Frosty the Inappropriate Snowman

Recently CBS ran a series of ads comprised of clips of the iconic holiday classic Frosty the Snowman mashed-up with the voices of two of the networks biggest current stars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_mhXpVejt8
As you can see from the video, the dialogue coming out of Frosty's mouth is nothing like that of the original movie, but much more reflective of the characters personality's that Charlie Sheen and Neil Patrick Harris play on Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother respectively. Not surprisingly many people found it very offensive to hear Frosty talking about his porn collection and suggesting that he and his friends visit a strip club later. I have mixed feelings about this. First off, I do find it pretty funny. My stance on censorship is generally the less of it the better, so naturally my reaction was that if people don't want to see this kind of content or let their kids be exposed to it then shut off the television. After ruminating on it a bit though I have regressed from this stance a bit. This is after all a Christmas and cartoon classic that has been corrupted in the ads' own words, in an "inappropriate"way. Children watching that won't understand the context and will miss the purity of Frosty the Snowman that I enjoyed as a child. I do find that kind of unfair for them. Another noteworthy aspect is that the lines Frosty spoke were all genuine pieces of dialogue from the actual shows. They didn't contain anything new or push the obscenity than other CBS shows clearly already do. I think in the end, people are just mad and turned off by seeing something as pure as Frosty the Snowman and the holiday special shock them like that. Notice that at the end of the ads CBS insists that "Some holiday classics are better left untouched." Maybe they should have taken their own advice.

Super MASH Bros.

http://www.lazerwolf.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtLSEq08lHQ&feature=related

As we learned in class, remix culture is a term named by Lawrence Lessig, a copyright activist. Remix culture is known for its encouragement of derivative works from works that are all ready copyrighted. One of the most popular industries today is the music industry, where each individual song has an automatic copyright to whichever artist sings it first. The music industry hugely partakes in the current remix culture. For example, hip-hop music practices remix culture more commonly with their lyrics and referral to other songs, etc.

After learning about remix culture and the fundamentals and history of copyright, I started to be more aware of examples of it in my life. A friend who attends school in Portland, and happened to meet and become friends with the group of guys who created it, introduced super Mash Bros. to me. Ultimately what Super Mash Bros. is, is the exact definition of remix culture. They take a group of songs that may be different genres, have different tempos and beats, and combines them to create one, ultimate track. All of their tracks are up beat and “hype”. When you listen to them it is crazy to see how two songs you never would have pictured being played together can, when combined, create something completely different and unique. It is these people that we need in the world to present to everyone a new vision, which can then lead to many other things. It was just a small group of guys who randomly decided to do this and create something new from something old.

I attached above a link to their website. They have come out with two albums, both free to download. They can also be found on youtube; I attached a link to that as well to view a track of theirs. To me, when I think of remix culture now, I think of Super Mash Bros. They are the perfect example of how people can take what is all ready made, and make a new derivative, unique work.

"Become a Fan of Farmville"

Farmville, one of the many applications on Facebook that people are just loving right now. It is a game where you can farm virtually with your friends; planting, growing, and harvesting crops. It is an application of Facebook that enhances one of the many social networking events. Since the launch of this game, this last Summer. It has become the most popular game played on Facebook. The game seems to reflect the real world of farming, where the products and crops are all based on a market and for sale. When you buy and grow your crops you are then able to make a profit, which is the ultimate goal. Of course using fake, Farmville cash. It isn't just that simple, in order to succeed to fullest, you will need to plow your own crops, plant trees, can purchase animals to fulfill your farm.

I am not a Farmville player, or a Farmville "Fan", but I have heard many of friends discuss their farm and the competition. For some it becomes an addiction, they need to check their farm on a daily basis to check on their crops or plant more or "water' them. In addition to that, they are checking their neighbors farms' to ensure that they aren't making as much of a profit. It is a competition and an obsession.

Recently, I looked at the Farmville page on Facebook and their new product is a Holiday Tree, where you can send gifts to friends and the gift will appear under their Holiday Tree. The virtual world is becoming a new reality.

Portraying racial identities in the media, I believe, creates stereotypes and assumptions for the country. This Mad TV skit, is humorous, I will admit, but it also creates a negative racial identity for Arab people. To begin with, in the first 10 seconds of the skit, they say 'death to America' twice. This is only the beginning, the phrase is found almost after every other sentence in the whole skit. This easily coveys that ALL MUSLIMS and ALL ARABS want death to America, installing fear and hate for these nationalities from the American viewers who aren't Muslims and Arabs. The host, who plays a Bob Barker type character, as the basis of the show is obviously a joke on Price is Right as well, is blinded by a laser light. The guy in the studio, who announces the prizes (I don't know his name, and honestly, does anyone else?) explains that is his pilot pen, designed to blind pilots. Now, these leads to the assumption and stereotype that Muslims and Arabs in general are terrorists and have interest in, obviously, re-living the terrorist attacks of 9/11, which honestly isn't too funny to me, and probably not funny to a lot of other people, especially in New York. The Bob Barker character goes on the explain to the American tourist contestants that women cannot win prizes (as there is a Muslim woman, whos is of course encombesed in clothes besides her eyes) unless, 'of course you mean the anestia before your clitor-ectomy. Granted, I know woman may be opressed in the Muslim culture, it isn't exactly funny that Mad TV is making fun of it, nor do I bet Muslim woman in American appriciate it. These are the types of racial identites that create negative stereotypes and images for American media consumers. Sure, it is Mad TV and it is a joke, but it really does reinforce thoughts some Americans have, and could possibly install new ideas in their heads.

Buffy vs Edward

This is a mash up of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Edward from Twilight. I think that the editing in this video is excellent. I never watched Buffy but I saw Twilight once to see what all the fuss was about. My favorite part of the video is when both characters are in the woods and then they bust into a church window. At the very end of the video the creator gives credit to the Buffy seasons 1-7 and the video Twilight. This video has been viewed more than one million times since its upload. I wonder if it will ever get pulled down for copy right infringement. I hope not because it is a very well put together mash up.">

Tiger Woods

I'm sure most of you have heard about this by now, but Tiger Woods was involved in an accident this past weekend. When the story first broke, they said that Woods was taken to the hospital in serious condition, but quickly changed to stable condition with facial lacerations. The accident happened around 2:30 in the morning, but still know one is sure exactly what happened. Woods was in front of his home and struck a tree as well as a fire hydrant. Originally investigators thought that alcohol might have been involved, but that was not the case. After looking into it further police, found out that the back window of the car was smashed in with a golf club by his wife. She explained that she was trying to get Woods out of the car, and couldn't get in any other way. Many rumors have been spread about the accident, some true and some false. However they know now that Tiger Woods was having an affair with his wife, and that's what they believe caused the dispute. Since it's Tiger Woods, one of the most famous athletes in the world, we haven't heard the end of this story.

Mashups

After class I was very interested in the recreation of classic and fairly new movies. I found one on Google Videos that includes the Star Wars (which I have yet to see), Harry Potter and Lord of the Ring.

I have seen Lord of the Ring and parts of Harry Potter. What I found interesting in this mash up is how they played on each other movie stories. All three of the movies that I have mentiioned, have always been similar to me. All three of them have long movies, they have similar character themes and plotlines.



I think this is very funny. Harry Potter gets confused with Gandolf and the characters from the opposite movies fight about who stole ideas from who. Then before Dark Vader comes into the scene while two of the older men are 'sword' fighting as in Star Wars.

This entices me to want to watch Star Wars and Harry Potter. I guess it is a strategic way to have the audience engage in media text - even mash ups.

Worst Hire in the History of Jobs

Earlier in the semester we talked briefly about what qualifies someone as an expert and makes them a credible source to talk publicly about a certain topic. As some of you probably know, I am a slightly obsessive Detroit/Michigan sports fan, so you can imagine the feelings that bubble up every time I turn on a football game on ESPN, whether it be college or NFL, and I see Matt Millen's ugly mug looking back at me. For those of you who don't know Millen was the President and CEO of the Detroit Lions from 2000-2008 during which time he oversaw the worst eight year record (31-97) in NFL history since WWII. During his time with the Lions he was responsible for some of the most horrendous draft picks known to mankind (most of them high first round picks who are no longer even in the NFL) as well as the first 0-16 season in NFL history. Now I admit I'm a little biased, but I still can't fathom how a network such as ESPN and NBC, during last years Super bowl, could look at this mans record and decide that he's the right person to speak knowledgeably on a topic he has proven he knows nothing about. The only people in the TV business who seemed to recognize this were the fine folks at the NBC Detroit affiliate who every time Millen appeared on the screen during the Super Bowl broadcast scrolled the following warning label across the bottom of the screen, "Matt Millen was president of the Lions for the worst eight-year run in the history of the NFL. Knowing his history with the team, is there a credibility issue as he now serves as an analyst for NBC Sports?" It seems to be a question that the network executives should have been asking but for some reason never did. So I end by saying thank you to ESPN for ruining every football game that Millen is part of the broadcast team for. In the interest of keeping my TV in one piece I find myself forced to either change the channel or, at the very least, mute the commentary of the worst hire in the history of jobs.

twilight reaction by fan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFG9lXc2upQ

All that talk about star wars fans got me thinking about the biggest fan base of our generation. It is a close call between Harry Potter fans, but after watching this video, I believe that Twilight fans take the cake. I found this video a bit creepy, the girl takes us into her room and tapes herself watching the twilight trailer. At one point I believe she hyperventilates, and has to stop viewing the trailer which is only 2 minutes and 43 seconds long. She views the trailer two times during the duration of this video. She talks about the differences she can see between the book and the movie, and about how she loves everything about the the trailer. It is as if she were conducting a textual analysis of her own. I started to get a bit creeped out when she started swearing at the characters and saying "I want to be in your world". Where does fandom draw the line between liking and obsessing?

ps. I read that when twilight came out she went and saw it four times in a row.

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Two words... Victoria's Secret, What a great and smart way for Victoria's Secret to put their product out there and brand it in a original and unique way. This show is every mans fantasy and every girls aspired image, these models are just unbelievably gorgeous! match that up with the sexiest lingerie and you get the Victoria's Secret brand. This airs every year, around Christmas time (coincidence? i think not) on CBS and gives the audience a look at the latest bras and lingerie on stage and also a look behind the scenes. I really think this is a great and extremely smart way to brand their product. They are not using a basic commercial instead it created a whole show that is all about their product which grabs people's attention the most without making them feel like they are just watching a commercial, instead they are just watching a really exciting show. I love watching this show every year, i usually get together with a few friends and we watch it together and discuss the different outfits, as Victoria's Secret, what more can you ask for? They are getting their brand across and also getting people to talk about it after all isn't that the whole point?

Grocery Wars

This video is pretty much the most outrageuous organic food commercial I have ever seen. However, since we discussed Star Wars, and Star Wars parodies in class this past week, I felt Grocey Wars was an appropriate thing to blog about.



This video is filled with tons on puns. Puns on names, and puns on the movie plot itself. The Force is now the "Farm." The main role is "Cuke" Skywalker played by a cucumber, Obi-wan-Canoli, Darth Tater, and Ham Solo to name a few. It seems very cheesy I know, but it was very clever.



The good side of the force was all organic foods, which led the organic rebellion. The dark side, was food filled with chemicals and pesticides. In this video Darth Tater was "more chemical than vegetable," playing on the fact that in the actual Star Wars movie, Darth Vader was more machine than human. I suppose to some people this is a better way to warn them about healthy or unsafe foods, rather than right some crazy PSA, especially most Star Wars fans. The stereotyped Star Wars fab weighs somewhere in the are of 300+ pounds. (joking of course.) Maybe after Grocery Wars we'll see some slimmer mor jedi worthy Star Wars fans out there.

Star Wars Kid

As we discussed in class about Star Wars and watched the clips from YouTube, I remembered in a different class we watched “Star Wars Kid.” The first time one of my teachers played it, I thought it was the strangest thing; it was also really funny. So many people have viewed Star Wars Kid on YouTube and I guess I never really understood it. After viewing the videos in class that were people’s own versions of Star Wars and other things mixed together it reminded me of Star Wars Kid. The whole time the guy is playing with what he pretends to be a lightsaber. It seems he is acting out Star Wars, but in a different way then the ways we saw in class. But again this is his own version and it’s rather different.

I have never been into Star Wars, so much of the trailers online I don’t quite understand, but Star Wars Kid is one I do understand because I know in Star Wars they use lightsabers and the whole video clip this guy is pretending to have one. Apparently this was taped over a basketball game, and students used it as a joke by sharing it on YouTube, or that’s what I read at least. Apparently a bunch of lawsuits and what not went into it, but it was the most popular video at one point. As I read the comments on YouTube just now many of them say this clip ruined his life and that he is no longer alive..it’s YouTube so anyone can post what they want, so I’m not really sure if this is true or not. I found it to be really disturbing after reading those comments though knowing that people still are watching it and making fun of this kid who didn’t even think the video would get out. I think it takes a lot for someone to post something like this on YouTube, but he got quite the audience viewing his clip. Here's the video if you haven't ever seen it. Does anyone actually know what happened to Star Wars Kid?

The Tiger Woods Saga

As I'm sure everyone on the planet already knows, the world's top professional golfer and advertising icon Tiger Woods was involved in a one-car accident outside of his home the day after Thanksgiving. The media has been having an absolute field day with this story ever since. I find it disturbing just how much coverage this thing is getting. My personal opinion on it by now can be summed up in the following two words, WHO CARES? I can't imagine myself devoting another second of time thinking about this event, and I'm a golf fan. It seems to me like the media has taken its typical over the top approach and styled a relatively minor incident as an epic Greek tragedy. Seriously, this is what we've come to? Just because someone is famous does not give you the right to maliciously speculate about their personal life. Some have even called for him to give a public apology. What Tiger Woods was doing to get involved in this minor accident has no bearing on anyone's life except that of him and his family. As a future member of the media, I worry about being involved in an industry where blowing erroneous things out of proportion is considered not just acceptable but necessary. I'm not a fan of Tiger's, actually I don't really like him at all. I have no respect for his childish behavior on the course i.e. cursing, throwing clubs, because he's the only pro golfer who does these things, let alone is allowed to get away with them without any commentator even attempting to detract from him. That being said, I still find the media's treatment of this whole situation utterly disgusting.

A New Way to Email: Google Wave

A couple close friends of mine started buzzing on Facebook about a new email program by Google. Its called Google Wave and is about to hit the online community very soon. Email was a communication media created over 40 years ago. What Google wants to do is re-create email and its functions. So Google asks, "What would email look like if it were created today?" So here we have it, email for the new age...Google Wave.

Google Wave, as I understand it, is communication tool that allows users to join a conversation, playback information in the order it was created, edit the information, and upload photos, text, and video to said conversation. This is all done in order to keep conversation clean and simple. Since Google Wave is in it's preview stage, this connections are still a little rocky and problems are still in the works for getting fixed. Also, Google Wave is by invite only. If you don't have an invitation from someone who currently has it, you cannot use it until the official launch.

The creation of Google Wave fits in perfectly with some of the material we are working on in class. The idea that creativity plays on the past is key. It all began with the Internet, which led to one to one communications via email. Google Wave is breaking the mold of the personal one to one email. Yes, you can still have a conversation with one person, but you may also have an interactive, playback conversation with multiple people at the same time. Since I am still a little hazy on the details, and in the process of understanding Google Wave, here is a YouTube video that explains Google Wave in very simple terms: