernon Press
Total Pages: 426
Release: 2020-01-28
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1622738934

Existing research on monsters acknowledges the deep impact monsters have especially on Politics, Gender, Life Sciences, Aesthetics and Philosophy. From Sigmund Freud’s essay ‘The Uncanny’ to Scott Poole’s ‘Monsters in America’, previous studies offer detailed insights about uncanny and immoral monsters. However, our anthology wants to overcome these restrictions by bringing together multidisciplinary authors with very different approaches to monsters and setting up variety and increasing diversification of thought as ‘guiding patterns’. Existing research hints that monsters are embedded in social and scientific exclusionary relationships but very seldom copes with them in detail. Erving Goffman’s doesn’t explicitly talk about monsters in his book ‘Stigma’, but his study is an exceptional case which shows that monsters are stigmatized by society because of their deviations from norms, but they can form groups with fellow monsters and develop techniques for handling their stigma. Our book is to be understood as a complement and a ‘further development’ of previous studies: The essays of our anthology pay attention to mechanisms of inequality and exclusion concerning specific historical and present monsters, based on their research materials within their specific frameworks, in order to ‘create’ engaging, constructive, critical and diverse approaches to monsters, even utopian visions of a future of societies shared by monsters. Our book proposes the usual view, that humans look in a horrified way at monsters, but adds that monsters can look in a critical and even likewise frightened way at the very societies which stigmatize them.

Pushing Up Daisies

Pushing Up Daisies
Author: M. C. Beaton
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2016-09-20
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1250057442

When a wealthy land developer who had been planning to turn a community garden into a housing estate winds up dead, Agatha Raisin is hired by the victim's accused son to clear him of suspicion and identify the real killer among numerous suspects.

Contemporary Television Series

Contemporary Television Series
Author: Silvia Branea
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2014-06-19
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 144386174X

Contemporary Television Series: Narrative Structures and Audience Perception proposes an interdisciplinary and multicultural approach of old concepts like fiction, reality and narrativity applied to actual worldwide television series. The authors that have contributed to this volume analyze the almost invisible barriers between fiction and reality in television series from different perspectives. The results of their studies are extremely interesting and revealing. The new perspectives offered by this volume will be of great interest to any scholar of European and international studies, because they bring to light new ideas, new methodologies and results that could be further developed. This volume allows readers to explore these unique insights, even if they are not senior researchers, and to easily digest the content, and also to acknowledge the impact of the viewing of television series on reality and on their own lives.

Television Storyworlds as Virtual Space

Television Storyworlds as Virtual Space
Author: M. King Adkins
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 171
Release: 2018-09-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1498529615

Television Storyworlds as Virtual Space examines television as a series of virtual realities viewers enter and explore one episode at a time. Drawing on specific examples, from Westworld to Green Acres, Twin Peaks to Fargo, it illustrates how each of these worlds invites us in, encourages us to move about within it, and constantly pushes against its own boundaries so that its universe continually expands and develops. Specific chapters consider the importance of title sequences in helping us enter these storyworlds, how children’s television educates us in using virtual reality, and the centrality of the post-apocalyptic series to the TV landscape. Ultimately, the book situates television as part of an artistic continuum, one that stretches back as far as cave paintings, but that also anticipates the digitally-based virtual reality that lies just on the horizon.

Buffy to Batgirl

Buffy to Batgirl
Author: Julie M. Still
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2019-09-06
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1476637253

Science fiction and fantasy are often thought of as stereotypically male genres, yet both have a long and celebrated history of female creators, characters, and fans. In particular, the science fiction and fantasy heroine is a recognized figure made popular in media such as Alien, The Terminator, and Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. Though imperfect, she is strong and definitely does not need to be saved by a man. This figure has had an undeniable influence on The Hunger Games, Divergent, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and many other, more recent female-led book and movie franchises. Despite their popularity, these fictional women have received inconsistent scholarly interest. This collection of new essays is intended to help fill a gap in the serious discussion of women and gender in science fiction and fantasy. The contributors are scholars, teachers, practicing writers, and other professionals in fields related to the genre. Critically examining the depiction of women and gender in science fiction and fantasy on both page and screen, they focus on characters who are as varied as they are interesting, and who range from vampire slayers to time travelers, witches, and spacefarers.

A Companion to American Indie Film

A Companion to American Indie Film
Author: Geoff King
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 542
Release: 2016-12-19
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1118758323

A Companion to American Indie Film features a comprehensive collection of newly commissioned essays that represent a state-of-the-art resource for understanding key aspects of the field of indie films produced in the United States. Takes a comprehensive and fresh new look at the topic of American indie film Features newly commissioned essays from top film experts and emerging scholars that represent the state-of-the-art reference to the indie film field Topics covered include: indie film culture; key historical moments and movements in indie film history; relationships between indie film and other indie media; and issues including class, gender, regional identity and stardom in in the indie field Includes studies of many types of indie films and film genres, along with various filmmakers and performers that have come to define the field

Television Program Master Index

Television Program Master Index
Author: Charles V. Dintrone
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2014-02-01
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1476612579

This work indexes books, dissertations and journal articles that mention television shows. Memoirs, autobiographies, biographies, and some popular works meant for fans are also indexed. The major focus is on service to researchers in the history of television. Listings are keyed to an annotated bibliography. Appendices include a list of websites; an index of groups or classes of people on television; and a list of programs by genre. Changes from the second edition include more than 300 new shows, airing on a wider variety of networks; 2000-plus references (more than double the second edition); and a large increase in scholarly articles. The book provides access to materials on almost 2300 shows, including groundbreaking ones like All in the Family (almost 200 entries); cult favorites like Buffy: The Vampire Slayer (200-plus entries); and a classic franchise, Star Trek (more than 400 entries for all the shows). The shows covered range from the late 1940s to 2010 (The Walking Dead). References range from 1956 to 2013.

A Little Bit Wicked

A Little Bit Wicked
Author: Kristin Chenoweth
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2009-04-14
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1439100675

"Life's too short. I'm not." You might know her as a Tony Award-winning Broadway star, who originated the role of Galinda the Good Witch in the smash musical Wicked and won a Tony for 1999's You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Or you may recognize her from her starring roles on TV -- The West Wing, Pushing Daisies, Sesame Street...oh, and her Huge Hit Sitcom Kristin on NBC. (Huge hit. L.A. breast-implant huge. Ask either of the people who watched it.) Or maybe you saw her sexy spread in FHM magazine? Or her appearance on Pat Robertson's The 700 Club? Kristin is a wonderful collection of contradictions -- but everyone who's ever met her remembers her as the little girl with the big voice. At four foot eleven, Kristin Chenoweth is an immense talent in a petite but powerful package. In this lively, laugh-out-loud book, Kristin shares her journey from Oklahoma beauty queen to Broadway leading lady, reflecting on how faith and family have kept her grounded in the dysfunctional rodeo of show biz. The daughter of an engineer and a nurse, Kristin was singing in front of thousands at Baptist conventions by age twelve and winning beauty pageants by age twenty-two. (Well, actually she was second runner-up almost every freaking time. But, hey, she's not bitter.) On her way to a career as a professional opera singer, she stopped in New York to visit a friend and went on a whim to an audition. Through a combination of talent, hard work, and (she's quick to add) the grace of God, Kristin took Broadway by storm. But of course, into every storm, the occasional drizzle of disaster must fall. Filled with wit, wisdom, and backstage insight, A Little Bit Wicked is long on love and short on sleep; it's essential reading for Kristin's legions of fans and an uplifting story for anyone seeking motivation to follow his or her dreams -- over the rainbow and beyond.