Maynard, M and Scala, M (2006) Unpaid advertising: a case of Wilson the
volleyball in Cast Away
The Journal of Popular Culture, Vol 39, No. 4, 2006
Monday, December 10, 2007
Monday, December 3, 2007
5-1
Assignment 5-1
There are many individual icons in sports. Not many whole teams are looked at as icons. The National Football League is an owner to its very own whole team icon. The icon is the New England Patriots. Let us talk about why they are icons now, what they are on track to do this year, and the quarterback behind them.
The main reason the New England Patriots are such looked at as icons is mainly because in the past ten years they have won three Super Bowls. These three Super Bowls were won in three out of four years in a row (Patriots, 2007). Such a feat does not happen regularly in the National Football League. In fact, rarely does a team even win back-to-back Super Bowls. Some even say that the Patriots are one of the last dynasties left in sports today. Enough history, lets talk about what they could do this year.
As of today, the New England Patriots are current undefeated with a record of 11-0. They continue to plow through teams as if they are all pieces of cake. Most wins have been very lopsided in favor of the Patriots. Everything they do seems to be effective. The reason this is considered to be an iconic season is because the only team ever to go undefeated in a season were the 1972 Miami Dolphins (About, 2007). If the Patriots are able to pull off this undefeated season they will become only the second team in National Football League history to go undefeated, which would in turn make them iconic. A quarterback that could have been nothing backs this great team. Lets talk about whom he is.
Tom Brady graduated from the University of Michigan and fell to a seventh round draft pick. This means that he almost was not even drafted into the National football League. Typically players that are drafted this late are put on practice teams and do not even player. Tom Brady showed what he could really do and began winning games. Tom was there for all three of the Super Bowls and is continuing to have great seasons. This year he is on track to break the all-time passing touchdown record.
In conclusion, some already say the New England Patriots are iconic but if they do go undefeated there will be no argument. These New England Patriots will be talked about for many years to come along with other legends of past, present, and future.
References
About (2007). Greatest NFL teams. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from About.com Web site: http://football.about.com/cs/teamsdolphins/a/bl_1972dolphins_2.htm
Patriots (2007). History - overview. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from Patriots.com Web site: http://www.patriots.com/history/
There are many individual icons in sports. Not many whole teams are looked at as icons. The National Football League is an owner to its very own whole team icon. The icon is the New England Patriots. Let us talk about why they are icons now, what they are on track to do this year, and the quarterback behind them.
The main reason the New England Patriots are such looked at as icons is mainly because in the past ten years they have won three Super Bowls. These three Super Bowls were won in three out of four years in a row (Patriots, 2007). Such a feat does not happen regularly in the National Football League. In fact, rarely does a team even win back-to-back Super Bowls. Some even say that the Patriots are one of the last dynasties left in sports today. Enough history, lets talk about what they could do this year.
As of today, the New England Patriots are current undefeated with a record of 11-0. They continue to plow through teams as if they are all pieces of cake. Most wins have been very lopsided in favor of the Patriots. Everything they do seems to be effective. The reason this is considered to be an iconic season is because the only team ever to go undefeated in a season were the 1972 Miami Dolphins (About, 2007). If the Patriots are able to pull off this undefeated season they will become only the second team in National Football League history to go undefeated, which would in turn make them iconic. A quarterback that could have been nothing backs this great team. Lets talk about whom he is.
Tom Brady graduated from the University of Michigan and fell to a seventh round draft pick. This means that he almost was not even drafted into the National football League. Typically players that are drafted this late are put on practice teams and do not even player. Tom Brady showed what he could really do and began winning games. Tom was there for all three of the Super Bowls and is continuing to have great seasons. This year he is on track to break the all-time passing touchdown record.
In conclusion, some already say the New England Patriots are iconic but if they do go undefeated there will be no argument. These New England Patriots will be talked about for many years to come along with other legends of past, present, and future.
References
About (2007). Greatest NFL teams. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from About.com Web site: http://football.about.com/cs/teamsdolphins/a/bl_1972dolphins_2.htm
Patriots (2007). History - overview. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from Patriots.com Web site: http://www.patriots.com/history/
Monday, November 26, 2007
4-1
Assignment 4-1
What is it about Pop culture that makes us put celebrities up on pedestals? Are they really that different from us? For this weeks written analysis we will talk about Kanye West losing his mother. Lets talk about what a celebrity is, how Kanye has reacted on stage, and how his feelings may vary from ours in the same situation.
First of all, let us give a definition of what a celebrity is. A celebrity is defined as a widely recognized or famous person who commands a high degree of public and media attention (Wikipedia, 2007). That being said, Kanye West is a musician. He tours very frequently. Recently his mother passed away. The reason for her passing was because she was not in good cardiac health and was told to get tested before undergoing plastic surgery. Ignoring the doctor’s orders, Kanye’s mother got the surgery anyway. The surgery went wrong and she did indeed pass away due to her heart problems. This has caused Kanye to act differently on stage.
During Kanye’s shows he sings a song called Hey Mama from his 2005 album Late Registration (Amazon, 2007). This song was dedicated to his mother before her passing. When Kanye began to sing this song, he broke down crying. Kanye was on stage screaming that he needed his mother now. Fans were not use to this kind of behavior from a celebrity.
When we look at celebrities we see the glamour and the glory that they have in their lives. We envy them for these lives they lead, but we start to forget sometimes that they are indeed people too. We ignore that they have things happening in their lives that are indeed crucial. Kanye’s behavior was perfectly normal and should not be looked at negatively as we too may have reacted the same way.
In conclusion I feel that we as fans and fellow people should treat Kanye with the utmost respect for his loss. The media should not criticize him for how he feels in his loss. We should all welcome him into our arms and comfort Kaye until he feels whole again. Celebrities are no different from us outside of all the press and their fame. Celebrities are humans too.
References
Amazon (2007). Amazon.com late registration. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from Amazon.com Web site: http://www.amazon.com/Late-Registration-Kanye-West/dp/B0009WPKY0/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1196104406&sr=8-2
Wikipedia (2007). Celebrity. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity
What is it about Pop culture that makes us put celebrities up on pedestals? Are they really that different from us? For this weeks written analysis we will talk about Kanye West losing his mother. Lets talk about what a celebrity is, how Kanye has reacted on stage, and how his feelings may vary from ours in the same situation.
First of all, let us give a definition of what a celebrity is. A celebrity is defined as a widely recognized or famous person who commands a high degree of public and media attention (Wikipedia, 2007). That being said, Kanye West is a musician. He tours very frequently. Recently his mother passed away. The reason for her passing was because she was not in good cardiac health and was told to get tested before undergoing plastic surgery. Ignoring the doctor’s orders, Kanye’s mother got the surgery anyway. The surgery went wrong and she did indeed pass away due to her heart problems. This has caused Kanye to act differently on stage.
During Kanye’s shows he sings a song called Hey Mama from his 2005 album Late Registration (Amazon, 2007). This song was dedicated to his mother before her passing. When Kanye began to sing this song, he broke down crying. Kanye was on stage screaming that he needed his mother now. Fans were not use to this kind of behavior from a celebrity.
When we look at celebrities we see the glamour and the glory that they have in their lives. We envy them for these lives they lead, but we start to forget sometimes that they are indeed people too. We ignore that they have things happening in their lives that are indeed crucial. Kanye’s behavior was perfectly normal and should not be looked at negatively as we too may have reacted the same way.
In conclusion I feel that we as fans and fellow people should treat Kanye with the utmost respect for his loss. The media should not criticize him for how he feels in his loss. We should all welcome him into our arms and comfort Kaye until he feels whole again. Celebrities are no different from us outside of all the press and their fame. Celebrities are humans too.
References
Amazon (2007). Amazon.com late registration. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from Amazon.com Web site: http://www.amazon.com/Late-Registration-Kanye-West/dp/B0009WPKY0/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1196104406&sr=8-2
Wikipedia (2007). Celebrity. Retrieved November 26, 2007, from Wikipedia Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity
Monday, November 12, 2007
point and double click on this icon.
Assignment 2-2
What is an icon? For starters, they are something on your computer, but that is not what we are talking about. We are talking about pop culture icons. We are talking about pop culture icons. These are the movies, people, and music that will never die. Their legends will live on forever.
The icons I chose are the movie The Godfather, Frank Sinatra, and Lebron James. The Godfather is a movie known to people all over the world. When people talk about mob movies, this is usually the first movie that is brought up. Next, we have Frank Sinatra. Sinatra is best known as a musician and an actor. People of all ages still listen to Sinatra. He is one of the few musicians that both a grandparent and grandchild can enjoy together. My third icon is Lebron James. Although he is new on the scene in the National Basketball Association he has already made himself an icon. He is not just a basketball player, but also a clothing label of nike, an actor, and a positive role model for kids.
Each of my icons were chosen for different reasons. I chose the Godfather because it is an amazing movie that came out many years ago that people still watch today. Ut has an interesting perspective on the mob culture the way it was in those days. I chose Frank Sinatra because his music has stood the test of time. You it everywhere: department stores, radio stations, commercials, movies, and many others. I chose Lebron James because he has made such a large impact in such a little amount of time. When I think of basketball today, I think of Lebron James. People are already comparing him to Michael Jordan, who is probably the biggest icon to ever play in the National Basketball Association. Lebron James is my favorite basketball player.
In my opinion, these three icons have become immortalized. Even though they are not all three living people, they will be talked about for many years to come. To me, these icons offer a window into a way of life we would not normally be able to witness. The entertainment evens these icons provide allow more excitement away from our everyday stresses. This in turn allows them to continue to watched and listened to and to live on forever.
“HOW will we get to sleep without David Letterman's "Top 10 List"? Or Stephen Colbert's "The Word?" What if we're left hanging with story interruptus
Assignment 2-1
“HOW will we get to sleep without David Letterman's "Top 10 List"? Or Stephen Colbert's "The Word?" What if we're left hanging with story interruptus on "Heroes" or "Lost"? Is there life after " 'Til Death?" (Collins, 2007) Many of the writers for the big television networks are on strike right now. They are refusing to write any new scripts until they get raises. They are upset because these networks are making this extra money selling the episodes of the shoes they write to companies like Apple (apple.com, 2007) to be sold on itunes. Why does this cause a problem for the writers?
When these big networks give rights of their shows to companies like Apple (apple.com, 2007), Apple then sells them to consumers. After the sale is made, Apple pays royalties back to the network. This has upset the writers because they feel they deserve some of these royalties since they are the reason the networks have content for their shows. All these writers are part of a union, so until they come to an agreement across the board, certain shows will have to air reruns.
This problem could easily be fixed. An easy solution would be just to pay the writers a portion of the royalties made from selling the episodes. Another solution would be to pay a commission based on how successful the show is when it airs on television. A successful show would sell more episodes which would in turn generate more sales on itunes, which would in turn generate more revenue. These agreements would make everyone happy and get the shows back on the air. It would please not only the writers, but also the audiences who may be tired of seeing reruns they have already seen in the past.
References
Apple, (2007). The Apple Store US. Retrieved
Collins, Scott (
Monday, November 5, 2007
“Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy.” Frank Sinatra #1-3
Popular Culture 1-3
It seems as if computer manufacturers are trying to get rid of desktop computers. Many different things have caused this belief of mine. Anymore I feel like the only commercials you see for computers are for laptops. These companies are not pushing the desktops like they use to. It is almost as if desktops are becoming obsolete. Companies like Apple (Apple.com, 2007) and HP (HP.com, 2007) are investing a lot of money into commercials that push their current and upcoming lines of laptop computers. Apple even offered to give away a free ipod to students with a computer purchase.
On TV I have noticed a lot of big name shows that almost always have an Apple computer displayed in their episodes. Also, I have noticed that HP has used a lot of big time pop culture stars to push their laptops from rapper Jay-Z to professional snowboarder Shawn White to music producer Pharrell Williams. It feels like the only use these companies want us to have for desktop computers is for working purposes. For example, Apple still has mac pro line, however, they are mainly used for recording studios, heavy graphic design companies, and other art industry jobs. Very seldom do you hear of someone owning a mac pro anymore.
References
Apple, (2007). The Apple Store US. Retrieved
HP, (2007). HP
Holy Pop Culture Blog Batman. 1-1.
Popular Culture to me is all about the trends and things people are currently viewing as cool or fun. Fashion is a great example of popular culture because it is all about trends and what is hot right now. Jeans may be baggy this season and skinny fit next season. Trends change and it is all an influence of popular culture. An understanding of popular culture from a business standpoint is important because if businesses do not know what is currently popular, they will not know what groups of people to target, or how to do so. My artifact of popular culture is YouTube because it has taken over the world in the past couple years. If you have not heard of YouTube it is mandatory that you stop what you are doing right now, surf over to www.youtube.com and indulge yourself in some video goodness. : )
Perfect short example of YouTube at it's finest.
Perfect short example of YouTube at it's finest.
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