Nickelodeon...really?

Growing up I used to love the shows Nickelodeon provided. There was a ton of variety and the majority of them appealed to me. I am wondering what has happened to the network. Why are there only 2 or 3 shows that are on the network these days? Is Nick still making as much money as it once did or is it plummeting out of the Viacom world? Nickelodeon no longer even provides cartoons besides Songebob. Part of the appeal that I used to have with Nickelodeon was that it had a nice mix of cartoons and shows with real characters. The shows with real people varied from game shows to The Weird World of Alex Mac. It's hard for me to have grown up with these shows and not to have access to them now. It's like they were erased from my past because I can't even find them online. I am wondering what the network of Nickelodeon is thinking? Why have they changed it so drastically from what it used to be? I believe that children would enjoy Hey Arnold, Rugrats, Ahh Real Monsters, and the other shows that used to be offered if still available. I am frankly upset and disgusted with the options that are currently on the network. Who is making all of the decisions? I realize we are living in a new time then we were 10 years ago but I am still appalled with the options that are left for the children these days. They have no variety and it's no way to grow up!

Mean Girls.... feminist?

I woke up and started my day with a healthy dose of Mean Girls. I love the catty-ness the characters bring and it sure did the trick to wake me up. Although I've seen this film a solid 20 or so times, I noticed something this time around that had glossed over my observations in the past. I noticed that the men in this film are either "castrated" or under some type of spell Regina puts on them. It is clear Regina George, the main mean girl has power of men, however I have just recently noticed exactly how much power her and the other girls have. If we look at Gretchen's relationship with her ex-boyfriend Jason, we see her having the power. Regina controls Aaron and brainwashes him into liking her and wearing his hair in a "sexy" manner. I think one of the main reasons many of the guys I talk to about this film don't like it, is because when they watch it, they feel castrated. Most guys don't have a problem watching 30 Rock, also written by Tina Fey, but that's because Alec Baldwin holds the majority of the power in the show. The film comedic to say the least, connotes feminism and although it may be in a unconventional way, I enjoy it and have a new found respect for the Mean Girls. It's interesting to see exactly how accurate that article was when it came to demeaning men and their roles in film. Obviously this film doesn't have a great message to be sending, until the end of the film but the idea that women can hold the power is something that certainly appeals to me. Regina holds the most power not only with guys but the entire school. It is interesting to me to see how when Kady steps up to her, how she then is more respected by the others in school. It appears that people only respected Regina out of intimidation, however that was not the case for Kady.

Brother and Sisters

As I watch the season finale of Brother and Sisters, I can't help but think is this a gay sitcom? In the show there's a gay couple and a gay older man, Saul. The show frequently brings up the differences between the gay and straight community. The couple of Scotty and Kevin discuss the different struggles they've had to overcome being a gay couple, such as having or adopting a child. In this particular episode however, the topic of AIDS was brought up. Scotty and Kevin strongly encouraged the other gay male, Saul to get tested and Saul tried to fight it. It is interesting to see the stereotypes of gays in this television shows. On the topic on AIDS in particular, Saul brings up the fact that he does not want to get tested because times have changed and he is afraid that he may have contracted AIDS from a younger time in life when he was ashamed. It is interesting to here him talk about the differences between gays 20-30 years ago and the gays now. They are clearly more accepted and less shamed then before. They feel free to go out and live their life however they want, whereas Saul makes it apparent when he was Scotty and Kevin's age he was ashamed and has a series of meaningless hook-ups. Another interesting aspect to think about is the network of which it is aired, ABC. Thinking about other ABC shows and how they represent gay and lesbians is an interesting task. Grey's Anatomy has a couple of lesbians on the show which are equally represented in a non-stereotypical manner. By having these shows on the air, ABC is providing themselves with a unbiased views towards gays. The liberal community may then be more apt to watch the networks programming. If we look at another of ABC's shows, Modern Family, the gay couple in it have certain stereotypes but they are represented lightheartedly and in a humorous manner, making it more acceptable. ABC does a fantastic job showing a wide variety of diverse relationships, which is why the network is so successful.

SNL: Women Friendly

This last week's episode of SNL featured 6 returning women cast mates. They were hilarious among many other characteristics. The entire hour and a half episode contained a feminist ideology. The skits were loosely based around the idea of feminism in all it's forms. There was so much content in the episode whether it was political, social, or economical. I think the main reason this episode was so successful is because it contained some of the entertainment industries leading ladies. With host Betty White, 88, the generations of comedy were vastly covered. Each women containing a different scopophilia is a reason the ratings were sure to plummet after last nights performance. The "to-be-looked-at-ness" came in many forms weather it was comical, or an over sexualized Molly Shannon, and spiked the attention of many. The outfits the women wore were what they denote but the connotations raged anything from being a lesbian, to being an empowered women at the age of 50, or to being Whitney Houston going on tour yet again. I think it was good for NBC to have an episode like this where it was mostly women, especially because the majority of the regular cast mates are men. NBC made a wise choice by picking the perky Betty White as a host, followed by 6 returning women cast mates.

It's Complicated

As I re-watch Meryl Streep's new release It's Complicated, I can't help but apply the new concepts learned in class to this film. This film not only connotes excessive sex and adultery, but the "to-be-look-at-ness" factor is applied constantly. The romantic comedy is about a divorced couple (Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin) who while in New York at their son's graduation share an intimate night. Not to be forgotten, Alec Baldwin's character is married to a much younger women who also has a large "to-be-looked-at-ness" factor. She is young, and wears revealing clothing which connotes Alec Baldwins attraction to younger more fresh looking women. The film is about sex and how it can change a great relationship. Meryl in the film is demoralized which is interesting because the writer and director is none other than the female Nancy Meyers. You'd think she'd want to make a film empowering women, when this film for the majority of the time does the opposite. Meryl knows the affair is wrong and tries to break it off with Alec Baldwin's character multiple times but somehow gets roped in by his "manliness" and "propositions". On one hand we have this affair that Meryl gives into but know is wrong. Perhaps the director thought if she turned down Alec Baldwins character she would loose a lot of audience because of him feeling castrated. I'd like to also bring up the semiotics of the film. Although the two are having an affair, the word sex is rarely used. Instead, the director has use symbols to implicate flirting, sex, and togetherness. This film I think works better with the subtle hints and symbols. The characters have sarcastic and light personalities, so it works to imply their situations rather then explicitly talking about it. If we evaluate these choices, it is crucial to look at Nancy Meyers other films, The Holiday, What Women Want, and Somethings Gotta Give. These films also use heavy semiotics to imply sexual connotations. It works really well in light hearted rom-coms. In all these films, women, no matter their age, or background possess the "to-be-looked-at-ness" quality because eventually a love interest falls hard for the main female protagonist. Nancy Meyers is trying to show off how well women look, being a woman herself. The Complicated is a great film, especially when evaluating semiotics and how females are looked at.

Glee: feminist friendly

Last night's episode of Glee was centered on the great Madonna. A variety of her songs were sung throughout the hour long program and coincided with the messages of the storyline in the show. One message in particular stuck out to me, fair treatment for women. In this episode of Glee, the girls get treated unfairly and are looked at as sex symbols. This stereotype is something that has been occurring for years and years. However, it is not very frequently that a television show or film picks up on the sexist behavior and addresses it. Glee is the musical exception. In this episode, the main male character Finn decides he needs to talk to the other guys about respecting women and treating them fairly. He then assigns all the guys to apologize to the girls whom they've mistreated. This show provides a positive connotation for fair treatment, which I can only assume will increase their numbers of viewers. Glee generally sets positive messages on a variety of topics such as gay teens, virginity, and diversity. This specific program has a way of taking the lives of diverse high school singers and solving their problems through positive messages and current music. It is important that at least one program out of the hundreds out there has positive messages, especially one that has over 13 million viewers. On the surface many see promo's for the show and assume it is all about singing and nothing else. I challenge those people to try the experience known as Glee. It will surely provide a positive message on one or many problems faced in adolescent hood, and will keep your toes tapping for weeks.

Shrek Series: Semiotic Central

I spent my past weekend's activities scheduled around when tbs was showing Shrek the Third next. I throughly enjoy the "Shrek" series, needless to say, watching the third was on the top of my priority list this weekend. When I begin to think about why I enjoy the Shrek films so much, I realize it is all due to the semiotics within the context. If we evaluate Shrek and all it's connotations, it is really not a children movie at all. I think that is partially what makes the film a draw to people my age and even older. These films take a classic fairy-tale premise and sprinkle in adult humor and sexual undertones. In the second movie alone there is a reference to Ponochio wearing a thong and one of the other characters being drunk. Although the children watching this film probably are not picking up on the semiotics behind the characters behaviors (Ponochio lying about wearing a thong makes his nose grow). The symbols that appear throughout all three films are incredibly important when looking at theme, connotation, and plot. Take for example the scene in Shrek 2, where the king goes into the forest to buy the evil potion. Although the evil potion in the land of far far away is a fictional substance, I can't help to think what connotations this potion is paralleling...perhaps a drug? Also, while in the forest at this "potion house" the ugly step sister from Cinderella is present, she happens to look a lot like a man. Is Dreamworks trying to pawn off a cross dresser to resemble the ugly step sister? Again these films work so well because of the underlying connotations within the jokes and contextual themes. There are many symbols that can be pulled from the films that help to better understand semiotics. Semiotics or not, this series will continue to provide hilarity and entertainment for years to come!