Old vs. New

This picture is a satire on the advance of technology. During the past two decades, we have seen a major change in the way we consume media. The move from cassette tapes to IPods happened within a ten year period. I remember being five or six years old, listening to my cassette player, and by the time I turned 15, I had an mp3 player. This shift occurred congruent to the improvements made to computers and the internet. The cassette player in this pic represents the older view of new technology being something dangerous and delinquent, and the IPod represents the view of the younger generation which is a “Nobody cares” sort of attitude. The older view is stuck in the past, and not realizing the benefits of “youth” or in other words “new technology” because at some point in time all old technology were “new technology,” but instead of empathizing, we see ridicule and judgment. Many view new things as something dangerous because they do not know how to take in all its “newness.” This pokes fun at the idea of the past being so much greater than the present and not to mention the future. If instead of highlighting the disadvantages of new technology (all technologies have their disadvantages), we focus on what new and old technology have in common or why new technology is beneficial, then we will be that much closer to bettering ourselves as a society. I say this because technological advance reflect where we are as a society.

Logorama

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

In the short film, Logorama, we see an alternate reality in which there is nothing but “Logos,” which are advertisement. The short get’s us to think about the effects that all of these logos influence our lives, especially living in a society which is now saturated with different advertisements from all over. All industries have a targeted market, but at the same time, each industry want to appeal to as many as possible, a result of political economy, and the Logo’s while making fun of advertisement, is also being critical of how our society has changed. For instance, if we look at how women are portrayed as sex objects through the “Esso,” which is the name of an oil and fuel company. This connotes a sense of being taken advantage of, since the world has abused oil and fuel, much like a woman. We also see Ronald McDonald as the bad guy, which would work to paint a picture of childhood obesity, or obesity in general. This can also be seen as a view on McDonald’s as a brand in general. Furthermore, we see the two boys at the zoo, misbehaving and being disrespectful. The colloquialisms used in the film work to heighten the sense of post-modernity and how norms are redefined from generation to generation. Logorama is touching on several themes that force us to look at ourselves as a whole.

She certainly doesn’t have the vocal chords of Christina Aguilara or Beyoncé , nor does she have the spontaneous, new age creativity of idols such as Lady Gaga. However, she does have one thing that many current artists lack: the ability to communicate through lyrics and truly connect to the audience. Who is she? Taylor Swift.

Time and time again, critics shut down Taylor Swift, claiming that she can’t sing. True, she may not have the best voice nor is she the best live performer. Nevertheless, her ability to connect with her audience (preteen-young adult females) and truly relate to them has surpassed all other artists of the decade. She writes all of her own lyrics and music, a skill that many singers cannot claim, plays either piano and guitar in all of her songs, and puts every piece of her heart into each of her songs, even using real names of people that have impacted her lift. This fearlessness continues to impress me; in a world where stars are constantly shot down by the media and analyzed according to the paparazzi’s viewpoint, Swift continues to maintain her own musical style and originality despite negative any negative feedback.

In addition to her down-to-earth lyrics and simple melodies, Taylor Swift has managed to “keep it real” and stay out of trouble from clubs, drugs, and many other side-effects of young stardom. In a time when Lindsay Lohan is constantly in and out of court and Disney stars are taking videos of themselves smoking marijuana (*cough cough* Miley Cyrus), it is certainly refreshing to follow a star who’s able to gain publicity and interviews for her achievements rather than her failures.

In a response to critics, Scott Borchetta defends Taylor Swift by writing, “"Maybe she's not the best technical singer, but she's probably the best emotional singer because everybody else who gets up there and is technically perfect, people don't seem to want more of it. ... I think [the critics] are missing the whole voice of a generation that is happening right in front of them. ... She's an extraordinary songwriter and her vocal performances are getting better.” I couldn’t say it any better myself.

Third time's the charm.

As many may have heard, Lindsay Lohan has been sentenced to jail time along with community service once again.  A part of me feels bad, it's like it never ends for the girl.  For Lindsay it should start feeling a like second home by now, but this time not only is she getting jail time for the third time in a row for her necklace theft case, but she is also getting sentenced to community service work both at the Downtown Women's Center in Los Angeles but also to janitorial work at a Morgue, where she will indeed see dead bodies.

Judge Sautner's intentions are clear here-she is not going off easy on her by any means, especially with her notorious victim mentality, carelessness, and unrealistic mentality of what her life really looks like at the moment.  A few years back, Lindsay was a "star."  Young, hot, the next big thing, you name it, but we have to remember-this was almost a decade ago and quite frankly there is new talent out there that can do her job just as well as-or better than she might have done back in 2004.  She wants to regain her significance within the film industry, but she is up against raw amazing talent that does not have all these mishaps going on in their lives.  For Lindsay it's a tough call now, because not many directors will have her in mind as their first choice.  Lindsay still wants to prove herself as an actress even recently scoring a confirmed new gig on a Gotti biopic (which has been confirmed after speculation and rumors).  Unfortunately, in the eyes of the judges, attorneys, film execs, and the public, she cannot be taken seriously at this point.  She is on the receiving end of the information that is being slapped straight in her face, with a sentence that has no room for her have any sort of leeway in.  She may play the victim role well, but the girl needs to stop with her tremendous sense of entitlement which shows through her choice of dress to court (the world is her runway), her still going to clubs (despite that being the trigger for her drinking and drug use), and looking for acting jobs during this time.  As trite as it may sound, Lindsay needs a reality check, and maybe the best one for her will be viewing dead bodies-a sentence unlike any others she's had so far.  She needs to pick herself up by separating herself from everything that she knows and build herself up even if it hurts a bit.