"We're going streaking..."

Assignment 3-1: Weekly Written Analysis
November 23, 2009. 5:30 am.

I would say that when it comes to a man, I definitely have a "type," but unfortunately one man broke that mold and stole my heart.

He is big, hairy, enjoys being naked, has an odd looking face, and is absolutely hilarious. He is Will Ferrell.



Will Ferrell has been making us laugh for many years. From Saturday Night Live to over 35 films, Will Ferrell is an outrageously funny person. He is an actor, a comedian, does voice-overs, writes and directs. His resume may be long, but that's not why Will Ferrell is a front man of popular culture. He gives his roles something extra, something memorable.

It could be the image burned in our minds of "Frank the Tank" running through town naked, his awesome impressions of George W. Bush and Harry Caray or one of the many lines from his films that we all repeat over and over but the point is, he's number one. Fitting, there's a quote for this:

"If you're not first, you're last!" -Ricky Bobby

Although Will Ferrell is loved by many, not everyone shares this feeling. Forbes named Will Ferrell the most overpaid actor of 2009. This was based on the blockbuster disaster “Land of the Lost” and the fact the actor demands a very high salary but the roles don’t always pay off.

Payoff or not, I love Will Ferrell. I have never been disappointed with anything he has done and I will to continue to look forward to his future projects!

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References:

1. http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/17/hollywoods-most-overpaid-stars-business-entertainment-overpaid-stars.html
2. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002071/

Journal of Popular Culture

Assignment 1-2: Journal Article Analysis
November 22, 2009. 4:00 pm

After perusing articles in the Journal of Popular Culture, I discovered one that was perfect for me! The article title is "For the Love of Joe: The Language of Starbucks."

Reference:
Ruzich, C.M., (2008). For the love of Joe: The language of Starbucks.
[Electronic version]. Journal of Popular Culture, 41, 3, 428-442.

99 Bottles of Beer...

on the wall, 99 bottles of beer... take one down pass it around 98 bottles of beer on the wall!!

Assignment 2-1: Weekly Written Analysis Week 2
November 16, 2009. 4:15 pm

I work at a British pub and beer is our business. Throughout the years, the beer industry has grown into a billion dollar industry. The Glunz Beer website states, "there are nearly 13,000 brands of beer available in the U.S." With all of those choices, how do you know which one is your favorite?

Hmmm. You try them all!

No, not just to spend money and get drunk but to invite variety and adventure into one's life. Programs offered at bars have a pre-chosen list of beers that the "tourist" must drink. In return, once the list is completed, that establishment usually offers discounted beers for life, souvenirs and respect!


Within a five mile radius of my house there are three beer tours available:
The Pub- The "passport" looks like your average passport with a list of 55 beers inside. If all 55 beers are consumed at one location, the guest will receive $4.00 pints for life. If the guest consumes a beer at each Pub location, they will receive $3.50 pints for life. Cost- $10.00. Time-Unlimited.



Winking Lizard- The tour has 150 beers, but only 100 have to be consumed. At the 50 mark, a gift is given. Once 100 are consumed, the guest receives a tour jacket and an invite to the Finisher's Party. Cost- $10.00. Time- 1 year.



Bob's Bar- The "Bob's Bar World Tour" consists of two phases. (1) Drink 88 beers, receive a t-shirt (2) Once phase one is complete, 44 more beers down you get the lovely gift of an engraved mug and big beers for a little price! Cost- free. Time- Unlimited.


These three bars are just a few examples of beer tours. They are fun and they open up a whole new world of beers. I belong to Bob's tour and I have discovered beers I never knew I would love, beers I hate, beers that go great with whatever I am cooking and beers that make me throw up whatever I previously ate.


Bars would not go through all of the trouble of designing these tours if they were not popular. With beer continuously growing, these beer tours can only get bigger!


P.s. Please drink responsibly!!


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References:

1. http://www.glunzbeers.com/Site/IndustryFacts.aspx?pagename=IndustryFacts&hd=4
2. http://www.bobsbar.com/custom/wtour.asp
3. http://winkinglizard.com/data/content/beer_tour.asp

Blondes, Bunnies & Beatles

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CelebReality!

Assignment 1-3: Weekly Analysis
November 9, 2009. 4:15 p.m.


I blame Vh1 for coining the word "celebreality." I also blame them for creating the dumbest shows that ever got my attention such as "Rock of Love" or "Megan Wants a Millionaire" and many, many more. And since we are placing blame, I also would like to blame them for my addiction to celebreality.

I visit two web pages everyday. Sometimes two, three or four times a day.

1. http://www.foxnews.com/
2. http://www.tmz.com/

The second is the problem.

What is TMZ? It is the devil. I honestly do not care about every little update on Gisele Bundchen's love child but somehow I feel obligated and pressured into knowing all the details of her and other Hollywood A-listers. But no matter what, I can gurantee I am not the only person that is tempted by this guilty pleasure.

Lyle Lipps agrees, "40 million Americans tune in each week to watch what judge Simon Cowell calls, "a singing competition."

Staying up to date with celebrities lives, copying their fashions, eating what they eat, its all part of an obsession. These are people we have come to respect, love and envy. America wants to feel connected to these people.

We can't help it. Ok, that is an excuse for my addiction. If you suffer from the same problem, then here is my contribution. Today is Monday, November 9, 2009 and this is your low calorie serving of POP! Culture: CelebReality (all thanks to TMZ!):

1. Michael Jackson's doctors are at war! (still... ugh get over it, you are both in trouble)
2. Jon Gosselin is being sued for breach of contract by TLC. (I still want him & Kate to reconcile)
3. Jennifer Lopez is trying hard not to allow her ex-husband to make private home videos of the pair public. (this one, I actually don't care about)

That's it. A lot more drama, feuding, and lame appearances but you'll have to find out for yourself!

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References:

1. http://www.thecra.org/Strange%20Club/Member%20Material/ReadMyLipps/AmericanIdolatry.htm
2. http://www.tmz.com/

Popular Culture

Assignment 1-1: Popular Culture Blog
November 9, 2009. 3:30 p.m.


Popular culture is Michael Jackson, Family Guy, playing flip cup, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. It's Twilight, celebReality, iPhones and blogging.

Our lives are not only surrounded, but consumed with popular culture. Wikipedia defines popular culture as "the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture. Heavily influenced by mass media (at least from the early 20th century onward) and perpetuated by that culture's vernacular language, this collection of ideas permeates the everyday lives of the society." In any other situation, it would not be appropriate to cite Wikipedia, but Wikipedia is an example of pop culture, therefore allowing me a pass.

What is pop culture to me? To me, popular culture is what makes up society. If you are aware of Britney Spears' new song or you knew about the drama in the Dodgers' organization, then you have a conversation starter. Popular culture is what the "people" want, what they listen to, what they wear, what they are fascinated by and also all of those things they love to hate.

My life is advertising, marketing, and business. I came from a ambitious family, and I refuse to fail. I keep up with whats "in," I watch VH1 and FoxNews, I am constantly reading and I am a social butterfly. Popular culture not only plays a big role in my life, but one day it will play a big role in my business.

Popular culture in the business world is HUGE! Whether you are building a product or service, marketing it, or advertising it, you have to make sure it will succeed in today's society. Popular culture is not only what the people want, its what they need. By continuously keeping up with pop culture, and researching it, a business has a better chance of succeeding in today's society.


Popular Culture Artifacts

A popular culture artifact defined by dictionary.com states "any mass-produced, usually inexpensive object reflecting contemporary society or popular culture."

For my popular culture item I chose a show that I love to watch. The Colbert Report. I would say that it is journalism at its funniest. I chose this show as my artifact because although the audience should watch a real news show to get all of the facts, Colbert brings an interest to issues normally one would be bored with. Colbert has taken a concept, a humorous news show, and turned it into a following. "The Colbert Nation."

















Today's society loves "characters," and Stephen Colbert is definitely a character. Colbert's book "I Am America (And So Can You!) was an instanst success and his television show continues to be a hit.


Popular Culture has, does, and will always play an important role in our lives. We can choose to follow it, lead it or even ignore it, but it's not going away. So I only have one thing to say, "I Am Pop Culture (And So Can You!)"

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Refernces:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_culture
2. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/artifact