Submitted by Jess on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 - 03:33

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I have mixed feelings about whether an actual dumbing-down of America is taking place. Most of the time I feel as though it is, but there are some recent positive culture changes as well. However, for the sake of this assignment, I am taking the side of "dumbing-down."

The first video I chose is a pointless and seemingly very long clip of a girl simply talking to the camera about her life that consists of sleeping and not much else. The point of the video (if there even is one) is to convey her deep desire to be on a reality TV show with hopes of being “discovered.” I did my photoessay on this topic--Americans relying on the hope of instant fame through reality television. This girl almost sounds depressed at the thought she may have already missed her chance but seems more than willing to wait around, as she doesn't do much with her life. Americans need to create their own opportunities instead of waiting for the opportunities to find them while sitting on the couch.

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Submitted by Jess on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 - 01:45

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The Coen brothers’ movies all tend to have similar techniques. Most of them are satires that mock the situations being presented to the viewers. Intolerable Cruelty starring George Clooney and Catherine Zeta Jones exudes sarcasm and mockery of its own characters and themes. The Coens have been accused of displaying arrogance because this mockery of certain stereotypes can appear intolerant and maybe even snobby.

In the film, Clooney plays a highly successful divorce attorney and displays every negative characteristic that people would associate with someone in this position. The movie begins with Clooney having his beautiful porcelain veneers bleached, and the viewers witness his transparent pearly whites when he flashes his overly exaggerated, fake and cheesy smile in the presence of his clients. Of course it disappears the minute they leave his sight. The viewers are made aware of the attorney’s wealth when he confesses to his assistant (who wears a t-shirt with “Objection!” written on the front in large red letters) his utter boredom with life. When his sidekick suggests he buy a new car, he answers that he has an open tab at the Mercedes dealership, a cabin in Vail that has been torn apart and re-built several times, two gardeners, and his very own jet. Clearly, this is exaggerated because even very successful attorneys could not afford a lifestyle of this extravagance.

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Submitted by Jess on Friday, March 10, 2006 - 02:21

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My photoessay is coming along. I have all of my pictures selected and posted with the layout and colors. I also have the text written for five of the eight pictures but may end up altering some of it once I finish the text for the other slides.

Here is the address: www.unc.edu/~jessck/photoessay

Submitted by Jess on Tuesday, February 28, 2006 - 17:09

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The topic I am choosing for my photo essay is reality television and how it has changed TV over the last five years and made America, specifically the youth, obsessed with becoming famous/recognized. I will focus on the shows that have had the biggest impact on the country in various ways.

Submitted by Jess on Thursday, February 9, 2006 - 05:54

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Ok, I chose a picture of Lindsay Lohan because images of her have been everywhere the past six months due to her extreme weight loss. She used to be such a normal, healthy weight and I think it's sad she felt she had to make herself look, in my opinion, much worse in order to fit into Hollywood.

Submitted by Jess on Sunday, January 22, 2006 - 17:28

playlist

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When listening to songs from "My Library" on Napster, I tried to come up with an overall theme for my playlist, and realized that so many songs are depressing. A good majority of songs seem to focus on heartache, breakups, loneliness, and even death. I began to think of an uplifting and positive theme for my playlist, and memories almost immediately came to mind. Songs that recall happy times put me in a good mood and make me think of a series of pictures with smiling faces, snapshots of the fun times in life, times that should be cherished forever. I LOVE taking pictures and often make slideshows on DVDs that play music in the background. When choosing my playlist, I immediately thought of music I would use in these slideshows.

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