Blog Post 10

Source: http://variety.com/video/jake-gyllenhaal-margot-robbie-actors-on-actors/

Watching “Actors on Actors” with Jake Gyllenhaal and Margot Robbie, viewers get an inside look in the stars’ personal lives and thoughts. Jake and Margot comment and evaluate each other’s work and them playing real-life people. Margot said “Playing a real-life person, especially if they’re still alive is difficult to tackle”. She is definitely correct because with real-life people actors and actresses can’t put that gimmicky Hollywood aspect on the character. They have to be authentic and really capture that person’s personality, especially if they’re still alive.

Source:http://www.celebscool.com/margot-robbie-jake-gyllenhaal-varietys-actors-actors-studio-los-angeles-november-11-2017/

Although Margot believes that you have to be authentic when executing that person’s life in the role, but she didn’t want to get close to Tonya Harding for the film, I Tonya. She didn’t want to start to like her because then she would come up with excuses for all of her flaws because she’s a people pleaser. Whereas Jake got extremely close to Jeff Bauman for film, Stronger. She wanted to separate her feelings toward the person so she wouldn’t skew the facts about that person. Every time she has a job she doesn’t want to get attached to the team and crew she has been working with. Jake has the same sentiments but tries not to end the relationships he has developed with his team. Margot also separates her personal life and work. She finds it extremely important to separate the two although at times its extremely difficult.

Source: http://www.celebscool.com/margot-robbie-jake-gyllenhaal-varietys-actors-actors-studio-los-angeles-november-11-2017/

While talking about their personal lives they both mentioned a loss of sleep. People don’t realize that actors and actresses don’t spend a few weeks on a project/film, they spend years of their lives on a project especially when 1 character is the focus. Both actors feel that it’s important to entertain the audience but most definitely in a meaningful way. Jake says “movies can bring joy” and when you watch a movie you can feel the character’s emotions. Which is simply an example of Alignment and Elaboration where the more the audience knows about the character, the more likely they are to align with them.

Source: http://today.news.itthon.ma/news/margot-robbie-and-jake-gyllenhaal-on-separating-fame-from-their-personal-lives

Death and Dying on TV

Source: https://moviepilot.com/posts/3859124

TV shows have almost always had a death throughout the series. Whether they succeeded in killing that person off properly or not is the question. There are plenty of shows who killed off a character and it had an impact in the storyline of the show or there was a great plot twist to be shared from that character’s death. Others fail miserably. For example, the show The 100, the character Lincoln was killed off. Lincoln was a Grounder that helped try to crate peace between Sky Crew and the Grounders. He was also Octavia’s boyfriend and he was killed. With his death the showrunners only focused on Octavia’s grief and no one else’s even though he was friends with a lot of people on the show but, with his death Octavia’s character grew so much. She not only became a vicious killer but she also became a leader of the Grounders and Sky Crew.

Death on television needs work. Most TV shows leave the fans wondering… “WTF”. In majority of the shows there is no grief stages or closure. Showrunners gloss over the death and by the next episode, everyone on the show has forgotten about the character who has died or don’t bring it up until several episodes later. Some shows handle death way better than others. Shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, How to get away with Murder, Glee, Kingdom, Jane the Virgin, and even Sesame Street handles death exceedingly better than others. These shows don’t just forget about the character who has died they spend multiple episodes speaking on it. The character who has died also could help develop characters even more or actually help the plot of the story. They Showrunners allow the other characters on the show to grieve and they show real-life scenes of grieving which is important for viewers.

Source:http://www.refinery29.com/2017/01/134806/who-killed-wes-theories-how-to-get-away-with-murder 

Showing the grief scenes are more beneficial for the viewers then the actual death part. It’s important for the viewers to humanize the characters because when they do, they’re more sympathetic to the characters. They also see what a lot of people go through when they have lost someone they care dearly about. If they see this maybe they can be aware of what and what not to do if they’ve lost someone or if they know someone who has lost someone. There is no right way to grieve but they will have a general understanding.

Source: http://cinemorgue.wikia.com/wiki/Ryan_Cooley

Children should also be exposed to death on TV. It’s important for them to see it because if their parents don’t have a talk about death with them then they should know what it is some other way. Kid shows can show it to them in a way that they understand what death is without scarring tem for life.

Racial Representations on TV

Source: http://www.gafollowers.com/thats-raven-spinoff-will-ravens-divorced-kids/

The show That’s So Raven, tackled racism and prejudice in season 3 episode 10, “True Colors”, for Black History Month. The episode starts off with Corey, Raven’s brother, not appreciating the Soul Food his parents are making because he wants to eat pizza. Raven comes in and tells her parents she and her best friend Chelsea are going to the mall to apply for a job at fictional store, Sassy’s. Her parents want her to stay and celebrate Black History Month with them but, Raven responds with “No disrespect, but I want to celebrate getting this job, so, I’m black and I’m history”. Later at Sassy’s, the manager Chloe sets up a series of tasks for the girls to show off their ‘skills’ and Raven completes every one with flying colors while Chelsea fails miserably.

Source: https://moviepilot.com/p/anneliese-van-der-pol-chelsea-thats-so-raven-sequel/4148614

Corey is working on a Black History Month report for school and gets a stern talking to from his Dad when he realizes that Corey didn’t put any effort into it. Meanwhile, Chelsea receives a call from Chloe saying she got the job so Raven automatically assumes she definitely going to have a job as well. Chelsea asks if Raven got the job as well and she didn’t. Raven then proceeds to have a vision, as per usual and in it she sees the manager saying she doesn’t hire black people. After school Eddy, Chelsea and Raven all discuss racism and discrimination. Raven says, “I always knew about racism, but I never knew how much it could hurt.”. Chelsea decides to quit the job because of the manager’s discrimination. It’s important for friends and family to discuss these types of things with each other to get everyone’s perspective and to teach them to see the signs of racism.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrmSKyP6_0Y

Corey has a dream about Fredrick Douglass and Bessie Coleman, and they take him on a journey through the past and show him that it’s not at all boring. They show him that without Black people’s contributions, then people wouldn’t have many of the things they have today like CD’s, Traffic Lights, etc. Raven tells her parents about what’s going on and they tell Raven not to give up in fighting for her rights and to get the manager to admit that she’s a racist. They call in the New station and gets Chelsea to wear a spy cam in her hat. While in the store the manager tells Chelsea to keep a close eye on a man who is black in the store. She doesn’t know of course that’s it’s just Raven in disguise. The manager says to Chelsea, “Chelsea, certain kinds of people need a little more attention”. Chelsea follows the man and is literally on his back when Raven reveals who she is to Chelsea. Chelsea doesn’t try to act like she understands what Raven is going through which was the best thing about this episode. Being a show with a predominately Black cast, it was nice to finally see a white person being a supporting character who didn’t act like they understood Black people’s problem.

Source: https://twitter.com/childhoodruiner/status/456583520031219712

The show combats racism through comedy and while some scenes are rather serious, they still add comedic relief into it. Using comedy to address serious situations isn’t the best method but, I do think the episode succeeded in discussing racism because the audience were children. Kids watching this episode were exposed to the truth of how some people act and think about people of color. The audience could still see the severity of the situation but, because of the comedy, they didn’t really grasp the importance of the episode.

Source: http://thatssoraven.wikia.com/wiki/Home

LGBTQ on TV

Source: http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Newest-Rainbow-Flag-90x150cm-3×5-FT-Lesbian-Gay-Pride-Polyester-LGBT-Colorful-Flag-Banner-Rainbow-For/2662182_32787067477.html

 

The LGBTQ community has come a long way in our society since 1970 when the first Gay Liberation Day March is held in New York City. Of course before this we seen gay characters on television, but never at the amount it is today. There has been a rise in gay roles on television since the mid-1990s. Perhaps this is due to the fact of the many changes that happened during this time the World Health Organization finally publicly stated that homosexuality wasn’t an illness. Maybe it is because new LGBT Organizations were founded like BiNet USA, Outrage! and Queer Nation. Or perhaps, we can blame it on anti-discrimination against homosexuality, the fight against AIDS, and new marriage laws. All of these progressive acts could have contributed to heterosexuals being more and more comfortable around homosexuals because they were moving away from being ostracized, to being integrated into human society.

Prior to all of these movements while we did see homosexuals on TV, it wasn’t the large amount we see today. If there were gay characters on a TV show they were often supporting characters and used for comedic effect. Showrunners and producers used them for comedy yes, but it could also be possible that they were trying to make heterosexuals less uncomfortable by homosexuals if they were making jokes, not talking about their sex life, and somehow shown in a positive and uplifting way. On some shows like All in the Family and MASH, writers were trying to humanize gay people and make them more relatable.

Source: http://ew.com/article/2016/10/19/blindspot-rich-dotcom-ennis-esmer-season-2/

It is important for audiences of all ages to be exposed to the LGBTQ Community and since our society relies heavily on TV, this is the most effective way. Always portraying gay people as the stereotypical flamboyant gay isn’t helpful in that it generalizes the entire community, but it is imperative to our culture and society to show some form off LGBTQ people on television so that it can help in normalizing it in our society. For example, on Showtime’s hit show Queer as Folk, viewers saw character Emmett Honeycutt and he was a very feminine homosexual. Emmett wore lip gloss, tight pants, bright colors, etc. and didn’t care what people thought of him and yet when they got a look into his life they saw that he too craved what all humans crave… sex and love. Viewers need to continue to watch gay people interact with heterosexuals and take from it that homosexuals are not ordinary, but they are human. The whole point is to humanize the LGBTQ Community to prevent heterosexuals from discriminating, fearing, and even killing them.

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/363243526176834821/

While it is important for heterosexuals to see gay people on TV, it is of equal importance that young gay people to be able to see them as well. It could be beneficial to them gaining the courage to come out and being who they are. Gay characters on television shows might very well inspire them to be brave and look at these characters and think, if they can do it I can to. That’s why is vital to at least show some insight to gay characters lives to the audience and tell their coming out story whether it had a good or a bad outcome.

Source: https://wornontv.net/54631/

Today, of these 5 shows; Empire, the Flash, Blindspot, Quantico, and How To Get Away With Murder, 4 of them have LGBTQ characters. On Empire, viewers have the gay character Jamal and he is not very feminine. On Blindspot there is character, Rich DotCom. Rich is bisexual and is not feminine but he is the jokester on the show. He is the comedic relief on this drama/crime series. Then you have David Lim on Quantico and he is the epitome of a man. He is very open about his sexuality and yet he isn’t portrayed as the stereotypical gay man. Finally, on HTGAWM, you have character Connor Walsh. Connor is not a feminine male and very open with his sexuality and has had many examples of that throughout the show.

Source: http://greginhollywood.com/russell-tovey-talks-about-harry-doyle-his-intriguing-gay-character-on-abcs-quantico-138545

Gender On TV

 

Source: http://kingsriverlife.com/10/29/charmed/

Our Television culture has always had a predominantly male cast. You see that in shows like M.A.S.H, Two and a Half Men, Sons of Anarchy, Mad Men, Suits, etc. The amount of female oriented casts was always, and still being outnumbered by male casts. Television fanatics love a good show with a strong female lead or cast. For instance, Gilmore Girls, Girlfriends, Sex and the City, Golden Girls, Make it or Break it, Pretty Little Liars, etc. These shows got rave reviews and lasted for as many seasons that shows with predominantly male casts had, if not more.

One of the best TV shows that had a strong female cast was Charmed. Charmed is about three sisters who are witches, and their destiny is to battle and defeat The Source of All Evil and other forces of evil, using their witchcraft. The three sisters, Phoebe, Piper, and Prue all live together in their deceased grandmother’s house where supernatural creatures come to eliminate them. They have the Power Of Three and together can vanquish Warlocks and Demons. No one has more examples of how opposite gender interact on television than Phoebe Halliwell. Phoebe, the youngest, is depicted as the more rebellious and free spirit of the three sisters and as a result of her ‘wild’ nature she wanted to move out of the house on multiple occasions in the series. For example, in the first episode Phoebe is returning from New York City.

Source: http://www.alyssa-j-milano.com/phoebe_romance.html

Phoebe again moves out in season 6, “Witchstock”, to be with her current boyfriend Jason all the way in Hong Kong. Phoebe is a big fan of falling in love and having a family and she isn’t afraid of taking a chance on love even if there is a huge possibility of it not working out. She starts off as someone who doesn’t want the ‘white-picket fence’ dream and yet towards the end of the series she’s literally falling apart over not having a husband and a baby. She starts off as rejecting gender stereotypes yet conforms to them anyway. This is just another example of how women are being perceived as weak and basically saying all women want the same thing… a husband and children. which she later gains with husband..Coop.

Source: https://www.polyvore.com/phoebe_coop/set?id=29534644

In Charmed, power couple Piper and Leo, have faced many hardships throughout their relationship. Viewers notice that when Piper is involved with her sisters or too busy for Leo, he takes a step back and let her handle the situation instead of intervening and trying to protect Piper 24/7. He understands her destiny and while he may not like the situations she’s in, he lets her make her own decisions and essentially be a badass.

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/piper-from-charmed/

All throughout this show, the three sister stand together no matter what, whether when facing the forces of evil or when facing love. In this, they are empowering women to support each other and to never let anything get in the way of your dreams. It inspires viewers to keep fighting for what you want no matter what obstacles you face.

source: https://www.spoilertv.com/2016/04/charmed-10th-anniversary-special-season_30.html

Television Culture and Context

Source: http://www.pollhype.com/andy-griffith-show-facts-fb

The Andy Griffith show aired in 1960 and lasted for 8 years. It’s about a sheriff (Andy) who lives with his son and Aunt. There are few crimes that happen in Mayberry (town) so Andy spends a lot of his time not catching bad guys but, chasing after his crazy, erratic cousin, Deputy Barney.

In episode 8 of season 2, “The Perfect Woman”, Barney and Thelma Lou tries to set Andy up with Thelma’s cousin Karen from Arkansas. This episode aired November 27, 1961 the beginning of the decade that brought a great change for women with the feminist movement. In the episode, Karen gets upset with Andy when she learns that Andy gave her a specific set of questions she had to answer correctly to in order to determine if he liked her or not. Questions that included; “Do you like little boys?” (referring to his son Opie), “Do you bake pie?”, and “Do you like music?”. Upset with the knowledge that she has been ‘auditioned’ for Andy she enters the Skeet Contest that Andy is a champion at. Spoiler Alert, she wins and Barney says, “to lose to a woman… it’s an end of an era”. Andy who doesn’t seem all that upset says it was “the Battle of the Sexes and I came in 2^nd” with a thoughtful smile on his face.

Source: Netflix.com (Screenshot)

In the 60’s, woman was beginning to become more independent and started to fight for equal rights. This episode displays the shift in society at that time and many people hated it. In the background of the scene when Thelma doesn’t miss a shot, viewers have a clear view of the upset faces in the crowd (mostly of men but some woman too). During this time woman are expected to cook clean and be a housewife yet Karen defies all of those norms. When Barney suggested setting up Andy and Karen to Thelma, she said that Karen wasn’t looking for a man right now. This is a prime example of how Karen is a part of the woman who are breaking the barriers society placed upon woman at this time.

Source: Netflix.com (Screenshot)

Source: Netflix.com (Screenshot)

Source: Netflix.com (Screenshot)

Source: Netflix.com (Screenshot)

Today society women have more rights and freedoms than they did in the 60’s but there still is that ‘men are bigger, better, smarter, and stronger’ ideology in our culture. For example, there is still woman who doesn’t get paid the same as a male colleague. Women today have to continue to fight for male dominated positions in the work force and are often denied the opportunity because of their sex. Women are more prone to open their own businesses and start their own companies as a result of the sexist treatment. In the show, Scandal, Olivia opens her own consulting firm called, Olivia Pope & Associates. Today society is seeing more female dominated shows like scandal whereas in the 60’s and early TV history was predominately male lead roles.

Source:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/187251296980235471/ 

Source: http://mayberry.wikia.com/wiki/Karen_Moore

 

 

Blog Post 4

https://youtu.be/n6EtPN5YtoI

       In 90210 season 1 episode 19 “Okaeri, Donna!” there was an incident where Annie and adoptive brother Dixon were in the car and Annie grabs a Dr. Pepper from the ‘perfectly organized’ cooler. She said, “What’s a road trip without Dr. Pepper?” She then proceeds to take a sip and says “Mm delicious!” This product placement was completely transparent. As Dixon and Annie reach a gas station Annie gets out to use the bathroom and Dixon yells, “ ?…maybe if you stopped drinking so much Dr. Pepper!?” Annie replied, “We’re on a road trip! Drinking Dr. Pepper is practically a requirement?” Viewers could see that the producers used product placement and integration in the particular scene. It is completely fine if a brand is funding a show and want to get advertising out of it. Viewers are not that gullible to think that since a star or their favorite character on a show uses or consumes a brand they are going to start to consume it as well. Younger viewers may be susceptible to it but most adults know what is going on. Product placement definitely takes away from the narrative. One would think that it makes I more realistic because they are using a product many do in real life but, when they integrate lines like,  “What’s a road trip without Dr. Pepper?”, it seems so fake and forced and makes people asks themselves what was the point in adding that? So viewers are questioning the authenticity of the show, even if they do not know what product placement/integration is.

Source: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/worst-couples-90210-season-3

Everyone has seen at least one episode of American Idol or at least something similar to it. On every episode of American Idol, the judges have a Coca-Cola in front of them. Every time the camera goes to them, the Coca-Cola cup is in line of shot. Coca- Cola sponsors American Idol, so in doing so they get free advertisement of their product. Now, since American Idol is a reality TV show I think the narrative aspect differs. Of course, nothing on TV is real and the judges and contestants still have scripts but when viewers see them drinking the Coca-Cola it seems a bit more natural. Maybe it is because viewers have been watching it forever and just got used to seeing the Coca-Cola products on the show.

Source:http://brandchannel.com/2014/12/17/the-cup-song-ends-coca-cola-calls-off-13-year-american-idol-tie-in/

 

Cultural Writings on Television

Ray-Harris, A. (2017, April 19). The excellent Dear White People doesn’t care about white people. Retrieved September 13, 2017, from http://tv.avclub.com/the-excellent-dear-white-people-doesn-t-care-about-whit-1798191060

Source: https://uk.newonnetflix.info/info/80095698/s

Ashley Ray-Harris believes that “Dear White People the Netflix series is more concerned with capturing the diverse realities of black existence while leaving blatant politics and history lessons in the background” compared to Dear White People the movie. She implores that white people aren’t being viewed as monsters but rather simply as assholes and ignorant. Ashley believes that the show simply addresses how racism affects black people rather than trying to make white people seem like horrible people.

There is no denying that the show displays how the black students react to the racism going on at the college(Winchester University) but, the show also wanted to inform white people of how their actions can sometimes be ignorant or racist towards black people.

Source: http://www.speroforum.com/a/EGBDAZEVCN22/80084-Backlash-for-new-Dear-White-People-series-on-Netflix#.WbmDQtOGOi4

In “Chapter 1” the Pastiche (a satirical magazine run by white men on campus) throws a blackface party because they’re upset with Sam’s radio show called Dear White People. When the dean got word of the party he prohibits it yet the Pastiche throws it anyways. This is just an example in the show of how some of the white people on campus are oblivious to the message they were displaying when they painted their face with brown paint and wore ‘black clothes’.

This show really delves deep about how racism still is evident I our society and how colleges often turn a blind eye to the racism occurring between students. Some colleges say they have zero tolerance for racism or discrimination but, often ignore it when an issue arises. For non HBCU colleges a lot of black people feel uncomfortable speaking with the staff because its predominantly white. According to a national survey conducted by the JED Foundation and Steve Fund, 75 percent of black college students responded that they tend to keep their feelings about the difficulty of college to themselves, versus 61 percent of white students.

This show really delves deep about how racism still is evident in our society and how colleges often turn a blind eye to the racism occurring between students. Some colleges say they have zero tolerance for racism or discrimination but, often ignore it when an issue arises. For non HBCU colleges a lot of black people feel uncomfortable speaking with the staff because it is predominantly white. According to a national survey conducted by the JED Foundation and Steve Fund, 75 percent of black college students responded that they tend to keep their feelings about the difficulty of college to themselves, versus 61 percent of white students.

This show also divulges on interracial couples and the pressures/stress that can come with it. Sam, the lead role, is secretly dating Gabe a white male that also attends Winchester University. She keeps it a secret because Sam is a ‘mixed’ girl she is often looked down on by the darker skinned toned characters. Which is an example of how in black culture, if you’re mixed, you are viewed as being a ‘fake black person’ or someone who couldn’t relate to some ‘dark people’ problems because they are portrayed as being privileged. Sam doesn’t want to be seen as just another black person succumbing to the ‘white man’. She is the leader of the BSU and her friends and other members would basically turn their noses if they knew that she was dating a white person. also considering she preaches black empowerment and does not want to seem like a hypocrite by dating outside her race.

To condense, Dear White People broadens viewers way of thinking and gives them an insight to real ‘black people problems’ and how they handle them. It creates a real-world experience between white and black people. The end goal is to show how ridiculous these stereotypes and sort of ‘set rules’ in our society are.

Phenomenal Television

(Source http://www.wn.com)

The Fosters is a phenomenal television show. Based on Amanda Lotz definition of Phenomenal Television Show it hits all 5 points. The Fosters is centered around an unorthodox family. Starting off the parents of 5 teenagers are a lesbian couple name Lena and Stef. Then comes Brandon, who is 16 the biological son of Stef when she was with former husband, Mike. Then you have a set of Hispanic twins Mariana and Jesus. Lastly you have the new edition Callie and Jude. Callie comes into their home as a foster child with a very troubled past having been to juvie. She wants to keep her distance from this family that seems too good to be true so she won’t get burned as she have in the past.

The Fosters addresses real life issues that are still happening today such as rape, abuse, same-sex marriages, adoption, etc. It even gives us an insight to how people deal with ADHD. This show isn’t afraid to touch base on subjects that may be cringe worthy to some or are simply hard to see on screen. They make the show relatable to everyone in some way. It challenges our way of thinking at times too. For instance, you have the main character Callie and has been bounces around from house to house as a foster child and has been to Juvie and with this knowledge you expect her to be some kind of delinquent. In reality she is just a 16 year old girl who has had a horrific past and wants her and her brother to be together, growing up in a safe and happy home.

(i.e. Source: http://www.afterellen.com)

The Fosters addresses real life issues that are still happening today such as rape, abuse, same-sex marriages, adoption, etc. It even gives us an insight to how people deal with ADHD. This show isn’t afraid to touch base on subjects that may be cringe worthy to some or are simply hard to see on screen. They make the show relatable to everyone in some way. It challenges our way of thinking at times too. For instance, you have the main character Callie and has been bounces around from house to house as a foster child and has been to Juvie and with this knowledge you expect her to be some kind of delinquent. In reality she is just a 16 year old girl who has had a horrific past and wants her and her brother to be together, growing up in a safe and happy home. Another example is in season 1 “I already Hurt” when Callie’s 12 year old brother Jude, wears nail polish to school and started to get crap for it by some if the other kids. Callie tells Jude not to wear it to school anymore so he wont get picked on. This particular scene in this episode displays a controversy on if a boy wear nail polish he is automatically depicted as being gay. Now, in this case its true, but at this point in time Jude really isn’t sure himself. People in life will instantly put a label or stereotype on someone who is perceived as ‘different’. The Fosters hit that point in many of its episodes and dives into the meaning behind them and tackles it head on.