Too Much in a Commercial?

With today's generation there seems to be two main characteristics of advertisements that guarantee to get people's attention. These two are sex, and money. Many other attributes that are used in advertisements to sell products are used, but most of the times sex or money is involved because they know that those will catch the viewers attention and they will more likely purchase the product.

Recently I ran across a commercial that I found so ridiculous and filthy that they did what they did in it.



In this commercial by Buy.com a man makes a sexual hint at a women and then, they go even farther later on by making you think for a second that they are actually having sex.
I found this commercial very ridiculous because there was no reason to bring in the sexual attribute for the commercial, especially since it was for a company that is similar to EBay in that it's a company that allows you to buy or sell over the Internet. Now I realize why they did what they did because sex sells and it gets people's attention. A great way to think about it is, if they hadn't done the commercial the way they did, then I wouldn't be here talking about it. Using sex or money in advertisements is genius because you remember those things and they stick with you. Every once in a while that commercial pops into my head and makes me laugh and every time I think about it, it makes me think of Buy.com.

Advertisers have their own code of ethics, but the thing is that, the code is bound to be broken sooner or later. With today's society progressing more and more as each year passes, consumers are going to be looking for something new and different to catch their attention. What we as the consumers and the advertisers need to realize is that were going to have to accept this change and learn how to handle it. I feel that advertisers should have the right to explore different ways of advertising their products to see if it works. The advertisers should be able to try new techniques, but at the same time, it needs to be monitored. I feel that it would be unnecessary for there to be a commercial that shows torture or something inhumane to sell a product. I also feel that sex is okay to be used in advertising, but it needs to be used in a gentle way. What I mean by this is they shouldn't show sex in a dirty, pornographic way, but if they showed it in a soft, loving, relationship way then I feel it would be okay. Now obviously I'm not saying they should be allowed to show a full on sex scene, but if they hint about it or kind of show it in a quick way, then I feel that it's just good advertising. You may agree or disagree with me on this, but something to think about is, think back and try to think of as many commercials you can that don't have sex or money in them, and then compare that number to the ones that you remember that do.

If you wish to explore this further, here some articles that discusses sex in commercials and whether it should be allowed or not.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1TOS/is_1-2_9/ai_n25009596
http://inventorspot.com/articles/seven_sexy_ads_sells_sex_7487
An also I found an article that is very interesting and quite funny.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=9456

By: Christopher Lloyd

Gore more acceptable than Sex? What is Wrong with this Picture?

One of the most contemplated topics that I have been arguing over for a while now is how gore is ok to show on TV, but sex isn't. Recently, movies have been made that are extremely graphic and show things that are quite disturbing.

Movies such as the Saw series, the Hostel movies and others have been busting out film after film with each time showing more graphic and horrific things. I find it insane that today's society is so twisted and demented that they would actually pay money and enjoy watching someone get tortured to death. Now obviously from my standpoint you can tell that I don't like these movies, but I decided to give them a fair chance to see why they were so popular. I have watched the first Saw movie and the first Hostel movie. After watching both I felt sick and quite taken back that these movies were not only released, but major box office hits. When watching both movies my stomach turned and I felt sick when I saw a man getting his eye balls ripped out and a woman getting her face blow torched.
I don't understand how this is ok?


Going back to my argument, I can't understand how it is acceptable to show torture, gore films which don't only show something immoral, but down right demented, but sex can not be show in movies. People will sit there and watch torture with their friends or girlfriend and think nothing of it, but then if a sex scene comes on, well then all of the sudden it becomes very uncomfortable and they don't want to watch it. I just can't understand how this is possible, how sex, a natural beautiful thing cannot be shown, but graphic torture can.

Maybe you agree with me on this topic and maybe you don't. I know this world isn't perfect, I just find it very hard sometimes to understand what people are thinking when they do the things the do.

Below are listed articles that talk about torture in movies and if you weren't convinced with what I wrote you might consider checking them out.


http://nymag.com/movies/features/15622/
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/torture.html

How is this not ok--------------------------- And this is ok?

By: Christopher Lloyd

Dancing Making a Impact

Dancing is something that has been around for many generations. Historians can't say when or where it first originated because dance does not leave behind clearly identifiable physical artifacts or something that can be traced. Dance is used for celebrations, ceremonies, rituals, and entertainment.

Dance is used to express ones self in a way that shows, instead of tells. The truly magical thing about dancing is that it can tell so much without a single word being said. It can tell stories, moods, feelings and emotions. Dance is something that many people appreciate, but are not always will to do themselves. The classic example is school dances when you see almost all of the kids standing off to the side drinking punch or talking to each other instead of doing what they're suppose to be there for, dancing. The most common excuse for people not dancing is that because they are too cool for it, or they're embarrassed. When I first started going to dances in high school I was fairly similar to this stereotype. I was afraid to get out on the floor and dance because I didn't know if people would make fun of me or not. But, luckily enough I had my sister there with me at my first dance and she forced me out onto the floor. As soon as I got out there and started dancing I forgot about feeling dumb and instead danced my ass off all night. After that I was hooked. From then on out you could always find me on the dance floor at a dance groovin away.



Looking at the media today I found a huge simularity with it and my high school experience. Entertainment today is producing many shows and movies based around dancing, and some have become very popular. Shows such as America's Best Dance Crew, Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and others. Along with movies such as Stomp the Yard, Saturday Night Fever, Footloose, Save the Last Dance, Dirty Dancing and also others. Dancing has started to become a very popular form of entertainment and the great thing about it is, by watching it, it encourages you to want to dance as well. By the enteratainment business promoting dancing through these shows and movies it's inspiring the youth and everyone else to start dancing as well. Going back to how this relates to my high school situation, the entertainment business or media would be my sister, and I would be the viewer and these shows would drag me out onto the floor, metaphorically speaking, and help me to get past my embarressment and do something I might end up liking.

These shows are growing in popularity because people are wanting to learn how to dance and it also allows you a fun way to get and stay fit. People need to start trying out new things in their lives and dancing could be one of them.

By: Christopher Lloyd

Entourage Stealing the Screen

Television shows are a dime a dozen nowadays it seems and some come and go, but others have the privilege of being able to stay on air for multiple seasons. I enjoy watching TV shows and following them as they tell a story and one show in particular that has caught my full attention is the HBO original series Entourage. Entourage has been on air for 5 seasons so far and right now they are filming the sixth. This television show is an HBO exclusive, so the drag about it is you have to have HBO to be able to watch it, but it is well worth the price.

The premise of Entourage is the lifestyle of an upcoming Hollywood actor and the hardships and journey that he goes on while experiencing the Hollywood actors life. There are five main characters in the show, the main character, who is the movie star, is Vincent Chase played by Adrian Grenier along with his friends Eric (his manager-played by Kevin Connolly), Turtle (his friend who is along for the ride-played by Jerry Ferrara), and older brother Drama (a has been actor refusing to admit that he is past his prime-played by Kevin Dillon), as well as his hot shot agent Ari played by Jeremy Piven. The show goes through the day-to-day life of these five characters and the lifestyle that they live with the roller coaster ride of an actor's life. Throughout the show the audience gets to understand what an actors life is really like behind closed doors and all of the good and bad that they face.

The show brings a new kind of premise to television that I have not personally seen yet and that is the portrayal of an actors life. I found it a very creative idea to have actors act like themselves. It brings in a whole new style of entertainment that allows you to see what an actor's lifestyle would be like.

Technology plays a pretty big role in this movie, but not in the way you would think. Instead of using the special effects type of technology, this show integrates the newest consumer technology into their show. On the show you always see Apple products being used, and Hummers and other very expensive vehicles show throughout the show. Technology plays a role in this show to have the viewers react. It shows the latest and greatest "toys" it makes the viewer want to have those possessions. Technology definitely places a sales role in this show.



This show is all about showing the Hollywood life and so naturally society in the show is shown in a very superficial, and shallow way. You always have beautiful women walking around with bad attitudes, people always just looking out for themselves and caring about money, and people screwing each other over left and right. The funny thing is that all of those attributes are what make the show entertaining and funny. By portraying the Hollywood lifestyle so well in this show, it caught viewer's attention so they could witness what it would really be like to live the lives that these people live.

By: Christopher Lloyd

What Will Last?

As the years have progressed, entertainment has been a high priority among humans. People seek it out for when they are bored, have a date, tired, or just because they want something to do. Many different forms of entertainment have been developed such as television, and in television: movies, TV shows, video games, shopping and many others. Then there has also been the Internet, newspapers, magazines, and also there is the wide variety among live entertainment like stand up comedy and other shows. All of these different types of entertainment have shown success, but the question is whether or not they will last as technology steadily becomes more advance.

I feel that it is safe to say that T.V and the Internet are two forms of entertainment that are not going anywhere. Both offer such a wide variety of attributes and expansions that they will always thrive. T.V alone is one of the biggest forms of entertainment at this time because it offers such a variety of channels that allows you to watch whatever you want with ease. The Internet is also at the top for entertainment because it as well offers so much. But, as time progresses there are things that are going to change both the T.V and Internet that could change how we view entertainment.



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From when computers and TV's were first released, it is amazing to see how much they have changed to what they are now. Not only have the sets changed, VHS's have turned into DVD's or soon Blu-ray's. Atari's have changed to Xbox 360's and Playstation 3's. Right there is an example of business not making it. VHS are basically extinct now, and the market is showing an increase in Blu-ray's popularity. As technology increase there are going to be more and more victims that will fall. Right now newspapers are on their last legs, it seems that they too will soon be extinct because people have a newer, easier and faster way to obtain their news instead of sitting down and reading the paper. It's hard to tell the future for magazines, even though they still sell and show popularity, the Internet is starting to offer that news for free and you can obtain it from you home instead of driving somewhere and paying money for it.


Victims will fall and new heroes will rise in the entertainment department and that fact is inevitable. The only question is which forms of entertainment will stay strong is this ongoing battle.

By: Christopher Lloyd

Rotten Tomatoes = Smart Consumer

Rotten Tomatoes is a movie critic site that gives you information on movies being released or movies already released. It provides you with all of the information about movies and also allows you to add your personal opinions about different subjects. The website appeals to anyone who is interested in the entertainment market and also wants to know what movies are getting good ratings so they can spend their money wisely. It allows you to research and also keep up to date on the most recent news around movies that haven't been released or even made.

I visit this site and read its articles because I enjoy keeping up with the newest information on the latest films. I like to know other peoples opinions on movies and also add my own personal opinion, and the great thing about this site is you get both. I think that people visit this site because they feel it's a reliable source. They allow other websites to post new news on their site that provides the most recent updates on movie related topics. They have sites like Variety and IGN Movies and many others.

On the website the layout is done in smart technique. They always post ratings on the movies that have opened in theatres on the top left corner, and then below that has movies that will be opening in the next week or so. Some of those movies even have a rating from people who got a sneak preview of it. Then on the top there are different tabs that you can access ranging from movies, DVD’s, to celebrities, forums, trailers, news and more. Also to what is called the Vine, which allows users to have their own personal journal/public-networking tool. On the home page they have the newest information that you can get to through links that often lead to other websites as well. The home page throws a lot of information at you at once that is really convenient because it saves you time from having to search the website to find information that is now on the home page. The goal of this website is to present news to the public that they can trust.

The website Rotten Tomatoes, like most websites makes most of their money through advertisements. When you go on the website they usually have advertisements on the corners that you notice, but the nice thing is that it's not overloaded with advertisements. The publications also make money through other websites being able to place their information on the website and also posting new articles that link back to their own websites.

A story idea that a writer might want to consider proposing to this website would be a story about why these types of websites are needed and useful. I know through my own personal experience why websites like this one are extremely useful to me, but I bet there are a lot of people out there that don't feel the same way. If a writer were to go into great detail about why these types of websites are useful and created to help movie enthusiasts, than I think the word would get out more about these sites and more people would look to them for help and trusted information. Plus this would increase the popularity of websites like Rotten Tomatoes and further increasing their sales on advertisements and such, creating a better situation for them.


By: Christopher Lloyd

Control Room (HW 3)

In the documentary "Control Room," it talks about the news group called Al Jazeerd and the major obstacles and challenges they have to go through to bring news to the Arab world. Also it outlines how different countries portray different messages about touchy subjects.

Al Jazeerd has the difficult challenge of trying to bring the news to the Arab people. They try to give honest and truthful news and tell them to wake up and realize what's going on around them so they stop being ignorant to the situation. They were so straightforward about their news and situation that several Arab governments banned their show. But the amazing thing is that the Al Jazeerd is one of the most popular news sources in the Arab society. The Al Jazeerd does have a reputation for taking sides on news stories and this is one of the reasons they are criticized. It was very well put in the film when producer of Al Jazeerd, Deema Khatib talked about how people are dying and are there any news broadcasts I turn to not taking a side? The Al Jazeerd believes in using sources that are open-minded to different perspectives.

It's obvious that at this juncture different countries are going to have different views on the war because they will see things differently. Different countries media is going to show the war differently than others so it's impossible for they're to not be different opinions on the war. Being in America you are luckily not to have to see the horrors that are taking place. Unlike us, the Arab people are not so lucky and they have to endure the pain that takes place right in front of them. The role of the news is to show citizens what is going on, but sometimes people want to remain unaware to the situation and is that wrong? I feel that the news should do their job and show what are going on, the good, bad, and ugly. Now we don't always need to know every little detail, but at the same time enough so that we are not mislead and deceived.

By: Christopher Lloyd

Is It Really That Great? (Free)

Celebrities, at some point in our lives I feel it's safe to say that we all wish we could become a celebrity in some form. Whether it is an actor or actress, athlete, singer, or simply someone just recognized for their money and stupidity, a.k.a Paris Hilton, we all wish we could be in the spotlight. But, is it really as nice as we think it is?

The celebrity life has both its ups and downs, but what we see through the media is mostly the upside to it. We see the celebrities on the red carpets, in the magazines, and on t.v and it looks like it's a fabulous life.
The good things we see about being a celebrity is, of course, the money!! Along with fame, celebrities always get special treatment that normal citizens don't get to enjoy. They fly in private jets, while us normal folk sit in coach next to crying babies. Then, you see them live in multi-billion dollar houses and have multiple vehicles. A good example of this is the MTV show Cribs, and in this show famous celebrities take you on a tour of their house and show you everything that they have. Now, at this point your thinking to yourself, "Why would being a celebrity bad?" The answer, with more money, creates more problems.
As a celebrity, you have very little time to yourself. Whenever you go out in public you are hounded by the paparrazzi, and cannot go anywhere without being recognized. Your life is always apart of a schedule and you are more often than not always busy. You have to realize that what ever you say is most likely going to go on record and can come back to haunt you. Along with everything else, celebrities are always being targeted and most of the time in a negative way. Being a celebrity can also create situations that will be set up to make you look ridiculous. An example of this is the show Punk'd where Ashton Kutcher sets up situations for other celebrities that causes them to freak out. Being a celebrity can cause a tremendous amount of stress. You see it nowadays with all of the attempted suicides and over doses that celebrities do. Most recently, Heath Ledger's death affected the industry and people of the world. Other similar instances are those of Owen Wilson and others.
So the celebrity life can be grand and amazing, but people need to realize that it's not for everyone. It takes a tremendous amount of work and a very special personality to have a successful celebrity career. So if you feel this is the life for you, I say pursue it with all of your might. This was simply just to inform you of the other side of being a celebrity that not many people know about.

Christopher Lloyd

People Want War, But Don't Want To See It? (HW2)

The Iraq war has been a major discussion for people in the U.S and all around the world for the past 8 years. It has been argued about, fought and reasoned over, yet to this day, people are still not in agreement over it. Some people feel that what we are doing over there is right and patriotic, others feel the opposite. But, the arguement you can present for those people is, if they support the war, would they support seeing the effects that the war is having?

A recent arguement that has been talked about nationally was the action of printing pictures of wounded or dead soldiers in newspapers or magazines. The LA Times released a piece about this topic titled, "Portraits of War: Unseen Pictures, Untold Stories" by James Rainey who talks about a particular picture that was released that got mixed reviews. Article outlines why some pictures are not shown and why some should be shown. It goes into detail how one photo got a lot of negative response and how there are mixed views on if it should have been shown or not. What people have to realize is that they don't know the truth about what is going on over in Iraq because they are not there. How can you say you know something when you have never experienced it? This article tries to prove the point that seeing a picture is much more powerful than reading a sentence about it. Maybe people see what is really happening, than they can have a different approach to this topic.

A topic that could be braught up is whether this picture should be shown in the Durango Herald newspaper. In my opinion, it is not a nessecity, but it would be ok. My reasoning behind this is that, if people are going to support the war than they are going to need to see what is taking place in the war. People sometimes forget the harshness of war and a way that can remind them with an impact, is through pictures. Now at the same time, I don't think it's too necessary for the Durango Herald to print this picture because our community is so small and we do not have a very wide spread of readers. It wouldn't really make as big of an affect that they would probably hope for because we are a fairly small community. Now I feel that it is good that pictures like this one are being printed because it's a good reminder to everyone of what goes on that we don't see.

People might argue my claim and call me a person who doesn't have feelings and might even go as far to call me un-patriotic. My response to them, "Step up and lets argue this point." I have feelings and I am very patriotic. I love my country and love the people in this country, but I feel that people need to see the consequences for our actions. If someone called me un-patriotic for saying this pictures should be printed, I would turn right around and call them un-patriotic for not want the pictures printed. My reason, I think our country needs to stop being ignorant and wake up and realize what is going on.

This video describes my point

People are falling back into the faze of out of sight out of mind and that is bad. You cannot support something and then not accept what the results are creating.
People keep on bringing up the fact that this is a free country and people should be able to express themselves. Well then, why can't the newspapers express themselves with pictures that tell truth? Think about that.

Christopher Lloyd

Technology: Helping or Destroying Youth

When I first saw the title of this article, "A New Era of Play" by Reed Karaim, I had a fairly good idea of what it was going to be about. I knew that the technology of today such as computers, video games, and cell phones were going to be the main ideas that were going to be discussed. The article talked about how children these days are far more advanced with these devices than adults are and how this raises questions.

• Is children spending most of their time in front of these devices good?
• Shouldn't they be spending more time outside?
• Are these devices making our children more lazy?
• What should we do?

The article talks about how the youth spend on average about 44.5 hours a week in front of some sort of screen whether it be a television, computer or phone. The article talks about how this technology does have its ups and downs to it.

One part of the article that really intrigued me was how they talked about how products for children come with commercial tie-ins. As I pondered this statement it hit me that they hit the nail right on the head. Thinking back as I was growing up I remember anytime I saw something it came with commercials. Examples of this were mostly seen on t.v, but could also be seen on cereal boxes, billboards, toy stores, basically everywhere. The thing is, as bad as we may see it, it is in fact genius. They are training us from a young age to keep up with the newest trends. They show this to us through movies and make it seem to the youth that you are not considered cool unless you buy what they have to offer.

As I think back now when I was a kid, this exact thing happened to me. In fourth grade Pokemon came out and was extremely popular among my friends. At first I didn't understand why it was so cool, but as more and more kids started to get into that fad, I felt left out because I wasn't apart of it with them. Then Pokemon took over the t.v and lunchboxes and soon it was all around me so I felt that there had to be something special about it. Sadly enough, I then conformed and ended up spending way too much money on it. I found it fascinating when I read in this article that point and the greatest part is that what they are saying is true because I am an example.


Nowadays, the whole youth is run through the MTV nation. The teens seem to be attracted to these shows and watch them with great interest. Personally, I cannot stand MTV. They shouldn't call it MTV they should call it CTV (Crap T.V) because that's what every show on there is. They have our youth wasting their lives away watching Paris Hilton be a Bitch to everyone on her show. It seems that today's technology is being used incorrectly. It's being wasted on ways of consuming, instead of being used to better our world. Now i'm not speaking for everyone by saying this, but I do truly feel that technology is helping our youth, but not as much as it should be. I hope that one day technology can move away from this crap and focus more on developing our youth in a better way that will teach them not to be so caught up in consuming, but instead developing.

This video shows exactly what i'm talking about. Watch tell me what you think.




By: Christopher Lloyd