Week 5 Analysis

An interesting pop culture topic to me this week is the death of the amazing actor Patrick Swayze. I was very saddened by the news of his death because I remember him most from the movie Dirty Dancing. This movie was his break through role and it came out in 1987. I was a young teenager when this movie came out and to me his character represented the ability to fight for what he stood for. This was a valuable life lesson for me.

Patrick died after a two year battle with pancreatic cancer and was 57 years old. According to the Times Online (2009), he died in his home in Los Angeles and was surrounded by his family. Two weeks ago he announced that he would return home because treatment was not working.

He is a three time Golden Globe nominee and has starred in many plays and over thirty movies. Some of the movies that he is known for include Ghost, Road House, Outsiders, Red Dawn, and Point Break.

I think that he was an amazing actor and he will be remembered for many great roles. Patrick Swayze will be missed and it is sad that he died so young.

Reference:

Times Online. (2009). Patrick swayze dies at 57. Retrieved September 15, 2009 from www.timesonline.com

Week 4 Analysis

Any interesting pop culture topic for this week is that Ellen Degeneres has officially been named the new American Idol judge that will be taking Paula Abdul's place. Ellen Degeneres has signed on for the next season and has said that she plans to be a passionate judge, much like her predecessor Paula. According to People Magazine (2009), Ellen Degeneres plans on sticking up to Simon Cowell and letting him know if he is mean just like she does on her own show.

Ellen Degeneres is a stand up comedian and has her own talk show that has been on the air for six years. The show has won four Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Talk Show Host. In all she has won twenty-five Emmys. The show is also responsible for raising money for many charities including Toys for Tots, Pink for the Cure, and the rebuilding of New Orleans.

The controversy comes from the fact that Ellen Degeneres has no musical background and people are not sure that she will be able to judge musical talent. Ellen has said that she plans to be the voice of the viewers and the people who buy the music. She claims that she is a fan just like everyone else and the job does not require a music expert. It comes down to relating to the person at home and the person whose music she plans on buying.

Reference

People Magazine. (2009). Retrieved September 10, 2009 from http://tvwatch.people.com

A current pop culture topic in the news recently is how the death of Michael Jackson on June 25 is being ruled a homicide. According to MSNBC, a law enforcement official has said that this means more than likely a criminal charge will be filed. The definition of a homicide means that someone died at the hands of another, but does not necessarily mean that a crime was committed.
The forensic tests found Propofol, a powerful anesthetic, contraindicated with two sedatives in Michael Jackson’s body. Propofol, also known as Diprivan, is administered intravenously and is generally used to sedate patients for surgery. The doctor who was treating Michael Jackson is the target of the homicide investigation. Dr. Conrad Murray had become Michael Jackson’s personal physician just weeks before his death. He has stated that the drugs were given to Michael Jackson because he could not sleep. According to MTV News, Propofol is a powerful anesthetic and should only be used in attendance with someone who can rescue you if your breathing ceases.
This case reminds me of stereotyping because recently in the news many famous people are dying suddenly from over doses or drug abuse. It seems like because of whom they are or because they have money, doctors are giving them whatever they want. This is not the first case where a doctor has been investigated for giving an actress, actor, or artist too many prescribed pills. Stereotyping is putting certain people into a category because of things seen remind you of that person. When I see strange behavior out of famous people, I automatically think they are on something.



References
MSNBC. (2009). Coroner rules jackson’s death a homicide. Retrieved September
3, 2009 from http://www.msnb.com/
MTV News. (2009). What is propofol, the drug that causes michael jackson’s death?
Retrieved September 3, 2009 from http://www.mtv.com/

Journal Article Analysis

Leo Tolstoy was a Russian author and is well known for his works such as War and Peace and Anna Karenina, which depicts Russian life and attitudes in the nineteenth century. These works become known worldwide when the invention of the printing press made reproducing images and books faster and more precise by the end of the nineteenth century. This new technology also brought the invention of telegraphs, telephones, and cinematograph. These advances created a sharp rise in the demand for books and images. Leo Tolstoy dramatic life and diaries that were put onto paper is exactly what people were looking for. He drew the mass media attention because he was known as so many things that included but is not limited to the great writer of the Russian land and an unparalleled artist.

“Be not afraid of greatness”: Leo Tolstoy and Celebrity by Michael Denner (2009) is a journal article about the difficulties that the great author Leo Tolstoy had being a celebrity. He did not like being in the spotlight and did not think that he deserved the public praise that he got. Leo Tolstoy had many images of himself in the public because of the many works that he produced. The thousands of letters, journal entries, and autobiographical gave people different ideas about his personality that made him famous. This demand created pictures, paintings, films, caricatures, stories and images and this left Leo Tolstoy felling preyed upon by the media. This left the authoring feeling like nobody could be that great.

Leo Tolstoy wanted to be remembered as a hero and not as a celebrity. He wanted readers to see him for who he was which was authorized. He did not want to lose his self image or control of his image by being a celebrity. The article explains that when a relationship is developed with the mass media that one loses control of their image because of an interaction with the mass culture. This then forces the celebrity’s performance to feed back that image and he or she has to respond publicly to his or her own image. This left Tolstoy feeling unauthenticated, exploited, exaggerated, and traded. He felt that he had to take his image seriously because it was always interfering or threatening to taking over the real Tolstoy.

The article explains that Leo Tolstoy turned his back on fame, but fame could not ignore him. Famous contemporary popular culture iconography of Tolstoy was images of him with his hands tucked in his rope around his waist and his eyes looking to the side paying attention to his work and ignoring the attention that he received from the mass culture. He much preferred anonymity and a simple life and more he preached it, the more he was put into the spotlight.

This article is helpful in understanding what people of the mass culture want. Although this icon was alive in the nineteenth century, it can be compared to current events. It shows that when someone famous talks or writes about their worldly views, fans will listen and may even take on the same position. This is important to understand in the world of business because by understanding what people want and who they look up to will give the company direction in advertising and products.

References
Denner, M. (2009). “Be not afraid of greatness”: Leo Tolstoy and Celebrity. The Journal
Of Popular Culture (42).4. P 614-0645.

Weekly Written Analysis 2

An interesting pop culture topic is in the news this week is the death of Senator Ted Kennedy. He died on Tuesday at the age of 77 from brain cancer. He was a US Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. He served in the US senate for 46 years and was first elected in 1962. . He was the youngest of nine children and two of his older brothers, President John F. and Senator Robert F. were assassinated. He ran for one Presidential election in 1980 and lost in the primary to Jimmy Carter. According to the official Kennedy website, Senator Kennedy authored more than 2,500 bills and over 300 were enacted into law.

I think that this topic qualifies as a popular culture topic because the senator is famous and sort of an icon. He has been in the media a lot lately because of his medical condition and fight with cancer. In addition, I think that people in business need to pay attention to what is going on in politics to stay up on issues that involve them. For example, tax increases or credits and law changes. I also think that it is important to understand the people who follow politicians because it shows what they want and what they believe in.

Official Kennedy website: http://kennedy.senate.gov/

Beyonce Knowles is a famous singer, record producer, performer, dancer, choreographer, model and actor. She is also known for a clothing line that she does with her family. I think that Beyonce qualifies as an icon because she is a young and talented performer. She is a great role model for young people to look up to. I chose her because she is well rounded and gives back. She is the co-founder of Survivor Foundation which helps people find transitional housing when there is a disaster. She is always donating money to charities.

Brad Pitt is a major movie star and film producer. He has appeared in over thirty films and has won an Academy award for his role in Twelve Monkeys. He is an icon to me for his humanitarian work here in the US and internationally. I chose him because he genuinely does give back. He is actively involved in many charities and organizations that help people around the world. For example, One Campaign helps fight AIDS in third world countries. He is also involved in projects in New Orleans that will help rebuild the city after it was ruined by Hurricane Katrina. He is very generous when it comes to contributing money to help others.

Lebron James is a sports icon here in Cleveland Ohio. He has been playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA since he was 18 years old. His nick name is King James and he was named Mr Basketball of Ohio three times during high school. What this icon means to me is a very talented young athlete that young kids can look up to and admire. He is a good role model and proves that with hard work and dedication, your dreams can become a reality. I chose this icon because I have two sons that look up to him. We have been to many games and this athlete is great to see in person.

Weekly Analysis of Twilight

The pop culture topic to be analyzed is the series of books written by Stephanie Meyer about vampire love. The first book in the series was Twilight and become very popular once the movie came out last year. The movie started a crazy phenomenon when over five million people saw the movie. This sent everyone running to buy all the books in the series. The second movie based on the second book named New Moon is due to come out in November of this year. The other books in the series are Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.
The reason I chose this topic is because over the last six months I have discussed the series of books with so many people that I have come across. Most of the people are women and vary in all ages. I have discussed the books with girls as young as twelve, to teenagers, to women in their twenties, thirties, forties, and even a women that is sixty-five. I think that it is amazing that women of all ages believe in the same idea of true love at the cost of anything.
The author of the books, Stephanie Meyer, has stated on her website that she thinks humans are boring therefore, she wrote about vampires. When I read the books and saw the movie, I was instantly drawn to the romantic tone and it did not matter that the characters were vampires and werewolves.
I think this popular culture is important to understand because it shows that women of all ages are hopeless romantics and still believe in love. Any company that sells a product and wants to grab the attention of or appeal to women should understand this concept. By understanding what women want, the company will find the best way to advertise to them.

According to Common Culture, pop culture is the most immediate and contemporary elements in our lives and offers a common ground for people in society. To me, pop culture is the newest and most popular thing in society that everyone is either doing, watching, or talking about.

Understanding pop culture is in important because it can help understand what people in society want. For example, advertising on online newspapers makes more sense than advertising in printed newspapers if the target audience is reading their paper online. It is very important to keep up with the newest technology especially in business so you can reach people by the most common means.

An example of a pop culture artifact is google. I chose it because I use google as a search engine for everything and it has become a popular term when discussing things that need to be looked up.