"True" Men's Channel

For the first time in my life I watched a television channel that features hunting. All hunting. I was with a couple of guy friends who let me shoot a couple of guns up north during labor day weekend. Anyhow, we were watching the hunting channel long enough for me to notice some things:

1. The commercials were cheesy.

2. The commercials looked like the homemade videos. America's Funniest Home Videos without the Funny.

3. They featured mostly guys, which is really what I want to talk about in this posting.

The men featured in these commercials were average looking. Most of them had the "hey der"-type accent. There was no makeup applied to these men's faces. I don't remember seeing any women in these commercials. So, no women... no attractive men. It seems more obvious why women aren't featured. Hunting is a "manly" thing. There are "no women allowed." It's as if they say, "if we let women in, it will emasculate the sport."

There are no women... but wouldn't you think that there'd be at least some sexy women doing the commercials? Like the typical commercials that want to attract men to a product. Nope, not in hunting. My theory is that hunting isn't supposed to be sexy. It's all guy. You're not using the product to feel sexier or to attract women. It's pure sport.

There are no good looking men... why? I will theorize that good looking men who have an attractive face, body, and styled hair are too metrosexual. It's like if they are attractive, then they spend too much time in front of the mirror. Again, it comes back to the sexy thing (and perhaps an adversion to homosexuality). What is the point in having an attractive guy on camera you don't care how you look like when you hunt? Do hunters really want to look like a model when they're hunting? They may want to, but hunting is not a realm in which you should care. Why would you want to look like a "pretty boy" (i.e. "pansy") when you're around other men?

Thus, attractive men and women are not needed to produce these commercials. Well, good for them for not using commercial models. Saves money!

"Our Country"

The new Chevy Silverado truck ads, using the same John Mellencamp song as the one we watched in class, seem to have gone too far for some people by using images from the Civil Rights and Vietnam/Watergate era, as well as from more recent troubled times, to make the GM brand seem somehow essentially American and triumphant. Here's how Slate puts it:

It's not OK to use images of Rosa Parks, MLK, the Vietnam War, the Katrina disaster, and 9/11 to sell pickup trucks. It's wrong. These images demand a little reverence and quiet contemplation. They are not meant to be backed with a crappy music track and then mushed together in a glib swirl of emotion tied to a product launch. Please, Chevy, have a modicum of shame next time.

You can watch the ad at Slate. There is also an instant parody on YouTube:

The New York Times has another take on it:

Critics have attacked the ad, in part because it also invokes Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks to sell trucks. But something more subtle, perhaps more cynical, may be at work here: the image of America (and its leading auto manufacturer) as victim, mostly of itself, but still worth loving.

“The first time I saw it, I thought, holy mackerel, they are using negative images to generate positive emotions,” said Bob Garfield, the advertising critic of Advertising Age. “I have never seen that in a commercial.”

“I feel a little violated when I watch it,” he said. “I don’t mind when they have a tent sale on President’s Day, but those guys have been dead for 200 years. I’m not sure I’m ready for a Rosa Parks sale-a-bration.”

Kim Kosak, director of advertising and sales promotion at Chevrolet, said there was no thought given to drawing a parallel between the struggles of a nation and the struggles of a corporate icon.

“We never discussed that or thought about it,” she said in a phone interview. “The idea was that the pickup consumer is honest, hardworking, authentic and real. In order to be real and honest, we needed to show the scars and bruises, as well as the triumphs, of this country in order to be true.”

Presumably, as the Slate article eventually points out, this ad appeals mainly to "red state" Americans, where there is the biggest market for pickups. The response on YouTube is clearly from a left-of-center perspective. Slate and the Times are both left-leaning publications. This ad is thus a good example of something we should always consider in analyzing media texts, and which we will be discussing in the coming weeks: meanings are different for different people. To ad critics in big East Coast cities, the Chevy spot smacks of bad taste. But to television viewers around the country it might (how can we know?) seem "authentic and real." When it comes to matters of interpretation, media texts rarely have a single "correct" meaning.

(Beware: if you watch the ad or the parody you are likely to get "Our Country" stuck in your head for hours or days. Even if you hate it. Especially if you hate it.)

"CRIKEY!" What's going on here?!

Last Friday night before heading out for the usual Halloween weekend bash, I heard something strange on the TV I had on for background noise. An anchor from Entertainment Tonight was discussing a particularly offensive new South Park episode. South Park? Offensive? “Wow, big surprise there,” I thought to myself. As I watched what remained of the story, I found that the episode was about a Halloween party of sorts hosted by Satan. One of the characters at this party happens to be the recently deceased Steve Irwin aka “The Crocodile Hunter.”

Irwin fans and network execs being interviewed on ET were claiming how South Park should have more couth in dealing with sensitive matters such as this man’s untimely death. He was a wonderful person; it’s not like he was a politician or celebrity—people whose misfortunes are standard on “harsh” comedy shows like South Park. However, the quote given by the South Park reps simply said that they have been and will continue to offend people for years, that’s how their money is made, and that’s how their shows will still run—people should just get used to this fact.

Wow. So much for compassion of television. Now, I’ll admit. I’m a huge fan of edgy shows similar to South Park (Family Guy being my favorite), but picking on poor Steve just mere weeks after his death is a little much. I mean, his 8-year-old daughter spoke at his funeral, which was replayed on the news for quite some time after. Millions of people were effected by his death, and apparently are not ready (and perhaps never will be able) to laugh yet. Myself included.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp1kt7yGtqs

Michael J. Fox

You have to give Michael J. Fox credit folks, and not just for Back to the Future (Parts I, II, and III I might add). In case you haven't heard yet, Fox recently sponsored some political candidates in a somewhat startling television ad.

Fox has suffered from Parkinson's disease for several years now, but he has been able to keep it under control and out of the public's eye for most of that time. Fox and other individuals who suffer from the same disease have uncontrollable shaking and bodily twitching as a side effect of the medicine they take. Well, in this particular ad (for political candidates in support of stem cell research), Fox is shown shaking back and forth, occasionally going off the screen— a slightly moving scene.

Rush Limbaugh went on the air and said Fox was faking and exaggerating the disease's effects, selling out to political candidates for media coverage. What an ass. Fox has the courage to get on national television to support a cause that's more important to him than anyone realizes, and he gets bashed for it. Fox doesn't need pity, nor would he want it. He's out there doing what he wants to do, how he wants to do it, just like every other person supporting a cause should. Props to Michael, and cheers to Back to the Future Part VI (it could happen...).

Lynne Cheney is a Hypocrite

I try to avoid watching the 24-hour corporate news cycle, but I happened to stop on CNN the other day to hear Lynne Cheney talking with Wolf Blitzer. She was on the show to promote a childrens book about the 50 states. But Wolf was asking her some questions about the self destruction of the Republican Party and the Mark Foley scandal, and Mrs. Cheney freaked out. In true neo-conservative fashion, her response was that there is no problem with the Republican party, it's just that the citizenry of the U.S. are being duped by the "Liberal Media" into believing that the War in Iraq is going bad and that the Bush economy is economical poison!

I really hate this myth that the media is liberal. It is overtly and unequivocally corporate and pro-business. If the media is so liberal, why didn't they question the Bush administrations suspect grounds for going into Iraq? Cheney would clearly prefer a media that doesn't question the actions of the administration, as long as that administration is Republican; a media that serves as a propaganda tool as it did on the run-up to the war. It's not the media's fault that the War in Iraq was a mistake, it's not their fault that Mark Foley is pervert and the GOP covered it up. What happened to "personal responsibility"? This is the path the Party has taken, and they are responsible for the consequences, so don't blame the media for covering it.

potpourri

My roomate just got back from Saw III and it got me thinking about scary movies and camera angles. When i was in 10th grade my English teacher taught us about how camera angles are used to tell a story. She told us that she studied film making in college and she learned that certain things can give a movie away. She told us that when she went to see"The Sixth Sense" in theaters, she immediately knew that Bruce was dead. She claims she knew this becasue they placed him in the lower left corner or something like that in a specific scene. She told us that they always put the person who is going to die in whatever certain spot (I completely forget what it was). When we talked about camera shots in class a couple of weeks ago i started thinking about what my English teacher had said. COULD IT BEEEEE that movies really do give away the story line through the camera angles? OR, was my teacher just trying to be a hot shot since no one else knew Bruce was dead?

Can you cry at movies?

So I went to see "Flag of Our Fathers" the other night and the guy I was with said that I was not allowed to cry during the movie. He just got back from serving two tours in Iraq and said that this was what war was like. I decided that I could never go to war because I would always be crying. Why though is it that when told the girls that the movie was good but sad they all agreed but the guys said I was being a baby. I think that people should be allowed to express any emotion that hits them when they watch a movie. It's like at horror movies where instead of screaming I laugh. Why you ask? Because that way I am convincing myself that the movie is not real and it is just entertainment; otherwise I would be freaking out for awhile. But no one gets that reaction and everyone just thinks that I am so wierd. Therefore I think that whatever emotion hits you feel free to express it and enjoy yourself.

You is Killing MTV

I really think that Youtube, is becoming the new MTV. Numerous bands have begun uploading their videos onto Youtube. Big, small, just starting bands are all getting there video on to the site. Giving access to many thousands of viewers. I was reviewing the new “the Hold Steady” album for the Post this week. Having only seen this band live in concert and on Conan O’Brien. I wondered if they had any Music video that could potentially play on MTV that is if MTV actually played videos now a day.
What I was amazed to find is that the band had loaded quit a few video that were made from all there albums, even before they broke on to the indie scene.
As of recently I notice on the side bar of Youtube that each day they feature a new music video. Useless garbage paid for buy the record labels, yet I though, maybe it a little more no corporate than I thought.
I know that music videos have been on the net for many years now, but I think Youtube and it scope is just the best format for them. Because, anyone can post a video this can really help to boost a local band. Think about how fast a band would be signing if their video became a big hit on Youtube.
Music videos are Youtube are more of a promotional device than ever, where MTV just played what they thought everyone want, Youtube plays what will most likely become the next big thing.

Cheap Seats De Ja Vu???

I’m a big fan of the ESPN Classic show Cheap Seats. This is a show that has two twin brothers, Randy and Jason Sklar, making humorous comments about old sporting events. These events range from spelling bees to old 1970s wrestling. The jokes never stop and they’re usually related to what they’re watching and some times the jokes are related to little skits that they create. The show is basically a joke itself and if you watch it, you’ll notice it doesn’t really take itself seriously either. After watching an episode, I finally realized why I like the show so much: because it is basically like Mystery Science Theater 3000. The only difference is Cheap Seats makes fun of bad old sporting events, while MST makes fun of bad old movies. Unfortunately this end of November, Cheap Seats will stop making new episodes, and ending long before its prime, much like MST did. p.s…I actually met the guy from MST, Mike Nelson at party my parents were throwing. I didn’t really know who he was at the time (it was the early 90’s and I really wasn’t a fan of the show until my parents had turned me onto it), but he was a really nice down to earth kind of guy.

Heroes

So it happened again, I got sucked into another series on television, first it was Prison Break and the OC(guilty pleasure), and many more thanks to the invention of TIVO. Now the new one is Heroes, the show is awesome, it has everything from a dude who can paint the future when he does drugs to a cheerleader who can regenerate and never get hurt, one of the greatest scenes with her being getting accidentally stabbed in the back of the head with a tree branch and she pulls it out when she wakes up spread open on the autopsy table and folds her skin back together and walks out of the morgue...YES!!!!!!
Anyway my advice is that its not too late to start watching this show, and get addicted, because if no one watches this show and it gets canceled I'm gonna be mighty pissed off. Above is a picture of the indestructable cheerleader from the show, just because shes hot, and shes probably like 16 and I'm goin to hell.... but your comin with me cause you agree.

Sports Radio

Being a commuter to UWM I spend alot of time in my car. Since the car has no cd player or tape deck i must resort to the radio. In the morning the music stations are all DJs talking about nothing and long commercials so I have turned to sports radio on the am dial. There are two such stations in Milwaukee these days(1250 and 1510) so i mix it up. I have become addicted not because of the quality of the shows but because I have such disdain for pretty much all of the hosts. I hate their arrogance and shortness with callers. Even if I find myself agreeing with their points of view, I still feel the same hatred. What makes these guys(aside from the few ex-pro athletes) the authority on the issues? The callers sat on the bench of their high school football team just like the hosts did so why do they know more? The answer is for the most part they don't and they just love the power they wield being on the airwaves. If I hate these shows so much why do I listen? Because I love starting my day off with a bowl of cheerios, a look at the Journal Sentinel, and a good verbal lashing of the voices coming from my car stereo.

newfound myspace obsession

so i've been a member of myspace for quite some time now. i never really cared about it that much because facebook was already consuming my life. besides, i've never been a real internet kind of person, except when i didn't have my license and lived on yahoo messenger. but anyway, i set up a myspace profile awhile ago just because i felt it was the thing to do since "everyone" was on myspace. but one night about a week ago i honestly spent around 5 hours non-stop on myspace editing my profile, searching for people from high school, uploading pictures, trying to find the perfect profile song, etc. when you're on that thing for awhile it is so hard to stop. i thought it was kind of funny though that hardly any of my high school friends that have facebook had a myspace account yet a bunch of my friends from high school who never went to college were all about their myspace profiles. in my opinion, myspace is different from facebook in the way that you can lie so easily about anything. i'm not talking about the whole pedophile thing, but just about creating completely different identities. i found out things about peoples' personalities that i really did not know before. like one of my semi friends who dresses pretty preppie and seems fairly normal comes across as this huge death-is-so-cool-and-i-love-fire emo chick on her profile. so if people are putting this on their profiles yet acting completely different in person, do you really KNOW anyone?

Bonan O'Crien

Late Night with Conan O'Brien is one of my favorite talk shows. I always thought that hosting a show like that would be fun. I love being a goof, acting obnoxious, and being inappropriate. All the things that Conan is. Then I came to realize that there are really no talk shows like that with women hosting. Yes, Rosie O'Donnell (sp?) and Caroline Rhea (?) had fun shows. But there were on during the day, and they were never as obnoxious as Conan's or Jay Leno's. I tried to replace Conan with a woman host in my head and realized that maybe it would never work. That does not mean that I would never try it myself or discourage anyone who wants to attempt it.

But having a woman do such inappropriate things may be considered absolutely inappropriate and overly obnoxious. Not in a humorous way, but more of an annoying way. People may think, "Wow, she has to stop because she is too much... too annoying." Why? Because society has constructed such constraining ways that women cannot act like that? Sex is not a biological determinant of comical behavior.

One more thing: why is it that when I say light "inappropriate" things in humor, it is such a surprise? The things I may say/mention/talk about are those similar to what my guy friends may say. But what I say is sometimes a shock to both guys and girls. I am told that "I'm cool" because I sometimes act like a guy (assumed simply through my rhetoric) yet, I dress fashionably as a girl (i.e. I dress femininely). If a tomboy-type girl acts like a guy, then it's because she is "just one of the guys" or she is a lesbian. If someone sees a girl who dresses like a "girly-girl," they assume that she will act like what society deems a "girl." Stop being so surprised! Get used to it! My humor/behavior is not going to change to appropriate the way I look.

This is our country... sounds familiar.

While I was studying hard for a midterm exam (for a class that I really enjoy) Sunday night, I heard John Mellencamp singing his new song before the World Series Baseball game. "From the east coast to the west coast" blah blah blah "this is our country." It sounded mighty familiar. Maybe it's because it's the Chevy theme song, who by the way advertises heavily during the World Series (ah, synergy). Maybe it was because I heard it in a class I was taking (that I really enjoy), or maybe it was from something else in my memory. I felt myself changing the lyrics a little without changing the tune too much..."From the Redwood Forest to the New York Island" blah blah blah "This land was made for you and me." Strikingly similar. Two very partiot songs. I mean "This Land Is Your Land" was H.W. Bush's campaign song and Mellencamp's song has been the campaign song for Chevy trucks and Football. But hold on a second, "This Land" was written by Woody Guthrie in disgust with "God Bless America." It was also an anthem for American working class and Communist parties. The irony is amazing.

Oh yeh, I checked out the Mellencamp website and this is a quote he had to say about the song that's coming out in 2007. (If anyone hasn't heard it enough by now.)

"About a year ago, I wrote this song to tell a story about some of the challenges our country faces and how our beliefs and ideals can help us meet them. This partnership with Chevy -- an American company that is creating jobs and supporting our communities -- makes perfect sense for a song that is all about standing up for the working people who are the backbone of our nation."

I swear this is the actual quote. What's the definition of selling out again???

Sad that this is where i grew up...

Racine, WI. Just 45 mins south of milwaukee. Beautiful city right on the lakefront. Yeah, well recently racine has had a lot of negative publicity. Racine has a lot of gang violence and this past thursday there was an article dealing with numerous shootings and a fire. Supposidly these shootings were related. Besides the obvious violence that occured, racine ran out of police to respond to all of these incidents. WHAT is this!?....how bad can it get!? Another thing that is a shame is the fact that my catholic high school is one block away from one of the shootings. yikes. and in the summer time there was a man stabbed at the convenient store right across the street from St. catherines high school. how unsafe is racine becoming? this is terrible. The link to the journel sentinel has the full story to what happened on thursday night along with about a million commments from citizens or concerned people of racine.....take a look!

http://www.journaltimes.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=8663

Humans for sale.......HELL YEAH!!!!!!!

There is so much talk, at least in my house, about how poor the market is for homes. Yeah, exciting conversations, I know. We have tons of people in my neighborhood who are in the process of trying to get rid of their homes for an exceedingly rediculous amount of money and then two days later they bring the price down again. Anyways, after making the half hour trek down to school everyday, and finding that the only place where you never receive a ticket is on Summit Ave, I've begun to discover that my neighborhood is not the only place where homes have continuously sat on the market for months. As bored and as over tired as I usually am in the mornings I find lame amusement in counting these homes, and was caught off guard when I got stuck trying to decide if a particular house I passed was on sale or not. Sitting on the lawn of this house was a sign that read, "FOR SALE JEAN HENNING" with a picture of this cute, little-old lady sitting next to her name. I was at first flabbergasted at whether or not they were selling their grandmother or whether they named their humble abode. Then I thought to myself a little longer and realized that no longer would the world have to worry about homes not selling on the market place, humans were the new commodity! In actuality I understood the sign completely, but I just thought it funny that whatever relator was working on selling that particular house really needed to rethink their signage. I mean, if it was that lady for sale and not the house, they would've sold that thing months ago.

Asian Persuasion!!!

The other day we watched the Indy Jones clip and I had made a few comments about how the movie clumps all Asians together (e.g., the use of a Japanese name inserted into the spoken language (Chinese)). There was another inconsistency among that spoken language. There are many dialects in the Chinese language. However, the two main ones are "Mandarin" (spoken in most of China and what most U.S. universities teach), and "Cantonese" (spoken in parts of Southeast China and the main language of Hong Kong). The Asian men who delievered the scene in the lounge/bar spoke in Mandarin, some of it quite broken. But the little boy who helped Indiana spoke in Cantonese. For example, he was screaming at people to "get off to the side of the street" when he was driving through the side streets at the attempt to lose the men behind them.

Trying to incorporate an Asian culture into a Western film should be applauded, as it seems to be an attempt at pluralism (i.e., the idea of asserting a culture's distinctive identity) instead of simply attempting to assimilate the subservient culture. However, it was sloppy work (at least in the eyes of those who understand the language, behavior, and stereotype of the Chinese). I realize that it is not an easy thing to employ so many actors that may fully understand / speak the language (as most minorities born in the U.S. today are more eager to assimmilate and Americanize themselves than anything), but sometimes I still get annoyed at that seemingly lazy attempt. I guess whatever looks even halfway viable in the eyes of the mass audience (i.e. English-speakers) would suffice in inauthentic filming.

See a MOvie See the WOrld

So the International Film Fest is back! Yesterday was opening night for the festival and I'm told that it was opened to a packed house. The festival is definitely multiplying in populairty every year. Last year, I got a friend's pass and saw about half a dozen films which were all really excellent. It's an excellent opportunity for all of our Milwaukeeans that are surely sheltered in this midwest tundra to the world of culture outside keggers and thirsty thursdays. The two movies I definitely want to see this year are Blak Gold, about the global movement of fair trade and taking place in the birth place of coffee, Ethiopia, and also Suffer and Smile, which is about the legacy of fantatstic afro-beat jazz music and the legacy of activism attched to the Fela Kuti, his son Fema, and the generations to come. I saw Femi play at a MIlwaukee festival 2 years ago, when they were filming this doc, and it was really cool to see his son on stage with him (could't have been more than 10), playing the sax up front with his dad and with the rest of the horn section. The history of this family and their roots in the movement of music is extremely interesting. Fela Anikulapo ("the man who carries death in a pouch") Kuti once even declared his house and large yard his own state and brought in hundreds of the oppressed around Nigeria. He passed away in his late 40's due to AIDS. REGARDLESS, the international film fest is defintely a great opportunity to get out of the conglomerate box office and see some real films. It is a bit taxed at around 9.00 a showing (which is inflating like summerfest tickets when you look at years past), so try and get a friend's pass or mug a judge for his and make your way to see the world! PEACE.

See a MOvie, See the WOrld

So the International Film Fest is back! Yesterday was opening night for the festival and I'm told that it was opened to a packed house. The festival is definitely multiplying in populairty every year. Last year, I got a friend's pass and saw about half a dozen films which were all really excellent. It's an excellent opportunity for all of our Milwaukeeans that are surely sheltered in this midwest tundra to the world of culture outside keggers and thirsty thursdays. The two movies I definitely want to see this year are Blak Gold, about the global movement of fair trade and taking place in the birth place of coffee, Ethiopia, and also Suffer and Smile, which is about the legacy of fantatstic afro-beat jazz music and the legacy of activism attched to the Fela Kuti, his son Fema, and the generations to come. I saw Femi play at a MIlwaukee festival 2 years ago, when they were filming this doc, and it was really cool to see his son on stage with him (could't have been more than 10), playing the sax up front with his dad and with the rest of the horn section. The history of this family and their roots in the movement of music is extremely interesting. Fela Anikulapo ("the man who carries death in a pouch") Kuti once even declared his house and large yard his own state and brought in hundreds of the oppressed around Nigeria. He passed away in his late 40's due to AIDS. REGARDLESS, the international film fest is defintely a great opportunity to get out of the conglomerate box office and see some real films. It is a bit taxed at around 9.00 a showing (which is inflating like summerfest tickets when you look at years past), so try and get a friend's pass or mug a judge for his and make your way to see the world! PEACE.

See a MOvie, See the WOrld

So the International Film Fest is back! Yesterday was opening night for the festival and I'm told that it was opened to a packed house. The festival is definitely multiplying in populairty every year. Last year, I got a friend's pass and saw about half a dozen films which were all really excellent. It's an excellent opportunity for all of our Milwaukeeans that are surely sheltered in this midwest tundra to the world of culture outside keggers and thirsty thursdays. The two movies I definitely want to see this year are Blak Gold, about the global movement of fair trade and taking place in the birth place of coffee, Ethiopia, and also Suffer and Smile, which is about the legacy of fantatstic afro-beat jazz music and the legacy of activism attched to the Fela Kuti, his son Fema, and the generations to come. I saw Femi play at a MIlwaukee festival 2 years ago, when they were filming this doc, and it was really cool to see his son on stage with him (could't have been more than 10), playing the sax up front with his dad and with the rest of the horn section. The history of this family and their roots in the movement of music is extremely interesting. Fela Anikulapo ("the man who carries death in a pouch") Kuti once even declared his house and large yard his own state and brought in hundreds of the oppressed around Nigeria. He passed away in his late 40's due to AIDS. REGARDLESS, the international film fest is defintely a great opportunity to get out of the conglomerate box office and see some real films. It is a bit taxed at around 9.00 a showing (which is inflating like summerfest tickets when you look at years past), so try and get a friend's pass or mug a judge for his and make your way to see the world! PEACE.