Although I have experienced problems with multimedia (uploading videos) and getting people to comment, I also learned a lot during the process. Google news feed is a very useful tool. I now use it to access the latest breaking news. As I have stated in my previous blogs, I don't have a passion for blogging. I feel as though my voice is out there but no one is listening. Although blogging is not one of my hobbies, I love having the journalistic ability to write about an issue. I love learning about new and emerging Medias and hope to adapt to them!
Monday, December 7, 2009
This is my last post and I hope that my blog has given insight to Michael Jackson's death as it has unfolded in the media. I still feel isolated, having no hits and zero commentary. My experience in the blogosphere has been limited. If I had more familiarity with blogging in the past and knew how to attract readers, I feel my blog would have had more interactivity. There would be more discussion across my blog and I wouldn't feel so lonely.
Who is Going to Pay Up?
Los Angeles City Council has currently been in dispute over Michael Jackson’s 3 million dollar memorial. LA taxpayers have been left with the bill and the City Attorney is not happy about it. Over a million people attended the memorial on July 7, 2009 at the LA Staples Centre. It was the largest gathering of LAPD forces since the LA Olympics. The officers worked overtime in which cost the city 2 million dollars. Although the ceremony was beautiful…the aftermath hasn’t been too pretty. Since there is still a possibility of a criminal prosecution, debts will not be paid off. There are potential criminal or civil violations concerning the memorial that City Attorney Carmen Trutanich is investigating. AEG (owners of Staples), were discussing about paying the costs of the memorial until Trutanich threatened with a criminal prosecution. Councilman Craig Weiss had stated, “I think there is nothing gained by prolonging this any further… We are going to be partners with AEG for a long, long time.” The chance of Trutanich going through with the charges has yet to be determined. City Council hopes to have his clarification by Friday.
WATCH THIS:
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Journalism Redefined
As “Tiger Woods Seriously Injured in Car Crash,” headlined for various reputable sources on November 27 2009, fans immediately updated their twitter feeds, praying for the legendary golfer’s life. Thankfully, Woods had been involved in only a minor car accident where he had been travelling under 30mph outside his suburban home. He had been treated for his unconsciousness and cuts on his face. By 5:00p.m that same evening, TMZ started their investigation. One hour later, reliable evening new stations and print media outlets were reporting that Wood’s wife Elin Nordegren, told investigators that she had heard the crash and rushed to her husband’s aid. Nordegren claimed that she smashed a golf club through the back window so that he could crawl out. Here is when it gets interesting…
Just ten minutes later, Florida law enforcement officials had reportedly told TMZ that the married couple admitted to having a domestic dispute shortly before the accident. As I was reading an article by a New York Golf Examiner, questions that were raised had me really thinking. “How could Woods have been injured so that he was unconscious in a car that was travelling under 30mph? Could a ‘minor car crash’ have caused Woods to get so stuck inside the car that the only way to safety was through the back window?”
Bloggers have been wondering if there is a connection between the domestic dispute and Wood’s alleged affair with Rachel Uchitel. Reportedly, “TMZ.com was the first to state that Nordegren, contrary to earlier reports, had used the golf club to smash the moving vehicle while in a rage, causing Woods to become disoriented enough to crash the car.” TMZ also stated that through the couple’s domestic dispute, Nordegren was the cause of Wood’s facial wounds.
If anyone is reading this, you may be wondering why I am blogging about Tiger Woods when I should about MJ. Well… it all has to do with sources.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1yQ_QAwWzQ
Just ten minutes later, Florida law enforcement officials had reportedly told TMZ that the married couple admitted to having a domestic dispute shortly before the accident. As I was reading an article by a New York Golf Examiner, questions that were raised had me really thinking. “How could Woods have been injured so that he was unconscious in a car that was travelling under 30mph? Could a ‘minor car crash’ have caused Woods to get so stuck inside the car that the only way to safety was through the back window?”
Bloggers have been wondering if there is a connection between the domestic dispute and Wood’s alleged affair with Rachel Uchitel. Reportedly, “TMZ.com was the first to state that Nordegren, contrary to earlier reports, had used the golf club to smash the moving vehicle while in a rage, causing Woods to become disoriented enough to crash the car.” TMZ also stated that through the couple’s domestic dispute, Nordegren was the cause of Wood’s facial wounds.
If anyone is reading this, you may be wondering why I am blogging about Tiger Woods when I should about MJ. Well… it all has to do with sources.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1yQ_QAwWzQ
TMZ.com was once a disregarded source on behalf of its bad reputation, but ever since they were the first to report Michael Jackson’s death, their readership has increased and TMZ has been slowly identified as a credible news source. I really liked this quote in the article, “We live in an era where the ethical news sources of yesteryear are now being forced to report rumours in order to keep up with the seemingly less ethical news sources of today, such as gossip sites and blogs. Clearly, the code of ethics in journalism is under rapid assault.”
And this I find absolutely true. I find myself not knowing who to turn to for objective information. The big media players are serving everyone’s interests except mine. The advertisers, government officials, and popular tabloids have a monopoly on what is deemed as newsworthy. The public is then spoon-fed the news through acts of gatekeeping by these big media corporations. Essentially, what matters the most… the truth… is being picked apart. But people are blindsided by this and cannot see past the authoritative ways of the mainstream media. We need to become more knowledgeable, realize what is happening, and do something about it.
The List
I am sure this won’t come as a shock to the very few people… if any… reading my blog, but Entertainment Tonight has announced the death of Michael Jackson and the split of Jon and Kate Gosselin (Jon & Kate + 8) as the top two major entertainment scandals of 2009! This wasn’t surprising to me, as these two hot topics take up endless amount of pages in the various magazines I read weekly. Of course the whole mystery and ongoing investigation of Michael Jackson’s death has reached the number one spot for entertainment scandal! Thanks to the many bizarre videos on YouTube of Michael Jackson alive, miraculously walking around LA and various other videos of MJ’s ghost caught on tape on the Letterman show has to do with the topic reaching number one on the charts. People these days are so naïve. Hate to break it to you, but it’s no mystery that MJ is dead folks. It’s been proven by several autopsy certifications. And as for the investigation… everyone wants someone to blame… and the doctor is the unfortunate one in this case. Everyone wants the man in jail but it concerns me that no one really is looking at the bigger picture. In my previous blog I had talked about how MJ had been “doctor shopping,” so really Conrad shouldn’t be the only one to blame…
And the second prize goes... the not-so-shocking, legendary duo, Jon and Kate. Their divorce papers were passed in June after the many alleged claims of Jon sleeping around with other women. Gotta love the drama people! Although TLC was forced to end the show, this hasn’t stopped obsessed fans from digging into the stars’ personal lives to find juicy details.
Here’s the complete list of ET’s Top Scandals of 2009...
1)Michael Jackson’s death
2)Jon and Kate Gosselin
3)Sarah Palin versus Levi Johnston
4)Chris Brown and Rihanna
5)Taylor Swift and Kayne West
6)Miss USA Carrie Prejean
7)David Carradine’s death
8)ESPN’s Erin Andrews
9)LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian
10)Mel Gibson’s love child
http://www.examiner.com/x-24089-Atlanta-Reality--Talk-Show-TV-Examiner~y2009m11d28-Michael-Jackson-Jon-and-Kate-Gosselin-named-top-scandals-of-2009
And the second prize goes... the not-so-shocking, legendary duo, Jon and Kate. Their divorce papers were passed in June after the many alleged claims of Jon sleeping around with other women. Gotta love the drama people! Although TLC was forced to end the show, this hasn’t stopped obsessed fans from digging into the stars’ personal lives to find juicy details.
Here’s the complete list of ET’s Top Scandals of 2009...
1)Michael Jackson’s death
2)Jon and Kate Gosselin
3)Sarah Palin versus Levi Johnston
4)Chris Brown and Rihanna
5)Taylor Swift and Kayne West
6)Miss USA Carrie Prejean
7)David Carradine’s death
8)ESPN’s Erin Andrews
9)LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian
10)Mel Gibson’s love child
http://www.examiner.com/x-24089-Atlanta-Reality--Talk-Show-TV-Examiner~y2009m11d28-Michael-Jackson-Jon-and-Kate-Gosselin-named-top-scandals-of-2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
KARMA
“Now for the first time I can’t bear to lie anymore. Michael Jackson didn’t do anything to me… all was my father lies to escape from being poor.”
Although this story is unconfirmed by reputable sites, Jordan Chandler a 29 year old man has come clean after a false confession that was made 16 years ago. The 13-month long investigation was held because of Evan Chandler’s (Jordan’s father) accusations of MJ molesting his son Jordan in 1993. MJ was cleared of any wrongdoing in the courts after paying the teenager 22 million dollars. Because of Michael Jackson’s death, a guilt trip has led to Jordan’s ultimate confession. Jordan now has claimed that his father made him go through with the lies. Jordan told psychiatrists and police in 1994 that he and MJ engaged in acts of a whole sexual nature.
Although this story is unconfirmed by reputable sites, Jordan Chandler a 29 year old man has come clean after a false confession that was made 16 years ago. The 13-month long investigation was held because of Evan Chandler’s (Jordan’s father) accusations of MJ molesting his son Jordan in 1993. MJ was cleared of any wrongdoing in the courts after paying the teenager 22 million dollars. Because of Michael Jackson’s death, a guilt trip has led to Jordan’s ultimate confession. Jordan now has claimed that his father made him go through with the lies. Jordan told psychiatrists and police in 1994 that he and MJ engaged in acts of a whole sexual nature.
Evan Chandler was tape recorded saying… “If I go through with this, I win big time. There’s no way I loose…”
Sixteen years later and this is what Jordan Chandler has to say…
“I never meant to lie and destroy Michael Jackson but my father made me to tell only lies. Now I can’t tell Michael how much I’m sorry and if he will forgive me”.
Here is when the story gets better…
Evan Chandler, Jordan’s father, was found dead in his luxury apartment in New Jersey in November with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head. Suicide. Doesn’t this sound too suspicious? Maybe Mr. Evan Chandler was also sent on a serious guilt trip. I guess the saying is true… what goes around comes around…
LINKS:
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Irrelevance
Okay, so another rant on how I feel like I don’t belong in the blogosphere. In the article for our JN229 class, ‘Blogging the Nihilist Impulse,’ I read that, “A weblog or blog is commonly defined as a frequently updated Web based chronological publication of a log of personal thoughts and Web links a mixture of diary forms around what is happening in a person’s life and reports comments on what is happening on the Web and the world out there.” I don’t really care for a chronological diary based record of what is going on in someone’s life. That is why I am also not a big fan of the infamous Twitter. Thank God for the 140 character limit because I’m not interested on what a person is thinking about eating for dinner, or when they are going to visit their boyfriend or Girlfriend.
It’s great that this blogosphere phenomenon is allowing people that feel alienated from the rest of society a voice, but to me everyone has their own opinion and stand on a situation… I feel like today no one can really come to a general consensus. When I connect to other people’s blogs all I read is their own opinion on a topic and how everyone else that reads that particular blog disagrees. It’s just one big squabble that often leads to no where. “If you can’t cope with high degrees of irrelevance blogs won’t be your cup of tea.” I’m just sick and tired of reading blogs where people’s perspectives and blog posts on critical world issues do not make any sense or don’t provide a clear justifiable argument. People today are all over the place with their thoughts and it’s because they turn to a non credible source to get the facts.
I came to University with the intent to graduate with a Journalism degree so I wouldn’t have to resort to blogging to get my word out there. I actually want my work to be a reliable source for people to turn to. I want my work to be published in a legitimate newspaper or broadcasted on TV. Call me narcissistic… I just don’t like being apart of the blogosphere when I feel like its one big sea of non-credible information … the information irrelevant to me.
It’s great that this blogosphere phenomenon is allowing people that feel alienated from the rest of society a voice, but to me everyone has their own opinion and stand on a situation… I feel like today no one can really come to a general consensus. When I connect to other people’s blogs all I read is their own opinion on a topic and how everyone else that reads that particular blog disagrees. It’s just one big squabble that often leads to no where. “If you can’t cope with high degrees of irrelevance blogs won’t be your cup of tea.” I’m just sick and tired of reading blogs where people’s perspectives and blog posts on critical world issues do not make any sense or don’t provide a clear justifiable argument. People today are all over the place with their thoughts and it’s because they turn to a non credible source to get the facts.
I came to University with the intent to graduate with a Journalism degree so I wouldn’t have to resort to blogging to get my word out there. I actually want my work to be a reliable source for people to turn to. I want my work to be published in a legitimate newspaper or broadcasted on TV. Call me narcissistic… I just don’t like being apart of the blogosphere when I feel like its one big sea of non-credible information … the information irrelevant to me.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Who will take the blame?
Janet Jackson has broken her silence after a long five month investigation, claiming that Dr. Conrad Murray is responsible for her brother’s death. Murray has been identified in court records as a suspect in a police manslaughter investigation. Janet Jackson has claimed that since Murray was the one whom had administered the medication, that he shall be held accountable for the pop icons death. Janet Jackson has mentioned that Dr. Murray should no longer be able to practice medicine, but according to Murray’s attorneys the doctor has done nothing wrong. Since June 25th 2009 the doctor has been under investigation and yet no charges have been filed against him.In fact, despite all of the controversy Murray has returned to the Armstrong Medical Clinic in Houston, Texas, on Friday November 20th to work for the first time after MJ’s death. He has treated 16 patients who had requested appointments with him. Murray’s attorney Edward Chernoff has claimed that the events surrounding the singer’s death has left his client unable to earn a living. Chernoff has stated, “His legal fees are enormous and his debts have mounted to the point where it is unclear whether he will be able to keep his house or support his family.” (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/11/michael-jacksons-doctor-seeing-patients-again-despite-investigation.html)
I just don’t understand how it has been five months and there is still no concrete evidence proving that Conrad Murray ultimately led to the cause of Michael Jackson’s death. Obviously he is not the one to blame. Murray had reportedly no restrictions in administering the drug. Michael Jackson’s drug use was confirmed with the release of the coroner’s report on August 28th 2009. While propofol was the primary cause of death, evidence of midazolam, valium, lidocaine and ephedrine were also found in his body. Jackson was said to be a healthy man before his death, but then why would a healthy person require such medications? Perhaps AEGS contract with MJ for 50 shows with 30 of them running continuously for a month could be an eligible answer. MJ had to function properly on stage, had to have energy,
and be fully awake. Jackson according to reports had been “doctor shopping” leading up to his death, using various doctors to get his desire for drugs satisfied. So I pose the question to you all, if you’re even reading this… Should MJ’s death be blamed on Conrad Murray entirely? And if he was so called ‘doctor shopping,’ who else prescribed these drugs and why are they not taking any of the blame? Why aren’t the authorities interrogating other doctors and people who were also involved? Should Conrad Murray have to loose his career, loose his house, become bankrupt and unable to provide for his family? Should he have to suffer alone? I feel unease with this investigation… something just isn’t right. When will we find the objective answers?
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Is this even being read?
Weblog
A weblog, or *blog, is a frequently updated website consisting of dated entries arranged in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first Typically, weblogs are published by individuals and their style is personal and informal. Weblogs first appeared in the mid-1990s, becoming popular as simple and free publishing tools became available towards the turn of the century. Since anybody with a net connection can publish their own weblog, there is great variety in the quality, content, and ambition of weblogs, and a weblog may have anywhere from a handful to tens of thousands of daily readers. (Walker 2003)
A weblog, or *blog, is a frequently updated website consisting of dated entries arranged in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first Typically, weblogs are published by individuals and their style is personal and informal. Weblogs first appeared in the mid-1990s, becoming popular as simple and free publishing tools became available towards the turn of the century. Since anybody with a net connection can publish their own weblog, there is great variety in the quality, content, and ambition of weblogs, and a weblog may have anywhere from a handful to tens of thousands of daily readers. (Walker 2003)
..Well I'm going to have to disagree with part of this definition I found online. Hah, a handful to tens of thousands of daily readers.. how about I have no readers and no interconnectivity. Basically I can be thrown into the file of isolation from the blogosphere much like the many other classmates of my Journalism Internet and the Media class. As I was researching and finding out more on the blogosphere, I came across an article "Weblogs and the Public Sphere," written by Andrew Baoill a student from the University of Illinois. (http://blog.lib.umn.edu/blogosphere/weblogs_and_the_public_sphere.html) I read the answer to why I was not connected to outside bloggers and why my blog was not being read. Ultimately, I read that links to weblogs, just like on the web in general, follow a power law distribution...top ranked weblogs have far more links than those further down the chain, so why express my word when it's not even going to matter?
Kudos to people who are highly active in the blogosphere and have been blogging for a long time. Obviously it takes longer to build up a reputation and be a legitimate member, but I really don't have the time for this. As Clay Shirky recognizes in the article I was reading, "It's not impossible to launch a good new blog and become widely read, but it's harder than it was last year, and it will be harder still next year (2003). Reaching an audience is necessary for having one's ideas have an impact on it...but I simply don't have the time and really don't want to get involved.
So let me preach...I came to University with the intent to graduate with a degree in Journalism so I wouldn't have to resort to blogging to get my word out there. I want to receieve the credentials so that perhaps one day my work will be published in a legitimate newspaper or broadcasted on TV. I don't want to waste my time blogging away for no reason. The truth is no one cares what I have to say.
Monday, November 9, 2009
MICHAEL JACKSON IS ALIVE!
With the promotion of dead celebs by US, Weekly World News and TMZ, idolaters are unwilling to quietly let go of the objects of their adoration. Celebrity idols such as MJ have been kept alive through the streaming of online videos, comments, headlines, and witness testimonials expressing that they have so called sighted a dead celeb after being pronounced dead. Not only has MJ's hit movie "This Is It," bringing Michael Jackson back to life.... David Letterman's infamous video of MJ's ghost being caught on tape to share discussion sites such as ,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2m1ueA6B-I
This video was made by a German television program as a hoax. CNN had also revealed that the video was false representation. People do not notice or even bother to comprehend that MJ’S death has been certified by several autopsies, or the fact that the German television station RTL admitted to actually faking the news.
The entire album for “This Is It,” was digitally recorded by Sony and made into a massive motion picture. Much like many other dead celebs… As a writer Russell Smith for Globe and Mail states, “MJ, J.R.R Tolkien, Tupac Shakur, even though all three are gone, thanks to remixing and reimaging, have joined the realm of immortal virtual people.”
So as technology is still in the making and people are not giving up hope, celebs will always reappear and magically live a mortal life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2m1ueA6B-I
This video was made by a German television program as a hoax. CNN had also revealed that the video was false representation. People do not notice or even bother to comprehend that MJ’S death has been certified by several autopsies, or the fact that the German television station RTL admitted to actually faking the news.
The entire album for “This Is It,” was digitally recorded by Sony and made into a massive motion picture. Much like many other dead celebs… As a writer Russell Smith for Globe and Mail states, “MJ, J.R.R Tolkien, Tupac Shakur, even though all three are gone, thanks to remixing and reimaging, have joined the realm of immortal virtual people.”
So as technology is still in the making and people are not giving up hope, celebs will always reappear and magically live a mortal life.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Michael Jackson's Death and Investigation
It has been over three months since legendary pop singer Michael Jackson died. Fans, family, friends and other celebrities are still trying to wrap their brains around it all. Jackson’s autopsy reports from the Los Angeles County coroner’s office are finally being revealed. While the official report has not been released, questions are slowly being answered. It was revealed that his personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray has been using powerful anaesthetic propofol to help the singer sleep. Although Jackson had been said to be in good health, he was found dead surrounded by a cocktail of deadly drugs.
While researching on this hot debated topic, I ran into a rather interesting blog by a man named David Bell. In a world dominated by social networking I didn’t find it odd that he too received a text message informing him of the pop star’s shocking death. As soon as I heard the news I felt the urge to log onto my computer and open up the explorer to see if it had actually been true. Like David, I found that every news web site had been consumed by the new hot topic. In David’s blog he continued to speak of Jackson’s death being of irrelevance. People watch the news most often to hear events about the war, debate over health care, weather and other important issues that serve as a greater impact to society. “Did Michael Jackson’s death have any effect on our taxes? Did it cause anyone to have to evacuate or even lose their homes,” were questions I found appealing to me. It had me thinking how much people are addicted and blindsided by celebrity gossip. The media twists celebrity stories around to make people accept it and want more. This sensational, yellow journalistic method of reproducing news herds people in like a pack of sheep. People become obsessed and addicted with the lives of celebrities. Obsessed watchdogs of celebrity news like Perez Hilton suck up the interest for other important worldwide events. People give themselves to their TVs, watching entertainment tonight, CNN, and fox news hoping to catch an update of Michael Jackson’s death, not whether or not we are bringing home a casualty from the war, or if a tsunami has hit a major city. Watching celebrity news is non-productive, time consuming and addictive just like a drug. I believe David when he says, “All other important issues are shoved to the back of the line in hopes of getting the next fix.” So when is our civilization going to wake up and realize what is more important?
References:Media’s focus on celebrities puts real news on backburner
October 8, 2009 by David Bell
<http://unlvrebelyell.com/2009/10/08/media%E2%80%99s-focus-on-celebrities-puts-real-news-on-backburner/>
While researching on this hot debated topic, I ran into a rather interesting blog by a man named David Bell. In a world dominated by social networking I didn’t find it odd that he too received a text message informing him of the pop star’s shocking death. As soon as I heard the news I felt the urge to log onto my computer and open up the explorer to see if it had actually been true. Like David, I found that every news web site had been consumed by the new hot topic. In David’s blog he continued to speak of Jackson’s death being of irrelevance. People watch the news most often to hear events about the war, debate over health care, weather and other important issues that serve as a greater impact to society. “Did Michael Jackson’s death have any effect on our taxes? Did it cause anyone to have to evacuate or even lose their homes,” were questions I found appealing to me. It had me thinking how much people are addicted and blindsided by celebrity gossip. The media twists celebrity stories around to make people accept it and want more. This sensational, yellow journalistic method of reproducing news herds people in like a pack of sheep. People become obsessed and addicted with the lives of celebrities. Obsessed watchdogs of celebrity news like Perez Hilton suck up the interest for other important worldwide events. People give themselves to their TVs, watching entertainment tonight, CNN, and fox news hoping to catch an update of Michael Jackson’s death, not whether or not we are bringing home a casualty from the war, or if a tsunami has hit a major city. Watching celebrity news is non-productive, time consuming and addictive just like a drug. I believe David when he says, “All other important issues are shoved to the back of the line in hopes of getting the next fix.” So when is our civilization going to wake up and realize what is more important?
References:Media’s focus on celebrities puts real news on backburner
October 8, 2009 by David Bell
<http://unlvrebelyell.com/2009/10/08/media%E2%80%99s-focus-on-celebrities-puts-real-news-on-backburner/>
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