SPOOKY TIME!!!!

Hello all,
It's that time of year again, my favorite time of year actually (well next to christmas).It's Halloween. I loved trick or treating as a kid and get to relive it all over again now with my own kids. And of course, cable tv is great now cause they show all the horror movies (even if they are edited).

That brings me to my question. What is your favorite Horror Movie. Tell me why it is your favorite. And why do you think we go see horror movies. Even if you don't like them, tell me why you think others go see them. And by the way, here's a good scare for you (not for those with a heart condition).

Now He's Too Busy???

Ringo Starr of The Beatles recently posted a video claiming he was too busy to answer fan mail or sign autographs. Here's the video.




So has Ringo finally earned the right to no longer take fan mail or do you think he has an obligation to respond to people who have supported him in the past. What exactly do you think should be the relationship between a star and the fan?

Tim McGraw Needs to Apologize

This just in: Tim McGraw is apologizing for releasing a greatest hits CD when there was only one studio album released since his latest greatest hits album. See the story here. Thank you Tim. I myself have always hated when an artist released greatest hits albums within 5 years of putting the last one out. I also hate it when a band that only has 3 albums out decides to release a greatest hits album.

Are we too quick to make musicians into icons. Sure some musicians have conquered album sales (like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Springsteen). But aren't there some people out there who really don't deserve to keep releasing albums. Who do you think is the most over-rated singer/performer out there. With economic times as hard as they are, is there anyone out there that you would pay over $100 to see in concert.

Also, with the advent of ITunes and other legal downloading applications, do you think the "greatest hits" album is a thing of the past? Does the ability to buy single songs instead of whole albums impact the concept of a greatest hits package?

An often overlooked media

Hey gang,
It seems that the current trend in cellphones these days are either the blackberry or the iphone, both of which function more as a mini-computer rather than a simple phone. One of the latest things i've been thinking about it how all the new phones have GPS in them. You know what GPS is, the ability for a satellite to recognize your location and give you directions to any place you want to travel.

George Carlin, the comedian, once said, "When fascism comes to America, it will not be in brown and black shirts. It will not be with jackboots. It will be Nike sneakers and smiley shirts. Smiley-smiley." If you're a fan of Star Wars then you remember in the last prequel movie, the female hero says, "so this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause." Sometimes i believe our freedoms and liberty are being plucked from us and we misinterpret that pluck as a tickle. Think about this. With every cellphone now having GPS, Facebook wants to publish an application where you can locate where your friends are at any moment of the day by tracking your GPS cellphone. Slowly your right to privacy is being stolen, and we are happily signing up to pay $50 a month to ensure it.

How has the cellphone changed our life and how will it further change our life. Do you view the cellphone as a positive technology or negative. Give reasons for both: why the cellphone is good and bad for society. Also, where do you think the cellphone is heading. What will the cellphone technology hold for us in the future? Remember two paragraphs.

P.S. i have someone posting as Matthew&Ashley. That person has not received any points yet. Could you please tell me your name so i can credit you with points.

A Week Off

Because of the midterm being this week, there is no blog.

School Shootings and the Media

Sorry for being a day late on this. Word is just now spreading that there was a massive school shooting in Finland today. As someone who studies media violence and particularly video games, i wonder how long it will be before the press mentions that the shooter played violent video games. It always seems to be a talking point with the press. Perhaps this time we won't hear anything about it, but my money says it will be mentioned.

This brings me to another point. Media violence is typically stated as an influence in these types of events. What is your view. Does violence in the media spark these type of mass killings. Give me reasons and arguments to back up your beliefs. What do you think is most responsible for these violent actions. Remember, two paragraphs please.

Laughing to the White House

So, two big events this weekend. First, Sarah Palin's interview on ABC. Second, and perhaps more important, the parody of Palin on Saturday Night Live, which can be found by clicking here.

Parodying political figures and events is nothing new, but we seem to be at a period in time where programs like "The Daily Show," "The Colbert Report," and "Real Time with Bill Maher" are scoring major ratings. That brings me to this week's questions.

1. What do you think about the Palin parody that i linked above? Do you think it's funny, unfair, important, etc? Do you think political parody serves an important function in society?

2. What's your favorite political parody (a cartoon, a sketch, etc.) and where did you see it (Saturday Night Live, a magazine, a newspaper, another TV show)? Why was it your favorite?

Remember, give me two paragraphs.

And finally, i want you to google the following terms "Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal". You don't have to write anything about what you find. I just want to show you that political parody and protest have been around for awhile. If Swift were alive today, he'd be a regular on The Daily Show.