Celebrity News 04.04.13

• Halle Berry restrains fiancee during an altercation with the paparazzi at LAX (Los Angeles Times)
• A Buckwild cast member dies—and MTV's cameras keep rolling (Guardian)
• Glee's Corey Monteith check into a rehab facility (Entertainment Weekly)
• Joan Rivers on Adele: "It's not mean. She's a chubby lady who's very, very rich, and she should just calm down—or lose weight!" (Yahoo! News)
• An alumna’s controversial advice for the young women of Princeton: Marry my son (Daily Beast)
• Susan Olson, Cindy of the Brady Bunch, pays tribute to her TV dad (Us)

Week 11

Week 11
Read: INC—“5. #scandals – Kim Kardashian Versus Paris Hilton: Innovation in the Celebutante Market” – “8. #tweets – Ashton Kutcher: The Evolution of the Digital Celebrity”

Mo 04.01
NO CLASS—CESAR CHAVEZ DAY

We 04.03
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY
Due: REFLECTION 06

Upcoming:

Week 12

Read: INC—“9. #singingsolo – Taylor Hicks: Building a Career after American Idol” –“12. #beingdead – Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley: The Afterlife of Fame”

Mo 04.08

Reading discussion; Watch—“Daniel Radcliffe” from Extras (2006)

We 04.10

Reading discussion; Writers workshop

Due: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS (DRAFT 1; BRING 2 COPIES)

Celebrity News 03.26.13

• China's new first lady: A fashion icon rises (Daily Telegraph)
• Is a gay NFL player about to come out? (CBS Sports)
• Study says celebrity endorsements may lead kids to eat more (Reuters)
• Has the Aurora shooter converted to Islam? (Al Jazeera)
• A geneticist "predicts" what Prince William and Kate Middleton's child will look like—as a girl and as a boy (Marie Claire)
• Does science need its own celebrity spokesperson? (PLOG)

Reflection 06: The "Exclusive" Inside Story—Exploring Tabloid Magazines

People currently has the ninth largest circulation in the United States, and it earned a staggering $997 million in advertising revenue in 2011. These figures speak to the popularity of celebrity-fueled tabloid magazines in America. With all the twists and turns of a Mexican soap opera, tabloid magazines have created a large and loyal following. But what is at the core of their immense popularity? For this reflection, examine two of the six major American tabloids (People, Us, Star, In Touch, Ok!, and Life & Style). In your analysis, decipher the mass appeal of these magazines. Specifically, what are some of the techniques they employ to get readers to come back week after week? What is the lure for readers? Finally, how would you characterize their treatment of celebrities, and is there anything in the magazines that you believe crosses the line?

For this reflection, examine two of the following magazines:

• People
• Us 
• Star 
• In Touch
• Ok! 
• Life & Style

Note: You are not required to purchase any of these magazines. You must simply spend some time examining them. Also, look only at the print versions; web editions will not suffice for this reflection.  

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• Two full pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: We 04.03

Week 10

Week 10
Mo 03.25
NO CLASS—SPRING BREAK

We 03. 27
NO CLASS—SPRING BREAK

Upcoming:

Week 11
Read: INC—“5. #scandals – Kim Kardashian Versus Paris Hilton: Innovation in the Celebutante Market” – “8. #tweets – Ashton Kutcher: The Evolution of the Digital Celebrity”

Mo 04.01
NO CLASS—CESAR CHAVEZ DAY

We 04.03
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY
Due: REFLECTION 06  

Reflection 05: In It to Win It—Winning a Reality TV Competition

Could you win a reality TV competition? If so, which one? Are you the next American Idol or America's Next Top Model? Are you best suited for an in-studio competition, such as Chopped, or are you willing to get physical on a show like The Amazing Race? What would you be willing to do, and what would be off-limits? What is the appeal of these shows? Specifically, why are so many people willing to humiliate themselves on national television? Is it for the money? The chance to compete? A shot at fame?

Include at least three of the following in your discussion:

• "Who Wants to Be a Cognitive Neuroscientist Millionaire?" (Seed)
• "The Real Deal: Life After Winning a Reality Show" (MSN)
• "Ian Terry: Winning 'Big Brother' is Surreal" (CBS News)
• "Reality Bites After the Lights Go Out" (CNN)
• "Secret Rituals of 'American Idol' Auditions Exposed" (Daily Beast)
• "The Day ... I Won 'The Amazing Race'" (Hall of Fame Network)

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• Two full pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: We 03.20

Celebrity News 03.18.13

• E! producer's deposition: Kim Kardashian's proposal was staged, edited, even reshot (Huffington Post) 
• Taylor Swift: Is the bloom is off the rose? (New York Times) 
• Charlie Sheen plots revenge on the school where his daughter was bullied (Yahoo! News) 
• Twilight author Stephenie Meyer: Kristen Stewart's cheating scandal was "tragic" (Us Weekly) 
• Man taunts boxer Curtis Woodhouse on twitter, gets a visit at home from the Woodhouse himself (Bleacher Report) 
• Doxxed: Mysterious website posts private financial information of celebrities (Daily Beast)