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