Supercontext: an autopsy of media

After viewing the blockbuster Disney princess film Frozen with actual little kids, we look at all the cooks in this corporate cartoon kitchen. With this many people involved, how did they pull it off? And is this cartoon whitewashed? Too feminist? Not feminist enough? How is this fairy tale defining gender and ethnicity for an entire generation? Additional Resources: From the Heat of Royal Passion, Poof! It's Permafrost Disney's 'Frozen,' a Makeover of 'The Snow Queen' Is 'Frozen' a New, Bona Fide Disney Classic? Boys Don't Run Away From These Princesses Countdown to Disney "Frozen" : How one simple suggestion broke the ice on the "Snow Queen" 's decades-long story problems A spoiler-y, slightly nerdy interview about Disney's Frozen Unfreezing 'Frozen:' The making of the newest fairy tale in 3D by Disney Frozen: inside Disney's billion-dollar social media hit Michael, Peter, Chris and Jennifer Talk Frozen and It's Success Secret Phone Recording Helped Idina Menzel Land New Disney Role THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY OF FROZEN Disney's Frozen and the 'gay agenda' UNH degree played a part in Oscar-winning movie Immersed in Movies: First Look: Designing the Winter Wonderland of 'Frozen' The tech of Disney's Frozen and Get a Horse! The Scrambled Sexuality of 'Frozen's "Let It Go" Frozen lambasted as pro-gay propaganda by Christian pastor Frozen Director Now Apologizes to Parents for 'Let It Go'

In the second part of our series on Dischord Records, we look at the politics of Washington D.C.'s music scene going into the 1990s... when art met commerce. Additional Resources: Andersen, M. and Jenkins, M. (2009). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk In The Nation's Capital, Akashic Books. Dischord on Bandcamp (Free Streaming)

In the first of our two episodes on Dischord Records we look at the punk community of Washington D.C. in the 1980s and its conflicting ethics of politics, violence and drug abuse. Follow along with the story of Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson's label until its redefining summer of 1985. Additional Resources: Dischord Records – History Thompson, S. (2001). Market Failure: Punk Economics, Early and Late. College Literature, 28(2), 48. Cuffman, T. (2015). Idle musical community: Dischord Records and anarchic DIY practice. Contemporary Justice Review, 18(1), 4. doi:10.1080/10282580.2015.1005502 Goshert, J. C. (2000). 'Punk' after the Pistols: American Music, Economics, and Politics in the 1980s and 1990s. Popular Music & Society, 24(1), 85. Doherty, B. (1997). The embarrassment of riches. (cover story). Reason, 29(4), 21. Dischord Records: Out of Step With The World Dischord Records: Doing It Wrong Andersen, M. and Jenkins, M. (2009). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk In The Nation's Capital, Akashic Books.

Hellboy's a charming, working class hero, despite being a demon's spawn. We look at how creator Mike Mignola taps into the mythic simplicity of folk tales and how Hellboy itself has become a commodified franchise.

For our first coverage of a reality television show we go from beauty to camp, to joy and grief. This show simultaneously sells branded content that somehow doesn't feel sleazy, while also providing an extraordinary platform for LGBTQ culture. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: To come.

A novel that took Stephen King 12.5 years to write is now a major franchise. But what was it like when fans (and retailers) were rabid for more? Did King have a "responsibility" to them? And why didn't he plot his fantasy world... instead of writing it by the seat of his pants? Additional Resources: Bev Vincent, The Road To The Dark Tower Rereading Stephen King week 13: The Gunslinger So, what's the deal with The Dark Tower?

All My Friends Are Funeral Singers is a film (and record) by Tim Rutili of the band Califone. We interview Tim about his experience creating a project like this in multiple media and how that changed his process going forward. Additional Resources: All My Friends Are Funeral Singers (Vimeo) All My Friends Are Funeral Singers -- Film Review IndiePix Films Launches Subscription-Streaming Service with 400-Plus International Movies Califone frontman Tim Rutili gets an on-set lesson in filmmaking Music Is Important in 'All My Friends are Funeral Singers' and One of Its Few Redeeming Qualities 'All My Friends Are Funeral Singers': Califone's life beyond Sundance Team Spirits: 'All My Friends Are Funeral Singers'

By becoming a more vulnerable frontman, Nick Cave has transformed after a major tragedy. To understand this better, we cover his latest album Skeleton Tree, the companion film One More Time With Feeling and the Bad Seeds' latest North American tour. Additional Resources: The Love and Terror of Nick Cave Nick Cave Finally Tells His Most Painful Story Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds x Hingston Studio – Skeleton Tree All Songs +1: A Devastating New Film About Nick Cave Nick Cave Talks About Living and Writing Through Grief Nick Cave Will Never Be Forgotten THE IMMENSE GRIEF OF NICK CAVE'S 'SKELETON TREE' Nick Cave financed the documentary One More Time with Feeling so that he would not have to speak with journalists about the death of his son

As part of the big four bands breaking out of the Seattle "grunge" scene in the early 1990s, Soundgarden was a combination that was not quite metal or punk. We look at why their record Badmotorfinger acts like such a strong signifier of meaning in the wake of Chris Cornell's death.

With a comparison of their staff rosters, we try imagining a television show that idolizes the White House today, the way The West Wing did in 1999. Believe it or not, Aaron Sorkin's fantasy of public service let some people admire civics again.