Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Life Without the O





After 25 years of dominance The Oprah Winfrey Show finally came to a close. Not without an epic exit along with a nearly three-decade rise to prominence for Oprah Winfrey, who know ranks amongst the top of numerous “richest …” lists. Oprah and her show meant a lot not only for daytime television, but also for many communities including women, African-Americans, and those who have overcome negative circumstances to achieve success in life. Oprah was able to create a loyal base of fans that not only enjoyed her material but also believed in her message. As Oprah departs from our daily television sets (at least in terms of new topics and interviews) it may bring an end to an era that spawned mainly due to her efforts. Although now bombarded with The Maury Show and other trashy material, there was once a point where talk show’s ruled the afternoon. The iconic life of Oprah exceeds television, and has extended into many facets of life, but also leaves an impact of culture, media, and cultural media. Oprah has remained one of the few strong figures of an African-American woman on television, who is not there merely due to looks or some connection to a man, but her own establishments. As Oprah tried to maintain a certain level of integrity within her topics, many others like Tyra Banks do not take the same importance in everyday substance. This could lead to an instantaneous end of an era, with the Oprah Network not showing much sign of life. Hopefully Oprah’s legacy will lead to even more entrepreneurism in the lives of those suffering with less than desirable conditions. No matter what her impact will be felt forever, especially in this city of Chicago. – C.S.

Not So Large and In Charge

Not everyone is built the same way. That is why it’s always hard to find the perfect jeans. Especially when it comes to women. For example, some are more curvaceous or taller than others. In this case, the women depict different bottom shapes. Those marketing the item are attempting to defy gender ideology. Levi claims, “It’s about shape not size”. Sure, consumers can definitely acknowledge the difference in curves and how this advertisement goes from portraying a flat bottom woman to a very voluptuous one. Its definitely about shape and not size. We do not see “big” or oversized women. These women still fit the ideology of beauty. For example, these women are Caucasian and fit, yet they still have a figure. If women of color were used in this ad instead, it only supports the stereotype. In addition, I don’t believe that these women of color would be as fit. The stereotypical woman of color has been portrayed through the media as only being curvaceous if weight is connected. To further elaborate, heavy bottomed women of color are not fit. They are fat and “its okay”. On the other hand, it is rare for Caucasian women to even be voluptuous. Therefore, Levi acknowledges that there is a stereotype and women of color will not buy the product if they know that the company is supporting the stereotype and trying to create a commonality between the consumer and the models in this matter. Even though they are curvaceous, they are not fat. Therefore, weight is not entirely connected to being a heavy bottomed woman and it supports the idea that it is “not okay” to be fat.

60 Million Dollar Show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ixEWrTLiZg

HBO executes a game plan that has been highly effective for quite some time. Their high budget series, usually executive produced by someone whose name will ring enough bells to generate viewers, are almost always brutally addictive. Whether it be The Sopranos, Sex And the City, Six Feet Under, or Summer Heights High, HBO is able to consistently produce series that immediately capture attention. The newest craze is Game of Thrones, a dungeons and dragons-esque show revolving around a fictional country undergoing a civil war. As someone who has never found these shows or subject matter to be of my particular interest, HBO is able to glamorize the show enough to make you invested in its characters, many of which share qualities of over-aggression, a tendency towards sexual abuse, and a laundry list of other undesirable traits. It seems to share similar artistic and aesthetic qualities to Rome, which was once HBO’s most popular series. Research shows that the show costs a pretty penny, with the first season budgeting at about 50-60 million according to Wikipedia. Are these shows truly worth the financial devotion they receive? Although there is an obvious fanbase for the genre, should we really be prone to putting out shows with budgets that could cure many of our economic issues. It seems our obsession with prime time television has driven networks to the point of no return, where high budgets equal high ratings, in many instances minus any real material. Although Game of Thrones is highly entertaining, watching every minute of the episode makes me feel like I’m sitting in an obnoxiously large house with overly priced furniture, and it makes me uncomfortable knowing that this is what our media culture has become. - C.S.

ANOTHER singing show?

When I first heard that there was yet going to be ANOTHER singing talent show on NBC called The Voice, I cringed.


We already have American Idol, America’s Got Talent (technically not a singing show, but there are way too many singers on that show), and coming this fall, the much anticipated X-Factor. So why would we need another singing talent show to find America’s next big star?


I began watching The Voice to figure out what makes it different from all the other shows, and surprisingly, there were a lot of differences. For one, the auditions are “blind”, and by that the coaches (the only judges for this show are American votes) are sitting with their backs towards the stage, only listening to the voice they hear. After the blind audition, there are the battle rounds where the coaches pick two or three of their contestants to battle each other for a spot on the voting rounds, which is when American gets to vote.


Shocking enough, I am impressed with this show. Yes, the producers took a singing contest show but twisted it around enough so it would still sell to audiences (political economy anyone?), but they did it so it would stand out from the other shows.


Singing contest shows sells. We are currently in the era where we would rather watch talent be born on TV than sitcoms. Who knows what the next era on television will be.

Too Much Reality



I am all for the advancements in media in terms of freedom and diversity. However, watching someone at the gynecologist is something that may be taking it to far. Watching a fictional film allows people to separate real from pretend. Seeing someone having sex on TV isn’t too bad because we know it’s for the sake of the program. Watching a man hit his wife on Lifetime isn’t scary because we know they’re acting. We now can watch a reality show and actually see a gynecologist give an examination on a woman as the entire procedure takes place. Although I’m not offended or disturbed by seeing this take place, it just seems out of place. I understand that this specific scene relating to infertility allows for viewers going through the same to relate. This puts Khloe in a realer light to the audience and her fans. It could have been reduced to the simple screen shot of Khloe changing into a hospital gown, and then a conversation with the doctor. We do not have to watch the actual procedure in full length. To the contrary, this helps the genre of reality live up to its entirety. So many people complain about reality shows being fake, but there’s nothing fake about this ‘gyno’ visit.

The Bachelorette




This new bachelorette being featured is a young 20-something dentistry student (don’t let the heading fool you, the full description on the website says dentistry-student). She’s cute, young and not settled into a career just yet, perfect bachelorette right? These demographics would never work on “The Bachelor.” The featured men are always handsome, at least late 20’s or early 30’s and have a well-established career with an attractive title attached. These are men that can be the ultimate success and appealing husband. As for this bachelorette, Ashley, she is the ultimate package for the soon-to-be housewife. She’s young. This means she is in the prime of the childbearing age range. She has yet to graduate from college with her dentistry degree, meaning she can still be persuaded to become a housewife. The fact that she is in college means she still has her intelligence. I think when television shows have a premise like this, we take a step back in the evolution of how we portray different genders and or races in television. The women that actually need help finding a man are the female CEO’s in their 40’s and 50’s that have too much on their plate to get a date. Yet for some reason this show continues to feature people that already have appealing qualities to those people they attract and don’t need help.

#thetwitterrevolution

I will be the first to admit that I could not understand Twitter for the life of me up until about a year ago. Why would anyone want to read the thoughts and quips of relative strangers? What do people even have to say at all hours of the day? Don't we already have Facebook for our friends? Eventually I gave in and made a Twitter account for my self, to see what all of the fuss was about and to see what my favorite famous people are up to. I quickly found out what a useful tool Twitter can be not only for entertainment but also for news and info. Musical artists now are announcing song releases and album releases via their Twitter accounts. Sports stars are keeping fans updated on injuries or locker room situations as they happen. Actors are tweeting about upcoming films and projects in the works. News is delivered in an instant. And once I got up to speed on the format and the lingo of the website, it became a fun tool to use. I now keep my feed up on my desktop at all times via a twitter app, something that I never would have thought that I would do one short year ago. I learned of Osama Bin Laden's death via Twitter, not television or radio or newspaper. I stayed up to date on numerous other news stories through my feed. Twitter is truly revolutionizing the way that people are sending and receiving information and consuming the media. Everything is instant and up to date, and the "old" media seems downright slow in comparison. I think that this media revolution is positive; people are more connected now than ever, and news is even more accessible and fast.

You can be the next Batman.



Kiss-ass has managed to become one of my favorite movies, with a somewhat ridiculous story line, I like it more so for the cinematic concepts of it. As I saw it again this past week, I saw many connections to the readings of last week regarding fanaticism. The story revolves around a teenage boy who is very much devoted to the world of comic books, then falls under the belief that he too can try and become a superhero himself. The boy then buys a costume, and goes into vigilante mode. In his first attempt, he ultimately fails and gets severely hurt. As the readings of Stacey mention that the fan will start an imitation and copying styles of the character they are trying to show tribute for, he decides to partake in the superhero world even if it’s clearly somewhat impossible because he does not have the resources to do so. Although, two supporting characters under the pseudonyms of “Big Daddy” and “ Hit girl” also disguised as superheroes manage to become the resemblance of the modern day Batmans. Their extreme fighting skills and their expensive weapons aid them in being able to have such success in their fight against the "bad guy" in the film. The struggle we see the main character go through, is that of which we have encounter in any superhero comic book. The character has a couple of struggles, yet still manages to be victorious in their “good deed”. The character goes from being a fan of comic books to actually becoming one, the transition of being a regular joe and getting obsessed with the world of super heroes leads to a complete change of lifestyle because of his fanatic beliefs.

The Golden Age of Television

The "golden age" of TV often references the period from the early 50s to the 60s, when television was becoming a fixture in American culture and there were popular and critically acclaimed shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and featured live productions of famous plays and films. Although this period was essential in shaping the television medium, I believe that we are in the midst of the golden age of television and I believe that it is right now that the best shows in history are being made. The number of shows on today and recently that are of high quality is unprecedented. Shows on broadcast television from Lost to ER to The Office to Friends have all pushed the boundaries of TV forward to the point where it seems wrong to call it the small screen anymore. More recently, cable has released some of the best dramas ever seen on television with shows on AMC like Mad Men and Breaking Bad and premium cable shows like The Sopranos and Dexter. These are just a few examples of what is truly a great lineup of shows today and recently. The reasons behind this I think can be explained by not only multiple televisions being in about every home in America, but also cable becoming more widespread and profitable. All of this leads to advertisers willing to spend more on ad space which gives networks more money to invest in some more expensive and ambitious shows. I hope that this trend of shows being made better in terms not only of technology, but also acting and writing because I for one am enjoying every minute of it. I'm just going to need a bigger TiVo...

Did I hear that correctly?





As an avid music lover, I will admit that I like to dance around to a catchy song with a good beat at a club. Although there might be some guilty pleasure which I may not be proud of regarding the music created by the singer Pitbull, I came across the song “Blanco” for the first time the other day. The chorus repeatedly sings “Acercame tu pantalon, Regalame tus Panties” which literally translates to “get close to your pants, give me your panties”. Although, I will admit that Pitbull’s lyrics are never really much on the romantic side. I was more intrigued in the content the viewer was watching while the song played. Of course we see Pitbull singing the obscured song, but we see him going around the city having careless sexual encounters with girls who literally seem to throw themselves at him. We see that his behavior although not quite romantic, he still nonetheless still manages to get the attention of countless of women this music allows him and his collaborating team of musicians to live this lifestyle of women, fame, and money. While the video plays there are segments that show the song along the collaboration movie clips from The fast and the furious in which we can clearly see that the same concepts of women as sex objects and money come into place, and which then seems like a natural state of how things work. The music of Pitbull may be degrading towards women and not much of thought goes into the writing of the lyrics; however, the fact that we hear it with a catchy beat and it seems to become a natural thing in the “party scene”. The artist then doesn’t need to show any respect to women nor come with lyrics that speak more than “let me see your panties” because there is a huge fan base under it supporting this. The music is still getting heard and followed by women who ignore the lyrics, but just choose to dance to the same music degrading them. The artist and music production company will still get profits no matter the consent of the music it self, it seems that in Pitbulls situation as long as you put a catchy beat+catchy chorus+ auto tune= massive success.

Photoshop Deception


With rising levels of technology, more and more special effects can be added to video and photo, creating increasing opportunities for advertisements, movies, commercials, and other elements of media. However, with new opportunities also comes new illusions; with Photoshop, producers have the ability to change images so that they appear different than reality, leading audiences to believe that the deceptive Photoshopped images are actually better representations of reality than reality itself.

One common and well-known Photoshop technique is the one used on women in advertisements and magazine covers. In order to portray a “perfect” female body, editors take the photos of the particular model and use Photoshop to enhance breast size, decrease cellulite, and airbrush over any supposed flaws on the model’s face or body. In addition, color variation is added to make the photo appear more intriguing in color contrast. As seen on the Rolling Stone cover, Katy Perry’s breasts have been enhanced and her stomach has been smoothed over. Similarly, an advertisement for one of Khira Knightly’s films shows Khira with enlarged breasts and added hair volume. For more before-and-after Photoshop pictures, view: http://sastha-knowyourledge.blogspot.com/2010/12/celebrities-before-and-after-photoshop.html

Due to the increased levels of Photoshop used in magazines and television, audiences begin believing that the images are actual representations of reality, rather than exaggerated images. As a result, many consumers view their own bodies as inadequate because they are unable to achieve the perfect yet fake bodies of celebrities. This need to become perfect creates a snowballing effect by increasing the consumption of products such as workout systems, hair dyes, makeup, self-tanning lotions, and many more products that are aimed to “improve” one’s image. Images are Photoshopped because that’s what sells, but unfortunately, we as consumers now believe in the “fake” more than the “real”.

Growing Up Plugged In

I've had to do a lot of final papers/projects for my hospitality minor lately that deal with research of company's background and profile. Through the process of my research, I stopped to think how i was getting my information. I was on each company's Facebook profile. not only do I get a taste of their market demographic, but I get a whole fact sheet of when it was founded, company policies, beliefs, ect. It used to be that in order to get this type of information you had to call the company or look through public records. Now, the way I want information or to view new media is through the click of a button. My Professor stated that this type of 'get it now' mentality was a misfortune to my generation because it meant that our thought progress and prowess to write would be shot or completely lost. That we can't formulate thoughts or structure a narrative paper anymore because our stream of thought is so jumbled and impatient. I can see a truth to what he is saying, but I don't feel that entirely correct. Yes, a majority of my peers do not take the time to outline their thought process for a paper, but we haven't forgotten what we've learned in elementary school about the personal narrative. I feel that with my generation we are special and in between the 'new age' of social media or a quick get it now mentality. We were still brought up to write out our essays, before Facebook, before I pads even. Even so, we are unique because even though we grew up without these things we are still able to easily utilize them all. I think this 'in between' way to grow up gives us an advantage as we are able to use tools like social media and blogging for a professional perspective. We are able to see a blog or Facebook and not only see a platform but a marketing or business tool. We will have the experience ingrained in our heads of how to write structured narratives and essays to go into our schoolwork and online endeavors. I'm not saying that the next generation will not know hows to write an essay well or is in any way inferior from a learning curve standpoint, but I feel that the way they are growing up plugged in, their sense of life, writing, and professionalism may be different.

Kim Kardashian Lives it Up with Midori and So Can You!


Midori tries to grab consumers’ attention by using the bodacious Kim Kardashian to market their product. Her curves and breasts are highlighted thanks to the skintight green dress. Therefore, she greatly contrasts the other women because they are dressed in simple white attire. Kim Kardashian is in fact different from the other individuals in the Midori advertisement. Not only does she appear to be a different race and ethnicity than the other woman, but she also has something that they clearly do not. She is a well renown individual. This is of great importance when it comes to marketing this item with the ideology of being different. If an average individual or unknown model had been used instead of Kim Kardashian, then the message would not be as “powerful”. She is celebrity who has hit ultimate stardom with the success of the store DASH, the show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and various spin offs. Thus, she has truly created a name for herself. A it “could be you” idea is created. After all, what woman does not want to look like Kim Kardashian? In addition, it was also a smart move for the brand to include people of different races and ethnicities because it works to include people of different walks of life rather than exclude. In other words, this creates more than one target audience that means that the company has a higher chance of selling the product. It is also interesting to note that Kim is the only one who is "having fun" and "living it up". This depicts Midori as the key to an exciting nightlife as well because those who are holding a martini are not in on the fun. Lastly, the final touch is that the "S" for stand out is not your typical S. It is backwards so it reinforces the idea of being noticeable.

Monday, May 30, 2011

And when it rains, it POURS




After attending FEST this past Friday, I figured I needed a very relaxing Saturday night. And luckily for me, there were many sappy, romantic movies on TV for free.


My roommate and I popped on the couch with some popcorn and began watching our first movie, “The Notebook”, followed by our second movie, “Failure to Launch.” After watching both movies, I realized there was a theme to both movies during the “sad” parts: there was rain.


This made me begin to ponder about other symbolic movie tricks that directors use to exaggerate a certain point in movies. When there is a fight, sadness, or when someone dies, directors use rain. When there is a happy scene, there is normally sunshine. And if there is going to be a disaster or tragedy, normally there is a terrible storm or fight.


I began to question why directors use these symbols during these particular scenes, and it made me realize that if they used sunshine during sad scenes, or storms during happy scenes, it would confuse the audience members because we are programmed into knowing that when it is raining during a movie, people are sad. We will get so confused if there is sunshine during this part that we will get distracted from the plot and get sidetracked from the actual movie itself.


So maybe it is a good thing that almost every sappy movie has a kiss in the rain after a heart-wrenching fight. All of us girls (and admit, guys) are expecting it. And if there isn’t one, it just leaves us confused in our own thoughts, sitting there with our popcorn.

Pro-Believability, Pro-Economy

Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q1eTWs_tls&feature=related

Pro-active is one of the leading acne solutions sold today in the United States, often using celebrities such as Jessica Simpson and Katy Perry to represent the solution. However, the following commercial is a testimonial Pro-Active commercial, which is just as effective if not more effective than the celebrity testimonies.

Although this commercial does not have celebrity allure, it is effective in telling the “acne story” of an average person, rather than someone famous. Since this commercial showcases a non-celebrity, I found it to be more realistic and believable; celebrities look good no matter what, so of course they are going to claim to “look better” after using Pro-Active acne solution. However, seeing an average person with glowing skin is less common and therefore makes the product seem more attainable and effective. When I hear stories from common people, I am more ready to believe them when they support a product because they do not have professional makeup artists and stylists to constantly make them appear beautiful.

In addition to the practical sense of this commercial, the makers of the commercial also took into consideration the political economy of television advertisements. Since they did not have to hire a celebrity or an actress to pose as a testimonial, they were able to spend less money on talent and talent agents by hiring a common consumer of the product. In addition, they do not use fancy camera angles, thus saving money on camera operators and special effects artists. Lastly, by using the photographs of the testimonial’s “before and after” skin photos, the commercial was able to use a simple slideshow technique while maintaining the practicality and believability of the product through the photos.

Friday, May 27, 2011

From BP to DP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0qrTLGkK_E&NR=1

This video is show’s South Park criticizing Tony Hayward and the BP oil spill. This video presents the apology from BP because of the oil spill in the Gulf. There are several choices made by South Park to reveal their view on the BP spill. Although it’s obvious that the BP spill was something bad, South Park highlights how they think the apology of Tony Hayward was insincere. By reinventing his apology, and emphasizing his response to the spill being “I’m sorry,” the audience not only sees humor in this, but this choice that South Park makes is revealing a particular ideology and that ideology is “you don’t f#@k Mother Earth.” We see this being shown in South Park’s choice at the end of the clip to have Hayward say “We don’t just fuck the earth, we DP it.” Now for those who do not know what DP is, I’ll save you the trouble of googling it because it means “Double penetration.” This is a great choice of words because this is not the first time BP “drilled” into the earth and caused a spill. Even the image of two drills going into the earth is brilliant in terms of drawing an analogy to the sexual act of double penetration. Of course this sort of content can be aired on Comedy Central because the audience is more liberal, and this particular network allows for more freedom of expression as opposed to other networks like Fox or TBS, which air Family Guy (needless to say Family Guy doesn’t come close to pushing the lines like South Park does). In the end, South Park brings people to the discussion table because after watching South Park episodes a lot of people are inclined to learn more about the topics discussed. I know after I saw this episode, I got online and decided to do research, to better understand why I was laughing, and this is exactly what a Media literate person should do.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Theory of Evolution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt2xvG6-F8E

Although Mr. Garrison’s explanation of retard monkey fish frogs is humorous, it brings up an important issue about Media literacy and how we read things based on our own subjectivity. I watch South Park all the time, and this is one of the few criticisms of our society that they point out, which is we do not like to teach/explain/advocate things that aren’t consistent with our own beliefs. Mr. Garrison doesn’t believe in evolution, and this can also come from a lack of knowledge or him just being dismissive because it doesn’t resonant with his own beliefs, but whatever it is, it goes back to one’s subjectivity. Whether or not evolution should be taught in class, and if so, which one’s is still a debate because the theory of evolution is inconsistent with the Christian view that “God created all things” and that he created “Adam and Eve” as opposed to Adam and Eve evolved from (as Mr. Garrison puts it) “the retarded offspring of five monkeys havin' buttsex with a fish-squirrel!” This crude explanation is also Mr. Garrison’s way of confirming that what he himself believes about evolution, which is that “evolution is a bunch of bull crap,” is correct and normal, therefore establishing and maintaining hegemony while promoting his ideology of evolution being “bull crap.”

The Fandom Trap

After reading about forms of identification and star-audience relations from Jackie Stacey’s article, I thought about how much I truly looked up to celebrities and tried to copy them when I was a young girl. I dressed up like a ballerina after reading Angelina Ballerina and I played hopscotch on the sidewalk because that’s what the children did in Sesame Street. One film that particularly changed my “eight-year old life” was The Parent Trap, a 1998 film starring Lindsay Lohan.

Hallie Parker, one of the main characters in The Parent Trap (, played by Lindsay Lohan,) is portrayed as the “cool sister” when compared to her proper English twin, Annie James. Hallie wears jean jackets, has pierced ears, wears stylish sunglasses, and has an overall sense of confidence throughout the film. After watching this, my eight-year old self wanted to be just like her, so I began transforming my appearance and trying to act like her because I identified with her character and wanted to become just like her. As a result, I began to resemble Hallie by wearing similar clothing and dressing in what I thought was vogue (, for a second-grader at least). I also imitated much of what she did physically, by getting my ears pierced and cutting my bangs to fall past my eyes ever so slightly. Not only did I resemble the character of Hallie Parker in my newly-found confidence, but I also managed to look much like her as much as I could through my physical changes by my hair and ears. At the time, I did not think much of what I did, yet looking back on my year in the second grade, I realize much of what I did and how I dressed during that time was very much a result of The Parent Trap, and therefore a reflection of media identification.

The South Park Humor


I really don’t watch TV ever. I wish I did, because it would make topics for this blog a lot easier to write. I just don’t have time and I’m running around like a madwoman with her head cut off? Weird analogy, I know. Well last I decided I’d do myself one better and put in my South Park DVD. It was the episode that is a parody of 300, where a group of Persians come into South Park and take over a Lesbian bar called ‘Les Bos”. Also, Mr. Garrison (who recently had a sex change to be a women, is now gay because he/she likes woman.) finds that he/she belongs at the bar and feels comfortable there. When the Persians come and try to take it over, Mr. Garrison and the town fights back. What I am getting at with this episode is that Matt Stone and Trey Parker do a good job making light of issues such as LGBT identity and in turn point out the way that media sees the gay community. The episode is not necessarily making fun of gay individuals, but it is showing that the media’s representation of the gay community is skewed and stereotyped. The writers of the show both know that the lesbian community is truly as the stereotypes portray them to be, but do a great job making fun of these stereotypes with the help of various media parodies. In the media today, the LGBT community is positioned as a taboo topic or something to be kept ‘private’. This is unfortunate, but it is the current mindset of the masses. I think it’s great when shows make fun of how ignorant this type of 'group think' really is. South Park usually does a great job throwing out and surfacing ignorance.

Do you Follow Me?

Twitter and Facebook have both become important tools for active social media outreach. In politics, they have now become essential tools for having one's voice heard and for reaching the part of our population that spends most of their time tweeting and liking vs. watching tv and reading newspapers. President Obama made great use of his Twitter account during election season in 2008 which may of helped him win. He is now one of the most followed global leaders with 7.4 million followers; just a few million short of Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. What is super odd about Obama's followers is that the White House isn't included in them. The U.S. Government's official Twitter account , @whitehouse, does not even follow the president. As meaningless and unimportant as that may sound, I think it means a lot about how the government.and the president think about Twitter and it's use for diplomacy. Maybe Obama's Twitter account was a mere tool to get him elected into presidency rather then a tool to have his voice heard by the American people. The issue is complicated.

Too Much Too Soon

After reading the latest article for class by Jackie Stacey, I really started to think about how influential celebrities and stars are seen to us “normal” people. I started to think about how I personally regard these people are being more “special” than the average Joe and also how I tend to copy/follow their lead. One show that stood out most to me when I thought about this topic was Toddlers & Tiaras. Even though I have only seen the show a few times, I still can’t believe that these mothers force their daughters to imitate/idolize the life and characteristics of older pageant queens. The mothers, by dolling up their children to the extreme, are only creating a sense of spectatorship for their girls to feel pressure to look and act “perfect”. The young girls pretend, resemble, imitate, copy and consume all that they see in pageant life. Most of the time, their own mothers, who want them to act and look much older and mature, influence this. I believe this is impossible to do because it is so unrealistic. You can’t expect a toddler to have the maturity level nor the patience as that of an 18-year-old girl. In my opinion, the fandom must come to halt and maybe these young girls would be able to enjoy the childhood they should have had all along.

Friday Night Lights

NBC has recently began airing episodes of Season 5 of Friday Night Lights. In the last episode, someone came up to Vince asking for five grand. Vince's father who was recently let out of prison and is currently on parole took the situation into his own hands by beating the man, taking his gun and telling him to leave his family alone.

It is situations like that showcase the true genius of the show. You are torn between what you want him to do because in one perspective, you want him to stay out of trouble and be a good father figure, but with the other you want him to take this fool out and protect his family. The depth and complexity of the situation are notable because there is not right or wrong answer. He must do what he feels is best deep down inside of him.

The decision becomes more than just a choice, but rather a conflict of ethical values. What is right in the situation? The fact that he chose to beat the man up shows the author's message that sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do. He is encoding to take matters into your own hands and protect your family at all cost. And the way he shows it (by bringing him alone behind the football stadium) makes me decode that it was the right thing to do because he did not get caught. All in all, it was an intense couple of scenes.

Twilight Poster



In terms of fandom, the Twilight series is one of the most recent big obsessions with a large audience. Variations of people are literally obsessed with the films and books. Young girls are waiting hours to see the newest film, people are tattooing names of characters to their body and fans feel like the movie is actually a part of their life. This is a shot of a blog entry on E!’s website. There is no preview, no spoiler alerts of the film or any clues at all. It’s a simple poster with the name of the latest movie and the release date. The blog post says, “It’s finally here!” There is clearly this element of surprise and excitement for fans. They have read the books and watched the previous films. This poster release draws them into the upcoming movie. The creators of the film understand the dedication of the audience. The release of this poster is a tease. It reminds the fans that there is more to come and they have something to look forward to this upcoming fall. I personally am a fan of the series and the poster does in fact excite me. I watch other films and shows. There is a mental break from Twilight since the last movie hasn’t come out since this past summer. Seeing this poster, I remember that the series isn’t over and I can finally see what happens next.

A (Temporary) End to an Era



It has been announced that HBO will premiere a condensed season of Entourage, with only about six episodes, to kick off the summer. Entourage remains one of HBO’s most popular shows amongst a wide array of viewers, including fans of all ages, gender, and interests that I know personally. Entourage is and has always been a feel good show, the story of an actor’s rise from nothing and ability to overcome turmoil. Yet for HBO, the show is far more formulaic. Although production credits go to Mark Whalberg, who has stated the show to be a very loose representation of his own “crew”, it is obvious that HBO has a definite say in the final product. Whether it be the constant cameos from an onslaught of currently popular celebs, or slick examples of product placement, Entourage is a prime example of the political economy within premium channel television. In order to the keep the audience interested and loyal Entourage continues to style its characters in the newest attire, surround them by the freshest stars, and keep them in new cars. Be that as it may, there are many like myself who are true Entourage fans, and for us it is sad to see the show coming to a close. For the past 7 years Entourage has served as almost another group of friends of mine whom I’m able to check in with weekly. For HBO there is one more season to milk the cash cow, and then a final bow taking a page from SJP’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) and capping the series off with a movie or two. Only to keep the viewers honest, right? Or to keep pouring in money off the same generic formula while the scientists craft the next show craze that will capture our attention every Sunday night. – C.S.

Loving Isaiah Mustafa and Hating the New Guy


There has been much criticism of the new Edge Shaving Cream commercial. It has audiences disliking that it resembles Isaiah Mustafa’s acting in the Old Spice commercials. Both these actors display a gross exaggeration of confidence thanks to the products. They also both highlight and suggest masculinity. When it comes to technical applications, these commercials are similar in the sense that there is a fast change of scenery. The scenes aim to guide the narration to describe how this is the product “for men who get stuff done”. In this case, the commercial begins with athletic men in a locker room. It is not ironic that a football was kicked because it suggests toughness and the bond for sports that men of different classes can relate to. Football is also perceived to be a great way to channel American spirit. It suggests also toughness. In addition, it can be a way to target athletes without excluding the average Joe. The next scene rapidly shifts to a bathroom where a man is in the act of shaving. This is also a way to create commonality for men of different walks of life because a great abundance of men shave whatever their race or culture may be. The scene then quickly shifts to a moment of preparation for a groom’s wedding. The wedding suggests that it comes in handy when there is a special event and gives off the idea that the brand is “there for the customer and doesn’t fail”. In other words, a sense of encouragement is created. Next, a garage is used for the setting. Here, men are showing off their handy man skills. It is these men who can suggest that even the middle and lower class are not alienated when it comes to getting the perfect shave. The phrase, “ no matter what kind of stuff we do, we have to get ready to do it,” suggests that no matter what kind of a occupation a man has they all still go through the process of getting ready in the morning. Once again, a commonality is created. Then last but not least, the final scene is of an extravagant home where the narrator has the ideal women of beauty awaiting him; Caucasian, slim, busty, blonde-haired women are used in this commercial. There are actually two in this commercial at the narrator beck and call. This can suggest that polygamy lives thanks to this gel and the softness of a man’s face. The home scene also suggests social class; the tailored man shows how the man setting the table is inferior; when the tailored nab claps his, the man setting the table opens the door to find the woman waiting for the tailored man and not him. Therefore, this commercial aims to target a variety of men. Edge Shaving Cream is aware that the marketing strategies that Old Spice used were successful and in return tried to use it to their own advantage by creating a similar commercial. Can we blame if it helps their business thrive?

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Hangover 2: New story or same old plot line?


I will openly admit: probably one of my favorite movies of all time was the Hangover. Classic comedy that, even after watching it 20 times, never gets old. So you can bet that when I found out they were making a Hangover 2, I was beyond excited like a little kid in the candy story.


But then I saw it.


The trailer that is.


Sadly, it looks awfully familiar to the first one. Similar story plot: friend’s getting married, groom and friends decide to drink, wake up lost the next morning (notice, it is the same 3 guys who got lost the first time around too), one friend is missing, and then the search for that friend begins with the help of a Mr. Cho. Needless to say there are some definite differences, such as instead of finding a baby, they find a monkey, and they are in a different country.


But why is it that producers/directors decide to make another sequel to an already awesome movie? Maybe it is because the first one was such a hit, they decided to make another one. Or maybe it is because they knew it would make profits again, and why not remake something that already made a ton of money?


Normally, sequels end in disaster. I am hoping for the reputation of the first one that this one is at least comparable. Either way I am for sure still seeing this movie, despite all the very weird similarities. I will be keeping my fingers crossed when I eat my popcorn and pray that the director/producers throw in many different twists that keep me on my toes.


And I hope I get a good laugh too.

Dis-comfort Food

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGrqW3nx5HM

There is a recent Popeyes commercial that depicts an older African-American woman expressing her undying love for Popeyes fried chicken. Fried chicken, the stereotypical go-to food for African-Americans, has become a staple of black culture. Looking back on most Popeyes advertisements, unlike KFC, which seems to be more generally accepted and preferred, there has been a majority of African-Americans in their commercials. This may be due to their corporate belief that their main audience is within the Black community, however it does have a deeper affect of insinuation. With the woman who possesses a somehow slightly obvious hint of a Southern accent, seems to represent what American media has defined as the quintessential Black mom. She praises the chicken while condemning their competitors, and then performs a quick dance for her chicken. It seems that Popeyes figured an easy way capture their audience’s attention would be to perpetuate many stereotypes of African-Americans. Using a quick jingle, a flash of fried chicken, and a 3 second dance, Popeyes is able to, perhaps unintentionally, represent the Black community. Although one is much more aggressively promoting these stereotypes, the Popeyes commercials share similarities with a former YouTube phenomenon, “Fry that Chicken.” With these stereotypes being subtly kept alive through all media, it is hard to imagine that we can, as a general population, dismiss the prejudicial connection between Fried Chicken and Blacks. -C.S.

"Someday" he will be my boyfriend.

This actually sort of makes me happy even though I am not a fan of his or necessarily understand "Bieber Fever."  This is a commercial for his new fragrance-for women-called "Someday."  First, I like that this challenges the norms of male perception within society.  Justin Bieber is well aware of the fact that an overwhelming majority of his fans are girls, and most of his appeal is projected solely onto them.  What I really like is that by making this commercial, which is directed towards a female fragrance, he is not trying to challenge the fact that he is not necessarily perceived a masculine figure in media, but rather a teen heartthrob with his boyish look and baby face despite his age.  The point is, men typically do not look up to him for any reason.  In this commercial, Bieber is embracing the fact that his audience is predominantly female, and challenges what a lot of other known "heartthrobs" have done in the past with products.  Almost every time a male entertainer/athlete/celebrity has released a fragrance it was strictly directed towards men, with commercials showcasing that the male fragrance will attract the woman.  This commercial uses a clever reverse psychology; using the female fragrance as an aid in attracting a male, in this case Justin Bieber himself.  Though this may only be a tactic in order to expand his already large female audience as well as a huge money maker, it still shows a type of confidence coming from Bieber about being comfortable enough to do this.  Most men in his position would try extremely hard to shed a heartthrob image by straying away from what actually is making them a heartthrob (feeding into female attention), but Bieber simply embraces it and it shows an internal masculine confidence.

RIP to the Code


The Chicago Code was a new TV show that just came out this winter on Fox that turned out to be a very short lived one. I admit that one of the main reasons that I watched this show was because it was shot in my current hometown and it had a very "Chicago" feel to it with the characters and the landmarks that were represented. It was still a very solid police drama, however, and the themes of taking down corruption and the complex characters provided a needed twist on a very stale genre. The viewership was not terrible, but it was nothing groundbreaking either and the show received solid critical reviews. All of this would seem to lead to the show being renewed for at least one more season by Fox, but unfortunately it did not. The reason behind this is obvious and it has everything to do with money. Instead of picking up this show, that has to pay writers and actors, Fox will continue to stick with their reality TV lineup, and since the show did not bring in a large enough viewership, they don't think that it is worth it to renew a solid new cop drama. Another factor that goes into Fox's decision is probably that Chicago Code was shot on location in Chicago, which adds to the cost of the show, rather than it being shot in a studio in LA. In any case I wish that Fox would have given the Code another chance next season, as I think that with a little more advertisement, they could have brought in a lot of viewers.

Hannah Free: The Power of Love

Even though, I'm writing an extensive paper on the matter, I thought I'd touch on the film I saw today called Hannah Free. The movie is about a lesbian couple that grows up together. Their love is challenged by pressure and societal strains to adhere to society's norm of sexual orientation and gender roles. This film was inspiring for me and I'm not even a member of the LGBT community. I saw the film as inspirational and empowering because some of my friends are gay and have gone through struggles of the same types of situations. Even though I am straight, this story still impacted me; I see it as one of the most powerful love stories. All they wanted was to be together, and because it is frowned upon by society, they had to fight to have a legitimate relationship. The dominant group (straight) tried to override the ‘other’ group (gay). This is a prime example of how fears of the ‘other’ group, shapes societal norms and group people into different categories. It’s sad to see ignorance limit the quality of life that some people have. Some homophobic people, the masses of homophobes in general limit the freedom or quality of life of homosexual individuals, gay or lesbian. I would refer this film to anyone and everyone that wants to be moved by something and feel love. Gay or straight, this film will touch you and show you the power of love.

Happy Ending?

As an avid movie watcher I have come across the wonderful film of “Thelma and Louise” about a year ago and the story of friendship and women empowerment was something quite different. Today I came across the article in Yahoo regarding this film in discussion to the memorable “fly off the cliff” ending in cinematic history. According to the article by Matt McDaniel, there was an alternate ending which reminded me about the semiotic reading of films. The original ending was to have the main characters fly off their ’66 Thunderbird convertible off the cliff and have the detective Hal chase after them and gaze down the canyon then gathering the police forces around as a montage of Thelma and Louise begin to play. It is said that the ending that we all know, shows a more hopeful ending, it manages to give the audience freedom to draw out the conclusion if the women survived or managed to go into a more metaphorical bitter sweet ending. As the ending shows them hold hands, drive off the cliff and the picture freezes with the car in mid air the screen goes into a white fadeout. McDaniel, discusses that when the movie was shown to audiences they said that the white fadeout gave a different meaning rather than actually seeing the car drop down. The semiotic readings really managed to alternate depending on the simple contexts of just seeing a car drop or freeze over, which I totally agree upon as I felt that the freezing of the car in mid air managed to show the women be more triumphant in their journey.

Article: http://blog.movies.yahoo.com/blog/1399-thelma-louise-opened-20-years-ago-almost-ended-differently

Gleeks becoming part of The New Directions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9_HK2dlCPk

So by now, everyone has at least heard of the show Glee (this class alone has referenced it plenty of times). The show is great, in my opinion, I'm almost crying now watching their rendition of "Because I Knew You." And now that the show has taken off it's gotten extreme ratings and feedback from fans across the country.
The producers of the show (from what I know) have begun a few different competitions for the fans, now. The first has to do with the commercial posted above. Fans are encouraged to create their own "See the U.S.A." Chevy song and submit it online, the winner's video will actually be made into a Chevy commercial.
The second fan-friendly competition is a television show that allows aspiring singers the chance to win a spot on Glee. Although this show is only open to people with some actual talent, it's still a way to draw people in and create and ever larger hype around this norm-busting series. I think both are great, they allow people to express not only their love and devotion for the show, but also their dreams singing/acting and being a part of something bigger than themselves.

Vampire Victims

So I am a fan of the vampire culture and I can't get enough of it. Though being in this class, I have begun to analyze the content of these shows and movies. One of my favorites is the Vampire Diaries that comes on the CW. In the show, there are three main characters, Alana, Damon, and Stephen. The premise of the show consists of the the two men, who are vampires, saving Alana from sudden danger. The writers always make her a victim. The fact that they are both in love with her adds to their need to save her. When looking at the female human characters in the vampire culture, you realize that they are always troubled in some sort of way. Alana's parents died and she runs into these vampire brothers who bring her life trouble making her the damsel that they enjoy saving. Another thing that bothers me in this show is the way that the vampires kill. When it is a male that they are murdering it is done in a very agressive and careless way. However, when they kill women they over sex it and draw it out. There have been multiple occasions in the show when the vampires say that they enjoy chasing the female before they kill her. What does this say about the vampire culture that we as Americans cling to.

Monday, May 23, 2011

End of the World

I’m not sure how many people heard about this, but May 20th was the first time I heard about the “end of the world” and not only was the world going to end, but it was going to end at 6:00pm. Some people actually believed Harold Camping when he began to spread the word that Judgement day was coming. Harold Camping told his followers that they should either donate or prepare for “Judgment Day.” A lot of people took money out of their savings, retirement funds, and other resources in order to donate. Robert Fitzpatrick spent $140,000 on billboards advertising May 21st as the Day the world was going to end. After the fact, Camping issued a statement saying that because of the True believers “prayers,” God listened and decided to not “end the world.” I find this humorous, however, this even brings up the question of the way we use and interact with media. Some use media for very significant and positive life changing purposes and some scare the hell out of you with it. I can only imagine how some people who actually believed the world was going to end felt up until the 6:00 hour. The amount of fear had to have been unbelievable. Also, not to mention, the amount of money many people spent out of fear. This is similar to the radio scandal of 1938 when Orson Welles played War of the Worlds and many believed that the world was going to end. We have to think about the way in which we use the media to send messages because to the media illiterate person, the media can be extremely dangerous.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Do you take Credit Card? YES!




Square is here! Square let's anybody be confident and capable of accepting credit cards anywhere! This is great news for small and large business owners. Users pay no monthly fee to use this service, like many other credit card services such as Verifone, and offers a flat fee of 2.75 % per swipe. Seasonal companies will no longer have to worry about year round credit card services they don"t even use. Square sends all of it's users a free iPhone /Android compatible dongle which hooks to each devices headphone jack. Users launch the Square app and set the price for the item they are selling . Shortly after, users can write a description or take a picture of the item they are selling. This can all be sent as an invoice or receipt to the buyers email. Buyers are then prompted to swipe and sign with their finger shortly after. One does not have to even own a business to use it. One could even use it in a small garage sale. As cool as this is, there are social and ethical implications to this. Drug dealers and prostitutes could get a hold of this and make fake transactions for illegal goods and services. The Square service is easy to obtain requiring merely a social security number to get started. Technology is scary! -V.F

Media and Privacy




There is a fascination between the media, an audience and someone [celebrity or well-known person] else’s tragedy. As many of us have heard, this week Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver are getting a divorce. Apparently Arnold fathered another woman’s child (who worked for him) over 10 years ago. At first all the news channels talked about the split alone. Then we found out there was infidelity. Then we found out there was a love child. Then we found out the mother was someone that worked for him. There is this continuous cycle of information as though you are watching a movie. None of us know these two people, but because they choose to be in the spotlight we can know their most intimate secrets. Media does not have emotion. It is simply a way to showcase entertainment, whether at the expense of someone’s privacy or not. When a “juicy” story like this comes to light, no one is a fan. The celebrities become subjects for our for us to watch. I think this story is another reminder of how media consumes all aspects of life. There can be a story about the world supposedly ending, a cheating star or the newest popular song, we will hear about it on TV, the radio and the internet. Media knows everything.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Story of the hour: hummus

Today, I was in the Student Center, minding my own business when all of a sudden, I was faced with controversy. No, it wasn’t about Presidential candidates for next year’s election, or even the current SGA election being held. It involved hummus.


Later on, I soon realized that not only students and staff members at DePaul were affected by this, but also the entire Chicago community. How? Well, apparently the Chicago news decided they have nothing better to report except for this controversy of whether or not the hummus brand DePaul provides is ethical. I, for one, do not know too much about the issue on why this controversy is occurring, but I will say this:


Shouldn’t the news be focusing on more important issues that are occurring in the Chicago-land? Shouldn’t us Chicagoans be focused on the gang-related activity that is happening in our neighborhoods, or the missing 6-year old from the suburb of Aurora? I am sad to see where the news is focusing on. Instead of stating important news, they report on, essentially, hummus.


I firmly believe that there does need to be a balance of soft and hard news, but honestly, who cares about what type of hummus DePaul sells in the cafeteria besides DePaul staff members and students? I personally think this is silly. I rather watch the news to learn about different bills being passed in the state or of any shootings that can endanger my own life. But hummus?


Let’s just hope next week the news doesn’t start reporting on how these SGA elections went. I honestly then do not know what the media news has come to if that was the case. -Alex Higgins

"It gets better"



I came across this video earlier last week on youtube and thought that it was a great way to use the social media networks to educate others and become aware about the LGBT community and give support and awareness. The news has covered recent teen suicides because of bullying in High Schools and elementary schools because of this issue. I remember a couple years back hearing in the news about an 11 year old boy hanging himself because of constant teasing and harassing in his school because other boys would tease him and call him “gay”. It’s shocking to know that children are being affected by the ignorance of society, and how it has manage to grow to this magnitude that children feel like they should be ashamed for who they and feel like there is no way out other than ending their own lives. When I saw the clip, I thought that it was great how they managed to show different people who are proud of who they are, even if you are an 80 year old man, a celebrity, a veteran, a cop; the message to give hope to all those in the LGBT community to not feel ashamed for who they but embrace it because as said “it does get better”. It’s a great way to use social networking in creating awareness about the issue.

Censorship to a whole new level.

The new issue of Dossier magazine features male model Andrej Pejic, who happens to look very androgynous.  Barnes and Noble bookstore have decided to censor this particular issue using an opaque black covering on the magazine's cover in fear of customers mistaking the male model for a woman.  Barnes and Noble is currently the largest bookstore in the continental US and is aware of the fact that when these issues of Dossier came out featuring this model, they knew he is indeed a male.  The problem here obviously lies within the public perception and ignorance to what the gender of this person actually is; it poses a question on gender perception within society.  As featured in the image, Pejic is clearly not the first shirtless male on a magazine cover, but his thin build and feminine face contrast with the built, shirtless models featured on many men's magazines.  Dossier being a culture and arts journal may play a role in the fact that he is not posing in order to promote masculinity, but instead high fashion-which is known to be open to gender ambiguity.  This, not necessarily being the "norm" to the general public, with high fashion having a particular subculture audience, may cause for customer complaints due to offensiveness, lack of censorship, and ignorance.  Barnes and Noble, being only a small percentage of world wide sales of this issue, does not pose a huge a threat in deficit in sales, but it does play a role on social perception of others based on gender ambiguity.  Many people are not used to seeing such individuals portrayed in the media; to them this is not the norm.  Consequently, what is not the norm is also not comfortable and may be viewed as unsafe for a child walking into the store to view as an example.  This poses a commentary on how the public teaches children of "norms" from a young age, and deems anything other than the norm as offensive and uncomfortable, unfortunately.

Article: http://jezebel.com/5802115/barnes--noble-censors-cover-featuring-androgynous-male-model

ANOTHER iPhone!?!?!?!

Really, Apple?? ANOTHER iPhone?!?! Didn’t the iPhone 4 just come out (at least it feels like it) along with the iPad 2? I mean I must admit, I wish I had an iPhone. I do have an iPad and love it; it has so many nice features that make using a computer so so much easier. I was actually in the Apple store the other day to get my computer checked out and it actually dawned on me how many AWESOME products they have, most of which are totally unnecessary. Apparently, the iPhone 4 was never originally released in white, and now its made it’s debut (that was all the talk at the store)? There’s even Apple TV!?! Who woulda guessed? Anyways, it probably shouldn’t surprise me that the iPhone 5 is coming out so quickly, it’s just another thing for us to obsess over for a short bit, of course until the next one comes out. The phone will debut in September and production of it will begin in either July or August. It has been said that it will have a faster processor than all the other phones, but there is no sign of 4G that will be available on it. Overall, if you’re ready to upgrade your iPhone or just want to keep up with the latest trends, keep you’re eyes peeled in September, for what will naturally be the coolest and most high tech phone on the market.

Shaping-up or Just Plain Shallow?

Skechers has chosen a new target audience for their Shape-up shoe line, which were recently advertised by Kim Kardashian in a sexy Super Bowl Ad; this time older women aren’t the target audience. Instead, little girls are. This ad shows how Heidi is a rock star and how she’s “got everything a girl wants!” It could possibly be because “She’s got the height, got the bounce, and she’s looking good and having fun” all thanks to Skechers Shape-ups. Girls from different races are shown so that no one is excluded. What is interesting to note about this commercial is that other girls aren’t dressed up in food costumes to chase Heidi. Instead, fatigued and unattractive boys are. What exactly is Skechers trying to say? Girls can refrain from sweet temptations and look good while doing it? Had attractive and “functioning” boy characters been used in this commercial than maybe the girl’s sex appeal would be boosted. However, is it right that Skechers created this double standard when the company is attempting to fight childhood obesity? Perhaps toning shoes aren’t what are necessary to fix the problem; toning consists of firming the legs and one’s rear. I believe that a better solution for this problem where parents wouldn’t be outraged and ideal beauty isn't promoted consists of creating and marketing a fashionable running shoe.

Freaks and Geeks

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v15273782TjeyfFjf

So, for my long form narrative class I have to watch a television series to write our final paper. I ended up choosing Freaks and Geeks because I've never seen it and I like a lot of the characters on the show. But what really attracts me to it are the cultural boundaries it breaks. You get to follow lives of so called "losers" in high school rather than focusing on the pretentious lives of the popular kids. The show exemplifies real life hardships that unpopular kids endure on a daily basis in high school.

Although I didn't go to high school in the 80's I can identify with the same adversities that they faced. Sure, I wasn't a necessarily a "freak" or a "geek" but the characters of the show go through similar experiences to me that creates a cathartic experience. For example, I remember me and my friends being so nervous the first time changing for gym class. It was a big step because of kids entering puberty and whatnot. Granted, I did not get picked on while changing nor did I have to run around the halls naked, but it was a big personal hurdle I had to jump over.
Another example comes when Lindsay is caught helping Daniel cheating on a test. Everyone automatically assumes she did it (which she did) without asking for her side of the story. I was in a similar scandal in High School when me and about 12 other guys were being obnoxious during a midterm and one girl told on us. Of course, I was the only one who got in trouble, but I felt as if I should lie to get myself out (to this day, last serious, big lie I have ever told). It just sucks when your back is up against a wall and you have no support so your only option is to lie. Like Lindsay, I felt helpless and lies kept turning into lies. It is crazy how high school administration puts on this crazy tough facade on kids in order to show superiority. What is crazier (and my third point) is how parent support you through those times where no one does. My parents, similar to Lindsay's knew I was kind of lying, but they believed me even when no one would not. American culture is so dog eat dog, but typically, parents always are there for you when you need them most.

But after all that, what I concluded most about watching the show thus far is how big of a freak I am. Looking back, I was a lot less cool than I thought I was to the point where I was just strange. Too bad the show was cancelled after one season because it's genius!


Funny Girls


Despite the female leads, writers and feminine subject matter, all of the men in my family (Dad, Brother and me), had a trip to the theater to see Bridesmaids this weekend. I will admit that the major reason that we decided to see the film was because we heard that it was funny online and Judd Apatow was involved. I wouldn’t say that we weren’t expecting the film to be funny, but we were all thoroughly entertained, and we were found it to be a great film. I think that many guys in our position will write off this film simply because it involves female characters and a wedding, and with other “guy” movies like Fast Five out right now. I do hope that people will see it anyway and realize that funny is funny, no matter if a woman or man wrote the jokes. Also, it will be very interesting to see whether or not the unexpected success of this film will lead to more female driven comedies. As of now, there really is not a big market for a “female” comedy, but the success of Bridesmaids this weekend may lead to more studios taking chances on them. I just hope that it doesn’t turn into a gimmick-y thing for women to have a film; it should still have to be funny, but I will definitely go see a movie if it is funny, regardless of the gender of the actors or writers.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Britney Spears is “Back”? Where Did She Go?



This photo of Bazaar’s front page has Britney Spears on the cover and MTV’s Buzzworthy Blog decided it was worth-while to cover. Just seeing the name Britney Spears sent up red flags in my eyes to not read unless for a class assignment. So naturally, I opened the blog. The subtitle on the cover of the magazine says “Britney’s Back” and the blogger’s description of the front page is very supportive of the sub caption as it points out Spears’s shortcomings at the very start of the entry. Not too long ago, Britney Spears shaved her head and did a couple other things that the media and in turn America alike thought was way too extreme and un lady-like, therefore deranged and worth a psychiatric evaluation. One can’t help but notice that the media structures the views of American culture in this case to think that anything other than the ‘norm’ or ‘perfectly proper’ way of acting is therefore inferior, odd, or just psychotic. Spears’s actions are put into the ‘other’ group because it is not a normal form of behavior, but let’s face it, if one of my classmates were to shave their heads, for their personal ‘crazy’ or for a friend suffering from cancer, the general population wouldn’t think too much into it. Whereas Spears’s fame and pedestal is raised too high not to notice or judge her. Women in the media are supposed to fit a profile of skinny, tall, and flawless. The average American woman does not look like that. One can only imagine the stresses and pressures that Spears is under to fit this profile and live up to her ‘name’ as a woman, let alone a famous woman.--Alexandria C.

I'm not Lov'n It

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBuKuA9nHsw


In the following commercial, McDonalds depicts a scene in which a father and his recently graduated son are at McDonalds; As the father orders food, his son is speaking on the phone with another male friend, who audience may suspect to actually be his boyfriend by the way in which the main character speaks softly to his “friend” on the receiving line. They discuss their class photo but the call is cut short because the father comes back to the table with the food. The father then remarks, (, in reference to the class photo,) “Too bad your class is all boys, you could get all the girls.” His son smiles and a calm moment follows, leaving the audience to believe that the son will soon tell his father that he is actually gay. As the camera reels out, the scene reveals a relaxing, sunlit McDonalds while inspiring music plays in the background. The commercial then closes with McDonald’s French logo, “Commez vous commes ĂȘtes” (Come as you are).

Although this scene raises gay awareness and creates a heartfelt sensation, it presents McDonalds in quite a skewed fashion. Rather than being a welcoming place for serious discussions and sexual diversity, McDonalds is usually a better atmosphere for hungry families looking for a quick meal or screaming children who would rather play at the McDonalds PlayPlace than take a bite of their not-so-Happy Meals. As the screen pans out, the audience is shown a clean, kid-free McDonalds with an employee walking through the restaurant to check on customers. Does this really happen? I think no

In addition to creating a false atmosphere for McDonalds, this commercial fails to advertise any part of the food that the restaurant offers OR the cheap prices at which consumers can buy meals – the two typical selling points for McDonalds. While this scene certainly raises awareness for sexual diversity, it does little to advertise the restaurant because it creates a false and misleading atmosphere and fails to mention the services offered.