Academic Research Project

The paparazzi have always been known for their notoriety and aggressive, dog-eat-dog ways of capturing celebrities, politicians and other prominent people at their most candid moments. These pictures become their source of income, but sometimes they cross a hundred miles over the line of privacy to shoot a buck. So the question is, How far should the paparazzi be allowed to go when shooting the famous?


Let's be real for a quick second: Britney Spears went crazy for a long while. After her breakup with K-Fed, it was all downhill. She had to fight for the custody of her kids, she tried to escape being a regular on TMZ. But it didn't help her situation when all of a sudden she came under the public eye with an interesting new do - BALD! Here, Britney goes apesh!t on smothering "photojournalists."

BLOG 7: Internet

There are 179 social networking websites listed.

I have only heard of twenty of these websites listed.

Looking through the list, I didn’t see HitRECord.org, a collaborative, social networking site where members (RECorders) submit original pictures, texts, videos, songs, etc. (RECords) and combine them into larger RECords with money-making potential. I also didn’t see PosttheLove.com, Channing Tatum’s site that lets members post up anything that they feel is inspiring and heartfelt - a vehicle to spread the love to others in a creative way.

One site I have never heard of is VampireFreaks.com. It’s is an online community for the gothic/industrial subcultures, and surrounding topics. It was created by site owner, Jethro Berelson (Jet) in 1999. It began with a small number of forums dedicated to gothic/industrial music but has gained high popularity in recent years in the gothic community circle and the site eventually grew (Wikipedia.org).

I use social networking sites to stay in touch with my friends, and blog about anything I feel needs to be addressed. I use mainly Facebook.com, Blogger.com, and HitRECord.org. I have never had an incident in which social networking got me in trouble. But Blogger.com helps me so much with organizing my thoughts and venting about little things stressing me out.

BLOG Week 6: Television

length: 3 minutes 5 seconds
description: Michael Bay's The Island presents the audience with a huge amount of promotional tie-ins.
chapters: Ch 6. Movies
question: The specific type of promotional tie-ins that includes certain brands and products in movies (ex: Puma athletic wear, Nokia, and Budweiser in The Island) is called ___________ or ________________.
answer: product placement, brand integration

Week 5: Movies or Recordings

My favorite song of 2009 is The Fray's "Absolute" from their sophomore album,The Fray. The band, who is known for their deep, heartfelt power-ballads, hits us with another one with such lyrics like this: "It's a kiss that sits upon her lips, That waits for planes and battleships," and "All we are and all we want, Forty years come and gone, All we are in photographs, Will never be taken." What I really love about this song is the lyrics. They give off visuals and references to times of war. In fact, the lyrics bring me back to World War II and the famous photograph of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square when the Navy returned (here). The first time I heard this song was on their CD.

Bonus:

This performance was actually a free livestream concert on their website from Webster Hall In New York City.

I would define "oldies" as anything before I was born, especially music that came from the peers of my parents' generation. That being said, my favorite oldie of all time would have to be "Let It Be" by, of course, The Beatles. I first heard the song on an audiocassette my parents had, who are big fans of The Beatles. Like "Absolute," the lyrics are what caught my attention. The song has an anthemic vibe of optimism and sheds light to all dark times. No matter what Hell is thrown at you, everything will be alright, "There will be an answer, Let it be."

Bonus:

Brooke White performs "Let It Be" On American Idol. This is probably my favorite non-Beatles performance of the song. You can definitely hear and feel the emotions and the utter sincerity the song brings to everyone who sings it.

Week 4: Magazines

Name: Artist Locale

Concept: The magazine would cover all art-related things within Silicon Valley, including up and coming artists, fashion designers, architects, art exhibits from both underground and mainstream artists, and worthy local concerts to check out. It would be a cross between art and fashion.

Readers: 18+, men and women, all ethnicities and income levels (articles will include bargain-hunting tips and date and times for art exhibits with little to none admission fees; living in such a diverse area, featured artists would be of all ethnicities - Asian, Latino, Black, White - you name it.

Competition: national magazines such as GQ, Teen Vogue, Elle, Nylon. The different would be the quality of the content. The articles and content will be for real people of a real down-to-earth place like Silicon Valley, unlike the San Fernando Valley.

Advertisers:
1. owners of sophisticated, yet affordable restaurants
2. up and coming fashion designers
3. up and coming striving artists
4. architect firms
5. art gallery directors

Articles:
1. Best local bargain-hunting treasures
2. DIY clothing from old sweaters, cardigans, jackets, etc
3. interview with successful Bay Area artist + tips on how to become successful
4. interview with up and coming painter who was featured in a national magazine
5. A published journal of an art school's sruggle to hit it big and make his or her mark in the art world.

The premier issue would have a picture of a architecturally-pleasing close-up of San Jose's City Hall. "Artist Locale" would be in red letters, featured articles would be mentioned on the sides with black and red letters, and the close-up would be of the hall's steel beams touching the blue, cloudless sky.