See the “reporting” for yourself:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2007/08/15/anderson.mormon.film.cnn

When will Mormon’s ever catch a break?  They get it equally from the right and left wings who just can’t stand to see a good group of people without beating them down.  We don’t expect to be favored in the news, but we do expect some unbiased treatment.
I’ve read up on this event, and it is a tragedy.  There is a lot of persecution of the Mormons leading up to this that no doubt played into this group’s poor decision making and abominable actions, yet that still doesn’t excuse it.  Do we condemn an entire religion and people based on the actions of a few that took a wrong path?  Are all Catholics child abusers because of the actions of some priests?  No.  Are all Islamics bomb carrying radicals?  No.  Same applies with Mormons, so why can’t the press include some of these concepts in their coverage of such obviously biased, non-documentary creations?  Because they want to believe what they are saying, so they publish it to the world as if it were true.

This kind of thing makes me sick because of the number of people that will watch it and assume it is true.  Is there any doubt that the positioning of this movie and the coverage it has already and will create was timed at this point in the election process of a Mormon presidential candidate?  Just keep watching for what comes next, because there is sure to be more propaganda thrown out there.

Are we just so enthralled by peeking into these famous peoples’ lives?   Do we get a kick out of seeing that yes, even famous people have problems?  Maybe deep down (or perhaps not so deep) we want to see these people that seemingly have more than us in life, at least in money and fame, get knocked of their pedestal?  Whatever it is, the media loves to run with it because obviously people are eating it up.

I wonder what gets said in the entertainment news editors office when a new tidbit of hurtful gossip blossoms into something they consider newsworthy.  “Hey, looks like the Baldwin divorce is heating up.  How can we exploit this and make their lives that much worse?”

Not that I condone what Alec said in his voice mail to his daughter; I don’t.  I ask you though, who hasn’t said something anger that they later regret?  Especially when dealing with kids!  We are all just lucky no one cares enough to post our recording online and have it make national news.  Give the guy a break and let them deal with their problems behind closed doors, in counseling, or however they need to; not in the public headlines.  This coverage is definitely not helping things.

Will the media mongers feel a sense of accomplishment if they get Alec to finally get off 30 Rock like he has tried in an effort to focus on his family issues?  Or, will it take Alec loosing completely custody rights of his daughter to get that thrill they need?  Why do we feed these animals the hits to their articles that get them looking for this kind of trash?

Hey, life isn’t always a rosy, but we don’t need to make it worse either.  I too check out the accident as I drive by, but I don’t stop in the middle of the street and throw out insults to make them feel worse.  Find ways to help the broken family deal with their hurt, not throw salt on the wound and tug at it to make it worse.

Do you remember as a kid opening up the fridge and standing there for several minutes before your mom or dad yelled at asked you to close the door. Your reply was “but there’s nothing to eat!” Of course there were plenty of things to eat in there, but none of it sounded all that interesting to you. You wanted something good.

That is the way I feel about TV these days. There is always plenty of channels with something on, but none of it sounds all that interesting to me. Fortunately some smart people invented the DVR, which lets me digitally record shows, even automatically recording all new shows of certain series I indicate. This lets me watch what I think is interesting, when I want to watch it.

Lately though, even having a DVR is not enough. I have come to the end of my most recent Dish Network contract feeling unsatisfied with what I am paying nearly $50 a month to have just the basic options of their service. What irks me even more is that they are still advertising the $29.95 rate that I signed up for, and not as a promotional price. About halfway through the service they raised the rates due to “increasing costs of delivering high quality content.” Hogwash.

So, at the end of the month we are turning the service off. Prior to this most recent stint back on the Dish service we chose as a family to not have any TV service for a little over a year. We found that we did more as a family, had more time to do other things, and we ended up watching many DVD based TV shows sans-commercials. For the most part, we really didn’t miss having live TV. We ended up subscribing for Dish to get a few channels and shows we wanted to catch since we are in a pocket that really doesn’t get any decent local reception. Now we again don’t feel it is worth it.

With $50/mo in savings I am planning to research some better antennae options mounted in my attic (so I don’t have a huge device on my roof) to see if I can pull down a better signal for local channels. I will miss TLC and Discovery, ESPN and TBS/TNT, but really that is about it. Otherwise I plan to catch some shows online and perhaps just do more with the time I have wasted periodically watching TV. What a novel concept.

Maybe I’ll read a few more books or spend more time with my photography. Whatever I do, I know it will be more productive than watching TV.

From everything I have read, the commercials overall were a bit of a disappointment compared to early years. A few highlights, but nothing that stood out all that much. There were the regulars that put in a good show, especially beer commercials as always. Why is it that beer vendors seem to be the only ones that have figured out how to hire the good ad agencies? You can always count on Bud and Miller to have something that gets you laughing…that is unless you are comedically challenged.

Where the big game and halftime show may have lacked in drama compared to previous years, apparently one particular commercial is making up for it in post game press. Mars, Inc threw their money at an attempt at humor with their Snickers commercial that overall has been well received…that is except for a particularly sensitive portion of our society…gay/lesbian “rights” groups have been in an uproar.

If you haven’t seen it, I have included it at the end of this post though I don’t know how long it will stay up on YouTube. Short version, two mechanics accidentally kiss while sharing a Snickers bar and feel compelled to “do something manly” to make up for it, which they decide is pulling out chest hair. I got a laugh out of it for likely the very reason it was intended, which was to be ridiculous and poke fun and some stereotypes. This is a good one in the long line of Snickers classics. Remember the “Gonna be awhile?” series? My favorite of those was the old guy painting the name on the football field and getting it wrong. That one still makes me smile just thinking about it.

Apparently this is is offensive to the homosexual community because it “endorses prejudice that is inexcusable.” Hogwash I say. Why is it commercials can make fun of every kind of heterosexual situation, gender, regional or whatever stereotype, but when it comes to this kind of joke, it is offensive? Aside from an obvious poke at most men being homophobic, which is likely true, this was more of a joke about men stereotypes, not those that are gay. Is this just yet another attempt at small interest groups trying to grab at any opportunity to garner some national media? My vote says that is the case.

Why isn’t the mechanics association of America coming to the mic with their complaints? “We find it extreme prejudice that these mechanics are being presented as hicks. Not all of our members are hicks, and it is inexcusable to have such stereotypes presented to such a large audience as if it were fact. Inexcusable I say.”

The “man law” series of commercials includes ones that talks about “sharing spit” if you tap bottles being “practically kissing” but that hasn’t caused such attention and uproar. Perhaps this is because there are so many big name celebs in it rather than just a couple of nobodies playing out a humorous scene.

I guess I really am not surprised to see these groups making such a fuss, but what does bother me is seeing Mars Inc fold so quickly under pressure. Not only have they pulled the ad from tv broadcast, but also its online site which allowed users to vote for varied endings of manliness to the commercial. The vast majority of people, including their target audience found the commercial funny and raced to the site to see the options. Get a hissy fit from the special interest group though and they pull the works. That had to hurt the advertising budget. Apparently the online reaction has caught their attention as well though as today they are beginning to defend the ad. Better late than never with a little “manly” fight to them, eh?

[youtube]JHkoZ7ngAM0[/youtube]

I can honestly say I understand the plight the entertainment groups are faced with, which is that emerging technology always seems to be providing a way that could harm their profit margin. What I cannot appreciate is how they typically go about dealing with the dilemma, which is to fight it tooth and nail. Methods are employed to limit your ability to use technology, and even worse, untold millions of dollars are used to “influence” lawmakers to pass legislation in favor of businesses at the detriment of the people on the whole. This is clearly against the purpose that our government was designed for.

My opinions are strong in this area. I feel like business in any industry has to evolve to meet the ever changing market demands or something “fitter” will win out in the fight for the ever important dollar. The problem in this case is that there are serious dollars at work, and people are willing to do anything to keep those dollars flowing their direction.

I am not literary king, so I have often avoided commenting on this subject because I don’t think I can do it justice. I think another little part of me believes in conspiracy theories, so I am afraid that I will wake up to find my house being ransacked after bringing up topics such as these. I read an article today that I thought made a great point on the use of DRM (Digital Rights Management). It is titled Privately Hollywood admits DRM isn’t about piracy.

I think over time I will try to continue to point out articles I think are pertinent to this argument. The problem exists for the music as well as movie industry. I have personal experience working in the music industry and have seen how even a seasoned entertainer has to fight against the insider bubble to try and make it in the industry. There are a lot of things wrong with the business, but in the end what matters to me most is that my rights as a citizen of my country cannot be infringed upon for the interests of a specific industry or business. That is just plain wrong.

Sorry, not a lot of humor in this post because I couldn’t really find much to laugh about. The consequences of what is happening with our laws and the current environment on this topic are truly frightening.

Edit:
I am going to add links as I notice articles that I feel are pertinent

Article links:

• Larry Lessig Presentation on Copyright
  An audio presentation that is well worth listening too.  Explains a lot that people are not aware of how big business is buying laws.  (8MB download)
• Senators aim to restrict Net, satellite radio recording
  A fine example of our lawmakers proposing poorly worded legislation that obviously was “financed” by big business dollars.  Additional related link

I don’t like Rosie, never have, and like her even less each time I see she has been quoted yet again because of her heavy duty left wing opinion.  She is back again, feuding with Donald Trump over the whole Miss USA “scandal.”  First, I don’t really care at all about Trump’s decision to keep the current Miss USA with her tiara, but I care even less that Rosie is upset about it.

I always wonder what she has that keeps her going in the media.  Her landing a spot of The View has given her a big new platform to stir up controversy.  She bathes in it, which is some imagery I purposely through out there to disgust you.  She really does need to pay her PR firm a big fat bonus this Christmas though, ’cause they have been working overtime for her.  Either that, or she has a friend at CNN that likes to get her noticed.

Rosie joins The View, big news.  Departing View members don’t want her there, newsworthy.  Rosie comments on Danny DeVito’s drunken visit, yep news.  Rosie pops her top off for a movie scene even though the fans won’t see it, yuck, in the news.  Rosie’s views on Bush because she is a lesbian, somehow a big deal in the news.  Rosie and Barbra Walters are feuding, now its over…rumors have it Rosie might be leaving The View, she announces she is not…Rosie said mocked the Chinese, she apologizes…are you getting the general idea here?  This is just ridiculous.  Rosie rivals the number of headlines lately of the war in Iraq.  By the way, she’s against it.

Perhaps the general public does actually care about what Rosie thinks.  Ratings are up on The View since she is on, I think anyway – that is what the news reports.  I shudder to think the state of our society if we are being lead by this now morning personality.  She’s nothing more than a comedian turned diva out of her own effort to be one.  Before she even had decent media presence she was a pain to work with behind the scenes – which I hear not only from the news but from credible sources, believe it or not.

Maybe I’m just jealous.  Yeah, you can believe that if you want.  I’ll tell you what it really is.  I can’t stand self-centered, over hyped and particularly left-winger media darlings.  Rosie lives by making controversy.  She is the essence of it by who she is and who she has created herself to be.  Right down the whole lesbian thing (big surprise), which she milks at every chance.  I think she’s a fake on so many levels, but she has worked up this image and is making enormous cash doing it.  She is the alter-ego to Hollywood beauty couples that everyone can’t get enough of, therefore she is tabloid material for that end of the spectrum.

There, I’ve said it.  That wasn’t so hard.  I hope that I am not alone in my opinion, otherwise I might just have to move to Montana, give up on society stay in the high country, living off the land.

I went and saw Casino Royale this last weekend, the latest installment in the Bond lineup, and it was a great flick.  I still hated handing over the $15 it took for my wife and I to go.  I know that is actually a few bucks less than other areas in the country, but it is still too much for the quality of movie we usually get.  The week prior, my sister-in-law was in town and really wanted to see The Fountain, so we went with her to what ended up being the longest couple of hours I have spent in a long time.  That currently ranks at the top of my worst movies of all time list, for movies that were at least trying to be a good movie.  It was terrible, awful, and every other “nice” word for bad you can think of.  I actually considered poking my eyeballs out to relieve the pain.  Movie companies keep crying in the news lately about how movie attendance is down and they are blaming piracy.  That argument convinces me, sure.  Most movies these days don’t merit the theater experience.  How about many movies in the recent years have just not been good enough to draw the crowds.  Lord of the Rings, Passion of Christ, and many others that actually worked to produce a quality flick did just fine.

How about when movie companies cry about all the money they are losing to piracy.  Oh, boo hoo.  In the very next entertainment article I read they talk about so-and-so big wig actor getting $25 million for his next flick.  The next one reads about the top flick of the week pulling in $50, $60 or even $80 million for the weekend.  I understand there are films that lose out and some are big winners, but come on, are you going to tout how big a film did and then tell me prices are going up at the box office because you are losing money?  How stupid do you think I am?  Apparently they figure I realize my position relative to their greatness and I owe them for this great movie watching privilege.  Well, perhaps a portion of society is sending a message, that most movies aren’t worth seeing before the DVD release.

There has to be a reality check as well that the home theater business has been booming for a number of years.  DVD sales are through the roof, which tells me that there is a simple switch in the market taking place.  Yep, most of us are finding our movie watching experience is just fine at home.  Our big screens are big enough, our sound systems good enough.  Plus, we spend a similar amount of money to “own” (a whole other discussion about current lobbying for copyright law and fair use) our copy of the movie.  And as for piracy in this whole situation, again, I think there is a shift taking place in the movie economy.  MPAA can try to beat it down with their buying off laws for a time, but eventually they will have to change the way they make money to keep up with the changing times.

Now here is the best part of this ticket price gouging.  Do you realize that movie theaters don’t even make a hair of that money you pay to see the movie?  Yep, that is why we are barraged with the snack counters trying to sell us their overpriced food, so they can actually keep their doors open.  That is the only place that movie theaters make a profit, is charging $4.50 for a drink and $7 for a large popcorn.  How ridiculous is that?  This essentially makes movie theaters expensive convenience stores with a few overpriced items that can only get you to buy their stuff by showing movies.

Don’t be fooled by what you see/read in the media about the current economics of movies.  If movie companies were really losing money, they would pay actors less to make the budgets work.  If the actors are too expensive to make it work, there are plenty of the smaller name variety that will gladly take the roles.  Who knows, we might actually get some actors that can act instead of ones that are just the latest craze.  Movie prices are just too high, and people are starting to stay home, or go out and do something else; and more often than not, I am one of them.

I want to know what ever happened to owning one’s mistakes. When did it become a common occurrence that when your brain cells cease to function you could have it explained all away”¦and expect the average citizen to buy the dribble? Sure”¦too much alcohol can make your slur your speak but I do not believe anyone else’s beliefs come out of your mouth but your own. I know it’s common place to make up excuses for your stupid behavior”¦what twists my knickers is when celebs have someone they pay to sell their excuses. Interviews are set up, public appearances made, apologies tossed around like Frisbees.  Are any of you buying this? I’m not!

Why not just meet up with the people you insulted or degraded and offer to try and make amends? Sit down across the table from them and tell the truth? What do these stars think? Do they think by going on every Entertainment/talk show we don’t see threw the fact they are only putting a spin on to save sales for their new movie/CD/DVD release? Are they really that stupid or just arrogant? I’m from the old school where if you spill the milk on the new carpet”¦you admit you did it and acted alone and then clean it up! Come on guys”¦go to Rehab and the anger management classes but don’t sit there in front of the cameras and say, ” I’m not a racist I really have no idea where those hateful degrading words came from!” Pleeazzzsse! It came from deep in you where that dark vile stuff grows”¦own it and get help!

TV ads love to show you one thing and tell you the exact opposite in the tiny text.  The best of this text of course is all the car ads that show “closed course, professional driver, don’t try this at home, etc.”  I can usually read this text, but it cracks me up every time.  Look at how fun our SUV/truck/sports car is; you can do this crazy fast stuff, but not really.  Buy our SUV because you COULD do it, but you shouldn’t.  We know really you will just drive it around town where the biggest 4 wheelin’ you will do is the speed bump in the mall parking lot.

I have done some video work in my days, so I know a bit of the technical specifications of broadcast video.  “Old” traditional video is broadcast at 352×240 pixels.  By comparison, most computer screens are at least 1024×768 pixels.  Even high definition broadcast is 1280×720, which is then spread out across the size of your screen.  Most of us out there don’t have the latest in pricey TVs, (though we do try), but even then this terms text is impossibly small to read.  Advertisers know this, but they are somehow complying to the law I am sure.

Tonight I just saw a new ad that actually had many lines of text in a small box scrolling so fast even a competition speed reader couldn’t keep up, much less read the minuscule font the used for display.  What’s up with that?  How is this telling us anything to be aware of?  How are we protected as a consumer by any applicable terms or disclaimers.  Simple answer, of course we are not.

Of course, I have a DVR, so often I am not seeing these commercials anyway.  I guess if I really cared I could try and pause and read the terms carefully.  Sports and news channels can give me clearly legible updates across the bottom of the screen – shouldn’t advertisers need to do the same?  Oh wait, that would mean we could actually be informed consumers…we wouldn’t want that.

This merits a headline? Top stories? I thought this was reserved for things that were actually of some import to most of your readers.
Doogie, what is your deal? Of course, typically after someone “outs” themselves, we all sit back and say, yeah, I guess I could have seen that one coming if I cared to think about it. Lance Bass recently was a laugher of course…uh, yeah, we knew. George on Grey’s Anatomy felt inclined to bring it up it seems because of comments on the set.

You know what, most of us in the world a) don’t care, and b) really don’t want to know because now your character’s you play seem that much less believable. Just keep it to yourself and we will all be happier. Oh, and CNN, work a little harder to find some real news.