Celebrities and the media: marriage of convenience or abusive spouse?

My original concept for my senior thesis was celebrities and the media but then through a series of misunderstandings the journalism program thought I was doing it specifically on Gloria Vanderbilt which I thought could be a fun challenge so I stuck with it. However, the relationship has always been one I am fascinated with. I am obsessed with who they decide to target as stars, who are the good ones who are the bad ones, who turns and why. Weather you want to believe it or not the media has a huge influence on what the population likes and how you feel about pop culture.

This is not to say that you have no control over your thoughts. You can think Lady Gaga is great, overrated, or an imbecile but the point is you can think it because you know her. That is the power they have. Look at all of those Linda Lohan types who complain about the paparrazzi. Where would they be without the photographers they supposedly hate? In Lindsay's case she hasn't work in years yet still gets paid to be her because the media keeps her relevant for her antics

But you know what, you can't blame the press alone for tragedy. Yes the paps torture stars and might lead them to misery but we are all to blame. You think it is despicable that Whitney Houston laying in a coffin covers Star Magazine, you're completely right but you know what, they wouldn't put it if people wouldn't buy it.

Free Pancakes for a cause

So please donate because as G would say, "Everybody loves Pancakes"

Consider my attention paid

In spite of the history of disdain (and mind twisting laughter at his expense) for Philip Seymore Hoffman I decided to bite the bullet, be the bigger person, let bygones be bygones and go see his star turn in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman because if there is one role that he was born to play it was walrus-like Willy Lohman. Ok, full disclosure, Andrew Garfield playing his son and a $30 promotion also played a big part.

Alot has changed, I suppose, since I experienced the play as a high school senior 8 years ago (What? Really? when did that happen?!) and it seemed to have a much different effect on the adult version of myself. Perhaps this could have also been because reading a play and then watching the video of a performance is not the same as live theater <insert pretentiousness here.> Regardless, my personal response to the characters and subject matter in my 20s verses my teens isn't the point of writing this. Not that that wouldn't be an interesting topic but it just isn't really something I feel like doing because now that I am a grown up I would prefer not to disect how the problems of make believe people make me react. It is just such a depressing story bleh.

More importantly, what did Arthur Miller have against his father? I mean this one and then add on All My Sons and we are dealing with some serious daddy issues. I understand that at this point in American theater there was a huge swell in popularity of stories of family strife but even so. I might have know the answers to this question 8 years ago but my notes are buried in the back of my closet.


As for this specific production, it was staged masterfully by director Mike Nichols and as I said earlier, Hoffman fit the lead to a T, though I will say Brian Dennehy was better in my opinion. Andrew Garfield was beyond brilliant making his Broadway debut as the once great and now completely lost Biff, though if I have to nit pit (and I do) the character is supposed to be 35. Try to forget that because Garfield looks way too young, even with the illusion of the stage being far away, the man who will be playing teen-age spider man this summer and who was a college student co creating Facebook last winter just doesn't work as middle-aged. I hope this doesn't hurt his Tony chances as i believe it to be his only flaw. The rest of the cast keeps pace as the friends and family of the Lohman clan and overall I'd rate the production at A- with a high recommendation.


Salesman plays at the Barrymore Theatre until late Spring

*http://lissiedsviewfromhere.blogspot.com/2010/09/nowhere-girl.html?m=0

I think Graham might be lazy

He spends way to much time lounging around and wearing pajamas and he doesn't even do it as well as a kangaroo...

Now he is not expected to get a job, though some dogs have...

but at least get a hobby...

Maybe then he can go to fancy dinner parties

*all images courtesy of http://animalsthatdopeoplethings.tumblr.com/

I seriously never wrote about Casanova?!

Aside from mentioning it as number 23 in 25 movies I can watch over and over I have neglected to ever talk about Heath Ledger's turn as the infamous lover who falls for Sienna Miller's Francesca, who thinks he is a friend of Casanova not the actual Casanova after he becomes engaged to Victoria (the life long crush of Giovanni, Francesca brother) so that he doesn't get killed for his sex crimes which are actually not crimes at all. Meanwhile Francesca begins feeling something for Ledger's character but ia conflicted for two reasons: she is betrothed to Paprizzio and because Casanova (disguised as a friend of Casanova) would dare defend Casanova and his use of women which goes against her femist belief that are so strong that she writes books about female empowerment under the nomme de plume of Giuardi, who Paprizzio (Oliver Platt) thinks Casanova is and whose advice he seeks when he comes to woe his betrothed.


Confused? I don't blame you but when watching the film, the plot is actually rather easy to follow. That being said the movie didn't do extremely well for a few important reason. The number one issue with this movie is it is rated R. A lot of great movies are rated are but with a plot like this, when the rating is factored in, people expect an at least slightly explicit Sex romp not just a straight up Romance or Romantic Comedy. It seemed as though it would be another change to see Ledger pull a full frontle (or the first time for those who hadn't seen Brokeback) but alas there is not even a rear to be seen and all of the (sparse) love scenes pretty much end just as they should be beginning. If the film had been billed as a romantic comedy with a PG or PG 13 rating larger (and younger) audiences would have gone out to see it.


The other issue lays in the timing of its release. The 2005 film came right in the middle of Brokeback fever (December 2005) and during a time where it seemed Ledger would appear in almost ever film for the rest of eternity, which would have been such a wonderful thing looking back. However, at the time it seemed audiences couldn't handle passing Blockbuster with the just out on DVD BROTHERS GRIMM, going to a movie theater where they were seeing Oscar contending BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, watching and Ad for the heroine love story CANDY, and then seeing CASANOVA as well. Maybe it was just too much hotness for some to take or maybe it was like when you can't forget an actor just came out of the closet when you are trying to watch them be a Romantic lead. Leger himself blames his being in the film for it not being successful stating that he didn't like what he did with the character and would have loved to have gotten another chance to play the character differently.


Still I believe, if you take it at face value, the rom-com is a very fun fluff movie to watch, if only to see Sienna Miller (the girl who took Jude Law back after he not only cheated on her with a nanny but blamed her for the said cheating) playing a woman with self confidence.

Happy 63rd birthday to my father

The latest blog to make me smile

Food on my dog http://foodonmydog.tumblr.com/

Here is the about section from the creator Andrew:
This is a blog where I post pictures of food on my dog. FAQ What type of dog is Tiger? Tiger is a Staffordshire Terrier and American Bulldog mix. Does she get to eat the food? Tiger gets to eat most of the food. What she doesn't eat, I eat. No food goes to waste. Does she like it when you put food on her head? She hasn't complained yet. Where does Tiger live? She lives in Florida! Will you give her a belly rub for me? Of course! Can I send in a request? Of course! I keep a list of requests and I'll try to get through them all. Food on my dog by Andrew J. Small is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.



Now I know that some out there will say that doing this is unfair to the dog; perhaps Tiger considers this humiliating or annoying but according to his human Andrew this isn't true.

"When I call tiger over and she sees the camera, she begin to furiously wag her tail and get excited," Andrew says. "She knows that she is going to do a trick that I taught her, and that she is going to get a treat. I let her know how impressive her behavior is with lots of love and attention after she preforms the tricks for our little photo-shoot."

I never thought animals liked wearing those silly outfits people put them in until I had a clothing obsessed Cavapoo so if Graham can be a fashionista I figure who am I to say Tiger isn't a foodie?

Happy Valentine's Day from a single; yet hopeless romantic

As someone who has never been in love, I figured I'd leave it up to the prose.


Say what you want about it being a holiday made up by card companies but I respect love, and I want love like that poem.

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=xTfimrSPI8s

RIP Whitney Houston

Crash into Spring

Tonight I attended Brooklyn Industries "Crash into Spring" which was celebrating its new location or line or something. As you can tell I clearly didn't go for the occasion as much as for going out sake and treats. I'll be honest, they advertised free food and drink which was basically all i needed to hear- free food just tastes better, it is a scientific fact. As proof of this I present to you the fact that the treat of choice tonight was donuts, which I barely eat normally but which i pigged out on tonight.


Better than the donuts, however, was the event's exclusive cocktail. These are always a crap-shoot for me because I am not a huge drinker and because I have real issues with vodka. Tonight's gin and pear based drink, on the other hand, nailed it.

Doesn't it sound delicious? It really was!!

All and all, it was a really fun (and hipster rich) night- weird facial hair and all.

Alligators loose in New York City!

In Disney's Animal Kingdom there is an alligator pit under a bridge you cross on the safari. I have been on it many times but one of my biggest fears is falling in and being eaten by gators so if they were actually running rapid in the city this blog would be about my relocation or self imprisonment. what is actually going on is that Swamp People has brought the Louisiana swamp lands to this great city. If you are like me and had no idea, this should sum up the show. https://m.facebook.com/SwampPeople?id=104139506312495&_rdr#!/SwampPeople?v=info&__user=46304571

I will admit that I have never been to Louisiana and only know what the swamplands look like from Hurricane Katrina footage but I think they did a really great job making the place look authentic, even bringing in actual animals.

If you look carefully you can see one of the camera shy alligators in the pit.

baby alligator and turtle


They even have samples of cajun food. I had some beef, beans, and rice thing that was kind of like chille and it was really good (though I am not adventurous enough for a new animal, especially since I can't eat Thumper the bunny.)


The display runs until the 12th.

Michelle Williams Syndrome

I love awards season. I love the clothes and the gossip and I eat up watching people with a heightened sense of self-importance congratulate themselves on how great they are while failing all over eachother because "No you are so amazing." If i sound like I am being sarcastic I'm really not; I really do love it.

I'm not saying they are all that bad, for instance Heath Ledger despised "playing the game" and was completely over Hollywood after Brokeback Mountain, but most celebrities are. I bring up Ledger specifically because during that Oscar run he was the arm candy of Williams when both received their first nominations in 2006, which is when the syndrome started, and whose untimely exit in 2008 left Michelle Williams as Matilda Ledger's sole parent- something you hear a lot about around awards season.

Oh yes, the fact that Michelle raises Matilda on her own has been well played up during the last two Oscar seasons as she contended for best actress which is the Hollywood game, showing reasons why a nominee deserves the award beyond acting talent. So Michelle talks about Matilda and lately has opened up about looking Ledger. Now I don't know how Michelle feels about these fame games- she could despise it the way Ledger did or the rumor that she was so enamored with it that it lead to their relationship demisecould despise be true but it doesn't bother me. They were together and they had a child so I feel she has the right to use it to her advantage especially because several others have claimed without proof relationship with him to further themselves.

My issue is that I just don't like Michelle Williams. It is very odd because I have seen her three nominated roles and feel she deserves them. I suppose I must think she is a good actress which means I want to root for her but I don't know. The same thing has happened every time she is nominated. I think how she deserves it and then by the third Red Carpet am just so tired of her.

I don't know if I always didn't like her or if I just didn't like her for Ledger but I got to see a lot of her because of him and Brokeback which is when I first remember not liking her. I wanted to because he did which desolved into "Whatever. As long as he's happy I don't have to like her" and finally after learning that they broke up, and furthermore some of the stories of what might have led to it is"I knew I didn't like her!"

All logic says that with such strong feelings against her I would never had seen My Week with Marylin or Blue Palestine but as i said I did and I liked them and I know I will be seeing her next movie about the wizard of Oz, I just hope by then i learn how to avoid seeing her out of character.

Not all majors would find this funny but Journalism sure does

I spent years reading books called pretentious things like On Writing Well, memorizing AP style verses writing style, and fours years after finishing my senior project still hear "show don't tell" in my sleep. Because of this, I couldn't help but share this...