PCU

The 25 Best Pop Culture Books

2008-12-12T23:24:00.004-05:00

If you're a student thats fascinated by gossip blogs, hit music, and up and coming movies, why not bring your passion to the college curriculum? Despite what some members of the academic elite may say, popular culture is a valid subject for scholarly consideration. With its behemoth influence over society, popular culture deserves a comfortable amount of influence over the college course list.

Whether you're looking to understand popular culture by means of academic assignments or your own curiosity, the following list represents some of the best titles in popular culture. From rock n'roll studies to the most basic theories and understanding of the popular culture fundamentals, you'll find a range of useful, thought-provoking books which challenge the notion that popular culture is irrelevant in college studies.

Mallory's 25 Best Popular Culture Books

Learning from South Park

2008-12-08T10:07:00.000-05:00

Image via WikipediaWhile the volatile battle between pop culture aficionados and stern faced scholars continues to rage, the intersection of popular culture and academics remains as blurry as ever. A recent addition to CUNY's scholastic agenda reaffirms the usefulness of popular culture in academic studies through the creation of a class called "South Park and Political Correctness."

The innovative class shows the importance that even the most lewd and crude of tv 's toxins can have on collegiate studies. Class creator, Brian Dunphry believes that South Park "has the pulse of America more than anything else" While many professors dedicate their cultural studies to the traditional academic canon, others like Dunphry question just how effective these ancient texts are in modern day. While scholars and intellectuals typically list South Park amongst the most lethal threats to social integrity, Dunphry reexamines the significance of the pottymouth animated series. By observing the show under a less iniquitous lens, Dunphry shows how "you can learn from the most unlikely places" as long as you are willing to challenge the common perspective and see things from a different angle.

Instead of attempting to understand our culture much of the time is wasted on the deviant ideas and beings innocently thrown under the social chopping block. And although we're taught to suspect the misfits and bombard new ideas with a batallion of doubt, America--so involved in its moral witch hunt and disciplined to accuse rather than understand--is statically tangled in fractured stereotypes and a vague understanding of each other. Popular culture embodies the rudimentary essence grounded in the latent social soil of the time and place, an examination of which when taken seriously can obliterate much of the hazy veil which clouds the American perspective.

With the media's sensitive radar governing the American perspective of the social climate, the erratic paranoia will only clog our understanding of things. With its potty mouth dialogue and socially avoided topic matter, South Park's callow antics are denied scholastic consideration from the get go. But if attention is given to South Park, like the study of popular culture in general, it is likely to illuminate the obscure shadows of society, so long as we open our eyes to it all.
[New York Post]

Life in the Fast Times at Ridgemont High

2008-12-03T18:00:00.000-05:00

Embark on a transient mental quest to the golden age of a high school yesterday, which for jocks and prom queens were the glory days and to the bully victims or detention denizens, high school was an epoch they'd be more than happy to forget. Movies and tv shows which document cafeteria mayhem and illuminate the vices shimmying through the locker room gossip circuits , rarely depict the pre-collegiate era as anything but malicious, popularity-driven, and tortured by a relentless artillery of rumors and gossipy accusations. And only once in a blue moon does the typically crooked portrait actually shed light on any of high school's positive attributes.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High is one of these rare exceptions which instead of villifying high school as the repeated embezzler of individuality, sketches a more authentic portrait of the high school labyrinth, illuminating its essence as a complex social infrastructure and forum for beneficial social interaction amongst peers, which cultivates mature relationships and ultimately revamps the fractured essence of one's individuality. A piece written by Jean Schwind in the Journal of Popular Culture called "Cool Coaching at Ridgemont High" shows how 80's classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High identifies high school as the stomping grounds for the revival of one's individuality.

As a misfit to the teen movie genre, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, with its quirky cast, an unforgettable Jeff Spicoli character (played by the 22 year old Sean Penn), and its unembellished representation of the American high school, Fast Times paved the way for a number of legendary teen movies to follow in its footsteps. Noted for its realistic depiction of American teens, Fast Times at Ridgemont High was originally conceived as a novel when the 22 year old author, Cameron Crowe, went undercover as a born again high school senior at Ridgemont High,with a dignified intention to capture "the flow of day-to-day high school life...the entire business--from academic competition to the sexual blunders--of teenage adulthood" by recording events, conversations, and interaction amongst his peers. Dissatisfied with the stereotypical representation of an oversimplified and morally intoxicating high school junglelife the media constantly projects, Crowe digs much deeper into the nitty-gritty of social interaction with an unbiased determination to gain insight into the nebulous quarters of high school high.

And what we see in Crowe's one-of-a-kind devotion to accuracy combined with the creative recreation of a perceived summation of the high school experience, captures the sarcastically headbanging, hormone-erupting, stranded at the drive in, tight-rope tip-toe of the universal high school experience with a smattering of elegance and grace, not to forget, of course, the popular culture icon, and every mom's worst nightmare, the high school movie genre will never forget.

When attending high school became the norm in the 1950's, America's youth coalesced in school yard powwows, exchanging ideas, and supporting each other with genuine allegiance that had been remiss in American culture without the convergence of masses in the popularization of high schools. Grace Paladino notes that "along with algebra and English, high schools taught American teenagers to look to one another and not to adults for advice. information, and approval."As classmates confide in each other and embrace the community at large, the diverse melange of economic bacikgrounds, religions,and ethniciities cluster together for the school house rock, making the close-minded fraction of upper-class white folk feel a little claustrophobic in their own ture. With the uncomfortable threat of a suddenly diverse student body, the long-time inhabitants of particular schools sought to dispel any signs that could lead to the newcomer's rise to authority or power. By enforcing normalzed standards for social integration, a template was formed which distinguished and embraced docile comformists and pointed a contentious finger at high school's defiant dissenters of the social norm.

Although constantly villified in the media limeleight, peer influence is beneficially portrayed in Schwind's interpretation of Fast Times at Ridgemont High.The type of peer influence that illuminates the Fast Times at Richmond High plot is what Schwind calls cool coaching and is that "which occurs when a more experienced or savvy friend(or, as is more often the case, a friend who pretends to be more experienced or savvy) imparts vital information to a peer about how to avoid looking and acting like loser"

While college students confront watershed choices dealing with career, success, and the foundations of life away from mom and dad, the unraveling of the four year high school experience is no day at the county fair by any means. Instead students spend four precious years within the confines of a highly-chaotic and ultra-constrictive high school asylum, trying to resist temptations of a joint-passing, bong hitting, keg stand culture, while juggling priorities and obligations, maintaining a commitment to the fluctuating social current, and struggling with a thought-consuming preoccupation with sex which trumps them all. While childhood's decisions were dictated by trivial matters such as whether you'd devour the rocky road icecream or the mint chcocalate chip flavor after you've finished your peas and potatoes, or most nerve-wrecking of all, having to choose between two birthday party invites for Saturday''s festivities. However, constantly assaulted by a volatile artillery of choices and decisions, human nature relies of the unbiased support and advice of others around you, especially in the most addled and disoriented epoch of all: high school.

Having spilled virtue, advice, and knowledge onto the fragile mind of their own offspring, there comes a time when parents' reigns to unfettered sovereignty are challenged by outside forces. Having grown out of Racecar Beds and Cabbage Patch Dolls, high school students crave the newfound independence and respect which they believe 8th grade graduation entails. High school students recognize that a vast generation gap lies between their parents and themselves, especially when it comes to matters like sex and drugs, the no-go land for discussion with rents. Instead, Schwind states, "high school students necessarily rely on peers for information that parents simply cannot provide." Desperate to surrender their attachment to youth,high school students pull a switcheroo on their allegiance to mom and dad, and needing some sort of booster seat or spiritual talisman to support their recently obtained slab of freedom and ease self-doubt,students look to their high school peers as a newfound source of parental-like guidance, advice, and support.

As truths are challenged through school books and the media, teenagers' belief systems and relentless devotion to ma and pa crumble, puncturing the glass dome which parents and teachers had successfully ensconced their pious children within. But ever inexperienced and curiously endowed, especially once students enter the foreign parameters of high school, teenagers look to alternative sources for support and enlightenment which are naturally manifested amongst their peers. Immersed in the unfamiliar chaos of high school culture, students must relearn high school jargon and familiarize themselves wit trendy terms like lmao, lol, etc, revamp their wardrobes, and adapt to a new behavioral pattern. When mom and dad were in charge, friends were playmates and parents were sources of guidance and counseling. But, while immersed in this newfound realm of high school, where teenagers are separated from their parent's grasp, friends and peers replace the new culture's parental void as high school impresarios. Students must constantly stay on board and in tact with "cool rules" to prove "they are worthy of membership in the tribe rather than exile into the netherworld of outcasts"It's their tribe of peers that students are obliged to please rather than themselves.

With smashmouth persistence and relentless head honchos running the show, in order to avoid the wrath of the social elite, members of the high school community are constantly trying to crack the somewhat hazy code which dictates that which is socially acceptable. A sociologist named Talcott Parsons believes that behaving changing "influence occurs when individuals need information to 'adapt to and interact with their environment' and when they must rely on others to obtain the needed information.'" Because norms within high school hallways and gymnasiums are formed by student bodies and differ from parentally controlled guidelines, almost every student attempts to understand the new environment and conform to it.Students use the advice of their fellow peers as the guiding light in their popularity-seeking escapades.

Until we fully embrace our flaws and blemishes and accept ourselves, it's society's gaze which determines our own self-worth and confines us to social enslavement. Our ability to adapt within the realm of socially sanctioned behavior and avoid the misfit-branding condemnation of social peers. In regards to these brutal years of high school Ralpha Keyes states that "never again are we ranked so precisely by those around us, and on so many scales. Though the popularity polls of our classmates, and their inexperience at tact, daily feedback was conveyed about how we were coming across. Such merciless feedback is not easily forgotten, the last time of life we know just where we stand in the scrutinizing eyes around us."

With society's all-encompassing glance, mercurcial patterns of popular thought, and the realization that in any second you could be toast, banned to the high school dunce's corner as a socially-shunned bete noire, exiled to the social inferno reserved for "so five minutes ago" fashion offenders. The desire for social acceptance, extremity of peer censure, and an unremitting feeling of others' uninvited surveillance guarantees a very volatile four year high school experience. It's not the disparagement of high school savagery which Schwind targets for discussion in his Fast Times at Ridgemont High analysis, but rather, the precocious attitude which high school students adopt while dealing with the new culture, bearing the weight of social pressure, and overcoming unpleasant obstacles to attain the respect of peers.

"Crowe's research at Ridgemont High indicates that the stringent and complex social codes of high school that make insecure student desperate for 'cool rules' also incline them to trust uncritically their cool coaches." Another's "cool rules," whether half-assed, helpful, or havoc-producing, nonetheless, save the befuddled individual from complete alienation, knowing that at least one other is standing by your side. But like all other aspects of Crowe's high school depiction, the simple trust you would hope to receive from a peer is drowned by the torrential chaos oh the topsy-turvy high school experience. In the closing line of Schwind's piece he states Effective cool coaching balances honest criticism and uncritical support, the selfless desire to help a friend and the urge for self-exaltation, cooperative problem solving and the competitive satisfaction of knowing that a friend had more problems than you do."

In Fast Times at Ridgemont High Stacey and Mark are sexually confounded as well as dying to abandon their socially humiliating rank among Ridgemont High's Virgin Hall of Fame. Mike Damone and Linda Barrett are the movie's cool coaching exemplars, who attempt to lead their subjects through the murky haze of sexuality. Posing as sex know-it-alls, Mike and Linda take their oblivious subjects under their wing and nourish their naivete with a how-to guide on the who, what, when, where and why's of Sex Ed the semester-long, adult-censored class conveniently avoided.

Sexual conquests are one of many ritualistic social acts which factor into the overall social perception of individual students. Having carelessly abandoned their domestic guardians and realigned their loyalty with the capricious standards imposed by society, students rely on the supposed enlightenment of their experienced peers and follow the "matter-of-fact" banter among their friends who know little more than their own oblivious selves, leading to a cultural misunderstanding of the matter at large. The grand debacle surrounding high school sex is a major focal point in Crowe's humorous depiction of year's worth of Ridgemont's student body shenanigans. Movie producer, Amy Heckerling criticizes the romantic exaggeration of losing one's virginity in a painless, sizzling, hassle free nature as is repeatedly misrepresented in the cultural landscape of starry-eyed Utopians. "That's not the way it is with kids who are having sex for the first time," Heckerling states, going on to say "Ours is true to life, children trying to be adults, self-conscious, clumsy, kind of funny, and pathetic," an assessment which I think sums up Fast Times in its entirety.

Heckerling goes on to say, "I love the theme about these kids having to deal with sex and jobs and things that people 20 years older than them are still dealing with...They were pushed into such a grown-up world and they were still children basically. Everything was going to fast for them. It was about growing up too quickly and having to deal with things at a very early age and how these kids pulled through it or didn't' pull through it." This was the undeniable sentiment I felt upon watching the 80's classic which Schwind's scholarly article is devoted to. While Schwin briefly mentions this saying Fast Times students "face mature and thorny problems with a clumsy courage that provokes respect as well as laughter," the basis of his discussion focuses on the beneficial effects of peer influence, or at least so it claims to, while really jumping from topic to topic as illogically as skipping stones.

Schwind says that "Crowe's book and screenplay clearly depict peer pressure to conform, measure up, and engage in risky behaviors, instances of the positive functioms of peers as advisors and criticial sounding boards predominate." While the so-called sex connoisseurs depicted in Fast Times as Ridgemont High might lead Mark and Stacy through some rough spots, the benefits of their advice provide enough support to dismiss their underlying hesitance, caused by fearing the social repercussions of sexual taboo. Since sex is such a hush-hush spectre amongst society, peer advice is especially crucial in setting things straight and providing information to which one can compare and evaluate their past and future sexual experiences. As sexual disciples to their love gurus prescribed methodology, Mark and Stacy religiously follow Mike and Linda's peer coaching guidelines, not having any other code or template to mimic. But as Schwind recognizes " as Mark and Stacy gain experience and confidence, they question and criticize their coaches,"in the similar manner that with experience and knowledge teenagers outgrow the blind pursuit of their parent's initiative. Stacy "longs for something outside her coaches game plan" as Schwind acknowledges and despite Linda's warning takes a stab at romance while Mark ignores his coaches advice confidently asserting that "The Attitude...is only good until you find the right girl."

Although Schwind leaves much unanswered I think his ultimate conclusion hinges on the fact that diluted peer influence is a temporary installment in the life of the many bewildered souls roving through the overpowering, hazy highschool landscape. For the downtrodden, the forlorn, and the utterly confused, the advice of a peer, whether genuine, crooked, or ludicrous, instills the beginning seeds of confidence in the uncertain mind and at least temporarily alieviates the feeling of being socially estranged. In blindly following their mentors' confident advice, Mark and Stacy's unquestioning compliance ultimately leads to a botched series of jumbled encounters in sex and dating. With their sex lives in shambles, they continue to trust their love mavens sexual teachings in lieu of alternative advice. Both subjects' eventually come to an understanding of sex and relationships that differ from their gurus' inane guidelines. Through the blatant folly of their peer's social influence, Mark and Stacy become skeptical of socially mandated modes of conduct and come to trust and rely on their own self-franchise.

Countless movies since Fast Times at Ridgemont High have acknowledged the importance cool coaching plays in high school peer relations. What these intricate portrayals exhibit are the self-lionizing conquests of peer coaches who use their "in crowd" expertise or status in order to save another or themselves from the doldrums of social folly or blandness and bring them into the inner circle of elitist knowledge. Heckerling returns to the concept of peer coaching later on down the road in her later movie, Clueless where Beverly Hills it girl Cher Horowitz adopts and makes over a raggedy muffin charity case in order to defy the socially perceived materialistic narcissism others associate her with. Ferris Bueller shares his expertise on the sly-footed, shrewdness inherent in the art of hookie with best pal Cameron who aids Bueller's class-dodging craftiness and deceipt of Principal Rooney. By beating the living shit out of incoming frosh and outlining the do's and don't of social conduct, Dazed and Confused seniors sprinkle their so called generosity (really a wood-paddle ass whooping)over some of the recent junior-high grads by spanking and humiliating their scrawny asses in high school-initiating hazing rituals followed by a field party keggar. In Jawbreaker, high school wallflower Fern Mayo is taken under the wings of the school's most popular vixen upon promising to keep Courtney's dirty little secret to herself in order to become "beautiful, popular, loved [and] feared" Who can forget the countless other characters that have gone under layers of foundation and concealer and been through a drastic wardrobe remix in order to shed their misfit vestiges and become part of the in crowd. Their conscious influence over peers is only a transient fixture, maybe appealing to their helpless subjects at first but losing lustre in the long run, and most often backfiring on
their mad scientist mental manipulations.

In the jaded memory of popular culture, Jeff Spicoli might appear to be the quintessentially good-for-nothing, hookie-playing stoner, no high school movie would be complete without. On many occasions you'll find resplendent nuggets of wisdom hidden beneath his surfer-boy slang. In one such instance, Spicoli sapiently notes that his highschool companions expend all of their energy on social conquests , saying students "wanted to be popular at all costs, and maybe the would get voted Most Likely to Never Have to Shit in the annual. They were just dying to get to the top of that rope." In striving to erase the marks of idiosyncacy and conform to the norm, students replaces their own rules of conduct with the highschool's own "cool rules"

"We left this England place because it was bogus. So if we don't get some cool rules ourselves--pronto--we'll just be bogus too" Embedded with in different communities are distinct behaviors and attittudes which most community members are attempting to uncover and conform to. Unfamiliar with one's own unique self, the adaptation to social normality is the logical step for unfamiliar newcomers. Fresh out of the grasp of parental tyranny, high school students realize that the mode of conduct their parents had raised them aren't as pleasing to high school comrades as they are to a proud mommy and daddy. As your understanding of social normality is elucidated by the advice and enlightenment of peers, your social reputation hinges on the degree to which you successfully conform or deviate from the high school normalcy. But once you've matured enough to confide in your own individuality and understand the error and dependence you''ve placed on an undeserving outside force, then will the natural response to revolt against society's bogus rules and develop rules of one's own ferment in the empowered mind and arouse a progessive change.

Fast Time at Ridgemont High Articles:
Better Late Than Never: Fast Times at Ridgemont High - A well written and academic perspective on the movie far too often considered frivolous.
Virtual Magic: Fast Times at Ridgemont High - a concise but interesting fact sheet on the movie.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High: The Info Archive- Tons of movie reviews and other intelligent newspaper and magazine critiques about the movie, tv show, and book.
"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" Cast? Where Are They Now?
5 Conversations About Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Extra! Extra! College

2008-11-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

I like the sound of this post called "How to Bullshit an Essay" over at Hack College. In order to bullshit your way through a class paper, you'll need to realign yourself with the five paragraph highschool essay format , incorporate some papers you've done for other assignments, and use a vast amount of common sense. But as a last resort, there's no better way to get by.
My newest blog obsession Think Simple Now offers a wide variety of entertaining and very helpful posts, especially for college students. Because my life is always in disarray, I found one of its recent posts to be particularly useful. How to Organize Mental Clutter lays out an effective 6-step plan on how one can go about tidying mental chaos, no matter how lengthy or calamitous your to-do list may be. She says, "it was really just a matter of dumping all the information I had lingering in my mental space, and organizing that dumped information in a cohesive fashion." It's a simple but efficient way to plunge through the clogged stream of anxieties and seemingly infinite to-do list. [Think Simple Now]
You're out at the bar having a jolly ol' time with friends when, all of a sudden, an obnoxious misfit comes along to taint the group's lively mood. Unfortunately, the bar experiece is far too often ravaged by the party fouls and awkward silences obnoxious bar-goers commit. From the overly boisterous 80's rock fan to the "it's my birthday!!!!!" girl, That's So Fetch has a dead-on list of the ten most obnoxious people at college bars.(That's So Fetch)
While juggling internships, part-time jobs, and a full-time college curriculum, college students' lives are often frenzied and out of control. Keeping organized is especially important for college students who are trying to meet deadlines, attend social events, and ace tests. But, there is a solution. The "to-do list" is a simple, efficient, and seamless way to keep all your errands and homework assignments organized into a tidy concise form. To make things even better I found 40 great resources for making lists, which lists all sorts of online aids to the list-making process. I am particularly fond of Tada List and Listphile. [Mashable]
College might seem like one lengthy battlefield, but just be thankful that you're not one of the millions of students in South Korea taking their grueling 9-hour College Scholastic Ability Test. In America money, grades, and extra curriculars weigh in on a student's acceptance into college but in South Korea the CSAT alone determines what college the high school students will go to. An acceptance into a great school pretty much guarantees career success, so an enormous amount of stress is placed on this exam. [Yeinjee's Asian Journal]

Extra! Extra! Celebrity Lists

2008-11-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

You know those celebrities that appear in blogs and magazines over and over again. Sure, I probably see more of Paris Hilton than I do most of my best friends, and feel like I know more about Nicole Richie than I do my own parents. Certain Hollywood figures are the creme-de-la-creme of tabloid coverage and are constanrlt being stalked by a relentless herd of ravenous papparazzi. Unless you're completely out of the tabloid and pop culture loop, you'll definitely recognize the names listed in Forbes' 10 Most Overexposed Celebrities

Lindsay Lohan's not the only celebrity experimenting with bisexuality. 241 names are presented on the Famous Bisexuals in History list created by the Bi Writers Association. The list includes names like Jodie Foster, Merv Griffin, Mick Jagger, Britney Spears, and Pink. Although it uses the term "bisexual" very liberally(e.g.Eva Longoria 's on the list for having kissed a girl only once)it's a fascinating list and definitely worth a read.

Glamour's issued its Best Dressed Women of 2008 list, crowning Kate Moss as this year's most stylish female celebrity. The list also includes names like Rahel Bilson, Victoria Beckham, and Jessica Alba, ever-stylish and deserving of fashion praise. Also on the list is one of my least favorite celebrities, the always yawn provoking Jennifer Aniston. And what about Nicole Richie, the chic trend-setter herself?

The Study Abroad Trend

2008-11-26T08:16:00.000-05:00

Nowadays kids are wanting more and more out of their college experience. Gone are the days when students cast their gaze within domestic boundaries while making plans for college. An increasing number of college students are factoring a semester abroad into their college agenda, and are venturing into further, more exotic lands than are usually trekked upon in the traditional European study abroad program, according to a recent New York Times article. Schools are expanding their abroad programs in order to meet their student bodies' globetrotting desires. The Times article also says that a growing number of students are migrating to the Far East for abroad programs in China.

In the 2006-2007 academic year 11,064 students voyaged to China for their study abroad programs, while only 1,396 students made a similar journey abroad eleven years earlier in the 1995--1996 school year. In the 2006-2007 calendar year, 241,791 college students dispersed amongst various abroad sights throughout the world "with sharp increases in the numbers going to Argentina, South Africa, Ecuador and India, and declining numbers going to Australia and Costa Rica."

Before going to the university, British students are encouraged to take a gap year out of school for travel and charity work, but America is too busy trying to shove everyone along through school so they can go out in the business world and succeed. America's an ever prideful country whose arrogant notions and lack of deeply-embedded culture have traditionally led us to overlook the significance of such "sissy" endeavors. Why on God's green earth wouldya ever go abroad when we got Budweiser, Stetson, and real football here in America?

The shift from twelve years at the same school in Oklahoma to NYU is plenty abroad for me, but especially for kids studying abroad can be a once in a lifetime opportunity and truly enlightening experience for a lot of students, especially ones which have never really left the States.

Extra! Extra! Movies

2008-11-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

Causing a spasmic media frenzy and reeling in $1 billion in box-office ticket sales, The Dark Knight is likely to gain et another claim to fame as 2008's most pirated movie. Within 24 hours of its release on DVD, The Dark Knight was inaugurated into the online pirating industry, and became wildly popular at sites like Bit Torrent and The Pirate Bay. Tgdaily believes that "The Dark Knight is on track to surpass "Transformers", "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" to become the most pirated movie of 2008"[TG Daily]

When literary delights are adapted to film the outcome is either innovative, splendid, and better than the book, a carbon copy of the book, or desperately lacking the vision and essence which drove the novel to greatness. John at The Movie Blog says, " some of the greatest movies in the history of film were adapted from books… films that I can’t even imagine what the world of film would look like today if they never came to be." Books have played a monumental role in film, especially now when screenwriters search the world for sure-fire shortcuts to screenplay success. The synthesis of movies and literature is revered in Movie Blog's "top 100 movies based on books. Some of the movies like No Country for Old Men(#13) or Of Mice and Men were blatantly based off of novels while you might not know that others like Fast Times at Ridgemont High(#53) and Scarface(#11) were also adapted from books. [Movie Blog]

Tinkerbell Leads Disney Revolt

2008-11-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

"Come faeries, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame."

- W.B. Yeats

With its colossal bearing on the teeter-totter sway of youth culture and a herculaen ability to enchant, distort, or deceive its wide-eyed audience, Disney's as powerful as the White House Commander-in-Chief, only unbridled by the checks and balances Congress and The Supreme Court impose on America's Head Honcho. Disney movies are geared toward that rambuncious age when curious rumination and a ferocious hunger for knowledge urge children to understand
the world around them and in attempting to do just that, kids devour the information, sights, sounds, beliefs, and events that occur around the time and often unconsciously clinch on to the
ideas outside forces had instilled in you. Knowing only that an unauthorized scoop into the cookie jar leads you on a non-stop express train to the timeout corner, the child's mind is so fragile and vulnerable, making it especially crucial thata child's surroundings serve as the cultivating ground for tenacity, self-confidence, moral poise, and all the other things parents want out of their children.

While so many forces stealthily conspire in the moral pampering of a Renaissance Man or Woman through classrooms, Bible study, didactic children's books, mom and dad's exemplary lives, and the heavyweight influences of tv and film. Starving to understand the fiasco-filled world around them and untainted by the biased institutions of society, children religiously devour the images, language, ideals, habits, and other souveigners they encounter while traipsing through the vociferous mosh-pit of life.

While parents dictate a child's napping hours, banishing their offspring to the nocturnal confines before even getting a peak at Letterman and restlessly tugging at their lazy darling anytime past 9 on a Saturday morning in order to dispell sluggish tendencies that haunt the couch-potato public. Hoping to shield their son or daughter from the intrusion of evil, parents closely monitor their child's playground antics, making sure they're not running with the wrong crowd, they enforce the no-cookies-until-you've-finished-dinner rule praying to God their little pooh-bear doesn't join in with the other 60 million obese Americans, and monitoring their child's media intake by placing parental controls on the expanse of internet and tv interaction while censoring their kid's movie absorption up until the law passes viewing sovereignty over to the liberated seventeen year old now eligible to here foul-mouthed banter no different than the kinda stuff you'd likely hear in kindergarden recess these days. In a savege and morally corrupt world, however, there is every parent's one saving grace. When they see the Magic Kingdom embossed on a consumer product, parents' skepticisim diminishes as Disney's long been the trustworthy partner to morally concerned parents.

Growing up, every kid runs into at least one of Disney's countless disciples in an animated movie classic, tv commercial, or other culturally encompassing Disney forces, but most kids engage in a full-fledged relationship with the Mickey Mouse Mafia like I once did. From the first time I layed eyes on the animated empire, I was entranced by its underlying message which encouraged the relentless preservation of dreams which simultaneously shifted from wanting to be a writer to wanting to be a princess like Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty and all the other leading ladies. As I fell in love with Disney movies, I naturally surrendered the boundless fantasy land I'd erected in my pre-Disney childhood, lost in creative bliss as the proprietor of an individually-orchestrated time and space-traveling enterprise, where I'd buckle into the cockpit of my imagination, shift to autopilot, and blast off into the exotic expanse of imaginative boundlesness. But in becoming intensifyingly preoccupied by the Technicolored cartoon universe, I'd hold off on my pioneering voyages.

Sure, I loved the cute, furry little animals, sing-along-songs and "happily ever after endings", but let's face it, along with all of the other starry-eyed pre-teen idealists, Disney was really all about a child fascination with The Princess. But as mom put the finishing touches on my Beauty and the Beast yellow dress, was she aware that this cuddle-bear empire might just so happen to have a deteriorating effect on our culture.
Princesses denote the pure and the flawless, immaculately-painted and gracefully inclined. For the past 60 years Disney princesses have been the role models for almost every little girl at an age when the vulnerable mind is most susceptible to cultural influence.From Sleeping Beauty to Princess Jasmine, Disney's immaculate princess bevy distorts standards and expectations for its female audience who think they have to find a prince charming but that they also have to relinquish hobbies, interests, friends, and priorities in order to satisfy a man's needs. And besides all this, the Disney princess story line overlooks the significance in mental achievement and passionate pursuits among women. For the princess crew, success is, in fact, unrelated to self-importance and, instead, reliant upon the perspective of others. The princesses are essentially the product of the romance they attain and physical worth as deemed by society with one opinion she's particularly concerned with(nope not herself) Instead of pursuing their most ardent and deeply-seated desires, traditional Disney dames aspire to be trophy-wives and stay-at-home-moms.

Prior to her serendipitous run-in with prince charming, we see the princess as emotionally deprived and toiling on the brink of hopeless decay. She's swept in a monotonous lull until the prospect of love comes herding through the jungley chaos of fate, and jostles the lifeless tedium of her life with its inescapable Tarzan roar. The unwinding of their "fairy tale romance" shows that the happiness of Disney's pretty princesses is entirely dependent on each of their relationships, which serve as the revitalizing source of vivacity and happiness in the princess' life. While the Disney princess' love interest has dreams and interests of his own, the Disney princess spends her time lamenting for her love when he's not present, pursues no interests or hobbies, lacks real friends, and is saved from despair only by the galliant efforts of her lover, which tangles her in an eternal neediness for her knight in shining armor You won't find vixeny Cleopatra or femme fatales scattered upon the pages of Disney's incandescent playbook, not until now that is.

While we turn to the corridors of cultural release, we're unconsicously reaching out to fiction and fantasy for their promise to temporary escape, but we're also looking to relate to others who are also struggling through the human plight. Disney's princess stories are drenched in a folkloric glaze and attached with a happily ever after ending.With their inexperienced, gullible mind little girls follow along as they're called on to a fantasy-bound excursion to the Magic Kingdom. There the crippling ideas of women's gender role encircle the youthful mind.

But the princess depiction isn't quite compatable with today's generation. Today's there's melting pot being stirred in our country's social cauldron, and a youth-led, change-focused galvanization of visionaries and optimists charging through the corrupt social arena like "Medieval Times" warriors battling the age-old forces of injustice not yet distilled from society. With the atmospheric motion for change on everyone's mind, Disney's recognized that its now it's turn to follow. While a lavish marketing campaign, pasting the princess faces on everuthing from lunchoxes to gummy fruits, the pink-hued princess bonanza reeled in $4 billion dollars a year. But having noticed trends in the fading of princess admiration with age, Disney's compromised the velvety throne occupants of its trademark identity for a sachel of pixie dust and throwback to another tall tale archetype.

My generation heard Madonna's sexually promiscuous serenade and saw her proud carnal declaration, we watched Oprah's burgeoning empire expand into larger than life magnitudes , when as a cultural demi-god she became one of America's most powerful playmakers, and we see our own mom's succeeding in the work place as equals to men. With the vast amounts of power women have exceedingly gained throughout time why has Disney not followed suit in its female portrait? With all this pent up animosity for Disney, I was happy reading a Jezebel blog post which suggests that Disney's latest blockbuster, Tinkerbell, might be the long-awaited challenge to the traditional, obseqious princess image Disney's leading ladies have embodied for always and forever.
A Marketplace podcast discussion says that Disney's recent Tinkerbell movie is one of four total movies that Disney's working on, saying that "The newly-empowered Tink is the cornerstone of what Disney hopes will be its next multi-billion dollar franchise." Although Disney's "Princess" merchandise attracts $4 billion dollars worth of merchandise sales each year the princess craze evaporates for most little girls once they hit around 9-years old(but nonetheless still unconsciously facing the repercussions of a Disney princess early childhood)

Looking for innovative endeavors to pick up the slack, Disney exhumed Neverland inhabitant and Peter Pan gal-pal, Tinkerbell, who had already been established as a crowd-favorite despite having an over-shadowed role in Peter Pan. Using the easy-in, Disney's capitalistic transition has little to do with the Disney ideal and everything to do with the prospect of strengthening its clout over America's youth.Tinkerbell is the spearhead behind Disney Fairies a new merchandise collection with an intended audience reaching to nine year olds suddenly disillusioned with princess hysteria. Folkloric cousin to the princess, the fairy is a unique free-spirit harnessing a buoyant personality and very independent. She's emblematic of a new wave of women that are unfettered by traditional gender roles, single and proud, hard-working and passionate, and a whole hell of a lot of fun to be around.

A renegade to the meticulously-powdered,insipid confines most other female Disney characters have been strapped to,Tinkerbell's equipped with a flickering set of wings, unhindered fairy frolick and a fairy dust fanny pack. as an air-born vagabond unbridled by the weight of gravity and other mortal concerns. Magicallly inclined even before her days as partner in crime to Peter Pan, Tinker Bell symbolized the independent spirit and boundlessness as far back as 1904 when the Tinkerbell character was first spawned in the whimsicial imagination of J.M. Barrie in a 1904 play. In that Peter Pan, the character Tinkerbell was a centerfold star, only to unwillingly forfeit its limelight camera time for Peterhood Man in Tights himself in 1953's Disney animated Peter Pan.

Dipping into the reservoir of past creation, Disney gave Tinkerbell an empowering facelift, and revived the pixie first in the 2002 creation of a Disney Fairies product line which embossed Tinkerbell and a multi-cultural ensemble of fairy friends on a variety of mercandiseDisney's animated 1953 hit Peter Pan was later based on. Except the Tinker Bell conveyed in Peter Pan can only communicate so much as the jingle of a bell allows her. The new and improved Tinker Bell maintains that same independent vigor, but she can now express herself outside of the ring-a-ding-ding, the voiceless fairy had been confined to. In putting a voice and expressed personality behind Tinkerbell(rumored to be modeled after Marilyn Monroe, but was really designed after a woman by the name of Margaret Kelly)Disney's audacious coup d'etat severed the reign of a long-held touchstone princess elite, and inaugurated a vixen in place of a prudent, lifeless, princess we've all had enough of.

Like the fluffy unicorn, the image of fairies rekindle certain chidhood sense of fantasy and direct out mental traffic jam into "what if" notions of the sublime while harnessed in a blissful embrace, and savoring the cookie-only diet (and Mom's worst nightmare) continuously being baked in the churning motor of the imagionation. I was especially enchanted by a movie based on a fairy called Thumbelina who was a little more edgy than the Disney's play-it-safe type of gals. I had high-hopes for the fairy, only to be dissappointed by the singsong ending "and they get married and live 'happily ever after."
Picking up where Thumbelina left off, Disney made a ballsy leap into lucrative horizons but also made a big stride for women's rights. Kathy Franklin vp for Disney global studio franchise development says, "Tinker Bell has friends and she's figuring out who she is and what her talent is and what her place in the world is." Sure it's a product of financial prowess, but the presentation of such a vigorous lead character should serve as a beacon for the fortfication of young girl's self-esteem and revamping of ideas concerning women's role in relationships and female independence.

Disney Fairies website says that "Tink is the fairy we all know and love - spunky, rebellious, impatient, impulsive, determined, persistent, temperamental... yet still charming and lovable. She has a talent for tinkering, a love of 'lost things," Compared to the historically embedded monarchical tradition in Europe as has the preservation of long-standing aristocratic injustice, but America is a young democratic culture with a pioneering zest for adventure and exploration

Considering the pride we take in our country's democratic foundations and independent spirit, why Disney would have used a princess story is a mystery to me, especially, since we'd established an independent America in response to Britiain's overbearing monarchical establishment in the first place.

We admire the tenacity of our country's west-bound gold rush, praise pistol-shooting c0wboys and even revere the bad-apple desperardoes. And as we celebrate the rambuncious spirit and endeavers of men, calling the audaciously inclined go-getters and entrepeneurs, the intrepid vehemence of female conquest is often deemed promiscuous, slutty, or wanton, and more than likely not taken seriously, especially behind a pretty face or blonde locks. Us ladies still have a long way to go in terms of gender equality. But the socially defining powers vested in popular culture can help jump-start a mega-charged movement in women's rights.

Tinkerbell and the fairy image mimic the sort of zest for life and independent spirit that cowboys of the wild wild west, adventurous and hungry,possessed. Without a female Davie Crockett or many prominent cowgirls, Tinkerbell's the sort of icon that would appeal to all generations. Embodying the realm of fantasy, magic, and youthfulness, as the embodiment of playtime and playground fun, the fairy was meant for American audience.

Extra! Extra! Rolling Stone's Greatest Singers, Country Gals, and Jukebox No-No's

2008-11-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Although I was ecstatic to see that Rolling Stone had issued its 100 Greatest Singers of All Time list, I was dissapointed that Freddie Mercury had been undervalued as number 17 on the list(not that that's some whimpy feat) instead of nuzzled into a cozy nook with the rest of music's glitterati as the Top 10 best singers of all time. His ecclectic squawk, in my opinion, is the musical equivalent to the discordant elegance found at the majestic core of Salvador Dali's ecclectic work. The godfather of soul, James Brown's place on the list was anchored among music's aristocratic few as number 10, along with others like Aretha Franklin, John Lennon, and Elvis Presley.

Listen up college kids, I know listening to old time rock n'roll is the cool thing to do these days, but if you're going to take the trend to the jukebox, don't choose one that's a-playin' every ol' time you're out at the bar like "American Pie" or "Sweet Home Alabama."Instead, choose a track that's not typically played like my all-time favorite bar song "All She Wants To Do Is Dance" by Don Henley or "Killer Queen" by Queen. But Holy Taco's taken the stress away from us, listing the 14 songs you should never play at the bar. So read 'em and weep, and prevent yourself from being that guy at the bar.

Joaquin Phoenix's recent move from movies to music, is one of ever-so-many instances where celebrities migrate between the various sectors of the entertainment industry. Trading a guitar for a One of the most popular transitions celebrities commit to is t when musicians throw an old switch-aroo over the entertainment business and test their feet in film. Pajiba lists a diverse ensemble of 20 such musicians who decided to become actors, including Frank Sinatra, Mark Wahlberg, and multi-talented everything man, David Bowie. [Pajiba]

If you like Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift and other All-American Girls wailing their little hearts out in the country music industry, then you'll love COED's list of the Hottest Girls of Country Music. Paying tribute to the many pretty, mostly blonde, country-gal lineup, including The Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, and other suddenly silent country singers who've recently shied from the limelight, as an onslaught on newbies from a younger generation galloped in.

You might also enjoy McSweeney's "Fifty years of popular songs condensed into single sentences." Here you'll discover the underlying meaning behind many classic songs in a concise one-sentence description. Here's what some of the songs from the blog post supposedly mean:

*Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love"= "I wanna do it with you"
*Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night"="I'm drunk and I wanna do it with you"
*Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire"= "I did it with you, and now it hurts when I pee"
*AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long"= "We did it yesterday [McSweeney]

Russell Brand and a Practical Joke Gone Wrong

2008-11-19T09:00:00.002-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Apart from his idiosyncratic antics, ecclectic style, and over-the-top shaggy locks, is the brilliant mind of Russell Brand which propelled his trip into British stardom. It's the same nimble mind that is the continuous manufacturer of outrageous verbal hanky panky seen in his BBC radio show and here on his podcasts.His humorous money-making escapades, comprised of one lowbrow cheap shot after another, encroached upon the no-go zone of social taboo on his October 18th radio show, leading to a nation wide temper tantrum throughout Britain.

Brand's particularly cheeky escapades occured when he and Johnathan Ross, a popular British television personality, called 78 year old Andrew Sachs from Fawlty Towers on Brands radio program. Brand made several references to having slept with Sach'as grandaughter, Georgina Baillie, dancer with a troupe called the Satanic Sluts., who agreed to having hooked up with Brand in the past.

In "A Bit of Nasty Giggles Puts the BBC Under Fire" The New York Times reports "they used obscenities, referred to a sexual position or two, made random offensive remarks and used the excuse of wanting to apologize for the earlier remarks to repeat them and make worse ones." This is an intimate matter, and a topic that might be considered uncouthe to talk about amongst an inncer circle of friends, let alone engaged in with your sex-buddy's grandpa.

Initially only arrousing a couple of complaints until The Mail cornered the scandal in an article which shined a luminous spotlight on Brand's callow on-air incident., inciting a rambuncious and cantankerous follow-up among Britain's people and ultimately leading to a roid-raging tizzy. The values of radio programming, the showbiz industry, and the the entire country were put under scrutiny in response, culminating in Brand's resignation from the show

The vociferous, though delayed reaction is reminisent of an instance in American pop culture history, when a boob belonging to Miss Janet Jackson sprung from its tucked up harness, having all signs point to sly-guy culprit and "Bye, Bye, Bye" villain, Justin Timberlake. It was the Super Ball uh-oh heard throughout the world, throwing the F.C.C., football, and all of America under the looking glass of concerned parents, moral pioneers, and platoons of right-tilting, frowny-faced pissed-off Americans who weren't as amused by the music legacy's exposed nipple as the rest of us.

What came next was the rounding of a stern-faced, suit-clad, morally righteous, cross-bearing cavalry coalesced before the tv screen and calling to question the ethical values of the industry and the society at large. What the ambassadors of good will proposed was a nation-wide witch hunt, waged in order to detect and demolish the devil's disciples and instigators of moral demise, who first planted the seeds of filth within social soil. A lot of finger pointing went down and suddenly everyone was suspect to accusations of moral indecency. But the bounty-hunt backfired on CBS itself, being put under FCC scrutiny and accusation in a Philadelphia court of law. Porn fiends and the sex-loving American public nervously watched the great showdown in popular culture unravel before their tv sets and news feeds, and prayed that CBS would cream tv- vigilantes. The outcome sent the firework-blasting, confetti-throwing American public into hyper-active giddiness you'll only see in response to a win-quenching Hail Mary toaa into an underdog's endzone on the last play of a game. CBS and Jackson's floppy boob were emancipated from indcent charges in court.

While they got off lucky across the Atlantic, Russell Brand and Johnathan Ross in what The Mail describes as "smutty, exploitative tat masquerading as edgy humor that has been insidiously creeping into the BBC for years,” got much more than a bop on the wrist that Jackson and Timberlake received across the Atlantic. Russell Brand had to retire from his hit-radio show while Ross is temporarily suspended from his BBC tv show for three months without pay.

While I think that Brant might have taken the joke a teeny-tiny bit too far down Fool's Alley, I think the publicreaction was irrational. Spokesman for media and cultural issues, Jeremy Hunt, ssaid "it was wrong to produce programs that legitimize negative social behavior.” And Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, weighed in on the popular culture convo, calling Russels antics "innapropriate and unacceptable." Sure, he may be 33, but Brand is trapped in a child's mind as Neverland dweller, his immature, little boy sense of humor with a twist of grown-up expertise and knowledge, is exactly what identifies Russel Brand as a personality and makes his humor so appealing to the public. He's outrageous which is exactly why BBC wanted the kid in the first place. How can BBC not expect Brand to exceed the socially defined and capricious limits of what is acceptable, when his whole persona hinges off of ludicrous commentary? (like when he called President Bush a “retarded cowboy") He was fine playing with fire so long as the public tuned in and ethic regulators hushed up, but once the sirens flared causing an eruption of social pandemonium, Brand was made into a sacrificial offering for a ruthless business.

The October 18th radio debacle exemplifies a number of problems the BBC finds itself continuously stumbling over. As a mammoth tv and radio network, the BBC(British Broadcasting Corporation) is mostly funded by taxes from the British people., making it especially susceptible to an onslaught of public criticism. The jagged lines separating the appropriate from the taboo change from one person to another, and secure the place of ethical deliberation as a constant reservoir for news story material and as a force behind and smeared upon the banners of many a picket-line march. The crooked boundaries that define what is socially okay, are often toyed with by celebrities and entertainment industry movers and shakers.

If we were each more confident in our integrity as a person or culture, why would we need to fend off these dirty slip-ups or tempting pieces of eye-candy, if we werent so sure that sex-chit chat or bloody scenarios would bruise the integrity of our society. Shouldn't we become more accepting and open-minded as a culture, and not have t0 feed everything through sugar-coated filters? The least we owe ourselves, with a lackluster, coorporately-ran coverage in journalism, and media congolmerations putting all of our media within the hands of a select few, is the bona fide commitment to truth, no matter how debilitating, hurtful, or horrendous it may be. If we keep "playing it safe" and filtering out the sex or bitter reality, the forces we're so tight-lipped about will blatantly linger all around us but go without a distinguished name or form, which will only nuture misconceptions, error, and distorted views and encourage public oblivion.

Instead of boycotting all things that are socially untraditional or discordant with moral standards, we should welcome hooligans and iconoclasts alike, for always they are the makers of revolution, and as I discovered upon listening to some of Brand's sapient podcasts, often full of intriguing thoughts.

Popular Culture Journals

2008-11-17T09:47:00.003-05:00

For students pursuing an interest or major in popular culture, its never too early to begin the habit of reading through scholarly journals on popular culture. While the study of popular culture is the underdog overlooked or deemed foolish by the orthodox views on university studies, many of these popular culture journals exhibit brilliant feats and discovery for the field of popular culture, proving the industry has a lot more going for it than just a pretty face. Articles in pop-culture journals are entertaining and intriguing and open students of popular culture's eyes into the wild world of popular culture.

The Best Pop-Culture Journals

The Journal of Popular Culture - So far, this is the best source for scholarly articles on all things pop-culture that I have yet to find. Published six times a year with a expansive availability at over 1400 universitis worldwide, college students can easily get a hold of this bad boy. With zesty articles, book reviews, and popular culture rants, The Journal of Popular Culture takes a different look at the world of popular culture than we see traditionally discussed on such gossip blogs as PerezHilton.

Americana: The Journal of American Popular Culture. An easily accessible e-journal, Americana, is an unbelievable resource for the study of popular culture. Americana delivers a scholarly perspective on the world of popular culture, and brings the reader into a closer familiarity with the underlying rythm behind popular culture.

The American Spectator- A more political journal which disects Capital Hill ongoings and attempts to capture the trends and overall mood of the public. Oh, and did I mention its wildly conservative? While mostly devoted to political garble and liberal debauchery, what better place for Americans, suddenly swept up in political hysteria, to go for an entertaining and insightful internet refreshment? It might not match my political views per se, but its worth a read and interesting to see a different perspective than I'm accustomed to glancing over in the liberally skewed news. Take a look at its critique over Shakespeare and Modern Culture or False Hopes Spring Eternal which discusses the deterioration of Iraq with Obama in charge saying, "a social conservative such as George W. Bush is likely to have more in common with Muslim moral values than the more libertarian Barack Obama."

Images: A Journal of Film and Popular Culture- If you're a movie-fanatic looking to research on film or just to ogle over a cinematic treasure, there's no place better than the online Journal of Film and Popular Culture. Published on a quarterly basis with movie reviews coming in every week, Images showcases a number of profound pieces like "Some Historical Reflections on the Paradox of Stardom in the American Film Industry" and entertaining articles like "Fiona Apple's 'Criminal' Video Voyeurism for the 90's" to name a few selections amongst its vast archives.

Sexuality and Culture-A journal which calls itself a "forum for the discussion and analysis of ethical, cultural, psychological, social, and political issues related to sexual relationships and sexual behavior." Sexuality, in a number of ways, has become integral to culture, the uncouthe use of sex in many conversations and in many cultures collies with its pivotal role and biological essence in all of human life, turning the portrait of sexuality into a perpetually volatile discussion within the cultural agenda.

Pop Cult Magazine- I recently stumbled upon Pop Cult and was pleasantly surprised by its kaleidoscopic assortment of pop-culture knick-knacks and souveniers. It's founder, Coury Turczyn says "What I'd like the online PopCult to be is simply a repository for really good, journalistic pop culture writing." Rummage through its "Gallery of Forgotten Girlie Mags" in its Odd Glimpses:A Visual Collection of Weird Things section or scroll through the ongoing Bottom 5 Archive which is a collection of the worst in American popular culture like the "Celebrity Trends that Never Really Swept the Nation."

The Journal of America Culture- A popular blog for American cultural studies, JAC is a scholarly approach to combine "studies of American literature, history, and the arts, with studies of the popular, the taken-for-granted, and the ordinary pieces of American life, to produce analyses of American culture with a breadth and holism lacking in traditional American studies." You'll find an enriching compenium of articles like this one, taking a look at an older American culture, entitled "A Red Moon over the Mall: Sputnik Panic and Domestic America" or a more modern piece called "All the Essentials of HBO and The Sopranos"

Pop Matters- Another online source featuring the latest and greatest pop-culture news and a diverse range of resources for the starved pop-culture fiends. With featured stories and reviews added on a daily basis, Pop Matters gives you the best of music, television, movies, and books, and gives you an inside sneak peak at the entertainment industry. Want to feed that need for popular culture? Digest this piece which bids farewell to the popularity of preachy films or this one which discusses the use of sex in video games.

Other Popular Culture Blogs:

Extra! Extra! Music

2008-11-17T06:41:00.015-05:00

I was full of delight to hear that The Roots were signing on as the house band for Jimmy Fallon's nighttime talk-show takeover of Conan O'Brian's NBC tv show, "Late Night." Don't worry you're little heart out, Conan's not going off the air any time soon. He'll be moving westbound and taking over Jay Leno's "Tonight Show." The Roots Bandleader broke the news last week after a show in Chicago. (Oh No They Didn't)

Pattie Boyd was the muse behind Clapton classics like "Wonderful Tonight" and "Layla" and Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" was inspired by an 11-year old Caroline Kennedy. For more on these three celebrity-inspired hit songs and an entire list of 8 Songs Inspired by the Famous on The Frisky.

They're back! Stevie Nicks' legendary rock band, Fleetwood Mac, is reuniting for another American concert tour. The concert series is set to begin on March 1st, where Stevie and the boys rock the socks off of Pittsburgh, PA and follow on to 15 other performances. Tickets for the 2009 Fleetwood Mac tour go on sale December 15th.

"Feel good" songs arrest the inhibition and bring out the James Brown superstar in each listener. They can cure the most melancholy bouts of sadness and spruce up any drab occasion. Songs like Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" and Outkast's "Hey Ya" are amongst the 75 songs featured in Pop Culture Madness' Best Feel Good Pop Music of All Time list.

blast from the pst

2008-11-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

Stuck in a painfully boring lecture hall or lethargically plowing through piles of homework, I constantly find myself drifting back into youthful reminiscence. Sure, it might take a minor toll on my study habits, but isn't it a more joyous occasion, getting tangled up in the vivid memory of a jubilant yesteryear?

Along with other 90's classics like Rookie of the Year, Camp Nowhere, and Blank Check, The Sandlot, was one of my favorite movies growing up. With its timeless tale, unbelievable soundtrack, and animated cast, The Sandlot's as enchanting today as it was fifteen years ago.

The Sandlot follows a tenacious and colorful little league baseball team on an an uplifting journey set in a quaint pre-Donkey Kong 1950's era. The modestly majestic movie centers on the rascally quest to baseball glory while tinkering with the concepts of everlasting friendship, acceptance, and moral dilemna. Set upon America's most sacred landmark--the baseball diamond--a legion of rascally pre-pubescent boys show they'll do almost anything for the sake of the team, in collectively going so far as to "risk their lives" for the sake of the team's athletically inept rookie, and movie protagonist, Smalls.

Paying homage to America's golden era, where it reigned as a respected world power and still believed in the great American Dream, The Sandlot's speckled with pop-culture staples galore while orchestrated along a serene soundtrack that seems to embody the generation's zest and pride. Reminded of outdated relics from past American tradition, by recalling on s'more devouring campfire outings, rascally practical jokes, and centered around America's beloved pasttime, the audience is left with a melancholy aftertaste for a bygone generation. Mechanically typing away on our Blackberrys, wasting empty-hours in an online daze, and receiving only so much exercise as the twiddling of our thumbs can manufacture through video-game extravaganza. expending video-game extravaganza.

With its ligjt-hearted profundity, The Sandlot's timeless tale speaks to all ages and every generation, invoking a nostalgic sentiment for an easy-breezy era when technology had not yet sunk its venomous fangs into society. At its soulful heart is the quirky array of characters who embrace the baseball team's scrawny newcomer, as good teammates do, and go to audacious extremes for friendship and a love of the game, things we might not find today with electronics sitting in as the new cultural sultan of our generation, and honest friendships much harder to find in the dog-eat-dog world.

And for its unconscious critique on today's generation sitting with a pretty portrait of a brighter past, the movie's especially powerful as reminiscent glory-maker and eye-opening contrast. The sheer essence of its enrapturing entertainment value, however, is enough to make the movie a hit classic.

On the Guitar Hero Commercial

2008-11-10T13:24:00.001-05:00

I recently wrote about celebrity endorsements, acknowledging the infestation of celebrity hysteria not only among the tabloid-addict, consuming pubic, but also on the mix-masters of the advertising market themselves. While the advertising industry's gone gah-gah over the celebrity endorsement, they've shown they'll go to great financial extents in reeling in celebrities so much that the creativity and overall integrity of the market is being threatened. In obtaining the celebrity face, advertisers are often caught in a star-struck vortex while handling celebrity endorsements, making foolhardy decisions in their quest for the biggest name in the business instead of the right one for the product at hand. Following the first "Guitar Hero: World Tour" commercial headed by a bevy of jiving all-star celebrities, an emulation of Tom Cruise's iconic stunt in Risky Business, they're already out with it's sister follow-up video advertisement, featuring who??? Heidi Klum????

Do these guys really expect me to think that Project Runway host and renown supermodel Heidi Klum sits around all day playing Guitar Hero like the rest of the thirteen-year old male population? While Guitar Hero might have succeeded at scoring a celebrity phenomenon as its figure head, but it's effective at nothing but stimulating male hard-ons. Pulling the oldest trick of the book---sex sells--might turn on the masculine sex drive, but if anything might turn off consumers. Why would teenage boys, wound up in the midst of hormone frenzy, while making every attempt to flex their muscles and flaunt their stature as full grown man, want to buy the same cootees-infested product a girl plays with. Hell, if he's going to go out and buy Heidi Klum's favorite toy, he might as well go out and get a manicure while he's at it--right?(thirteen year old boy thinking here)

This ad might succeed in tantalizing the public gaze for its 30 second duration(oh yeah and in between the satin sheets of sweet dreams), but its not to make an everlasting imprint on "Guitar Hero" sales. Although the first commercial had athletes instead of a more appropriate choice in using badass rockstars like Bon Jovi or Steven Tyler, it was a staggeringly clever commercial taking full advantage of a moment in the history of popular culture while spicing it up with modern embellishment, giving it the perfect tinge of a classic-modern masterpiece in the field of marketing(and honestly who's more cool right now than Michael Phelps, A-Rod, Kobe Bryant, and Tony Hawke?) More entranced by the celebrity face than the ingenious idea or strategically-devised celebrity use, displays like this "Guitar Hero" strip tease, might attract America's hungry gaze, but it won't seduce consumers enough to have any bearing on their wallet. I think Pop Therapy captured the overall public reaction to the ad saying, "It doesn’t make me want to buy the game, but it does make me wish I were that Guitar."

Chasing Windmills: The Cultivation of Audience Delusion in the Wake of Technology's Shifting Mediums

2008-11-09T16:05:00.000-05:00

Popular culture is constantly bended and manipulated, exploring diverse trends styles and concepts, until running into a particular formula that intrinsically enchants a nation-wide hysteria. Media tycoons, advertising villains, and other cultural Frankensteins, will go to limitless extincts for a promising idea or innovative gold mine. Mankind and technology are thus nonsensically engaged in an endless cat-and-mouse duel, stepping a little further away from self-sufficient tradition each time around. The disintegration of natural capacities and old-fashioned norms by an assembly line of hi-tech products, each one increasing in quantity of bells and whistles, growing further and further from the basic function of its rudimentary blueprints. And although it's repeatedly called to the forefront of cultural and social debate, our reliance on increasingly elaborate technological whim is as steady a gamble as a slanted round of roulette. Romancing the Screen: An Examination of Moving from Television to the World Wide Web in a Quest for Quasi-Intimacy by Tracey Bowen, spares no time for circuitous adornment, and knocking its audience over with sledgehammer-force, saying "The level of intimacy many individuals have devloped with their home computers is steadily increasing as their negotiatings with media forms become more ingrained to the rhythms of daily life." She goes on to acknowledge the shift tv viewers undergo while moving television habits to the internet leads to a distortion of perceived notions on nearby shenanigans and makes a pariah out of the media-transforming renegade through the internet's spellbinding manipulation of reality, leading to a refurbishing of conventional understandings of interactivity and intimacy.

Migrating from the technologically oblivious internet outskirts, I approached the technological deity with wary giddiness. As I tip-toed into a world-wide-web-embrace, I was swarmed by contrasting feeling of enchantment and trembling fear as I marveled at the seemingly immortal culmination of technology. A medley of emotions surround the world-wide internet phenomenon, but one thing for certain is that the technological renegade has sent tradition and status quo into perpetual seizure. For better and for worse, we're left battling in the wake of the aftermath, becoming more and more familiar with the world wide web, as the vestiges of technological growth are smeared all over the historical canvas, adding a coat of paint for each technological stride, and making a surrealist fiasco out of the once-classic portrait.

In a bygone era of pre-internet deficiency, we were quite content praising the neon god of television and romantically fulfilled by a weekly intake and moderate intimacy with our favorite silver screen stars. Our television complacency was thrown off balance by the threat of the new kid in class and technological hulk known as the World Wide Web. With the advent of the technological elixir, and worldwide phenomenon society was quickly rushed into yet another technological mecca to bigger and better and simultaneously more complicated and reclusive destinations reserved for pioneers that boldly trek against the river rapids of tradition, as knowledge, entertainment, and communication were taken out of the hands of television networks and into mankind's very own click of the mouse. The purpose of technology is to alleviate mankind's hassle, moving work, thought, and communication away from mankind's efforts and placing them the hands of a machine, putting technology in a position as both fiend and foil to mankind.

A piece from the Journal of Popular Culture,"Romancing the Screen: An Examination of Moving from Television to the World Wide Web in a Quest fro Quasi-Intimacy" by Tracey Brown explores a very specific technological transition, which documents the trekk from television to internet, and explores how television worship is not replaced by. but, integrated into the internet wonderworld in what proves to be a deteriorating assault on the well-being of chat room denizens and other members of the tv-centric web community.

The purpose of her study is "examining how the shift in media environments from TV to website affects the ways in which viewers interact with fictional television characters and otherwise 'real' web surfers." Websites that revolve around specific tv shows bring its audience into a closer formality with tv characters and with other fans who participate in an online forum for those afflicted with a feverish urge to purge their clogged minds of tv-centric opinion and thought. "Viewers interact with 'the screen'as a way of developing more intimate relationships with the characters they view weekly on television and also to see out others with whom they may negotiate the 'ins and outs of a particular drama, plot, or character'" But the transition from television to the web, through an extension of once-a-week, network ran availability, also deteriorates traditional meanings of social interaction. "Television and the web blur the boundaries between public and private space and our conceptions of how we work within those spaces. Computer screens in particular seduce us, even encourage us, to become voyeurs of distant others through the web and virtual world." So while the internet brings globetrotting access and bountiful information to the comfort of the living room sofa, it ultimately distorts viewers relationships within local proximity.

Bowen states that concepts such as intimacy and interactivity "in both public and private spaces are redefined as individuals become intimate with their machines. They interact with others who can only be imagined beyond the glass-fronted screen and engage in a metaphorical romance with their computers. Romance is used here to suggest a state of idealized and fantasized engagement with another individal, albeit real or fictional. The computer screen facilitates these new forms of romance." Technological advancement from tv to internet, illuminates a larger criticism over technology which recognizes that mankind's reliance on machines not only clogs the capacity for growth, it also puts mankind in backwards motion, as the glory of the past documenting feats of mankind' and celebrating the individual are now being overwritten by technological rhapsodies, replacing the dignified splendor achieved by historical icons like Rousseau and JFK with the time machine of the future and other advents in technology to come.

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon God they made.
-Simon and Garfunkle, "Sound of Silence"

TV fanatics are naturally allured to the internet, for its ability to meet the needs of our "more, more!" culture which technology has spawned. Bowen states that "the sites target the audience's thirst for knowing more and more." While television can only give you so much through its network-ran, once-a-week programming, the internet extends television's horizons, providing around-the-clock availability to cast information, episode vieweing , and discussion group participation and offering relationships with television characters and similar online participants who also indulge in a similar interest for the same television series. But as Bowen acknowledges the internet connection is really a "quasi-interactive experience that produces an imagined desire to escape one's real life and find a more fulfilling parallel life through an imagined quasi-intimate relationship with a public figure." TV as a regulated source of entertainment, by itself, keeps the viewer at a distance, but the internet uses its infinite realm to transform viewers' watered-down, toddleresque relationships with tv into full-throttle Parisian romance, impairing traditionally defined meanings of social interaction and intimacy.
But at the intersection where tv and the web collide, Bowen believes, instead of a socially enhancing union, the marriage of technological mediums threatens the stability of social interaction and working as a shot of venom disguised behind an ambrosia-facade.

Tortured by addiction, addicts' cravings for their drug of choice naturally swell over time. Addicts are forced to increase their dosage to meet the steadily insatiable appetite, becoming more and more detached from the self persona and natural flow of mother nature, and more a part of the synthetic tyrant that's now in command over an addict's very own corporal cavity. Similarly, the interest in, love of, and habitual partaking in television viewing will continue to bloat into a a larger, more voluptuously-sized zeppelin, demanding a gradual increase in an influx of air.until To prevent the corrosion of a show's creative zest , increase advertising rates, and continue to entice viewer's ever-needy attention span, without it wandering off to a scintillating prospect of bigger and better stomping grounds, tv shows looked to the all-encompassing worldwide web and clutched to its ready-made audience as its basis for catering to the wants and desires of its tv-addicted fanbase. In a mutual sort of way, Rrecognizing its big brother's mortal limitations, the net capitalizes on the firmly established cultural god, using its infinite realm to meet the mind's propensity for wanderlust.

Although placing you in the tight confines of the office desk and alloting only so much physical freedom as the wheels of your swivel chair can take you, the internet's appeal pampers the mind's imaginative yearnings, bribing the rascally imagination with a free-ride to internet Wallyworld,the eworld wide web wonderland specifically tailored to the globetrotting desires of the playful mind. The imaginatioon soars through the internet merry-land in unbridled vagabond swagger, with a mental stroll on cloud nine cancelling out the fact that physically your bound to the trenches of home. A second call to appeal despite reclusion of home-imprisonment is the offer of easy-as-pie maintenance of friendships via online tv-centric communitites. Extending the confines of television to enhance the viewers experience of and participation in the world of television answers to the natural desire for interaction, intimacy, and clarity, or at least that's what it tricks you into thinking.By breaking out into the great unknown and tippy toeing into the nebulous webosphere,the "romance with the screen" is nothing but a response to the imaginative impulse, urging us "to negotiate new forms of community to which we view our place in the world." The web shatters the earthly cinder blocks that chain us to mortal boundaries, giving us weightless freedom and an unhindered bypass tthrough the electconic circuits of internet labyrimthe all the way to a behind-the-screen full-fledged relationship with the fantasy world as co-creator of and companion to the fantasy world. "James Donals claims that the power of the imagination, 'lies in its ability to shimmy across and around the boundary between real an the imaginary, and to explore the ethical possibilities of the 'as if.''.....This is how viewers begituiate the terrains of real life, television life, and the online communities in which they are active members."

By logging on to the boundless realm of mental freedom the world wide web has to offer, available to viewers are the cushiony resources that bring the audience from the slums of the sofa as an estranged nobody all the way past the neon barricade of the tv set, and to a spot in the show's in-crowd at the triggering of the imagination's own Texas-signed slingshot shuttle pass.

The internet offers a readily-accessible, foolproof means for obtaining the underlying human impulse, Boer describes as "territory for imagining new relationships with the world unencumbered by perceived limitations of 'real life' or 'real time' offerings" The chance to comment, critique, analyze, and hypothesize show content without being censored or without having to maintain social graces, and doing so in limitless abundance, is like an around-the-clock shot at open mic night, with the guarantee of an "all ears" audience to provide support, companionship, and feedback for feverish silver-screen dialec.For the bullied dweebs stuffed in lockers or self-conscious, the internet shield is the long -awaited mode to finally having their voices heard after years of strangulation. But, when veiled by incognito screen names, lies, vast distances, and labyrinthine technology that enables conversation not face to face where facial expressions, touch, and a million other devices adequately convey meaning, not over the phone where personal dialect, vocal tone, and emotion seep through the telephone barriers,but instead through the mechanical aerobic exercise of ten frenzied fingers doing jumping-jacks along the keyboard surface. With the help of fabricated stories and facts, a thesaurus, Millionaire lifelines , alter egos, and bountiful amount of resources for plagiarization, there's no telling how distorted, off-the-wall or honest revelations are. Bowen states that "the web invites participants to manipulate the ready-made content[of a t.v. series] through a reconstruction and reproduction of events and their possible meanings." These overall communication of tv-based content via chat rooms and online community groups is what Bowen continuously refers to as "quasi-interactive." Enticed by selfish incentives of effortless relationships, ostentation, and being able to contribute not to the betterment of the community but instead to exercise expertise and get good feedback. Without an internet shit-detector installed within its infrastructure, anything goes. without a moderating force or unbiased regulator ruling calls in the baseball diamond, without an appointed or respectable force to allot penalities or eject the bad guys and outlaws, and call the cheap shots, without the presence or titanic clout of a judge's gavel, the internet rages in anarchic disarray, making any signs of a flourishing community nothing but the silent murmur of pipe dream gibberish, and making bona fide relationships, friendships, or companionship within tv-series based communities high falutin spectres of the most utopian sort.

Bowen describes the televisual experience as "that which exceeds television as a technology per se and constitues a modality in which the world comes to be known, the currently pervasve cultural matrix in which identity takes shape." An extension of an indulging in the guilty-pleasure of tv addiction, is not only found in the community discussion groups, but also through the vast empire of knowledge found in websites focused on giving the reader additional information packets, summaries, picture albums,and episode archive bases. Unwilling to surrender a deeply-engrained passion for tv, and seeing the internet as a highway to closer relationships with thecharacters they know and love, the cultural remedy for and obliteration of the glass barrier, which for ages has deneid our long-lost romance with favorite shows and fictional jailbirds stranded behind the curtain of folkloric haze.

Bowen says the world behind the tv screen is "a fictional space that runs parallel to the spaces of viewers real lives," and she goes on to say, "This space is opened up and deterrirorialized by the web." Hoping for a closer relationship to the elusive ladies and gents behind the silver sceen, the viewer innocently embarks on an internet scavenger hunt, dusting for fossil prints, sneaking up on a closer focus, and digging through chests of relics, images, souverneirs, and knick-knacks stuffed in dusty attic chests and grandma's antique photo albums. As a stranger in a strange land, the wide-eyed fanatic mauls through the TV's glass border while surfing through the rocky rapids of internet detour, "collecting images texts and sounds that may be perceived as grounded in real life creating a new convergence of imaginary and live spaces." While the internet's sprinkled with fictional fairy dust surrounding characters lives, there's enough of the scattered s vestiges to entice the newfound pursuit of character intimacy, with an undiscloseded reservoir of knowledge dwelling in the plush sandbox of jovial frolick for the trailbalazing imagination now on the loose.The individuals own perception, desire, and imaginative masonry, create a self-defined "reconceptualization" of tv's fictional setting as Bowen refers to. For participants, readers, bloggers, and activists in the collective web-based banter "surfing the websites provides the opportunity to spend more time engaging in a quasi-interactive discussion with distant others in ways that extend the viewing pleasure and gives the illusion of intimacy with those involved in the life of a particular television series."

While the seducer's busy rehearsing for his Don Juan seduction over his modest lover's playful coquettry, it's an all-encompassing fascination with the realm of televison, that die-hard viewer's gain upon joining a multitude of scattered, though like minded tv fanatics in an assembly where voices are welcomed and enhanced content is gathered, And while the communal front is strengthened and fanbase driven to manic obsession individuals' relationships to locales and close territorities are wrapped in a blanket of ambiguity as the born-again (internet) social butterfilies are far more complacent in the reality-estranging though fascinating world on the internetWhile the internet gives the imagination an endless expanse for thrill and wonder, it deceptively engages the giddy viewer in a quasi-intimate relationship with an emotionally sterile fictional character where "viewers romance the screen by gathering intimate details about mediatized personalities. In reality, however," Bowen states, "the viewer's personage stilll remains anonymous to the actors portraying the characters."

Bowen states that the "self-selected negotiations with communities of 'others' becomes the territory for imagining new relationships with the world unencumbered by perceived limitations of 'real life' or real time' offerings." While the callow imagination takes its boastful victory lap around the internet empire, enraptured by the frivolous ostentation and boundless wealth of knowledge it foolishly ignores the confinement of gravity and other physical limitations. Allured by its Stepford Wife appearance and powerless against the imagination's mean sucker punch, the active partaker in web-based tv festivities falls deeper and deeper into the technological vortex of the web. Behind the naturally foggy internet atmosphere, all things are glanced at through drunk-goggle gaze where everything looks pretty. They become denizens of the internet wonderworld, unknowingly, having given up the prospect of complacent, reality-quenching life to spend their days helplessly chasing after inexistant windmills, under a delusional trance. The internet takes the audacious dare-devil on the web-based equivalent to a virtual reality ride, offering a trip to exotic lands, pretending to snuggle you into a comfortably tight embrace, and violently tossing you around like Mexican Jumping Bean.While net-surfing viewers are physically bound to the home, they log onto the web as strangers, tapping into deposits of knowledge and engaging in crooked relationships, which Bower describes as a"deterritorialized space that becomes manifested as a loss of our natural relatinship to local or social territories." as Bowen acknowledges, later stating that, "While we may be thinking globally, we may also be estranged to that which is local, possibly right next door."

Like alcohol and drugs users, the particpants in these online tv communities are unaware to what extent they've abused their priviledges access. While obtaining a piece of the internet pie internet users voyaging to distant nooks of the web and devour the bountiful splendor of its potpourri workings. So caught up in the wonder and the high they get, that users avoid returning to the drab and comparably lifeless breed of substance-free living. Hoping to carress the immortal, man extends his gaze from the drab existence of everyday life, and eyes the forbidden fruit, seeking the euphoria, limitless knowledge, or Godlike capacity for human creation that blinkers along the starry sky and serves as a guiding light,

And up, up, and away we go...inch by inch mentally we distant ourselves from the earthly terrain and our understanding of the world around us gets wrapped in a blanket of ambiguity. And like poor, poor Don Quixote television fiendish internet users, and other substance abusers and addicts, striving to obtain more and more of all the wrong things, believe themselves to be on the cusp of success---a bona fide relationship with a fictional being or becoming a knight--only to unknowingly have been enticed by delusion and sent aboard the forward throttle blind-folded, and dizzy from two many spins around a baseball bat pre-pinanta swing, mounting on a ceaseless quest for utopian dreams, chasing after windmills in blind faith, with eyes on the translucent dream and goggles shrouded in golden fog, making an elaborate walk of shame out of the admirably tenacious pursuit.

Extra, Extra: Fashion

2008-11-03T08:00:00.008-05:00

Marvel at these ten incredible dresses made of random objects like this little number above made from kitchen sponges. (Trend Hunter)
Thank God someone's brave enough to admit it. College Candy is intervening with the American population and warning you that UGG Boots might be comfy, but reality check--they are ugly! And, by the way, guys loathe those furry tootsy warmers! (College Candy)
Uh-oh here comes the return of 90's fashion. Should I be worried (Doc Martens)or jubilant(flannel)? (Jezebel)
Looks like Gap has raised a pretty tenacious campaign in order to attract young shoppers.(L Magazine)
Politics has spreads so far into the cultural atmosphere, that even fashion is now entwined in red white and blue election fever. Political t-shirts are being guzzled down by the American population, but percentages of Obama t-shirt sales are 54.1% compared to McCain's 45.9%(despite his more affluent and less economically-challenged support base) (Seattle PI)
Holy Schnikes! Christian Louboutin plans to produce the tallest pair of stilletos mainstream fashion has ever seen with a larger than life 8-inch heel. Might this concoction be the 8th World Wonder? (Huffington Post)
New jewelery line, House of Harlow 1960 looks as cute as it's creator, my very favorite Hollywood honey, Nicole Richie. You'll be able to get your hands on these adorable pieces in early November at Kitson stores or Shop Kitson. (Chic Intuition)
There's a Harper's Bazaar Salvador Dali inspired fashion exhibit called Surreal Appeal on display at the Museum of Modern Art featuring designs by some of fashion's hottest names. (Trend Hunter)

Extra, Extra: Celebrities!

2008-10-31T08:00:00.003-04:00

It's a rarity to see celebrities shopping at commonplace hotspots and living the not-so-chic lifestyle. I like that Lindsay Lohan and Sam Ronson choose to use the enviro-friendly, poor-folks transportation mode.
What's the juiciest, most utterably shock-inspiring celebrity scandal of all time? The Scandalist's got the ever-angelic Hollywood elite pegged, exposing the 100 Greatest Celebrity Scandals of All Time. This one's a fascinating read and pop-culture wonderwork, featuring many of America's most beloved cultural icons acting a little bit more naughty than nice. Reminisce with America's notoriously corrupt celebrity culture, and relive the culturally defining relationship fiascos, automobile no-nos, and other sexually-charged, morally-corrupt celebrity scandals that shook the daylights out of America's clueless but ever-forgivving population.
Ashton Kutcher has a controversial new blog called Blahgirls that's an internet equivalent to South Park only with a celeb-obsessed ensemble of gawking girls as its central axis. While taboo content is what makes Southpark and its male foursome so very popular, there's been some controversy surrounding Kutcher's female-centric basis.
200,000 readers had their say on Askmen.com,nominating the 49 Most Influential Men of 2008.
Miss Louisiana Teen USA, Lindsey Evans was stripped of her crow n just ten days before the end of her year-long reign on October 22nd, after she'd made what might be the most pathetic and stereotypically blond criminal act I've ever heard of, after she and her cheap-wad buddies took it upon themselves to flee from a diner without paying a penny for their meal. The ingenious endeavor took yet another turn once the cops arrived at the scene of the crime and found the beauty queen's purse, which, to top it all off, was stocked with a bag of weed.
TMZ is reporting that Blake Lively is being sued by a tailor who claims he did $500 worth of alterations for her dress at the Teen Choice Awards, but never received compensation.
Kinda gloomy, but still fascinating, Forbes' has issued its annual list of the Top-Earning Dead Celebrities.
She might seem like just another pretty face, but Victoria Beckham is going to run the New York City marathon, adding to her ongoing list achievements as the wife to the most gorgeous man in the world and fervent girl power! activist.

Extra, Extra: Television!

2008-10-30T08:00:00.003-04:00

It's good to know that someone's finally found a method to the Gossip Girl madness. The sublimely-twisted and intrinsically captivating Gossip Girl drama is all a matter of one unlikely culprit you'll have to see for yourself in Pet Rock's lovely pop-culture blog.(Pet Rock)
Gawker examines what exactly conservatives and liberals are watching on tv. (Gawker)
Gotta get tickets, gotta get tickets! I'm freaking out over the latest and greatest revelation in pop-music history(ok, maybe not the greatest...but its big-time) Britney Spears will be performing on Good Morning America on December 2 at Bryant Park. (New York Post)
I can't wait for the seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm which starts filming in December(Ain't it Cool)
After its Lindsday Lohan flop, Ugly Betty is after another star rockstar Bob Geldof's daughter,Peaches, to appear as a cameo in an upcoming epsidode.(Star Pulse)
You know those loathsome characters that you make you cringe everytime they bless you with their presence on tv? Well Entertainment Weekly's got a pretty good assessment of these annoying silver screen guys and gals in "25 Characters Who Just Turn You Off" (Entertainment Weekly)
Even though I was more of a 90210 90's television addict, I was so excited to here that Fox is doing yet another remake of another 90's television phenomenon--Melrose Place. That's right get ready for the second installment of yet another 90's sitcom remake. (Gawker)
Cloris Leachman and partner, Corky Ballas, were voted off of Dancing with the Stars after their cha-cha routine received the lowest score on Monday (Star Pulse)

Extra, Extra: Movies

2008-10-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

The latest issue of GQ even got me a little bit steamy with its well-done article depicting the 25 All-Time Sexiest Women in Film
I'm so excited about Tim Burton's remake of Alice in Wonderland, which Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter have recently agreed to act in.
The Frisky wasn't as pleased as she thought she'd be with the movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno
A new documentary called Who Does She Think She Is? explores women, art and creativity, discussing why so many women go to art school while so few are featured in museums. The film is directed by Pamela Tanner Boll, who also directed Academy Award Winning Film, Born Into Brothels.
Things aren't looking so good for The Body of Lies. Reviews on the latest Dicaprio thriller aren't too hot.
I really want to see Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky a humorous movie chronicling the life of a relentless optimist, schoolteacher Poppy.
He's Just Not That Into You will hit theaters in February of 2009 and I'm guessing the Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore-led mega cast will reel in a whole lot of female movie-goers.
(Most of) The reviews for Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York are saying it's truly a masterpiece.
Although I was down in the dumps upon hearing that posh and Becks were leaving the US, I'm ecstatic to find out that David and Victoria Becham are making a movie about their new life in Italy.
In the wake of high-school movie extravaganza, Entertainment Weekly came out with a list of the Top 25 High School Movies of All Time.

Celebrity Endorsements

2008-10-27T20:00:00.001-04:00

Denizens to the sales and marketing world, are equipped with an artillery of tricks up their sleeves and are accustomed to age-old advertising mechanisms, which guarantee the arousing of public hustle-bustle despite the sometimes lackluster results. With their hypnotic word wizardry, creative angles, and humorous slant, pioneering advertisers either spawn a product's cult-like worship or leave a stale aftertaste in the public palette. A lot rests on these guys shoulders, and to decrease the likelihood of a product's rapid tailspin, these guys rely on a symbol or figurehead that captivates the public's evanescent attention span, and keeps it entertained with a peek-a-boo game's worth of appeal.

Like the unctious art of car salesmanship, advertisements mask the money money money lust and corporate greed--which propelled the product's creation in the first place--through a hazy, though scrumptious sales pitch, the kind of verbal and theatrical assault that grapples with the senses and puts logic in a lolling chokehold. What would nike do without its colossal-sized three word slogan or how might Disney fare were it missing the symbolic enchantment of its magical kingdom headquarters?

But above and beyond the hypnotic realms of fantasy and euphorious trademark quips, is a mightier force a charming sight for the eyes---a pretty face. What would Marlboro be without the cool-demeanored, rough riding, Arthur Fonzarelli of the Wild Wild West lassoing its way to soaring sales.(http://adage.com/century/icon01.html) But with a creative drought, advertising campaigns instead flaunt the celebrity face, as a surefire means to consumer buzz and product sales. The accoutrements of celebrity endorsement are plastered on a brand with Aunt Jemima-like blatancy, flaunting the titanic declaration that yes Tiger Woods dons Nike or sure, Paris Hilton enjoys devouring the Burger King hamburger, two of countless celebrity endorsed products we see flaunted in pages of magazines and 30 second tv commercials. In this day and age, it doesn't take much to see that Hollywood's made s sonic-boom impact on sales and advertising. Celebrity involvement in marketing practice has amplified so much that in 2001, approximately 1 in 4 marketing programs featured some type of celebrity endorser, according to "The equity effect of product endorsement by celebrities; A conceptual framework from a co-branding perspective," a study in the European Journal of Marketing by Diana Seno and Bryan A. Lukas. This which is a thorough investigation into how celebrity product endorsements create equity for the endorsed product-brand and the celebrity endorser.

While we consult with the Steve-Jobs Clansman at the Genius Bar for our Macbook booboos and call on the mechanics for carborator tribulation, isn't it ironic, that we turn to celebrities as technological gurus and source for product-consuming emulation when we openly know they're getting paid to promote the "top notch" product? when its likely that he or she is fixed on some bigger, better king-sized wonder that could knock its kid-brother out of the fairgrounds and up to the moon with the titanium tip of his rock-hard Tony Llama boots. While the fancy-free middle-class American struggle, especially today, stands in deep contrast to celebrities' luxury-adorned lives set in a Hollywood Hills lullaby, celebrity endorsers, though out of touch with the common folk, are advertisement goldmines, when chosen and used wisely, The study by Seno ad Lukas explores the relationship between celebrities and products, focusing on the mutually exclusive relationship between the two which the study calls "co-branding" where the celebrity and the brand product participate in the continuous transaction of benefits so that both the brand equity and the celebrity equity sky-rocket through the celebrity endorsement, so long as its conducted with meticulous detail and a vuluptuous stroke of finesse.

While the fields of marketing and advertising are increasingly bulking up on a potent artillery of brilliant minds, research cadets, and a compendium of knowledge denoting ensnaring popular appeal methods, little was known about the equity effects experienced by both parties in the celebrity product endorsement before Seno and Lukas went about the study. Ultimately their "central ropositiio is that both endorser image and brand image serve as mediators in the equity creation process f celebrity product endorsement. For managers, the results of the study will serve as a celebrity selection guide and check-list for organizing the endorsement process."

There are five different factors that characterize celebrity product endorsements and ultimately effect celebrity endorsement equity: celebrity credibility and attractiveness, which are called source-based, meaning that they are naturally inherited by the celebrity while the other three qualities, called management-based factors are,celebrity-product congruency, celebrity multiplicity, and celebrity activation, all of which are executed by the managers of the celebrity relationship"image serves as an equity mediator in the celebrity product endorsement process" placing a reciprocal relationship on celebrity and brand images, which the study goes on to prove through showing that five factors have an influence on the brand image.

The most important aspect of this relationship is that the celebrity's endorsement is trustworthy. In order to gain a credible rapport with a closely-watching public eye, its necesary that they are perceived in an honest light that illuminates an aura of expertise regarding the product. A celebrity endorser's genuine respect for and support of the endorsed product will naturally add to the glimmer of its appeal and prevent the possibility of having the publics shit-detector blow into an alll out temper tauntrum. Smug hell-rakers like Spencer Pratt for instance, who doesn't have an honest bone in his body, would immediately drain any potential of a brand's lust-worthy public allure. A trustworthy appeal is a must for a successful celeb endorsement.

It's the enchanting sound of his rumble, the command in his voice that's drifts in an air of starry euphoria and soothes public doubt. It's his tall frame, glimmering smile, and commanding voice--his presidentness. If you take the same values and experience and package them in another being, another personality, another body, chances are he won't be as a star-spangled as the current presidential candidate. A particular ad is looking for a spokesperson that the targeted audience would find appealing, like or be swayed by. Sure, a pretty face works as bait in hooking the public, but one things for certain, an endorser's appeal is a primary character involved in determining the celebrity-brand endorsement equity outcome.

A third factor weighing in on the ultimate success of celebrity endorsement falls under the category of management-based factors, the first of three being celebrity product congruency which the study defines as the "consistency between the characteristics of a celebrity endorser and the attriubutes of the product that they endorse" So athletic deities like Lebron James and Terrell Owens represent pure manliness, herculaen strength, and powerhouse stamena, the quintessence of an athete, and the embodiment of everything brands like gatorade and nike promote in roid-raging ostentation. The muscly seduction is automatically associated with the promoted brand, subliminally measuring out an equation that equates the endorsed brand with the body-builder physique.Another example of this is the ever-expanding use of gorgeous celebrity faces in promoting the latest dazzling beauty product. When a product's aligned next to a closely-related celebrity endorser in a savvy ad campaign, it's likely that the audience will unconsciously develop an associative link between the brand and the endorser, so that "the meanings conveyed by the characteristics of the endorser and the attributes of the product shold cobine more effectively to contribute to the desired brand image"

A less obvious management-based force in the celebrity endorsement deals with the collective image an artillery of celebrities and marketing techniques convey in a brand. Most brands that have the leisure to employ one celebrity endorser typically lasso together a whole herd of fresh, appealing faces in a giant campaign. Depending on their Machiavellian advertising maneuver, the brand will either play it safe with a steadfast campaign, using a distinct type of celebrity for each of their endorsements or more audaciously use a variegated assembly of celebrity figurines to hopefully gain a larger and more diverse following amongst the starving consumer culture.

Yet another sector of the celebrity endorsement which demands management attention is what the study calls "celebrity activation," where an endorsement takes advantage of a celebrity's achievements and activities, adding a shot of veracity and glittery charm to the endorsement platform But the habits and actions outside of photo shoots and commercial tapings, for the most part dangle in the hazy tropic of Gatsby style reckless acts and foolhardy decisions, while accompanied by a bottomless brigade of tenacious paparazzi that rarely fail to miss a beat,
putting celebrity endorsements in jeopardy through the undying possibility of a tarnished image.

With an increasingly inflated case of celebrity worship infiltrating the cultural landscape, the celebrity endorsement reigns with a colossal bearing over the consumer public. Although very little research has been done on the relationship between celebrity endorsements, brand equity, and celebrity equity, this study identifies five leading factors which ultimately determine the success of a celebrity endorsement measured in terms of equity. The celebrity face has been draped on billboards and showcased in commercials for 25% of US marketing programs, making celebrities the most prevalent and powerful spokesmen on the market, replacing an older and more logical tendency to bring experts and professionals into promotional endeavors to gain an air of brand authenticity.

While more and more minds continue to cluster into the advertising industry, yearning to dissect the cultural underbelly in order to come closer to identifying its cultural drift that rides as smoothly as a bucking bronco. But we all like a good chase don't we? In the gridiron struggle for advertising glory, competitng firms play dirty, taking away the good-old-fashion fun out of it all for the exchange of foul-play and low-blow shots. Instead of innovative concepts or creative splendor which clogged the advertising avenue of a yesteryear, today's marketing industry is more about pulling strings for celebrity endorsement deals than it is about brain-storming or authentic appeal. What this article fails to do is acknowledge how dirty things can get when celebrity endorsements go bad. While it stresses a lack of research surrounding the field, it fails to acknowledge how fragile a disposition some of the brands are placed in with celebrity endorsers manning the fort.

Take, for instance, a somewhat recent instance when Nike posterboy, Michael Vick became a public disgrace as the media broke into pandemonium with accusations of his participation in underground dog fighting, putting the squeaky clean Nike reputation at risk. Most of the time, advertisers are so busy chasing after big names that they forget the most important value of all--the creation of a trustworthy ad. The precarious reliance on celebrity image replaced the such figureheads as the Marlboro Man other innovative creations and timeless icons, never facing the deterioration of beauty that comes with age.

Celebrity endorsements have reeled in both brand and celebrity equity on a continuous basis, but with our economy of the brink of collapse, might a cultural enchantment with lifestyles of the rich and the famous simultaneously fall asunder? For better or worse, the public's lodged into a place where culture is largely determined by the entertainment industry and the advertising market where their own lucrative interests are the only thing that's concerned with. These are industries involved in an anything-goes battle for sales which, more often than not. eschews faith in the integrity of the product and rather, becomes tantalized by the prospect of acquiring big name fancy-pants celebrities. And the bigger the better.

But Hollywood and its glitz and its gold are all but permanent fixtures for celebrity herds, as the tabloids and celebrity blogs have acknowledged, We're constantly bombarded by Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, and fresh faces zipping through the slip n slide of virginal stardom. And on the much darker side, we're given chronicles of the descent from Hollywood majesty--celebrity fatties, scandal, and the culmination of Hollywood's ruin seen through the frenzied Britney escapades into srelf-destruction that took the media limelight and bewitched the American public for over a year. With such a turbulent "What's Hot and What's Not" Hollywood agenda where five pounds, a drunken tumble, or verbal slur, could publicly crucify an outstanding cultural icon.

Extra, Extra: Couples 2

2008-10-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Lauren Conrad denies rumors that she hooked up with Audrina's ex, Justin Bobby(Heartless Doll)
As if we didn't know that Madonna and Guy Ritchie were bound to get a divorce. But it's always exciting when the news breaks into the limelight, as The UK Sun reported Wednesday that the two have officially decided to end their seven-and-a-half year marriage(The UK Sun)
Looks like Madonna should have been a little bit wiser in her marriage. Silly Rabbit, you forgot to get a prenup. Looks like Guy Richie might becoming out of this marriage with a hefty potion of Madonna's 600 million dollar fortune. (Yeeeah!)
But before you start feeling sorry for Guy Ritchie, it looks like he's got a hotter, younger rebound girl, Kelly Reilly. That a boy Guy, Kelly's a class-act unlike that old shrew.(The Frisky)
Back together yet again? After a dramaticized break-up, John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston have rekindled their obnoxious relationship.
Welcome to the Jungle talks about the work relationship, something I've gotten myself tangled in far too many times. (Welcome to the Jungle)
Tea Leoni how could you? After Leoni's husband had made a titanic effort to recover their marriage, she said sayonara and, classy woman that she is, is off to redneck central with Billy Bob Thorton. But on the positive side--Hank Moody, I guess you're all mine now! (Mama Pop)
Just when we thought Brad and Angelina would never scurry down the aisle in a conventional matrimony, Jolie and Pitt are getting married for the sake of their kids. (Tango Mag)

The Latest Gizmos and Gadgets

2008-10-26T18:27:00.000-04:00

Power duo David and Victoria Beckham launched a man and woman's fragrance at Macy's in New York City. I bet their as heavenly-scented as the regal couple itself.

Bubbles Bodywear has created an innovative, though highly impractical, revolutionary undergarment--The Ass Bra. Tucking you in and lifting you up in all the right places, this clever concoction just may be the long-awaited savior for many, though I doubt it's very comfortable.

It's like a dream come true: candyland meets technology. Best Buy opened its first pink hued female-centric store in Colorado. Now, if only they could bring one to Manhattan.

This is a must-have item: The David Beckham 2009 Calendar, in which he poses in scant clothing and proves himself as the deserving king and #1 hottest on my "hottest celebrity" list.

Great, just after getting my new Macbook less than a year ago, a bigger and better Mac was just released. Jobs' new creation is all aluminum, very light, and equipped with a new button-free tracking pad which gives you IPhone-type abilities to transform the computer face.

Calling all horny virgins(college oddities about as prevalent as UFO sightings in this day and age) learn the tricks of the trade with "The First Timer's Kit: The Complete Guide to Loosing Your Virginity." Don't let your good morals and strong will-power lead you an embarrasment the first time aroud, check out this genius toolkit and you'll blow minds with your Jenna-Jameson-esque skills.

Oprah's raving about a reading device called the Kindle which allows you to get any book or magazine you want within a minute. The handbook-sized device, priced at a measly $359 even let's you read the first park of the book for free. I think this might be a college kid's dream come true.(Lifeline Live)

Extra, Extra: College

2008-10-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

I couldn't agree with this more, but a UGA research team found that facebook habits and tendencies reflect one's narcissism.
See how the Ivy Leagues compare to each other not in terms of academics, but, better yet, in terms of hotness. See which hot celebrities attended each of the big-wig Ivy-league schools.
I'm crossing my fingers with the hopeful yearning to "accidentally" run into NYU's newest celebrity dreamboat James Franco.
Hey you, asleep in the back row! If you'ra college student that's running out of fuel and constantly find your self drifting off into a sweet slumber in the middle of a humdrum class lecture, read Lifehacker's Top Ten Ways to Stay Energized.
I'm a firm believer that one of the keys to getting a good internship or good grades relies on creativity. Anyone can be book smart but not everyone can come up with innovative ways to see the world. See 20 most creative resumes, to get a little inspiration and spice up your cover letter and resume.
While Journalism is becoming an increasingly popular major for college students, get a jump-start on your journalistic path with Gawker's Guide to a Journalism Career.

ABC Family's Greek Family

2008-10-22T05:00:00.000-04:00

ABC Family's tv series Greek has all the workings of a successful show and more but is rarely mentioned in the media's trend-centric cultural chit-chat. I was a Greek late bloomer, enlisting in the smaller though cult-like fanclub towards the end of the shows first season. Somewhat reminiscent of the toga-toga-toga classic Animal House, Greek is anything but humdrum or trite, polished with its dynamic cast, humorous dialogue, and constantly frenzied zig-zagging plot lines which take you on a backlot tour of Cyprus-Rhodes' underground Greek culture, letting you into the sacred embrace of fraternal camaraderie and everlasting sisterhood.

While its focus hinges on the calamitous underpinnings of Cyprus-Rhodes' Greek life, an artillery of silently subtle themes and representations are meticulously smeared together in a whimsical mosaic that succeeds in conveying the over-all collegiate gestalt--and that's no Micky Mouse task in todays discombobulated world.

The show's two protagonists are more than just arbitrary members of the fictional schools thriving Greek community. The leading lady who we're first introduced to is Casey Cartwright the gorgeous, charming Zeta Beta Zeta sister who's a shoe-in for the up and coming Zeta Beta Zeta Presidency, as long as she plays her cards right.
Next the camera pans in on scrawny, dweeby, Physics genius, Rusty Cartwright, the unlikely brother of ZBZ queen bee, Casey

Wanting to follow in his sisters footsteps and eager to shed his wallflower, science nerd image, Rusty sets out to gain the lustrous title every southern boy dreams of one day acquiring: frat boy status. Audaciously surrendering his lab coat and erlen meyer flask, Rusty impresses the perfectly-casted silver-tongued, menace and Kappa Tau Reining Chief, Cappie, who offers him a coveted invitation into the zoolike fraternal infrastructure(rocky horrow) a bewildering turn of events, most staggering for his apathetic sister, once knighted under the Kappa Tau embled and inaugurated into her collegiate sanctuary.

While the born-again fratster is busy adjusting to fraterity lfe, obliterating brain cells in chugging duels and beer bong bonanza, Casey finds herself juggling with an arsenal of unanticipated surprises which threaten her romance and shot at becoming the next ZBZ president. The thing that she loved most as a starry-eyed freshman, her source for fun and jubilation, melts into a scorching inferno once her ruthless quest in becoming ZBZ President once her steadfast morals and priorities are mangled by her lusting ambition, something most college students will have to face at least once in the workplace.("Doing the right thing isn't always the right thing" she says in one episode, a red-tinted hue glistening in her eye) And while she tinkers with the malevolent while trying to survive a crime-spree assault waged by greek life's ravenous vultures, ultimately Casey's inherent kindness prevails.

Recognizing that college is his last shot at leaving his dweeb persona behind and coming out resurrected as a social play-maker and frat boy extraordinaire. Although his greek life queen bee sis warned him that he "was not fraternity material", In his last-shot attempt to dissolve his Doogie Houser image, Rusty is asked to join the bourbon boozing chugging champs resiiding in campus' #1 party house Kappa Tau. Favorite to the Kappa Tau reigning chief, President Cappie himself, Rusty becomes his pledge class' crowning achievement once his scientific genius comes in handy as he resurrects his frats' long-gone, beer-spewing volcanic emblem, Mount Vesuvius.("Spitter, you have just become a legend"Cappie proudly boasts") While he went in hoping to discard his nerdy image, his Steve Erkil qualities were exactly what made him popular.

While this can sometimes be an incriminating transitition or a neurologically cripling one from narcotic experimentation or four years of endless binge drinking conquests, college is ultimately served as a burial ground for outdated traditions, misconceptions, and images of the self and the world around you. Aside from the disintegration of paralyzing childhood beliefs, the college experience introduces you to a multi-cultural, variegated smorgasbord, featuring a wide range of scholastic studies, a heterogeneous student body, and enlightenment opportunities abound.
not in thi, indecisivene haywire curiosity

More than anything the Cartwright duo, illustrates the personal development willing students are bound to undergo in college. Rusty's gung-ho ambition guided him through a socially normalizing process. Without forfeiting his scientific allegiance, Rusty was finally initiated into a social-compact which his nerdy tendencies had always prevented him from in high school. With a student body that's exposed to unfamiliar religions, races, actions, behaviors, and language, quirks and blemishes that appeared as scars and bruises in high school, were, like beauty marks or big lips, revered on the college campus.

Though it's a more subtle alteration, we've seen take place in Casey's ballpark, she's grown into a much more independent and strong character than the crowd-pleasing, single-minded Casey we were first introduced to. Lodged into the ranks of the golden sororities most beloved members, Casey is the next in line as ZBZ President, bending her gut instincts and values in order to maintain her Mr. Everything-dating, well-balanced, and seamless image--the quintessence of all things ZBZ. When Rusty boldly tells Casey that he'd seen her boyfriend Evan sleeping with their recruitment's prized possession, one precariously draped facade after another crumbles. Starting with Rusty's unexpected revelation, he continues to exhibit an unremitting source of support for Casey, going so far as punching Casey's All-American football-sized boyfriend despite having scrawny little arms, no experience in fighting, and a fragille entirety about him somewhat similar to a porcelain doll. Eventually Casey gives Rusty a try, especially as she begins to take notice of how few people are actually faithful and honest in her life. And family's all you can ever rely on, which ironically comes back to the essence of Greek life and defines the sacred bond sororites and fraternities are supposed to be internally fueled by, but which is for the most part lacking within the intricate circuit of affairs, feuds, tensions, and other seperating forces at Cyprus Rhodes.

Embracing him as not only a brother but also a friend says a lot about the girl that never before even acknowledged she had a brother and denied his phone call in the first scene the two characters are involved in. Engulfed by a whirlwind of new experiences Rusty naturally gravitites to his more socially inclined sister. But once the looming prospect of bedlam begins to tip-toe into Casey's life, Rusty steps up with a cavalier spirit, showing that despite her estrangement towards him, he was there whenever she'd need him, which is more than any of her ZBZ sisters were willing to offer(besides Ashley) The relationship evolves from Rusty being a bete noire, to the tag-along-brother, and onto one of Casey's only trustworthy friends. Through each other's bolstering support, the Cartwright clan survives tumultuous relationships and betrayal, and fends off each other's urges to quit Greek life for once and for all. As a precocious social butterfly, Casey helps Rusty with his work-play balancing act, while her socially pioneering brother leads Casey away from the ZBZ-concocted cavern of close-mindedness.

Through the familial bond of two mismatched strangers reunited under the Greek institution, Casey and Rusty not only survive in the treacherous battlefield, they flourish. Both characters adjust to warped conditions though, without their provoking familial conversations, the audience can only imagine to what extent pandemonium would flare in the Cartwrights' lives. Although its a jagged and precarious minefield the characters have and continue to tread along, ultimately, we see the brother-sister duo grow in paramount ways--and growth--be it cultural, spiritual, religious, physical, or intellectual--is what a diploma ultimately manifests.

Extra, Extra: Television

2008-10-19T18:50:00.000-04:00

Caught up in a maelstrom of homework assignments, extra curriculars, and social events galore? If you're like many busy-body college students out there, you're more than likely too busy to spend hours inhaling the fast-paced, action-packed world of pop-culture. If so, Pop Culture University, is here for you. Instead of cramming tons of popular culture news flashes into the blog and overwhelming the hectic college student, Pop Culture University, welcomes its Extra, Extra series, which summarize only the most important stories and deals them out in coherent groups. Leave the dirty work to PCU, and stay in touch with the latest and greatest pop-culture 411.

Caught up in a maelstrom of homework assignments, extra curriculars, and social events galore? If you're like many busy-body college students out there, you're more than likely too busy to spend hours inhaling the fast-paced, action-packed world of pop-culture. If so, Pop Culture University, is here for you. Instead of cramming tons of popular culture news flashes into the blog and overwhelming the hectic college student, Pop Culture University, welcomes its Extra, Extra series, which summarize only the most important stories and deals them out in coherent groups. Leave the dirty work to PCU, and stay in touch with the latest and greatest pop-culture 411.

Sure, The Hills is pretty addictive and most definitely an MTV success. But, bigger and better than its L.A. counterpart is The City, Whitney Port's new Hills' spin-off about life in the Big Apple. Much more fabulous a city, and much more fabulous a girl, I cannot wait to see the NYC reality-based show following the former West Coast hottie as she ventures into the wonderworld of New York City fashion, working for Diane von Furstenberg.
Project Runaway might be leaving Bravo.
Drunks are always fun to watch on tv aren't they? Take a look at Frisky's Favorite Female Lushes on TV.
Eva Longoria is scheduled to be a judge on next season's Project Runway.
MTV's newest reality princess, Peaches Geldog, is acting like a huge diva while filming for her new tv show is going on, which documents her life as a Nylon editor.
It should be interesting to see Rosie O'Donnel's own tv show which comes out for a trial run on November 26th.
Kate Moss is set to star in a new reality show called British Style Genius with Twiggy on BBC2.
One of my favorite grandparent memories were days spent at my british grandma's house watching episodes of Ab Fab, and laughing away despite my inability to understand their slurring British accents or understand the lewd humor. Regardless, I'm sooo pumped for the American version of Ab Fab that's set to premier on Fox.
I'm sooo pumped to watch the 90 minute MTV Special Interview "Britney: For The Record" where Britney discusses the rocky roads of her recent past.
I'm really sad that I missed the season premier of the new Debra Messings series Starter Wife but the tv show looks amazing.
Sources are saying that John McCain will actually be on The Late Show this week after lying to Letterman and ditching the show at the very last minute weeks ago.

Extra, Extra: Celebrities

2008-10-18T13:30:00.002-04:00

While most Hollywood starlets are sipping on Grey Goose Gimlets or Don Perignon, Mischa Barton is all about the Bud Light. Love it!!!!
Starpulse made a list of Hollywood's creepiest actors.
Angelina Jolie is on this month's cover of W Magazine in a photograph shot by Brad Pitt as Angelina Jolie breastfeeds.(The Post Chronicle)
Looks like Lauren Conrad's got a heavy foot when it comes to car shopping. Conrad just spent $115,000 on a new Audi!(I Don't Want Your Life)
Check out Mental Floss' post on Ten Little Known Drug Habits Among the Famous (Mental Floss)
The suddenly spellbound Kate Moss has sworn off her party-hardy days in the name of love. She'd prefer hanging out with boyfriend Jamie Hince instead.
With Ryan Reynolds training for the brutal 26 mile New York City Marathon, bet you'd be surprised to see how many other famous people have ran in excruciating marathons.
Jolie's this years' Forbes most valuable face based on a strategy to determine what celebrity brought in the greatest magazine readership.
Back from rehab Mr. Hank Moody/David Duchovny is looking better than ever.
I don't know whether to rejoice or despair, but Heidi Montag and Lauren Conrad surrendered their full-throttle brawl.

Extra, Extra: Books

2008-10-15T10:00:00.005-04:00

Caught up in a maelstrom of homework assignments, extra curriculars, and social events galore? If you're like many busy-body college students out there, you're more than likely too busy to spend hours inhaling the fast-paced, action-packed world of pop-culture. If so, Pop Culture University, is here for you. Instead of cramming tons of popular culture news flashes into the blog and overwhelming the hectic college student, Pop Culture University, welcomes its Extra, Extra series, which summarize only the most important stories and deals them out in coherent groups. Leave the dirty work to PCU, and stay in touch with the latest and greatest pop-culture 411.

Here's a big surprise. Geri Halliwell is 2008's best selling children's author with her book Ugenia Lavender.

A must have for any socialite's little girl, Different Like Coco, a children's picturebook about the life of Coco Chanel, might be the cutest thing I've seen.

Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio of France wins the Novel Prize for Literature. Maybe next time America!(on the subject of the coveted Nobel Prize, check out Mental Blog's 15 Noteworthy Nobel Prize Nuggets)

So, I've always wanted to write a book, but never known where to start. Open has a great book review on Writing from Life by Lynne Hackles which is the type of book I've always wanted to get my hands on.

The popularity and success of sex columns have drained causing the termination of abundant sex columnists' newspaper gigs. Maybe sex doesn't sell after all.

Jezebel discusses Richard Price's unique appeal to both male and female readers and wonders what other writers out there are attractive to both literary scenes.

Many brilliant movies are taken from literary gems, but Didn't Read lists five books that NEED to be made into movies.

Extra Extra: Music

2008-10-15T08:00:00.001-04:00

Kanye West blogged that his 808s & Heartbreak album would be moved up to "November something" instead of the original December release date. I will most certainly be amongst the crowds at Virgin Record's the day it does come out. But for the mean time, I'm content listening to his latest single "Love Lockdown'
She's back. Britney Spears' latest single "Womanizer" resonates with the long-lost "Slave For You" Britney that we know and love. Check out her hot new video.
I'm so ecstatic to here that one of my all-time favorite musicians, Bruce Springsteen will be playing at the Super Bowl Half Time Show this year!
Attention, attention, calling all hippies! Considering your hearts have been shattered for years since Phish broke up, I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that Phish has announced two reunion concerts this upcoming March.
Mighty Man Jay-Z was awarded a Global Leadership Award by the United Nations for his work with the Water for Life campaign.
Resurrected from the days of our youth, rock n'roll band, Smashing Pumpkins is back with a 5 week tour, a new single, and a dvd set.
"I Saw the Sign" Round Two? Ace of Base's Greatest Hits CD/DVD is a three disk set hitting stores on November 10, 2008
Sure, most song remakes are never very good. But, Agent Bedhead's got a list of Ten Good Song Remakes
Christina, Britney, Beyonce and Madonna, four of the biggest and best female singers, each just released brand-new and highly-anticipated singles.

Why College Students <3 Reality TV

2008-10-13T09:08:00.007-04:00

All it would take is a scan of a TV Guide or eavesdrop into office chit-chat to realize that America's been infested by a cult-like worship of reality tv. Although it's impact on television air waves is blatant, we often treat reality tv a cultural bete noire, and often deny our indulgence in this guilty pleasure, let alone our dependence on it as a social companion, which is in fact what an article from Communication Quarterly, "Simply Irresistible:Reality TV Consumption Patterns"seeks to investigate with Sherlock Holmesian prowess, zooming in on entertainment industry's most vulnerable prey--the college student, direct bearer of the burgeoning hypnosis that is reality television.

The article states, "The purpose of this study was to explore college students' consumption patterns in regard to reality television, their rational for watching reality shows, their perceptions of the situations portrayed on the shows, and the role of social affiliation in the students' consumption of reality television. The results of focus groups indicate that while participants perceive a social stigma associated with watching reality television, they continue to watch because of the perceived escapism and social affiliation provided"

What makes Reality TV(or RT as the study refers to it)so potent a force in the cultural atmosphere is that is simply "provides the gratifications that viewers seek." Whether the creators of the Real World and other reality tv pioneers recognized that they'd decoded a cultural Holy Grail or not, the fanatic fiasco surrounding such RT phenomenons as American Idol and Survivor, were enough to keep the reality-based choo-choo train a-chuggin'.

Out of the meticulously conducted survey, 76.4% of college students said they watch at least one reality tv show on a regular basis. What this titanic fan-base suggests is not that the reality shows have exceedingly improved or charted innovative territory, but instead that college students, above television fiends in other age-groups, are being steadily allured by the seductive force of reality television, an issue study authors Lisa K.Lundy, Amanda M. Ruth, & Travis D. Park, toy with and ultimately leave hanging unresolved with a massive case of blue balls.(which is where I'm left to deduce)

In determining what incentive college students are enticed by, out of 16 basic motives individuals act to satisfy, college students are most drawn to RT in order to suffice an underlying desire for status, which reality tv yields for many a pleasure-seeking reality-based boob tube cavalier. "Viewers may perceive themselves as better than the characters portrayed or feel that the portrayal of ordinary people in reality TV elevates their own status." So instead of having to compete with the Upper East Side Gossip Girl mafia, presented is most typically an Average-Joe type tangled in the struggles of everyday life or reality-show mega-maze concoctions, giving the viewer an evanescent sense of confidence and gratitude.

The first of four primary questions this survey attempts to uncover is--what are the consumption patterns of college students in regards to reality television?
Although many college students either didn't want to admit it, didn't recognize what constituted reality tv, or were oblivious to their actual RT consumption, college students initially underestimated the paramount standing reality TV had in the college student;s cultural playground, like the bully you try to ignore, want to ignore, but could never avoid. Today's abashed version of the 90's TV phenom: soap operas--scum of the daytime network roster, hooligan in a band of ivy-leaguers. Like spiraling drug habits and addiction, college students were startled to discover how prominent a cultural grasp pop culture had usurped over the college students' social arena.

A second item of investigation the study sought to discover is-- What rationale do college students provide for watching reality television?
Why oh why are scholastically wired minds taking a haphazard belly flop into the murky worlds of frivolous reality programming?Considered the primary drive for our embracing cultural amusements and diversions, college students were beckoned by its subliminal offer of escapism, like candy to a baby for the college student, cluttered in library books and beer-bong expectations. RT offers "a glimpse into another world, which for a moment could take them away from their own reality." Among other reasons are boredom, curiosity, and to see "characters exposed to uncomfortable situations outside their normal realm of experience." Not to mention you watch it for its simple season-long rat race as one student participant states,"you want to see who wins or who gets picked. It just has an addictive quality."

How do college students perceive the situations portrayed in reality television?
Although every student's opinion on particular shows varied due to personal tastes and peculiarities, they collectively agreed that two distinct types of reality shows existed the good and the bad. The good guys were generally associated with improvements and make-overs over both the individual and the home "From the participant's perspective, these shows provide a "happy" and "uplifting" perspective of reality"Unlike it's goody-two-shoes arch nemesis, the reality show outlaws or "bad" shows "though indicated as entertaining at times...[are] based on deception, ridicule, contempt, and physical or emotional harm," as the authors in this study state. The bad boys of reality television, are generally wildly successful( Rock of Love, Big Brother) or dismal failures(Who's Your Daddy?)

One of the brightest in the batch, a college student from the study acknowledged that, "It all happens when you put money at the end of the road. People lose track oof what is important and like their morals go out the window and that is when I have a problem with the reality issue; when people start doing things they normally wouldn't do in order to win" While the study goes on to suggest that this sort of cultural trend mirrors a underexposed social facet (our country's greed, ruthlessness, etc) saying reality television is "more of a 'reflection of society than an influence on society.' The authors avoid mentioning what type of contestant is typically selected to be on reality shows-the most tenacious, money-hungry, and dramatic of all the fame-seeking luster-eyed visionaries looking for a short-cut detour out and not at all an honest American-working man facsimile.

Regardless, college students were in agreement that reality shows had gone way overboard on their topsy-turvy quest to fame and network ratings. "Overall, participants believed that RT is set up to make people, 'believe that these things on the reality shows can actually happen'....[but] that the shows and characters become exaggerated over time; to the point that 'characters are reacting to unreal situations'," as we've so blatantly witnessed with The Hills' deliberately manicured bitch brawls and schizophrenic skirmishes(all poorly executed by the way)

What role does social affiliation play in the consumption of reality television for college students?
Many college students acknowledged that there was social esteem that could be granted in watching these reality shows. With the withering economy, deflating as fast as poor Hugh Hefner's battered heart, it's only likely that tv, and more specifically RT, will become America's frequently utilized pick-me-up device. Who wants to talk about the collective failure of the American economy, when we can rehatch the misfortunes a some silver-screen stumble. I'm reminded of a quote from Billy Madison: "If peeing your pants is cool consider me Miles Davis" because the stigma that's associated with useless reality television series, has simultaneously been made into a social avenue and unifying force.

The authors suggest that, 'What ties together all the various formats of the reality TV genre is their professed abilities to more fully provide viewers an unmediated, voyeuristic, yet often playful look into what might be called the 'entertaining real.'

But why the hype amongst college students? I think the reality show is most appealing for college students because their in an awkward flux of emotions, opinions, and direction, separating from parents and conventions as college entails but still bound to traditions you'd spent the last twenty years of your life clutching, facing stress, doubts, crisis, that only college can constantly haul in your direction nearly every day. The study states that "unique to young adults is the appeal of content involving relationship issues and their ability to identify with the no-name stars that appeared on the program." As the entertainment industry nips and tucks and sculpts and firms its way to unattainable ideas, it's only natural that eventually we reach the point where we surrender our quest for Hollywood standards of normalcy. Having outgrown the days of Miley Cyrus worship and princess fantasy but not quite comfy in their own shoes just yet, college students are looking for inspiration from their own kin instead of Hollywood's high-and-mighty and completely out-of-touch.

Sure, they say college is the best time of your life, the booze, psychedelic free-fall into experimental drugs, and alas! the long awaited grant of freedom. And in our early twenty college years we unconsciously seek a companion as astray as ourselves, and reality stars sort of serve the purpose. As we drift from teacher to teacher, grade to grade, and major to major, the bewildering world of college can have a sphinx-like quality to it throughout the ride, leading to an unconscious craving for a big boost in self-esteem. Enter the wishy-washy world of reality television, where you can cheer and support for the underdog, where you can find solace and familiarity in other people's tribulation, and where you can see the perpetual fight for survival, a temper tantrum or two, signs of vulnerability, and many sorts of blemishes which media coaches and Photoshop help to conceal in old Hollywood. It's when celebrities are stripped down to their most normal selves that we become become infatuated, especially when they're acting with bad behavior such as the Britney Spears debacle which took the gawking public on a schizofrenic roller coaster ride tracing her every move. Pop icon goes besirk, the facade crumbles, and suddenly we're mesmerized and even a litte bit enchanted. If goody-two-shoes schoolgirl Britney Spears has gone crazy, I guess I shouldn't be ashamed of my emotional breakdowns or feeble mind.

Our conceptions of normalcy depend on the culturally tyrannic entertainment industry and its volatile depictions of Americana. It's only natural that the growing needs of our culture eventually became somewhat disenchanted with the untouchable representations the media constantly bombards us with. Reality tv, something a little more honest, passionate, endearing, and real--where people suffered, and struggled, and tumbled, and crumbled--is the logical continuation of the fictional American portrait. With the deterioration of the turbulent economy, the appeal of lavish lifestyles is no longer a lucrative landmind. Fed up with lying politicians and ostentatious celebrities, riled up, stressed-out college students want the "real deal" more than ever.

Extra, Extra: Television

2008-10-12T23:00:00.024-04:00

After cancelling on The Late Show last minute, lying to Dave himself about his urgent need to amend the economic crisis, and leaving the Late Show scrambling for last minute guests to replace the dissapearing act, the deserving Presidential candidate got a pretty brutal pounding during his return to the show. (Gawker)
VH1's upcoming series Real Chance of Love, following Stallionaire brothers Chance and Real, looks like yet another slut smorgasborg.(Videogum)
Uhoh. The CW is coming out with an America's Next Top Model spin-off called Operation Famous where Jay Manuel and J. Alexander scavenger through the everyday streets of America looking to revamp the wardrobes and looks of lucky participants.
I'm embarrased to admit it, but yes I absolutely adored Rock of Love. So I'm ecstatic about the spin-off show Daisy of Love, where Daisy de la Hoya, the second runner up in Bret Michael's shows, is off to find her own true love.
Most likely fearful of being overshadowed by her buddy Whitney Port's Hills spinoff, Lauren Conrad's saying she's ready to walk away from her MTV hit reality show.(Perez Hilton)
I'm glad to know I'm not the only Chuck Bass fanatic out there. Pet Rock beautifully conveys the charming essence that this Gossip Girl villain's got goin' for him. (Pet Rock: The Pop Culture Blog)
Oprah's going to star on 30 Rock, Tina Fey's grammy winning hit show on October 30th! Get ready!
Looks like a Daily Show spin-off is headed to CBS. Daily Show correspondents and married couple Samantha Bee and Jason Jones are writing a sitcom about a celebrity chef. (Tango)
Don't you love a good old bromance? One of my favorite blogs, The Frisky, lists television's best bromances.

Extra, Extra: Celebrities

2008-10-10T10:00:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to James Franco on your nomination for High Time's "Stoner of the Year" Hip Hip Hooray!
Speaking of pot....I didn't know this many celebrities smoked. Check out Cityrag's Celebrities Smoking Joints post.
Lindsay Lohan and Sam Ronson are having fun playing at the beach.
With OJ Simpson's recent court ruling, take a look Trendhunter's 14 Celebrities Behaving Badly
It-girl Miley Cyrus celebrated her sweet sixteen at Disneyland on Sunday. She paid to have the whole theme park closed down for the birthday bash. A diva at sixteen, I could only imagine how she'll be later on down the road.
Johnny Depp is to become the highest paid celebrity ever for a movie, getting $64 million for the 4th Pirates of the Caribbean , which is scheduled to woe Tinseltown audiences in May of 2011.
The ever-so-gorgeous Halle Berry was named the Sexiest Woman Alive according to Esquire Magazine. Nice call guys.
Take a look at Forbes' Celebrity 100 List, outlining the most 100 most powerful celebrities on the market this year.
Not again! Is little Jamie Lynn Spears already going for baby #2 just four months after giving birth to Maddie?

Politics and Hollywood's Elite

2008-10-09T07:31:00.002-04:00

Forgot vintage frills and runway couture, an involvement in politics is this season's celebrity it-trend. In celebrity blogs, gossip magazines, and news programs, there's scarcely an instance when the worlds of celebrity and politics do not butt heads. Election fever is so zesty and impassioned among celebrities this year, you'd think all of Hollywood had gathered for a 6-month-long high school pep-rally or been bleacher-bound for a never-ending dodgeball tie-breaker. An animated mob of Hollywood's elite has religiously followed the elections for the past year, voicing unwarranted feedback that is anything but watered down and polite.

Whether they're verbal grenades that are being launched at candidates through the process of political villification or praiseworthy hip-hip-hooray! terms of endeerment, either way, celebrities are speaking up(an especially easy task with blogs now-a-days) and proving that Hollywood is no force to be reckoned with.

With the rapidly approaching presidential election in November, Hollywood's oozing over with political commentary amongst its many concerned playmakers that are vying for a spot in the limelight and potentially determining America's next Commander-in-Chief.

Eight discontented years under Bush's presidential reign has got the American public fired up and ready for change, especially with our economy's recent tailspin into chaos. But with two starry-eyed candidates left in the political rink, both the media and the American public are going ga-ga over the election, realizing that our country's success might ultimately depend on the next 1600-Pennsylvania-Avenue Chief. But the rowdiest of the rabble-rousers out there, are, ironically, the least specifically effected by the wrath-filled Bush-era and the economic slump. Indeed, it's the denizens of the Hollywood Hills and feisty titans of the entertainment industry that are the loudest and proudest political ringleaders out there.

Everyone in Hollywood's vying for a spot in the limelight when it comes to the election and political commentary, turning the presidential race between two candidates into a relentless celebrity free-for all. But celebrity endorsements have played drastic roles in the presidential elections since the 20's when celebrity infatuation first infiltrated American culture. With mass media innovations such as internet and blogs, the entertainment industry has become a cultural juggernaut more popular and hypnotizing than the golden dollar itself. So mighty and hulk-sized has this force become that it just may totter our political landscape and determine who becomes the Presidential heavyweight champ, the White House Rocky Balboa.

The blurry intersction of politics and the entertainment industry as well as the media's colossus clout over our country, is exactly what Peter Sheridan discusses in an article in the U.K.'s Express called "All the Presidents' Friends."Sheridan compares the Democratic National Convention to the Acadamy Awards, a star-studded oasis surrounded by flash-happy papparazzo centered around dueling contenders, and iconicized by impassioned podium rants. The hyper-active hullaballo Barack Obama's inspired, with a little help from his celebrity comrades, is as frenzied as the prebuscent, "Mmmbop"-squealing Hanson brothers invoked back in 1997. While the DNC was shrouded in a diamond-crusted allure and peppered with a distinguishable glamour that trumpets Hollywood influence, its ugly duckling rival The Republican National Convention's only crowning jewel attendee was Sarah Palin, who, just months ago, was a cultural wallflower was there named VP under the Republican ticket.

Obama's congenial nature, rapid-fire wit, and singsong anthem for change has captivated a huge portion of the celebrity clan, something that presidential candidates are thirsty fordue to the publicity and money celebrity advocates offer. But with the lopsided tilt in Hollywood's support of candidates, McCain has frequently spoke of Obama's "rockstar" status with a condescending overtone.

And, indeed, celebrity endorsements can foster a candidate's risk, as Sheridan notes Former deputy assistant to President Clinton, John Emerson, states,"[Celebrities] can attract attention to candidates and their events, and underscore a candidate's commitment to a particular issue. But opposing campaigns love to paint the candidate with unhelpful positions, statements, or behavior of their endorsers." While cat's got the tongue of traditional Hollywood Republicans, themselves, too disgusted with the state of our country and afraid to lose public appeal, it's no wonder that McCain's out to get his good-lucking and much younger candidate foil, that's swept Hollywood off of its feet with his scrumptious serenade.

The GOP's Michael Moore, David Bossie, has committed to establishing an arsenal for a cinematic Obama-attack Hype: The Obama Effect, which portrays Obama as the political embodiment of Tinseltown superficiality. Despite the Republican animosity toward his celebrity-appeal, ultimately, "McCain and Obama are desperate for the publicity and money celebrities can attract. Although politicians and pundits claim that star support does little to influence voters, a recent report by University of Maryland economists showed that in a close election they could sway the result," Sheridan states.

So from P.Diddy's verbal assailment on McCain, to Madonna and Li-Lo's distasteful Palin jabs, celebrities, though elite in number, might ultimately dictate the public's sway when it comes to this year's presidential election. With journalists that are more concerned with Obama's Sandwich selection than it is with the illumination of candidates' policies and stances, the American people are stuck in the wilderness, disarmed and vulnerable. So we turn to America's cultural deities for guidance.We emulate their fashion trends and avidly follow them on grocery-store runs(courtesy of US Weekly) with private investigator tenacity--wondering, following, craving--isn't it only natural that we follow celebrities through a political round of Simon-Says. Hell, why don't we just throw these old geezers out of the picture, and elect Paris as President.

What' I Wish I'd Known Before I Left for College

2008-10-07T09:07:00.001-04:00

Going to college in New York City has been anything but seamless, especially considering I didn’t know a soul in this great, big circuslike city of endless frenzy. For the most part, it’s been as action-packed and chaotic as a tilt-a-whirl ride that’s conducted by the Tasmanian Devil. If I’d had an older sister or Jedi Master helping me out along the way they’d have let me in on the following College Success Guidelines I wish I’d known.

6 Steps to College Success

Don’t date during your freshman year-Bad news bears. There’s hoards of single guys and girls in college and lots of partying to do. Being strapped to a boy or girl right away will only hinder the best years of college and keep you away from ample opportunities. As an oblivious and lonely freshman it’s only natural that you’ll gravitate to a significant other in an unconscious effort to gain comfort, which is exactly what I did. Because of my foolish choice, I missed out on a lot of parties, friendships, and experiences, that my college life has been incomplete without. Explore, play, enjoy, and don’t jump too hastily into a freshman love affair; you’ve got three years later on for that.

Do find a subject of interest to pursue or extracurricular activity-Sure, who doesn’t like to party, chug beers, and experiment with illicit drugs? That’s what college is all about….oh..and that whole learning thing. A lot of the best lessons you’ll learn in college are, ironically, outside of the classroom. One of the greatest joys in life is finding what makes your juices sizzle and interest level go kaboom! The necessity to graduate with a major really puts pressure on students for finding their focus at school. With copious classes in all shapes and sizes, college lets you experiment with its pot luck variety. Take advantage of the diverse opportunities so you can find out what you want to do as early as possible and really get involved in clubs and projects that your subject of interest sponsors.

Do use freshman year as an opportunity to find lifelong best friends- This may be common sense, but take the opportunity to use a fervent prowess in finding friends you really like. Now is the perfect time to ditch some of those high school buds you never really liked and move on to friends you’re more compatible with. So many kids at school were reserved to their high school cliques, making them completely unwilling to branch out and discover new faces. Use the gym, classes, and projects as perfect opportunities for making new friends and getting to know different types of people-an open-minded attitude can only benefit you later on down the road.

Don’t gain the freshman fifteen- Most people(especially girls)go to college thinking that they’d out-muscle the rumored, tough-stuff “freshman fifteen” seen lurking around college campuses throughout the country. But as a youthful metabolism is already in the process of deteriorating, keg stands and late night pizza only expediate the natural weight gain that comes along with the process of age. And besides all that, now that mom’s out of the picture and no longer forcing you to finish your vegies before desert, the apple pie’s all yours baby—for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, anytime at all, in fact. Don’t let the “freshman fifteen” get the best of you: work out, count calories, make a deliberate attempt to stay little or as happened to many of my friends, that weight might never come off, no matter how hard you try.

Do spend wisely- While some of us spent our entire graduation fund in under a month at college and have no room to talk, it’s important to budget your money. Budgetting is a crucial habit to maintain for life, and with a sudden influx of tantalizing credit card offerings, newfound expenses, and less allowance from mommy and daddy, most college students will see the sum in their bank accounts plummet. Going out to eat and acquiring expensive bar tabs are probably the two most debilitating financial blows the college student faces. Instead learn to cook, it’s healthier and more affordable. And also, learn to drink at home so your only stuck with a $5 beer tab instead of a $50 Jagerbomb/tequila shot/Lord knows what else price tag.

Don’t just play(you gotta do some work)- Unless you’re one of those photographic memory geniuses, straight A’s don’t come easy for the rest of us, especially when all the idiots have been weeded out and you’re up against a rapacious competition in the college classroom. In the mix of kegger extravaganzas, ebullient dorm neighbors, and that freshman conquistador-like urge to explore college life nitty-gritty, schoolwork and education often become carelessly estranged. Like all things in life, college comes down to finding a perfect balance between work and play—enjoying yourself to the highest degree while getting your shit done at the same time(to put in simply) Find a schedule that combines the right work-play balance and make sure to stick to it.

So if you’re new in college or even half-way there, try taking up some of these tips. I had to learn from my own mistakes, but keep these in mind as college is supposed to be the best time of your life.

Which brings me to a question I’m really curious about. Was college or is college the best time of your life?? And what are some other pointers and do’s and dont’s for college success?

music+life

2008-10-02T05:37:00.000-04:00

"Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about."
-Oscar Wilde

A rarity amongst our easily-distracted and ruthlessly tenacious day and age, Alan Watts never lost his luminous sense of wonder, not in his dreary teenage angst, not in the realization of life's many tribulations and sorrows. He twinkles in a rapturous incandescence, flashing with a Christmas-morning glow and Magic-Kingdom fascination, transfixed by mother nature and the many simplicities of life. Wouldn't we all give anything to have preserved this child's sense of wonder that Watts' has craftily managed to cling to?

Watts' cinematic serenade is succinct but staggering in its captivating essence. Like ever so many children remarks which boggle our minds with their profound simplifcity, Watts' comparison of life and music is whimsical and coy while boldly erudite, cleverly exhausted so not to intimidate , but a rip-roaring reminder for those of us drearily peddaling on a monotonous road to success like mommy and daddy and school teacher taught us. But, Watts reminds us that life "was a musical thing and you were supposed to sing or dance while the music was being played." It's not success or fun, success or desire, success or dance, but. instead, the intermix of both. The swervy discourse and loopdy-loop digressions, the vociferous roar of the radio, and roadside rest stops. Who says it's gotta be a humdrum ride forward?

We're raised thinking that the standard route to education serves as a template for all of us to follow. Highschool, college, grad school. And God forbid you wander on a path of your own!
There's an Apple video that I also think beautifully goes along with this which says:

Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.
-Steve Jobs

Most of the heroes, geniuses and icons turned convention upside down and ended up succeeding by doing so. If you know where you want to go, shouldn't you have a blast along the way? Too many students are rushed into college, pre-med majors, and shipped off to professional schools without thinking their are other options. We're a country with topsy-turvy priorities, placing a kind-sized value on success instead of happiness. And what Alan Watts so brilliantly toys with here is the notion that play and work, music and life, don't have to be either/ or choices. Tieing this all back to Watt's unremitting exuberance for life, is that we have an imperative as adults and students to reinvigorate our bedazzled, childish sense of wonder that years of standard education and socially defined work ethics have drained you of, tampering with your natural curiosity and haywire senses. So it's not just an option, it's a damned necessity, to step out of your poker-faced in cognito and smile, laugh, and dance.

tv's lifestyles of the rich and the famous

2008-09-30T02:02:00.001-04:00

A good majority of my free time is devoted to a strict t.v. regimen and chummy flirtation with the Tivo remote. Last Saturday as I scanned through my lengthy list of stashed Tivo segments--Gossip Girl, The Hills, Rachel Zoe, Priviledged, 90210-- I suddenly realized that I just might have a strange fascination with this fictional world of lavish lifestyles which all of my favorite t.v. shows seem to flaunt

Shouldn't I feel guilty, I wondered, gawking at these wonderland fantasies and unconsciously envying this elite, charmed world? But all of my couture dreams seemed to subside Monday night as I indulged in an hours worth of yet another fancy pants television show. The neverending dramatic fiasco of Monday night's Gossip Girl was enough to make me want to hit the bottle, and I was only the spectator gazing in at what seemed like a WWE Wrestling Match with Tazmanian Devils contenders. Considering I verge on an anxiety attack when I'm a couple hours late on returning a library book, there's no way I could survive the fast-paced frenzy of a socialite's life without veering into a detour headed towards the insane asylum. No indeed, I'll piously stand by my middle-class upbringing--dreaming of Gossip Girl style Gucci bags and ostentatious accouterments--knowing I'd have a better shot at living a happy, genuine, and stable life, that just doesn't exist in the silver screen's Upper East Side penthouses or Hollywood Hills mega-mansions.

"Gossip Girl here. Your one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite"

Considering the soaring success and fanatic fanbase these sort of shows tend to reel in, it's no wonder that this season's role call included a fresh-pressed batch of rich-kid tv series. If you give em a pretty face, asnazzy Rolls Royce, and shack them up in a ritzy L.A. behemoth, you will draw the public's attention. It's a simple recipe to success, and damnit, it's a staple of America's cultural ideal. American capitalism, in itself, promotes turbo-charged quests to fortune and fame and encourages Charlie Kanes and pie-in-the-sky dreams. We are, indeed, a country that has an unofficial but certainly powerful tyrant at command: the almighty dollar. But while and more of Uncle Money Bag's dirty deeds are being exposed, our complacency with the filthy rich will continue to diminish, especially under our current financial crisis. The common representation of the dysfunctional lifestyle of the rich and the famous we see on so many popular shows today, represents that cultural transit our country is unconsciously pioneering--away from the idolization of celebrities and socialities, towards a public sentiment of growing animosity- as Chuck Barney's article from the Houston Chronicle "Can Money Sell These Fall Shows?" discusses.

Our envious hatred for celebrities meets at a junction with our obsessive celeb worship, and the synthesizing of the conflicting emotions was an automatic gold mind for tv(and later for gossip blogs like PerezHilton) With this unbeatable combo, you've got the fantasy appeal on one hand-- television as a vessel for escape into the realm of the unknown, the sublime, and the untouchable. On the other hand, there's also that audience need for relatable material, which is incorporated by the scandals, deceit, and endless contention that ultimately categorize the wealth(nope, not the clothes or the fancy things, that's all second hand) and bring them down from their pedestal.

There's a blurry frontier between the fantasy portrayals and in-cognite-free earnestness. which is what shows like Gossip Girl, Entourage, and Sex and the City bank off of, like a good old game of hard to get. Because right when I've got Blair all down as a emotionally numb, unrelatable Machiavellian bitch, there she is lending a hand or torn to tears

Monday night's episode was set amidst the posh Waldorf fashion show, which was acclaimed by critics in the aftermath that saw the better half of a made-up, flawless-looking fashion line which verged on disaster as pandemonium raged behind the curtain. Gossip Girl was kind enough to take me backstage and help me understand that things weren't perfect at all. Watching these types of shows is similar to getting an uninvited glimpse into the Wonka Factory, surpassing the private barriers and gawking at what really is.

I completely disagree with Heather Havrilesky's opinion that Gossip Girl sort of shows aggrandize ostentatious living and promote unreal standards kids will never be able to live up to. Each of their lives are tangled in bedlam and lacking that thing called happiness, which money clearly can't buy(as seen through the shows perpetual turmoil) Shows like Gossip Girl shatter the facades, smear the seamlessly painted veneers, and topple the myth of "perfection" we associate with wealth. So we smugly ogle over this blemish-filled, corrupt society these television shows proudly showcase, And, ultimately, as L.S. Kim, a professor at UC Santa Cruz acknowledges, "There is a sense of satisfaction in seeing those `who have everything' also have dysfunction and problems in their lives - that money doesn't guarantee happiness - and that the viewer's own life is good, even if she or he doesn't have as much money," Kim says.

They might be squeaky clean and enviable when viewed from the outskirts, which these shows don't forget to incorporate, but as the camera plows through the hazy contours of the mirage, we suddenly see the hidden junkyard of vice and corruption we know we're not supposed to see. Glimpsing into television's elite lifestyles gives you a perverse pleasure quite compatible to porn. another sheltered, no-go zone we crave to glimpse at for the sake of the scandal, the danger, and the taboo.

2008-09-29T22:34:00.001-04:00

Technorati Profile

Failed Illusion: David Blaine and John McCain in NYC

2008-09-28T23:28:00.000-04:00

While David Blaine was dangling off of a sixty foot height in New York City's Central Park on Wednesday, John McCain was engaged daredevil illusionist stunts of his own. Revolutionary, remarkable, boy that's something else, you might think in regards to the grandiose and highly-publicized feats both men had voyaged on. a proud sparkle blinkering in their eyes, and a look of priestly stoicism in each one's ironclad, and perfectly-concocted poker-face. It's a look of conviction, that could assuage doubt or worry even in the most skeptical of conditions.

Infamous Magic Man and "endurance artist" David Blaine, decided to test the rocky waters of corporal limitations and double-dog-dared himself to hang upside down for 60 hours above Wollman's Iceskating Ring. This completely random and, quite frankly, senseless task was as foolhardy a suggestion as Senator John McCain's spontaneous decision to suspend his campaign while he tends to the financial turmoil. I'm pretty sure both brazen men did actually consult a psychic or pull a number out of a hat in order to make a decision, but with that bona fide look in their eyes and sing-song huff in their growl, momentarily we wondered if maybe, just maybe, these men might be up to something extraordinary. I can't even dangle my head off my bed for twenty seconds without feeling loopy, I thought. And, might John McCain be willing to surrender the Republican ticket for the sake of our country?

It was only a matter of hours until things began to go awry in both McCain and Blaine's daring quests. The blogosphere was infested by incriminating photos and posts, calling Blaine a big ol' phony and saying that the little sissy wasn't manning up to his high falutin' promise and was, in fact, taking more naps and potty breaks than a kindergardeener. In ABC's two hour special, "David Blaine: Dive of Death," Blaine was supposed to take a sixty foot daring dive and risk it all. As he perilously plunged into the hazy abyss, I peaked through the little cracks of my hands that were cusped over my eyes, only to see Blaine bobbing around like a Jack in the Boss with a loose screw. I guess he'd forgot his white dove or magician's wand, or maybe it had just slipped out of his cargo pants during one of his many nappy times, but, regardless, the grand illusion had gone awry.

Things took a similar route for John McCain once his credibility as both a person and a politician came under question not long after he'd made his bold and unexpected move. Canceling the very last minute on the Late Show with David Letterman, might have been an understandable decision, had John McCain possessed a godsent revelation which could answer an economic crisis that's really sraered to hurt when McCain's buddy boy, President George Bush, sent troops abroad. Unless I'm unaware of a divine encounter of his, I don't think McCain could have done a whole hell of a lot. But with immediacy in his genuine-sounding voice, McCain canceled under the grounds that it was his duty to report to Washington as hastily as possible and that he'd have to reschedule. About an hour later after The Late Show had managed to scrap two life-saving guests together, a sneaky producer noticed that John McCain wasn't on a plane to D.C. after all, but was in fact, down the street, macking on Katie Courac in a CBS News interview. Gotcha sucker. McCain didn't end up leaving NYC until the next day despite his urgent demand at the Nation's Capital. You can toy with the people's minds McCain, but you cannot mess with Letterman. Like poor, hopeful Blaine, McCain was left dangling in the air with a puzzled look on his face.

These guys were used to getting away with their illusions and schemes for the most part.

A dishonest magician I can deal with, he's at least got fun little card tricks and charades to show for. But a presidential candidate is another story. After he'd aroused a media frenzy and set people all over the world into a blank, ponderous Whodunnit stare, McCain extinguished his insincere temper-tantrum and decided to go along with the debates upon realizing his pouty face wasn't getting him anywhere at all, now that he's messing with Obama. Elaborate, destabilizing gestures with absolutely no beneficial repercussions, is alright for Blaine and his quixotic ventures, but it''s not a habit the American public wants to see in a possible President.

Pop Culture and the College Corriculum

2008-09-26T07:25:00.000-04:00

Taking classes called Rock n' Roll for Beginners and The Representation of the Mobster in Film and Television, sound more like a pipe dream than they do a possibility on the university curriculum. However, with America's burgeoning interest in pop-culture, universities have begun to include, the once estranged, field of popular culture into their academic lineup.

Gary Hoppenstand's piece from The Journal of Popular Culture regards this tremd not as scholar's sudden interest in the legitimacy of popular culture in the college curriculum, but instead as a form of bait in attracting higher enrollment numbers. Hoppenstand states,"No, in the 'publish or perish' environment of the research university the legitimacy of popular culture studies is established by academic publication rather than by course offerings." He notes that the continual production of scholarly pieces and mind-boggling content by The Popular Press was what originally legitimized the study of Pop-Culture and unveiled its relevancy in both the collegiate atmosphere and understanding of mankind and everyday life.

As I scan through a number of articles in The Journal of Poplar Culturer, I'm mesmerized at the scholastic scope and impressive revelations these pop-culture portraits expose. As popular culture studies continue to reveal important social facets and debunk notions on culture and the human psyche which science, philosophy, and other traditional studies could not do, exploration studies found in the published documents will continue to gain validity, making the field of popular culture more venerable within the college labyrinth of majors and interest of studies.

With the economic tribulations and contant stress the country's facing nowadays, it only makes sense that America's fiendish lust for popular culture will continue to amplify with it's quick-fix, telekinetic offer into the kaleidoscopic realm of fictional fantasy and away from the dreary monotony that is life.Though Popular Culture is considered scholastically inferior to Genetics or Shakespeare, it's a predominant part of our modern world and deserves respectable tribute in the college curriculum

Extra, Extra: Movies

2008-09-24T02:17:00.000-04:00

Renown Hollywood actor Paul Newman tragically passed away at the age of 83 on Friday, Few Hollywood icons have conquered Newman's cinematic feats or come close to touching his charitable deeds, and indeed, the echoes of this tragic loss will be lamented by both young and old alike.(Newman once told a reporter,"We are such spendthrifts with our lives...The trick of living is to slip on and off the planet with the least fuss you can muster. I'm not running for sainthood. I just happen to think that in life we need to be a little like the farmer, who puts back into the soil what he takes out.")

Timur Bekmambetov's Moby Dick adaptation will either be an extraordinary masterpiece or utter failure.

Rachel Bilson is set to star in an indie romance called Waiting For Forever. Hopefully it'll go a little smoother than some of her other post-OC flops.

Shia LaBeouf's new action-packed, cinematic thrill-ride, "Eagle Eye" dominated the box office this weekend at an estimated $9.7 million dollars, while Richard Gere's "Night in Rodante" came in second at just $4.7 million.

Mr. Johnny Depp, who woed us away in Edward Scissor Hands and other mind-boggling performances, is set to star in the 4th Pirates of the Caribbean installment, Tonto in The Lone Ranger, and the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Talk about a versatile actor!

I'm starting to get very excited to see Notorious, set to come out in 2009, which chronicles the short-lived life of Notorious BIG.

Extra Extra: Couples

2008-09-24T01:33:00.001-04:00

Call in the trumpets and release the emergency flare, a riveting and most certainly staggering story has just hit the newsstands. In case you haven't heard CLAY AIKEN IS GAY! Who would have guessed?
Clay wasn't the only one that audaciously came out of the closet this week. Another shocker jostled the country as Lindsay Lohan finally admitted her relationship with Samantha Ronson.
For over a week now there's been a lot of speculation regarding Hugh Hefner's love affairs with his three leading ladies. After clumsily dodging the Hefner-rumor questions on Chelsea Lately last week Holly Madison has finally come out to confirm that she and Hef are over.
Brody Jenner's head over heels for this year's Playmate of the Year, girlfriend, Jayde Nicole.
I've always wondered who all Whitney Port from The Hills dates. Because I love her and well, love film geeks, it makes perfect sense that she'd be with someone a little bit different, but still hot, film critic, Ben Lyons.
Scarlett Johannson and Ryan Reynolds got married on Saturday just outside of Vancouver. Too cute!
Jennifer Aniston is getting frisky at a beach in Mexico with....no one! Poor, pathetic Jen, all by her lonesome.
Looks like Mini Me wasn't broken hearted for too long. He's moved on from that painful sex-tape and now, comeback kid, Verne Troyer is dating model Dominique Arganese who is hot, hot, hot. Too cute.
Sure, I cried for days when I heard that Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel broke up. But now the blogosphere's claiming the two lovebirds are back together. We can go back to our chirpy ways knowing the power duo is reunited.
Lauren Conrad, who feigns a saintly and genuine friend on The Hills might be hooking up with her gal pal, Audrina Patridge's on-again-off-again boyfriend.
Omg! Could it be? Tom Brady and Giselle Bundchen just might be headed down the aisle. What a gorgeous couple!
Madonna and A-Rod caught dining out at 3rd Avenue Dos Caminos. Weren't they supposed to be over?
So sad, so sad! Taylor Swift and Joe Jonas, two youngster musicians, are done-zo.

Love it: Leighton Meester's "Bettie Davis Eyes"

2008-09-22T00:34:00.000-04:00

I was a little skeptical when I heard Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester was taking a stab at the music business. Oh no, not another Lindsay Lohan, I thought to myself. But, to my surprise, not only did I like her tangy remix of "Bettie Davis Eye," I couldn't stop listening to the zesty track over and over again. If the rest of her upcoming album reflects this first single, she might just be the next big thing.

2008 Emmy Award Winners!

2008-09-22T00:09:00.000-04:00

And The Winnners Are:

Outstanding Comedy Series: 30 Rock.
Outstanding Lead Actress, Comedy: Tina Fey (30 Rock).
Outstanding Lead Actor, Comedy: Alec Baldwin (30 Rock).
Best Supporting Actress, Comedy: Jean Smart (Samantha Who?)
Best Supporting Actor, Comedy: Jeremy Piven (Entourage)
Outstanding Writing, Comedy: Tina Fey (30 Rock).
Oustanding Direction, Comedy: Barry Sonnenfeld

Outstanding Drama Series: Mad Men
Outstanding Lead Actor, Drama: Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Outstanding Lead Actress, Drama: Glenn Close (Damages)
Best Supporting Actress, Drama: Dianne Wiest (In Treatment)
Best Supporting Actor, Drama: Zeljko Ivanek (Damages)
Outstanding Writing, Drama: Matthew Weiner (Mad Men)
Outstanding Director, Drama: Greg Yaitanes (House)
Outstanding Guest Actor/Actress in a Drama: Glynn Thurman (In Treatment) and Cynthia Nixon (Law and Order: SVU).

Outstanding Miniseries: John Adams
Oustanding Lead Actress, Minseries/Movie: Laura Linney (John Adams).
Outstanding Lead Actor, Miniseries/Movie: Paul Giamatti (John Adams)
Outstanding Writing, Miniseries/Movie, or Dramatic Special: Kirk Ellus (John Adams)
Outstanding Direction, Miniseries/Movie, or Dramatic Special: Jay Roach (Recount).
Outstanding Supporting Actress, Miniseries/Movie: Eileen Andrews (Masterpiece Theatre).
Oustanding Supporting Actor, Miniseries/Movie, or Special: Tom Wilkison(John Adams)
Outstanding Made For TV Movie: Recount.

Individual Achievement in a Variety or Musical Program: Don Rickles.
Outstanding Comedy, Musical, or Variety: The Daily Show.
Oustanding Writing, Variety, Musical, or Comedy: The Colbert Report.
Directing, Variety, Musical, or Comedy: Louis J. Horvitz, 80th Annual Academy Awards.

Outstanding Reality Competition Show: The Amazing Race (for the sixth time).
Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program: Jeff Probst - "Survivor."

The Hills: The Good Guys vs. The Bad Guys

2008-09-21T14:37:00.000-04:00

Like all the other die-hard Hills fanatics out there, I spend anxious weeks eagerly awaiting the next Hills episode. A good portion of my mental capacity goes into wondering what Speidi might get into next or how many of Lauren's friendships might magically disintegrate throughout the season.

But if you aren't as hard-core fanatically hooked on Hills as the rest of the world, rest assured, you no longer have to be estranged from Tuesday morning Hills gossip sessions at the office.(And yes, even jocks and band geeks are self-proclaimed Hills fiends. EVERYONE watches it) All you need to know is that The Hills presents an orchestrated, overly-dramatic, and painfuly addictive, series of blatantly scripted, frivolous quarrels between the cast's gorgeous people. The second thing you need to know is that there are essentially two primary categories the show's characters fall into: the good guys and the bad guys.
The Good Guys:

Whitney Port-Whitney has to be everyone's favorite "it" girl on the show. Unlike the rest of the cast that's constantly tangled in dramatic pandemonium, Whitney is easy-going, hassle-free, and full of Jedi Master wisdom. She's basically Lauren's unpaid moral counselor and voice of reason for the show's turbulent frenzy. She's absolutely beautiful, fun, smart, and one cool little lady.
Audrina Patridge-Besides being gorgeous, Audrina is as sweet as cotton candy, and for the most part, not overly dramatic(for the show's standards, of course) Unlike some of the other backstabbing bitches on the show, Audrina's honest and loyal, though somewhat vulnerable, making her an easy target for others to push and shove around. But she's bulked up a little bit this season, and has showed that she's not about to let Lo walk all over her.
Lauren Conrad-I know everyone just loves Lauren Conrad, and sure she's a nice girl. She loves her friends and really values the importance of friendships in her life. She's genuine, kind, and tender-hearted, making her part of the good guy squad. But congenial, charming, full of spunk she is not. Lauren's the show's wet towel, constantly stressing over trivial matters and wallowing in worries. But it's okay, she's got a good heart after all.
Brody Jenner-Brody(son of Olympian decathlon gold medalist Bruce Jenner) is the shit. Plain and simple.

The Bad Guys:

Spencer Pratt-Spencer Pratt is truly television's king of douche bags. With his impish smirk, bland, but villainous wit, and utter disrespect for anyone and everyone, Spencer has made a mockery of both himself and girlfriend, Heidi, throughout his exploitve career on the show and several other lackluster attempts at the music biz. I guess the sure sign of his douchebag ways is blatantly seen in the fact that he's lost all of friends except for his brainwashed girlfriend.
Lo Bosworth--In her Laguna Beach days the adoring audience love-love-loved Lo for her cutesy antics and quirky charm. But once she was resurrected as a leading lady on the Hills, Lo quickly lost her spunky flare and became The Bitch of the show. While all the other girls moved to LA in search of internships and opportunity, the only productive task Lo's been spotted working on is facebook stalking(oh yeah, she can whine and throw temper tantrums too!) With her pompous attitude and close-minded oblivion, Lo has become my least favorite girl on the show. Ditch her Lauren, you were better off as a duo with Audrina.
Justin Brescia-"Justin Bobby" should be ashamed of himself for toying with poor Audrina's heart last season. Although I give him props for cleaning up his act and getting rid of those heinous dread locks, Audrina's on-again-off-again love interest is nothing but a selfish misfit and wannabe-rockstar.Despite his callow charades and too-cool-for-school attitude, Justin Bobby is hot, hot, hot, especially once he ditched that whole motorcycle grunge look. So I don't really blame Audrina for being a fool in love over that puppy dog face. But hot or not, Justin Bobby is for sure part of the show's bad boy clan.
Heidi Montag-Poor, poor Heidi! Before the blonde Beelzebub walked into her life, Heidi was a free-spirited spark plug and a genuine friend to Lauren. But once she was bitten by blondey's bug bites, Heidi was nipped and tucked and morphed into a fake bimbo and tainted by her reliance on Spencer, who has singlehandedly sabotaged all of Heidi's friendships, job opportunities, and chances at happiness. Although she's always the victim of the media 's blatant disdain, Heidi's an innate sweetheart, who's unfortunately been contaminated by an STD(Spencerly Transmitted Disease). Although she had both good and bad tendencies, Heidi's relationship brings her into the darker realm and will ultimately lead to her demise. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING HEIDI?
Who Hates Who:

Lauren hates Speidi. Speidi hates Lauren. Lauren's hatred for Spencer and Heidi culminated once Speidi was accused of having started Lauren's sex tape rumors. This is the show's fundamental feud and dramatic cornerstone.

Lo and Audrina, Lauren's best friends and roommates, have been in a tumultuous cat fight throughout the season, mainly due to Lo's bitch-tastic ways and endless shit-talk.

Ex best friends, Spencer and Brody are now enemies. Spencer hates Brody because he's still friends with Lauren.

Lauren hates anyone that touches "her guys" including Stephanie Pratt who recently went behind Lauren's back and out on a date with hottie Doug, who's Lauren's recent fling.

Pop Culture University

2008-09-19T21:16:00.001-04:00

Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the latest and greatest pop cultural oasis! Unllike other pop culture blogs, Pop Culture University(PCU) is specifically tailored for college students and dorm room denizens with a need for a pop culture feed. So college students everywhere, get your head out of the books, step away from the beer bong and feast your eyes on the wonderful world of music, television, film, fashion, celebrity gossip, and all things pop culture PCU has to offer.