Types/Genres of Music - The Beatles are and always will be the very, very best.
I like to listen to all types of music (except country, I prefer the older country music and alt country as opposed to current pop country). Since I was 10 years old and until the day I die, the Beatles are and will be my favorite band. The shows that I go to see depend largely on the cost of the ticket and the night that they play. There are some exceptions to these rules. For example, a few years ago Cake played during the week when I had to work the next day. Cake is one of my top ten favorite bands so I felt as though seeing them live outweighed being tired at work the next day. In addition, location plays a big part. A cab ride is pretty expense from northeast Minneapolis to the Turf Club in St. Paul. I guess I listen to a variety of music because I don’t like to hear the same thing over and over. The current was a godsend! They play everything from Billie Holiday to Big Star to Radiohead.
Probably the song that best illustrates my musical preferences at this time in my life is “Working Class Hero” by John Lennon. There are obvious parallels between this Lennon song and the Beatles catalogue. There are many autobiographical associations that I identify with throughout the song. Essentially John is singing about how hard it is to try to figure out what you want to do with your life. You get in trouble for being too stupid and in trouble for being too smart – one need be average and ordinary. They (parents/teachers/society) force you to act the way that they want, and then they want you to hurry up and choose what you want to do for a career after they’ve chosen everything up to that point for you. He then finishes the song by talking about what you have to endure to have the “right” or “preferred” career and proposes that if you want something better out of life, follow someone who is original (him).
Throughout his life John struggled to be himself. He was given up and abandoned by his parents (he was raised by an aunt) and his Plastic Ono Band solo album outlines this nicely. John was not only a musician; he was also an artist and eventually married another artist. In turn they produced an artist/musician child – Sean Lennon (whose new album and corresponding dvd with videos, “Friendly Fire,” is awesome). He solo work is raw and honest in a way that I’m not sure was possible within the Beatles.
”Working Class Hero” Lyrics:
As soon as you’re born they make you feel small
By giving you no time instead of it all
Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
They hurt you at home and they hit you at school
They hate you if you’re clever and they despise a fool
Till you’re so fucking crazy you can’t follow their rules
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
When they’ve tortured and scared you for twenty odd years
Then they expect you to pick a career
When you can’t really function you’re so full of fear
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
Keep you doped with religion and sex and tv
And you think you’re so clever and classless and free
But you’re still fucking peasants as far as I can see
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
There’s room at the top they are telling you still
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
If you want to be like the folks on the hill
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
If you want to be a hero well just follow me
If you want to be a hero well just follow me
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Monday, November 13, 2006
Documentary, why not Mockumentary?
Sara and I thought we were pretty clever to come up with the idea to make a mockumentary about our 2006 cohort. Sara is taking the professors’ point of view while I’ve chosen to represent the actual students. What I would like the audience to take away from the film is the idea that the world of academics isn’t necessarily all that intelligent. I think people who are not pursuing advanced degrees often think they would not be able to do so. I want viewers to realize that higher education can include humorous and annoying aspects just like a typical job. Essentially, we’re all human and we all have many faults to be mocked. However, we would like to mimic Christopher Guest’s approach and still make the characters loveable.
One of the characters we would highlight would be a nontraditional student: she’s 87 and this time she’s sure she found her calling. It would be a lot of fun to come up with archived footage of this character as a way to tell her history. Another character is a constant complainer. She’s always finding faults with the professors and feels she’s being short-changed in her education. She also likes to complain about her lack of free time because of all the homework. However, we would off-set her interview footage with footage that shows that she’s drunk the majority of the time. We would also stress that she refuses to meet for group work unless it’s at a bar or at someone’s house (where there’s alcohol). Of course there could be the know-it-all and perhaps a student who speaks little English and says off-the-wall things that don’t get a proper response because no one can understand him. The possibilities with a character like that are endless. I think it would be funniest if everyone talked loudly and slowly to him (treating him like an idiot) while he made insulting and hilarious comments back that no one understood.
Since all of our classes are three hours, which can be pretty tedious at times, we would exaggerate this class time even further. By doing so we could have a common theme be the students’ lack of attention during class. When a student is obviously not prepared to answer a question, they would just say, “engagement” (it seems to be an appropriate answer for various questions). In addition, it would be funny to have the camera in the back of the classroom when the students have laptops so that the audience could see the wide variety of things that they are actually doing while in class (maybe on-line shopping, instant messaging, etc).
There are really limitless possibilities. Check out spike speaks for Sara’s side of the film.
Sara and I thought we were pretty clever to come up with the idea to make a mockumentary about our 2006 cohort. Sara is taking the professors’ point of view while I’ve chosen to represent the actual students. What I would like the audience to take away from the film is the idea that the world of academics isn’t necessarily all that intelligent. I think people who are not pursuing advanced degrees often think they would not be able to do so. I want viewers to realize that higher education can include humorous and annoying aspects just like a typical job. Essentially, we’re all human and we all have many faults to be mocked. However, we would like to mimic Christopher Guest’s approach and still make the characters loveable.
One of the characters we would highlight would be a nontraditional student: she’s 87 and this time she’s sure she found her calling. It would be a lot of fun to come up with archived footage of this character as a way to tell her history. Another character is a constant complainer. She’s always finding faults with the professors and feels she’s being short-changed in her education. She also likes to complain about her lack of free time because of all the homework. However, we would off-set her interview footage with footage that shows that she’s drunk the majority of the time. We would also stress that she refuses to meet for group work unless it’s at a bar or at someone’s house (where there’s alcohol). Of course there could be the know-it-all and perhaps a student who speaks little English and says off-the-wall things that don’t get a proper response because no one can understand him. The possibilities with a character like that are endless. I think it would be funniest if everyone talked loudly and slowly to him (treating him like an idiot) while he made insulting and hilarious comments back that no one understood.
Since all of our classes are three hours, which can be pretty tedious at times, we would exaggerate this class time even further. By doing so we could have a common theme be the students’ lack of attention during class. When a student is obviously not prepared to answer a question, they would just say, “engagement” (it seems to be an appropriate answer for various questions). In addition, it would be funny to have the camera in the back of the classroom when the students have laptops so that the audience could see the wide variety of things that they are actually doing while in class (maybe on-line shopping, instant messaging, etc).
There are really limitless possibilities. Check out spike speaks for Sara’s side of the film.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Viewing Log for Wednesday, November 8, 2006 4pm Channel 5 Eyewitness News KSTP
Opening: The program opened with a short statement about Rumsfeld resigning and Pawlenty remaining Governor of Minnesota. They then went immediately to a quick weather forecast (record highs today with possible snow by Friday)
– 30 seconds
Top Story/National News
Next, they went further in depth about Donald Rumsfeld resigning. They showed clips of President Bush at a press conference saying it was time for a change. They then showed clips of Robert Gates at a press conference reviewing the reasons why he accepted the position. They gave a brief history of Gates, how he’s served under seven different presidents, etc.
– 4 minutes
Local News Stories
Moved onto local election results. They have a correspondent at the state capital and showed clips of Hatch conceding the race for Governor. Over the clips they discussed the way the election was plagued with mud-slinging. Next they went to Pawlenty’s acceptance speech.
They then briefed other election results, highlighted that Klobuchar was the first woman elected to the US Senate from Minnesota. They also highlighted Keith Ellison’s win and the “yes” to the transportation amendment.
– 6 minutes
Back to National News
Quickly reviewed National election results. They show clips of John Tester from Montana talking about Democrats gaining control. They also briefly talked about Bush’s disappointment. They briefly showed Pelosi (new Speaker of the House and the first woman to hold the position), saying that the people spoke with their votes.
– 3 minutes
Before going to commercial, they quickly have teasers of what is up next (flooding and attacks in Iraq)
– 30 seconds
Commercials – 2 minutes 30 seconds
Return from Commercial – jump around several topics
Upon returning, they go over the latest attacks in Iraq (Calling for revenge against US after Israelis attack today, because America supports Israel)
- 1 minute
Car fire on France avenue slowed traffic today
- 10 seconds
Election reverses 8 years of Republican control. Showed clips of people voting and political analyst’s opinions.
– 1 minute
Quick story about Macy’s
– 15 seconds
Flooding in NW
– 30 seconds
Weather – very excited about the high temperatures today. Time lapse shot. Cold front over night with possible snow by Friday. 7 day planner, talked about problems for commuters.
- 7 minutes
Lost – tell viewers to get your fix now. Talk about splitting seasons. Why are more networks doing this? Go to radio hosts Lori and Julia. They don’t like it, and can barely follow the show. (Spliced picture to show Lori & Julia (FM 107) on one side and the studio on another.) They made a quick comment about go Brittany for divorcing K-Fed
- 2 min
Commercials – 2 minutes
Return with what’s on at 5:00 news – 30 seconds
Hunters know they’re a lot of deer. Buck wandered into parking garage in Wisconsin.
– 1 minute
The news ends with another recap about the wonderful weather today
– 30 seconds
Analysis
This news reminded me of a five-minute workout. I’m sure there was some benefit, but it was minimal. Basically, the news was highly random (for example I was not sure why they showed a clip John Tester from Montana). They jumped from topic to topic. For national news, they didn’t have correspondents but merely showed clips. When they did have an actual correspondent on site, it seemed like pointless attempt to broadcast some sort of inside story. For example, there was a correspondent at the state capital building. She did not talk to any candidates but merely showed the office where Mike Hatch was currently employed, then walked across the hall and pointed to another office and said this is where he had hoped to move if he had won the election.
Each news story was extremely short and it was hard to glean any information from them. They spent as much time showing a picture of a deer in a parking garage in Wisconsin as they did on recent attacks in Iraq. The most time was spent on the weather, and it was addressed three separate times. Almost as much time was spent on the new trend of television programs splitting seasons as it was on the National election results. In addition, the two radio hosts they cut to in order to discuss this trend did not offer an intelligent viewpoint but merely stated they did not care for it and could hardly follow the television show Lost (I’m surprised they would admit this on television). They seemed to want to gossip about celebrities if they had been given the time.
This is not a program that I would watch to get news. In my opinion, it is a small step above a celebrity news program. However, that may be the point as they are sandwiched in between the Greg Behrendt Show and Inside Edition. The program excluded a lot of material. I’m not sure if this was due to trying to cover too many topics in a short of amount of time or if it’s purpose was to somehow influence the audience. This appeared to be a warm-up to their perhaps more valuable news program at 5:00pm. My opinion is that this program fills a 4-4:30 void in an inexpensive way. Since there was no sports coverage, I'm guessing this program was aimed at women, not men.
Opening: The program opened with a short statement about Rumsfeld resigning and Pawlenty remaining Governor of Minnesota. They then went immediately to a quick weather forecast (record highs today with possible snow by Friday)
– 30 seconds
Top Story/National News
Next, they went further in depth about Donald Rumsfeld resigning. They showed clips of President Bush at a press conference saying it was time for a change. They then showed clips of Robert Gates at a press conference reviewing the reasons why he accepted the position. They gave a brief history of Gates, how he’s served under seven different presidents, etc.
– 4 minutes
Local News Stories
Moved onto local election results. They have a correspondent at the state capital and showed clips of Hatch conceding the race for Governor. Over the clips they discussed the way the election was plagued with mud-slinging. Next they went to Pawlenty’s acceptance speech.
They then briefed other election results, highlighted that Klobuchar was the first woman elected to the US Senate from Minnesota. They also highlighted Keith Ellison’s win and the “yes” to the transportation amendment.
– 6 minutes
Back to National News
Quickly reviewed National election results. They show clips of John Tester from Montana talking about Democrats gaining control. They also briefly talked about Bush’s disappointment. They briefly showed Pelosi (new Speaker of the House and the first woman to hold the position), saying that the people spoke with their votes.
– 3 minutes
Before going to commercial, they quickly have teasers of what is up next (flooding and attacks in Iraq)
– 30 seconds
Commercials – 2 minutes 30 seconds
Return from Commercial – jump around several topics
Upon returning, they go over the latest attacks in Iraq (Calling for revenge against US after Israelis attack today, because America supports Israel)
- 1 minute
Car fire on France avenue slowed traffic today
- 10 seconds
Election reverses 8 years of Republican control. Showed clips of people voting and political analyst’s opinions.
– 1 minute
Quick story about Macy’s
– 15 seconds
Flooding in NW
– 30 seconds
Weather – very excited about the high temperatures today. Time lapse shot. Cold front over night with possible snow by Friday. 7 day planner, talked about problems for commuters.
- 7 minutes
Lost – tell viewers to get your fix now. Talk about splitting seasons. Why are more networks doing this? Go to radio hosts Lori and Julia. They don’t like it, and can barely follow the show. (Spliced picture to show Lori & Julia (FM 107) on one side and the studio on another.) They made a quick comment about go Brittany for divorcing K-Fed
- 2 min
Commercials – 2 minutes
Return with what’s on at 5:00 news – 30 seconds
Hunters know they’re a lot of deer. Buck wandered into parking garage in Wisconsin.
– 1 minute
The news ends with another recap about the wonderful weather today
– 30 seconds
Analysis
This news reminded me of a five-minute workout. I’m sure there was some benefit, but it was minimal. Basically, the news was highly random (for example I was not sure why they showed a clip John Tester from Montana). They jumped from topic to topic. For national news, they didn’t have correspondents but merely showed clips. When they did have an actual correspondent on site, it seemed like pointless attempt to broadcast some sort of inside story. For example, there was a correspondent at the state capital building. She did not talk to any candidates but merely showed the office where Mike Hatch was currently employed, then walked across the hall and pointed to another office and said this is where he had hoped to move if he had won the election.
Each news story was extremely short and it was hard to glean any information from them. They spent as much time showing a picture of a deer in a parking garage in Wisconsin as they did on recent attacks in Iraq. The most time was spent on the weather, and it was addressed three separate times. Almost as much time was spent on the new trend of television programs splitting seasons as it was on the National election results. In addition, the two radio hosts they cut to in order to discuss this trend did not offer an intelligent viewpoint but merely stated they did not care for it and could hardly follow the television show Lost (I’m surprised they would admit this on television). They seemed to want to gossip about celebrities if they had been given the time.
This is not a program that I would watch to get news. In my opinion, it is a small step above a celebrity news program. However, that may be the point as they are sandwiched in between the Greg Behrendt Show and Inside Edition. The program excluded a lot of material. I’m not sure if this was due to trying to cover too many topics in a short of amount of time or if it’s purpose was to somehow influence the audience. This appeared to be a warm-up to their perhaps more valuable news program at 5:00pm. My opinion is that this program fills a 4-4:30 void in an inexpensive way. Since there was no sports coverage, I'm guessing this program was aimed at women, not men.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Papa don’t preach, we’ll get you a baby
*Like A Virgin
African Adoption Agency
African babies are in *Vogue! Be my *Lucky Star and adopt a baby from the impoverished country of
All you have to do is cross the *Borderline and *Like a Prayer your baby will be waiting. If you are a rich movie star or recording artist, we will find ways to expedite the paperwork and your baby will be here by the next red carpet event.
I no longer have to *Justify My Love for children, I’m write books for them.**
*Act Now! and get these songs on Madonna’s Greatest Hits-free with purchase of
**Check out Madonna’s line of children’s books available at Barnes and Noble
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Critical analysis of political ad – Mark Kennedy.
I chose to analyze one of Mark Kennedy’s political campaign television ads. In this particular ad, Mark is sitting on a park bench reading the paper. An elderly lady sits next to him, eyes him, then taps his shoulder and asks if he’s Mark Kennedy. He replies with a, “yes, ma’am.” The elderly lady then smacks his shoulder with the back of her hand and asks why he’s picking on Amy Klobuchar. Mark looks surprised and asks, “What?”. The elderly lady then begins to list the things Mark has accused Amy of such as giving too many plea bargains, rationing prescriptions, raising social security tax, and giving social security to illegal immigrants. She asks why he said all those things. Mark simply replies, “Because they’re true.” The elderly lady says, “They are?” and Mark replies, “They are.” The elderly lady then replies, “Oh, well, never mind then.”
I believe this ad is targeted to senior citizens. It specifically makes claims regarding social security and prescription rationing, two things that greatly affect the senior citizen population. It is additionally linked to senior citizens by portraying the voter as a concerned elderly lady questioning Mark Kennedy. Mark calls himself the “common sense” candidate and I believe he is trying to emphasize his rational approach in several ways. First, he acknowledges who he is then calmly listens to the somewhat agitated elderly lady. After she is finished with her rant and asks him why he said those things, he simply and again calmly answers, “Because they’re true.” The elderly lady doesn’t need much more convincing. She merely replies, “They are?” When he assures her, “They are,” she is satisfied and says, “Well, never mind then.”
I think Mark tried to find a clever way to air a negative campaign ad without viewers recognizing it. How can a sweet, concerned, elderly voter be associated with a negative campaign ad? He additionally has ho-hum, jolly music playing to further hide his negative ad. I also believe Mark is trying to promote himself to the elderly population with the closing remark from the lady. It is as though “never mind then” closes the door to further discussion and the accusations he has made against Amy Klobuchar are true. I think that type of clear-cut conclusion appeals to the elderly population. The elderly lady is supposed to represent all seniors and if she is satisfied with Mark’s retort, then all senior citizens should also be satisfied. I think this ad is successful in its appeal to the elderly, as long as they do no additional research on their own.
I chose to analyze one of Mark Kennedy’s political campaign television ads. In this particular ad, Mark is sitting on a park bench reading the paper. An elderly lady sits next to him, eyes him, then taps his shoulder and asks if he’s Mark Kennedy. He replies with a, “yes, ma’am.” The elderly lady then smacks his shoulder with the back of her hand and asks why he’s picking on Amy Klobuchar. Mark looks surprised and asks, “What?”. The elderly lady then begins to list the things Mark has accused Amy of such as giving too many plea bargains, rationing prescriptions, raising social security tax, and giving social security to illegal immigrants. She asks why he said all those things. Mark simply replies, “Because they’re true.” The elderly lady says, “They are?” and Mark replies, “They are.” The elderly lady then replies, “Oh, well, never mind then.”
I believe this ad is targeted to senior citizens. It specifically makes claims regarding social security and prescription rationing, two things that greatly affect the senior citizen population. It is additionally linked to senior citizens by portraying the voter as a concerned elderly lady questioning Mark Kennedy. Mark calls himself the “common sense” candidate and I believe he is trying to emphasize his rational approach in several ways. First, he acknowledges who he is then calmly listens to the somewhat agitated elderly lady. After she is finished with her rant and asks him why he said those things, he simply and again calmly answers, “Because they’re true.” The elderly lady doesn’t need much more convincing. She merely replies, “They are?” When he assures her, “They are,” she is satisfied and says, “Well, never mind then.”
I think Mark tried to find a clever way to air a negative campaign ad without viewers recognizing it. How can a sweet, concerned, elderly voter be associated with a negative campaign ad? He additionally has ho-hum, jolly music playing to further hide his negative ad. I also believe Mark is trying to promote himself to the elderly population with the closing remark from the lady. It is as though “never mind then” closes the door to further discussion and the accusations he has made against Amy Klobuchar are true. I think that type of clear-cut conclusion appeals to the elderly population. The elderly lady is supposed to represent all seniors and if she is satisfied with Mark’s retort, then all senior citizens should also be satisfied. I think this ad is successful in its appeal to the elderly, as long as they do no additional research on their own.
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