Neo-Liberalism and Makeover Shows...when did this class turn in to "The Soup"

Honestly, the whole time the in class discussion was going on, I couldn't help but think how great of a script this would make for a new show on E!...hosted by Joel McHale. First off, starting with the cornucopia of ridiculous known as neo-liberalism...how in the fuck does Uncle Sam rationalize in his mind that we the people are better off paying $4.00 for both a gallon of gas and a gallon of milk. If this is a glimpse into the future I see us inevitably arriving in a world where we roam the countryside in our beat up and outdated vehicles, raiding villages for the necessities that we can no longer afford. Yes, I realize that this is somewhat of an over-exaggerated idea that will more than likely never happen...there is still a chance. So this is what I am going to propose...to counteract the gas prices, the government needs to push Toyota to make the Prius cool. I know, I know, it doesn't relate to television, but if the government pushes people who are making un-cool things to add a little bad-assness we will all be better off. I remember seeing an episode of Made where the lead singer for this band Attila who wanted to become a model. This guy was built like me...was all scruffy and had gauged ears, probably about 7/8". Anyways, he went on Made and instead of making him lose all of his uniqueness, they actually allowed him to be himself. They just cleaned him up a bit. I believe he got surgery on his ears which runs about $600 for the pair simply because they are not desirable in the fashion world.  The point of all this? This person is STILL the lead singer for his band and is still the same person he once was. He may attempt to pass as a high cultured citizen but he didn't lose all of his cultural capital within the music scene for "selling out"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4TdPxOXuYw

Fan Fiction

I love the idea of fan fiction and the idea that it could possibly become a mass culture. Watching some of the Star Wars fan fiction films I was somewhat surprised that the creators were actually re-creating a setting that was EXTREMELY similar to the "real deal". The main problem I can see with this sort of creative leeching is that quite frankly, those who are participating in the production of fan fiction process are stealing ideas and creating them as their own. While this may be protected under the many variables within copyright infringement, I understand why the original creators could possibly be upset. For example, if someone creates a piece of fan fiction and the production quality is lacking this could give a bad name to the original creators. While it may be a unique concept...some people aren't able to discriminate between two pieces of media. If I were in George Lucas's shoes I wouldn't someone shooting a fan fiction film in Hi8 and proposing that it is test footage for Episode 7: Jedi FTW. 

The other aspect of fan fiction that I see is the idea of Rip and Remix culture. Ever since Com Tech I have become a complete fanboy of Girl Talk. While this doesn't relate to television, I feel that this is quite possibly more important and risqué than fan fiction. Basically, since it consists of content producer ripping sound files and remixing them to their satisfaction, it is actually using the hard copy of what was originally created. Not just the idea. This hard evidence could stand up in court in a greater way than simple fan fiction.

And now...BROKEBACK TO THE FUTURE!!!

Jealous Bitches

You know what, guys? Just shut up already about The Hills. You're all just jealous. It's not their fault that everyone wants to be them. I mean, come on, Heidi and Lauren are practically self-made celebrities. They worked their way to the top just like the rest of the lighting guys, Steadi-Cam operators, and directors on set. It's not their fault that some 22 year old P.A. got hired to follow them around with a hair light for 18 hours/day. It's yours for not applying to be that guy.

I don't care what you say...The Hills is quality programming. It tells the real-life stories of teens and the hardships of what it's like to live on the Sunset Strip. Finding somewhere to eat, choosing guys based on facial hair patterns, and selecting an accountant that's not “all old and boring” can eat up a lot of time. I mean, it ain't all Chanel and BMW's – one time on the show Lauren had to ride in a Toyota...and the air conditioning didn't work. Talk about a rough day...yeesh.

I mean, it's not like you guys couldn't be little go-getting entrepreneurs as well. I'm sure Audrina, Whitney, LC, and Heidi sat down one day and had a pre-production meeting about how much people envy their lives. I know...how could you not, right? I mean, with the exception of eight guys in black following them around all day with boom-mics and HD cams, it's perfectly realistic. Of course, that is if someone doesn't mess up their line – then you'll need to re-shoot Lauren's over-the-shoulder shot. It's going to be a bitch to resync that with the other cam, though. Oh...and there was one episode where they had to stop because Spencer got trashed and crushed his lav mic, but besides that....I mean, the conversations are real. Well...maybe not all of them on camera, but when you see “The Hills: Behind the Scenes”....that's when you get to see the real stuff they couldn't show.

So stop judging them. It's not their fault that their reality is so much cooler than yours. They earned it...and their better actors than you'll ever be. So take your jealousy and shove it. There's a 73% chance re-runs are on right now, so I guess I've got somewhere to be.

You Are A Star!!!

It doesn’t really matter whether or not you like reality TV shows or not because they’re here and I don’t see them going anywhere. They’re easy ways for people to become stars, washed up stars to comeback, and their high ratings and cheap budge make producers giddy. You can’t turn to a station without it having some form of “reality” based concept going on; whether it’s VH1’s Rock of or Foodnetwork’s Top Chef. Some people want to come home and watch something funny, interesting, and most importantly not have to think. People, well most people, have jobs that consist of thinking and can be relatively stressful, my dad would always say, “I figure out problems all day why the hell do I want to come home and think hard some more?” That’s probably why he watched Animal Planet a lot. I see myself falling along these lines because I watch relatively dumb downed shows throughout the day because I don’t want to have to keep up and make my business to watch. If you’ve never seen an episode of Flavor of Love well your in luck my friends because they recap everything before episode and show repeated marathons basically all day long. America’s Next Top Model has ran each season every weekend for the past month. The brand “reality TV” will be with us for a quite sometime and probably get worse. So many people want to be on TV and are willing to upload videos via website to get there faces seen and most reality shows are viewer friendly in which you can go on their webpage and vote for certain cast members, hell there’s even video dairies up on their websites is people really can’t get enough. Mixing cultures, religions, and people who think they’re God’s chosen one you get dramatized television that going to keep viewers tuning in every week. Sure producers and editors edit what type of storylines to go off of, but it seems to the cast themselves full right along into it. Put me and 6 other people (half of them being girls) in a house, supply us with alcohol, and not make us have realistic jobs…where do I sign?

Amazing Star Wars Lightsaber Fight

Crazy fan culture. These guys demonstrate their Star Wars skills with a 5:00 minute long video to show their dedication to Star Wars. From what I know, Star Wars probably has one of the biggest fan cultures out there and fans show their appreciation through conventions, fan made videos, and countless other endeavors that they engage in. Some take it to the extreme and dress the part, others use their film producing capabilities and make fan videos like the one posted above. I guess there's nothing wrong with that if you're really passionate about it. You'll have your followers of certain shows or sports teams, and it'll depend on the person to how extreme they take their fandom. The question is, do some people take it too far? If they do, how far is too far? How about naming your kid after Luke Skywalker. Are conventions too far? I don't know because i've never been to one, some might think it is. Even the videos, are these people living in a fantasy world of their own? For me, it's probably a little too far when you name your kid after a fictional character. I cant' really comment on the conventions since I don't really know what they're about. Fans will be fans, and they'll express their appreciation any way they can.

Crazy Fans

Fans perform reenactments, go to conventions, and produce their own scripts; have they gone too far? I don’t think so and like Epley said the creators of the films/TV series are realizing this to (George Lucas). Fans of Firefly want to continue on the “legacy” by creating a webpage and naming themselves Brown Coats…do it! I see not a whole lot of difference in fans that wear cub’s hats and shirts compared to fans who where a band shirt or have a tattoo. It’s the year 2008 and reality is not as cool as we had pictured it so people still try to get their fix of imagination by going to conventions/concerts and actually participating in events with others who feel the same. Marge Simpson says there’s an age limit, but yet I see both my almost 50 parents suiting up their gear to participate in a Jimmy Buffett concert…yeah they’re Parrot Heads. Holding on to something you truly love and admire isn’t a bad thing at all no matter what age you are. Do others go a step further and to the extreme when it comes to Fandoms? Yes, but who else are we to watch on YouTube doing crazy stuff, and who else are cartoon writers suppose to make fun of? Little do we know I think we need people that go to the extreme in liking a specific thing because it’s something different (like the Star Wars video we watched, that took major production and input to create) and some of us are not willing to do it but if someone else is we’re willing to watch. I go to live events and concerts, I spend quite a bit of money on them…is it a waste, maybe, but you only live once.

Hybrid TV

Not just for women, the Food channel accommodates to men as well. I made an emphasis to bring this up in my presentation, showing that it's not just women's TV. The food channel retains the feminism, but also can have an effect on men as well. I think it's a great hybrid network that combines convenience, humor, and diversity all in one. I have slowly become more and more addicted to the Food channel as I've begun to make it apart of my daily schedule the last two weeks. Women still get the ideas for quick and easy dinners, gourmet dishes, and tips from decorated chefs. Men get the eye candy of Giada and Sandra Lee, not to mention an appetite from all the diverse foods. Rachel Ray brings it home with quick ideas for easy dinners and lunches, while Emeril hosts his live TV show with humor. One of these days i'll get crazy and attempt to emulate one of their dishes. As the "Working Woman" came into her own, a network like the Food network makes perfect sense in our crazy daily lives.

Mass Market?

In all of the discussion of the mass market, I couldn't help but constantly question the idea of if a mass market actually exists. While it is impossible to flip on the TV and see the same commercials everywhere, there seems to be a select few that no matter what network you are watching, these commercials are invading our lives. The most successful advertising campaigns use television, internet, movies, and all other forms of technology to sell their product. At the risk of seeming like a complete fanboy, the Apple adds are almost like a plague on our society. It seems as though you cannot watch a day of television without seeing one "I'm a Mac" ad. However, these are not only on television but on internet popups as well. Now, the big question comes, what is the point of all of this and how does one determine if a particular advertisement is part of the mass market? Well the obvious answer is when a mass amount of people have seen an ad. When my mom is telling me about how thin a Macbook Air is, well clearly this form of marketing has spread to popular culture.

When does this all become too much? That question is somewhat hard to answer as it is nearly impossible for me to image flipping on the television and seeing and ad for Cherry Coke just because I am jonesin' for one. I somewhat have mixed feelings on this due to the fact that I would love to avoid seeing the god-damned Mazda Zoom-Zoom ads...but do I really want my thoughts broadcast to television networks? The hypothetical "what ifs?" get to be a little much to answer.

This is a Public Service Announcement…

After class yesterday Epley posed the question relating to, “Do we need to be advertised in a mass culture sense?” First of all just being advertised things you prefer is kind of creepy thinking about the example Epley used involving the Teddy Grahams. A billboard changing right before your eyes to suit your advertising preference…what happens if four people are in a car, does the billboard wig out and self destruct? Either way hate ads and large scaled events or love them, they give us all (as people of this lovely society) something to talk about and vibe ideas off one another. TV was invented as a form of entertainment for families, not just one Joe Schmo. The example of bringing up a conversation revolving around the final NCAA tournament game was brought up, and whether or not you care about the game or not it is a form of common knowledge at this time of the year and is to be used as an “ice breaker” to a conversation (take that away from society then there’s going to be a lot more awkward elevator moments OUTSIDE OF ELEVATORS!!!). TV’s and computers are going to become way more user friendly in the future in ways I can’t really comprehend, but in my eyes advertising on a mass audience scale will always be around as long as there’s jobs, schools, and other social encountering places. People might watch TV by themselves, but saying something out loud during a program is a lot cooler/normal when others are around to comment back. Watching Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis alone (acceptable), watching the Super Bowl alone (creepy/pathetic). The internet and online gaming is already showing signs of what happens when people are only exposed to one form of media and the after affects are disturbing, just talk to someone who plays World of War Craft (it’s a hole other level).

Feel Good TV

Last week we talked about the four ways to approach quality when talking about television. A lot of people said money played a factor in what people feel is quality TV and also location of residency. In my mind, cable/satellite TV is so cheap these days that even the hobos out in the boonies of Iowa can even enjoy some Law and Order these days. The one thing I found interesting about Epley’s speech was the thought that in some of the jokes seen on programs are to reward/make the viewer who understands it feel smart. I don’t think that is the full on intent when the writers of a show are doing their thing, but certain shows definitely throw a few flatteries in there. Last weeks South Park was basically making fun of he recent stories about how kids are chugging Nyquil and other over the counter medicine to get a buzz by playing with idea that having a cat piss on your face will get you high. Now the flattery part comes in when the whole “Dairy of Anne Frank” comes into play when cats are band from South Park and Cartmen allows some cats to stay in his attic and gives one a diary. Now I thought that idea was hilarious and another one of my roommates did also, but we understood it. Had someone not understood it would they have less enjoyment? I don’t know. Getting something does make a person feel good (have you ever look in on of those crazy books where you’re suppose to see a sailboat but you can’t…not fun) and I can see Epley’s point. If you watch Lost every week and keep up to date, you are rewarded with next week’s episode by learning more ineptly about a certain situation that only you (and other weekly watchers) can fully understand. I see it as basically being another way to draw viewers in every week because you don’t want to be left in the dark, it’s almost like them cliff hanging before a commercial making you hesitate to get up because you might miss something. Sounds sick, I know, but TV is a crazy, feel good force that is becoming ever so manipulative. Watch Rock of Love…lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA8Vm4SWgeE