Book Review: Hispanics in the Film Industry

I am happy to say that next week, as a requirement for my TV Communications course, I will be doing a book review that has to do anything about the media. I guess I am more proud to say that my topic will be about Hispanics in the U.S. film industry. The book I will be reading, titled "Hispanics and United States Film: An Overview and Handbook" (Keller) is a review and study on how Hispanics were depicted during the early stages of the U.S. movie explosion, all the way to the present times

It is pretty obvious that back then, if you were Hispanic, you were pretty much put in "ethnic roles" such as an exotic woman, a fiery female, or a mysterious man. However, I also know that if you were Latin or Hispanic, and you wanted to get far in movies, then perhaps one option you needed to do is change your identity....entirely.

Case in point: Rita Hayworth. This alluring beauty is indeed my favorite actress of my entire life! Yet, her real name isn't "Rita Hayworth". She was born Margarita Carmen Cansino, whose father was a Spanish flamenco dancer, and her mother was of Anglo-Irish descent. It turns out that in the beginning stages of her Hollywood career, her first husband order her to change her name ("Hayworth" was her mother's maiden name), raise her hairline with electrolysis (she had thick, jet-black hair that was pretty low in the forehead) and dyed it red. That way, she can look less "Latin" and more "girl-next-door". Hence, the all American Love Goddess was born. And her movie career blossomed after that. A small clip of her Hollywood career life is shown above (you'll be pretty amazing that she doesn't look an inch Hispanic).

However, Latinos (in my opinion)....whatever you like it or not, are indeed the most versatile looking people in the world. They pretty much can get away with anything in any given role due to their looks and aura. Yet, they are still given ethnic/stereotypical performances.

Oscars 2012: "The Artist" wins Best Picture; Dujardin, Streep win Best Acting

Jason Merritt/Getty Images (www.nj.com)

The 84th Academy Awards just rounded up, with the silent black-and-white movie "The Artist" winning Best Picture. This was the last award of the night, finishing off with the lovely 1920s silent movie walking away with 5 Oscars, including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Costume Design and Best Original Music Score [1]. Director Michel Hazanavicius was a sure winner for his Best Directing award, swooping away as many accolades during the entire awards season.

However,  after a night full of glamour, laughter and, I must say, full of surprises, the biggest shocker came when Meryl Streep, who was nominated under the Best Actress category for her portrayal of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady", won her 3rd Oscar, beating out favorite and "sure" winner Viola Davis (The Help) for the award [2]. This is the second time in a row for the academy to award a perfomance based on a British personality, with Colin Firth being awarded for his portryal of King George VI in "The King's Speech" last year.

French actor Jean Dujardin won Best Actor, thanks to his role in "The Artist", where he played a silent film star who is struggling to find his status after talkies move in during the late 1920s film industry. A jubilant Dujardin even cried out a few words in French to expresses is gratitude, as well as exclaiming, "I love your country" in front of the audience [3].

Best Supporting Actor went to Christopher Plummer for his role in the film "Beginners". At 82 years old, he is the oldest person to win an Academy Award [4]. Octavia Spencer won Best Supporting Actress for the movie "The Help", even beating castmate Jessica Chastain for the prize.

Martin Scorsese's film "Hugo" was perhaps a major threat for "The Artist", winning 5 awards during the night, even tying with the Best Picture awardee. The 3D film walked away with Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Sounding Edit, Best Sound Mixing and Best visual effects [1] Best Foreign Film went to Iran's "A Separation." and Best Documentary was awarded to  "Undefeated".

On a personal note, I was happy with the results. Although I was pretty much upset that the academy shunned Micheal Fassbender for his role in "Shame"[5], and I was betting Viola Davis was going to win, this year's ceremony was pretty upbeat, a tad "honest"[6], and didnt seem to try to hard to impress the crowd.

Congratulations to all of tonight's winners.

For a complete list, click here.

...on another note, consider this topic: Transhumanism

Hmmm, this is interesting. In an article release by The Vigilant Citizen, it seems that mass media has a way of promoting tranhumanism to society. To those of you who dont know, transhumanism is a term that is defined as, "...the merging of humans and robots" [1]. I must say that I have seen this concept being portrayed in the media, whether in music, television, movies, etc (I am not going to name the titles out loud, I dont want to start an argument with people). Yet, it seems like a trend that robots and human should be "one". Although I dont have a final answer on what I think about this, or whether I agree or disagree, I have to say that I like keeping my options open and if something of a new topic is presented in front of me, then there is no harm in trying something new.

But, like I said, please keep in mind that I am not taking "sides". This is just an article that I found interesting, and I am sharing it with you to see what you think.

To read article, click here.

Madonna tops VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music list

This should come as no surprise. If you were following VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music  countdown last week, then you know the always surprising Madonna was crowned the number one spot [1]. Not that its a complete shock, though. Madonna has always been hailed as THE revolutionary artist, the same equivalent to that of the late Michael Jackson has done so in the male music industry. Number 2 was given to Mariah Carey and the third spot was for Beyonce. Adele and Lady Gaga round up the top 5, with the late Whitney Houston coming in close with the number 6 spot.

Rounding out the Top 10 is: Janet Jackson (#7), Christina Aguilera, Mary J. Blige, and Pink.

The list also includes the likes of Missy Elliot, Britney Spears, the late Aaliyah, Sheryl Crow, Gloria Estefan, Annie Lennox, to name a few.

To view the complete list, click here

China to recieve more Hollywood films

Hmmm...this sounds like good news! Apparently, China has stucked a deal with Hollywood studios over films. This also means that more 3D, and IMAX theater could be distributed across China.

Plus, foreign film companies, "...will also be permitted to take a 25% cut of the box office, nearly double the current 13%-17%." [1]

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is quite optimistic about the news, saying that the deal will help "thousands of American jobs in and around the film industry," [2] to which an estimated 2.2 million Americans have jobs that work around or heavily rely on the film and television industries.

So, more IMAX theaters opening in China, with the Chinese population enjoying our awesome movie formats, equals more job for us American citizens...sounds like a great deal to me :)

BAFTA Winners Dujardin, Streep, get "bounce" ahead of Oscar week, with L.A. Times developing "Oscar Senti-meter"

With Jean Dujardin (The Artist) and Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) winning in the best acting categories during the 2012 BAFTA's [1], it seems that the whole world is going go-go, ga-ga over these two, meaning each were given one huge "leap" (especially Dujardin) of winning the ever-prestigious Oscars next week. With the Academy Awards being this upcoming Sunday, February 26th, Oscar buzz is definitely among us.

So what the L.A. Times decided to do (along with IBM and the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab) was develop an interactive tool that, "...analyzes opinions about the Academy Awards race by combing through and cataloging a high volume of tweets each day." [2]. Known as "Oscar Senti-meter", it pretty much tracks tweets and a number of "positive, negative and neutral opinions shared in the messages" about a particular cinema/nominee/award topic. For instance, "The Artist" was mentioned with a total of 10,296 tweets during BAFTA night, with Dujardin getting 2,330 tweets during that same night. However, before the awards ceremony took place Feb 12, a daily average of 1,250 tweets mentioned "The Artist" and a total of 454 tweets per day from Feb. 9-11 mentioned Dujardin. This means both subjects skyrocketed during the night of the awards ceremony, with many being positive and congratulatory tweets around the time the ceremony took place.

Well, technology does have its advantages, and this tool could be quite an accessible tool to predict the winners during cinema's most biggest night. My money is on Jean Dujardin! I find him not only talented, but oh-so charming!!

The Oscar Senti-meter can be found here.

The 84th Academy Awards airs live Sunday, February 26th, 7e/4p on ABC (Ch7)

Google's Privacy Policy: Hate It or Love It?

These past couple of weeks, every time I use either Google or YouTube, I always come across a little note of the right-hand corner saying that Google's privacy policy is changing. Well, I did read it, but Im still a little sketchy. Then I came across Daily Mail's article about how now the super powerful seach engine would be more sensitive when you try to search for something.

So the next time your logged in into your Google account, it seems that whatever you seached, say "kittens", then when you log into YouTube later on, it would have video recommendations of precious little kitty's. There are still a lot more features Google is trying to explain, but Im still scartching my head about it. However, it seems to me that what Google is trying to do is make sharing a whole lot "easier". Yet, there is backlash about all this, with one even quoting "Google will know more about you than your wife does. Everything across your screens will be integrated and tracked"[1]

Well, I dont know about this. Could be "easier", but I cant help but wonder that big brother is somewhere, out there, lurking around.

But who knows, this could be beneficial to some. What do you think?

Eminem - Without Me

Okay, my explanation. So, my reason of putting this song "Without Me" by Eminem (2002), was due to his jab at the FCC. I thought it would make sense posting it, considering that the FCC was discussed in class, especially for they monitor and/or fine you. Also, throughout the video, you see how both Eminem and Dr. Dre's character are trying to "save" a child from listening to "The Eminem Show" CD, which has a Parental Advisory sticker. This proves the the recording industries are required to warn listerners ahead of time if any of their recordings are shown to have explicit lyrics.

This video is meant to be of fun humor, so I apologize for those of you who are sensitive to these types of parody and/or music. I have to say this music video (and song) was a favorite of mine and my twin sister's back when we were teens.

Enjoy!

Topic of the Day: Subliminal Messages

   So today in class, we discussed on how advertisements, TV commercials, and such, usually have a "secret" message that is hidden away for the public eye not to notice. In fact, it is pretty amazing to learn that even the most innocent looking images,symbols, caption, etc., are indeed very dirty or very naughty to read. Why?Because they are "hidden". People might read and see whats's in of them, but usually don't think nothing of it. Luckily, due to a very analytically mind (okay, well kinda), I am usually aware of my surroundings and once in awhile, I critically analyze a picture to see what is hidden, especially symbols.

   When the class started out discussing about these "hidden" messages, one word instantly popped on my mind, "Illuminati". Yes, I know, I said it. But to be very, very honest, whether others might roll their eyes, or preach about this topic,  this type of  vigilant discussion is extremely popular among the local crowd, and I usually hear stories about how the music, government, toys, etc., all have a hidden meanings in their products. Well, I don't judge, and I like keep my options open and listen to what the people have to say. So, to give an example, below there is a link that directs you towards an article, which discusses on how a popular doll brand is filled with hidden symbols that the naked eye usually pass by it.

   Keep in mind that I like to keep my options open, and it doesn't necessarily mean I immediately take sides. This is just for an analytical assignment.

http://vigilantcitizen.com/latestnews/bratz-dolls-in-illuminati-masquerade-ball/

TV Review: Pretty Little Liars

Before I forget, this post was another post I had to re-write for my blog, which is dated January 31st.

So, here are a few quick sentences. Well, I have to admit, I am not a big huge TV watcher...especially since there is toooo many reality shows every time I change the channel. But I cant deny there are a few good TV shows. This show, "Pretty Little Liars" is popular among the teen crowd and I can see why.

First, it breaks away from the current trends of glamourous socialites and vampires vs. werewolves type programs. This show, about 4 friends (Aria, Spencer, Emily, and Hannah) who are being harassed by a stranger known as "A", are trying to determine who could be  the ever-menacing "A" individual, for she is threatening to expose all their deepest secrets. At first, they assume it was their dead Queen B, Allison, but her body was found later on in the series. Why I like this show? It has this certain crime-spy thriller theme , as well as some detective work a la Nancy Drew. These four girls are determine to fight for their love ones, while trying to uncover who is this mysterious individual that has been emotionally threatening them plus what does she/he want? Who could be "A"? Well apparently, the show is set to reveal the mysterious character in a few weeks.

"Pretty Little Liars"  airs Monday night at 8:00pm PT on ABC Family

Stephen Bogart attends father's "Casablanca" screening at the Smithsonian

Stephen Bogart, son of legendary actor Humphrey Bogart, attended the screening of his father's most famous movie, "Casablanca" at the Smithsonian Muesuem this past weekend. The film, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, was the first film played this past Friday night at the new Warner Bros. theater at the National Museum of American History. The screening was also followed by three of Humphrey Bogart's other films, as well as his "Casablanca" suit being put on displayed for visitors to see. Stephen Bogart remembered his father very warmly that night, recalling that although he didnt get to know him very well (Bogart was 8 years old when his father died), he did said that his father was a very humble man, who was proud of his success, and would've been quite shock to know that his work was being displayed at the prestigious Smithsonian.

The American Film Institute has ranked Humphrey Bogart as the greatest male legend of all time.

The newly built Smithsonian Warner Bros. theater will also showcase Clint Eastwood films this June, along with a Civil War genre film festival to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the American war this upcoming October.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/humphrey-bogarts-son-opens-film-festival-at-smithsonians-national-museum-of-american-history/2012/02/03/gIQA8TeMnQ_story.html

TIME Magazine project their "winners" for the 2012 Oscar season

So, this post was meant for January 30th, 2012, for I willingly decided to instead switch into a blogger journal rather than a notebook diary.

Well, anywho, I recieved my TIME magazine last week, and immediately saw that they are already planning ahead of who might win Best Picture for the 2012 Oscars race. Well, it is no surprise that the movie "The Artist" was chosen as their number one choice, in front of "The Descendants" and "The Help". Its is no "shock" for me to be honest. The Artist has been blowing away award season this year, thanks to its flawless cinematography and its charming, nostalgic plot.
However, in their website, they announce who might be the winners in the acting categories, with  "The Descendants" George Clooney being their projected winner. But you know, awards season is full of surprises (sometimes) and my vote is on Clooney's French counterpart Jean Dujardin of "The  Artist". If he won the SAG award for Best Actor, chances are he might get to walk away with the prestigious golden statue and take it home to his native France :)



http://entertainment.time.com/2012/01/24/2012-oscar-nominations-who-will-win/#best-supporting-actor

An Intro

Hello :) To begin with, my "alias" is Bell, and I am currently a college student in the West Coast. I have to say that I am doing this blog for my Honors class, for which  our class was given the choice of either using a notebook or creating a blog for our Media Journal. Since I am not to keen of printing or cutting paper and pasting it into my journal/notebook, I figured that creating a blog will be much simpler. Plus! I can put music! 

The point of this journal is to observe (or describe) any current media events that are making weekly headlines. Whether its analyzing a recent media topics, or describing a movie that I saw on TCM, this blog is an informative way to keep myself up to date with any media-related news plus to improve and understand the world of mass media and communication in a way I have never encountered before.

This should be a fun project, for I love to write and I cant wait to where this leads to :)

Hope you'll enjoy it!

Take care!