Cullen's Insight Changed Me

Though the school year is coming to a close, I can't help but feel that Mr. Cullen will stay with me long after high school. Yes, the class joked around quite a bit, and some days were relatively senseless. However, when my Mass Media teacher offered his views on a subject (usually an article of sorts on a hot topic in the world today), it changed how I look at things. It gave me a sense for the bigger picture, I was able to see the topic in the eyes of others. And I thank him greatly for that.

Expressing myself has always been the way I have maintained my freedom. Whether it was through music, athletics, or even writing, this is how I've kept sane on chaotic Earth. Now that I have this blog, thanks to Mr. Cullen, I have a place to share my opinions and views on everything. I don't have to suppress my feelings on a subject just because I don't think my friends would like it (even though I care not of their thoughts of me). I feel like I can make a stand on some matter that is important to me. And I'm glad I have the opportunity.

As for the infamous Television Project, that was quite a burden that I carried this year. I was completely unprepared for the assignment and wound up stressing out over it in my final year of high school. It was rather intriguing, however, and very insightful. Once you've watched so much of a certain show, you feel like you have a connection to it and can make hypotheses and theories. The only thing that I would recommend is having students pick their television show ahead of time, at the beginning of the semester, and then set goals for them to have certain portions of it done at a specific time. That way, the stress of the size of the project is limited, yet the same workload remains.

This has been a fantastic senior year for me. My high school years have hellacious to say the least. Ninth grade was filled with Jeannette bullies, my dad losing his job, my stepmom getting a heart transplant, the loss of my baby sister Ruth Ann, and my stepmom divorcing my father. Tenth grade was my move back to Indianapolis, where I endured lost credits from school and a few school changes. Eleventh grade was my frantic attempts to gain my credits back. And this year was a continuance of that process. However, I've made terrific friends along the way, and I'm happy to say that I've had some fun. I'll miss these high school days.

Lawsuits Won't Stop The Hangover II

For all of those who love the odd couple of The Hangover, I have some good news: the sequel will be released as planned!

Despite a lawsuit over the tattoo in the movie that may cost the directors a bit of money, a judge decided that the movie should be released because it had already been made and it would be devastating to Warner Bros. if it were to be postponed or canceled.

Personally, I am very excited for its release. I was quite impressed with the first film and would like to see how the sequel compares. I just hope that everyone won't talk about for three months afterwards. It was funny, yes. But I can't hear the same people say it over and over and over again.

Canseco Wants Some Bad Romance

A star of baseball loves the pop culture queen.

Jose Canseco professed his love for Lady Gaga over Twitter on Monday, stating that "he wished that he could meet her" and that he "would marry her in a second." He even proposed to her, waiting at the Cocoa Casino in Yuma, Arizona for the pop diva. This has similar parallels to when Jose was confronted by Madonna in the 1990s, his biography claiming she wanted him to father her child.

I highly doubt Gaga will be tamed by ANYONE, Canseco included. She is a sex symbol of the music industry now. Even if she wanted to, i don't believe that she will be able to settle down with anyone for quite some time. Maybe Canseco can go back and try again in a few years. Perhaps people will stop worshipping her long enough for some real bad romance.

The Daily Show (5/16/2011)

The episode that aired on May 16, 2011 featured such news as: Osama's pornographic stash, Trump's dismissal from Presidential candidacy, Dominique Strauss-Kahn's (a presidential candidate in France) sexual assualt charge in New York, Mike Huckabee dropping out of the run for President, Disney requesting a trademark on the name "Seal Team 6" for movies and toys, the FCC approving Comcast's purchase of NBC Universal from General Electric, FCC's commssioner Meredith Baker's move to become Senior Vice President of Comcast-NBC after approving the merger and resigning from her old position, and a discussion with Jon Ronson about how to tell who is a psychopath.

Obviously, there was much to talk about over the weekend. not only was there more fuel for the embarassment of Osama bin Laden, two Presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee, dropped out of the race. Trump gave no good reason for dismissing himself. Huckabee called himself a follower of Christ and said that he would rather follow Him than follow a political position. He said this after Ted Nugent recited the lyrics "I make the pussy purr with the stroke of my hand" on his show. What a Christian. Then, there was the sex scandal with potential French Presidential candidate and head of IMF Dominique Strauss-Kahn after he allegedly chased an African immigrant through rooms in a New York hotel, forced her to perform a sex act, and tried to rip off her clothing. I would think that it's safe to say that he will not be the new President of France. Disney is attempting to trademark the name "Seal Team 6" for movies and toys. To me, this is a bit disturbing. the name of the team that took down bin Laden should nationally free to all. It is unfair for Disney to request exclusive rights to the title. Also, the Comcast-NBC merger was approved by the FCC. Stewart believes that it is monopolistic and should not have been passed because it takes away other companies' ability to compete efficiently. It was passed in part by commisioner Meredith Baker, who said that the FCC was moving too slow in the process to pass the merger. Then, it was discovered that Baker was resigning her position as FCC commssioner to become Senior Vice President of Comcast-NBC. I can't help but think that there was some sort of under-the-table deal with her and the large company. Finally, guest speaker and author of The Men Who Stare At Goats and The Psychopath Test, Jon Ronson talks about how to tell if someone is a psychopath and how he became "drunk with power" after figuring out how to do this. It was ironic in the fact that Ronson has an anxiety disorder.

The amount of information was quite overwhelming. But of course, this is what happens when The Daily Show leaves for three days: it needs to make up for all of the news that was missed on Friday and over the weekend. Jon Stewart does a very good job at preparing the program. He always seems to find a way to make the show interesting. Now that I look at it, he has so much to accomplish in one day. And the fact that he offers a show almost every day is amazing. I have so much more respect for Jon Stewart now that I have done this project. He's really something.

The Daily Show (5/17/2011)

I watched the episode that aired on May 17, 2011. It featured such news as Arnold Swartzenegger's affair, Donald Trump opting out of the presidential candidacy, Obama's plan for mass reform in regards to immigration, and Annie Jacobsen's new book about Area 51, the top secret military base in southern Nevada. Stewart starts the show by saying that the news about Osama is finally dwindling down and things on The Daily Show can proceed accordingly. However, news about Arnold's affair is the top news story. Then, Obama's new immigration reform is criticized by Senior Latino Correspondent Al Madrigal, saying that the reform has come too late in his term to be realistic. He doesn't believe that immigration reform means much to the President. Afterwards, Stewart and John Oliver make fun of Donald Trump for dropping out of the race for Presidency, mocking his narcissistic comments. Finally guest speaker Annie Jacobsen explains her theories behind Area 51. Not necessarily an alien encounter, she believes that Russians actually sent a "spacecraft" to the United States in order to "scare us." Also, even President Clinton was denied information from the base when he was in office.

This episode reveals quite a bit how The Daily Show is more than just a political show. Though Arnold is a political figure, his personal affairs would be brought up in political debate. Whatever he does as governor of California should be what is highlighted in such a show. Leave the personal issues for The Soup to gawk about. Also, a political show would not display such information as Area 51. There would be no reason to bring it up, nor would there be a reason to have an author on the show. If anything, a political figure would be present. It seems that Jon Stewart was speaking truth when he said it's just a comedy show with a political twist. In this manner, it's a show to get people to laugh. That's all.

Gaga's #1...What Else Is New?

WILL WE EVER GET ENOUGH OF LADY GAGA???

Lady Gaga reached the milestone of 10,000,000 followers on Twitter two days ago. To celebrate she commented on her status: "10MillionMonsters! I'm speechless, we did it! Its an illness how I love you. Leaving London smiling." She was also the first to reach 10,000,000 fans on Facebook and have over 1,000,000,000 views on Youtube.

Though I don't particularly like her style of music, I've always been fascinated with Lady Gaga. Her unique style tells me that she's not afraid to show people who she really is. And the fans love it, obviously. Even through all of the mental breakdowns she's gone through (or so I've heard) from being too nervous to go on stage, she's overcome the nonbelievers and has stepped into the spotlight for all to see. She really is quite the success story.

The Daily Show (5/9/2011)

I watched the episode that aired on May 9, 2011 regarding the following topics: Osama's belongings, Fox's Presidential Debate, the gayest city in America, and the wedding of Prince William. Jon Stewart poked fun at Osama's possessions, including a video of him watching himself, avena syrup (used for verility enhancement), and dye for his gray beard. Afterwards, Stewart mocked the potential candidates for presidency, and even posted all of the Republicans who did not attend the debate on his website. Also, Jason Jones discussed how San Francisco has been knocked down from the list of the Top 10 Gayest Cities of America, taking the 11th spot. Finally, Keira Knightly was the guest speaker. Her movie, Last Night, was promoted, but the focus of her interview was mainly on the marriage of Kate and Prince William.

What a way to go for Osama. He gets shot in the face, thrown into the ocean, and derided on national television for his inability to deliver sexually. I guess that's what you get when you mess with America. The Daily Show has always found a way to criticize Fox for its bias. Of course, it wasn't Fox that was made fun of this time; it was the possible nominees for president. He judged the supposed "winner" of the debate, an African American who owns a pizza business. Stewart seemed like he thought it was hopeless to run, however, because President Obama is the one who is praised for bin Laden's death. It was very surprising to me that San Francisco had been knocked off of the Top 10 Gayest Cities list. Of course, The Daily Show exaggerates how gay the city actually is. However, I still feel that the city gave rise to the mass popularity of the gay civilization, and should be respected as one of the founding cities. Finally, I felt that Stewart should have focused on Knightly's movie more rather than Prince William's marriage. After all, the interview wasn't supposed to be about the Prince of England, it was supposed to be about Keira's latest happenings and her movie. Maybe a side note of the wedding would have been appropriate, but not the entire interview. Yet, in all, it was still an enjoyable interview. At least Jon Stewart spoke his mind and even made fun of himself in this episode, showing that he is less affected by political standpoints and more so by his personal views and character.