Greys Anatomy

Grey's anatomy is a show on ABC that has people raving, but mostly women. Grey's anatomy is a T.V. drama based on the professional and personal lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors. To me the show is just another drama that is a spin off of something like E.R. but to some people it is life. A lot of people make sure they have plenty of time on Thursday nights to watch "Grey's Anatomy." In my dorm they even designated Thursday nights to the show by having anyone that wanted to watch it, watch it in the main lobby. Even before I came to Ohio State every girl in my high school would converse about the previous episode etc. If it was not for every girl ranting and raving about the show around me I wouldn't even know what it was, which shows how much the show is talked about. As I have said before, to some people Grey's anatomy is just a show, but to others it is a weekly ritual.

Little Debbie

Since 1960 Little Debbie snacks have made thier mark in pop culture. Beginning with the original Oatmeal Cream Pies in cartons for less than 50 cents, the company has developed a much larger variety including zebra cakes, brownies, and honey buns sold in various units- single, double, and even jumbo. These treats are not fads, in fact versus discontinuing, the prices and sizes will only increase. There are even seasonal cakes for holidays that seemingly have varied. To help with the company's revenue Little Debbie has teamed up with Team Ford racing which helps advertise the cakes and the racing (obvioiusly).



www.littledebbie.com

Clumsy or just plain stupid?

www.clumsycrooks.com

This website was the host of a funny video sent to me by a coworker. The video showed a man taking a sobriety test and keeling over on to the pavement while trying to lay down tape for his "straight line." After laughing hysterically, we all started to browse the site together at work, amusing ourselves for over an hour.

The site gives news stories from all over about real crimes (or attempted crimes) committed by extremely dumb crooks. In the spirit of youtube, there are plenty of videos to watch and laugh at for long periods of time, but these are all real life videos..making one question the people of our society. 

What I think makes this site an aspect of popular culture is the fact that so many people love to laugh at the stupidity of people on cop shows, and this website provides just that, in much larger doses. It is sometimes unbelievable to even imagine that people would do some of these things. Enjoy!

p.s. there is an abundance of racy ads on the side of this site, so be aware of that before you log on.

Reddit?

My friend has a strict routine when he gets on the computer. Email, Facebook, Perez, Digg, AbsolutePunk (BARF), PitchforkMedia (BARF!) and Reddit, Repeat if necessary. It’s a vicious cycle which he spends hours on daily… I guess it doesn’t really stop me from being friends with him, but he did ask me not to use his name because he didn’t want people to think he is “a pompous asshole.” Well, maybe too late? When I decided to check out one of these sites in his routine, I went to Reddit.com and found that it’s just a site that posts entries for “what’s new and hot online,” so you could find anything from true and disturbing stories to funny and absurd stories. I clicked around for a few minutes, and the posts that I read were mostly just true stories that I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else in the news because they seemed so ridiculous. Many had credible sources, though, but some of them I’m still doubting a little bit.
This is popular culture because it addresses what is popular/what stories are popular online at that given point in time. Viewers vote on what they think is popular or not and they are ranked from there, with the most popular stories displayed first. You get the latest ranking up to the minute that they are posted, so it’s pretty interesting to read some of the top stories and see what is going on.

www.Reddit.com

Socially Relevant Art

Another one of my really talented friends has inspired me to post. He goes to art school and has painted societal commentary in bright, colorful, creative ways. I think it’s brilliant and that is his passion.

What has gotten him national attention is a thing he did for fun that he sent to a group of us for Halloween. He spliced the Mary Poppins into a horror movie trailer. “Scary Mary" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T5_0AGdFic, became a youtube hit, Disney responded on a blog, it was on Best Week Ever and on Christmas Eve I open a US Today to read about the “creator”. If you Google, “Scary Mary” you will find a million sights signing the clip's and the artists praises. My hope is one day his more meaningful work is as highly praised and widely accepted.

What Would Tyler Durden Do?

I have never been shy about my love for satire. In news, entertainment, the whole nine… it’s just too funny to ignore, really. My friend kept sending me these funny posts from this site last year called, “WWTDD?” The site is based on entertainment news, but it is supposed to be written from the perspective of Tyler Durden, the leading character in the book/movie, “Fight Club”… i.e. “What Would Tyler Durden Do?” As its main premise, the creators selectively find news about celebrities and create posts with funny titles, sarcastic content and a bit of a sinister attitude. There are different categories for the posts so that you can choose which celebrity you want to read all the stories about, but it’s different from Perez because it is really taking more time to poke fun at celebrities than to glorify them.
I think this site counts as popular culture because it really illustrates our obsession with celebrities, or rather our obsession with their mistakes. When good ol’ Britney Spears went ballistic on the paparazzi last year with the umbrella and bald head, this site was one of the first to post the video and was relentless on the troubled soul we once knew as a pop star. By using Tyler Durden as a cover, the creators can use a “shield” and say what everyone might be thinking but may not necessarily be saying. While Perez blogs about celebrities because he wants to be a part of that world, this site pokes fun at them and poses a reality-check for some people that celebrities aren’t as awesome as they might think they are.
I think the site is really funny, though I don’t frequent it, but it is good for a quick laugh if you’re tired of hearing about celebrities you don’t care about in the REAL news anyway… So, you know, check it out.

http://wwtdd.com/

Slutty Schoolgirl

After being invited to a "slutty-schoolgirl"/"high school jock" party, I was struck by how mainstream the slutty-schoolgirl image has become in our society. Many party themes/costumes, television situation/plot, or fantasies revolve around this image, and many stigmas are strongly associated with this image (such as knee socks, plaid skirts, ponytails, etc). As a graduate of an all-girls catholic high school, I am no stranger to this stigma and have been asked more than once about what went on between my uniform clad classmates when we were in school, and my consistent lack of an exciting answer disappointed all who asked. No matter how many people contest this image, it continues to run rampant in our society. This stigma along with many others such as the "naughty nurse" or "sexy secretary" is based less in fact than it is in culture's desire to constantly see women as sexual beings, even when studious or professional. The formation and continuation of these images result from the popular, unyielding obsession with sex...well, that or a love of alliteration.

celebrity obsession- tmz.com & perezhilton.com

Celebrities have always had a huge spotlight on them but the quickness with which news of celebrity scandals move has increased with the advent of the internet and websites like tmz.com and perezhilton.com. Perez Hilton, for example, makes his entire career out of discussing the lives of celebrities on his blog. The blog is updated constantly so people can have the most up-to-the-minute coverage of every detail of celebrities' lives. The fact that a celebrity can be at a club at 11:50 and a picture of them at the club can appear on the internet by 11:51 through the use of cellphone cameras and wireless internet, means that the average person has constant access to the world of the rich and famous. In a way, I think this also makes people feel like they are above celebrities somehow, because they feel omnipotent. Also, as evidenced with the popularity of reality TV, voyeurism sells and celebrity voyeurism sells even better. Also, while celebrities' careers usually depend on the fact that people want to know about them, this has come back to bite some celebrities, like Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan. These two are constantly being stalked by paparazzi and I can see how that would make you crazy, but at the same time, as a famous figure, you have to take the good fame with the bad fame. Personally, I am getting tired of hearing about these two and many of the other 'celebutantes', but at the same time, I was shocked when I heard that Britney Spears' little sister was pregnant- even though teens get pregnant every day. People feel like they know celebrities personally, so they feel like they are allowed to make judgments on them...but very few people have even met many of the celebrities that they are so quick to criticize. I don't really see any end coming to this celebrity obsession, because as access to their lives becomes easier and easier, people want to know more and more. Here are the websites:

1. www.tmz.com
2. www.perezhilton.com

Speaking of Edutainment...

I ran across this in Wired magazine's blog. It's a listing of new games from the Independent Games Festival - both Fez and Crayon Physics Deluxe seem to either be educational (in a roundabout way) or have educational potential. Perhaps if kids were playing these, they would do better on spatial relations portions of standardized tests....
http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/news/2008/02/indie_games_2008#

Crayon Physics Deluxe also seems like a particularly wily solution to a (possible) lack of graphics design skill...

Oops! I'm in Rehab Again.

As I'm sure that everyone has heard Britney Spears has definitely hit rock bottom. Britney went from being on top of the world to having nothing at all. Britney has been a star since the age of 16, and that's not counting her early days on the Mickey Mouse Club. Having started in Hollywood at such a young age, Britney has never really had a normal life. She has been pushed since she was a young girl and was never given a chance to grow up. Britney didn't have the normal life that most American children grow up to and this has severely stunted her. This has become apparent in the most recent decisions that she has made with her life. Britney, having many personal problems, took a razor to herself and shaved her head bald. This was the first major step that Britney took in a long spiral downward. Other strange things that Britney has done include going out partying and abandoning her children all nights of the week. This hit an all time point of strangeness when Britney was photographed wearing no underwear. Britney's condition has gotten so bad that she has been in and out of rehab and her children have been taken away from her and full time custody has been awarded to her no good ex-husband Kevin Federline. Unfortunately Britney has lost everything that she has, including her sanity. I think that even though it seems that stars have everything, they are really missing out on life. They can not do the simple things like going to the grocery or going out to see a movie. This is their true downfall and as apparent in Britney, growing up with a normal, boring life, may actually be the best thing that could happen to you.

Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia and television community

http://www.buddytv.com/tvshow/page/its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is a show on FX with Mac, Charlie, Dennis and Dee(brother and sister), and their father Frank who is played by Danny Devito. It deals with common controversial subjects in the most politically incorrect way and creates a hiarious show to watch. It is extreme and pushes just about every boundary possible. The characters are selfish and immature and so utterly clueless but at the same time bringing up matters of pop culture through the acts of their own stupidity. The link I included was a community of fans who contribute to a site with episode informaton, blogs, pictures, articles, and so on. I am requesting a reply to anyone who reads this blog hoping for some additional insight. I would like to focus on the community of another television show and why these fansites are not in the same realm as the communities of war craft and everquest. Why is it not as cool to be apart of a television show you click with simialr to a video game. I am focusing on this and the community of television shows for my final project and would love some different opinions from people who all have different interests and hobbies. Thank you.

The Hype On Tanning

Over the years it is an increasing trend to be tan year-round. We see more and more tanning salons opening up every year, but at the same time see more cases of skin cancers are showing up too. To a lot of people and even to me, I will admit, tanning can be relaxing and make people feel better about themselves. Some people tan before going on vacations, others tan before weddings, or dances, whether it’s to relax, look and feel better, or to prepare for an event, it’s still causing early aging in our skin and skin cancer. There is even a television show out on E! Network called Sunset Tan which is based around a tanning salon and the drama that surrounds it, but nonetheless based off of tanning and they whole hype around it, it has even had two season of the show. I actually used to work at a tanning salon and was surprised to see how much money and time people were willing to spend on being tan, there are some that would come in almost of everyday of the week even in the summer to get this tan and would do this year-round. In magazines and on television they portray everyone being tan too, some celebrities we see embrace the pale and natural color of their skin, but it seems as though a lot are somewhat tan. For more information about the Sunset Tan show you can go to http://www.eonline.com/on/shows/sunsettan/index.jsp?sid=nav-shows or there is even an article that I came across from July of 1988 by the New York Times entitled For Sun Lovers, Tan Is Worth the Risk http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=940DE6DA133BF937A15754C0A96E948260.

LOL Cats

Okay, I hate cats. I mean, I really hate them. I have five dogs… they say that you’re either a dog person or a cat person, so I guess that makes me a dog person. On top of that, if a cat has even brushed up against someone’s coat and I happen to stand next to them, I will instantly break out into a rash and start wheezing like someone who has been smoking for 40 years. I hate them, and yet sometimes when I see the pictures people put up from LOL Cats, I find some of them pretty cute.
LOL Cats, for those of you who haven’t been faced with it yet, is a site that is dedicated to pictures people can post of their cats after adding “funny” text to the photos, depending on what the cat is doing in the picture. They are shor phrases that are full of grammatical errors and they are supposed to act as what the cat may be thinking… and they’re just goofy, mostly. Possibly the most famous LOL Cats was the “I can has cheezburger” photo, which filled office spaces sometime last year and supposedly got the whole trend started. The site has a voting system so that you can vote for the “cutest” or “funniest” distorted cat photo, then allows viewers to login and write comments… just in case you find one that really touches your soul.
There are several sites that use the LOL Cat theme and each is a bit different, but all revolve around relatively the same idea: cat pictures with funny captions are cute. I’m not really sure what it is that has brought people to this, but I guess there is something for everyone out there. It is popular culture because it was just like a fad after the “I can has cheezburger” photo came up and the sites began, so people (maybe people with extended amounts of free time, but still people) created a little community or culture for this trend that amused them. Even with my disgust for cats, I still found my bored and freshman self looking at the site a few times last school year, so I feel like it was significant enough in terms of popular culture because the posts even caused ME to crack a smile once or twice… well, I still hate cats.

http://lolcats.com/
http://icanhascheezburger.com/

The Moment of Truth

The Moment of Truth: the only gameshow where if you lose, you leave with less than you arrived with.
The gameshow appears on FOX, contestants on a previous occasion are asked I think 50 questions hooked up to a polygraph. When they appear on the show 21 questions are asked and as the stakes are raised the questions get more difficult. If at anytime the polygraph detects a lie the game is over and you leave with nothing. The show is difficult to watch as people share their deepest secrets, socially undesirable beliefs, and damaging behaviors for a chance at half a million dollars.
Last night's episode featured a woman who truthfully answered 'yes' to the questions "Do you believe you were in love with an exboyfriend on your wedding day?" and "Do you think your exboyfriend is the one you should be married to?" and "Since you've been married have you had sexual relations with anyone other than your husband". These questions got her to the $100,000 mark. After she answered these devastating questions and the lie detector determined these answers "TRUE" the audience clapped. Her parents looked ashamed, her husband looked depressed, and the audience clapped. She ultimately left with nothing after answering yes to "Do you think you are a good person" and it was determined to be FALSE.
This show is difficult to watch and the host makes a point to say how uncomfortable he is and wishes the contestant would stop. However, the audience never seems uncomfortable clapping when a contestant answers a question truthfully no matter what the content. While entertaining, this show is basically ruining lives and sometimes for no money at all. Most contestants from Deal or No Deal leave with more money and only play a game of chance. I dont think the stakes are high enough to tell the nation, your employer and any future employers, and your family all the things you should probably keep to yourself. I can't understand why people would go on this show! Afterwards, the audience can be entertained by another person willing to ruin their life on television, but meanwhile past contestants face horrible embarassment, accusations of racial prejudice, trouble at work, and divorce among other things.

Vera Bradley

When I was in High School it was popular to have Vera Bradley bags to carry from class to class. I have a few Vera Bradley bags but I am not obsessed with them at all. When I got to school I noticed a huge amount of Vera bags being carried around. It would be uncommon if there was not a girl in class with a Vera bag. I went home and almost bought a Vera bag simply for the fact that everyone has one. I feel like once something popular gets started, it catches like wildfire and everyone has to have it.

The “Reality” on Dating Shows

There has been an ongoing craze on the whole reality television dating show thing. We have seen so many of these shows, with most of the relationships not working out, from major networks with shows like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, to VH1 that has shows such as The Flavor of Love, Rock of Love, and I Love New York, then we can’t forget about some of MTV’s contributions of Tila Tequila and That’s Amore. I think these shows are very unrealistic, but at times entertaining, while still disturbing, especially in the case of the ones from MTV and VH1, where there are pretty extreme and ridiculous contests or games for the contestants to compete for a date in. I’d say it is especially strange since a lot of these shows are back for more seasons like Flavor Flav is on his third season on of Flavor of Love. Then not only was I Love New York on for two seasons, but New York, who was looking for love in all these male contestants, was previously on the show Flavor of Love. I really don’t think these type of shows will stop being aired for a while, because there are always people who will watch them strictly to be entertained and then again who will want to go on the show solely to be on television. To see some of these shows or for more information go to www.vh1.com or www.mtv.com

America's Next Top "Model"

This television show has become increasingly popular in America. This is one show that has produced over 9 cycles of a panelist eliminating participants every week in search of finding the Next Top Model. The definition of a model has actually fluxuated througout the series. Usually when one thinks of the term 'model', it is some type of admirative figure whether it be a person or an art project. Now when the term is mentioned, it is immediately associated with a tall very thin woman wearing the best and most expensive items. Although the show itself tries to break that stereotype by actually placing expectations on them to be articulate, poise, and full of personality, those who have not caught a glimpse of the many cycles may assume that these 'models' are just faces of what society finds beautiful.information can be found atwww.vh1.comandwww.mtv.com

North Face

As I walk around the Ohio State University all I see are people with north face jackets and sweaters on. North Face is a brand of clothing that came about in 1966 by two hiking enthusiasts who wanted to sell things such as outerwear and skiwear, with the addition of tents, sleeping bags, etc. The brand has now expanded and sells items such as sporting clothes. I first heard of the product my junior year of high school when a friend purchased their jacket. I asked him what was so great about it, seeing as the price was so expensive, and he said it was very warm. Now two years later everyone I talk to either has a North Face Jacket or some sort of product by them, especially since it is winter. All my friends asked for them over Christmas and they are all I see as I walk through the oval. It caught my attention over the fall because I saw about 80% of females walking to class with them on and thought "Why does everyone have a North Face coat, etc." I tried my room mates jacket on recently just to see how warm they actually were and now I can see what the craze is about. I do not want to pay excessive amounts of money for one, but I can now see why they are so popular.

Kenny Vs Spenny

Kenny vs Spenny is a Canadian comedy reality tv show. Each episode is a competition between best friends Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice. Spenny is neurotic and paranoid with values who always tries to play fair and by the rules. Kenny is narcasisstic, hilarious and will win by any means necessary, he cheats in almost every competition. The loser must perform a humiliation, chosen by and for the entertainment of the winner. The show is hilarious and edgy. Many of the competitions are extremely obscene and I can't imagine a lot of it airing on American television. Here is a full epsiode list http://www.tv.com/kenny-vs.-spenny/show/21583/episode.html . It is very popular in Canada and other versions of the show exist internationally.
Recently, various episodes from all four of the show's seasons were featured on Comedy Central. The show's fourth season was executively produced by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of South Park. With the creators of South Park supporting the show, I think it is going to get popular in America. That is if Spenny can handle anymore abuse!

Clip from Who Can Commit the Most Crime


Clip from Who Can Wear a Dead Octopus on their Head the Longest? Kenny cheats by secretly dosing Spenny with lsd.

Snoops go to Snopes

You know those pesky emails warning of credit card scams or viruses on your computer? Ever wonder how true any of it is? Or those rumors about Disney movies with sexual images in them? If you've ever wondered how true (or not true) anything is, chances are snopes.com has the answer. The website is geared for those leery of what they've heard and who are searching for the truth. This website has it all. While it can be used for useful purposes such as checking whether or not that new virus you heard about really will wipe out your hard drive, it also has vast amounts of useful (and even more useless) information. Did you know that the image of a naked woman can actually be seen in Disney's The Rescuers? Or that Idaho legislature actually passed a resolution praising the creators of Napoleon Dynamite? All true. And all found on Snopes.com. The Website has everything from movies to urban legends. It encompasses all kinds of popular culture. In addition, some of the things that you learn are hilarious. It's a ton of fun to spend an hour or two just looking around and finding random things out. It's a great way to pass the time. Plus they're great conversation starters!

Snopes.com

Gamer Comics

Webcomics are all over the internet, if you're the kind of person inclined to search for them. Which I am, so it's just as well that I'm the one presenting this information. However, since we're on about gaming culture lately, webcomics that are part of the gaming culture might help some of us gain a perspective.

First and foremost, there is Penny Arcade. It's one of the most popular webcomics on the net, if it's not the most popular. It's not really for the layman: one of the more recent comics relies heavily on understanding the concept of Super Smash Bros. (specifically that a number of mostly Nintendo-based video game characters are selectable in a fighting game) and that, for some gamers, Pikachu is a vile choice, akin to picking Satan the Deceiver over Jesus, who is the Christ. It's worth noting that Penny Arcade features graphic violence, cursing, and blasphemy: Jesus is a recurring character.

PvP Online is also a gamer comic, but far more accessible to someone unfamiliar with gaming. It might be more appropriately called a geek comic. While Penny Arcade has the occasional comic book reference or even linguistic joke in favor of its gaming reference of the day, PvP might well go for months without even referencing video games. Penny Arcade is more of a gag-a-day strip, while PvP relies heavily on continuity. It's often called (and calls itself) a sitcom. Its humor is also far more family-friendly; characters swear, but not in the excess that Penny Arcade's Gabe and Tycho do.

Ctrl-Alt-Del is somewhat of a medium between PvP and Penny Arcade. There are the regular gaming references, but there are also regular storylines. There's continuity, but it doesn't rely on it. And of all the comics it's the most accessible for either gamer or layman: PvP's character-driven narrative is difficult for someone to just jump into, Penny Arcade's frequent reliance on the minutiae of games can be distracting for someone who's never played them.

8-Bit Theatre is a gaming comic in a different fashion: it's a retelling of the very first Final Fantasy game in comic format. A sprite comic, it uses the actual images from the game in its presentation. If tragedy is getting a papercut and comedy is falling into an open manhole to die, 8-Bit Theatre is burning down a senior citizen's center and dancing in the ashes. Literally. This is something that happens. And it's hilarious.

VG Cats is a webcomic about cats who play video games, watch anime, and enjoy running jokes. Trying to summarize something like that is a bit like trying to summarize the original Mario game. "Well, you're a plumber, and you save a bunch of mushroom men from fire-spitting turtle monsters, and you also eat mushrooms, and you jump on them sometimes. If you're lucky, you get a flower, and it gives you fire powers too, but if you're unlucky you get the giant turtle monster throwing hammers. Oh, and a magic star makes you into a flashing god for about ten seconds."

Enjoy.