Assignement 5-1 Weekly Analysis

Movies created a first time and created a second time seem to never come to an end. Most recently there are three movies that are back for a second and third time. The “Incredible Hulk”, “Sex and the City” and “Get Smart”.
Although the characters may or may not change the story line remains the same. It is because the first time around the profits at the box office was so grand? Of course it is. I just wonder how many re-takes the public will tolerate before they end up being a bust.
We all know that the Incredible Hulk began as a comic book turned into a movie in 2003 and now we will see it again in 2008. Hopefully, it will do better the second time around. In 2003 it was off to a good start and then dropped by 70% in the second week (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulk_%28film%29). So why attempt it again? Review of the first move and the second movie are almost identical. The story line is similar to the original movie. However; the film makers promise a more “realistic and frightening storyline (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_Hulk_%28film%29).
Sex and the City ran for six seasons and was a very popular HBO weekly show. It portrayed four women and their dramatic lives which included dealing socially in the City of New York and the ongoing saga of sex (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_and_the_City). Apparently, the shows audience did not get enough of the show during the six seasons, so they are going to capitalize on a movie. It makes one wonder if they will do the same with Friends.
Get Smart aired on television for 5 years from 1965 to 1970. It was a comedy in which a secret government agent 86 would investigate crime and portrayed a not so intelligent man would always solve the crime (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Smart). Today, the movie will be up to date but the characters will remain the same.
Is the public really hooked on what used to be that we can’t come up with a new genre? These three films are recent examples of films created and then recreated for a second time. As opposed to just numbering the films them in sequence each of these promise to be better than the first time around so they will not need a II or III version.
It will be very interesting to see how these films do and see if they make it huge in the box office.

Journal Article Analysis 1-3

The intended audience for this article is mothers, fathers and students. The article addresses dating violence, the use of drugs and date rape at colleges and places that attract our young adults. The intended message in the article is finding a better way to communicate these dangers to our youth.
The article is another attempt and plea to educate young adults about the dangers of binge drinking, drug use, unsafe sex and internet predators. Similarities used were damages of riding a bike without a helmet, riding in a vehicle without wearing a seatbelt or water rafting without wearing a life jacket.
The article is a realistic view on these subject matters. The article deals with the basic idea of finding a successful way to educate our young children about the dangers of partaking in these types of activities. Each time a teenager tells a fascinating account of participating in these undesirable dangers someone else wants to try them out or do not know how to dismiss the appealing desire. The author of article is not convinced that appropriate and effective messaging is getting out to our children. Messaging is out there for our teens but why is not being understood?
The frustrating feelings of the author are expressed because there is much time being spent on resources for presentations, ads and after school specials to spread the word. If these were affective then the actives of these damages would not continue to rise. We know that there are more victims day by day because they are growing by staggering numbers.
What most know is that nationwide teens are sharing their story of “fantastic and freighting” encounters and the lifelong scar that will be left but no enough are listening. The article advises that many times teens take unnecessary chances when having sex and taking drugs that lead to doom and gloom yet others still want to have this experience.
The article is well written from a mother’s perspective that can relate to the authors concerns. The main idea was presented and explained well. The article was easy to read and written for an adult audience. The words used to articulate her feelings were very calm and informal.
The author is astonished that in today’s society with the mass amount of education and information out there that it would be virtually impossible not to the get the appropriate word out to our young adults. The messaging is there it just is not getting heard or absorbed like we would hope that it would. The author expresses that “imminent disaster” is going to continue to happen if we do not find away to educate our young adults about these dangers and have it heard and understood.
The key ideas I took away was a plea for parents to talk and communicate with all children openly and honestly about these matters. Do not talk at your children talk with them and to them at their level. Children not only need to hear the gloom and doom of a danger they also need to hear why they might try something new. Discuss the “fantastic” part of why they might try and the pleasure they can get from it on the front end but what happens on the back end is “frightening” and why.
There are times when parents need to entertain a young audience. This may help young adults understand what is being discussed at an adult level. It is a matter of how and when we will find a way to communicate effectively at all levels to reduce the number of victims.





References:

Quindlen, A. (2006). Frightening-- And Fantastic. Newsweek, 148(12), 72-72. from Academic Search Primary Database. Retrieved March 9, 2008.

What are all the searches for?

Written Analysis 4
What are all the searches for?


In searching for a current pop culture a good resource to see what everyone else is looking at I referenced this weeks top profile searches in Yahoo. The popular searches this week are “The Spectacular Spider Man”, Fergie, Brad Paisley, Parker Posey and Bjork.
These individuals are currently popular today because American has made them the top searches in Yahoo. While visiting these top sites and trying to figure out what made them so popular they certainly had some appealing attractions.
“The Spectacular Spider Man” for instance that debuted in 1976 and was comic book marvel since 1968 is still a hero and has set the pace for others to follow. What draws some is the television and comic book terror he reduces to a minimum and saves the victims. We still see children at Halloween dress as Spider Man and several hundreds of thousands still watch the cartoon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man).
Fergie draws attention because she is a talented pop culture singer today. Fergie a member of the band called “Black Eye Peas” is also doing some solo work. She has some new hits and a solo album. Fergie is also a Dutchess and was the voice of Sally Brown, Charlie Brown’s little sister in a few episodes of the well known cartoon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stacy_Ferguson).
Brad Paisley, one of my favorite country signers is married to Kerry Williams of the sitcom “According to Jim”. Brad Paisley continues to wow the fans of country music with one hit after another. He is as easy to listen to when talking or singing with a charming and friendly personality (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Paisley).
Parker Posey or also known as “Queen of the Indies” has been a soap opera actress in the Guiding Light and As the World Turns. Posey also acted in several independent films. Posey dated Ryan Adams an American alternate rock musician (http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Parker+Posey&cs=bz&fr=fp-buzzmod) .
Bjork is from Iceland and is a singer, songwriter and actress. This is my first time knowing who she and after listening to her music for a bit she is not a favorite of mine. Bjork is very popular with the public as she as been nominated for several Grammy Awards, an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bjork).
Just like everyone else I decided to see what all the publicity was about with these talents and discovered that they are popular for many different reasons. They may have a new hit, be staring in a new movie or be the theme of a young child’s birthday party. It really would not matter because all it takes is one inquiry after another to find out who they are and then everyone wants to know what all the hype is about.

Clairvoyance is it fact or fiction?

Weekly Written Analysis 3

Clairvoyance is it fact or fiction? Lisa Williams is alive and well and believes that she can speak with the dead. She believes that she speak to the living from beyond the grave. She claims that she can “work” with loved ones to resolve issues. What a grand idea if one were believe she can actually do this. Her mission is to reunite loved ones in attempt to relay messages on take care of unfinished dealing or make expression related to the death to put ones mind at ease. One can read more about Lisa Williams in the following website http://www.lisawilliamsmedium.com/.
I have watched three to four of these episodes and find her a bit over the top. One thing I admire about her is that she comes across as really believing in herself and is quite confident that she is performing the connection between the living and the dead. In one episode Lisa Williams’s goal was to free a home from evil spirits so that the home could be lived in peacefully. The occupant did not feel settled and expressed the home and a certain sensation about it that it was not comfortable or that there was unfinished business.
Is being a Medium and Clairvoyant a real icon or is it a myth that these talents actually exist. I have to wonder but I think that the desire to hold onto the past or discover answers for the unknown is so strong that we do believe.
There are individuals that will pay tremendous amounts of money to speak to a loved one after they are gone or to explore the afterlife. It is such a strong desire that I think television and big business capitalize on it whenever they can.
People need to move on in life and some try to predict the future and to be at peace to exist. I believe that contact with a medium to find this relief may for some be the only way to let go or find a reason to hope for the future. Individuals like Lisa Williams that are good at what they do are able to capitalize on themselves and become a huge icon. Big business loves this and takes full advantage of the revenue it generates.

Weekly Written Analysis 2

In today’s society many find assistance for day to day functions by using a personal digital assistant or better known as a PDA. Personally, I had no idea what they were until I researched them. They are basically handheld computers and have the capability of being used as a phone, clock, calendar, Internet, capable of sending and receiving E-mails, viewing video’s, typing and word processing, an address book, the ability of working spreadsheets and listening to music, playing computer games and also has a navigational GPS system on them.
All of this sounds very grand and if you have the budget you can purchase one for around $250.00 to $500.00. The PDA system mirrors a lap top in the mini sense. My personal opinion regarding this very popular system is that it can have many uses and probably be quite amazing for individuals that work from their car or on the road for a great deal of time. This allows people to have this at their fingertips and not worry about where they will find internet capabilities. These may be the new wave and popular systems for college students that commute.
One disadvantage I can see is the size and the potential to get lost, misplaced or easily stolen. Another detriment is that they are over used and have the potential to divert individuals from face to face contact and become reliant on electronics to run their day to day actives.
I feel that technology has come very far and that many of today’s advancements in medicine, travel, business are because of equipment. I also think that too much can be a detriment and that use of the equipment can be more limited. I can recall several encounters with individuals that are using a PDA system are not really listing to you and are distracted. Recently I became annoyed with an individual that was at my office and we were doing a review and I can’t tell you how many occasions the individual was paying more attention to the PDA system that the meetings and what was actually going on. I found this very annoying and disrespectful. I felt as if I was spending my time competing with the PDS system. I also remember thinking that this is the path that society is taking and it is going to worse or better depending on what type of person you are.

Assignment 2-2 Icon Analysis

The three contemporary icons I have chosen are The Wizard of Oz, Bob Barker and Derek Jeter. The Wizard of Oz takes me back and this icon of a movie has been around since 1939 or for 69 years. At Halloween you still see Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Lion and the Scarecrow. The movie left such an impression on those that watched it one can remember the scenes from long ago. Bob Barker, although retired will forever remain a constant for the Price Is Right after 35 years. Many can describe him and remember him as being one of the most jovial individuals in TV land. As for Derek Jeter there can’t be many that do not know that he plays for the NY Yankee’s, has dated Maria Carey and has cologne named Driven.

I have chosen the Wizard of Oz because I can still remember the movie very well. Since this film I watched hundreds of movies but this one left an ever lasting impression on me as well as it did others. I believe that there are many more individuals that would remember the Wizard of Oz and vivid as yesterday when asked. We are reminded of this icon still today. For me the most interesting thing about the movie was the threat of fear of the unknown. When I was young Bob Barker was the bright spot in the day. His voice made me feel comforted and I can remember thinking that even when someone lost they were made to feel happy by the words of Bob Barker. I have chosen Derek Jeter because my families are avid Yankee Fans. He gives the impression and appearance of a nice young man very confident at what he does yet does not appear arrogant. I like that feature about him. He always manages to stay under the radar.