Friendly Giant was a staple of our childhood

I don’t know about the rest of you but when I was merely a tyke I remember watching the Friendly Giant in the afternoons (right after nap time).  Now this show was terrible, but for some reason I watched it. I have no idea why.  When I was browsing around on youtube I came across a little clip that showed how much the show had changed from it’s conception in 1953.  If you watch this you’ll understand what I mean.

So as you can see the only significant change over the last 40 years it was on television is the fact that it changed to color. With all the technological advancements over the last 40 years the only change was color.

This in itself is saying an incredible amount about children’s television. It almost seems like technology really is irrelevant to this small demographic. You can’t tell me you’d have rather watched some of the garbage they put on tv today for kids instead of watching the Friendly Giant, Mr Dress-up, Mr Rogers neighborhood or Seasame Street.   

It seems that small children don’t need technology to be entertained. To justify this all I have to do is ask that you flip to the “Treehouse network” for children.  Holy Hell. Now this is scary shit. Grown adults acting ridiculous for a living. It seems like these adult ‘actors’ on children’s shows have done a line of crack before going on air.  But then I start to think about it and kids don’t care about being normal. They want to see the ridiculous.  Sure Mr. Dressup and the Friendly Giant weren’quite as out there as some stuff on tv today but they were doing essentially the same thing to entertain us for the last 40 years. It’s all about the human aspect and connecting with the children. 

So in reiteration I say technology is irrelevant when it comes to children’s television.  Adults on the other hand are different all together. We need techonology to keep us entertained.  Making an adult watch the “Treehouse network” is like a form of cruel punishment.

Inappropraite Media??

I know I’ve already ranted on long enough for today but I had to mention something on the Saddam hanging not long ago.  Doesn’t it seem that with the ever growing technological abilities that ethics have gone out the window?  Something such as an execution being filmed on a videophone for the whole world to see is brutal. Worse yet is the fact that thousands have seen the video. How does this make us any different that 200 years ago when people used to have public executions. Executions the whole town would watch.  We call them cruel and savage when looking back on history but aren’t we doing the exact same thing merely in a different form. I’m not saying I have an opinion one way or the other on Saddam as I couldn’t care less.  It’s just interesting to see what media has done to modern society through one small tape of an execution. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-KATSAtjvY

First Blog Thoughts

Well after the first class I am glad I didn’t drop it.  After four years of university this is definitely the type of class I need to finish up with. As most of the individuals in class likely are, I am addicted to the internet and all that it encompasses (email, instant messaging, and random surfing).  This class is a perfect fit. No tests. No boring lectures on useless things you memorize for a test and never use again.

Upon reading a few other blogs I see that many are giving their views on media and the class in general. Others have moved onto discuss the readings for this week but I will be saving my discussion on that for tomorrow. Here are some of my opinions for the different categories of media that we discussed in groups in the first class.

Books - I was surprised to see that something as old and traditional as reading has even taken a step into modernity. It appeared that people tend to be reading newer books instead of the classics. While Lord of the Rings is a definite classic, Harry Potter is hardly in the same realm. Perhaps it is only a matter of years before Harry Potter joins the classics in that realm of timelessness. Just my opinion.

Internet -I can’t seem to argue with the in-class group picking email as the dominant figure when it comes to the internet. Media obviously took a giant leap forward when it was able to be sent back and forth instantaneously between people all over the world.

Music -I don’t want to even attempt to say what the single most important thing is in the sphere of music, but I will give my opinion to see if it stirs up some discussion. I will say that with the ability to record music came the most important step for music in modern times. Can you imagine not having eight-tracks, casette tapes, or Cds?  Music would not have nearly the same impact on society today without them.

Games - I’m not much of a gamer these days but I couldn’t believe Mario Brothers was not mentioned as the single greatest franchise for any game console.  Period. In fact, I’ve put my header for the time being as Mario, just as a statement for this. While there are thousands upon thousands of games these days, everyone should remember the days when they would play Mario on the original Nintendo because quite simply, there was no other comparison. I remember playing Atari ,but when Mario came along it was thrown into a box under the stairs. That’s how big Mario was.

TV-I can’t say I was surprised when Grey’s Anotomy was chosen as the one thing for television. I live with two girls who watch it religiously and have to admit I can tell you everything that’s happened on the show. Being a guy I somehow feel a bit less masculine for having said that. 

Movies - How do you name one thing that best describes movies.  Perhaps just the theater experience itself. Better picture, sound, seats, and almost every other factor is getting better.

To sum up, it seems that everyone of these categories is pushing into more modern and technologically advanced fields. With Books the most read books now seem to be Harry Potter, a relatively new book. Television is all about the here and now. With FRIENDS off the air for the last few years people were craving a new show they could call their own. While the O.C. used to be the ‘it’ show, now Grey’s Anatomy has taken it’s place. How long until a new better show replaces it? Music is constantly in the here and now, but thanks to recording abilities music from decades past are aslo readily available, unlike centuries before.  While television is definitely focusing on the future, movies can be new or old and still be favorites. The ability to watch old ‘classic’ movies enables this category to be both in the here and now and also in the past.

This whole notion of being in the here and now is just another way of saying that we are constantly looking towards the future when it comes to these categories. Who doesn’t wonder what the next big thing is going to be when it comes to the future of media?