Greetings,

We invite you to join us as we dig through our archive and revisit some of our
memorable columns in a new special issue of Flow: A Critical Forum on
Television and Media Culture - available at http://flowtv.org.

Since 2004, our little online venture has published over 500 columns. In
celebration, our coordinating editors of past and present hand-picked their
favorite columns and composed introductions detailing their decisions. We then
reprinted the columns with all of their original comments and dressed them up
with new graphics and videos. Finally, we contacted the authors and asked for
reflections and updates on their topics. We think you'll like the results.

Our special issue's columns in brief:

"Awkward Conversations About Uncomfortable Laughter" by Henry Jenkins
(http://flowtv.org/?p=1201) - Introduction by Alexis Carreiro:
In a column that generated the most comments in our history, Jenkins examines
the tenuous difference between insults and jokes in the comedy of Sarah
Silverman.

"Don Knotts: Reluctant Sex Object" by Heather Hendershot
(http://flowtv.org/?p=1197) - Introduction by Peter Alilunas:
The title of this one says it all, folks ... In her postscript, Hendershot
provides an equally stirring discussion on "hysterical man" Vincent Price.

"To Pee or Not to Pee: On the Politics of Cultural Appropriation" by Brian Ott
(http://flowtv.org/?p=1198) - Introduction by Marnie Binfield:
"Peeing as being" expressed by the curious Calvin bumper stickers and the
associated cultural politics.

"Do Good TV?" by Laurie Ouellette (http://flowtv.org/?p=1218) - Introduction by
Jean Lauer:
Especially pertinent in light of new shows like Oprah's Big Give, Ouellette
questions the charitable value of reality TV programs predicated on helping
families through privatized welfare.

"Intellectuals" by Toby Miller (http://flowtv.org/?p=1203) - Introduction by
Bryan Seabok:
Taking a step back from the exclusively academic setting, Miller interrogates
the role of the contemporary public academic manifested through popular media
and politics.

"Cybernetic TV" by Mark Andrejevic (http://flowtv.org/?p=1202) - Introduction by
Chris Lucas:
From American Idol to a growing contingent of online offerings, Andrejevic
discusses the ever-increasing amount of TV interactivity.

"Pass the Remote" by Natalie Cannon, Zak Salih, and Angela Nemecek
(http://flowtv.org/?p=1215) - Introduction by Avi Santo:
An early Flow experiment, this shared column sought to capture an informal
conversation that might take place in a living room. For reasons Santo explains
in his intro, the idea did not take hold. In this installment, the authors
discuss "freakdom" in Carnivale.

We look forward to your visit and encourage your new comments.

Best wishes,

Flow Editorial Staff

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Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the
University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu