BOLLYWOOD, BOLLYWOOD, BOLLYWOOD!!

Did you know that Bollywood is a thriving film industry that is larger than any other film-producing district in the world? Yes, it's even bigger than Hollywood. Bollywood productions are known for their "musical-scores" that can make the movie last for three and a half plus hours! Thousands upon thousands of fans obtain soundtracks of movies before they are released and often recreate dance numbers from movies at parties, weddings, get togethers, etc. Bollywood is also known for its ability to attract the masses with little to no violence and sex. Unlike Hollywood, Bollywood is more family friendly and suitable for all ages. And it's getting more attention and viewership in the west!! Will Hollywood become an extension of Bollywood in the future?
Also, ever wonder how the fashion industry and celebrities developed their synergistic relationship? The answer is one word: Bollywood. Because of its immense popularity, fashion houses had the idea of promoting their labels and brands in movies. As a result, Bollywood and the fashion world (and the entertainment aspects of cultures around the world too) have created a beneficial relationship that benefits both parties. Popular and "hot" designers pay top dollar to have their clothes worn in movies and they dress "A-List" stars. In return, these Bollywood stars give the fashion houses exposure obtained nowhere else. Whatever clothing or trend or accessory is seen in a Bollywood movie automatically becomes the next "must have" thing.

Above is a montage of clips from the top ten Bollywood movies of 2008. Try to look for any interesting fashion choices and also try to resist from singing/dancing along!

Just like Britney, I'M BAACCKK!!

Hello everyone.

Sorry for the delay. It's been a crazzy two weeks. But enough about me, we need to start talking about the world's famous people again!! Coming soon we will have more information on celebrities from different parts of the world but for now I thought I would include a little tid-bit about our favorite cheeto munching, frappuchino guzzling Brit Brit. Remember when Britney went crazy and we all thought she was going to die? Yeah, I miss those days too. Anyway, during that turbulent time, Ms. Spears released her fifth studio album, Blackout. Well, to everyone's surprise, critics raved about it and fans ate it up. Guess what though, minus an appearance on Ryan Seacrest's radio show, Brit DIDN'T PROMOTE HER RECORD. For all of you who are out of the loop, promotion is how you sell, which is how you get your money, which is how you continue living your lavish lifestyle. That didn't matter to Miss Britney. No, she didn't go on every talk show known to man, nor did she perform her singles on television shows. But would anyone know that because of the fact that she has sold 800,000 copies to date and that Blackout debuted at the #2 spot? Answer: No.

Now let's compare these stats to some of Jessica Simpson's. For those of you who don't know, I used to be (and still kind of am) "Jess-essed" (thanks KC). I love(d) her and I really don't know America is somewhat sick of her. Anyway, regardless of your personal opinion on her, Jessica is America's sweetheart and number one ditzy blonde. In preparation for her fourth studio album, Jessica went all out on the promotion circuit hitting Good Morning America, The Today Show's Concert Series, all the late night shows, etc etc. In addition, Ms. Simpson's third album In This Skin went platinum and was re-released because of its overwhelming popularity and she had a popular MTV show, The Newlyweds. Even with all these factors, Jessica only managed to sell a very disappointing 300,000 copies to date. Translation: A Public Affair was a dud.

One more Brit tid-bit: When she was going crazy and only partied, compromised all her morals, and went through a bad time, how much was this then-loony making? A WHOPPING $737,868 a month. A MONTH!! 7.5k for getting drunk, high, and everything in between.


BOTTOM LINE: America likes its fallen starlets. Even though we denounce actions Britney undoubtedly partook in, we ended up encouraging, supporting, and legitimizing them. How you might ask? HOW ELSE WOULD SHE HAVE EARNED $737,868 a month? We were behind it, encouraging it, eating it up, and loving it!!! Nice going America.

(information courtesy of http://www.accesshollywood.com/video_151421, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Public_Affair, http://www.hecklerspray.com/britney-spears-blackout-underperforming-at-stores-near-you-soon/200710373.php)

The Power of OPRAH!

By far, the most influential famous person in America, with the most pull out of any celebrity has to be, by far, OPRAH WINFREY. You know it's true. You can't deny it. I dare you to prove me wrong. She is the most powerful woman in America and there is nothing you can say or argue that will prove me or anyone else otherwise. If she wanted to, she could easily become the next president. She could cut me with $100 bills.

Oprah makes $732 a minute. $732 a MINUTE!! That means she makes $351,360 just for sleeping. For closing her eyes, she makes 350k. Furthermore, she makes $1,054,080 a day. Yup, for what it would take the average American 21 years to make, Oprah makes in a day.

How did an ordinary woman, from Wisconsin, with a sordid past, become this "deity-like" figure? After years of work, she emerged as a likeable personality in a culture that stresses the importance of celebrity and fame. As a result, she was catipulted to this status of beyond elite. In a recent poll conducted in random public middle schools around the United States, more students knew the face of Oprah compared to the faces of Barney and Jesus. Through successive marketing, good people skill's, and likeability, Oprah has commanded the attention, opinions, and wallets of millions of Americans.

When Oprah recommended the book A Million Little Pieces by James Frey for her book club list, the book soon sold a record number of 3.5 million units within that month span. However, soon after, Frey's suppossedly non-fiction novel was discredited by sources and evidence that clearly prove he fabricated some of his information used in the book. Many readers were outraged and as a result, Doubleday, the publisher, offered a refund. But when Oprah was asked for a comment on the situation and she said she would still endorse the book on her book club list, claiming it still supported the framework of a memoir. In conclusion, although some readers returned Frey's book in disgust, there were no where near the number of returns projected. Why? One word: Oprah.

BOTTOM LINE: Oprah yet another example of the extreme emphasis most western culutures put on celebrities and fame. Oprah can have what she wants, when she wants, and how she wants it 24/7/365. Oprah, and her production company HARPO (Oprah spelled backwards for all you geniuses who have not yet caught on), have truly become the epitome of success. Oprah has been able to successfully distribute and sell her brand while promoting her own image to set herself up for success down the line.

(information courtesy of http://www.chacha.com/question/how-much-money-does-oprah-winfrey-make-a-minute)

Is America Really THAT Bad?!

I recently read three articles by authors Fareed Zakaria ("The Rise of the Rest"), Kishore Mahbubani ("The Case Against the Rest"), and Tony Judt ("What Have We Learned, If Anything?"). In all three articles, the authors held nothing back and seemed to attack the United States in one way or another as to how we are improperly conducting ourselves, our actions, our wrongdoings, our issues, etc. Last time I checked, America was a pretty good place that does some pretty good things. Although all three articles, however sparingly, sometimes include plausible assertions, the attitudes and energies of the authors and overall pieces were very negative and their disapproving opinions were definitely made evident. Out of all three articles, Zakaria's "The Rise of the Rest," is the least critical. Overall the article says that although America might not be the "major attraction" in the world in the near future, it will still be able to lead. We will have to learn different lessons from different cultures, countries, and parts of the world that previously learned and adapted lessons from our culture. Regardless of Zakaria's concluding neutral position, he doesn't refrain from taking some blows again the Home of the Brave. Out of all his comments I had a problem with, the one that stayed with me the most was, "For America to continue to lead the world, we will have to first join it." Grant it, he is saying that some of our practices, like using the metric system, are uncommon and the rest of the world uses a different system. However, this was his overall sentiment regarding the US and I believe that it is wrong to assert that the United States is not joined to the World. Who is helping out countries in need, fighting in a war in order to gain positive results for non-Americans, and who has a past filled with diplomatic and charitable actions towards a world that needed help?
Mahbubani, author of "The Case Against the West," argues that America is not happy about the gains Asia is making and the threats it poses in becoming the world power, usurping America from its throne. In addition, Mahbubani says that the United States used to be Earth's greatest asset, but now it's Earth's biggest "liability." Huh?! After comparing the west to Winston Churchill, blaming Israel's bombing of Lebanon, and speculating about actions that could have been taken by governments in the Cold War, I read Mahbubani's article not with a grain, but a handful of salt. Although he does make reasonable points when mentioning the hypocrisy of the US regarding Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, his overall claims don't have any merit and in my opinion, weaken his defense.
Finally, Tony Judt's article, "What Have We Learned, If Anything?“ paints a very critical position on how the US hasn't learned from its past mistakes or the past in general and, as a result, is paying the consequences. In a reader's digest version, Judt argues that the US compared to the rest of the world, has not learned the lessons from past actions in history and instead has a completely altered and untrue view of the world and how to handle things. For instance, he claims that the US unabashedly enters war while the rest of the world resorts to war as a last resort. Not only that, he argues that the practice of torture by the United States is flat out wrong and that we need to re-evaluate the direction we are headed in. Overall, it is easy to conclude that Tony Judt thinks America needs to take a crash course in history and learn from the results of events in the 20th century, learn from them, and make positive decisions.

BOTTOM LINE: Two out of the three said authors are NOT from the United States of America. The third is a very opinionated left wing columnist who, although makes interesting claims, can never seem to back his information up. Now, I in no way mean any offense to the two authors who have international backgrounds. However, they have a biased opinion because of relations and connections to their homes in different parts of the world. It is impossible to remain neutral regarding a subject in which your home is involved. Also, regarding Judt, I am not expressing any sort of negative connotation towards his political stance. However, by going off what he believes is right, what he believes is wrong, and what he believes should be the first thing changed, Judt goes off of emotion and not fact. Instead of presenting the reader with evidence, he bombards him or her with charged emotions. All three articles, in one place or another, reveal a decent point. Overall though, all three articles are misleading speculation.

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Lily Allen's Pro-Drug Comments force Government and Anti-Drug Agencies to Respond

In a recent interview with The World Magazine, British singer Lily Allen was quoted saying, "The only story is that drugs are bad and they will kill you. You will become a prostitute or a rapist or a dealer. But that's not true. I know lots of people that take cocaine three nights a week and get up and go to work every day, no problem at all." Shortly after her suggestively pro-drug comments, Ms. Allen received backlash from many including the United Kingdom's Shadow Home Secretary, Dominic Grieve, who said that Ms. Allen's comments were "dangerous and stupid." -- He stole the words right out of my mouth. -- Not stopping there, Grieve then goes on to say that "drugs fuel crimes and wreck lives," and that Lily seemed to assume that strife and misery weren't associated with drugs, which is completely false.
When a government official goes out of their way to correct and denounce a statement made by a celebrity, what does that say? The said celebrity has power! Honestly, all I know about Lily Allen is that she is a singer whose partying supposedly* overshadows her talent and potential (*I have yet to hear one of her songs). Maybe not to me, but to people across the globe, especially in Europe, and maybe the US, Lily Allen's comments have the power to influence. They have the power to cloud the judgment of fans, followers, people who (I don't know why) look up to her. Like the British National Drug Prevention Alliance said, "When someone like Lily Allen makes these remarks she is only harming young people. We already have a major drug culture in the UK and she is affecting that."
Grant it, her comments were published in a respectively circulated publication in Europe. But, if we're being honest, it’s not it was The Times or The Sun. Also, some might argue that the only reason Lily Allen is getting this press is because she is a celebrity. However Courtney Love is a celebrity. If Courtney Love made the same comments about drugs, would you believe her, much less be influenced to experiment? I didn't think so!! But wait before you say Lily Allen is nothing like Courtney Love! Lily Allen is known and has personally admitted to have experimented with drugs. Now, this is an assumption, but we, the general public, doesn't usually trust drug users, do we?

BOTTOM LINE: Although one example, pop culture in Europe and the United States is ubiquitous in everyday life. It is considerably heightened in these two countries' cultures, compared to those around the world. People take celebrities' words seriously and consider acting on them thus forcing officials to spend time, energy, and money combating these uneducated remarks/actions. Remember you Americans and Europeans, just because someone is famous doesn't mean that they are always right...

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