Stereotypes in the Media

For class, we were asked to put together a presentation on a stereotype that we have noticed in the media. This was my groups presentation on the "hipster" stereotype: http://prezi.com/ev6noyxy8a1h/hipster-stereotype/?kw=view-ev6noyxy8a1h&rc=ref-16590626

Whether there are gender, racial, age or cultural stereotypes, there are always shows that have that "typical" nerd or woman. After looking into some articles about stereotypes in the media, I found this one titled The 10 Characters You Meet On Primetime TV. This wasn't much different then any article you can find on stereotyping.

But then I found a follow up article titled 10 Stereotype Bustin' TV Characters. What was great about this article was it went through and looked at popular characters in TV who have been breaking stereotypes (even if they might fall into another stereotype). Most of these I've heard before but the examples are pretty good.

And the award goes too...

This week I compared two critics' reviews of who they think will win on Oscar night. Looks like there are a few "sure things" as far as these critics see it. I would mostly agree with Critic #1 in his one variation for Best Supporting Actor. We will find out tonight which of these critics is correct!

Critic #1: Jeffrey Lyons (http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowlny/talking-oscars-with-longtime-movie-critic-jeffrey-lyons_b76754)

Critic #2: Christy Lemire and David Germain (http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/02/24/entertainment/doc512662426312c907730131.txt) 

         Category                         Critic #1                                  Critic #2

Best Film:	Argo	Argo – “…a sure thing because it seamlessly blends Hollywood satire with thrilling action, and this industry loves to honor itself for teasing itself.”
Best Director	Steven Spielberg (Lincoln) – “He hasn’t won enough to suit me. He’s the greatest filmmaker of our time … I’m glad to be alive in the Steven Spielberg era.”	Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
Best Actor	Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)	Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Best Actress	Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) – “She made, what was becoming for me, a rather slow moving, silly movie into something fascinating.”	Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) – “Chastain is extraordinary in extraordinary circumstances; Lawrence is extraordinary in ordinary circumstances.”
Best Supporting Actor	Robert DeNiro (Silver Linings Playbook)	Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
Best Supporting Actress	Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)	Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables) – “she sings the remorseful “I Dreamed a Dream” all in one tear-choked take. It’s not subtle, but it’s effective, and it’s the reason she’ll win.”

Django Unchained & Girls

Django Unchained Reviews by Roger Ebert, David Denby & Armond White

Reading Roger Ebert’s review, it’s very apparent that he has been writing for some time. For starters, he has the longest review of all three yet the most entertaining. Second, he knows his audience. David Denby’s article follows the same flow of Ebert, praising Tarintino for being an artist and pushing the ethical envelope, but, unlike Ebert, Denby spends time with elaborate words that only complicate the reading for a more general audience. Denby’s audience seems to be a more educated group while Ebert writes for the masses. 

Ebert’s article doesn’t necessarily praise Tarintino but understand why he writes the way he does – he explains “QT’s” forward thinking and avant-garde art for being different and explosive. Denby seems to think that Quentin Tarintino is to “in love” with himself and his words. He seems to respect the movie, Django Unchained, as a whole but not when the script is dissected which includes Tarintino’s long, wordy scenes.

Armond White, however, takes a different approach to his review. Instead of praising Tarintino throughout, he focuses on Samuel L. Jackson’s character and the references to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which then leads into more of an evaluation on Tarintino’s work.

“Girls” Review by Todd VanDerWertf

I have never watched “Girls” before. This article is different than the reviews on Django because this critic watches every episode and has a very clear understanding of what they think the show should be so anything that is a little different and unexpected might not be what they wanted to see. Also, “Girls” and Django have very different tones to them so the articles are different. While the Django articles focus on Tarintino and his art, the “Girls” critic focuses on the show’s dialogue and characters instead of the writers and the other creative people behind the scenes. I haven’t seen Django Unchained either but it I was able to follow what the critics were saying much easier because there wasn’t much history behind what you see in that 2 hours in the theatre. For “Girls” it’s harder because I don’t know the background and the characters of the show. The audience for this piece was aimed for people who watch “Girls” on a regular occasion (AKA, not me).