Sunday, February 28, 2016

Homosexuality and Hollywood Dont Mix

I want to start by saying the Celluloid Closet was definely out of date. The way that homosexuals were portayed back in the day homosexuals are looked down upon and killed and beat up in the movies. To me that set the tone for the media to let them know that it is ok to bash homosexuals. In todays Hollywood I have been able to notice the change. One example I want to give is the show "The L word" now if I remember correctly that show was (for me) the first lesbian show I seen and it was actually a late night show. No to me I think that is because media waned to make sure that that show was not seen by the average audience. its like that show got no credit because it was about lesbians. I thought it was a porn because of the time the showings would come on. But now in todays time since lesbians are now more accepted they show reruns and things during the day or earlier in the day. Shows in todays time are more open to adding a scence here and there with lesbians and gays but if they over do it society goes crazy. Example: Empire, that show was number one in American for the 1st season. then second season came and they added more gay scenes in the show and the ratings dropped tremendously because of the gay scenes. Another thing that I noticed is that gay and lesbian movies are not in theaters. iI f a movie has a gay scence that movie does no make it on the charts. I think the whole system is rigged. Example: 50 shades of Grey, I loveeedddddd tha movie but I think it was wrong as far as the message it says about women. About women needing to be submissive. That movie is so deep BUT honestly the whips and chains is stuff  I,(Me) have only seen done with gays and lesbians. Like they are the ones into the extra freakiness lol but that's just me. Now the shows like RU Paul's Drag Race are shows that got discredited because society "doesn't want to see that" I liked that show though. I do not think that class has anything to do with homosexuality in the media because I have seen just as many black gays as I have white. I do think the media tries to discredit gays in the movies because they ry to make them the damsels in distress, like they are the ones that are always needing help or the ones that are always being hurt. they are never happy. Even in Empire they had Jamal as the gay brother, but he was the most un happy because he couldn't come out, then in season 2 he comes out but ends up kissing a female and that message went viral as "he has been fixed" why cant he just like both men and women? Heterosexuality is a "Norm" and Homosexuality is almost like being an outcast in society? I think there needs to be more shows like "The Fosters" because it shows lesbian love, heterosexuality, and diversity and how at the end of the day LOVE IS LOVE. That show does not get noticed at all and that is sad.

https://thesocietypages.org/papers/same-sex-different-attitudes/

Monday, February 22, 2016

Why don't I see anybody that looks like me on tv?

So as we know I'm Black ... This particular topic is sensitive to me because learning what I learn and seeing that I see on a daily bases is a bit heart breaking yet something I have to accept! On MOST of the tv shows and media that I consume all I see is white, white male, white female, white kids, white white and then a spec of color. Now as discussed in class I am going to focus on the movie (series) transformers because out of ALL the movies I have watched (and I've seen a lot) this movie brought some serious racial disparities. You have robots that are saving the world... Let me break this movie down real quick:

You have the robot that saves the world who is most likely white . Then you have the other one who is the guardian who is also mostly white. Let me tell you why I think they are white ... Because the ones that are supposed to be another color "act" like they are another color. The supposed "black" robot comes off as mean, ready to kill, and cursing like no other. His first line is "what's cracking bitches etc. etc."! And then you have Sam lol who ask why does he talk like that ? Now we all know that that robot was suppose to be the black robot but why? Like first off why do we have to be the only one cursing ? Why do we have to be extra? Let me give another movie example:

The scary movies that come out... A large percent of scary movies the blacks that are in those movies DIE FIRST or die in the most stupidest way ... Ex. (One missed call, Scream etc.) this is because black people are seen as being stupid. (In my opinion).

Because of how society looks at African Americans as a whole when we make it into movies most of the times we aren't portrayed in a good way (to hood, killing people) or we don't get the lead role. We are in the background and the "helper" of the star in the movie. Ex. (The show super girl and the Areow) I love those shows but the black guy in both shows are the helpers of the hero and the other is a police officer that still HELPS the main character! Now that show is for women so I have nothing against it. BUT African Americans cannot star a big role in movies or tv shows that have a all white cast ... Not going to happen because either we aren't going to see it or it's going to get a lot of flap about it. Most of the shows I watch are predominantly black cast BUT they either ratchet (love and hip hop) or its so much drama that it's ridiculous (Empire) but I love it. And I think that happens because of how African Americans are portrayed. The scary movie series with the Wayne brother is pure stupidity ... But that's because that's what we are good at let them tell it. So why not give people a reason to laugh ? Smh but this is all my opinion. Let me know if I'm wrong !
And another thing why is it that the Latinas have to be dumb! They are either dumb or they are slutty . They can't be the smart ones ... I'm complaining about blacks but there is hardly ANY shows or movies with Latina/o characters and they are the star of the show. Smh

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/30000-hollywood-film-characters-heres-many-werent-white/
This article has some great facts and I just hate that it is like that!

Friday, February 12, 2016

HOMO"Normativity" vs HETERO"Normativy ..WHY?

OK so this weeks post I am a little hesitant on because I don't really understand the task but here I go.
Last week I talked about the movie "barbershop" and it being a comedy and why I thought it was rated comedy and PG-13. This movie when it comes to heteronormativity had a lot of it in there. This movie had a lot of hetero relationships. The most interesting part of the role played for hetero that I felt might have been political belief is that every guy one this movie was in a hetero relationship and even EVE had a boyfriend. I feel like this being a black cast (minus the one white barber who portrayed blackness lol) adding homonormativity wouldn't have gotten it to the theaters and as good as a rating as it did because politics and people are not as excepting of that image as it should be. That movie was about black barbers and how the men act when they are in the shop. They didn't have one gay client come in or have a gay barber. BUT WHY? They could have made a big message with that movie. The reason I say politics are involved is because everything is politics once you break it down. If the movie hadn't made it to the theaters some of the characters wouldn't have been noticed and if the big time characters like ICE Cube and Cedric would have been seen in that type of environment that could have hurt their career. In class we discussed how making a change to something that everyone likes is a big risk and can hurt your career as a artist and i feel like its the same thing for movie stars. Cedric is a comedian and Ice Cube was a rapper they could have lost fans had they been seen in a movie with something that's not "NORMAL". But that's just my opinion.

An article with reviews: http://christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2002/barbershop.html

Monday, February 8, 2016

Comedy? Why comedy though?

The last movie I watched was Baber shop (actually watching it now because I am about to got to bed). But this movie is rated PG-13 and it is a comedy. I completely understand why it is a comedy. The characters in the movie are all mostly comedians. I don't remember when this movie was advertised but based on looking at the pictures and trailers from when it was bein advertised you can tell it was going to be a comedy. Its almost like when they want to draw in a articular audience or draw in people period they advertise the HIGHLIGHTS of the movie. Scary movies are the worse. When they advertise those movies its almost like they leave us no suspense anymore because all the good parts be in the commercials so its spoiled. When a movie is made into a comedy it should be funny. The audience should be laughing at least 50% of the movie. I think that's how the reviews are made. Movies who come out and they say NOT YET RATED its because they are still trying to see what genre it fits in best with. I think that they should show movies to us first then rate them in a genre. Because these scary movies nowadays are not scary they are more funny. But that's just me!

http://www.thinctanc.co.uk/words/comedy.html (Opinionated link on what makes a movie a comedy)

Monday, February 1, 2016

Politicians and The Media

I did not watch a debate on YouTube I am going to go off the debate and what I remember that came on late last year with the Democrats! 

I feel like the media and how society feels plays a MAJOR role in how politicians think and molds their speeches to sound like what certain audiences want to hear. 

EXAMPLE: 
Making marijuana legal! 
Omg if their views on that haven't changed a mazillion times o don't know what! Back before ANY of them were running for president most of them (Hiliary, Sander, O'Malley ) were all against it. But now that it has become so common and more people want it and the media makes people who are against it seem so different they change their views. Government to me personally wants whatever can make them money which is why it's a states decision to make it legal.  

Politicians are definitely media made ... Everything changes when they get in the White House. They want you to believe they are your average joes, or living the American Dream (family) but really I think everything  is a "if I can sell it and the media can help me sell it GO FOR IT" type of society.  But that's just me! 

(Don't have a link for this one!)