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I got my license

Oct22
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Jenn

This is actually big news. After twenty years (and before anyone goes WTF… I never took the road test until today), I finally achieved what most teenagers dream about when they’re 16–my driver’s license. I did well on the skills test and in about 10 days, I’ll have that little piece of plastic that says: Operator’s License.

I took my first road trip today–my mom and I went shopping. It was liberating.

Tomorrow, I’ll fill up the car and go shopping again. Then maybe I’ll take a trip to the IU South Bend library to do some work on my rewrite of my senior thesis.

Now, if i can find a job that pays really well (or I win the lottery)… I can get my dream car…

The BMW Z3 Roadster… drool…

 

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The American Way

Oct08
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Jenn

FOX announced this afternoon that their hit animated comedy show THE SIMPSONS will return for a 24th and 25th season after an agreement was reached with the actors today. The renewal now means that the series will become the longest running scripted series in television history.

The details of the agreement were not revealed in the announcement, but it is believed that the actors probably took around a 40% pay cut to keep the series going.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

So, in honor of THE SIMPSONS getting two more seasons…

NOTE: I tried to a decent clip of Homer and communism but I couldn’t find a suitable clip. So, this one will have to do  in which Home talks to Lisa and Bart about the American Way and a teacher’s strike.

Enjoy!

Posted in Articles, Entertainment - Tagged ,

Portfolio additions coming

Oct07
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Jenn

I plan on adding some more portfolio stuff over the next few days. These will range from post card advertisements to additional Preface page layouts and a few other things I’ve worked on over the past few months to showcase my talents as a print graphic designer.

For now, here’s something I whipped up this afternoon.

Posted in Articles, News & Updates, Portfolio - Tagged , ,

Disney’s ‘The Lion King’ and controversy

Oct06
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Jenn

Disney’s THE LION KING (1994) is easily one of my all-time favorite animated films. The music, the story, the animation all made for a great movie. But there’s some controversy with the film as well.

Aside from the homosexual innuendos from Scar (voiced by Jeremy Irons) and the Nazi overtones in “Be Prepared,” the film sparked at least one interesting debate.The word “sex” was reportedly inserted into a scene that occurred about three-quarters of the way through the film when Simba collapses and a dust cloud spells out the word “SEX.”

The story came out after a four-year old “reportedly” saw the word and told his mother about it. She in turn called a religious organization called the American Life League. The organization then accused Disney (again) of inserting subliminal messages about sex into its animated movies. The organization had called for a boycott of all Disney movies.

It was absurd, of course. But like most rumors of the early internet stage, it caught fire and spread like wildfire through out the country.

This scandal caused a headache for myself and coworkers back when the film was released onto home video. People began calling the store, complaining about it and asked that we “not” rent out the movie because of a word that may or may not have been deliberately inserted. People demanded refunds and were accused of promoting Disney’s “subliminal message campaigns.” I recalled at least one woman who threw her membership card at me and said she’ll never rent from us again for renting out such “smut” to children.

The movie’s animators claimed that it’s SFX, a tip of the hat to their trade; yet, others claim that it is the word sex. Others don’t see it at all and call it a figment of the imagination and that it’s only going to be seen by those who know of its existence. The latter of which, the mind will fill in the gaps and make one think something exists when in reality it does not.

Honestly, it took me about 25 times to actually “get” what those idiots were complaining about, but even then it wasn’t all that clear.

In the release from about five years ago and the recent blu-ray, that scene was “shortened” to remove any HINT of reported subliminal message.

Maybe it was “SEX” and “SFX” after all… who knows.

You decide…

 

 

Posted in Articles, Entertainment - Tagged ,

Watching House Hunters

Oct02
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Jenn

I’m not ashamed to admit this but I am addicted to the HGTV series HOUSE HUNTERS (and its companion series HOUSE HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL). One of things things that always irks me when I watch the series is that buyers are incredibly picky.

For example, the one that I watched this evening the woman was complaining about how they had to do all these upgrades before they bought the house. Aside from the broken handle on the microwave, the house looked fairly decent. So the fixtures were a bit outdated and the downstairs bathroom looked like there was a murder. (For the record, the walls had sponged on red paint–why they previous owners did that, I don’t know–maybe it was to get rid of those relatives that stay too long.)

Then the woman complained about the size of one of the bedrooms. Honey, if you want to see small come to my house. I’ll show you what a small bedroom looks like!

There’s been other episodes where people have complained about this or that; in some cases those complaints were justified but in other cases, they weren’t.

Of the things that home buyers have complained about the most include the appliances. For some reason, people seem hooked on having stainless steel appliances. Aside from the fact they’re a pain in the butt to keep clear (finger prints anyone?), they’re only status symbols. If it keeps your food cold, cooks your food, and washes your dishes who the frak cares if its black or white or beige.

Then there’s the fixtures. I don’t get it. Again, it’s all about status. As long as it doesn’t leak, it shouldn’t matter. (Not too mention it’s a cheap fix providing you don’t go for the big plumbing names.)

Next to the appliances, perhaps the biggest complaint has to do with the “my neighbor is too close” comment. In a way, historically I can understand their complaints. After all, neighbors reported on neighbors in Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. Given that was  60 plus years ago, that concern is probably why people don’t get to know each other anymore. Unless your neighbor is rude and/or throws the dog poop over the fence, then the closeness of your neighbor should matter little. I enjoy my neighbors and they watch out for us and vice versa.

Then there’s the room size argument. All you need in the bedroom is a closet, a bed, a dresser, and two night stands. Again the room size is a status symbol. Besides there’s really only two things you do in a bedroom (aside from getting dressed): sleep and well… you know… ahem.

So all this really begs the question: if the price is right and everything works in the house, does it really matter if the fixtures are a bit dated, the appliances are a bit worn (but work), and the room sizes do what they’re supposed to do? I’d be happy just to have a house with four walls that holds up the roof and won’t collapse on me during the middle of the night.

Posted in Articles - Tagged , ,

My Film Paper: The Celluloid Foxhole

Sep13
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Jenn

Henry Fonda in "Battle of the Bulge"

It’s been a while since I’ve posted on this paper. My plan was to post excerpts (and I still might) from the paper. The full paper can’t be posted because of copyright reasons and a few other legal/academic reasons. That said, however, I’m doing more work on the paper this fall to get it polished for submission to an academic journal on campus.

I’ve gotten access to more source material (it was either on reserve or checked out in the spring) which has been very helpful to me in terms of broadening the picture and influence over the partnership between the government and the movie industry during World War II.

I haven’t looked at my paper all that might since I got it back in mid-May. There’s a reason for that, when I collect all my information from the new sources I’m working on the paper from a different perspective.

One of the beefs that my professor had the paper (and beefs really isn’t the right here, either) is that she didn’t like the organization of it in chronological order. To me, the organization of the paper kind of makes sense because of how Hollywood transformed its early combat films from highly patriotic films to serious films about the psychological trauma of the war overseas (and in some cases, at home). The transformation came as the result of top Hollywood directors filming documentaries on while serving on the front lines.

This new information confirms my decision to write the paper in a pseudo-chronological format. It’s going to be a tough sell to convince her that this was the right choice.

Posted in Articles, Hollywood at War, News & Updates - Tagged , , ,

My Fellow American

Sep11
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Jenn

The video really speaks for itself…


Posted in News & Updates - Tagged , ,

CNN broadcast from 9.11.2001

Sep11
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Jenn

United 175 just before it slams into the south tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11/2001.

One of the things that sets 9/11 apart from most other historical events is the immediacy of the news from the events that unfolded in Lower Manhattan, Washington, D.C., and Shanskville, Pa.

CNN interrupted a commercial to bring news of the first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, striking the tower. One of things to pay attention throughout the following clips is the confusion that surrounded that day.

READ MORE »

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Specials on 9/11

Sep10
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Jenn

To honor the 10th Year of Remembrance of the 9/11 attacks, several TV networks are airing specials dealing the events of the day and the aftermath of the days that followed. Programs that are red are must sees.

This list is from http://zap2it.com


Saturday, Sept. 10

A&E: “Flight 93,” “Portraits from Ground Zero,” 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

BIO: “Messages from 9/11,” 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

CNBC: “The Suze Orman Show: Money Lessons from 9/11,” 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

CNN: “Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: Terror in the Dust,” 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.

HBO: “Nine Innings from Ground Zero,” 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

History: “Voices from Inside the Towers,” 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

ID: “ID Investigates: 9/11 Crime Scene,” 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.

MSNBC: “On Native Soil,” noon; “9/11: As It Happened,” 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

NBC: “Today,” 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., remembering 9/11; “9/11: Rising Above,” 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

REELZ: “9/11: Ten Years Later,” 10 a.m., 7 p.m., 10 p.m.,

Showtime: “The Love We Make,” a documentary about Paul McCartney’s 9/11 tribute concert in 2001. 9 p.m.

TLC: “Flight 175: As the World Watched,” “9/11: Heroes of the 88th Floor,” 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. the next day

Sunday, Sept. 11

ABC: “Good Morning America,” Special Edition 9/11: America Remembers, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.; “A Nation Remembers: The Story of the Pentagon Memorial,” 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.; “20/20″ special edition: “Remembrance and Renewal: 10 Years after the 9/11 Attacks,” 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.

BIO: “102 Minutes That Changed America,” 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.; “When Pop Culture Saved America: A 9/11 Story,” 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

CBS: “9/11: America Remembers,” 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.; “9/11: 10 Years Later,” 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

CNN: “10th Anniversary of 9/11,” 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; “Beyond Bravery: The Women of 9/11,” 9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Current TV: “United 93,” 6 a.m to 8 p.m.

HBO: “In Memoriam: New York City, 9/11/01,” 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., “Beyond 911: Portraits of Resilience,” 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

HBO3: “Nine Innings from Ground Zero,” 8:55 a.m. to 10 a.m.

History: “The World Trade Center: Rise and Fall of an American Icon,” “102 Minutes that Changed America,” “The Miracle of Stairway B,” “Countdown to Ground Zero,” “9/11 State of Emergency,” “Hotel Ground Zero,” “The Man Who Predicted 9/11,” “The Day the Towers Fell,” “9/11: The Days After,” “Making the 9/11 Memorial,” “102 Minutes that Changed America,” “Witnesses to 9/11,” 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

MSNBC: 9/11 anniversary coverage, 5 a.m. to midnight

NatGeo: “CIA Confidential: 9/11 Mastermind”; “Witness: DC 9/11″; “9/11: Where Were You?”; “Giuliani’s 9/11″; “How It Was: The Voices of 9/11″; “Inside 9/11: War on America”; “Inside 9/11: Zero Hour”; “George W. Bush: The 9/11 Interview,” noon to 10 p.m.

NBC: “9/11: America Remembers,” 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

OWN: “Twins of the Twin Towers,” “America Remembers 9/11,” 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

PBS: “Great Performances: A Concert for New York,” 9 p.m. to 10:30

REELZ: “9/11: Ten Years Later,” 1 a.m., 9 a.m., 5 p.m.

SCI: “Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero” series, 11 a.m. to midnight

Showtime: “Rebirth,” a documentary chronicling the rebuilding project at Ground Zero and stories of people who lost loved ones. 9 p.m.

USA: “The Space Between,” starring Melissa Leo, 9 p.m., and “Twin Towers,” 10:22 p.m. Both commercial-free.

VH1: “The Concert for New York City,” hosted by Edward Burns. Will air without commercial interruption from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Posted in Articles, News & Updates - Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

ABC News Remembers 9/11

Sep10
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Jenn

A special ABC Good Morning America remember 9/11 will air at 8 a.m. (EST) on Sunday, Sept. 11. This is a special look at what be shown. Many of the major networks, including CNN, MSNBC and FOX News will rebroadcast their morning shows from Sept. 11, 2001 beginning at 8 a.m. (EST). Other networks, such as History Channel, USA, Discovery, and National Geographic, will also have special programming that day.

A list of all the programming that will air tomorrow will be published shortly.

 

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