Are You F***ING Kidding Me?

I am so p.o'ed about the new restrictions on young drivers that state "...under the new rules, teens with newly minted G2 licences will have to deal with restrictions on how many young people can travel in the car with them" (http://www6.autonet.ca). Like that has to be the most ageist thing I have ever heard. First of all, my friends aren't a bunch of immature idiots (all the time) and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be distracting in the car. Second of all, the law says you have to follow this rule untill you are 21, yet it keeps mentioning "teens". Since when are 20 and 21 teenage years? They say we will only be allowed 1 passenger at a time. That's such b.s, I don't even want my G2 anymore... I might as well keep driving with my mom. Nobody I know has one friend. Plus, what if you're at a party and your friends are drunk and you're not and you need to drive them home so that they won't drive themselves... now you can't? Do they honestly think anyones going to actually listen to this... and even if it is serious, kids are just going to pile their friends in and tell them to duck or go in the trunk, like some already do.

Canadian Identity& Culture in Mass Media!

Okay so, this is my collage and I will explain what every picture on it represents to me, in being Canadian. But first let me just say that I am an idiot and I put the media representations on the right instead of the left. So first in the middle I chose a multi-coloured maple leaf as apposed to the traditional red one because to me it represents the many colours of the scenery, and the citizens of Canada. On the media side I chose to show all of the pictures on a newspaper print because the newspaper was invented by Charles Fenerty in 1838. There are pictures of various Canadian celebrities like Keanu Reeves and Kim Catrall. There is a picture of a hockey player because the sport hockey is very important to many Canadians. There is also a Tim Horton's logo, because Tim Horton's was originally a Canadian company and is enjoyed by Canadians. On the other side there is a painting of poppies. These represent the poem In Flanders Fields which was written in the first world war by a Canadian named John McCrae. There is a poster for the Toronto Film Festival because I believe this event is very important in Canada because it shows the world that Canadian films have something to offer. There is a picture of several differently coloured hands each displaying: peace, harmony, friends, team, love, hope, and unity. I believe that these words do express some of the opinions Canadians have of Canada. Finally, there is a painting called Mount Lefroy by Lawren Harris, who was a member of the Group of Seven. The Group of Seven was a group of extremely successful Canadian painters, who painted Canadian landscapes. This picture, to me, represents Canadian culture and art, and the love that citizens have for this country.

Coffee Junkies

So I was working on my Canada flag collage thingy assignment and I was thinking: What if all of the Tim Hortons were closed down? Better yet, what if coffee was made illegal in Canada. I think at first there would just be outrage. Petitions, marches with signs, rants, and so on. Then I think things would get ugly. Those people that drink like 8 cups a day just to stay awake would go absolutly nuts. I honestly think people would be killed. There would be arrests for illegal coffee grow-ops. People would be put in jail for smuggling coffee from Mexico or the states. Then I was thinking that if it could be this bad just for coffee, what about if smoking cigarettes was made illigal, and the distribution of smokes. It would be 10000 times worse. I work at a variety store and I must sell like 100 packs a shift its so rediculous. No matter what the price is raised to for smokes, smokers will pay it. Some brands have reached 10 bucks. Its rediculous; that 10 bucks could go towards groceries or charity!

Borat-Attack

I just want to make a post on how much I love Borat. I really disagree with the people that say that Sasha Baron Cohen is strictly racist. First of all, he’s Jewish, and makes fun of Jewish people, in a way that I think, highlights stereotypes other ethnic groups have for them. I think it’s weird that we can say its okay for Russel Peters to base humor off stereotypes of East Indian people (he is of course East Indian) and that it’s not okay for Sasha Baron Cohen to do the same thing. I think the film is actually very smart, as it points out the stupidity and pride of Americans (Especially the scene where Borat's at the rodeo signing the anthem HAHA). As well, this may make me sound like a very ignorant North American, but before Borat, I had never heard of Kazakhstan. Now I actually know it exists, which brings me to my next point. I think that anyone who actually believes that Kazakhstan is actually how Borat portrays it is extremely naïve and kind of dumb. If those things Borat says about Kazakhstan were true, would we really be laughing, and would the film really have gotten the go-ahead, even in the U.S.? Clearly not.

Les Poissons (Comment on Lincoln's Post)

I really liked Lincolns post on the copyright issue involving 'Wall-e' and 'Finding Nemo'. I totally understand his point of view on the issue and I agree with it as well. If your job is to create an animated character, the product will be from your imagination. If you sat 5 people down in a room and asked them to each draw a cartoon character like a bird, it is almost garanteed that the five birds will be very dissimilar. This is why I don't understand how the two clown fish look so similar, as well as the two robots. I think it’s obvious that Disney was influenced by the original familiars, especially if the concept of the two was to find the fish or… trouvez le poisson. P.S. I thought the French fish was hilarious. He looked a lot like Nemo only he wasn’t cute at all, and I didn’t even feel bad that he was lost..

"Still in Pain" After Listening to These Songs!

The Royalty Network has sued Beyonce for copyright infringement. The Royalty Network sued Beyonce because they are in control of ‘Des`ree’s’ music royalties, and they believe that Des`ree’s song “I’m Kissing You” was interpolated to Beyonce’s song, “Still in Love (Kissing You) without permission. To interpolate is to “introduce (something additional or extraneous) between other things or parts; interject; interpose; intercalate.” (www.dictionary.com) So, in the case of this copyright infringement case, the interpolation related to segments of Des`ree’s song being put into Beyonce’s song without been given credit or without attaining permission from the original artist.
The Royalty Network claims that Beyonce’s representatives approached Des`ree’s representatives to ask for permission for the song. When their question was answered, they were unhappy with the restrictions to the dong. For example, Des`ree`s representatives asked that the song title not be altered, which it was. It seems as though because Beyonce’s representatives did not receive the answer they had hoped for they went ahead and used they song anyways, also altering the song title.
A ‘cease-and-desist’ letter was sent by the Royalty Network to Beyonce’s record label on March 27th 2007, yet “Still in Love” was featured on Beyonce’s album ‘B`Day’ which was released in April 2007. The damages filed by the Royalty Network are approximately $150, 000. The company has also requested that as well as the fee, that there is an injunction of the selling of the song “Still in Love”. An injunction is “a judicial process or order requiring the person or persons to whom it is directed to do a particular act or to refrain from doing a particular act.” (www.dictionary.com) So, an injunction of the distribution of a song relating to this case would be the request to have the opposing company cease to distribute the song. Beyonce’s representatives have not yet responded to the claims. I’m sure this case will be big once Beyonce does respond to the claims made by the Royalty Network, but it will take more time for this case to unfold.
Okay so enough with all the legal stuff, I have my own opinion of this case. First you have to listen to the two songs. So first is Beyonce’s “Still in Love (Kissing You)”. Now, I know it’s really hard, but try and listen to the WHOLE thing. Okay so now that “Still in Love” is “still” fresh in your mind, listen to “I’m Kissing You”. So I know what you’re thinking because you’d have to be insane not to agree with me: The songs sound EXACTLY the same. They are equally as painful and boring to listen to except Des`ree sounds a tad more manly in her version. The only thing that is really different about the songs is they have only similar lyrics, but Beyonce fools you by changing the title. It only SEEMS like you’re going to be listening to a different song, but really you get to waste 5 more of your 2 million minutes you have left until you graduate. The melody, tempo, rhythm, and instruments are BEYOND COMPARISON.
I really hope that Beyonce loses this case, and is forced to pay the fee because it is plain to see that she copied a song. In my opinion, it’s almost like she made a cover of “I’m Kissing You”, changed a couple of the lyrics and the title, and made a video of her body all over the place, but didn’t give the original performer any credit for it. If Beyonce gets away with this case, then I don’t believe there is any hope for any of the rightful owners of songs involved in copyright infringement cases anywhere.

Avril Lavigne: 'The Worst Damn Writer'

Avril Lavigne is a talent less bum. She can’t sing, she can’t dress, she can’t design clothes, and now she can’t even write her own music. Another thing she has no idea how to do is lie.
I can’t believe she actually got away with stealing ‘Girlfriend’ off the Rubinoos. Anyone who can’t see that this song has been ripped off has no idea what they’re talking about. Avril actually tried to claim that she had never heard the song ‘Boyfriend’ before being accused of copyright infringement. I find this impossible to believe. Also I totally disagree with her comment that many songs have the lyrics “Hey, hey. You, you”. I don’t think that this is very common. Maybe in the 60’s or 70’s, but besides ‘Girlfriend’, how often do you hear these lyrics now a days? I also do not believe that Avril copied this song subconsciously. She wasn’t just sitting in her car one day when she was ten, and heard the song on the radio, and now she just made it her own by accident. That just doesn’t happen. There’s this thing called a memory that maybe she doesn’t know about, but most people have one, and would remember the song is someone else’s. Let’s just imagine, as a hypothetical, that the song ‘Girlfriend’ has the same lyrics as it does now, but the melody was different. We are imagining that ‘Boyfriend’ and ‘Girlfriend’ have similar lyrics (as they do) but sound completely different. If this were TRUE, I’m afraid I would believe Avril's comments. But it is far from true. The melody, the instruments, the lyrics, and the rhythm are so similar. In my opinion, the only thing that’s really different is the tempo, and the point of view of which the song is sung (‘Boyfriend’ is written in a boy’s point of view, whereas ‘Girlfriend’ is written from a girl’s point of view).
Avril should just go back to singing songs written out of her diary.

Leona vs Mariah

I don't know if I really like Leona Lewis or not. I did like her, untill I heard her speak on this talk show. She isn't very well-spoken and she doesn't do well to make herself seem like a smart person. Also, I was really surprised to hear that she has a British accent. I had no idea that she was from the UK from her singing. I think it's kind of fake that her accent just dissapears when she sings. To me, she obviously does this just to appeal to her American audience. She does have some talent, but she's on a whole nother level than Mariah Carey. I heard like 8 times that she's going to be the next Mariah Carey. Yeah right. I love Mariah she's so much more talented and she has been doing this so much longer. I don' think it's very fair to even compare Leona Lewis to Mariah Carey. Leona hes released like two songs this year... Mariah Carey, "has had the most number-one singles for a solo artist in the United States (eighteen; second artist overall behind The Beatles), where, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, she is the third best-selling female and sixteenth overall recording artist." (www.wikipedia.com)

She's a Slaave 4.. The Media

When you hear Britney Spears several things come to mind. Maybe you are a fan of hers and you think of her music and music videos. Or maybe you are like the thousands of others who criticize her on a day to day basis. The paparazzi have made all of this criticism possible and in fact worsened it. The “fans” that constantly gossip about her has helped to worsen her mental condition. The fact is that whether you like her or not, or whether you believe she is innocent or a contributor to her own stress with the media, her life appears to be a car wreck and few will look away.

First of all, I will start with the criticism of her figure in the MTV VMA’s. Britney’s shape then was that of an average woman, or an average teenaged girl we pass in the hall on a daily basis. Research shows that, "the average American women weighs 135.5 lbs" (http://www.cosmopolitan.com/). Therefore, I believe that it was unfair of people to criticize her figure during that time, especially when she was at a stage where she was so mentally fragile. However, her attire that night was questionable. She was not dressed in a way that would flatter her new body shape. That night Britney was dressed in a way that the old Britney would have dressed. Maybe if she had worn something that would fit her properly, and not emphasize parts that no one wants emphasized, she would not have received criticism for her outfit. Her performance on the other hand…

Imagine being followed by cameras every hour of the day, no matter where you go, no matter who you’re with, no matter what you’re doing. Sure, it seems like its all part of the fame game until you make a mistake like locking your keys in the car. It happens to people like us all the time yet if it happened to a celebrity it would be so blown out of proportion, hell, it could even make the cover of Us Weekly. How would you feel, if every mistake you made, everything you wore, and every relationship you had was criticized and exploited until there was nothing left of it. Britney’s life was being ripped apart by the paparazzi and people like us, who by the trash written about her. The fact is that sure, she had made mistakes. Who doesn’t? Sure she got divorced, but is making fun of her divorce going to change the fact that many of these people that by her magazines get divorced? Does it change the fact that "50% of all marriages in America end in divorce."(www.divorcerate.org) Does making fun of Britney make ourselves look any better?

To any of us, as much exploitation as Britney has received over the last year would of course lead to some form of breakdown. So now the question is, is Britney innocent or a contributor to the media frenzy that is her life? My answer is that I find Britney an “innocent contributor”. She is innocent because of her constant stress and mental condition. However, the fact that she was going through her mental breakdown during this media frenzy worsened the situation. I believe she was doing strange things because of her mental state, which she couldn’t really avoid at the time. Of course the paparazzi saw this opportunity to snap pictures and did so. The paparazzi are the main contributors to the frenzy, followed by the bums who poke fun at Britney’s life to temporarily escape the troubles of theirs.

As to the celebrities who have chosen to “fight back” against the paparazzi who follow them on a daily basis, I see no problem with this. These celebrities are only trying to defend their rights as citizens to their personal space that we all so take for granted. The paparazzi are getting out of control, endangering more lives than just their own, for a silly cause. I consider the relationship of the paparazzi to celebrities somewhat like that of a telemarketer to us. You’re sitting at home relaxing and the phone rings. It’s one of those annoying telemarketers or surveyors asking stupid questions. You have the choice to hang up on them or not but whichever you choose, the relationship should end there. If they keep calling and calling is it harassment? What if they showed up at your house one day, how would you feel? Yes the paparazzo’s job is irritating to celebrities, but like telemarketers they are just trying to make a living. However they still should be obeying the laws like everyone else. Celebrities and paparazzi are not above the law.

Celebrities should learn to accept the fact that once they are famous they will be in the news, on the covers, and talked about constantly. Yet I believe that this should only be accepted if the stories are true, if the pictures have not been altered, and if the content is not offensive to them.

Britney’s law, if put in effect, will give her a 20 yard safety bubble from celebrity photographers. As a matter of fact if this law is put into effect it will not only protect her, but any celebrity. In my opinion, this is a great idea that will change the lives of celebrities and give them some of the personal space and privacy that they desire. Not only that, but this will provide more safety to the celebrities, citizens, and the paparazzi themselves. The question is, would the crazed paparazzi even listen to this law, now that they disobey so many others. There is no limit to what the paparazzi will do to get their million dollar photo. They will just keep pushing and pushing until it leads to arrests and maybe even deaths of the innocent. I believe they will push past deaths as they didn’t stop after being partially blamed for the death of Princess Diana.

At the 2008 MTV VMAs Britney appeared healthy. She had lost weight, and she looked rested and like she had taken care of herself. She was dressed appropriately and well spoken with a sense of humor. This was visible even though she only appeared for short periods of time. The media is reporting this as a comeback and a triumphant return. This is good news of course, even though it is solely based on her appearance at the awards. Despite this I believe Britney should take all the good publicity she can get after the previous year.

Britney's story says a lot about us as a society. We make fun of Britaney's relationships, whether or not she is fit to be a mother, her mental health, and so on. Yet, we are the ones sitting around, watching her on the TV, or reading gossip about her on the internet. It is quite obvious that some of us are bored with our lame old lives. "According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube" (http://www.csun.edu.com/). Maybe Britaney doesn't know exactly how to deal with the fame and fortune bestowed upon her, but look at everything she;s accomplished. The only thing some of us will accomplish this week is wasting an entire day and then some watching television, and not living our lives like Britaney lives hers.

You can never stop the media, but I believe it should be changed. I think that the paparazzi and us as readers should be less critical and harsh because many celebrities are going through what people like us endure as well. The fact is that everyone has problems, and making fun of someone else’s wont make yours go away.

Too Many Shows!

The other day I turned on the TV after work which is something I don't usually do. I don't watch a lot of TV because I just get so bored. Really, the only TV I watch is the Food Network. Regardless, I turned on channel three and I began to see commercial after commercial after commercial for all of these new shows I have never even heard of. Reality TV shows, ones called Greek, and One Tree Hill, and Robson Arms, etc. Where did these all come from? There's so many and how do people have the time to watch them all everyweek. Occasionally I watch Sex and the City on DVD which I find is so much better. Not only is there too many of these shows, but some of them are so stupid. I stopped watching Gossip Girl like last year; it just got rediculious and hard to follow. CSI Miami has to be the most cliche cheesey show I've ever watched and I want to slap that jackass with the red hair, he is such a horrible actor and he's making more money than some of us ever will. Is it any wonder why obesity is a growing epidemic? People stay home all night watching these shows, week after week so they don't miss an episode. Heaven forbid they show up at work the next day, and are unable to join the conversation like, "Oh my God did you watch Grey's Anatomy last night?" We stay in, watch the shows, get bored and go grab the chips or icecream and it's just a cycle.