Goodbye Norma Jean...

      This is not a normal media log. This is not a blog for commercials, advertisements, or media. Instead, this is a blog about the most well-known product of the media: Miss Norma Jean Mortenson, or as we know her, Marilyn Monroe.

          Hollywood has a way of turning a masterpiece into a pile of rubbish; everything becomes filler, and the real thing is left behind. This, unfortunately, was the very thing that happened to Monroe. It’s very difficult to look at the beautiful pictures of Norma Jean and then compare them with the heavily-made-up sex icon that the world grew to know so well. Compare the two pictures below. The first is before she reached stardom, and the second is during the apex of her limelight:

    

     Before I say anything and you die-hard Marilyn-is-the-sexiest-woman-in-the-world people go out of your mind (believe me, I agree), let me just say that younger or older, she’s still drop-dead gorgeous. But here’s the deal: That picture on the left is the pure stuff. That’s the soul of Norma Jean right there. And to me, that person is far more beautiful than the stranger next to her.

     See, here’s how it works. Take the media for example. Your average TV commercial: it’s all filler. The original message, as time goes on, is blown to kingdom come, while all that useless filler seeps through and poisons your mind. The longer we let it go on, the more we forget about what we’re actually looking at.

      If you really think about it, this is exactly what happened to Norma Jean; she went from an amazing, promising young individual to a product of all the Jesus Christs down in Hollywood. Somewhere deep beneath the make-up, there is innocence. Somewhere beneath those ridiculous furs, there is compassion. Somewhere beneath a life of suffering, innuendo, and melancholy is a heart and soul. Somewhere there is a beautiful young woman, someone who is the master of her fate.

     So let me ask you: Do we let ourselves sell our souls to expectations and cover ourselves so that no one can see who we really are? Or do we show our true selves, no matter how weird or unorthodox, and remain true to who we are?

Well, let's hope we have the sense to see past the lies and be content with who we are. 

As for Norma Jean and I... Well, I think we'll be okay. 

[Please feel free to enjoy the following three videos. Hopefully they touch you as much as they touched me.]

R.I.P.  Our Marilyn Monroe. Her Candle Burned  Out Long Before Her Legend Ever Will.

What a Perfect Day

          There's nothing like a good video game commercial. For the first time in all of the years that I've known this company, Sony's newest Playstation 4 commercial hit the nail right on the head. Even you Nintendo and Xbox fans have to admit: this is just sweet. But before I get into why this commercial is so fantastic, I suppose it’s necessary to point out the technical stuff.

     One thing that many will find appealing about this commercial is the actual images that are depicted in the video. It’s clearly shown by the flesh cutting, car crashing, and extensive explosions that the PS4’s target audience ranges from your average testosterone-and-adrenaline-filled fifteen-year-old boy to hardcore video game junkees across the world. (And for all the women out there who are into a good explosion, this one’s for you too.)

     Another aspect of this commercial that some people may find appealing is the use of music. The song used is one of the late Lou Reed’s finest songs, from his 1972 album Transformer, titled “Perfect Day.” The entire length of the video, you have the characters of each game singing the the lyrics:

“Oh, it's such a perfect day

I'm glad I spent it with you
Oh, such a perfect day
You just keep me hanging on.”

     

Every time that I watch this commercial, I begin to reminisce over the beauty of Lou Reed’s music and I tip my hat to the creators of this commercial and to the people at Playstation for paying proper tribute to The Reed. To my knowledge, they’re the only major company that’s done so, and that’s what really gets me.

     Now, it must be said that there is a use of vagueness of language towards the end of the commercial. Before showing the PS4 logo, we see the words, “Greatness Awaits” in bold lettering. We may not know exactly what Playstation’s definition of “greatness” is, but for a lot of people, if it means what’s being depicted in the video, then you’re going to have millions of people lined up to get this game. So in this case, this use of vagueness actually has a positive outcome.

      Having said all of that, I would like to personally disclose that this is perhaps –if not my very favorite – one of my favorite commercials that I’ve ever seen. The games shown in the commercial: Gran Turismo, Elder Scrolls, Killzone – I’m a big fan, especially of the first two. That, combined with the fantastic images, makes this a commercial that would catch my eye. But, the main reason that I would get off my couch and burn a hole in my wallet to buy this product is because of the commercial’s incorporation of “Perfect Day.” I loved The Reed and I loved the song, and the fact that Playstation used his song to bring together this commercial was, well, perfect. In fact, this commercial was so perfect – and mark this on your calendars, folks – that I would buy the PS4 just because of it.

R.I.P. The Late Lou Reed (1942-2013). May He Continue To Walk On The Wild Side.

Obama = Hope

This is a well known propaganda poster from President Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. In short, the poster shows the president staring thoughtfully away from the audience. He is wrapped in shades of red, white, and blue, and finally, at the bottom of the poster, the word "hope" is shown in bold and capitalized lettering.      The president’s expression helps create a mood of thoughtfulness because of the fact that he is staring off into the distance instead of looking directly into the audience. This helps show helps show that he is wistful or perhaps yearning for something.      The colors used in the poster help portray the feeling of patriotism because they are are red, white, and blue. Americans keep these colors sacred because of their symbolism in things like the American flag.       The word ‘hope’ usually carries a positive connotation because it is commonly used to describe wishing and longing. However, just saying ‘hope’ at the bottom of the poster is incredibly vague, which means that the exact meaning of the word is a little unclear. The word is most likely being used to describe how Barack Obama could be a new hope to a devastated America.      In 2008, these feelings of thoughtfulness, and patriotism, and hope would have been strongly praised, for after the two terms that President George W. Bush served – and thank God they’re over – America was at an extremely low point. We needed someone to step up to the plate and clean up the mess that their predecessor had made; someone who was willing to be bold and enforce new policies to get America back on track. Back then, many people would have seen this poster, with its use of expression, color, and wording, and said, “Yes. That’s the man I’m going to vote for.”