13 Reasons Why the Media Needs to Be More Socially Conscious with Suicide Prevention
It is time to stop shift the focus from shock value to preventative proactivity.
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The New Teaser for ‘Will & Grace’ Will Bring You to Tears
Honey, it’s happening…
Pssst! Your Privilege is Showing!: Hypersincerity with Trevor Noah
Tomi Lahren says, “I wish that we could disagree with each other without thinking that we are bad people or ill-intentioned folks.” What she really means, though, is that she wishes she could disagree with people without them thinking that she is bad or ill-intentioned. She wants the freedom to continue to judge the marginalized groups of the United States and accuse them of being whiney. There is a great deal of irony in her lack of irony, leading to a sense of hypersincerity.
Kellyanne Conway, Kate McKinnon, and the Mask of Insincerity
The real Kellyanne Conway is perhaps less “real” than the fake one (played on SNL by Kate McKinnon), donning on a mask of insincerity because it’s her job to do so.
When Satire Gets Sincere: The HyperRealism of SNL
Sincere moments in satire, which in itself has become a medium of sincere truth, add an extra layer to the emotional moment of SNL’s cold open, where Kate McKinnon plays Hillary Clinton for possibly the last time, at least in an election context.
How to Proceed in Trump’s America
Stand up. Speak out. Spread love.
The 3 Ways ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ Failed, and What That Means for the Current State of Hollywood
(Hint: it’s all about diversity and a lack of strong representation.)
Marvel’s ‘Jessica Jones’ is a Frighteningly Stunning Look at the Human Psyche
Am I in control? Do I have any power in a seemingly powerless situation? How can I possibly “move on”? Is it possible to mentally survive a cycle of abuse? Most victims of physical and/or psychological abuse continuously ask these questions long after the actual acts of abuse have ceased; the lasting effects can and often do continue…
NEW ARTIST ALERT: Parson James and “Sinner Like You”
2015 has seen an unprecedented rise in LGBT musicians breaking all sorts of boundaries. From Sam Smith to Adam Lambert to Years & Years to Who is Fancy? to MNEK to the incredibly infectious songs from Fox’s hit show Empire, LGBT artists are breaking through mainstream barriers, and Parson James is next on the ever-growing list…
UPDATE: SCOTUS, Marriage Equality, and the Significant Death of Ignorance
On June 26th, 2015, the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of marriage equality nationwide, because in the end, #LoveWins When I was little, I didn’t dream about getting married. I didn’t really care one way or the other, personally. When I was younger, all I cared about was whether or not I was in possession…
Chris Pratt and Male Body Image in Hollywood
Originally Posted August 4th, 2014; Updated June 26th, 2015 Chris Pratt is Hollywood’s latest TV funny man-turned viable Hollywood leading man; everybody seems to want a piece of the Pratt. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy may have been last summers most surprising smash hit, raking in an estimated 94 million in its opening weekend (and breaking August…
Grey’s Anatomy & the Rise and Fall of Derek Shepherd
SPOILERS! If you haven’t seen the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy, turn back NOW. Season 11 of the Shonda Rhimes-helmed Grey’s Anatomy has been a tumultuous rollercoaster for the show and it’s fans. After the previous season-long departure of original cast member Sandra Oh (who played fan favorite Cristina Yang), season 11 felt largely unknown. How…
Adam Lambert Returns with New Single “Ghost Town,” and It’ll Blow Your Mind!
After spending 2013 in a successful guest spot as Elliot “Starchild” on Glee‘s penultimate season, and 2014 touring the world as the frontman for the one of the world’s greatest rock bands, Queen, Adam Lambert is finally releasing new music. Lambert’s new single “Ghost Town,” produced by Max Martin and Shellback, the genius minds behind hits such as…
Emmys 2015: Are Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis About to Make History?
Originally posted on TVLine:
Remember the historic whiteout that hit Hollywood on Jan. 15, 2015? We’re not talking about the weather, of course, but rather this year’s Oscar nominations — in which not a single person of color snagged one of the 20 major acting nominations. Whether Academy insiders egregiously snubbed critical faves like Selma‘s David…
The “American Sniper” Effect: The Narrative of Arab Americans in Post-9/11 America
It’s never ok to be desensitized to injustice. This is what the media does. This is why it’s important to fight for better media, for more equal representation. We need to raise awareness if we’re ever going to survive.
A-Force: Marvel’s All-Female Avengers to Debut Summer 2015 Will Change the Superhero Game
Summer 2015 will mark the end of The Avengers as we know them when Marvel releases it’s Secret Wars series. At least as far as the comics are concerned, anyway. In it’s place, the A-Force, an Avengers of sorts with all women superheroes: Pretty sweet, huh? Time Magazine says: The new comic will bring together female…
Sam Smith Dominates: 4 Grammy Awards + Beautiful Music Video for “Lay Me Down”
Sam Smith is finally becoming the gay icon we all deserve. Not only did he take home four Grammy’s at last awards, three of which were in the major categories — Best New Artist, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year — but he’s finally taking a stance on LGBT rights and using his…
Media Round-Up: January 2015
In terms of equality and diversity, 2015 started off with a BANG! January has already seen some huge wins and new trends in comparison to 2014 (let’s try and forget about the horribly white-washed 2015 Oscar Nominations), and I’m counting down my favorite moments! From shining light on the often dim (or completely snuffed out) transgendered community…
Arguing Pop Culture: Product Placement Is Not Shameless Marketing, It’s A Subtle Art
Written by Nicholas Bellomo for English 101: Writing & Research at Westchester Community College. Advertisements are everywhere in society, whether on television, radio, in magazines, on billboards, in newspapers, or online, and people often get tired of hearing and seeing them. However, product placement does something a little different in a more furtive way that…
Arguing Pop Culture: Product Placement Is Shameless Marketing
Written by JoAnna T. for English 101: Writing & Research at Westchester Community College, Fall 2014. Product placement is a method of advertising used to lure in consumers. Companies promote movies, television shows, products, brands, and even people when using product placement. Sometimes television shows or movies send subliminal messages to viewers advertising a product or…
“Taking Off the Armor”: Media’s Destructive Ideals of Black Women
By Tyanna David for Writing 101: Writer’s Workshop at The College of New Rochelle, Fall 2014 Due to the influence of pop culture on gender roles, many people look to the media for guidance on how they should look, behave, or act; for women this is especially true. The depiction of black women is a…
Inanimate Sensation: The Hyperrealism of Women in Hollywood
By Michael Francese for English 101: Writing & Research at Westchester Community College, Fall 2014 The way women are represented in media reflects how society values women compared to men. Women are often cast in roles that demean and dehumanize them, turning them into either sexual objects, male-dependents, loners, sexually unthreatening best friends (“one of…
From 2014 to 2015: Bridging the Media Diversity Gap
2014 was an eye-opening year in mainstream popular culture, from the positive increased exposure of the LGBT community, powerful women, and men and women of color on TV, in film, and in pop music to thought-provoking (yet not always progressive) “think pieces” and articles written across various internet platforms like Thought Catalog and BuzzFeed to news…
Iggy Azalea: 21st Century Black Face
Iggy Azalea was one of the most successful breakout rappers of 2014; she also represents the best (i.e., worst) example of cultural misappropriation. Since before the conception of her mainstream career, she has openly and bluntly made derogatory remarks about various races, subsets of people, and has made a career out of cartoonishly imitating ghetto…
Disney/Pixar’s ‘Inside Out’ Trailer Presents Gender Stereotyping At Its Worst
Since the good ole days of DSL and dial-up internet, I’ve been obsessively tracking rumored or upcoming Disney and Disney/Pixar films. I remember in the early 2000s hunting down information about Disney’s version of Rapunzel (which of course became Tangled in 2010); the early version of Rapunzel’s story was plagued with problems. At one point,…
What Happened to ‘American Horror Story’?
Growing up, I had an irrational fear of clowns. I distinctly remember going to a neighbor’s birthday party when I was seven or eight and locking myself in a nearby closet, unable to move until my mom crawled in with me and coaxed me out. That clown had hair the color of a red delicious apple and…
On Lena Dunham: Asking “Was It Molestation?” Is Like Asking “Was It Racist?” The Answer Is Probably “Yes.”
Originally posted on Punk Mum:
I’m going to engage in a full boycott of Lena Dunham’s work until she takes personal responsibility for her actions and admits that what she did was wrong. I don’t mean she needs to reveal that she’s a pedophile (she’s not), that she traumatized her sister (she didn’t), or that…
How to Get Away With Murder. And Sex.
“He did this thing to my ass that made my eyes water.” It was the post-coital line heard ’round the world. Or at least reverberated off of the walls of every household tuned in to watch this Fall’s buzziest new late night primetime obsession How to Get Away With Murder. Connor Walsh, played by Jack Falahee, is…
Is Feminism the New Black?: ‘Gone Girl,’ Laverne Cox, and the Intersection of Feminism and Pop Culture
Gone Girl, directed by David Fincher and starring Ben Affleck and breakout star Rosamund Pike, is a smart, intense crash course on public perception and the twist-of-the-knife, cutthroat media circus that surrounds the national exposure of often small town tragedies. Based on the novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn, the story revolves around “fictional”…
Betty Who Showcases Earnest Talent with Debut Tour de Force ‘Take Me When You Go’
On “Just Like Me,” the opening track to Betty Who’s highly anticipated debut album, Take Me When You Go, she sings, “So if you think you’re falling apart / and I’m the only one you’ll call / if you keep reaching for me in the dark / and can’t stand it any more / then…
DC Comic’s HUGE Announcement: 10 New Films + Wonder Woman Finally Getting a Standalone
Warner Bros. has released it’s film slate for the next 6 years. This list spans 10 films, many of which feature heroes that have yet to get the big Hollywood treatment that has been afforded to DC’s more well-known heroes (aka Superman or Batman, because let’s face it, outside of them, the DC movie universe has…