Si tu quiere que me coma...que?

Esa hevita esta enterita tiene tremendo CULO!
esta tan linda, esta tan rica, tiene tremendo CULO!
que rica chiquita, pero que importa si tiene tremendo CULO!
Has me el favor y meneate chica tienes tremendo CULO!

For those of you not familiar with the fiendish stylings of Pitbull, he is one of the hottest people in the music industry right now. He has total command of the newest wave of rap music--REGGAETON--a style of music that contains a mixture of hip hop beats and the latin beats of salsa. He has brought us this music through songs like "Culo," "Toma," and "Dammit Man." Pitbull, along with other artists--Paula Deanda, Yung Joc, Mistah Fab, Danity Kane, Brooke Hogan, Ludacris, and none other then the Bay Area's own, E-40--hosted Wild 94.9's BOO BOMB concert last night at the HP Pavillion.

Let me just say that I can hardly speak, I have a ringing in my ears that just does not want to go away, and for some reason, lets just say I need my inhaler (my being an asthmatic and bothered by smoke).

I was in school yesterday and as I was waiting for the lightrail to come, I was on the phone with my friend who was attending the concert (at the time, my plan was to go home and get some homework done). She informed me that she and her cousin may have an extra ticket--need I say that I jumped at the opportunity to procrastinate more homework and attend a concert with some of the hottest names in the music industry.

So, come 7 p.m. I find myself sitting in the upper level of the HP Pavillion listening to music and waiting for the concert to begin. Although Wild 94.9 announced that the concert had sold out in a mere 5 hours, looking around, more than 75% of the seats were empty with a little under a half an hour before the concert began.

At 7:30 p.m. the show began with its opening act, Paula Deanda. There were a few technical problems and the first song was barely audible over the screech of the microphone, the second song I had never heard and it was at this moment that I found myself rather bored. During her third and final song, a man walked on stage and began to sing with her, to my surprise, amazement, and excitement it was Baby Bash (I can honestly say I was no longer bored, he sexy, sultry voice brought me to my feet, screaming and yelling like I was a teenie bopper again). But as soon as he began, he just as soon ended and I was back in my seat.

Next up, Yung Joc. He is still somewhat new to the music industry, however he does have a huge amount of popularity, especially amoung this crowd (from what I noticed). I am not familiar with many of his songs, so much like with Paula Deanda's appearance, I found myself in my seat much of the time (bored and unamused).

Then, the smooth talking Chingy appeared on stage and I found myself evolving back to my younger self once again. Standing up, cheering, singing, having fun (a new concept to me--at least recently anyways).

Then the concert changed, at least for the moment. The concert at that moment, became not only fun, but exremely intense. My friend and I found ourselves at the bottom of the stairs (still so far away, but feeling so much closer), screaming our lungs out, dancing up a storm, and having the time of our lives. And for who do you ask? The love of my life, or at least for the moment, PITBULL. He was only on stage for 20 - 30 minutes, but it lasted a lifetime and I never wanted it to end, but it did, and it ended badly.

The apparently popular Mistah Fab followed Pitbull, disappointing me and allowing me to find my way back to my seat to, shall we say, calm down. Now, I am sure I have heard of his songs, because I found myself reciting some of the lyrics, however, I am not good with artist names and song titles, so before this concert I could not tell you who he was or what he sang/rapped, and to be honest, I probably still couldn't.

Then the concert changed, for the worse. As I said before, there were a few artists preceding this point, which did not amuse me as much as I think they should have, but the next artist, almost killed me. It could just be me, but I am fairly positive that artists are supposed to keep people going, dancing, screaming and having fun, but at this point, I think almost the entire arena took a bathroom break, because the goings on in the halls and in the bathrooms were much more exciting and entertaining than DANITY KANE. They had to be the least exciting performers, they spent most of their time on stage talking, and when they did sing, dare I say that it was horrid--they cannot harmonize, they cannot dance, and worst of all they cannot entertain a crowd, hence the going to the bathroom. When they exited the stage, I must say, I cheered, loudly. And then the arena went dark.

A spot light came on stage, and there was a man. One needing no introduction, one by the name of Hogan, Hulk Hogan. This, for me, was a complete turn around from the previous act, because Hulk Hogan is an icon. I remember watching him when I was younger, in the good 'ole days of the WWF and the WCW. He was one stage for a matter of minutes as he introduced his daughter, singer Brooke Hogan. She is very new to the industry, and she has a few issues with dancing and singing at the same time, but at 5'8" she commands the stage and did as good of a job as can be expected. I suspect she may not leave a legacy quite like her father's, but she will definately make a name for herself (hopefully a good one).

Then my heart skipped a beat as the one and only Ludacris walked on stage. And I found that kid in me one more time. Dancing, screaming (or at least attempting to, at this point I think I had lost my voice during the first song), and enjoying what I hoped would not end, at least any time soon. But my hopes came crashing down, when his performance finally ended.

The stage was then taken over, by the Bay, or excuse me, the Yay Area's own E-40. And I must say that the entire crowd was going, well stupid. Until it ended, with a round of "Tell me when to go" and ending with the lights coming up and E-40 walking off stage. That was it, that was the end, I honestly expected more, at least for the ending.

Overall, the concert was a blast, with a few drawbacks in the beginning and a few near the middle, but the good points outweighed the bad. The arena was sold out and and I had almost forgotten what it was like to attend a concert, until that night. But one thing I can tell you I haven't missed over the years, is the people smoking weed, blacks and even cigarettes. Most people there were probably about my age, if not older, so why is it they have yet to grow up? But that is a different post for a different time.

Let me leave you with this--concerts are for entertainment, they bring you back to your youth (or as I call them, the good 'ol days). But when at concerts, although they may make you feel young again, remember you are still an adult, and you should always carry yourself in such a manner.

The Tropics Create Controversy

I originally wanted to write about the press conference that was held yesterday, but I have recently decided otherwise. In my Media Law class this morning we had a guest speaker, Mangus Toren. He is the foremost expert on a man named Henry Miller. For those of you that are unaware, Henry Miller was a writer in the '50s and '60s. His most famous books Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn were banned, citing that the book did not promote puritan values. Miller fought a long and hard battle over the issue of censorship and it is this case that has changed the world of censorship.

Now, I had honestly never heard of Henry Miller before this class and I still have yet to read his books, but our guest speaker did read a passage from the book; a passage that was only on page five of the book, but was the reason that many people on the side of the prosecution decided to, in fact, prosecute Miller. At the time that these books were published and Miller was prosecuted, the society was much different from today. It was not as open and, in a sense, understanding as today (not to say that today's society is understanding, just more so).

As I said, I had never heard of these books before, but my interest is now sparked and I look forward to finding out why people wanted this books banned. It seems to me that the more people try to prevent you from doing something, the more you want to do it. And in this case, I specially hold that to be true. Maybe you'll be like me too and have some new reading material.

But I Like the Cookie...

Originally released to theatres on May 19, 2006, the film did not go over too well with critics, but how often to most people actually agree with critic's opinions. For me, I have yet to agree with a critic.
I had been anticipating the release of Over the Hedge for months. I love cartoons and with Dream Works I usually never go wrong. However with Over the Hedge I am still undecided as to whether or not I am satisfied. The movie is about a group of animals that live in a local forest, and hibernate over the long winter. When they wake up in Spring, they find that the local habitat that they have grown accustomed to is gone and has been replaced with the lastest in suburban homes. They meet a new friend, RJ (voiced by Bruce Willis), an overly confident racoon, who is indebted to a bear for stealing his food. Verne, a very timid turtle, has his reservations about allowing RJ into his life and the lives of his friends, Stella, (voiced by Wanda Sykes), a skunk with attitude; Hammy (voiced by Steve Carrell), a hyperactive squirrel that goes into overdrive with the tiniest bit of sugar, and many others.

The movie, although a little slow in the beginning, takes its audience into a world of animals that survive off of searching for their food--animals that people constantly find digging through their trash. I found the movie to be mildly entertaining, with certain characters drawing more interest than others. Often the conflict between passive Verne and aggressive RJ creates an interesting story line on its own. This cartoon, like many others, invites its audience to care for the animals in such a way that concern is soon drawn to their survival.

Overall, the movie is not made for an attentive audience over the age of 12 (unless you are some one like me, a really big kid). There are few parts of the movie which may be amusing to adults, but unless the movie is watched with children, I find it hard to believe that the audiences attention will be held.

(This is my opinion of how the movie will be viewed, however, I am still a grown up child, so my opinion of how the movie will be viewed is different from how I actually viewed the movie)

Weird Al

The other day I created a post about Weird Al and today I found that he is actually in the news. It is an interesting article, check it out.

Viewer Discretion is Not Only Advised, It's Required

Over the past ten minutes it has become clear to me that chosing a relevent topic, that associates both media and society, but at the same time is an entertaining subject to even consider discussing, is going to be a rather difficult task.

So I began to ponder the question "what is relevant?" To answer this question, all I had to do was turn to our notes and focus from last week. Radio and television are two forms of media that over the more recent years have been changing. You're probably thinking, "duh?" Well, have you ever thought about the fact that the censorship of both mediums has changed? If you've never thought about it, that does not mean that it hasn't happened.

Think about this 50 years ago I Love Lucy was airing on television and during their long run on the air, did you ever see Lucy and Ricky kiss the way you see people on TV today? That seems like an odd question, but it is true. At the time it was controversial to give one another a "peck," but today only giving your significant other a "peck" would classify you as a prude. About 20 years ago, Full House premiered in a time when family shows were what people wanted to see. There was absolutely no sex, no violence (except for an episode that airred discussing domestic violence), and no foul language. They shows of the time revolved around "real families," "real situations/issues," and what was considered to be "real life." But it wasn't any of that, at least to me.

It has been interesting to see how times have changed over the years. For instance, today, you have the ability to watch one of the hottest shows on television--Nip Tuck and in one episode you will probably learn more about sex than you ever could have learned on television before. Nip Tuck takes you into the world of sex and plastic surgery. What was once inexcusalbe to discuss, let alone watch on television, has now become somewhat of a standard on some cable channels, and even local channels (those that consumers do not have to pay for) are continuing to push the limits of what is and what is not allowed to be viewed or heard on television.

It is amazing to see how media is adapting itself to society. Although this is not a new concept, it is one that continues to baffle me. We are an ever growing society; we are becoming more and more sophisticated, yet, we in order to entertain ourselves we watch television shows that promote, for lack of a better term, that "sex sells." My question to you is, what is this society coming to? What happened to the "good 'ole days," you know when things were simple, easy, and care free.

Be Not Afraid of Greatness...

I watch TV. Not as often as when I was younger, but probably just a little bit more than I should. There are shows that I am an avid fan of and wouldn't miss for anything. If I am out when the show airs, I have it recorded so I can watch it at my discretion. Now, although there are a few shows that I currently watch, and over the years there have been quite a few that I have adored, I have found the task of naming three great shows increasingly difficult. I love the shows I watch, but are they great? I would have to say no, they have no underlying message, they have no purpose other than to entertain and for a short period of time, they do somewhat educate, but does that make them worthy of greatness? William Shakespeare once wrote, "Be not afraid of greatness, some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them" (from his play The Twelth Night).

It is hard, not impossible, to find someone that does not recognize the picture to the right. But when people see this picture what images come to their mind? For me, I imagine a woman in her early to mid-thirties with bright red curly hair and an even more vibrant personality. Her name is Lucy, she is married to a strapping young man named Ricky.

The show was somewhat "of the time." I say this because, although the show was in black and white, there was one line of color that was crossed, a line had never been crossed before (at least to my knowledge). The show began in the early '50s and ran through to the late '50s, it was a time when there was no such thing as the term interracial and the thought of the word was never discussed. But "I Love Lucy" both defied the 'norm' and enhanced a stereotype by creating a television show based off of the real life relationship of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. In today's society this television show would be completely acceptable, but in the '50s this show made way for the television and the open society that we currently know today.

"The Cosby Show" came along about 30 years later and, like "I Love Lucy," it shared a message that not many other television shows of the time did. "The Cosby Show" was about an all black family and their daily lives. Prior to "The Cosby Show" there were other shows which focused on black families, but none took up quite the popularity of "The Cosby Show." It showcased the idea that although the Cosby family may have a different skin color, they can still be of middle to upper-middle class, they can have a big family filed with love, and they can most certainly lead their lives just as other families do. The Cosby family presented the idea that a black mother can have a successful career while the husband has a successful career and they can successfully raise a family. "The Cosby Show" although not the first of its kind, it created a message that resonated with a much larger and broader audience.

In today's society it seems to be getting harder to find a "Great" television show. That is not to say that there aren't many shows still left to name that are great, but not that I can find myself familiar with. My unfamiliarity with "Great" television shows leads me to my third choice. I have to say that there are so many others that preceed this show on the list of "greatness" but without the knowledge of these shows, I find myself in no position to judge. So the show I find myself calling my third choice for great television show is "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." You may be asking yourself how I can find this television show to be "great," well I say to you that I watch the show almost religiously and it is from this show that I have learned about how crime scene investigation works. Now, this is not to say that the show is true to the core,
But, nonetheless, it teaches you, if nothing else, how to commit a crime and get away with it. This show has made way for numerous other television shows of its kind, as well as ones similar in style. Although this television show has not made a great impact on society itself, it has done incredible things for the world of television.

Shows have changed since the early days of television, but one thing that has not changed is the ability of many televisions shows to capture an audience and influence society. Television shows are like books, they invite you into their world and take you away for a short period of time. Whether it is a world of darkness and murder, or light-hearted comedy that keeps you laughing from start to finish. Television is just like the technology that surrounds it, always evolving, always changing, and forever leaving imprints and memories of our favorite characters in our minds. I mean, who could possibly forget to take their "Vitaveatyvemeanyminimoe."

A Voice of Reason

So I haven't heard anything about Howard Stern since his movie Private Parts was in theatres. I don't remember how old I was when all the big hype about censoring Howard Stern was going on, what I do know is that for some he shaped the idea of uncensored radio, for others, he was just a crazy man ranting on the radio about who knows what.

For me, Howard Stern was the latter. I never knew much about him, and to be honest, I never really cared. Thinking about it now, I do understand that he had an influence on what radio has become today. He used the radio to not only send out news information, but to communicate with his viewers how he felt, what he thought, and what generally pissed him off. He didn't care who heard or whether people wanted to hear what he had to say, he just turned on the microphone and talked to whomever would listen. Does that make him noteworthy? In a sense, yes. He did what no one else was willing to do--FIGHT. When the radio stations wanted to censor him, he just got louder. When he made the switch to uncensored radio, unfortuneately, I hate to say it, but with this switch he lost his audience. Satellite radio may be uncensored, but unlike AM/FM radio, it is not free and although he may have had many listeners before his move, he lost those who were not willing to pay to hear him rant.

Regardless of what type of radio we are able to hear Howard Stern on today, he opened the way for uncensored radio. So where do you stand; with free CENSORED radio, or UNCENSORED radio that has to be paid for? Me? I'll take my chances with free radio, it may be censored, but what can I say? I'm cheap.

"Lonesome Rhodes" are Often Lonely Places

A Face in the Crowd, a movie filmed in 1957, starring Patricia Neal and, the infamous, Andy Griffith, begins in a small town in Arkansas where a women, Marcia (played by Neal), is the host of a radio show entitled A Face in the Crowd. Marcia takes her show into the local jail to interview men that are being held there. It is in the jail that she encounters a man known only in the beginning as "Lonesome." Marcia interviews him, on the premise that the interview is not on the air. He sings a song that tells the story of his time in jail, and although Marcia agreed not to put him on the air, she hides the microphone and secretly sends his song over the radio. He becomes an instant star, people want him for radio shows, then his radio shows become so popular that television stations want to put him on TV. His television show becomes the most watch television shows in the country, but the bigger he gets, the more he forgets about the people who got him there, and the ride from the bottom to the top and back again is rocky, hard, and, as his name states, lonesome.

This movie was originally released in 1957 and is being re-released on DVD this Tuesday. There is only one way to describe this movie, it is an Andy Griffith classic. Griffith brings to life a man who transforms on the screen, from a man of humble and traditional beginnings to become somewhat of a monster. I have found that Griffith gives us the ability to see what celebrity does to an already lonely man; it creates a hole big enough for only one person that is hard to find a way out of. Neal, who plays Marcia, brings a completely different emotion to the movie. Neal shows the audience how it feels to love someone who does nothing but hurt you emotionally. She puts herself into the character and makes me feel sympathetic for her pain. Griffith and Neal do an amazing job of creating a relationship that an audience is able to follow and relate too, although not everyone is a rising television star, most of us have been emotionally hurt once or twice in our lives. Although, nearly 50 years has passed since its original release, the message of the film is still relevant today.

The DVD itself has been fully restored to its original magnificance and has additional special features which only add to the movie. Whether young or old, rich or poor, Andy Griffith and Patricia Neal do an excellent job with this movie, and no one should miss the opportunity to see this film.

Backstreet's Back, or Not?

Please do not be scared off by the pictures that have been added to this post, they are not meant to harm you in anyway. However, these pictures may bring back memories of your past, some good, some probably bad. Bear in mind, that I am posting these pictures with good intentions.

I've touched base on Weird Al's influence on American Music, but what about the wave of music that hit the world in the late '90s. You remember the music trend I am talking about. That's right, BOY BANDS. I may have denied it when I was younger, but I am too old to be embarrased of my younger days, so now that it has been almost ten years since the assention of the boy bands that I will happily, or at least confidently, say that I was one of the crazy teenagers that was absolutely in love with the boys bands.

I was about 13 years old when boy bands got really popular, and needless to say I got sucked into a black hole. I was 13 and in love, and they loved me back, in the same respect that they loved every other 13 year old girl who ever so faithfully purchased every album they made. It has been quite a few years since my teenie bopper years, but I still remember waiting for their music videos to come on everyday. When they finally did come on, I would stand in the middle of the room and belt out the lyrics and dance (because of course, I, like every other girl, knew all of the words and all the dance moves).
Each band had their typical personalities and each one catered the different personalities of the girls who loved them so. There was always the heartthrob, the older brother, the cute one, the shy one and the rebel. These personalities were most obvious with the biggest bands, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. I was in love with the rebel, but that was just me.

In the never ending rivalry of boy bands, there were two bands that consistently rose to the top of the game. The Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC seemed to be the two groups that made way for many others. Although they were not the original boy bands, they were the leaders of the time. They opened up a window to a world of POP music that we never knew existed. Without boy bands, in my opinion, much of the music we know today would not exist, or at least be what it is. Would American Idol even exist if it wasn't for the pop wave of the late '90s. With the boy band era there came groups like 98 Degrees and the ever loveable Hanson. No one who was around for the boy band era could possible forget its effects on the music industry as well as the effects it had on MTV. The boy band era was unforgettable. Everything about it, the bands, the music, and what came of it. We all may want to forget, but I doubt any of us ever will. Just say boy bands, or give someone the name of a boy band, and you'll get flashbacks too.

Is this for Me?

I do not read magazines on a regular basis and I am not fond of what some may call "Tabloid Fodder," but when I do read them, I get my fix from People magazine and Sports Illustrated. When asked to do a critique of my favorite magazine, I have to admit that I was stumped. I mean, when I don't read them on a regular basis, how do I choose one to critique. I thought about picking one I used to love when I was a "tween" like Tiger Beat or Bop, or even the ones I used to love when I was in high school, like Seventeen or Teen People. Then I began to think that a critique of those magazines would become somewhat biased because although I used to love them, I no longer have any interest in them, and I think I might find myself a little bored with them.

I decided to choose Sports Illustrated because it is a magazine I am familiar and often find myself reading. I chose to critique this issue based on advertising and the assumed audience of this advertising. Care to take a guess at what I might find?

If you guessed that most of the ads are geared towards men, then do I even need to say that you were right? After careful examination, I found that although there were a few ads that seemed to be for women, the ads were not for women's products. There seemed at first to be for men, were actually being advertised to both sexes, and only one ad was geared specifically towards women. The one ad for women, was of all things, for a car. It was the idea that although it is not a convertible, your hair will still blow in the wind and give you a rush. What I notice is that although it could be assumed that all ads in Sports Illustrated are geared towards men, it is my belief that there should be more for women, because women read it to.

There are ads for cigarettes, alcohol, sports events, sports gear, and "manly" cars, so why is it that these ads cannot be geared towards both sexes. Would it deter a man from buying a bottle of alcohol because women drink it too? Would it deter a man from watching or attending a sports event because women are there as well? My answer to these would be no. So why is it that most, if not all, of the advertising in this magazine is gender based? Does it really make a difference?