http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/blogs/pop-life/the-power-of-lena-dunhams-girls-20120413
I just discovered Rob Sheffield’s pop culture blog on Rolling Stone’s website. To be honest, I hadn’t really read a blog (just the Huffington Post for quick news blurbs) so when I Googled “music blog” I was led to Rolling Stone magazine. While I didn’t pick one of the music blogs that came up in my search, I did find this amusing pop culture one. Normally I try to avoid pop culture at all costs. I find it a huge waste of time and money, and a distraction from people with actual talent. But, Rolling Stone has managed to employ someone with interests in the worthy corners of pop culture that I hadn’t considered as such, mostly because they seemed like cult hits, but maybe that’s just because I didn’t want to admit I had actually been sucked into pop culture’s vortex.
One of Sheffield’s nicely written entries focuses on the new HBO series Girls. I was skeptical of this show at first (Sex and the City, another pop phenomena I’m ashamed to admit I watched from time to time had already done what I thought Girls would be attempting), but I got sucked in like every other twenty-something female trying to navigate during and post college life. Sheffield touches on just this. He explains why the show works, why it avoids the trap of Sex and the City-type shows, and how its protagonist (Hannah, played by Lena Dunham) is an interesting character with some depth (unusual for a show about twenty-something females).
Because Sheffield summarizes the show and digs a little deeper into its cast (mostly Dunham), I think the audience could be someone like me who has seen the show and agrees (or disagrees) with his analysis, or it could be someone on the Rolling Stone site for music information and happens upon this entry and maybe had put off seeing Girls. This entry would be a good introduction to the show, and I think would draw additional first time viewers for it because Sheffield describes the show with all of its grittiness and unconventional for-television drama.
Sheffield is clearly a fan of the show and his voice displays this. As someone who has already been hooked on Girls, I wanted to watch some reruns after reading this blog and remembering certain episodes I enjoyed. He opens the blog entry with a photo of the cast, which provides just enough of a visual to get someone to continue reading. The entry is short, so to have any more pictures would clutter the well-written text. Also, the lone picture is a nice tease for someone to turn on HBO.
I recommend this blog entry and the entire blog. Sheffield seems to write about timely pop culture topics that are more intelligent than the usual pop culture internet scene that typically follows the Kardashians or Miley Cyrus’ latest wardrobe malfunction (don’t ask me how I know this). This blog is enough of a guilty pleasure to satisfy a pop culture craving, but you won’t be afraid to have the internet window open on your computer in public. Check it out.
The Official Blog of WRTG 3007, Summer 2012 