Last Post

So this will be my very last post. I started my paper on Thursday night. I only wrote a couple of pages, handwritten. Early Friday morning, I had to wake up and babysit for 3 hours. I came home and started writing some more of my paper, but had to go to work till 11pm. I came home and resumed my writing, but ended up having trouble. After I figured out what I needed to fix, it took me forever to finish. I kept second guessing myself throughout and I kept asking my best friend to read it for me! I FINALLY finished at 330AM. I went to sleep, RELIEVED. I've been checking blackboard every second to see if the grades are posted. I hope I did decent, I really really want to get an A in this class! Well, so long!

Last Tutoring Session

So after our presentation on Thursday, Lisa and I had to run to the writing center for our final session. As soon as we got there we were informed that we had an appointment but they cancelled! I was really excited that we didn't have to tutor. I was really stressed out about my paper that day so I really didn't want to talk to someone about their paper. I gained a lot of my ideas by talking to you during this time. Thanks so much for helping me with all my questions. I really did enjoy your class this semester. I hope I see you around!!!

Final Paper

This past weekend was really busy for me. I finally watched Harry Potter. I liked it. I watched parts of it back when I was in 6/7th grade, but I actually liked it this time! I tried taking notes while watching it, the only thing I got out of it was that Hermione is a strong female, but still 2nd best. She's an outcast because she knows everything about magic and Hogwartz, and because she's a girl and boys around that age are still weird about girls. I also noticed that Mcgonagall is a strong female, being in a high power, but again, 2nd to a man. I did realize how Harry sticks up for Ron, even though Harry is the weak one before going to Hogwartz. I'm still organizing my thoughts for my final paper, I'm really hoping I get this done. I'm staying downtown pretty much all day tomorrow to work on it. I just want this over with!

Tutor

This past Thursday, Lisa and I had an appointment to tutor. We waited for 25 minutes and nobody showed up. We ended up leaving, not being able to tutor anyone. Sometimes it's kind of a bummer not to tutor someone, when we know we have an appointment. This week will be our last tutoring session. It's going to be weird not coming to the Writing Center every Thursday to tutor! I had a great time and I'm actually going to miss it!

Random Bloggggging

So, we're supposed to have a group discussions about the final project tomorrow and I really don't have a rough draft, AT ALL. I feel kinda bad, but I know when it comes down to the wire, I'll have it done. I'm still trying to take notes on the movie and gather up more info to put in my paper. Hopefully tomorrow, my group can just figure out which part of the movie we plan on showing and I can create my little "speech" for the in class presentation first. I'm really excited to get this out of the way, haha!

Thanksgiving

This year, my mom made so much food! More food than normal!!! My best friend came over and celebrated this holiday with me, my mom, and step-dad. Both of her parents had to work, which was sad, but I know she had a good time at my house. I had the best break ever this week. I've been so stressed out with school that it was really nice to chill out and spend time with family and friends and NOT have all these worries. Now that it is Monday and I officially go back to class tomorrow, all of these thoughts of last minute assignments and exams are clouding my brain. Oh well, only like, 3 weeks left! WOO HOO
I really hope I did good on the Media Essay too. I really don't want to revise it if I didn't do as well as I would have liked...I guess I'll find out soon!

Media Essay

So, I just finished my Media essay. I'm SUCH a procrastinator, I know. I also had to study for an Anatomy exam that I have tomorrow, as well. This past month has been really stressful. Life and school is just really overwhelming right now! As I've stated so many times before, I can't wait until the end of the semester. I've had a lot of fun in this class. I thought tutoring was going to be a hassle, but I actually enjoy going every Thursday! All I have to do now is focus my attention on the final paper. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly from here on out. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Tutoring

This past Thursday, Lisa and I tutored a 3010 student. At first, I thought it was going to be awkward or even difficult but it was good! The girl was writing a paper on how television and it's violence and sexuality affects children. Her introduction was really good, she just needed to take out some of the questions and bring it all together so it flowed better. She was nervous that she wasn't doing the rest of her paper right, but it all flowed really well and answered all the questions she had in her introduction. Overall, it was a good session, took up the entire hour, but it was still good. I feel as if we helped another student!!!

Random

Catch a Tiger by the Toe is interesting. I won't lie, I am a little behind in the reading...oops! Some of the topics we were talking about in class that related to this book were A LITTLE boring. I felt like I was in a history class, but I noticed that whenever someone got too history teacher on us, NW would make sure to tie it all together. That makes me happy!
I haven't started my Media paper yet. I have a topic though and I'm hoping it's a good topic. I'm really thinking on writing about the whole Nick Hogan car accident story. Maybe that might be a little much? I don't know! Maybe I'll just stick with Britney? But Britney has so many issues I feel like I wouldn't be able to produce a great paper.
I need to watch Harry Potter. I think I will do that this weekend and take notes. I'm (still) nervous about the final project. I realized our final presentations are due in about 3 weeks...so scary! I'm wondering when my group is planning on getting together to discuss because I definately need help with Gender.

Tutor Time

Once again, Lisa and I tutored on Thursday. Originally, I guess we were scheduled a 3110 student but Lisa made sure that was changed, haha. That would have been either really difficult or awkward. We ended up getting a lady in a Political Science class that was writing a paper on re-electing someone in the Detroit Public Schools. It was a really good paper, I was actually interested in it. The only problems were simple grammatical errors and not being able to write her thoughts clear enough for the reader. Lisa and I helped her and she was a pleasure to tutor because she seemed really excited that we were helping her! I think we did a really good job this week and I was so involved with this one that I actually stayed until 2pm and I have a class at 150pm...oops!!! She admitted to us that she was a little embarassed being in the Writing Center because she was older and she felt weird. Lisa and I definately reassured her that she shouldn't be embarassed and that her paper was actually really really good! Everyone needs help once in a while! Anyway, I'm just really excited about this past tutoring experience, it was fun.

Rant

So, I'm still anxious about these next 2 papers we have to do. I understand what I'm supposed to do for the Media project but I don't. I don't know, I'm a little confused on basically what to write. Like, how to start it and make it flow. I'm also getting a little irritated about the final project. Three of us in the group are good friends and we get along well, but our 4th person is not friendly, doesn't care that she's in a group, and not willing to make a difference in how she comes off. I actually just got done reading her blog and I'm frustrated. WE WANT TO GET TOGETHER BECAUSE WRITING A 7 PAGE PAPER IS NOT EASY. EVERYONE IS GOING TO NEED HELP, INCLUDING YOU. IT WOULD BE NICE TO GET INPUT FROM EVERY PERSON IN THE GROUP. THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO TAKE THE INPUT. Whatever, at this point I don't care anymore and I'm not going to try and include her in anything because she obviously doesn't want anything to do with us. And believe ME, I'm happy our grades are based on our OWN effort and work and not on the group as a whole, too.
I'm sorry this is a rant, but I'm angry at how ignorant and pompous some people can be or come off to people as.
Continuing on, I still haven't watched Harry Potter...EEK! I figure that I have a while to go though, until it's at the point where I'm like, "OKAY LET'S GET THIS DONE." I should probably focus on the only project we have officially assigned, the Media one.
IS IT DECEMBER YET?!
Oh, and I might actually come in for help with these next 2 papers because I don't want another B...even though a B isn't bad, but you understand, right?!

Tutoringgggggg

This week's tutoring went really well. We had a 1020 student who wanted some help with his introduction for a paper about child abuse. After reading through it, it was just apparent that he had problems with his words, with rearranging them in a weird form. He had great ideas though! I just think he has a tough time putting what he means on paper. He wanted to be friendly too, and tried talking about the Pistons with us, he was nice! I tried not to get too involved with conversations though, but at the end of the session, I think his introduction was GREAT! I wish I could read his overall paper when it is completed, but I bet I won't be able to do that! Oh well, it was a good week!

random

I need to start reading Catch a Tiger by the Toe. I also need to watch Harry Potter. I think I have a huge list of things "To Do." I hate having "to do" lists. Anyway, I wasn't too thrilled with my last essay grade. I need to fix that and turn that in again. Another thing TO DO. I thought I did good on that essay too, but receiving those comments from NW, I kind of see where I messed up. I think I got caught up in one part of the essay that really didn't help out my arguement.
I've also been thinking about our next essay or project. The media one. I think I'll probably just do one about Britney Spears or some other celebrity. I feel as if that would be the easiest, instead of covering the War or something else as complicated as that.
I really need a vacation and December needs to come faster!

Tutor Week 4

So, this past Thursday was the 4th week of tutoring. Again, Lisa and I didn't have anyone to tutor. I guess we were signed up to tutor a 3010 student but he never showed. There was a walk-in that needed help with an outline, but we definately passed her off to Meshell and Kiara! I'm not too great at outlines. During our time, Lisa and I talked and really got to know each other a lot better. I'm happy I met her! She and I get along really well and we could probably be friends outside of class, as well. I guess we'll see if we get to tutor next week!

Gender

For some reason, I really like reading about Gender and its roles. Last semester, in English 1020, we studied a lot about it. I guess it's something that I actually understand compared to Marxism and Structuralism. However, the way these other topics are described in class, it doesn't seem as if there is TOO much to grasp from the concept. I always thought that Marxism was way too complicated for anyone to understand. My other English teacher always said don't worry about learning it, it's too difficult, so I never bothered with it.
Anyway, I'm interested in Gender. I like the reading on it and I'm excited as to what we are going to talk about in class tomorrow! I'm also focusing my part of the final project on Gender. I'm really nervous about writing 7-9 pages though.
Last semester, I had an A+++++ in my English class and my teacher said if I came to the rest of the classes and did "well" on my final project-which was a research paper on ZOMBIES- then I would get an A. Definately got a B+ in the class, even though I came to the rest of the classes AND got a B on my final paper, which had to be 8 pages, I think. I'm still really bitter about that. It's really hard for me to make length requirements and obviously from reading my blog everyone knows I'm anxious about everything.

Tutoring

Tutor Time this week was very relaxing. No tutee!!! Lisa and I sat around the table and talked. Some of it was productive, too! On our way over to the Writing Center we talked about our final project and we just assumed each other would be working together. I called the Gender aspect of our final project and she was a little upset, but I think she decided to do Structuralism. NW sat with us in the center and discussed Harry Potter with Lisa. I've never read the books or seen the movies so I don't really know anything about it besides the main characters. Anyway, Harry Potter might be the topic of our final project. I guess I really don't care what we do. All I have to do is sit and watch this movie if we do it, no big deal. I feel as if this semester has been flying by. We only have 2 more papers left and we're done! Well, I guess more of an update on tutoring next week!

NO CLASS :)

I LOVE when classes are cancelled or when there are scheduled cancelled class times. For some reason it makes me really happy! I'm happy that I'm going to be getting this time off tomorrow because I need to work on my paper. I've been extremely busy this past week and I'm starting to get overwhelmed...AGAIN. What's new?! For some reason, this essay was really hard for me to start. I couldn't think of anything to choose for my icon. Finally, at the last minute I picked AIM: American Online Instant Messaging. I wrote a very "rough" draft and brought it to class. I know that it was that great since I didn't spend enought time to elaborate more in my essay but I thought it would atleast get me a "GOOD IDEA." I didn't get it from my group...they seemed confused by it but NW encouraged me to stick with it! I hate thinking about doing something. When I think about writing this essay I get flustered, but I know when I actually sit down and start writing everything will just flow! I've also noticed throughout my time in all the English classes that I've been in is that most people sit at their computer and type their papers. I canNOT do that! I have to break out my pen and paper and start writing. I find it really hard to sit at a computer and type out what's in my head for an English paper. For something like this though, blogging, it's easy. I don't have to write a draft by hand first. Maybe I'm just weird!

Tutor 2

This week, me and Lisa tutored again! This time, the girl needed help with her overall paper because it was a "re-do" and her teacher said she should come to the writing center to get help. We read over her assignment sheet and we realized that some things in her paper didn't even make sense. We helped her with the "silly" mistakes, like the typos, by letting her read it out loud and she knew that some things didn't make sense so she fixed it on her own! Lisa and I tutor at the same time. One of us doesn't just sit back and "observe" like we were told to, but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing! The tutee then gets twice the advice and help!!! I think me and her are a good team and this past session went well, even thought the tutee could only stay for 20 minutes. We encouraged her to come back and she wanted to know if she could get us again to tutor her! It made me smile.
So far, I think I'm doing pretty well with the whole tutoring thing and I think I'm doing well in class overall...HOPEFULLY!!!

Cultural Icon Essay

I woke up this Saturday feeling like DEATH. I absolutely hate being sick and laying in my bed for 2 days isn't my idea of fun. When I woke up this morning all I could think about was school. What I needed to do for each class and when it was all due. I started thinking about English class and how our Cultural Icon Essay is due next week.

I still haven't picked a symbol considering my brain has been hazy with sickness all weekend. I don't even know what to choose though! In Class we talked about the Starbucks icon and how popular it really has become. I agree, but I just can't think of anything else to say about it. I think it would be really hard for me to get 4 pages out of the Starbucks symbol. However, it might be my only choice because I cannot think of anything else.

I don't actually remember if the rough draft/outline is due tomorrow or Thursday. I sure hope it is Thursday because I honestly feel horrible and I don't even know if I'll be in class tomorrow.

Tutor Week 1

I tutored this past Thursday for the first time. I was getting really nervous as I was walking over to the library but when I go there, the lady at the front desk said there were no appointments. I was really excited! So then, there was a walk in and of course my partner volunteers us to tutor!
The girl sits down and I have her fill out those two forms for the writing center. My partner asks her to read her paper out loud but the girl refuses. We just look at each other like, "OH no, now what?" The girl that wanted help didn't have her assignment sheet and she didn't have one specific area she wanted help in. She wanted us basically to proofread and find mistakes and see if it all flowed together. We started this at first but then it started getting tedious and so I told her, "Maybe you should read it out loud so you can find some of your own mistakes." She didn't seem too happy with that but you have to be firm right?

The one area she knew she needed help with was her formatting. Her spacing and indentations were all over the place and we tried to help her with it but she seemed scattered brain. She was more interested in how we thought her "flow" of the paper was than whether or not she had correct format. After 45 minutes, I had to leave for class but I'm pretty sure my partner stayed for a little while longer and tried to help. Can't wait to see what the rest of the tutoring experience is going to be like!

Observation

I observed in the Writing Center this week. When I went in though, nobody was there to receive tutoring. So I sat. And waited. I finally waited for about 30 minutes and I overheard someone in there say that there were 4 appointments but they were all no shows. HOW RUDE!!! I guess that is something we as tutors will have to get used to! I had to get to class so I ran off. From this observation, it helped reinforce patience. Not only to be patient with the writer but to be patient with whether or not you receive a tutee to help!

Tutor Collage Paper

I was freaking out about our past tutoring collage paper and delicious account. I had planned on just having 7 sources for my delicious BUT then in class I remember it being said that 15 would get us an A. I definately wanted an A so I was frantically trying to find my tutoring sites. I finally added to my account and decided to write my paper.

I wanted to write about 3 images that I thought were the most important while tutoring. I described what each image meant to me and how it would help with tutoring, which I thought was really good! Next, I wrote about some things I learned from my delicious accounts and some tips and tricks I got from the tutoring sites. I did learn some more things to help me when I start to tutor so I do think that this was another good project to do!

I just checked my grade and I saw that I received an A- which is good! I'm a perfectionist and for a split second I was like, "Aww man, maybe I should rewrite it." Insane, right?

Observation

So I went and observed in the writing center after class on Thursday. I thought that the writing center was HUGE but it's not. It's nice and cozy and not as intimidating as I thought it would be. The girl that I was observing finished up her first session within ten minutes. The student only wanted a signature because it was required by her professor in order to turn in her final draft. So, basically the ten minutes was only used to read the paper. So far so good!
The next student basically wanted someone to proofread her paper. She had already typed it up and put a cover sheet on it and everything. She just wanted to know what she needed to fix in order to make it perfect. I guess all that roleplaying in class will help us out after all!
After observing I have come to the conclusion that being a tutor won't be so bad. I'm also reassured with knowing I will have a partner in there with me too.

AHH

So, I feel extremely overwhelmed. I absolutely HATE feeling this way too. I have so much going on it just feels like im spinning in circles, and it's not even a month in to classes yet!!! I only took 12 credits this semester because I had a rough time last semester with my grades, which ended in them not being up to my ability. I wanted to focus more on school, especially my anatomy class that I have to retake. I'm also in a sorority and I LOVE IT. It does require a lot of time but it has helped me manage my time and they do help with motivating me with my school work and making sure I am the best student that I can be.
However, I was looking at my schedule and I honestlly don't know when I can tutor. When I do have breaks in between classes It's about a 40 minute break. I just feel if I use that 40 or 45 minute break to tutor I'll be "rushing" the student at the end of the time and I'll be freaking out about being late to class. Because that's what I do, I get myself worked up about anything and everything. So ridiculous, I know. As I'm writing this I have 40 minutes to spare before my lab class and I am in the library. I should go right upstairs and observe because that is what our homework is but I'm scared!!! I think I'll just wait until tomorrow, Thursday, because that's when Nicole will be there and I'll feel more at ease. Oh, and another problem I have, if nobody has notice, I procrastinate a lot...oops! But sometimes, my best work comes out when I KNOW it has to be completed within a day or so. I should probably work on that.

First Blog for 3010

This is my first blog since the end of my English 1020 class. I don't really like blogger, but it has to be done! I liked writing our "What does writing mean to you?" essay. It let me show that I like English and it one of my strongest subjects.
I'm still nervous to tutor. I keep thinking of "What if" situations and it's freaking me out even more. I know I should calm down and live in the moment of being stress free with not having a huge load of assignments. I don't really know what else to type right now...hmm.

Grey's Relationships

Grey's Anatomy was finally a new episode this week! It was about Izzie finding out her biological child that she gave up for adoption has leukemia and the adopted parents want her to give some bone marrow. Cristina was also very nice to Burke, NOT HER USUAL SELF, while in front of (I forget his name) the reknowned Cardiac Surgeon.
Basically, from this episode I figured out that men and women can't just be friends. During Izzie's procedure, George finally ran to her side. They had been awkward around each other because they had sex, and unfortunately, George is married. They were basically ignoring each other and Izzie took up confession. You can't really deny the sexual tension between them. After something tragic happened, he couldn't deny his love for Izzie. Now, I know one can argue and say it's friendly love, but he cares so much about her and her well being, you just know he's in love with her.
Cristina is in a love triangle. She used to date this famous surgeon while in med school but now she's engaged to Burke. The famous surgeon doesn't understand why she's getting married. She was never really the commitment type. Cristina told the famous guy that she just wanted to be friends and maintain a professional working environment but the famous surgeon didn't want that. He tried to win Cristina back by showing up Burke in the operating room, but failed. Cristina wants Burke and now, nothing to do with the famous surgeon. The famous guy decides he's not getting anywhere with her and is going to leave Seattle Grace. This is just another example of my point. It is really hard to maintain a friendly relationship, especially if there is an instand attraction of any kind. I guess Grey's Anatomy isn't a very reliable source of forming these theories, but I like it.

bell hooks

I would just like to say how happy I am that this will be one of two of my last blog entries!!! The readings this week were kind of dull, to say the least. SORRY ELLEN! I would like to talk about the Waiting to Exhale one, because I can actually understand what is going on in that essay.

The writer, bell hooks, goes on to talk about how horrible this movie, Waiting to Exhale, is at depicting African American women and their relationships. She goes on to criticize basically the world, on how naive and ignorant they are at praising such a movie. bell hooks says that this movie is just a never ending stereotype. I guess that might be true. I would like to say that all women have trouble with men. I really do hate when race becomes a part in any discussion. Why should it matter that this "negative" sterotype is of black women? Why can't women just band together and be angry? That really gets to me. We've come a long way in fighting for equal rights and to be together in harmony(I know that sounds cheesy) but it seems like sometimes we're all still stuck in the 50's-60's fighting each other on who's discriminating against who.

ANYWAY, I am aware of the racial divides in our world, I just wish it could be different. Another point, going back to bell hooks, that she made was how there was a "sterotype" of always placing white women against black women when it comes to the white women dating black men. I don't find that a sterotype. Not in the least bit! I think any person with COMMON SENSE would know that interracial dating is not the most popular thing in society. Older generations are said to be the "problem" and once they're all gone we might have peace, but I've been around people my age (19) and even younger that have said racial remarks. Before we can go around and blame all the baby boomers and their parents, we need to realize our own hates and that those baby boomers and their parents are our families. It's not just with race either, it's with sexuality, as well. I just think writing an essay fighting about racial stereotypes is ridiculous. In the end you're really only making more people angry. Nobody will win the racial argument, it's a lost cause.

Law and Order

Why am I obsessed with Law and Order: SVU? Does that make me a creep? Does that make all fans of this intense, "sexually based crime" show future law breakers? I SURE HOPE NOT!!!
I've noticed that all of the episodes go into great detail about the crimes they're investigating. I'm watching USA, because it's home of all Law and Order reruns, and as I stated above, I'm obsessed...ANYWAY, on this particular episode, a foster family is accused of killing their son. It goes on to describe a priest leaving an indentation of his father's ring on the boy's skin. A cheese grater being dragged across a girl's face. I mean, that's extreme stuff! Not to mention the rape cases they show, every statement they take is very detailed about the entire rape! But, I'm still really intrigued by it all. I don't find it hard to watch or listen to. I guess that brings me to my point on how television shows, no matter how great they are, can desensitize people to horrible things; such as rape and murder. There's also a debate on how video games do the same thing to little kids, thus molding killers early on. I kind of believe this whole desensitizing theory, but I don't think I can go on to say that they make killers. But then again, no studies have been really shown to show the correlations.
I will still continue to watch shows like Law and Order:SVU until a study is done showing that I'll become a psychopath. Plus, I think Mariska Hargitay is gorgeous and Christopher Meloni isn't bad looking either.

Double Standard.

I read the article on the homosexuality in Batman. I thought it was kind of extreme to point out all of these "signs." In class, I began to get irritated because I don't really think Batman is gay or that there are "signs" for homosexuals to identify with. There are certain gender roles that we as a society have set up for ourselves and others to follow. Once someone doesn't fulfill the role that they're ultimately supposed to be following, we call them gay. Men are supposed to be strong and masculine, not one ounce of "gayness" present. We make newborn baby boys wear blue, but never pink. In Batman, just because he has a best friend, a "partner" they think that is a homosexual sign. I'm sorry, but I wouldn't go that far.
We also got into discussion on how Robin saw Batman in a towel, and that NEVER happens...haha WHATEVER. I've seen my best friend in a towel before, does that make me a lesbian? No, but only because that expected closeness in females is considered the "norm." Boys and Men see each other in locker rooms, completely naked but we don't hear the controversy surrounding those events, do we? Maybe because the sports or physical activities they do are very manly and showering naked together doesn't make it a problem. I just think this topic has a double standard, between females and males, and with certain activities. I guess being a superhero and standing around in a towel with a friend is gay but playing football and smacking each others behinds and then showering TOGETHER isn't. What a world!

Random Post

I guess we're supposed to write a random post. Hm. My parents have been out of town for 12 days. I'm kind of getting lonely. I have to take care of my two old dogs-one is going blind, the other happened to tear his ACL this week because he likes to chase squirrels...COOL! I've actually woken up everyday to go to campus and get to my classes. I'm quite the adult this week.
I'm pretty excited for summer. Meaning, I'm excited to work a lot and make money and sleep in! YEAH! Not too excited that I was too late to sign up for an intro to chem class at OCC, but I guess I'll just take it in the fall. I'm probably going to have to retake Anatomy because I fail at the human body and I'm pretty bummed about that. WHAT A GREAT NURSE I'LL BECOME...:(
Surprisingly I like basketball. I like the Pistons. I was not happy when Rip Hamilton got ejected from the game against Chicago though. It was kind of funny.
I'm still stressed out about this DAMN research paper. It's pretty much all I think about, haha. Hopefully, in the fall when I take English 3010 there will be ZERO research papers...:)

Okay this post was obnoxious but atleast I did two blogs this week!!!
HAPPY EASTER

HOW MUCH LONGER UNTIL SUMMER?!

Okay, I'm getting really irritated with this research essay. So now I am going back and forth between the following topics: Race/Gender/Social Class aspect in Land of the Dead OR now I'm kind of leaning towards the fandom aspect. This girl at work was trying to help me and she gave me a lot of good ideas for the fandom topic. I came home from work and tried to look up some sites and I found some, which is great, but how in the world do I incorporate that in to 8-10 pages? I know I can answer questions like who is the average fan of these movies and I can talk about what these fanatics discuss on their sites and so on, but I feel if I do something like this though, that I'll be using the majority of other people's words and opinions throughout my entire essay and I don't want that. I feel like I should have more of "me" in there with those sources supporting me but quite honestly I don't really know how I can come up with that. (I think my brain is fried. Time for summer?!)
Another part of the fandom that I'm worried about, is not finding any books to look up zombie films and their fans. I've already searched the UGL and Kresge Libraries and I checked out two books for the Race/Gender topic. I skimmed them and discovered only one is actually relevant and I'm starting to get nervous/anxious because I never have problems with writing but when it comes to research FORGET IT, I FAIL. I'm being Negative Nancy right now but I'm very weird and I like to perfect things, especially in my writing, and I don't even have any writing for this subject and, now I'm rambling! Long story short, I'm not feeling very confident in my proposal that is due next Friday, let alone my entire essay. :( BOO
I would also like to talk about discussion today in class. I was confused, especially when talk about how we're supposed to be sympathizing with the zombies. Um, why?! No! I don't understand that but, moving on...
Towards the end of class I was annoyed with some of the remarks about the "development of characters" because I think the "points" that were trying to be made actually made no sense to me so I shot back with my own opinions. It was fun :) I like debating.

Land of the Dead

To some surprise, I've never actually seen this movie, let alone heard of it. We've probably haven't even watched a full 60 minutes of the film yet, but I'm already into it! Before we started watching it, I thought, "Oh great, another movie I'm going to have to analyze to get something out of it." At that, I wasn't very enthused. Now, I've looked back on my notes and I've realized that I'm actually analyzing without even thinking about what I'm actually reading in to! I mentioned the differences in social class depicted in the movie and once I saw that that was one of the topics I could write about for my research paper, I was really excited!

I'm starting to stress out though, because I feel like I'm not going to find any resources on gender/social class/race. I already went to my local library's online catalog to try and find things on horror films and things relating to those above stated topics and it didn't bring up anything. I absolutely despise research projects because they stress me out and I always make them harder than they're supposed to be, or maybe they really are that hard, and I'm not looking forward to writing this one. However, I am looking forward to watching the rest of the film!

Ebert

I read this article thinking it was going to be about how he critiques movies. Instead, I got a review on how to "actually" watch a movie. I felt like a bad person when Ebert was naming off all these great "classics" because quite frankly, I've never seen any of them!
Okay, so he's an experienced movie critic who has seen lots of movies. Well, that is true, but I can't help but feel like he's looking down upon us regular movie goers. I learned all about Theme, and Tone, and Mood..etc. while I was in high school. We needed to know them to analyze books. I'm sorry but picking out things like that in a book is NOT fun. And I LOVE reading books. When I'm told to do mundane things like figuring out the tone of the novel, I get angry. Ebert told us to do the same thing when we watch a movie. NO, IT WILL RUIN MY EXPERIENCE.
I look at books and movies as a form of entertainment, right? Well, don't call me a bad moviegoer just because I haven't seen every silent film created. Or because I choose not to point out tone, mood, style..
This quote in the article really got me thinking. "The more you learn, the quicker you'll know when the director is not doing his share of the job." What exactly is that supposed to mean? I understand it, really, I do, but what is there to learn? I thought a director's job was to help portray the entertainment in films. Hm, I guess Ebert needs to write another article on that.

RICH GIRL

So, I just finished watching My Super Sweet 21 Remix with Svetlana from The Real World: Key West. I was super excited because I really like Svetlana. She reminds me of someone I'd be friends with; nice, fun and young, just like me! Anyway, on The Real World, the cast would make fun of her for being "naive" and a "rich girl" and I always defended her because I thought they were just jealous.
Well, after seeing this show I now know that she really is a rich girl! She had two parties: one in Vegas and one in Miami. She not only bought four dresses from Saks Fifth Avenue for her parties but held a fashion show at the Miami one. Her mother just smiled and shopped with her like everything is normal and everyone in the world spends that kind of cash on parties. I can only imagine how much her whole party cost. I forgot to mention her unbelievable penthouse she had to herself while in Vegas, also.
She isn't the first one that has been on this show to "exploit" her parents' wealth. That's really what they're all doing, right? We don't really care how they're all doing between party plans or how old they're really turning. We just want to see what money can really buy you. And with these people that MTV shows, money can buy you anything. As I watch this show and others like it, I find myself being envious of these bratty children. But, why? They're rude, inconsiderate, and I would say they're not going to succeed in life without mommy and daddy's help(money) every step of the way.
Now, my family is not by any means "rich" but we're not "poor" either. I would say we're well off. But, would my mother buy me a brand new convertible Mercedes? In her own words, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Not only because I'm too "young" but realistically what would a 16(19 in my case) year old new driver need an expensive car like that other than to "brag." There's a limit to what your parents, and their money, can and will buy you, even though I didn't think that existed in my household :).
It also depends on your parents' attitudes and how they want your goals and morals to be in life. According to my dear mother, who has a Mercedes, she can have one and I can't because she's "older and deserves it." Hm. I guess my mother wants me to work and experience what making and having your own money is like and I think that's important for everyone! Now, money is important in life. I'm not trying to make it seem like it's not, but, I feel like there's a certain way to manage your money and not just throw it around. Even Bill Gates manages his money! That's just plain being smart. Since we live in a materialized society, we're used to seeing materials as a way to represent class and wealth. This show just emphasizes my belief.

Jodi Picoult

So I've recently been obsessed with Jodi Picoult. After reading My Sister's Keeper, that I sobbed through, I decided to read some more books by her. A few days ago I finished The Tenth Circle, and I stayed up all night reading The Pact. Now, she seems to have a theme with all of her books. She writes about really intense situations involving family, teenagers, and abuse.

Now, I hope that doesn't make me a sick person, feeding off of all this negativity that is somewhat true to other people in the world, but she makes her words flow so you're constantly wanting to turn the page! No wonder she's a New York Times Bestseller.

I think a good comparison to Jodi Picoult would be the Canadian based t.v. show, Degrassi. I LOVE THAT SHOW! It also deals with tough issues, such as bullying, suicide, teenage pregnancy, rape and so on. I think this gives people the information on such extreme situations that it really is teaching them to be aware and what to do in case this is to happen to you.

Back to Jodi. I've passed down My Sister's Keeper to my mother, who probably hasn't touched a book since she was in school. She slowly got into it and now I see her reading it every free chance she gets. It's all about a family with two daughters and a son. The oldest daughter has cancer and the youngest daughter was basically born to save her older sister. All anyone cares about is the sick girl, nobody pays attention to the son, and all anyone wants out of the youngest is blood or other parts of her body. I recommend this book to everyone!

The Tenth Circle was all about a young girl going through a rape, with the investigation and the trial and what not. Her father and mother's issues are also brought in and it turns from being all about the young girl to their entire family. There's also secret messages in the artwork and I stayed up for an hour trying to decode!

The Pact says it's a "love story." I would fight that. It was about two families living next door and raising their children together. Eighteen years later the girl decided to kill herself and the boy charged for her murder, even though the defense says it's a "blotched suicide pact." In this book you see everything change between these best friends and even within their own families. This book jumps around so you don't quite know the truth until the end, at which I sobbed, of course.

Now I'm on to read Nineteen Minutes!

Juvies

Grey's was another rerun this week so I chose to write about MTV Juvies. I find this show very intriguing. The first episode I ever watched, I thought to myself, "This show is going to be awful." And yet now, I watch every new episode. It's really addicting. I think it draws people in because people love to watch others in trouble. We are nosey and like to know what exactly they did wrong and how they're going to "pay" for their wrong doings.
On this specific episode, there were two teenage sisters. They were put in Juvie because one sister tried to save her other sister from getting stabbed to death in the middle of a group fight. Now, I really liked these two girls because they didn't seem like delinquence, like most of the kids do. They were just caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. The judge really made them sweat when it came to their sentencing, and if I would have been the judge, I would have let them out and tracked down the girl that stabbed the older sister.
I get to thinking about why any parent would want their bad child on t.v.? Obviously these kids are still minors so they can't sign away consent to have their faces not blurred out so I wonder if these families get paid for "telling their story." I bet they get something out of it. That's just another thing wrong with our society.

Real vs Unreal

As I was writing my paper, I quickly realized that achieving 5 pages was going to be hard. I already had a lot of ideas of what to write about, considering how I watch a lot of reality television, but I only got about 3 pages out of it.
I realized that I was looking at the guidelines of the essay too much. Instead of letting my hand just write, I felt like I had to keep double checking to see if I included everything I needed, which ultimately gave me writer's block because I was thinking too much.
At our peer conferences I didn't get much feedback so I got pretty worried about my final draft. I quickly tried to put some sentences together to make my paper longer, fearing I was just babbling. I reread and rewrote my paper for an entire night, the night before my conference with Ellen.
After walking down Woodward for 15 minutes, I finally made it to the meeting and I think the one on one time really helped. I took Ellen's ideas and advice and I really like my paper now. I have a full 5 pages and I'm satisfied with the whole essay.
I would really like one on one time with Ellen next time too, but only if I think I need it. It's good to get peers' advice also, but they're in the same boat I am and sometimes they don't put a lot of thought into their editing, when I really do. I hope my essay will be looked at as very thoughtful because I know a lot of my peers don't think reality t.v. is real.

SEX

As I've said before, I've come quite obsessed with Grey's Anatomy. So obsessed I went out and bought the first and second season using my credit card that is designated "only for emergencies." OOPS. But, in this case, it was an emergency. I've come to the conclusion that my beloved show is nothing more but a show to exploit women in their sexual situations.
After Meredith Grey slept with a couple more people after Derrick, I thought, "Hm, she's just trying to get over him." NO. She had another one night stand and I can't help but think that men actually expect ALL women to do this. Maybe I'm just being naive but I don't believe most women have that much sex with all these different (gorgeous) men!
However, during one of the episodes, all the interns are poking fun of Meredith and all her sexual liaisons when all she says is, "I have an active sex life." EEK. Doesn't that qualify as whorish?
Now, I'm not trying to make my show look bad, but being a female and having all these popular shows with powerful women, which is a good thing, degrade themselves by having sex a couple times an episode is pretty insulting.
Not to mention, she has been known as "the naughty mistress" and "the intern that has been sleeping with my husband." I don't know about anyone else's feelings on that, but I'd feel horrible and wouldn't want to show my face again! Isn't sex supposed to be private and meaningful? Atleast that's what we've been taught since we were young, but it's not something to exploit. And I guess, that part of the show really bothers me, once I actually start thinking about what I'm watching.

Society's Need for a Queer Solution

This reading was all about Homosexual and Heterosexual gender roles and how they are perceived by society via t.v. They used Will and Grace and Ellen as an example of shows that help address both. I thought that Will and Grace was a good show that is directed to homosexual and heterosexual lives. However, this article said that Will and Grace is comical and is almost mocking gays in a sense. I don't really think that's what this show is doing. The book goes on to say that Jack is the "stereotypical" gay man with flamboyant actions and I thought they were looking down at how this character was created. There are some gay people who are just like Jack. They are flamboyant and don't really care that people just see them as a gay person. That's they're identity and that's fine with them. Will is a gay man also but he's the complete opposite and doesn't necessarily let his sexuality define him. I think this is a great example of all the different people in our society. There are people like Jack. And then they are people like Will who believe their career and successes in life should identify their character and not who they're attracted too.
Also, I read how homosexuality was known to be present in the "olden" days. Some historians and psychologists believe that anyone is susceptible in being "tempted" by the other sex. Others believed that sex was a sin in general. Foucault believed that homosexuality IS a person's identity. I think that's wrong to do. I don't see myself or other straight people making that our identity. That isn't the first thing I think of when I would want to describe myself. Having your sexuality, no matter if you're homosexual or heterosexual, be your identity, I personal think that you're making it easier for people to judge you and for people in society to have a false sense of what you're all about.

American Idol

Once again, I got suckered into watching American Idol. I'm completely disgusted at the way they "cut" the bottom singers. Ryan Seacrest has no sympathy in the fact that he's destroying someone's dream. He basically looked in the camera and said, "Sorry, your time is up," and gave the camera a little smirk. The girl was completely shocked and heartbroken. She didn't even want to sing one last time and held back lots of tears when she was finished. The man that was cut before her looked sad and Ryan gave him a quick hit on the shoulder and wished him luck.

How worse can this show get? I feel so bad for these people that have to be let down in a fake, unemotional way. However, this was just the first cut of the season. Maybe when they're down to 8 people things will get more personal but Ryan Seacrest has been doing this how since the beginning. He doesn't need to act as if he's losing his job if he doesn't do something right. He looks nervous. Hm, maybe he is on the brink of getting let go. With his cheesy phrases and actions, who wouldn't fire him?

Grey's

Considering I've felt like I've been on my death bed for the past 3-4 days, I've had a lot of time to watch t.v. I can no longer write about my beloved House because I have Sorority meetings on Tuesdays and I'm quite bummed out about that.
Next in line is Grey's Anatomy! There's just something about Grey's that's really captivating. Maybe it's that everyone on there is a doctor and is beautiful. I find that unrealistic because I've been to quite a few doctors and I've never been in love with any of them like I am with all the male surgeons at Seattle Grace. Or maybe that's it's a soap opera at night. The kind of soap opera that isn't the trashy type but show "real life" problems in their drama. Affairs, lies, sex, deaths...etc etc.
Anyway, this past Thursday on Grey's, it was the second part of a three part drama extravaganza. Long story short, a huge ferry boat basically exploded and there were lots of victims. This episode was all about Meredith being in the water and nobody but a mute little girl knew where she was. The producers/writers of this show are doing a really good job in keeping people on the edge of their seats with suspense! After the show ended, I couldn't help but hear people talk and write about the show and how they can't believe "Meredith is dead" even though nobody for sure knows what is going on.
I have a really hard time believing Meredith is going to die on the 3rd part because A. It's called Grey's Anatomy and Meredith's last name is Grey. B. Meredith narrates and gives "advice" at the beginning and the end of the show. C. Grey's Anatomy wouldn't be the same and therefore die and I don't think the creators would want to lose out on all that money.
Basically, my rambling on about this show is how I've discovered creators little ways of making "hit" shows more hip! I bet more people are going to tune in this Thursday to see what happens to Meredith, therefore gaining more viewers.

Readings

After reading for Monday and Wednesday, I thought about t.v. a little differently. I'm all for empowering women and making sure we have equal rights, but after reading that most television shows show women as being passive and "homemakers" I got a little upset. Now, there's nothing wrong with being passive and there's nothing wrong with being a stay at home mother, which mine is, but to see that people will respond and look at women differently.
I've experienced men, in particular, that have made sexist comments relating to me and other women being stupid and that our place is in the home and after reading that mass amounts of tv watchers think tv is actually real life makes me contemplate whether or not I should support something so vile.

Essay One

When the essay was first assigned, I was a little mad. I'm really skeptical about advertisements, especially when people try to tell ME how I respond to them. But, I looked over the requirements and just started writing.
I kept looking at the requirement sheet and my ads and basically, my words came together! I had a few problems, thanks to my roommate pointing them out, with my tone and voice. My paper sounded a little informal at first, but with some proofreading and editing I changed that really quick.
I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my English papers. I probably had 4 "rough" drafts and my roommate probably had my entire essay memorized by the end of the first week.
The day of peer editing I was really confident with my paper, I felt like it was my final draft, and my group responded to it really well! I got a lot of positive feedback and good constructive criticism as well. I took (some) their advice and now I'm really ready to turn it in.
Overall, this assignment was good. I think it let us be creative with our emotions and really analyze how (some) people perceive advertisements.

House

FINALLY. After two, long weeks, my beloved show was back on. And I'd have to say, it was a flop. After sitting through countless auditions of American Idol and even George W's speech, my hard work of being House's number one fan didn't pay off.
This episode, which really wasn't an episode, had to deal with House and a rape patient. At first, House didn't want to take this patient on because she was ONLY raped...
I found that quite disturbing until he explained how he likes dealing with the extraordinary cases. That made me think, "Wow, rape is really common in our world." That makes me very upset to know that every time a woman, or a man, gets raped they're just another number added to the barrel of millions more. What makes them so special?
House ended up caring for this girl, even though he kept reinforcing the fact that she was healthy. She stayed in the hospital and basically had a heart to heart with House. He also expressed himself, which is a first, so I suppose that's why the creators thought this plot was a good idea. Except, the only thing we learned is that House was physically abused by his father, which would explain his aggressive nature, but I had always thought it was because of his leg? AH.
Next week's show looks better and I'm ready for a great plot so I can give a better analysis on why Hugh Laurie is my hero. :)

However, Grey's Anatomy was good so they made up for my loss.

The Coolhunt

So, upon reading this chapter I didn't really know what to expect. When the book introduced DeeDee and Baysie I was kind of bothered. I didn't know my fashion sense was in the hands of a 40 year old and a ditzy wannabe teenager.
I guess it's nice to know that people try to introduce new products, even if it is only to the urban culture, to see what the consumers like. However, these "coolhunters" aren't just trying to please us, they're trying to make their pockets grow. I kind of interpreted this article as, "If the urban "culture" likes our products, the rest or America will follow along." Hm.
I also liked how they explained Tommy Hilfiger's popularity among the rap community and the rest of the urbaners. It's not because old Tommy is a hip young dude, it's because he hires people that are hip and young and know what each "class" of people want and like. Then he sends those people out to help in making him buy his 10th mansion in San Tropez.
After reading some of these articles, it makes me not want to buy anything ever again. Advertisements and products are all just a ploy in spending and making money. But, I guess that's how the world goes 'round.

George Bush ruined my life

Once again, my show(House) is put on the back burner while some other ridiculous program runs. Last week it was American Idol(see past entry) and this week it was George W. Bush. I really wish I could just talk about how much I dislike him but, I have to talk about a t.v. show.
I decided to choose Roseanne. I used to hate this show when I was younger. I didn't understand Roseanne's witty sarcasm until now. I actually find myself smiling and laughing out loud. For those of you who don't know what Roseanne is, it's a depiction of a lower to middle class family, The Connors. Roseanne is the mother who ultimately runs everything and everyone. She not only mocks her children but everyone she comes into contact with. She doesn't let anyone get the last word, either. She works in a diner with her sister, Jackie. Jackie is the opposite of Roseanne. She's not married and she's not that outspoken, as in mean. Roseanne's husband is Dan, who is an overweight mechanic who doesn't, in my opinion, do much of anything. He drinks a lot of beer and tries to make jokes that just aren't funny but I find myself laughing at because of how ridiculous he is. Roseanne and Dan have three children: Becky, Darlene, and D.J. Becky is the girly girl who complains about everything and only really cares about herself and boys. Darlene is the tom-boy that has the same sarcasm and humor as her mother, but gives off a creepy killer vibe. D.J. is the weird little brother who has been through masterbating stages and being alone with his girlfriend on. No wonder we've never seen any of these actors elsewhere.
In this episode, it starts out with D.J. bringing home a neighbor's dog. The family ends up deciding to keep it for a few days until the neighbors decide to come get it (how lazy are these people?). Becky complains about the dog using her untouchables as chew toys and my ears hurt after her shrieking, whining voice. Roseanne can't seem to get a hold of Jackie on the phone, who is sleeping off a drunken night and wakes up to an ex boyfriend showering in her house. Dan ends up having a poker night with the boys and invites Roseanne's boss, a middle aged gay man to a night of pizza beer and cards(this makes me think,"Are they making fun of gay people?"). Roseanne, in turn has a girls night at the diner where the ladies confess to things they're ashamed about, i.e. Jackie's one night stand. Back at Dan's poker night, it turns out he has second thoughts about having Roseanne's boss over, who is more feminine than any of Dan's friends and Dan's awkward-ness of having him there starts to show.
Basically my short description of the characters and an episode is to show how funny I think the creators are for coming up with this show! This 30 minute program shows the "white trash" of society. I don't know if this was made for people to laugh AT or to laugh WITH. I don't exactly know how popular this show was, considering I was in like, 4th grade and I didn't care so I don't know how people responded. My response towards this show, along with my families, is that we laugh WITH them. Even though I'm criticizing the creators, now that I think about it, they ended up depicting people that our society "looks" down upon but in a way where we can laugh with them in their situations and not at them.
I really like Roseanne.

Brought to you B(u)y

So I definitely read the wrong article, I think. I read (and highlighted!) The signs of Advertising. In the article, that seemed to drag on forever, it talked about Calvin Klein ads, among others, and how they have used controversial ads for decades now. This article used the words "child pornography," "sexual exploitation", "child sexuality","homosexuality," and "sadomasochism."
One would assume just by reading my review of the article, that some sick freak wrote the article and is once again, "corrupting today's youth." In my opinion, someone with a passion of "discovering" advertisers underlying messages in their campaign wrote this article OR someone who hates their life and has nothing better to do but to use their very talented imagination to ridicule the "messages" of ads.
In the article, it says something about some people having an attitude,"reading too much" into the ads, and I'll have to admit that I'm one of those people. I honestly don't understand how this article, which is about eleven pages, can go on and on explaining all the subtle and sometimes more open messaging advertisers can market in their campaign. I highly doubt that Calvin Klein himself supports child abuse and child exploitation, considering he has kids of his own. I understand that this has been expressed in his ads but it doesn't necessarily mean he agrees with it. It means that everything in our society is so taboo and the only way to really get any attention out in the marketing business is to throw an eye opener to the people, which they did and they made headlines. Even if it didn't create sales, it brought him into our homes and he was a household name. Because the writer viewed the ad as a sexual exploitation against children, it shows that he is projecting his subconscious desires for child pornography.
I'm not condoning this form of advertising, exploiting children and ultimately making the act of exploiting un-serious, BUT we as Americans have brought it upon ourselves. Ever wonder WHY sex "sells?" BECAUSE IT'S A TABOO FOR OUR COUNTRY and let's face it, we're all curious and want to hear about sexual things-come on, we've all went through a Jerry Springer and Maury stage.

Hanes Her Way

I thought the essay about the Hanes commercial by Brittany Gray was odd. I guess I think it's odd because I wouldn't want to think of my mother if I was a man looking at my wife's untouchables. I understand how it's trying to convey "comfort" by taking him to a place/person that gives him that sense of security but, how Brittany described the commercial, that I've never seen before, isn't how I'd make a commercial to sell my underwear.
First of all, I'd want it to appeal to everyone, not just older aged, married adults. It's good to have a wide target range. Second, it seems as if the commercial is really boring. With the slow Mazzy Star song and the husband reminiscing about the good ole days while (creepily) watching his wife make the bed.
We get it. Hanes is comfortable, it's cotton. It's affordable too, so why not express that somehow and make that appeal to struggling college kids who are single.
I did like reading Brittany's interpretation of the commercial though. She got straight to the point and showed all the English techniques well in her writing. Although we had differing opinions, I still respect her talent in writing and her views on ads but I would have to say my essay would have been about the opposite of what she wrote.

American Idol

So I would have to say my favorite t.v. show is House. It comes on Tuesdays at 9pm on Fox. It wasn't on this past Tuesday because of American Idol(WHAT A JOKE). So, starting at 8pm, the TWO HOUR premiere of American Idol started.

Okay, I used to watch it. Back when Kelly Clarkson was chubbier and had bad highlights from an "average" person salon. Back when it was actually interesting to watch. Back when it didn't seem staged and the winner was actually a "real" singer after the contest. I pretty much lost touch with American Idol after Fantasia won.

But anyway, I had nothing better to do so I watched it. It was all the people trying out to get the okay that they were on their way to Hollywood. I'm pretty sure they showed just about every audition, or so it seemed. At first, it's kind of like, "Okay, these people suck, this is funny that they're humiliating themselves." In my opinion it's only funny for the first 45 minutes. I still had to sit through 75 more. I found myself concentrating on other things, playing with my boyfriend's newborn nephew, than concentrating on the "talent" on the screen. Don't get me wrong, a few of the contestants they showed were really good and I was really jealous but, do I remember any of these people's names? No. I could probably remember the worst singer's name before any of the good ones. (Remember William Hung a few years ago? Do you remember who won AI that same year?)

My point is to pretty much state how ridiculous I think this show is now. Excluding Kelly Clarkson, has any of the other "Idol's" been as successful? I don't believe so. I think it's time for Fox to throw in the towel and let other programs, like House, not be interrupted in the middle of their season to play a two hour premiere of screaming, crying, ridiculously dressed people show off their "talent."

Ryan Seacrest is STILL the host (does he even do anything?). He still gets crap about what his sexuality really is. He still hasn't aged and I think his botox is really working out for him...

I don't even want to talk about the judges. Jewel was a guest judge. She would nervously laugh and not give any input to the singers. I felt as if she was asking herself, "Why did I sign up for this again? I should go back to Nashville Star." All the rest of the judges are kind of predictable and boring now. Randy still says "Dawg." I pretty much cringe when he does. That was his big trademark when? 3 years ago? Nobody really knew who he was before Idol and I feel like he tries too hard to be "cool." And yes Randy, we all know you worked with Mariah Carey. However, we all know him to be nicer than Simon so I don't want to bash him too much. Paula went from sweet and encouraging to crazy and bratty. I'm sick of seeing headlines from US Weekly or Star saying "Paula's Idol Meltdown." I think Paula tries too hard NOT to be the nice one and acts more like Simon. (Oh yeah, I'm tired of the other headlines in magazines talking about Paul and Simon's "affair." I thought Idol ratings were at an all time high. What's this attempted publicity story then?) Simon, Simon, Simon. This English man is anything but nice. He had a pen/pencil in his mouth 90% of the show. He looked more bored than I felt. When he did speak, it was a bunch of words that ultimately put down the singers. I understand constructive criticism but, I don't think Simon Cowell does. Granted I would assume more than half of the contestants that try out and possess talent like William Hung, are either A. Paid by Fox to make the show more interesting B. Tone Deaf C. Don't care what it takes to get them on t.v. , but to those that fall under the Tone Deaf category or the really really love singing category-that I didn't mention-, I think it's awful to put them down and not give them any advice to make them even a LITTLE better! These three judges, especially Simon, have taken this "judging" job a little too far. You three aren't God and you shouldn't have the ability to crush someone else's dream. Maybe we should all judge Paula's past songs/music videos-maybe even wardrobe choices. Did anyone even know that a Simon Cowell existed? I already talked about Randy's celebrity-ness. Hmm...

Maybe I'm just bitter that MY show wasn't on. Or maybe I'm right.