Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Donny Osmond Wins DWS

I'm not sure if anyone actually watches Dancing With The Stars (besides my mom) for everyone else the results are in and Donny Osmond is taking the crown.

I watched a few episodes with my mom and I have to say I was not impressed. I am a fan of So You Think You Can Dance which presents such incredible dancers talents. After watching DWS I was extremely bored and expected a lot more from the dancing show. I was impressed with Kelly Osborne who looks great and unlike Mya and Osmond has no real entertaining experience. Kelly made it to top 3, along with Mya, and was obviously not the best dancer but had the most life and fun in her dancing.

I don't think I would actually watch this show religiously but for people who have not discovered Rogers on Demand or watching TV on the internet...again like my mom, I can see why she likes it. This is their winning dance, enjoy!

Adam Lambert: Boy on Boy

If anyone has not seen or heard about Adam Lambert at the AMAs then you are not watching enough TV or keeping up with your Perez.

Here's the scoop: Lambert performed at the AMAs and it was quite a performance, not because of his musical talent but because he stimulated oral sex with a male dancer and then made out with one of the band members. Getting a bit of Madonna/Britney deja vu?

And according to ABC, over 1,500 people have called to complain about the performance which really isn't much. Probably because we are getting used to celebs doing ridiculous stunts at award shows to get attention. I think people are making way too big of a deal of this and it was completely unfair for Good Morning America to cancel his performance. Want to know what Lambert has to say, watch this video:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

What do you think: fair or justified?

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

New Moon Results



The results are in: New Moon has shattered all competition and earned $140.7 million from 4024 theaters over the weekend, earning the #1 spot at the box office.

Weekend US Box Office:

  1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon – $140 million
  2. The Blind Side – $34.5 million
  3. 2012 – $26.5 million
  4. Planet 51 – $12.6 million
  5. Disney’s a Christmas Carol - $12.2 million
  6. Precious – $11 million
  7. The Men Who Stare at Goats – $2.7 million
  8. Couples Retreat – $1.9 million
  9. The Fourth Kind – $1.7 million
  10. Law Abiding Citizen – $1.6 million



My Only Friend, the End

CBC Newsworld, hosted by Jian Ghomeshi has reported on 3 important questions to the media world: Is this the end of TV? Is this the end of radio? Is this the end of print? Recent trends prove that the internet seems to be re-shaping the way we watch TV and listen to music and how we get our news. These three videos dig deep into the question that scares many media conglomerates: Is this the END?

The End of Radio

Before we answer the question of the end of radio we must figure out where most viewers actually listen to the radio, the answer being THE CAR. Why would anyone want to listen to the radio outside the car when there are ihomes available? Even the audience who still listens to the radio in the car seems to be deceasing. This is because we have options! Today’s consumer driven market is all about choices. There are so many competitors in the music industry audiences don’t have to listen to music they don’t like or boring commercials when they can plug in their ipod or satellite radio and have all these options at their disposal. I am true hater of the radio and this is mostly because I had listening to radio ads. Why would I torture myself with the radio when I can pop in a CD that I burnt on itunes or even play my ipod in my car? Though I do learn about new songs and can listen to the news I still feel there are other ways that I can discover new music without the annoying ads.

The End of TV

Here is another example of how consumers like choices. We want the show we want to watch, when we want to watch it and where we want to watch it. Sitting and watching TV used to be a family event, but now who needs a family when you have wireless internet – just kidding... But seriously watching TV on TiVo or the internet is almost a way of our generation to fight the media conglomerates by saying you are going to need to find a new way to attracting us to the television. Media conglomerates make a ridiculous amount of money by using the audience as a commodity and selling us to advertisers. Now we are able to fast-forward these commercials or watch shows online. According to the video, “8 Billion dollars have been lost in advertising revenue as a result of PVR.” We can finally laugh at Disney instead of having them laugh at us...well maybe not to that extent but we can smile! We are still faced with advertising online but we can easily block out those ads instead of sitting for 5 minutes waiting for the commercials to end.

The End of Print

Do people actually still read newspapers anymore or are they just in it for the Sudoku on the back page? Maybe I’m bias but I have never been one to read a newspaper because I find the way the present news to be too sensationalised. I would only look to a newspaper to view the headlines and if the interest me I would search for the information on my favourite blog or on Google.

So is this really the end? I guess we will see.

Click here to watch the videos

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Speidi "How to Be Famous"


If you watch MTV or visit Perez Hilton then this might not be news to you. This week I learned that Heidi and Spencer Pratt have written a book called "How to Be Famous" and are thinking about staring in their own reality show.

I was never into the Hills until this season when Kristen came in a spiced things up. Every episode is filled with girl drama drama drama. BUT, the two most entertaining people on the show must be Heidi and Spencer, especially this season when the married couple is considering having a baby.

SPOILER ALERT- last episode ended with Heidi telling Aurdrina that she is not going to take her birth control so she gets pregnant and Spencer will have to deal with it even though he has stated that he NEVER wants to have kids.

I understand this whole scenario is just a big act to get ratings up, but you must admit it is still entertaining. As for purchasing their book, I might not go that far but a reality show does sound interesting to me!

For more on Heidi and Spencer click here

New Moon


About three things I was certain.

1. New Moon comes out Friday November 20th
2. I got tickets to the pre-screening on the 19th (jealous?)
3. Jacob Black aka Taylor Lautner has an amazing bod.

my name is Jenna and I am a Twihards. I am so excited for New Moon that I purchased the tickets 3 weeks ago - insert mocking here. If you have not read the books then you will not understand what a beautiful twisted love story the Twilight Saga is. And I know that the Twilight movie was really poorly done and the acting was horrible (aka K-stew) but I am optimistic that New Moon will be 10x better. Already, New Moon has sold 1.5 million and it hasn't even come out yet. If you have any doubts watch this trailer, and if you still think it's dumb then at least enjoy the sexiness of Rob-Pat and TayTay.

Watch trailer here

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

iGoogle


Being a student in MIT, it is pretty sad that I just discovered I could customize my iGoogle to include things such as the weather, places to visit and useless facts. This week not only did I learn to customize my iGoogle but I learned these 3 useless facts:

#1. In the late 1970s, the Coca-Cola Company boycotted the NBC late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live for several years. The giant soda company was retaliating against a frequent character of comedian John Belushi, a Greek restaurant owner who repeatedly said to customers, "No Coke—Pepsi," thus saying the rival company’s name dozens of times within each skit

#2. Phobia: paraskavedekatriaphobia Fear of: Friday the 13th

#3. Camels have 3 eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand, and a camel can shut its nostrils during a desert sandstorm

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Ellen on Oprah


"Ellen on Oprah" is my Facebook status at this moment. I got two likes from my girlfriends and one "I just puked in my mouth" and "too bad the studio didn't get bombed." from two guy friends. Personally I was too excited and for the first time since Oprah's Christmas special last year I actually took time to watch the full show.

Ellen was her fabulous/funny self and Oprah was obviously trying too hard but it was really a great show. There was also an appearance from Ellen's wife (who is STUNNING) Portia de Rossi. They opened up about their wedding, relationship and coming out as a gay person and a couple. It was a really great show and if you missed it click her to get all the details

Paranormal Activity


I just got home from seeing THE scariest movie that I have seen in a while. It is not about this perverted killer who makes you saw off your own leg, it is about demons who turn off lights, shut doors and oh ya, invade your body. This movie is called Paranormal Activity and it scared the crap out of me! It is scary because it is completely believable and though not everyone may believe in ghosts and demons, you may start now. It is filmed like the Blair Witch Project with a hand held camera. This couple has just moved into a new house and the girl is being haunted by a demon, not ghost, demon. The couple wants proof so they decide to leave he camera in front of their bed each night and watch in the morning to see what happens. It is absolutely, eye covering, awkward screaming, bed wetting, scary. Highly recommended. If you have seen it please comment and let me know what you thought!

Click here for more information.

Monday, November 9, 2009

H1N1 or Cold?

Two days ago I woke up with a sore throat, I was more tired than usual and I have a dry cough. My roommate told me go to the doctor to check for H1N1 but I'm not too concerned because to me these are regular cold symptoms. But then I thought what are the different symptoms in a cold and H1N1. For those of you who also wonder read this:

Fever
  • Fever is rare with a cold.
  • Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the H1N1 flu.
Coughing
  • A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold.
  • A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the H1N1 flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).
Aches
  • Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
  • Severe aches and pains are common with the H1N1 flu.
Stuffy Nose
  • Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.
  • Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the H1N1 flu.
Chills
  • Chills are uncommon with a cold.
  • 60% of people who have the H1N1 flu experience chills.
Tiredness
  • Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
  • Tiredness is moderate to severe with the H1N1 flu.
Sneezing
  • Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.
  • Sneezing is not common with the H1N1 flu.
Sudden Symptoms
  • Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days
  • The H1N1 flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.
Headache
  • A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
  • A headache is very common with the H1N1 flu, present in 80% of flu cases.
Sore Throat
  • Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
  • Sore throat is not commonly present with the H1N1 flu.
Chest Discomfort
  • Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.
  • Chest discomfort is often severe with the H1N1 flu
So who votes that I have a cold?

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Graduation Photos


I have just finished getting my graduation photos taken and I was under prepared. If you are like me and skim through emails that faulty members send you then you might have missed the important stuff. Here is the low-down:

- Wear a white shirt (or if a guy, collared shirt and tie)
- Bring casual clothes
- Bring a friend (group photos are available!)
- $25 fee
- Located beside Inprint at the UCC
- Be ready to pose in leaves and as Carrie Underwood

Just a few tips so you are more prepared than I was! If you have not book your UWO grad photo click here.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Cell Phone Law


Okay, here is another question about the law. As most of us know Ontario has banned the use of cell phones while driving. If caught, one could be fined up to $500, a fee no student could afford! But what is the difference between using a cell phone or changing the radio station. Or using a cell phone or eating a Big Mac? What is more distracting and how far is the government going to go. Is this just the beginning of driving laws or will eating a Big Mac soon be next on the list?

To learn more about driving laws click here

Corporations Have NO Moral Responsibilities

Today I actually learned something interesting in my Business Law class. Business Law is taught by Professor King, who is an excellent professor and I highly recommend taking his class if available. Today we talked about corporations and how they have no moral responsibilities, and pursue profit at any cost. Corporations will not act in a socially responsible manner because they are programmed not to. They are all about making profit - for example if the only way the Body Shop gives a $1 to charity it is not because they want to help a cause it is only to sell more soap! Legally speaking, corporations cannot give out money unless they have an ulterior motive.

This is pretty obvious but it makes you question if it is right or wrong? It is socially accepted that corporations, especially large corporations
want to make a profit, at any cost but what does that mean for society? Should we buy the soap because we know that our money is going to charity but also helping large corporations make more money? What do you think?