Megrachelle49's Blog

Final Portfolio Reflection

megrachelle49 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:01:22 +0000

When we were first told that we had to do blogs as our long term grade in Pop Culture, I was a little nervous about it because I had never blogged in my life and I did not understand all the work that went into just one of them. Once I got the hang of it after my second or third blog, I found the process easier because I began to understand that it was my thoughts that were going into these blogs and how I perceived things through a cultural aspect even if my opinion was different from others. I liked having the freedom to say what I wanted. It was also a big learning experience in the fact that we had to research information to back our arguments up. Due to this I was able to learn a lot more about media and the impact it has on society today. I found a lot of what I found to be fascinating such as my research on how Disney movies have helped shaped us as people, how masculinity is portrayed everywhere in our society, and crazy things such as the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Blogging also helped me keep my thoughts organized and structured so when I go back to them, it is easy to understand unlike a notebook I would scribble stuff in or a paper I would have to write and become lost in as I read it because it was so wordy. Using artifacts was a great way to put a picture in my head and to make the entire blogging experience more exciting. No one likes just reading word after word, so being able to see something that related to the topic being discussed was great.

Getting the opportunity to see my classmate’s blogs also helped me understand the concepts we discussed in class better. I got to see and read each of their views on topics such as religion, masculinity, and what they believe to be trends in the popular cultural world today. I feel I am a much more knowledgeable person due to this because I now know about things I had not known, or thought I had any interest in, prior to this. Examples of this are people’s posts about vampires and how they are taking over the media industry, or how racism can be seen in Disney movies and how it could affect us as we grow up. Each person had unique views on topics and discussions we had in class and this was a wonderful way for all of us to communicate to each other how we perceived what we were learning. Blogging is now a skill which I hope to continue to broaden my knowledge on various media related topics.

Reply to (Internet=Connection)

megrachelle49 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:35:14 +0000

I agree with Erin that the internet is truly incredible especially in the way that Facebook lets me interact and stay in touch with all of my friends and form networks. It really is a wonderful piece of technology that can be used for so many ways. I do agree that it has weakened face-to-face relationships with people. Who needs to pick up a phone and call someone when you can just facebook someone or text? You can even go on the internet on your phone now so no matter where you are…you can avoid actually talking to anyone by using your voice. Her example of using the Bring It On clip was perfect. It showed exactly how we don’t even “talk” when speaking to each other, but “text talk” such as using letters or numbers.

In an article in USATODAY “How the Internet Took Over”, it talks about all the different ways which the internet has improved communication between people or businesses. It talks about e-mail, AOL, The Worldwide Web, and even Google and how all of these have now become major factors in our lives today and how they affect us and our communication skills.

Sources: USATODAY. “How the Internet Took Over”. April 30, 2007. Retrieved November 14, 2009.

Stalking Gone Too Far?

megrachelle49 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:05:32 +0000

In class we have been discussing the term “fans” and what it means to be a “fan” to a celebrity, an object, or anything you are drawn too, but when does it go too far? Are fans now a days turning into threats also known as stalkers? In some cases, especially pertaining to celebrities, it has gone way too far in terms of how passionate these “fans” are towards celebrities. In class we were even shown websites that provided information like where Brad Pitt eats lunch, or where Sarah Michelle Gellar-Prinz has been seen with her newborn baby girl. If I was either of them I would be scared out of my mind knowing that the crazy and nutty people know where I am or will be going, especially if I have my children with me.

On Boston.com the Arts and Entertainment section had a disturbing articles on celebrity stalker cases. Some are so intense. Jodie Foster had a stalker who would watch her movie film “Taxi Driver” over and over than moved to live closer to her, repeatedly called her, and then decided to try and kill himself in front of her so she would notice her. In another case involving Catherine Zeta-Jones, her lady stalker would continuously call her and sent her letters and in those letters, she allegedly stated she would viciously slice up Jones “like Sharon Tate was”. This just goes to prove how serious stalking is and how something as simple as being a “fan” can take a turn for the worse.

This YouTube video mentions both of these actresses along with others…

Sources: YouTube. November 23, 2007.

Boston Arts and Entertainment. “Celebrity Stalking”. Retrieved November 14, 2009.

Reply to (Vampires Take a Bite Out of Pop Culture)

megrachelle49 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:06:03 +0000

Alyssa is completely right when she says Vampires have taken over the media cause they sure have. With books, tv, and movies it is hard not to find these evil creatures lurking as some sort of entertainment. While vampires have just become a huge talked about topic due to the the Twilight Saga book series, tv shows such as True Blood and CW’s Vampire Diaries, and motion picture film like Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, these were not the first to represent the Vampire era in our culture. Many of us seem to be forgetting about the first vampire series lasting from 1997-2003 starring Sarah Michelle Geller-Prinze…Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I was in love with vampires before most of the population was due to this show. I watched it everyday after school from 3-5 and own 4 of the seasons. It is truly a kick-butt series filled with drama, violence, good battling evil, and of course vampire love. In fact it was Buffy that was the first human to fall for a vampire. Twilight is not as original as many think. It is just a play off from the Buffy movie and tv series. Not saying Twilight is not a good movie or book…but its not fresh. Vampires are definitely the most talked about subject in the media but it would be nice if it was something that wasn’t already done so in the 90′s.

Reply to (Re Rasicm in Disney by Gavin Moore)

megrachelle49 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:10:32 +0000

I, like Gavin, grew up in a household that too owned every Disney movie created. Those are the movies I grew up on along with my brothers and sister. Correct me if I’m wrong but I would say that Disney took some if not all of the tv time for all of us as children. Gavin gave some very great examples of “racist” movies such as Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and the Jungle Book. Another example could be the Indians from Peter Pan. The chief of the Indian Tribe “Red Man” sings a song that explains his people’s history and culture. Ben Joseph’s article “The 9 Most Racist Disney Characters” states that what is wrong about Peter Pan is between “Tiger Lilly’s traditional Native American hussy dance, and the number of times Native American’s misogynistic tendencies are played for laughs (hint: It’s more than three!)”.

I do not find Disney movies actually harmful in the racist aspect to children. Like Gavin mentioned on his blog, children watch Disney for the elaborate colors and songs they can sing along too with a smile on their faces. We do not analyze these films for physiological reasons till we are much older. Even with the knowledge of how these movies could affect our kids, I will still have mine watching them because they should not miss out on the fun fantasy of the movies at the same time.

Sources: Joseph, Ben. “The 9 Most Racist Disney Characters”. Retrieved November 6, 2009.

Reply to (Boomstick)

megrachelle49 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:22:28 +0000

Who doesn’t rattle off at least a few movie quotes every now and then? Everyone. I really liked how C.C said “Movies have a strange way of creating quotes that are remembered and re-used that no other medium of story telling seems to be able to do. This is probably because it gives us a verbalization that sticks in our heads. With a book, we don’t get a voice other than our inner monologue”. He pin pointed it perfectly. It is not very often you hear someone quoting a book, unless that movie happened to be turned into a motion picture. Movie quotes are special because you do not just get to quote something to make sense in a conversation your having with someone or a group…but you get to act it out too!

While we all have our favorites, there are those certain quotes that do not die. Arnold Schwarzenneger’s “I’ll be back”, Alec Guinness’ “May the force be with you”, and Jerry Maguire’s “You complete me…you had me at hello” are all quotes I personally have said and I think I can trustingly assume that so has most of the population. The all time most repeated movie quote would have to be from Forest Gump. If you tell me you have honestly never said the phrase “Run Forest…runnn” or “Run (insert name of choice)…runnn” I would never believe you. People who haven’t seen the movie quote it. I find movie quotes ultimately entertaining and am always up for a good quote.

Reply to (Uncelebrity Kate)

megrachelle49 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:26:31 +0000

I agree with Olivia that Kate Gosselin is out of control when it comes to the media. I personally only watched one episode of Jon and Kate Plus Eight and had enough. It was awful to watch such a disoriented family and I found it very hard to feel love and happiness in the family’s relationships with each other. I feel absolutely awful for those poor children who have to grow up with cameras all around them, fighting parents that make the tabloids, and having their worlds evolve around their parents instead of them as they grow. For a show that was supposed to be how a couple manages to raise eight children at once, it sure does not seem that way.

All I see when I am in the grocery line is Kate on the cover of US Weekly crying over her not yet divorced from husband Jon and his fling with some 22 year old girl. Its insane that this show was even able to air and maintain running. It is a terrible show to show America. It is just one more reality show that the couple in it divorce each other and all madness breaks lose. In my personal opinion, it is not America that is keeping Kate and Jon in the media but just the media itself. In an article written by Alicia White “Should Jon and Kate Plus 8 Be Taken Off the Air?” explains exactly the views I have towards the show. That it has turned away from the difficulty in raising so many children to becoming household names in Hollywood news.

Sources: White, Alicia. “Should Jon and Kate Plus 8 Be Taken Off the Air?”. Associated Content. January 2, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2009.

The Reality of Reality

megrachelle49 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:44:16 +0000

In class we watched a YouTube video “Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe-Reaity TV Editing” and it showed us just how fake reality tv can be. Is anything we watch real or is it just put together by the editors in a way they feel will entertain the viewers best? That short video was able to show us how the editors could make a scene flirty, angry, embarrassing, etc. by completely mixing up scenes to create a situation that more than likely never existed.

I personally love the reality tv show The Hills and tend to think that everything I see on it is “real” cause I follow it so closely. One taping aspect I do notice in that particular show is that when a real dramatic situation happens, there is always a close up on one of the main cast members and they are always seem speechless and sad. Now that I have been able to see how taped scenes can be mixed up, those expressions could have been from a complete different conversation. The producers do this to tell the audience what to believe. It is all a very craft art but it also proves that what we call “reality” is not as real as we thought. In this video of The Hills Season 6 trailer it is created so that it matches the season’s tag line…”The Bitch is Back”. Is Kristen Cavallari really a bitch? Or is that just what they want us to believe?

Sources: YouTube. Starboy55. September 3, 2009.

We Are All Fans of Something

megrachelle49 — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:55:52 +0000

In class we have been discussing the topic of “fans” and what makes a “fan” a “fan”. On the Free Dictionary online, it defines a fan as an ardent admirer or devotee of a pop star, film actor, football team, etc. While a fan to me is also defined by that, I would also place in my definition that a fan is someone who stands by his/her passion even if he/she stand alone. I am personally a fan of Celine Dion and the Professional NFL team the Pittsburgh Steelers. A true fan I must mention is not someone who hops on the bandwagon, but becomes a fan through personal connections such as growing up in Pittsburgh and living in the “Steel Country” or listening to many alternative types of music and finding a passion/love for a certain artists’ works.

Right now it is clear there are large groups of fans especially fans of vampires. Ever since Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga made a huge impact on the entertainment industry through her books and then it becoming a major motion picture… fans are everywhere! Walmart sells clothing with pictures of Bella and Edward on them or you can randomly hear someone say “Hold on tight spidermoney” (Edward tells Bella as he throws her on his back and leaps tree to tree). I find it a little weird too. This YouTube video takes place in Forks where the setting of the books take place and interviews “fans” and shows how far the town itself now transformed to appeal to fan visitors.

Sources: YouTube. LosAngelesTimes. November 14, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2009.

Farflex. Free Dictionary Online. “Define ‘fan’”. Retrieved November 6, 2009.

Masculinity and Disney

megrachelle49 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:25:26 +0000

These past few weeks in class we have discussed and repeatedly mentioned masculinity in our culture today, as well as watching Tropic Thunder and seeing many characteristics as to what makes those characters manly. It was not until recent after I watched Beauty and the Beast, that I realized how we grow up with the teachings that men are to be strong and powerful while the women are meant to be dam-sills in distress. In all of the Disney movies I grew up with, it came down to the lead guy saving the girl or battling his way out of trouble to save the day. Examples of movies are Aladdin, Lion King 1 & 2, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Robbin Hood, Peter Pan, Hercules, and many more. Is our culture the way it is because of what we have been taught through film since we were 4 or 5 years old?

In a YouTube video created by Feministing.com, it talks about how these movies have shaped our mind thoughts about how we should think the world works through the story lines and images we see in movie scene’s environments. It not only shows boys what “real men” do and say, but has an affect on the girls as well. We learn to expect traits such as toughness, leadership, built body, and charisma from them because those are the only guys who end up getting the beautiful girl in the end and every girl wants to be that girl. As much as I love Disney movies, they might have sent the wrong message repeatedly to the children who grew up watching them.

Sources: Cordell, Matthew. “Constructions of Masculinity in Disney movies”