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).

So Many Critics

But I've narrowed it down to three. I don't actually follow any critics at this point in time but I looked into a few different ones and these are the ones I chose. I decided to pick TV critics since that is the medium that I focus on. Here are three critics I decided to talk about and why.

Anne Louise Bannon

http://yourfamilyviewer.com/

If you go to Anne Bannon's website you will see that her format is very easy to follow. She reviews a wide variety of shows, most of which I've never heard of. It's really more of a site for parents to look at and see if it's okay for the children to watch a specific show but because it is so friendly to use, it's practical to everyone. She gives three ratings for every show she watches. She bases the ratings on friendly, safety and quality. She then gives a brief synopsis, her opinion and where you can view the show. Bannon has been blogging and critiquing since June 2008. Her reviews make it easy for me to see if I would enjoy the show or not.

John Kiesewetter

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/tv/

I chose John Kiesewetter because he writes for media in Cincinnati. I'm a native of Cincinnati and, as of right now, that is where I will be returning after graduation. He's very relatable since he grew up in the area and everything he posts, I understand where he is talking about, from different high schools to different areas of the city. Kiesewetter not only writes about Cincinnati and television but different mediums and gossip. He is 2nd love is baseball which influences his writing, especially around this time of year. He is also an OU alum and has been on the set of several different shows including "Seinfeld," "Raymond," "The West Wing," "Cheers," and has had many years of experience interviewing different celebrities. What I love most about Kiesewetter is you can tell he loves his job and that makes him worth reading because he is honest and passionate about what he is writing.

Melanie McFarland

http://tv.blog.imdb.net/

Being a media major, there are very few things I like more than IMDb.com. What I love even more? A critic who writes for IMDbTV. Melanie McFarland doesn't write and critique as much as some other authors but she covers a few select shows and big events in television. She mainly focuses on ABC's schedule and events though. This includes ABC's coverage of the Golden Globes most recently. While McFarland's coverage is longer and more in depth, it includes details and commentary that highlight how she feels about different shows and doesn't really leave you guessing. With a straight shot like that, it's pretty easy to form an opinion of a show when you have someone who is so passionate about writing and getting her opinion and thoughts out there.

Assignment 2: Slate Articles

What I learned from these two Slate articles (article 1 and article 2):

Alan Sepinwall was a horrible writer when he started out critiquing TV shows but he got better when he found his niche in "recapping" the show NYPD Blue. Now, this style called "recapping" has been popularized and many different websites have hired writers to "recap" on different shows. Sepinwall has become a master of the craft and manages to watch 10-15 shows on the regular which he currently considers to be a low amount for himself. This is only possible to do, however, if you like the shows. You wouldn't subject yourself to something you didn't like, would you?

This style of writing is helpful because you can gauge the audience's favorite lines, the witty commentary and what they like or dislike through the writer. This is great for those of us who don't have time to watch every show but want to know what is happening in different genres. Working in the media field we are always looking for the best new thing on TV.

The writer can delve more into the development of the characters and the story through this process. It becomes more than "this show is great" or "I would give my left arm to never have to watch this show again". For some shows, I can see it being rather difficult to get a grasp if it is similar to the same storyline every week with no new character developments.


What hyperlinks I clicked on and why:

One of the hyperlinks I hit on was in the article "The TV Guide" that was titled "recappers". I understand the concept of recapping but thought it interesting that these writers have created a word for themselves. The article that the hyperlink goes to talks about how struggling writers now have a backup career in watching television and letting everyone know what is happening in those shows. For experienced writers, they seem to not care for this type of writing and find it a waste of time but for young writers who are trying to get an in to a company, this is a great way to start out. The writers make comments on the pop culture references in the show and relate it to other humor that a different audience might understand. Also, other writers like the idea of the freedom for writing recaps. Not many are edited and they can be of any length when they are on a website instead of writing a required word limit.

Media Profiles

This blog is for my MDIA 3110 with Professor Nelson at Ohio University. This is our Week 1 assignment.

1. Current Shows
• 30 Rock (on Hulu)
• New Girl (on Hulu)
• Parks and Recreation (on Hulu)
• Numb3rs (on Netflix)
• How I Met Your Mother (on Netflix)
2. Peripheral Shows (Shows I watch because someone else in the house watches them)
• Harry's Law
• 60 Minutes
3. Guilty Refusals (Shows I think I should watch because critics or friends say they are good but I don't)
• Psych
• Weeds
• Parenthood
• Dr. Who
4. Guilty Pleasures 
• Law & Order: SVU
• Food Network
• Chopped
• Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
• Iron Chef
• True Blood
• Criminal Minds
• Curb Appeal: The Block
• Pawn Stars
5. All-Time Favorites (Shows I'll watch in re-runs even though I've already seen them before)
• How I Met Your Mother
• Arrested Development
• Big Bang Theory
• Gilmore Girls
• Friends
6. Shows I Used to Like, But Not So Much Anymore 
• CSI: NY
• NCIS
• Bones
• Charmed
7. Shows I Resisted for a Long Time, But Now I'm a Fan
• Parks and Recreation
• Numb3rs
• 30 Rock
• The Office
8. I Would Rather Eat Charcoal Than Watch These Shows
• Honey Boo Boo
• Teen Mom 2
• Tosh 2.0
9. Shows I've Wanted to Watch But Haven't Yet
• Mad Men
• LOST
• Dexter
• Portlandia
• Breaking Bad
• Suits