The Blind Side

The Blind Side has got to be one of the most inspiring feel good movies that I have ever seen. This movie, based on a true story certainly had me rooting for the underdog. This movie had the best of all cinematic themes. I laughed and I cried. Each moment seemed to be better than the next. The characters were endearing and moving. The actors and actresses in this movie did a marvelous job. It was almost like you were being able to glimpse into Michael Orhe and his new families life. I did not realize how recent this story was. Or how plausible its messages were. The Blind Side was more than just a movie about the underdog beating unbelievable odds making a success of himself, but also recognized the very reality of race relations that exist today. How many times do you hear on the new that another child or young adult is dead due to unnecessary violence? More to the point, this violence occurs in neighborhoods that seem to have been left behind and neglected. Though of course in the movie, the “ghettos” were dramatized, but in reality so many children slip through the crack. The movie certainly touches on the many flawed programs in the United States that leave children and young adults no room to succeed; on how many children are set up to fail. The school systems in such neglected cities pass children through the system so that they become “someone else’s problem” as one character cleverly put it. Specifically in this movie, black youth in certain poorer areas were shown as succumbing to the violence and little bit of power that were available in such walks of life. While I was so moved by Michael’s story, it made me think of all the children he grew up with and their stories, the addiction to drugs and how it ruins lives. The Blind Side shows the intricate power struggle not only between races, but within races. It was a refreshing and eye opening story all in one.

Green Fashion

Green Fashion. It was not until recently that I realized this was a legitimate possibility. I’ll be the first to say that I love to rock my UGGS on campus during those cold days when flip flops just are not an option. However, I never really took into account what part my deliciously warm choice of footwear took in the global world. Really, I honestly never gave a thought my choice of attire. As a woman who loves to shop I never looked to see what my clothes or other purchases were made out of. It was not until recently (having become a vegetarian) that I stopped to think about how my fashion choices affected the world at large. My good friend, and rising star in the green blogging world (she’s a vegan), let me know all about the terrible things animals have to endure to make us look fabulous. Now I’m not saying that I am against wearing animal product or people eating meat (meats just not my thing), but I do think people should be aware of the treatment of animals and quality of life they have (or lack there of) in order to give us our leather jackets or chicken nuggets. So how would one be able to dress themselves in the latest fashion and still be able to be friendly to the environment and its furry little friends? Green fashion is an up and coming phenomenon that allows people to purchase faux just about anything. Designers like Stella McCartney are using faux fur ect. in their lines to be a little friendlier to the environment. High fashion certainly can be achieved while also being a little more conscious of the environment and living conditions of animals. Many shopping websites are popping up and showing the world that green fashion is quite possible. Faux leather pump look just as cute as their real leather sisters. This rising trend in signifies a change in society. I think that we’re finally getting it. Even fashion can help the environment.

Avatar: The Truth in Reality

As everyone knows, James Cameron’s Avatar has become quite a sensation. His groundbreaking half animated, half real life movie has been sweeping the awards show this season and raking in incredible amounts of money in the theaters. It can easily be said that Avatar is one of the best pictures both animated and real life to come out in not only this year, but in the last decade to be sure. Cameron has shown the world how far computer animation has come. The technology to create his beautiful blue world took somewhere around fifteen years to develop. As I sat watching the movie, I myself was in awe. I felt as if I could reach out and touch this fantastical world. James Cameron creates more than a splendid blue planet that amazes the eye, but also challenges the mind. Even as a semi-animated action movie, the story is not without merit. The story certainly rings close to home. Cameron challenges the viewer to look not just on this fantastical world as a cinematic adventure that pulls us from reality and leaves us captivated by the graceful Na’vi’s of Pandora, but portrays a very real situation in our own lives. The race for resources affects people around the world in a shockingly identical way to the Na’vi people. The blatant truth rings clearly throughout the movie. As a view, I was almost ashamed to see the direct parallels between Cameron’s Pandora and the world we live in. How often we overlook the worlds and lives of people we consider ourselves distanced from in the quest for natural resources. The ethnocentric attitude of the Americans in the movie was alarming yet a lesson, an understanding of truth. Needless to say, Cameron has taken his viewer on a cinematic adventure that amazes and dazzles, yet leaves the viewer with an important message to think about.

The Truth of McDonalds Exposed

Supersize Me

Documentaries have become very popular in our societies popular culture over the past decade. One documentary that sent our entire nation into a state of mass confusion was “Supersize Me.” This documentary exposes how unhealthy McDonalds food is. It was made in 2004 by Morgan Spurlock, it follows Spurlock on his 30 day journey of eating only McDonald’s food. Spurlock’s health suffered extremely. He gained 25 pounds, his cholesterol increased, and he also suffered from negative psychological effects such as mood swings and constant fatigue. This documentary was extremely eye opening for our entire nation. Of course, before this documentary, it was general knowledge that fast food isn’t healthy, but people did not realize that the chemicals and poor quality of the food could do actual damage to your body. Even though fast food restaurants aren’t typically seen as part of pop culture, McDonalds is iconic in America, it has been around since 1940 and serves millions of customers every day. Supersize Me shed an extremely negative light on something that our society had never looked at in such a way. Supersize Me is an example of how powerful mass media is in our country. Because so many people in our country watched this documentary, McDonalds sales and stocks dropped significant percentages. McDonalds had to revamp their entire image with marketing for their new “healthier” menu. I have talked to many people who have not eaten McDonalds since they saw this documentary. This documentary goes to show how seriously people take documentaries, movies, and T.V shows that they see. Tell all documentaries like Supersize Me have the power to be extremely persuasive to viewers, and they have the power to negatively affect major corporations. The entire fast food industry in our country is an example of how people in our society live. New technologies have led everyone to be living in a constant rush, until this documentary people never stopped to really examine McDonalds and the negative effects its fast food can have on us.

The Real Gem of the Jersey Shore

Chelsea Handler

Lately the tabloids and most of America have been obsessed with MTV’s new show the Jersey Shore. To be honest, I am quite sick of it, and don’t understand the obsession. I think the real gem of the Jersey shore is Chelsea Handler. For those of you who may not know, Chelsea Handler is a stand up comedian who was born and raised on the Jersey Shore. She now has her own show on E! called Chelsea Lately. Chelsea currently has two published books, My Horizontal life, and Are You There Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea. Both books are detailed accounts of her personal life experiences. The stories are hilarious accounts of wild nights, partying, growing up, and any other taboo topic you can imagine. Chelsea has lived a crazy life, and by writing it all down and publishing a book about it she been able to make millions. I think that audiences receive Chelsea so well because she “cuts to the chase”, her statements are very bold and blunt, basically she says what everyone else is too scared to say about celebrities and gossip in Hollywood. Yet, some people do not receive Chelsea very well because they think that she has no right to constantly be “making fun” of celebrities, they ask the question “why does she think she’s better then everyone?” The debate over weather or not Chelsea Handlers fame is due to her own personal “greatness” or if her fame is manufactured, can easily be put to rest. Chelsea had to work hard to establish herself as a comedian. She started from the bottom and worked her way up, doing many stand up shows, appearances on T.V series and other gigs in Hollywood. E! is a major corporation that would not give a show to just anybody. Chelsea Lately has brought Chelsea’s career to the next level, and has allowed her to gain her fame and fortune. It’s true that the majority of her jokes are trashing other celebrities is Hollywood, but she has to be doing something right. People in our culture have allowed her to become famous for a reason. Our culture loves to analyze and critique celebrities, and Chelsea accomplishes that very well on her show. Our culture also easily buys into sex, drugs, and alcohol, which Chelsea covers quite well in her tell-all books. I think Chelsea Handler is an icon for our era, and her humor will be well appreciated in our culture for years to come.

The Face of Hate

Cullen has done a good job highlighting characters and situations in television which have essentially been game changing. Lucy and Archie were clearly groundbreaking characters in both their presentation and content of character.
Yet, today, despite all of the big revolutions preceeding it, South Park is responsible for quite possibly the largest taboo breaker ever.

Eric Cartman:


Cartman has ushered onto the screens incredibly ludicrous ideology which is fueled by a hatred that he doesn’t even attempt to hide. Not one little bit. Perhaps that’s what makes him such a gamechanging character. Eric Cartman has never apologized for his ideas no matter how racist and horrible they are.

Cartman is still routinely punished for his ideas and the in doing so South Park shows that it doesn’t stand behind the hate presented within their characters but if we’re talking about truly groundbreaking content, Eric Cartman, the boy who attempted to literally kill every hippy on the planet has got to be your guy.

Nobody on the show likes Cartman, they all openly admit to hating him and this doesn’t seem to bother Cartman at all, he instead chooses to selectively listen to his friends and spin everything they say into oblivion.

He is maniacal, delusional, and 100% nuts but he is perhaps one of the greatest sources of humor on television and it’s because his character is never in on the joke. We can always laugh at Cartman, and we never have to worry about his feelings.

Disney Salutes Popular Culture in America

Disneys Pop Century Resort

Many people may not know this, but a great place to learn about pop culture in America is in a resort at Walt Disney world. Walt Disney has a resort called “The Pop Century Resort” that is themed with everything in our popular culture. Various artifacts from past decades decorate the entire hotel. Icons in pop culture are represented throughout the entire hotel. Even their swimming pools are themed, one is a flower shaped hippy pool, one is in the shape of a bowling pin, and one is shaped as a computer monitor. Any fad, gadget, song, or toy that was ever popular in our culture you can find here in Disney’s resort. This resort is extremely clever and innovative. It is a symbol of how important studying and remembering popular culture is. This is a great place for parents and families to take their children and point out things that were popular while they were growing up. This hotel is like living inside History textbook on poplar culture throughout the 20^th century. It is a real life, hands on experience, of pictures and artifacts from our popular culture. The Walt Disney Company is extremely successful and wise with all of its business decisions. So for such a successful company to make a hotel based off of popular culture says a lot. They had to have known that they would be able to have a substantial amount of people interested and eager to stay in a hotel based off of popular culture, in order for them to make considerable profit. Disney knows that our countries popular culture is essentially the definition of our countries culture. I think Disney has done a great job depicting the icons from past decades in this hotel, and this hotel says a lot about how important popular culture is to the people of our country.