MEDC 1010 02 Media Logs

I found the documentary Sneakers very interesting because of the diversity of how the shoes are designed, who’s wearing them, and what they represent. In the African American community sneakers really became the popular sensation they are today with the influence of basketball and rap music. One guy made a comment I found hilarious, “I can’t afford four rubber wheels but I can two rubber heels”. Sneakers were originally for the lower class because they were comfortable and cheap. Big name star’s such as Michael Jordan and RUN DMC helped to make sneakers not only a cultural phenomenon but a national one as well.  People who wanted to be like Mike and wanted to be a rapper most often purchased the shoes they whore. New shoes today are almost held to the same standard as a new car. Today Vans are what all the skater boys are wearing and they started out simple shoes that were able to keep a good grip on a skateboard. After skating sensations like Tony Hawk were seen skating in Vans then everyone had to have them. Today people can express their creativity in endless available shoe designs. You can buy a pair of designed shoes, have them custom made with your designs, or you can simply take some markers and come up with your own thing. No matter why or how they got started everyone can agree shoes have become so much more than just shoes.

The rapper and reality star where seen holding hands. It’s the pair’s first public display of affection since rumors began swirling of a romance. Kim fueled gossip by sporting gold earrings of Kanye West’s initials. The two have yet to acknowledge their relationship. I personally don’t see what the big deal is, if they want to date each other who the hell cares. I’m so sick of ‘are they dating or are they not dating’, does it really matter. They’re both so full of themselves I don’t even think there’s any room for another person. If they are in fact dating I would not be surprised if another fake fairytale wedding came into play.

Even though I could care less about Kristen Stewart’s performance as Bella Swan I am, however, really excited to see her as Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsmen. A basic way to sum up this movie is in a kingdom ruled by tyranny, the vain and selfish Queen Ravenna learns that her stepdaughter, Snow White, is destined to surpass her not only as the "Fairest One of All" but also as the kingdom's future ruler. The Queen learns from her Magic Mirror that the only way to remain in power is to consume Snow White's heart and achieve immortality. Meanwhile, Snow White escapes into the Dark Forest and Ravenna recruits the Huntsman Eric to kill Snow White. Eric, however, takes pity on the young princess and teaches Snow White the art of war. Now, with the aid of eight dwarves and Prince William, Snow White begins a rebellion to bring down her stepmother once and for all. This film is set to be released June 1, 2012. The trailers look amazing I just hope they don’t disappoint.

Season 4 of Bravo's hit reality series The Real Housewives of New Jersy returned April 22 and this season will be filled with the drama we all hate to love. To give you a really short recap of the most entertaining part of the show Carolyn was still upset with Teresa for writing the comments about her in the book. Since the book was already printed, she didn't feel it was a battle she could win. Oh that calm, level headed Carolyn! During a brief discussion about it Teresa said that she was offended that Carolyn would even think that she was serious about her comments in the book, and that she was joking. Teresa refuses to take responsibility for her actions that hurt people, what a surprise. She then apologizes by giving Carolyn a copy of the very cookbook that she bashed her in. Everyone else is doing other things I don’t feel like mentioning. I can't wait to see how this season will play out.

If you were greatly upset when Nickelodeon's hit animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender came to an end in 2008 then you would be thrilled to know that they have decided to come out with a sequel to the show called The Legend of Korra which premiered April 14, 2012. I cought it the other day and it's actually not half bad. The Avater this time is female and orginal characters from the first show are now all elderly. This show is said to run for two12-14 episode seasons.

George Zimmerman finally arrested for the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Was it a case of racial profiling or a case of an overzealous citizen, taking matters into his own hands? One thing is perfectly clear; no one should be murdered because of the way they look. Zimmerman prejudged Trayvon, which cost a young kid his life and a stupid man, his freedom. Prosecutors plan to charge George Zimmerman with second-degree murder, which carriers a prison term of 25 years to life in prison. Whether Zimmerman will actually be required to stand trial remains to be seen, the case may be thrown out before it even gets to trial because of Florida’s “stand your ground law” which gives people a right to use deadly force without having to retreat from a fight.

The 2Pac hologram performance at the 2012 Coachella is not only causing a viral sensation in the music world, but it could forever change the way we attend live events. Sure you could use video games to emulate some of your favorite sports match-ups of all time, but actually going to an arena to see the holograms duke it out would be a must-see event.

Kony 2012 is a short film created by Invisible Children, Inc. and released on March 5, 2012 the film's purpose is to promote the charity's "Stop Kony" movement to make indicted Ugandan war criminal and International Criminal Court fugitive Joseph Kony globally known in order to have him arrested by December 2012, the time when the campaign expires. The film spread virally.  As of 30 March 2012 (2012 -03-30)[update], the film had over 86 million views on video-sharing website YouTube, and over 16.6 million views on Vimeo with other viewing emanating from a central "Kony 2012" website operated by Invisible Children. The intense exposure of the video caused the "Kony 2012" website to crash shortly after it began gaining widespread popularity. More than half of young adult Americans heard about Kony 2012 in the days following the video's release, making it one of the most popular movements of all time. On April 5, 2012, Invisible Children released a follow-up video titled Kony 2012: Part II – Beyond Famous. I personally think this all bullshit and I won’t be watching part two of whatever this organization puts out.

Season two of HBO's series Game of Thrones premiered April 1st and I have been waiting for this ever since the first season ended. This show has everything you ever want in a great show. This show isn’t like most that has weak story lines, lame battle scenes, and boobs everywhere… ok there is quite a bit of boobage, but the enticing characters, epic story line, and awesome effects more than makes up for it. In this season we are introduced to new characters, among them is Natalie Dormer best known for her pretrial of Anne Boleyn in the Showtime’s series The Tutors. This season promises action and adventure as we root for the North to bring down King’s Landing.

If you enjoyed Clash of the Titans this is a movie you would want to see. I personally have not seen it yet, but I plan to real soon. The storyline in the first one was just ok but the action and special effects kept me entertained. The quick run down of this movie is Perseus braves the treacherous underworld to rescue his father, Zeus, captured by his son, Ares, and brother Hades who unleash the ancient Titans upon the world. Of course we all know this isn't going to be a three or four star movie, but like I said before if you enjoy action and cool special effects it might not be bad to check out.

The fetal shooting of Trayvon Martin took place on February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida. Trayvon was visiting his father when he left to make a quick errand. It was when he returned he was spotted by George Zimmerman, self appointed community watch, who called the Sanford Police Department to report Martin's appearance and behavior as suspicious. The 911 dispatcher directed Zimmerman to stay put and not follow Martin which he continued to do regardless. Shortly afterwards, there was an altercation, which ended with Zimmerman fatally shooting Martin once in the chest at close range. When the police arrived they questioned Zimmerman who claimed self defense and let him go without any arrest or even alcohol or drug test. A drug and alcohol test was performed on Martin’s body. On his person he was found unarmed with a bottle of tea and Skittles. Why the Sanford police felt the killing of an unarmed 17 year old 150 pound kid was justified by Zimmerman, we may never know.

February 18th was the day of late Whitney Houston’s funeral which was held at New Hope Baptist Church in her home town Newark, New Jersey. Her family, including her mom Cissy Houston, daughter Bobbie Kristina and her cousin Dionne Warwick, welcomed the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Forest Whitaker, Spike Lee, Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson to the invitation-only funeral. Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Donnie McClurkin, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Kim Burrell, and R. Kelly were all on hand to provide musical tributes to the late singer. Tyler Perry, T.D. Jakes, Clive Davis and Kevin Costner spoke powerful words of praise for Houston. It was a sad time to morn Whitney but an even greater time to celebrate her memory.

Adele came back swinging at the Grammys as she blew the crowd away with her performance of Rollin in the Deep after recovering from vocal surgery. Adele triumphed over pop stars, a veteran rock act and an up-and-coming songwriter/producer to win the most prestigious Grammy prize, album of the year, for her "21." It was her sixth award out of six nominations. The heavy front-runner, Adele shocked no one in taking the top honor at the 54th Grammy Awards. She was also named best new artist along with song of the year.

On February 11, 2012, Whitney Houston was found dead in suite 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, submerged in the bathtub. The cause of death was not immediately known. It was later ruled by the coroner to have been "accidental drowning".Whitney died at the age 48 and on the eve of The Grammy’s no less. This is sad time for everyone as we lose one of the greatest singers there was. It’s sad to see Whitney go just as she about to make her come back. Regardless of her past with drugs no one can deny she was an extremely talented singer. When someone dies it’s always in their best interest to paint them in the best light so not to tarnish their memory but it seems some people could not give Whitney that same respect. Not long after her death pictures of her body along with old photos of her strung out were posted all over the tabloids.  Whitney Houston wasn’t perfect she did drugs, so what! She’s not the first or the last. Everyone makes mistakes it’s just that when you’re a celebrity yours are broadcasted all over the world for everybody to see. They’re held to an incredibaly high standard and crucified when they don’t meet everyone’s expectations. Whitney should not have had her death turned into a media circus.

Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe is starring in his new film The Lady in Black and I can’t wait to see it. I’ve heard good reviews about the movie and I personally believe Daniel Radcliffe can do no wrong. It’s sad to see Harry Potter come to an end but now hopefully we’ll see Daniel along with other Potter characters we know and love taking on other ventures on the big screen. The film summed up is basically about a young lawyer (Radcliffe) who travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorner woman is terrorizing the locals. There aren’t too many movies I’ll go to the theaters to see, but anything with Daniel is worth the trip.

On January 5th MTV aired the 5th and hopefully the last season of Jersey Shore. I’m either board out of mind or there is completely nothing else on television to watch if I turn to channel 42 to watch this show. When this show first came out I admit I was a regular viewer, not because I’m Vinny or Pauly fans, but because I just love watching other people make complete idiots of themselves. I think most of America would agree be it fans of the show or not, where really laughing at them not with them. It was an ok show to watch when you had absolutely nothing else to do but kill time, but now the show is losing its edge and becoming way too repetitive. By the fourth season I was done. The same things always happened over and over and it just became less funny. Jersey Shore is done, they’ve done it all and we’ve seen it all. Parting, fighting, and sex are the three cycles of the show and I got enough of that season 1-3.

I’ve recently started watching the TV show Being Human on Syfy and it’s not too bad. It’s an adaption of the British series of the same show. The U.S. version is basically an original series that follows three 20-something roommates: A ghost, a vampire and a werewolf who are struggling to keep their dark secrets from the world, while also helping each other navigate the complexities of living double lives. What I like about this show is its ability to step outside the box and do the unexpected. The vampire doesn’t blow up in the sun, or sparkle for that matter, (Twilight pun), and the story line is pretty interesting. I came in a little late to series so I don’t know exactly how these people, or things, came to be friends and live in the same house. And yes the vampire and werewolf are very good friends, they’re not competing over the same girl, and the werewolf never takes off his shirt, (another Twilight pun). I really enjoy this show and say it’s worth the watch.