Susan Boyle's Got Talent!

On the popular television show Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle surprised not only the judges and the audience with her rendition of I Dreamed a Dream, but the world as well. The video on youtube.com has received over 30 million hits in under a week, and Susan Boyle is now experiencing overnight fame. This is just one example of how connected we are with the world today. The internet and computer technology have made it possible to see Susan Boyle and all the shocked faces after her performance whenever and wherever. It is now easier than ever to become infamous overnight. It seems, however, that these overnight successes are more random than ever as well. Who knows who the next Susan Boyle will be. Watch her full performance on youtube! She actually has a really beautiful voice. A lot better than I could do.
http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Real News -- NOT

Why is this dog so important? This is the Obama's new puppy, and our country could not be more obsessed with it. Sure, it is a cute little puppy. But why is this puppy making headlines all across the nation? Shouldn't we be more worried about the pirates off the coast of Africa or the economy or the Iraq War? Yes, but we are not. I think that this says a lot about our culture and the media. There are so many stories coming at us everyday that we get bored and tired of the real news and focus on the less important things like what Britney Spears is wearing or what Paula Abdul said to Ryan Seacrest. The really shocking news, or what should be shocking, has turned into just another suicide bombing in Iraq or just another economic crisis on Wall Street. We are drowning in all of the serious news, so we focus on the stupid happy stuff, like what kind of dog the president now owns. Personally, I am really tired of hearing about the new puppy, but that's just me.

I am in the midst of writing three research papers. I am so stressed out and having trouble finding good sources to work with. What did people do 15 years ago- before the internet helped us find all these sources? Today, you can right a research paper on just about anything because of the technology we have. I'm sure 15 years ago, it was a lot more difficult to find sources, or at least good sources, to help with research. I am happy it is not 15 years ago. Although it is still very hard to find credible sources, it would have been that much harder back then.

March Madness!!

The tournament is down to the final four, but I am not really following it anymore. My team, the University of Oklahoma, lost over the weekend to North Carolina. But last night, my sister informed me that the Sooners are actually in the Final Four: the women's basketball team, that is. Why didn't I know this before last night? And why did I still not care? I wish that women's sports were more payed attention to, especially because I am a woman, but unfortunately they are not. The media has conditioned us to not care as much about women in sports. I like the Sooners, but does that just mean the men's basketball team and football? I don't know why I don't really care about women's basketball, but now I will try to care more. They made it to the Final Four! So I should be really excited, right? Hopefully I will remember to care more next year.

McDollar's

McDonald’s is a corporation known all around the world. The “golden arches” and Ronald McDonald are symbolic worldwide for the chain restaurant. I feel that McDonald’s places a lot of emphasis on making money rather than putting out the highest quality food products, which is the reason that they are so widely known. McDonald’s should take the money that they use for expansion and invest it in their existing locations, and maybe the food would be better.

In 29 days, I will be running the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. I read recently that iPods, or any headphones at all, are not allowed on any runner in the race. I freaked out. How can I run 26.2 miles with no music? And then I began to think about how many hours I spend a week connected to my iPod while running. For me, running and music have become more like cereal and milk: you can't have the first without the second. You can, but cereal without milk is just not as good, and same with running. Music has become something that I rely on to get me through the miles. Now I have to somehow re-establish my running style and gradually faze music out all together. Ten years ago, this would have not been a problem for me. I used to be able to run without music. What happened? In a world where we must always be entertained all the time, no matter what we are doing, I guess it is inevitable that I become addicted to music while I run. People today aren't able to sit and listen in class or even just quietly outside because we are so used to always being amused. I will eventually be able to run without music, but for now it will be very difficult. Without my iPod, maybe I will actually talk to people during the race and meet some really cool people. Or maybe I will run a lot faster because I won't be distracted. Who knows, but I only have 29 days to find out.

The Celluloid Closet

“The Celluloid Closet” was not what I expected it to be. It was a good summary of the history of homosexuality in movies, and I wish we could have seen it in its entirety.

For the most part, “The Celluloid Closet” was entertaining, but not in the beginning. Too many films were given as examples of homosexuality in Hollywood in the past, and it would have been much better had they narrowed it down to just a fraction of the films that they showed. The film was based on a book, but movies can never try to include everything from a book in a film. The purpose of the film would have been achieved without all of the examples given.

It might have also made it better if the questions during the interview were made known to the viewers. Some of the people speaking about the films had really interesting things to say.

I also would have liked to see more examples of newer films and homosexuality. They probably included newer films toward the end, but we only watched a part of it. I think that today in Hollywood, there is a much more open view on homosexuality. Films like “Brokeback Mountain” help viewers become more comfortable with it in the movies. There is still controversy surrounding the topic, but people are also more accepting of homosexuality in the media.

Overall, I felt that “The Celluloid Closet” was a good film, and I would like to see the rest of it to see if newer films are talked about.