Books and Movies

1.   Top 10 Feature Films of 2010 by Roger Ebert

 1.  Social Network - Ben Mezrich's 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires.

2.    The King’s Speech – not based on, but a book by the same name was published just before the release of the movie.

3.      Black Swan

4.    I Am Love

5.     Winter’s Bone -  adaptation of Daniel Woodrell's 2006 novel of the same

6.    Inception

7.     The Secret of the Eyes - Eduardo Sacheri’s novel El Secreto de Sus Ojos.

8.     The American - Based on the 1990 novel by Martin Booth titled A Very Private Gentleman

9.  The Kids Are All Right

10 The Ghost Writer - The Ghost, a 2007 novel by English writer Robert Harris. 

As you can see, five out of the top ten movies from last year were based on books, and one spawned a book of the same name at the same time as the movie.  Not all of these books were popular before the films, but after the films; the books definitely earned more readers.  The best-selling novels often turn into the best-selling films--Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings trilogy--and I don't see this changing anytime soon.

Magazines

I do not read magazines all that often, but I do like to buy an occasional issue of Sports Illustrated or ESPN the magazine.  I actually just bought a subscription to Maxim on my Nook, and have really enjoyed it so far.  The magazine is obviously tailored towards men, as are the advertisements; and there are plenty of advertisements!  My finger gets tired scrolling through the electronic ads to find some actual content, but I knew this would be the case when I purchased the magazine.  

The ads start in the first few pages and are scattered heavily throughout the magazine--after each two-page articles there seems to be two pages of advertisements.  Like the content of the magazine, the ads appeal to men.  There are numerous ads for men's clothing, cologne, alcohol, and sports all sold through various advertising techniques--especially sex appeal.  While I think we all find these ads a hassle--and the sheer volume of ads is comical--we do have the option of simply flipping the page.  No one has our hands tied and is making us read every ad, or forcing us to read the magazine at all; if you do not find the magazine appealing, don't read it; and if you find the ads annoying, don't read them.

Newspaper

The Messenger-Inquirer is my local newspaper in Owensboro, KY; and my family gets the paper daily.    I have always liked our newspaper, and try and read a little of it every morning--I must say sports gets most of my attention.  Most of the writers for the paper are local, and the news is mostly local news.  While the country-wide news is covered, the strength of our paper is the coverage of local news.  The larger stories are often taken from bigger, more well-known papers and placed into the Messenger-Inquirer.

While the economic times have surely hurt subscriptions, and I'm sure other sources of getting news have hurt traditional newspapers; I believe the Messenger is still thriving.  In-print circulation is down, but the online transition has been paramount for the Messenger--as it has for many other newspapers--and increased readership.  I have no way of knowing the actual figures, but I know several members of my family--my sister and I especially--take advantage of the online paper since we no longer live in the area but still want to stay up to date with local events.

I heard several complaints about bias in the newspaper, how certain papers lean either to the left or right on most debates.  Some believe the Messenger is too conservative in its coverage of the news, and that it doesn't appeal to all readers in the area; and while I can understand this concern, I do not feel like it is a great problem--at least in the Messenger.  For the most part, the newspaper seems to offer a variety of viewpoints and cater to a variety of readers.

Movie Night

Movies are a very popular form of entertainment, but they also provide the viewers with important cultural background and trends in society.  American movies are made through an American lens, and often times, have a pro-American bias in them.  This may have something to do with our ethnocentrism and American exceptionalism, but much of it has to do with who will be viewing the movie; and in most cases, these movies are tailored to American audiences.

When foreign cultures are featured in American movies, their portrayal varies according to the movie.  Depending on the purpose of the movie, directors can paint a favorable picture of foreigners or a negative picture.  However, I believe in a majority of movies, the picture of foreign culture we see is not meant to be an accurate depiction of the culture; the description is used to propel the movie and incite certain feelings towards the group.  For example, in Hangover II, the crew visits Thailand for a wedding and it is painted as a crazy, primitive culture; however off base this depiction may be, it served to propel the movie forward and offer the audience something to think about.

News as Entertainment

The "Daily Show" and the "Colbert Report" are two of my favorite shows to watch on television.  My friends and I are big fans of these "news as entertainment" shows, but they are far from our only source of news.  I enjoy the shows for their comedic value and for a break from the usual no-joke style news reporting; these shows offer a refreshing change of pace from normal news shows.

The shows often highlight true stories from American politics that are ridiculous or silly.  Many times, their stories do not have much substance other than their humor and hosts--especially Stephen Colbert--do not actually attempt to be impartial news reporters.  Colbert lets his guests know beforehand that they will be interviewed by his stage presence, not the real Stephen Colbert.  Colbert usually debates using wit, sarcasm, and and a unique "stupidity" to enforce his point, while Jon Stewart often actually has heated political debates.

I do not think these shows are bad harming our society--in many cases they make really good points--but they cannot serve as our only source of news.  These shows' primary purpose is to entertain, not to provide solid, impartial news to the citizens of this country.  News and the way it is covered has changed with society, and the current patterns reflect this; attention spans are shorter than ever and entertainment is a priority, with this came the abbreviated, less substantial--yet humorous--"news as entertainment" shows we watch so faithfully today.

TV for the Generations

For this assignment I interviewed my dad, a fifty seven year old man; and a eighty four year old woman, who is a close friend.  Both are senior enough to have witnessed the evolution of television and great changes in the way we receive our news.  As I thought may be the case, both recalled war coverage vividly when asked of their memories of getting news from TV.  What I found most interesting were the stark differences between the coverage of World War II and the coverage of the Vietnam War as described by my friend.  During WWII she received most of her news through the newspaper and radio.  Videos were not yet available and images presented to the American public were not of gruesome or cruel wartime acts.  The media coverage painted a pretty picture that seemed to engender support for the war.  In contrast, both interviewees remember television coverage of the Vietnam War.  It was still rather new, and my father was still young; but he would not forget the images or the messages.  This was not the same kind of war, and neither was the media coverage.

Both remember Martin Luther King's speeches and assassination, President Kennedy's assassination, and Richard Nixon's Watergate Scandal; while they both remember television coverage of all these events, they both claim to get more of their news--even today--through newspaper.  My dad watches the news on television, but doesn't get his news from a particular TV station; he also reads the daily newspaper in our hometown and browses the internet for news as well.  My friend watches FOX news primarily--which is in line with her conservative beliefs--but also listens to public radio and reads the newspaper daily.

My dad seemed frustrated with the lack of truly neutral news outlets; he feels that every source of news is slanted too far to the left or too far to the right, and I tend to agree with him.  In many instances, it seems like the job of a news outlet should be solely to offer an accurate report of what occurred in the events considered news.  Events only happen in one way, but we so often receive conflicting reports and messages about the same occurrences.  This is partly why I am interested in this course, I'd like to learn how to read the menu; because I am having trouble finding something for my palette.  The news outlets all seem so biased, I just wish there was more of a selection in the middle ground.

100.7 SAM FM

There is a somewhat diverse selection of radio in Bowling Green, KY; however, I find it hard at times to find music I really enjoy on the radio around here.  Growing up in Owensboro it was even worse, I did not like any of the stations with the exception of a couple in rare instances.  I began my college career in Lexington, and I loved listening to the radio during my three years at UK; there were so many more choices than back home and there were stations that constantly played music I loved!  I transferred to WKU this past year and have found the radio to be, maybe not as diverse or enticing as in Lexington; but much better than in my hometown of Owensboro.

A lot of country stations can be found on the radio in Bowling Green, as would be expected with its location and proximity to Nashville; but this is far from the only genre offered to listeners in this area.  Gospel, contemporary, oldies, and Top-40 stations are also prevalent on the airwaves.  Public and Talk radio stations are also available for listeners, and WKU has a great radio station that offers a variety of news and music.

My favorite station in Bowling Green by far is 100.7 SAM FM. WKLX in Brownsville, KY is an adult contemporary radio station that plays all the classics I love, and Steve the Afternoon Guy is my boy.  Almost all the stations in the area are locally owned, and the advertisements--which are so annoying and ever-more prevalent--are for local businesses.  Broadcast radio is still a very important form of media, and one that I hope is for much longer.  As nice as online music and ipad stations are--and the diverse selection is unparalleled at least around here--I cannot picture driving to work and not bobbing my head and singing along to the radio in my car.

870 Records

I am a fan of all types--almost all types--of music, but know very little about the recording and producing processes.  After doing some research, I came across an interesting small recording company called 870 Records.  This small, independent label founded in 2009 is based in Nashville, TN.  The recording company mainly focuses on the country, alternative rock, acoustic, and americana genres; which is probably due to their base in country music's backyard.

The company was started, like most other recording companies, with the same goals in mind of recording good music and making money; but along the way the company's direction changed.  One cannot be sure what it was, but it must have had much to do with the nature of a small recording company competing in such a vicious business, all while struggling through tough economic times.  The company's focus is now on doing charity work through compilation CDs.  The company seems to be doing well, and the owners seem happy with the new direction in which their company is heading.

Cookies

I have been aware of cookies for a long time, but have never given them much attention--outside of my love for Double Stuf Oreo's.  I used to know how to get on and delete my cookies, probably due to wanting to hide some of my internet tracks from my parents as a child; these cookies have been an afterthought since that time though, and I cannot tell you the last time I even considered these things.

But these digital cookies are an interesting topic, and one that has resulted in a good amount of discussion due to the controversial subject of privacy.  I knew these things tracked where I went on the internet--as witnessed by my attempts to delete them as a child--but I did not realize who or why someone was tracing my steps.  I did not  understand to what extent these cookies were used or how widely the information was spread.

I am all for tracking peoples' internet usage to ensure safety and to keep criminal activity to as low a level as possible.  However, I do not support the tracing of steps and retrieval of information from internet users by third parties for their own advantages or advertising purposes.  I have no problem with giving up a little privacy to increase my level of security and safety--I do not have anything to hide--but I will not stand for having my privacy invaded for the selfish reasons of others.

Twelve Hours No Media?

How difficult would it be to go twelve hours with no interaction with media? Nearly impossible. This was my answer when initially asked to ponder the question, and this is my answer now that I have attempted the experiment.  It would be very difficult for me to go without any type of media for twelve hours on a normal day; everyday I use my cell phone, the internet, listen to the radio, and read from various news outlets--I encounter countless types and forms of media without even taking notice.

Not long after starting my media-less day, I quickly realized it would not last long as I needed to find out what time I had to work and my only option was to check my email--Strike One! I stayed strong for a while after giving in to my email--it was easier while at work--but upon receiving multiple messages from my mother, I had to give in once again to media and use my cell phone to contact my mom--Strike Two!  Television is on constantly at work, but I kept myself from watching as much as possible.  After leaving work, my urges the temptation to use media became much stronger.  When I return to my small apartment my roommate is watching TV, and I slide past him to my room.  Once in my room, free of media distractions, I found myself in a state of utter boredom.  I could not read, search the internet, or watch television; I did not know what to do with myself.

After completing this experiment, I found the most difficult part for me was avoiding the use of my cell phone, email, and television.  I am required to use the internet for this course as well as another, and use my email and phone to communicate important everyday messages.  While it was difficult for me to avoid surfing the internet and reading from various news outlets, the hardest thing for me was resisting the usage of my phone and email.  I do not have facebook or twitter so the temptations many of my classmates faced, I did not feel; but I no doubt found it extremely difficult to go without media for twelve hours.

We live in an interesting society, one that is driven by media and constant communication.  I read on a classmate's blog that she found a state of relaxation in her quest to steer clear of media, and I can second that feeling.  The best example I can offer from my experiences is when I have lost my cell phone.  It is kind of nice to go without one for a week or so, it seems like I lose all contact with the world; there is no pressure to answer certain people or do certain things, I am free to pursue what I choose.  This experiment was intriguing and as I came to find, very difficult to actually complete.