"Desperate" Housewives

The Real Housewives of (insert county here). Yet another of my favorite brain junk food choices. All of the shows entertain some mindless story lines that keep the masses pleased. Again, the idea of what exactly entertainment is comes to mind. How easy it is to get swept away by Kim’s desire to be a country music star (even though her singing can be compared to what it may be like to hear a train wreck). Or better yet, how about the antics of Bethany; the enterprising (once single) gal roaming New York. Or to take the cake, those crazy table flipping, mob dating, thicker than thieves ladies from New Jersey. New Jersey seems to take all the awards for bizarre and outlandish, yet highly entertaining antics. The Real Housewife series’ are supposed to offer glimpses into the lives of women, who all know each other (but actually did not previously) and follow the trial and tribulations that are certain to affect the privileged and filthy rich. Interestingly enough, quite a few of them have declared bankruptcy and are just as broke as you and me. Well, maybe not as impoverished as a college student, but certainly not living the high life shown in the shows. I can honestly say I get quite a bit of enjoyment seeing how the other half lives. It doesn’t seem so hot from where I’m sitting. Some many shows glorify the lives of the rich and powerful, but there just doesn’t seem like to much is going on in there. It seems that we revel in being able to glimpse into the lives of those who have money. It’s almost like window shopping. We get to look through the glass and see all of the pretty things, but do not have to shell out the dough to see it. How engulfed we become in the issues of money. I had never heard about any of these women before the shows began airing. I guess it helps having money to get on a tv show. Then again, having your life scripted out and having a rough marriage doesn’t seem all that worth it to me. All we see is desperate and catty women, yet we eat it all up. Go figure.

Kanye West

Kanye West. What can you say? He certainly is an interesting figure in the music industry. When his College Dropout album came out, I was in high school and enjoyed the new music that he offered. He had a new look and sound that was fresh to the rap/pop scene. He was a dynamic presence that knew how to put on a show and drop beat that would keep the audience coming back for more. Then, he was known for his music and his music alone. He intertwined significant messages into wildly catchy songs. He was a mentor for young artists and kids alike trying to fulfill their dreams. Then, Kanye West was one of my favorite artists. Now, here seems to be losing his grip on reality. Kanye is no longer the talk of the town for his musical endeavors. No, he is getting all of his notoriety because of his out of hand and offensive actions. From openly getting drunk at public awards show, to the Taylor Swift debacle, to his statements about President Bush hating black people; Kanye West is no longer the artist he once was. How much merit should we give a man who shows little respect to others? I totally get that everyone has their own opinions and should be free to say them. However, it seems that West has lost all sense of common decency and decorum. He is no longer the humble star he once was, but a revolting prima donna who thinks he is free to say and do however he pleases. In my book (not that I’m sure it matters to him) he is an absolute fool. I mean even Barack Obama called him a jackass. Now that one I’m sure packed quite a bit of a sting to West’s seemingly unending ego. How do we as consumers get him to realize his action suck and need to change asap? Stop buying his albums? Maybe. It seems like he’s getting quite a case of the crazies.

Jersey Shore

Jersey Shores seems to be everybody’s guilty pleasure. I know it is certainly mine. I love watching those crazy “guidos” up to their latest shenanigans. However, on the same token, it is interesting to see how the drink culture of young adults has become entertainment. When Snookie got punched by a drunk guy at the bar, all MTV did was black out the scene and put out a brief message about violence in the beginning. Not once did they address the fact that this event came about because a man was grossly intoxicated. So a show the feature almost always drunk kids hooking up and acting out, what message should we take from Jersey Shore. Sure half of what they do is ridiculous. Jwoww beat up half the girls in Seaside County and Mike “the situation” got the other halves phone numbers. What is MTV trying to tell us about the youth today. I know that this is a show created to entertain, but honestly, it is a reality show. How realistic is it that these characters had seemingly no substance to them and only further perpetuated hurtful stereotypes about a culture. We saw fist fights, arguments, binge drinking, indiscriminate hook ups, and that’s only the beginning of the list. While this may be a guilty pleasure, it also does offer some food for thought. Is this really how we want our generation defined? We are the generation of “reality” tv. How realistic is our reality? Jersey Shore does little to inspire hope for the future of our generation. I honestly wonder, what is my part in all of this? Though we watch this from the couches of our college apartments, do we play a role in a generation defined by drinking in excess and not caring about our sexual partners? MTV certainly has us believing that this behavior is in some way a norm, a standard for people our age. That doesn’t inspire much confidence. While taking this all in, might we remember that this is nothing more than television?

Guitar Hero and Rock Band

Britney Spears is certainly entertaining, but on what merits is she. No doubt she has had a rocky life. First of all, being a child star put her in the spotlight from a very early age. She endured grueling hours and many years being manipulated and molded into who she should be. A few years ago I’m sure everyone remembers the crazy and erratic behavior that landed her in the hospital and losing custody of her children. Are celebrities driven to such behavior by the constant pressure they are put under? What is it like to be put under a microscope and have every detail of your life under close watch? Britney Spears broke out into the pop scene with her innocent school girl look and sweet tone. She moved from innocence into a virtual sexpot. She worked to get a banging body and used it to her every advantage. Her career took a nose drive a few years ago. After the strains of being in everyone’s lenses, Britney seemed to crack. She attacked a paparazzi car with an umbrella then came the now infamous her cut. She walked into a salon and took buzz cutter to her hair, becoming bald Britney. I think Britney is more known for her outrageous and outlandish behavior than she is for her music merits. She is just another pop singer, but her behavior make the people keep coming back for more. I personally went to her Circus concert in March. The concert was a spectacular visual experience, but Britney did not sing one word of it. Britney Spears is known for her lip syncing, and it definitely showed in her concert. During the concert, she said “Merry Christmas,” it was March. So with all of this in mind, what draws us back to Britney? Honestly I think we in some way want to see the rich and famous seem as human as we are. Britney’s antics are what make her a desirable product.

Glee

Glee has rocked the country and is moving across the pond to become a breakout sensation in England. Glee recently won a Golden Globe. The dynamic cast and awesome music numbers makes for a highly entertaining and raucous comedy. Who would have thought that this little gem of a show would become such a craze. I know that I watch the show every week without fail. Such a show should by most standards not be popular. Who would have known that a musical show would have become such a smash hit. Glee concentrates on not just the hilarious tribulations of high school students. It is not just a show that follows the lives of the kids that are not so popular in school. This show concentrates on problems that are very identifiable for most people; the struggles with finding out who you really are and accepting yourself as you are. Glee also takes a look at an unfortunately still taboo subject: homosexuality. Most televisions shows about teenagers in high school hardly look at the highly marginalized group of young homosexual teens. In Glee we see a change in this standard. While the exploration of homosexuality is not the main premise of the show, the character of Kurt. We see the problems and stereotypes that follow gay youth. Kurt’s character struggles to deal with dealing with his sexuality as well as the problems and insecurities that come with coming out to his father. Along with such a taboo, we see teen pregnancy. Quinn’s character becomes pregnant in her junior year of high school. While more and more shows are beginning to address teen pregnancy, Glee addresses the emotion issues that affect not only the mother, but the father as well. Glee does a wonderful job addressing the hard issues and attacks the taboos in society head long.

The College Life via Text

Textfromlastnight.com is a new “blog” craze that is causing quite a sensation in the young adult community. Known for being a website where people send in text messages from nights they can barely remember through the haze of alcohol, many of the post will have you laughing out loud. Having your texts posted on this site seems to be an honor and has seemingly become the definition of college life. I highly doubt “I stayed in and study all night because I want to succeed in college” would make the grade. Instead, “(214): The parties out here are fucking awesome and I've got the grades to prove it,” prove to be the golden standard of this website. While I’m all for reading such blurbs and laughing over the sheer ridiculousness of them, it makes me wonder what message we’re sending about being in college. If this website was the definitive explanation of college life it could be summed up in three words, hookups, breakups, and blackouts. Is that really all that great and amusing? While these little gems are outrageously entertaining, that fact seems to resonate a little more than what’s comfortable. Has such drunk behavior and reckless sex become entertainment? Has decisions that have possibly dangerous and deadly ramifications become our sport of choice? Every time I read a post now I wonder, is this really what their parents are paying thousands of dollars of year for and is this really the cultural environment of college today: binge drinking and random sex?

Lady Gaga Craze

Lady Gaga is by far one of the strongest forces in the music industry today. In her relatively short career, she has already sold over eight million records. However, Lady Gaga represents more than just a new blip on the pop music radar. She is virtuoso of empowerment. As a young woman myself, I have been greatly empowered by her music. Lady Gaga certainly marches to the beat of her own drummer. She is sexy without having to conform to industry standards. She appeals to a wide variety of listeners. She is a new brand of music herself. I think of her as what Madonna was to the eighties. She defies every standard that stands in place. She creates music and an identity that is so far beyond the realm of “acceptable” that she opens up new audiences of people. Her music videos are always just as abstract and outlandish as Lady Gaga is herself. I think it is important to remember however that she stand for more than just selling records. Whether you love her or hate her, I think that anyone would agree that it is commendable that she does not just rest on her laurels, but also take a part in the world around her. She is a firm supporter of gay and lesbian rights. And even if you disagree with her views or not, it is refreshing to see a new young artist who take part in the political climate around them. Though Lady Gaga is quite an interesting public figure, it is more than what she sings that gets a bold new message across. Her voice as an activist is just as powerful as her music. Each aspect reflects the complex nature that is Lady Gaga. Though one would imagine her bold image in controversial beliefs would segregate her viewing community, it seems that everyone loves Lady Gaga.