Monthly Archives: April 2011

Pretty Little Liars is a show that truly can appeal to the Millennial desire.  It is a show that combines the sex appeal of good looking girls with the mystery of an alleged murder and it uses technology to link everyone together.  The text messages that the main girls receive from their missing friend Allison throw everyone into shock and fear.  Technology is used to mask ones true identity and even though as a viewer I was uncertain if it truly was Allison sending these messages, the main characters believed it to be her.  Technology allows us to conceal our identity, but the content of our speech still identifies us.

There are many parallels that can be drawn between the narrative of Pretty Little Liars and that of Veronica Mars.  Both shows incorporate a crime that is referenced primarily through flashbacks.  In Veronica Mars this is referencing both lilly’s murder as well as Veronica’s rape.  In Pretty Little Liars Allison’s disappearance, alleged murder, and now reappearance through digital communication dominates the story line.  In both of these shows a previous murder is the motor behind the plot line.  They both take strong female characters and face them with adversity while still having them deal with everyday to be expected problems.

In Veronica Mars we still see Veronica navigating throughout high school.  She has to deal with the normal clicks and pressures that any high schooler would.  It is interesting to note that in both Veronica Mars as well as Pretty Little Liars the murder caused a rift in friendships.  In Veronica Mars, Lilly’s murder and the investigation that ensued tore Veronica from her friend group.  She was looked down upon and made an outcast.  In Pretty Little Liars the incident caused a major fracture in the friendship of the girls.  Aria was even forced to move away with her family for a year and upon her return she didn’t call her friends.  She claimed that they weren’t friends anymore.

It is clear in both shows that friendships can be hampered by major events, but in the end it seems as if true emotions will endure.  In Veronica Mars she will get back with Lilly’s brother Duncan Kane and in Pretty Little Liars at the end of the pilot episode it becomes apparent that the bond between Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily will need to be strengthened if they are to figure out what happened to their friend.

Professor Stein’s interpretation of the complexities of Pretty Little Liars in her article “From Veronica Mars to Pretty Little Liars” brings up a major concern after the pilot.  The show has done a great job in establishing strong female characters that have a task in front of them.  They are tempted by shop lifting and boys.  They have unique relationships with their parents, but they will need to bond together to solve the mystery.  I am hopeful that these girls will be able to accomplish this task by themselves rather than looking outside for help.  I hope this becomes the case as the series progresses.

Professional sports franchises are thought of as organizations distinct from their ownership.  Apart from George Steinbrenner of the Yankees and Jerry Jones of the Cowboys, we do not associated owners with their teams at first thought.  Still, it is the uncertain situations of owners that have two baseball clubs with indeterminate futures.

As I have previously discussed the New York Mets are in financial troubles following the Wilpon’s involvement in the Bernie Madoff scandal.  The club is still looking to sell minority steak in the franchise.  I feel that this is a horrible investment for anyone to make even though I am sure it will be made.  The Mets are a terribly run franchise and minority ownership wouldn’t give the investor any say in the clubs direction.

Another internationally recognized franchise also has an uncertain future.  This franchise, the Los Angeles Dodgers, fate seems even more uncertain.  The MLB has seized control over the club’s business and day-to-day operations.  This action was forced upon the league thanks to the owner, Frank McCourt’s, ugly divorce and debt-fueled history that the club has been dealing with for nearly two years.

The MLB has taken over clubs operations in the past.  They did so for the Texas Rangers following the bankruptcy of former owner Tom Hicks.  Different from that take over though, the MLB prompted this one and the Dodgers are one of the leagues most well respected franchises.  It is unclear what the future holds for the Dodgers but it appears as if commissioner Bud Selig may make McCourt sell the franchise.  For the time being though the MLB will continue to take control.

I think that it is extremely unfortunate that actions like this were necessary, but I give the MLB a lot of credit for intervening.  It was evident that there was a problem, and rather than allowing this problem to continue and possibly worsen, the MLB mediated and quelled the crisis.  It is great that the MLB understands the importance of a smooth running club and they ensure this level course continues.  There are thousands of people who are affected by the fluidity of operations and it appears that the MLB has done a great job at guaranteeing their lives are altered as minimally as possible.

I personally am not a Glee fan. This stems from both my dislike of lame television and musicals.  Putting these two together is not the key to winning a fan like myself over.  Still, Glee has rapidly gained a strong and large following, according to Hilderbrand a “cult audience with its genre-bending and improbable choir group covers.”  It is a show that basis itself off of the concept of a musical.  It is millennial in the sense that it is not the typical story line you envision for a high school television show.  It is not a program centered on jocks and cheerleaders, but rather theatre and choir kids.  Tearing down these norms could’ve contributed to the unique audience for the show.

The program also attempts to tackle diversity problems, dealing with minorities and homosexuals.  The show’s appeal is that it takes kids out of stereotypes and allows them to do what they want.  Characters are permitted to live their lives how they choose without the pressures of traditional high school.  Glee according to Hilderbrand, “Not unlike high schoolers themselves has awkwardly struggled to find its own identity and politics.”  The show is starting a new wave of television; it does not conform to traditional expectations of society.  This was the premise at least, but as the show progressed it became evident that the characters were fitting into molds, just not the molds traditionally exemplified by television.

Even with all of the attempts to make the show diverse, the white characters are still the leads.  They dominate both the show and the solos.  The program is attempting to appeal to minorities with its casting, but as explained by Hilderbrand, “In its matchmaking, the show has been consistently segregationist: the white, straight, able-bodied kids only date within their own demo, whereas the various minority characters have primarily had failed flirtations amongst themselves.”  Glee attempts to portray itself, as a new age diverse show, but when we parse out the fluff it is a show not different from any other.  It is filled with racism and elitism.  It is a show that simply changes the setting but keeps the traditional storyline we are all so accustomed to.

The pilot episodes conclusion could not have been any more perfect.  It culminates with a performance of, a choral cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.”  It is almost pleading to the audience, please don’t stop believing, we will get better.  Glee is a show with a strong following, but it is not one that this view will follow.  It is a show that has a strong following, I wonder if this has anything to do with the emergence of interactive television.  Glee has become a sing-a-long for its audiences.  I think this fan interaction could contribute to its cult like followers.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6390177

With the NFL lockout still in effect one would assume that the 2011-2012 football season should not be at the center of discussion.  Still, everyday it appears as if the NFL’s current situation is a front-page newspaper story.   This article speaks about the current state of the NFL but it also addresses a far more important point.

The NFL as a league is going about its day-to-day operations as if there was going to be an upcoming season beginning in September.  NFL team schedules were released yesterday and the 16 game schedule is in tact.  Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the league said, “We’re doing all we can to prepare for the 2011 season. We’re announcing the schedule as usual, around this time of year, because we know that is an important point where fans start looking forward to the season, and I think there’s every reason for them to do that. We have every intention of playing a full schedule, and that’s why we’re releasing it as we normally do.”  Acts like these show the heart and compassion the league has for its fans.  Goodell’s quote demonstrates how he understands that the effects of this court case reach far further than those in the courtroom.

The most interesting games with the greatest off the field story for the 2011-2012 season centers itself on a pair of 9/11 match ups.  The New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys meet in New York on September 11^th.  This match up is intriguing not because Jets head coach Rex Ryan will face off against his brother, Cowboy’s defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, but because it will mark the 10 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York.  The Cowboys are deemed “America’s Team” and 9/11 was an American tragedy.  Having these two teams face off on the 10-year anniversary of one of the most devastating days in American history will provide a forum for everyone to reflect on the atrocity that occurred a short decade ago.

The NFL also has the New York Giants traveling to Washington, the other main city hit by the attacks, to face off on September 11^th.  These two games were not scheduling coincidences.  Giants spokesman Pat Hanlon said, “For nearly 10 years, we have felt an obligation to use our platform to make sure none of us ever forget the tragedy and heartbreak and courage and heroism of Sept. 11. That responsibility becomes even greater.”  It is great that even while the owners and players of the NFL are quarreling like children they can understand the importance of sending out the right message.  The NFL’s commitment to honoring historic events is very important.  I just hope that the labor agreements are settled and the NFL games occur as scheduled.

A television show centered around an attractive female high school student sounds fairly common at this point.  We all know the story about the cheerleader and the difficulties she is forced to navigate as she discovers herself to be more than just a pretty object.  That storyline has been played.  When we first look at Veronica Mars we expect a similar storyline.  There is an attractive high school girl who has been ostracized in a rich high school community.  We expect to follow her on her journey as she attempts to make it in the big sea of high school.  Fortunately for the viewer, this is not the premise for Veronica Mars. Veronica is not your average pretty high schooler; instead she is of a new bread that we will refer to as a “chick dick.”  This can be seen initially in her name.  The title of the show pokes fun at the popular book by John Gray, Men are From Mars, Women are from Venus. Still, Veronica does have to deal with the everyday occurrences any high school girl would.  She needs to be concerned with grades, social status and boys.  These anxieties are what make her relatable, but it is her unique story as a private investigator that makes her entertaining.

Tzvetan Todorov argued that, “mystery narratives have a double or ‘dual architecture’ in which ‘the story of the crime and the story of investigation’ eventually converge.” (134)  This idea is on front display in Veronica Mars as she helps to investigate both her own rape and the murder of her best friend which in turn led to her social demise.  It is interesting to watch Veronica’s navigation of the Private Investigator role as a high school female.  She often uses her youth and non-traditional mold of a private investigator to her advantage.  She uses her femininity not as a weakness, but as strength.  She is seen flirting her way into positions and being deceptive, as we see in her deception as a gamer among other instances.  Veronica remolds our view of both high school girls and of fighters of crime.  She blends the two together in a powerful and scary mixture.  The “chick dick” is a new breed that is exciting for everyone to watch.  There are not many shows with a central women character that appeal to men, but Veronica Mars certainly does.

Veronica challenges the roles that were previously reserved exclusively for men.   The show, Veronica Mars, also attempts to dispute prejudices about race and class.  Veronica and her father claim to aspire to a lower middle class lifestyle, but they life in a nice apartment in a wealthy neighborhood.  She is an avid user of nice technologies, which help her solve her problems.  It is true that her accomplices are often minorities, but as a white attractive blonde girl her claim as a minority is not taken seriously.  Still, the show does a great job at changing the way we look at TV.  It challenges norms and does so in an entertaining manner, the emergence of the “chick dick” in popular culture is not one that will soon go away.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6309428

One month into the greatest recent travesty to organized professional sports and both sides refuse to budge on the major issues.  A month ago the NFL players union dissolved and anti trust lawsuits were filed against the league.  Individual players were also encouraged to act on their own accord and take action against the league.  It is interesting that the players felt that they would have more power independently than as a Union.  Still, this is the course of action the players took and the owner’s issued a lockout in response.  As I have preached numerous times before the gravest tragedy with this situation is that the role players, the players and the owners, are not the only ones who are affected by the decisions.  There are thousands of others who are employed by the league and billions of dollars that are being removed from circulation, not to mention the fans that keep the league in business.

The issue has now been brought before a Minnesota judge and the fate of the NFL rests in the decision of the court.  The owners are upset about the dissolving of the union.  They want to talk to the players, not to lawyers.  The NFL’s owners are having difficulty determining who to speak with.  The Judge, Judge Nelson, has the ability to rule against the lawsuit in favor of the players.  If this decision is reached the NFL will be reinstated immediately and there will be games in the fall.  This is an option, but in my mind not the best option.  This decision would cause an even greater rift between the players and the owners.  This could cause many long-term problems.  Instead, there needs to be cooperation and a new CBA that can last into the future.

Judge Nelson recommended talks resume between the two parties, but this was only a recommendation.  After the Judge’s ruling in two weeks there will most likely be an appeal by the losing party.  This appeal process would take a few months and ensure that football would not start on time.  One of the biggest problems the Judge faces is choosing an unbiased third party to mediate the talks.  Everyone seems to have an opinion and a stake in the outcome of the case.

Lastly many players, specifically Derrick Mason of the Baltimore Ravens, are upset with Roger Goodell and the administration of the league.  The League is stressing the relevance of rule changes and drug testing.  The players on the other hand are far more concerned with having jobs come fall.  I understand both sides on issues like this.  The two sides are negotiating and trying to come up with an agreement, but for a player who is concerned with playing football and making a salary, semantics regarding rule changes are not at the top of their agenda.  These differing priorities are contributing to the troubles the two sides are having in their negotiations.

Sexuality is a concept that penetrates all aspects of our brain and society.  Many of our actions, especially in adolescence are driven by lust and love.  The Twilight series utilizes this sex drive and combines it with the passion of obtaining what one cannot have.  At its most basic level the series begins with sentiments of love.  The main characters name is Bella, which is beautiful in Latin.  Bella uses this same word, beautiful, to describe Edward after he reveals his true form to her on top of the Mountain.

Sexuality runs far deeper than the skin in this series.  Edward is described as incredibly good looking, Bella is warned on her first day of school about him and advised not to waste her time.  It is in large part the confidence and mystery that he exuberates that contributes to his appeal.  This same logic holds true in our culture.  Especially with the advent of the Internet and the amount of relationships that begin on-line physical appearance is less and less important.

The article, “Twilight and Transformations of Flesh: Reading the Body in Contemporary Youth Culture” provides insights as to the delicateness of the female body and how Twilight can be seen as a link between the concepts of female perfection and mortality.  Edward is in love with Bella and although biologically it does not make sense, and he is at times forced to fight the strongest urges, he protects her and does anything he can to not allow harm to come to her.  Many draw the parallel of Edward resisting taking Bella’s life to abstinence.  We can see throughout the film the internal struggle going on in Edwards head, biologically he is driven to want her but emotionally he knows that allowing himself to cave in will have dire consequences.  This is a similar dilemma we see that Grace in The Secret Life of the American Teenager has with sex.  There is a part of Grace that desires the physical act, but emotionally she feels tainted after having sex.  She even goes so far as to blame her father’s death on her action.  Edward appears to be struggling with overcoming a temptation as well.

It is interesting to think of Bella as someone who is constantly changing while Edward is someone who is constant.  They each want the others existence as it is human nature to always want what you cant have.  Twilight and the relationship between Edward and Bella demonstrate the difficulty in adolescent relationships.  When Bella is first going to meet Edward’s parents she is worried not that she is going to a house full of vampires, but she is concerned that they may not like her.  It is this type of irrationality that is a byproduct of love.  No matter the hurdles or the obstacles, love seems to prevail.