Reality TV's shows that I like.

In the last post I explained a little about the meaning of "Panem et circencess" and how this phrase is use today by TV companies that give us reality TV's shows. Well that is my reaction to reality TV's shows like:

• The Kardashians
• American Idol
• The Voice
• The Real Housewives of whatever county in the USA

However, there's others reality TV's shows that I like to see (ironic doesn't it?). Most of them are practically new, others have some time on-air but most of them do not are acknowledge by the public. What I like of this shows are different, in a way, to others reality TV's shows.

ACTION HUNTERS



This show is produced by the TV company Spike, and tell the story of 2 friends and bussiness partners that travel the USA to buy abandoned storage units. Allen Haff (left) and Ton Jones (right) are expert on many antiques furniture, weapons, collectibles, etc.

Allen Haff and Ton Jones

The plot of each chapter is the same, they go to a place in the USA to bid on an abandoned storage unit, they won some, and lost others. After paying for the units they prepared to see what they buy, and sell it, to obtain what they spend on the storage, then gain more money. They find things such as Winchester's rifles that have over a 100 years old, collectibles like a $400 baseball card of Willie Mays, and vehicles like miniboats and motorcycles.

FACE-OFF

Glenn Hetrick, McKenzie Westmore, Patrick Tatopoulous and Ve Neill
judges and presentator of Face-Off

Produced by the SyFy channel, this reality TV show is a competition a la American Idol, but with out the thing that you need to call to save the competitors, and that this are no singers, but make-up artists. The competitors are trying to win a $100,000 prize, $25,000 value on make-up and a car (very original). 14 competitors design make-ups to create aliens, monsters, old persons, and many other effects on models. This competitors are judged and eliminated by the judges make-up artist Glenn Hentrick, creature designer and director Patrick Tatopoulos and 3 times Oscar winner for best make-up Ve Neill.  This program is presented by actress McKenzie Westmore.


COMIC BOOK MEN

(From left to rigth)
Ming Chen, Bryan Johnson, Kevin Smith (center),
Mike Zapcic and Walt Flanagan

Comick Book Men tell the adventures and misadventures of Walt Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Ming Chen and Mike Zapcic on their work in a comic book store own by actor and director Kevin Smith. In the show, produced by AMC, the gang talked about the things happend on the store and the things they do to sell more.


Face-Off and Comic Book Men had ended on March 14 and March 18,respectively. But, SyFy renewed Face-Off to a 3rd season on the summer, meanwhile Comic Book Men are in talk to renew. Until then, you can watch Auction Hunters new season on Wednesday on Spike.


P.S: You shall know that Glenn Hentrick and Ve Neill worked in the up-coming "The Hunger Games" movie in the make-up department.


P.S: Ve Neill is working in the up-coming "The Amazing Spider Man" movie (it's not like that anyone cares)

"Panem et circencess."

"Here is Spart... Oh, no! That's from other movie"

In one of Mr. Aronson's class, he  put us to describe the first chapter of the book "The Hunger Games" and he mentioned the origin of the word "Panem", and name of the country where "The Hunger Games" saga are held. He said that the Latin word "Panem" means "bread" and came from the phrase "Panem et circenses" that in English is "bread and circuses". This phrase was used many centuries ago in the Ancient Rome, where the Roman Circuss occurred to maintain the citizens away from the politic. There various gladiators, slaves that trained to entertained the people during the games, fight each other, or wild animals, to the death. The gladiators were the reality TV of the time and the origin of the phrase.

Here kitty, kitty

In the 2000's movie "Gladiator" directed by Ridley Scott and protagonist by Russell Crowe, the plot was that Maximus (Crowe), a Roman general, was converted to a slave and then to a gladiator. The emperor, who kills Maximus' family, try to kill him because he feared Maximus, with the popularity he is receiving as a gladiator, could overthrown him.

There's a parallel situation to Katniss, the protagonist of "The Hunger Games", that with the popularity she is receiving for being "the girl on fire" and "the lover of District 12", generates a tension that could lead to a rebellion of the districts against the Capitol.

Both, the movie and the books, reflect how in their time (or future time) many reality TV could lead to government control over the citizens. "Panem et circenses" was used on Ancient Rome, to describe how the government could control the citizens by giving them a show and food to maintain them away from the politic and in that way control them more easily.

The movie "Gladiator" explained it when the Emperor gives the people the gladiator's fights to gain their trust. Similarity, "The Hunger Games" saga bring this topic to the citizens of the Capitol. When President Snow make each year the hunger games to entertain the citizens and control the districts.

Telerisa and TV Apesta

One example to this in the real world is in Mexico, where the 2 principal TV companies control the media in the country. Many citizens of the country, myself included, are against Televisa and TV Azteca programs. Many of you that lived in Mexico could understand a little more about it but for the ones who do not here is the explanation. This 2 companies ruled most of the content that passed on TV, they are 2 monopolies, as well many of the news that happen in the country. Most of the case about this 2 companies is that they always passed soap operas or "telenovelas" that count the same story over and over again. A rich guy/girl fall in love with the poor guy/girl, and in the end they love triumphs. Televisa and TV Azteca do not passed the news that need to happen, they covered many news that are important to the citizens, instead they give "atole con el dedo" (to fool someone) to the citizens.

"Who cares?"

In the United States there's other example of how the citizens are receving a circuss. American Idol, the program of the Fox Channel, is a circuss of how the citizens began to watch it instead of inform themselves about the candidates that are running for President, Governor, or Congressman. The people only care if they favorite singer is the next one to be eliminated or not.

So because of that I only have something to that type of programs that only make people more stupid.

Dean Atta say: I'm nobody n*****, I say: I'm nobody b*****

On Monday 13, Mr Aronson show us a video of an African-British rapper called Dean Atta where he talked about the word n***** and how African-American rappers believe is a reclaimed word. Here is the video:

 As you watched the video, you can look that Atta gives a little of context from where the "word" came and how this word it can not be used as a merely play. The word hurt a lot of people back there and today too, except that the young persons use it regularly.

Reading other partner's blogs I have been thinking of how young persons believe that the n-word is not a unrespectful word and that Atta misunderstood the words of the rappers that defend the word. I can not understand this, I really can not. The n-word is a word use for almost all the years the US were colonized, during the Civil War, the Depression, until the fight for the Civil Rights. Almost every young African-American use the n-word but only they can use it if someone dare to say it to them is an offense.

Like you read it on the last paragraph that's one thing a person told me when I was in High School. Only the African-American can say the n-word. Something strange for me, because I grew up knowing the word was used to offended African-Americans and I was surprised that they use it like it was something natural and more when the person, who tell me this, said that I can not said it unless I were African-American.

With all this matter of the n-word I can only think about the future of young latinos. What will happen if in the future young Latinos "reclaimed" the words "beaners" and "wetbacks"?. If African-American "reclaimed" a word used to offend them I don't see how different this is to a future where Latinos will called themselves "beaners" or "wetbacks". I don't know if this future will exist but something I assure: "I'm Nobody Beaner".

Hunger Games: The Next Twilight?

  

They are alike?

This semester one of the books the teacher plan we read is "The Hunger Games", the first part of a trilogy of the same name written by Suzanne Collins. As a fan of the books and sci-fie and fantasy genre, the book is catalog as a young-novel story but whatever, I like the idea of read the book. However I had the idea that the hunger games trilogy is the successor of the worst trilogy of books about "vampires": Twilight. Just I hate Justin Beaver (yes, Beaver) I hate the shinnies "vampires" so my doubts about the book were great; but I finally read it and I guarantee that this book is not the same as the emo "vampires" (maybe the part of the "love").
 

"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins



The story turns around Katniss Everdeen, a young teenager from district 12, that is about to go to the Capitol, the mayor city on Panem, to fight for her life (literally). The history of Panem, before United States of America, is that the 13 district that surround the Capitol went to a civil war against it. At the end, only 12 district survive the attacks of the Capitol. The Capitol, again in control, inaugurated the Hunger Games to establish who is in charge of Panem.

The Hunger Games is an event on Panem that involved that 2 teenagers, a boy and a girl,  from the age of 12 to 18 from each district, figth to the death. This event is presented as a "reality" TV show on Panem where the Capitol control the fate of the young teenagers for them "play" in the hunger games. Only one of the tributes, so they call them, survive and proclaim victorious of the hunger games; the reward is a life of luxury and one year of food to the people of the district he/she represented.

Katniss, the protagonist, is about to volunteer as a tribute after a representative of the Capitol choose Katniss' sister as tribute of district 12. The other tribute of district 12 is a boy called Peeta Mellark. They later traveled to the Capitol with the representative of the Capitol, Effie Trinket, and the last victor of district 12 and mentor to Peeta and Katniss, Haymitch Abernathy. There they are trained and "educated" to appear on cameras and later on the field to fight.

This ladies and gentlemen are "The Hunger Games".



Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen
in the coming "Hunger Games" film

 The book is good until the scenes of "love" where the author tries to force Katniss to be in love with her fellow tribute partner Peeta. This type of scenes I dislike and consequently are the parts I wanted to skip. Most of the scenes portrayed Katniss' interior fight between if she love Peeta or Gale, her friend and hunter partner, and the preoccupation that if the public do not believe she is in love with Peeta the Capitol could kill her family.

Until this parts the book does not resemble to the "vampires" books, where both share an emo "love". In the shiny "vampires" the protagonist has to decide between the "vampire" and the "werewolf" and put, or at least we imagine it, her hurt face. Like the protagonist of the "vampires" books, Katniss struggle between Peeta and Gale. However in "The Hunger Games" book the plot of the games is better than the emo "love", of a necrophiliac and zoophiliac girl, plot of the "vampires" books.

"The Hunger Games" is planning to exit as a movie next month and I can not wait to watch it, more because of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen the main character. Jennifer Lawrence appeared in the 2011 film X-Men: First Class as Raven Darkhölme aka Mystique.

Here is the official trailer for the movie.

3 songs = Main Idea + Topic

What is Main Idea?

During the last 2 classes with Mr. Aronson we, the student, have to make an essay to try to explain the main idea and topic to an unknown audience. The concept of this work is to, with the help of 3 songs that have the same topic, explain to the audience the difference of Main Idea and Topic.

I had problems to understand what were we doing because of the lack of time Mr. Aronson has and that he stirs between the songs and that we need to add concepts, illustrations, etc. But finally I think I got it and I am trying to write the draft for the essay. The songs I choose are "Welcome to the Jungle" of Guns N' Roses, "Empire State of Mind" of Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys and "Detroit Rock City" of KISS.

"I wanna rock and roll all nite"

The three of the songs talk about cities, the last two talked about two specific cities: New York and Detroit City. The main idea of this 3 songs are about the cities inspired people to do worst or good things for the society and to the world. For example in "Welcome to the Jungle" the author explained the city is a jungle, obviously, and only the strongers are capable to survive. Jay-Z describes New York as a city that inspire the people who live there and the tourist who visit it. In the song of KISS, "Detroit Rock City", they describe the city as a city where we can party all day and the city that the rockers born.

At the end all the songs have the same topic but with a different main idea.

Camargo's entrance







Myself with Om Nom of Cut the Rope



During the year 19... well maybe not. Hi, fellow humans of the classroom of Mr. Aronson on City College. Welcome to this blog (that I was pushed to open because I want a good grade in the class) where I would tell the secrets of the Universe and the recipe for the philosoher stone, ok no, but I will thell about myself and somethings that I think people must know. Let's begin for the basics.





My name is Alan I prefered you call me Camargo or Mr. Camargo, kidding, but yeah I like been called by my last name instead of my name. I am a student, as you know, of City College on the city of San Diego. I grew up in Tijuana, not borned, where I lived with my grandma until her decease. Now I am living with my mother.





Border



Living in San Diego is nice, I am now living in the 1st World, but seriously is nice. Something that I could write about myself here is that I like to collect a lot of things this include:

- Vinyl Toys

- Rubber Duckies



- Tazos

Angry Birds' Tazo

- Lego minifigs and sets

- Peanuts Things (Penauts the comic strip of Mr. Schulz)

- etc.

Most of my hobbies include playing videogames, read a book, draw, papercrafting, etc. I do not have a very interesting life but at least I try to enterteinment myself, because that's the point.

So, that's all I have in mind. See you on the class.