Photo by Crossett Library Bennington College on Flickr

I cant stop watching this Gerald Green dunk from five days ago in a game against the Houston Rockets:

Theres simply no question that its a great dunk, just as impressive as Blake Griffins shoryukenof Kendrick Perkins, but different. In fact, these two dunks expose the dual nature of the dunk itself: on one hand, it can be a tremendously physical, assaultive act and on the other hand it can be fluid and quasi-balletic. In much the way that some running backs crush linemen to get yardage while others juke and spin their way up the field, so some dunkers smash and others soar.

But what keeps me coming back to this particular dunk again and again is not precisely the dunk itself, but rather the totality of the clip. The above clip illustrates why a great in-game dunk clip is the gift that keeps on giving. Let me take you back, as I often seem to do, to Greek tragedy. A huge part of the way the plays of Sophocles, Euripides, and Aeschylus work is through the tension between the audiences understanding of the play and the characters inability to understand the play from within it. For example, we as the audience know that Oedipus has killed his father and married his mother but he does not, and so our enjoyment of the play comes from Oedipus understanding gradually reaching the same level as our own.

In the flow of the game, Greens dunk is barely comprehensible. It happens so fast that were left only with the understanding that something kind of incredible just happened. As we watch the replay, or watch the clip again and again on YouTube, we can now see it and know whats going to happen and so we get to enjoy the blossoming understanding of those who are just reacting to the moment. As you watch it again, take a look at the setup as the break evolves with MarShon Brooks leading it:

This is a pretty typical two-on-one fast break. Brooks sees Green coming up the other side of the floor and makes the smart play by throwing it up for him. At this point, were already expecting a dunktheres a clear path to the basket and Green is a terrific leaperbut most of the time this results in a straightforward two-handed dunk or, more likely, a basic one-handed jam.

But instead, Green jumps higher than really seems possible and delivers the windmill, turning this picayune fast break into something incredible. Take a moment to appreciate these two stills, which are separated by only a frame:

Originally posted here:
Anatomy Of A Dunk Clip: Gerald Green

Grey's Anatomy

Several members of the "Grey's Anatomy" cast will sing at Royce Hall on Sunday, March 18.

When"Grey's Anatomy" first debuted back in 2005, it was presented as a medical drama. Stories of a hospital, and the people who work there, and love there, and the patients they love and treat.

It wasn't sold as a musical extravaganza a la "Smash" or "Glee"or, yep,"CopRock"(c'mon -- "Cop Rock"! Miss that show). But history, and thousands of CD racks, tell the further story; "Grey's" is very much associated with the pleasures of song, both via its best-selling soundtracks and the tunes the characters have actually sung on the show itself.

Now several cast members will be gathering together at Royce Hall on Sunday,March 18.They won't be in their scrubs (at least we expect not); they'll be gussied up and ready to belt a few showstoppers. "Grey's Anatomy:The Songs Beneath the Show"won't round up nearly every member in the large, multi-year cast, but look at the stellar performers set to show:Jessica Capshaw, Sandra Oh, and Sara Ramirez, who we wish would be singing somewhere in our immediate vicinity nearly every hour of the day.

Several other actors are set to show, and here's the reason why:They'll be raising money for TheActors Fund, which is a really good and important fund to support, least of all because we live in an actor-heavy community. The reasons are manifold.

The VIPticket is $250, and that nets you a few nice additionals beyond the performance, like a cast Q&A.

Follow NBCLA for the latest LA news, events and entertainment: Twitter: @NBCLA // Facebook: NBCLA

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"Grey's Anatomy," Live and Singing

Story published: 03-14-2012 Print Article E-mail Story to a Friend

Anatomy of a Sunset

By Lacy Hilliard

Freelance writer/photographer

The silhouette cast by the setting sun paints everything it touches in abstract perfection. To gaze upon the sky at sunset is to feel the presence of something larger than ourselves. From fiery red to gentle purple, the discovery of the history behind the setting sun is fascinating.

Native Americans regarded sunset as the most sacred of hours. Many ceremonies were set to be performed at this blessed hour. Taoism teaches that sunset is the time when one is most likely to achieve Zen or absolute enlightenment. The Aztecs believed that sunset brought a blessing of fertility.

The colors of the sunset are determined be the wavelength of light provided by the sun and the disbursement of molecules in the atmosphere. Red and orange are the most common colors experienced at sunset because they have the longest wavelengths of any visible light. The intensity of these colors is determined by the amount of molecular activity taking place in the atmosphere; more molecular activity works to scatter the weakest wavelengths (blue and violet) away from our eyes and intensify the orange and red hues, less activity makes for a clearer violet tinted sunset.

An appreciation for the sunset is something human beings have shared from the beginning of time. In a world where it often seems difficult to agree on anything, the setting of the sun proves that beauty is universal.

Read the original:
Anatomy of a Sunset

*Greys Anatomy star Chandra Wilson will get behind the camera again for one of the remaining episodes of the current season 8.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Wilson and co-star Kevin McKidd will each take their turn in the directors chair. Wilson, who plays Dr. Miranda Bailey, will mark her sixth time at the helm when she directs Episode 22 of Greys 24-episode season.

McKidd who plays Dr. Owen Hunt, and has already directed Episode 6 of the Shonda Rhimes drama this year, is set to take the lead again on Episode 21.

An airdate has not yet been determined for the episodes.

Greys Anatomy returns from its winter hiatus on Thursday at 9 p.m. on ABC.

Did you find this interesting? You can easily share it with friends & colleagues thanks to a wide variety of social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, LinkIn, Delicious, StumbleUpon, or Tumblr... just to name a few. You can also send this via e-mail or bookmark it!

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‘Grey’s Anatomy’s’ Chandra Wilson to Direct her 6th Episode

Ellen Pompeo, Shonda Rhimes, Kate Walsh

Shonda Rhimes truly is a busy lady. Not only does she executive-produce two shows on the air Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice but her new political drama Scandal premieres next month, and she's got a period piece in contention at ABC. And while there's speculation her load could lighten should Grey's or Private fail to be renewed, Rhimes assures us that's not likely. TVGuide.com caught up with the showrunner for an uncensored look at everything on her plate, including actors' contracts, Private's move to Tuesdays and her upcoming projects.

You have two shows on the air with a third premiering next month and a fourth in development. What does a typical day look like? Shonda Rhimes: It's busy, but oddly enough, with Grey's in Season 8, Private in Season 5, and Scandal wrapped for the season, I feel like I've learned my job well enough that I hope that's it not too taxing. It's mentally taxing, but somehow I feel like I've finally figured it out and hit a stride where everything clicks the way it should.

At the beginning of this production year on Grey's, there was some uncertainty about which actors would be continuing. How did it feel heading into what could have been the final season of Grey's Anatomy, or did you not even think of it that way? Rhimes: No, the network has not allowed me to think of it as being the final season of Grey's Anatomy. That wasn't even a concern for me. I know that Grey's is going to live on past this season. So whether or not I feel like it could, it's going to.

Watch full episodes of Grey's Anatomy

Will the next season be similar to what we've seen the last eight years or are you planning any major changes? Rhimes: Honestly, I really don't know. I feel committed to staying with the show as long as it feels interesting. I have some interesting ideas.

Was it difficult writing episodes not knowing who might or might not be returning? Or did you just charge ahead like you would during a normal season? Rhimes: No, we definitely didn't approach it the way I approach a normal season. But I like the challenge and that's been one of the things that's always been fun about getting to do this show; trying to figure out what the next challenge is going to be every season. This season the challenge was that we didn't know how the season was going to end. So in a way, it forced us to be creative in a different way. You want to keep it fresh after eight years and we were able to do that because we had this new problem to contend with.

The biggest question, obviously, is Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey. Do you have a back-up plan should they decide not to return? Rhimes: I can't even begin to address that concept.

There are a lot of major milestones coming up, things fans have been waiting a long time for. First, the McMansion. How long have you been waiting for that moment when it would finally be finished? Rhimes: I don't know if it's as big a moment for me as it's turned out to be for the fans. There were many times where we were like, "Oh, we should finish the house now." And it felt like we don't want to spend time dealing with the story of the house. There was a lot of that in some veins and then there were some moments in which it just didn't feel quite right. It does feel right to deal with it and talk about it and have it be done at the end of Season 8 when Meredith is graduating from being a resident.

Catch up on Grey's Anatomy with our episode recaps

The rest is here:
Anatomy of Shonda Rhimes, the Busiest Woman in Hollywood

Interior designer, author, jewelry designer and….felter, Once Again Sam is a creative powerhouse according to her bio on Etsy.  These life-sized organs are just of the few of the many felted awesomeness in her store.  They were created using a technique called, “needle felting to matte down dyed wool until it turned into solid felt, and eventually a soft but solid mass.”

View more of her work on Etsy!

[spotted by Chris Paluch]

Source:
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Every Concorde anatomy & physiology student can now access to Anatomy & Physiology Online, an interactive, 3D, digital learning tool developed by Primal Pictures. Anatomy & Physiology Online offers virtual, 3D access to every part of the human body, with 3D, adjustable images, interactive models, and narrated animations.

London, UK and Mission, Kansas (PRWEB) March 12, 2012

We are excited to be among the first career colleges to offer this innovative learning tool that can transform and enhance our students understanding of human anatomy, says Pat Debold, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Concorde. A deep and foundational understanding of the human body is critical to all of our students, and 3D, virtual learning will better prepare them to work as health professionals.

Todays students are often more comfortable with online learning, and many independently seek interactive learning tools for complex, visual topics such as human anatomy, said Laurie Wiseman, Founder and Publishing Director for Primal Pictures. Concorde is a step ahead in meeting student learning needs, and we are happy to partner with them on this innovative shift in teaching and learning.

Primal Pictures developed its 3D models using real medical scan data to create a highly detailed model. Anatomy & Physiology Online offers 3D anatomy that can be peeled away, rotated and labelled, along with narrated animations of physiology, learning objectives, self-testing, summary text, and pronunciation guides. It includes hundreds of lab activities to be performed by the student as they learn, ranging from labelling exercises to online quizzing and coloring pages.

Textbooks are wordy and cumbersome for learning A&P, says Mark Holcomb, Curriculum Development Specialist at Concorde. Primal offers us an innovative way to engage students. Anatomy &Physiology Online will enliven the classroom, and give students a unique understanding of anatomy. Best of all, we will transform the way we provide lab activities on our campuses. Going digital in A&P is the way ahead, we believe.

Students using the resource agree.

If we didnt have Primal, we would be learning from books: flat, 2D, boring, says Amy Cangelosi, a Dental Hygiene Student at Concorde. This makes a huge difference to how I can learn and study anatomy.

ABOUT PRIMAL PICTURES

Primal Pictures offers the most complete, detailed and medically-accurate 3D model of human anatomy for students, educators and health care practitioners. Primal Pictures 3D anatomy software is widely adopted in education and it is used for patient, practitioner and student education in over 20 countries. In 2012, over half a million students will learn anatomy using Primal software. A&P Online recently won the British Medical Associations annual prize for the best digital resource.

More:
Concorde Career Colleges Goes Digital with Online Human Anatomy Learning Tools Now in Use at 15 Schools

"Grey's Anatomy" returns with an all new episode this Thursday on ABC, but during her visit to Access Hollywood Live on Tuesday, actress Jessica Capshaw revealed there is some Internet-related drama brewing behind the scenes too.

According to the actress, who plays Dr. Arizona Robbins, she and Patrick Dempsey are involved in an amusing Twitter photo war.

PLAY IT NOW: Would Patrick Dempsey Like To See Katherine Heigl Back On Greys Anatomy?

"We got into a Twitter pic war, where literally he was wielding his iPhone like it was a weapon," Jessica smiled as she told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover what's been going on with Patrick.

Jessica explained that Patrick, who recently joined Twitter, has become fond of posting photos of his cast mates, including her, in less than perfect poses.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: The Lovely Ladies Of Primetime Television

"Patrick most likes to take pictures of me in compromising positions," Jessica explained of the amusing way they've been spending their down time on set. "[Like] when you're in the middle of taking a bite of a muffin, making a sun [squinting] face, doing something that's just not attractive."

Now, for all of Twitter to see, there are a host of unapproved photos circulating of Jessica and some of her fellow "Grey's" co-stars.

"He doesn't ask us [before posting]. We live in this world where it's like, it'd be nice if someone said, 'Hey! I just took this picture, I'm gonna Tweet it now," she explained.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Primetime Hunks

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Jessica Capshaw Talks Twitter Photo War With 'Grey's Anatomy' Co-Star Patrick Dempsey

Our friends at Mr Four Fingers have created yet another awesome shirt design for Design By Humans. The shirt is currently in voting to become a printed shirt on the site.  If you like it, take the time to give it a vote!

Mr Four Fingers talks about how this print came about:

I was recently working on a new FaceSkull portrait and after 5hrs, yes I’m slow trying to get it to look like the person, anyway, when I scanned in the image I realised that it looked nothing like the person! Shit biscuit.

So not wanting to waste some good hair and decided to create something new. So here is Visions—dark visions of the past, present and future. We decided to add to Design By Humans, as it’s better than the design just sitting on my mac doing jackshit.

Perfect example of even when a drawing isn’t turning out the way you first thought, you can still turn it into something fantastic!

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The Sartorialist is just one of the blogs on my daily list of reads in the morning.  He captures moments in fashion around the world, but most often on the streets of New York.  And it’s not just the fashions that stand out, but the photos themselves that seem so effortlessly captured.  I’m always left thinking, who are these fabulous people and where are they going??

This is one of the rare occasions that I’ve seen anatomical fashion captured.  The shoes, the ribcage jacket, and the short blonde hair, it’s all fabulous!  Love  how the crosswalk lines mirror the lines of the ribcage and how she stands out against all those people with umbrellas.  Brilliant.

Source:
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ANATOMY OF INJUSTICE Raymond Bonner Knopf $26.95, 298 pages

When George W. Bush was running for president in 2000, he said he was confident that "every person that has been put to death in Texas under my watch has been guilty of the crime charged and has full access to the courts."

Bush signed the death warrants for more than 150 people when he was governor of Texas, about one every nine days and the most in history at that time. (His successor, Rick Perry, has presided over many more.) Texas is far and away the most likely place to be executed in the U.S.: 37 percent of all executions since 1976 have occurred in Texas. It again led the nation with 13 executions last year, more than the two closest states (Alabama and Ohio) combined but a much lower rate than the previous decade.

After Bush's comments, The New York Times assigned Raymond Bonner and another reporter to research and write about capital punishment. One of their articles was cited by the majority and the dissent in a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court case that resulted in a ban on executing people who are "mentally retarded."

Another case, involving the 1982 murder of an elderly woman in South Carolina, attracted Bonner's attention because he believes it "raises nearly all the issues that mark the debate about capital punishment: race, mental retardation, bad trial lawyers, prosecutorial misconduct, 'snitch' testimony, DNA testing, a claim of innocence."

Bonner's short book "Anatomy of Injustice: A Murder Case Gone Wrong" covers all those bases while telling the story of Edward Lee Elmore, an African American who was convicted by three different juries and spent 11,000 days in jail, most of them on death row, before being released a few days ago (after the book was published) for a crime Bonner, a lawyer and a Pulitzer Prize winner, and many others believe he did not commit.

Capital punishment is an issue of fierce, passionate debate, in Oregon and around the country. Gov. John Kitzhaber placed a moratorium on executions two weeks before a convicted murderer was scheduled to die by lethal injection. Kitzhaber was governor in 1996-97, when Oregon's only two executions since 1976 took place, and said he regretted allowing them. He did not, however, commute the sentences of Oregon's 37 death row inmates, something he has the legal authority to do. Josh Marquis, the Clatsop County district attorney, said when Kitzhaber declared the moratorium that the governor should carry out the law. Marquis will join Bonner for what is sure to be a lively discussion at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Powell's City of Books.

The Elmore case, as Bonner noted, touched on many of the most important issues in capital punishment:

Race: More than 75 percent of the victims in capital punishment cases are white, compared with about 50 percent of murder victims overall. About 34 percent of those executed since 1976 are African American; 13 percent of the overall population is African American. More than 250 African Americans have been executed for killing a white; 18 whites have been executed for killing an African American.

Mental disability: Elmore dropped out of school in the fifth grade and does not understand the concept of north, south, east or west or winter, spring, summer and fall. H e could not do the math necessary to maintain a checking account. His IQ tested at a level of mental disability.

Read more:
'Anatomy of Injustice' review: Looking at capital punishment

Wonderful piece by illustrator and graphic designer Brandt Botes who owns his own boutique design shop in Cape Town, South Africa, called Studio Botes.  If you’re a Threadless fan, you may remember Brandt’s popular shirt and print, Stick Figures in Peril.

Love the way he combines anatomy and design. Take a look through more of Brandt’s delightful work at studiobotes.com.

Source:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/streetanatomy/OQuC

South Korean artist, Seo Young Deok creates beautifully accurate sculptures out of a single material, bicycle chain. He welds each chain in what becomes a long and intense process lasting months.  And while bicycle chains might be seen as a representation of the freedom a bicycle affords, Seo Young Deok’s sculptures seem heavy, damaged and oppressed.

His latest solo-exhibition, Dystopia, is currently travelling the world.  View more of his pieces at youngdeok.com.

[spotted by Dani B]

Source:
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It's prom night for students at Community High School. Earlier this week, juniors and seniors witnessed a carefully orchestrated tableau, carried out by dozens of emergency and law enforcement personnel.

An annual tradition at many high schools, Prom Promise presents a graphic reminder to young drivers, through the use of staged accident scenes, of the dangers of driving while distracted or intoxicated.

'Tickets' issued

The storyline began several weeks ago as the Tennessee Highway Patrol ticketed Viking drivers for minor traffic offenses. So many, in fact, that Judge Charles Rich scheduled a court date in the school library to accommodate all the offenders.

Parents were required to attend court with their children on Wednesday, where Rich offered leniency. Charges would be dismissed if the group would agree to attend a safety class.

"The whole purpose behind this, it's prom time -- and the [highway patrol] can tell you, the last several years in this county, around this time of year ... we have lost one or more of our students here," said Rich.

Grim statistics

According to the THP, teen drivers account for more than 50,000 accidents each year in Tennessee, with fatalities occurring in over 200.

Once released from the mock court, students joined their peers just behind the school where an accident scene had been staged. The car and van selected for use had been wrecked in separate accidents involving Community students this year.

Horrific 'crash'

View original post here:
Anatomy of a crash: Mock accident motivates teens

Friday, March 9, 2012 10:34 PM EST

By Evan Macy Staff Writer

HARTFORD The New Britain boys basketball team pulled off an upset for the ages Thursday night in Hartford, coming from behind repeatedly in a magical 66-61 overtime win over Hartford Public.

The Owls were unbeaten in regular season play. They were taller, more accomplished and held home court advantage.

So how exactly did the Hurricanes pull off the victory, advancing to face Fairfield Prep Monday in the quarterfinals?

Emotions in check

There is no denying New Britain is a team that plays with emotion. The key Thursday was not letting those it the better of them.

We had to stay composed, Stigliano said. Weve been talking about it all the time. I told them the team we played on Tuesday [Danbury] is much different than this team. This team is disciplined; they work hard and have a great coaching staff. Theyre going to come at us and they arent going to roll over and die. We need to make sure that if they make a run we stay composed. Its a long game, our back was against the wall and we just found a way to do it.

There were several points in the game where New Britain could have faltered, but they were able to keep it all business while on the hardwood.

Weve been preaching it, the coach said. The tournament is all about emotion. The environment is hostile. The team that stays composed the longest wins the game. The only way you can make a big play is if your mind is in the right place. As a coach, you try to teach it but you have to let them do it, and they did it. I give them all the credit in the world. They deserved it.

Go here to read the rest:
Anatomy of an upset

If youre looking for courtroom drama, you dont have to look far, with thousands of hours of Court TV, Law & Order reruns and plain-old courtroom news on your television.

But if youre looking for a truly great courtroom drama, one thats complex, funny, smart and surprising, you need to watch Anatomy of a Murder. Released way back in 1959 and featuring a one-of-a-kind cast, its no kidding the greatest courtroom drama ever made.

Based on a book by a Michigan Supreme Court judge (writing under a pseudonym), Anatomy of a Murder follows a small-town Michigan lawyer (James Stewart) as he defends a young lieutenant (Ben Gazzara) on murder charges. Where things get complicated is when Stewart examines the motive: Gazzara claimed he killed the local bar owner for raping his wife. But as Stewart gets to know the wife (Lee Remick), he begins to wonder if there was a rape or if, down deep, even Gazzara believes there was a rape.

Pretty adult stuff for 1959, and Anatomy of a Murder doesnt stop there. Theres much discussion over the word panties being used in the courtroom (again, scandalous stuff for 1959), but on a deeper level, Anatomy of a Murder hints that what really happened doesnt matter what matters is what the jury thinks happened. It might not be justice, but its the law.

Masterfully directed by Otto Preminger (a guy who loved pushing the envelope, content-wise), Anatomy of a Murder is full of elements that make it a classic film. The cast also includes a young George C. Scott as the big-city prosecutor, Eve Arden as Stewarts world-weary assistant, Orson Bean and Howard McNear (Floyd the barber from Andy Griffith) as expert witnesses and lawyer Joseph Welch, the man who brought down Sen. Joe McCarthy, as the judge. Whats more, not only does jazz legend Duke Ellington supply the music, he also has a cameo as Pie Eye, who for some reason is playing piano in a tiny Michigan tavern. That Michigan atmosphere, incidentally, is one of the movies biggest stars. Preminger filmed the movie in the Upper Peninsula, and it gives the film a feeling like no other Hollywood picture. Heck, even the opening credits iconic images created by legendary Saul Bass are memorable. Its just a great, great movie.

Thankfully, Criterions new edition does it justice. Besides a remastered print of the film, it includes footage from the set; segments on Ellington, Bass and Preminger; the trailer and more.

The Town

Someone at Warner Home Video must really love Ben Affleck.

I mean, The Town is a fine film, with solid direction and acting from Affleck and a strong supporting cast. But its not a classic though you wouldnt know that from the packaging of The Town Ultimate Collectors Edition. The boxed set includes multiple versions of the movie on Blu-ray and DVD, a feature-length documentary, a map of the Charlestown area of Boston, a folder full of files about the films characters, a hardcover book of photos from the set, a letter from Affleck and, believe it not, temporary tattoos exactly like the one Jeremy Renners character sports in the movie (and that you only see on-screen for a split second).

Quite a package for a movie thats pretty good but not great. I liked a lot of The Town, including the well-staged robberies and the simmering tension between the various thieves. But I thought it was another example of a movie let down by its ending, one that does right by its star but not by its main character. I dont want to spoil anything if you havent seen it because it is worth watching but the final scenes make no sense. The idea that the FBI would just quit surveilling the one person with a connection to their fugitive, then ignore the expensive and public! gift made in the name of that fugitives mom is ridiculous.

Here is the original post:
Movie Man: 'Anatomy of a Murder' is top courtroom drama

Funny thing about the internet: you cant smell anything on it, but certain stories sure can cause a stink.

Two days ago, we told you about the meteoric rise of the latest viral video, Kony 2012, that didnt make the rounds on the internet so much as it grabbed the internet by the eyeballs and forced everybody to look directly at it. In the four days since it was uploaded to YouTube, the video has amassed nearly 58 million views while viral news of it has no doubt permeated your Facebook and Twitter feeds.

The video, in the impossible case it that hasnt yet osmosis-ed itself into your brain from at least one kind of media outlet, was created and released by Invisible Children, an organization thats been trying for years to draw worldwide attention toward Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony and his Lords Resistance Army. The Lords Resistance army is a special breed of awful because, aside from being Konys personal army, its made up of kidnapped children-turned-soldiers responsible for horrors ranging from hacking apart victims bodies to using abducted girls as sex slaves.

At any rate, you can see how theres high emotional appeal that would likely resonate with most people containing even a sliver of sympathy. More, as with all things that finally have A Moment in the media, there is now the inevitable backlash against Kony 2012 criticizing Invisible Childrens approach.

So it goes.

Whats odd about Kony 2012s success, though, isnt that it went viral so quickly but rather why it went viral in the first place. Invisible Children has been trying to raise awareness about Kony since 2004 when the eponymous Invisible Children film was released, the groups first attempt to bring attention to Konys atrocities. Invisible Children have released 11 films in all yet this is the first one to truly achieve a viral, nigh-zeitgeist status. In fact, its taken Invisible Children so long to finally land a hit with their films that Joseph Kony isnt even in Uganda anymore (he reportedly left in 2006).

Some of the success has been attributed to Invisible Childrens goal of enlisting the help of culturemakers. Others have asserted that Kony 2012 succeeded due to clever marketing on social media. Both of these belie Invisible Childrens previous efforts by assuming such endorsements and technologies werent used to propel their videos into the limelight. For one, Lady Gaga endorses a ton of things but not nearly all of them catch on the way Kony 2012 has. She and others have got a magic, but its far from being a true Midas touch.

The most salient difference between Kony 2012s world and the world of Invisible Childrens previous videos, I believe, is something far more simple: timing. The towering success of the anti-SOPA movement, Planned Parenthood supporters organizing to turn back Susan G. Komens decision to de-fund the organization, or even the recent backlast that has sent supporters fleeing from Rush Limbaugh due to his misogynistic remarks about Sandra Fluke all have helped build and fortify the edifice of social medias power. It could be argued that Kony 2012 was a beneficiary of those previous campaigns that, one, established the social media political infrastructure, and two, demonstrated that it works.

As these movements cycle more regularly and enjoy an ever-quickening ascent-descent with the worlds favor, though, do we run the risk of diminishing the potency of the viral campaign-as-political device the more these campaigns happen? Im in no way saying that itll be Invisible Childrens fault were viral campaigns to falter in the future whatever your feelings about the groups methods, good on IC for finally getting the world to pay attention to how horrible Kony is but rather highlighting the fact that these viral campaigns seem to be happening an awful lot lately.

Indeed, you can have too much of a good thing and so I fear that, after eventually growing tired of the endless parade of Next Big Things from the internet, instead of catching wind of political campaigns that really deserve our attention, the public will begin to simply hold their breath until the trend passes along and disappears into the trunks of internet fads.

View post:
Kony 2012: The Anatomy Of A Viral Success

Getty Images

Kevin McKidd and Chandra Wilson

Grey's Anatomy stars Kevin McKidd and Chandra Wilson are returning to the director's chair.

The duo will each direct one of the remaining Season 8 episodes of the ABC medical drama, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.

McKidd -- who first stepped behind the camera last season and directed the sixth episode of the Shonda Rhimes drama this year -- is set to take the lead on Episode 21. Wilson, meanwhile, will mark her sixth time at the helm when she directs Episode 22 of Grey's 24-episode season.

STORY: 'Grey's Anatomy's' Kevin McKidd: Owen and Cristina Have 'Brushed A Lot Under the Carpet'

"In a way, it almost feels like there's more pressure the second time because people are going to cut you some slack the first time," McKidd told THR earlier this season of the experience. "But the second time people expect you to really know what you're doing, and you should."

STORY: Shonda Rhimes Talks 'Grey's Anatomy's' Live Musical Benefit

An airdate has not yet been determined for the episodes.

The duo join a growing cadre of stars who have stepped behind the camera for their respective series, including Parenthood's Peter Krause, Royal Pains' Mark Feuerstein and Mad Men's Jon Hamm, who will direct the long-awaited season premiere.

More:
'Grey's Anatomy's' Kevin McKidd, Chandra Wilson to Direct Again (Exclusive)

By John Mcgarry

PUBLISHED: 20:52 EST, 8 March 2012 | UPDATED: 20:53 EST, 8 March 2012

When Dave King opined on Wednesday that the liquidation of Rangers was now 'inevitable', the task of saving the club from going under seemed akin to doing a jigsaw puzzle while blindfolded.

Whether the Rangers director simply saw no reason to hide his honest opinion any more or was attempting to light a fuse under someone, only he will know.

Regardless of his motives, he will have felt the shockwaves emanating from his powderkeg message all the way back to his temporary base in China.

Sign of the times: Rangers are in crisis and are fighting to save themselves from liquidation

As ashen faces digested the words throughout the world, perhaps for the first time the prospect of the club actually ceasing to exist in the near future finally hit home.

A man who has built up a reputed personal fortune of 200million in South Africa, King could scarcely be accused of being naive. It's just conceivable, though, that the man who made the doomsday prediction did so without being privy to everything that is currently going on behind the scenes.

Yet, for all the journey to a safe harbour still has a long way to go, Rangers are by no means holed below the water line.

Indeed, developments on Thursday and several that look set to come to fruition in the coming days, can only be seen as positives by Paul Murray and other interested parties as they seek to successfully take over the club.

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A particularly savvy media campaign by a nonprofit group called Invisible Children has pushed a debate about Uganda and rebel leader Joseph Kony into a very bright spotlight.

Without getting into the arguments about the political motivations of the nonprofit and the consequences of its campaign check out coverage from The Washington Posts Elizabeth Flock for more information on the situation and its history its astonishing that the groups members have been able to draw this much attention now to a conflict thats been going on since the 1980s.

So how did they do it?

The group launched a campaign called Kony 2012, an effort to raise awareness about Kony and the small force the Obama administration sent to Uganda in October with the intent of killing or capturing him and combating his Lords Resistance Army (LRA).

To get the campaign off the ground quickly, the group had users send messages to 20 culturemakers and 12 policymakers with influential Twitter accounts urging them to support the effort. The list included names such as U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and former President George W. Bush, as well as celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Mark Zuckerberg and Lady Gaga.

The message that users could send to those people included a hashtag, #Kony2012, that gave the Twitter community something to galvanize around. It read: Help us end #LRA violence. Visit kony2012.com to find out why and how. @rickwarren Join us for #KONY2012

The group also made a well-produced short film that encouraged people to use social media to raise awareness about the movement, which spread quickly over Vimeo and YouTube, where it has garnered more than 57 million views.

The video boils down this complicated issue into a simple one, with a compelling narrative that tugs on the heartstrings and prompts outrage. And it gives users an easy way to take action: Share the video, share the story and dont stop speaking up until they get the result they want.

The group was also able to tap into an already strong social media presence on Facebook and other sites to get the message out in a big, noticeable burst.

And it certainly has worked. The hashtags #stopkony and #kony2012 have been on the list of trending topics worldwide on Twitter ever since launched its campaign Tuesday. Its been a fixture on Googles list of trending topics, and even the debate over the groups methods and message have kept its message afloat.

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Kony 2012: The anatomy of a viral campaign