Comm 300: My Name is Earl

So, I was watching My Name is Earl last night and I was interested in the bank scene with Joy and Crab Man. Joy was trying to get a loan from the bank and had told Darnell to stay in the car. When he comes into the bank she says " You know I don't see color, but I'm trying to get a loan and they won't give it to me if they see me with a black guy." After Darnell storms off she yells after him I'm sorry honey, it's the way it is, I don't make the rules, this is just America." Isn't that terrible? I know that My Name is Earl is a comedy, but I think that that last statement is a bit too close to the actual truth of the matter..

Comm 229: Television Scenes

I was watching a re-run of My Name is Earl last night. It was a great episode, Randy got go to back to High school so that he could finally get a touch down that Earl didn't allow him to make. And of course, Joy is out to steal all of Earl's lottery money, got to keep things interesting. But, anyway, there is a scene in this episode where Randy and Earl walk out the front door of the high school after their first day at school. They come out into the parking lot and they immediately see that their car is not there. The first thing that popped into my mind was that they had to go out onto the football field and find their car flipped over by the jock on the school. Of course, in reality Joy just stole the car. But, that scene, the car flipped over one, is so prominent in High School movies/t.v. shows that I immediately thought that that was what was supposed to happen.

Comm 300: Research Project

I've done my research for this project, and need to throw the actual essay together. It's interesting that the idea I started with the beginning of this semester is not at all what I ended up with. I am focusing on The Cleveland Show, by Seth Macfarlane. I wanted to see how this black family has been represented by white people. Well, it turns out that I am going to be doing a more historical analysis of the characters than anything else. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the characters in The Cleveland Show, are directly related to the first African American archetypes that were created by white slave holders. Pretty interesting if I do say so myself..

Comm 229: The new Prilosec Commercial

I was watching television the other day when the new Prilosec OTC commercial came on. You know the one, it's all about heart burn and how one pill a day will make everything just fine. But, the kicker about this commercial is the spokeswoman is talking about how she needed it while she was dating, because she kept getting heartburn. At the end of the commercial, she talks about how Prilosec helped her snag husband number 2.
Now, that last bit is what gets me. Television can be seen as a kind of extension of real life, not an accurate extension, but an extension none the less. This commercial needs to relate to middle aged women who may need to take heartburn medicine. I think that it's horrible that these middle aged women are hunting around for husband number 2. What does that tell you about divorce and remarriage? A person watching this commercial is more likely to associate with this woman who is remarried than with a woman who has been with her husband for years...

Comm 229: Demolition Man

Eric and I were watching Demolition Man the other night, it was on AMC. It's one of those movies which are really good to watch for action, but not all that great for anything else. I really enjoy this movie, Sylvester Stalone is freakin' awesome looking in this movie, never seen Rocky, but I'm sure he is as muscular in this one as that one, and Wesley Snipes does a great job.
The best thing about this movie was how the franchies who supported the film were advertised. The fancy restaurant that Stallone gets to go to when he saves the life of the leader: Taco Bell. Because Taco Bell was the only restaurant that survived the franchise wars. Really?? Could they be any more obvious??

Comm 300: Because I'm Black

I've been doing research today for our research project, and I came across some YouTube videos that are really good. They are created by black people and address what will happen to them because 'They Are Black'. This one is the most recent one I found, I liked the dichotomy between the two people. This one is also awesome when she first started I thought she was being serious.
Remember, black stereotypes were first propogated by slave holders, to help them feel better, allow themselves to sleep at night, and to make white southern women seem that much better.