a new age

So I went out to dinner with my friend last night who is a journalist and professor at UMass Dartmouth. We got into the discussion of how journalists need to know so much more now. You not only have to be good writer, but you now must be able to post blogs, and be technologically savvy. The journalist who do well are the ones who have posts online, that are interactive so others can comment. It becomes more like a conversation now than anything else. Everyone wants to put in their two cents about the topic and have their voices heard. Blogging allows for this, which is why its so popular. It is interesting to see what will happen to journalism, newspapers and even magazines over the next few years as the internet continues to take over

Be kind, rewind!

The days of video stores have become a thing of the past. Who goes out to rent movies any longer? Seems like quite the arduous task now doesn’t it? I thought of this because I drove by my local Hollywood Video to see yet again another 'going out of business' sign. Well lucky for me, all the DVD's were on sale for 5 bucks! As bad as I feel, well actually I didn’t feel bad at all, ( you can’t beat 5 bucks for new dvd's ) the time has come. Netflix and other competing companies have completely ruined the video store business. We can order a movie, keep it for as long as want, and return it for a low monthly cost. Also, with on demand, we can watch a new release in the comfort of our own home. Slowly, but surely I believe all the video stores will be out of business, and Netflix will continue to thrive. Which of course means, more Dvd's on sale, and I like that.

bonding with the media

Going back on audiences: If I really think about it-with each of my friends, we all have a show in common that we like...or at least a genre. I think of certain people I want to call when a type of movie comes out, or show. For example: I call my brother when a new sci-fi flick comes out because we love those, and it's a 'bonding' experience'. Whenever a new Harry Potter film comes out, I take my friend Amanda. Either way, with each friend/family member it's something that we have in common. It's interesting to think that media is considered a way of bonding. After work, on Monday's when the old bachelor was on, my mother and I would sit together and watch. It was one of our favorite things to do. We're watching something, but still spending time together. Media has always been a way of bonding with one another. Back in the day, my grandfather would spend time with his family huddled around the radio listening to their favorite show. The tradition has carried on through decades, and no matter how the media changes, we will still find ways to bond over it.

Pandora

So I just want to say allowed..I Love Pandora. What a great invention, really. I've always been a fan of online radio. I use to use Yahoo-radio, it's similar to Pandora in the sense that you can create a personalized radio station. The difference is that you cant create one based on a song like you can with Pandora. I love to listen to classical music while studying, so I tune into my Pandora, pick my 'classiacal' station I've customized, and I'm good to go! It's also a great way to find new artists, as I've found many from using my 'Augustana' station. It gives me bands that are similar in sound, and I never seem to get bored of the same artists over and over again. So I give Pandora an overall 'thumbs-up" to free personalized radio!

The walrus and the carpenter

To relate back to audiences, I'm eager to see what kind of people are in the theaters for the opening weekend of "Alice in Wonderland". Usually this type of story would relate to a young audience, mostly children, as it is a fairy tale. Tim Burton did the remake of the classic, with of course, the traditional Tim Burton dark twist. His movies usually bring in a more mature audience, those who like the eery feeling, and those who appreciate his great cinematography. So, with that said who's going out to see it this weekend? Kids? Adults? Both? Will it be too scary for children? Either way I cannot wait!
When I was younger, I never really liked the story "Alice in Wonderland", it scared me actually, even the Disney movie. Those poor oysters get tricked into being eaten...
Anyways, there was a series called Alice and the looking glass. Anyone remember it? It was a real-life version, and Alice had to constantly fight this dragon-monster in her bedroom mirror. Well frankly, it terrified me as a child, and I couldn't think of the Alice story the same.
Flash forward-I love Tim Burton's films, so I am facing my childhood horrors and seeing the movie. My feeling is that there will be a lot of people around my age range, and Alice and Wonderland really took off in the early 90's.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Also does anyone remember the Disney show based on AIW, where Alice walked through her mirror and went to Wonderland after school?

televison ratings.

After watching this film, it made me think of all the shows we see on television. Some of these films that were reated "NC-17" remind me of a show that is broadcast on national television, Nip Tuck. I am personally not a fan, but I've seen a couple of episodes here and there. I was pretty shocked to see some pretty hardcore sex scenes. Nothing I haven't seen before, but on TV? Parents are so worried about films, and not wanting children to see them, but yet these type of shows on TV are not blocked. Anyone can turn on the TV and start watching these shows, versus seeing something in the theater. How did a show like Nip Tuck slip through the raters fingers? They may not show nudity, but it's still pretty 'raunchy' so to speak. I feel if anything the films should be given a chance to be on the big screen. We have to pay, and be adults (or at least over 17) to see them in the theater. Where as anyone with cable can watch these types of shows. What are your thoughts?

Cause this is Thriller, Thriller night.

So personally, I hate horror movies. It's mainly the jumping out that scares me, and I'm a huge baby. I end up sitting there covering my eyes and ears the entire time. So you would assume that I wouldn't like any type of scary movie, including Thrillers...you would be wrong my friend! I love the type of movies that have a twist ending, and seem scary throughout, but in the end you find things arent what they seem. Lets see, movies like "Hide and Seek" or "Godsend", and even "The Sixth sense". I feel like M. Night Shyamalan does a great jobs at this genre. Throughout the movie, youre scared, and you have no idea whats really going on and there is always some sort of twist ending.

So the real question here is what seperates a "Thriller" from a "Horror" film? They have some of the same elements, gore, killing,suspense, scary music, yet they arent quite the same. Maybe it's how "jumpy" the movie is. In horror films it's all about making the audience scream..a lot. Perhaps in Thrillers it's more about trying to figure out what's going on in the film while being scared. What really separates the two?

Lets take "The sixth sense" (assuming most everyone has seen it). It has gore, (the boys head who is shot open), suspense throughout the movie, creepy music, and even death. I jumped so many times watching this film, and I still do! ..yet it isn't considered a horror film. If you think about it, its scarier than the original Psycho, and that's in the Horror genre. What are your thoughts?

chili today, hot tamale!

I wanted to touch upon Mark's topic of Advertising but in a different light. How many of us have seen a terrible commercial, or ad, but it sticks with us? I bet most of know the "180064GIANT" jingle, or have seen the horrendous Bob's furniture ads. As terrible as they may be, we remember them. There are many ways of going about advertising like being funny, or straight to the point, and yes even being just plain terrible.

A great example of this is South of the Border. If any of you adventurous kids have taken the long drive from here to Florida, you will eventually have to pass...South of the Border. It is a terrible Mexican themed rest stop built in the 70's (and still looks exactly the same as the day it was built) and it should be torn down. On the drive, you will first see a sign with some lame catch phrase on it. Then will you see another 10 miles after, it will soon turn into every 5, 3, 1, 1/2 and 1/4 mile until you reach the final destination. The signs are just dreadful, and are rather annoying seeing them every 1/2 mile but-they work. People stop off at this tacky location if only to see what all the hype is about seen on the ads. (You are sure to be disappointed) None the less, they work! I can still even remember some of the signs, because they are that bad.

~~ take a look at one of the ads.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/South_of_the_Border_sign_23_-_Pedros_Weather_Report_Chilli_Today_Hot_Tamale.JPG

The point of all this is, bad advertising works, because we remember just how awful it is. We may make fun of it, but in the end the advertisers win. We are talking about it, spreading the word, and thats the point of their whole scheme. Can you think of any other ads that drive you crazy, but stick?

do this, dont do that, can't you read the sign?

To touch back on semiotics and the meaning behind signs. I found a blogger who listed his top five 'weird signs' and I'm interested in seeing what other peoples interpretations of them would be. The last one, of the airplane hitting the car confuses me the most. I'm guessing wherever this is from, they must have airplanes hitting cars quite frequently to post that sign! I wasn't aware that airplanes in the sky hit cars on the ground..who knew? I should keep my eye on the sky while driving from now on. It could be that it's near an airport, and planes have had issues taking off, and hit cars on the passing road...what do you think?

Number 3 is interesting too. It's all about the placement of this sign. If it was moved to the divider rail in the center of the roadway instead near the water, the message would be clear. Bikes on the left, cars on the right. Because it is placed on the edge, it appears as if the cars should be in the water! Not sure that's practicing safe driving...

What do you think of the others?

http://stevenguerin.blogspot.com/2009/02/strange-road-signs-top-five-list.html

modern media

Okay so I do watch a lot of TV. Most of the time, it's background noise, and usually crap. I've noticed that Reality Tv has taken over. Almost every channel has some sort of reality show. Now, that's not to say that I havent been sucked into the world of crap TV. I too am guilty of watching such terrible shows a "Daisy of Love" and even a few episodes of "Jersey Shore" (which is just awful).
Maybe im one of the few who still likes to watch educational shows. -not the boring kind like you see on PBS, but the Travel and Discovery Channel's put out some great shows that you can learn something from.

So the point to all this rambling is when will this trend end? Or will it get even worse?