Media

Archived Posts from this Category

Monday, February 25, 2008

“Live” Blogging the Oscars

Posted by Beal under Internet, Media, Movies, Television
[3] Comments 

Pun!I was using the Internet the other day and I noticed that every single website was gearing up to hatefully liveblog the Academy Awards. Seemed to me that if every single website was doing it, there must be a good reason, and it didn’t take long for me to figure that reason out: it’s really, really easy. Cause for hate abounds, and what you write — sorry, what you blog — doesn’t even have to be good, because people know you’re not getting to edit yourself, and that as-it-happens edge is enough to keep it compelling. They feel a connection with the writer — “Hey, I’m watching that right now too! I thought that dress was ugly/speech was lame/win was undeserved too!” Just keep it peppy, add in a swear or two, and crank the hate up to 11.

That last part will not be hard. This is gonna be hell.

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Tuesday, October 2, 2007

The Nuit Blanche That Was

Posted by James17930 under Media, Museums/Galleries, Nightlife/Hot Spots, Theatre, Visual Arts
[3] Comments 

For anyone who didn’t make it to this year’s Nuit Blanche in Toronto (like me), here’s a cool slideshow from CBC.ca to give you an idea of what you missed.

Photo Credit: Lauren Krugel

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Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Advertising Rant

Posted by James17930 under Fashion, Media
[7] Comments 

One of the reasons I haven’t been writing much lately is because I have this idea in my head that anything I do for the Culturatti has to be ‘professional’ looking, and researched and hyper-linked blah blah, and I just haven’t had any time recently to devote to something of that nature. But today I decided to screw that notion and just rant off the top of my head about something that struck me on the way in to work this morning as being a good topic to rant about, and hope that you’ll have seen enough examples on your own to know what I’m referring to.

Advertising — easy target, I know; more specifically, portrayal of the genders in advertising. Any time this topic gets discussed the only area that seems to get any focus is the sexification of women and the subsequent effect on young women and their body issues etc. Anything else relating to how men and women are portrayed in advertising never seems to get mentioned — people have come to accept these other, almost subliminal, gender-related messages as gospel, but to me they have just as much — if not more — of a detrimental effect on gender relations than ‘heroin chic’ does. (more…)

 

Monday, January 29, 2007

Boycott Diesel — Again

Posted by James17930 under Fashion, Media, Visual Arts
[16] Comments 

I pass through Toronto’s Union Station every day on my way to and from work, and, most of the time, some company or other has purchased what must be called something like the ‘Deluxe Union Station Advertising Package.’ This includes not only every single poster spot on the subway platform, but also gigantic sticker-murals on many of the walls, staircases and turnstiles. This morning everything was bare, providing a nice respite from the near constant bombardment of advertising urbanites have to put up with every day, but, by the time I was heading home, the little worker-monkeys had been at the place, and what they concocted supremely pissed me off.

Yes, it seems Diesel is at it again. They’re one of these ‘edgy’ companies who pride themselves on their ‘edgy’ campaigns. Some ‘edgy’ examples from the past include the ubiquitous piles of young sexy waifs, the gay one, and this lovely one, which was previously used as a call for a boycott by Mediawatch. Their latest one, though, has gone in another direction and sunk to a unique low — it is basically a call to revel in the destruction of the Earth. (more…)