Rolling Stone 50 Worst Decisions In Tv History

Rolling Stone's 50 Worst Decisions in TV History: A Critical Retrospective

Introduction:

Television, a ubiquitous force in our lives, has gifted us with iconic moments, unforgettable characters, and shows that define generations. But for every triumph, there's a tumble – a creative misfire, a disastrous casting choice, or a narrative blunder that leaves audiences scratching their heads. Rolling Stone, known for its insightful and often provocative takes on pop culture, compiled a list of 50 such decisions, highlighting the moments where television strayed from the path of brilliance and stumbled into the abyss of questionable choices. This comprehensive deep dive explores those infamous decisions, analyzing their impact and exploring why they landed on Rolling Stone's infamous "worst of" list. We'll dissect the reasoning behind each entry, examining the context, the consequences, and the enduring legacy of these television train wrecks. Prepare to relive the cringe, the confusion, and the sheer bewilderment that defines some of television's most regrettable moments.


Body:

1. The Rise and Fall of Network Television's Dominance:

Before launching into the specific "worst decisions," it's crucial to understand the shifting landscape of television. The era when Rolling Stone compiled this list coincided with a transition period. Network television, once the undisputed king, faced increasing competition from cable and streaming services. This competitive pressure, coupled with shifting audience demographics and evolving tastes, likely played a significant role in some of the choices that ended up on the list. The desperate scramble for ratings often led to creative compromises and risky gambles that ultimately backfired spectacularly.


2. Casting Choices Gone Wrong: More Than Just Bad Acting

Many entries on Rolling Stone's list likely involve disastrous casting decisions. A poor casting choice isn't simply about a lack of acting ability; it's about misjudging the actor's fit for the role, their chemistry with other cast members, or their overall suitability for the show's tone and style. Sometimes, an actor's past baggage or public image can overshadow their performance, negatively impacting the show's reception. We'll delve into specific examples, analyzing not only the actors involved but also the wider context of how these choices impacted the narrative and the show's overall success or failure.


3. Narrative Failures: When the Story Goes Off the Rails

Television thrives on compelling narratives. A poorly conceived plotline, inconsistent character development, or a rushed and illogical ending can swiftly derail even the most promising show. Rolling Stone's list undoubtedly features shows that stumbled due to weak writing, inconsistent storytelling, or a complete collapse of the narrative structure in later seasons. We'll analyze these cases, exploring how crucial elements like pacing, plot twists, and character arcs went wrong.


4. Creative Differences and Behind-the-Scenes Chaos:

The creative process in television is a complex interplay of producers, writers, directors, and actors. Disagreements, clashes of vision, and behind-the-scenes drama can often lead to creative compromises that negatively impact the final product. Rolling Stone's list might well include shows marred by creative differences that resulted in a diluted vision or a chaotic production process that affected the quality of the show. We'll uncover the backstage conflicts and creative tensions that contributed to the downfall of certain shows.


5. The Impact of Cancellation and Revivals (or Lack Thereof):

A show's cancellation can be a devastating blow, especially if it's abruptly cut off before its story can reach a satisfying conclusion. Rolling Stone's list may include shows unfairly canceled before their time or those that suffered from poorly executed revivals that failed to capture the magic of the original. We'll examine the long-term effects of these decisions on the shows and their legacy, looking at cases where cancellation or revival contributed to the overall negative reception.


6. The "What Ifs" and Alternate Realities:

A significant aspect of analyzing these "worst decisions" is exploring the "what ifs." What if a different actor had been cast? What if the writers had taken a different creative approach? What if the network had made different decisions about scheduling or marketing? By exploring these alternate realities, we can gain a deeper understanding of the impact of the decisions that ultimately led to the show's failure.


7. The Enduring Legacy: Lessons Learned (or Not Learned):

Finally, we'll analyze the lessons learned (or, perhaps, not learned) from these disastrous decisions. By studying these failures, the television industry can learn valuable insights into what works and what doesn't. The analysis of these "worst decisions" isn't merely about dwelling on the past; it's about using those mistakes to pave the way for more successful future ventures.

Article Outline:

Title: Rolling Stone's 50 Worst Decisions in TV History: A Critical Retrospective

Introduction: Hook, overview of the article's purpose.
Chapter 1: The Changing Television Landscape: Network vs. Cable/Streaming
Chapter 2: Analyzing Casting Blunders: Beyond Acting Ability
Chapter 3: Narrative Failures: Plot Holes, Inconsistent Character Development
Chapter 4: Behind-the-Scenes Chaos: Creative Differences and Production Problems
Chapter 5: The Impact of Cancellation and Revivals
Chapter 6: Exploring Alternate Realities: "What Ifs" and Counterfactuals
Chapter 7: Lessons Learned (or Not Learned): The Enduring Legacy of Bad Decisions
Conclusion: Summary and Final Thoughts


(Detailed explanation of each chapter would follow, expanding on the points mentioned above with specific examples from Rolling Stone's list. Due to the length constraint, this detailed explanation cannot be fully provided here. However, each chapter would contain several examples, analysis, and supporting evidence from the original Rolling Stone article and other relevant sources.)


9 Unique FAQs:

1. What criteria did Rolling Stone use to compile their list of worst TV decisions? (Answer would address the methodology used by Rolling Stone, acknowledging potential biases.)
2. Are there any shows on the list that you disagree with being included? (Answer would express personal opinion with justifications.)
3. How has the changing television landscape influenced the kinds of "worst decisions" made? (Answer focuses on shifts in the industry and their impact on creative choices.)
4. What are some common recurring themes among the "worst decisions" identified? (Answer highlights trends in poor casting, writing, or production choices.)
5. Can any positive outcomes or lessons be gleaned from these perceived failures? (Answer explores unintended positive consequences or lessons learned.)
6. How do these decisions impact the long-term legacy of the involved shows? (Answer examines the lasting effects on reputation and viewer perception.)
7. What role did network interference play in any of the decisions listed? (Answer explores the influence of network executives and their creative choices.)
8. Are there any shows on the list that have been successfully revived or reimagined? (Answer considers successful revivals or reboots of shows initially considered failures.)
9. What future trends or preventative measures can the TV industry adopt to avoid similar mistakes? (Answer discusses the implications for future productions and preventative strategies.)


9 Related Articles:

1. The 10 Best TV Comebacks of All Time: A contrasting piece highlighting successful revivals and reboots.
2. Biggest TV Casting Coups: When It All Clicked: Examines successful casting choices in television.
3. Worst TV Series Finales Ever: Focuses specifically on disappointing series endings.
4. How Network Interference Killed Great TV Shows: Explores the impact of network decisions on creative processes.
5. The Evolution of Television Drama: From Network to Streaming: Analyzes the shift in television production and consumption.
6. Behind-the-Scenes Battles that Shaped TV History: Explores production conflicts and their consequences.
7. The Impact of Fan Backlash on Television Shows: Focuses on audience response and its influence on TV productions.
8. The Art of Television Writing: Mastering Narrative Structure: A how-to guide for successful storytelling in television.
9. Top 10 Most Underrated TV Shows of All Time: Highlights shows that deserved more recognition.


  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Rolling Stone 1,000 Covers Rolling Stone, 2006-10 Reproduces one thousand of the magazine's covers and includes behind-the-scenes stories and excerpts from articles and interviews with the idols of rock and rythym-and-blues.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: This Searing Light, the Sun and Everything Else Jon Savage, 2019-04-02 The SUNDAY TIMES Top Ten Bestseller#1 Book of the Year, UNCUT#1 Book of the Year, ROUGH TRADEBook of the Year, MOJOOver the course of two albums and some legendary gigs, Joy Division became the most successful and exciting underground band of their generation. Then, on the brink of a tour to America, Ian Curtis took his own life.In This Searing Light, the Sun and Everything Else, Jon Savage has assembled three decades' worth of interviews with the principal players in the Joy Division story to create an intimate, candid and definitive account of the band. It is the story of how a group of young men can galvanise a generation of fans, artists and musicians with four chords and three-and-a-half minutes of music. And it is the story of how illness and inner demons can rob the world of a shamanic lead singer and visionary lyricist.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: The Sense of an Ending Julian Barnes, 2011-10-05 BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die Sarah J. Robinson, 2021-05-11 A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Lightning Dean Koontz, 2003-09-02 #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz’s brilliantly thrilling novel of suspense. In the midst of a raging blizzard, lightning struck on the night Laura Shane was born. And a mysterious blond-haired stranger showed up just in time to save her from dying. Years later, in the wake of another storm, Laura will be saved again. For someone is watching over her. Is he the guardian angel he seems? The devil in disguise? Or the master of a haunting destiny beyond all time and space? “A gripping novel…fast-paced and satisfying.”—People
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Hand to Mouth Linda Tirado, 2014-10-02 One of the Best 5 Books of 2014 — Esquire I’ve been waiting for this book for a long time. Well, not this book, because I never imagined that the book I was waiting for would be so devastatingly smart and funny, so consistently entertaining and unflinchingly on target. In fact, I would like to have written it myself – if, that is, I had lived Linda Tirado’s life and extracted all the hard lessons she has learned. I am the author of Nickel and Dimed, which tells the story of my own brief attempt, as a semi-undercover journalist, to survive on low-wage retail and service jobs. Tirado is the real thing. —from the foreword by Barbara Ehrenreich, New York Times bestselling author of Nickel and Dimed We in America have certain ideas of what it means to be poor. Linda Tirado, in her signature brutally honest yet personable voice, takes all of these preconceived notions and smashes them to bits. She articulates not only what it is to be working poor in America (yes, you can be poor and live in a house and have a job, even two), but what poverty is truly like—on all levels. Frankly and boldly, Tirado discusses openly how she went from lower-middle class, to sometimes middle class, to poor and everything in between, and in doing so reveals why “poor people don’t always behave the way middle-class America thinks they should.”
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Ask a Manager Alison Green, 2018-05-01 From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Nine Lives Dan Baum, 2009-02-10 The hidden history of the haunted and beloved city of New Orleans, told through the intersecting lives of nine remarkable characters. “Nine Lives is stunning work. Dan Baum has immersed himself in New Orleans, the most fascinating city in the United States, and illuminated it in a way that is as innovative as Tom Wolfe on hot rods and Truman Capote on a pair of murderers. Full of stylistic brilliance and deep insight and an overriding compassion, Nine Lives is an instant classic of creative nonfiction.” —Robert Olen Butler, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain Nine Lives is a multivoiced biography of a dazzling, surreal, and imperiled city, told through the lives of night unforgettable characters and bracketed by two epic storms: Hurricane Betsy, which transformed New Orleans in the 1960s, and Hurricane Katrina, which nearly destroyed it. Dan Baum brings the kaleidoscopic portrait to life, showing us what was lost in the storm and what remains to be saved. BONUS: This edition contains a Nine Lives discussion guide.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Under Their Thumb Bill German, 2022-06-15 At age sixteen, Bill German began publishing a Rolling Stones fanzine out of his bedroom in Brooklyn. And when he presented an issue to the band on a street in New York, he obviously made an impression: before he knew it, the Stones had hired him to document their career, inviting him in to the studio and to their private jam sessions. He traveled the world with them, stayed at their homes, and, for almost two decades, witnessed their wild parties and nasty feuds. Yet through it all, he never lost his identity as that “nice boy from Brooklyn.” Under Their Thumb is a fish-out-of-water tale about a fan who wanted to know everything about his favorite rock group—and suddenly learned too much. This updated edition, published to mark the Stones’ sixtieth anniversary, features forty new pages of text and more than thirty never-before-seen photos.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: The Exile Mark Ames, Matt Taibbi, 2000 The eXile is the controversial tabloid founded by Ames and Taibbi that Rolling Stone has called cruel, caustic, and funny and a must-read. In the tradition of gonzo journalists like Hunter S. Thompson, the authors cover everything from decadent club scenes to the nation's collapsing political and economic systems--no one is spared. Illustrations.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Going Bovine Libba Bray, 2009 Cameron Smith, a disaffected sixteen year-old who, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeld Jakob's (aka mad cow) disease, sets off on a road trip with a death-obsessed video gaming dwarf he meets in the hospital in an attempt to find a cure.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Come Home, America William Greider, 2009-03-17 Asserts that America is straying from its democratic ideals and faltering in a rapidly globalized world community, and challenges policies that are based on a priority of making America number one in the world while examining the economic and politicalforces that have brought about contemporary problems.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: What We Talk About When We Talk About Love Raymond Carver, 2015-05-25 The most celebrated story collection from “one of the true American masters” (The New York Review of Books)—a haunting meditation on love, loss, and companionship, and finding one’s way through the dark that includes the iconic and much-referenced title story featured in the Academy Award-winning film Birdman. Raymond Carver's America is ... clouded by pain and the loss of dreams, but it is not as fragile as it looks. It is a place of survivors and a place of stories.... [Carver] has done what many of the most gifted writers fail to do: He has invented a country of his own, like no other except that very world, as Wordsworth said, which is the world to all of us. —The New York Times Book Review
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists , 1966-06 The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is the premier public resource on scientific and technological developments that impact global security. Founded by Manhattan Project Scientists, the Bulletin's iconic Doomsday Clock stimulates solutions for a safer world.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume One: Summary Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015-07-22 This is the Final Report of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its six-year investigation of the residential school system for Aboriginal youth and the legacy of these schools. This report, the summary volume, includes the history of residential schools, the legacy of that school system, and the full text of the Commission's 94 recommendations for action to address that legacy. This report lays bare a part of Canada's history that until recently was little-known to most non-Aboriginal Canadians. The Commission discusses the logic of the colonization of Canada's territories, and why and how policy and practice developed to end the existence of distinct societies of Aboriginal peoples. Using brief excerpts from the powerful testimony heard from Survivors, this report documents the residential school system which forced children into institutions where they were forbidden to speak their language, required to discard their clothing in favour of institutional wear, given inadequate food, housed in inferior and fire-prone buildings, required to work when they should have been studying, and subjected to emotional, psychological and often physical abuse. In this setting, cruel punishments were all too common, as was sexual abuse. More than 30,000 Survivors have been compensated financially by the Government of Canada for their experiences in residential schools, but the legacy of this experience is ongoing today. This report explains the links to high rates of Aboriginal children being taken from their families, abuse of drugs and alcohol, and high rates of suicide. The report documents the drastic decline in the presence of Aboriginal languages, even as Survivors and others work to maintain their distinctive cultures, traditions, and governance. The report offers 94 calls to action on the part of governments, churches, public institutions and non-Aboriginal Canadians as a path to meaningful reconciliation of Canada today with Aboriginal citizens. Even though the historical experience of residential schools constituted an act of cultural genocide by Canadian government authorities, the United Nation's declaration of the rights of aboriginal peoples and the specific recommendations of the Commission offer a path to move from apology for these events to true reconciliation that can be embraced by all Canadians.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Leviathan Wakes James S. A. Corey, 2011-06-15 From a New York Times bestselling and Hugo award-winning author comes a modern masterwork of science fiction, introducing a captain, his crew, and a detective as they unravel a horrifying solar system wide conspiracy that begins with a single missing girl. Now a Prime Original series. Humanity has colonized the solar system—Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond—but the stars are still out of our reach. Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, the Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for—and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why. Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to the Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything. Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations—and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe. Interplanetary adventure the way it ought to be written. —George R. R. Martin The Expanse Leviathan Wakes Caliban's War Abaddon's Gate Cibola Burn Nemesis Games Babylon's Ashes Persepolis Rising Tiamat's Wrath ​Leviathan Falls Memory's Legion The Expanse Short Fiction Drive The Butcher of Anderson Station Gods of Risk The Churn The Vital Abyss Strange Dogs Auberon The Sins of Our Fathers
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Obama's Legacy The Washington Post, 2016-12-20 In this timely retrospective, leading voices from The Washington Post come together to discuss Barack Obama’s historic presidency. When President Obama was elected, he was a figure of hope for many Americans. Throughout his presidency, he has become far more than a symbol of change; he has enacted countless programs and policies that have made an impact on the country. As his term comes to an end, we look back on what has defined Obama as an American leader. Providing insight into everything from his politics to his family, this collection of articles examines the highlights of the Obama administration. The award-winning journalists at The Washington Post have brought together stories from the last eight years to commemorate the indelible mark our most recent president has made on the United States. Featuring over a hundred historic photos and articles from eight Pulitzer Prize winners, Obama’s Legacy is the perfect way to close out the first family’s years in the White House.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Seeing Like a State James C. Scott, 2020-03-17 “One of the most profound and illuminating studies of this century to have been published in recent decades.”—John Gray, New York Times Book Review Hailed as “a magisterial critique of top-down social planning” by the New York Times, this essential work analyzes disasters from Russia to Tanzania to uncover why states so often fail—sometimes catastrophically—in grand efforts to engineer their society or their environment, and uncovers the conditions common to all such planning disasters. “Beautifully written, this book calls into sharp relief the nature of the world we now inhabit.”—New Yorker “A tour de force.”— Charles Tilly, Columbia University
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Popular Mechanics , 2000-01 Popular Mechanics inspires, instructs and influences readers to help them master the modern world. Whether it’s practical DIY home-improvement tips, gadgets and digital technology, information on the newest cars or the latest breakthroughs in science -- PM is the ultimate guide to our high-tech lifestyle.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: A Croft in the Hills Katharine Stewart, 2013-08-08 An Englishwoman and her family in the 1950s trade life in the city for a small farm near Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands in this beloved memoir. A real classic among Highland books, A Croft in the Hills captures, in simple, moving descriptions, what it was really like trying to make a living out of a hill croft fifty years ago. A couple and their young daughter, fresh from city life, immerse themselves in the practicalities of looking after sheep, cattle and hens, mending fences, baking bread, and surviving the worst that Scottish winters can throw at them. Praise for A Croft in the Hills “Katharine Stewart’s memories are, as she says herself a tale of other times, almost a glimpse of legend . . . Evocative and charming.” —Scottish Book Collector
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Subject to Change Deirdre Boyle, 1997 This is a history of guerilla television, a form of TV which was part of an alternative media tide sweeping the United States in the 1960s. Inspired by the fracturing issues of the decade and the theories and writings of various exponents, guerilla television put forth utopian programming.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Difficult Men Brett Martin, 2014-07-29 A revealing look at the shows that helped TV emerge as the signature art form of the twenty-first century In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the landscape of television began an unprecedented transformation. While the networks continued to chase the lowest common denominator, a wave of new shows on cable channels dramatically stretched television’s narrative inventiveness, emotional resonance, and artistic ambition. Combining deep reportage with cultural analysis and historical context, Brett Martin recounts the rise and inner workings of a genre that represents not only a new golden age for TV, but also a cultural watershed. Difficult Men features extensive interviews with all the major players, including David Chase, David Simon, David Milch, and Alan Ball; in addition to other writers, executives, directors and actors. Martin delivers never-before-heard story after story, revealing how cable television became a truly significant and influential part of our culture.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Bootleg! The Rise And Fall Of The Secret Recording Industry Clinton Heylin, 2010-03-04 An absorbing account of the record industry's worst nightmare. In the summer of 1969, Great White Wonder, a collection of unreleased Bob Dylan recordings appeared in Los Angeles. It was the first rock bootleg and it spawned an entire industry dedicated to making unofficial recordings available to true fans. Bootleg! tells the whole fascinating saga, from its underground infancy through the CD 'protection gap' era, when its legal status threatened the major labels' monopoly, to the explosion of trading via Napster and Gnutella on MP-3 files. Clinton Heylin provides a highly readable account of the busts, the defeats and victories in court; the personalities – many interviewed for the first time for this book. This classic history has now been updated and revised to include today's digital era and the emergence of a whole new bootleg culture.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: The Wisdom of Crowds Joe Abercrombie, 2021-09-14 The New York Times bestselling finale to the Age of Madness trilogyfinds the world in an unstoppable revolution where heroes have nothing left to lose as darkness and destruction overtake everything. Chaos. Fury. Destruction. The Great Change is upon us . . . Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds. With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch. And in the bloody North, Rikke and her fragile Protectorate are running out of allies . . . while Black Calder gathers his forces and plots his vengeance. The banks have fallen, the sun of the Union has been torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver's ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together . . . No one writes with the seismic scope or primal intensity of Joe Abercrombie. —Pierce Brown For more from Joe Abercrombie, check out: The Age of Madness A Little Hatred The Trouble With Peace The Wisdom of Crowds The First Law Trilogy The Blade Itself Before They Are Hanged Last Argument of Kings Best Served Cold The Heroes Red Country The Shattered Sea Trilogy Half a King Half a World Half a War
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Canadian Periodical Index , 2000
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Daisy Jones & The Six Taylor Jenkins Reid, 2019-03-05 NATIONAL AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE 2019 GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FOR HISTORICAL FICTION A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • Esquire • Glamour • CBC • NPR • Marie Claire • Real Simple • Good Housekeeping • Parade • Shelf Awareness • BookRiot • E! News • Mental Floss • Paste I devoured Daisy Jones & The Six in a day, falling head over heels for it. Daisy and the band captured my heart. —Reese Witherspoon (Reese's Book Club x Hello Sunshine book pick) A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup. Everyone knows Daisy Jone & The Six: The band's album Aurora came to define the rock 'n' roll era of the late seventies, and an entire generation of girls wanted to grow up to be Daisy. But no one knows the reason behind the group's split on the night of their final concert at Chicago Stadium on July 12, 1979 . . . until now. Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it's the rock 'n' roll she loves most. By the time she's twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she's pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend. The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Queen: The Early Years Mark Hodkinson, 2009-10-28 This classic account of the birth of a legendary group is the truly authentic version of Queen's rise to stardom.Author Mark Hodkinson interviewed over 60 friends and colleagues of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon to piece together a fascinating jigsaw of anecdotes from the days when the future superstars were playing with bands like The Reaction, The Opposition, 1984 and Sour Milk.Intimate, suprising and meticulously researched, Queen: The Early Years is a riveting read accompanied by many previously unseen early photographs of the four band mambers.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Why Does He Do That? Lundy Bancroft, 2003-09-02 In this groundbreaking bestseller, Lundy Bancroft—a counselor who specializes in working with abusive men—uses his knowledge about how abusers think to help women recognize when they are being controlled or devalued, and to find ways to get free of an abusive relationship. He says he loves you. So...why does he do that? You’ve asked yourself this question again and again. Now you have the chance to see inside the minds of angry and controlling men—and change your life. In Why Does He Do That? you will learn about: • The early warning signs of abuse • The nature of abusive thinking • Myths about abusers • Ten abusive personality types • The role of drugs and alcohol • What you can fix, and what you can’t • And how to get out of an abusive relationship safely “This is without a doubt the most informative and useful book yet written on the subject of abusive men. Women who are armed with the insights found in these pages will be on the road to recovering control of their lives.”—Jay G. Silverman, Ph.D., Director, Violence Prevention Programs, Harvard School of Public Health
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: The Future of Capitalism Paul Collier, 2018-12-04 Bill Gates's Five Books for Summer Reading 2019 From world-renowned economist Paul Collier, a candid diagnosis of the failures of capitalism and a pragmatic and realistic vision for how we can repair it. Deep new rifts are tearing apart the fabric of the United States and other Western societies: thriving cities versus rural counties, the highly skilled elite versus the less educated, wealthy versus developing countries. As these divides deepen, we have lost the sense of ethical obligation to others that was crucial to the rise of post-war social democracy. So far these rifts have been answered only by the revivalist ideologies of populism and socialism, leading to the seismic upheavals of Trump, Brexit, and the return of the far-right in Germany. We have heard many critiques of capitalism but no one has laid out a realistic way to fix it, until now. In a passionate and polemical book, celebrated economist Paul Collier outlines brilliantly original and ethical ways of healing these rifts—economic, social and cultural—with the cool head of pragmatism, rather than the fervor of ideological revivalism. He reveals how he has personally lived across these three divides, moving from working-class Sheffield to hyper-competitive Oxford, and working between Britain and Africa, and acknowledges some of the failings of his profession. Drawing on his own solutions as well as ideas from some of the world’s most distinguished social scientists, he shows us how to save capitalism from itself—and free ourselves from the intellectual baggage of the twentieth century.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Marriage for One Ella Maise, 2022-10-27 The only way to secure her dream is to marry a handsome stranger . . . When Rose and Jack meet, she has just lost her uncle, and with him her dream of owning a coffee shop. Rose wanted nothing more than to open a café in her uncle’s building. But her uncle’s will is clear – the building goes to Rose’s husband. Not to her. Then, his lawyer, Jack, offers an unusual solution… she can marry him. She’ll get the café and he’ll get the building. For some reason, Rose agrees. It might be a marriage of convenience but it’s anything but simple. Despite it being his idea, Jack is unbearably surly... But then he does something that shows Rose he might just have a softer side. Maybe love can start with a contract… but will Rose still feel that way when she learns the full terms of their deal?
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Once Upon a Broken Heart Stephanie Garber, 2021-09-28 #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART marks the launch of a new series from Stephanie Garber about love, curses, and the lengths that people will go to for happily ever after For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings . . . until she learns that the love of her life will marry another. Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing. But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game — and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: A Woman Like Me Bettye LaVette, David Ritz, 2012-09-27 Acclaimed R&B singer Bettye LaVette celebrates her storied career in show business in this compelling memoir. As a teenager in Detroit, Bettye LaVette had a hit single with “My Man—He’s a Lovin’ Man.” By the time she was twenty, she had faded back into obscurity and was barely surviving in New York City. For the next forty years, despite being associated with legends such as Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, and James Brown, she remained relatively unknown outside a circle of devoted fans. Every time it seemed that her dream of stepping into the spotlight was finally coming true, bad luck smashed her hopes, again and again. Then, after a lifetime of singing in clubs and lounges, her unforgettable televised performances at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors and at President Obama’s pre-Inaugural Concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 2009 won her the recognition she had sought for her entire life. Bettye LaVette’s career has been a one-of-a-kind roller-coaster ride through the world of music; it has taken her from the peaks to the pits and back. In this unflinchingly honest memoir, she boldly recounts her freewheeling childhood—her parents ran an illegal liquor business out of their living room, which was frequented by some of the top acts of the forties and fifties—her short-lived conquest of the R&B world in the 1960s, her decline into poverty and despair, and her recent comeback and career revival, with two Grammy-nominated CDs and numerous appearances on major television talk shows. Poignant, brazen, and fearless, A Woman Like Me is a tour de force from one of the most outspoken female performers singing today—and she’s a force to be reckoned with.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: School, Family, and Community Partnerships Joyce L. Epstein, Mavis G. Sanders, Steven B. Sheldon, Beth S. Simon, Karen Clark Salinas, Natalie Rodriguez Jansorn, Frances L. Van Voorhis, Cecelia S. Martin, Brenda G. Thomas, Marsha D. Greenfeld, Darcy J. Hutchins, Kenyatta J. Williams, 2018-07-19 Strengthen programs of family and community engagement to promote equity and increase student success! When schools, families, and communities collaborate and share responsibility for students′ education, more students succeed in school. Based on 30 years of research and fieldwork, the fourth edition of the bestseller School, Family, and Community Partnerships: Your Handbook for Action, presents tools and guidelines to help develop more effective and more equitable programs of family and community engagement. Written by a team of well-known experts, it provides a theory and framework of six types of involvement for action; up-to-date research on school, family, and community collaboration; and new materials for professional development and on-going technical assistance. Readers also will find: Examples of best practices on the six types of involvement from preschools, and elementary, middle, and high schools Checklists, templates, and evaluations to plan goal-linked partnership programs and assess progress CD-ROM with slides and notes for two presentations: A new awareness session to orient colleagues on the major components of a research-based partnership program, and a full One-Day Team Training Workshop to prepare school teams to develop their partnership programs. As a foundational text, this handbook demonstrates a proven approach to implement and sustain inclusive, goal-linked programs of partnership. It shows how a good partnership program is an essential component of good school organization and school improvement for student success. This book will help every district and all schools strengthen and continually improve their programs of family and community engagement.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Beatles vs. Stones John McMillian, 2013-10-29 In the 1960s an epic battle was waged between the two biggest bands in the world—the clean-cut, mop-topped Beatles and the badboy Rolling Stones. Both groups liked to maintain that they weren’t really “rivals”—that was just a media myth, they politely said—and yet they plainly competed for commercial success and aesthetic credibility. On both sides of the Atlantic, fans often aligned themselves with one group or the other. In Beatles vs. Stones, John McMillian gets to the truth behind the ultimate rock and roll debate. Painting an eye-opening portrait of a generation dragged into an ideological battle between Flower Power and New Left militance, McMillian reveals how the Beatles-Stones rivalry was created by music managers intent on engineering a moneymaking empire. He describes how the Beatles were marketed as cute and amiable, when in fact they came from hardscrabble backgrounds in Liverpool. By contrast, the Stones were cast as an edgy, dangerous group, even though they mostly hailed from the chic London suburbs. For many years, writers and historians have associated the Beatles with the gauzy idealism of the “good” sixties, placing the Stones as representatives of the dangerous and nihilistic “bad” sixties. Beatles vs. Stones explodes that split, ultimately revealing unseen realities about America’s most turbulent decade through its most potent personalities and its most unforgettable music.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: A Century of Innovation 3M Company, 2002 A compilation of 3M voices, memories, facts and experiences from the company's first 100 years.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Expanded Cinema Gene Youngblood, 2020-03-03 Fiftieth anniversary reissue of the founding media studies book that helped establish media art as a cultural category. First published in 1970, Gene Youngblood’s influential Expanded Cinema was the first serious treatment of video, computers, and holography as cinematic technologies. Long considered the bible for media artists, Youngblood’s insider account of 1960s counterculture and the birth of cybernetics remains a mainstay reference in today’s hypermediated digital world. This fiftieth anniversary edition includes a new Introduction by the author that offers conceptual tools for understanding the sociocultural and sociopolitical realities of our present world. A unique eyewitness account of burgeoning experimental film and the birth of video art in the late 1960s, this far- ranging study traces the evolution of cinematic language to the end of fiction, drama, and realism. Vast in scope, its prescient formulations include “the paleocybernetic age,” “intermedia,” the “artist as design scientist,” the “artist as ecologist,” “synaesthetics and kinesthetics,” and “the technosphere: man/machine symbiosis.” Outstanding works are analyzed in detail. Methods of production are meticulously described, including interviews with artists and technologists of the period, such as Nam June Paik, Jordan Belson, Andy Warhol, Stan Brakhage, Carolee Schneemann, Stan VanDerBeek, Les Levine, and Frank Gillette. An inspiring Introduction by the celebrated polymath and designer R. Buckminster Fuller—a perfectly cut gem of countercultural thinking in itself—places Youngblood’s radical observations in comprehensive perspective. Providing an unparalleled historical documentation, Expanded Cinema clarifies a chapter of countercultural history that is still not fully represented in the arthistorical record half a century later. The book will also inspire the current generation of artists working in ever-newer expansions of the cinematic environment and will prove invaluable to all who are concerned with the technologies that are reshaping the nature of human communication.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Marlowe Banks, Redesigned Jacqueline Firkins, 2022-10-25 In this romantic women’s fiction about second chances, a young woman escapes to LA to start fresh after a failed career and broken engagement. While she finds a sweet, unexpected romance, the story’s heart is this woman’s journey to rediscover herself, find her voice, and take control of her own narrative.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Sound Man Glyn Johns, 2015-11-24 A life recording hits with the Rolling Stones, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, Eric Clapton, the Faces ...--Jacket.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Written in My Own Heart's Blood Diana Gabaldon, 2014-06-10 In her now classic novel Outlander, Diana Gabaldon told the story of Claire Randall, an English ex-combat nurse who walks through a stone circle in the Scottish Highlands in 1946, and disappears . . . into 1743. The story unfolded from there in seven bestselling novels, and CNN has called it “a grand adventure written on a canvas that probes the heart, weighs the soul and measures the human spirit across [centuries].” Now the story continues in Written in My Own Heart’s Blood. 1778: France declares war on Great Britain, the British army leaves Philadelphia, and George Washington’s troops leave Valley Forge in pursuit. At this moment, Jamie Fraser returns from a presumed watery grave to discover that his best friend has married his wife, his illegitimate son has discovered (to his horror) who his father really is, and his beloved nephew, Ian, wants to marry a Quaker. Meanwhile, Jamie’s wife, Claire, and his sister, Jenny, are busy picking up the pieces. The Frasers can only be thankful that their daughter Brianna and her family are safe in twentieth-century Scotland. Or not. In fact, Brianna is searching for her own son, who was kidnapped by a man determined to learn her family’s secrets. Her husband, Roger, has ventured into the past in search of the missing boy . . . never suspecting that the object of his quest has not left the present. Now, with Roger out of the way, the kidnapper can focus on his true target: Brianna herself. Written in My Own Heart’s Blood is the brilliant next chapter in a masterpiece of the imagination unlike any other.
  rolling stone 50 worst decisions in tv history: Ebony , 2005-11 EBONY is the flagship magazine of Johnson Publishing. Founded in 1945 by John H. Johnson, it still maintains the highest global circulation of any African American-focused magazine.