Bella Swan- 19th Century Girl

I have never understood the obsession with the Twilight Saga. When the first movie was coming out and the books starting becoming more popular, I read the first book. I got through it and liked it but wasn’t interested enough to read the second one. But after my friends bugged me for several months I finally decided to read it. Not only did it take me forever to wade through the book, but I absolutely hated the story line. The main character, Bella, is so whiney and dependent on her boyfriend that it makes me sick. Bella Swan reads like a character that would have been written in the 19^th century, not the 21^st.

 

It sickens me to think that millions of teenage girls are reading these novels and reading about “heroines” like Bella Swan. I don’t really understand why these novels have become as popular as they are. And of the movies that I have seen, none of them were done well. Young girls should be reading stories and watching movies with strong female characters that they can look up to. With teenagers reading Twilight, we are going back in time, not moving forward. I understand that as a writer not all your characters can be morally strong individuals, but if you’re going to have one that is morally weak, don’t make them the main character of the story.

Les Miserables

I have always loved the musical Les Miserables, but with this new movie coming out in less than a month I have been reading as much as I can about it. Upon reading I found that not only are all of the actors/actresses singing, they are singing their songs live every scene.  The actors claim that this gives them more freedom with their scenes and allows them to really act out what they are singing.

 

I have never seen a movie/ musical done this way and I’m excited to see how it works. With an all-star cast using this new technique, I don’t see how the movie could be anything less than excellent. I have always been so annoyed in the past when I watched musicals where the actors where obviously lip-syncing but with this film not only will their acting be more realistic, but so will their singing.

Black Friday Mania

Its days like Black Friday when I am so thankful to live in a small town.

 

Yes I did go black Friday shopping but I surprisingly did not have to wait in line, at all.

I got to Wal-Mart at about 11:30 Thanksgiving night and surprisingly did not run into a crowd at all. I had never really been Black Friday shopping so I was eager to find out what all the fuss was about. I wasn’t too impressed by the sales at Wal-Mart so we moved on to Target where we lucked out again with the crowd. There I was amazed with some of the deals I found. I bought my mom two complete season of the show Bones for $16. And if I wouldn’t have limited myself to strictly Christmas shopping I would have purchased some of their new releases that were being sold for only $9. After that we went to the mall where multiple stores had all merchandise on sale for 40% off.

 

Now having officially gone Black Friday shopping I do understand why people do it, though I’m not sure I could year after year. Luckily I went shopping in my hometown rather than STL so I could avoid the crazy lines and the crazy drivers. Although I didn’t arrive at any of the stores when they first opened, I did not witness any unnecessary roughness between shoppers. But I’m sure if I would have done my shopping in a bigger city, my tentative nature would have been taken advantage of a pushed aside by more serious shoppers.

Election Rant #3

Sometimes it truly amazes me the things people will write on the internet. Maybe it’s just the friends I have on Facebook but I often feel that in reading some of the posts from my Facebook friends on election night, you have proof of what has gone wrong with Americans today. After Obama was declared the projected winner for the 2012 presidential election the tweets/posts began; thus went my sanity. I know what I should’ve done is just stayed of the internet for the night so I couldn’t read the obnoxious posts, but I just couldn’t help myself.

 I read comments such as “I was really disappointed in America tonight,” “Well this country is doomed no matter who wins,” and “These candidates are such idiots.” –Are you kidding me?

 

First off, No one, and I mean no one that is friends with me on Facebook, has the right to say the Barack Obama or Mitt Romney is stupid. Maybe you don’t agree with their politics which is totally fine, but neither of them are stupid individuals.

 

Second, you’re disappointed in America? What kind of statement is that? I mean how selfish are you to say that the people that differ from you are wrong because they don’t share your same beliefs.

 

And Third, how is saying that both candidates suck going to make this country better in any way shape or form? Maybe you don’t like either candidate which is fine but don’t you think it would be better to try and stay positive during a time like this, when our country needs to support our leader now more than ever?

 

Sorry for the rant, thank God this election is over.

Don’t Forget Thanksgiving

 

Don’t get me wrong, I do love Christmas, but when did Thanksgiving become non-existent? It seems like as soon as Halloween was over the media moved on to Christmas. Like I said, I do love Christmas and it is probably my favorite holiday but why must the media insist on cutting out Thanksgiving? When I was younger I kind of thought Thanksgiving was pointless and it was just another break that I was glad to get from school. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve really started to appreciate it more.

 

I mean I guess I understand why Thanksgiving is often overlooked. It’s not like Halloween or Christmas where you can set aside aisle after aisle full of its decorations. But still you would think they would be able to find some way to slowy transition into the Christmas season without totally over-looking Turkey Day. But with Black Friday shopping getting bigger each and every year I feel like Thanksgiving will continue to be skipped.

Catfish

Recently I have started watching this new show called Catfish. It is a reality show that shows  the relationship of people that have never met in person and only know each other by the conversations they have via Facebook/ texting. The creator of the show, Nev Schulman, started the show because he had an online relationship with a girl and after talking to her for almost a year he decided they should meet. But upon meeting her he found out that she was not the single, 23 year-old she said she was. Not only was she married with kids, but she was 40 years old. Despite is experience he stills claims this to be his most life-changing experience, which is what sparked his idea for the show.

 

Normally I find reality TV stupid, but with the number of friends I have that have relationships like this, I think this reality TV show my have a positive effect on society. Sometimes when people are in relationships they are completely blind to the stupid decisions they are making. So by recording these people and their feelings and showing it on national television, viewers witness the mistakes as they're happening. This is the type of show where not only do the reality stars learn a lesson, but viewers learn a lesson as well. The best thing about the show is that each relationship is so different and you honestly never know what is going to happen in the end. After watching it, I am always torn as to how I feel about the characters relationship and whether or not one was more at fault than the other. If you haven’t seen it yet I strongly urge you to watch it, at least one episode.

Bochy's Fail

Also at the World Series parade on Thursday, Bruce Bochy, manager of the World Series Champions, lead of the parade in his Rolls Royce which he conveiniently forgot to fill up with gas.  During the parade Bochy's car died which was then pushed by "good Samaritans" throughout the remainder of the parade.

At least Bochy had a good humor about this. He laughed it off and continued to hold the World Series trophy over his head throughout the entire parade route. Not only did it give Bochy and his family a laugh but the fans and players as well. I understand Bochy is a fairly busy man but seriously? You forgot to put gas in a car that you probably haven't driven in 6 months? I'm sure his embarrasment for that act with carry with him throughout his career.

Romo's Statement

With the Giants sweep of the Tigers in the World Series, last Thursday the team returned back to San Francisco where they were finally able to celebrate with their devoted fans. As fans watched player after player ride through the streets, one player seemed to make a stronger statement than the others.

Sergio Romo, the closer for the Giants throughout the post-season and the final out getter of the 2012 World Series, strolled through the streets with a t-shirt reading, "I just look illegal." But what some might have seen as a very controversial shirt sent the Giants fans in an uproar. Romo's parents are both Mexican but he was born and raised in Brawley, California. And in wearing this shirt to the parade on Thursday, he made sure that everybody knew it.

 

Girl Meets World

 

As a kid, one of my all-time favorite shows was Boy Meets World. I have watched almost every episode 3 times and have yet to watch the last episode of the series without crying so when I recently read that Disney Channel may be making a Boy Meets World spin-off series, I was a little excited.

 

They plan on making the show centered on Cory and Topanga’s (the two main characters from Boy Meets World) daughter and give it the ever-so-clever title, Girl Meets World. Despite my love for this 90s classic, I do have my concerns. Since the show would be on Disney Channel, I’m worried that it may be a more watered-down, tame version which may cause the show to lose some of its appeal. Another concern is how they are going to make this show different from its original. I’ve heard rumors that Cory’s character would become a Mr. Feeny-like figure in the new show which would partially just make Girl Meets World a complete remake of Boy Meets World. It is a very interesting idea and I look forward to seeing how it will work out.

The Best Fans in Baseball????

Despite the opinions of most St. Louis Cardinals fans, I still love Albert Pujols. He has been my favorite player since day one and even though he left my favorite team, I couldn’t just turn on him because I would have felt like a hypocrite. But despite my personal beliefs, many Cardinal fans share different opinions on this subject; especially since the Cardinals made it to the playoffs and Pujols’ new team, the Angels, did not.

 

As I scrolled through Twitter and Facebook numerous comments and memes had been posted, basically saying “Take that Albert!” And there haven’t just been negative posts about Albert because of the postseason, he’s gotten flack from his old fans for his sub-par batting average, his lack of home-runs in the beginning of the season, and for his greed in choosing to go to the place with more money.

 

But let’s take a look at his situation and see why some people are maybe being a little unreasonable:

A.     He is 32 years old and wanted a 10-year contract. Wouldn’t it make more since for a guy of his size and age to be playing in the American league where he can DH as he ages?

B.     And why would fans doubt him so much at the beginning of the season because his batting average and homeruns were down when the last 2 seasons he played with the birds his seasons were very slow-starting. But at the end of the season his numbers are always there.

C.     If Albert would have stayed with the Cardinals, they may have actually been worse this year because they wouldn’t have been able to lock-up key players like Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina.

D.     What human being wouldn’t have wanted $300 million?

 

I understand Cardinal fans are hurting because he’s not there; I’m hurting too. But geez louise get over it! He is an incredible player and an even better humanitarian so just except the fact that he’s gone and give the man a break. If you really were the best fans in baseball you would be grateful for the years he was here and wish him the best in the future.

Election Rant #2

I have to say that the absolute worst thing about this upcoming election is all of the political commercials on TV. I’m not much of a TV watcher, in fact I usually only watch about an hour and a half of TV a week (1-hour show, 1-30 minute show). But during this crazy election season, I can’t get through a 30-minute episode of New Girl without seeing at least 3 political commercials.

I understand that if you’re in politics these days you have to run your fair share of commercials on TV, but my problem with them is that they are all so hateful. There are very few, if any, political commercials where they strictly promote one candidate without throwing jabs at their opponent. I wish when deciding to vote you could just choose the candidate that didn’t do any mudslinging and that would be the one you voted for. But when every candidate participates in the bashing of their opponents then we as voters really have no choice, thus we unintentionally encourage their behavior. Maybe someday we will find a candidate that is honest, honorable, and of the highest moral standards. Maybe we will find someone like Atticus Finch; now that would be someone worth voting for.

 

The Ethics of Sales

I promise this will be my last post about cell phones I swear, but I find it absolutely mind boggling how crazy people are getting over the iPhone 5. One of my friends who was the owner of an iPhone 4, was so eager about the new release of the iPhone 5 that he actually waited in line the night before so he could purchase the new phone as soon as the clock hit midnight. Now I have been to midnight showings for movies and I have even went to a store at midnight to purchase a new movie or album, but I will never understand being that obsessed with a new phone that’s coming out, especially if I already owned the most recent model of it.

When I was in the store picking out my new phone, my parents and I were talking to the salesmen and I asked him about the iPhone 5 and if a lot of people had been in the store getting it. He said that there had initially been a pretty big rush to get the new phone but the most astonishing thing the he told us was about a mother that came in with her 7 year- old son, in hopes of purchasing him the new phone.

 

As my parents and I stared at the salesman in disbelief, he described to us his mixed feelings in making the sale. He said that the salesman in him was telling him to just take the money and move on, but there was a part of him that wanted to advise the mother to use her money elsewhere. None of us could even understand why a 7-year-old would need a phone, let alone the iPhone 5. But I guess sometimes when you’re in sales, you have to figure out where that moral line is and whether or not you’re willing to cross it.

 

Cont. “Is Newer Always Better?”

               Remember this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is how cell phones used to be measured. It was a constant battle between Verizon, Cingular, Sprint, Nextel and others to produce phones out there with the best service. Now phone service is more about what apps and features your phone has rather than how well it performs its most basic function; a phone call.

 

Maybe in the next five years we can update our iPhones and droids to where they not only tell us the score of the Packers game, upload a picture to Instagram, and direct us to where we’re going all while also providing us with phone reception that is as good as we once got on our landline phones.

 

Is Newer Always Better?

            Earlier this week, my phone that I had owned for almost three years finally was dropped for the last time. Its durability had survived the numerous times I had dropped it, gotten it wet, and left it in extreme weather. Not only had it survived all of that but its battery charge would usually hold up to two days if not longer. Now granted, this was not a smart phone so I wasn’t able to tweet or update my Facebook status with the touch of a button, but I was still a very good phone.

 

When I had my enV touch, all I wanted was a smart phone, yet now that I have one I wish I had my enV touch back. I didn’t realize when I had my old phone how great it was to have the option of not charging your phone for a night and it still being able to survive the next day. My phone has always been my alarm to get up in the morning so now if I don’t charge my phone at night then I have no way of getting up in the morning. And despite the fact that my phone had been banged around over the years, my old phone still got much better reception than my new phone does.

 

So I guess what I’m really trying to say is how smart are these smart phones? I mean you would think with the technology we have today we could create a phone with a battery whose life could last several days, rather than several hours, and we could make the phone reception of the newer phones better than it was with the older phones. But I think what some people have forgotten is that they are phones first, not toys.

The Perks of Seeing.....The Perks a Being a Wallflower

Earlier this evening I went to see to the new movie with Emma Watson in it called “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Going into it I had no idea what it was about but when I left the theater, I was in a state of shock. You know you have seen a great film when the credits start rolling and the lights begin to brighten, yet no one in the theater has gotten up. Every one sits still, gazing at the screen, reflective on what they have just experienced.

 

At least that’s how it was for me and my friend, Reilly. We sat there wiping the tears from our eyes, trying to figure out why it was that we were even crying in the first place. All I wanted to do after the movie was over was watch it again. It’s one of those movies that really affects the way you look at things. If you haven’t seen it yet go, go now. It is very insightful for people of all ages and addresses issues that we can all relate to in one way or another; Families and friends, life and death and the baggage that come along with them.

 

I’m not generally the type of person that buys movies when they come out on DVD, but when “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” comes out, it will definitely be a purchase I make. I think the reason this movie was so good was because not only was it originally a book, but when it was made into the movie the author of the book wrote and directed the movie.

 

Hmm...only if all of our favorite books adapted into movies could be done this way....

 

Taylor, honey you are a pop singer now…

With the recent release of Taylor Swift’s new album Red, all the girls on my floor have gone mad. Some of them went to purchase the album at midnight when it came out and those that didn’t purchased it several days later. Not only do they all on the CD but they play it all the time. I’m not exactly what you would call a Taylor Swift hater, but I definitely wouldn’t call myself a fan. Although I do have to admit that I like this album a lot better than some of her previous albums, but maybe that’s because I absolutely detest country music.

But when I got on iTunes and viewed her album, I noticed that her album was listened under 5 or 6 genres including: Country, honky tonk, rock, pop, teen pop and contemporary country. I am sorry but there is no way that her album is in any way shape or form country music. With the number of times I have listened to this album (against my will) I feel I can positively state that T-swift has officially made her transition away from country and over to pop music. Nothing against her, but I surely hope that with her music being labeled within that genre she would be eligible for any nominations at the CMA’s next year. Not that the music is that terrible but it definitely should have been labeled under a different genre.

'Babel' Sales Hit the Roof

NME Online claims that Mumford and Sons newest album, ‘Babel,’ is set to have the biggest first week sales stateside since AC/DC’s 2008 album, 'Black Ice.’ I suppose this really shouldn’t surprise any of us, I mean almost everyone likes Mumford and Sons’ in some way or another. It’s impossible not to. But if you haven’t bought/downloaded this CD yet, I highly recommend doing so.

Mumford and Son is so different from any other band that’s popular right now which is why I think so many people have latched on to them; I know that’s why I did. Their almost rustic sound combined with unique beats and meaningful lyrics create a band that is so well rounded anyone of any age could enjoy listening to their music.

Poor Packers

We all saw last week the final play of the game that cost the game for the Green Bay Packers against the Seattle Seahawks. Most of us more times than we wanted to, and yes we know the refs clearly made and awful call, twice, but seriously why must ESPN play it over and over again?

I saw stations talking about it on Wednesday! I can't believe I'm saying this, being a Bears fan myself, but poor Packers fans. Not only having to watch their team lose the game on an unfair play but then having to watch it 20 more times before the next game is a little much. I know it was a bad call but come on, the wildcard race in the American League is getting crazy with only a couple weeks left in the season; talk about that. Stop replaying it so the Packers' fans can move on and so can all the other sports fans

Response to "102 Minutes That Changed America"

I like to think of myself as a fairly open minded, non judgemental person. But living the majority of my life in a post 9/11 world I have a confession to make; When I see a Islamic man somewhere, I react. I become conscious of where my phone, money, camera, iPod, debit card is and I make sure it is in a safe spot. If I am alone, I move to where I am near someone or to a more crowed area.
Isn't that terrible?
I feel like such an awful person for being this way. Deep down I know that the Islamic man to the right of me is just as potentially dangerous as the Caucasian man to the left, but I think this mindset came from seeing pictures of Sadam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden on TV for the majority of my life. It is so unfair of me to feel this way. I know that it was not their entire country that hijacked those plans, it was only a select few. So why do we act this way toward them?
Because it's easier.
It's easier for us as a society to group all Islamic people together instead of just singling out the ones that actually committed the crime. We have all seen the images of Islamic men on TV portraying them as evil people but now we have a society that is either fearful or hateful of an entire race. now although I may be a react a little strongly when I see someone of this race, I would never ever treat someone differently because of this, but unfortunately I know people who would and so do you.

102 Minutes That Changed America

                While browsing Facebook last Tuesday, I was scrolling through my news feed, occasionally stopping to see what selected people had to say. After reading several posts I realized today’s date; September 11^th. How could I have forgotten one of the most historical events of my lifetime?  As I continued to scroll, I noticed a post made by my 7^th grade social studies teacher. It was a link to a YouTube video titled “102 Minutes That Changed America.” It was only 10:30 and I didn’t have another class till 11:30, so I clicked on the video.

 

 

                We all know exactly where we were and what we were doing on September 11^th, 2001. It’s something that we will never forget. I remember sitting in my second grade class, listening to Mrs. Blick read Charlotte’s Web when Mrs. Helms, the other second grade teacher, knocked on the door. When Mrs. Blick got to the door we all got quiet, trying to listen for any little word that might give us the edge over our other classmates. Although none of us could hear anything being said we all knew its significance by the overwhelming gasp from Mrs. Blick as she placed her hand over her heart. Seemingly distracted, Mrs. Blick closed the door and went back to the front of the room. The always smiling Mrs. Blick was now facing a room full of alarmed second graders, eager to know what had happened. But instead she forced a smile and then continued to read the book. Now that I am older, I realize how hard it must have been for Mrs. Blick to return to her class of naïve second graders and try to pretend nothing had happened.

 

                Some of you may have similar recollections to me, while others may be more significant. But the most important ones that we should hear are the ones documented in these 102 minutes. None of us will ever be able to fully comprehend what these people went through on that early Tuesday morning, but it is important for us to be reminded on this day of the lives that were taken and how it truly changed America forever.

Finally, Somthing We Can Laugh About

When wrapping up a tour in Florida, President Barack Obama stopped at a local Pizza place in Florida and got a little wrapped up himself. The owner of the Pizza place, Scott Van Duzer, is a huge Obama supporter and couldn’t help but show a little excitement when the president walked through the doors of his restaurant.  Before Obama was hoisted into the air, he playfully teased Duzer about his size and strength and if eating his pizza would make himself look like Duzer. The owner the replied “Of course!” while giving Obama a hug a lifting him in the air.

               

Just like the guy in the right corner of this picture, I’m sure most people in the restaurant had similar reactions,I know I would of. But I think it’s really nice to see something like this in the news. I know that we have to focus on the important issues ecpecially dues to the state that our economy is in, but I just thought it was really refreshing to see something with Obama's name in a head line without a negative connotation to it.

 

Where are the Cardinals?

So far I have only been at Webster for three weeks and I absolutely love it. I have met some great people, joined some really fun clubs, and am taking some really interesting classes.

BUT, I do have one complaint. Since coming here on August 16^th, I have only been able to watch 3 Cardinals games live. What the heck is up with that? I was able to watch more games on TV in my hometown back in Illinois than I have here in St. Louis. Other than the game I went to and the two that I caught on TV at Weber’s, I have been watching a screen that shows balls and strikes on my laptop while trying to write papers.

            To say I am frustrated is an understatement. I LIVE in the same city where the baseball team is playing over half of their games and I still can’t watch them. When I left home, I remember my friends were all kind of jealous because they said I would never have to worry about not being able to watch the game, but now I’m the one that’s jealous of them. I have to rely on twitter updates from friends back home to know how the game is going. I could honestly care less about the NBA and due to the Bears lack of success the last couple of seasons I really don’t watch anything else except my beloved Cardinals. So hopefully when the Cardinals make it to the playoffs this year, their games will be on a channel the Gorlok TV has and my roommate will stop having to hear me yell at my computer screen for it slow updates.

My VMA Experience

             As most of you know, or probably watched, MTV’s annual Video Music Awards were this past week. Now I am not usually the person that anxiously waits for the start of the award show and then sits through the entire show, in fact I have never actually sat and watched an entire awards show. But living in West Hall, it was all anyone could talk about so I decided this year I would watch it from start to finish. Now I know I have definitely not been missing anything all these years.

Besides the fact that undeserving artists win awards simply because teen-angst 13 years-old girls vote for them, the performances are sub-par at best. To me the VMA’s just prove how much less talented musicians have become. The performers’ music was so loud that you could barely even hear the singer, which in most cases was better anyway. Most of them didn’t sing over half the song, only occasionally sang a few notes while heavily relying on their prerecorded track. But not all of the performances were terrible. Despite the shaking beginning, Frank Ocean’s performance was unique and well done. The simplicity of the setup of the stage went along perfectly with the purity of his voice. Although I’m not sure I agree with all of the awards they received, I was pleasantly surprised by One Directions performance. Simply relying on their voices and their crazed fans, they didn’t wear crazy outfits or have silly dance moves; they just went on stage and sang. I think when it comes to VMA performances, less is definitely more.

The Best Man for the Job- Election Rant #1

With the upcoming election vastly approaching, I figured I would take this time to do my annual rant on politics. Now maybe this is just the opinion of an uninformed 18 year-old who thinks she knows more than she does, so take it for what it’s worth.

              Politicians disgust me. They lie, cheat, and go behind each other’s backs and possess all of the lovely qualities that the Plastics did in Mean Girls. Now, I know that they weren’t always like this. I’m sure that when Barack Obama and Mitt Romney first started out, they were great people, but in this day in age, there is no room for good people in politics. In order to make it, you have to have been corrupted somewhere along the way. But the problem with this is that the two parties are so ignorant of each other that there is no room for compromise. People are either republican or democrat and very few of the people we have in office are willing to vote in favor of the opposite side.

           Have you ever wondered what might happen if the two parties used their ideas and worked together to solve our problems. It’s no secret that our country is in a scary position right now, and there is no one person that can fix that. It’s going to take our entire system, and our entire country to repair the economy. Some people are going to have to give things up, some will have to work a little harder, some will have to spend more money where others will have to spend less. I’m not saying I have the answers to fix all of the country’s problems, because I don’t. But I do know one thing and that is that we are never going to get better until the two sides can learn to compromise. We are all on one team.

So if this is the case, then how do we choose a candidate? Do we base our decision on the promises they make in their speeches yet never keep? Do we base it on the type of person their campaign managers paint them to be? I haven’t quite made up mind yet who I will be voting for this November but I do know one thing; I will not vote for someone simply just because of the party they are representing, I will vote for the person that seems most likely to consider every possible solution there is to get our country out of this mess.

Happy Birthday....Macauley Culkin!!??? Is that you??

In an attempt to figure out what to write about for this blog I figured I would look at the top headlines on Yahoos home page. Upon searching, I found a name that I hadn’t heard in a while; Macaulay Culkin. It seems that this Sunday is Culkin’s 32^nd birthday. It seems so crazy to me that the cute little blonde that warmed our hearts in so many times is almost twice as old as me.

  Other than watching the Home Alone movies and My Girl countless times over the years, I haven’t seen or heard much about him at all. This is the face we all remembered and adored while he made us laugh and he made us cry. Every household in the 90s knew his face and his name. In 1991 Culkin became the youngest person(11 years old) to ever host Saturday Night Live. He was one of the most famous Hollywood kids of all time. But what happens when children receive this much attention before they even hit puberty?

                                                      Thisà

“Look guys, Macauley Culkin just turned 32! Isn’t that crazy?” I said to the group of girls in my dorm room. As they all crowed around my laptop in awe, this image popped up. We all gasped in disbelief. Not only did this not look like him, it looked like a man that was 55 rather than a man that had just turned 32. I think this a direct result of a child ruined by fame and the media. He was given too much attention throughout his childhood and early teens, so when he got to the age that he wanted to start making his own decisions, the media wouldn’t back off long enough to let him think first. When he was 17 he got married to a girl he hadn’t been dating very long and who was also 17. After their very successful two year marriage, the couple divorced. That was only the best of what was yet to come for Culkin.

Not to say that celebrities should not take responsibility for their own actions but I strongly feel that having the media involved with so much of his life at such a young age affected this man enormously.  He was an extremely talented actor that is now hanging on to life by a thread. Over the years he has been hounded by the media for being caught under the possession of marijuana, and now eight years later is addicted to heroin. Twenty years ago, viewers never would have guessed that such a charming little boy could be transformed into such a troubled man consumed by his own personal demons. All we can hope for is that this man lives to celebrate another birthday next year.

Newport Pleasure??

One day while flipping through my Entertainment Weekly, I came across this ad. I have to admit that initially my eyes were taken to the tan guy with nicely toned biceps. I stopped continuously flipping through the pages of the magazine to look more closely at the ad. “What the hell are they even advertising?” I thought to myself as my eyes scanned across the page. Then toward the bottom I spotted 3 pictured cartons of Newport Pleasure cigarettes. I was so confused. These two people in the picture have absolutely nothing to do with smoking cigarettes. I glanced back at the picture to see if maybe one of them had a cigarette in their hand and I had missed it. Nope, there was nothing. So why were they using this picture to advertise cigarettes? Because it’s pure genius.

If you take a guy that is tan, well built, with a nice smile and put him with a girl of equal attributes in a sporty setting, you can sell anything; even a product that is proven to cause lung cancer and is a result of over 100,000 deaths each year.  They have used bright colors around the border with a large picture of pretty people to try to mask the surgeon general warning to the left with side-effects such as lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and pregnancy complications. This ad makes smoking seem “pleasurable” by the attractiveness and activeness of the couple. It falsely shows that smoking cigarettes will make a person look like the models shown and be with someone as equally attractive and healthy.

 

Unfortunately this how things have to be sold nowadays to get people attention. We are a society that is only concerned with appearances and how we can make ourselves look more attractive to the opposite sex. No disrespect to any of those people because obviously it worked on me too. The only reason I didn't skim over the ad was because I saw an attractive guy in a picture. My dad however smoked most of my childhood and I saw how sick it made him until he finally quit when he was 48. About four years later my best friends dad was taken due to lung cancer. He was only 41 but had been smoking since he was in high school. He had two kids, ages 13 and 10, and a wife that were left behind. Because I have a history with smokers and what it can do to them, ads like this have not influenced me, but what about those that don't have a story to tell? So Newport Pleasure, how truly pleasurable is your product?