1. raise your hand if you think JLo should stop recording music. I see that everyone's hands are raised. (I bow).
2. I am not ashamed to admit that I listen to "Boyfriend" on repeat daily. I haven't synced my ipod to my itunes in a couple of days, but the play count just in itunes is 36. The song is 4 minutes long. that's a lot of bieber time.
3. One direction. Have taken over and consumed my life, in a really great way. I never thought the boy band would be super cool again (at least for a really long time), but I was very wrong. One Direction has it all. And I am in love. with their whole album. and their cute little 18 year old faces. love them. Go to vevo.com, type in "one direction," and watch all of their videos. You will not even be able to hear the music "over their gorgeousness" (glozell).
4. See future post for my weekend in St. George--- a couple weeks ago. I have realized that my stg weekends are the most eventful recently... I hope that means it's just getting close to finals and all my friends who are students are occupied and that once summer starts my social life will start to get fun agan. I hope i hope i hope i hope. Because I miss my friends.
5. I just finished reading Mockingjay again. And it is so beautiful. I enjoyed it a lot more the second time-- I mean, I still have my complaints. But that's because the book is about a war. It's not going to end neatly and perfectly, exactly the way you want it. It's about pain and struggle and suffering, and somehow, it feels very real. Suzanne Collins gave the world a gift. And I hope people realize what she is trying to teach us. I love the way she paints life, imperfections of humanity, painful hope for the future, and how overwhelmingly, there is always something to live for-- even in the most desperate of situations. People go on living. They survive. And it's beautiful. It's colorful and dramatic and anxious and real.
6. When I read those books I have dreams about them all night--- for days. And it's not pleasant, but I like it. I feel like, if I have dreams about something, it means it has really left an impression in my brain. And that's cool. I want to be able to do that for people one day. Teach what I want them to know--- so that they think about it hard enough that it pervades their mind in sleep. But how do I do that? That, my friends, is the lifelong pursuit. Finding a way to make an impact on people. Teach them what I know. And I'm not talking about brainwashing, obviously. I'm talking about inciting crucial critical thinking.
Showing posts with label Hunger Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hunger Games. Show all posts
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
A few words
On Hunger Games mania.
Have you seen this video?
http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6743777/the-hunger-games-game
This is exactly what the book is about. Did anyone else read the book and have the following two thoughts enter their brain simultaneously? 1) THIS BOOK IS AWESOME! The pacing is phenomenal. It's so fast, but slows down beautifully to capture moments (like Rue's death, para examplar). I love the first person perspective-- I feel like I am in the book! And why doesn't she love PEETA? and 2) WHOA SOCIAL COMMENTARY.
'Tis the social commentary part that I want to discuss here.
The book is merely a futuristic gladiator-based society. The rich live in luxurious wealth and they do strange things to their bodies for beauty, fashion, and ever-changing trends. The poor live in subservience to the wealthy-- not necessarily because the wealthy watch them all day and tell them what to do-- but they are prevented from making any forward progression, and their supplies are so limited that they have no choice but to do only what they can to survive (not get ahead). The rich (and poor for that matter) all watch the gladiatorial Hunger Games competitions. They are fascinated by the drama, the suspense, the violence, the potential romance, the larger-than-life situations combined with human reality.
Any of this sound familiar? Does it, perhaps, sound eerily similar to our world?
Americans pride themselves on the American Dream; the idea that in America one can accomplish his or her dreams through hard work and endless opportunity. I believe that still exists-- I really do. But I think that too often the American Dream is crippled by government aid and lack of education, among other things (including, but not limited to, the ruination of the nuclear family and basic morals). Poverty runs in a cycle, and there is a reason for that. People have a hard time getting out--- just like the citizens of District 12.
We follow gimmicks and trends so closely these days that a one-finger nail-a-different-color trend can begin on Pinterest and be nationwide in like a month. The model on the Pitbull "Rain Over Me" video even subscribes. Music trends move so quickly that a UK-based boy band can enter the United States one week and have their album debut on Billboard at #1 the next (speaking of which, that One Direction broke all kinds of records this week. They were the first foreign entity to debut at #1. Not even the Beatles did that). It's miraculous. And not all bad. The information revolution is amazing. It has given a lot to the world. I'm just saying that we are slaves to trends. And they are often body-changing kinds of trends. Remember when it was cool in the 90s to have 2 earrings? That hasn't been cool (even outside of Utah) for the past 10 years. Little boys even used to have 1 earring. No longer. And people have surgeries to change their bodies. They get tattoos and piercings all over the place-- because they want to look different and they want to look cool (I am by no means supposing that I know and/or can identify all the reasons that people alter their bodies. All I'm saying is that they are often for shallow and/or self-conscious reasons). There is a standard for beauty in our society just like there is in Panem. And Suzanne Collins is able to lay out the situation in Panem in such a way that it seems totally realistic-- but altogether so far-fetched that many people (particularly the series' target audience, YAs) would not compare the Capitol to our society. But is that what Ms. Collins is trying to do? I think so.
And then we come to the Games. Have you ever watched Reality TV? Is it not virtually the same thing? Have you ever been to any sort of entertainment event (live) where the potential of someone participating could get hurt? And when they do, you stare, fascinated, and can't look away? Examples: rodeos. extreme sports. the average American football game. boxing. wrestling. anything that incudes stunts-circus acts, acrobats. gymnastics. The list is endless. And most of the time, it's pure fun. No one gets hurt, and it's just cool. But at the same time. We stare. We watch. We love it. And we follow reality shows--and talk about them--like they are part of our lives. Like we know the people involved. And it's so fun. The Hunger Games are OBVIOUSLY MUCH MORE BARBARIC AND MUCH MORE DRAMATIC. I don't deny that. But they are a type and shadow. They are an exaggerated example. Our society is obsessed with drama, violence, and sex. And Ms. Collins typifies that. She illustrates it. Paints a lovely little picture.
And her point is proved-- wait for it--- with the success of these novels. We absorb and love it. Drink it all up-- and because of the way it's displayed, it seems okay-- which exaggerates her point even more. This is portrayed, quite comically, in the video embedded above. It is also starkly visible in the fact that my baby sister is currently at what my mother called a "reaping." I'm not sure what this entails. All I know is that a "reaping" as described in the Hunger Games is something that no one should ever want to attend.
And these are my few words. on hunger games mania.
Have you seen this video?
http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6743777/the-hunger-games-game
This is exactly what the book is about. Did anyone else read the book and have the following two thoughts enter their brain simultaneously? 1) THIS BOOK IS AWESOME! The pacing is phenomenal. It's so fast, but slows down beautifully to capture moments (like Rue's death, para examplar). I love the first person perspective-- I feel like I am in the book! And why doesn't she love PEETA? and 2) WHOA SOCIAL COMMENTARY.
'Tis the social commentary part that I want to discuss here.
The book is merely a futuristic gladiator-based society. The rich live in luxurious wealth and they do strange things to their bodies for beauty, fashion, and ever-changing trends. The poor live in subservience to the wealthy-- not necessarily because the wealthy watch them all day and tell them what to do-- but they are prevented from making any forward progression, and their supplies are so limited that they have no choice but to do only what they can to survive (not get ahead). The rich (and poor for that matter) all watch the gladiatorial Hunger Games competitions. They are fascinated by the drama, the suspense, the violence, the potential romance, the larger-than-life situations combined with human reality.
Any of this sound familiar? Does it, perhaps, sound eerily similar to our world?
Americans pride themselves on the American Dream; the idea that in America one can accomplish his or her dreams through hard work and endless opportunity. I believe that still exists-- I really do. But I think that too often the American Dream is crippled by government aid and lack of education, among other things (including, but not limited to, the ruination of the nuclear family and basic morals). Poverty runs in a cycle, and there is a reason for that. People have a hard time getting out--- just like the citizens of District 12.
We follow gimmicks and trends so closely these days that a one-finger nail-a-different-color trend can begin on Pinterest and be nationwide in like a month. The model on the Pitbull "Rain Over Me" video even subscribes. Music trends move so quickly that a UK-based boy band can enter the United States one week and have their album debut on Billboard at #1 the next (speaking of which, that One Direction broke all kinds of records this week. They were the first foreign entity to debut at #1. Not even the Beatles did that). It's miraculous. And not all bad. The information revolution is amazing. It has given a lot to the world. I'm just saying that we are slaves to trends. And they are often body-changing kinds of trends. Remember when it was cool in the 90s to have 2 earrings? That hasn't been cool (even outside of Utah) for the past 10 years. Little boys even used to have 1 earring. No longer. And people have surgeries to change their bodies. They get tattoos and piercings all over the place-- because they want to look different and they want to look cool (I am by no means supposing that I know and/or can identify all the reasons that people alter their bodies. All I'm saying is that they are often for shallow and/or self-conscious reasons). There is a standard for beauty in our society just like there is in Panem. And Suzanne Collins is able to lay out the situation in Panem in such a way that it seems totally realistic-- but altogether so far-fetched that many people (particularly the series' target audience, YAs) would not compare the Capitol to our society. But is that what Ms. Collins is trying to do? I think so.
And then we come to the Games. Have you ever watched Reality TV? Is it not virtually the same thing? Have you ever been to any sort of entertainment event (live) where the potential of someone participating could get hurt? And when they do, you stare, fascinated, and can't look away? Examples: rodeos. extreme sports. the average American football game. boxing. wrestling. anything that incudes stunts-circus acts, acrobats. gymnastics. The list is endless. And most of the time, it's pure fun. No one gets hurt, and it's just cool. But at the same time. We stare. We watch. We love it. And we follow reality shows--and talk about them--like they are part of our lives. Like we know the people involved. And it's so fun. The Hunger Games are OBVIOUSLY MUCH MORE BARBARIC AND MUCH MORE DRAMATIC. I don't deny that. But they are a type and shadow. They are an exaggerated example. Our society is obsessed with drama, violence, and sex. And Ms. Collins typifies that. She illustrates it. Paints a lovely little picture.
And her point is proved-- wait for it--- with the success of these novels. We absorb and love it. Drink it all up-- and because of the way it's displayed, it seems okay-- which exaggerates her point even more. This is portrayed, quite comically, in the video embedded above. It is also starkly visible in the fact that my baby sister is currently at what my mother called a "reaping." I'm not sure what this entails. All I know is that a "reaping" as described in the Hunger Games is something that no one should ever want to attend.
And these are my few words. on hunger games mania.
Monday, November 14, 2011
A Media Update. Because that's what I'm good for.
1. I realized, today, that you all are probably just DYING to know what I have to say about "Under the Mistletoe." haha. Well, the diagnosis is good. I think that the album is just perfectly everything that I wanted it to be. It's Bieber at his finest. Some of my favorites are "Only Thing I Ever Get This Christmas" (I'm just going to say that the Bieber is growing up...), "Christmas Eve" (sweet sweet R&B), and "Christmas Love." They are some of the many original songs on the album. The standout cover on the album is "Santa Claus is Coming To Town," and it's stand-out quality is due largely to its reminiscence of the Jackson 5 ("shake it shake it baby...") ALSO, I think that every track EXCEPT ONE says the word, "mistletoe" at least once, which is hot, and frankly, it's what Justin Bieber is all about. My comments on the recent paternity accusations? I'm ignoring the whole thing... until after he takes the test next week. THEN, if he's guilty, there will be some more ignoring. If he's innocent (which I'm betting my copy of "Under the Mistletoe" he is), then I will not shut up about that horrible woman who accused sweet Bieber of such an atrocious thing. And I'll write some nasty letters or something. Or else just tweet a bunch of condolences to JB until I get a retweet. The end.
2. I've been watching The Cosby Show like crazy for about the last two weeks-- since I realized that seasons 1 through 8 are available instantly on Netflix. Holy. That is amazing, right? So in this one episode, Theo goes to the store and picks up a very expensive designer shirt for his upcoming date. Cliff freaks out a little and exclaims, "No 14-year-old boy should have a 95 dollar shirt unless he is on stage with his 4 brothers!" I love that Heathcliff Huxtable.
3. I currently love The Script. They are an Irish band. And they are hot. and did I say Irish? And I melt away into a puddle of nothing every time I hear their current single, aptly named, "Nothing."
4. HOLY CRAP. I'm excited about this movie. And I hesitate posting the trailer here because I'm kind of a weirdy, and this book (and many other books) are such private, emotional, and personal experiences for me that I have a hard time sharing it with the world. Like, I kind of want to see the movie by myself so that whoever I am with can't taint the experience. I think I'll like the movie, though. I have a very poor track record with "books into movies," but this one appears to be everything I hoped it would be. And if not, I'll silently cry myself to sleep and never speak the words "Hunger Games" again in my lifetime. I'll just secretly maintain my devotion to those wonderful books, and write editorials in my head about why it's so good and what it could all mean. I think I should clarify, though, that on Audrey's Scale of Book Loveability, Harry Potter is like 1,000,000 lbs of importance and Hunger Games is like 1,000. They are very uneven--which is why I am even going to attempt seeing this movie (well, and because of this bomb trailer). So... after all the disclaimer and description.... enjoy.
5. I realized today that there is very nearly only one certainty in life. No matter how much EVERYONE hates them, Nickelback WILL ALWAYS manage to have a new song on the radio. Or an old song. Or any song. But you cannot escape them ever. And no matter how much I loathe that man's voice, I still find myself singing along at times (I'm telling you- inescapable), and somehow, it's comforting.
I think that's all.
Oh wait. RIHANNA-- you may have finally fell off the deep of the "too creepy for Audrey" scale with the video for "We Found Love." Buttttttt.......I'm still excited for your new album. Which comes out next week.
2. I've been watching The Cosby Show like crazy for about the last two weeks-- since I realized that seasons 1 through 8 are available instantly on Netflix. Holy. That is amazing, right? So in this one episode, Theo goes to the store and picks up a very expensive designer shirt for his upcoming date. Cliff freaks out a little and exclaims, "No 14-year-old boy should have a 95 dollar shirt unless he is on stage with his 4 brothers!" I love that Heathcliff Huxtable.
3. I currently love The Script. They are an Irish band. And they are hot. and did I say Irish? And I melt away into a puddle of nothing every time I hear their current single, aptly named, "Nothing."
4. HOLY CRAP. I'm excited about this movie. And I hesitate posting the trailer here because I'm kind of a weirdy, and this book (and many other books) are such private, emotional, and personal experiences for me that I have a hard time sharing it with the world. Like, I kind of want to see the movie by myself so that whoever I am with can't taint the experience. I think I'll like the movie, though. I have a very poor track record with "books into movies," but this one appears to be everything I hoped it would be. And if not, I'll silently cry myself to sleep and never speak the words "Hunger Games" again in my lifetime. I'll just secretly maintain my devotion to those wonderful books, and write editorials in my head about why it's so good and what it could all mean. I think I should clarify, though, that on Audrey's Scale of Book Loveability, Harry Potter is like 1,000,000 lbs of importance and Hunger Games is like 1,000. They are very uneven--which is why I am even going to attempt seeing this movie (well, and because of this bomb trailer). So... after all the disclaimer and description.... enjoy.
5. I realized today that there is very nearly only one certainty in life. No matter how much EVERYONE hates them, Nickelback WILL ALWAYS manage to have a new song on the radio. Or an old song. Or any song. But you cannot escape them ever. And no matter how much I loathe that man's voice, I still find myself singing along at times (I'm telling you- inescapable), and somehow, it's comforting.
I think that's all.
Oh wait. RIHANNA-- you may have finally fell off the deep of the "too creepy for Audrey" scale with the video for "We Found Love." Buttttttt.......I'm still excited for your new album. Which comes out next week.
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