Dear John - Bechdel Test

Recently I watched to movie "Dear John". In this movie a young woman meets a young man while he is home on leave. The fall in love in two weeks, and write eachother letters while he is deployed. Their relationship continues when he comes home, and then write letters when he is deployed once again.

So let's see how "Dear John" fairs against the Bechtel Test:

The movie must have at least two female characters: Yes, but they do not have names, so I am going to say no.
The female characters must speak to each other: Yes
The female characters must speak to each other about something other than a man: Nope.


Sadly, "Dear John" Fails the Bechtel Test.

Leave Buffy Alone!

I love the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Love. And I was BEYOND excited when I heard the powers that be were working on a feature film. At least I was up until I learned they are planning to do this without creator Joss Whedon, star Sarah Michelle Geller or any other actor or actress from the show.

What is with Hollywood taking on beloved television shows and movies and trying to remake them? The new project is rarely as good as the original. I know there are people with good ideas out there, who have awesome (read: new) stories to tell. Why aren't those people being given an opportunity to create something new and awesome?



*Yes, I know the television show was technically a reboot of the movie, but Joss was the original creator, so as far as I am concerned, he can remake things all he wants.

My Favorite Time Wasting Website

Have you ever worked in any kind of customer service or retail job? If so, I think you will like this website as much as I do.  The website is notalwasyright.com, and it is my favorite online time waster. I am always amazed by the things that come out of people's mouths.

Where do you waste time online? Post a link here!

Hazing

Last week we took part in National Hazing Prevention Week at BSU. There were some great events, including a presentation by Travis Apgar. After everything that was discussed last week, I feel like I have a pretty solid understanding of what hazing is and how it can affect a person. Fast forward to this week when a story broke about hazing at Needham High School** on the soccer team. Now, the hazing incident itself was shocking enough, but it doesn't compare to the reactions of the players' parents and the news media.

-The school reacted (correctly, and according to policy) by suspending the players and not allowing them to play in a championship game.
-The parents reacted (wrongly, and outrageously) by attempting to get a court injunction that would allow the girls to play. They did not deny their child's actions, or even argue that what they did was right. They basically argued that they shouldn't be punished for behaving in an illegal manner. One father stated to the nightly news that it was "a misguided team-building exercise", which, frankly, is pretty much the definition of hazing.
-The media reacted by sending mixed messages to the viewing public. They descended upon the families to question their motives, and used graphics with their stories that implied perhaps the school was wrong in their reactions. At the same time they all aired or wrote opinion pieces that derided the players, the coach and the parents for their actions while celebrating the school's reaction.


Perhaps it is time to consider how entertainment programming presents hazing. Movies like Animal House and Old School present it as something that is fun and brings people together. Even the popular television show Greek has shown hazing as a normal activity. I can't think of any sports movies where hazing is presented off the top of my head, but I know they exist. I wonder if presenting hazing as both normal and entertaining has led to the average person thinking it is both normal and entertaining in the real world.

What do you think? Both about the situation in Needham and the way hazing is presented in entertainment?

**Check out the comments on this link. They are pretty outrageous.

Media Undefined

I got into a major disagreement with a faculty member last week about internships. He basically said that all media internships must take place in a studio/production setting, and I disagreed. I think a media internship also relates to social media, and other content creation such as advertising and even marketing, especially when you are creating the content.

What do you guys think? What does this really broad term "media" really mean?

Halloween Round-Up

Here is a round-up of some interesting things having to do with Halloween.

The sixth annual Boston University Pumpkin Drop happened today. See more photos here.

Salem Zombie Walk

Zombie Walks are becoming more and more popular every year. This week there was one in Salem and another in Providence.

Children in Foxboro will be trick-or-treating on Saturday 10/30 instead of on Sunday, which is Halloween, because of the Patriots game on Sunday night. This has been a big controversy in town among the parents. The kids don't seem to care though. I keep hearing them talk about getting candy in Foxboro on Saturday and then going to (neighboring town) Mansfield on Sunday!

The Evening (Bad)News

I have noticed recently that there is a big difference between the news shown on television at 6am and what is shown at 11pm. The morning news tends to be optimistic, talking about good news and human interest stories. On the other hand, the evening news is faced paced, with crazy graphics and full of stories about shocking violence and terrible things. 

Has anyone else noticed this?