Or when the other of our writing duo was told she was moving to Florida and threw a fit, until she realized that her new town would be only 30 minutes away from Orlando, that's right, boy band central and the home to both BSB and *NSYNC and was immediately excited to get to Florida.
Yes, we admit, we were pathological to some, but we weren't the only ones. The only downside to our boy band fascination was that as we got older, so did they, and as we approached the time in our lives that we began to not admit any longer to our love, our favorite bands kept going, almost to the point that they shouldn't have and just stopped. We have no problem admitting that we enjoyed both *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys first two albums much more than *NSYNC's 3rd and BSB's 3rd and 4th (really guys, when 4 out of the 5 of you are over 30, the fad is over, it's time to stop).
There were the times when you really felt as though you belonged when gathering around a big screen with you were 10-20 other girls anxiously watching *NSYNC Live From Madison Square Garden or the Millenuim Tour of Backstreet Boys (yea, we weren't fast enough/wealthy enough to get the sold out tickets). With each shot of our favorite singer, squeels of joy resounded throughout the living room of the friend with the biggest television.
With every episode of TRL, re-run of MTV Music Awards, or recorded Making the Video, we couldn't help but fall a little bit more in love with each boy band sighting.
Another admission that we must make, is that we went through a period of role distancing. Yes, we lied. We lied about our obsession and claimed that we never listened to them. But we grew out of this and later on in life, we dusted off our CD cases and felt comfortable with once again rocking out with the boys.
There was no need to look up the lyrics of their songs when you listened to the songs as often as we had. Hence, even now our still remembering them as we sit back and reminisce on the days of our youth when everything was so carefree and the only worry you had was who your competition for the heart of your favorite boy band member.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Fandom at it's prime
Picture 1999. How old were you? What music did you listen to? If you're a girl, and you're now 19, in 1999 you were most likely an obsessed 11 year-old girl that blared nothing but Backstreet Boys and NSYNC on your Casio Boombox. Welcome to the lives of Cheryl Brooks and Kylee Bryan.
Now, there were the fans of the music, and then there were the fans of the music. You know what we mean, the fans listened and knew some of the words. They would dance to the beat if it happened to be on the radio. The fans (we're admitting we're guilty right now) of the music knew every word and could recall it 8 years later when they pulled out the old CD's from the childhood and still to this day, know the dance moves from the particular lines of the songs. Not only this, but can remember the music videos and they play in our, I mean their, heads every time the song is played to this day.
Most of these two bands songs focused on love and relationships, inspiring dreams to develop in the minds of every pre-teen to not only find the man of her dreams, but to want the artists themselves. This got to the point where a girl claimed her man (in the words of Kerri Pomarolli, our chapel speaker a couple of weeks ago, "Name it and claim it ladies!") and fought anyone trying to take him. It was survival of the fittest, only the certain girls were worthy enough to really claim the best members of the group.
And not only claim, but yes, scenarios were formed in the minds of these girls. We, I mean they, pictured ourselves as the girls in the music videos and knew that one day, we would be the ones that "God must have spent a little more time on" in the eyes of Joey, JC, Justin, Lance, and Chris. And we would be the ones that Nick, Kevin, Brian, Howie, and AJ would give "all they had to give to."
There were times when one of us would watch the "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" music video and see Brian Littrell do a back flip off the wall and tried every day to complete this feat. And even sometimes now, experiments with this action in the hallway of Fox 2 East, returning to the wishful desires to be a sweet dancer like Brian from BSB.
Now, there were the fans of the music, and then there were the fans of the music. You know what we mean, the fans listened and knew some of the words. They would dance to the beat if it happened to be on the radio. The fans (we're admitting we're guilty right now) of the music knew every word and could recall it 8 years later when they pulled out the old CD's from the childhood and still to this day, know the dance moves from the particular lines of the songs. Not only this, but can remember the music videos and they play in our, I mean their, heads every time the song is played to this day.
Most of these two bands songs focused on love and relationships, inspiring dreams to develop in the minds of every pre-teen to not only find the man of her dreams, but to want the artists themselves. This got to the point where a girl claimed her man (in the words of Kerri Pomarolli, our chapel speaker a couple of weeks ago, "Name it and claim it ladies!") and fought anyone trying to take him. It was survival of the fittest, only the certain girls were worthy enough to really claim the best members of the group.
And not only claim, but yes, scenarios were formed in the minds of these girls. We, I mean they, pictured ourselves as the girls in the music videos and knew that one day, we would be the ones that "God must have spent a little more time on" in the eyes of Joey, JC, Justin, Lance, and Chris. And we would be the ones that Nick, Kevin, Brian, Howie, and AJ would give "all they had to give to."
There were times when one of us would watch the "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" music video and see Brian Littrell do a back flip off the wall and tried every day to complete this feat. And even sometimes now, experiments with this action in the hallway of Fox 2 East, returning to the wishful desires to be a sweet dancer like Brian from BSB.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? (Part 2)
Let's not forget about quite possibly the most creepy part of the documentary, our female(?) friend that liked to dress as a particular female character on the show. We put the question mark after the aforementioned female because it was quite clear, this was a man. Now, we can understand having a liking to the show or even a certain role on the show, but again we say, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" It was hard to take this portion seriously as we were uncontrollably laughing, that we missed the explanation as to why he/she was singing randomly in the middle of it's(???) interview. Not only are the followers of Star Trek interested, but they go one step further and bring their entire families into their Trek land. And sadly, more often than not, the family members have no choice in this matter, as they are babies and small children. Oh, and we must mention the dog. Yes, that's right, even man's best friend has been converted to Trekkie-ism. Throughout the documentary, the camera crews interviewed couples and individuals about their fascination with the show and surrounding them was their children and pets, fully dressed in Star Trek apparell. And Trekkies come in all shapes, sizes, ages and genders, etc. One spotlighted Trekkie was a 14-year old boy named Gabriel. This boy who at the age of 14 should not be nearly as obsessed with anything as he is with Star Trek, has tailor-made costumes made for him to travel to conventions with his pot-smoking pappa (he admitted to it, we're not judging). He aspires to inherit his sweet van/truck/vehicle of some sort that is personalized and very Star Trekish. He really looks forward to it, but after all who wouldn't? Oh yea...that's right, not us! To Gabriel, we must say once more, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Wow, has got to be the only thing we could say at the conclusion of the documentary. Thank you so much Andrew Rudd, for exposing us to the world of Star Trek. And we must also thank our parents and say "Thank you Mommy and Daddy for not being Trekkies." =)
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?
Friday was definitely a different class (Different is about the understatement of the year by the way). Walking in, we knew that we would be watching a documentary on Star Trek fans, yet we had no idea what we were in for. From the opening credits, we were taken on a whirlwind journey of fantasy and a completely different world than what most of us had ever been exposed.
The title of "fan" is not the appropriate term for these faithful watchers of the cult classic that is Star Trek. They call themselves "Trekkies" but they are so much more than that. They have taken fandom to a whole other level and made it their lifestyle. From the man who changed his entire dental practice to the man who spent $1,500 on the "headpiece" of Worf to add to his collection. These trekkies are obsessed to the point of incomprehensibility (is this a word? oh well if it's not...it fits) to all non-trek watchers.
One trekkie became a juror for the Whitewater scandal and wore her "uniform" to the courtroom daily. She was adament about the fact that there was nothing different between her and any other person with a uniform. Her argument was that if any other person that was in the military would wear their uniform to a hearing, she could too. This was point that we could not say anything but "ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!?" We're not being judgmental, but feel that a television show should not dictate the way one lives.
The title of "fan" is not the appropriate term for these faithful watchers of the cult classic that is Star Trek. They call themselves "Trekkies" but they are so much more than that. They have taken fandom to a whole other level and made it their lifestyle. From the man who changed his entire dental practice to the man who spent $1,500 on the "headpiece" of Worf to add to his collection. These trekkies are obsessed to the point of incomprehensibility (is this a word? oh well if it's not...it fits) to all non-trek watchers.
One trekkie became a juror for the Whitewater scandal and wore her "uniform" to the courtroom daily. She was adament about the fact that there was nothing different between her and any other person with a uniform. Her argument was that if any other person that was in the military would wear their uniform to a hearing, she could too. This was point that we could not say anything but "ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!?" We're not being judgmental, but feel that a television show should not dictate the way one lives.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Media Conglomerate Debate (Part 2)
Because of the fact that the conglomerates that are a part of the Big Ten control society, the smaller stores and businesses are unable to do anything without their approval; therefore, prohibiting their abilities to branch out and expand with new ideas for people to gather. This also effects the individuals in society with being exposed to different viewpoints and ideas because the only things that are being distributed through media are being filtered through the Big Ten's views and biases.
This, brings us to our side's final point. Because of these narrowed views, foreign countries have a skewed sense of what America is really like because of the ideals portrayed through the media due to the conglomerates deliveries via news, radio, TV, and magazines.
Granted, our opposing debaters made a few valid points, they did not convince us to sway our views on media conglomerates. Their main point was that media provides a way to see what is going on outside our typical Midwestern world and be more exposed to what's going on outside of what we see in our everyday lives. A media conglomerate is on balance according to the other side. They keep news production and their business goals separate (Yea right!) THey have billions of dollars at their disposal to entertain/inform us in any way possible...more like they have billions of dollars at their disposal to corrupt America and skew everyone's ideas to what they believe to be true! To all of their arguments, we say "For Shame!"
Overall, the debate really made us think more thoroughly about what is being presented to us on a daily basis by way of the multiple media conglomerates in America.
This, brings us to our side's final point. Because of these narrowed views, foreign countries have a skewed sense of what America is really like because of the ideals portrayed through the media due to the conglomerates deliveries via news, radio, TV, and magazines.
Granted, our opposing debaters made a few valid points, they did not convince us to sway our views on media conglomerates. Their main point was that media provides a way to see what is going on outside our typical Midwestern world and be more exposed to what's going on outside of what we see in our everyday lives. A media conglomerate is on balance according to the other side. They keep news production and their business goals separate (Yea right!) THey have billions of dollars at their disposal to entertain/inform us in any way possible...more like they have billions of dollars at their disposal to corrupt America and skew everyone's ideas to what they believe to be true! To all of their arguments, we say "For Shame!"
Overall, the debate really made us think more thoroughly about what is being presented to us on a daily basis by way of the multiple media conglomerates in America.
Media Conglomerate Debate
In Friday's class we participated in a debate on differing views of media conglomerates and whether they are harmful/helpful for society and individuals. We were on the side arguing for the fact that media conglomerates are more harmful than helpful to society.
We felt we had a well-established argument covering as many aspects as possible in consideration to the time constraints. One of our key points was the fact that media conglomerates cramp an individual's style to the point where having a personal style becomes commercialized; therefore eliminating any individualism that could have been had.
Another point we made was the fact that it stresses materialism and makes it so that finances establish who one is on the cool scale. For example, "cool" clothes stores such as Abercrombie or Hollister charge $70+ for jeans and $30+ for a basic t-shirt when you can find items at half these prices at a store like Kohls or Target. But, that's not "cool" according to the media conglomerates that get into adolescents heads and those adolescents could begin to outcast those that cannot afford these high fashion purchases.
We also tried arguing for the fact that these big businesses that are taking over America (aka The Big Ten) are shoving out the local stores and businesses. No matter how much loyalty customers have to these local shops, they will always be drawn to the lower prices that the larger companies provide.
We felt we had a well-established argument covering as many aspects as possible in consideration to the time constraints. One of our key points was the fact that media conglomerates cramp an individual's style to the point where having a personal style becomes commercialized; therefore eliminating any individualism that could have been had.
Another point we made was the fact that it stresses materialism and makes it so that finances establish who one is on the cool scale. For example, "cool" clothes stores such as Abercrombie or Hollister charge $70+ for jeans and $30+ for a basic t-shirt when you can find items at half these prices at a store like Kohls or Target. But, that's not "cool" according to the media conglomerates that get into adolescents heads and those adolescents could begin to outcast those that cannot afford these high fashion purchases.
We also tried arguing for the fact that these big businesses that are taking over America (aka The Big Ten) are shoving out the local stores and businesses. No matter how much loyalty customers have to these local shops, they will always be drawn to the lower prices that the larger companies provide.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Media's Role in Interpreting Perfection
A common topic amongst critics of the media today is it's role on the "ideal" appearance. I agree, media does play an integral part on the look society dubs as perfect, but it's up to the person to find their own perfect, aside from what the media portrays.
I don't know the exact statistic, but I've heard it been said and could agree from my personal experience, at least in the case of girls, at least 95% of females look critically at themselves because they do not fit the ideal body type or are slightly off from the rest of the pack. They see actors on the big and small screen or models in magazines and want to be just like them because "obviously they're the popular/successful ones."
I know for me, my early years of high school were rather difficult. I was never the girl with all of Daddy's money at my fingertips or the girl with the best looks, so I looked down on myself because I felt as though I might be a failure to....
Here lies the problem. I felt like a failure, but I didn't know who I was failing or letting down. Myself? My family? My friends? Society? It's a complex situation that many people struggle with daily. But as time went on, I began to not care anymore. I didn't/don't care what others think about how I look or how I sound or how I carry myself. It all seems so materialistic now, but it makes me worry for the people that have not come to this realization just yet. With plastic surgery on the rise and different body corrections available, to what extremes will people go in order to fit the "ideal perfection" that society has created? This is a question I find myself mulling over constantly.
I plan to become a high school teacher and know that I'm going to encounter students that are struggling with these questions of self worth and I'm worried that I won't have the right words or advice to give in order to help their situations. But maybe, I'm not supposed to have the right words or advice, maybe it's something they'll have to come to the realization of on their own, just as I did and continue to remind myself about.
Yes, the idea of perfection is always going to be changing as society changes. And yes, people are always going to compare themselves to those pictured in the media. Yes, the media does play a role in this continuous downward sprial of self image difficulties. But is it 100% media's fault that there are so many image problems in the world? I don't think so.
I don't know the exact statistic, but I've heard it been said and could agree from my personal experience, at least in the case of girls, at least 95% of females look critically at themselves because they do not fit the ideal body type or are slightly off from the rest of the pack. They see actors on the big and small screen or models in magazines and want to be just like them because "obviously they're the popular/successful ones."
I know for me, my early years of high school were rather difficult. I was never the girl with all of Daddy's money at my fingertips or the girl with the best looks, so I looked down on myself because I felt as though I might be a failure to....
Here lies the problem. I felt like a failure, but I didn't know who I was failing or letting down. Myself? My family? My friends? Society? It's a complex situation that many people struggle with daily. But as time went on, I began to not care anymore. I didn't/don't care what others think about how I look or how I sound or how I carry myself. It all seems so materialistic now, but it makes me worry for the people that have not come to this realization just yet. With plastic surgery on the rise and different body corrections available, to what extremes will people go in order to fit the "ideal perfection" that society has created? This is a question I find myself mulling over constantly.
I plan to become a high school teacher and know that I'm going to encounter students that are struggling with these questions of self worth and I'm worried that I won't have the right words or advice to give in order to help their situations. But maybe, I'm not supposed to have the right words or advice, maybe it's something they'll have to come to the realization of on their own, just as I did and continue to remind myself about.
Yes, the idea of perfection is always going to be changing as society changes. And yes, people are always going to compare themselves to those pictured in the media. Yes, the media does play a role in this continuous downward sprial of self image difficulties. But is it 100% media's fault that there are so many image problems in the world? I don't think so.
Television's Role Changes (Part 2)
But the question remains, what ever happened to all of these shows and why isn't there quality television viewing like this anymore? I have two nephews and from time to time, I'll ask them what their favorite shows are and it's always changing for them and with each new show they mention, I have heard nothing about hardly any of them. Or, on the off chance it is a show I've heard of, it's nothing I'd ever picture younger children watching. But, over the weekend, I got super excited when the oldest of the 2 boys, Caleb, told me his favorite show was the Power Rangers! Now, this was something I could relate to...I always played the pink ranger growing up. So, I suggested us watching an episode, and I was thoroughly disappointed. The show was nothing as it used to be, or at least that I remembered of it. But Caleb loved every moment of the show and kept saying "Get ready Ky, this is the part where the bad guy comes!" or "They're going to morph now Ky! This is SO cool!"
And seeing the expressions on his face, changed my opinion of the show. I used to be the little kid on the edge of my seat saying to my big brother and sister "They're going to morph now! This is SO cool!" I realized that the shows didn't change, I had. My opinions on quality television viewing and "cool" changed as I grew up. Kids still have their cool shows that they'll one day look back on and reminisce about with their friends. Again with the Merchants of Cool video coming into play, it all makes so much more sense and opens your eyes to so much more once seeing it and really realize that products change along with the different attitudes and interests of the people in society.
And seeing the expressions on his face, changed my opinion of the show. I used to be the little kid on the edge of my seat saying to my big brother and sister "They're going to morph now! This is SO cool!" I realized that the shows didn't change, I had. My opinions on quality television viewing and "cool" changed as I grew up. Kids still have their cool shows that they'll one day look back on and reminisce about with their friends. Again with the Merchants of Cool video coming into play, it all makes so much more sense and opens your eyes to so much more once seeing it and really realize that products change along with the different attitudes and interests of the people in society.
Television's Role Changes
The other day I realized that one of the recurring conversations that I have with many of my friends is about the shows we used to watch when we were kids. With game shows like Double Dare and Legends of the Hidden Temple and sitcoms like Salute Your Shorts, Hey Dude, and Clarissa Explains it All what more could a kid ask for? And that was only on Nickelodeon! There were the major network shows that caught our attention and had us hooked as well. Who could go wrong with the TGIF line up with The Torkelsons, Full House, Sister Sister, and Boy Meets World? Yea, I remembered it.
It seemed like every grade there was always something new and exciting to watch on TV. With Woody Woodpecker being at the prime position of my earliest years followed closely by Barney and Sesame Street. Then there was the time of Power Rangers and Bobby's World before school. Then as I got older, shows like Full House and the cool shows on Nickelodeon began to dominate and take the place of the "little kid shows." Then, around my early teen years, MTV made it's way into my viewing and it was all down hill from there. But lately, I have found myself at times going back to the shows of my younger years by watching Boy Meets World and Step by Step almost daily while I get ready.
It seemed like every grade there was always something new and exciting to watch on TV. With Woody Woodpecker being at the prime position of my earliest years followed closely by Barney and Sesame Street. Then there was the time of Power Rangers and Bobby's World before school. Then as I got older, shows like Full House and the cool shows on Nickelodeon began to dominate and take the place of the "little kid shows." Then, around my early teen years, MTV made it's way into my viewing and it was all down hill from there. But lately, I have found myself at times going back to the shows of my younger years by watching Boy Meets World and Step by Step almost daily while I get ready.
Someone stole my idea
Reading the title of this blog, you might have many instance where it seems as though someone "Stole your idea" too...but really, someone did with me!
I believe it was my sophomore year of high school, or possibly my junior year, either way...a group of my friends and I were discussing one of our favorite shows growing up...Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! (insert your super big smile because you know you loved it too here) Well, during the course of our conversation, we all agreed that there should definitely be a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie because they're just that amazing! Now flashforward to now and boom! TMNT! Hence, my idea being stolen!
But, when I saw this commercial, I got to thinking about the Merchants of Cool video and the "cool hunters" and how it's their job to go out and find out about what everyone wants and likes. Perhaps this is why people find themselves saying, "they stole my idea!" because maybe, just maybe, they did without you even realizing it!
I believe it was my sophomore year of high school, or possibly my junior year, either way...a group of my friends and I were discussing one of our favorite shows growing up...Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! (insert your super big smile because you know you loved it too here) Well, during the course of our conversation, we all agreed that there should definitely be a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie because they're just that amazing! Now flashforward to now and boom! TMNT! Hence, my idea being stolen!
But, when I saw this commercial, I got to thinking about the Merchants of Cool video and the "cool hunters" and how it's their job to go out and find out about what everyone wants and likes. Perhaps this is why people find themselves saying, "they stole my idea!" because maybe, just maybe, they did without you even realizing it!
Dear John Mayer, Let's get married. Love, Kylee (Part 2)
With the release of Continuum, Mayer surprised some of his fans with taking a more blues alternative to his more poppy sound, giving him an edge to attract an older audience and expose some of his younger listeners to a different genre of music. He has pulled in more wah's with the guitar and maintained his sultry voice, but now it seems that there's something more behind it: soul, and lots of it.
When artists say they're doing something for the love of just creating the music, it's hard to tell if they're really speaking the truth or if they're just saying this and meaning they can't wait to see what kind of money they are going to make from this product. But for John Mayer, his passion comes through in his music, especially now with the new direction that his music seems to be taking. With more world problems being addressed and important things, the audience/fans can tell that there are not any lies coming from his mouth when he says he just loves to play.
With "Gravity" and "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" beginning to hit the airwaves, teen listeners that are used to not much more than hip hop's versions of describing the world are awakened into a new light, a light lit by John Mayer...my future husband.
When artists say they're doing something for the love of just creating the music, it's hard to tell if they're really speaking the truth or if they're just saying this and meaning they can't wait to see what kind of money they are going to make from this product. But for John Mayer, his passion comes through in his music, especially now with the new direction that his music seems to be taking. With more world problems being addressed and important things, the audience/fans can tell that there are not any lies coming from his mouth when he says he just loves to play.
With "Gravity" and "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" beginning to hit the airwaves, teen listeners that are used to not much more than hip hop's versions of describing the world are awakened into a new light, a light lit by John Mayer...my future husband.
Dear John Mayer, Let's get married. Love, Kylee
When I think of music, one of the first artists that comes to mind is John Mayer. Let's face it, I'm going to off Jessica Simpson and claim him as my own and have him serenade me every night with his sweet soulful sound! haha! Just kidding, but seriously it's going to happen! But besides my slight obsession of wanting him to be mine for all time, John Mayer has a style that is continuously evolving, which just from a personal observation, I bet that's why his latest album is called Continuum. Hmm something to think about...
I digress. The point I was trying to make was that only someone who has established themselves completely in the music industry would be able to pull off the success that John Mayer is conquering right now. With his first couple of albums, he was merely establishing a fan base. He was reeling in the women with songs of romance like "Your Body is a Wonderland" (aka the song I listen to and know he's singing it just for me!) and the men with "Bigger Than My Body." But it seems more common now that if you were to ask a group of young adults who some of their favorite current artists are, John Mayer would certainly be included in their lists. He wowed producers and other artists with his immense talent on the guitar and his amazing vocal abilities to the point that he was being marketed to sing with other artists and finally, when his famedom was large enough, he was released to do something younger artists that already had a mainstream establishment couldn't have pulled off.
I digress. The point I was trying to make was that only someone who has established themselves completely in the music industry would be able to pull off the success that John Mayer is conquering right now. With his first couple of albums, he was merely establishing a fan base. He was reeling in the women with songs of romance like "Your Body is a Wonderland" (aka the song I listen to and know he's singing it just for me!) and the men with "Bigger Than My Body." But it seems more common now that if you were to ask a group of young adults who some of their favorite current artists are, John Mayer would certainly be included in their lists. He wowed producers and other artists with his immense talent on the guitar and his amazing vocal abilities to the point that he was being marketed to sing with other artists and finally, when his famedom was large enough, he was released to do something younger artists that already had a mainstream establishment couldn't have pulled off.
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