I Am Number Four

Ever since I saw this movie trailer, I wanted to go and see it. It seemed like it had all of my favorite things…action, adventure, with a little bit of romance….you know…everything!


There use to be 9 of us…3 are dead…I’m next. I am Number 4.
I am number 4 is about 9 good aliens, from a different world, coming to Earth after their planet was destroyed and trying to survive as well as learn how to use their new powers. The main character is John Smith, or Number 4, who has to stay “invisible”, which, of course, he finds hard to do. John and his protector, Henri, are constantly on the move so the Mogadorians (the evil aliens) won’t find them and kill them. In order to do that, they must keep their scent far away from them, or at least have a good head start. Can John and Henri find a way to defeat the evil Mogadorians for good, or at least keep running until John knows how to use his powers?
After I had seen this movie trailer, I was told that is was a book first, and of course I didn’t read the book before I saw the movie…that’s next. So far there is only 1 book out, but it is rumored that there is going to be 6 more books, which means 6 more movies.
Alex Pettyfer is the actor that plays John and is originally a model from Ireland. He hasn’t done much acting, so this is his first big movie hit, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I believe he will go very far in this industry because he is attractive, talented, but he is also fairly young, only 20 years old. The director, D.J. Caruso, is also pretty talented and has directed hit movies such as; Taking Lives and Disturbia. Michael Bay produced and we all know how FAMOUS he is, Transformers, of course.

Alex Pettfer hasn't really been in all that much. ‘I am Number 4‘, is his first big film and I am betting his 2nd biggest will be ‘Beastly’, which comes to theaters in March. Now, Michael Bay on the other hand….he's produced a TON of hit movies; e.g. Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, and Transformers (to name a few). The one thing that they all have in common, is that they are all thriller type movies. They all have big budgets and have LOADS of special effects. He seems to go with what he knows, because what he knows pays him FAIRLY well! The director, D.J. Caruso, seems to go along the same route as Michael. He sticks with what he knows, because it pays him. He always seems to direct movies/TV shows that are action packed, e.g. The Shield, Smallville, and Taking Lives, and are pretty much the same genre….action.

I think that the audience is targeted towards teenagers/young adults. I believe the book is for young adults, so why wouldn't the movie be also? I mean come on, the actors/actresses are all cute and pretty and young….who does that appeal to? The younger generation. I think that the reason this movie is popular, is because it is following the “popular” trend for right now and that trend is the superhero type. The critics keep comparing this to Twilight, but I just don't see it . Twilight is about vampires and werewolves and I am number 4 is about aliens….far from each other. The only stereotype that I saw was that the “hero” is a cute, teenager, who is mysterious and falls for the pretty girl that all the boys just got to have. And of course she will choose the hero, because, duh, he will save the planet!!

I liked this movie. I didn't get bored while I was watching it or wonder how much longer there was to it…it kept me entertained throughout the entire movie. I think that this movie goes by the typical standard for the director, producer, and the main actor, because they do the same genre and don't mix it up with something different. The strengths of the movie would definitely have to be the soundtrack and the visual effects. Whoever picked out the music, did an amazing job and whoever created the visual effects…all I can say is wow! I will definitely buy the soundtrack though. The weaknesses of the film would have to be, that they don't explain things very well. They don't explain WHY they are the chosen 9 and WHY they have their powers.

As soon as I saw the movie, I started to read the book, so that I could compare the differences and see which one I thought is better. I went and saw this movie with Amanda Hayden and I believe that she liked….at least she didn't tell me she DIDN'T like it! My Mom has also read the book, but hasn't seen the movie, and said that the book is just amazing and that some of the characters are just outrageous. I would definitely see this movie again…hell, I might even by it when it comes out on Blu-ray!

In conclusion, if Hollywood is writing a play about saving the planet…they are going to make him cute, young, and mysterious, I mean who would want to write a movie about a guy that looks like Al Gore trying to save the planet?! I learned that if someone is going to save the planet than…he has to be cute and look good while doing it!!!

LINKS:

*I Am Number Four
*6 more books
*Alex Pettyfer
*D.J. Caruso
*Michael Bay
*critic
*I Am Number Four Video
*Number 6 picture
*Number 4 picture
*Number 4 and Sarah picture

Extra Credit....

As I walked into Forum 104, I was handed a red ticket, with the numbers 359191, and was told to put part of the ticket into the basket because there was going to be a drawing with a $50 prize, sadly I didn't win! I was also handed this pamphlet describing the play and filled with tons of information about the many faces of racism and other useful information on how you can help solve the problem. Before the play started, Jeanie LaFrance and Monica Lee Noe (both of these women were the project coordinators), told the audience that they are going to go through the plays twice and that the first time they will go through the entire play, then the second time they will stop when the audience yells stop. Once someone from the audience yelled stop then that person had to go up there and take the place of someone on stage, but they couldn't take the place of the person they thought was doing the racist part, and then once the person picked the character they wanted to be, then they had to react the scene with a different ending. They would have to act out what they would do in real-life and make the outcome a better one and make sure that at least ONE person stood up.

The name of the play was "Other Compounds and Equilibriums" and was about real-life problems these actors have faced in their own lives. The play started out with 4 girls in a coffee shop, waiting for their coffee orders and Delia, called her Native American friend, Pocahontas with a drinking problem, all because she accidentally bumped into her and none of the other girls around them said anything. Then the next scene, all of the girls are getting ready to leave with their coffees and as they are walking past Claire, the barista, Delia says that she wished that the people who worked in America could all speak English, that way they wouldn’t have a reason for messing up at their jobs, and yet again no one said anything.
The second scene was set in a classroom. All of the girls are circled around this table and trying to figure out the chemistry assignment when the teaches walks up to them and looks over Grace’s notes and tells the girls that they will do alright because she is Asian and every single Asian that he has met are really smart. As the professor is walking away, Delia says that they are surely to get an A because they have Grace in their team. Because all Asian people are smart and don’t have to work as hard to get ahead, because they already are. And surprise…no one says anything, yet again.
The final scene was set in Grace’s and Bridget’s apartment and the girls are going over their notes and figuring if they have anything to do, when Grace leaves the room to get the food that she had cooked for them, and Delia starts to talk about her, not knowing she could hear all of what she said. Delia said that she didn’t want to eat the food that Grace cooked and that she didn’t want to smell the way that Grace did because of the food that she ate. Finally, someone stands up and it is Bridget. She tells Delia that the food is actually pretty good and to try it, but they don’t. When they have all left, Grace brings it up with Bridgette and asks if she stinks because of the food she eats. “ If you stink than so do I. I mean I am your roommate”, says Bridgette, but Grace is still hurt and says that she is just going to take a shower and wash the “stink” off of her.
Once they ran through the entire play, they went through it a second time and this time the audience could participate and act out what they would have done and then say why they did that.
When I saw the play, the first time, I realized how easy it is to be racist/prejudice without even trying. These girls were all friends and didn’t mean to hurt each other, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t.
I think that once people saw how easy it is to be racist/prejudice they started thinking twice about what they say and how they say it. Most people don’t mean to offend people, it just happens. I know that once people see this play they will think twice about what they say and how they say it. People are very sensitive and most of the time never speak up about what hurt them.


CAST:
* Christina Finn- Bridget (student)
* Angelica Lim- Grace (student)
* Kasey Lorraine Thornton- Xena (student)
* Jocelyn Gutierrez- Claire (barista)
* Clarice Joy Jordan- Delia (student)
* Allan Trinidad- Nick (professor)
* Amanda Rabauliman- stage manager
* Jeannie LaFrance- project coordinator
* Monica Lee Noe- student project coordinator

LINKS:
* http://www.pcc.edu/resources/illumination/
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racist

Online VS Print Newspapers...Which Is Better???

VS


The newspaper has been around for many years , since 1690 to be exact, and it wasn’t until a few years ago that it began to plummet. The internet has put many things at risk; e.g. businesses, newspapers, and anything else in between. Even though there are still many people that still prefer an actual hard copy of a newspaper, there are even more people out there that prefer to get their news online, which has put the life of the newspaper in jeopardy.
As soon as I sat down to read today’s paper, I immediately saw a picture of a very cute dog between a chain-link cage. I immediately thought that Blue (the dog behind bars) was up for adoption, instead it was an article about Blue awaiting his trial. He has been given a death sentence for biting a small child that was near his food. His owners are in the process of getting him back, by filing a lawsuit against the city of Albany. If someone were to go onto the Democrat Herald website, they would see a small picture of Blue and a brief description and then before you can even blink, it moves onto another article.
Most of the stories in Tuesday’s paper were about Oregon news with a little bit of the President combined and they weren’t that long at all and instead were just “filler” news to make the paper a bit bigger. Tuesday’s paper didn’t really have “sections”. I mean they have their “sub-sections” like; ‘Your Community’, Obituaries, ‘Oregon Notes’, Editorials, Sports and then the Classifieds. The online version is much more advanced and if someone wanted to see a specific section then they would have to click on one of the tabs, up at the top.
In the print version, there is a fairly good amount of pictures and the only color pictures they had were on the front and back covers and then also on the front of the sports’ page and then the rest are in black and white. Now, of course the online version had all of their pictures in color, because who wants to look at pictures online that are in black and white when they can be in color???
Since it is so close to Valentine’s Day (ugh!!), I saw a BUNCH of ads for flowers and chocolate and then I saw their regular ads; e.g. car insurance rates, medical clinics, dental clinics, and then a random ad for ‘AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home’ in Albany.
Of course the online version is more up-to-date with the news and the print one is outdated as soon as the ink dries.

The Democrat Herald isn’t much different than the Corvallis Gazette Times or The Statesman Journal and the only difference, that I know of, is that it covers local Linn County news. And like the other Oregon papers, it also covers big statewide news as well as some nationwide news and if the story is big enough…world news; e.g. Egypt or when the USS George Washington was in Korea for their war games.
The style that I thought the editor did was that they put their biggest headlines on the front and then once you read the inside of the paper, the headlines became less important than the last and are commonly called “filler” news.
The 2 biggest strengths that I saw for the print version were 1.) that I had an actual physical copy and 2.) I knew where the paper started and where it ended. The 2 strengths that I noticed for the online version were 1.) that it is more up-to-date than the print version and 2.) the tabs at the top, make it easier to find the selection that I want to look at.
The 2 weaknesses of the print version were 1.) it’s outdated as soon as it is printed and 2.) I’ll admit it…I think that there should be at LEAST good ones and have more than 1 in there. The 2 weaknesses of the online version were 1.) that they don’t tell you certain things that are in the paper version and 2.) I don’t like the way the front page is setup, how the “top news” changes every 4 seconds…barely enough time to read the previous one.
I think that the primary target audience are people over the age of 21...the more mature adults. The ads that I saw online didn’t really seem to fit the articles, like an ad about ‘losing belly fat’ and the ones in the paper were mostly for people over the age of 25.

When I was reading the paper (both online and print) I noticed that the ads were stereotyped towards old people. For example, there were TONS of ads for getting better car insurance at a reduced rate,
I prefer the online version because I don’t read the paper and when I do, it is to find a specific thing and by reading it online I am saving money and being “green” while reading. Honestly, I think that the version that people prefer is the print version. People like the feeling of being able to hold a newspaper rather than having to go online and search for their news online….some don’t even know where to start.
The rare times that I read the paper, I ALWAYS read the comics and the personal section….they both make me laugh. Everyone needs laughter in their lives in order to be happy and healthy…who doesn’t want that???
I learned that during the week there really isn’t any “big” news and that most of the articles in there are just fillers. I learned that the newspapers will do anything to keep afloat and if that means filling their papers with mindless news and mindless entertainment , than that’s just what they’ll do.

LINKS:
RIP
COMPUTER
1ST CARTOON
SCREEN SHOT
2ND CARTOON

Marketing Teenage Rampage

MTV Shows

My partner and I watched Skins on January 31st 2011. This show is a hybrid of drama and reality as it follows "average" teenagers who are supposed to reflect modern adolescent society in America. The show takes place in Baltimore and features the characters Tony Snyder, Michelle Richardson, Stanley Lucerne, Chris Collins, Cadie Campbell, Tea Marvelli, Daisy Valero, Abbud Saddiqui, and Eura Snyder . The characters reflect teenagers from middle to upper middle class backgrounds. A lot of controversy has surrounded this show and in a critical review of the program by The New York Times, Brian Stetler said "In recent days, executives at the cable channel became concerned that some scenes from the provocative new show “Skins” may violate federal child pornography statutes."

In the initial pilot the show gives off a rebellious tone full of disregard. The leading male character Tony wakes up and helps his sister Eura sneak into his home after a night of partying. His scheme to do this frustrates his father as he plays it all too cool. On his walk to school he calls his various other friends in an attempt to help get his porn-obsessed virgin friend Stanley laid for his first time. He even calls his girlfriend and tries to get her to do it. This scene shocked me because it's very unbelievable behavior for a 17 year old boy. He engages in this conversation with an unauthentic air of arrogance that comes off script-like.

The recipe of this show is one part rebellion, one part drugs, and two parts sex. I question its sincerity as the teenage romping continues from beginning to end with no real substance to chew on. Can I merely be fed on under-age sex, profanity and over-doses? A common theme I've read online is that the American version of Skins is not as good as its European counter-part which aired in 2007. Four years later MTV picked up the idea and in January 2011; MTV aired its version of the youthful debauchery.

The first stereotype I noted, while watching the first episode, was sweet Stanley. He represents the "sex-obsessed-nerd-virgin", a familiar stereotype and stigma in real life culture and in Hollywood. The second stereotype I picked up was Maxxie. She plays the "slutty cheerleader", but with a unique twist that has sent fans of the original show into a conniption fit. In the European Skins; Maxxie is a homosexual tap dancer and in the new version, Maxxie is a lesbian cheerleader. In my opinion, I think that this change occurred specifically for American culture. In most of the media homosexuality is still seen as risque and a little bit on the taboo side of the tracks. So why not throw a cheerleading outfit on it and give it some breasts? I can see how it would be easier for the majority of America to feel more at ease with a petite, possibly sexually frustrated, girl than it would be with a gay man. Sadly stigmas and stereotypes still remain in the 21st century.

We thought this show was a great example of the differences in cultural material between Europe and America. If we were foreigners coming over from a conservative country, such as Saudi Arabia, we would be highly offended at the American version for its raciness. If we were to come over here from western Europe we, however, would not be offended. Why? Because Europe is known for being more lax on sexuality than America. Every society is different and we believe that America has a diverse society with little cultures sprinkled from Los Angeles to Maine. So it would be semi-difficult to sum up our world presence by the material we entertain ourselves with.

The show is entertaining with all the rambunctious escapades and naughty talk (censored of course) and it evoked a good amount of anticipation within us as we watched the mayhem of these character's personalities. We feel its targeted audience is somewhere between 14 and 24 years of age. The show is perfect for those individuals who seek vicarious pleasure via the media. After all, its whole marketing campaign was about the shock-value of young creatures doing sinful things; e.g. buying and selling drugs, having sex, making out, touching, talking smack, acting cool, enjoying vanity, committing crimes, and looking hot in the midst of all the controlled chaos. The weaknesses of this show are obvious after the first few minutes. For one, we didn't know it was a remake and considering we checked out the other version on the BBC (below), we prefer the previous Skins in comparison to the American remix. The producers cast actors that have never been in film before, trying to produce as much authenticity as possible. The actors range in ages from 15 to 19 years old, but surprisingly most of them are from Canada. Odd for a show about American teenagers. Another interesting fact is that it wasn't filmed in America either, the set for Skins was in Ontario, Canada. The acting was contrived at best. It conveyed very little hardy emotion, but it succeeded in being superficial and exaggerated. When it comes to the realities of average teenagers, Skins misses the mark. It does succeed in bringing awareness to the public eye about potential problems our youth faces. It fails again, though, in romanticizing such problems.

In conclusion, we learned that there is nothing new under the media sun. The media will always be here with us in all future generations to come, to manipulate our emotions, feed our laziness, cater to our consumerism, or to merely entertain us with ridiculous nonsense. We are connected to the media for better or worse...till prime-time death do us part.

Picture Link

BBC America Skins Promo

Mario Sports Mix - Wii - official video game preview trailer HD

The ad my partner and I chose is the Mario Sports game for Wii. This ad isn’t very long, only 1:01 minutes. We thought the ad companies were trying to keep their ads as short as they can. So consumers won’t get bored and change the channel to a different station. In this commercial, they show you what the game is like by doing a mixture of most of the previous Mario games that are included in the new version. It also shows you what characters that are available to be avatars. The music catches the audiences attention because you think that it's this adventure game where there's fighting to the death with BLOOD, VIOLENCE, and GORE! Then you get a few seconds into it and you find out that it's a Mario sport game! I admit I’ve never seen this commercial until I saw it on YouTube, but I know for a fact that it did air on tv. It was on channels like FOX and UPN....just to name a few. We knew that we wanted to do our first blog on Mario, I’ve always had a fascination with all things Mario and he won't ever disappear completely because, like me, there is a TON of people who love Mario and will choose games with him over something modern and supposedly epic that is new to the shelves.


In this ad you see Mario, his enemies and allies all playing various sports. We believe the techniques they are trying to use to sell you on their product (the game) is the bandwagon approach and that you can have FUN with anyone. Even if it's someone who has tried to kill you every chance that they get! They don’t tell you that you HAVE to buy this because it is the best thing out there. They're trying to get you to buy their product because you will have fun playing it. You can also exercise while participating and in exchange for your entertainment it helps the company make money. The one thing we didn’t like about this advertisement is that they didn’t show any human people playing the game, they only show the characters and activities. My partner and I like this ad even though it is telling us to spend money and play more video games, they are also telling us that we need to exercise as well and to not spend your whole life playing them, but to just have fun and get entertained.


The meaning we got from watching this commercial is that the Wii gaming society is trying to convince consumers that it is okay to play video games. That consumers are okay to play them since we are not only playing a game but getting to exercise and interact with people in a fun, carefree, and happy environment. The old gaming systems are too old and worn-out and even though I personally will never get rid of my Super Nintendo console or games or cease playing them whenever I have free time. We believe that the new game consoles are better because you are able to move your entire body through; exercising, dancing, competing or collaborating with your family and friends on an epic adventure without leaving your house. While on the older gaming systems the only exercise you got was when you moved your thumbs or when you paused the game to get up and run to the bathroom or to the fridge. We thought that the consumers the Nintendo Wii company are trying to target are the younger generation and this is where my partner and I differ. Julian says "I believe the special edge Wii has over other gaming consoles is that Wii is marketed to and for all ages and in other commercials it's apparent that Nintendo wants to engage and sell all ages and demographics there new product and games. I agree that I could be 85 years old and still want to play these games!

This ad is memorable and sentimental to us. We liked the fact that you see Princess Peach spiking the volleyball and in the end you see Mario making a basket while his ball is on FIRE. What makes it so memorable and why it works is the way that they show all of our old favorite and long loved Mario characters doing everyday sports and acting like normal, real people. I am definitely interested in this product and will consider buying it but the one thing that I hate about all of the new games is that they are TOO EXPENSIVE$$$. A new game could cost you anywhere from $40.00 to $70.00 bucks and I've always thought that was a little too pricey for a piece of plastic even if it is fun. I would buy this product if I could find it cheaper somewhere around town or online (thank god for e commerce).

We learned that playing games is fun, no matter if it's on a screen or in my own back yard and that people won’t remain stuck in front of a screen, only moving their thumbs, but instead are able to move their entire bodies, engage their minds, be creative, and have fun with the people around them. That it's fun to look like an idiot at times by doing weird ass things or dance moves, depending on the game, and then having your friends post embarrassing videos of you onto Facebook or Youtube. (Which I have done many, many times!) They are trying to tell the people, consumers, friends, relatives, neighbors, strangers...society and culture that YOU, YEAH YOU, READING THIS RIGHT NOW, YOU NEED TO HAVE FUN EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE AND DON'T TAKE LIFE TOO SERIOUSLY, LET LOOSE, CHILL OUT AND PLAY A DAMN GAME...GIVE THIS ONE A TRY IF YOU WANT.

YouTube video and was originally posted by MrPlayerism3

Mario logo image

Mario Basketball image

Dove evolution Makeover photoshop

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vFvLhNWfZU

Dolce & Gabbana The One

Dolce & Gabbana The One

Its a Mad Mad World!

Here is another link

This is Bob, he is Rastafarian. He believes in Jah.
He died with many different species of lice.  He is cool. I like his song Red Red Wine.

Japan Images

image found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/39719440@N04/5342272775/ and is by Rob Towell

Media Mayhem

Justeen swarmed the room in a schizophrenic frenzy and came up to the computer to start blogging. I said "no Justeen, what are you doing?" she said "we are bloggers now!" So now I must get used to it. Here I am...Blogging.

First Media Blog

This is my first Media blog....woohoo!