NYT has a very interesting article today on government funded bands in other countries. Apparently, there are a lot of other countries that value music as an important export, both for monetary and cultural identity reasons. In a nutshell, bands can apply for government funds that are used to tour in America or record music to be released in America. Sweden, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Finland are all countries discussed as doing this. My first thought is that these countries must really support the arts. I mean, can you imagine the U.S. funding a band like The Killers to send them overseas as American ambassadors? Well, maybe The Killers was a bad choice. My second thought is the effect that this might have on creative freedom of artists. The article briefly mentions Pearl Jam and Green Day’s speaking out against the government, and how that wouldn’t exactly gel with obtaining funds from the government. But what about these exported bands? Are their lyrics checked for content before they are handed their checks? I certainly don’t think that the government of Norway is supporting Death Metal. But then again, I could be wrong.
I took a class in college called ‘film and folklore’ where we discussed interesting topics such as why popular movies are popular, motifs in film, genre classifications, and humor. Needless to say, it was a fun class. The text accompaniment for this class was a book by Mikhail Bakhtin called Rabelais and His World. Bakhtin, a mid 20th century Russian intellectual, discusses the work of Rabelais, a French renaissance writer. The topics at hand are carnival and the grotesque. Confused yet?
The idea of carnival and lent used to be a foundation of society - a duality that allowed for a cyclical abstain and release periods that many say helped to provide a general balance to society. Lent was the period of refraining from desires, contemplation, and reflection. During carnival, there were no rules, and I mean this is the most basic sense. The text describes ‘activities’ that would occur during carnival, and some of them would make me blush when we were asked to read the passages aloud in class. From perverse sexual acts, to potty humor, gorging on decandent forbidden fruits, to public killings - carnival knew no boundaries. It is theorized that this period allowed people to get these ‘deeds’ out of their systems, in order to exist without conflict during lent, if they made it our of carnival in one piece, that is! It is through the descriptions of carnival that the notion of the grotesque is discussed. In short, the grotesque is discussed as the collective participation during carnival, reflecting the idea of death and renewal. The are expressed through the trifecta of bodily changes termed ‘eating, evacuation, and sex’. Going back to the idea of carnival being the period of fun and letting go, we can see how these carnivalian activities are closely linked to what we find humorous.
To bring us back to real life, our professor discussed popular shows that operate in their own sort of modernized carnival. Jackass was the prime example of a show that embraces these ‘principles’ - public humiliation, lots of evacuation humor, and purposefully inflicted pain. Punk’d was another example, finding humor in pranks and embarassing others as Candid Camera has done in the past.
One of the most basic elements of humor that we discussed was repetition. Sometimes something isn’t funny when you say it once. But when it is repeated over and over again until you think it will never stop, the ho-hum can become hilarious. There are many current comedians and television shows that have mastered this. Here are some of the best examples that I could find.
Forget 15 minutes of fame. Paul newman has been charming hollywood for 50 years! The Long, Hot Summer, Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, The Color of Money, and Road to Perdition just cover a few of his career high points.
But the reason that I bring up Paul Newman for is not his acting. It is for his successful and admirable efforts at philanthropy.
Newman’s Own food products was founded in 1982. All profits after taxes are donated to various charities, which has totaled more than $200 million since the company’s inception. Products range from salad dressings, cookies, salsas, popcorns, and lemonade to dog and cat food, fig ‘newmans’, and an organic line.
Many celebrities use their fame and fortune for philanthropical causes. forming charities, donating large sums of money, and acting as a spokesperson for a cause tend to be the methods in which a celebrity ‘gives back’. However, I feel that Newman’s Own is by far the best effort that I’ve heard of. (yes, better than Oprah.)
Newman’s Own, first and foremost, reaches people in the smallest of towns in the U.S. One can shop at Walmart and buy Newman’s salad dressing and be contributing to a cause. While red carpet charity events have a short scope and high monetary yield, selling a product whose proceeds go to charity presents a long term, gradual build of donations with a platform that has seemingly endless extension possibilities. And the effect on the paul newman, actor, brand is very positive. Rather than read a blurb in us weekly about a star studded fundraiser, grocery shoppers can see Paul Newman’s face (usually adorned by a thematic hat, i.e. a sombrero for his salsas) on their grocery store aisles.
Nell Newman, Paul’s daughter, started the organic line extension to the brand in 1993. Obviously, the family has a passion for food, and they are sharing it with all of us for a great cause.
i have a personal rule that before i see a movie that is based on a book, i must read the book first. however, this inevitably sets me up for disappointment.
i recently read The Devil Wears Prada (its summer, ok…) and saw the movie. While not particularly blown away by the book, except for its parallels to my last job, I was taken aback by the changes that were made in the movie. it is through this metamorphosis of book to movie that you can see the effects of ‘hollywood’.
DWP the book portrays Miranda Priestly as an unfaltering evil character, unhuman in most qualities. the movie gives her instances of compassion and attempts to drive home some sort of feminist point. also, no matter how much detail goes into the atmosphere of runway, it is never really glamorized in the book, where it definitely is in the movie. other characters that gave additional meaning to the plot are changed : where Alex the boyfriend in the book was a preschool teacher that served as a contrasting character to everyone at Runway by being saintly and meaningful, and a voice of reason, he becomes Nate the annoying complaining loser chef boyfriend. Lily the friend has no bout with alcoholism in the movie that ended up playing so much into ending of the book.
this said, i cannot break myself of this habit, even though i know that i am just setting myself up for disappointment. few movies have ever satisfied me after completing the process : the lord of the rings, silence of the lambs, and charlie and the chocolate factory, to a certain extent. but, these are exceptional pieces of work. nonetheless, i will still continue to live by this rule, and expectedly, continue to be disappointed.
nordstrom, how i love thee. it is truly department store heaven. trendy and classic, affordable and expensive, young and old; nordstrom is able to have something for everyone while maintaining a personalized, sophisticated feel.
nordstrom has one of those classic stories of an immigrant founder who came to america with $5 to his name. the first store opened in seattle in 1901, and was just a shoe store. the founder instilled 4 principle values for the company to exist on that are still visible today : exceptional service, quality, selection, and value. it wasn’t until the 1960s that the shoe store merged with a portland clothing store. nordstrom is currently #46 in the top 100 companies to work for.
today, the departments within nordstrom have well defined identities. bp is the juniors department. funky and fashion forward, loud music, a mac counter, and a special website with tips, trends, and quizzes cater to the hip young affluent types. ‘my’ area, savvy, is the ‘fashion first’ area for the slightly more grown up. individualist - ‘Career and casual fashions with contemporary appeal designed to perform through day and night with style’, encore - the plus size clothing section for all occassions, petite focus, for women 5′4” and under, narrative - ‘Effortless fashions for work, for play, for evening, for day. Dresses, sportswear and coats beautifully styled, instantly gratifying’, otherwise known as the department i never wander into, point of view - ‘A versatile collection of up-to-the-moment fashions that are as inspiring as they are accessible’, t.b.d. - ‘Your destination for the season’s best trends—new looks designed with versatility and vitality, and the style to make them your own’, studio 121 - ‘Quintessential, timeless and luxe styles with refined designs. Sophisticated pieces with polished style for career and casual wardrobes’. Then there is my aspirational Designers section. A little like a clothing museum where I feel like I can’t touch anyhting. St. John has their own special section. Then they have the usual breakdowns - shoes, lingerie, coats, and special occasion - while men are pretty much just stucj with the ‘men’s department’. heehee.
nordstrom rack is the out of season leftovers store that they didn’t have in texas, but there is one near me that i have yet to visit. i just know it will be dangerous.
when i say band-aid you think what? a sticky bandage that is a neutral pinkish color, aka ‘fleshtoned’. well, i don’t know how many people have that color of skin, but i know it’s not everyone.
when making a bandage purchase, there are usually a few option - the aforementioned ‘fleshtoned’ band-aid, or children friendly ones in strawberry shortcake, teenage mutant ninja turtles, or the like.
so before going off on the racism of the band-aid brand, i did a little research to find out what band-aid offered - and see that they actually do make a clear band-aid, to ‘blend with skin’. so, they are making an effort….now the stores just need to stock them. and first aid kits always have the old kind…maybe they could give you more of a choice.
or, you can check out this kid’s collection for some more fun bandaids next time you scrape yourself.
even the people I know that work 8 hrs a day come home and work side projects, second jobs, or something to the like. why is this happening? do people not like free time anymore?
my typical work day is between 10-12 hrs, often having a 16-18 hr day once a week. when told that most people new to ‘professional work environments’ need to find this thing they call a ‘work life balance’, i don’t feel optimistic.
when working such long hours, the life/free time part becomes more and more bleak. as the long hours wear you down, free time becomes more difficult to enjoy. exhaustion sets in, you take the stress out on everyone and everything around you, and sleep becomes the main intention for the free time.
what happens next? is there a place where balance exists? do you always have to give something up to find a place closer to balance? take a less demanding job and work less hours, only to feel unfulfilled and displeased?
it is difficult to plan for the future when the trade off to look forward to is free time and unsatisfying or workaholic and doing what you want to do. so much attention is put on working hard to get what you want, staying in school longer, and making sacrifices. but where is the limit? I think I am maxed out.