"Celebrity 101" with the Kardashians

After today's class discussion on "celebrity," I realized how the class has come full circle. In the first week of class, we talked about fame and how everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame. I think that most celebrities are just getting their 15 minutes of fame, unless they capitalize on it. I know that a lot of people today had negative feelings about the Kardashians and if they were really celebrities. I actually think that the Kardashians are very smart and one of the best examples on how to stretch their fame and celebrity. If you think about it, the joke is really on us. Yes, none of the family seems like they really have any talents, yet they are rolling in the money. Today, I read that the Kardashians signed a $40 million deal for three more seasons of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians!!" Based upon that, one can see how people are watching them and see that they are in fact celebrities. They are the kind of celebrities we would all like to be: celebrities who don't have to do anything and they just get money. We would all love to get paid for doing nothing!! I bow down to the Kardashians for turning a sex tape (15 minutes of fame) into million dollar empire (celebrity). As people talk more and more about them, they are laughing all the way to the bank.

Fans are "NUTS"

This week, we discussed participatory culture and media convergence. I can think of many types of fans that seem to take it to the next level in participatory culture: Star Wars, Star Trek, Lady GaGa, Avatar, X-Men, Batman, World of Warcraft, etc.... All of those people who are extreme fans seem foreign to us and very weird. We do not have any great fandom like them! We just know every line from Family Guy, know the batting average of every Sox player, or know every lyric to our favorite artist. Oh, wait..maybe we are like them!
One of the most interesting thing about participatory culture is the great effect it has on what people are fans to. For example, "Chuck" is a very low-rated show on NBC. For multiple seasons, fans have gotten the show back on the air even with the low ratings. They do this through things like twitter campaigns. Another instance is the fandom for the show "Jericho." Fans sent 20 tons of nuts to CBS headquarters to revive the canceled show. The nuts referred to a specific scene in the show. After this incident, the show got renewed for 8 more episodes.
Examples explained above show how different the media is these days. To an extent, People can now have a say in what is shown in the media. If someone wants a show to stay on the air, start a campaign. If someone wants a leaked song from their favorite artist, they can tweet producers to leak those songs. Fan have more power than they probably realize. If enough team up together, they could probably get anything they want to happen for what they are fans of.

Naturalized Stereotypes

This week, we talked about how people are stereotyped in certain ways in the media. It seems in multiple shows that the father/husband role is usually a buffoon (aka Homer Simpson). This role is usually someone with horrible eating habits, bad hygiene, low class, and an unhealthy weight. On the other hand, their wives are usually the exact opposite. The wife/mother is usually smart, beautiful, and THIN. Usually, the husband never realizes how good he has it. I think that because of shows that display these stereotypes, women will always be thought that they have to be perfect without any flaws. This kind of goes back to last week's readings and videos about how women are perfected in the media. It is funny and I guess good for me, that it seems that men are not held up to the same standards. I can think of multiple shows where this certain stereotype plays out (The Simpsons, The King of Queens, The Sopranos, According to Jim, Still Standing, etc....). Stereotypes will probably never change in the media because it is the way those in power want it to be. They want women to constantly think that they have to be perfect and thin so that they will continually buy products. They want men to be obsessed with sports, beer, and food so they will buy a big screen TV to watch the game or buy beer everyday. If shows did not have these stereotypes then people would have no one to relate to. Imagine if shows had people that no one could relate to or was so individualized. No one would probably watch it then. These stereotypes are so ingrained into what we think is normal that it is just what it is. It is natural and cannot be changed.

Piece of Her

In Jean Kilbourne's "Killing Us Softly," we learn how women are continually dismembered and treated as sex objects in the media. All of this is due to advertisers perfecting women's bodies throughout computers.    Also, women are usually shown basically naked in most advertisements. These images make people feel bad about the way they look because they cannot achieve the perfection in the ads. The funny thing is that even the people in the ads do not look like the finished product of the advertisements.

This video reminded me of the students who made a proportional model of what Barbie would look like if  she was made human. Barbie was very disproportional when the students did this. Because Barbie is supposed to be what young girls aspire to look like, this experiment proves that they can never achieve this goal. This ultimately leads to young girls having eating disorders or depression about how they look.

In most ads and also Barbies, the race mostly shown is white. Because white is featured so prominently, girls of other colors will be negatively affected. They will not see their worth as high as white girls. This also goes back to what Bell Hooks was saying about white supremacy. Because white is perpetually shown in the media, it makes people feel as thought whites are the supreme race and no others can compare.

Under the Spell of the Media

In Bell Hooks "Cultural Criticism," I learned how the media is a driving force in our thought process about the world around us. We come to know certain things about sex, race, or gender when viewing movies, music videos, television shows, etc... The media seems to perpetuate certain images about people that never really seem to change. For example, Bell Hooks talks about rap music videos where the black rappers are seen as thugs and dangerous. After viewing those music videos, people unintentionally will put that image in their heads when seeing regular black people on the street. They will not see the black person for who they are, but who the media told us they are. In 50 Cent's music video "Many Men," we see rapper 50 Cent get repeatedly shot by two other black men. This dangerous image of black men stays with people and unfortunately contributes to people's negative attitudes about black people. Another thing that Bell Hooks talks about is Madonna using sex to sell. She says that Madonna degrades herself to make a quick buck and contributes to a society of patriarchy. Again, when viewing Madonna in music videos or on television, it affects us in ways we cannot see. Ultimately, we come to think that all women are like her or should be like her. We do not see who the person, Madonna, is, but who her body is. We view her as a sex object. Because she uses her body to get people to notice her, the feminist movement seems to go back. Men do not have to reveal their bodies for people to listen, so women are ultimately downgraded. At the 2003 MTV VMA's, Madonna kisses Britney Spears on the lips for shock value during a rendition of her songs "Like A Virgin" and "Hollywood." She does this to sell more and to make sure her names is still in the headlines. Yes, this was an entertaining performance, but Madonna loses herself to her art. We do not see what she is trying to say anymore. We just see the gimmick, which makes us think that using our sexuality is the only way to make money.

Affirmative "BLACtion"

After watching the jail scene in "A Different World" in class yesterday, I thought of the dinner scene in "American History X." Both had white people complaining about affirmative action.  In "American History X," the main character, Derek, listens to his father complain about how black people were hired over white people at his police station because of affirmative action. He even calls it affirmative "blaction" to give it a negative connotation. In fact, the white people actually scored higher than the black people on their tests. This really pisses off Derek's father and gives him a negative view of black people in general. Through his father's stories and beliefs, Derek also begins to think of blacks negatively. I think this scene perfectly shows how racism is not something that has never left our society and probably never will. People will always want to blame others for their misfortunes and scapegoat others. This will ultimately lead to racism and stereotyping. By watching the scene, one can see how the media and people's family and friends can lead others to stereotype or be racist. When a young child hears their parents complain about blacks or use the N word, it makes the child think it is okay to say and think those things. Same with the media. Rappers need to stop using the "N" word in their songs, unless they want that word to be utilized more. By black people saying that word, it could make a child believe it was okay to say that word. Racism and stereotyping need to be stopped alltogether for everyone to be treated equal. Because there will always be close-minded people, I do not think this will ever happen.

Here is the scene from "American History X"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlmQStK68rA

Mass Media and Globalization

              This week, we talked about globalization and the mass media. One of the things that interested me was the article about dubbing "The Simpsons." I found it very interesting how corporations would go about altering character names, accents, and even heritages to fit "The Simpsons" into other countries or cultures. Even though the companies who decide to globalize television shows try to indigenize the shows as much as possible, I still think that the ideologies of America are put upon people of different cultures. It could be unintentional, but I do not think so. When looking at other cultures, it does not seem like others are as materialistic or promiscuous as America. If someone in another country watches an American television show, they may want to emulate our culture because it seems more fun and has less rules. This could greatly limit cultural expression because they may to decide to act like the characters on the television shows. In a way, globalization damages other cultures. The mass media wants those cultures to take in what America has to offer and buy and buy from them. It is all about money, like always. If other countries continue to consume what America is forcing upon them, the whole world will almost all be the same. Diversity will be smaller and cultures will not be preserved.

No Politics...Pop Culture, Please

Yesterday, we talked about politics in pop culture and the different viewpoints of Lipmman and Dewey. I must say that I kind of agree with Lippman. I agree with Lippman for many reasons. The first reason is that I do not think I would could or would know anything in politics. It seems when I hear about politics or things, like taxes or the government, my brain just shuts off. Even yesterday, people were talking about the Occupy Wall Street and terms like "the 1%" and "the 99%" and I really had no idea what anyone was talking about. I am sorry, but I just cannot understand anything about politics!! And for some reason, I HATE when people complain about the government and act like they know what is going on. That is another time when I just fall asleep. On the other hand, one could ask me anything about pop culture and I would probably know. Any movie, song, tv show, and controversy, I will know! I just find it a lot more interesting and fulfilling then watching a State of the Union address where there is a bunch of words I have no idea what they are talking about. It kind of goes back to the argument of low culture versus high culture. Why would I want to be interested in politics (high culture) where everyone seems like they are lying and everything is about money compared to pop culture (low culture) where people are just trying to entertain us? Maybe it is just my opinion.
I also agree with Lippman because I think that most people are like me. I think that a good portion of the U.S. has no idea what is going on in politics. We elect people to make decision for us. Yes, it may be lazy, but if everyone got a say, nothing would ever get done.

Low Budget, Low Rating...Let's Go!

In class, we talked about bad reality television and why it is becoming more prevalent due to it being cheap to produce. This got me thinking about how it is not just television that is employing acts like this. More and more, movies are utilizing so called "found footage." What this means is that a movie can be made with not the greatest cameras, so then production costs are cut way down. Also, the "found footage" format is supposed to make us believe that what is happening on screen  really did happen, so unknown actors are usually chosen for the roles. Because of these actors having no star power, their salaries are also at a low cost for studios. All of this boils down to a cheap script, cheap actors, cheap production, and big bucks for the studios. These types of movies seemed to begin when "The Blairwitch Project" broke out and made a ton of money on a shoestring budget in 1997. That movie was actually somewhat good. As time has passed, studios seem more and more to not care about how good the movie was and just to care about how to market the movie properly so people will go and see it.

The last movie to use this type of format was "The Devil Inside." It was released in January 2010 and made $34 million dollars at the box office in its first weekend. The best part of this debut for the studio was that the film was only produced for $1 million dollars!!!! In one weekend it made 34 times its' production cost! Yet, audiences seemed to despise the movie. As of February 8, 2012, the movie has a 5% rating on RottenTomatoes.com. On the site, they say, "The Devil Inside is a cheap, choppy unscary mess, featuring one of the worst endings in recent memory." From this review, we can see that studios are putting less money and time in scripts and hiring cheap actors just so they can make a quick buck. Since the movie opened, it has only grossed about $20 million more dollars, proving that audiences do somewhat care how good the movie was. But I doubt the studio cares, they made 50 times the production costs!

Even though there are rare exceptions where some of these "found footage" films are quite good, I wonder why we keep going to these movies knowing that it will be badly acted, not having the best cinematography, and not having a great script. I think it goes back to why we watch reality television. We want to see how the "other guy" lives or what is happening, no matter how outrageous or surreal. In fact, we like it better if there are tons of fights, drinking, sex, and/or paranormal activities. These "found footage" films want us to think that what is on camera really happened and it could happen to you. Just like reality television wants us to think everything on there is real and was not fake or scripted.

Jeffrey Klover

Please, Revolt!

            One thing that stuck out to me this week was the quote, "Why do the masses not revolt against those who oppress them?" Why do we not fight against things that bother us? Maybe we feel as though we can never actually change anything. Going back to last week, we learned that there are those in the power with money. If none of us have any great amount of money, it almost seems hopeless that we can change anything. Money seems to make our world go round.
             In today's music industry,dance music seems to be the popular thing. It seems every other day that there is some new dance song that is telling us to go to a club, dance till it closes, and drink till the A.M. Yes, these songs are fun and very catchy, but it is almost becoming annoying. People are not partying every day of their lives and if someone is, I want to know how their liver is doing. I have heard many people talk about this and how all music is becoming the same. It is becoming boring. Why do we not revolt against this? We could choose to not buy songs, buy concert tickets, or turn off the radio. Us buying this music is really only helping the rich. We are giving them our money over and over again after they make a very easy to write and produce party song. When looking at the Top 10 iTunes list, I see that "Turn Me On" by Nicki Minaj and David Guetta is somewhere near the top. Yes, this song is a very catchy dance tune that will be great to listen to at the clubs, but I feel like I have heard this song 10 million times!!!!! I could name 10 other songs off the top of my head that sounds like this exact song. Hopefully, people will soon care about artistic achievement over easy lyrics and a slick beat. I mean, really, dance music has been popular since like 2006, why won't it die!?!?

Jeffrey K.

Power Struggles

               In class, we talked about different types of power. We talked about if there should be or if there is a separation between monetary power and intellectual power. I think that most people would say that there should be a separation of the two otherwise someone with money would always control everything.  But, could there ever be a separation? I really do no think it could. In today's world, we tend to value money or intelligence. I bet if most of the people in the world were surveyed, they would say they would rather have a a great amount of money rather than a great amount of intelligence. With money, things, like new inventions or new music, can be pushed into the world very fast. If someone has intellectual power, they can try to get their ideas out there, but it could take a very VERY long time for this idea to become popular in the world.

                One example I can think of where there is disparity between intellectual power and monetary power is the music of 50 Cent. Ever since he last released an album in 2009, he has been attempting to release another, but cannot because of his label. It seems as though that his label continues to not like what he comes up with to the sell to the public. Maybe, his new songs are not catchy enough? Labels support artists only if they believe in the product and right now they must not believe he can sell. The funny thing is that 50 Cent probably does have the resources and money to sell the album on his own. Maybe he does not believe in it himself? or Maybe he is in some sort of contract where he cannot release independently? All of this comes back to who has the monetary power and unfortunately for 50 Cent, the label does.

Jeffrey K

15 Minutes of SHAME

In class we discussed the well-know quote "In the future everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes" by Andy Warhol. I believe that in life everyone will be famous for something. One can be famous by being the biggest movie star in the world or by being the town's high school quarterback. Fame is not something easily defined. When looked up, fame means "great renown" or "reputation." One can be famous or have great renown for something and not have the whole world know about it. It all depends on how one looks at the idea of fame. Between a group of friends, one can be well-known for being a drunk. The whole world may not know about it, but in their group or "world," that is what the person is famous for.
In today's world, it seems as though everyone desires for the whole world to know who they are. Because of the internet and things, like YouTube and MySpace, it is much easier for a person to put themselves out there for the world to see. With reality TV shows, like Keeping Up With The Kardashians, people are almost becoming famous for nothing. In the past, people had to do something extraordinary or controversial to be well-known. Now, people can just turn the cameras on their lives and have people watch. I believe that the term "fame" has almost been tarnished by what the world make famous. We almost all now desire to watch train-wrecks to give us a laugh. For example, Rebecca Black's "Friday" song and music video is one of the most-watched videos in YouTube history. Did people watch that because it was one of the best music videos or songs ever. NO! People watch things like that because they like to make stupid and funny things famous. It is almost like that quote, "It is so bad that it is good." As technological advancements continue, the world will most likely continue in rewarding people for doing idiotic things so they will get their "15 minutes of fame."

Jeffrey K.